Considering NCL -- would welcome your advice

[Quilting_Cruiser]

While never on the Pearl, we tried NCL after 17 cruises in a row on CCL. (including Spirit to Alaska.) We found NCL a nice change from CCL. The lines are very similar in many ways, but having different shows, food and entertainment made for a whole new experience. Alaska cruises are usually more "laid-back" than other cruises, as there is so much sightseeing and nature to watch. We actually enjoyed the different restaurants on NCL. We swore we would never pay for a restaurant on a cruise ship - but really liked the ability to book our preferred eating time, and where to eat each night. (do it 45 days in advance, so you have your choice of time slots.) We enjoyed NCL so much that we have 2 more cruises booked, and another on CCL. I would definitely give Pearl a try - especially if it has Glacier Bay on it's itinerary.

 

Thank you. I was hoping to hear from someone with significant experience on both lines. Your feedback is very helpful. Yes, Glacier Bay is on the itinerary; that was an absolute must for me. I loved our last trip through Tracy Arm, but I've never been in Glacier Bay and really want to see it!

 

I have sailed both lines (CCL Pride and NCL Gem) and if the price were close I would choose NCL (I have not yet decided how much of a price difference would make us choose CCL but it has gone up since we sailed on the Gem). We liked CCL but found the food on NCL to be a little bit better and the entertainment on NCL was much more robust. Yes, NCL does do towel animals (as I am sure many have pointed out).

 

Thank you. That's very helpful. :)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We've been on the Carnival Spirit twice to Alaska, Went on our first NCL cruise this past May.....a 10 day Alaska from Vancouver on the Pearl.

The Pearl is a beautiful ship. The differences in my opinion....Carnival has larger balcony cabins, much better MDR food. NCL has better buffet food and friendlier crew.

I wouldn't hesitate to cruise on the Pearl again.

 

Excellent. Thanks!

 

We have sailed on Princess, HAL, Celebrity & NCL & the only one of those I would never sail with again is NCL. Didn't suit us. Found their dining experience a let down. We like to share a table with interesting people but found we were put on our own (even after many requests) & also the waiters didn't seem to have a level of expertise. We are not really fussy but we also found the food not so good. The buffet was, to us, too much like a workers' canteen & it was hard to find a seat to sit on. All that being said we had gorgeous weather on that Alaskan cruise so our port experiences were great.

 

 

Which is what it's about in Alaska! Thank you for your input; I appreciate it!

[g35girl]

I haven't been on Carnival but I have been on the Pearl twice. It is a very nice ship and yes they do towel animals.

 

We find the food in the MDR's to be just fine - very enjoyable in fact, but we do eat in the specialty restaurants about 50% of the time.

 

The entertainment varies from cruise to cruise but you'll find things like singing and dancing performances, magicians, vetriloquists, comedians, and other variety-type shows. We find the entertainment to be very good to excellent, most of the time.

 

On the Pearl there is a large lounge at the front of the ship up on deck 13 called the Spinnaker Lounge with lots of floor to ceiling windows and furnishings of many kinds. A comfortable and enjoyable place to be for some great shows like the Newlywed (not-so-newlywed) Dancing with the NCL stars, etc.

 

We love NCL, especially for their freestyle concept as well as the service and the suite perks.

 

 

Like the OP, I have cruised multiple times on Carnival and Princess, but will be cruising with NCL on the Pearl next May for the 1st time.

 

I read another thread that someone reserved all their show and comedy tickets prior to sailing. Is this really necessary? On my other cruises, you simply attended the show of your choice - no fee, no reservation.

[Hikini]

Like the OP, I have cruised multiple times on Carnival and Princess, but will be cruising with NCL on the Pearl next May for the 1st time.

 

I read another thread that someone reserved all their show and comedy tickets prior to sailing. Is this really necessary? On my other cruises, you simply attended the show of your choice - no fee, no reservation.

 

There are no reservations required for the shows on the Pearl. That is only for the larger ships like the Epic, Breakaway, etc.

 

Enjoy!

[g35girl]

There are no reservations required for the shows on the Pearl. That is only for the larger ships like the Epic, Breakaway, etc.

 

Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the info Hikini!

[OceanDreaming2]

Thank you all for jumping in so quickly and sharing your experiences. It sounds like the Peal is a great ship. I'll have to go search for some photos.

 

What are the suite perks? You don't get many on Carnival, but I've heard other lines have much better perks if you book a suite and Alaska is a destination I don't mind splurging on. :)

 

Here's a link for the suites/penthouses on NCL. By far and away superior to Carnival's suites. http://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/freestyle-accommodations/suites-and-penthouses

 

The $300 OBC applies if you use your American Express card for all payments. It can generally be combined with any other promotions currently being offered.

 

The Pearl is a beautiful ship. If you are lucky enough, the captain may invite you to the Bridge while cruising Glacier Bay. We did that when the ship was new and had a suite. It was incredible!

Edited August 6, 2014 by OceanDreaming2

[NLH Arizona]

NCL does a really good job for its suite passengers, better than any of the other lines in my opinion. All suites have a butler and the services of a concierge, and all are large enough to eat your meals (delivered by your butler) if you are so inclined. All suite passengers on the Pearl will have access to a special breakfast and lunch menu, served in Cagney's --- better food, better service, and a quieter atmosphere than other places on the ship. No extra charge for any of the above, but you are expected to tip your butler and concierge at the end of the cruise. In addition, some of the higher suites are in the Haven or include Haven access, which is a nice relaxing courtyard with a small pool away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the ship. Suites on NCL are well worth the additional charge, at least for us.

In a suite, you also get priority check-in and escorted onto the ship. You get priority disembarkation. Daily treats, fruit, I got a bottle of sparkling wine. The services of the pre-concierge to which you can email your requests (like what kind of snacks you would like, type of pillow you would like, I requested a pitcher of water and iced tea daily. Basically you can ask for almost anything and if they can't do it, they will let you know. Also, the concierge can make your dinner reservations and shore excursion reservations.

[declansdad]

We haven't cruised those ships but we have cruised with Carnival twice and just got back from our first cruise with NCL. We will look at NCL again but they wouldn't be our first choice.

 

Comparing the two, Carnival had much better MDR and buffet food as well as the wait staff. Carnival had bigger cabins but the balcony was roughly the same.

 

The entertainment was about the same on both.

 

We weren't a fan of the freestyle dining but NCL also allows reservations in the MDRs as well. This doesn't seem to be well communicated and it was cause for many angry guests at the check-in desks. NCL seemed to be all about the specialty restaurants. They were always pushing them and they took up much of the room on the ship.

 

We did enjoy our cruise on the Dawn but not as much as our two previous cruises with Carnival or our one with Disney.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thanks for the feedback. It's all been helpful as I consider my first adventure on an NCL ship!

 

After talking with DD, looks like I'll be venturing off on my own so am now considering an Western Med cruise. I'll have to make a decision soon so I can start planning, obsessive planner that I am. :)

 

Thanks!

[Cruisin Oma]

We cruised NCL to Alaska in a suite at the front of the ship. The day we did Tracy Arm was my favorite cruise day in all of my memories of cruising. The views were incredible. (And you get both sides at the same time). That being said, you couldn't use your balcony the rest of the trip though. Too windy and cold. (Still would do it again in a heartbeat on an Alaskan Cruise).

 

My only other comment re NCL was I didn't care for anytime dining. I thought the service was poor compared to MDR traditional. There may be ways to circumvent this if we hadn't been a newbie to NCL.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thanks, Pat!

 

I ended up booking a Adriatic cruise on the NCL Jade. Can't wait!