How does Norwegian compare to other Mainstream Lines

[bamelin]

I've sailed on RCCL, Princess and Carnival.

 

We really enjoyed our Princess cruise (Star Princess), our Royal Caribbean Cruise was decent (Explorer of the Seas) and our Carnival Cruise (Carnival Magic) was our least favorite.

 

We liked Princess because the service level seemed higher than all three and we felt the quality of food was the best. While the ship layout wasn't the greatest (especially in the buffet) we still felt Princess delivered a really upscale feel overall.

 

We liked Royal Caribbean due to the layout of the ship. We loved "Main Street", the entertainment was top notch, we felt the food was a little heavy (sauce wise in MDR). The buffet was laid out great and service level in buffet was fantastic.

 

Carnival Magic was the worst of the three. The ship felt really overcrowded, and the buffet we felt packed like sardines. One thing we really noticed on Carnival was the lack of drink service in the buffet (lack of any servers/staff to be honest). Entertainment on Carnival was also sub par. I will say though the price we got was great and the cabins were roomy, with nice amenities (linens/beds).

 

 

So how does Norwegian compare to all three? My folks are travelling on Norwegian Pearl in November I can't wait to hear their feedback as they have mostly sailed with MSC and one Princess cruise. I'm looking at cruises next year and Norwegian is one of the lines I'm curious to try. The prices seem pretty good (comparable to Carnival), however as Carnival was my least favorite I'm a little worried about what sort of experience we would have on a Norwegian ship.

 

We are in our 30's, I like casino, both wife and I place a premium on service and food.

[getupgo]

I don't think it is fair to compare Princess to Carnival. The prices difference is huge. I've sailed the low 3 and I was happy with all of them. I haven't sailedd Princess because I'd rather sail twice a year than one splurge.

Edited October 19, 2014 by getupgo

[bamelin]

I don't think it is fair to compare Princess to Carnival. The prices difference is huge. I've sailed the low 3 and I was happy with all of them. I haven't sailedd Princess because I'd rather sail twice a year than one splurge.

 

I think they are fairly comparable though price wise? Princess on average costs more, however, if you look for deals you can find Princess cruises for similar cost to Norwegian.

 

I guess Norwegian is on average cheaper ... is it fair then to say Princess is a more "premium" product? In all honesty I've heard that Princess, Disney and Holland America are considered "Premium" cruises. I'm just trying to get a feel for the differences between the main lines (covering Norwegian, Carnival, Holland America, Princess, Royal Caribbean, MSC, Costa, Disney).

 

Is it fair to say that Holland America, Disney and Princess are "better" products, but cost more? My experience was that while Princess was the best experience of my three cruises, I think Royal Caribbean came awfully close. Carnival was noticeably subpar compared to the other two. I'm trying to figure out how Norwegian will feel in comparison.

Edited October 19, 2014 by bamelin

[DirtyDawg]

My DW and I just got sailed on the Pearl earlier this month. We have sailed Carnival, Norwegian, R.C, and Celebrity. Celebrity is still our favorite but the Pearl was very good. After our only other Norwegian cruise on the Dawn a few years ago my DW said she wouldn't do another cruise with them. Food not as good as RC, (we hadn't found Celebrity yet) Freestyle dinning not to her taste, etc. She relented this time only because the it was the only cruise that fit our schedule. This time she loved it! The food was very good and while you still had to wait for sitting in the MDR, they gave everyone a voucher for a glass of sparkling wine and a beeper to let you know when your table was ready. We never waited more than 20 minutes for a table. In fact, we didn't bother with any specialty restaurants this time. Last time we eat in the specialties 50% of the time.

 

We never do the shows on any Cruise line so I can't comment on the relative quality there.

 

Hope that helps.

[mrobstad]

To me, having cruised all those lines, it comes down to new ship vs. old ship. You can't compare RCCL Majesty to RCCL Oasis. I've only traveled on NCL new ships, and I like them best of all, but I do miss the Solarium on the Jewel class of RCCL ships. I guess Vibe is a close substitute.

 

 

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[aubreyc1988]

We've sailed RCI, Carnival, and Norwegian so far. Here are my thoughts

 

RCI - We like RCI best. Pros: Food is usually pretty good, entertainment is amazing, activities are great, ship layout and decor is really good. Cons: Price. RCI is pricey. The comedians we have seen on RCI are not very good. But this could be because we've only been on three ships.

 

Carnival - We like CCL the least. But we would still sail with them, we are not too picky (Hey, it's VACATION) Pros: Price. CCL is cheaper MOST of the time. It has to be significantly cheaper for us to consider a Carnival cruise. We also LOVE the dessert on CCL. No other line we've been on has something as good as chocolate melting cake. YUM. Comedians are great on CCL. Our room stewards are always so amazing on CCL. Cons: Entertainment is terrible. Ship decor is gaudy and the layouts are not that good. The food is hit or miss. Activities are lame.

 

NCL - We just tried them, so only have been on the Getaway. We liked them, but not as good as RCI. Pros: Dining options. We got the dining package and it was cool trying out all the different venues. The steakhouse on the Getaway was way better than chops, and LeBistro was amazing. Also, freestyle dining for us was perfect. We have gotten over the dressing up for dinner so it's nice to just walk into restaurants with jeans and no one "turns up their nose" at you. it really puts us on the vacation mode. Howl at the Moon is a great night time activity and O'Sheehans is the best for free venue we have been to on a ship. Price on NCL for us was really good, we got a great deal and it was even cheaper than Carnival. Cons: Entertainment is usually a miss. We only went to one show we "Sorta" liked. Customer Service on NCL was severely lacking, and we aren't complainers, but to get ANY issue fixed is really difficult. The ships on the getaway were strange, there really wasn't a promenade or a atrium feeling. The adults only area was not very good, no pool, and just seemed plain. In general, there was not enough pools or hot tubs for this size of a ship. Poor layout.

 

Hope this helps. Keep in mind, I'd go on ANY of these lines and ANY of the ships I've sailed again for the right itinerary/price/reason. We just love to cruise and are blessed enough to be able to do it often!

[luvtheships]

Have cruised dcl. Ccl. Ncl. Princess

 

Ncl and princess will be the ones we go back to

 

 

 

 

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[jkgourmet]

Over 20 years and 16 cruises, We have sailed on Carnival, RCCL, Princess, HAL, Celebrity, NCL and MSC. We are now ages 57 and 71, and I believe that our age influences our preferences.

 

We also put food as a big issue when we cruise. NCL rates the worst for us in its buffet and MDR. The speciality restaurants are very good, but we resent having to pay extra. We did not have any complaints about service on NCL, but it was definately less formal and professional than Princess, HAL, Celebrity and MSC. So were the passengers, and the general atmosphere. Some people prefer that informality, while others do not. The shows on our most recent NCL cruise were spectacular, far exceeding any other line except MSC.

 

We would sail on NCL again, given a very cheap price, good itinerary that is port intensive so we can get our good food fix at lunch in port. Otherwise, we choose another line (but no more Carnival or RCCL. We're too old for the party criwd and hoards of kids).

[mrobstad]

Aubrey is spot on!

 

 

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[FireEater]

I am just the opposite of Aubreyc. Our last experience on RCL was a turn off. The crew was rude, the service lackluster at best. Cabin was tight for 3. Food was not up to par from other cruises with them. Ship was showing too much rust on my balcony. The shows were just ok at best to me.

 

My one and only NCL cruise I found to be a keeper. The staff and crew were exceptional. The service was outstanding. The food was top notch in quality and quantity. The ship was immaculate.

 

Now CCL has always been good with us. The shows leave a lot to be desired. Not enough sea day activities that I enjoy. But other then that, I have no problems booking again with CCL.

 

As you can see in my signature line, I have and continue to jump to different cruise lines. Not for any specific reason other then to try other lines to see how we enjoy them. We cruise for the destination. The journey to get there just sweetens the experience. :cool:

[GreenValleyDogWalker]

We are "Elite" with Princess - just seemed like Princess had the itineraries that we were looking for - HOWEVER - have recently (last few years) really started to like NCL (must admit - only been on the NCL Dawn - booked it originally because we wanted to golf in Bermuda, and liked the idea of the ship being "docked" for 3 days - allowing us to come and go) - anyway - now that we are "senior citizens" - our main reasons for selecting a cruise is the specialty dining and the itinerary - we LOVE all of the specialty restaurants on the NCL Dawn - we purchase the "Ultimate Dining Package" and go to a different specialty restaurant each night (and never even set foot in the MDR or the buffet)

 

I guess everyone has a different reason for a "favorite" cruise line.

 

P.S. - Will NEVER cruise with Carnival again - too many things to mention !!

Edited October 19, 2014 by I'll cruise anywhere

[cruisemom67]

I think cruising depends more on personal preferences. Age is a huge determination of what you will like. We are going on the Dawn in January, only because we couldn't find ccl that fit our time frame and destinations. We cruise with our children most of the time, and this will be our three teenagers' 9th cruise. Carnival has a lot to offer For kids. I have never thought any of the shows on ccl or ncl have been very good. Food on carnival has been much better than ncl, but I have heard ncl recently trying to upgrade that. Even within carnival our experience has been completely varied depending on the ship you take. Have had great things on all and some things not so good. I guess our motto has always been, "a day on a cruise is better than one on land" so we just enjoy the good and not let the bad bother us. We haven't been on higher end cruises because we like to go often and bring the kids, so I really can't compare to the more expensive ones. Once the kids are off on their own, we are anxious to try Princess. My best advice is if you are particular on any one thing...food, entertainment, service, kid activity...find the cruise that offers the best of that. :)

[bamelin]

Thanks for all your thoughts!

 

The one thing I think I would like on Norwegian is that you can go super casual at night. My wife and i often eat in our cabin on other lines as I hate dressing up for dinner. Its not that I cant dress up -- I do it every workday. On holidays I just prefer to kick back casual - shorts and a T, even at night.

[cruiser 1613]

We prefer NCL... Went on Golden Princess cruise this year, but do not plan to return anytime soon...

 

Thought we would like the Princess cruise line, but Guess we just like the way NCL does their freestyle cruises...

 

We thought NCL entertainment is better... Food on both lines we fine, no problem there..

MDR's on Princess seems a little short on tables for two... Could be just our luck at that time... Sometimes we just prefer to eat alone... Not always thou..

We don't like traditional dining either...

 

We didn't care for the dress-up nights on Princess... No longer enjoy suits on vacations anymore...

 

The ships on both lines were nice, no problem there..

Have not sailed on any other cruise line...