Why choose NCL??

[nissach]

We have never sailed NCL before, but have sailed Carnival 5 times and HAL once. We have enjoyed all of the cruises we have been on(hard not too) and one of the major considerations when picking a cruise is price. We always cruise at Christmas/New Years due to my schedule, so prices are always higher.

I would like to get the opinions of experienced NCL cruisers why for any upcoming cruises I should consider NCL?

I have long wanted to sail NCL, but usually price wins out and I choose Carnival. :confused:

Thanks :)

[Cole Thornton]

That is really quite a vague question. I'm assuming you have looked all through the NCL web site to see what is offered in the way of ships, freestyle dining, entertainment, itineraries and price?

 

What do you like to do? Who is going? Ages?

 

I have no idea why you should choose NCL. Do some research, read some reviews and get an idea if it fits what you want.

 

I think you'll find you will get better/more answers if you have more specific questions.

 

Cheers.

[cesaravelez]

Hello,i have cruise 7 times with NCL and i love it because is Freestyle Cruising,Freestyle to were ever. Cruising with them again on March 29th 2015 definitely got hooked on Freestyle Cruising.

[pengu1n]

As the person above stated, I can't really tell you why you would like NCL. I can tell that we have cruised on NCL, Carnival and HAL. We really like freestyle - not having to carry dressy clothing to eat dinner in the main dining room and being able to eat when we're ready, instead of rushing to meet a timeline. I know some of the other lines have anytime dining, but NCL does a better job with it.

 

We didn't like HAL as much as either Carnival or NCL because when we went, they served the same food at the buffet as in the dining room. I guess that's good if you want to eat quicker in the buffet, but not so good if the choices in the dining room didn't appeal to you. HAL excursions also seemed pricier, but partly because it was Alaska.

 

As for other comparisons, food was about the same: things I liked and occasionally things I didn't like, but you could always find something to eat!:D Entertainment was also comparable (although on the mega ships, you have less opportunity to see the big shows.)

[nissach]

That is really quite a vague question. I'm assuming you have looked all through the NCL web site to see what is offered in the way of ships, freestyle dining, entertainment, itineraries and price?

 

What do you like to do? Who is going? Ages?

 

I have no idea why you should choose NCL. Do some research, read some reviews and get an idea if it fits what you want.

 

I think you'll find you will get better/more answers if you have more specific questions.

 

Cheers.

 

I simple want to hear opinions from people who have cruised with NCL and what they like about them and why they choose NCL over other cruise lines(if they do). I can and have looked at the NCL website, I do read reviews, but I thought posting this on CC might get me some more information and feedback.

 

As I said in my original post, one major factor for us is price. Is NCL worth the extra money and why?

[nissach]

As the person above stated, I can't really tell you why you would like NCL. I can tell that we have cruised on NCL, Carnival and HAL. We really like freestyle - not having to carry dressy clothing to eat dinner in the main dining room and being able to eat when we're ready, instead of rushing to meet a timeline. I know some of the other lines have anytime dining, but NCL does a better job with it.

 

We didn't like HAL as much as either Carnival or NCL because when we went, they served the same food at the buffet as in the dining room. I guess that's good if you want to eat quicker in the buffet, but not so good if the choices in the dining room didn't appeal to you. HAL excursions also seemed pricier, but partly because it was Alaska.

 

As for other comparisons, food was about the same: things I liked and occasionally things I didn't like, but you could always find something to eat!:D Entertainment was also comparable (although on the mega ships, you have less opportunity to see the big shows.)

 

Thank you!!

[jjjct]

I love NCL. I like the Freestyle aspect of it.

 

I looked at your upcoming cruise on Carnival Breeze. You are leaving from Miami and going to 3 ports. The closest NCL cruise that comes closest to your itinerary is either the Star departing from Tampa or the Spirit departing from Orlando (Cape Canaveral). Your cruise is 6 days the NCL cruises are 7 days and have 4 ports.

 

So while Carnival is less expensive (but not by much), you have to also consider if an extra day cruising and an extra day visiting an additional port is important to you.

 

You also have to consider any extra's the line is giving you. NCL is offering either an unlimited dining in specialty restaurants, or up to $300 OBC or unlimited drink package in ocean view cabins and above.

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

From my experience, sailing on NCL's newer ships is not that much more than a Carnival cruise, unless you go on one of those Carnival ships that Kathy Lee Gifford used to sing about. Those are pretty cheap. I have sailed on both NCL and Carnival more than once. On NCL's newer ships, the entertainment blows Carnival out of the water. You get real Broadway shows, and the lounge entertainment is top notch. I also really like the Freestyle dining and the choices in venues, even if they cost extra. I hate eating at set times and sitting with strangers. Since I book late, Carnival's anytime dining is always booked. I end up eating in the buffet every night and hit the steak house one or two nights.

 

Quite honestly, the only reason I sail Carnival is because the Pride is literally a 10 minute cab ride from my house, and it's less than half the price of the RCL ship at the same port. This winter, The Pride was in Tampa after a dry dock. I looked into sailing out of NYC which is 3 hours from me and found great deals on the Breakaway. In my opinion everything from the ship to the staff with NCL was far better than the Pride. I'm not saying the Pride is awful, and I probably will sail it again when it comes back to Baltimore just for the convenience, but if we had an NCL ship here as well the decision would be a no brainer.

[DMH15]

I liked cruising on NCL but when I made the adjustment to cruising on NCL in a suite I love it now.

 

My last cruise was on Carnival Magic in an aft balcony with FASTER TO THE FUN and I had a great cruise. I will be on NCL Jewel in April in an aft PH suite with PLATINUM perks. Basically the same itinerary. It will be an interesting comparison for sure.

 

I hope you try NCL and have a blast.

[nissach]

I love NCL. I like the Freestyle aspect of it.

 

I looked at your upcoming cruise on Carnival Breeze. You are leaving from Miami and going to 3 ports. The closest NCL cruise that comes closest to your itinerary is either the Star departing from Tampa or the Spirit departing from Orlando (Cape Canaveral). Your cruise is 6 days the NCL cruises are 7 days and have 4 ports.

 

So while Carnival is less expensive (but not by much), you have to also consider if an extra day cruising and an extra day visiting an additional port is important to you.

 

You also have to consider any extra's the line is giving you. NCL is offering either an unlimited dining in specialty restaurants, or up to $300 OBC or unlimited drink package in ocean view cabins and above.

 

Thanks for your feedback!!

 

The Escape leaves out of Miami on Dec. 26 for 7 days. The price for a balcony starts at $2399(for two people cost would be $5037) compared to the Breeze which we paid $2557 total for two people for a balcony(6 day cruise). That is the most we have ever paid for a balcony room. That is a huge difference in price. Even with the OBC or the drink package, it is still a lot more money.

The Star and Spirit are less but still $700 to $800 more the our Breeze cruise. If we tacked on the free drink package it would make the Star and Spirit more equal.

 

I would love to cruise NCL, the freestyle aspect is what attracts me too, but can't justify the price difference. I guess if we could cruise at times other than Christmas/NYE we could probably get prices that are more competitive. I guess I will have to wait until we retire:( or maybe try a summer cruise.

[shanet60]

I simple want to hear opinions from people who have cruised with NCL and what they like about them and why they choose NCL over other cruise lines(if they do). I can and have looked at the NCL website, I do read reviews, but I thought posting this on CC might get me some more information and feedback.

 

As I said in my original post, one major factor for us is price. Is NCL worth the extra money and why?

 

I have cruised carnival 3 times and Ncl on the Epic once I usually go on carnival because of my Budget but the best cruise I've ever been on was with NCL everything is better IMO

[nissach]

I have cruised carnival 3 times and Ncl on the Epic once I usually go on carnival because of my Budget but the best cruise I've ever been on was with NCL everything is better IMO

 

Thanks!

[4774Papa]

We have cruises NCL and Celebrity and still cruise on both, depending on the itinerary, price and port of departure.

 

NCL has excellent specialty restaurants and many to choose from, Chinese, Japanese, Steak, Brazilian Steak, Italian, and French.

 

Freestyle works quite well when you are on a port intensive cruise, you eat when and where you want.

 

NCL's entertainment is excellent.

 

We like Celebrity's MDR food and service better, as well as the great variety of cruises around the world. Also, Celebrity's excursions are cheaper than NCL's.

[nissach]

We have cruises NCL and Celebrity and still cruise on both, depending on the itinerary, price and port of departure.

 

NCL has excellent specialty restaurants and many to choose from, Chinese, Japanese, Steak, Brazilian Steak, Italian, and French.

 

Freestyle works quite well when you are on a port intensive cruise, you eat when and where you want.

 

NCL's entertainment is excellent.

 

We like Celebrity's MDR food and service better, as well as the great variety of cruises around the world. Also, Celebrity's excursions are cheaper than NCL's.

 

The specialty restaurants you are referring to, do they require an extra cost or are they included in the cruise price? Having that many different options of food does sound great!

I have heard that NCL has higher quality entertainment vs. Carnival. IMO, Carnival's entertainment is hit and miss.

As for Celebrity, looking at their '1,2,3 go' program does intrigue me. Is it correct to assume that Celebrity has fewer families with young children sailing with them?

[mizLORInj]

If you are pricing a brand new ship, like Escape, it is going to be more than an older ship. I paid much more for my Breakaway inaugural season cruise than NCL is charging now, 2 years later. You are paying to be on a new ship.

I have cruised Carnival, Princess, RCI, etc. (see history below) and I haven't had a bad cruise yet. Wanting to see what other cruiselines were like got me to try the mass market ones out. I like variety. I like NCL and others, and that's why I cruise them. :) It is best to try the different lines out for yourself.

 

And yes, we've found that Celebrity usually has fewer children on board.

Edited January 10, 2015 by mizlorinj

[nissach]

If you are pricing a brand new ship, like Escape, it is going to be more than an older ship. I paid much more for my Breakaway inaugural season cruise than NCL is charging now, 2 years later. You are paying to be on a new ship.

 

I agree with this thinking. I am sure that is why we are paying a higher price for our Breeze cruise, compared to most recent cruise. It is a newer ship and therefore more people are interested in it. I only used the Escape pricing for comparison purposes with the Breeze.

[4774Papa]

The specialty restaurants you are referring to, do they require an extra cost or are they included in the cruise price? Having that many different options of food does sound great!

I have heard that NCL has higher quality entertainment vs. Carnival. IMO, Carnival's entertainment is hit and miss.

As for Celebrity, looking at their '1,2,3 go' program does intrigue me. Is it correct to assume that Celebrity has fewer families with young children sailing with them?

The NCL specialty restaurants do have a surcharge. It runs from $10 pp to $30. However, there is usually a special where you can buy three specialty dinners for $59.

 

Celebrity does have fewer families, but we do the two week cruises and find that the longer cruises, regardless of cruise lines have fewer children and more seniors.

 

Overall, our first choice is Celebrity, since the MDR is so good that you don't need to go to the specialty restaurants. The entertainment is almost as good as NCL. Also, the service is generally more polished.

 

We still do NCL, depending on price, ports and timing.

 

My Son has done NCL and Carnival and says there are more similarities than differences. I would say the same with NCL and Celebrity.

Of course, the little things do matter.

[Iluvcruising2]

We've only sailed NCL once, in a suite, and it was really good. Other cruises were primarily with Royal Caribbean. Never sailed with Carnival, so I can't compare.

 

If you want to know how I think NCL stacks up against Royal, please see this thread - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2139442

[cantthinkofanythingfun]

You priced a ship that will be brand new on a very popular week. If you are going out of Miami, price the Getaway. Still a relatively new ship, and probably much less expensive. You can also wait last minute and the price will drop. This year the Breakaway was running about $1600pp for a balcony on New Year's week. New York has a lot fewer ships than South Florida and I'm sure that drives up price. The specialty restaurants cost extra. You can pay $120 extra and eat in as many of them as you want, as many times as you want. You can also pay $15-$30 per visit. If you book before January 31 you can get the dining package for free, or you can choose the drinking package for free. That costs about 500 bucks a person normally.

 

Everyone's budget is different, but for a once a year week long vacation, I feel that NCL is worth an extra $800-$1000 extra over Carnival.

[Sauer-kraut]

I don't know what Carnival is doing, but I sailed the Breeze in October for $34 a day. I was a 6 day cruise, and it was fine. We didn't care for the production shows on the Breeze, I thought the shows on EPIC were better. I HATED the line up fiasco for the comedy club on the Breeze, especially when we sat through karakoe so we'd have a seat. They cleared the lounge and we got a really crappy seating area.

 

Fixed time dining didn't bother me as much on the Breeze sailing, we had a great lively table of other solo ladies. I will always look first at NCL cruises before looking at CCL, it usually comes down to sail dates for me rather than price.

[nissach]

Everyone's budget is different, but for a once a year week long vacation, I feel that NCL is worth an extra $800-$1000 extra over Carnival.

 

I agree, everyone's budget is different. Could we afford the extra, most of the time probably, do I want to spend more, no. I feel that the extra money spent could be spent on something else or not spent at all.

I guess until I actually try NCL I won't really know if spending the extra money is worth it for us.

 

Thanks for your opinion.