A Norwegian Tries Grand Princess -- Is There a Fairy Tale Ending?

[Jasperdo]

Thank you for the very informative comparison review. We haven't been on NCL in over 20 years. Their newer ships look interesting, and their prices are usually lower than Princess. I like the Freestlye Dining idea, since we always do Anytime Dining on Princess. I wouldn't mind trying NCL again someday.

[karoo]

Thanks for your great comparisons-as a long time NCL cruiser I am considering trying another line as I'd like to do an Asian itinerary. I do love the freestyle aspect of dining, the entertainment, on board activities etc when onboard NCL, plus the platinum perks. I do worry that traditional dining etc would ruin my cruising experience so it is great to read your thoughts.

[ar1950]

Thanks for doing this review. Here's a couple of hints. The newer ships are probably a little better than the Grand (maybe not the Golden, however) in our experience.

 

The scrambled eggs are not powdered, they are pasteurized real egg that comes in big containers. The salmon scramble that we have had was much better than what you described on the Grand. I think that what is served and the quality depends on the ship (our experience). If you order Eggs Benedict, ask for the sauce on the side. Everything is fresher and you actually get Hollandaise sauce that is correct. Also, check if there is a table for two available, no waiting for 6 other people to get their food.

 

As previously mentioned, yes it is potentially a rough trip to Hawaii and the pools are not drained because they are fresh water pools. I can't comment on the medical conditions, but, if you don't feel good you should always check into the medical center and it isn't a bad investment to buy the Princess insurance (Platinum is the better choice). We have been happy that we have had it more than once.

 

Look forward to your future Princess experiences. Thanks again for the review. :cool:

[undercat]

Thank you for your well-organized and thorough review! I haven't sailed NCL yet but I'm looking forward to our first Princess cruise, and as a new cruiser I love these comparison threads.

[jilly08]

FOOD – MDRs & Buffet

 

As I’ve mentioned earlier, I read reviews, so I have expectations. I’m prepared for what I’m likely to encounter. Sometimes, my expectations are met or wildly exceeded. Other times, I experience bone-crushing disappointment. Both things happened on this cruise, depending on which plate of food was in front of me. Let’s start with the low points.

 

MDRs and Buffet—I’ll discuss these together, since we saw little difference between them in terms of the quality of the food. We are very, very casual, so we tend to hit the buffet more often than the MDRs, partially because we can control our time better.

 

But Princess’s food is usually described as better than NCL’s, so we tried both. I made notes at our first few meals:

 

 

MDRs & Buffet: Princess = C

 

MDRs & Buffet: NCL = A/B

I enjoyed reading your review. Thank you for taking the time to write it!

I've sailed NCL twice and both times, I've felt that in order to get a decent meal, you had to go to an upcharge restaurant. What have you experienced lately? Do you feel the food has improved over the years?

 

thanks,

Jill

[PatriciaF]

We have only sailed NCL once--the cruise around the Hawaiian Islands--based on that cruise, we would never sail NCL again. Perhaps we are missing something by not giving them a chance on another itinerary.

 

Thank you for your great comparison!

 

I do think Princess's Lido deck buffet's must be one of the worse in the cruise ship industry though. AND the selections get poorer and poorer.

[Sillyjilly]

Can you please explain this one for me? I'm a relatively new cruiser and I've never sailed NCL and I always see people posting that Princess has the best benefits so I'm genuinely curious.

 

From what I can see, Princess perks are far better than NCL.

 

Free internet (NCL and Princess)

Free laundry (Princess unlimited, Only discounted on NCL)

Free dry cleaning (Princess yes, NCL ?)

Free shoe shine (NCL ?)

Free bar set up (Princess) and a generous set up

Free OBC (Princess) $25 to $100 depending on how many cruises.

Priority tendering, embarkation, and disembarkation )both)

Choc strawberries (both) Princess choice of strawberries or canapes.

 

Not sure about how much quicker you move up on NCL, but I'll take the Princess perks over NCL any day.

 

Not sure if I missed anything, but I think I've got it right.

[caribill]

From what I can see, Princess perks are far better than NCL.

 

Free internet (NCL and Princess)

Free laundry (Princess unlimited, Only discounted on NCL)

Free dry cleaning (Princess yes, NCL ?)

Free shoe shine (NCL ?)

Free bar set up (Princess) and a generous set up

Free OBC (Princess) $25 to $100 depending on how many cruises.

Priority tendering, embarkation, and disembarkation )both)

Choc strawberries (both) Princess choice of strawberries or canapes.

 

Not sure about how much quicker you move up on NCL, but I'll take the Princess perks over NCL any day.

 

Not sure if I missed anything, but I think I've got it right.

 

Elites on Princess also get 10% off in the onboard boutiques.

[Sillyjilly]

Elites on Princess also get 10% off in the onboard boutiques.

 

Oh yeah, I knew I was forgetting something.:D

[karoo]

Unsure of the rewards on Princess as I've never sailed on them as I've never liked the idea of traditional dining and many of the ships seem to be old and outdated (Just My Opinion). However I am considering booking a cruise as I'd like to do an Asian itinerary. Also looking at Royal and Celebrity.

 

NCL Perks:

Priority tendering-you just turn up with your priority pass and your straight on.

A complimentary bottle of champagne (which I usually exchange for a bottle of wine), chocolate covered strawberries and a box of Godiva chocolates on embarkation. Plus the complimentary chocolates and sometimes canapés each day.

Free dinner for two at Le Bistro or another specialty dining venue of your choice with a complimentary bottle of wine. (The voucher doesn't include Cagneys).

A Captains Cocktail Party with complimentary drinks and canapés.

An exclusive gathering wine and cheese evening-with a choice of other drinks as well eg cocktails and beer

Free laundry and or drycleaning on a day of your choosing.

A behind the scenes tour.

Priority boarding and disembarkation.

Free use of a concierge.

There is a discount on onboard purchases and internet charges. (Unsure exactly how much as I don't tend to shop or purchase the internet package-although we won an internet package at the Captain's cocktail party as they give out lots of freebies) If there are two of you who are both platinum many of these perks are doubled eg laundry, dinner, wine etc. x2

 

I'm sure Princess's perks are just as generous, but I wouldn't qualify.

[Sillyjilly]

Oh yeah, forgot about the complimentary wine tasting on Princess.

 

I agree with other cruisers about NCL. YUCKY and never again. I understand the newer ships are better, but I already gave 'em 2 chances. My friends also had terrible experiences on them and won't cruise with them again either.:eek:

[mrsgoggins]

I loved your reviews - thank you.

 

I've only sailed Disney so far (wonderful) and you can't escape being santised on them either.

 

Due on the Grand in May (Alaska) and am now excited to read of the attention to chocolate: good chocolate/desserts = life affirming experiences in my book.

 

Finally, Fisherman's Friend is made about 20 miles from where I live in the UK and my mother-in-law was a devotee. For my part, I can't think of an illness that wouldn't otherwise result in death, that could make me finish even one! You are obviously made of stronger stuff.

 

A great read.

[newmexicoNita]

Thanks for a very honest and objective cruise review, comparing the two lines. We have cruise both many times (well only 3 on Princess) Though I think overall you have picked out the good and bad very well, I will ask you a question: I didn't see any mention of your eating in the specialty dining rooms. Maybe I missed it. We did eat at both on our last PRincess cruise and much prefer NCLs specialty dining rooms.

 

We agree about the trivia, we love to play but didn't enjoy it quite as much on Princess, plus we missed the progressive as well.

 

We agree, Princess seems to have a better variety of entertainment, but we think NCLs is much better.

 

Again, thanks for your review, you covered about everything. continue to enjoy cruising, we sure do.

[Msail]

Try another ship the Grand is my least favorite ship. Food can get a bit boring but the premium restaurants are very good.

[luv2gonow]

Thanks for your detailed comparative review:D

Kerri

[HokiePoq]

From what I can see, Princess perks are far better than NCL.

 

Free internet (NCL and Princess)

Free laundry (Princess unlimited, Only discounted on NCL)

Free dry cleaning (Princess yes, NCL ?)

Free shoe shine (NCL ?)

Free bar set up (Princess) and a generous set up

Free OBC (Princess) $25 to $100 depending on how many cruises.

Priority tendering, embarkation, and disembarkation )both)

Choc strawberries (both) Princess choice of strawberries or canapes.

 

Not sure about how much quicker you move up on NCL, but I'll take the Princess perks over NCL any day.

 

Not sure if I missed anything, but I think I've got it right.

 

How many days do you have to have to get these great benefits?

It's only 75 on NCL to get the benefits someone has listed.

Perhaps that is the difference in the OP's preference. I think the NCL Platinum benefits are very generous. DH and I each get two free specialty dinners with wine and especially enjoy that and the free laundry.

We have 75 days on HAL and get....virtually nothing..

OP, thanks for the great review. We are considering trying Princess if the price is right. I like the Princess itineraries and have already done most of the NCL ones. Somehow we never get promotional emails or mailings for Princess from our online TAs that we get for NCL, RCCL, Celebrity and HAL.

I love the older HAL ships that have the laundries and that would be a big plus for choosing Princess, too.

[RDC1]

HEALTH AND SAFETY

 

 

HAND SANITIZER—NCL is very proactive about hand sanitizer. First thing when you board the ship, you’ll get squirted with sanitizer. You don’t get near a restaurant or the buffet without passing staff members with a squirt bottle of sanitizer, and they will come to you to be sure your hands are sanitized. There’s even a “Washy-washy” song. (YouTube link:

)

 

On the Grand, the only place I felt that a staff member was ensuring the use of sanitizer was the entrance to the buffet line itself, NOT the entrance to the buffet “room”. You can get coffee and tea without sanitizer. You can get desserts and some main dishes without sanitizer.

 

Those of you familiar with the Grand: think about the design of the buffet. It’s small and maze-like, designed to cram a lot of people together with lots of food.

 

On NCL ships you can easily walk through the much larger buffet to see what items are available before you get a plate. There’s space to walk around without blocking others’ access. You can dip in and out of the line(s). You are not crammed together. And you don’t get near it without hand sanitizer.

 

Here’s a link to a CDC website listing incidents of norovirus on cruise ships. Princess ships seem to be listed more frequently than NCL ships.

http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

 

Princess = C

 

NCL = A

 

 

ILLNESS ONBOARD—My husband never gets sick. I mean it. When the next great flu pandemic hits, he’ll be burying the bodies. Meanwhile, I get sick more than most.

 

Imagine my surprise when DH started complaining about a sore throat. Then he started coughing—a LOT. This began around our second port day (Honolulu) and two days later, in Lahaina, I got off to buy cough and cold meds and lots of cough drops. As I was hitting drugstores, I felt a little “off”.

 

So, in a first for us, I caught something from my DH. I stayed in our cabin for four days, eating lots of soup and not much else. (These were beautiful sea days while we sailed to Ensenada.) Luckily I rallied for Valentine’s Day for our Ultimate Balcony Dinner (more on this amazing meal later). We learned from the waiters that LOTS of people were sick and that the medical center had been packed with sick folks. I heard later that some guests had been quarantined in their cabins.

 

None of this was ever addressed in the Patters. No “Please visit our Medical Center if you’re not feeling well.” No “Please stay in your cabin if you’re not feeling well.” Nada.

 

I don’t have anything to grade NCL on for this, but Princess = D

 

By the way, the best cough drops for a cough so bad you think you’ll throw up are called Fisherman’s Friends: http://www.fishermansfriend.com/en-us/.

 

 

POOLS IN ROUGH SEAS—We had very rough seas between Los Angeles and Hilo. A crew member told me that some wine bottles weren’t properly secured in a bar or restaurant and one day some of them fell and broke.

 

So, why weren’t the pools drained? Water was surging from one end to the other, with lots of water spilling onto the surrounding pool decks. We particularly noticed this on the small pool all the way aft on Deck 12. We met a passenger at embarkation who told us later that she fell near that aft pool and needed medical attention. She refused to pay since she felt Princess was liable, and last we heard it had been kicked up to the Princess corporate office.

 

Princess = C-

 

NCL = A (they drain the pools!)

 

 

GRABBARS FOR BATHTUBS—On the NCL Sun, the sides of bathtubs are 24” high (for comparison, ours at home is 13” high). There isn’t a grab bar to help you climb into the tub, so I grab a towel rack which probably isn’t designed to support my weight.

 

In our Princess mini-suite, there were enough grab bars so I could feel safe stepping in and out of the tub. Excellent.

 

Princess = A

 

NCL Sun = C

 

Keep in mind when looking at the CDC list that Princess has quite a few more ships then NCL. If you normalize the number of cdc listed incidents to take into account the difference in the size of the fleet and number of passengers carried that difference goes away.

[fshagan]

What a great review! Thanks to the OP for posting it.

 

The OP is comparing this Princess ship to the oldest ship in the NCL fleet, the Sun. Interestingly the Sun is their favorite ship; I can see why, the size of the ship makes it seem more intimate, but I had my worst NCL meal ever in the premium steak house on NCL on the Sun (Cagney's). It was an off night for them, as others I spoke to who dined on other nights thought it fabulous.

 

So as far as ship's amenities it is probably a fair comparison based on the ages of the ships. The food comparison seems reasonable to me as well, as our experience in our Princess cruises (4 of them) was that the food in the MDR was presented much better than on NCL, but was not as satisfying for our palates as NCL. That's slight praise; we're not foodies and consider cruise line food a step below what you can get on land.

 

Our last three cruises on NCL -- we cruise about once a year -- had much less of the overt sales activity.

[suzieb25]

I am booked in that mini-suite (E729) on the Grand in August. I read other comments about how comfortable that sofa is! I hope they don't replace it during the upcoming dry dock. Glad you enjoyed it....I know I will!

[Cruise Junky]

Thanks for a great comparison. We've only sailed Pride but I'd love to try one of the new NCL ships.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for the review which I felt was a fair review of both ship line experiences. We have not been on Princess in awhile and we have looked at Princess again due to the proximity of San Francisco and not having to fly. We are driving to LA for our upcoming cruise on NCL. The DH has never had a love of flying so I am looking at departure ports closer rather than further these days. We loved the champagne breakfast and dinner on our Princess cruises and lucky for us on both cruises the weather was great,

[apmecruise]

Great review

[BridgeMates]

Appreciate your review.

We have friends that just booked on the Norwegian Jewel and secretly we thought they've made a big mistake. We did a Caribbean cruise on Norwegian out of Houston maybe 20 years ago and decided that would be our first and only. Since then we've stuck to Princess, Celebrity and Holland America. Talking cruises, many people say the same way....once was enough.

Sounds like NCL has greatly improved and maybe we've held our grudge long enough?

[Cruise Junky]

Sounds like NCL has greatly improved and maybe we've held our grudge long enough?

 

I think they're only going to get better with Frank del Rio at the helm.

[alreadypacked]

Very nice comparison review! Thank you.:)