Please educate me on sailing NCL.

[Rosethorn40]

Don't know if this is of any importance to you, but NCL serves Pepsi products as opposed to Coke. I nearly died on our Pacific Coastal cruise in 2011 when we were unable to dock at Astoria OR due to weather, and the following day was a sea day, so I was unable to stock up on a couple of bottles. DH had to deal with a very grumpy wife for two days :(

 

Like others have said I thought the entertainment we saw on the NCL Star surpassed anything I've seen on any other cruise line.

 

Love Princess, Love Carnival-We too enjoy the adult only areas that both of these lines offer. Kids were not an issue on our one & only NCL cruise probably because the time of year and itinerary. Pepsi products not withstanding, we liked NCL enough to go again. We are eyeing a cruise next Spring on the Epic, but we will definitely get either a Spa Mini-Suite or maybe even a Haven Spa room.

[stargate fan]

WOW you sound like us..... except we are only 50 :D Also jumping ship from only doing Carnival to giving NCL a try. Finding many of the differences between the two lines from reading reviews very confusing ( what is included and what costs extra ) We have never eaten in one of the extra pay steakhouses on Carnival.

 

!!! I will definitly be following along!! We enjoy relaxing out in the sun away from the busy water park/ pool /game area. I am hoping there will be an area where we can just enjoy the sun and go for a swim on the Escape. We just did the Carnival Breeze and loved being out on the lanai area!!

 

Hey, in just four years you'll be in your "mid" 50's like us. :p Physically, anyway. We're in our 30's mentally. What NCL ships are you considering?

 

Our favorite shade/sun bathing spots on Carnival ships are on the sides of the ships, above Lido Deck. It's quiet, there's not a lot of traffic.

[stargate fan]

If you go, and like it, you can buy a future cruise certificate for $250. For buying one, they'll take $100 off your current cruise bill. They are good for 4 years as a full $250 for deposit on your next cruise. You do not book another cruise while on board like you do on Carnival.

 

Wow, that's great. I sure do miss the FCCs on Carnival.

[maywell]

Don't know if this is of any importance to you, but NCL serves Pepsi products as opposed to Coke. I nearly died on our Pacific Coastal cruise in 2011 when we were unable to dock at Astoria OR due to weather, and the following day was a sea day, so I was unable to stock up on a couple of bottles. DH had to deal with a very grumpy wife for two days :(

 

 

To further explain that - you can bring any non-alcoholic drink such as water in your luggage bag, carry-on or in its packaging case (ie: 24 bottles in a case) with a luggage tag on it; if you want to save costs or don't like Pepsi products for free. (It depends on your embarkment port and what they allow; but for NCL, you can bring as many as you like) For wine, if its 750ml you pay $15 per bottle, $30 if its 1500ml; I believe you can bring as many as you like as long as its paid for. Can't bring hard liquor from your starting port on the ship, sorry....

[hockeyluver]

Hey, in just four years you'll be in your "mid" 50's like us. :p Physically, anyway. We're in our 30's mentally. What NCL ships are you considering?

 

Our favorite shade/sun bathing spots on Carnival ships are on the sides of the ships, above Lido Deck. It's quiet, there's not a lot of traffic.

 

Well mentally I am in my 30's ~~~ my hubby thinks he is still 18!! We are booked on the NCL ESCAPE :D I must admit the UBP (ultimate beverage package or as Carnival calls it Cheers but without the 15 drink limit) was one of the deciding factors :p

 

Wow, that's great. I sure do miss the FCCs on Carnival.

 

I really miss them too!! I didnt like the idea that you had to book a specific cruise then and there!! Hello I'm on a cruise loading up my cc where am I going to get the extra to put down 2 deposits ~~?? :eek:

 

Hubby is sooo excited over the pepsi his pop of choice !!

[Loucat]

We have sailed many lines as you can see in my signature line.

Sorry, no Carnival experience but here is my perspective on NCL.

We have sailed Sky, Dawn and Sun. We repeated Sky and Dawn and would jump back on Sun tomorrow and then for 3 more times.

We cut down our annual cruises and book suites (we are in love with the experience of NCL suite life).

In our balcony days, we ate in the MDR; found it hard to get a table for 2. It was New Years so take that into consideration.

Entertainment was good; every ship had excellent staff who went out of their way to make your cruise special.

Love specialty restaurants as they offer a great experience.

They are offering a special right now for free UDP-you can eat in every one of their specialty restaurants; UBP-not sure on the specifics; free gratuities and on board credit.

Their pools are not up the RCC where you have the Solarium. I am not yet up to paying for the Haven.

So, try NCL.

We did and now book only NCL and Princess.

We are Diamond+ on RCC but who cares?

All said, we are not looking for a floating amusement park as we are beyond the point of children sailing with us.

[stewartgirl721]

Thanks for all the info. I will be following this as I too have not joined the NCL family just yet. Sailing the Pearl in May. The "thing" the pulled us to NCL for Alaska was "dress up or not". Don't get me wrong I love formal nights (not bashing them) just not when I'm packing raincoats, boots and stuff in May to fly cross country. :D

[mrobstad]

As you newbies go on more and more cruises, you'll find what you like, and what you don't. When I started cruising with my teenage sons, we started on the Carnival Paradise because it's hook was as a no smoking ship and I had just quit. The following year, my sons wanted a basketball court, so we moved to RCCL. Then, we watched cruise lines add more and more things. Now, thirteen years later and cruising solo, I find I prefer newer ships. Many on these boards will disagree, but I love features like the speciality restaurants, higher level entertainment and lots of it, and areas like Vibe and H2O where you can get away from the sardine nature of poolside "relaxing." I do miss an indoor pool/solarium, such as those found on RCCL Radiance class ships, but still prefer the new ship perks even more!

[hockeyluver]