Teresa77 Posted April 7, 2004 #1 Share Posted April 7, 2004 Hello everyone, My boyfriend and I will be cruising on the Golden Princess 8/22 to the Southern Carib. We have been on NCL's Dawn and Sun which we loved very much this past year and now are wanting to try something different. We are in our mid 20's and hoping we could get some insight from anyone who has been on both NCL and Princess. Plus's to princess? Differences? ETC. Any information anyone could provide would be GREATLY appreciated. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseFever Posted April 7, 2004 #2 Share Posted April 7, 2004 I have not been on NCL yet but I did sail Princess for the first time last month on the Golden so maybe my log of the journey may be of assistance to you. [url="http://www.lifeiscruising.com/golden_princess1"]http://www.lifeiscruising.com/golden_princess1[/url] Stand by though, I am sure there are many members who have sailed both that can make direct and objective comparisons for you Happy Cruising Chris [url="http://www.LifeIsCruising.com"]www.LifeIsCruising.com[/url] Next up: Caribbean Princess 06/04 Star Princess 10/04 Carnival Spirit 12/04 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geema Posted April 7, 2004 #3 Share Posted April 7, 2004 We were on NCL twice in the mid-90's (the Dream and Wind) and think they compare close to Princess. I understand they have a new dining option called Freestyle but we didn't have that on our cruises then. Princess offers Personal Choice dining which is similar. We also have cruised with Royal Caribbean. We still prefer Princess over all, but each cruiseline is unique. I'd say go for it and try Princess - you'll love it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OB10913 Posted April 8, 2004 #4 Share Posted April 8, 2004 We sailed the NCL Sky this past Feb and the Golden this time last year. They are very similar lines. I would say everything from food to service was about equal. Rooms on NCL were much smaller, but no big deal. Night life was equally as good. Here is the big difference...formal nights. Apparently mandatory twice on princess if eating in the dining room...otherwise you have to do the buffet or room service. We did the formal thing last year, but after not doing it on NCL we found that more relaxing. And much less packing as we are a family of 5 (3 teens). Gowns, suits and dress shoes where thankfully left at home. [img]http://messages.cruisecritic.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howard6933 Posted April 8, 2004 #5 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I've been on Norwegian Star and Norwegian Dawn, and as I've said in the past on these boards, NCL has improved tremendously since being taken over by Star Cruises. I've also been on Princess ships 12 times. Princess is still my favorite, but I would not hesitate at all to sail again on NCL. As a matter of fact, my wife and I will be on Norwegian Wind this saturday, but we also are booked on Star Princess in december. NCL used to be a peg lower than HAL, RCCL, and Princess, but I think they've caught up and are on a par wih all of them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquarian Posted April 8, 2004 #6 Share Posted April 8, 2004 I found the food to be better on Princess. I like both NCL and Princess but prefer Princess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kbt2 Posted April 8, 2004 #7 Share Posted April 8, 2004 Personally, DH and I didn't care much for our NCL cruise. Now, we had a nice time, who doens't on a cruise.....but we didn't think NCL had the same standards and "upscale" appearance, and quality of food and service as Princess. We LOVE Princess. I'd book it, you won't go wrong. The one thing I did really like about NCL was the tiered pool area. That was nice. Kim Dawn Princess Regal Princess Grand Princess Mercury - Celebrity Windward - NCL Monarch of the Seas Voyager of the Seas [img]http://escati.linkopp.net/cgi-bin/countdown.cgi?trgb=000000&srgb=00ff00&prgb=ff00ff&cdt=2004;5;7;17;00;00&timezone=GMT-0000[/img] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
daWoods Posted April 8, 2004 #8 Share Posted April 8, 2004 As you can see, we've done both. NCL set the tone, Princess improved it in some ways, not in others. Both have their strong points, but we didn't notice any huge differences. Island Princess Feb. 2004 Grand Princess Feb. 2002 Norwegian Sky Feb. 2001 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scottish Posted April 8, 2004 #9 Share Posted April 8, 2004 We sailed on the respositioning cruise on the Norwegian Dawn last May. She is a very beautiful ship BUT we could not help comparing NCL to Princess and finding it lacking in a couple of areas. We had been on the Ocean Princess the year before and found Princess food to be far better. Dont get me wrong, we loved the freestyle on the NCL Dawn but felt that all of the many "normal" restaurant's menus were too themed with no basics like steak or chicken to choose from and consequently if we didnt fancy the posted menu, we ate at the steakhouse or Le Bistro at a very high price. We did this often. Also, we are UK travellers and Princess do a little more for us post cruise than NCL. We all love cruising but isnt it great that we are all different and through research can find exactly what we are looking for. We currently like Princess but would certainly consider NCL again...depending on itinerary. Ocean Princess March 2002 Norwegian Dawn May 2003 Sun Princess April, 2004 Coral Princess April 2005 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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