Princess vs Norwegian

[coloradocruisers101]

Hello Cruisers,

 

We are looking at a Norwegian Cruise for the Western Caribbean in 2/2016.

We are Platinum with Princess and have been very loyal until now. Some advise would be great on the differences of the two lines. This will be our 11th

cruise in the last 3 years. Would you stay loyal with one line?

Warm Regards!

[MsAnnMcD]

Good question! We've been cruising since our on board wedding in 2003 and always on NCL. Up to 6 cruises with them now - almost every other year. We are Silver and 8 points away from Gold but it really doesn't get us much. I saw that Gold and Platinum cruisers were welcomed on a TV screen displayed by name at guest services. I also saw that the platinum folks at guest services were upgraded to a suite.

 

I think it is about comfort level returning to the same provider.

 

However, after finally sailing out of a port other than Boston (Miami) I am open to going where I want to go on other cruise lines - with the exception of Disney. No interest in being surrounded by kids. It may be about value and ports going forward. Still, we like driving to Boston and going to Bermuda where the ship is our floating hotel.

 

Let us know what you decide!

[Loonbeam]

Here's a comparison I did for the Princess forum after our Breakaway mini-cruise...

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2153272

[Hockeylovinmom]

We move back and forth from NCL to Princess based on price and itineraries. We like them both and they are good mid priced cruise experiences. Our very next cruise is on NCL to Bermuda and we will sail on Princess in the spring. The food is comparable as is entertainment. We don't do pools or hot tubs. Its six of one and half dozen of the othet!

 

Sent from my GT-P3113 using Tapatalk

[swedish weave]

We have cruised extensively on NCL and are Elite on Princess. Until the recent management change on NCL, I would consider both as very good.

 

My recent cruise after the management change on NCL was not the most pleasant experience due to billing errors and the lack of consideration for our Platinum status. We were unable to book one of our free specialty restaurant dinners at Le Bistro. The billing problem negated the value of our future cruise credit as I was more than double billed for the deposit.

 

Other problems came up, but I won't bore you with details. The crew and service were very good, but after the cruise I have booked next month on NCL, I will be looking elsewhere as my first choice.

 

Our cruises on Princess have all been pleasant and basically trouble free.

Edited September 26, 2015 by swedish weave

[MJSailors]

Loonbeam made an excellent comparison of NCL and Princess.

I will add my two cents.

We sailed on the Breakaway (9/13) to Bermuda.

It was our second cruise on NCL after taking the original Dawn from NYC to Bermuda about 20 years ago.

We are Platinum on Princess ,having sailed on the Sapphire.Crown, Caribbean Princess and the Regal.

We chose the Breakaway because it sailed to Bermuda,a country that we like so very much.

This was our tenth visit to.Bermuda.

Let me preface my remarks by saying that we are Seniors (62 and 64).

This may give a frame of reference to my impressions of the Breakaway.

We felt that the ship had a loud,active vibe.

There is a large screen in the Atrium that is used for game shows and presentations.

This causes noise in the Atrium often.

Guest Services is in the same area and it is difficult to hear the customer reps there while something is going on in the Atrium.

The seating in the Atrium is sparse and stiff.

This is not like the cushy chairs you can find in the Piazza on Princess ships.

As for the entertainment, we were not interested in Rock of Ages for its's content.

I did not understand the choice of this show for a ship that clearly focuses on families as the demographic NCL is obviously catering to for their product.

I a not a fan of Cirque type shows,and I think there was a fee ,so we did not watch that performance.

There was a lounge act of a musician a d a singer called Fire and Ice.

They performed each evening,presenting different shows ie.tc.

A Tribute to Michael Jackson etc.

They were fine,but seeing them every night got a bit old.

Unlike Princess that has a variety of performers in the different venues,sometimes bringing in new acts from the ports visited, NCL seems to have the same performers for the entire cruise.

We like to have dinner and entertainment in the evenings and have an early night.

On the Breakaway, it seemed that early entertainment was sparse and most of it was scheduled after ten.This did not fit our routine.

The casino was open to the Atrium and had a strong odor of smoke that affected the other areas of the Atrium on decks 6,7 and 8.It is not pleasant to smell stale smoke.There also seemed to be more areas where smoking was allowed.

One section of the Waterfront ,I think the starboard side,attracted many smokers in the evening.

It would have been pleasant to take an evening stroll around the Waterfront deck,but the smoking dissuaded us.

There is also a smoking section in the adult only area,Spice H2O.It is located near the bar and comfortable seating.

Again, the smell of smoke caused us to avoid that area.

The staff was very good and helpful.

Our steward was excellent.

The tables were cleared quickly in.the buffet and we found the waitstaff to be very good in the specialty restaurants,except for Cagney's where the service was unacceptable

Cagney's for the most part did not.impress us as much as our experiences at the Crown Grill.

While we like to walk on the Promenade decks of the older Princess ships and we did use the walking track on the Regal, we found the jogging track on the Breakaway in an odd spot.

It was next to the Uptown Grill and on a deck where lounge chairs encircled one half of the track.

When walking, we had to dodge people going into or out of the grill and people trying to get to the lounge chairs.

Did we enjoy the cruise? Yes,in that a cruise is what you make it.

Is the Breakaway our kind of ship? Not really. It seems that it.is a better fit for young.adults and families.

We would we sail on the ship again? Yes,if we want to go to Bermuda.

Do we prefer Princess?

Yes,it fits our needs better.

I hope this helps.

Happy cruising !