Princess cruiser thinking of trying NCL

[BRANDEE]

We will be sailing to Alaska with family (ages 1-80) in 2017. There will be about 30 of us. So the big question- can NCL accommodate a large group for dinner the same time each night without having to fight for tables each time? If they can't, it won't be much of a family cruise if everyone does their own thing for dinner every night. Also curious if the balcony dividers open on NCL ships so adjoining cabins can make one big balcony?

 

Sailed on the Breakaway this past July with a large group.

 

We made reservations for dinner before the cruise. About two months prior. There is a special phone number to call for large groups on their website.

 

All our anytime dining had to be at 5:30. Not sure if we should have called at three months out for better times. We could not get any times changed once on board. Our group never sat at the same tables, so of course, no extra service from the waiters.

 

We also made reservations for specialty restaurants (excursions and shows) at this time. Have one person in charge, with everyone's confirmation number and credit card number. All charges are done ahead of sailing.

 

We were told , twice, not to worry and all could be done on the first night...so glad we didn't wait, we would not have been together. Except for cancelling a dinner or show (at least 24 hrs prior to get credit on your OBC account) we were not able to add anything once we sailed..everything was "sold out".

 

Being spontaneous with a large group is not an option on NCL, but we did appreciate the ability to get it all worked out before sailing. On Princess we all just book traditional dining in the MDR (ask for our tables to be next to each other)and there is no reservations for entertainment.

 

Balconies on Breakaway could be opened at request!

Edited November 2, 2015 by BRANDEE

[aquilegia]

Well, what a great range of responses! Thank you all so much, I never expected to get so much information. I will reread you comments and think it over. It sounds as though there are quite a lot of similarities, and we're quite easygoing so if the odd thing wasn't such a good fit for us it wouldn't spoil our cruise.

[NYteacher]

We've cruised NCL several times and just returned from our first Princess cruise.

 

While have enjoyed our NCL cruises in the past, we won't be booking with them again for a while. There is a new CEO that has implemented an enormous number of changes in the past several months, most of which seemed designed to increase NCL bottom line, rather than enhance the cruise experience.

 

The change that bothered me the most was a sudden implementation of a $7.95 room service charge for all rooms that are not suites. The reason why this concerned me is that they took a service that was included in the fare at the time of booking, and then implemented a charge without notice. I was not personally affected by the charge as we were in a suite, but the fact that thousands of others bought one product, and received another, does not make me want to risk my vacation dollars with them at the moment.

 

On the other hand, we are planning another Princess cruise in February.

Edited November 3, 2015 by NYteacher

[Sonoran_cruiser]

I just completed my 3rd Princess Cruise (Ruby Princess) last week, and have my first NCL cruise upcoming. I'm looking forward to trying this NCL cruise for several reasons:

 

- Restaurant choices. Princess only has 2 pay options (going away Sabatini's, and Crowne Grill) on most ships. NCL (in my case, the Escape) has many more dining cuisine options. I don't mind paying for a unique meal, if it breaks the monotony of main dining room dinners.

 

- Entertainment - I only did a few shows on the Ruby, and they were ok. Two of my traveling companions went to more shows, and didn't like any of them. Maybe the Stephen Schwartz productions will be a hit, but these are programming changes long overdue.

 

- Better booking packages = happier customers. I (due to reasons I can't go into) didn't get a booking perk for my NCL trip, but I know a few other friends who "drifted away" from Princess due to the lack of incentives for booking. A seven day alcohol package is a big incentive to people who drink. To the best of my knowledge, Princess only offered this once, and only for a two or so week booking window. This is a regular incentive available on NCL (and Celebrity).

 

I do still plan to cruise with Princess in the future, but I'm very open to trying out the competition. (now, if the others just had ships on the West Coast...........)