8 time Carnival cruiser tries NCL

[rg24601]

A lot of angst and grief over at the NCL board over the changes NCL implemented in the last year.

 

Lots of concern over there newest escape not having enough free venues for lunch and dinner now that Margaritville has gone a la carte. and an expensive a la carte.

 

Guys, Blue Igunas, Tandoor, Afternoon tea, Pasta Bar swamp the Escape's options. And are all good to some degree.

 

Lots of concerns about too many freebies like dining and drinking plans have made the venues crowded and the service poor.

 

We really enjoyed our NCL cruise a few years back but that was a few years back. not sure we would like it now as much.

 

CCL at least gives us peace of mind.

[rg24601]

Am interested in some of the newer family builds coming out, the vista naturally, MSC Seaside ship and the RCCL Harmony of the sea build with the first Royal waterpark.

 

Was very interested in the escape originally but NCL did not help with all of their changes.

[tonit964]

We just booked our next Thanksgiving cruise with NCL. My dad travels with us and it will be his first time on NCL. He has cruised all the main stream lines except Disney and NCL.

 

He is really looking forward to it.

I told him there will be things he really likes and some things maybe not so much but it will be nice to try it.

 

I would never sail with only one cruise line.

[cruisinsly]

We were on the NCL Getaway earlier in this year. We have always done Carnival, but wanted to try something new too. We liked both the same. There are some pluses for Carnival and some pluses for NCL. There was one person who really made NCL special for us. His name was Alvin. I think he may have worked in the pursers desk. He taught origami one day. Our son wanted to go to the class and Alvin just took an interest with us. When he would see us around or in the restaurants, he always came up and spoke to us. The last day we were doing self-assist, he saw us and grabbed the luggage out of my hands and our son and carried it down to the line for us. I have never had anyone on Carnival do that. Would it turn me to NCL instead of Carnival? No. Now when I look, I look at both lines to see which one has the better itinerary and ship that we are looking for, for specific dates. Glad you enjoyed NCL.

[Havingfun2010]

Your word not mine..... Listen, I get your point, you enjoyed your NCL cruise. You reached out to try something new and liked it. Running up and down the hall (you were on a med cruise, right?) and food trays in the hallway (NCL does not allow food taken to rooms) accent your dis-like (or possibly liking) a different cruise experience. I thought it interesting that your expectations of the Carnival product should change because of that. Are you also implying NCL cruisers are nicer as well?;)

 

On a more serious note, is NCL entertainment different than Carnival, sure it is. You seem to like it better, which is fine.

 

By the time you pay for "everything" on a Carnival cruise, you end up paying much more money - Kills the idea of a budget cruise, but seldom do people do the math.

 

So Carnival is a budget cruise, and they cut out entertainment, and many services to along with it. Other cruise lines (NCL), have low prices, do not charge you for "perks" like Carnival and give you options of free booze or free specialty meal plans, have better entertainment and still keep the price down. Tells you that Carnival might want to re-look at their image, change things up a bit, and stop being the joke of the seas (sorry, wanted to change it up from Walmart of the Seas).

 

Carnival needs to do better, or they will continue to loose the interest of their customers.

[NIATPAC29]

I think maybe your calculator is broken. Carnival is number one for a good reason.

[jimbo5544]

By the time you pay for "everything" on a Carnival cruise, you end up paying much more money - Kills the idea of a budget cruise, but seldom do people do the math.

 

So Carnival is a budget cruise, and they cut out entertainment, and many services to along with it. Other cruise lines (NCL), have low prices, do not charge you for "perks" like Carnival and give you options of free booze or free specialty meal plans, have better entertainment and still keep the price down. Tells you that Carnival might want to re-look at their image, change things up a bit, and stop being the joke of the seas (sorry, wanted to change it up from Walmart of the Seas).

 

Carnival needs to do better, or they will continue to loose the interest of their customers.

A negative Carnival post from you???:confused: Perish the thought. I bet you could just let the Walmart line go...but it is original.;) For the record I do the math after every cruise. Still looks like a good option to me, when was the last time you sailed Carnival again?

[Podna's]

By the time you pay for "everything" on a Carnival cruise, you end up paying much more money - Kills the idea of a budget cruise, but seldom do people do the math.

 

 

 

So Carnival is a budget cruise, and they cut out entertainment, and many services to along with it. Other cruise lines (NCL), have low prices, do not charge you for "perks" like Carnival and give you options of free booze or free specialty meal plans, have better entertainment and still keep the price down. Tells you that Carnival might want to re-look at their image, change things up a bit, and stop being the joke of the seas (sorry, wanted to change it up from Walmart of the Seas).

 

 

 

Carnival needs to do better, or they will continue to loose the interest of their customers.

 

 

Shocker hearing this from you. For every few passengers that loose interest in Carnival, there are many many more trying her out. Carnivals bookings are stronger than ever right now (Fact) for a reason. Oh and "joke of the seas"? C'mon, you can do better than that.

[Sparky2]

WOW!! I'm completely jealous of your itinerary. I'd love to see Barcelona!

 

I think when we went in 2007, the freestyle dining was on the newer side. Maybe the kinks weren't worked out yet. We found it difficult to get reservations to any of the restaurants (except for Italian which we had multiple nights). We really wanted to try the Teppanyaki but it was never available. And I'm an early bird and planner so it definitely wasn't a wait till the last minute type of thing. That was a bit disappointing but honestly, the itineraries really make up for it!

 

We sailed NCL on a Hawaiian cruise in 2005, and they had free-style dining then.

[Sparky2]

I'll be the one screaming and clinging to the ship while be hauled off. You can't miss me. :p

 

Hope you have a blast!!

 

We'll be sailing with you, _beachgirl_. We're doing B2B Glry, 1/9 &1/16. So I guess we'll be screaming with you when we are forced to get off on 1/23. Actually, since we started only doing B2B (14 days) we find that we're so happy to not have to get off the ship after the 1st week. However, we are finally ready to go home after the 2nd week.

[zdcatc12]

We sailed NCL on a Hawaiian cruise in 2005, and they had free-style dining then.

 

As they did on the Sky in 2000, though it had just started then.

[AngAndBoys]

So much for the pax on NCL being a nicer, more refined group. Read the whole thread. It is, all at once, hilarious, shocking, and scary as all get out. I found it referenced in a current thread over there about a brawl in the atrium. Anyhow, it's an entertaining read, thought some may find it interesting. If CCL is Wal-Mart, NCL might be the flea market. I'm not hating though, still trying to talk my kids into going on Escape this summer. Perhaps if I tell my teenaged sons what kind of pax they may encounter, they'll be more enthused. Lol. :rolleyes:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2281155&highlight=sky

[Tapi]

So much for the pax on NCL being a nicer, more refined group

 

 

From what I read, NCL and Carnival target the most similar demographic of all major cruise lines. But that aside, this was on the Sky, One of NCL's oldest and smallest ships relegated to the cheapie short weekend cruises to the Bahamas. Just like these itineraries are not truly representative of what Carnival of Royal have to offer, I wouldn't let that thread influence my decision to sail on the Escape or any other NCL ship on nicer/longer itineraries.

 

That story pales in comparison to what I've personally encountered on short weekend cruises on Carnival. Thankfully, I didn't paint the entire cruise line with the same brush based on those experiences.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Tapi

[AngAndBoys]

From what I read, NCL and Carnival target the most similar demographic of all major cruise lines. But that aside, this was on the Sky, One of NCL's oldest and smallest ships relegated to the cheapie short weekend cruises to the Bahamas. Just like these itineraries are not truly representative of what Carnival of Royal have to offer, I wouldn't let that thread influence my decision to sail on the Escape or any other NCL ship on nicer/longer itineraries.

 

That story pales in comparison to what I've personally encountered on short weekend cruises on Carnival. Thankfully, I didn't paint the entire cruise line with the same brush based on those experiences.

 

You're absolutely correct on it being NCLs version of a booze cruise. I really wasn't hating. Just thought it was funny since Carnival gets such a bad rap for its misbehaving passengers. I like NCL just fine, but I would not say their pax are much different than Carnival.

 

So, what have have you seen that this pales in comparison to? I have to say that in 20 something cruises, on both lines, I've never encountered working ladies of the night, boom box toting heavies, or flurries. Lol. I'm dying to know what you saw. :D

[Jana60]

We did 9 Carnival cruises in a row until we had the same "epiphany". Nothing really wrong with Carnival. Just ready to try something new. Ever since, we haven't repeated the same cruise line two times in a row and the experience has been fantastic, simply because every time we step on a new ship, we feel like newbies all over again.

 

I like to cruise on the other cruise lines sometimes for the itinerary but I prefer Carnival mainly for the very reason you report as a negative. I don't want to feel like a newbie everytime I step onto the ship and have to learn my way around the system again. I love feeling at home and like I'm among family. Last year when I did a back to back on triumph when I walked off the ship to go through customs I did so with the ships engineer and his family and they were chatting with me as if I were a member of their family. They were so friendly and unpretentious.

[mmb3124]

These threads always fascinate me. For a number of reasons, we started w/ Carnival & have continued with them for a majority of our cruises. However, we've tried both Norwegian & RCI....liked them both & would sail either again. We're trying Celebrity next June.

 

IMO, ones feelings toward Norwegian probably correlate to how one feels about "freestyle". For us....it didn't really "click." Doesn't mean it's good or bad. Can see the appeal for some folks. Just didn't work for us. Thus, Norwegian isn't at the top of our list.

 

But it was still a cruise...and pretty d*mned awesome.

[Becci]

We tried NCL in Hawaii a couple years ago and were so disappointed. We missed carnival the whole time.

 

The pros for us were: the itinerary, the local dance troupe they brought in for a show one night, the Hawaii expert lady on the PA system.

 

The cons were: the quality of the food/ anytime dining where there was always a wait, the crew were terrible (they were unfriendly, seemed to not want to do their job), the ship was DIRTY, it was very expensive, not a lot of fun stuff to do on the ship.

 

We also tried MSC in Europe however and it was fantastic! I honestly can't think of a single thing about it that I didn't love.

[mikenhe]

I have sailed on the Breeze this year and got off the NCL star Sunday – here are the differences from my point of view.

 

Dining room

Food similar – TIE.

We prefer a fixed dining time so Carnival edges it on that

Specialty dining.

More choice on NCL but food is good on both. Steakhouses similar. NCL has meat on swords – that just edges it for me!!

 

Casual dining

Buffet – tie. It’s a buffet – theres good average and not so good on both.

Burgers, burritos and the tandoor (remember I’m comparing the breeze to a 2001 NCL ship). Carnival easy.

NCL has O’sheehans – nothing to compare to on the Breeze. I like that place

Room service – Carnival!

 

Entertainment.

Production shows – NCL – easily

Comedy – Carnival – easily.

Other things to do (excluding bingo and shopping as I detest both) – carnival wins here.

 

Staff – I found the NCL officers and entertainment staff to be better and more visible around the ship. Other staff – TIE

The demographics of the passengers are roughly similar – there some ugly people in any group of 3,000 that you bring together. Theres also plenty of good and fun people in there.

I find the overall pricing and itinerarys to be very similar out of Florida where I sail from so theres no difference there. Not sure why people like to rag on “not their favourite cruiseline” . Better than hanging out on street corners I guess.

 

This is my view based on 2 cruises this year one with NCL and one with Carnival.

Oh year – Carnival rooms are bigger.

[jimbo5544]

We tried NCL in Hawaii a couple years ago and were so disappointed. We missed carnival the whole time.

 

 

Worst rated ship in terms of service on the seas

[marshalltp]

Glad to hear you really enjoyed your trip. Which ports did you visit?

 

My husband and I have also been on a NCL ship (to Hawaii). We didn't love it as much but the freestyle dining was just not our thing. It was also many years ago and I have no idea if they still do that. What was your favourite meal?

 

They itineraries are really amazing. I definitely love all the unique offerings on NCL.

 

The beverage program sounds amazing too. I can't remember back to if that was a thing when we were on but I don't think it was. Either way, free pop is a great perk!

 

It is difficult to judge NCL on their Hawaiian offerings. As you know NCL employs a completely American crew on the Pride of America in order to comply with the Jones Act. I don't first hand know that it be the case, but many have indicated that the American Crew just don't 'try' as hard.

[theriac]

You're absolutely correct on it being NCLs version of a booze cruise. I really wasn't hating. Just thought it was funny since Carnival gets such a bad rap for its misbehaving passengers. I like NCL just fine, but I would not say their pax are much different than Carnival.

 

So, what have have you seen that this pales in comparison to? I have to say that in 20 something cruises, on both lines, I've never encountered working ladies of the night, boom box toting heavies, or flurries. Lol. I'm dying to know what you saw. :D

 

I've encountered a working lady of the night on Royal.

 

She approached me for like $150. Then my father for $200, his business partner for $175, then their workers they brought on the cruise got approached for various amounts. It wasn't until the business partners wife was approached when something was finally said other than "no thank you." She got security and other guests complained to us about her after who saw on the Lido deck.

[rg24601]

Freestyle or fee-style as some over at the NCL board call it, is not as free as it used to be.

 

With all the free and for purchase dining packages many of the specialty restaurants are hard to get into on the ship. Many fill up quick and you can't just waltz in. some you never could.

 

you can still book them 90 days out but that seems to defeat the purpose of the idea of freestyle.

[jimbo5544]

Freestyle or fee-style as some over at the NCL board call it, is not as free as it used to be.

 

With all the free and for purchase dining packages many of the specialty restaurants are hard to get into on the ship. Many fill up quick and you can't just waltz in. some you never could.

 

you can still book them 90 days out but that seems to defeat the purpose of the idea of freestyle.

 

It sure does..... even over on RCCL when we cruised Oasis, having to do all that junk months in advance sure does not speak of free style or fun from my perspective. Way to much like work.

[jimbo5544]

I've encountered a working lady of the night on Royal.

 

She approached me for like $150. Then my father for $200, his business partner for $175, then their workers they brought on the cruise got approached for various amounts. It wasn't until the business partners wife was approached when something was finally said other than "no thank you." She got security and other guests complained to us about her after who saw on the Lido deck.

 

Now that is a story I have not heard before.... talk about a captive market:eek:

[PAPERBKWRITER]

NCL is fine. Except the standard rooms are much smaller than Carnival. I find the Carnival cruises pretty much the same no matter which ship you choose. Not saying that's bas but they are similar.