Disney vs. Norwegian

[Irene7]

We have only sailed with Disney but considering trying Norwegian due to cost. Does anybody have any experience with both?

 

I have sailed both and although we love Disney the most, sometimes it is not in the budget. We really like Norwegian and continue to sail with them. The service was good (Gem & Breakaway), plenty of food until 11:30 at night. We enjoyed the entertainment although some are not suitable for minors. As far as alcohol, they have specials quite often (and I believe they are having one now) in which you can choose the free beverage package. We did and are sailing to Bermuda this May. I say go for it.

Edited February 15, 2016 by Irene7

[MarLieb]

We've sailed on the DCL Dream, Fantasy and Magic and on NCL Gem, Pearl and Breakaway. We really enjoyed DCL. Yes, it's expensive, but the service is excellent. Whenever we had an issue, it was resolved and no one ever made excuses or passed the buck. We had water seeped into our cabin one day and the staff was mortified. They were on it so quickly and then insisted they compensate us somehow, which, IMHO, wasn't necessary as they solved the problem so quickly. That evening, there were special sheets and a special treat for our son in our room and a note thanking us for our patience with the water issue. It was really lovely. We loved having a dedicated wait staff every night - I'm even FB friends with our head server from our last cruise! The kids club staff was amazing and took great care of our son. DCL was just a really lovely experience and we would not hesitate to cruise with them again.

 

NCL on the other hand is exceedingly tacky. I couldn't stand getting the cut-rate jewelry flyers in our room every day and the laundry specials. Whenever we had an issue, no one wanted to help, they kept making excuses, said they would get back to us, etc. We always traveled in Haven class suites - the concierge there just didn't seem to care. The kicker was one day when I called our butler to get a DVD. The phone just kept ringing and ringing. Someone finally picked up and told us our butler was training someone else and wasn't available to help us, so we couldn't have a DVD. It was ridiculous. On the other hand, on DCL, my son wasn't feeling well, so the concierge staff stopped by with a big Mickey Mouse to cheer him up. That just wouldn't happen on NCL.

 

So, to make a long story short - I don't care how much cheaper it is. We would never sail on NCL again. Really tacky and really bad service.

[e2011]

We've sailed on the DCL Dream, Fantasy and Magic and on NCL Gem, Pearl and Breakaway. We really enjoyed DCL. Yes, it's expensive, but the service is excellent. Whenever we had an issue, it was resolved and no one ever made excuses or passed the buck. We had water seeped into our cabin one day and the staff was mortified. They were on it so quickly and then insisted they compensate us somehow, which, IMHO, wasn't necessary as they solved the problem so quickly. That evening, there were special sheets and a special treat for our son in our room and a note thanking us for our patience with the water issue. It was really lovely. We loved having a dedicated wait staff every night - I'm even FB friends with our head server from our last cruise! The kids club staff was amazing and took great care of our son. DCL was just a really lovely experience and we would not hesitate to cruise with them again.

 

NCL on the other hand is exceedingly tacky. I couldn't stand getting the cut-rate jewelry flyers in our room every day and the laundry specials. Whenever we had an issue, no one wanted to help, they kept making excuses, said they would get back to us, etc. We always traveled in Haven class suites - the concierge there just didn't seem to care. The kicker was one day when I called our butler to get a DVD. The phone just kept ringing and ringing. Someone finally picked up and told us our butler was training someone else and wasn't available to help us, so we couldn't have a DVD. It was ridiculous. On the other hand, on DCL, my son wasn't feeling well, so the concierge staff stopped by with a big Mickey Mouse to cheer him up. That just wouldn't happen on NCL.

 

So, to make a long story short - I don't care how much cheaper it is. We would never sail on NCL again. Really tacky and really bad service.

 

Wow! That sounds like our trip on the Disney Magic. Total cluster truck. However the Dream and Fantasy were exceptional every time!

 

We have sailed NCL in the Haven many times and have never encountered that scenario. You should have gone right to the head of hotel operations on the ship and resolved your issues. You said you sailed 3 NCL ships. What ship were you on when this happened? Also you said that the concierge in the Haven seemed not to care. However the Haven typically has 3 concierge staff members. Did you try talking to the other ones? I do agree the butler is basically worthless. He/She is just and extension of concierge. I can say that one time on the NCL Epic my daughter was sick and the Butler did stop by with a big Sponge Bob. Obviously they would not have Mickey because they were affiliated with Nick at the time. If you ever cruise on NCL again you can ask your room steward to not put any discount flyers on your door. You will not get any. But keep in mind a lot of folks want and use them.

Edited February 21, 2016 by e2011