Food Comparison - Celebrity vs NCL

[cfitch]

I know tastes are subjective, but can anyone that has sailed both give me a comparison of the food between these brands. Specifically, compare the complimentary venues against each other, then the specialty dining. In addition, for Celebrity, would the food on the M class compare with the S class?

[dkjretired]

I know tastes are subjective, but can anyone that has sailed both give me a comparison of the food between these brands. Specifically, compare the complimentary venues against each other, then the specialty dining. In addition, for Celebrity, would the food on the M class compare with the S class?

 

I've done both lines several times and in the MDR, Celebrity wins hands down. At the time of my NCL cruise, their buffet was better but Celebrity's has Improved and believe they are about the same. We did Cagney's on NCL and it was good but not great. Celebrity's specialties were fantastic initially but IMHO are now overpriced and quality is down. Can't comment on Celebrity's luminae as I don't do suites but Blu was fantastic.

[az_tchr]

Everything is really similar. Not quality difference or service either in MDR and every other eating venue EXCEPT the buffet.

 

Oceanview at Celebrity offers probably 20 choices including cooked to order sandwiches, pasta, chinese and lots of things only part of the day with Sushi, English tea etc. We often walked into the buffet in RCL and walked back out as carrot and pea salad with mayo dressing is not our style. About 1/3 the number of choices.

 

The food does not change depending on the class of ship. Same menus and same suppliers. could vary a bit but should be consistent across the fleet.

[tunaman2011]

Greetings

 

The main difference in the food on S-Class compared to M-Class is the buffet. The buffet on the S-Class has a much better selection and IMO is easier to navigate with the various serving stations as opposed to the cafeteria style used on the M-Class ships.

 

NCL's food in the MDR was very good. I feel that Celebrity has slightly "fancier" dishes but the NCL food was fine for us. The NCL specialties are much more reasonable pricewise and their dining package is a good value.

 

Both lines have had downgrades in the ingredients. More chicken dishes, lesser types of fish, etc. NCL no longer has lobster in the MDR. Many miss the high end ingredients of the past, but it seems most of the lines are following the same playbook and trying to lower their food budgets.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

[richsea]

We've only cruised NCL ONCE, & had a great time, but will never eat in the MDR again We (11 of us) all agreed that the food was marginal, to put it nicely, & the service was amateurish. Granted, it was only one sailing, but that was enough for us. We did find the buffet to be good, & the specialty dining to be good to excellent, while being reasonably priced.

[helen haywood]

I am Elite Plus on Celebrity and last year sailed for the first time with NCL on Getaway. So I can only compare Getaway's food to Celebrity. In this case I'll compare S Class on Celebrity as the Oceanview Buffet is better IMHO on the S Class than the M Class. Regarding MDR food I felt they were comparable. Getaway has a MDR open for lunch on embarkation day; Celebrity does not. Getaway has three MDR (all with the same menu.) One large two story one aft that is comparable to the one MDR on Celebrity, but Getaway also has two smaller MDRs, Taste and Savor. I really liked the smaller elegantly appointed rooms as they felt more like a specialty restaurant than the cavernous MDR. We had breakfast many times in Taste and all were really good. Every time we ordered a sunny side up egg it was perfectly prepared.

 

Getaway's specialty restaurants are much less expensive than Celebrity's. I thought Getaway's desserts in the MDR were also better than Celebrity's. Getaway also has O'Sheehans which is open 24/7...we really liked being able to get a cooked to order hamburger anytime...whereas Celebrity's Mast Grill closes as 6 pm.

 

Getaway's buffet was extensive and I like the way NCL has napkins and cutlery and condiments on every table; no need to carry them yourself.

 

Getaway has the Waterfront concept with several of their specialty restaurants offering an al fresco dining experience.

[gilladj]

Just finished a long (31 day) cruise on NCL Sun. Last X cruise was December 2014 (14 day). In a word the difference is selection. There are some things that just do not make the menu in the MDR on NCL. Shrimp and lobster for instance.

 

My wife loves the shrimp cocktail on X and orders it most nights. No such thing in 31 nights on NCL. Was the food good on NCL, absolutely! We felt the food at the Buffet on NCL was as good if not a little better than X. But S class ships have the best buffet layout.

 

On NCL we liked the fact that they used the Brazilian specialty restaurant for a scaled back breakfast and lunch venue. We also liked that the sports bar offered comfort food from 5 pm to 3 am every evening. On the long cruise we ate here 2 evenings just for a change of pace. Burgers, Fish n Chips, wings, nachos. I think they had a salad option too.

 

NCL also won the MDR service contest for us. We dine Select on X and have found that the service was inconsistent. Even when seated at the same table often with the same wait staff. The wait for different courses was all over the place. Even when we asked for coffee with desert (because it wasn't offered) it was forgotten or came so late that we were finished with desert and readying to leave. NCL in both MDR's was consistently good. Not perfect but better than our experience with X.

 

We ate in 2 specialty restaurants on NCL (we were treated by friends) and the service and food were quite good. At the cover charge of $19.99 plus 18% gratuity seemed like a decent value and a nice change of pace on a long cruise. Celebrity's fee for their specialty restaurants are too high for me to even consider. We have a 35 day cruise coming up in February on Solstice and I will look for a deal on specialty restaurants. Their standard prices are nuts.

 

That's my take.

 

Happy sailing

Edited January 19, 2016 by gilladj

[MicCanberra]

Thanks all for sharing, I will be on both NCL and X next April so it will be interesting to do my own comparisons.

[Miaminice]

As a long time Celebrity and Royal Caribbean cruiser I had the chance to try the brand new NCL Escape on a 3 day preview cruise for press and TAs only in October 2015.

 

As some said before the concept is different. Different venues with the same menu instead of one MDR etc. PLUS many specialty restaurants.

 

In regards to quality I was satisfied with my meal in the equivalent to the MDR on Escape (Manhattan Room). It was tasty and well presented, service was very good.

 

The buffet restaurant also served tasty food comparable to Ocean View. However, I found the choice much more limited on NCL Escape. I was almost disappointed by the salad bar.

 

The prices for the specialty restaurant appeared to be smaller. BUT, since then NCL has switched to a la carte pricing with the exception of some restaurants (e.g. Tepanyaki). I looked at the a la carte prices and when you add up the prices for three courses now, you pay just as much as the high prices with Celebrity. You could skip the starter or desert... but who would do that ;)

 

NCL Escape was a nice experience, mainly because we could go to any area and restaurant on the test cruise. However, personally I would not book the ship for a cruise. If you dont´t pay the price for a Haven stateroom, a third of the ship is off limits to you. The remaining deck is taken by the huge water slides and rope course resulting in little free space and a cramped feeling.

 

Same on the rest of the ship... I missed a large, quiet open space.

Don´t get me wrong. Escape was modern and there´s a lot going on at night... that, however, is what I did not like. Walking along the so called 678 Ocean Place felt like a pup crawl. NCL calls it “Three thrilling decks of non-stop action”.

 

Great ship, lot of action... just not for me!

 

here´s the short review of my Escape test cruise: http://www.travelandcruise.net/travellove_en/Ships/NCL-Escape/ncl-escape.html

Edited January 19, 2016 by Miaminice

[4774Papa]

We have done 9 Celebrity and 5 NCL cruises. Celebrity wins hands down.

 

The only thing NCL does better is the larger number of specialty restaurants, that are cheaper than X.

 

The MDR and buffet are clearly better on Celebrity. NCL is inconsistent regarding food quality and service. The NCL specialty restaurants are excellent and about on par with the Celebrity MDR.

 

Still, NCL's cruise prices have not mushroomed like Celebrity's, so we still occasionally go with NCL. Their entertainment is generally a little better.

[kelmac]

We have done 9 Celebrity and 5 NCL cruises. Celebrity wins hands down.

 

The only thing NCL does better is the larger number of specialty restaurants, that are cheaper than X.

 

The MDR and buffet are clearly better on Celebrity. NCL is inconsistent regarding food quality and service. The NCL specialty restaurants are excellent and about on par with the Celebrity MDR.

 

Still, NCL's cruise prices have not mushroomed like Celebrity's, so we still occasionally go with NCL. Their entertainment is generally a little better.

 

I agree! I'm a huge fan of Celebrity's cuisine -- however, we sailed the Jewel last spring and followed these three guidelines;

-- buy the UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat EVERY evening meal in one of the alternative restaurants.

-- eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR.

-- stay out of the buffet.

 

The quality of the food was almost as good as Celebrity. Better than Princess, RCL, and HAL. We will give the Jade a try in a couple of months to see if this happens on all of NCL's ships. The space ratio of the Jewel was not as good as Celebrity, but better than most lines. The entertainment was top notch. This could be our new "go-to" alternative as Celebrity's prices are getting out of control. Got to give Celebrity credit, as they are crushing the competition. After nine cruises on HAL, we've gave up on them five years ago. We keep trying Princess, but each time it's a big letdown.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

Edited January 19, 2016 by kelmac

[4774Papa]

I agree! I'm a huge fan of Celebrity's cuisine -- however, we sailed the Jewel last spring and followed these three guidelines;

-- buy the UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat EVERY evening meal in one of the alternative restaurants.

-- eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR.

-- stay out of the buffet.

 

The quality of the food was almost as good as Celebrity. Better than Princess, RCL, and HAL. We will give the Jade a try in a couple of months to see if this happens on all of NCL's ships. The space ratio of the Jewel was not as good as Celebrity, but better than most lines. The entertainment was top notch. This could be our new "go-to" alternative as Celebrity's prices are getting out of control. Got to give Celebrity credit, as they are crushing the competition. After nine cruises on HAL, we've gave up on them five years ago. We keep trying Princess, but each time it's a big letdown.

 

 

Enjoy!

Kel:)

 

That is a plan, but with significant added costs. Also, we find that when we dine in a specialty restaurant on either cruise line that we tend to eat more, which adds up to more pounds to work off at the gym.

[kelmac]

That is a plan, but with significant added costs. Also, we find that when we dine in a specialty restaurant on either cruise line that we tend to eat more, which adds up to more pounds to work off at the gym.

 

There are added costs (with the UDP), but not that bad. We paid $238 last spring for both of us to eat every evening meal in the alternative restaurants. NCL has now added the 18% gratuity up-front and the price is $280.84 for two people for a 7 day cruise.

The extra calories are inevitable on any cruise. :rolleyes::)

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[helen haywood]

In regard to the post about not being able to find a "large quiet open space" on Escape, on Getaway I spent hours each day on a comfortable sofa on the Waterfront often only seeing one or two people the entire time! Its a covered space looking out at the water and I guess most people were up by the pool but I'm fair skinned and avoid sun.

[MicCanberra]

There are added costs (with the UDP), but not that bad. We paid $238 last spring for both of us to eat every evening meal in the alternative restaurants. NCL has now added the 18% gratuity up-front and the price is $280.84 for two people for a 7 day cruise.

The extra calories are inevitable on any cruise. :rolleyes::)

 

Enjoy!

Kel

 

Thanks for your insights Kel.

You are so right in the calories are inevitable on a cruise.:D

[bottomfeeder]

I've been on 2 NCL cruises: one on the Sky and one on the Getaway. And a number of Celebrity cruises.

 

Comparing any Celebrity cruise I took to the Sky, X wins hands down on food. Though the Sky was fine especially for the bargain rate I paid!

 

But I really enjoyed the dining experience on the Getaway! I LOVED the Flamingo Grill and ate there for lunch most days. I like being in one of the MDRs for lunch on embarkation day. Their specialty restaurants are numerous and much less expensive than X's. They have entertainment during dinner in the MDR Tropicana Room. The buffet was well-designed, clean, and had a nice selection of fresh foods. O'Sheehan's was great as a 24-hour dining venue, though my experience there was limited to breakfast on disembarkation day.

 

I have seen a lot of complaints about how small the main pool is on the Getaway, but I never went there. I bought a spa pass for the week and spent my lounging time in the amazing spa--great view out the bow of the ship while laying on a heated tile lounger, and no chance of a sunburn!

 

After my December cruise on the Reflection to compare to Getaway, I've decided future Caribbean cruises I take will be on the Getaway or a sister ship. But for other itineraries where NCL uses their smaller/older ships I'll stick with Celebrity.

[MicCanberra]

I've been on 2 NCL cruises: one on the Sky and one on the Getaway. And a number of Celebrity cruises.

 

Comparing any Celebrity cruise I took to the Sky, X wins hands down on food. Though the Sky was fine especially for the bargain rate I paid!

 

But I really enjoyed the dining experience on the Getaway! I LOVED the Flamingo Grill and ate there for lunch most days. I like being in one of the MDRs for lunch on embarkation day. Their specialty restaurants are numerous and much less expensive than X's. They have entertainment during dinner in the MDR Tropicana Room. The buffet was well-designed, clean, and had a nice selection of fresh foods. O'Sheehan's was great as a 24-hour dining venue, though my experience there was limited to breakfast on disembarkation day.

 

I have seen a lot of complaints about how small the main pool is on the Getaway, but I never went there. I bought a spa pass for the week and spent my lounging time in the amazing spa--great view out the bow of the ship while laying on a heated tile lounger, and no chance of a sunburn!

 

After my December cruise on the Reflection to compare to Getaway, I've decided future Caribbean cruises I take will be on the Getaway or a sister ship. But for other itineraries where NCL uses their smaller/older ships I'll stick with Celebrity.

 

Agreed, we were on the sky in 2010 and enjoyed it but X delivers more for us.

[illiniwahoo]

Celebrity's food was more upscale and seemed to use better ingredients. Even the little things, like the poolside/outdoor cafe burgers, Celebrity's were juicy and tasty, the melted cheese for the cheeseburgers and good bread for the buns. NCL's burgers at Uptown grill were a little dry, you could put a piece of cheese on it yourself (but none available with melted cheese) and the bun was a little tasteless. In the buffet for breakfast, on celebrity I always got a ham, goat cheese (or maybe it was feta cheese), and asparagus made to order omelette, on NCL they didn't have goat cheese or asparagus, and the cheese choice was "cheddar", which definitely tasted like cheese product, not real cheese. Dinners I also found on celebrity to use better ingredients and have more choices not on NCL's dinner menu - duck entree, lobster entree. Don't get me wrong, I never went hungry on NCL, but the food was not a memorable highlight of the cruise like on Celebrity.

[GateGuardian]

I switched from NCL to X recently. When it comes to buffet, there's a lot more choices on X (except you can't get a burger in Oceanview, have to go to the grill outside).

 

I really like O'Sheeans and the asian restaurant on the Getaway, which are both complimentary, so it gives more dinner choices at night.

[SuiteTraveler]

We have been sailing NCL fairly regularly in suites. We were last on the Getaway in a The Haven Spa Suite. These suites have their own restaurant, which is where we ate breakfast and lunch every day and dinner on one night. It was consistently excellent in service, food and atmosphere. We went to specialty restaurants at night:

Cagney's - Excellent fillet mignon

Le Bistro - also excellent

Ocean Blue - also excellent

Moderno - very good

Sushi bar - good

Raw Bar - excellent

 

All of the above stacks up as equal to if not better than Celebrities food in the MDR or specialty restaurants. Suites on NCL are much nicer than on Celebrity, especially the bathrooms. Then there is the spa - which there is nothing like it on S Class. The spa was out go-to place and we used it every day. We don't tend to hang out by the main pool, but it looked like a zoo up there. LOL! The Haven also has its own pool, but we didn't hang out there because the spa was calling to us.

[Ruthk]

I am Elite Plus on Celebrity and last year sailed for the first time with NCL on Getaway. So I can only compare Getaway's food to Celebrity. In this case I'll compare S Class on Celebrity as the Oceanview Buffet is better IMHO on the S Class than the M Class. Regarding MDR food I felt they were comparable. Getaway has a MDR open for lunch on embarkation day; Celebrity does not. Getaway has three MDR (all with the same menu.) One large two story one aft that is comparable to the one MDR on Celebrity, but Getaway also has two smaller MDRs, Taste and Savor. I really liked the smaller elegantly appointed rooms as they felt more like a specialty restaurant than the cavernous MDR. We had breakfast many times in Taste and all were really good. Every time we ordered a sunny side up egg it was perfectly prepared.

 

Getaway's specialty restaurants are much less expensive than Celebrity's. I thought Getaway's desserts in the MDR were also better than Celebrity's. Getaway also has O'Sheehans which is open 24/7...we really liked being able to get a cooked to order hamburger anytime...whereas Celebrity's Mast Grill closes as 6 pm.

 

Getaway's buffet was extensive and I like the way NCL has napkins and cutlery and condiments on every table; no need to carry them yourself.

 

Getaway has the Waterfront concept with several of their specialty restaurants offering an al fresco dining experience.

 

I agree with everything Helen has written. Once upon a time Celebrity's MDR dishes were beautifully presented to you and now it is not garnished and just plunked in front of you. On Celebrity you can't get a real tea pot and there was never a problem getting one on NCL. I also very much loved the fact that NCL had almost every restaurant open on the first day, once on board. We loved the pub O'Sheehans and enjoyed every meal we had.

 

Today, I would say NCL wins the meal category and X has to pull is socks up before they start being compared to Carnival!

[sooper]

I had a quick comparison when I went on the NCL for the first time: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showpost.php?p=41581347&postcount=27

 

We took another NCL cruise last year and dined at a specialty restaurant (the French one). I'd have to say that I didn't enjoy it enough to do it again. The food was just OK, and the desserts were not as good as on X.

[bar_20]

If I want a late night hamburger on a Celebrity ship where do I go to get one?

[digital_curator]

If I want a late night hamburger on a Celebrity ship where do I go to get one?

 

Room service would be your only option late at night.

[helen haywood]

Having just come back from our second NCL cruise on Escape, let me add that another thing I really, really liked about NCL is when our party of two went to one of the MDRs we were always seated at a table for four, the extra set ups were taken away and we were a normal distance from any other table. Not two inches away like on Celebrity!