Pros & Cons - Carnival Pride vs. NCL Gem

[wallygator21015]

NCL Gem 10 nights January 22, 2016

CCL Pride 14 nights March 13, 2016

 

Pros:

Both Ships are very clean on the inside of the ship.

Air conditioning worked well on both ships.

Pride - Cabin 1105 Ocean View - Was able to keep cabin temperature between 68 - 70 degrees.

Pride 12 pack of water bottles delivered to your room $3.99

Carnival Pride - Food overall is very good, much better than on the Norwegian Gem.

Pride Main Dinning Room offers Shrimp Cocktail every night, and on different nights Serves Lobster, Oysters Rockefeller, Beef Wellington, FiLet Mignon, Prime Rib, etc.

If you want lobster on Norwegian, you have to pay to go to a specialty restaurant. Plus pay 18% service charge.

PRIDE - Note: on our (14 nights) cruise Lobster was offered 3 times on 3 different nights in the main dinning room, (very tasty)

PRIDE - Free pizza 24 /7 (very good)

PRIDE - Staterooms are much larger than NCL Gem

Recommended tipping on Carnival is $12.00 per day

Required Daily Service Charge on Norwegian is $13.50 per day.

Room serviced twice daily - No Problem - on both ships.

Pride - David's Steakhouse, Gem - Cagney's are equal in value. However, Norwegian adds on an additional 18% service charge.

Pride casino - complimentary drinks while gambling include premium brands.

Gem casino - complimentary drinks while gambling must be valued at $5. dollars or less. However you may pay for an upgrade to a premium brand.

 

Cons:

PRIDE - Two automatic doors opening to the promenade deck, used by the handicapped, on both sides of the ship forward, were out of service for the entire cruise?

I am handicapped and use a wheelchair and required assistance to reach the promenade deck.

PRIDE - clock on the wall in the spa hot tub broken the entire cruise.

PRIDE - White paint flakes and white paint spots all over the promenade deck. Some Outside doors on the promenade were missing paint?

Gem & Pride - Casinos constantly full of smoke and no way to avoid it if you are a player.

Carnival Pride - Guy's greasy burgers & fries are nauseating. Often while frying the burgers the indoor buffet would fill up with smoke from the grease. Employees would plug in large fans to dissipate the smoke and stench from the buffet area.

I would rather have a McDonald's Big Mac.

Nevertheless, everywhere you look, Norwegian has made cuts to their product and found new ways to charge more money and provide less products and services to their passengers.

The new CEO for Norwegian - Frank J. Del Rio, has declared his intention to gouge his already booked passengers for another $50. - $100. per cabin on every cruise.

 

Summation

I am a Diamond Guest on Carnival, and a Platinum Guest on Norwegian. Overall, I prefer to cruise on Carnival.

 

Wallygator

 

 

 

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[Trumpster]

Well your list is fairly comprehensive.

 

This part:

 

Recommended tipping on Carnival is $12.00 per day

Required Daily Service Charge on Norwegian is $13.50 per day.

 

Both are required to be paid, both can be adjusted as the person sees fit. They both have different systems to do that.

[Trumpster]

PRIDE - clock on the wall in the spa hot tub broken the entire cruise.

 

 

But a broken clock is correct twice a day, so what's the problem. :D

[Trumpster]

Nevertheless, everywhere you look, Norwegian has made cuts to their product and found new ways to charge more money and provide less products and services to their passengers.

The new CEO for Norwegian - Frank J. Del Rio, has declared his intention to gouge his already booked passengers for another $50. - $100. per cabin on every cruise.

 

this and the constant state of change, confusion and its failure to communicate change clearly, changing things after booking(s) etc...is why we are very hesitant to sail NCL.

 

Have a Pearl Cruise planned but its in the future.

 

Overall, I prefer to cruise on Carnival.

 

Me too. And in my mind

I would sail the pride.

[sparks1093]

Thanks for the comparison. I've sailed both and while the Gem is newer and the entertainment on NCL is a little more robust I would only pick the Gem over the Pride if the prices were comparable. I don't like the changes Del Rio has made and don't like the direction he is trying to go with NCL.

[cv322]

I've cruised the Gem about 7 or 8 times & the Pride about 5 or 6 times I think...and I've never found the casinos to be smoky...on either ship! You must've had an over abundance of smokers on your cruises lol. ;)

[wallygator21015]

Carnival Pride - I forgot to mention that I paid $120. dollars for unlimited Internet for our 14 nights cruise. The Internet service was extremely SLOW.

 

Wallygator

 

 

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[Trumpster]

Carnival Pride - I forgot to mention that I paid $120. dollars for unlimited Internet for our 14 nights cruise. The Internet service was extremely SLOW.

 

Wallygator

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

 

I know we can't be disconnected but I sure can. The least important reason ever to pick a cruise...internet speed.

[wallygator21015]

On the Carnival Pride there is pizzeria making fresh hot pizza 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These fresh, hot out of the oven, pizzas are FREE. You can eat it there or take it with you! On Norwegian, you have to call room service, and pay $7.95 for a pizza that tastes like a store bought frozen pizza. NCL no longer delivers a hot pizza to you anywhere on the ship for $5.00 Thanks to FDR's new policy of nickel and diming his passengers to increase profits. Folks really need to vote with their feet.

 

Wallygator

 

 

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[Trumpster]

On the Carnival Pride there is pizzeria making fresh hot pizza 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. These fresh, hot out of the oven, pizzas are FREE. You can eat it there or take it with you! On Norwegian, you have to call room service, and pay $7.95 for a pizza that tastes like a store bought frozen pizza. NCL no longer delivers a hot pizza to you anywhere on the ship for $5.00 Thanks to FDR's new policy of nickel and diming his passengers to increase profits. Folks really need to vote with their feet.

 

Wallygator

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

 

Have you decided? did you post on the NCL boards and ask which ship?

 

Are you still trying to convince yourself? Or us?

 

Sounds like both ships are a no go. Keep looking. ;)

[meatloafsfan]

Thanks for the comparison. My only disagreement about the Pride would be the smell of Guy's Burgers - love it :D but I can see how not everyone would.

 

NCL is the one cruise line I'm very hesitant to book - we're not really "freestyle" kind of people - much prefer having specific dining time and table and servers.

[JaniceB]

Thank you for your well written comparison.

I have never sailed NCL but my daughter is going on her first NCL cruise.

[richstowe]

Have you decided? did you post on the NCL boards and ask which ship?

 

Are you still trying to convince yourself? Or us?

 

Sounds like both ships are a no go. Keep looking. ;)

It seems you didn't bother to read very closely . The OP already sailed on both ships .

 

Thanks wally . Your brief review reminds me why I haven't taken a NCL cruise yet .

[Trumpster]

It seems you didn't bother to read very closely . The OP already sailed on both ships .

 

Thanks wally . Your brief review reminds me why I haven't taken a NCL cruise yet .

 

 

Well, which ship did he like better?

[sparks1093]

Well, which ship did he like better?

 

Did you miss it when the OP said "Overall, I prefer to cruise on Carnival."? That seems clear to me.

[richstowe]

Well, which ship did he like better?

 

 

Nevertheless, everywhere you look, Norwegian has made cuts to their product and found new ways to charge more money and provide less products and services to their passengers.

The new CEO for Norwegian - Frank J. Del Rio, has declared his intention to gouge his already booked passengers for another $50. - $100. per cabin on every cruise.

 

Summation

I am a Diamond Guest on Carnival, and a Platinum Guest on Norwegian. Overall, I prefer to cruise on Carnival.

Wallygator

 

Pride .

[Trumpster]

Did you miss it when the OP said "Overall, I prefer to cruise on Carnival."? That seems clear to me.

 

But the clock was broken the whole cruise!

[sparks1093]

But the clock was broken the whole cruise!

 

:eek:Good grief, that's terrible! Does Heald know????:cool:;)

[Trumpster]

:eek:Good grief, that's terrible! Does Heald know????:cool:;)

 

NO, and Del Rio would charge a fee for both fixing it and for its use, "for your convenience"