NCL Getaway or Celebrity Eclipse

[taylortime05]

I am booked on Eclipse 10 night Caribbean Dec 11, 2016. But after reading about so many comments about how bad the shows are I am having 2nd thoughts. We have only been on 2 cruises- RCCL Oasis & Allure. We enjoyed all the entertainment on both the ships.

 

It is only me and hubby. I'm 52 and hubby is 57.

 

Which ship would you select? And what are your reasons?

 

I am going to post this on NCL site too.

 

Thanks

 

Sue

[argyllsock]

Ive done both NCL and X in the past few recent years.

 

I give the edge to NCL on the entertainment but everything else hands down to X. Better food in the MDR and buffet, better fee based restaurants (a little pricier though) and great facilities.

 

If you are in it for the entertainment alone then NCL but I'm a bigger fan of X.

 

Either way, enjoy the cruise!

[taylortime05]

Ive done both NCL and X in the past few recent years.

 

I give the edge to NCL on the entertainment but everything else hands down to X. Better food in the MDR and buffet, better fee based restaurants (a little pricier though) and great facilities.

 

If you are in it for the entertainment alone then NCL but I'm a bigger fan of X.

 

Either way, enjoy the cruise!

 

Thank you for the info. I am having a tough time making a choice. When we were on Allure & Oasis we had my older teens and they enjoyed the rock climbing, wave surfer, and all the other neat stuff they had. We enjoy good food, good entertainment from big production numbers to good singing/playing instrument in a tavern to relaxing on my own balcony. But the entertainment is a big piece of it. I wish more people would have responded. Oh well, maybe more people will chime in today.

[Merriem]

We have a $2200 credit on NCL and would not get back on one of their ships for free. Celebrity has a great product. There is no comparison

[Jack Staff]

Celebrity has a good product but from reading the reviews on production shows it may be spoiling the ship for a spot of tar! However I believe its best to decide for yourself and as the majority of cruiser passengers do not post on CC I am going to wait and see.

[OBX-Cruisers]

Wife and I have been on Oasis and Allure and also enjoyed the shows but not the crowds and all the prebooking necessary. We have also been on several Celebrity cruises and will be Elite after our next TA from Barcelona in October. All that said, we have been on ONE Norwegian cruise and I have yet to muster the courage to ever go back on another one......maybe someday in a very weak moment if the price is sooooooo low I can't possibly remember our last experience and book on another one.

 

If you main criterion is shows, then I would stay with RCL or even forget cruising entirely and book a nice hotel in NYC for less than the daily cost for two people in a cabin and go to some really fine restaurants and shows.

Personally we go on cruises to meet people, have nice meals in Blu and go and see the headliners at the shows and skip most if not all the production shows that are always too loud and too esoteric on most cruise lines.

 

Others with more fortitude and experience with NCL than we have will likely have better advice on which NCL ship might be tolerable. But with your teens liking the amenities on RCL, then that may be the way to continue in the future with the newer ships and even more goodies for them to try.

Edited June 10, 2016 by OBX-Cruisers

[bosswench]

DH and I are close to your age and really enjoy Celebrity. We tried NCL this past spring for a last minute trip it was so much less expensive. We did not enjoy it and will not take NCL again.

[jabrown40]

My husband and I have been on 4 ncl cruises, and after our 2015 cruise, we said never again. Food was inedible except in the specialty restaurants, but what we really noticed was the horrible service. I have not been on the Getaway, but we won't even try it. On the advice of a friend (we are about your ages) we tried Celebrity, and agree it is the right cruise line for us. We did stay in an aqua class room, and loved blu. I appreciate the average age of the passengers, now that my children are adults, and prefer less children. I thought the entertainment was fine.

[casper106]

The only NCL we have done is the one around Hawaii. We disliked it immensely. But we've met people who only go on NCL. We went on our first HAL this past winter. It was a positive experience for us,enough to book a future cruise credit.We will be doing the Eclipse 2 week winter one next March for the second time.It will be our 8th X cruise. We don't go for the entertainment. We enjoy sitting up on the top deck at night enjoying the fresh air rather than the often mediocre shows. We've met so many interesting people up there who have become friends. Being on an X ship is like being in a spa. Oh sure, there have been cutbacks but we are relatlvely new to cruising so for us,it's just fine. It's cruising for the mass market and all about the bottom line for the company and the stock holders. If we wanted something more,we would move on to the more "upscale" cruise lines but there really is no need.

[cynbar]

We prefer Celebrity and Princess but have sailed NCL several times and had very nice cruises. We are not among those who say they would never sail NCL again, but we do budget for the specialty restaurants and have sailed in a NCL suite which is one of the best experiences at sea. But, I have to agree that the two cruise lines are very different. Celebrity is elegant,dignified, sedate. Food is pretty good in the MDR and buffet but better in Blu and Luminae and the specialty restaurants --- just like on NCL, you pay more for better food. Dress code is followed by most, cruisers change and dress nicely for dinner even on smart casual nights. Entertainment is not s strength, Celebrity is more about a relaxing experience where you enjoy the company of your traveling companion(s) in a soothing atmosphere. NCL is livelier, more energetic throughout the ship. Entertainment is more extensive and very good, there is just more going on everywhere. Decor is brighter, lots of colors everywhere. Dress code is pretty much non-existent, no formal nights and cruisers wear what they want (even shorts and sweatpants) except in the fancier restaurants. Lots of friendly staff members, lots of activities going on. So, you really have to look at the differences and decide which works better for you. We have enjoyed our NCL cruises but go in with different expectations.

[blazeinthesun]

Goes to show there is something for everyone - we sail X, RCCL and NCL. On NCL we have been on the Epic and new Escape. We are both in our 50's, enjoy nighttime entertainment immensely, more the smaller venues than the big productions, think small bands, piano bars, etc. NCL has these in spades, the other ships not so much. The food on NCL is on par with RCCL, with X being slightly better, but it wouldn't keep us away from NCL. Service is just fine, but we are not very demanding and have never had any major lapses on NCL.

 

There is much more to do in the evenings on any NCL ship as compared to X. Late evenings X reverts mostly to a DJ somewhere, or a single guitar or piano perhaps. NCL has comedy club, live bands typcially somewhere, and can't beat Howl at the Moon! We enjoy NCL tremendously, but a lot is what you make of it and how you like to spend your time.

[blazeinthesun]

Let me also say we are elite on X and also have about 6-7 cruises on RCCL, so we know the lines well, but we just have more FUN on NCL.

[Tiggertastic]

Ive done both NCL and X in the past few recent years.

 

 

 

I give the edge to NCL on the entertainment but everything else hands down to X. Better food in the MDR and buffet, better fee based restaurants (a little pricier though) and great facilities.

 

 

 

If you are in it for the entertainment alone then NCL but I'm a bigger fan of X.

 

 

 

Either way, enjoy the cruise!

 

 

I completely agree with this. If you're going for entertainment, ncl win it hands down. Love the specialty on ncl and lots more choice but mdr on celebrity is better.

[Nanatravel]

I am booked on Eclipse 10 night Caribbean Dec 11, 2016. But after reading about so many comments about how bad the shows are I am having 2nd thoughts. We have only been on 2 cruises- RCCL Oasis & Allure. We enjoyed all the entertainment on both the ships.

 

It is only me and hubby. I'm 52 and hubby is 57.

 

Which ship would you select? And what are your reasons?

 

I am going to post this on NCL site too.

 

Thanks

 

Sue

 

As far as ships go you are comparing Grapes to Oranges; totally different experience. Your huge RCL ships experience is wonderful but primarily family oriented with very good entertainment. Both NCL and RCl are Mass market lines offering something for everyone. Celebrity aims to be a Premium cruise line now offering great service, food, accommodations and ports of call plus good entertainment. My daughter is 48 and Son In Law is 50 and both prefer Celebrity. NCL will "nickel & dime' you to death. If you get a good price and itinerary on a fairly new Celebrity ship, why not give it a try.

[duchesslt]

I am booked on Eclipse 10 night Caribbean Dec 11, 2016. But after reading about so many comments about how bad the shows are I am having 2nd thoughts. We have only been on 2 cruises- RCCL Oasis & Allure. We enjoyed all the entertainment on both the ships.

 

It is only me and hubby. I'm 52 and hubby is 57.

 

Which ship would you select? And what are your reasons?

 

I am going to post this on NCL site too.

 

Thanks

 

Sue

 

I went on the Escape - the Getaway sister ship. My experience was that it was good for fun and entertainment and Teppanyaki/Cagney's were very, very good. Dueling pianos, 2 broadway shows, supper club, etc. - lots to do.

 

You would be going a good week - Dec 11 is supposed to be less crowded. I would never travel on one of those megaships a peak week. I went a week at supposedly 2/3 capacity and it was very crowded and loud in the pool area and a madhouse at embarkation/disembarkation. I couldn't envision another 1k or more people on that boat.

 

Also, you have to do a lot of advance planning or the specialty restaurants/shows may be booked up. I pre-booked everything 3 months out.

[SuiteTraveler]

Getaway is a direct competitor of the Oasis class ships of RCCL. To be honest, I liked it better than sister ship Breakaway. I have not been on Escape, so cannot comment on that ship. I have also been on Eclipse. Eclipse excelled at good food. Entertainment was really a dud - well, not totally, there was a good British comedian onboard who did one show in the main theater ( if only he had been on every night!), but the rest of the shows were more about seeing attractive young people wearing pretty costumes than anything else. The Eclipse went to bed around 11pm and the casino was dead for the entire 13 day cruise. On a positive note, the food was very good and we enjoyed room service breakfast each morning and I like that Celebrity's drink package includes bottled water. Getaway is much more oriented towards lots of entertainment. That said, on NCL we were in a The Haven Spa Suite. The spa onboard IS amazing! The Haven is great! I'm not sure if I would like Getaway if I was not in The Haven because, outside of The Haven you have to deal with THE massive crowds around THE main pool. On Eclipse, we were in a Family Verandah suite - just the 2 of us with 2 bedrooms, living room, dining room, but only 1 bathroom for 13 days. I really cannot complain about the accommodations.

 

With every cruise line, there are positives and negatives. I felt like the food on Celebrity was very good, enjoyed room service, we had a great cabin steward, didn't go to most shows (we were in the Med and after long port days, only wanted dinner and bed) so the ship really suited the type of cruise we were on. In the Caribbean, same cruise, not so much.

[GateGuardian]

I havn't been on the Eclipse, but have been on the Solstice and Reflection.

 

Getaway is about having fun where as the Solstice class is about relaxing. The food on the NCL is ok, but on the newer ships such as the Getaway, it is much better. They have multiple free restaurants like the noodle place and pub, which is great for a change of taste.

 

The Getaway can get crowded on sea days, but the water slides are great and the rope course is fun!

[Ox Fan Cruiser]

My wife & I are in our early-mid 50's. We've only cruised 5 times. # on Celebrity (Solstice, Silhouette & Reflection) , once on NCL Breakaway & once on Princess (Caribbean). We sailed NCL with the kids & grandkids. More "stuff" for small kids on NCL. All things being equal, (destination, time of year etc etc)If it wasn't for kids, we would choose Celebrity every time.