Looking at NCL

[swerdjr]

If anyone could help we are looking at taking a cruise on NCL. We have sailed 6 times on Princess and 3 times on Celebrity and are a bit apprehensive about going on NCL. Can anyone compare to other lines and what the best veranda deck would be? Thanks for your help!:)

[negn]

Have sailed on both lines though now only use NCL due to comps from CAS.

 

Celebrity I found had an older crowd and quieter atmosphere When I cruised with them ,also had dress up nights of which I am not a fan (too much to pack)

 

Princess is more like Celebrity than NCL.

 

I think NCL has better entertainment (esp on larger ships) Food is subjective but I never went hungry and have had some excellent meals I enjoy the more casual atmosphere and anytime dining

 

You may get different opinions but think you'll have to try on your own. ANY cruise is a great vacation

[swerdjr]

Would you say it is more like Carnival?

[boatseller]

In terms of quality and intended market, NCL and RCI are essentially the same. NCL leans a bit toward bling which RCI leans a bit toward sophisticate.

 

I have a great time on either one, it's a cruise, seriously!

 

Any balcony on the side of the ship is practically the same. I've never felt a difference so choose based on balcony size. Forward or aft facing are their own thing so if that matters to you...

[Blondie008]

I have sailed Celebrity, Costa, Carnival and NCL. (and P&O but don't like to admit that !).

NCL is a step up from Carnival and Costa (in our experience)

No - its not as upmarket as Celebrity however we enjoyed our Norwegian transatlantic much more than our Equinox TA -

Food - with the money you save you can well afford to dine in the specialty restaurants which of course provide a more finer dining experience.

Night life is the big draw for us - and NCL perks - live music in the bars - always a buzz - Celebrity sure - the Martini Bar is always lively but its so focused on that one bar -not much else to write home about.

I do love BLU on Celebrity - will continue to cruise both lines :)

Oh and the SPA on NCL is fab - MUCH MUCH better than Celebrity!

[stickey_mouse]

Oh and the SPA on NCL is fab - MUCH MUCH better than Celebrity!

How so?

[Clay Clayton]

I have sailed Celebrity, Costa, Carnival and NCL. (and P&O but don't like to admit that !).

NCL is a step up from Carnival and Costa (in our experience)

No - its not as upmarket as Celebrity however we enjoyed our Norwegian transatlantic much more than our Equinox TA -

Food - with the money you save you can well afford to dine in the specialty restaurants which of course provide a more finer dining experience.

Night life is the big draw for us - and NCL perks - live music in the bars - always a buzz - Celebrity sure - the Martini Bar is always lively but its so focused on that one bar -not much else to write home about.

I do love BLU on Celebrity - will continue to cruise both lines :)

Oh and the SPA on NCL is fab - MUCH MUCH better than Celebrity!

 

With the exception of your statement regarding Carnival ( I haven't sailed them since the mid 70s) I agree with your post. I will say the spa experience may depend on which ship you are sailing - I found the free sauna on Summit much nicer than the free one on NCL's Sun and any of the Gem class ships.

 

We sailed Princess once and my opinion may be a bit jaded since due to an impending storm and a noro outbreak we returned a day early, but I found little difference but for some reason Norwegian just felt more like "us". I suspect it was not having to dress for dinner and not having fixed dining...while this was available on Princess, it didn't work as easily as on NCL and I sorta felt like a 2nd class citizen.

 

But I also agree with the PP - its a cruise, how bad can it be?!!

[Blondie008]

I have sailed Celebrity, Costa, Carnival and NCL. (and P&O but don't like to admit that !).

NCL is a step up from Carnival and Costa (in our experience)

No - its not as upmarket as Celebrity however we enjoyed our Norwegian transatlantic much more than our Equinox TA -

Food - with the money you save you can well afford to dine in the specialty restaurants which of course provide a more finer dining experience.

Night life is the big draw for us - and NCL perks - live music in the bars - always a buzz - Celebrity sure - the Martini Bar is always lively but its so focused on that one bar -not much else to write home about.

I do love BLU on Celebrity - will continue to cruise both lines :)

Oh and the SPA on NCL is fab - MUCH MUCH better than Celebrity!

 

....

Edited July 11, 2016 by Blondie008

[Blondie008]

How so?

 

We have been on 2 Solstice ships in the last year - and both times were in Aquaclass which of course, gives access to the Persian gardens thermal suite.

we thought it was a huge let down - only 8 tiled loungers, NO relaxation loungers at all - (there was a relax room but it was awaaaaaaaaaaaay in another area), no thallasotherapy pool - sauna and steamroom were ok - but nothing exciting compared to the likes of Epic.

The water station too was not as good as NCLs - one water urn with a few measly lemon slices - and no herbal teas.

NCL wins hand down on the Spa experience for sure! I believe even the Jade has a thallasotherapy pool albeit a very small one - at least its there (co-ed). Celebrity has nothing..

We would cruise in X's Spa class again - but purely for BLU restaurant - not for the spa its no biggie.

We are taking NCL for our transatlantic cruises as the Spa is important to us - especially on a long cruise.

[Viva_la_Vida]

The food is not in the same ballpark as Celebrity, unless you want to pay for specialty restaurants exclusively. Same for the wine.

 

There is way more nightlife on NCL.

 

There are tons of kids compared to Celebrity with more for the kids to do (and adult kids-at-heart :p).

 

Service is fantastic on NCL on par or better than what we experienced on Celebrity. NCL has towel animals where X does not.

 

No champagne welcome like on X.

 

The aesthetic is different. NCL is modern but more flashy than the sleek Celebrity spaces: think color-changing chandeliers.

 

The entertainment on NCL is much better, but you have to reserve it in advance. The freestyle thing is slightly deceptive. It's really nice that the dress codes are more relaxed, but you have to plan far in advance if you want to eat at specialty restaurants and go to the shows. Granted, you can wing it but you may not get in and you will most definitely be in a long stand-by line.

 

The drink package perk is different from Celebrity. You pay an approximately $100 per person service charge for a week cruise. Waters and specialty coffees are not included. As mentioned, the wine included was to me, not drinkable. And I'm not picky. . . Fruity pool drinks much better on NCL though.

 

The solarium adult only area on Celebrity can be mimicked on NCL with a $179 weekly pass to the spa thermal suite and/or a $99 per week pass to Vibe Beach Club. I don't think all the NCL ships have vibe though and passes are not guaranteed as they are sold only on the day of sailing and numbers are quite limited.

 

Balconies are tiny compared to the same price category on Celebrity. If you want a bigger balcony you have to do your research. I know there are some "secret" balconies (angled, etc) that are available, but I'm no expert on those. There are "large balcony" categories as well.

 

The spa class on NCL does not get you a special restaurant like on Celebrity. Really the only perks to those "spa mini-suites" are access to the thermal suite, bigger bathrooms, and maybe a slightly larger room. The rooms are really nice!

 

Price: we paid a LOT more for NCL to try and replicate our favorite aspects of the X experience than we would have paid for just sailing Celebrity in the first place. We did enjoy the entertainment and nightlife on NCL though, so it was a fabulous cruise, just at a cost!

Edited July 11, 2016 by Viva_la_Vida

[Viva_la_Vida]

We have been on 2 Solstice ships in the last year - and both times were in Aquaclass which of course, gives access to the Persian gardens thermal suite.

we thought it was a huge let down - only 8 tiled loungers, NO relaxation loungers at all - (there was a relax room but it was awaaaaaaaaaaaay in another area), no thallasotherapy pool - sauna and steamroom were ok - but nothing exciting compared to the likes of Epic.

The water station too was not as good as NCLs - one water urn with a few measly lemon slices - and no herbal teas.

NCL wins hand down on the Spa experience for sure! I believe even the Jade has a thallasotherapy pool albeit a very small one - at least its there (co-ed). Celebrity has nothing..

We would cruise in X's Spa class again - but purely for BLU restaurant - not for the spa its no biggie.

We are taking NCL for our transatlantic cruises as the Spa is important to us - especially on a long cruise.

 

 

At the same time though, there is a whole adult solarium pool for FREE on Celebrity. It's not in the spa, but at least it's open to everyone 18 and up. On the Summit it was a thalassotherapy pool. On the Reflection I think it was just a regular pool, but I'm not sure.

[Blondie008]

At the same time though, there is a whole adult solarium pool for FREE on Celebrity. It's not in the spa, but at least it's open to everyone 18 and up. On the Summit it was a thalassotherapy pool. On the Reflection I think it was just a regular pool, but I'm not sure.

 

True - but I still like a proper SPA experience early morning and late afternoon and I honestly felt a huge let down in what Celebrity had to offer compared to NCL.

Yes the solarium is nice - but its no spa.

The spa on S class has zero ambience - very bright light - in fact on one occasion we even had the pleasure of the band rehearsing over and over and over again below us until I kicked up stink - took me over 40 minutes to get someone to come in and actually listen...

Nope - lots and lots of features I love about X - but the spa is not one of them.

Edited July 11, 2016 by Blondie008

[Mom2labs]

Clay Clayton , you wouldn't happen to be a certain ins professional?

[NMLady]

Clay Clayton , you wouldn't happen to be a certain ins professional?

 

I THINK Clay is an architect. Maybe he'll be back to see your question.

[tartan cruiser]

Pros and Cons to both cruiselines. You have to decide what is most important to you. We don't use the Spa so this is not important to us. We do love the bigger pools on Celebrity and especially on the M-class ships. NCL caters more to families and if you prefer fewer kids don't cruise NCL over holidays or school breaks. Pools very small and with over 1500 kids at times the experience can be somewhat unpleasant. NCL has an adult only pool but not a bit of shade. Just a heads up. We cruise at times with grandkids so NCL or RCCL works better for them. The beverage package on Celebrity is more inclusive and cheaper. Included food IMHO is better on Celebrity too. I will say NCL has better entertainment. If you usually book an inside cabin NCL includes their UBP as a promo choice. Have to book at least an OV to get this on Celebrity.

 

Celebrity has done away with "formal" nights. They also have select dining so just show up when you want to eat. We found it easy to get a table for 2 whenever we showed up and very seldom had a wait. As others have said there is not a perfect cruiseline for everyone. Celebrity is offering a couple of 9 day Carribbean cruises from Florida in 2017 and 2018 that are very attractive so that along with everything else made our choice easy.

[phillygirl63]

Which NCL ship? I've been on the Jade, Pride of America and Breakaway. I enjoyed the Jade and POA much more than the Breakaway. Absolutely love the martini tastings on Jade and POA. Breakaway was fun but just too big with too many people (and kids if I am being honest) for my taste. Also, because of being able to book specialty restaurants online in advance, those restaurants were fully booked within a day for the rest of the week. However, the entertainment on Breakaway was great, especially the dueling pianos show and Burning the Floor. The pool was a lot better too, especially for kids.

 

I've never been on Princess, but Celebrity is definitely a step up from NCL. However, a cruise is a cruise. You make of it what you want.

[Merriem]

No comparison. NCL was nice once upon a time. We have done three cruises since last September with them . Would never go again,

 

Celebrity gives you a lot for your money ,and since we only book suites, it is exceptionally nice.

 

Never been on Carnival, but have cruised just about every line , and unless you have low expectations, NCL is mass market at its worst.

[Cruisercl]

If anyone could help we are looking at taking a cruise on NCL. We have sailed 6 times on Princess and 3 times on Celebrity and are a bit apprehensive about going on NCL. Can anyone compare to other lines and what the best veranda deck would be? Thanks for your help!:)

 

We are also not cruise line loyalists; have status on other cruise lines

That said in my experience with NCL (we are Platinum) lately, you do not always get the same product you booked.

It is really fine for the most part but there is always something that comes up with the new leadership/management in place that is not customer friendly.

 

Many NCL loyalists, myself included, are grieving the great cruise line and customer friendly line it used to be.

 

Safe cruising all! :)

[atomax]

This only applies to the mega ships (think Epic and the "-away" ships. On the smaller ships, you cannot reserve entertainment.

 

 

The entertainment on NCL is much better, but you have to reserve it in advance. The freestyle thing is slightly deceptive. It's really nice that the dress codes are more relaxed, but you have to plan far in advance if you want to eat at specialty restaurants and go to the shows. Granted, you can wing it but you may not get in and you will most definitely be in a long stand-by line.

 

[RoePost]

I have sailed NCL, Royal Carib, Celebrity,MSC,Carnival and I am Elite on Princess.

Even though my fave is Princess..I think you will be happy on NCL...NCL is much

more casual than Princess but other than that there are not a lot of differences.

Food is rated differently by different folks...but I think Princess food is a little better than NCL. (especially the pizza on Princess) Every cruise line has good points and bad...I also was reluctant to sail on NCL..but after

one cruise I decided it was a nice change from Princess and have now been on 3 NCL cruises and enjoyed each one....Hope this is some help to you.

[Clay Clayton]

Clay Clayton , you wouldn't happen to be a certain ins professional?

 

no sorry, I am an Architect....