Celebrity or NCL for Southern Caribbean

[sophiegracie]

My self, my husband, and our 19 year old daughter are planning a southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan, PR. We have only ever been on Carnival and want to try something different. Which cruise line would be your recommendation? They both go to about the same islands so itinerary can't be a deciding factor. We are looking for good food and a nice large cabin. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. I realize this is a Celebrity board so I'll post at NCL too so I can get both sides. Thanks!

[sanger727]

NCL and celebrity are my favorite cruise lines. I think the evening entertainment is better on NCL and the daytime activities are better on celebrity. For me it would come down to price and ship. I just sailed on NCL and would rate them a little lower on cabin and food. But they are more similar than different. Plus on NCL is we got the specialty dining package free with booking; celebrities specialty dining is quite a bit more expensive.

 

 

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[fielddreamer]

I took my first Celebrity cruise last Dec. and loved everyday of it. I was on the Reflection and it was everything we had herd. As you see we have been on different cruise lines. Celebrity is a different class than Carnival as you would find out. The only difference is that the Summit is a older ship as compared th the Reflection but it is wll kept and has a lot going for it !

[SuiteTraveler]

I've sailed on both lines extensively and I agree with the above posters. I do think the MDR food on Celebrity is better than NCL's but on NCL, we only eat in specialty restaurants or The Haven restaurant. Yes, the entertainment is better on NCL. Choose Celebrity if you don't want to do specialty dining much and really just want a sophisticated, relaxing and quiet cruise. Choose NCL if you want lots of entertainment and to eat in a different restaurant every night.

[TardisDance]

I haven't been on Celebrity yet (first cruise in April), but I have to say food has really went down the hill on NCL. The serving sizes are half of what they used to be and fish is extremely salty. Service is also really hit or miss. It was good at around January 2016 when I was on the Breakaway for the Southern Caribbean but at the end of this cruise is when they switched to the new menus. I'm not sure when you're planning to sail, but I am going on a Southern itinerary on the Summit on 11/11/17, so I can report back.

[Gopher1934]

Our preference is celebrity vs NCL

[cynbar]

The ambiance is different on the 2 cruise lines you mention. We sail both and enjoy them for what they are, although our preference is Celebrity. NCL has a livelier, more energetic vibe. Decor is brighter (although I don't find it tacky) and there is a lot of good entertainment to choose from, multiple bars with different personality, lots of people of all ages. Specialty restaurants are more varied and less expensive than Celebrity. We feel they are a big step above the MDR and don't mind budgeting for several dinners there. NCL has basically no dress code except in a couple of the fancier restaurants. Celebrity on the other hand has a quieter (but not dead) atmosphere that is more elegant and sedate. There is good entertainment, but not as much of it. Dress code is observed by most, with smart casual most nights and 2 Evening Chic nights which are a little dressier but not formal. Food is better in the MDRs, at least in our opinion. Celebrity is really more about relaxing with friends in a sedate environment than being on the go. Depends which type appeals more to you and your family.

[jb008]

Southern Caribbean itineraries are my favorite caribbean cruise! I strongly recommend sailing out of San Juan versus Florida though on a S. Carib itinerary. You'll get warmer weather overall, more ports, and my experience has been that the pricing to fly to San Juan is not much more than sailing to Florida (obviously airfare is highly variable and depends on your originating airport).

 

Just a word of warning if you're thinking of Summit out of San Juan though - Celebrity has chartered Summit for most of the 2017 season and again for 2018. So even though Summit's "home port" might be SJU for the winter, there are very few itineraries for '18. If you can find a Summit itinerary that works, it would easily be my first choice for a southern caribbean sailing (or any Caribbean sailing really)!

 

Royal Caribbean also sails a couple ships out of San Juan though, and might be worth your consideration. Jewel of the Seas is a smaller ship, I think somewhere around 2,500 pax (so roughly between Summit's Millennium class and the Solstice class Celebrity ships). Jewel is smaller and has fewer ship amenities (e.g., Flow Rider) than the larger RCCL ships (though JotS got a refurb in 4/16) but they also sail the larger Adventure of the Seas (>3,000 pax) out of SJU too.

[NordicPrince]

I'm a big Celebrity booster but I've never sailed on the Summit.

 

I've sailed out of San Juan with Royal Caribbean and if you can get on Adventure of the Seas they have a really nice Promenade with shops and places to eat and drink down the middle of the ship. They also have an ice skating rink for ice shows and a nice theater for entertainment. The ship is a little bigger than a Celebrity Solstice class ship but not a huge ship such as the Oasis class ships. A 19 year old person would be totally bored on a Celebrity ship even though the Solstice class ships are very very nice.

 

From what I have heard NCL nickel and dimes you on everything.

 

On a Southern Caribbean trip it's all about the islands anyway. But IMO Royal Caribbean Adventure OTS is the way to go. :):):)

 

Enjoy your cruise.

[Host Jazzbeau]

We have sailed Celebrity enough to be Elite, and NCL twice. NCL never again. Their specialty restaurants are about as good as Celebrity's MDR, it's nickel and diming all the time, and the service is poor at every level -- we were in a suite and the "butler" might have made a decent concierge, but she wasn't trained as a butler.

[Merriem]

We have sailed Celebrity enough to be Elite, and NCL twice. NCL never again. Their specialty restaurants are about as good as Celebrity's MDR, it's nickel and diming all the time, and the service is poor at every level -- we were in a suite and the "butler" might have made a decent concierge, but she wasn't trained as a butler.

 

 

 

Well said. There is no comparison. Go on Celebrity

[purpletequila]

For the Southern Carib, I'd choose X but I don't know about a 19 year old. I think she'll be bored unless she just wants to relax, especially on that itinerary. It's port intensive so everyone goes to bed pretty early to get up and go.

[merinski]

My self, my husband, and our 19 year old daughter are planning a southern Caribbean cruise from San Juan, PR. We have only ever been on Carnival and want to try something different. Which cruise line would be your recommendation? They both go to about the same islands so itinerary can't be a deciding factor. We are looking for good food and a nice large cabin. Opinions would be greatly appreciated. I realize this is a Celebrity board so I'll post at NCL too so I can get both sides. Thanks!

 

Definitely Celebrity! Better Food, better entertainment, service... We have been on NCL and it was good, but Celebrity is a couple steps above , IMHO