No more Norweigan for us!!

[steelersfan4ever]

Just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Norwegian, we have only ever sailed on Carnival but got a great deal with lots of perks so we tried Norwegian. There were 9 of us. The only good thing was the embarkation (which was extremely smooth and quick). Cabins were small, ship was plain (even though it was only 4 years old), slow service and lines everywhere. I could go on more but I'll leave it at that.

[Cruzncutie]

Which ship

 

 

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[Two Wheels Only]

...because...Carnival doesn't have any small staterooms, plain ships, slow service, lines, or old ships in the fleet. :rolleyes:

[ready2cruzagain]

OP, we had a totally opposite experience than you this past Nov. Have sailed 132 days with Carnival but decided to try NCL out. Sailed on the Epic, which wowed us. A lot more to do and see than any Carnival ship we have ever sailed on. Yes our inside cabin was smaller but we had a lot more storage space on NCL than Carnival. We loved NCL so much we booked a b2b again next year and have no plans to sail Carnival anytime again in the future.:D

 

Sorry you had a bad time.

[DinaS]

Just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Norwegian, we have only ever sailed on Carnival but got a great deal with lots of perks so we tried Norwegian. There were 9 of us. The only good thing was the embarkation (which was extremely smooth and quick). Cabins were small, ship was plain (even though it was only 4 years old), slow service and lines everywhere. I could go on more but I'll leave it at that.

 

Do you even realize that Norwegian has other ships - besides the Breakaway?

 

We've been on the Gem 3 times, and have not experienced anything that you claim to have experienced.

 

But by all means - go back to Carnival if you like.

[Crzy4my2]

Sorry to hear you didn't enjoy it. We sailed the Epic 3/18. We have sailed on Royal Caribbean and love it so NCL had big shoes to fill. I loved the Epic and even the bathroom didn't bother us. There were lines here and there, and when my kids got antsy I would just say to them "we are on vacation, in the middle of the ocean. where are we in a rush to get to"

[Minneapolistraveler]

OP, we had a totally opposite experience than you this past Nov. Have sailed 132 days with Carnival but decided to try NCL out. Sailed on the Epic, which wowed us. A lot more to do and see than any Carnival ship we have ever sailed on. Yes our inside cabin was smaller but we had a lot more storage space on NCL than Carnival. We loved NCL so much we booked a b2b again next year and have no plans to sail Carnival anytime again in the future.:D

 

 

 

Sorry you had a bad time.

 

 

We had a similar experience. In 2013 we sailed Carnival and didn't have the best experience. But I was willing to give another cruise line a shot and tried NCL the following year and loved it. We also tried Celebrity and enjoyed that as well but NCL suits us. To each his/her own.

[GUT2407]

Still waiting to try NCL.

 

Sounds like it might suit me.

[steelersfan4ever]

It was the Breakaway - I felt like they squeezed you in on the ship and they wanted you to spend money everywhere. Too many specialty (for fee) restaurants. Ice bar was a rip off! etc, etc

[tonit964]

Just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Norwegian, we have only ever sailed on Carnival but got a great deal with lots of perks so we tried Norwegian. There were 9 of us. The only good thing was the embarkation (which was extremely smooth and quick). Cabins were small, ship was plain (even though it was only 4 years old), slow service and lines everywhere. I could go on more but I'll leave it at that.

 

 

At least you gave it a try. There are some folks on here that only stay with one cruiseline, never experiencing what others may have to offer.

No big deal if you didn't like it, that happens sometimes.

Enjoy your next cruise.:)

[ilovetotravel1977]

It was the Breakaway - I felt like they squeezed you in on the ship and they wanted you to spend money everywhere. Too many specialty (for fee) restaurants. Ice bar was a rip off! etc, etc

 

I haven't sailed Carnival before, so I have a few questions...

 

I'm not sure where you had to spend money, unless you wanted to eat at the specialty dining places, does Carnival have these? Shops are on all ships, so is a spa (for the most part).

 

 

Does Carnival have a lot of free dining places?

 

 

What were you expecting in the ice bar? Research would have shown what the experience is. Two drinks for a set price and freeze your butt off wearing a fur coat...Big pass on that one! LOL

 

 

Not all lines are suitable for everyone :) Happy sailing!

[CJDepew]

Our group of 20 had quite the opposite experience. We experienced horrible food and surly staff on a Carnival ship in 2016, so decided to try NCL, and loved it. Even though the Epic isn't perfect, the staff was pleasant, food was very good, and never really waited in lines anywhere, except for Embarkation. We liked it so much, we used the Cruise Next offer to book for 2018 before the week was out.

[April42749]

It was the Breakaway - I felt like they squeezed you in on the ship and they wanted you to spend money everywhere. Too many specialty (for fee) restaurants. Ice bar was a rip off! etc, etc

 

There was not enough "included food" for you?

 

As to the Ice Bar.....they they indicate "something else" before you went in? (Personally, I don't see a point to the Ice Bar, but I'd ask before entering something where I had to pay.)

[zqvol]

It was the Breakaway - I felt like they squeezed you in on the ship and they wanted you to spend money everywhere. Too many specialty (for fee) restaurants. Ice bar was a rip off! etc, etc

 

I have yet to figure out why someone would pay to go into a walk in freezer like the ones in any large restaurant just because there is a bar in it.

 

 

While you say you have cruised Carnival, I too have cruised them both, and I don't see much difference in the experiences, sure NCL has more specialty restaurants, but there is no need to ever go in one, the food in the main dining room is very good. I can see how coming from Carnival's over the top gaudy decorations make you feel that Breakaway is plain, and cabins are smaller than on CCL, but I find they they are better designed.

 

As far as slow service and lines, I never experienced that on Getaway, but I will say that you cruised at the height of college spring break season.

[pieshops]

Just got back on Sunday from a 7 day cruise on Norwegian, we have only ever sailed on Carnival but got a great deal with lots of perks so we tried Norwegian. There were 9 of us. The only good thing was the embarkation (which was extremely smooth and quick). Cabins were small, ship was plain (even though it was only 4 years old), slow service and lines everywhere. I could go on more but I'll leave it at that.

passive aggressive much? Why bother posting if your not going to let us know the issues? I also find it hard to believe that in 7 days there was not one good thing !!!!

[Joannel1958]

I felt the same. Too many people for the small bars and restaurants. Pool deck was a nightmare. The food was very good once you got into a restaurant.

 

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[tcrandal]

One thing you learn from reading the cruise reviews online is that you need to experience things for yourself to fully understand whether you like something or not.

 

We all have different perspectives, opinions, and things that we enjoy, and all these experiences are in the eye of the beholder and differ based on many circumstances. It always amazed me how many negative reviews I read on every cruise line. I was so scared in reading reviews before my first cruise I started expecting the worst.

 

The best advice, find what you like and enjoy it. No need to worry about others.. that goes both ways, I love NCL, but there is no reason to convince you that you should, as it's okay that you don't. Others should take the same advice on cruise lines, politics, religion and such... and not be so offended at your post, even though it seems like if the boarding process was the only positive, you probably need to check yourself as to why you can't find more happiness in things. Our family tends to try and focus on the positives rather than let the negatives invade and ruin experiences, but that applies to everything, not just cruises.

[ClevelandCruisin]

One thing you learn from reading the cruise reviews online is that you need to experience things for yourself to fully understand whether you like something or not.

 

We all have different perspectives, opinions, and things that we enjoy, and all these experiences are in the eye of the beholder and differ based on many circumstances. It always amazed me how many negative reviews I read on every cruise line. I was so scared in reading reviews before my first cruise I started expecting the worst.

 

The best advice, find what you like and enjoy it. No need to worry about others.. that goes both ways, I love NCL, but there is no reason to convince you that you should, as it's okay that you don't. Others should take the same advice on cruise lines, politics, religion and such... and not be so offended at your post, even though it seems like if the boarding process was the only positive, you probably need to check yourself as to why you can't find more happiness in things. Our family tends to try and focus on the positives rather than let the negatives invade and ruin experiences, but that applies to everything, not just cruises.

Exactly!

 

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[Quilting_Cruiser]

I find it humorous when someone ways NCL has too many upcharge restaurants. I don't get that. No one is forcing anyone to eat in them and those of us who enjoy the variety and don't mind paying a small fee to eat in them love it! The sole reason I decided to try NCL was because of the variety of dining options.

 

Yes, NCL ships are not as "sparkly" as Carnival's. Yes, Carnival's standard cabins are larger than NCL's. But, they both have crowds and lines and a bunch of other things in common.

 

There are things I like better about Carnival but more things I like better about NCL. So--at least for the next few cruises--I'll sail NCL.

 

I think we're all fortunate to have a number of similarly-priced lines to choose from and can choose to sail with the one (or more) that we each like best. :D

[sanger727]

You are certainly entitled to your opinion. I actually think NCL is near the top in terms of free restaurants - you won't find anything comparable to blue lagoon/o sheehans or jasmine garden on carnival. They boast guys burgers and the burrito place but they are just add ons of the buffet. Carnival is the cruise I could never find anything open late to eat. Past buffet hours all they had was a deli.

 

Still gonna pick UBP for 14 pp pd over cheers for 50 pp pd.... plus if you get at least an oceanview you can get the SDP free too.

 

 

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[DMH15]

It was the Breakaway - I felt like they squeezed you in on the ship and they wanted you to spend money everywhere. Too many specialty (for fee) restaurants. Ice bar was a rip off! etc, etc

 

 

Then don't spend the money but "don't covet your neighbor's goods"... it's a sin.

 

 

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[frank212]

I really don't understand the nickel and dime aspect that many speak about. You're on vacation enjoy yourself what's a few extra dollars when you've already paid for the cruise. My travel agent always throws in at least $150.00 in OBC

 

 

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[emcelh]

I don't get the complaints about "too many upcharge restaurants on NCL" either. The last Carnival ship I was on only had 3 and the last NCL ship I was on had 5 and the newer ships have even more. What's so bad about having more choices if you want to spend your money and there are just as many places to eat that are included in the cruise fare.

[beerman2]

OP ,

NCL has many promotions going where SDP and UBP are included. Why didn't you take advantage?

 

There are plenty of free dining venue's on NCL.

 

After many cruises on Carnival , right now with the perks NCL offers I can sail much cheaper on them than Carnival when adding in Drinks and Specialty Dining.

[Cyclops32]

I have been on a few carnival Cruise during my lifetime and liked all of them. We will take NCL for the first time this summer. I already am so sure that I will like NCL I have already booked a second before my first.

 

The one thing I hated about carnival is the set dining times and having to share a table. Even with that I may cruise control with them again but I like the free style. Eat when we want and only with whom we choose.

 

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