Any loyal Carnival cruisers tried NCL?

[Aquahound]

I recently cruised Escape in a standard balcony room. I thought it was pretty spacious. The balcony was pathetic, but I know that small balconies tend to be a Carnival thing as well. I know Escape and Carnival Liberty is an apples to oranges comparison, but I didn't notice any difference in the room size. Same with Dawn. I didn't feel cramped at all.

 

The only line I've consistently felt cramped in standard rooms is Princess. Their rooms don't have couches.

[zdcatc12]

Beautiful is not a word I would use for Epic.

 

Nor for the Fantasy-class ships with the welded on balconies. To me, those ships are absolutely hideous to look at.

[jimbo5544]

Nor for the Fantasy-class ships with the welded on balconies. To me, those ships are absolutely hideous to look at.

I cannot argue with that.....I guess the difference is that with the few Fantasy class ships that have the added balconies are an attempt to take a mature ship and extend its usefulness (they sure got their monies worth out of the Fantasy class) by adding the major thing they did not have (they were from the before balcony era), Epic is a much newer ship. While I have no idea if they changed the outward design of the ship in the delay when building it, it sure looks that way.

[DNorthrup]

I am contemplating trying the NCL getaway next spring break. I love Carnival and would definitely book again for our next vacation but there isn't an itinerary on a ship with the amenities our 12 year old adventure loving, thrill seeking DD would enjoy.

 

 

 

So, has anyone tried NCL or sailed the Getaway specifically? What are your thoughts on freestyle cruising? It seems like a little work to plan and reserve everything. But I may like the freedom too. What about food? We will not book any specialty dining. We will book an inside cabin for 3, which i know is smaller than Carnival so that concerns me a little. We will take the bar package offered on NCL as our "perk" The price for 3 of us with the alcohol package "perk" is only $150 more than we paid this spring break for just 2 adults when adding on Carnival's cheers package, which we did purchase.

 

 

 

Any thoughts, advice or suggestions is welcome.

 

 

 

Love NCL hate Carnival! I've been on the NCL escape 3 times and going again February before it changes ports. Doing the getaway January and the new Bliss 2018. Love the free drinking and restaurants are great! I love Celebrity too. Always do the new ships! There more money but worth it! Always buy drink package ahead of time when it's cheaper.

 

 

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[sparks1093]

Love NCL hate Carnival! I've been on the NCL escape 3 times and going again February before it changes ports. Doing the getaway January and the new Bliss 2018. Love the free drinking and restaurants are great! I love Celebrity too. Always do the new ships! There more money but worth it! Always buy drink package ahead of time when it's cheaper.

 

 

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NCL isn't worth the premium prices they usually charge (although if one can shop around there are still good deals to be had with them). I would sail a line that I haven't sailed with before paying what NCL charges.

[ryano]

Nor for the Fantasy-class ships with the welded on balconies. To me, those ships are absolutely hideous to look at.

 

In all honesty, they were hideous to look at even before the tacked on balconies :cool: I understand why these cruiselines keep these old rust buckets around. They are paid for, likely pretty inexpensive to operate and are perfect for the 3,4,5 day cruises but they dont certainly dont represent the cruise line itself very well in this day and time.

[SNJCruisers]

we are tentatively planning a Europe cruise in 2019 and I know we will have to be on another line (unless we get a big ole surprise which I am not counting on!). So NCL is probably the front-runner right now...I'm looking forward to trying something new.

Check out the MSC Meraviglia....brand new.

 

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

#3. Other than the Epic what other NCL ship doesn't have a sink in the bathroom?

 

Bill

The solo cabins on NCL all have the sink in the cabin itself. The shower and toilet each have their own enclosure and the sink and shelving area is adjacent to the shower in the main area of the 100 sq.ft.

 

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[SNJCruisers]

Beautiful is not a word I would use for Epic.

Some people would consider semitransparent bathroom doors beautiful.[emoji6]

 

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[SNJCruisers]

NCL isn't worth the premium prices they usually charge (although if one can shop around there are still good deals to be had with them). I would sail a line that I haven't sailed with before paying what NCL charges.

They charge a premium for balcony cabins that you prefer. They are a value comparing an inside cabin with the free drinks perk versus an inside cabin on Carnival when you have to add the additional 57.50 per day for Cheers.

 

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[jimbo5544]

Some people would consider semitransparent bathroom doors beautiful.[emoji6]

 

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Lol, on that we can agree, really depends on the pov.

 

 

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[jimbo5544]

The solo cabins on NCL all have the sink in the cabin itself. The shower and toilet each have their own enclosure and the sink and shelving area is adjacent to the shower in the main area of the 100 sq.ft.

 

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.....and here I thought Bill was going to make me a large drink betting wager that I could collect when we sail together (whenever that is). You also stole my thunder with a couple of posters who were questioning my credibility.

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

As they used to say on Dragnet, "Just the facts, ma'am."

 

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[jimbo5544]

As they used to say on Dragnet, "Just the facts, ma'am."

 

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I thought we had an agreement that you were not going to call me ma'am anymore.

 

 

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[sparks1093]

They charge a premium for balcony cabins that you prefer. They are a value comparing an inside cabin with the free drinks perk versus an inside cabin on Carnival when you have to add the additional 57.50 per day for Cheers.

 

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We've already had this discussion and you never did acknowledge the pricing for 2019 that I showed you. If you'd like I can look at those cruises again and get inside cabin pricing, but I doubt that there will be a significant difference, NCL will still be more expensive and substantially so. I have no value in an inside cabin since DW won't even consider it. I finally talked her into at least considering booking an ocean view if it means trying a line that we haven't tried before.

 

ETA- I went and checked anyway. For 4/2019 an inside on Escape is $2611 with the UBP, on Vista it's $1317. A couple of ways of looking at that and mine is- for $1000 less than an inside on NCL I can sail on Vista in a balcony cabin.

Edited July 5, 2017 by sparks1093

[Cruzaholic41]

The solo cabins on NCL all have the sink in the cabin itself.

 

True. But the person who made the original claim said "on Carnival the bathroom sink is actually in the bathroom." Considering the NCL studio cabins are a unique category that CCL doesn't even have, he can back peddle all he wants, but this isn't what he was talking about.

[jimbo5544]

True. But the person who made the original claim said "on Carnival the bathroom sink is actually in the bathroom." Considering the NCL studio cabins are a unique category that CCL doesn't even have, he can back peddle all he wants, but this isn't what he was talking about.

 

 

 

Wrong, it is exactly what I was referring to. I have pics I took of the rooms if it helps. What does the category of the room have to do with anything? The point wen I made it was that conceptual difference is a differentiator between the two lines. But I doubt all this makes a difference to you. Heavy sigh

 

 

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[breezy270]

I have been on both lines and getaway specifically... the cruise was great and the ship has lots to do.. actually a lot more than carnival and I have done breeze and magic .. food in the MDR is very good and at anytime I showed for dinner there was a short wait even if the line looked long we waited no more than ten minutes ... the 150 for the beverage package is the 18% gratuity so once onboard you won't need to pay anything for the beverages and no receipt to sign either ... you will love NCL the shows in the theater are superior to carnival imho

 

 

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[SNJCruisers]

I thought we had an agreement that you were not going to call me ma'am anymore.

 

 

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The nuns taught me to respect my elders.

[SNJCruisers]

We've already had this discussion and you never did acknowledge the pricing for 2019 that I showed you. If you'd like I can look at those cruises again and get inside cabin pricing, but I doubt that there will be a significant difference, NCL will still be more expensive and substantially so. I have no value in an inside cabin since DW won't even consider it. I finally talked her into at least considering booking an ocean view if it means trying a line that we haven't tried before.

 

ETA- I went and checked anyway. For 4/2019 an inside on Escape is $2611 with the UBP, on Vista it's $1317. A couple of ways of looking at that and mine is- for $1000 less than an inside on NCL I can sail on Vista in a balcony cabin.

Whenever I do a comparison, I make sure that it's comparing apples to apples. Granted, you're comparing two new ships with the Escape and the Vista, but you're comparing again, just like you did the last time, one ship sailing out of Galveston versus one sailing out of NYC. Not a fair comparison.

How about a 6 day of each of those two ships sailing out of Miami one day apart?

Escape 4/14/18 636 + UBP cost 85.32 = 721.32

Vista 4/15/18 484 + Cheers cost 344.70 = 828.70

And both times you quoted prices on the Vista, you forgot to include the cost of Cheers, which was the crux of my argument. Enjoy your balcony, I'll enjoy my drinks package. And I would save over 200 for the two of us by booking the Escape with my above comparison, which is a fair and equitable one since they are both 6 days sailing out of the same port only 1 day apart and they each visit 3 ports and two of the ports are the same, GC and Ocho.

[CruisingUS]

Whenever I do a comparison, I make sure that it's comparing apples to apples. Granted, you're comparing two new ships with the Escape and the Vista, but you're comparing again, just like you did the last time, one ship sailing out of Galveston versus one sailing out of NYC. Not a fair comparison.

How about a 6 day of each of those two ships sailing out of Miami one day apart?

Escape 4/14/18 636 + UBP cost 85.32 = 721.32

Vista 4/15/18 484 + Cheers cost 344.70 = 828.70

And both times you quoted prices on the Vista, you forgot to include the cost of Cheers, which was the crux of my argument. Enjoy your balcony, I'll enjoy my drinks package. And I would save over 200 for the two of us by booking the Escape with my above comparison, which is a fair and equitable one since they are both 6 days sailing out of the same port only 1 day apart and they each visit 3 ports and two of the ports are the same, GC and Ocho.

 

Wow...NCL cheaper than CCL...while not uncommon, I still find it intriguing when it happens.

[sparks1093]

Whenever I do a comparison, I make sure that it's comparing apples to apples. Granted, you're comparing two new ships with the Escape and the Vista, but you're comparing again, just like you did the last time, one ship sailing out of Galveston versus one sailing out of NYC. Not a fair comparison.

How about a 6 day of each of those two ships sailing out of Miami one day apart?

Escape 4/14/18 636 + UBP cost 85.32 = 721.32

Vista 4/15/18 484 + Cheers cost 344.70 = 828.70

And both times you quoted prices on the Vista, you forgot to include the cost of Cheers, which was the crux of my argument. Enjoy your balcony, I'll enjoy my drinks package. And I would save over 200 for the two of us by booking the Escape with my above comparison, which is a fair and equitable one since they are both 6 days sailing out of the same port only 1 day apart and they each visit 3 ports and two of the ports are the same, GC and Ocho.

 

You asked me to compare two specific ships, so I did based on when I am likely to cruise next which resulted in two different ports, so I also included pricing for other East Coast sailings. I never factor the drink package into the mix because we have never used it. We've decided to try it on our next cruise and only time will tell if we ever buy it again. I also compared other cruise lines to that Escape sailing and while it may not meet your specific apples to apples comparison it meets my McIntosh to Granny Smith comparison. NCL does offer a good product just as the other cruise lines do, but I will say again that when I have looked for a cruise based on criteria that is important to me they have always been hundreds to thousands more to the point that if I wanted to include Cheers I could do so I would still save money. Yes, NCL does have good deals from time to time and if one can shop around one can get a good deal on NCL especially if one does use a drinks package, but overall I would say that CCL is less expensive the vast majority of the time.

 

So I looked at the sailing you quoted and Vista comes in at $1827 and Escape at $2729 so I could still add Cheers (which I don't have to pay for until I'm onboard, BTW) and still save a little money (and yes, those are for balcony cabins, if I'm going to compare apples to apples it will be the flavor of apple that I prefer ;) ).

Edited July 6, 2017 by sparks1093

[CruisingUS]

You asked me to compare two specific ships, so I did based on when I am likely to cruise next which resulted in two different ports, so I also included pricing for other East Coast sailings. I never factor the drink package into the mix because we have never used it. We've decided to try it on our next cruise and only time will tell if we ever buy it again. I also compared other cruise lines to that Escape sailing and while it may not meet your specific apples to apples comparison it meets my McIntosh to Granny Smith comparison. NCL does offer a good product just as the other cruise lines do, but I will say again that when I have looked for a cruise based on criteria that is important to me they have always been hundreds to thousands more to the point that if I wanted to include Cheers I could do so I would still save money. Yes, NCL does have good deals from time to time and if one can shop around one can get a good deal on NCL especially if one does use a drinks package, but overall I would say that CCL is less expensive the vast majority of the time.

 

So I looked at the sailing you quoted and Vista comes in at $1827 and Escape at $2729 so I could still add Cheers (which I don't have to pay for until I'm onboard, BTW) and still save a little money (and yes, those are for balcony cabins, if I'm going to compare apples to apples it will be the flavor of apple that I prefer ;) ).

CCL is (mostly) cheaper, and so is their quality of their product.

 

 

If you are motivated solely on price, stay with CCL. NCL is a good happy medium where it is more expensive than CCL, but imo you get what you pay for. plain and simple. some people like hamburger, and I like steak. different strokes for different folks. CCL is aiming for entry level cruising via their pricing, and they create very loyal customers. If you are happy, why leave or experience something new? To a certain extent, ignorance is bliss. I almost envy those who are easily satisfied with the imho lower quality CCL product, b/c I would save more money.

 

 

My friend perfectly exemplifies this as he is very loyal to CCL. It is a party boat. He loves it. CCL is all he knows and he will not budge. I want him to come to my next cruise, which is on X. But he refuses to simply b/c of price and price alone. I respect that. My X cruise is 2x a CCL cruise. Not all millennials have money to vacation. So I get it.

 

 

I've done the big 3 as a customer, so I know what the typical experience free from bias. There is a difference, but to many on this board that difference is not significant. It is to me. That is why I am willing to pay more. But I can understand why CCL fits your needs, esp if you are from 0-45 yo.

 

 

I will say this. Brand loyalty can blind you to a better experience in this industry. It is happening with my friend.

 

 

With that being said, it would seem that I would never sail with CCL again. That isn't true. I plan on doing so as their prices are dirt cheap, esp with last minute sales. I know what I am getting into, and it is not a premium experience unless you are willing to cough up more money. Also, I like to sail CCL b/c my friend. But it won't stop me from trying to convince him to try other lines.

[beerman2]

CCL is (mostly) cheaper, and so is their quality of their product.

 

 

If you are motivated solely on price, stay with CCL. NCL is a good happy medium where it is more expensive than CCL, but imo you get what you pay for. plain and simple. some people like hamburger, and I like steak. different strokes for different folks. CCL is aiming for entry level cruising via their pricing, and they create very loyal customers. If you are happy, why leave or experience something new? To a certain extent, ignorance is bliss. I almost envy those who are easily satisfied with the imho lower quality CCL product, b/c I would save more money.

 

 

My friend perfectly exemplifies this as he is very loyal to CCL. It is a party boat. He loves it. CCL is all he knows and he will not budge. I want him to come to my next cruise, which is on X. But he refuses to simply b/c of price and price alone. I respect that. My X cruise is 2x a CCL cruise. Not all millennials have money to vacation. So I get it.

 

 

I've done the big 3 as a customer, so I know what the typical experience free from bias. There is a difference, but to many on this board that difference is not significant. It is to me. That is why I am willing to pay more. But I can understand why CCL fits your needs, esp if you are from 0-45 yo.

 

 

I will say this. Brand loyalty can blind you to a better experience in this industry. It is happening with my friend.

 

 

With that being said, it would seem that I would never sail with CCL again. That isn't true. I plan on doing so as their prices are dirt cheap, esp with last minute sales. I know what I am getting into, and it is not a premium experience unless you are willing to cough up more money. Also, I like to sail CCL b/c my friend. But it won't stop me from trying to convince him to try other lines.

 

If your friend is a partier and he buys Cheers, then he should definitely try NCL with there UBP included.

 

Carnival isn't necessarily less expensive when you compare cabins.

 

Although the base usually is,if a person likes SDP and UBP and you ADD those in to the CCL price many times NCL is a better deal.

[sparks1093]

CCL is (mostly) cheaper, and so is their quality of their product.

 

 

If you are motivated solely on price, stay with CCL. NCL is a good happy medium where it is more expensive than CCL, but imo you get what you pay for. plain and simple. some people like hamburger, and I like steak. different strokes for different folks. CCL is aiming for entry level cruising via their pricing, and they create very loyal customers. If you are happy, why leave or experience something new? To a certain extent, ignorance is bliss. I almost envy those who are easily satisfied with the imho lower quality CCL product, b/c I would save more money.

 

 

My friend perfectly exemplifies this as he is very loyal to CCL. It is a party boat. He loves it. CCL is all he knows and he will not budge. I want him to come to my next cruise, which is on X. But he refuses to simply b/c of price and price alone. I respect that. My X cruise is 2x a CCL cruise. Not all millennials have money to vacation. So I get it.

 

 

I've done the big 3 as a customer, so I know what the typical experience free from bias. There is a difference, but to many on this board that difference is not significant. It is to me. That is why I am willing to pay more. But I can understand why CCL fits your needs, esp if you are from 0-45 yo.

 

 

I will say this. Brand loyalty can blind you to a better experience in this industry. It is happening with my friend.

 

 

With that being said, it would seem that I would never sail with CCL again. That isn't true. I plan on doing so as their prices are dirt cheap, esp with last minute sales. I know what I am getting into, and it is not a premium experience unless you are willing to cough up more money. Also, I like to sail CCL b/c my friend. But it won't stop me from trying to convince him to try other lines.

 

I have sailed both CCL and NCL and in my opinion NCL isn't worth the premium price they are charging, there simply isn't that much difference in the two products (at least on the mid-sized ships that I'm willing to book). This is based on experience so no one can say that I am acting out of ignorance. I can also say based on my experience that the difference in quality between the two lines is not as great as people make it out to be. Every time we book a cruise I comparison shop and we are more than willing to try another line if their price is competitive with CCL's. I cruise to see new ports, to spend time on the ocean and to spend time with my wife and/or family. I'm pretty sure every cruise line is going to provide that:). (And FWIW I'm much closer to 60 than to 45:D).