Any loyal Carnival cruisers tried NCL?

[NCTribeFan]

And FTR, I actually believe that service and food are better on the older, smaller ships. When I was sailing Fantasy from Charleston fairly frequently, I felt she had the best MDR food of any ship I'd sailed.

 

Of course we all like feeling that we're getting a lot for our vacation dollar. I'm hoping I'll really enjoy my two weeks on Star. With all the sea days on a TA, I should have plenty of opportunities to explore every nook and cranny.

 

I've checked prices on the NCL ships with the single cabins and found that I can book under a casino rate on Carnival for a regular inside cabin, which are usually larger than other cruiseline, for less. Why would I want to pay more for a tiny studio cabin when I can stay in a nice large (for an inside) cabin on a Carnival ship?

 

I'm also hoping that after the Star sailing, I'll get some casino offers from NCL (without having to bankrupt myself over the course of those two weeks to "earn" some perks! :eek: ).

 

If I do, that will impact my future cruise choices. The only reason I'm taking two HAL cruises in one year is because they started sending me casino fares. Sailed in January for $600 solo (plus taxes & fees) in a huge inside cabin for 11 nights partial Panama Canal sailing! Had originally been booked on Pride for a 13-night Journeys sailing that cost almost 3 times as much.

[hi2you]

Never met a cruise ship I didn't like. :D All my sails have been on Carnival with the exception of the last one. I was on the NCL GEM, and loved it...a beautiful ship. We never pay to eat in a 'specialty' restaurant. I never understood why someone does, when you have already paid for your food once. The thing I loved about NCL was that we could eat (dining room) whenever the mood struck us. We didn't need to be in the dining room at a set time. Perhaps Carnival has changed that since I last sailed with them (and I would sail with them again--depends on where I want to travel and price). As I said, I have had relatively good experiences on all the vacations I have cruised. Next May, I am boarding the NCL Epic....wooooohoooooooooo!

[CruisingUS]

LOL, are you saying that people that cruise on Carnival don't care about quality? I know that I do and for what they charge I feel that Carnival does offer a quality product. The ships are clean. The staff are friendly. The service is adequate. The food is good. In my view they offer a solid overall 3 star experience. Yes, other cruise lines can do some things better and if they were things that I cared about then I would be choosing them. Of the plusses that Warm Breezes mentions we don't care about being on a newer ship, we don't care about more outside activities, we don't care about specialty dining, at least not to the point where we're willing to spend $100 pp/pd more for the cruise. And to be clear I am not saying that we'll never sail with any other line because I do comparison shop every cruise and if we find a cruise on another line that is close in price to what CCL is charging we'd jump on it but we will continue to sail with CCL as long as they are hundreds to thousands less than the competition.

you care about quality, how ever you define it. But a lot of people care more about quantity, which CCL caters to very well with their low fairs w/ the option to upgrade. Hence why it is so hard to peal my friend away from CCL to try X

[LMaxwell]

I do comparison shop every cruise and if we find a cruise on another line that is close in price to what CCL is charging we'd jump on it but we will continue to sail with CCL as long as they are hundreds to thousands less than the competition.

 

Add MSC to your comparison shopping if you are looking for a good balance of price and quality.

[sparks1093]

Add MSC to your comparison shopping if you are looking for a good balance of price and quality.

 

Thanks to this thread they are definitely on the list.

[SNJCruisers]

You’re not alone!!

A lot of our past cruise acquaintances love NCL and they keep asking us todo it, I keep telling myself I can't waste good vacation time.

When was your cruise and on what ship in the NCL fleet that you had such a bad time on?

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

[sparks1093]

When was your cruise and on what ship in the NCL fleet that you had such a bad time on?

 

Sent from my XT1254 using Forums mobile app

 

What difference does it make? Is there really anything that you can say at this juncture that would mitigate their experience? Sure, you might be able to say "well, that's never happened to us on NCL" but comments like that really don't help.

[SNJCruisers]

. We never pay to eat in a 'specialty' restaurant. I never understood why someone does, when you have already paid for your food once. The thing I loved about NCL was that we could eat (dining room) whenever the mood struck us. We didn't need to be in the dining room at a set time. Perhaps Carnival has changed that since I last sailed with them Next May, I am boarding the NCL Epic....wooooohoooooooooo!

Since you preferred the anytime dining concept on your previous NCL cruise, you'll be happy to learn that Carnival, as well as the majority of the other mass market cruise lines all have a similar policy in at least one of their MDR's so that you're no longer relegated to main and late sitting unless you wish to be.

Have you ever bought a frozen alcoholic drink of the day or an ice cold beer on any of your previous cruises? Why? The included iced tea, lemonade and tap water that you have paid for should be enough. You already paid for your drinks once, why pay more for an upgraded version? The same theory holds true as to why some people like to pay more and enjoy the food options at specialty venues, whether it be a la carte like Seafood Shack on Carnival or Food Republic on NCL or specialty steakhouses on either line.

Finally, enjoy your bathroom on the Epic with it's unique set-up.

[hi2you]

Since you preferred the anytime dining concept on your previous NCL cruise, you'll be happy to learn that Carnival, as well as the majority of the other mass market cruise lines all have a similar policy in at least one of their MDR's so that you're no longer relegated to main and late sitting unless you wish to be.

Have you ever bought a frozen alcoholic drink of the day or an ice cold beer on any of your previous cruises? Why? The included iced tea, lemonade and tap water that you have paid for should be enough. You already paid for your drinks once, why pay more for an upgraded version? The same theory holds true as to why some people like to pay more and enjoy the food options at specialty venues, whether it be a la carte like Seafood Shack on Carnival or Food Republic on NCL or specialty steakhouses on either line.

Finally, enjoy your bathroom on the Epic with it's unique set-up.

 

Thanks for the Carnival update on the dining room. I may just be one of the few cruiser's who doesn't drink alcohol...wait, I have did have a strawberry daiquiri onboard once. Looking forward to the experience of another ship. Not wanting to rush the year and all it holds, at the same time excited for new places to visit. :)

[SNJCruisers]

What difference does it make? Is there really anything that you can say at this juncture that would mitigate their experience? Sure, you might be able to say "well, that's never happened to us on NCL" but comments like that really don't help.

The difference is that it more than likely happened many years ago on an older, smaller ship (the kind that you prefer) instead of on a newer, larger one that is much more cruiser friendly. The Fantasy class ships on Carnival were nice when they were the only game in town and many people still like them and sail on them, but through the years things evolve and just like as we mature and learn from past mistakes, the same holds true with cruising and the type of ship that we sail on for our vacation choice. I am inferring that the ship that going2cruz was on was an older, smaller ship in the NCL fleet, and that the bad experience happened years ago. They should give one of the newer ships like the Escape or the upcoming Bliss a chance because what they offer is substantially different from what they more than likely cruised on in the past.

People need to take the blinders off and be educated as to what is out there. Some are flexible enough to use the information they obtain on these boards and expand their horizons and try something new. Others are happy to stay with one cruise line or one type of ship. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

[SNJCruisers]

Thanks for the Carnival update on the dining room. I may just be one of the few cruiser's who doesn't drink alcohol...wait, I have did have a strawberry daiquiri onboard once. Looking forward to the experience of another ship. Not wanting to rush the year and all it holds, at the same time excited for new places to visit. :)

Enjoy your cruise on the Epic next May, Linda.

[sparks1093]

The difference is that it more than likely happened many years ago on an older, smaller ship (the kind that you prefer) instead of on a newer, larger one that is much more cruiser friendly. The Fantasy class ships on Carnival were nice when they were the only game in town and many people still like them and sail on them, but through the years things evolve and just like as we mature and learn from past mistakes, the same holds true with cruising and the type of ship that we sail on for our vacation choice. I am inferring that the ship that going2cruz was on was an older, smaller ship in the NCL fleet, and that the bad experience happened years ago. They should give one of the newer ships like the Escape or the upcoming Bliss a chance because what they offer is substantially different from what they more than likely cruised on in the past.

People need to take the blinders off and be educated as to what is out there. Some are flexible enough to use the information they obtain on these boards and expand their horizons and try something new. Others are happy to stay with one cruise line or one type of ship. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

 

Why are you so concerned with what others like? So what if they are wearing blinders, it doesn't affect you. Someone that has been burned by a bad experience is unlikely to gamble a few more thousand on the assurance of someone on the internet, especially when there are things like the review section on CC that shows that only 66% of the people who have cruised on Escape loved it (and to be fair Vista is 60%). Size and age of the ship shouldn't matter when it comes to the basics, each should be representative of the cruise line as far as service, quality of food, cleanliness of facilities, etc.

 

And for what it's worth when I say I prefer smaller ships I'm talking Gem sized ships. Our upcoming cruise on the Glory is about as big as I want to go from a passenger capacity perspective (and I suspect that since we're sailing during Thanksgiving week we're likely to have 3,500 passengers or more on board).

Edited July 7, 2017 by sparks1093

[SNJCruisers]

Why are you so concerned with what others like? So what if they are wearing blinders, it doesn't affect you. Someone that has been burned by a bad experience is unlikely to gamble a few more thousand on the assurance of someone on the internet, especially when there are things like the review section on CC that shows that only 66% of the people who have cruised on Escape loved it (and to be fair I Vista is 60%). And for what it's worth when I say I prefer smaller ships I'm talking Gem sized ships. Our upcoming cruise on the Glory is about as big as I want to go from a passenger capacity perspective.

Because others preferences skew their opinions and it's nice to know background information about a poster. If a person has only cruised on a certain cruise line or only sails on a certain size ship or only cruises on a balcony cabin, then they are myopic and I will take whatever they write on these boards with a major grain of salt because they don't have a more well rounded cruise experience. Those that have sailed on multiple cruise lines, various types of ships and various types of cabins can give a more educated view on certain topics as opposed to those that have the blinders on.

[sparks1093]

Because others preferences skew their opinions and it's nice to know background information about a poster. If a person has only cruised on a certain cruise line or only sails on a certain size ship or only cruises on a balcony cabin, then they are myopic and I will take whatever they write on these boards with a major grain of salt because they don't have a more well rounded cruise experience. Those that have sailed on multiple cruise lines, various types of ships and various types of cabins can give a more educated view on certain topics as opposed to those that have the blinders on.

 

Or they know themselves and their preferences to know what they will and will not like. For example, I hate beets and you could recommend the finest, best tasting new beet recipe in the world but I don't need to take a bite to know that I very likely wouldn't like it, especially if that bite cost several thousand dollars;). I am personally not going to waste my time trying to talk someone into doing something they don't want to do and if I happen to like something I'm not going to listen to someone that doesn't like the same thing because their opinion doesn't affect my opinion.

[CruisingUS]

Why are you so concerned with what others like? So what if they are wearing blinders, it doesn't affect you. Someone that has been burned by a bad experience is unlikely to gamble a few more thousand on the assurance of someone on the internet, especially when there are things like the review section on CC that shows that only 66% of the people who have cruised on Escape loved it (and to be fair Vista is 60%). Size and age of the ship shouldn't matter when it comes to the basics, each should be representative of the cruise line as far as service, quality of food, cleanliness of facilities, etc.

 

And for what it's worth when I say I prefer smaller ships I'm talking Gem sized ships. Our upcoming cruise on the Glory is about as big as I want to go from a passenger capacity perspective (and I suspect that since we're sailing during Thanksgiving week we're likely to have 3,500 passengers or more on board).

 

 

I agree. Who cares? It's a free country (in the US...for now...). People have to right to make dumb decisions and vote with their dollars. Others can make smart ones too, but those imo are more of a rare occurrence. ;)

 

In all seriousness, a bigger sample size from different sources is better, but it isn't necessary since we are debating about vacationing. It isn't a life or death situation, so I willfully allow others to be ignorant. Limiting yourself to one CL is like trying to describe an elephant with blindfolds having only touched the tail. But it is your right, and I support it. Just don't complain when the elephant sits on you b/c we were all telling you to move.

 

 

Because others preferences skew their opinions and it's nice to know background information about a poster. If a person has only cruised on a certain cruise line or only sails on a certain size ship or only cruises on a balcony cabin, then they are myopic and I will take whatever they write on these boards with a major grain of salt because they don't have a more well rounded cruise experience. Those that have sailed on multiple cruise lines, various types of ships and various types of cabins can give a more educated view on certain topics as opposed to those that have the blinders on.

 

Just ignore other's opinions. It's easy. You probably ignore mine. So apply it to more liberally :D

[sparks1093]

I agree. Who cares? It's a free country (in the US...for now...). People have to right to make dumb decisions and vote with their dollars. Others can make smart ones too, but those imo are more of a rare occurrence. ;)

 

In all seriousness, a bigger sample size from different sources is better, but it isn't necessary since we are debating about vacationing. It isn't a life or death situation, so I willfully allow others to be ignorant. Limiting yourself to one CL is like trying to describe an elephant with blindfolds having only touched the tail. But it is your right, and I support it. Just don't complain when the elephant sits on you b/c we were all telling you to move.

 

Just ignore other's opinions. It's easy. You probably ignore mine. So apply it to more liberally :D

 

If someone finds something they like and decide that they want to stick with it more power to them. I wouldn't call them dumb, myopic or any other name. Personally I want to sail all of the mainstream lines at least once. Right now price carries more weight for a number of reasons but we'll see what the future brings.

[CruisingUS]

If someone finds something they like and decide that they want to stick with it more power to them. I wouldn't call them dumb, myopic or any other name. Personally I want to sail all of the mainstream lines at least once. Right now price carries more weight for a number of reasons but we'll see what the future brings.

It's not name calling. Smart people make dumb decisions all the time. And dumb people make smart decisions all the time too. Two very different things. I guess the more appropriate word is wrong decision, but then that has a moral judgment tinge to what I am trying to say. But you get what I mean.

 

My point being is that people are allowed to make decisions that work against their own interest. It is your right to do so. A lot of people are licking their wounds after a recent mistake they made and now regret...if you catch my drift ;)

[Aquahound]

What difference does it make?

 

With NCL, I think it makes a big difference. After cruising Sky and Dawn, I was done with them. I thought NCL and their ships sucked. Then I was talked into trying Escape and my faith was renewed in NCL. I'll never cruise anything older than Breakaway with that line.

[beerman2]

The difference is that it more than likely happened many years ago on an older, smaller ship (the kind that you prefer) instead of on a newer, larger one that is much more cruiser friendly. The Fantasy class ships on Carnival were nice when they were the only game in town and many people still like them and sail on them, but through the years things evolve and just like as we mature and learn from past mistakes, the same holds true with cruising and the type of ship that we sail on for our vacation choice. I am inferring that the ship that going2cruz was on was an older, smaller ship in the NCL fleet, and that the bad experience happened years ago. They should give one of the newer ships like the Escape or the upcoming Bliss a chance because what they offer is substantially different from what they more than likely cruised on in the past.

People need to take the blinders off and be educated as to what is out there. Some are flexible enough to use the information they obtain on these boards and expand their horizons and try something new. Others are happy to stay with one cruise line or one type of ship. That's why they make vanilla and chocolate.

"That's why they make vanilla and chocolate." Can I get a twist?

 

First 6 were Carnival , last 2 NCL. Right now I prefer NCL because of the perks. Yes we do drink and the specialty dining is a nice change.

 

Going on Carnival Vista in May because it fits our timeframe ( 40th. Anniversary)/destination (Southern) .

[sparks1093]

It's not name calling. Smart people make dumb decisions all the time. And dumb people make smart decisions all the time too. Two very different things. I guess the more appropriate word is wrong decision, but then that has a moral judgment tinge to what I am trying to say. But you get what I mean.

 

My point being is that people are allowed to make decisions that work against their own interest. It is your right to do so. A lot of people are licking their wounds after a recent mistake they made and now regret...if you catch my drift ;)

 

If they have found something that they like and that works for them it's only a wrong decision in your eyes.

[sparks1093]

With NCL, I think it makes a big difference. After cruising Sky and Dawn, I was done with them. I thought NCL and their ships sucked. Then I was talked into trying Escape and my faith was renewed in NCL. I'll never cruise anything older than Breakaway with that line.

 

It may make a difference but who talked you into it- a person you knew and trusted or a stranger on the internet?

[Aquahound]

It may make a difference but who talked you into it- a person you knew and trusted or a stranger on the internet?

 

It was a family member who was impressed with their cruise on Getaway.

[sparks1093]

It was a family member who was impressed with their cruise on Getaway.

 

Exactly. I could tell you that I had two great cruises on the Sky (and I did), but that wouldn't mitigate the bad experience you had on her. If I had nothing but wonderful things to say about the newer NCL ships it probably wouldn't convince you to roll the dice and invest thousands in another potential ship sucking experience (although it may have possibly planted some seeds so your family member would have an easier time convincing you). If someone's experience was so bad that they've sworn off of something it would take a lot to get them to give it another try and the more expensive it is the more work it's going to take to convince them to give it another try. NCL does offer a good product and their newer ships are jam packed with bells and whistles. However they aren't bells and whistles that I am willing to pay a premium for over another line, whether that line is CCL or any other.

[SNJCruisers]

With NCL, I think it makes a big difference. After cruising Sky and Dawn, I was done with them. I thought NCL and their ships sucked. Then I was talked into trying Escape and my faith was renewed in NCL. I'll never cruise anything older than Breakaway with that line.

My point exactly when I inquired about the ship and time frame of when going2cruz had a bad experience on NCL. It seems like the experience on their ships dramatically improved when they built the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class. The newest and best from the different lines is all I will sail now and in the immediate future. Currently have 4 cruises booked on the Escape, Seaside and Horizon, with Bliss and Edge in my not too distant future. May go back to RCI for one of their newer builds and maybe even try Princess or HAL within 5 years depending upon what innovations they may come up with in their new builds.

[SNJCruisers]

Going on Carnival Vista in May because it fits our timeframe ( 40th. Anniversary)/destination (Southern) .

Was planning on doing the Southern route on the Vista in August of 2018, but decided on the Horizon out of NYC instead and then I booked the Southern on the Horizon for Feb of 2019. Both in an inside Havana cabin. Got spoiled by Vibe on the Escape, so it'll be nice to have an even better set up with the Havana area on Horizon since it has a pool and two hot tubs and a much larger area.