New to NCL and American lines - what should I expect?

[Deep-Blue-Iris]

I’m from the UK and my only other cruise was on P&O, which is obviously a British line. I’m sailing on the Epic next August and was wondering what the main differences would be? I’m expecting a different mix of passengers, and a different atmosphere obviously, but other than that, I’m clueless :) Will there be any major differences?

 

Also I’m sailing round trip from Barcelona with the Premium All Inclusive fare, will I pay the Spanish IVA tax on drinks, even though they’re included?

 

Any particular shows, activities or restaurants I should check out?

 

 

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[lilly2015]

IMO you should expect to have a great time 😊

My first time with NCL was in June, solo in a Studio. So good that a bunch of us are going on a reunion Cruise with the Epic next year.

Fellow cruisers were a mix of mostly Americans and Europeans from 1 year to 80+.

Loved Priscila, Queen of the Desert, cant wait to see it again.

I did not eat in specialty Restaurants the MDR was very good imo, prefered Taste over Manhattan.

We were not charged with "extra" tax for the Drinks in Spain.

 

Happy Sailing⛵

[KeithJenner]

No tax has been charged on the Barcelona round trip if you have the drinks package for some time now. With all inclusive, I suspect they would struggle to charge it due to legalities anyway.

[Deep-Blue-Iris]

Thank you all - I did wonder about the tax thing. The itinerary is fab so I’ll definitely have a good time [emoji1] Looking forward to the studio cabin - I paid single supplement on my last cruise and although there were solo cabins and meet ups it was nothing like what I’ve been told NCL do.

 

 

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[sanger727]

I’m not sure how P&O does things, but Norwegian kinda does their own thing anyway. They are super casual. No formal nights. There are two main dining rooms on every ship, 1 casual and 1 smart casual. There are no set dining times, just treat it like eating a restaurant and show up when you are hungry. Epic doesn’t have the main theater with a nightly show, it has a few shows that rotate through so you’ll want to check the schedule in your cruise planner and reserve the shows on the days you want to see them.

 

 

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[old nutter]

Probably the two biggest differences are in "entertainment vs enrichment" and "Eat-when-you-want", otherwise known as Freestyle Dining. The emphasis is much more on entertaining than educating - probably more ITV than BBC2 (UK readers will understand!). As far as dining is concerned, apart from the complementary offerings, try to get to Cagney's at least once to sample superb steak and Le Bistro where they do a fabulous mushroom soup. Probably less of an attraction is La Cucina as it is a bit more American Italian than Italian Italian!

[Deep-Blue-Iris]

Oh Cagney’s is on my list along with Teppenyaki [emoji1] I’ll be 28 when I sail so I’m all for being entertained - I made some friends on my P&O cruise but they were all older, although all were very friendly and kind, so it’ll be nice if there are some more people my age. A friend on my cruise was doing Freedom dining - P&O’s turn up when you want option - and said it was great for nights when she wanted to do other stuff. I did set time dining and did find it restrictive at times, so freestyle dining will be an interesting alternative.

 

 

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[lilly2015]

Thank you all - I did wonder about the tax thing. The itinerary is fab so I’ll definitely have a good time [emoji1] Looking forward to the studio cabin - I paid single supplement on my last cruise and although there were solo cabins and meet ups it was nothing like what I’ve been told NCL do.

 

 

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I never expected to fall in love with the Studio concept but i did big time 😍 so cozy and cute and the ambilights...

Studio Lounge is great, too. Free Coffee, Latte, Cappuccino 24/7 plus free pastries in the morning, cookies, fruits and Joghurt all day.

Fellow Cruiser Bra_Be2014 wrote a wonderful review, maybe you want to check it out.

[Misself]

I'm sure you will love NCL. I had done loads of P&O which I'd always enjoyed. However the evening format was always the same ....pre dinner drink, traditional dinner (long), show then bed. Although a lot of that could have been due to my holiday companions and the routine we fell into. I found NCL a lot more casual and the entertainment more 'fun'. Loved Priscilla and Burn the Floor. Howl at the Moon is amazing. The ship has a real Buzz.

 

I enjoyed having different nationalities to mix with (I was worried I would miss the 'Britishness' ).

 

The all inclusive drinks package won't add tax for UK bookers. Enjoy...had some wonderful cocktails on my last cruise.

 

If you are solo, NCL offering is second to none. Host will organise group meals, seats for shows (although you can just turn up), and other entertainment such as cirque or escape game.

 

I did miss the P&O quizzes! NCL had a lot of game shows instead.

 

Have a wonderful holiday.

[mypleasure]

I’m from the UK and my only other cruise was on P&O, which is obviously a British line. I’m sailing on the Epic next August and was wondering what the main differences would be? I’m expecting a different mix of passengers, and a different atmosphere obviously, but other than that, I’m clueless :) Will there be any major differences?

 

Also I’m sailing round trip from Barcelona with the Premium All Inclusive fare, will I pay the Spanish IVA tax on drinks, even though they’re included?

 

Any particular shows, activities or restaurants I should check out?

 

 

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Another person from Staffs here. I live about as far South as you can go and not be in Worcestershire.

 

NCL is a very different feel to cruising than P&O. No formal nights, no fixed dining times, no sharing tables with strangers who you never wish to see ever again unless you choose to. NCL allows you to make your own decisions as you are a grown up now and capable of independant thought. Eat with new friends or alone if you want peace and alone time. Eat when you feel hungry and ready for food and eat in the restaurant you choose. Dress up if you want to not because someone says you have to do so.

 

The crowd on NCL will be much more diverse. Wide range of age groups and a wide range of nationalities. It can be great fun making new friends. Itinerary is great. You will have a really fantastic time.

 

As far as I know if you have All Inclusive there will be no tax charged on your drinks.

[CazV]

Expect to have a great time! I had narrowed my choices down to The Epic v P&O for my first cruise this summer... Was very glad I opted for The Epic. I wrote a review which you'll find a link to in my signature. I was almost joining the reunion trip next summer mentioned above, but I'm spreading my wings to The Escape next year instead. :)

[seavoyager6]

No tea kettles in your cabin

 

 

 

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[Deep-Blue-Iris]

No tea kettles in your cabin

 

 

 

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I barely used mine when I had one last cruise [emoji1] I’m more of a coffee person if it’s available so I’m sure that won’t be a problem.

 

If I’ve booked transfers with my fare, how does it work at the airport? Do I grab my bags and get on a bus, then check my bags in myself? I’d assume that’s how it works, but I’m not sure. Or do I just get on the bus and they deal with the bags when we get there?

 

 

 

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[old nutter]

We did Epic from Barca this year. We grabbed our bags off the luggage carousel and went through to the main hall. There were NCL reps with clip boards to our left who collected us in a group and we were led down a floor to where the coaches were. Made sure our bags went into the coach hold and settled back for the drive to the port. At the port, we watched our bags come off the coach and they were stacked on trollies and we didn't see them again until they came to our cabin.

 

Things to check - put your NCL luggage tags on as you collect your luggage in the airport so that they have got your cabin number on them. And make sure you have a pen handy becaue you will have to fill in a health form before you book in.

 

Easy system even for a refugee rom the Black Country now living down south :-) Have a great time.

[mypleasure]

 

Easy system even for a refugee from the Black Country now living down south :-) Have a great time.

 

Black Country Born, Black Country Bred

Strong in Th'arm Thick in the (it rhymes with bred)

 

YamYams Ay We

 

From a Darlo Wench now living in South Staffs via London for a while

[Highpeaklad]

No tea kettles in your cabin

 

 

 

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There were on the Getaway this summer.

[Deep-Blue-Iris]

Ooh thought of another question for you all. Do you have to bring your life jacket to muster? Because on my last cruise we had to, and it was annoying trying to get to sailaway via my cabin, when everyone had the same idea.

 

 

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[lilly2015]

In June we could go without

[OceanDreaming2]

Ooh thought of another question for you all. Do you have to bring your life jacket to muster?

 

 

No life jackets at the muster drills.

 

Oh, you'll like NCL. You've gotten a lot of good information. Have fun!

[Linda the Book Lover]

We loved the Epic (our second time) this past July. We found Cagney's to be very noisy and where we sat you looked down at one of the main dining rooms. I did not care for that and found the food only so-so in comparison to other Cagney's. Just ask for a table away from the looking down at the other dining room. I did not care since it was free and there is plenty of food on the ship. We loved the shows including Cirque. We never had a lack of things to do on board. Enjoy!