Going from NCL to Celebrity?

[Finnrox]

9 minutes ago, Fincherson said:

I love all this info. Such a welcoming response and a lot to go on. Thank you guys!

We are in the same position as you, trying out X for the first time after our last cruise on NCL in the Haven.  While we loved the Haven on the Getaway, the rest of the ship was a nuthouse.  It seemed that everyone there was attempting to see how much damage they could do on their "free" drink package, and the pool area was total chaos.  Food outside of the Haven was just average in our opinion, and we ate at four specialty restaurants.  We actually booked a trip for Thanksgiving 2019 on the Encore, then found a great deal on a sky suite on the revolutionized Summit that was actually cheaper than balcony on NCL and decided to switch.  Our 13 year old son didn't think much of the NCL teen club, and was more interested in the excursions than the on-board slides, etc., so that made switching even easier.  We also like the fact that the capacity is 1/2 of the Getaway.

[4774Papa]

6 hours ago, cangelmd said:

I think the buffet is one of Celebrity's strengths. Good variety and layout. "Specials" everyday evening and often at lunch.

We sail Aqua usually, and I can get tired of the slightly "fancier" plated meals - the buffet lets me cobble together a simpler meal - like a salad, or a couple of slices of meat from the carving station with a roll or a plate of plain cooked veggies, or tacos, etc. But they also have Indian food, stir-fry and pizza.

We have cruised Celebrity, NCL and Royal C.

We find the Celebrity buffet to be the best.  They have more variety, more specials and the very best salad bar.  We love the omelet on order line, Eggs Benedict on order line and the regular coffee is better.

 

Royal does have  a good salad bar in the MDR, but we rarely dine in the MDR for lunch.

 

Also, there are far more health options on Celebrity.

[bermadu22]

On 4/23/2019 at 2:18 PM, goldsmip115 said:

I now have 37 cruises under my belt.  Hands down Celebrity wins over NCL in the suite experience.  And, I have done NCL SUITES BOTH HAVEN AND NON-HAVEN.  THERE IS SIMPLY NO COMPARISON.  Food is far superior on Celebrity, the Haven cannot hold a candle to the quality and variety of Luminae.  Butler service is far more refined than on NCL.  I cannot speak to the Edge, but other ships put NCL suite experience far below that of Celebrity in my opinion.  And, if you book a Royal or Penthouse Suite on Celebrity the perks are far superior to anything offered on NCL.  

 

Jump to Celebrity.

I agree. We couldn't afford a suite on HAL or NCL for what we've paid for a Sky Suite on Celebrity. And that has included all 4 perks, access to the Suite lounges, and meals at Luminae. We think the value for what we pay on Celebrity is excellent. We loved our Sky Suite experience on Celebrity. We would love to try a Royal Suite. Maybe next time. 

Edited April 24, 2019 by bermadu22
add a thought

[evitacruiser]

We have sailed NCL and Celebrity back to back and for us Celebrity feels like a superior product in many ways. A little more upmarket, but, that said, if you are travelling with a larger family NCL is value for money.

[paulh84]

We do not sail in suites but for our next cruise, we considered it and looked at various options. Prices averaged about $12,000 for the lowest level suite in NCL's Haven for 7 days. A Celebrity Sky Suite was about $8000. We did the Escape once in cattle class and did not care for it. Very poorly designed and laid out ships. Given so many of the reviews focus on people traveling with kids in Haven suites and others complaining about said kids...we passed. I would look to a premium line. NCL's price was more than a 10 day cruise on Oceania in their Penthouse Suite. No brainer for us if I was focused on that pricepoint.

[jjlen11]

Sailed twice on NCL and have switched to Celebrity...…..I admit my first NCL was on the Bliss and a recent on the Dawn basically did me in....the Bliss was phenominal-the Dawn abysmal.....where do I even start?  I wanted to plan a 2020 and believe me, Celebrity outdistanced themselves from NCL in price, cabin category, package, everything.....booked an Aqua class cabin cheaper than a run of the mill balcony with way better perks on Celebrity.  To me, I was insulted that NCL had such poor service and handling of maintenance /customer service.  Even after responding to the survey--not a single Thanks, hey we understand we failed....nothing.  As I was told by NCL--you entered into an agreement with us......hum, ok but I also paid for service to be provided.  Celebrity has gone out of there way to so far make me feel valued-and I haven't even sailed.  

[argogirl]

I've sailed both -- I love Celebrity and they are my number one cruise line but they tend to get one-dimensional -- meaning there isn't much variety or difference between the ships or classes -- EDGE has changed that, but still. NCL has better entertainment and more "fun" stuff on board (80's party, waterslides, etc) however I would stick to the newer ships. 

 

One thing that I haven't seen mentioned here is the drink package situation. I'm HIGHLY ANNOYED that on NCL you don't get any specialty coffee or water with your drink package. On Celebrity you get to drink at Al Bacio which is an amazing coffee bar with speciality coffee and teas and it's all included. If you have the premium package you can get huge bottles of Evian. Because we love a good latte, this matters to us.

 

All in all Celebrity to me is more 'classy' and NCL is more fun. This is not to say that Celebrity is not 'fun' and NCL not 'classy', just that they lead in those areas. 

[jjlen11]

I have to agree.....they treat soda and water as commodities but hey all the liquor you want you get! Found a cold soda on a port day and was in tears! Also, regular coffee is horrible....hope management reads these and reconsiders

[TMLAalum]

We are doing the reverse- going back to NCL after our first cruise on the Pearl 11 years ago. It will be interesting to compare lines because our second cruise was on the Eclipse and we have remained faithful to Celebrity ever since. (Well, except for a cruise on the Nieuw Statendam following our Edge inaugural.)

 

This time we will be in a deluxe family suite on the Jewel so will experience the Haven. The 20% gratuity on NCL's drink package is more than on Celebrity and the idea that bottled water & Lavazza coffee, which is served in the buffet on Celebriity, is not included is already irking me.

 

We chose the Jewel from Hawaii to Vancouver because it visits Kauai overnight- sadly Celebrity does not call on that island. 

[neilrr]

Hi all!!! We have been with Celebrity for almost 20 years and we have 40 cruises under our belt. We did one cruise with NCL, as they had a great itinerary in Europe. I try to be fair and have done many reviews for cruise critic over the years. The cabins and entertainment were excellent on NCL. The food was the worst food we ever had on a cruise ship. The service was marginal at best. Some of the crowd showed up to dinner in shorts and a tee shirt. We do not even discuss NCL in our home since that  trip.

 

For the mid-priced cruise lines Celebrity. Princess and Holland are about the best. Now each cruise line caters to a different demographic, so age will be a factor too... We have been with Celebrity through its ups and downs (we still miss Chef Michel Roux) and we joined Celebrity Captains Club when you had to pay to join (best money we ever spent - and got a $50 SBC when it became free).  I say go with Celebrity and give it a try.  Celebrity still maintains much higher standards than NCL.

 

Happy Cruising!!!😀  

[fstuff1]

4 hours ago, neilrr said:

we joined Celebrity Captains Club when you had to pay to join (best money we ever spent - and got a $50 SBC when it became free).  I say go with Celebrity and give it a try.  Celebrity still maintains much higher standards than NCL.

 

Happy Cruising!!!😀  

 

right now, the captains club is just points plus a few trinket events.

what else did you get before when you had to pay?

[neilrr]

23 hours ago, fstuff1 said:

 

right now, the captains club is just points plus a few trinket events.

what else did you get before when you had to pay?

fstuff1 - When we first joined it was much more elegant and you had fewer Captain's Club members.  They would have different events and things were much more personalized.  They have added quite a few things over the years including the free Happy Hours, morning breakfast/cocktails, laundry.  They have always treated us well. We have had Officer dinners too in the past.  We are at the top of Princess too and they are not nearly as generous.  I personally feel the service on Celebrity is excellent compared to other lines. My only complaint are the pre-dinner shows for late diners and the lacking in the entertainment department - which has always been one of their biggest shortfalls. Happy Sailing!!!😀