Carolyn1964 Posted May 13, 2020 #1 Share Posted May 13, 2020 Thinking of doing Australia/new zealand dec 2021 cant decide celebrity or ncl ? Anyone done either ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted May 13, 2020 #2 Share Posted May 13, 2020 They are two pretty different cruise lines. You might want to read the reviews of the ships involved, found here: https://www.cruisecritic.com/reviews/ and the forums of the cruise lines involved, found here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/16-celebrity-cruises/ https://boards.cruisecritic.com/forum/64-norwegian-cruise-line/ Essentially, one is a cheaper, more budget cruise line, and one is nicer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aquahound Posted May 13, 2020 #3 Share Posted May 13, 2020 I've cruised both several times and I whole heartedly recommend Celebrity. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted May 13, 2020 #4 Share Posted May 13, 2020 7 hours ago, Aquahound said: I've cruised both several times and I whole heartedly recommend Celebrity. Celebrity’s main dining rooms serve perfectly acceptable meals, and you can choose to dine with others or alone. NCL’s dining rooms (given their emphasis on for-a-fee alternative restaurants) struck me as the worst at sea - and you rarely can join others for a meal. They are simply not set up that way. I believe that NCL has better entertainment - but always seem very crowded and noisy - essentially having branded themselves as the Walmart of the sea. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rugerdog Posted May 14, 2020 #5 Share Posted May 14, 2020 Agree wholeheartedly with the responses. The only "plus" that I can give NCL is their entertainment offerings, however, I hate that you have to book your reservation in advance (or wait in line for no-shows). Depending on your situation, NCL does usually offer more for solo travelers, so that could be an important factor. In my experience, the differences between these two lines are huge in the areas that I value most: Customer service, food quality, on board atmosphere. Since those things are wildly subjective, obviously opinions will vary. However I can categorically state that on X I have never been served an inedible meal, nor been made to feel as though absolutely no one on the entire ship had any interest in my addressed concerns. Never has the phrase "you get what you pay for" been more aptly applied. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful holiday! 3 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted May 15, 2020 #6 Share Posted May 15, 2020 I have cruised most of the major lines multiple times and ncl is only line I will never cruise again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #7 Share Posted May 15, 2020 7 minutes ago, George C said: I have cruised most of the major lines multiple times and ncl is only line I will never cruise again. NCL had a great singer/guitar player,Leo Josten. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
navybankerteacher Posted May 15, 2020 #8 Share Posted May 15, 2020 18 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said: NCL had a great singer/guitar player,Leo Josten. But what if he isn’t playing on the ship you sail — and then, as the saying goes, “you got nuthin”.? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiserBruce Posted May 15, 2020 #9 Share Posted May 15, 2020 19 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said: NCL had a great singer/guitar player,Leo Josten. So one good guitar player, out of all the entertainers....that is helpful? 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ldubs Posted May 15, 2020 #10 Share Posted May 15, 2020 5 hours ago, CruiserBruce said: So one good guitar player, out of all the entertainers....that is helpful? So if someone points out a great singer, cruise director, captain, etc, etc, it is considered useless information? Perhaps you should evaluate the helpfulness of your own comment. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted May 15, 2020 #11 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) Celebrity and NCL tie for me as my favorite cruise lines. celebrity wins with the MDR, the food is better; celebrities specialty restaurants are also better but are more expensive; norwegian wins for entertainment, the shows are great. Celebrity is the only cruise line where I have walked out of a show because it was so bad. We also love the freestyle concept and casualness of NCL - if you want to wear shorts and t shirts all day and night, you definately can on NCL we also really enjoy Norwegians non MDR restaurants; just plan on getting a dining package as part of your cruise fare. And depending on the ship they often have a couple extra options that are also free - a 24 hour pub and/or a Chinese restaurant. how I would describe the difference is norwegian feels more like you are at home and have the choice each night between going out to your favorite pub in jeans or dress up to go to a nice steak house. Either way can eat when and where you like at a table with your significant other. Celebrity feels more like a cruise with the traditional dining or anything dining options and typical dress code. Edited May 15, 2020 by sanger727 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted May 15, 2020 #12 Share Posted May 15, 2020 3 hours ago, sanger727 said: Celebrity and NCL tie for me as my favorite cruise lines. celebrity wins with the MDR, the food is better; celebrities specialty restaurants are also better but are more expensive; norwegian wins for entertainment, the shows are great. Celebrity is the only cruise line where I have walked out of a show because it was so bad. We also love the freestyle concept and casualness of NCL - if you want to wear shorts and t shirts all day and night, you definately can on NCL we also really enjoy Norwegians non MDR restaurants; just plan on getting a dining package as part of your cruise fare. And depending on the ship they often have a couple extra options that are also free - a 24 hour pub and/or a Chinese restaurant. how I would describe the difference is norwegian feels more like you are at home and have the choice each night between going out to your favorite pub in jeans or dress up to go to a nice steak house. Either way can eat when and where you like at a table with your significant other. Celebrity feels more like a cruise with the traditional dining or anything dining options and typical dress code. Unfortunately you now can see shorts and T-shirts on celebrity but luckily it is very rare. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spookwife Posted May 15, 2020 #13 Share Posted May 15, 2020 the only way I'd sail NCL is via the Haven. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sanger727 Posted May 15, 2020 #14 Share Posted May 15, 2020 19 minutes ago, George C said: Unfortunately you now can see shorts and T-shirts on celebrity but luckily it is very rare. to each their own. My husband and I have jobs where every day they tell us what to wear and what to do. It’s nice on vacation to not be told what to wear and what to do. I don’t fault anyone that feels that way. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ducklite Posted May 15, 2020 #15 Share Posted May 15, 2020 I would look at how they handled repatriation of guests and crew during the COVID-19 crisis before making a decision. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
evandbob Posted May 15, 2020 #16 Share Posted May 15, 2020 Based on my pre COVID 19 sailings, I prefer Celebrity over NCL. I do like both companies and never had a bad cruise on either. Celebrity is a bit classier with food more to my liking, along with smokeless casinos, but the new NCL ship had better entertainment. Post COVID, I might base my determinations on how each cruise line handled the virus on their ships, refunded fares for cancelled cruises, and got their crew home. Of course, any new regs concerning post COVID activities on board the ships have to be determined. If social distancing is practiced or not, masks are required, etc. will all affect the timing of when I cruise again. 2 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jeremyosborne81 Posted May 15, 2020 #17 Share Posted May 15, 2020 1 hour ago, George C said: Unfortunately you now can see shorts and T-shirts on celebrity but luckily it is very rare. I can't roll my eyes any harder at this comment. Oh HoW tErRiBlE! pEoPlE aRe WeArInG tHe ClOtHeS oF tHe LoWeR cLaSs CoMmOnErs! HoW dArE tHeY oFfEnD mY sEnSe Of SuPeRiOrItY cOnVeYeD tHrOuGh HaRsH aNd StRiCt AdHeReNcE tO a DrEsS cOdE! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #18 Share Posted May 15, 2020 16 hours ago, navybankerteacher said: But what if he isn’t playing on the ship you sail — and then, as the saying goes, “you got nuthin”.? Correct Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #19 Share Posted May 15, 2020 (edited) 16 hours ago, CruiserBruce said: So one good guitar player, out of all the entertainers....that is helpful? I enjoyed the singer and I offered an opinion. Edited May 15, 2020 by lenquixote66 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #20 Share Posted May 15, 2020 4 hours ago, sanger727 said: to each their own. My husband and I have jobs where every day they tell us what to wear and what to do. It’s nice on vacation to not be told what to wear and what to do. I don’t fault anyone that feels that way. I love wearing tee shirts on cruises.I cannot wear shorts due to a medical problem. When I was working I had to wear a suit every day but when I was not working it was a tee shirt. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mjkacmom Posted May 15, 2020 #21 Share Posted May 15, 2020 21 hours ago, rugerdog said: Agree wholeheartedly with the responses. The only "plus" that I can give NCL is their entertainment offerings, however, I hate that you have to book your reservation in advance (or wait in line for no-shows). Depending on your situation, NCL does usually offer more for solo travelers, so that could be an important factor. In my experience, the differences between these two lines are huge in the areas that I value most: Customer service, food quality, on board atmosphere. Since those things are wildly subjective, obviously opinions will vary. However I can categorically state that on X I have never been served an inedible meal, nor been made to feel as though absolutely no one on the entire ship had any interest in my addressed concerns. Never has the phrase "you get what you pay for" been more aptly applied. Good luck and hope you have a wonderful holiday You only need reservations for shows on NCL’s megs ships, not the smaller ones. We’ve only sailed on DCL and NCL, preferred NCL. It’s funny, we live 10 miles from the manhattan cruise port and has no idea ships sailed from there, never had any interest in cruising. However, when we heard about the casual dress and freestyle dining on NCL, we decided to give it a try. We cruise with kids, who I think would be bored on celebrity. I find the food on NCL tolerable, I can always find something I like, but we live in an area with a ton of fantastic restaurants, all I expect on cruises is banquet hall food, because it is. I did not like the set dining times on DCL, too stressful with 5 kids. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted May 15, 2020 #22 Share Posted May 15, 2020 34 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said: I love wearing tee shirts on cruises.I cannot wear shorts due to a medical problem. When I was working I had to wear a suit every day but when I was not working it was a tee shirt. I wear tank tops all day long , would never got dinner in a T-shirt, we go to upscale restaurants and nobody there wears T-shirts. Would you wear T-shirt to a nyc restaurant for dinner ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #23 Share Posted May 15, 2020 5 minutes ago, George C said: I wear tank tops all day long , would never got dinner in a T-shirt, we go to upscale restaurants and nobody there wears T-shirts. Would you wear T-shirt to a nyc restaurant for dinner ? Would you believe that I never wore a tank top ? I do not wear tee shirts to any NY restaurant for dinner or any cruise ship but I will wear a tee shirt for breakfast and lunch on land or sea. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George C Posted May 15, 2020 #24 Share Posted May 15, 2020 4 minutes ago, lenquixote66 said: Would you believe that I never wore a tank top ? I do not wear tee shirts to any NY restaurant for dinner or any cruise ship but I will wear a tee shirt for breakfast and lunch on land or sea. I wear T-shirts for breakfast and lunch on cruises also if it is allowed , but suite restaurant on celebrity doesn’t also on some other lines, I was talking about dinner . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lenquixote66 Posted May 15, 2020 #25 Share Posted May 15, 2020 13 minutes ago, George C said: I wear T-shirts for breakfast and lunch on cruises also if it is allowed , but suite restaurant on celebrity doesn’t also on some other lines, I was talking about dinner . I never wear a tee shirt on a ship to dinner. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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