Celebrity or ncl

[dkjretired]

Celebrity wins on food, NCL entertainment. Celebrity’s dress code is much more relaxed than a few years ago. A very important aspect for many is the smoking policy. Celebrity does not allow smoking in any indoor location including the Casino, cabins and verandas. Smoking is only allowed in a few locations on the port side.

[George C]

Agree entertainment is something that needs improvement on celebrity, we normally book music charters on celebrity.

[rugerdog]

All fair points.  Again, so many factors contribute to what's the best fit.  Adding children to the equation would be a huge game changer, and if indeed the OP is taking a family vacation, that would be an important consideration.

 

If keeping with more traditional expectations presents an issue, then absolutely NCL would be a more suitable choice between the two lines mentioned.  There are just too many points to consider to say unequivocally one over the other would be best for Carolyn.  

 

For me, the choice is one thousand percent Celebrity.   I prefer the "feel" of Celebrity.  It's nice to have choices and we can all find our best fit.

[sanger727]

On 5/15/2020 at 2:58 PM, 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 ? 

Sure, we go to dinner in t shirts all the time. We don’t live in NYC, where we live things are pretty casual outside of the most upscale restaurants, and I don’t think celebrity’s MDR fits the bill of those. We live in an area where people don’t typically ‘dress’ for dinner so we are completely comfortable with that and prefer that for vacations.

 

that doesn’t mean we are rude enough to ignore dress codes when they are in place. Just read the dress codes before booking vacation options and looks for ones that don’t have any.

Edited May 21, 2020 by sanger727

[dkjretired]

On 5/21/2020 at 2:15 PM, sanger727 said:

Sure, we go to dinner in t shirts all the time. We don’t live in NYC, where we live things are pretty casual outside of the most upscale restaurants, and I don’t think celebrity’s MDR fits the bill of those. We live in an area where people don’t typically ‘dress’ for dinner so we are completely comfortable with that and prefer that for vacations.

 

that doesn’t mean we are rude enough to ignore dress codes when they are in place. Just read the dress codes before booking vacation options and looks for ones that don’t have any.

Celebrity’s dress code is basically pants and a nice shirt. No shorts or t shirts at night.

[sanger727]

12 minutes ago, dkjretired said:

Celebrity’s dress code is basically pants and a nice shirt. No shorts or t shirts at night.

Yes, I realize that. That’s why we prefer Norwegian, t shirts, shorts, and sandals are perfectly acceptable in most of their restaurants for dinner.

[FredT]

On 5/15/2020 at 9:43 AM, ducklite said:

I would look at how they handled repatriation of guests and crew during the COVID-19 crisis before making a decision.

Oh my......   We were on the NCL Spirit right after her dry dock.   This was a textbook case of how NOT to handle issues or crisis.  The trip went from 23 days to 22 days then (with a week to go) to 17 days.   If you were not on a roll call good luck finding out about the changes...   Then they promised us refunds... Gave them to us then took them away.   THEN promised us 25% off the base fare.  When we finally got it, it was 18%.   They canceled 5 ports in total, and NEVER refunded port fees.  And lets not talk about the ship itself.  Fresh out of dry dock... where it SHOULD have stayed for another couple weeks.  Our "newly refurbished" cabin had no door into the bathroom, no working phone, no working safe, no working toilet, and Oh yeah, they forgot to finish connecting the drain on the sink... (It drained into the drawer below the sink).     Yes I know that those are the chances you take when going on a "post dry dock" cruise, but the absolute indifference of the front desk people (And their inability to do ANYTHING without explicit permission from corporate) was stunning.  

 

Beyond THAT fiasco, In 30+ cruises I have NEVER seen a company so interested in nickel & dimeing you more than NCL.   There are no enrichment programs on board, no classes (Except classes put on BY the gem merchants & spa.....)  No quiet lounges (Unless it's in a bar.) and the biggest damn casino I have EVER seen on a cruise ship (And this is their smallest ship!)

 

Dispite all that,   Nice ship, great itinerary.  Had a great time (Helps that we tend to laugh at the absurity of the entire mess.)     

 

But to the point,   NCL or Celebrity.   I'd take Celebrity in a heartbeat!

[broadwaybaby123]

DEFINATELY Celebrity!  NCL was so disorganized on my last cruise with them that it will be my first and last cruise with them!  Never had an issue like that with Celebrity!

[George C]

I love that celebrity gives you a glass of sparkling wine as soon as you board the ship, great way to start a cruise.

[navybankerteacher]

On 5/22/2020 at 5:20 PM, sanger727 said:

Yes, I realize that. That’s why we prefer Norwegian, t shirts, shorts, and sandals are perfectly acceptable in most of their restaurants for dinner.

Of course wearing what you want,  where you want, and when you want are understandable preferences.  But there is more to cruising than that.  

Edited May 24, 2020 by navybankerteacher

[sanger727]

14 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Of course wearing what you want,  where you want, and when you want are understandable preferences.  But there is more to cruising than that.  

yes, that was my first post in this thread. I have cruises both and celebrity and Norwegian are about tied for my first choice. Everyone values what they want in a vacation. For some it’s entertainment, for some it’s food, for some it’s nightlife. What I value I’m sure is different than what you value but doesn’t make it less meaningful to me. For me Norwegians entertainment is vastly superior to celebrity, I enjoy the dining variety they offer, and I enjoy the freestyle cruising concept with the casual dress code. 

[George C]

15 minutes ago, sanger727 said:

yes, that was my first post in this thread. I have cruises both and celebrity and Norwegian are about tied for my first choice. Everyone values what they want in a vacation. For some it’s entertainment, for some it’s food, for some it’s nightlife. What I value I’m sure is different than what you value but doesn’t make it less meaningful to me. For me Norwegians entertainment is vastly superior to celebrity, I enjoy the dining variety they offer, and I enjoy the freestyle cruising concept with the casual dress code. 

Have you tried rccl I always thought they had the best entertainment on all there ships , oasis was amazing for all the different types, they are now also very casual.

[sanger727]

44 minutes ago, George C said:

Have you tried rccl I always thought they had the best entertainment on all there ships , oasis was amazing for all the different types, they are now also very casual.

no, I’ve actually always wanted to try them. But every time we go to book a cruise they end up being the most expensive choice by a large margin so we haven’t. Have a hard time passing up celebrity or Norwegian with the beverage package over paying more for royal without it.

[rugerdog]

On 5/22/2020 at 6:45 PM, FredT said:

but the absolute indifference of the front desk people (And their inability to do ANYTHING without explicit permission from corporate) was stunning.  

 

Beyond THAT fiasco, In 30+ cruises I have NEVER seen a company so interested in nickel & dimeing you more than NCL. 

 

Had that exact same experience with the last minute changes/shortening cruise, etc.  Ditto the indifference, petty upcharges for everything, etc.

[Aquahound]

13 minutes ago, rugerdog said:

 

Had that exact same experience with the last minute changes/shortening cruise, etc.  Ditto the indifference, petty upcharges for everything, etc.

 

On ‎5‎/‎22‎/‎2020 at 6:45 PM, FredT said:

 Beyond THAT fiasco, In 30+ cruises I have NEVER seen a company so interested in nickel & dimeing you more than NCL.   There are no enrichment programs on board, no classes (Except classes put on BY the gem merchants & spa.....)  No quiet lounges (Unless it's in a bar.) and the biggest damn casino I have EVER seen on a cruise ship (And this is their smallest ship!)

 

Agreed.  That's my biggest complaint about NCL.  They've become so chintzy with everything.  They're the Spirit Airlines of the cruise industry.