How is NCL Doing *Poll*

[Seany527]

1 hour ago, Karaboudjan said:

What is an orange thingy that goes up and down about?  🙄

 

Anyway, sophisticated people have children too and I'm sure some also like go karts.

 

That wasn’t what I said or what I implied, so most likely you had that view point already prior to reading my post. 

[saltsandknit]

1 hour ago, Seany527 said:

 

But if it gets a water slide and a race track, it immediately attracts families with children and that’s not what Celebrity is about. 

I have been following the Prima for a while and it is possible that those will be added but I hope not and I see nothing in the renderings to imply that those features will be added. I do expect there will be something for families and I am sure there will be the kids clubs. It is my hope that the Prima class will be more adult oriented and the breakaway+ will remain family focused. Who knows at this point.

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

no option that NCL is worse?  

[mking8288]

Old timers (gosh, how we find ourselves using this term) that missed the Le Bistro dining experience then should be able to identify what this was (image is a bit fuzzy from whatever digital camera I used back in 2009) ... one of my favorite.  I can still get it nowadays but just not the same.  

 

FWIW, I voted "no change" but I have trouble feeling "a large improvement in NCL's overall product" vs the OSH and even earlier days. 

[RunBikeCruiseDC]

12 hours ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

no option that NCL is worse?  

I was not able to edit my comment.  Let me explain.  I'm not sure when Del Rio took over but I do think NCL seems to be trying to attract the Carnival crowd vs Celebrity.  Not sure if that's Del Rio bringing those ideas or if that's left over from Sheehan.  I don't want BBQ or TexMex when I'm on a cruise, I can get that anywhere on land.  CCL has those options on their ships.  I know Margaritaville and 5 O'Clock somewhere was Sheehan - the drinks were great (Included in the beverage package) but we rarely ate there.  Let's see what they do with Prima.

 

My husband and I really want to try Celebrity but we need to use up our CruiseNext vouchers so that's out short term plan.  Also love the concept of Virgin (adult only)but the ports are dull.

Edited July 16, 2021 by RunBikeCruiseDC

[EllieinNJ]

We usually start picking a cruise by destination then price.  In the past NCL always came in first.  Not any longer.  Unless they become more competitive with other lines we may have to look elsewhere.

[sparks1093]

18 hours ago, Goldconnection said:

We’ve sailed Carnival, RCL, Celebrity, and NCL.

CARNIVAL= Hated it

RCL= Enjoyed

Celebrity= Disappointing

NCL= Favorite 

 

These are my opinions based on my experiences. Please don’t waste your time trying to change my opinion. Thanks much and happy cruising to all on whichever cruise line you choose.

This poll is not about changing anyone's opinion since it is simply asking for people's opinions.🙂

[sparks1093]

16 hours ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

no option that NCL is worse?  

 

4 hours ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

I was not able to edit my comment.  Let me explain.  I'm not sure when Del Rio took over but I do think NCL seems to be trying to attract the Carnival crowd vs Celebrity.  Not sure if that's Del Rio bringing those ideas or if that's left over from Sheehan.  I don't want BBQ or TexMex when I'm on a cruise, I can get that anywhere on land.  CCL has those options on their ships.  I know Margaritaville and 5 O'Clock somewhere was Sheehan - the drinks were great (Included in the beverage package) but we rarely ate there.  Let's see what they do with Prima.

 

My husband and I really want to try Celebrity but we need to use up our CruiseNext vouchers so that's out short term plan.  Also love the concept of Virgin (adult only)but the ports are dull.

As I said up thread this poll is for those who still sail with NCL and I would expect that if someone truly thought that NCL was worse they would have voted with their dollars and moved on. Del Rio took over in 1/2015. I believe his vision was to move NCL into the same class/category as Celebrity as a gateway to moving cruisers to the other NCLH lines.

Edited July 16, 2021 by sparks1093

[4774Papa]

5 hours ago, RunBikeCruiseDC said:

I was not able to edit my comment.  Let me explain.  I'm not sure when Del Rio took over but I do think NCL seems to be trying to attract the Carnival crowd vs Celebrity.  Not sure if that's Del Rio bringing those ideas or if that's left over from Sheehan.  I don't want BBQ or TexMex when I'm on a cruise, I can get that anywhere on land.  CCL has those options on their ships.  I know Margaritaville and 5 O'Clock somewhere was Sheehan - the drinks were great (Included in the beverage package) but we rarely ate there.  Let's see what they do with Prima.

 

My husband and I really want to try Celebrity but we need to use up our CruiseNext vouchers so that's out short term plan.  Also love the concept of Virgin (adult only)but the ports are dull.

We have done Celebrity, Royal and NCL and prefer Celebrity, but Celebrity has seriously bumped up its prices, combined by forcing everyone to buy perks like drink packages (Always included).  It has priced Celebrity out of our market compared to Royal and Princess.  Even though NCL did the same thing with perks, it is cheaper than Celebrity.

[RumRunner2021]

I've sailed NCL both before and after and voted big improvement.  Of course, I think I only had two cruises before he took over.

[Karaboudjan]

Are there specific changes that would characterize the Del Rio years?  I cruised the same ship on the same itinerary before and after and I don't recall anything notably different about the experience.

[CarolinaMamma]

Celebrity has a better “base” product, especially MDR and buffet food, and feels less crowded and more serene. Part of that is that there is less actual crowding on the ships and part of it is that the passengers are overall quieter. NCL is pitching to the day-drinking Carnival crowd. (Not that I have anything against day drinking, especially when on vacation, but I don’t love seeing grown-ass adults acting like toddlers.) . I like that X’s non-alcoholic beverage package includes specialty coffee drinks and bottled and sparkling water. On NCL I have to upgrade to premium

plus to get those included, abd I don’t drink enough alcohol to make premium plus worthwhile. 

 

That being said, if we do specialty restaurants every night, we can have a very good dining experience in NCL. Their entertainment is IMO better than Celebrity.
 

And one thing I LOVE about NCL is the Haven 2-bedroom  family villa. Sharing a bathroom with my teenagers is not a vacation, and celebrity doesn’t have any 2-bathroom suite options and getting 2 suites for the four of us is very expensive. 
 

Celebrity’s prices are crazy high these days. I would love  to sail on Apex or Edge, but it just doesn’t seem worth the cost right now. For the price if 2 Edge balconies, we can get the Haven 2-bedroom family villa.

[Biffire]

On 7/15/2021 at 6:05 PM, 4774Papa said:

NCL has a great cruise that goes from either NYC or Boston, stopping in Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and ending up in Quebec City.  I highly recommend that cruise.

Our cruise left from Boston, here is my review:

https://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=635360&et_cid=3110946&et_rid=17221689&et_referrer=Boards

 

We did a Canada Cruise on the Splendor a few years ago, We did enjoy it, and would consider a NCL cruise heading north. We sailed out of Boston to Bermuda on the Dawn a few years ago, and the embarkation process was the smoothest ever.

[RumRunner2021]

On 7/16/2021 at 11:13 AM, CarolinaMamma said:

NCL is pitching to the day-drinking Carnival crowd. (Not that I have anything against day drinking, especially when on vacation, but I don’t love seeing grown-ass adults acting like toddlers.) 

"Day drinking Carnival crowd???"  😁

 

That's funny.  Are you suggesting to this Salty Dog that everybody in that "day drinking Carnival crowd" are "grown-ass adults acting like toddlers?"  Seems a bit harsh.  I also think that you may be being unfair to toddlers.  They just cry and poop and spill things.  Well, maybe not....  Just repeat after me, "it's five o'clock somewhere." 😎

Edited July 19, 2021 by RumRunner2021

[RumRunner2021]

On 7/15/2021 at 3:05 PM, 4774Papa said:

NCL has a great cruise that goes from either NYC or Boston, stopping in Maine, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and ending up in Quebec City.  I highly recommend that cruise.

 

Does the ship then sail from Quebec back to Boston?  That might make a great B2B.

[Karaboudjan]

30 minutes ago, RumRunner2021 said:

Does the ship then sail from Quebec back to Boston?  That might make a great B2B.

Yes, they do Quebec City to Boston also.

[PTC DAWG]

I have cruised both lines..they appeal to different audiences, IMHO…

 

I enjoy aspects of both for different reasons…

[PTC DAWG]

On 7/16/2021 at 12:14 PM, 4774Papa said:

We have done Celebrity, Royal and NCL and prefer Celebrity, but Celebrity has seriously bumped up its prices, combined by forcing everyone to buy perks like drink packages (Always included).  It has priced Celebrity out of our market compared to Royal and Princess.  Even though NCL did the same thing with perks, it is cheaper than Celebrity.

Prices always work out to me around $3500 for two on a balcony cabin, drink package either included or purchased…that’s how I cruise…YMMV. 

[sparks1093]

On 7/16/2021 at 1:44 PM, Karaboudjan said:

Are there specific changes that would characterize the Del Rio years?  I cruised the same ship on the same itinerary before and after and I don't recall anything notably different about the experience.

Howdy neighbor. I know what has been discussed on the boards (well, at least up until a couple of years ago anyway) and I saw NCL start to include a lot of perks with their cruises (and raising their prices accordingly). This included doubling the price of the drink package right after they started charging gratuities on the included drink packages. But that doesn't touch on the actual onboard experience. Has the service onboard improved? Has the entertainment taken a huge leap forward? Has the quality of the food increased? These are some of the improvements that I would expect to see if someone were interested in moving out of the mainstream category into the premium category. That's one of the reasons why I included the option for those who have sailed on both NCL and Celebrity to find out how they viewed the two lines, since that was Del Rio's goal.

[4774Papa]

10 hours ago, RumRunner2021 said:

Does the ship then sail from Quebec back to Boston?  That might make a great B2B.

Yes

[4774Papa]

9 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Prices always work out to me around $3500 for two on a balcony cabin, drink package either included or purchased…that’s how I cruise…YMMV. 

$3500 in a balcony for how many days and how many people?

 

Some cruises like Alaska tend to be more expensive, but of the 20 cruises that we have done on three lines, until recently, we would find transatlantics of 12-14 days for $1000-1500 per person and two week cruises for $2500 per person.