Which line would you go to for a less formal experience

[cruisenewbies]

My husband and I are planning a last minute vacation within the next month as our "babymoon" I was all set to book the Norwegian Jewel when a TA kind of snickered and said we would notice a big diference in service if we had only been on Celebrity. The reason I wanted to try freestyle was because I don't want to feel out of place on formal and informal nights and I'm not going to buy new maternity dresses for this one trip. We have been on the Mercury, Constellation and Summit. We thououghly enjoyed these cruises, but we were always the youngest onboard (mid 20's) and the passengers were not a very diverse crowd. We were asked several times if we worked on the ship, (even when I was thin and dressed formally, so that's what makes me nervous this time) so I thought it might be time to try something new... But the TA's comments made me more nervous and scared my husband who loves to eat and is scared the NCL food won't be very good. This will be our last vacation for a while so he does not want to "waste" money on a bad experience. We will stay on the ship most of the time since I can't do most of the shore excursions so our most important things are food, entertainment, activities and the spa. BTW if it helps for comparison, we did have one experience on Carnival Valor last year that was just a one nighter. That made me swear off Carnival forever. I thought their food was pretty bland and the service non existent. I'll post this on both boards to get an even response. I have searched and read the general "NCL v. X" posts but we're specifically looking at the Jewel. If you were going to choose another line would you pick RCCL, NCL or Princess? Thank you for you help!

[CarolRick]

We like both Celebrity and Norwegian. Norwegian's Freestyle does have advantages - optional formal nights and the opportunity for dinner that suits your schedule. We have sailed on the Norwegian Dawn and Sun and felt the service and food quality were very good. We ate at the same restaurant with the same waiter on four or five nights of a 7 night cruise. The cabin service was very good on Norwegian but the Aqua spa on Celebrity is a definite advantage. The service on Celebrity is probably better but there was nothing wrong with the service on Norwegian. Like you, we did one Carnival cruise and did not appreciate the lines and noise.

I know this might be blasphemy for Celebrity loyalists but there is a place for other cruise lines as long as you understand what you are getting.

[Joanandjoe]

We don't know what your budget is, but if you want casual Caribbean and can afford it (maybe on specials), Windstar and Sea Dream have much better food than Celebrity (and that's saying something!) and are 100% "resort casual". There are other casual sailing ships, but they're probably not appropriate for someone in a "delicate condition".

[TEXASMUNK]

We used to love NCL. This is a very one-sided point of view. If the definition of freestyle is bib overalls in the dining room, then by all means try NCL....Yes, that was the attire several evenings. My wife's comment, "Oh, look, the same outfit covers formal night and casual night" Probeably the same bib overalls.

 

You might want to consider RCI or Princess.

[tuggers]

My recent Princess experience was that they dress more formally on all nights than X. I don't think they are your answer.

[dan40]

Not that I'm recommending Carnival, but a one nighter has to be screwed up on any ship, any line. I wouldn't bother with a 1 nighter again, just not worth the hassle.

 

Dan

[arkcruiser]

I wonder whether formality, even on the same ship and itinerary, depends to a degree on the passenger mix. My wife and I took the Galaxy New Year's trip out of Galveston two years in a row. The crowd on the more recent cruise struck us as a lot more formal than on the previous trip -- people dressed much more formally than the previous year. So it is hard to generalize. But, that said, people these days never march to the same drummer and so there is no reason for anyone to feel uncomfortable on any cruise.

[luv2kruz]

Their cruises are a bit longer but good food, smaller ship, outstanding service if priced more than X. Each of their three ships have four open-seating restaurants. Dress is country club casual.

[mafig]

It was fine--actually more than fine. You cannot beat the variety of restaurants, Italian one night, then Japanese, seafood. Some pay, some not. The ship is new.

 

We found that people on our sailing were dressed very nicely every evening. As a matter of fact, they have an optional formal evening and we saw quite a few men dresed in tuxes. We never saw anyone dressed in bib overalls. I don't believe I ever saw jeans at dinner (or shorts).

 

Their production shows were the best I've seen on any line. Give them a try, I think you'll like the Jewel.

[nparmelee]

Your choices are probably more limited if you're looking to go within the next month, depends on what is still availavle, but I'm with luv2cruz, we're trying Oceania next, we love having a balcony and longer cruises so we haven't tried Windstar but have heard that their food is also very good. You didn't say how long a cruise you were looking at or what location, that might be a factor.

 

Good luck and have a good time with whatever you decide to do and good luck with the baby!

[flashdog_1]

And Oceana is having a buy one get one free sail right now. (half price).

 

My husband hates cruising because of having to dress up and eat with strangers, so I've considered NCL, but he's never even consented to try them.

 

Tuggers, you mean the people on Princess who did not choose the formal dining room, and picked "personal style" or whatever they call it, still dressed up?

[mafig]

With "personal choice" you dine whenever you want, with whomever you want. However, the dress code is the same in the traditional dining room and the personal choice dining room(s). So, yes, people are dressed formally on formal nights in the personal choice dining room.

[RickandAnne]

I think if you understand what your getting into, then any cruise can be a good one. Freestyle cruising means sitting at different tables with diffferent wait staff every night. We did that on one cruise (Princess) and found it to detract from what we enjoy about cruising. The passenger to service staff ratio favors Celebrity in a significant enough way that I'm told (second hand from me as I haven't been on NCL) that it is very visible in the wait staff at meals and the attention you normally get.

 

All that said, DW and I are interested in sampling different cruise lines to get a variety of experiences. You might be into that. For instance, there are many economic deals on NCL. We'd consider substituting a suite for personal attention at dinner. Or HAL, even with less activity on board at night, if they had better itineraries. But we'd know we're doing it up front.

 

It's hard to make a bad decision on a cruise. Good luck with yours.

Rick

[patlanta]

If you try Oceania because you'd prefer their country club casual (CCC) attire policy, you'll have a comfortable and enjoyable cruise. I'm chuckling about the bib overalls comment above because I was thinking that I didn't know, before cruising Oceania, a woman's denim outfit suitable for farming was CCC, and that you could wear it every evening too.

 

I would caution you however that your TA and you will have to stay aware that peculiar happenings may occur with your Oceania booking up until sailing. I have never before had airline reservations changed a fortnight before the cruise by email only, without even a copy to my TA. Also, at the time of final billing amounts were shifted around, like, moving transfers fees to the post-cruise hotel charges, and adding premium costs too.

 

Enjoy whatever you elect to do. Congratulations on the expected addition to your family.

[ocngypz]

Many of the agents in my office have sailed the Jewel and loved it.

 

And some of them just picky, picky, picky.

 

So.... the decision is yours to make.

[gkm]

We have sailed RCI many a time and have had no problems with the food or service. The Radiance class also have two specialty restuarants which are excellent. As far as RCI goes, the only thing I really miss are the breadsticks.:rolleyes: You're going to hear nit-picking complaints about all of the cruise lines, but if you go with a positive attitude and don't get upset if a dish isn't up to par (you can always get something else), you'll have a wonderful time.

 

Garry

[Druke I]

As noted above, Oceania is "country club casual" at all times, they have a good two4one sale with free air, and their food is excellent.

 

We tried their Regatta this past August into the Baltic, liked it very much, and have booked their Nautica, Istanbul to Singapore, through the Suez Canal 11-06.

[ECCruise]

We've sailed Celebrity 6 times and NCL 5 times in the last 3 years or so. Although there are definitely differences in the lines, they are not so significant that they should keep you from enjoying one or the other.

In our opinion...

 

Where Celebrity excels: Overall food and dining experience. Service throughout the ship. The "liitle things" that make you feel special (cool towels when you return from a hot day ashore, the sorbet on the pool deck on sea days, champagne upon arrival).

 

Where NCL excels: Entertainment throughout, evening, poolside and in the lounges. The ability to do "freestyle" dining...meaning you can eat when you want, not on a schedule. This is especially nice on port intensive cruises when you have a late day ashore. On the newer ships, MANY more dining venues (10+).

 

Bottom line: You will probably be happy no matter which line you choose if you go in with the right attitude. Happy cruising!

[slotaddict]

We have been on 6 X cruises and 2 Norwegian, amoung others, however, if you are going for a casual experience I would recommend the Norwegian Dawn, Jewel, or Spirit. Contrary to what others have stated neither of my Norwegian cruises, were marred by improperly dressed people. I like the flexibilty of Freestyle cruising. I am planning my next cruise and we are looking into Norwegian because of the enjoyable experiences that we had on board the Norwegian Dawn. Of course Celebrity was my first cruise and will always be my cruiseline of choice. But I like diversity and NCL (the newer ships) are fine for me. Whatever you choose, I am sure you will have a great time.

[Gypsea]

ECRruise and Slotaddict are right. NCL is a great cruiseline. You are young enough to enjoy the great amount of activity and entertainment. The staff is really present and there to see you enjoy yourself. I have just not had as much fun on any other line. My whole family including kids, mom, neices and sisters have been on this line and LOVED it.

 

As far as your agent..maybe her commission isn't as high with them. Plus, I think it is very unprofessional for agents to snicker about any line that may not be their preference. I approach it this way.."well, I really didn't like that line but many people love it". That way if they go for it and have a fabulous trip, great and if they don't I don't need to say, "told you so". Our job is to answer not criticize.

 

As others noted they did not see anyone really abusing the dress code on NCL but there is one in every crowd..maybe even a few but that doesn't need to ruin your trip. People should attempt to lighten up on this. I like to dress for dinner and enjoy that and it certainly isn't right to see people in farmer pants or tank tops (men in particular!!) but how much of that is really out there??? I believe it is literally just a couple of ill-informed or unprepared guests, most of whom should feel a bit embarrassed or might just be too obtuse to realize their mistake. Either way, give it a rest.

 

Also, go to the NCL board and see for yourself what people are saying about the Jewel. I've never sailed the Jewel (Dawn, Majesty, Sea) but have had great service on all 5 of my NCL sailings.

 

Almost any dressy dress will suffice on formal night. No need for new maternity wear.

[trcori]

what about the Celebrity version of "freestyle" dining -- the casual dinner service usually offered in the buffet cafe'? The food is still excellent, IMO. And as for the rest of the ship, you'd be familiar with what to expect. You could plan on dining in the "casual" area on formal and informal nights. As for maternity "dresses," does your town have a nice maternity consignment store? You really can find "gently used" stuff in good shape, for much less than the "new" price, and no one else is the wiser.

 

You've got enough to stress out about with a little one on the way (10 years after delivering my bundle of joy, I *still* remember it all, in acute detail) so why book an "unknown" line and feel like you're gambling? -- TR

[cruiseyguy]

Both Oceania and NCL have versions of open-seating dining. Oceania is upscale (and more expensive); NCL is NOT upscale (and priced accordingly). NCL is a (generally) younger crowd but the food is better on Oceania. What are your priorities?

[Irishpirate]

If you want to go really informal (I mean t-shirts and shorts for dinner) try Windjammer Barefoot Cruises

[Irishwhiskey]

Disney cruises.The most relaxed dress code we've seen.We brought or parents which is kinda like having your kids along,but it was something that hasn't been mentioned.Besides,you may want to consider it down the road.It is very family friendly experience.

[tawcat]

the dw and i love traditional dining, however, we have sailed ncl several times and enjoyed them equally as well. not quite as much brass and glass, but still a wonderful experience. the very first time we sailed under the pretence of "freestyle" we really didn't care for it, but i think part of that was it was brand new to ncl and we didn't understand the concept either. one cruise we took with ncl, we went total casual, didn't bring any formal attire at all. we brought some nice business casual wear and that was it. we loved it!!! we were also able to take advantage of their express disembarkation due to fewer bags. freestyle afforded us the freedom of eating where and when. and i do believe ncl offers more alternative eating options than the others we have been on. the past three cruises we have been with friends, told the dw next cruise its gonna be a "freestyle" crusie, regardless what line we choose! btw we really do enjoy ncl, but have recently been spolied by X.