First time NCL from Carnival

[heidiatmn1]

I've cruised mainly carnival, but have a cruise on the Encore scoped out for next January as I really want to hit St Thomas or St Martin in 7 days or less. Can anyone tell me what major differences to be prepared for? Specifically-anything I should budget for that isn't wrapped up in the "included" drink and dining packages? What deck is the "place to be" to be near the food/pool areas? Any rooms to avoid or try for (other than the obvious-I'll check whats above/near) Any strong opinions on the airfare thru NCL-it would probably save me a couple hundred-worth it? I feel so lost:) 

[hallux]

5 minutes ago, heidiatmn1 said:

Any strong opinions on the airfare thru NCL-it would probably save me a couple hundred-worth it?

There are many expressed through numerous threads about the flight perk in this forum.  My opinion - if you're comfortable giving up some control over the flight times it's not a horrible deal.  Even if you pick this option you should consider flying in the day before (which NCL allows and is even giving a $25 CREDIT to do at the moment).  Just be warned - you are likely to get an early morning flight to the cruise port (even if you fly the day before) and could be on a late flight home.  Also, you won't know the final arrangements until around 45 days before the cruise.

 

10 minutes ago, heidiatmn1 said:

Specifically-anything I should budget for that isn't wrapped up in the "included" drink and dining packages?

You'll see it during booking - you will be charged 20% gratuities on the drink and dining packages.  Drink package includes any drink up to $15, water and specialty coffees are not included in the base package (all laid out in the description on the NCL website).  Some meals or menu items at specialty venues do have an added charge, even when using the perk.

[LMKakaThing2]

I’ve cruised both NCL and Carnival along with RCL. The 3 biggest differences I’ve found are not having to stress about packing formal wear, not having to rush or plan activities around dinner (unless you have specialty reservations), and my bill is always smaller with NCL. I like all 3 cruise lines, but always feel more relaxed on NCL. 

Edited February 6, 2022 by LMKakaThing2

[havanadaydreaming]

The big thing is not to book sailaway rates in cabin categories if youre going to have adult bevs, they can add up fast on ncl.  My first drink on ncl was a $22 knob creek,. The five free at sea is a nice perk.  Looooove the specialty restaurants. 

 

Carnival rates are much lower currently, except for last minute cruises which os where ncl has dropped rates past few months.  

 

I find ncl food and entertainment to be a step up.  CCL wins with more Fun activities and Guy burgers and dive in movies. Cabins and crew very comparable.  

[LMKakaThing2]

41 minutes ago, havanadaydreaming said:

The big thing is not to book sailaway rates in cabin categories if youre going to have adult bevs, they can add up fast on ncl.  My first drink on ncl was a $22 knob creek,. The five free at sea is a nice perk.  Looooove the specialty restaurants. 

 

Carnival rates are much lower currently, except for last minute cruises which os where ncl has dropped rates past few months.  

 

I find ncl food and entertainment to be a step up.  CCL wins with more Fun activities and Guy burgers and dive in movies. Cabins and crew very comparable.  

Carnival’s rates may be lower, but once you add in drink packages and specialty dining, I feel it’s way more expensive. Plus with NCL, you can get $50 off the first guest for shore excursions. My carnival cruise in August was $500. But once we added drink packages, excursions(with no discounts) and specialty restaurants (we did 2), our bill was pushing $1500 for just those 3 items. 
 

I’d rather pay a bit more upfront than at the end. My 5 day on carnival once completed cost almost as much as my Alaskan cruise on NCL this May has cost. Which also includes airfare. 
 

The food on my last carnival cruise was horrible. Best food we had the entire cruise was at Guy’s burger joint. 

[bigrednole]

I have only been on 1 cruise so far and it was on Carnival Magic. No regrets on that trip, but there were things I didn't like and all were minor. We are booked for our second cruise on NCL Breakaway. The one thing I quickly learned is that Free At Sea is not free. You are paying for it one way or another. First, those 20% gratuities are based on the cost of the drink package which is about $1,000 per person. Compare the base rate for a room without the "Free At Sea" and you will see that it is definitely not free. Second, the NCL Air, which I chose as well, was the deal that allowed us to take a cruise over Spring Break. We had a budget we had to stay in. Cruises from ports we could drive to are too expensive. Sailing out of NOLA was the least expensive cruise out there. Unfortunately, flights were insanely priced. With the BOGO deal, we get RT for 3 people at $398. If I booked separately myself today, it is $500pp ($1,100 savings). I give up the freedom of choosing my flight times. My wife and daughter are fearing the return flight on a Sunday because they both have to be back at school on the Monday.

[FlatFooted Freda]

Just off the Encore. Did a Carnival cruise a few years ago. We've had a total of 5 cruises on 5 different cruise lines, and I've loved them all. That said, NCL and Royal are the favorites so far ( hope to try Celebrity and Princess in near future). Agree with others that one of the big differences is that with NCL, the bill is more up front. Only thing on my account at the end of the Encore cruise was the box of bottled water we had delivered to the room. DH and I would give NCL the nod on food quality and variety. I don't drink much, so would never purchase a drink package, but took it on NCL. So I tried a lot of "boat drinks". Harder on my calorie/carb count than on the wallet. Although one show was cancelled, NCL definitely had better shows. Carnival gets the nod in the fun factor, which they obviously market. I don't recall seeing anything like Carnival's evening atrium dance on any other ship. 

If staying on budget is important, NCL may work well. Most importantly, enjoy!

[deliver42]

While I know the drink package isn't free on NCL, I prefer it to be included in the fare, then to be hit with a $500.00 bill ate the end of a cruise, which it can be on Carnival and RCCL, both of which charge about $1000.00 give or take depending on ship or cruise for 7 days.

[MoCruiseFan]

19 hours ago, heidiatmn1 said:

I've cruised mainly carnival, but have a cruise on the Encore scoped out for next January as I really want to hit St Thomas or St Martin in 7 days or less. Can anyone tell me what major differences to be prepared for? Specifically-anything I should budget for that isn't wrapped up in the "included" drink and dining packages? What deck is the "place to be" to be near the food/pool areas? Any rooms to avoid or try for (other than the obvious-I'll check whats above/near) Any strong opinions on the airfare thru NCL-it would probably save me a couple hundred-worth it? I feel so lost:) 

Going from Carnival to Norwegian is like shopping at a flea market for a wallet then going to Saks Fifth Avenue.  CCL food is HORRID (especially the half done greasy crap they call pizza), the casino is far better on NCL, the cabins are much nicer, and the crew members are a lot more friendly and outgoing.  If you liked CCL you will fall in love with NCL.

 

[FlGoodShips]

Agree with comment above.

NCL is the best. Cabins, food, crew are beyond fabulous.

Anytime dining is the best. Don't want to be on a set schedule...NCL is your best choice. Laid back atmosphere, but classy!!!

Entertainment is great too.

[aimee0715]

19 hours ago, MoCruiseFan said:

Going from Carnival to Norwegian is like shopping at a flea market for a wallet then going to Saks Fifth Avenue.  CCL food is HORRID (especially the half done greasy crap they call pizza), the casino is far better on NCL, the cabins are much nicer, and the crew members are a lot more friendly and outgoing.  If you liked CCL you will fall in love with NCL.

 

 

Disagree with this comment.  I mainly cruise Princess but have sailed Celebrity, Royal, Disney, Carnival, NCL, and Azamara.  I find all of the mainline companies more alike than different.  Carnival offers a great product.  I just got off NCL Breakaway yesterday.  It was my first time cruising NCL since going on Jewel 10+ years ago.  After the Jewel, I never even considered NCL but my friend prefers it. It was a great cruise.  I have no complaints.   They have greatly improved since I last sailed with them but they're not better than Carnival.  If I had to pick between the two, I would probably pick Carnival just for the chocolate melting cake.   

[Tralfie]

I'm a huge fan of both Carnival and NCL. I've done more on NCL, but that's largely because they have more ships sailing more often out of NYC, my homeport. 

 

A couple things to note: 

 

* When it comes to the drink package, the two big differences are that Carnival's Cheers program "limits" you to 15 alcoholic beverages a day, whereas NCL doesn't have a limit. Carnival's package also includes more things like specialty coffees, bottles of water, etc which aren't included in NCL's package, generally speaking. 

• Pre-ordering bottled water is wildly more expensive on NCL than it is on Carnival. While Carnival's is pretty much in line with what you'd expect to pay for a case of water on land, you can get about six bottles for the price of a case on NCL. 

 

• While NCL is very big on the freestyle concept, DO make a reservation is you have your heart set on a specific specialty restaurant, especially the last night. I alwasy like to do Cagney's steakhouse on the last night, and it books up fast. 

• One of the best hang-out spots on Encore is Spice H20, which is basically an adults-only area similar to Serenity on Carnival. There's another adults-only spot on Encore called Vibe Beach Club, which I LOVE, but you have to pay a pass to access it. They sell a limited number, and it has its own hot tub (no pool), bar, great servers, etc. 

• The racetrack is extra. I've done it, it's fun, not sure I'd do it again. Personally, I think the ships with the go karts devote WAY too much top-deck space to something that most people will likely only do once, if that. 

• There are three main dining rooms on Encore. taste and Savor are across from one another and pretty much the same, decor wise. I much prefer the Manhattan Room, which FEELS like a specialty restaurant despite having the same menu as the other MDR's. They often have live music and dancing in this venue. Definitely a cut above the other two MDR's on board. 

• Room service costs (I believe) $9.95 per order. So if you're ordering room service, make it worth while. Order a few things you can put in the fridge. Remember, you're paying per order, not per item (with a few exceptions, which will be noted on the menu) 

• Encore's entertainment is top notch. Way better than you're going to get with Carnival's Playlist productions. Choir of Man, Kinky Boots both excellent. Although it costs extra, I love, love, loved Happy Hour: Prohibition, The Musical. (Fun, adult, a little naughty... and they serve a variety of drinks, thus justifying the charge). 

* Good specialty restaurants. My personal fave is Food Republic, because you can order small plates to share. Really interesting stuff on the menu. 

 

[hallux]

17 minutes ago, Tralfie said:

One of the best hang-out spots on Encore is Spice H20,

There is no Spice on Encore.

[billslowsky]

On 2/5/2022 at 9:27 PM, havanadaydreaming said:

The big thing is not to book sailaway rates in cabin categories if youre going to have adult bevs, they can add up fast on ncl.  My first drink on ncl was a $22 knob creek,. The five free at sea is a nice perk.  Looooove the specialty restaurants. 

The free at sea would only cover up to $15 so you would have been surcharged for your wine.

 

I have used the sailaway rate and saved a ton of money, got a nice balcony as well.  You have to drink a lot to make up the price difference - it's not just the gratuity, it's a few hundred on the room itself.  I compared the cost for a sailaway balcony to one with the perks, it was about $600 per person for a 7 night cruise.  3 drinks per day x $12 x 7 = $252.  More than enough for me.

[Oceansaway17]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

There is no Spice on Encore.

I know what a bummer.  I loved the Escape for that reason. Oh and the thermal Spa

[Oceansaway17]

On 2/5/2022 at 8:10 PM, heidiatmn1 said:

I've cruised mainly carnival, but have a cruise on the Encore scoped out for next January as I really want to hit St Thomas or St Martin in 7 days or less. Can anyone tell me what major differences to be prepared for? Specifically-anything I should budget for that isn't wrapped up in the "included" drink and dining packages? What deck is the "place to be" to be near the food/pool areas? Any rooms to avoid or try for (other than the obvious-I'll check whats above/near) Any strong opinions on the airfare thru NCL-it would probably save me a couple hundred-worth it? I feel so lost:) 

 

One of the reasons why so many of us love NCL is the newer ships have wonderful thermal SPA.

Lots of room and several types of steam rooms and nice thassol (?) pool and located in front of back of ship.  

 

Also NCL has great entertainment.  Just wish guy had his burger joint on NCL ships too.

And the nice large Observation area in front of this ship is good too.