Convince us to try NCL again

[mac66]

We pretty much stayed with Royal. Their Oasis class ships have a lot of activities, central park, boardwalk, Aqua theater, ice skating, flow riders, now slides and water slides, zip line, climbing walls etc. Good for families.  Our family is grown up now but they are fun once in awhile.  We still do smaller ships with/with out the promenade as well. It kind of depends on the itinerary and cost. Between Thanksgiving and mid December is a good time to go on a cruise. Prices are kinda of off season and capacity tends to be lower then.    Sometimes the Oasis class is cheaper at that time.  We do not like the Oasis class when it is loaded to capacity. We sailed the Oasis last December when she was half empty. It was really nice.

 

We do like the ambiance and better service/food of Celebrity. Four of our last 6 cruises have been on Celebrity and we have another coming up in August.

[mac66]

4 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

Why not try MSC? They are the only cruise line that will match your current status with Royal/celebrity.
You will be starting with a good level of perks.

 Didn't realize they matched levels.  I know nothing about them.  just looking for good deal and itinerary in early December so MSC is on the table.

[ziggyuk]

3 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 Didn't realize they matched levels.  I know nothing about them.  just looking for good deal and itinerary in early December so MSC is on the table.

 

If you like the ships I might be worth a try.
The only thing to remember with MSC is you lose the status is you don't sail at least once every three years.

[karmamule]

6 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 Didn't realize they matched levels.  I know nothing about them.  just looking for good deal and itinerary in early December so MSC is on the table.

 

We've been on 3 cruises with MSC and highly recommend their Yacht Club. It's a Haven-like "ship within a ship" but much more affordable and, from what we've heard, offers a similar (some say better) level of service for much less money.

 

We've been on the Seaside, Meraviglia, and the Seashore and can offer advice on any of those. If you post over on the MSC forums and @-mention me I'll pop in and go into detail. Don't want to get all chatty about MSC and annoy the folks on the NCL forum. 😁

 

This May will be our first time in the Haven on NCL (on the Joy) and we look forward to comparing/contrasting the experience with our times in the Yacht Club. 

[BermudaBound2014]

16 minutes ago, mac66 said:

 Didn't realize they matched levels.  I know nothing about them.  just looking for good deal and itinerary in early December so MSC is on the table.

 

Be sure to do tons of research on MSC. I've sailed them twice, both in and out of the Yacht club. They are a budget cruise line and largely you get what you pay for. Of the mainstream lines, MSC is the farthest away from a traditional product offered by RCL/Celebrity.

 

With that said, MSC is the only privately owned cruise line and they have been  backed financially by their extremely profitable parent shipping company. They are now a larger cruise company than NCL. In order of size.. CCL, RCL, MSC, NCL, so MSC is making a run at the USA market.

 

I would sail MSC again, but I would do so when my primary goal is value over quality and I would sail with adjusted expectations.

[mac66]

Spent a few days looking at MSC, can't find a time and itinerary suitable to our needs so we're back looking at the Dec 3 sailing of the Escape...if they get it unstuck by then and hire another driver. 😆

Edited March 31, 2022 by mac66

[BklynBorn47]

On 3/29/2022 at 8:59 AM, mac66 said:

We typically don't do spas, or specialty dining or buy the other ups that are offered. We don't gamble or use our phones or the internet.  We don't usually get drink packages since we get a certain number of "free" drinks on Royal at our level. Most Celebrity cruises has the All In perks included in the fare.  We typically book our own shore excursions except with the covid protocols in place pretty much stuck to ship excursions this year.  We usually end up with a zero balance on our account at the end of a cruise.   We are not the kind of cruisers the cruise companies wring their hands in glee over. 😉

 

So bottom line is that we cruise to pretty much just chill and visit interesting places. 

Are we related?  LOL  The only difference is that we always book a balcony.  Perhaps we are more hermit-like? We like looking at the sea/scenery by ourselves.  We do take early morning and late evening extended walks around the deck though.  

[mac66]

2 hours ago, BklynBorn47 said:

Are we related?  LOL  The only difference is that we always book a balcony.  Perhaps we are more hermit-like? We like looking at the sea/scenery by ourselves.  We do take early morning and late evening extended walks around the deck though.  

LOL, must be related. we do the early morning and late walks around the deck as well.

 

And we always take the stairs, (as long as my knee holds out) rarely use the elevators.

[TheycallmeDrew]

Please take into account my knowledge is 2 years old since I have not cruised since start of pandemic. I have been on Holland, Royal but mostly NCL. I have been on large ships and small ships. There are things I like on each line. What has brought me back to NCL is mostly the dining as I have had some great people at my table on Royal but then I have also had people that drove us to the speciality restaurants to get away from them. 

 

I have also found there seems to be a different philosophy between lines on costing and ship design. I find Royal builds their ships to direct people inward and NCL direct people out(water front, top deck design ect. This appeals to me.

 

Costing NCL does something that other people hate but I actually like. People call it nickle and diming. I find (though this seems to be changing) that NCL gets you on the boat cheaper but then charges you for what you want to do while Royal costs more up front but then more things are included. I would rather pay for things I use then pay for things I don't. For example being from Canada I have no interest on ice skating in winter on a royal cruise ship!

 

Something that NCL is doing that I don't like on their new ships is it seems they are eating up deck chair space and increasing the beach club so you are encouraged to pay to secure a seat. As much as I will like to try go carting on the Encore in April that and laser tag and VR completely eliminated H2O. 

[mac66]

I think all cruise lines nickel and dime passengers to death.  People are on vacation, looking for a good time. It's a target rich environment for up selling.  Something like 60-70% of their revenue is from drink packages, paid specialty dining, casino, photo packages, spa treatment and other ups, add ons and such. .

 

My cousin and his wife went on their first cruise and felt badgered to spend money. They were at a point where they never wanted to cruise again. I talked them into going with my wife and I and taught them to say no and ignore the pressure to buy. They've since gone with us a couple more times.

 

Once you've gotten over the feeling of obligation to spend on a cruise you can kick back and relax. Cruise lines still make money off of me because I still go on 2, sometimes 3 cruises a year but they rarely get extra bucks off of me. I almost always have a zero balance at the end.

[BklynBorn47]

16 hours ago, TheycallmeDrew said:

I would rather pay for things I use then pay for things I don't. For example being from Canada I have no interest on ice skating in winter on a royal cruise ship!

I agree completely!  As for ice skating, the only time we book RC is when traveling with grandchildren.  Then I like to watch THEM on the rock wall, ice rink, rope course etc.  Otherwise,  I'm like mac66 below.  I skip all that stuff.

 

13 hours ago, mac66 said:

Something like 60-70% of their revenue is from drink packages, paid specialty dining, casino, photo packages, spa treatment and other ups, add ons and such. .

 

[HappyCruiser616]

On 3/28/2022 at 11:45 AM, tallnthensome said:

With NCL having the worst pricing to value right now versus other lines  I wouldn't book NCL right now. 

I'm def an NCL (have taken 12 cruises with them)  but you are 100% correct. They have forced me to look elsewhere. I booked one upcoming with NCL but my other two are with Carnival and Celebrity, where I got balcony/suites for the same price as the inside cabin on NCL. I will miss my favorite NCL speciality restaurants but not worth the price right now. 

[tallnthensome]

2 hours ago, HappyCruiser616 said:

I'm def an NCL (have taken 12 cruises with them)  but you are 100% correct. They have forced me to look elsewhere. I booked one upcoming with NCL but my other two are with Carnival and Celebrity, where I got balcony/suites for the same price as the inside cabin on NCL. I will miss my favorite NCL speciality restaurants but not worth the price right now. 

Yup, I agree with you and have found better deals elsewhere.  Went from my best value to least. 

[weltek]

We love the Escape! District Brew House has an awesome craft beer selection, Food Republic and Pincho Tapas (fee to dine) have awesome food, Spice H20 is an adults only sundeck area, and the crew have been top notch. The Manhattan Main Dining Room is the right mix of classic and modern. The ropes course is fun.

 

The Escape is 100% better than the POA, IMO. The newer ships are night and day from the older fleet. But you do have to like bigger ships.

Edited April 1, 2022 by weltek

[mac66]

We were primarily looking for a cruise the first week of Dec (between Thanksgiving and Christmas) which generally has lower rates. Kind of an mini off season.  We found a NCL cruise that leaves out of Canaveral for a decent rate that includes drinks, wifi and some other perks, but you have read the fine print. Eastern Caribbean

 

Also found a Royal cruise that leaves out of Tampa. Western Caribbean. Both 7 day cruises. The Royal cruise is $400 cheaper, but doesn't include drinks and wifi. We don't typically get a drink or wifi package so the perks on NCL while nice is kind of a wash. Though would be cheaper on NCL than if we got those things on RCI.

 

NCL goes to St. Thomas, Dominican Republic, Great Stirrup Cay, Tortola.

RCI goes to Cozumel, Costa Maya, Roatan and Belize.   Been to St. Thomas recently, Never been to DR or Tortola. Probably 30+ years since Great Stirrup Cay.  Been to Coz & Costa Maya many times.  Roatan once last December and Belize  20 years ago.  I started scuba diving a couple years ago and would really love to dive in Cozumel and maybe Belize and Roatan again.  I dived in Roatan last December and St. Thomas in February.  Want to get as many port dives in before I get too old.

 

We would drive down to the house in central Florida a couple days before. Both Tampa and Canaveral are about 2 hours away from the house so it doesn't really matter what port we go out of.

 

Really itching to give NCL another try but am leaning toward RCI at this point.

Edited April 4, 2022 by mac66

[steveknj]

On 3/29/2022 at 4:10 PM, BermudaBound2014 said:

 

Be sure to do tons of research on MSC. I've sailed them twice, both in and out of the Yacht club. They are a budget cruise line and largely you get what you pay for. Of the mainstream lines, MSC is the farthest away from a traditional product offered by RCL/Celebrity.

 

With that said, MSC is the only privately owned cruise line and they have been  backed financially by their extremely profitable parent shipping company. They are now a larger cruise company than NCL. In order of size.. CCL, RCL, MSC, NCL, so MSC is making a run at the USA market.

 

I would sail MSC again, but I would do so when my primary goal is value over quality and I would sail with adjusted expectations.

 

We have been looking at MSC since they will be sailing out of Brooklyn next year and we are looking for "something different".   What types of things do they not have that NCL does?  The one thing in my current research was that they "seemed" to have traditional dining, fixed times and all that, which is not something I'm thrilled with but something we could deal with.

[deliver42]

On MSC it depends on what experience you book. If you go to the Aurea or the Yacht Club, it's anytime dining. Fantastica is fixed dining, and Bella is luck of the draw. You will hear announcements in about 6 languages, the shows, while entertaining, are generic because of all the different ethenics on board. You'll probably find only about 25% American.

[BermudaBound2014]

40 minutes ago, steveknj said:

 

We have been looking at MSC since they will be sailing out of Brooklyn next year and we are looking for "something different".   What types of things do they not have that NCL does?  The one thing in my current research was that they "seemed" to have traditional dining, fixed times and all that, which is not something I'm thrilled with but something we could deal with.

 

For me, food quality and entertainment. I realize food is subjective, but if you peruse the reviews you will find this is a very common complaint. Shows will be short (30 minutes or so) and generic to appeal to all languages. You will find nothing like howl at the moon. Service is more 'european' in nature. More subdued less personal. There is nothing that would prevent me from choosing MSC again as long as the price was significantly less than the competition.

[destar]

I'll double the comment to disregard your experience on the POA. I sailed on the spirit in 2012 out of Barcelona and had an excellent 12 days cruise, I sailed on POA in 2014, That is the only ship thats is registered in the US, it has an unionized crew, thats all I've got to say about that. 

 

I will be sailing on the prima this coming November and on celebrity Apex (1st time on celebrity) on February. I really enjoy cruising with NCL and will be booking future cruises with them.

[mac66]

13 minutes ago, destar said:

I'll double the comment to disregard your experience on the POA. I sailed on the spirit in 2012 out of Barcelona and had an excellent 12 days cruise, I sailed on POA in 2014, That is the only ship thats is registered in the US, it has an unionized crew, thats all I've got to say about that. 

 

I will be sailing on the prima this coming November and on celebrity Apex (1st time on celebrity) on February. I really enjoy cruising with NCL and will be booking future cruises with them.

 

I think I mentioned that we don't consider the POA as representative of the modern class of NCL ships. That was whole nuther thing in itself.  IMO, It is about the best way to see the Hawaiian islands, particularly if you spend a week before or after and don't want to spend time having to sail to the islands from the mainland.  We liked it so much we did it twice, 10 years apart. But....it ain't the same as sailing on one of NCL's newer/bigger ships, I get that.

[luckyinpa]

my comments are regarding oasis and breakaway/getaway/bliss only

 

if you value balcony size and youve had something like the CLS on oasis, NCL cant match it at the price point ive paid for haven. the CLS far and away is a winner. i did do a 2 BR haven last month because it was so low, but i didnt use the butler and the balcony is the same size as balcony. kinda a rip off. haven becomes more valuable if there's an enclosed lounge like on bliss or courtyard on breakaway. i did not like the open courtyard on getaway as we had many bad weather days.  i also did haven on bliss at christmas. it actually was worth it to get away from the crowds. 

 

the staff on every NCL ship has been much more friendly and apparent than when i was on oasis. on oasis in october it just seems you never ran into anyone. on NCL you cannot go 2 feet without running into an employee and every single one is super friendly. on ship itself oasis wins. for super friendly and cozy. the NCL ships win. probably because of their smaller size. 

 

buffet on oasis was better than the ncl buffets, especially in the setup. stations vs one cafeteria line. if you like booze NCL wins, 18 bucks a day for the 'free' booze pack'. royal wont even let you see pricing until you book. it's top secret. but on oasis of course you get the suite lounge 12 hours a day for basic free drinks and soda and water which is what we are relying on for our next trip. 

 

the specialty places on the 3 NCL ships ive been on have all been good except cagneys went downhill last time. teppanyaki is the best filet even over haven. never saw a need for specialty on oasis. 

 

if you want a more cozy intimate experience than oasis id recommend getaway/breakaway or bliss (has that extra enclosed lounge for all passengers).  ive done mini suites on breakaway and they are nice for the price and it''s a larger bathroom. actually measured bigger than my CLS on oasis, but who's measuring 🙂 i am not a drinker but purely based on bar placement / appearance id say the NCL ships would appeal more to me if i drank a lot. for top level deck entertainment of course oasis wins because of her size. theres not much going on the top deck on ncl besides rock climbing, ropes and slides, they took off mini golf! horrors!

 

also i found oasis a very 'cool' ship but ncl just couldnt compare in that fashion. hard to explain. i wish more royal ships sailed out of nyc..sigh

 

 

[NH Cruisers]

If you have Bermuda in mind...  Try NCL, longer stay vs. The other mainstream lines.  I personally have never been disappointed on NCL.  Least favorite. And that too was great, was Celebrity on the Solstice.

[luckyinpa]

you can also try a smaller line and sail into bermudas smaller ports. 

[mac66]

20 hours ago, luckyinpa said:

my comments are regarding oasis and breakaway/getaway/bliss only

 

if you value balcony size and youve had something like the CLS on oasis, NCL cant match it at the price point ive paid for haven. the CLS far and away is a winner. i did do a 2 BR haven last month because it was so low, but i didnt use the butler and the balcony is the same size as balcony. kinda a rip off. haven becomes more valuable if there's an enclosed lounge like on bliss or courtyard on breakaway. i did not like the open courtyard on getaway as we had many bad weather days.  i also did haven on bliss at christmas. it actually was worth it to get away from the crowds. 

 

the staff on every NCL ship has been much more friendly and apparent than when i was on oasis. on oasis in october it just seems you never ran into anyone. on NCL you cannot go 2 feet without running into an employee and every single one is super friendly. on ship itself oasis wins. for super friendly and cozy. the NCL ships win. probably because of their smaller size. 

 

buffet on oasis was better than the ncl buffets, especially in the setup. stations vs one cafeteria line. if you like booze NCL wins, 18 bucks a day for the 'free' booze pack'. royal wont even let you see pricing until you book. it's top secret. but on oasis of course you get the suite lounge 12 hours a day for basic free drinks and soda and water which is what we are relying on for our next trip. 

 

the specialty places on the 3 NCL ships ive been on have all been good except cagneys went downhill last time. teppanyaki is the best filet even over haven. never saw a need for specialty on oasis. 

 

if you want a more cozy intimate experience than oasis id recommend getaway/breakaway or bliss (has that extra enclosed lounge for all passengers).  ive done mini suites on breakaway and they are nice for the price and it''s a larger bathroom. actually measured bigger than my CLS on oasis, but who's measuring 🙂 i am not a drinker but purely based on bar placement / appearance id say the NCL ships would appeal more to me if i drank a lot. for top level deck entertainment of course oasis wins because of her size. theres not much going on the top deck on ncl besides rock climbing, ropes and slides, they took off mini golf! horrors!

 

also i found oasis a very 'cool' ship but ncl just couldnt compare in that fashion. hard to explain. i wish more royal ships sailed out of nyc..sigh

 

We don't do suites (yet). We did do a couple Junior Suites on Oasis and Allure for special occasions, larger than regular cabins but nothing special.  Maybe some day we'll do a full blown suite but are pretty happy with basic accommodations. Don't really need pampering and for the price of a suite we could do 3-5 cruises in an inside or balcony.

 

As I think I mentioned we pretty much like Celebrity but go back to Royal occasionally when we find a good deal on an Oasis class ship. We did the Oasis itself last December, good deal and half empty. That was nice.

 

Next December's cruise will likely be on the RCI Seranade OTS which is a Radiance class (2,400 passengers) ship. It's a really good deal.  We've found fewer people book cruises in early December, hence better prices and fewer passengers on board. We are okay with a smaller ship, actually like them.

Edited April 5, 2022 by mac66

[mac66]

I actually figured out the difference in price between a suite and an inside/balcony on the Serenade. It it 6.6 times more expensive for a suite than an inside or 4 times for a balcony.  So 6 cruises in an inside or 4 balcony cabins or 1 suite?

 

I imagine doing the Haven would be even more than that.

Edited April 6, 2022 by mac66