Celebrity vs NCL, which is better

[momofmab]

Neither is "better" - it really depends on what you are looking for in a cruise (itinerary, ship size, etc.).

 

We just cruised Celebrity for the first time on Beyond (Caribbean itinerary).  Previously we've cruised NCL (on Sun, Spirit, Dawn, & Jewel - upper suite class on all) and Royal (Liberty, Freedom - suite class & Oasis) and in my foolish youth, Carnival.  It's possible that I have nowhere near the number of cruises under my belt to be qualified to have an opinion, nonetheless you may find some of the below useful.

 

My observations about Celebrity:

 

An older demographic.  This is not a bad thing, necessarily, but it's something to keep in mind.  We're in our 50's and were on the young side for our cruise.  Someone in their 30's might find Celebrity a little "sleepy".

 

Ship design was more refined, less like a traditional cruise ship.  I personally loved the more modern, neutral color palette.  There was no single "wow" factor on Beyond (except for maybe the elephant sculpture at the pool) but everything was tastefully designed - lots of incredible art installations all over the ship.  It felt more like we were on a superyacht, rather than a cruise ship.  Beyond (and all Edge class, I believe) are designed with 4 smaller dining rooms, rather than the multi-story main dining on most NCL/RCCL ships.  My husband prefers the multi-story dining to Celebrity's design.

 

Things to do. I didn't mind it because I love just reading & relaxing by the pool with a drink in my hand, but others may find that there's not as many activities during sea days on Celebrity.  Kids would get bored quickly (even my 20-somethings would get bored).  I loved that Celebrity doesn't have crazy waterslides and rock walls and racetracks hanging off the ship, but if you have kids, Celebrity is probably not the best choice.

 

Food is subjective, obviously.  I loved mostly everything I tried on Celebrity.  I have a sweet tooth and felt that they excelled at their desserts and pastries, when compared to other lines.  NCL in particular for me, always has great looking desserts that end up tasting bland.  Pizza on Celebrity was the best I've had, compared to NCL & RCCL.  We dined in 3 specialty restaurants - the steakhouse concept is comparable to Cagney's.  I've always loved Le Bistro on NCL and their teppanyaki restaurant.  Celebrity, I would say, has less eating options outside of the main dining and buffet.  We did get a little bored with the options on Celebrity after about the 5th day.

 

Both my husband and I loved Celebrity and said we'd sail it again, but maybe 5 years from now.

Edited January 29, 2023 by momofmab

[jules181]

I went on my first celebrity cruise in November, I'm platinum on NCL.

 

Generally cruise solo, and they had a really good solo deal. 

 

Was on the Solstice. 

 

Ship design and aesthetics, celebrity won. Very ornate and oppulant, the observation lounge was amazing.  

 

Food NCL hands down. Comparing MDR to MDR, celebrity seems to be anchored to the traditional cruise menus which use ingredients that are not cheap (and you can tell they're sacrificing quality just to keep the menu). Celebrity tends to do really cool and interesting things because they aren't anchored to the traditional menu. There's no lobster night, but I'd rather have something else done well as opposed to a mushy, small lobster tail, just to have lobster.  The one thing I loved on celebrity was the escargot. And the rack of lamb on celebrity was out of this world. But aside from those two dishes, everything else was boring.  NCL has a varied menu, that I've never been disappointed with, the daily rotations are consistently prepared well.  Also, celebrity has a more traditional aka stuffy vibe around the MDR. They wouldn't let me in wearing shorts, I didn't mind dressing up for formal nights. Working from home has a collection of suits that have gone neglected. But I do much prefer the liberal attitude you find on an NCL ship. 

 

Entertainment, NCL hands down, there's no question. On celebrity it's just the theatre. No duelling pianos, no nightly comedy club. No production show. There weren't even a lot of musicians/singers in venues around the ship. 

 

Drink package, NCL wins.  I had an 'everything included' fare and the menu of drinks I could order without an upcharge was pathetically small. I ended upgrading on day two to burn some OBC.  Even common drinks you would expect to be included like am Aperol spritz had an upcharge.  The plus for celebrity, specialty coffee included in the base drink package and it's better than the Starbucks swill served on NCL.  Also, on celebrity there are entire bars that don't carry liquor included in the base package so you're charged $6 extra for any drink on the menu. 

 

Service was comparable NCL seems to  recruit from different third world countries than celebrity.  But the standard of service is there. 

 

Also, and this is the biggest one, I'm in my mid-thirties. I found celebrity to be an older crowd. 50s-70s.  Not HAL, tripping over walkers in the hallway old, but definitely on the older side. Where as NCL tended to have more people around my age.  I appreciate the vibe on NCL more because of that.

 

I'd do another celebrity cruise if the price is right, I thoroughly enjoyed it, but my preference will be NCL. 

[Beer Belly]

8 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Ever hear of a concept called sample size.  A single cruise on NCL doesn't cut it since there are differences between ships in the NCL fleet let alone comparing it to ships from other fleets.  When you hit 10 cruises, then you have a great sample size in order to make a quantitative decision as to which ship is better.

What ship / cruise line is better depends on ones perception. Someone who has sailed multiple cruise lines and / or multiple cruises may be looking for something different than others. For instance, we enjoy Syd Normans Pour House on NCL, where others have stated the couldn't stand 70's and 80's music played in that venue. 

[jules181]

Also the differences are in the details. The similarities are the core. 

 

You could put me on any ship on any of the major lines and I guarantee you I'll have a good time. There are plusses and minuses to each line and ship.   But remember, you're on vacation, on a floating resort.  You are pampered beyond belief and don't have to worry about a single thing.  If you fail to enjoy it, that's on you. Not the cruise line. 

[momofmab]

47 minutes ago, jules181 said:

Entertainment, NCL hands down, there's no question. On celebrity it's just the theatre. No duelling pianos, no nightly comedy club. No production show. There weren't even a lot of musicians/singers in venues around the ship. 

 

Agree with this.  We were a little bored at night on Celebrity.  Not that we are "Burn-the-House-to-the-Ground" partiers but most of the after 9 social scene on our cruise centered around the martini bar and a few singers, who I couldn't figure out whether they were paid singers or karaoke.  There were some late-night performances in Eden that we didn't go to (you had to go super early to get a seat), but they were located in a secluded restaurant in the aft area of the ship.

 

I did like that no one bugged me about photos on Celebrity.  I didn't see any cheezy set ups for photos getting onboard or off at the ports with costumed characters, like you see on other lines.  The photographers were around on the "chic dress" nights, but they weren't bugging anyone.  Also, no solicitations for drink packages or specialty dining, like I'd see on RCCL. Those things are pluses for me!

 

[sofmall]

NCL used to be our favourite cruiseline and we are Sapphire loyalty level. However, now that the Free at Sea offer isn't an option, we'll no longer be booking. Celebrity is our choice now.

We used to be able to book our NCL cruises minus the Free at Sea promotion. Naturally it's not really free, it's a gimmick. The alcohol package especially... naturally extra cost is built into the fare to cover everyone having free alcohol. But... we're not drinkers! Nor do we want the internet package anymore - now that my husband has retired and won't need to keep tabs on his business we want to enjoy freedom from that technology. The shore excursion credit is worthless as the ship's tours are mega expensive and we always book independent tours. The free specialty dining... don't need, we get enough of that with our loyalty level.

So for us, there's no point. We'd be paying for perks that many might love, but they're no use to us. 

[sharonann24]

2 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

What ship / cruise line is better depends on ones perception. Someone who has sailed multiple cruise lines and / or multiple cruises may be looking for something different than others. For instance, we enjoy Syd Normans Pour House on NCL, where others have stated the couldn't stand 70's and 80's music played in that venue. 

Syd Norman's rocked!  We are in our 60's and loved that place!

[CruizinSusan70]

10 hours ago, TiredofTheGame said:

And If i might ask, What was the year that you started sailing?

1986, with 6 cruises on NCL and 2 currently booked and 7 cruises on Celebrity with 2 currently booked. 49 cruises in total.

[CruizinSusan70]

6 hours ago, OttawaJohn said:

That's rather harsh.  By that logic, people  who've not cruised that much shouldn't even be on these forums posting, since they've not cruised enough to have value to their comments.  I understand you may have meant specifically about comments about the comparisons between lines, but even then, people should feel welcome to comment on their experiences, regardless of if they are a new cruiser or have had the privilege of going a dozen times.

There are differences between lines and there are also differences between different ships within the same line.  You can't really compare the newest build of each line with the oldest ship that is over 20+ years old.  It's also not fair to write off an entire line based upon a single sailing.  

The larger the sample size the more realistic the results are with statistics, the same is true with cruise ship comparisons and evaluations.

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, Beer Belly said:

What ship / cruise line is better depends on ones perception. Someone who has sailed multiple cruise lines and / or multiple cruises may be looking for something different than others. For instance, we enjoy Syd Normans Pour House on NCL, where others have stated the couldn't stand 70's and 80's music played in that venue. 

No question perception comes into it, but it's a safe bet that if someone doesn't like 70's and 80's music at Syd Norman's, they more than likely would not like to sail on Celebrity.

[Oxo]

12 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Ever hear of a concept called sample size.  A single cruise on NCL doesn't cut it since there are differences between ships in the NCL fleet let alone comparing it to ships from other fleets.  When you hit 10 cruises, then you have a great sample size in order to make a quantitative decision as to which ship is better.

This is not to flame you, but to answer your 'concept called sample size.'

You have been cruising since:

'1986, with 6 cruises on NCL and 2 currently booked and 7 cruises on Celebrity with 2 currently booked. 49 cruises in total.'

 

We have been cruising since 1986. We cruised last year 2022 on RCI 2x, MSC 2x, NCL Breakaway 2x, Prima 12 and 7 day cruises, and Celebrity 1x. So, that makes 9 cruises in 2022.

This year we are cruising RCI 2x, MSC 2x, Celebrity 2x and NCL Joy and Bliss 1x each for 8 times in 2023. We have also cruised Princess and many times in top 3 cruisers and HAL as Copper.

We have a total of 135 cruises not counting this year. 

Do we qualify as a 'concept called sample size?' Yes, we do.

 

So, here is our own opinion and it is our opinion. Wrote a long review and send it to the Prima General Manager whom we personally know and the new Prima General Manager. Send it to the NCL Entertainment Manager at NCL Main Office. Posted it on CC, too.

 

Prima 12 day NY to TX. Two MDRs w/fixed menu same menu every night. OK, nothing outstanding. Celebrity Apex 7 day 4 MDRs with different menu every night and special selection option in each MDR. Much better food, presentation and quality. 

 

Entertainment on Prima 7 day cruise. Nose Boys, Price is Right, Donna Summers required reservations very laborious to obtain as Touch Screens on ship not working properly. Had to go to Show Room and line up to get, could not do on-line. Yes, we were first on ship as we were on Prima 3 weeks prior so knew where to go and what to do. Only 3 shows and then comedian acts during the 7 nights. On the 12 night sailing they had the 3 shows and guest singers and comedians. 

If you wanted to attend Syds, you had to wait in line over an hour, no reservations. Only would accommodate about 50 people.

Atrium Bar and show area was too small and crowded. Even the NCL Entertainment Manager from NCL Main Office onboard and made the same comment. Not a place to watch entertainment nightly even when they had 4 different shows with couples, single guitar player, and a great black group.  

Celebrity Apex had shows every night and no reservations. No standing in line, etc. Big variety of entertainment. 

I could add much more, however, that is my opinion and I know others will disagree. 

 

Would I waste my time going on the Prima class again? NO. 

 

Your comments invited. 

 

[KKB]

9 hours ago, jules181 said:

 

Drink package, NCL wins.  I had an 'everything included' fare and the menu of drinks I could order without an upcharge was pathetically small. I ended upgrading on day two to burn some OBC.  Even common drinks you would expect to be included like am Aperol spritz had an upcharge.  The plus for celebrity, specialty coffee included in the base drink package and it's better than the Starbucks swill served on NCL.  Also, on celebrity there are entire bars that don't carry liquor included in the base package so you're charged $6 extra for any drink on the menu. 

 

Edited January 29, 2023 by KKB

[CruizinSusan70]

8 minutes ago, Oxo said:

This is not to flame you, but to answer your 'concept called sample size.'

You have been cruising since:

'1986, with 6 cruises on NCL and 2 currently booked and 7 cruises on Celebrity with 2 currently booked. 49 cruises in total.'

 

We have been cruising since 1986. We cruised last year 2022 on RCI 2x, MSC 2x, NCL Breakaway 2x, Prima 12 and 7 day cruises, and Celebrity 1x. So, that makes 9 cruises in 2022.

This year we are cruising RCI 2x, MSC 2x, Celebrity 2x and NCL Joy and Bliss 1x each for 8 times in 2023. We have also cruised Princess and many times in top 3 cruisers and HAL as Copper.

We have a total of 135 cruises not counting this year. 

Do we qualify as a 'concept called sample size?' Yes, we do.

 

So, here is our own opinion and it is our opinion. Wrote a long review and send it to the Prima General Manager whom we personally know and the new Prima General Manager. Send it to the NCL Entertainment Manager at NCL Main Office. Posted it on CC, too.

 

Prima 12 day NY to TX. Two MDRs w/fixed menu same menu every night. OK, nothing outstanding. Celebrity Apex 7 day 4 MDRs with different menu every night and special selection option in each MDR. Much better food, presentation and quality. 

 

Entertainment on Prima 7 day cruise. Nose Boys, Price is Right, Donna Summers required reservations very laborious to obtain as Touch Screens on ship not working properly. Had to go to Show Room and line up to get, could not do on-line. Yes, we were first on ship as we were on Prima 3 weeks prior so knew where to go and what to do. Only 3 shows and then comedian acts during the 7 nights. On the 12 night sailing they had the 3 shows and guest singers and comedians. 

If you wanted to attend Syds, you had to wait in line over an hour, no reservations. Only would accommodate about 50 people.

Atrium Bar and show area was too small and crowded. Even the NCL Entertainment Manager from NCL Main Office onboard and made the same comment. Not a place to watch entertainment nightly even when they had 4 different shows with couples, single guitar player, and a great black group.  

Celebrity Apex had shows every night and no reservations. No standing in line, etc. Big variety of entertainment. 

I could add much more, however, that is my opinion and I know others will disagree. 

 

Would I waste my time going on the Prima class again? NO. 

 

Your comments invited. 

 

Our last cruise prior to Covid was 7 days on the Edge and our first after COVID was a 5/7 B2B on the Apex.  The Edge class is our favorite out of the four different classes we have sailed on X going back to the Horizon in 1995. We are looking forward to our 18 day B2B on the Beyond in November.

On NCL we have cruised on 3 different ships in the Breakaway Plus class as well as the 11 day Prima cruise after you disembarked.  We enjoyed our Prima cruise, but there were many different problems with the entertainment.  Prior to the inaugural sailing, one of the main shows promoted was by Light Balance of AGT fame.  Show never materialized.  Game shows were listed as Price is Right, Press Your Luck, Supermarket Sweep and Beat the Clock.  Price as you know has premiered.  Press your luck was supposed to debut on our sailing, even having sign ups for prospective contestants.  A needed part which was supposed to arrive never did and I have not read about it debuting yet on a December live review. Obviously NCL is cutting back with their entertainment dollar since Noise Boys is no longer and nothing replaced Kinky Boots on the Encore.

We have a B2B planned on the Prima for the end of February.  Luckily we have Vibe passes for the first week.  Disappointed that Beef Wellington has been removed from the MDR menu, but as usual we don't make the rules, we just play the game.

[KKB]

Ok I can’t make a comment on my above post so I will here.

I don’t know WHAT was going on on your Celebrity cruise, but I drink an Aperol Spritz most nights of a cruise. 
9 Celebrity cruises in the last 9 years (4 in the last 18 mos) & NEVER was I charged extra for one.

 

We found the average age younger on our 3 E class cruises; rose on our Equinox 9 nighter…but we 50-60 something’s kept the party going late each night—silent discos, deck parties, night club. It is what u make it.

 

NCL shows rock. Celebrity Eclass ships r very good; weak on other ships.

 

IMO one reason we started doing Celebrity was they were & still are a notch up in service & food. MDR is best of mainstream lines, imo. Specialty is excellent as well but not necessary. 

NCL MDR is decent. Specialty is inconsistent,

Service? Also inconsistent. Superb on Getaway in Aug. Encore in Dec was tough—they seemed terribly understaffed.

 

But reports from both lines of cost cutting measures… now limited dinner buffet on Celebrity doesn’t bother me.

But if NCL cuts shows/Syd’s, cuts staff so much service suffers greatly…that would be a deal breaker. 

Edited January 29, 2023 by KKB

[Red-Sol]

18 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

Not being rude at all, just mentioning that your opinion that a single NCL cruise you went on was the best thing since sliced bread doesn't hold water.  In order to make a true comparison you need to have first hand experience on various cruise lines and hopefully on multiple ships in each line.  There are too many differences from ship to ship and line to line to make an all encompassing opinion based on a single cruise.

When your cruise history hits double digits, your opinions start to have value.

 

All of this of course is nothing more than your own opinion.

 

 

[CruizinSusan70]

16 minutes ago, Red-Sol said:

 

All of this of course is nothing more than your own opinion.

 

 

You're correct Joe, but the opinion of a previous poster who lambasted NCL off of a single sailing holds zero water. One cruise on any line shouldn't constitute an opinion for that entire line since there are so many deviations within every line ship to ship.

[DCGuy64]

14 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

You're correct Joe, but the opinion of a previous poster who lambasted NCL off of a single sailing holds zero water. One cruise on any line shouldn't constitute an opinion for that entire line since there are so many deviations within every line ship to ship.

Oh Susan, you're not really wrong, but you're also failing to "read the room." I am extremely picky about grammar and spelling, but I have to adjust my expectations because Cruise Critic isn't an English class or even a site for the grammar-obsessed like me. It also isn't a legal forum, so occasionally folks will weigh in on something they think is illegal, when maybe it isn't. Similarly, this isn't a site where statistical sample sizes and methodology are required. You're going off on someone because, in your view, his experience is too limited to make comparisons. That's true, but like I said, this isn't an internet forum on statistics, so why don't you give the guy a break? If someone bases his opinion on one line vs another based on just 1 or 2 cruises, just let him state his opinion and move on. No need to call him out for failing to live up to your expectations.

[DCGuy64]

On 1/27/2023 at 9:19 PM, fredflint said:

Starlink has not worked well on Ships from what I have read the satellites are moving pretty fast and the ship has some movement too.  When you are using starlink it is like being on a cell phone in a low flying airplane you are always changing towers.   Here is a decent article http://www.satmagazine.com/story.php?number=1026762698

 

Not even sure where the coverage is since they all circle the globe so to speak.

 

I have had good speed with RCCL VOOM to tell the truth.

Thanks, I tried to read the article you linked but it seemed quite technical and a bit too much "in the weeds" for me to understand it. Here's a link to a review from an RCCL passenger who seemed pretty impressed with it.

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by DCGuy64
Removed link

[ExArkie]

16 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

You're correct Joe, but the opinion of a previous poster who lambasted NCL off of a single sailing holds zero water. One cruise on any line shouldn't constitute an opinion for that entire line since there are so many deviations within every line ship to ship.

Just curious, how many sailings are required to constitute an opinion for the entire line?

 

From my experience, we had a horrible experience on HAL (really poor quality food, service was almost nonexistent, etc.) on our first time with them and I don't even consider HAL as an option when we're looking. Conversely, we had a great experience our first time on Cunard, NCL, and Celebrity and returned to book additional trips with each. Not all aspects always held up to their first time, but sometimes it was even better.

 

 

[KKB]

6 hours ago, ExArkie said:

Just curious, how many sailings are required to constitute an opinion for the entire line?

 

From my experience, we had a horrible experience on HAL (really poor quality food, service was almost nonexistent, etc.) on our first time with them and I don't even consider HAL as an option when we're looking. Conversely, we had a great experience our first time on Cunard, NCL, and Celebrity and returned to book additional trips with each. Not all aspects always held up to their first time, but sometimes it was even better.

Let's face it, it's tough to go back to a brand after a horrid experience.

That being said, I am well aware that things can be situational.

 

After 23 cruises I also know that differences are greater between ships & sailings than any individual line. (and goodness knows a 2 wk Hawaii cruise crowd will be different than a 4 night Caribbean cruise on any line...)

We find mainstream lines more alike than different.

 

Our 1st RCCL cruise (Mariner) was our least fav cruise. Still good. Looking back I think they had a horrid pompous CD...poor activity selection, his staff was run ragged as he did little himself.

Luckily we won a cruise on the Allure while on that cruise & for a long time it was our FAVORITE cruise!

SO--SAME LINE. ONE OUR FAV, ONE OUR LEAST FAV.

 

We just did our 1st Carnival cruise. I was warned it would not be up to the level of experiences on Celebrity/Princesss/RCCL/NCL/DCL.

Really?

I'd say we put it dead center--food was good, crew was fabulous. TONS of things to do.

 

That being said, do I feel I can speak to the "Carnival" experience after one cruise?

Nope.

Would I recommend  Carnival?

Yes...if they could sail a longer cruise (7 days min) with the crew we had.

Perhaps I will feel stronger about recommendations after another Carnival cruise.

 

 

 

 

Edited January 30, 2023 by KKB

[PTC DAWG]

I like both lines, NCL with kids, Celebrity when mine aren’t going..and mine are 30 years old. 🙂

 

 

[mstoo48279]

On 1/29/2023 at 8:14 AM, sofmall said:

NCL used to be our favourite cruiseline and we are Sapphire loyalty level. However, now that the Free at Sea offer isn't an option, we'll no longer be booking. Celebrity is our choice now.

We used to be able to book our NCL cruises minus the Free at Sea promotion. Naturally it's not really free, it's a gimmick. The alcohol package especially... naturally extra cost is built into the fare to cover everyone having free alcohol. But... we're not drinkers! Nor do we want the internet package anymore - now that my husband has retired and won't need to keep tabs on his business we want to enjoy freedom from that technology. The shore excursion credit is worthless as the ship's tours are mega expensive and we always book independent tours. The free specialty dining... don't need, we get enough of that with our loyalty level.

So for us, there's no point. We'd be paying for perks that many might love, but they're no use to us. 

 

At least for USA customers you can book a Sail Away package which is cheaper because it does not include any of the free at sea promotions.  You might want to check to see it that is available to you.

[sofmall]

10 minutes ago, mstoo48279 said:

 

At least for USA customers you can book a Sail Away package which is cheaper because it does not include any of the free at sea promotions.  You might want to check to see it that is available to you.

Yes, I've seen that sometimes too, but it doesn't allow you to choose your own cabin, at least that's the impression I have. Choosing our own is important, did a guarantee once for the heck of it and ended up very very forward.... couldn't use our balcony at all as the noise was immense, constantly. Not the lovely swishing and slapping of waves, but loud metallic banging constantly! It was on RC Ovation and looking back we should have enquired about it as perhaps we could have been moved. 
So we decided to give Celebrity another go and recently did two in the Mediterranean. Loved it! Have 2 more Celebrity cruises booked, but miss NCL and would book again in a heartbeat if the promotional package wasn't compulsory.

 

Edited August 15, 2023 by sofmall

[sofmall]

On 1/29/2023 at 11:39 PM, momofmab said:

Food is subjective, obviously.  I loved mostly everything I tried on Celebrity.  I have a sweet tooth and felt that they excelled at their desserts and pastries, when compared to other lines. 

 OH YES! Back to back on Celebrity a couple of months ago and those cakes and pastries were heaven! At home I only indulge on special occasions, but on cruises I indulge lunch and dinner time if the dessets and cakes are good... and I certainly did! Came home to find I weighed close to 2kg lighter! So now I know the secret to weight loss I'll keep doing it! 🙂 

[CruizinSusan70]

2 hours ago, mstoo48279 said:

 

At least for USA customers you can book a Sail Away package which is cheaper because it does not include any of the free at sea promotions.  You might want to check to see it that is available to you.

In general, they are either available fairly close to sailing or way ahead of time.  We just booked a 9 day sailing for May of 2025.  The price is the same either way for the base cruise.  The tips on the drink package is 21.80 pppd and miniscule for the 1 specialty dinner.