Norwegian vs Celebrity

[swjumbo]

Hello Norwegian Fans!
We normally only cruise Celebrity got chatting to someone who only cruises Norwegian. We did a bit of YouTube and online stuff and are wondering if we’ve been missing something.

Tried a short Cunard trip last year and we intend to return in 30 years when we’re the correct age.

The premium drinks package on Celebrity is great but yours looks better!

We’re getting a ‘new’ Celebrity ship based in the UK next year with infinite verandas (yuck) so we’re looking to move elsewhere and Norwegian looks good.

Have any of you cruised with Celebrity and how would you compare it to Norwegian?

Thanks a lot.

[curlstravel]

We have cruised Celebrity and many NCL cruises. The reason we love NCL better is because of their entertainment and all of the restaurant choices. We felt like celebrity was a little bit boring for us. You never run out of things to do on NCL.

[Liljo22]

I love NCL but just be aware that you are comparing a premium cruise line with a mass market one.  You can have a great time as long as you understand some of the services are going to be a step down from what you expect from Celebrity.  I don't think the step down is far but if you go in trying to compare Celebrity and NCL item by item, you might be disappointed.  

[pete_coach]

We have cruised both although not the new Celebrity Edge class.

The NCL ships tend to be more kid orientated with the rides, games, slides etc.

Celebrity is more adult orientated.

We have done cruises during kid friendly dates and out of those dates and can say, we will not again cruise during spring break, summer and holidays on any NCL ships.

Seems both lines have changed their "service" and it is not as it used to be.

Complaints about NCL have been about the entertainment, or lack of it, and the reservations system for it. Our last NCL cruise we could not get to see the Beatles show unless we lined up for well over an hour before.

Cabins are almost the same.

Food is almost the same (and food is very personal and subjective)

Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks.

 

 

[mjkacmom]

4 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

We have cruised both although not the new Celebrity Edge class.

The NCL ships tend to be more kid orientated with the rides, games, slides etc.

Celebrity is more adult orientated.

We have done cruises during kid friendly dates and out of those dates and can say, we will not again cruise during spring break, summer and holidays on any NCL ships.

Seems both lines have changed their "service" and it is not as it used to be.

Complaints about NCL have been about the entertainment, or lack of it, and the reservations system for it. Our last NCL cruise we could not get to see the Beatles show unless we lined up for well over an hour before.

Cabins are almost the same.

Food is almost the same (and food is very personal and subjective)

Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks.

 

 

On a three week cruise, definitely.

[oldplayer532]

Just my short observation on Alaska from cruising both- Celebrity food and ports duration much better. What NCL did with Victoria and Ketchikan ports for Bliss and Encore is barely acceptable!

Edited May 9, 2023 by oldplayer532
spelling

[oldplayer532]

And entertainment was excellent on Solstise Alaska, including almost daily naturalist, violinist, and illusionist Jason Bishop(who is famous now and traveling with his shows).

[graphicguy]

Have sailed Solstice (albeit, many years ago) the Edge and Apex.  Balcony cabins to the Retreat.

 

Have sailed over a dozen NCL ships from the SS Norway (right before it blew up) to the Breakaway Plus Class ships)….Solo Cabins to the Haven.

 

Capt Kate really made the EDGE a wonderful cruise.  First and only time I’ve ever said that about the Captain on ANY ship, on any cruise line.  Edge Class ships are beautiful.  Food is comparable to NCL.  More (and better) art work on Celebrity.  Plus, they have a wonderful live plant sculptures throughout the ships.  You won’t find any rock walls or race tracks.  And, they tend to become a ghost town after 10:00 p.m.  Service is comparable to NCL.  My “go to” place on the EDGE class was the Magic Carpet….great venue to be outdoors, mingle with friends with cocktails.  Entertainment is on the smaller side, with more single/duo groups performing throughout.

 

NCL’s deserved claim to fame is their entertainment.  The main shows are Broadway and Vegas caliber….literally.  I’ve seen Million Dollar Quartet, Blue Man Group, Six, Choir of Man, Rock of Ages, and probably one or two more that escape me.  All were great. Easy to get seats in those. Even the smaller shows like Beatles and the Fleetwood Mac tribute bands are so good, and so popular, you do indeed have to line up 30+ minutes to see them.  They are really that good.  On the larger NCL ships, they tend to have more Specialty dining restaurants, which are included in their Free at Sea package, as is the drink package (the lowest rung works fine for me as I’m able to find something I like on it, as it’s extensive).

 

Service is comparable on both, but NCL does have venues for kids that Celebrity does not.  If you choose your dates wisely, you’ll miss most of the kids on your sailing (stay away from Holiday school breaks and most summer sailings that fall when school is out).

 

NCL’s “go to” venue for me is the Observation Lounge…a 270º+ view, windowed area with seats, couches, a bar, and snacks.  Again, great place to hang with friends and family. 

 

Energy level is higher on NCL than Celebrity.

 

All have clean, well kept ships.  All sail similar itineraries.  A shared stop at one port is going to be the similar on either line.

 

If you want lots to do with great entertainment, I’d choose NCL.  If you’re looking for a more laid back type of cruise, Celebrity is your line.

 

 

Edited May 9, 2023 by graphicguy

[pete_coach]

24 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

On a three week cruise, definitely.

I dunno.

Ours is a 14 day cruise and that makes it $60 per day on gratuities alone (@18%). That is a lot of drinks. 🙂

[Liljo22]

3 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

I dunno.

Ours is a 14 day cruise and that makes it $60 per day on gratuities alone (@18%). That is a lot of drinks. 🙂

On NCL or Celebrity?  NCL is 20% on the $109 value of the drink package so its $21.80 per day not $60.  

[mjkacmom]

13 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

I dunno.

Ours is a 14 day cruise and that makes it $60 per day on gratuities alone (@18%). That is a lot of drinks. 🙂

That is incorrect.

[pete_coach]

10 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

On NCL or Celebrity?  NCL is 20% on the $109 value of the drink package so its $21.80 per day not $60.  

On NCL, 14 days  and I said the gratuity was $830 ($415 each) which was wrong, it is actually $870.26, and when we bought the gratuity was 18%

 

"Bev Srv Charge 870.26  Guest 1 - 435.13 Guest 2 - 435.13"

You can get a lot of alcohol for $870.

Edited May 9, 2023 by pete_coach

[pete_coach]

1 minute ago, mjkacmom said:

That is incorrect.

What is incorrect???

I just looked at my invoice and this is on it

"Bev Srv Charge 870.26  Guest 1 - 435.13 Guest 2 - 435.13"

 

[Liljo22]

3 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

On NCL, 14 days  and I said the gratuity was $830 ($415 each) which was wrong, it is actually $870.26, and when we bought the gratuity was 18%

 

"Bev Srv Charge 870.26  Guest 1 - 435.13 Guest 2 - 435.13"

You can get a lot of alcohol for $870.

Is that Canadian Dollar?  That might be why it looks off to us.  

[Liljo22]

Service charges on a  14 day cruise in USD is $305.20 per person which comes to an average of 2 drinks per day per person.  

[pete_coach]

23 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Is that Canadian Dollar?  That might be why it looks off to us.  

Yes.

[StellaTN]

Just a note for the OP - we have cruised twice on Celebrity Edge class (and two more booked for 2024 and 2025). You can solve that Infinite Veranda problem by getting a Sunset Veranda room (SV) - must book early, they fill up! 

We're going on the NCL Viva later this year, so your thread interests me. We tend to steer away from kid-friendly ships - would prefer adult-only. 

[DCGuy64]

26 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Service charges on a  14 day cruise in USD is $305.20 per person which comes to an average of 2 drinks per day per person.  

Yeah I was about to say.... The per day drink gratuity is not much at all. It's 18% on top of $118, which is ~ $21.80, aka two drinks (if that). Our cruise in November is a 10 day, and the gratuity is $218. That's a bargain as far as I'm concerned! @pete_coach is paying CAD $31.08 per person per day, which is USD $23.26 at today's exchange rate. That's still a bargain.

[Panhandle Couple]

2 hours ago, swjumbo said:

Hello Norwegian Fans!
We normally only cruise Celebrity got chatting to someone who only cruises Norwegian. We did a bit of YouTube and online stuff and are wondering if we’ve been missing something.

Tried a short Cunard trip last year and we intend to return in 30 years when we’re the correct age.

The premium drinks package on Celebrity is great but yours looks better!

We’re getting a ‘new’ Celebrity ship based in the UK next year with infinite verandas (yuck) so we’re looking to move elsewhere and Norwegian looks good.

Have any of you cruised with Celebrity and how would you compare it to Norwegian?

Thanks a lot.

I have never sailed Celebrity, but a little info on NCL.

 

The ship does matter.  Different generations have different items.  All have specialty restaurants, but the larger the ship, the more they have.  Haven is not on the older ships, but is on the newer ones. (And I am probably missing a few here)

The older smaller ships are more basic:  Sun, Sky, Spirit, Dawn.

The middle aged ones: Jewel, Gem, Pearl, Jade.  

One- off Large: Epic

BA: BreakAway, Getaway, Escape

BA+:  Bliss, Joy, Encore

Newest: Prima, Viva (coming soon)

 

So please look at the type of ship when you are choosing your cruise.

 

We enjoy the BA/BA+ ships due to the outside decks (Ocean 876 concept) and the Aft Spice H2O deck. Also Syd Normans/Cavern Club bars.  But they have very large slides, go cart tracks, big arcades for younger customers as well.  And with over 4,000 on board, the pool areas are always crowded.  However, the BA+ have 7 specialty restaurants, so lots of eating options.

 

 

[pete_coach]

3 minutes ago, DCGuy64 said:

Yeah I was about to say.... The per day drink gratuity is not much at all. It's 18% on top of $118, which is ~ $21.80, aka two drinks (if that). Our cruise in November is a 10 day, and the gratuity is $218. That's a bargain as far as I'm concerned! @pete_coach is paying CAD $31.08 per person per day, which is USD $23.26 at today's exchange rate. That's still a bargain.

That is gratuity, not the drink.

 

10 drinks at $12 per drink = $120.00 and gratuity is $21.60 but we don't drink 10 drinks per day.

I think this is enough for now. It all depends on how much one drinks.

Back to topic, we like both lines but for different reasons. We like Oceania as well but again, for different reasons. Reading the forums for the various cruse lines you will see praise and criticism of them all.

[DCGuy64]

2 minutes ago, pete_coach said:

That is gratuity, not the drink.

 

10 drinks at $12 per drink = $120.00 and gratuity is $21.60 but we don't drink 10 drinks per day.

I think this is enough for now. It all depends on how much one drinks.

Back to topic, we like both lines but for different reasons. We like Oceania as well but again, for different reasons. Reading the forums for the various cruse lines you will see praise and criticism of them all.

If you have the all-inclusive beverage package, you ONLY pay for the gratuity. The cost of the package is already built into the cost of your cabin. My point is that saying you're being charged $435 each for drinks is misleading, because the cost per day is a measly $31.05. Now if you don't drink at all, then drop the beverage package altogether.

[swjumbo]

29 minutes ago, StellaTN said:

Just a note for the OP - we have cruised twice on Celebrity Edge class (and two more booked for 2024 and 2025). You can solve that Infinite Veranda problem by getting a Sunset Veranda room (SV) - must book early, they fill up! 

We're going on the NCL Viva later this year, so your thread interests me. We tend to steer away from kid-friendly ships - would prefer adult-only. 

Thank you. We prefer to be midships or at the front and don’t intend paying for a suite for the privilege of a side balcony.

We prefer to sail from the UK as we’re not far from the South coast. Did the Edge class last year (in a suite) but prefer the traditional layout cruise ship and because Celebrity is taking our beloved Silhouette away we’re looking for other options.

Cruising up to 4 times a year will not be pleasant stuck at the back!

P&O is not our cup of tea, nor MSC and we stumbled upon NCL hence the original question.

Thanks to the other posters. Makes interesting reading.

 

[pete_coach]

Just now, DCGuy64 said:

If you have the all-inclusive beverage package, you ONLY pay for the gratuity. The cost of the package is already built into the cost of your cabin. My point is that saying you're being charged $435 each for drinks is misleading, because the cost per day is a measly $31.05. Now if you don't drink at all, then drop the beverage package altogether.

Never said that.

In response to cruise line differences, I ended with saying "Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks. "

It was not meant to be a debate or change of topic it was part of an overall comment. I paid because I wanted to.

 

I also did say, back to the topic.

[DCGuy64]

1 minute ago, pete_coach said:

Never said that.

In response to cruise line differences, I ended with saying "Drink packages are very personal thing. On our upcoming NCL we got a free drink package but had to pay $830 drink gratuity fee (for the 2 of us). Kinda make you wonder if you would even spend $830 for drinks. "

It was not meant to be a debate or change of topic it was part of an overall comment. I paid because I wanted to.

 

I also did say, back to the topic.

Your post read very much like a "why should I have to pay $830 to get free drinks?" I have seen this kind of post oodles of times on Cruise Critic, it appears that the poster is complaining about the fact that he paid for Free at Sea including drinks and then is mad he has to pay gratuity on top of it (forgetting that people who buy drinks as they go ALSO have to pay gratuity). I have gotten used to reading this kind of post, but the poster frequently leaves out the fact that, like in your case, it's a 14 day cruise. You have to break that $830 down to the cost per day, and it's in CAD as well. An unsuspecting American reader might see that as a shock, but once it's broken down to per day and also converted to USD, it isn't so shocking. That's my point. Other lines charge WAY more, I've gotten beverage packages on Carnival and Royal that were vastly more expensive.

[DCGuy64]

And, FYI, @pete_coach, I'm not trying to attack you, only to make you aware of how your post read to this particular reader.