Norwegian Newbie! Comparisons, Please

[CruzerDeb]

I’m thinking of booking a Norwegian cruise out of San Juan because I love the So. Caribbean itinerary. I’ve never sailed NCL before, but have a few Carnival, Princess & Celebrity cruises. 
 

What can I expect from NCL?

[9tee2Sea]

1 hour ago, CruzerDeb said:

I’m thinking of booking a Norwegian cruise out of San Juan because I love the So. Caribbean itinerary. I’ve never sailed NCL before, but have a few Carnival, Princess & Celebrity cruises. 
 

What can I expect from NCL?

Carnival....louder patrons ( maybe a bit younger), but good happy hour drink specials.

Princess.....pretty subdued.  Lots of entertainment takes place in Main floor piazza.  Production shows are really good.   If you have the drink package, always ask for a double pour.  A bit more mature crowd than Carnival

Norwegian....Just do what you feel like doing.  No shows in the main piazza area, but they do have many lounges/bars for evening entertainment.  Production shows are so-so.  They have a good Indian food selection in the buffett.  As for the clientele, NCL has a bit more passengers with mobility issues.  

I sail with NCL the most, but have been on the others ( except celebrity). I like any cruise ship, just as long as it stays afloat.  Its the itinerary that mattes which ship I choose

[vswan]

Which ship are you looking at? The newer ships have all the bells and whistles, the older are more relaxed which are the ones I like. Haven't done Carnival, but have done Princess and Celebrity. In reality, unless you've been on any line within the past year or so it's tough to compare with all of the cutbacks on most lines.

 

My advice, if the itinerary appeals to you at a price that is within reason, book it. I've never had a bad cruise and NCL can be fun. I find their drink and dining packages very reasonably priced and there is a good mix of passengers. Atmosphere is laid back and just do what you want when you want.

[Ellis1138]

NCL is my favorite because I'm fairly casual and I don't dress up. I want to eat at the time I want and not have to be beholden to seating times. 

 

So far, NCL has had the absolute best response to my health and allergy issues. I do fill out the form and contact the Access Desk, and when I get on board, I'm taken care of. NCL goes beyond, at least they have for me. Like, on Royal Caribbean or any land restaurant, they will let me know what food does or doesn't have my allergens in it and let me choose from the ones that don't. On NCL, I choose the night before from the menus and if I want a dish that would normally have allergens in it, they will make me a version that doesn't have them! (MDR only. The Buffet is still "here is what you can and can't have.")

 

That said, I haven't been on all the different lines. I can't afford most of them. 

[vswan]

Which of the lines that you've sailed have you liked the best? What did you like about them? That would give us a better idea of what might appeal to you. I would add that I've sailed on HAL many times and although many feel they are "old" I've found there S. caribbean itineraries wonderful in the past and I would compare them to Celebrity or Princess. I would compare NCL more closely with Royal. Haven't done Carnival, so no idea where they would fit.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

I’m thinking of booking a Norwegian cruise out of San Juan because I love the So. Caribbean itinerary. I’ve never sailed NCL before, but have a few Carnival, Princess & Celebrity cruises. What can I expect from NCL?

We have cruised for decades on many US and European cruise lines. What attracts us to NCL is that they embrace the concept of Freestyle Cruising. I am on a Caribbean vacation. I don't want to have to dress up. I want to eat when I am hungry and when it fits my schedule.  I don't want to eat with anyone else. I like good lounge music with live music everywhere. We hate "party boats"... those days are long gone and we find that kind of cruise annoying. 

Edited October 30, 2023 by BirdTravels

[shoptom]

17 hours ago, CruzerDeb said:

What can I expect from NCL?

 

Higher service fees combined with lower service.  Don't get me wrong, it's all good cruising.  But those are my notes compared to Carnival, MSC, Royal, and Virgin last year.

[CruzerDeb]

9 minutes ago, shoptom said:

 

Higher service fees combined with lower service.  Don't get me wrong, it's all good cruising.  But those are my notes compared to Carnival, MSC, Royal, and Virgin last year.

I did watch a YouTube video on NCL Vive yesterday and, though it’s a beautiful ship, I did notice a lot of up charge things and the gratuities are much higher!

[mjkacmom]

56 minutes ago, CruzerDeb said:

I did watch a YouTube video on NCL Vive yesterday and, though it’s a beautiful ship, I did notice a lot of up charge things and the gratuities are much higher!

What was an up charge?

[dshefter]

And if you enjoy a nice post-dinner cigar, all of the top NCL ships have a cigar lounge. A nice amenity for me. Definitely not as loud as Carnival. Haven't sailed Royal in awhile, and haven't been on any of the line's megaships. Princess is solid. But we have stuck with NCL for all of our recent cruises.

[Liljo22]

26 minutes ago, mjkacmom said:

What was an up charge?

Speedway

Galaxy Pavilion

Vibe

Darts

 

 

[Treasure Hunter]

Bowling

[schmoopie17]

Whenever this question comes up (and it comes up a lot), I always have two responses:

 

Your deposit on NCL is fully refundable up until final payment. That's a huge advantage.

 

If you or your spouse are veteran's NCL offers a 10% discount off the cabin fare.

[mjkacmom]

16 minutes ago, Liljo22 said:

Speedway

Galaxy Pavilion

Vibe

Darts

 

 

I think some stuff comes with a charge because otherwise most wouldn’t get a chance to use it, like the speedway (I think it’s still hard to get a reservation). I wouldn’t count vibe as an up charge, you are paying for a spot with low crowds, that’s the selling point. There is also spice h20 but good luck finding a chair. The thermal spa and arcade cost extra, but I assume the other lines charge as well.

[CCJack]

You could get a lot of differing opinions on this topic.   My 2 cents.......... (our last cruise was NCL Joy, but previously on RCCL, Celebrity, Cunard, Viking, others) 

 

Food: I thought the food on Joy was outstanding, MDR, SD and even the buffet. Better than the other lines. 

Value:  NCL seems to me to be the best value.  For us, we lately have been more interested in spending our money on the destination / itinerary even if if means going with a lesser cost cruise line.

Entertainment:  On the Joy, we had one production show which was very good, but everything else seemed so-so..... a victim of budget cutting I suspect.   A Beatles tribute band was good, but they had them play 3 nights with different song list and re-titled the "name" of the show to get 3 nights main entertainment from one band.  

Ship:  Joy was fine.  Very clean and no complaints.  Not as beautiful and unique as Celebrity, Cunard, or RCCL.  Cabin was great,  they all seem to be the same across cruise lines now.

Free-Style cruising:  I like the tradition of more formal dress, but have grown to hate packing a lot of clothes, so informal is fine with us now.   However, free-style isn't really free style in terms of schedules.  On the Joy, it becomes a challenge to get the reservation times before anyone else, otherwise you end up going to entertainment / dinners at whatever times they have left (if they have any at all) which isn't really Free Style.  

 

[CruzerDeb]

6 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

What was an up charge?

Adults only pool area

[dhanakorn]

This is a review from NCL Epic from San Juan a couple years ago. Maybe it can give you a glimpse of what you will experience on NCL ship.

 

 

[D_And_K_gocruising]

You have to get as close to apples to apples as you can by booking equal stuff on other lines.. You mention upcharge for adult only pool area.. I guess you are talking Vibe?  Spice H2O unless I'm mistaken isnt charged for. 

 

[CruzerDeb]

1 hour ago, dhanakorn said:

This is a review from NCL Epic from San Juan a couple years ago. Maybe it can give you a glimpse of what you will experience on NCL ship.

 

 

Thank you for linking this review! I will definitely read it. 

[RedwingHockeyFan]

The Southern Caribbean sailings for the next couple of years will be on the Viva.  And since the ship is new, the prices are at a premium.

[graphicguy]

21 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

I think some stuff comes with a charge because otherwise most wouldn’t get a chance to use it, like the speedway (I think it’s still hard to get a reservation). I wouldn’t count vibe as an up charge, you are paying for a spot with low crowds, that’s the selling point. There is also spice h20 but good luck finding a chair. The thermal spa and arcade cost extra, but I assume the other lines charge as well.

Yeah.....the Galaxy Pavilion, Go-Carts, VIBE, etc aren't even available on other cruise lines.  I know the charge for bowling on the MSC Meriviglia was pretty hefty too.

 

It's not apples to apples.

 

If you don't want to do VR (Galaxy) or the Go Carts or the VIBE (Spic H20 is a good free alternative for adults), you won't incur charges for them.

 

So, kind of a fallacy about extra charges.  Yeah, there are some. But mostly it's for activities that you can't even get on other cruise lines.

 

New ships (Prima and Viva) are smaller and probably the most different from all the NCL ships.  Getaway/Breakaway have most of the goodies (like Ocean al fresco areas for dining and dining, which is great for a Caribbean itinerary).  Breakaway Plus ships are largest and good for Alaska cruises.  They also have all the "bells and whistles" (racetracks, VR, Waterfront, etc).

 

The Jewel class are smaller and usually less expensive as are the Dawn, Sky, Spirit, Sun are the most intimate and oldest in the fleet.

 

POA does only Hawaiian cruises.

 

Differences?  NCL does "Freestyle" better than any of the other cruise lines.  One of the main reasons (in addition to their service and ships) I like sailing them.  I literally have never made a reservation in advance.  And, I dress how the weather and itinerary dictate.  Free at Sea is a good deal for drinks and specialty dining compared to the drink and dining packages on other cruise lines.

Edited November 1, 2023 by graphicguy

[hallux]

1 hour ago, graphicguy said:

Yeah.....the Galaxy Pavilion, Go-Carts, VIBE, etc aren't even available on other cruise lines.

Royal has bumper cars on some or all of the Quantum-class ships (competitor ships in size to the BA/BA+ ships on NCL).  When I sailed on Anthem there was no fee for that activity but the line was horrific, and there were several rounds where groups of kids had friends staged in line near the front so they would get off the cars and filter in with their friends.  There was ZERO 'policing' of the line.

 

That's about the closest comparison to NCL's go-karts on other lines.

[Liljo22]

8 hours ago, hallux said:

Royal has bumper cars on some or all of the Quantum-class ships (competitor ships in size to the BA/BA+ ships on NCL).  When I sailed on Anthem there was no fee for that activity but the line was horrific, and there were several rounds where groups of kids had friends staged in line near the front so they would get off the cars and filter in with their friends.  There was ZERO 'policing' of the line.

 

That's about the closest comparison to NCL's go-karts on other lines.

I think the bumper cars are free but on the same class is the Northstar and Ifly that are both an up charge.  

[Liljo22]

On 10/31/2023 at 10:29 AM, shoptom said:

 

Higher service fees combined with lower service.  Don't get me wrong, it's all good cruising.  But those are my notes compared to Carnival, MSC, Royal, and Virgin last year.

While NCL is still higher at $20, Royal just announced they are increasing their DSC by $2.00 pppd starting 11/11.

[cruiser2015]

2 hours ago, Liljo22 said:

I think the bumper cars are free but on the same class is the Northstar and Ifly that are both an up charge.  

When did they start charging for the Northstar and Ifly?