Celebrity vs. NCL - what's changed?

[schwartzy]

I have not been on a cruise in 7 years, but before that my husband and I went on a bunch of cruises. Almost all were on Celebrity but we also went on Norwegian and Holland America. Celebrity was definitely our favourite, especially Aqua class - we thought the food and service were much better than the other cruise lines. We're looking to cruise again soon, but reading reviews I'm seeing lots of complaints here about food quality going downhill on Celebrity, but very few complaints on the NCL boards, especially for their newer ships. Question - do we think that the quality has declined on Celebrity where now it is on par with the other lines? Or have they all declined? Are there just more complainers here? Or perhaps Celebrity fans set the bar higher? My husband is pushing for Celebrity because he says "it is better" but I'm not sure what to think. In the past we only chose NCL or Holland America because of the itinerary.

[brianz09]

I've sailed NCL and Celebrity recently.  I give the edge to Celebrity for overall food quality.  NCL isn't bad, I just think Celebrity is a little more elevated. 

[BettyCruiser]

I spent 15 nights on NCL Joy in January and 15 nights on Celebrity Silhouette in August/September. I thought the food was better on NCL, both MDR and Specialty restaurants. We were not in Aqua, so can't comment on Blu. The MDR had twice the number of choices on NCL, supposedly Celebrity will be adding more choices soon. I liked Cagney's better than Lawn Club Grill. I have not yet experienced only once a day servicing by the cabin steward on NCL, the Joy switched on the cruise after ours. That is one thing that I'm apprehensive about when it comes to NCL and other cruise lines that have changed to just once a day. 

 

I have future cruises booked on both Celebrity and NCL. 

[dandee2]

Just went on NCL Norwegian Dawn on a Med Cruise. We will not go anytime soon. My partner is coeliac (gluten-allergy). It was a chore to get someone who could help her around the buffet section and in the MDR. No such issue on Celebrity. It has nothing to do with the ship, the crew or the destination - it was just too much an assle for the food.  Cheers.

[ISABELLA]

On 11/14/2023 at 2:15 PM, schwartzy said:

I have not been on a cruise in 7 years, but before that my husband and I went on a bunch of cruises. Almost all were on Celebrity but we also went on Norwegian and Holland America. Celebrity was definitely our favourite, especially Aqua class - we thought the food and service were much better than the other cruise lines. We're looking to cruise again soon, but reading reviews I'm seeing lots of complaints here about food quality going downhill on Celebrity, but very few complaints on the NCL boards, especially for their newer ships. Question - do we think that the quality has declined on Celebrity where now it is on par with the other lines? Or have they all declined? Are there just more complainers here? Or perhaps Celebrity fans set the bar higher? My husband is pushing for Celebrity because he says "it is better" but I'm not sure what to think. In the past we only chose NCL or Holland America because of the itinerary.

We sailed in NCL Haven for the first time in May and thought food and service was by far better than our last cruise in AQ on Reflection (2019 - TA). And price was not much more than AQ. 

[hampshirelad]

Celebrity has been our main cruise line over 20 years. We have watched the quality go down and perks cut especially after Covid.

 

Last month we went with friends on NCL around Ireland. We had a  had a suite which is not full Haven as the ship did not have one. Lunch and Breakfast were taken in one of the special restaurants, which was top class, but the food in the main dining room of an evening was pretty grim.

 

The main strength we found were the staff who went the extra mile for you. However the down side was the noise especially in the dining room where everyone seemed to have to talk louder and louder to make themselves heard. Also there were a shortage of lounges where you could have a pre dinner drink.

I think full Haven will give Celebrity suite class real competition, I would not fancy a basic cabin on NCL.

[Annetted5591]

We have cruised on both lines and currently on NCL Prima. The service standard and food quality has definitely dropped. Here is a photo of us trying to get back on the ship in Livorno yesterday. NCL staff treated its guests like cattle.

[Cruise a holic]

We sail on Celebrity and Royal Oasis class ships.  Have sailed on NCL.  If you aren't in the Haven not the best experience- Food medicore at best and the layout of the ships poor.  Haven't been on NCL in a few years and will not go back again.  

 

The crowding and ships flow was horrible.

Edited November 16, 2023 by Cruise a holic

[George C]

I definitely think food quality has gone down in specialty and suite restaurants. One of my friends who is a retired chef did a Ncl cruise last month to Alaska and he loved the food which really surprised me.

[KKB]

On 11/14/2023 at 1:15 PM, schwartzy said:

I have not been on a cruise in 7 years, but before that my husband and I went on a bunch of cruises. Almost all were on Celebrity but we also went on Norwegian and Holland America. Celebrity was definitely our favourite, especially Aqua class - we thought the food and service were much better than the other cruise lines. We're looking to cruise again soon, but reading reviews I'm seeing lots of complaints here about food quality going downhill on Celebrity, but very few complaints on the NCL boards, especially for their newer ships. Question - do we think that the quality has declined on Celebrity where now it is on par with the other lines? Or have they all declined? Are there just more complainers here? Or perhaps Celebrity fans set the bar higher? My husband is pushing for Celebrity because he says "it is better" but I'm not sure what to think. In the past we only chose NCL or Holland America because of the itinerary.

People love to complain. I take it with a grain of salt (although when the MAJORITY say something, pay attention. I should have before sailing MSC...it's true, TOO many rude passengers!)

Funny--I've seen LOTS of complaints about NCL Prima (one of 2 newest ships)...we are going to try them in Jan!

 

We started sailing Celebrity 10 years ago & felt it was a SMALL step above other lines.

Having sailed 20 times in the last 2 years, 5 of those Celebrity & 4 NCL, Celebrity remains our fav line--ESPECIALLY Eclass ships.

 

THAT BEING SAID we find mainstream lines to be more alike than different--each ship (not just line) having things we like over others (ie Waterfront on NCL Breakaway class should be on ALL ships), and things that aren't as good. (production shows on Carnival, Princess & Celebrity older ships)

 

Crew--in nearly 40 cruises in 20 years we have never had anything but wonderful crew.

(ok, there may have been a handful of "ok" crew, but they are few)

We did have 1 NCL cruise where they were clearly understaffed & we were worried it was a cost cutting measure...but did not experience it on our next NCL cruise.

 

Food--have never gone hungry. Pretty much everything is good, quite a bit very good.

Even some excellent.

 

Entertainment--we have never been bored (well, one sailing on RCCL...bad CD).

We do prefer the production shows on NCL & RCCL as well as Celebrity Eclass ships.

But all have trivia, gameshows, pool games, Bingo/Deal or No Deal, musicians all over.

 

I have not seen any significant changes that have changed my cruising experience.

(other than NCL beginning to drop their Broadway shows...but if they can put out in house shows like Syd Norman's, I have hope)

 

If you loved Celebrity, give them a try again.

I especially recommend giving Eclass a try.

But I am a fan of NCL Breakaway class as well--but only if there is a Syds!

 

 

 

 

Edited November 16, 2023 by KKB

[MarKay525]

Long time X fans who took 2 cruises on the NCL Dawn several years ago and enjoyed the experience.

 

We don't currently have any Celebrity cruises booked as we are waiting to see how things shake out with all the changes. We've been pleased with X on our past cruises.

 

At the end of October, we took the NCL Escape from Manhattan to Bermuda. We knew the ship would be much larger than we were used to and felt we could deal with that. What we were not prepared for was the noise - we found the ship to be loud everywhere! (Ship was not at full capacity - had about the same number of passengers as found on the S Class.)

The Atrium is used for presentations, lectures & games and often had a crowd that spilled over in every direction. Made dining in O'Sheehan's noisy.

We found the buffet to be not well set up - very much like a  high school cafeteria - and loud no matter what time of day we were there. Food was OK.

The one dinner we had in the MDR was delicious and our specialty dining experiences were good.

We really enjoyed the Waterfront and saw Company of Man, which was excellent but not enough reason to sail NCL again.

Smoking is allowed in the casino, which is next to an open (smaller) atrium, so the smoke permeates all three decks in that area.

Our Club Balcony Suite (I use that word loosely) stateroom was serviced daily, but we never saw our room steward - had no idea who it was. [This category does not have access to the Haven.]

Everywhere we went there were lines - took us 1 hour of standing in line to get off the ship and our luggage tag was called at 8 am. Also, it seemed like half the ship was walking off with very large suitcases which made getting an elevator nearly impossible.

 

Celebrity is perhaps going downhill, but based on our recent experience on NCL, we'll stick with X.

 

Wishing you happy cruising with whatever you choose.

Edited November 16, 2023 by MarKay525

[ISABELLA]

On 11/16/2023 at 7:55 AM, Cruise a holic said:

We sail on Celebrity and Royal Oasis class ships.  Have sailed on NCL.  If you aren't in the Haven not the best experience- Food medicore at best and the layout of the ships poor.  Haven't been on NCL in a few years and will not go back again.  

 

The crowding and ships flow was horrible.

That is exactly our feeling after 30+cruises on X and 1 recent cruise in Haven. We enjoyed Haven more than our last in  AQ  in 2019.

[Ken the cruiser]

On 11/14/2023 at 1:15 PM, schwartzy said:

I have not been on a cruise in 7 years, but before that my husband and I went on a bunch of cruises. Almost all were on Celebrity but we also went on Norwegian and Holland America. Celebrity was definitely our favourite, especially Aqua class - we thought the food and service were much better than the other cruise lines. We're looking to cruise again soon, but reading reviews I'm seeing lots of complaints here about food quality going downhill on Celebrity, but very few complaints on the NCL boards, especially for their newer ships. Question - do we think that the quality has declined on Celebrity where now it is on par with the other lines? Or have they all declined? Are there just more complainers here? Or perhaps Celebrity fans set the bar higher? My husband is pushing for Celebrity because he says "it is better" but I'm not sure what to think. In the past we only chose NCL or Holland America because of the itinerary.

IMHO it has all changed since cruising started back up after the pandemic. We are in our early 70s and currently have bookings with Princess (8), NCL (5), HAL (1), and X (1) through the summer of 2025. Our booking priorities are based on: (1) itinerary, (2) gross and net cruise costs, and (3) dining room availability options, along with of course how much fun we will have on the cruise in the evenings and on sea days.

 

Here is the breakdown we have recently encountered for each of the lines we book with. As you will see, there are significant differences, with X providing the least incentive for us to book with them.

 

Itinerary: We usually book 3-5 week cruises based on the uniqueness of the itinerary, such as going to South America and Antarctica, Japan, Europe, Africa, Panama Canal, Alaska, and transoceanic cruises.

 

Gross and Net cost of the cruise: This includes figuring into the equation Military (we are both retired) and shareholder benefits, TA booking discount, cruise line "All Included" packages, and the cost of a refundable deposit. Note: All of the cruise lines we use except for X offer by default refundable deposit fares if booking a specific cabin. In the case of X, they include a 20% surcharge if you want to book your cruise with a refundable deposit.

 

Here is the booking "perk" breakdown for each cruise line based on our recent experiences:

 

Princess: Up to $250 (military) MOBC for each of us, up to $250 (shareholder) SOBC per cabin, 8% cruise fare reduction for booking with our TA, $60 pp/day for their Plus package.

 

NCL: 10% military discount off cruise fare, up to $250 SOBC per cabin, 8% rebate check for booking with our TA, $70 pp/day for their FAS and FAS Plus packages, which is a super deal if most perks are used, to include 4 specialty restaurant dinners each, $50 off per person on excursions, unlimited premium beverage and internet packages.

 

HAL: $100 per cabin for MOBC, up to $250 per cabin for SOBC, 8% cruise fare reduction for booking with our TA, up to $400 OBC if you book within 90 days of the itinerary being made available, $65 pp/day for their HIA "Early Booking" package if you book more than 1 year from embarkation day, and their optional Club Orange dining package for $15 pp/day that includes a free upgrade from the cheapest to most expensive cabin category within a meta category, which sometimes will save you more than the cost of the package.

 

X - up to $100 military discount off the cruise fare, up to $250 SOBC per cabin, 8% of cruise fare in nonrefundable OBC for booking with our TA, and $75 pp/day for their All Included classic beverage and basic internet package combo. 

 

Evening dining room minimums for us based on booked cabin category: Princess (Reserve Class dining), NCL (free specialty dining combined with MDR), HAL (MDR early fixed seating table for 2), and X (dine in their Blu restaurant).

 

Just some things we consider before booking a cruise with any of these 4 cruise lines.

 

As far as the fun factor goes, and this is the most subjective area of them all, each cruise line offers different evening and sea day options, and we try not to compare offerings, as we have fun on all of our cruises. However, at this current moment in time, we have the most fun on Princess, then Celebrity, then NCL and finally HAL, and in that order. But, again, the above itinerary, costs, and dining considerations weigh more than the level of "fun" we experience onboard on a cruise.

 

Anyway, that's my 2 cents on the subject. 🙃

[schwartzy]

Thanks so much for the detailed responses! They were very helpful. I should have added more info about us: we have 2 young kids and also will be traveling with my in-laws (the grandparents.) I was thinking NCL would have more for our kids, which I think is true, but honestly my kids would have fun just playing shuffleboard with grandma and grandpa so I'm not sure how much it's "needed." All of my prior cruises were before children in Europe, South America, and Canada - not Caribbean. This wime we're doing Caribbean. While the "fun" of Norwegian sounds great, at also sounds loud and crazy as other posters have pointed out. Another bit about us - we're the type of people that decline the drinks package because we would never drink enough to make the tips $$$ worth it. Thank you all!

[trivia addict]

I have traveled on both lines many times. Both are fine. I’m not a picky person and can easily overlook the minor annoyances from both. I’m happy just to be on a ship

However due to what I see as a decline in the Celebrity brand and the lower cost of a Norwegian cruise I feel that I am getting more value from Norwegian

My last  4 cruises in the past 2 years have been on NCL  and I never noticed the noise that others speak of

And I would definitely say that Norwegian is better for children

 

[Cruise a holic]

18 hours ago, trivia addict said:

I have traveled on both lines many times. Both are fine. I’m not a picky person and can easily overlook the minor annoyances from both. I’m happy just to be on a ship

However due to what I see as a decline in the Celebrity brand and the lower cost of a Norwegian cruise I feel that I am getting more value from Norwegian

My last  4 cruises in the past 2 years have been on NCL  and I never noticed the noise that others speak of

And I would definitely say that Norwegian is better for children

 

Actually if you are looking for "better" for children- IMO nothing beats the Oasis class Royal Caribbean ships.  Perhaps the Icon will be the best- but we will see- trying her in March.

[hcat]

7 minutes ago, Cruise a holic said:

Actually if you are looking for "better" for children- IMO nothing beats the Oasis class Royal Caribbean ships.  Perhaps the Icon will be the best- but we will see- trying her in March.

Much as we personally disliked Oasis, it is probably the best family choice..

something for all,   lots of kids activities , carousel,  ice show,  adult only hot tub out back( to get a break). Book some  specialty  dining too!

[trivia addict]

We started cruising many years ago with our children on RC ships. Definitely agree the RC Oasis Class and larger are the best for children, but the OP was only asking about a choice between Celebrity and NCL. Perhaps these suggestions might cause some further research.

[AstoriaPreppy]

On 11/14/2023 at 2:15 PM, schwartzy said:

I have not been on a cruise in 7 years, but before that my husband and I went on a bunch of cruises. Almost all were on Celebrity but we also went on Norwegian and Holland America. Celebrity was definitely our favourite, especially Aqua class - we thought the food and service were much better than the other cruise lines. We're looking to cruise again soon, but reading reviews I'm seeing lots of complaints here about food quality going downhill on Celebrity, but very few complaints on the NCL boards, especially for their newer ships. Question - do we think that the quality has declined on Celebrity where now it is on par with the other lines? Or have they all declined? Are there just more complainers here? Or perhaps Celebrity fans set the bar higher? My husband is pushing for Celebrity because he says "it is better" but I'm not sure what to think. In the past we only chose NCL or Holland America because of the itinerary.

 

We've sailed both NCL and Celebrity within the past year, and despite all of the griping you'll see on the X boards, Celebrity still exceeds in food, beverage and service. For context, we're elite on Celebrity and platinum on NCL, so we've got a lot of experience with both lines. 

 

NCL is a good product (and their fans are passionate), and there's something about being able to wear shorts and t shirt to the MDR or specialty dining for dinner that's fun and we can appreciate on vacation. We like the casual feel, and they run some really unique itineraries.

 

That said, NCL service tends to be very... depersonalized. Servers and bartenders seem almost constantly overwhelmed, and there's not a lot of the personal connection we've found on other lines. Service is also not consistent. Compared to every other line we've sailed, NCL crew doesn't seem to have good standard service levels or training... things vary widely. You'll find a few good crew, but more often they just seem to be going through the motions. Unlike some of the other posters here, we've also found the NCL MDR food to be pretty weak. To get Celebrity-MDR-level food, you'll need to eat in the upcharge specialities, and even these can be hit or miss. 

 

Big picture, I think the service differences are largely a cultural thing between the lines: Celebrity staff and crew seem invested in the guest experience at all levels. They work hard to resolve issues, and realize that everyone, from the Captain down, has an impact on your vacation. The Captain and officers are often out and visible. On NCL, officers run out of the elite guest party moments after being introduced.

 

NCL approaches guest services and guest experience with a "you are wrong" attitude, which we've always found odd. For example, on our last NCL trip, we took an excursion that ended up on a dangerously overloaded boat (there weren't enough seats for guests and people we sitting on the deck and stairs) and we started taking on water. On Celebrity (or any other line), we would have at least received a partial refund of the excursion. On NCL, they said they were "aware of the issue and working on it" and then did nothing to resolve the situation.... that's just their vibe.

 

From my perspective, the Celebrity board leans more negative than many of the other boards on CC. There's a lot of nostalgia from the passenger base on these boards (don't get them started on table side food prep or the freaking cheese cart), but Celebrity still has a decided edge. We certainly would sail NCL again, but it's never our first choice.

[trivia addict]

AstoriaPreepy, you are entitled  to your opinion, but I couldn’t disagree more with some of your assumptions. In my NCL experience, I have seen nothing but exemplary service and friendliness from any of my room stewards, bartenders, waiters etc. 

Shorts and tshirts are found in the MDR on most lines these days, including Celeb.

As for my family, myself, my husband, my adult children and my granddaughter all “ dress up” for dinner. What others wear, is not our concern.

As far as any other line making right on a bad excursion, that is a generalization that is false.

Years ago, ago my college aged daughter and I did a kayak excursion through Royal Caribbean. As part of it, we ended up on a beach in the middle of nowhere. One of the guides would not leave her alone. It was total sexual harassment in the days before the Me Too movement. 
She was in tears, and shaken, and I was furious and actually scared because there was really no place to escape.

When we got back to the ship, I immediately went to the excursion desk. I was told that there was nothing they could do because all excursions are outside vendors.

Once home I contacted everyone I could at Royal and received nothing but letters denying responsibility.

Since then,  all of my excursions on any ship are private ones that I vet before sailing.

[AstoriaPreppy]

12 hours ago, trivia addict said:

AstoriaPreepy, you are entitled  to your opinion, but I couldn’t disagree more with some of your assumptions. In my NCL experience, I have seen nothing but exemplary service and friendliness from any of my room stewards, bartenders, waiters etc. 

Shorts and tshirts are found in the MDR on most lines these days, including Celeb.

As for my family, myself, my husband, my adult children and my granddaughter all “ dress up” for dinner. What others wear, is not our concern.

As far as any other line making right on a bad excursion, that is a generalization that is false.

Years ago, ago my college aged daughter and I did a kayak excursion through Royal Caribbean. As part of it, we ended up on a beach in the middle of nowhere. One of the guides would not leave her alone. It was total sexual harassment in the days before the Me Too movement. 
She was in tears, and shaken, and I was furious and actually scared because there was really no place to escape.

When we got back to the ship, I immediately went to the excursion desk. I was told that there was nothing they could do because all excursions are outside vendors.

Once home I contacted everyone I could at Royal and received nothing but letters denying responsibility.

Since then,  all of my excursions on any ship are private ones that I vet before sailing.

 

A few thoughts. First, you seem to love the NCL product, and I noted there's a ton of people just like you! As I've said many times on Cruise Critic, we're line agnostic, as we find things we like across the board, including the differences across the lines.

 

It's just important that we're realistic in our assessments: people decry cutbacks on Celebrity, but NCL is making dramatic cuts that seem to exceed what we've experienced on Celebrity in the past year. On our last NCL cruise several months ago (13 nights), we had two production shows, and three guest entertainers (who all did two nights in the theater). The other five nights in the theater were either movies, a show by the pool/reagae band, or just dark... we've never been on a cruise where there was just no main show or theater entertainment in the evening, or running movies from the 2010s instead of a show. 

 

Re: staff, I didn't mean to imply that NCL staff weren't friendly or unprofessional, but they are overwhelmed and harried unlike most other lines. When 90% of the guests on your line have a free beverage package included in their booking, but the line still staffs like people are buying drinks one-off (ie: NCL), it's not fair to the guests or crew. 

 

Re: shorts in the MDR, I'm sure you're aware that all other cruise lines clearly state that long pants are required for men in dining rooms at dinner, with NCL being the only line that says you can wear shorts everywhere (with the exception of Le Bistro and ships with the seafood restaurant). I'm not saying that people don't wear shorts on other lines, but NCL is the only line that explicitly welcomes everything outside of beachwear in all their restaurants.... that's their vibe, and that's the point of NCL. We enjoy it! It's not a QM2, tuxedo and evening gowns required sort of environment. 

 

Re: excursions. That sounds like a horrible situation, and it sounds like the line handled that poorly. I've had issues with excursions on many many cruise lines, but NCL is the only one who has had a list of affected guests at shoreex, acknowledged they knew of the issues and were in contact with the vendor, and then did nothing. I've received partial refunds and full apologies from bad excursions on Celebrity, Royal Caribbean, and Carnival: NCL is the only line that has ever just brushed us off.

 

While I appreciate your only taking private tours, NCL offers lattitudes members substantial discounts, along with FAS discounts that often make taking a cruise line excursions a no-brainer for passengers like us... I just wish the line would stand behind the vendors they chose to work with like other mass-market lines will. 

 

 

[trivia addict]

Thank you Astoria Preppy for your thoughtful reply.

I will only add one thing. I do know that excursions are either included or discounted with Latitudes but in addition to my story above I also like to go off on my own for other reasons.

For instance, in many excursions if you compare the cost of a cruise excursion, you can often find one that is similar from a private company that costs less. And, if you find others on your roll call that are willing to join you, it’s even less.

A more important reason is that a private excursion will take you to exactly the places that you want to see and no time is wasted waiting for everyone else.
Our trip on Royal to St Petersburg was an example of this. By hiring a private guide and driver we saw so much more in 2 days than did our traveling companions who only took the ship excursions. So glad I did because sadly, we will never return.

One downside to private jaunts, one always worries about making it back to the ship on time!

Wishing you happy sailings however you go!