Looking For Opinions!

[tarheelmjfan]

My DH & I were all set to book a Panama Canal cruise on Celebrity Summit for Nov. 2007. Celebrity is our cruise line of choice. We enjoy the more formal atmosphere, few announcements, & above average food. We're foodies, which can be a bad thing in the cruising world. :o

 

Our DS(14) really doesn't like cruising & isn't crazy about this idea. He'd also have to miss all his alloted days for the semester in HS for this cruise.

 

Tonight, I had an alternative idea. I started considering an NCL Hawaiian cruise in July. Our DS would only be spending 7 nights on a ship, & missing no school.

 

My DH refuses to take long flights. He agreed this plan may be workable, if we plan stops along the way with a couple nights spent in the respective cities. In other words, he wants to fly to a destination, see the sights for a couple days, then fly to Hawaii, or even another destination prior to Hawaii. BTW, we're in Tampa. We would spend a few days on land in Hawaii, then would plan yet another stopover on the way back to Tampa.

 

Here's where I need your opinion. If you were a Celebrity fan, would you take the Hawaiian cruise on NCL? Do you think the cruise portion of our visit would meet our expectations? If so, which ship & cabin category should we book? Is there anything else we should know about a Hawaiian cruise on NCL? We're really not picky about anything but atmosphere & food.

 

We really appreciate your advice, as we plan to contact our TA on Mon. to book one of the cruises. TIA :)

[LHT28]

Here's where I need your opinion. If you were a Celebrity fan, would you take the Hawaiian cruise on NCL? :)

 

NO

:eek:

[tarheelmjfan]

NO

:eek:

 

Wow, that's a pretty definitive answer. :eek: Care to elaborate? :)

[Keith1010]

To be honest if you compare the NCL cruise with what you have experienced on Celebrity you will likely not have a good time. The key is not to compare the two cruise lines as the food, and service, in particular would not be as good on NCL as you have experienced on Celebrity. If you set your expecations to the specific cruise that might work better for you. That has been our experience with cruising. We have a better time by trying not to compare the lines because each line is different.

 

Keith

[LHT28]

It is like going from a very nice restaurant to the "Golden Arches"

 

We did an Oceania Cruise and then Princess and NCL ...we are spoiled by O's service, food etc...

I would think Celebrity is in the same catagory as Oceania.

 

If the OP is use to Celeb it is hard not to compare other lines to what you are use to.

If you want an inexpensive cruise and will be able not to compare then go with NCL if not the case stick with Celeb

Just my opinion;)

[GORDONCHICK]

Celebrity is my favorite line as well. We sailed on Princess in February and it was not a nice as Celebrity, but not bad. Princess has a few cruises that are 15 days RT from LA to Hawaii, with stops on the four major islands. But there are eight total days at sea, which might not be what your DS wants on vacation. I've heard mixed reviews on the NCL Hawaii cruises, but none of them said they were as nice as Celebrity. The up side is that you get to spend a ton of time on the islands.

 

Maybe flying to San Francisco and spending some time there before the five hour flight to Hawaii might me a good plan. I don't like long flights either, so I walked laps around the plane. I'm sure I drove the flight attendants crazy, but at least I didnt' have air-rage!

[traveling g'ma]

We have cruised 3x with Princess, Alaska, Panama Canal, and SC this past March and have been happy with all 3 experiences. We sailed with NCL last Nov. to Hawaii and while the itinerary was good, we would not use NCL again.

Guess it is all depends on what you want in terms of service, food etc.

 

We are booked on HAL on the Amsterdam in Sept, for a NE,Canada 10 day cruise. Hope it is a good experience, but we'll enjoy it whatever it is.

 

We are trying to make a decision about a European cruise in 2007--Baltic and maybe British Isles. I'm about catalogued out and am looking for some input from people who have sailed these itineraries. Constellation does 2 14day cruises back to back and Princess does 2 10day cruises with a 3 day separation(2006 itineraries). Help I have to make a decision soon! Any input will be very much appreciated.

[Happy ks]

We have cruised both NCL and Celebrity. There is definitely a difference in the two ships, but I don't see why you could not be happy on an NCL ship.

 

They have Freestyle dining, a big advantage over traditional cruising. They have some really nice alternative restaurants, you can eat in one of them every night of the cruise if you like.

 

The only disadvantage, from what I've heard is, sadly, the crew being American, that you don't get the same level of service you do from other ships.

 

If you take everything into consideration, you can make a Hawaiian cruise on NCL a wonderful experience. If you go and compare every little thing, you dan come back here and nit pick away, like we see so often.

 

The only thing I didn't like about our NCL cruise in Hawaii (NCL Star, before American crews), was the announcements for all the activities, Celebrity is far more pleasant because of that.

 

So, it's really up to you. I can shop both at Nordstrom and WalMart, I just know there is a difference and keep it in mind while I'm there.

[Thanksforyourinfo]

My opinions are strong. Feel free to ignore them. Don't allow your son to miss so much high school, he doesn't want to go, and he will blame you if his grades suffer for any other reason. His future is at stake.

 

You and DH are foodies accustomed to a certain level on a cruise. If you can stand doing it for the DS, then take the cruise, but it would be like several days at the golden arches for you. You can plan to get away from the ship as much as possible to eat. If you really want to go to Hawaii, and can't stomach the food otherwise, stay in hotels.

 

Try Alaska. It's summer, there are classy ships available. Or go where the DS picks (Mexico, Carribbean, etc.) He's 14 and, soon, he won't be on vacations with you. Cherish one of the last times you spend time doing what he wants to do.

[catmand]

Having sailed Celebrity, Princess and NCL (although a short one) and just returning from a 14 day R/T LA-Hawaii cruise.........I would say you better make several compromises if you decide to sail the NCL Hawaii cruise.

Your cruise is going to be much more casual then you have ever experienced. I also suggest you think about dining each night in one of the NCL "alternative" dining rooms. These have a service charge from 10-25 bucks a person.

While we had a great time on our cruise as we had 8 complete and wonderful sea days, our time in Hawaii was very limited. Now, if you do fly there you will of course have more time visiting the Islands. IF we were to visit Hawaii again AND a flight was involved we would hit 2 Islands for 3 or 4 days each and not get involved with a cruise.

There has been mention of the service given by the "all American crew" and while this was a big, big problem for NCL when they first began these sailings it seems to have improved greatly with time. We spoke with several people off the ship we were in Maui with, they had no complaints.

Many people love the "freestyle cruising" of NCL. I think for a casual place like Hawaii they offer a great service. For a Celebrity lover.............? maybe take a pass.

[tarheelmjfan]

I really appreciate all the input. :) Sorry, I didn't get back here sooner, but our modem went down & I'm having Dial Up problems. :mad: Can't wait to get our DSL up & running again.

 

Anyway, we're beginning to think NCL may not be for us. We don't need to be catered to, so I'm sure the service would be fine. Also, we would be okay with eating in the specialty restaurant each evening, so that's not a big concern. However, I'm not sure we'd be happy on a really casual cruise. We very much enjoy Celebrity's atmosphere. Admittedly, I need to learn more about what freestyle cruising involves. We definitely don't want to have to wait for a table, & one of the things we like about cruising is that we don't have to bother making dinner reservations every day. We like not having to worry about anything, once we board the ship. I'm not ready to cross this option off our list of possibilities yet though. Decisions, decisions!!! :p

 

To address your other suggestions, if it were only DH & I, we would be looking for a Hawaiian cruise that left from CA. For us, the longer the better. Unfortunately, our DS doesn't really want to go on another cruise much less one that's 14 days. That's the problem we're having with the PC cruise.

 

We took a 10 day cruise to Alaska on Celebrity's Infinity last summer. We spent 3 nights in San Francisco, prior to boarding the ship. After the cruise, we spent 3 nights in Vancouver. So, we've been there & done that cruise recently. There's really not a lot of summer options other than Alaska.

[tarheelmjfan]

 

We are trying to make a decision about a European cruise in 2007--Baltic and maybe British Isles. I'm about catalogued out and am looking for some input from people who have sailed these itineraries. Constellation does 2 14day cruises back to back and Princess does 2 10day cruises with a 3 day separation(2006 itineraries). Help I have to make a decision soon! Any input will be very much appreciated.

 

We haven't taken either of those cruises. I did want to suggest that you go to the Celebrity & Princess boards & ask about these cruises. I'm sure you'll get lots of helpful info. :)

[tarheelmjfan]

My opinions are strong. Feel free to ignore them. Don't allow your son to miss so much high school, he doesn't want to go, and he will blame you if his grades suffer for any other reason. His future is at stake.

 

You and DH are foodies accustomed to a certain level on a cruise. If you can stand doing it for the DS, then take the cruise, but it would be like several days at the golden arches for you. You can plan to get away from the ship as much as possible to eat. If you really want to go to Hawaii, and can't stomach the food otherwise, stay in hotels.

 

Try Alaska. It's summer, there are classy ships available. Or go where the DS picks (Mexico, Carribbean, etc.) He's 14 and, soon, he won't be on vacations with you. Cherish one of the last times you spend time doing what he wants to do.

 

Strong opinions are fine. I wouldn't have asked the question, if I didn't want honest opinions. :)

 

If we thought our DS would suffer in anyway, we wouldn't have considered the trip in the 1st place. Not to brag, but he's very bright. We've always taken him out of school for extended vacations, & he's never gotten behind. His teachers in Middle School never once expressed concern with him missing. On the other hand, I don't want to force him to miss school for a trip he really doesn't want to take.

 

FWIW, we've taken 2 cruises w/o him in the last 6 months. The 1st one was for our anniversary, & was the 1st time since he was born that we had gone anywhere alone. The other was actually a cruise that was booked for the 3 of us. It was during his Spring Break. He begged to spend time with our family in NC, rather than going on the cruise. We finally gave in. So, DH & I were on a SB cruise full of everyone else's kids, but ours. :( We've decided that's the last time we're vacationing w/o him. That's precisely why we're 2nd guessing the PC cruise.

 

Before you feel too bad for him, we are taking him to Universal Orlando & Daytona beach for a week this summer. He chose the destinations. Then again, he also chose the Alaska cruise last summer that he didn't really enjoy. :rolleyes: He's far from a neglected child. ;)

[cwc]

If you are son is into water sport, why not Tahiti? He can learn windsurf, scuba dive, waverunner... etc :) Oh, only 8hr of flight from LAX. RSSC has 7day Tahti cruise.

[Sillyjilly]

NCL food doesn't hold a candle to Celebrity. I'd even go as far to say it is inedible. If you are foodies, don't do it. Stick with the Summit. Your son will survive a few missed days of school. :)

 

Jill

[Cruise Raider]

Celebrity is my favorite cruiseline with one exception, no anytime dining. Freestyle dining, as they refer to it on NCL, is a huge reason why we chose NCL. The atmosphere is not formal at all....we were able to go on a 7 night cruise and more amazingly, an 11 night cruise on NCL in carry on luggage only. Nothing formal about it...which is very attractive at times when you want to travel free and easy. The food is not as good on NCL, some of the service is not as good (only some) but the freestyle options are great!! The ships are just not quite as tidy as they are on Celebrity. Oftentimes, dirty plates around the pool might not be picked up for hours...never would you see this on Celebrity. However, I think you could still enjoy a cruise on NCL....just know it is sooooo different!! All in all, with Celebrity being my favorite cruiseline, we would stilll book on Norwegian again and would most likely enjoy it equally...just for different reasons.