jewel/ncl - how does it compare with other cruiselines/ships?

[momoforthodoc]

i'm seriously considering a may sailing on the jewel to greece, turkey & egypt but have never been on ncl. would love some help with opinions and comparisons to other lines that i've been on, mainly princess. i'm aware of the freestyle cruising, what else makes ncl or the jewel a good choice?

thanks for any help!

;)

[newmexicoNita]

And I haven't been on Princess but my clients normally feel there is little difference between the lines. Food is subjective: you will get many who will pay Princess wins hands down and just as many who will say Princess has the worst food I have tasted. Cabins on Princess, normally are a little larger and service, perhaps a little more attentive (again coming from my clients) but the crew on NCL is friendlier and more relaxed. Freestyle offers a little more relaxed dress code than personal choice. The selections of sur charge restaurants are about the same. NCL is a little livelier and probably has better entertainment. You know I really don't think you will find much difference and the Jewel is truely that!!!!!! NMNita

[GeorgiaPeach]

I don't have personal experience with Princess but have taken numerous cruises with RCCL and Carnival. Just returned a few days ago from the Jewel, which was my first NCL cruise. I thought our cabin and the housekeeping staff were the best of the cruises we have taken. The food wasn't as good and the entertainment definately not as good as what we have experienced in the past. If you are taking this on an European itinerary, though, it's more about the ports. We only had one lunch onboard due to our touring and perhaps the reason the food didn't suit us as much was that several times we had wonderful Italian meals while in port. I wouldn't hesitate to take the Jewel again in Europe but might think twice for a Caribbean itinerary because of more seadays. I'm not one to sit by the pool. I enjoy more onboard activities. Another thing the Jewel did so well was the express debarkation. This was wonderful!

[newmexicoNita]

I don't have personal experience with Princess but have taken numerous cruises with RCCL and Carnival. Just returned a few days ago from the Jewel, which was my first NCL cruise. I thought our cabin and the housekeeping staff were the best of the cruises we have taken. The food wasn't as good and the entertainment definately not as good as what we have experienced in the past. If you are taking this on an European itinerary, though, it's more about the ports. We only had one lunch onboard due to our touring and perhaps the reason the food didn't suit us as much was that several times we had wonderful Italian meals while in port. I wouldn't hesitate to take the Jewel again in Europe but might think twice for a Caribbean itinerary because of more seadays. I'm not one to sit by the pool. I enjoy more onboard activities. Another thing the Jewel did so well was the express debarkation. This was wonderful!

GEorgia Peach, I am a little confused: you talk about the Caribbean and NCL having too many sea days: NCL is the most port intensive line there is: I don't think I know where you comments are coming from. NMNita

[CruizenSuzen]

I've sailed on Princess twice and NCL twice. My most recent cruise was the 5/28 Mediterranean sailing on the Jewel. Personally, I prefer Princess and will probably gravitate more towards this line in the future.

 

I found the entertainment and the food to be inferior on NCL. Princess seems to have more choice in terms of evening entertainment. While NCL has more choice in restaurants, we found that this led to the decline of the food quality in the main dining rooms. Also, drinks on NCL are significantly more expensive. I'd estimate 20-30% higher.

 

That being said, it was a Med cruise, and we had a great time. It was so port intensive that we spent little time on the ship and when we were there, we were usually pretty tired. If the itinerary suits you, I would book it, and keep an open mind.

[CruizenSuzen]

I think her point was that NCL was a good option for a port intensive cruise, such as the Med. On a cruise with more sea days, such as the Caribbean, you may find yourself bored due to lack of activities/options on the ship. I agree with her assessment, as per my first post.

[GeorgiaPeach]

I think her point was that NCL was a good option for a port intensive cruise, such as the Med. On a cruise with more sea days, such as the Caribbean, you may find yourself bored due to lack of activities/options on the ship. I agree with her assessment, as per my first post.

 

 

Thanks Susan! You stated my point much better than I did.

[electricron]

I'm seriously considering a may sailing on the Jewel to Greece, Turkey & Egypt but have never been on NCL. Would love some help with opinions and comparisons to other lines that I've been on, mainly Princess. i'm aware of the freestyle cruising, what else makes NCL or the Jewel a good choice? Thanks for any help! ;)

 

Let's keep the answers simple, better Itinerary and a lower Price.

 

Does Princess sail to Greece, Turkey and Eqypt on a single cruise this year?

Yes. The Golden Princess sails to the same big three ports as does the Jewel, let's compare fare prices. On the Golden Princes for the November 10 cruise, the only Princess cruise this year that goes to these three ports, (Alexanderia, Athens, and Instanbul) has the following fare prices today: Oceanview $2340 and Suite $4,215.

Meanwhile, the Jewel's September 14 cruise has the following fare prices today: Inside $1,899, Oceanview $2,249, Balcony $2,599, and Suite $2,999.

September 26 cruise fares for the Jewel are: Inside $1,849, Oceanview $2,199, Balcony $2,549, and Suite $2,949. Yes, just two cruises on the Jewel go to the ports you mentioned, but they are in September - not in November.

 

Comparing Oceanview prices, with the Jewel's fares being at least $100 cheaper, that $100 to $150 can buy 2 to 3 dinners for two at the LeBristo or Cagney's Steakhouse. Imagine that, Surf and Turf twice or thrice on your 12 day cruise. Of course, book an Inside and you'll be able to dine on surf and turf every night on your 12 day cruise for the same price as you would on the Princess ship.

[newmexicoNita]

I think her point was that NCL was a good option for a port intensive cruise, such as the Med. On a cruise with more sea days, such as the Caribbean, you may find yourself bored due to lack of activities/options on the ship. I agree with her assessment, as per my first post.

my point is NCL has almost no sea days on Caribbean sailings. On any 7 day sailing they will normally visit 5 ports, only being at sea on the first and last day. The exception may be the ships leaving out of New York, but certainly not the ones out of Miami. As for activities, we have never been at a loss for things to do on any line, especially NCL. There are board games and card games every day even on port days, Trivia at least twice a day if not 3 times: Wine and Liquor tasting, Martini clinics, golf instructions and things like putting competition, movies, art auctions, dance classes plus the casino and daily Bingo. What more could anyone want? We have found all lines except HAL filled with activities if we look for them. NMnita

[momoforthodoc]

thanks for all of your opinions. more then likely i will be booking this cruise mainly because of the itinerary. it's actually a gift for my daughter, fits the ports she wanted to visit and sails at a perfect time next may. know everyone has favorites, mine so far is princess. i do appreicate everyone's honestly that's why i asked the questions!

;)

[CruizenSuzen]

my point is NCL has almost no sea days on Caribbean sailings. On any 7 day sailing they will normally visit 5 ports, only being at sea on the first and last day. The exception may be the ships leaving out of New York, but certainly not the ones out of Miami. As for activities, we have never been at a loss for things to do on any line, especially NCL. There are board games and card games every day even on port days, Trivia at least twice a day if not 3 times: Wine and Liquor tasting, Martini clinics, golf instructions and things like putting competition, movies, art auctions, dance classes plus the casino and daily Bingo. What more could anyone want? We have found all lines except HAL filled with activities if we look for them. NMnita

 

I guess we just disagree. I was bored on the one sea day that we had, and couldn't imagine having two. Generally, I enjoy sea days, but on this ship, there just wasn't enough to keep me busy. I found that if you didn't feel like eating or drinking, there wasn't much else to do besides the casino.

[newmexicoNita]

I guess we just disagree. I was bored on the one sea day that we had, and couldn't imagine having two. Generally, I enjoy sea days, but on this ship, there just wasn't enough to keep me busy. I found that if you didn't feel like eating or drinking, there wasn't much else to do besides the casino.

I guess we do, but other than trying the martini bar we really don't cruise just to drink or eat either. I guess I would have to ask, what activities have you found on other lines that you don't on NCL? Of course RCI would be the one that does offer lots of variety like rock climbing, ice skating, etc if you want to pay for it, but other than that, 20 plus cruises and we have found the activities almost all the same no matter what line. HAL had far less to do< Celebrity about the same, Carnival no more during the day, but more at night, especially if you are a partier. I suppose we all cruise for different reasons and enjoy different activities. Some of us are content to relax, read a good book, play trivia, take dance lessons, go to shows, listen to the piano player or learn a new skill; others enjoy I don't know what!!!!

[momoforthodoc]

i've been on only 7 cruises, various lines and one thing i do love are the sea days. again, cruising is so personal, like you said everyone does it for different reasons. i could sit on deck or on my balcony and just watch the ocean and be in heaven. i really don't care if there's a ton to do in the evenings, don't know how my daughter will feel about onboard activities but then again, it's the ports that count. interesting to hear that ncl tends to be a port intensive line on most of their sailings.

have a great weekend ;)