Norwegian vs HAL and Celebrity

[vgottlieb]

I just booked a cruise on the Norwegian Sun to Hawaii. I have never been on Norwegian. Have sailed mostly on HAL and Celebrity. Will I like Norwegian?

[Druke I]

Very difficult question.

 

We've been on NCL twice, HAL thrice, and Celebrity once.

 

We do not care for Freestyle Cruising, and probably will not cruise NCL again.

 

We did like HAL, and thought Celebrity somewhat over-rated.

 

Personal opinions are very subjective, at best.

[electricron]

It depends upon what you liked about your Celebrity and HAL cruises.

You'll find NCL is far more casual than either of those cruise lines.

But you'll also find the same activities aboard, and the same shore excursions to book.

What you will not find are casinos for gambling, and "Mandatory" Formal nights.

[hotspur]

As Druke said, this is very much a personal matter. We've also cruised HAL and Celebrity as well as NCL. Although I'd agree with Druke that Celebrity is overrated, we much prefer NCL's freestyle to the rigidity of traditional dining--both in terms of flexibility in choosing a venue and type of cuisine for dinner and in not having the cruise line decide for us what costume we must wear to dinner.

 

You might want to check this thread: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=438685 for the opinion of a first-time NCL cruiser accustomed to traditional dining on RCCI and Celebrity.

 

It really depends on your personal preference. If it's important to you to have the same dining companions every night and the same wait staff, and if it matters whether on certain nights everyone is in a suit and tuxedo, then you might, like Druke, be uncomfortable with freestyle. On the other hand, the Sun will give you many more dining choices than you would get on HAL or Celebrity, as well as the freedom to change your dining times to suit the ship's port schedule as well as your own preferences.

[hotspur]

What you will not find are casinos for gambling, and "Mandatory" Formal nights.

NCL does have casinos on all but the three NCLA "Pride" ships and they would be open on the Sun except when in Hawaiian waters.

[electricron]

NCL does have casinos on all but the three NCLA "Pride" ships and they would be open on the Sun except when in Hawaiian waters.

 

I beg to differ. The ship the Norwegian Sun is replacing on the Hawaii-Fanning Island itinerary next fall, the Norwegain Wind, had all its casino equipment removed while doing this itinerary. I expect the same will occur to the Sun next fall.

 

While in Hawaiian seas, the Wind and Sun can't even hold Bingo contests, but can/will hold Bingo contests when sailing to and from Fanning Island. Bingo isn't the Casino. The only Hawaiian cruise that the Sun might have with gambling equipment aboard will be the repo cruise to Hawaii from the West coast. After it arrives in Hawaiian seas, either the casino equipment will be removed, or it will be locked up tighter than a drum. There will not be any casino crew members left on the ship to man the casino.

[Atomica]

The Norwegian Sun is a really nice ship, and most of the amenities you'd find on HAL/Celebrity will be there, with a couple exceptions.

 

That being said, Freestyle just wasn't for me. Was it bad? No. Was it different? Yes. Would I sail NCL again? Yes, but it would depend on the destination and ship. As stated above, it's all about personal preference.

[CruisinMK]

NCL does have casinos on all but the three NCLA "Pride" ships and they would be open on the Sun except when in Hawaiian waters.

 

This has never been true, they yank the casino machines right off the ships, the Wind did, and then the Sun will do the same

[newmexicoNita]

I admit we are NCL loyalist and are about to cruise HAL for the first time in about 20 years, but we have done 2 Celebrity cruises. The food was very similar, meats a little better on Celebrity, nothing else to rave about. Yes, the service will be more relaxed on NCL so it may seem less attentive, but it is just a little different. The entertainment will be similar, maybe a little better, the cabins similar in size to Celebrity, smaller than on HAL. All in all, if you think the freestyle will appeal to you than I see no reason why you won't enjoy the Sun as much as other cruises. One of the features we like about freesyle isn't only eating when we want but the choices in dining. We are a little apprehensive about cruising for 10 days on HAL with almost no dining choices. NMnita

[newmexicoNita]

I admit we are NCL loyalist and are about to cruise HAL for the first time in about 20 years, but we have done 2 Celebrity cruises. The food was very similar, meats a little better on Celebrity, nothing else to rave about. Yes, the service will be more relaxed on NCL so it may seem less attentive, but it is just a little different. The entertainment will be similar, maybe a little better, the cabins similar in size to Celebrity, smaller than on HAL. All in all, if you think the freestyle will appeal to you than I see no reason why you won't enjoy the Sun as much as other cruises. One of the features we like about freesyle isn't only eating when we want but the choices in dining. We are a little apprehensive about cruising for 10 days on HAL with almost no dining choices. NMnita

[hotspur]

I beg to differ. The ship the Norwegian Sun is replacing on the Hawaii-Fanning Island itinerary next fall, the Norwegain Wind, had all its casino equipment removed while doing this itinerary. I expect the same will occur to the Sun next fall.

 

While in Hawaiian seas, the Wind and Sun can't even hold Bingo contests, but can/will hold Bingo contests when sailing to and from Fanning Island. Bingo isn't the Casino. The only Hawaiian cruise that the Sun might have with gambling equipment aboard will be the repo cruise to Hawaii from the West coast. After it arrives in Hawaiian seas, either the casino equipment will be removed, or it will be locked up tighter than a drum. There will not be any casino crew members left on the ship to man the casino.

You might want to read your original posting again.

 

I realize it wasn't your intent, but if you read it straight through it reads like a general description of NCL (casual, same activities, same shore excursions, formal dress not mandatory) and then goes on to say "you will not find casinos for gambling." I was concerned that someone not familiar with the Hawaii-specific gambling issue would come away from that thinking there were no casinos on any NCL ships. And, in fact, there is a casino on the Sun and will be until it gets put on the Hawaii itinerary--which is what I said in my posting. Also, ships of other cruise lines sailing Hawaii will not have an open casino either, so NCL will be no different from HAL or Celebrity in that respect.

[electricron]

You might want to read your original posting again.

 

I realize it wasn't your intent, but if you read it straight through it reads like a general description of NCL (casual, same activities, same shore excursions, formal dress not mandatory) and then goes on to say "you will not find casinos for gambling." I was concerned that someone not familiar with the Hawaii-specific gambling issue would come away from that thinking there were no casinos on any NCL ships. And, in fact, there is a casino on the Sun and will be until it gets put on the Hawaii itinerary--which is what I said in my posting. Also, ships of other cruise lines sailing Hawaii will not have an open casino either, so NCL will be no different from HAL or Celebrity in that respect.

 

My origional answer was specifically about the Sun sailing in Hawaiian seas. It's what the OP was asking about. Specifically:

I just booked a cruise on the Norwegian Sun to Hawaii.

 

The same truth holds true for every cruise ship sailing a round trip itinerary from Honolulu. I'm sorry you are in an argumental mood tonight and put more meaning into what I wrote. I stand 100% behind what I wrote.

 

Yes, it was short simple answer, but it was also a reply to a short simple question about the Sun sailing to Hawaii. Note, not the Sun sailing to Alaska, or the Sun sailing to the Western Caribbean.

 

I also wish people would stop assuming and reading my replys "out of context". Otherwise, I'll never write short simple answers to short simple questions. Everyone would end up writing legalize answers with every possible scenario to the simpliest of questions.....and I'm not a lawyer! Maybe you should reread the OP's question again?

[hotspur]

Cool off, pal. Talk about "argumentative." Both here and on the "Gem itinerary" thread.

[Dolphins]

We have sailed HAL many times and have always enjoyed them. We sailed Celebrity once (Zenith) and were not overly impressed (no balconies) and we thought their much hyped cuisine was no better than other cruise lines. We now sail NCL almost exclusively for two main reasons. We like the options and variety of freestyle dining especialy on the newer ships that are configured for it. Hard to go back to the rigidity of traditional dining. We appreciate the fact that NCL offers year round cruises out of New York as we hate flying. We have found the staff of NCL to be more than equal to that of any other lines we have sailed (Princess, Costa, Royal Caribbean, Carnival etc.) In addition, NCL's musicians and performers have always been first rate.

 

However, can't comment on NCL's Hawaii itineraries as we haven't tried them.