NCL after HAL.... will be dissapointed?

[newcruiser08820]

Just came back from Noordam.... yes, the one with 450 kids ... but enjoyed anyway. Looking already into next year cruise. There are not many choices from NY. Do you think sailing on new NCL Gem to Bahamas/Florida in April will dissapoint me as far as ship itself, service, food ( which was excellent ) after sailing on Noordam?

[Guest LoveMyBoxer]

Just came back from Noordam.... yes, the one with 450 kids ... but enjoyed anyway. Looking already into next year cruise. There are not many choices from NY. Do you think sailing on new NCL Gem to Bahamas/Florida in April will dissapoint me as far as ship itself, service, food ( which was excellent ) after sailing on Noordam?

 

We sailed on NCL last August after not sailing on them since 1992, and we were VERY Dissapointed. If you enjoyed the service, food and elegance of HAL you will probably not like NCL. Try looking into Princess. We have an upcoming cruise on the Princess Crown from NY and also X-Mas/New Year's on Noordam. We will never sail on NCL again. I'm sure if you post the same question on the NCL board you'll get a totally different answer. Good luck.

[papadave]

NCL has a lot to offer. Generally (and there are exceptions) the food is not on par with HAL. However, there is more flexibility in when and where you eat. I can only speak from experience on NCL's Dawn which offers a number of alternative dining choices -- the fast food available nearly 24 hours a day was very satisfying and the food in the French restaurant (which imposes a surcharge) was quite good, but the Tex/Mex place was a disappointment and the Asian restaurant did not even appear interesting.

 

I was on the Noordam around 3 weeks ago. The main stage entertainment was mediocre. It will, in all likelihood, be better on NCL.

 

The greatest contrast betweeen the two lines seemed to be what I will call "forced socializiation." That is, on HAL, you usually share a larger table with other people which can be a great thing or a terrible thing-- it depends both on you and the other people. On NCL, even when I was interested in sitting with others at breakfast or lunch, I was often eating alone. NCL would sit me at a table for 10, alone, and if someone else requested to be seated with strangers soon after I was seated I would have company. I did a lot of reading during meals on that trip.

 

You may find more people with great grandchildren on HAL and people who have toddlers on NCL. I'm in my 40s and found that the bulk of people on HAL where much older, but there where still hundreds of people who had something to talk about that had actually taken place during my own lifetime.

[hammybee]

I just noticed that the Noordam will not be available for Spring Break in 2008, as she will be on her way to Europe, for the summer. She does seem to be MIA for the week of 3/29/08- perhaps a charter or maybe a wet dock, before the summer. RCL also seems to be MIA from the area, at this time too.

 

Anyway, back to your question, you are most certainly right- there are not a lot of options available to you come next April. I have sailed NCL and will probably do so again. It's a different experience than anything you might have with HAL. I agree with papadave's take.

 

Given the limited number of sailings, during this period, from the NYC area, I suspect the number of children onboard and potential for differences amongst pax will be at a peak. Let your personal tolerance for children and differences

be your guide. I would be more inclined to take the 2 hour flight to Florida to increase my options or sail the Noordam, to Europe, if time permitted.

[Ides of March]

I just completed an 8 night cruise on the Spirit out of New York to the Virgins and Samana.

The food was awful except in the Teppanyaki restaurant ($20 pp), even in the free Italian bistro that had no veal and served what tasted like canned spaghetti. The crew were polite but detached.

I found it stressful not to have a confirmed place to eat each night that you can bypass if you like and we did not meet anyone as we were usually ushered to a table for 2 without being asked.

The ship itself was beautiful and well maintained but the overall experience even with a balcony cabin was mediocre. Constant sales pitches.

NCL calls it Freestyle Cruising but I prefer the above descripter.

I didnt appreciate HAL (or Celebrity, my second favourite) until I sailed NCL.

 

Ides

[Luv2CruiseHal]

That depends were you disapointed in the Godfather III after having seen 1 and 2?

[hammybee]

That depends were you disapointed in the Godfather III after having seen 1 and 2?

 

Most excellent posting of the day.

[NHCruisr]

We've cruised HAL, Princess and Celebrity extensively and have enjoyed the quality of the cruise experience with each line. We had a less than positive experience with NCL on the Majesty from Boston to Bermuda. It was really bad!

 

Last December we were booked on a Celebrity cruise that was cancelled because of mechanical problems. We had airfare booked and our travel plans made. Our TA found us a space on the NCL Jewel in a minisuite at a very, very low price. Given that we were psyched for a cruise and that we had all our other arrangements made, we decided to go in spite of our previous bad experience with NCL. We went, and we had a very good time!

 

The ship was spotless and up to date. The colors were a bit garish but we got used to that. The cabin was lovely with a bathroom that was the best we've had in 15 cruises. The entertainment was better than on most of the cruises we've been on. We were pleasantly surprised with the food. the buffet was excellent with good variety and good quality. The two dining rooms were okay...not bad, but not up to HAL standards. We ate in two specialty restaurants. Cagneys was good, LeBistro was truly excellent. Service throughout the ship was good. Dining room service was pretty good. Specialty restaurant service was excellent. Our cabin steward was very good and we had towel animals each night.

 

Overall, I think the newer NCL ships are trying to improve the image of what a NCL cruise is like. Given the right itinerary and cost, assuming it's a newer ship, I'd go on NCL again.

[Atomica]

In 2005, I went on the Norwegian Sun a mere week after a 3 day cruise on the Oosterdam - my first with HAL - and while it was OK, it wasn't nearly what my experience on the Oosterdam was. 'Inconsistent' is probably a good word to describe it.

 

Here's an example: I was in the Crow's Nest and wanted a glass of red wine (which is on the menu). Crows nest says they don't have any and to go to the Windjammer bar (down 5 decks) and bring it back up. Windjammer says to go to the Pool Bar (up 4 decks). Pool bar says to go to the Champagne bar (down 3 decks). Champagne bar says go to the Crow's nest (up 4 decks). Bottom line: never got my wine. Too bad I didn't want a 'bucket of beer' - they seemed to have a ton of those on hand.

 

I would sail NCL again, but probably on a short coastal. I've heard good things about the Dawn, Jewel and Pearl, and I'd agree that probably what ship you go on plays a role in what kind of experience you have. Nothing was horrible, and you'll have a good time, as long as you roll with the punches.

[newmexicoNita]

Well I will give you a different view and I would suggest you post your question on the Ask a question thread. Of course true HAL fans are going to prefer HAL and visa versa, but I have sailed both lines in the past year. Although they are very different, both have many poisitve features. As for food, in my opinion the food on HAL is much better in the main dining rooms, but the specialty dining rooms are better on NCL> We just didn't care for Pinnicle Grill at $30.00 Someone mentioned Tappayaka Grill being good, but $20.00. I have cruised on 6 NCL ships, Tappayaki Grill ranges in price from $12.50 to $18.00. I don't remember anything being $20.00. The spagetti sause isn't anything like out of a can. I still do feel HAL has the best food of all the mass marketed lines. The service on HAL is probably a little better but the crew on NCL is a little more relaxed. Another difference is cabin size. HAL has larger cabins and the overall experience is a little more elegant.

 

NCL has so many dining choices which is something we really love, especially on cruises that are over 7 days long, we love freestyle and we love the activities on NCL. We found HAl to be a little too subdued for us.

 

Whether you will be happy with NCL is totally up to you. They are very different. We lean toward NCL because we are pretty laid back. The two lines do rate 1 and 2 for us. When people try to comare older ships with newer ones the comparson will be unfair. You are talking about sailing NCLs newest ship. The Pearl which is her sister gets constant raving reviews. NMNita

[Tatka]

My husband liked service on NCL Sun more than on Zuiderdam, food was more basic than on HAL, but he only ate in free restaurants, and it was good, not great, but tasty. Rooms and bedding were better on HAL. Overall he really enjoyed NCL cruise.

 

Our #1 are Celebrity and Princess, but we are planning cruises on HAL and NCL in future. For HAL vacation we are thinking about Thanksgiving cruise on Westerdam to South Caribbeans (HMC, Curacao and Aruba). :)

[Ides of March]

All three in the trilogy were excellent and I actually preferred III to II but to my taste NCL Freestyle was what I would imagine XII would be like.

 

It is very subjective and NCL was inexpensive compared to HAL so I guess ya gets what ya pays for. I will pay more hereafter.

[Sillyjilly]

 

NCL has so many dining choices which is something we really love, especially on cruises that are over 7 days long, we love freestyle and we love the activities on NCL. We found HAl to be a little too subdued for us.

 

Whether you will be happy with NCL is totally up to you. They are very different. We lean toward NCL because we are pretty laid back. The two lines do rate 1 and 2 for us. When people try to comare older ships with newer ones the comparson will be unfair. You are talking about sailing NCLs newest ship. The Pearl which is her sister gets constant raving reviews. NMNita

 

Comparing older ships with newer ships shouldn't matter. You either have a good product, or you don't.

One of my favorite cruises was on the Amsterdam. She may be older, but she is gorgeous. The food and service were excellent.

Also just returned from the Mercury. Once again, food and service were excellent.

 

I'm not a fan of any one cruise line, but I will NEVER set food on a NCL cruise again.

 

My advice to you is run, don't walk, away from NCL.

 

Jill

[Dolphins]

We began cruising on HAL and have sailed over 100 days on their ships. We got tired of flying to Florida to take a cruise and when NCL had the foresight to begin sailing year round out of New York, we decided to give them a try. We were not disappointed. The Norwegian Dawn is a beautiful ship and we really appreciated the many dining options. With a choice of 10 restaurants, we could eat at a time, location and table of our choice every night. We found the food to be equal in quality to HAL and far superior in the specialty restaurants which often featured half-price nights (unknown on HAL). We thought the musicians on NCL were first rate and the dancing venues better than HAL (Spinakker Lounge better for dancing than the small crowded Ocean Bar). We found HAL and NCL to be about equal in their production shows. Finally, NCL treated us far better after only a few cruises than HAL did after 100 days with them- more and better perks for repeat cruisers.

Now that HAL has seen the wisdom of following in NCL's wake by offering cruises out of New York and more dining options, we look forward to returning to HAL next year on the Noordam. There is much to like on both cruise lines and I think many HAL loyalists could do worse than giving NCL a try especially if you want to avoid flying.

[CarlandAndrea]

We have cruised the Pride of America and now the Oosterdam. We did not like the Pride of America - the food was mediocre as was the service. HAL is a far superior cruiseline.

[PDAZ]

The NCLA "Pride" ships are different from the other NCL ships. We've been on the Pride of Aloha and NCL Spirit, and the latter had much better service. The "Pride" ships have trouble with staff and it affects the cruise experience. There's definitely a difference!

[jkgourmet]

It depends what you consider important, what will make you dissapointed. We were unhappy with the clothing of the ther cruisers in the dining rooms (I'm sorry but flip flops and cutoffs at dinner just don't make me happy). We were unhappy with the slower, some what disinterested service in the bars and retaurant. the buffets were boring, at best. We found many passengers delighted at finding ways to screw NCL out of money (their term, not mine) by doing things like taking wine into the dining room in gatorade bottles to avoid paying for wine or the corkage fee. the wine list was higher than we are used to with HAL, but the house red by the glass was well priced and excellent (St Francis Merlot $5.50/glass). The martini's were too expensive at $9.00+ per.

 

On the plus side, we were on an older NCL ship and found it perferctly fine and clean. We found the meat items offered universally excellent. We had lamb several times and the best ribs we've ever tasted at the poolside BBQ. the service was friendly, if slow. The cabins were large and comforatble. We never saw our rom steward and he did everything necessary, and left lovely chocolates and towel animals daily.

 

In the end, I would travel NCL again BUT only if the cruise were very cheap, our airfare to the port was very cheap, and the ports were really wonderful and unavialable with other mas market cruise lines. I guess I've become a snob. or maybe spoiled a bit by HAL.

[Jade13]

I was in alaska last year and asked someoneone on a tour with us who was on NCL. They said there are paper towels in the public bathrooms. That kind of summed up the difference to me. But, we know people who get the under $500pp fares and I guess that is hard to pass up.

[CruiseQueen13]

I've sailed Carnival, HAL, Celebrity, RCCL, Princess and NCL. Been on 10+ and NCL Dawn was our most disappointing. IMO it does not compare to HAL/Celebrity service or food. If you want upscale, be prepared to pay surcharges at Cagney's & the french place.