Sell me on Norwegian!

[Jenbo57]

I've sailed Celebrity and Carnival (enjoyed them both), and have another Carnival cruise coming up in May. I just booked a one-night dinner/dance cruise (Seattle/Vancouver) on the Norwegian Star for September 20, and it got me thinking...maybe I should consider Norwegian for the Mexican Rivieria cruise we might do in November?!?! We did that itinerary on Carnival and had a great time; but if we go again, to the same places, I'd rather sail on another line.

 

For those of you who've cruised on several different lines (since you obviously have something to compare it to), what do you like about Norwegian that keeps you coming back? Is freestyle all it's cracked up to be? What did you not like?

 

We're pretty easy-going travelers; I have no expectations that everything will be perfect, and quite frankly, find it a bit more interesting when it's not! What do you think...should I book Norwegian?

[Leafpeeper]

We cruise on RCCL, NCL, Carnival, and Princess and really enjoy taking cruises on all of them. We simply like the variety each cruiseline has to offer.

We love sailing out of Boston and New York for the convenience of sailing from ports close to home. We were thrilled when NCL and RCCL announced year round sailing from NYC.

 

We sailed NCL Star to the Mexican Riviera a year ago and loved it. I know NCL is changing the itinerary for 2009 but I don't know about this Fall. Our cruise was for 8 nights and our favorite Mexican port was Zihuantenjo/Ixtapa. It is where the old movie, "From Here to Eternity" was filmed with that famous beach scene.

 

Cabo San Lucas is also a great port. We were able to see whales and dolphins on our way there.

 

Puerta Vallarta reminds me of Hawaii as you enter the port.

 

What we loved on NCL Star was the variety of dining venues. Our favorite restaurant was the Japanese and the French LeBistro Restaurant was our second favorite. The main dining room was lovely--especially sitting on the aft of the ship with a view of the wake.

 

One thing we enjoyed on the Star was the movie theater--especially on sea days. We were amazed at how current the movies were. They even serve popcorn. This was especially fun on sea days.

 

The most amazing thing about NCL that you will notice is how they have hand sanitizing machines at the entrance to every restaurant, at each elevator, even at the casino entrance. We also enjoyed the fact that there is a hallway around the casino in case you want to avoid walking past smoking areas.

 

Remember that you can make dining reservations from your cabin 24 hours in advance. That avoids people booking up all the restaurants in advance. The restaurants show their availability on a tv monitor outside each restaurant and on your cabin tv. However, there are often cancellations which are not reflected so be sure to call if you want to check on something available last minute.

 

Main Restaurants (free no reservations): Versailles (larger formal dining room), Aqua (smaller more intimate), and Blue Lagoon (fast food/chinese)

 

Free/reservations required: Mexican & Italian Restaurant

 

$15 specialty/reservations: Endless Summer Restaurant, Japanese/Asian Restaurant, and French LeBistro Restaurant

 

$20-$25 specialty/reservations: Cagney's Steak House and the Japanese Restaurant with chef at your table

 

Note: The main dining rooms (Versailles & Aqua Restaurants) change their menus daily and are posted outside each restaurant. The other restaurants have set menus that never change. You can read their menus on your cabin tv screen or see them posted outside each restaurant entrance. When you first board the ship, there is someone in the atrium area (next to Blue Lagoon on our cruise) who will show you all the menus and take reservations for the first two days of your cruise.

 

I hope you book this cruise and have a great time. For us, variety is the spice of life. Great bands for dancing on NCL and entertainment is fantastic. I hope they have a hypnotist show on your next cruise. Great fun.

[Butch2099]

Like you we have traveled on Carnival, Royal & Celebrity. I would put NCL on a level of quality to that of a newer Carnival ship and pretty equal to the Royal Caribbean ships we have been on. To me the thing that sets it apart is the freestyle dining. It seems like a small thing but I LOVE that you don't have the cattle rush at the 2 dinnertimes that the cruiseline sets for you. To be able to go have dinner anytime you want, where you want really brings it to that next level. Plus it seems with the new 2.0 freestlye they are trying to add even more to it.

Not fighting with DW to get ready by a specific time makes my vacation go smother too... ;-)

[Joan G]

I have been on most of the "main stream" cruise lines and also Crystal. A total of 15 cruises. I have enjoyed all of them. I went on the NCL Spirit last September because of the itinerary and price and leaving from NYC. I enjoyed it a lot and will look at NCL again for my next cruise. I loved eating where I wanted, when I wanted with whomever I wanted, and wearing what I wanted. It was very relaxing and stress free. Some of my cruises had better food, some had better shows, etc., but I am tired of dressing up when I don't feel like it and I really don't need another pictures of my DH and myself all dressed to the "nines". On NCL you can dress up for those special pictures, but it is your choice. The Freestyle cruising has spoiled me I must admit. I always base my selection on itinerary, price, or a ship I want to experience so all of this must come into play also. If given the opportunity most cruisers should at least give NCL a try!

[slotaddict]

I have sailed on Celebrity, RCL and NCL, the thing is, I do not compare each ship.. If you love to cruise then you will like or dislike each ship for different reasons.

 

When I want to kick back relax and do thing "whenever" I cruise, NCL and I love every minute of it.

 

Likewise to Celebrity and RCL, I try to compare ships, but I will say that the NCL Pearl has first place as my favorite ship.

 

In November I will sail my first Carnival cruise, I am cruising with friends who routinely sail Carnival, I will not go with any pre-conceived notion and I am sure I will have a marveleous time.:D

[cruisingsthebest]

I feel that with your mind set of being easy going and finding the imperfections interesting, you will have a great cruise no matter what! That being said I will tell you that we absolutely loved the Star. We took it a year ago to the Mexican Riviera just as leafpeeper stated above and I agree with everything she posted about it and the ports of call. We dined in almost every one of the specialty restaurants and our favorites were also Teppanyaki and Le Bistro. We absolutely prefer NCL Freestyle to traditional dining: there's just so much more opportunity to relax and go with what you want to do instead of being set to a specific dining time and place. Give NCL a try and see for yourself if it suits you. It's also helpful to read all the member reviews of the ships, they can give you a real idea of what to expect and lots of different opinions about all the different aspects of each ship. Enjoy your cruise!

[Jenbo57]

Wow...thanks, everyone, for your great responses! I think I'll give NCL a try in November. The freestyle dining really intrigues me; I'm up for more to choose from and no set dining times! And since this will only be our fourth cruise, I'm just not ready to say that I'll only sail on one line or the other; as one of you said, variety is the spice of life!

 

Oh, and slotaddict...you will have fun on Carnival! After cruising for the first time on Celebrity (and being spoiled rotten), I was a little bit apprensive about Carnival, based mainly on what I'd read on these boards. But you know what? The ship was beautiful (if a bit over the top in decor), the food, service and entertainment were good, and we met some really great people! Based on the itinerary we wanted, we're back on Carnival in May, and I'm anticipating having a wonderful trip.

 

Happy cruising everyone!!!

[newmexicoNita]

I too have sailed all the mass marketed lines. Each has a nitch and I know we shouldn't compare. That is easier said than done. For us, because of freestyle dining NCL is the first line we consider and if price and itinerary is what we are looking for we stay with them. This doesn't mean we don't like the other lines or dont cruise them.

 

Some do think the food on other lines is better, which I agree, but after the implamentation of 2.0 hopefully NCL will be up with the rest. Everything else is great. The crew can not be beat, the cabins are nice and the entertainment top notch. No, you will not get a lot of pool games but for us this isn't an issue.

 

One think I will point out, dont judge positive or negatively the line based on a one night cruise. It will be a totally different experience.

 

Good luck.

 

Nita

[BeachBumMama]

The other posters have given you the main difference with NCL and the other lines, the freestyle dining. It's a personal preference for me and if cost and itinerary are similar, NCL always wins out because of it.

 

I did want to say that don't let your 1 night cruise be an indication of how freestyle actually works. On the cruises to 'nowhere' there are so many people trying to get it all in, in just one night. This makes things crowded and possibly waits for dinner, overly crowded bars, etc. Just know that on the 7 day cruises things aren't as overly crowded.

 

The only thing to say to 'sell' you on NCL is to tell you to try it for yourself. That's the only way to find out.:)

[Ballwin Babe]

...this was our first NCL cruise, and 16th overall. We've been on all the mass market lines, but for some reason I had a bizarre aversion to NCL. Well, it's gone now! We really enjoyed our first NCL cruise and LOVED Freestyle. Sure made packing easier. I'd say RCCL, NCL and Carnival are about equal and Princess, Holland America and Celebrity are about equal, a step above the other three. That being said, I'd go on ANY ONE of them, any time!

 

PS- I was VERY pleasantly surprised by the food on the NCL Spirit. I had low expectations and found meals to be good to VERY good! Enjoy!

[BeachBumMama]

...this was our first NCL cruise, and 16th overall. We've been on all the mass market lines, but for some reason I had a bizarre aversion to NCL. Well, it's gone now! We really enjoyed our first NCL cruise and LOVED Freestyle.

Welcome to the 'other' side of cruising.:) LOL

[Ms belp]

You really need to sell yourself, based on your own likes and dislikes. What you may deem important, may not mean that much to someone else.

[seattle2000]

Well, we leave in a week for the Mexican Riveria cruise on the Star, so I'll bring back a report. This will also be our second time on the Star, so it'll be good to conpare and contrast.

 

NCL has been my favorite line so far (out of mass market lines Celebrity, Disney, and Princess), but

a) I travel with small children

b) I am always late to everything (so I LOVE Freestyle)

c) I am an adventurous, non-picky eater

 

I love not having a set time to get back to the ship for dinner when we are in port, or having to rush me or the kids for a set seating time. NCL had the widest variety of dishes to choose from in all their venues, making it nice for me, and nicer for my picky daughter. I also love the many and varied restaurants, but you only get that on the newer ships built for Freestyle.

 

I did find the quality of the food and dining service to be a *tad* below other lines, especiailly Celebrity, but that was not a huge issue for me. As a mom to small kids, I am THRILLED to eat something other than mac-n-cheese these days (hard to believe I used to eat at 3 star restaurants in SF on a regular basis. Sigh.) I have had no problem sending back dishes that were not to my liking, but I don't abuse this - I've done it twice to date.

 

I generally like NCL's itineraries a little more, but that may just be luck of the draw so far -- they've fit our needs pretty well. But then again, so would half-a-dozen other lines. For the upcoming trip, we liked that it was an 8 day trip (rather than 7), and will stop in Acapulco. But would I have taken a 7 day that skipped Aca? You bet!

 

If anything, I would rate Princess's overall experience slightly below the others, but that is strictly personal preference. Would I take another Princess cruise if the itinerary/price/timing were good? You bet!

 

In summary, I think the lines I've tried so far are far more similar than they are different (Disney being the obvious exception, in that they offer Cinderella and Minnie Mouse, which is a huge point for my young girls). I would not hesitate to book any other lines again.

[sharonax3]

I have only been on NLC once, but as long as I find the itinerary I am looking for, NCL is my new choice. It was so nice not to have to rush to dinner after a long port day. It's also great not having to really dress up for all the dinners. I do not like "formal night", having to lug all those extra clothes with me.

Other than that, I think most of the lines are very similiar, as far as food, entertainment, etc.

[coffeebean]

My first cruise was about 35 years ago on the Carnival Mardi Gras, when I was single. For years I tried to get my DH to go on a cruise and he never wanted to go for fear of feeling "couped up" on the ship.

 

Well.....we took our first cruise together in 2001 on the NCL Star and we haven't stopped since. DH is addicted to cruising as I am. NCL showed us the very best time we ever had with their brand new concept (at the time) of Freestyle cruising. We absolutely love it.

 

We have been on 21 cruises so far, sailing on RCCL, HAL, Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and of coarse NCL. DH and I are Diamond members on RCCL and have been on six NCL cruises. We love RCCL's Voyager class ships but have always loved the Freestyle dining concept much better than traditional cruising. After sailing on NCL Pearl last year, NCL has definately edged out RCCL in our hearts, even the Voyager class ships which are awesome. NCL's Pearl knocked our socks off. We will be cruising on her sister, Gem this coming Saturday, March 29th. Can't wait.

 

Happy cruising!!!

[98Charlie]

Firm believer in the theory that a cruise is what you personally make of it.

 

That said, DH & I have sailed NCL 9 times and have sailed other cruise lines including Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. In 21 cruises we can honestly say we have never had a bad cruise even though we have garnered some likes and dislikes of the various ships we've sailed.

 

We enjoy the freestyle dining concept of NCL which gives us the opportunity to dine at a table for 2 or at a table where we will meet others on our ship. We love the opportunity to eat when we are hungry and not just go to dinner at an assigned time. The freestyle concept is specially great for us when we cruise off the west coast since we live in Ohio and generally have a bit of jet lag the first few days when cruising the west coast.

 

Our first cruise was on NCL, a 5-day cruise on the Majesty in Nov/02. That cruise hooked us into cruising. Rest of our cruise history is all due to that cruise, need I say more.

 

BTW, DH & I have been on the Carnival Valor twice. Love the ship and had great cruises on her both times. We've sailed the NCL Star 3 times and will sail her again in a minute when we get the opportunity. We're booked on NCL Sun out of Vancouver for Alaska in Sept. and will sail NCL Spirit for the second time out of NOLA in Nov.

 

But next month we will be sailing Dawn Princess on the Mex. Riviera. Have sailed the Mex. Riviera 3 times on 2 different cruise lines before. Will be our first Mex. Riviera cruise on Princess and we know we will have a good time on the cruise because we just love being on a ship that's going somewhere away from home, work and worries.

 

Enjoy picking your next cruise.

 

Dianne

[Warmer Climes]

We go back and forth between NCL and RCI and would definitely try other lines if the price/itinerary/cabin choice was good. I like both lines. I prefer Freestyle dining even though we get dressed up for dinner every night. I don't want to be trapped into a dinner that is too much food and at the same time every night. Here is a typical port day: Cozumel, snorkel excursion with Mexican BIG lunch served at 2:00. Eat, drink a few Dos Equis, get sleepy in the sun. Go back on board ship, rush three of us through the shower and hurry to eat at 6:00. I would rather have some more flexibility about the dining. My kids like having the same waiter every night but DH and I couldn't care less about waiters "knowing" us. And I find the parade of waiters embarrassing, kind of like when the mariachi band surrounds our table.

 

Barb

[lvtotrvl1]

You've gotten great response here. I have also sailed on different cruise lines and have enjoyed them all. I will say I love freestyle and I have always had excellent service on NCL. The cruise is what you make it...I'm glad to hear you are open minded and like to try different cruiselines....easch is different in their own way...but I think all the mass market cruiselines are similar in most ways. Have fun and enjoy! I do agree with the poster that asked not to make you decision up after the one night cruise...I have gone on many...different cruiselines, and they are really totally different than the actual cruise experience on a longer sailing:).

[Jenbo57]

Hey, thanks again everyone...I appreciate your input!

 

And I agree with what some of you said that I really won't be able to form much of an opinion based on a one-night sailing; I'm just anxious to get on the Star and check her out! I watch her head up to Alaska every Saturday during the Alaska cruise season, and I've always thought she was such a pretty ship!

 

In the meantime, I'm going to pour over itineraries to try to figure out where to go/how to get there in November!

[garycarla]

Star probably is not the best ship to compare with, but you will get a little idea. We have sailed on plenty, but love NCL due to dining variety and lack of forced dining time. To each their own.

 

Want some more info and FAQs about sailing wit NCL.. Click here

[Ms belp]

Can you also see the Pearl sailing out of Seattle? How do "her" looks compare? I can't wait to see your lovely area of the US!