Cunard vs. NCL (Villas)

[cruisin'bulldog]

Hello:

 

I was just wondering if there is anyone who has sailed on both Cunard in a Queen's Grill room and NCL in one of the villas. I would very much like to do a Transatlantic crossing and I was wondering how the suites, food, service, etc compare. I know Cunard is a much more formal line than NCL, but I have no problem with dressing up; in fact, I miss it. We started cruising NCL, mostly because they have the nice suites and the open seating dining - both of which Cunard seems to have. I would be grateful for any information.

 

Thanks.

[bobnatt]

Hello:

 

I was just wondering if there is anyone who has sailed on both Cunard in a Queen's Grill room and NCL in one of the villas. I would very much like to do a Transatlantic crossing and I was wondering how the suites' date=' food, service, etc compare. I know Cunard is a much more formal line than NCL, but I have no problem with dressing up; in fact, I miss it. We started cruising NCL, mostly because they have the nice suites and the open seating dining - both of which Cunard seems to have. I would be grateful for any information.

 

Thanks.[/quote']

 

First of all in the last two years we took two cruises on the QM2 in Queens Grill and in June we have a Penthouse on the Queen Victoria so you can see that while we are relatively new to Cunard we really enjoy the sophisticated experience of a Cunard voyage.

 

Last year, in addition to the QM2 cruise we also had a Garden Villa suite on a ten day NCL Dawn cruise from NYC to the Caribbean. While the suite itself is unlike anything I have ever seen on a cruise ship (3 large bedrooms, a separate dining room and living room area, your own secluded deck area with a hot tub and sauna), we still prefer the Cunard experience to this most high end NCL experience. The reason we took the NCL cruise was because we were bringing along my daughter, her husband and our three infant grandchildren and we felt having this apartment like accommodation would be most appropriate for our situation.

 

While we enjoyed the Garden Villa, itself, overall we were unhappy with the rest of the NCL experience. In order to have anything close to a decent meal you had to go to one of the specialty restaurants as the main dining rooms had a terrible menu and incredibly lousy service (nothing like any restaurant on the QM2). Formal night for the NCL crowd on our cruise meant, at best, a clean tee shirt. Even the best of the specialty restaurants could not compare to the Queens Grill. The worst day on the QM2 is far better than the best day on our NCL trip.

 

Maybe our trip was unique because it was a Caribbean cruise but I don't intend to find out as we will never, ever take another NCL voyage. Frankly, and you have to understand that I am really not a snob (grew up in Far Rockaway, Queens, NY and now live in Fairfield County, Connecticut) is that the crowd we had on our NCL cruise was just not as sophisticated as the folks we met on our QM2 cruise.

 

If you have one opportunity to do a crossing, do it on the QM2 and, I suspect, it will not be your last Cunard cruise.

[RobertQM2]

Hello:

 

..........who has sailed on both Cunard ............and NCL ............ I would be grateful for any information.

 

Thanks.

 

Hi, we have been on both lines (altough not in grill class) and I just can repeat what bobnat said.

The NCL ship was uncomparable crowded all day long. To find a quiet place was not possible. Even in the library (so called) it was noisy all day long from the pool area above.

Guest lingering along with plastic baskets filled with ice cubes and beer bottles are a common sight from morning to evening.

 

To stop about NCL, I'll tell you what's not to be missed on QM2. and the best thing is to go to that very specific thread with the same name "what's not to be missed on QM2". You'll find hundreds on information with the disadvantage of not beeing able to see and use them all on a single sailing.

 

- After our second sailing we still havent been to all bars & restaurants

-we like to spend hours reading along the windows on 2 deck (you just have to hold a book because reading is nearly impossible while looking the waves rushing by)

- we enjoy dancing a viennise waltz in the Queens Room

- we like the commodore bar with the huge model of QM2

- I'm addicted to the sound of the horn (you have to be on top, close to the funnel)

- We most like the passengers (totaly different from NCL cruisers in a way you can think about your self)

- We liked the lectures very much, being there sometimes twice a day during the TA

- having endless deck space for your self (take care of the high winds on a speedy TA)

- sailing under Verazanos Narrows Bridge in the very early morning and being greeted ba Miss Liberty was one of the best travel moments in my life (compared to the rising sun on top of Mount Fuji).

 

See you on QM2

[tmcauban]

You cannot compare NCL and Cunard.

NCL is the entry level cruise line for people looking for a super casual experience regardless of the category of stateroom booked.

Cunard is about a certain elegance, a certain style of service. You may like it or not, but it is a much better product.