HAL lover looking at Norwegian, Carnival

[gourmetgirls]

We are looking at a Spring Break cruise for 2009-our oldest daughter will be a senior in high school and she wants fun in the sun! I have looked at cruises out of Charleston and Jacksonville as these are fairly easy drives and we want to avoid the expense and hassle of air travel. Norwegian's Majesty goes to the Bahamas out of Charleston and Carnival's Fascination goes out of Jacksonville.

 

My problem is that having only sailed on HAL (to Alaska and the Mediterranean), I am hesitant about sailing on the other lines. I know that the atmosphere will be different and that there will be more kids, especially for Spring Break. My husband and I enjoy good food, good wine and a little night life. Our girls actually enjoyed cruising on HAL because, with the smaller number of kids on board, they felt that they could get to know other kids easier. Any thoughts or opinions on one line versus the other?

 

Thanks for your help!

[Copper10-8]

Well, let's see:

HAL - Alaska/Mediterranean

Carnival or NCL - Bahamas - Spring break/fun in the sun

Things will be different; Big Time! kinda like culture shock! Based on what you and DH like, have you thought about Veendam out of Tampa? Yes, a longer drive than Charleston or Jax but doable, no? Spring break itself will bring more kids/teens to Veendam also, just a thought!;)

[Xoe]

. . . also Princess, Orient Lines, Celebrity, Empress of the North (small paddlewheeler), and Windstar (my favorite). Itinerary is of top importance to us; if the ship goes where we want to go, we can adjust to onboard differences. We prefer HAL over Carnival, for sure; we enjoyed NCL's many dining choices and more casual lifestyle so have no complaints with them.

 

We go knowing there will be differences and expecting to have a wonderful time -- and we always do! Carnival was my least favorite, but still okay, and their ship (Spirit) did exactly what we wanted to do: 5 days around Hawaiian Islands, then sailed back to Vancouver.

 

I think if you go knowing it will be a very different experience, then part of the fun is the exploration and experience of differing styles of ships/lines.

[boards]

We are going to try a river cruise next June 2009 on the Danube. I don't think it will change my opinion of cruising with Hal. The think I am most sorry about is we lose 8 days towards our 100 day medallion.

[Beyondships]

All of the major cruise lines are good at what they set out to do. However, what each line sets out to do is different from the others.

 

What Carnival and NCL set out to do is much different than what HAL does. You will find that in the atmosphere, the decor, the types of activities onboard, and in the dining and entertainment. Also, they attract a different type of passenger.

 

Thus, if you can accept that this is going to be a completely different experience than with HAL, you will be fine. It really requires one to go with the flow.

[gourmetgirls]

Thanks for the replys! I agree that your expectations going in can make a big difference. Hopefully by lowering our expectation we will be in for a pleasant surprise!

 

For BOARDS: We did a Rhine River cruise with Avalon in May and loved it. It was very different experience from our cruises on HAL but enjoyable in its own right. We would definitely do another river cruise.

[cf_chuck]

We are looking at a Spring Break cruise for 2009-our oldest daughter will be a senior in high school and she wants fun in the sun! I have looked at cruises out of Charleston and Jacksonville as these are fairly easy drives and we want to avoid the expense and hassle of air travel. Norwegian's Majesty goes to the Bahamas out of Charleston and Carnival's Fascination goes out of Jacksonville.

 

My problem is that having only sailed on HAL (to Alaska and the Mediterranean), I am hesitant about sailing on the other lines. I know that the atmosphere will be different and that there will be more kids, especially for Spring Break. My husband and I enjoy good food, good wine and a little night life. Our girls actually enjoyed cruising on HAL because, with the smaller number of kids on board, they felt that they could get to know other kids easier. Any thoughts or opinions on one line versus the other?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

As Copper suggested, Tampa gives you the HAL option. It also expands the options for other lines, ships and itineraries. At some point, I'm looking forward to visiting those places on the Veendam itinerary. But, getting to the specific question, I'm a bit confused since the cruises you mentioned are 7 days in one case, 5 in the other. Is itinerary or duration important?

 

As Copper wrote, you can count on Spring Break having it's share of youth, pretty much whichever line you pick. Since this is something you are doing for your daughter, what would she like to do? The two Bahama cruises out of Charleston and Jax are nice for a first time cruise, with Jax getting the nod since it's shorter for those with sea leg trepidations. It also has a larger pax capacity, more distractions. What would she consider "special"?

[teltrainer]

We've been on all three. 40s/50s couple, no kids. No Spring Break experience.

 

HAL was wonderful atmosphere, relaxed and service was excellent.

 

NCL- married on the Sun, anniversary trips on Sun and Jewel. Found service was mixed, sometimes great, sometimes poor. Freestyle was OK but we found we missed the traditional seating and did not meet many people traveling by ourselves. Two of the cruises were in AE suite with butler and extras and was very nice stern cabin. Food in extra pay was fabulous. Regular restaurants average to good.

 

Carnival was most surprising. We had a wonderful time on an 8 day Southern Caribbean cruise on the Miracle. Dining was excellent, the Supper Club better than anything on NCL. The stern category 11 suite was large and had a wrap balcony. This was in early December so few children.

 

I would be concerned about Spring Break on NCL or Carnival on the shorter cruises (7 days or less).

[madelinerose]

If you're not aware, neither ship has balcony cabins...Fascination 1994, Majesty 1992.

 

Here is some great NCL Majesty info from fellow CCer, Radio. He recently sailed the Majesty from Baltimore to Bermuda. Enjoy. ;)

 

http://public.fotki.com/Radio88/norwegian-majesty--/

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=796248

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=807713

[hammybee]

I sail with Carnival, NCL and HAL and enjoy them all.

 

Having said this, there is no way you can compare a 4-5 day during spring break cruise on the Fasination with anything that is offered by HAL. Ships that do the shorter runs get beat up. Given your timing, this ship is apt to be full of college-age spring breakers aka a booze cruise. All but about 50 cabins are inside/outside. The balcony cabins are usually sold at a tremendous premium because there are so few of them.

 

The NCL Majesty has no balcony cabins. If I had to choose between the two, I would opt for NCL and in doing so, know that the onboard experience will be nothing like that on HAL. Different is not necessarily better or worse.

[madelinerose]

Having said this, there is no way you can compare a 4-5 day during spring break cruise on the Fasination with anything that is offered by HAL. Ships that do the shorter runs get beat up. Given your timing, this ship is apt to be full of college-age spring breakers aka a booze cruise. All but about 50 cabins are inside/outside. The balcony cabins are usually sold at a tremendous premium because there are so few of them..

 

Oops, my bad. Forgot about the suites. Thanks, hammy. ;)

[gourmetgirls]

I'm probably leaning toward Carnival Fascination because the 5 day itinerary will not eat up all of the week off. I also like the stop at Half Moon Cay as I am not too fond of Nassau and Freeport. I would also opt for a balcony suite for the DH and I so that we will have our own "club" while the girls are doing the teen scene.

 

I read somewhere that Carnival requires that anyone under the age of 21 be accompanied by a parent or guardian over the age of 25. Maybe that will cut out some of the unchaperoned college kids. Also, our high school spring break is usually a couple of weeks after a lot of the college spring breaks. Of course, with a boat full of teenagers I'll bet I could pay for our cruise if I got a nickel every time I heard the word "like" !