Converting to NCL

[sox583]

Hello all, I had a question,We have been on all Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises. We are planning to go on the Norweigen Gem in February! What can i expect that sets it appart from RCCL and Carnival

[newmexicoNita]

Do remember, most mass marketed lines are more alike than different, but here is my take on the 3 lines:

 

Carnival: nice sized cabins.

busy casino

food is subjective: it is ok on Carnival

lots of activities

night life into the wee hours of the morning

 

RCI: fair food, again subjective

lots of activities

well maitained ships

 

 

NCL: lots of dining choices, sur charge as well as inclusive

cabins similar in size to RCI. not as large as Carnival but nice bathrooms

very good service (especially cabin stewards)

similar entertainment as the other 2 lines.

night life good, but not as ongoing as Carnival; more like RCI

 

each line has a niche, but all three are very much alike.

 

Nita

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

Depends on your cabin category also as NCL has great concierge and butler service for suites and this is not an option on RCI.

[goodml]

Hello all, I had a question,We have been on all Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises. We are planning to go on the Norweigen Gem in February! What can i expect that sets it appart from RCCL and Carnival

 

I am in the same position as you except I sail in 32 days:D ! I'll be sure to let you know the differences when I get back.

[rsinj]

Hello all, I had a question,We have been on all Royal Caribbean and Carnival cruises. We are planning to go on the Norweigen Gem in February! What can i expect that sets it appart from RCCL and Carnival

 

You get to eat when you want, where you want, and with who you want.

 

You cannot beat that. Assigned dinner seating...that is so not NCL!

 

Howard

[terrymtex01]

Also, with Carnival they have "suggested" tipping and with NCL they have a daily service charge that will cover all of your normal tips. The only other tips you may encounter are when you purchase a beverage there is an auto tip of 15% added and I believe, although not 100% for sure, but Spa services will also charge a tip.

 

With NCL if you are in a suite you have the services of a Concierge and Butler and they are not included in the tipping pool the daily service charge covers so that would be extra tipping as well.

 

Another difference is, JMHO, NCL seems more like a real vacation because NCL is more laid back and I don't feel the need to rush to be here or rush to be there and we don't have to "dress up" for dinner.

 

Nita is so right when she said most major cruise lines are more alike than they are different.

[deepnite10]

to many time s we ve return d from an excursion just beat..

and prefer d a nap befor a meal..other time s we ve had to

cancel an activity to have dinner..

 

it s so much easier to schedule your dining time around your

activitity s rather the other way around..

[Nekochan]

You get to eat when you want, where you want, and with who you want.

 

You cannot beat that. Assigned dinner seating...that is so not NCL!

 

Howard

 

You only get to eat when you want, where you want if it's one of the two main dining rooms and they are not packed - otherwise you wait. The specialty restaurants have to be reserved one or two days in advance, unless you are in a suite with concierge service. Those passengers with concierge are able to eat where they want, when they want, but those in regular cabins have a more difficult time getting reservations at the specialty restaurants when they want. At least that was my experience this past February on the Gem.

[sharonax3]

I have also been on all 3 lines. The main difference I saw, other than freestlye dining is the dress code. Personally I do not like to have to dress up when I am on vacation. I do not care for formal nights at all. On NCL there is an optional formal nite when a lot of guests do dress up, formal pictures, etc.

I do not want to have to pack all that stuff. Dress, shoes, bags, etc..

Plus with the new airline requlations on baggage, I am trying to only bring one suitcase.

It is my vacation, I want to relax, not worrying about what formal gown to bring.

[rsinj]

You only get to eat when you want, where you want if it's one of the two main dining rooms and they are not packed - otherwise you wait. The specialty restaurants have to be reserved one or two days in advance, unless you are in a suite with concierge service. Those passengers with concierge are able to eat where they want, when they want, but those in regular cabins have a more difficult time getting reservations at the specialty restaurants when they want. At least that was my experience this past February on the Gem.

 

Bottom line is that you do not have an assigned seating where at best you can "request" early or late and you go by their schedule. We ate in the main dining rooms every evening when we wanted. One night that was 5:30 another it was 8:00. Every night but one we had our own table for three. The one night we sat with others was because we chose not to wait for our own table as it was particularly crowded (lobster night).

 

Specialty restaurants - it's an option. We had a suite and were given the opportunity to reserve any for the entire cruise, but found the flexibility, convenience, and menu in the main dining rooms just fine.

 

If you're happy with a set dinner time every night and plan your day around making dinner at that set time that is great. We enjoyed the ability to have our days more flexible so we didn't have to cut anything short or scramble just to get to dinner.

 

Howard

[mpk218]

I too have sailed all three. Most of the above is about as clear as you are going to find.. Of the 3 lines NCL is my prefered because of the freestyle .

Of the NCL cruises I have taken we have never waited more than a few minutes to be seated at the main dining ( table of four ).. I guess we just got lucky ( 35 times ) :eek:

 

mpk

[jt1120]

The only reason that NCL is not my favorite line is the whole "optional formal night" thing. No, I'm not starting an argument about dress codes, it's just that my wife and I enjoy formal nights, that's all. Other than that, there are few things that I do NOT like about NCL. Their ships are beautiful, their staff is good (not great, but good), they have some excellent entertainment, nice cabins, food is good, what more can I say?

[logcabin]

I, too, have sailed all 3 with NCL being our preferred.

 

A few things. First, someone mentioned the carnival has "suggested tipping" and NCL has a "service charge". Please be aware that I just got off the Carnival Victory last week. Carnival now has the "service charge" as well directly added to your room charge. Just like NCL.

 

I, too, have never waited more than a few minutes to be seated for a meal on my 4 NCL cruises. These would be tables for 2 and for 4. However, we prefer to eat later, after 8pm or so.

 

We, too, like to get dressed up on formal night and continue to do so on NCL. Many people continue to do so on NCL. However, I do wish that on the "optional" formal night that they would reserve just 1 of the main restaurants for "formal" or "more dressed up" attire only and make it a bit more of an event for those who wish to participate.

 

I found the service on NCL better than RCCL or CCL. I also find that you see far more "officers" walking around the ship on NCL than the other two. Far more mingling with the passengers, asking how things are, etc. Did not see this at all on my recent CCL cruise and very little on my recent RCCL cruise.

 

NCL ships (the newer ones, anywy) have far more places to go for a nice quiet drink and is far less "smoky" than CCL.

 

"standard" staterooms on CCL are usually larger on average. RCCL and NCL are about the same. But, NCL bathrroms have them both beat.

 

Far more "perks", better service and better VIP treatment when staying in a suite on NCL than any of the other two lines. NCL does pamper you..

 

Our recent Dawn cruise (with Freestyle 2.0 implimented) has a far more laid back atmosphere on board during the day. Much more relaxing than either of the other two lines. They have done away with the loud and obnoxious pool games on deck during the day (hairy chest, belly flop, etc.) and now have a band playing nice music throughout the day. Much nicer for laying out in the sun and relaxing, reading, talking with friends, etc. Our recent CCL Vicotry cruise found the pool deck so loud and obnoxious during the day that it was impossible to just sit and even concentrate on reading, let alone trying to hold a conversation with someone right next to you.

 

Most of all, though, is Freestyle. As far as I'm concerned, that is the only way to cruise and always gets my first vote.

[mpk218]

I, too, have sailed all 3 with NCL being our preferred.

 

A few things. First, someone mentioned the carnival has "suggested tipping" and NCL has a "service charge". Please be aware that I just got off the Carnival Victory last week. Carnival now has the "service charge" as well directly added to your room charge. Just like NCL.

 

I, too, have never waited more than a few minutes to be seated for a meal on my 4 NCL cruises. These would be tables for 2 and for 4. However, we prefer to eat later, after 8pm or so.

 

We, too, like to get dressed up on formal night and continue to do so on NCL. Many people continue to do so on NCL. However, I do wish that on the "optional" formal night that they would reserve just 1 of the main restaurants for "formal" or "more dressed up" attire only and make it a bit more of an event for those who wish to participate. I thought they did reserve one of the Main's for dress-up only , is this not correct anylonger ?

 

I found the service on NCL better than RCCL or CCL. I also find that you see far more "officers" walking around the ship on NCL than the other two. Far more mingling with the passengers, asking how things are, etc. Did not see this at all on my recent CCL cruise and very little on my recent RCCL cruise.

 

NCL ships (the newer ones, anywy) have far more places to go for a nice quiet drink and is far less "smoky" than CCL.

 

"standard" staterooms on CCL are usually larger on average. RCCL and NCL are about the same. But, NCL bathrroms have them both beat.

 

Far more "perks", better service and better VIP treatment when staying in a suite on NCL than any of the other two lines. NCL does pamper you..

 

Our recent Dawn cruise (with Freestyle 2.0 implimented) has a far more laid back atmosphere on board during the day. Much more relaxing than either of the other two lines. They have done away with the loud and obnoxious pool games on deck during the day (hairy chest, belly flop, etc.) and now have a band playing nice music throughout the day. Much nicer for laying out in the sun and relaxing, reading, talking with friends, etc. Our recent CCL Vicotry cruise found the pool deck so loud and obnoxious during the day that it was impossible to just sit and even concentrate on reading, let alone trying to hold a conversation with someone right next to you.

 

Most of all, though, is Freestyle. As far as I'm concerned, that is the only way to cruise and always gets my first vote.

 

I couldn't have said it better myself.. You are right on..;)

 

 

mpk

[Vyhanek]

Of course this board is going to be biased towards NCL.

 

I've cruised on all 3 lines several times and I agree with the poster that says they are all more similar than anything. There are things that each line does better than the others and that's why I cruise on all 3 lines mixing it up.

 

I think NCL does a great job with their ships. You will love the Gem. It has such a modern feel, the decor is hip and funky but still very classy. NCL does a fabulous job on their suites and if you are traveling with your family there are so many options in the suites that Carnival definitely doesn't have. The perks that come with the suites like the priority tender tickets (getting off the ship first) and the goodies delivered to your room really make you feel special!

 

The shows on NCL are better. Way better than than the other lines. The dancers are better, the choreography is better, costumes are better.

 

The Spas on NCL's newer ships are better. The newer ships have the spas in the front of the ship with wonderful views! It is so beautiful to sit in the spa and enjoy the hot tub from the front of the ship. The other lines have the spas tucked somewhere with no windows and you feel like you are at a spa anywhere. You KNOW you are at sea in NCL's spas. Really beautiful!

 

Being able to disembark the ship at the end of the cruise whenever you want and being able to sit and wait in your own cabin until you are ready to leave is so nice. You only have to be jammed in the lounges and hallways on Carnival and RCCL once to know how nice it would be to sit and wait in your own cabin and leave whenever the heck you want. A huge benefit.

 

Now, the FOOD. On this board you will hear over and over things like "Hey, if I don't have to cook it I'm good", Well, call me a snob but I want better than that. NCL has the reputation of having the worst food at sea and you don't have to cruise every other line to realize that. NCL's food doesn't even compare, or come close to the quality of food on Carnival. Maybe not so much in the buffets, I rarely do the buffet so I wouldn't know there but in the main dining room and in the Specialty Restaurants Carnival would outrank NCL any day. The specialty restaurants on NCL like Cagney's and Le Bistro just don't compare in any way to Carnival's Supper Club. The food on RCCL falls somewhere in the middle IMHO.

 

As far as Freestyle Dining, it's not as fabulous IMHO as this board would lead you to believe. The dining rooms get absolutely paralyzed when they are full and have different tables on different courses. Our meals took 2 hours plus several nights with very, very long waits in between the courses. This NEVER happens on Carnival or RCCL. If you have kids, even very well behaved kids, a two hour meal is unacceptable. NCL does get complaints about this, and much improvement is needed again IMHO.

 

The Kids Clubs are all very similar in activities and structure. The only thing is that RCCL and Carnival run kids club everyday with organized activities and it is included in the regular price of your cruise ticket. On NCL, they run kids club ONLY while the ship is at sea (not in ports). If you want childcare while the ship is in port you pay for a babysitter at an extra cost. This may not affect you but it could certainly add up on NCL if say you are scuba divers and need childcare. On the other lines kids club is included every day of the cruise. Also, on the other lines, the Kids Club will take the children to dinner if you want. On NCL they do this one time per week. So, if you want to eat a special, romantic dinner with your spouse, that is definitely possible on the other lines, not so much on NCL.

[DMH15]

My favorites are NCL and Celebrity...

Followed by RCCL

And then Carnival.

 

NCL's food is not as bad as mentioned and Carnival's is not as good as mentioned. Carnival had the worst Eggs Benedict I have ever tasted and I have tasted hundreds.

 

But I have enjoyed each and every cruise I have ever been on. For example, after ordering Eggs Bebedict on Carnival and hating them, I just never ordered them again on board, instead I had an omelet. No biggie.

 

I hate Buffets anywhere, on land or sea, so I avoid them.

 

I enjoyed room service just for the convenience of a simple turkey sandwich last year on the Jewel (I was in a OS cabin only - no "special room service" - it was fine.)

 

Food is so subjective. I am a chef with 3 credentials. I don't mind spending big bucks on a special meal. I love really great meals. But I can also be happy with a good meal that serves as my fuel. But you guys, consider of what cruise lines have to do to produce food for pax. Some of the premium lines do it really well, but they pass along the costs. Just to serve that many people (and for some reason even your average light eater decides to splurge and pig out on a cruise) so many times a day, I admire them. Luckily on a cruise, if you don't like something you can get a replacement - free of charge. Or, if you want more, you can do that too.

 

I do love the bathrooms on NCL (in the cabin).

 

I would try any cruiseline or ship... and I would find something to like.

[newmexicoNita]

You only get to eat when you want, where you want if it's one of the two main dining rooms and they are not packed - otherwise you wait. The specialty restaurants have to be reserved one or two days in advance, unless you are in a suite with concierge service. Those passengers with concierge are able to eat where they want, when they want, but those in regular cabins have a more difficult time getting reservations at the specialty restaurants when they want. At least that was my experience this past February on the Gem.

Pretty much the case, but the wait is rarely more than a few mintues. Why you had to wait so long I have no idea plus, even if you do need to make reservations (like all lines) for the specialty dining rooms you can usually get pretty much what you want if you are just a little flexible, not always. As for eating when and where you want, as someone has said, you can choose 7pm one night, 6pm the next and 9pm on another night, or have dinner early and go back for dessert later. This is pretty flexible I would say...

 

NIta

[mpk218]

A little story I recall about having to wait to get into the main dining room..

 

This was on our March trip on the Pearl.

 

We were in the stardust and I heard a woman complaining to a person next to her about having to wait to be seated in the main dining room. She said she had to wait 25 minutes behind others just get in....

The other woman said that she has not experienced that at all yet on this cruise . She then asked what time did you go to dinner ,,,,,The response ,,,

 

 

" early , it was 10 after 5 "........:eek: :eek:

 

I hope she doesn't vote ...

 

mpk

[meaclasact2]

DH and I just returned from a port intensive 13 day cruise on the Jade through the Mediterranian. Some of our excursions had us off the ship for 9 hours or more. It was great to return to the ship and know that we could still eat in the main dining room and not have to worry about missing our assigned time.

 

I've only been on Carnival and NCL - they are both very nice lines. Both are resort casual for dinner - Carnival has mandatory formal while NCL's is "dress up or not." It works on NCL - some folks are dressed to the 9's and others are more laid back...but it works.

 

Carnival had one speciality restaurant and the fee was, I think, 30 USD per person. NCL has several specialty restaurants and only one, Cagney's is close to that price. The others are priced lower with the exception of Teppynaki (Benny Hanna on the high seas - very good food by the way).

 

On NCL they always offer an early "two for one" special. We did that several times - ate in Le Bistro for $15 total for the both of us because we were seated before 630. You cannot beat that - and the food was terrific.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

[sox583]

Thank you all for the answers.

[coffeebean]

DH and I just returned from a port intensive 13 day cruise on the Jade through the Mediterranian. Some of our excursions had us off the ship for 9 hours or more. It was great to return to the ship and know that we could still eat in the main dining room and not have to worry about missing our assigned time.

 

I've only been on Carnival and NCL - they are both very nice lines. Both are resort casual for dinner - Carnival has mandatory formal while NCL's is "dress up or not." It works on NCL - some folks are dressed to the 9's and others are more laid back...but it works.

 

Carnival had one speciality restaurant and the fee was, I think, 30 USD per person. NCL has several specialty restaurants and only one, Cagney's is close to that price. The others are priced lower with the exception of Teppynaki (Benny Hanna on the high seas - very good food by the way).

 

On NCL they always offer an early "two for one" special. We did that several times - ate in Le Bistro for $15 total for the both of us because we were seated before 630. You cannot beat that - and the food was terrific.

 

Have a wonderful cruise.

 

On NCL, a surcharge of $25 per person for Teppanyaki is still less expensive than Carnival. Cagney's is also $25 per person on NCL, also less expensive than Carnival's specialty restaurant.

[shawn&angie]

Great thread! We have yet to cruise NCL but are considering it, not because we are unhappy with past cruises (RCCL & Celebrity) but because we are considering Hawaii and NCL appears to be the best option to do that.

We enjoy the formal nights as well, however as someone else has mentioned due to airline baggage restrictions I believe it’s going to be increasingly more difficult to dress as formal as we have in the past. For example on our last cruise, I packed one regular suite and left my Tux at home. If I had also taken my Tux I would have also had to pack additional shoes etc. That with some other changes allowed us to eliminate one suitcase we normally would have taken. My point is that we love to do formal night but made the choice to go back to one suit (less formal) ONLY because of luggage restrictions.

 

I was shocked to read that the dinning process still takes a long time on NCL with freestyle dinning. One thing we have come to get a little frustrated with is the time we find ourselves spending at dinner in the dining room on our past cruises (RCCL & Celebrity). We have never eaten the buffet for dinner, but on our last cruse after dinner one evening we went to check it out as our dinner in the dining room took over two hours. I like the dining room and my table companions but I get a little edgy sitting there for that long. We were surprised at the buffet to be honest…it appeared (the one and only time I saw it for dinner) that it had many choices and most of which were from the dining room menu….but as I mentioned we didn’t eat there but may consider it in the future.

[alexkrn46]

We have been on many RCCL cruises, one Carnival Cruise, one Princess Cruise, now we are booked for an Xmas cruise on the Norweigan .

 

We picked the Gem because it leaves from NYC and we didn't want to fly.

 

Our last cruise was on the Liberty of the Seas, we were in a Suite and we had excellent service. RCL does have a concierege service and a state room attendent who was only assigned suite guests but not a butler. The Diamond lounge attendant also called us daily to see how we were doing.

 

We booked a Penthouse Suite on NCL, I gave a deposit at the time of booking. when I called this week to make my final payment, NCL had cancelled our reservation. Somehow they did not get the correct Credit Card number and didn't call my TA. I was there when she called. No, Penthouse Suites were available. So I feel NCL has one strike against themselves. We were unable to get a Courtyard Villa, but I had to pay extra money. My TA did comp some to the travel insurance although, I feel the cruiseline should have not cancelled without calling her.

 

We are looking forward to the Gem, while I do enjoy a formal night, I don't like fighting with my adult kids who hate to get dressed up. I don't like making dinner reservations, but my daughter will be in charge of that.

 

I think NCL maybe a good choice for out family since it seemes to be a bit more youth oriented. The interior of the ship looks beautiful and upbeat.

 

Since the Liberty and Gem were put in service last year, I think I will be able to compare the cruising experience since I will be comparing a suite to a suite. We rarely get a suite so this is rare to get 2 suites in a row.

 

Sorry for being long winded, but I don't think there is a bad cruise on any cruise line just some better then others. What will be special to me is spending a holiday on a special trip.

[luddite]

What to expect:

A great time. Freestyle allows you some flexibility at dinnertime, since you don't hafta be there at any set time. You will have an opportunity to meet new people at dinner. A week at the same table with a few dolts isn't as exciting as a brochure would have you believe. Approach the trip with an open mind and you should have a wonderful time.

[DMH15]

alexkrn46

 

I agree they should not have cancelled your res esp w/o calling your TA, but you should also be checking your credit card online to assure the payment was made. To wait until final was due and not to have known this should not have happened. I have an upcoming cruise and have printed copies of all of my payments to take with me. Just cya.