Why are prices so much better for NCL?

[Bibi]

Carnival is not crappy!!! There is no such thing as a crappy cruise or cruiseship! Your vacation is what you make it! I had a great time on Carnival as I do on other lines as well.

[newmexicoNita]

Carnival is not crappy!!! There is no such thing as a crappy cruise or cruiseship! Your vacation is what you make it! I had a great time on Carnival as I do on other lines as well.

 

Good for you, I agree!!

 

Nita

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

RCI and NCL are very comparable in my opinion, but on NCL you have SO many eating options. And, RCI doesn't offer butler/concierge service...HUGE difference IMO and reason alone to book NCL over RCI. NCL's butler service is comparable to Celebrity's.

 

My opinion:

 

NCL=Great dinner options, very relaxed atmosphere

RCI=Great activity options, bigger than life ships and innovations

Princess=Fantastic decor and atmosphere, traditional with some neat on-board offerings

Celebrity=Classy if not stuffy feel, dressy

HAL=Sedate, quiet, relaxing, very traditional

[terrymtex01]

NCL better than Regent (Radisson)?

 

Well.. I say that for two reasons.

 

1. Food, which I have stated 100 times, is so subjective. For instance, on Radisson they had a medallian of squash, then a layer of noodle, then a madallian of green pepper, then a layer of noodle, then a basil leaf then a dotting of sauce and called it lasagna... and it was TINY. There food was just too foo foo for my tastes.

 

2. It was/is a very upscale cruiseline, and their staff reflected the attitude. Very snobby acting, very uptight, etc. Again, just not my tastes.

 

That is the main reason I say that about Radisson. To be honest, it is amazing to me that since that was my first cruise I ever stepped foot on another cruise ship. But as crappy as that cruise was, I was instantly addicted to cruising.

[oz cleopatra]

With eight years experience living in Vegas and working in the casinos etc, I DARE you to find service as good as on the Star- ANYWHERE. I have eaten at the Eiffel Tower, Top of the World, Morton's, Four Seasons, Flemings, Lutece at the Venetian and so many more I can't list them. NONE had the dedication to service that the NCL staff did. PERIOD. The bottom line is two things- the staff are trained better and their job means a whole lot more to them than it does to anyone here. That absurd comparison to Excalibur etc had to be a joke!!! In case it wasn't, read the previous.

[travelntreats]

Since I am in the biz and have cruised on all but Hal of the major 6 lines....

 

You really can't compare NCL to Princess since PCL is a premium line. RCL is usually higher than CCL and NCL since it has very little problem filling their ships. They rarely run below 97-98% capacity. NCL has had the best pricing over the last few months probably due to the hits the took in Hawaii and they are trying to re-establish themself after declining revenue for many years.

 

IMO NCL is good for the price but don't expect RCL service and food.

Princess is by no means a "Premium" Cruiseline.... try Mass Market !

[Lewis/Klitschko]

Okay Wayne Newton, I was referring to purely the comparative styles and colors that I've seen online, and if you actually read what I said, you would know I couldn't possibly be referring to staff or service.

[Sundagger]

Well.. I say that for two reasons.

 

1. Food, which I have stated 100 times, is so subjective. For instance, on Radisson they had a medallian of squash, then a layer of noodle, then a madallian of green pepper, then a layer of noodle, then a basil leaf then a dotting of sauce and called it lasagna... and it was TINY. There food was just too foo foo for my tastes.

 

2. It was/is a very upscale cruiseline, and their staff reflected the attitude. Very snobby acting, very uptight, etc. Again, just not my tastes.

 

That is the main reason I say that about Radisson. To be honest, it is amazing to me that since that was my first cruise I ever stepped foot on another cruise ship. But as crappy as that cruise was, I was instantly addicted to cruising.

 

 

OK - thanks for the clarification. Incidentally, I was on the Inspiration about a year before you were (to the S. Carib.) - I also decided that I enjoyed cruising, but wanted a different atmosphere.

[rickechambers1@aol.com]

With eight years experience living in Vegas and working in the casinos etc, I DARE you to find service as good as on the Star- ANYWHERE. I have eaten at the Eiffel Tower, Top of the World, Morton's, Four Seasons, Flemings, Lutece at the Venetian and so many more I can't list them. NONE had the dedication to service that the NCL staff did. PERIOD. The bottom line is two things- the staff are trained better and their job means a whole lot more to them than it does to anyone here. That absurd comparison to Excalibur etc had to be a joke!!! In case it wasn't, read the previous.

 

Sorry Oz...I had to add this. I had dinner in the Foundation Room (private club inside Mandalay Bay, top floor) last weekend and this was the best service I've ever received...BUT dinner for 3....$960...the cost for this 1 dinner was nearly equivalent to the price for a 7 day cruise for 2 in an inside cabin. Apples and oranges. :)

[newmexicoNita]

Sorry Oz...I had to add this. I had dinner in the Foundation Room (private club inside Mandalay Bay, top floor) last weekend and this was the best service I've ever received...BUT dinner for 3....$960...the cost for this 1 dinner was nearly equivalent to the price for a 7 day cruise for 2 in an inside cabin. Apples and oranges. :)

rick, I am sure you are completely correct, but I think OZ probably was more gerneralizing, because of the comment about Excalibur. I am sure, no matter how good the service is one can find someplace better...

 

NIta

[newmexicoNita]

Since I am in the biz You really can't compare NCL to Princess since PCL is a premium line. quote]

 

Whoa! Are you really comparing Princess with the likes of Crystal, Cunard, Regent, Seabourn, Seadream and Silversea; being in the biz and all?

 

Laughed soo hard, I almost tossed some cookies :eek:

I did notice her occupation: Cruise OP, I have no idea what that is but it doesn't sound like a cruise specialest. Oh, there is a difference between premium and luxury, she did say premium, but even that isn't what Princess is. Princess is a basic, mass marketed line, no better, no worse..

 

Nita

[coffeebean]

yer scaring me with the circus circus comment...i always thought carnival was the crappy one...not ncl???

 

I am a Diamond member on RCCL and have cruised eight times on NCL. Both lines are my favorite with a slight nod to NCL for their Freestyle dining and casual dress code.

 

I have cruised Carnival also and do not like the way their ships are decorated at all. They have a lot of dark woods and copper which dominate the landscape. NCL is more upscale yet fun. RCCL has gorgeous ships with their larger ships having fantastic ammenities and I can't take that away from them.

 

Unfortunately, my dream cruise line would have the gorgeous larger class RCCL ships and NCL's Freestyle dining and casual dress code. Since that hasn't happened yet, DH and I cruise both lines and enjoy what each line has to offer.

 

coffeebean

[ce2000]

I believe that one reason a particular cruise may be advertised so cheap is that sailing may have a lot of vacant rooms that need to be filled.

I take exception to the "Carnival is a crappy cruiseline" comment. Carnival is not my favorite cruiseline, but I have had a great time on each of my Carnival cruises. I find that the food on Carnival is better than Princess and NCL.

[negc]

I would hardly classify Princess as a premium line. It is far closer to RCI and Celebrity than it is to Seabourne, Crystal or several other lines which belong in that classification. That said, prices generally reflect demand for a particular cruise at a particular time and if you search any of the lines' websites thoroughly you can find instances where any one line will offer a lower price than its competitors. In this time of economic difficulty, bargains are more prevalent although it is necessary to consider that the low prices being advertised often do not include the additional fees, taxes and surcharges which can end up bringing the final cost to something nearly double the advertised price. Don't think that a lower price automatically signals an inferior product any more than a high price guarantees a first class cruise experience.:rolleyes:

[negc]

Carnival is not crappy!!! There is no such thing as a crappy cruise or cruiseship! Your vacation is what you make it! I had a great time on Carnival as I do on other lines as well.

 

Even though Carnival is not my top choice among cruiselines, I agree with your comments. Unfortunately there are some who believe that the best way to build up their favorite line is by denigrating the competition. How calling one line "crappy" makes another line better is beyond me.:rolleyes:

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='negc']Even though Carnival is not my top choice among cruiselines, I agree with your comments. Unfortunately there are some who believe that the best way to build up their favorite line is by denigrating the competition. How calling one line "crappy" makes another line better is beyond me.:rolleyes:[/QUOTE]

It is like the person who tries to build themselves up by knocking others down.
Although I am not a fan of Carnival or a few other lines, each has a nitch and has positives. I don't think there is a line out there anymore that is crappy, maybe there never was, but certainly with all the new ships, the addition of activities and modernization of ships all have something to offer and more positives than negatives.

Nita

[terrymtex01]

[quote name='Sundagger']OK - thanks for the clarification. Incidentally, I was on the Inspiration about a year before you were (to the S. Carib.) - I also decided that I enjoyed cruising, but wanted a different atmosphere.[/quote]

You know we loved the Inspiration herself.. and she had a great crew. But it was a much younger drunker crowd as far as Pax's and that is what turned us off to Carnival. I'm not opposed to trying them again,especially on one of their newer bigger ships, but I will say they are not our first choice. What has been really interesting to us is that in the past, before booking through CAS, when we would look at taking a cruise and compare costs with CCL, RCCL, Princess, NCL and HAL, a lot of the time Carnival would be the most expensive. That has been a few years ago that we made the comparisons.. but it still was interesting to us.

[oz cleopatra]

[quote name='rickechambers1@aol.com']Sorry Oz...I had to add this. I had dinner in the Foundation Room (private club inside Mandalay Bay, top floor) last weekend and this was the best service I've ever received...BUT dinner for 3....$960...the cost for this 1 dinner was nearly equivalent to the price for a 7 day cruise for 2 in an inside cabin. Apples and oranges. :)[/quote]


Wow, you got really lucky. It's all over town what a ****fight and trainwreck that place has turned into of late. I am serious. You got REALLY lucky. And frankly speaking, even when it was pumping I could not STAND that place. Too many rich businessmen and hookers. Seriously. Went there once and practically ran out screaming. Slimy crowd.:(

[oz cleopatra]

[quote name='Lewis/Klitschko']Okay Wayne Newton, I was referring to purely the comparative styles and colors that I've seen online, and if you actually read what I said, you would know I couldn't possibly be referring to staff or service.[/quote]

I assume that was directed at me. ROFLMAO!!!:D

[ugen512]

[quote name='newmexicoNita']If you are in the business you certainly have access to the same prices I just listed. Checking 15 different cruises, 4 lines, all in Jan, the prices were almost identical. Princess isn't a premium line, HAL and Celebrity are. Well, I guess it depends on what resourses you are using, there are so many out there.

Nita[/quote]


BUT NCL overall is much less on the Sky sailings. AND Princess absolutely is a premium line with HAL and Celebrity. There are no other resources.

[newmexicoNita]

[quote name='ugen512']BUT NCL overall is much less on the Sky sailings. AND Princess absolutely is a premium line with HAL and Celebrity. There are no other resources.[/QUOTE]

your opinion but not that of the travel industry overall I don't think. At least it normally isn't classified in the same catagory as HAL and Celebrity.

Most of the 3 and 4 days cruises out of Miami are running within $20-$50 of each other during dec and Jan.

Nita

[G'ma]

[quote name='knjfaith']yer scaring me with the circus circus comment...i always thought carnival was the crappy one...not ncl???[/quote]

Well, you are incorrect. I'm about to embark on my 63rd Carnival cruise. I started with them in the mid-1970's when they only had 2 small ships (and I was a lot younger) and were known as the "party ships". I've watched them over the years become a truly wonderful cruise experience with beautiful ships, great itineraries, the largest cabins afloat, the best prices, best food and one of the largest lists of onboard activities.

You've either never cruised on a Carnival ship or haven't over the past 25 years.

Lest you think I might not have any to compare, I've been on 200+ cruises, on all of the major cruiselines of the world and most that are now defunct....both on business and for pleasure.

Carnival beats all the mass market cruiselines, hands down.....

[newmexicoNita]

[QUOTE=G'ma;17119078]Well, you are incorrect. I'm about to embark on my 63rd Carnival cruise. I started with them in the mid-1970's when they only had 2 small ships (and I was a lot younger) and were known as the "party ships". I've watched them over the years become a truly wonderful cruise experience with beautiful ships, great itineraries, the largest cabins afloat, the best prices, best food and one of the largest lists of onboard activities.

You've either never cruised on a Carnival ship or haven't over the past 25 years.

Lest you think I might not have any to compare, I've been on 200+ cruises, on all of the major cruiselines of the world and most that are now defunct....both on business and for pleasure.

Carnival beats all the mass market cruiselines, hands down.....[/QUOTE]
G'ma, I agree with your opinion as to the changes Carnvial has gone through since the 70s, but I do take a little exception to it being the best cruiseline, hands down. This is your opinion only, that would be like my saying, because I am an NCL loyalist, NCL was the best. There is no best, there are best for each of us, depending on what you are looking for in a cruise experience. I do think Carnival gets a bad rap from time to time, just like NCL> And no cruise line can be compared with Circus, Circus, that was a really not an intellegent comparison.

Nita

[CruisnGram]

[quote name='newmexicoNita'] And no cruise line can be compared with Circus, Circus, that was a really not an intellegent comparison.

Nita[/quote]

I guess that's why I'm so damned easy to please. :D

I ALWAYS stay at Circus Circus when in Vegas. Best prices, large nice rooms, etc. I don't want to sleep on the floor, in a flea bag hotel, but I'm just not into spending twice the money or more to lay down and sleep at night.

So much for my high tastes! LOL

CG

[travelntreats]

[quote name='ugen512']AND Princess absolutely is a premium line with HAL and Celebrity.[/quote]

You really need to do more research on this statement or perhaps take some more POLAR Online classes... Princess is NOT a "Premium" Cruiseline.....They were many many years ago and vowed NOT to go Mass Market, but slipped into that enigma years ago when the Grand Princess debuted ! Even HAL boasts being "Premium" but is borderline at best. Celebrity is the closest to Premium before stepping up to Crystal, Seabourne, Azamara, etc....