tracyj711 Posted January 8, 2009 #1 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hi Everyone, We are big Disney Cruise line fans. We have tried Carnival and found it to be a little "groovy" for lack of a better word. A group of friends is booking NCL and we are thinking of joining them. We love the idea of a private island and the Pearl looks nice. We are not opposed to cruise lines other than Disney but, do like the service we get when we sail w/ them. Carnival did not have the same standards. For you that have cruised NCL...what do you think? TIA! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrymtex01 Posted January 8, 2009 #2 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Welcome to the boards and to NCL. I am putting on my flame proof suite when I say this, but my fear is that you will be some what disappointed with NCL vs. Disney. The reason I say that is DCL's loyalist seem to like the atmostphere of Disney as opposed to NCL. Also, the one thing that comes immediately to mind is that with Disney you get all of your soda's included, or so I have read, but you do pay for them with NCL. NCL, however, has a great product with their Freestyle cruising. With Freestyle you get to eat when you want, where you want. That way when you have a nice day at the beach, you don't have to worry about rushing back to the ship and being in a hurry to shower and dress to make it to your assigned dinner time. You can come back, relax, take your shower, get dressed and eat when and where and with whom ever you want to eat with. Also I am fairly sure that NCL has more dining options than Disney, although you do have to pay extra for some of them. IF you take an NCL cruise and just realize you are going to experience a different product that you would with Disney, I think you would have a great time. But, if you expect NCL to be Disney, I think you will be disappointed. And I do agree with you on Carnival. Just not our tastes. Oh..and the Pearl is a BEAUTIFUL ship. On that I am sure you will be pleased with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ce2000 Posted January 8, 2009 #3 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have never been on a Disney Cruise, but I have been on an NCL cruise. I believe that you should give NCL a try, it is not one of my favorite cruiselines, but it offers a unique experience. There is no set dining times and no formal dress nights. It is a more relaxed atmosphere and many people prefer this arrangement, whereas it is not my preference, I am glad that the NCL option is available. I really am not loyal to any cruiseline, I like them all, or at least all the ones that I have experienced. Give NCL a try it offers a little different type of cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nickymjw1 Posted January 8, 2009 #4 Share Posted January 8, 2009 We love NCL. The freestyle dining with no set dinner time, different options of restaurants, nice mixed crowd, still fun but not crazy parties like on Carnival. Different activities. Now they have implemented Freestyle 2.0 where they put little flags on the loungechairs by the pool. If you want a drink, you raise your flag, so no more being bugged all day for a drink! All the staff is superfriendly. I'd say give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tracyj711 Posted January 8, 2009 Author #5 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks for the replies. NCL does look like it has a lot to offer and I really think it will be great. We do have older kids and I realized that I didn't mention that in my original post. So, it's not like we have to go Disney due to young kids (my older kids do love it). We are really looking forward to doing something a little longer than our normal 3 day cruise and becuase of the price of Disney, haven't been able to do that yet. I appreciate the help! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdarch Posted January 8, 2009 #6 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Welcome to the ncl boards. My dh and I have been on Celebrity and Azamara. We went on the Dawn last year and we're going again this year. We have loved everyone of our cruises. They were all on different lines, all to Bermuda. We didn't have alot of choices to go to Bermuda for 7 days. First and foremost we head to Bermuda. We were a little apprehensive last year going on the Dawn. But, we had a great time. A different experience, but different can be good.. We were very happy with our cruise with Ncl and are going again on the Dawn in June and guess to where? Yes, Bermuda. Some other lines are starting to go back there in 2010. So, maybe my dh and I will try yet another, different line. :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cmdchiefthom Posted January 8, 2009 #7 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Tia, IMHO, NCL is a fun line to curise aboard. Laid back, kind of Jimmy Buffett style, Not a booze cruise, but just kind of fun. The food is OK, but if you're willing to splurge, the speciality venues are fantastic. The cabins are very nice, the entertainment good, and finally, the price very attractive.;) There is no such thing as a bad cruise, given the price, what have you got to lose?:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruisnGram Posted January 8, 2009 #8 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Hi Everyone,We are big Disney Cruise line fans. We have tried Carnival and found it to be a little "groovy" for lack of a better word. A group of friends is booking NCL and we are thinking of joining them. We love the idea of a private island and the Pearl looks nice. We are not opposed to cruise lines other than Disney but, do like the service we get when we sail w/ them. Carnival did not have the same standards. For you that have cruised NCL...what do you think? TIA! Welcome to CC! First, I've never sailed Disney. But, I have read a lot about them and can honestly say I've hardly ever seen a complaint. I think that Disney does their cruises, just like they do their parks....1st class all the way. So, in all honesty, I don't think that NCL will compare equally with Disney, if that is what you are expecting. Having said that, here's the other side. You will get a 7 day cruise on NCL for about the same cost as a 3 day on Disney. That's a lot of extra vacation time for the buck. Disney doesn't charge those prices for nothing. In addition, NCL offers some adult entertainment that Disney does not.......especially the casino. NCL is a well rounded "family" ship and is not geared directly towards children. I think you will also find that freestyle dining is great with kids (and for adults too) and is a much more flexible schedule, making for a relaxed vacation. I think that you need to set your sites realistically and not go intending to compare this cruise to Disney. If you do, you will perhaps be disappointed. And honestly, it sounds like that's what you did with your Carnival cruise. However, if you can appreciate the huge dollar savings and the product that you get for that dollar, you will have a wonderful cruise. CG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mamabeac Posted January 8, 2009 #9 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I'll throw in my 2 cents worth. Our first 4 cruises were with Disney and we thought nothing could compare. However, we have no young children and found out that we are able to enjoy cruising even without "the mouse." As others have already said, Disney definitely does things 1st class all the way and we never had a bad experience with them. However, we were also willing to give Princess & NCL chances. We always go into a cruise looking for the good and not dwelling on the bad. I can truthfully say that we equally enjoyed our Princess & NCL cruises as much as the Disney ones. The definite selling point for us with NCL is the price. We are able to afford cruising in a suite for less than a balcony on Disney. Obviously the perks of a suite are great and we have not looked back. In fact we can't wait for our next cruise in another suite on NCL. Everytime we price Disney it reminds us why we aren't cruising with them anymore. I think you should give NCL a try but do it with an open mind because if you go comparing everything to Disney it won't measure up. Each cruise line will offer something different. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
terrymtex01 Posted January 8, 2009 #10 Share Posted January 8, 2009 Thanks for the replies. NCL does look like it has a lot to offer and I really think it will be great. We do have older kids and I realized that I didn't mention that in my original post. So, it's not like we have to go Disney due to young kids (my older kids do love it). We are really looking forward to doing something a little longer than our normal 3 day cruise and becuase of the price of Disney, haven't been able to do that yet. I appreciate the help! Just from what you have said in this posting I really do think you should give NCL a try. It isn't like you get the feel you are on a discount cruise line..the ships are actually very very nice.. but you do get more for your dollar on NCL. Seems to me you are going at this with an open mind, and with that, you will have a blast on your cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CastawayCruiser Posted January 8, 2009 #11 Share Posted January 8, 2009 I have sailed Disney and it was fantastic no question but we now sail NCL exclusively. There are many reasons that we love NCL - freestyle being the biggest. After sailing Disney and Carnival when we set foot on NCL and experienced the freedom to "whatever" we were hooked and haven't been able to go back to traditional cruising since. Disney is such a well oiled machine both in the parks and on the ships that the experience is wonderful but our cruises with NCL have been just as good in other ways. Give NCL and Freestyle a try - you might find as we have that it is perfect for you!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
garycarla Posted January 8, 2009 #12 Share Posted January 8, 2009 some great advice But - 7 days vs 3 days. That pretty much ends it in my book. Hope you enjoy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvz2cruz Posted January 9, 2009 #13 Share Posted January 9, 2009 You didn't say how old your kids are but mine loved the SportsCourt on the Jewel. All day they had volleyball, soccer, basketball, dodge ball, and some tennis and badminton. Look for a ship with this if your kids like sports. I have not sailed Disney, but will agree with Cruisingram that Disney does everything first class and NCL is not quite there. Read the boards and ship reviews. Figure out what is important to you and what you are willing to trade off for a cheaper, 7 night cruise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.