Anyone cruised NCL and X??

[JEDIKNIGHT]

Hopefully this doesn't result in any heated words from anyone regarding their favorite line. All lines have their good and bad, and we all decide what suits us best.

 

I'm taking in-laws from overseas who have NEVER traveled on a cruise. The small-ship-lux thing won't do due to cost, but also it would be too subdued. Dining variety/quality, activities and "fun" factor are important but how do I say this..... not looking for the "Four Seasons" cruise, but also, don't want to end up with "hairy chest" contests at the pool with throngs of drunk crowds yelling about something or the other. Think, a Marriott or Hyatt type of resort is what I'm looking for.

 

Can anyone here provide contrast between the two lines?

 

*Ambience

*Food quality

*Entertainment

*Activities.

 

Thanks!

[Prada Cowboy]

Hopefully this doesn't result in any heated words from anyone regarding their favorite line. All lines have their good and bad, and we all decide what suits us best.

 

I'm taking in-laws from overseas who have NEVER traveled on a cruise. The small-ship-lux thing won't do due to cost, but also it would be too subdued. Dining variety/quality, activities and "fun" factor are important but how do I say this..... not looking for the "Four Seasons" cruise, but also, don't want to end up with "hairy chest" contests at the pool with throngs of drunk crowds yelling about something or the other. Think, a Marriott or Hyatt type of resort is what I'm looking for.

 

Can anyone here provide contrast between the two lines?

 

*Ambience

*Food quality

*Entertainment

*Activities.

 

Thanks!

 

NCL you could compare to a Best Western, with hairy chest and legs contest and a more up beat crowd. The food is of Apple Bees quality! On the plus side, you have more Activities and Entertainment and flexible dinner options.

Celebrity you can compare to JW Marriot (a notch under Ritz Carlton, but a step above Marriott), a bit more elegant and subdute, better food quality and presentation, better service, announcements to the minimum, more things included...like Ice Tea, Lemonade and Ice Cream served complimentary by the pool butlers...just a lot more style!

[amspsh]

We've sailed Celebrity three times and RC twice, so while we're by no means experts (compared to some of the veterans on board), we do have some experience comparing the two.

 

In terms of both ambience and dining, I really have to give the edge to Celebrity. RC is fine, but I find Celebrity to just have a bit more class. The food is served with just a little more flair, dining room and housekeeping staff seems more polished and professional on Celebrity ships. The ships themselves also seem better maintained, again, more of a spit-and-polish thing, barely tangible, but just gives me a better overall impression.

 

As far as activities and entertainment, I will have to defer to others, as we always entertain ourselves. I'm not sure I've ever sat through an entire show on any ship. I know that's a highlight for some cruisers. To each his own...

 

Chris.

[kitty9]

chris, the OP is asking about NCL and X not RCCI, but not a problem as I think RCCI compares better to NCL than to X.

 

I've done both and they are very different from one another. Celebrity is less glitzy, more sedate and has fewer children. X has traditional seating and is more formal than NCL. I feel X has better food and much, much better service. NCL's high price suite is much larger than the PH on X. NCL tends to have more pool-type activities like the sexy legs and things like that. I feel NCL has better evening entertainment.

[amspsh]

chris, the OP is asking about NCL and X not RCCI. I've done both and they are very different from one another. Celebrity is less glitzy, more sedate and has fewer children. X has traditional seating and is more formal than NCL. I feel X has better food and much, much better service. NCL's high price suite is much larger than the PH on X. NCL tends to have more pool-type activities like the sexy legs and things like that. I feel NCL has better evening entertainment.

 

D'oh! :eek: Sometimes I just get something in my head... I'll edit my post accordingly. Thanks for pointing out the (what should have been) obvious.

 

Chris.

[denims]

I have been on 1 NCL and 3 X. (and also cruise Princess, Holland)

 

Yes, there is more happening on NCL.

Yes, X is more glitzy. (not much more IMHP)

I don't see a big difference in the food.

NCL itinerary's are "usually" a little less expensive

 

Overall, I like X, but would go on NCL for itinerary/price.

[amspsh]

OK, everything I said about Celebrity vs. RC applies to Celebrity vs. NCL, in spades. I couldn't edit my old post, so here's a rewrite.

 

In terms of both ambience and dining, Celebrity clearly gets the edge in my opinion. Celebrity to has a lot more more class. The food on NCL is really cafeteria-quality compared to the fine-restaurant quality of food on Celebrity. The dining room and housekeeping staff are much more polished and professional on Celebrity ships. Our NCL cabin steward actually yelled at us for moving our beds together, as we had requested in our reservation. The ships themselves also seem better maintained and attractive. To me, Celebrity gives me a better overall impression.

 

As far as activities and entertainment, I will have to defer to others, as we always entertain ourselves. I'm not sure I've ever sat through an entire show on any ship. I know that's a highlight for some cruisers. To each his own...

 

Chris.

[Prada Cowboy]

chris, the OP is asking about NCL and X not RCCI, but not a problem as I think RCCI compares better to NCL than to X.

 

I've done both and they are very different from one another. Celebrity is less glitzy, more sedate and has fewer children. X has traditional seating and is more formal than NCL. I feel X has better food and much, much better service. NCL's high price suite is much larger than the PH on X. NCL tends to have more pool-type activities like the sexy legs and things like that. I feel NCL has better evening entertainment.

 

NCL high priced Suites are NOT larger then X Suites, just more expensive!

Except you sail in the Garden Villa, but it is overpriced value/money as well. I have done many many sailings in the TOP Suites of NCL and we just say it is not worth it anymore! For example I have priced the NCL Owner's Suite (600sqf) for a 9 nights Caribbean cruise which was over $13000! The Penthouse f(over 1100sqf.) for a 10 night Caribbean run on X I get for a bit more then $9000! So what is the better deal? Yes I have 3 bottles of free Liquor and free soda and water, but for over K4 more....

[MandyGirl]

I have been on NCL three times (once in early December, once over Spring Break, once in mid June) and Celebrity twice (once in early December, once over Spring Break). By far, our roudiest group of passengers (and least favorite) cruise was Celebrity Galaxy out of San Juan in December 2001 (Dec 14 to be exact). This was a few months after 9/11 when many people quit flying, and our cruise was 80% local passengers (according to our room steward). Being a teacher now, I can only travel peak times now versus when I worked in the corporate world, but have been on two Spring Break and two Thanksgiving cruises with over 400 children on HAL, and Celebrity Galaxy in 12/01 was a nonstop party atmosphere that made for a miserable cruise. (Yes, we were actually happy to get off the ship).

 

However, our Celebrity Infinity cruise out of FLL in 2003 for Spring Break was a much more subdued cruise that we absolutely LOVED. Totally different atmosphere from our Celebrity Galaxy cruise in December 2001 out of SJU.

 

NCL: we married over Spring Break, and while there were some partiers, it did not compare anywhere close to our '01 Celebrity Galaxy cruise. NCL Alaska was awesome, and NCL Sky was our first cruise experience where everyone referred to us as "honeymooners". We happened to be about the youngest on the ship in our mid-20s. We had a spectacular time.

 

Regarding your questions:

 

*Ambience

Celebrity is more of the elegant cruise ambience we enjoyed, especially for dinner (except for one VERY loud Spanish-speaking table on our Galaxy cruise in '01) However, I would not say that about my Galaxy cruise, although our dinner table of 8 was more of that ambience we were after.

 

*Food quality

We are not "foodies", and have been happy with food on either cruiseline. We can more easily afford the specialty restaurants on NCL... don't think we will try $30 each on Celebrity in March. I have never sent a plate back. In fact, we took our dessert "to go" on our last NCL cruise to Alaska from the specialty restaurant. Had it alone on our balcony overlooking the wake. Very romantic. And they delivered it when we called back up for it.

 

*Entertainment

Hands-down, NCL. The $52 couples massage class on this board.... well... we took on NCL for free. FREE. No free lotion though. I still have my handouts and still do those techniques on hubby. :)

 

*Activities.

NCL definitely has more, but Celebrity is great for things like the T-pool and relaxing.

 

Each cruise can be SO different based on the passengers onboard that specific week. Celebrity is definitely "less subdued". We are after relaxation for our upcoming cruise, leaving our toddler at home (hence our less frequent cruising these days!!)

 

These opions are based solely on my specific sailings, which are definitely limited!!! I would not hesitate to book either cruiseline. We have had a good time on all, but have always "ranked them" after disembarking. One of our favorites was Celebrity Infinity, but our worst was definitely Celebrtiy Galaxy. We headed over to St Croix for a few nights, and defintiely needed it to "unwind" from the in-your-face passenger atmosphere we had that week on the Galaxy.

 

We always say a cruise is what YOU make out of it. We were skeptical booking another San Juan cruise, but are trying it, keeping in mind our former experience on Galaxy in 2001. BTW - we have never spent more than $100 per person on our cruises. And remember, I can only vacation when school is OUT!!

[cruisewmn]

I haven't sailed on Celebrity, yet, however I have two cruises booked on the Solstice and have sailed on NCL's Pearl twice. Obviously, I can't compare them. Still, I'd like to add my two cents about NCL

 

On NCL we stayed in their Courtyard Villas (I am a "Four Seasons" kind of gal). It was a fantastic experience. We normally ate in their specialty restaurants and thought the food was excellent. We never experienced any "hairy chest" type entertainment. The fellow passengers seemed like those you would find at a Marriott, Hyatt, or Westin. We made lasting friendships with a doctor and his family and a CEO of a major US corporation -- these are NOT Best Western customers.

 

I have heard that there is a big difference between NCL's newer and older ships. Personally, I'd stick with the newer ones like the Pearl, Gem, Jewel, or Jade because they were designed for "Freestyle" dining.

 

I'm not recommending NCL over Celebrity. I think they are very different cruiselines. If you like eating at a different restaurant every night, NCL is a great choice. If more traditional cruise dining is desired, I'd pick Celebrity. If you have any other questions, I'd be happy to answer them.

:)

[MandyGirl]

BTW - we have never spent more than $100 per person on our cruises. And remember, I can only vacation when school is OUT!!

This should have said "never spent more than $100 PER NIGHT per person"..... We cruise on a teacher budget. :)

[Project_gal]

Jediknight

 

You may find my earlier posting useful:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=879492

 

We loved how we were treated on NCL but are extremely unlikely to ever use them again. We just do not like the basic offering. Add to that, we love the formal nights on Celebrity [and will miss them greatly on our Azamara cruise this year] and hated having to queue to eat in the main dining room on NCL.

 

If you enjoy good food and enjoy a sense of occasion, we think you will be happier on Celebrity. If these things are not important to you, the choice may be more difficult. However, we had my mother, brother , sister-in-law and nephew [four cruise virgins] with us on NCL and were slightly embarrased that the crusie experience they saw was not what we had described to them.

 

Sue

[Orator]

I've been on NCL 4 times and Celebrity 5. I believe your choice should be based on personal preferences. What do you find most important? Do you want a large ship or a smaller ship? Do you want traditional dining or personal choice? Are the ports of call important or could't you care less? Do you fitin better with an older crowd or a younger group?

The ships are different. When you decide to cruise may make a difference. More kids when school is out. Length of cruise can be a factor. Shorter cruise, younger crowd.

I would agree that X is more elegant and traditional. Food is much better, I feel, on X.

Entertainment is better on NCL; however, the Cirque type show on Solstice was, in my humble opinion, superior. Take both lines and you can compare for yourself. Have fun cruising.

[herb]

We only sailed once before on X (Zenith) and have sailed on Norway (pre Freestyle); as well as on Norwegian Sea and Norwegian Dawn. Well, the Sea is gone so that takes care of that....

The Norwegian Dawn was a nice ship, staff was very pleasant, but we didn't care for the Freestyle concept. Lining up for dinner and waiting for an available table was not for us. Felt there were too many "surcharge" restaurants in comparison to "included" restaurants.

So... for that reason we'd prefer X.

[MandyGirl]

I don't know if NCL still does this, but our group was able to reserve a table for the week in the main dining room for a particular time. This was freestyle -- but we wanted that set dining time/location. Other times we were able to make reservations for specialty restaurants, so we never experienced waiting in lines (except buffet lunch) on NCL.

[geoherb]

I've only been on one NCL cruise--and that was back in 1989. When we went on our first Royal Caribbean cruise, I knew we'd never go back to NCL. It was that much better. And now that we've migrated over to Princess, HAL, and Celebrity, I don't look very often at Royal Caribbean's offerings. It would h ave to be one of their smaller ships.

 

The reason now that we don't try NCL again is that we prefer traditional dining. It's not an option with NCL.

[Sky Sweet]

We are elite members of Celebrity's Captain's club who will be taking our first NCL cruise to Bermuda in June.

 

Based on what I have heard from our friends who have sailed on both cruise lines, Celebrity has better food in its main dining room but NCL has better specialty restaurants. NCL has smaller inside and oceanview cabins but has more impressive suites.

 

There are a lot of Celebrity fans who would not like NCL because it does not have an assigned seating option. However, after trying anytime dining on RCL's Brilliance of the Seas Cruise to the Greek Isles, I now consider the lack of this option on Celebrity to be a negative. Obviously, this is purely a matter of personal preference, but prior to trying anytime dining, I didn't think I would love it as much as I do.

 

We booked our NCL cruise to Bermuda six months ago, but if we booked it today we would have to pay an additional $600 for the same catergory. I find it interesting that NCL keeps raising their prices for our upcoming cruise while Celebrity keeps lowering the prices on their newst ship. In fact we can easily take two Celebrity cruises for what we are paying for this one on NCL.

[Patrick IL.]

we have cruised both, X 3x's and NCL once, my wife has also cruised RCI.

There were some differences I noticed. The Jewel was a brand new ship, it was incredible! I am very curious to see how it compares to the Solstice in two weeks :)

 

NCL has many more night activities, many more annoucements during the day and alot of "hawking" for bingo and scratch offs. It was more of a party atmosphire on board, a bit more then we care for.

 

Big difference for us was the dining. When NCL says free style, it means make ressies far in advance or wait for quite a bit for a chosen venue. The 2 main dining rooms were not up to X standards, not even close. We did enjoy the Tepenyaki, tried Itailian and also the mexican, fair.

 

We really do enjoy assigned seating, and realized it more during the NCL cruise. It is fun to meet and get to know tablemates over a cruise. X dining rooms have always been impressive to us and excellent menu choices.

 

NCL ships are decorated very modern and ecletic, X is more classic.

Staff is a bit more attentive on X. Both are kept very clean.

NCL has better entertainment and casino. Would I go back on NCL, maybe someday, but our preference to this poing is always X, that includes RCI according to my wife.

[shawn&angie]

We have sailed X and RCL but NOT NCL. This year we considered it but didn't go through with the booking. The reason we considered it was NCL appeared to be the best (only) choice for Hawaii in 7 days. All the other options were much longer and included several "at sea" days in a row.

[contom]

We have been on both several times. Celebrity has a higher level of customer service, probably a little smaller rooms, more sophisitcated entertaintment, better food. While NCL is a little more laid back, they have a little more adult oriented entertainment (risque, but fun), they appear to have as many "upcharge" resturants as they do regular resturants, and an overall more casual experience. It would depend on what you are looking for...we throughly enjoyed both, and prefer both over the other cruise lines we have sailed on. If you want a classy more sophisticated experience choose Celebrity, if you want a more laid back, casual experience choose NCL.

[willysgrandma]

The biggest difference between NCL and Celebrity is the formality. On NCL, you don't have to EVER dress up for dinner - you can dress in virtually anything, even on "formal nights". NCL dedicates one dining room to those who want to dress up on formal nights. If you like structure and formality d fien service, you will probably not enjoy NCL.

 

Yu've already been told about the dining, no need to hash that out again.

 

NCL's shisp are also very - bright. Some of their cabin decor reminds me of say - bordello? Celebrity is much more subdued.

 

Hair chest contests? Yup, on NCL. But I would say there are more "active" activities on NCL. The entertainment and shows are basically equal IMO.

 

Here are some pictures of the Gem - you can get an idea of what I mean when you look at the decor in the cabins:

 

http://good-times.webshots.com/album/562287822PTHqsP

[lvz2cruz]

I would much prefer Celebrity.

We were on NCL last month and the food was terrible. The buffet served the same junk over and over--I mean reheated the same clumpy rice dishes until someone finally ate them. Buffet selections were not great and hot things were not hot nor cold things cold. It was nearly impossible to get refills on drinks in the restaurants. As few as 2 courses could take an hour and a half because service was so slow. On X we have a hard time choosing between many good things, on NCL it was this crap or that crap?

Even the desserts were dry and unappetizing.

The grill was always out of chicken and hamburgers. I could go on and on. After a couple days I would have been happy for a McDonald's or Taco Bell onboard, it was that bad. NCL food reminds me of my mom's nursing home food. I have 2 in college and their cafeterias are much much better that anything we had on NCL.

Our NCL cruise did not have many daily activities other than Bingo and fee gym classes. I always bring a highlighter to mark what I want to do on the daily, but there just wasn't anything.

There were not the obnoxious hairy legs contests on the Jewel. There was nothing poolside daily--not ever. The band played 2 one hour sets each sea day and that was it.

We met many nice people on NCL and did not think it was at all lower class than X.

One huge difference was the pool butlers always keep the trays, cups, and trash off the pool decks on X. No one picks up the trash or plates on NCL until night. We actually had fries and cigarette butts still out on the deck the next day on NCL.

A final thing that was a big failure on NCL was the tendering. The first day we tendered people complained of 3 to 4 hour waits to get off the ship. We had gotten tender tickets early and gotten off in a little over an hour and thought these people were exaggerating. The next tender port it happened again. I know on X there are always many lifeboats circling around waiting for one to fill so they can load. NCL gets by as cheaply as they can and do not care about guest satisfaction. This was evidenced in the constant complaining we heard in lines, on tenders, on the pool decks, etc.

I don't know if I would go on NCL if it was half the price of X. We have tried them twice and it is just not worth wasting our vacation time.

[Shep_Proudfoot]

My impressions are these:

• Celebrity was hands down a better overall experience than NCL.
  
• Celebrity has a classier feel and much better service
  
• NCL's buffet food was very unappealing, Celebrity's decent
  
• Staterooms were a shade nicer on Celebrity but not enough to much matter
  
• Neither had much in the way of nightlife, with Celebrity a slight edge. However, I believe the timing, individual ship and itenerary could easily be more of a factor there than which line.
  
• Entertainment options were quite poor on both
  
• If you dislike formality and dressing up and are not difficult to please for food then NCL may well be a better pick as it is flexible and has a lot of options, though the better ones all cost extra
  
• NCL is often one of the best values going out there but buyer beware-even Carnival is a couple steps up in my experience
  
• You are much better off comparing individual ships; cruiselines do not provide a uniform experience across their ships and I believe this is especially true of NCL with their mix of new and old ships and American-staffed Hawaiian cruises
  

[Eeyoregon]

OP: You truly can not compare the lines but rather need to compare the actual ships that you are considering.

 

Tell us which ships you are looking at and then we can talk comparisons between the two lines and the specific ships.

[shipshape sam]

Hopefully this doesn't result in any heated words from anyone regarding their favorite line. All lines have their good and bad, and we all decide what suits us best.

 

I'm taking in-laws from overseas who have NEVER traveled on a cruise. The small-ship-lux thing won't do due to cost, but also it would be too subdued. Dining variety/quality, activities and "fun" factor are important but how do I say this..... not looking for the "Four Seasons" cruise, but also, don't want to end up with "hairy chest" contests at the pool with throngs of drunk crowds yelling about something or the other. Think, a Marriott or Hyatt type of resort is what I'm looking for.

 

Can anyone here provide contrast between the two lines?

 

*Ambience

*Food quality

*Entertainment

*Activities.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Martha and I have both sailed HAL and Celebrity. Martha sailed Westerdam in Alaska and was so impressed, she talked (not hard, its a cruise) me into trying HAL and the Zuiderdam. Much different experience. She was disappointed and I was not impressed with HAL. Both our Celebrity cruises have been great.

 

I think it can be the luck of the draw, but I am not wanting to chance it too often, thus for right now we are sticking with Celebrity. :)

 

 

As to your specific questions, Martha thought on the Westerdam they were comparable. On the Zuiderdam (at least on our cruise in our opinion, HAL was lacking)