NCL Made Me Love Princess Even More!

[karatemom2]

After taking several Princess cruises and becoming big fans, we decided to give NCL a try again on a Mexican Riviera cruise. We were originally planning a cruise on the Sapphire, but the rates for the NCL Star for the same itinerary were so low that we were able to afford a second cabin and bring my nephew along as a gift for his 30th birthday. I'm glad we were able to give him a nice vacation, but being on NCL just made me appreciate Princess even more. It just didn't live up to our expecations after experiencing all that Princess offers. The positives were that the food was good (overall not as good as Princess, but still good) and the production shows are truly top notch. The Jean Ann Ryan company and Second City were excellent, as was the magician, a 5 time world champion. That was the good news. The bad news was that the cabin was tiny by comparison. The storage was decent and the bathroom sizable, but I was really glad our 6'4" son was in the room next door with my nephew. It was very cramped in our room with just my husband, daughter and I. The service was the biggest disappointment. While a few impressed like the servers in the specialty restaurant, most seemed indifferent and for the first time in 11 cruises we were treated outright rudely by three different crew members. The soda cards were way more expensive than Princess (6.25 a day plus gratuity). It made the Princess soda program seem a bargain in comparison. And they wouldn't allow my daughter to get her beloved Shirley Temples with her soda card. She was crushed as that is one of her cruising treats. When she told the server that she always got them with her card on Princess, she replied coldly, "Well this is NCL." OK, nice response to a 9 year old.

 

What really struck me is the lack of activities. We are usually so busy on Princess that we can't make it to all of the things we want to do. For the first time ever we were actually bored! Trivia was fun, and they do a progressive trivia that is a great idea. But other than that most of the activities are really disguised sales pitches. I've never been on a line where it seemed they were working so diligently to part you from your money!

 

The kids club was poor and since it was Easter there were lots of kids onboard. The counselors seemed overwhelmed and ill prepared for so many kids. The club was noisy and the kids seemed out of control. My daughter absolutely hated it. She has always had a great time with the Princess program, even on cruises with large numbers of children.

 

I missed afternoon tea, the family activities, the warm, friendly service, the beautiful decor and ambience, formal nights, the superior cuisine, the loads of fun activities and that special feeling I only seem to get on Princess. So I'm thrilled to be looking forward to our Alaska cruise on the Diamond in a couple of months and our Christmas cruise on the Golden. I guess sometimes you have to try something different but for me, Princess is still numero uno!!

[peedee3400]

After taking several Princess cruises and becoming big fans, we decided to give NCL a try again on a Mexican Riviera cruise. We were originally planning a cruise on the Sapphire, but the rates for the NCL Star for the same itinerary were so low that we were able to afford a second cabin and bring my nephew along as a gift for his 30th birthday. I'm glad we were able to give him a nice vacation, but being on NCL just made me appreciate Princess even more. It just didn't live up to our expecations after experiencing all that Princess offers. The positives were that the food was good (overall not as good as Princess, but still good) and the production shows are truly top notch. The Jean Ann Ryan company and Second City were excellent, as was the magician, a 5 time world champion. That was the good news. The bad news was that the cabin was tiny by comparison. The storage was decent and the bathroom sizable, but I was really glad our 6'4" son was in the room next door with my nephew. It was very cramped in our room with just my husband, daughter and I. The service was the biggest disappointment. While a few impressed like the servers in the specialty restaurant, most seemed indifferent and for the first time in 11 cruises we were treated outright rudely by three different crew members. The soda cards were way more expensive than Princess (6.25 a day plus gratuity). It made the Princess soda program seem a bargain in comparison. And they wouldn't allow my daughter to get her beloved Shirley Temples with her soda card. She was crushed as that is one of her cruising treats. When she told the server that she always got them with her card on Princess, she replied coldly, "Well this is NCL." OK, nice response to a 9 year old.

 

What really struck me is the lack of activities. We are usually so busy on Princess that we can't make it to all of the things we want to do. For the first time ever we were actually bored! Trivia was fun, and they do a progressive trivia that is a great idea. But other than that most of the activities are really disguised sales pitches. I've never been on a line where it seemed they were working so diligently to part you from your money!

 

The kids club was poor and since it was Easter there were lots of kids onboard. The counselors seemed overwhelmed and ill prepared for so many kids. The club was noisy and the kids seemed out of control. My daughter absolutely hated it. She has always had a great time with the Princess program, even on cruises with large numbers of children.

 

I missed afternoon tea, the family activities, the warm, friendly service, the beautiful decor and ambience, formal nights, the superior cuisine, the loads of fun activities and that special feeling I only seem to get on Princess. So I'm thrilled to be looking forward to our Alaska cruise on the Diamond in a couple of months and our Christmas cruise on the Golden. I guess sometimes you have to try something different but for me, Princess is still numero uno!!

 

Thank you for the review and welcome back to Princess!

[kooljamming]

Thanks for the feedback. NCL is on our to do list but just can't accept a cruise that's mostly casual, just yet. The next time I see it for $249, I am on it:D. I will miss certain things about Princess (mostly the pools and overall elegance) but look forward to trying others. I tried Princess after years with RCCL, thinking I would hate it but was I simply surprise.

[synet165]

:pJust was browsing and came across your posting. Our March cruise on NCL Jewel was our 5th with NCL and probably the last for a long time. It was boring, boring and boring. We only saw the CD at the end of the shows. Never heard him, nothing to do all day. Saw the Captain twice, once at the Latitudes party , all he said was that the party was expensive but a necessary evil. The next time we saw him was at the last show, he marched on the stage with the most sour expression I have seen in a long time, he didn't want to be there. I was told by crew members that he was new and had a habit of creeping up on the crew and spying on them. We love the casual style and freestyle dining but the lack of activities turned us off NCL,

After hearing raves from fellow passengers, we have booked a cruise on Princess this summer.

I'm sure I will get all sorts of flack for this posting, but that's the way I feel. NCL is nice but not perfect and for my hard earned money I want something more.

synet165

[karatemom2]

I forgot to mention that I missed the Pizza, cookies in the afternoon and even the champagne waterfall! I'm sure I'll think of more. :D

 

Oh yeah, my kids really missed the fresh water pools. NCL did have a cool slide that my daughter enjoyed, but the salt water burned her eyes. It was so funny, while we were sitting by the pool one day a little boy and his Dad came to the pool and he waded in only to turn around incensed and say "There's ocean water in this pool Daddy!"

[apeller]

Karatemom2,

We were on the Star the week before you and I have to agree with most everything you said. It did make us appreciate Princess more. We cancelled our plans for the Sapphire Princess because this ship was so much cheaper. We loved the shows, they were very well done. We loved the magician and the juggler. We were disappointed with service in the main dining rooms. Had fabulous service in Le Bistro. We also did not like the configuration of the room because they have a sofa bed for the 3rd person rather than pulldown beds and the room was so crowded, with no access to the balcony when the bed is open (unless you climb over it). The balcony was claustrophobic, and much more enclosed than the ones we usually have on Princess. We did like the shower, which is larger than the ones on Princess (with a real shower door). There was only one pool, and it was mobbed, unless you wanted to pay for the adults only area. DD is on the swim team and water polo team at school was not able to swim the entire week because you could not swim in the pool and they would not let her in the adults only pool since she is only 17. All she wanted to do was swim some laps everyday, but the manager at the spa said she could not do it in there.

I also missed tea, it's one of my favorite things to do in the afternoon on Princess. I was disappointed that NCL did not have tea. But overall, we had a good time on the trip and might think about cruising NCL again in the future, if it means going on a trip that I might not be able to afford on Princess or another line, but it would not be my first choice. It was nice to have a totally casual cruise, and we did not bring any formal clothes with us at all.

[karatemom2]

:p I was told by crew members that he was new and had a habit of creeping up on the crew and spying on them.

 

It's so funny that you mention this. I had the most unusual experience on our NCL cruise. In an effort to stay in shape I decided to try a Pilates class. Right before the class was about to begin, two older but fit gentlemen walked in and the young lady teaching the class looked as if she had seen a ghost. As they put their mats down she made a comment that she was going to be very nervous giving the class and indeed she was. It was a good workout, but I sensed the entire time that she was trying too hard. At the end of the class after the men had left and we were all waiting to pay for the class, someone asked who they were. It was the Captain and Chief of Security. She was so visibly unnerved that I felt bad for her. It was strange to think I was doing exercises on the floor next to the Captain!

[sultan_sfo]

Hope you will also put your review on the NCL board so we can read their side.

[karatemom2]

Karatemom2,

We were on the Star the week before you and I have to agree with most everything you said. It did make us appreciate Princess more. We cancelled our plans for the Sapphire Princess because this ship was so much cheaper. We loved the shows, they were very well done. We loved the magician and the juggler. We were disappointed with service in the main dining rooms. Had fabulous service in Le Bistro. We also did not like the configuration of the room because they have a sofa bed for the 3rd person rather than pulldown beds and the room was so crowded, with no access to the balcony when the bed is open (unless you climb over it). The balcony was claustrophobic, and much more enclosed than the ones we usually have on Princess. We did like the shower, which is larger than the ones on Princess (with a real shower door). There was only one pool, and it was mobbed, unless you wanted to pay for the adults only area. DD is on the swim team and water polo team at school was not able to swim the entire week because you could not swim in the pool and they would not let her in the adults only pool since she is only 17. All she wanted to do was swim some laps everyday, but the manager at the spa said she could not do it in there.

I also missed tea, it's one of my favorite things to do in the afternoon on Princess. I was disappointed that NCL did not have tea. But overall, we had a good time on the trip and might think about cruising NCL again in the future, if it means going on a trip that I might not be able to afford on Princess or another line, but it would not be my first choice. It was nice to have a totally casual cruise, and we did not bring any formal clothes with us at all.

 

Hi Amy. I remember posting with you before the cruise because we are on the Golden together this Christmas. It sounds as if we had similar impressions. My son is a water polo player and swimmer as well, and he went in the pool only once during our day in Mazatlan. We stayed on the ship to enjoy a pool day without the crowds and it was the only time he was able to actually swim. Otherwise it was always jam packed. Like you we had great food and service in a specialty restaurant, Ginza, but the dining room service was inconsistent. The chilled soups and most of the desserts were really good though.

[karatemom2]

Hope you will also put your review on the NCL board so we can read their side.

 

I'm afraid I'll get beat up! :D Actually there is a review there by a fellow cruiser that covers much of the same so I added to her comments. I may still do a separate review if I can find my flame proof suit!

[Umbarger]

I must admit NCL isn't my favorite but it's still a cruise and they are inexpensive. I am booked on the NCL Jewel in November and I am paying $699pp for a 14 day cruise in an oceanview cabin! I am also getting a $200 ship board credit.

 

No, it's not Princess but for the price I am paying I can't complain. They are still going to feed me and take me to tropical ports of call. I'll be on a cruise and on vacation. A cruise is what you make it.

 

You cant pay NCL prices and expect Princess quality. :rolleyes:

[Cruisin' Chick]

Hope you will also put your review on the NCL board so we can read their side.

 

Just be sure to wear some protective clothing before doing so.;)

[karatemom2]

I

You cant pay NCL prices and expect Princess quality. :rolleyes:

 

Well that's probably true, but regardless I can't excuse poor service or rudeness. That is something we have not experienced on any line before. In fact when we cruised to Alaska on the NCL Star a couple of years ago, I was really impressed with the service. It was dramatically different this time. And while the initial investment might be lower, I do think the onboard expenses are higher. The soda card is one example. In order to get a truly outstanding meal you really need to go to the specialty restaurants which cost between $10 to $25 per person and daily gratuity rates are higher. So while it still was less expensive overall, it was still a sizable vacation investment and for that I do have some basic expectations as far as the quality of the cruise. It wasn't horrible, but there was certainly room for improvement.

[AAAAmerican]

NCL :mad:and Celebrity :mad:now are the real Laggards in Service, Quality, Cuisine and they Both Do Nickel and Dime you around every corner...

 

 

Princess:D is many Steps Ahead of those two Laggard Lines..

 

 

Oh bye the way Celebrity used to be steps above Princess.. but now they care more for there own pennies than paying Passengers...

 

 

[GottaLuvCruising]

We've done several NCL cruises and are booked on our 3rd Princess (which we strongly prefer). The OP mentioned being impressed by the entertainment on NCL, but that was our biggest disappointment. We were also disappointed by the food on NCL as well as the wait time for seating in the main dining rooms. Different strokes...I just found it interesting that the OPs two positives listed first were two of our biggest negatives.

[Sea and Me]

We booked a NCL repo cruise on the Jewel for Oct. This is the first NCL since '95(our first cruise). We are platinum members both on Princess and RCI. We were a little leary booking NCL but did so for the ports and the great price!! We decided to go with an open mind and try not to compare the other lines while on the cruise.

 

Carol

[happy cruzer]

I must admit NCL isn't my favorite but it's still a cruise and they are inexpensive. I am booked on the NCL Jewel in November and I am paying $699pp for a 14 day cruise in an oceanview cabin! I am also getting a $200 ship board credit.

 

No, it's not Princess but for the price I am paying I can't complain. They are still going to feed me and take me to tropical ports of call. I'll be on a cruise and on vacation. A cruise is what you make it.

 

You cant pay NCL prices and expect Princess quality. :rolleyes:

 

I do feel that when you pay a lower price you should expect a lower level of cruise experience - just the way it is and it will help you go with the flow. As far as service and rudeness, they could be the same but I bet in reality crew that are working on a lower priced cruise do provide a different level of service in SOME instances. Doesn't have to be that way but I bet is happens for many reasons. Our experience was sailing Carnival for the first time after the more expensive lines. It was different but worth every penny!

 

In our experience, it helps to set your expectations so that you can enjoy the value provided. Reviews like the OPs are excellent at helping understand what to expect. Thanks.

[blindrid]

It's funny how we get accustomed to certain lines. I actually prefer taking NCL over Princess as my last experience on the CB was just OK. It may have been me but I felt the cruise was a bit sedate and less active than I prefer. The service was, again, just OK.

 

I've had better service on NCL but as mentioned by PP, any cruise is a good cruise. The entertainment overall was not to my liking on Princess and again was pretty sedate. The last time I was on the CB was due to it being less expensive than a comparable NCL.

 

I couldn't help but to disagree with grading the NCL kid's club lesser than Princess'. I guess during peak kids time (Easter) there isn't a ship out there that wouldn't be a bit overwhelmed and I would lessen my expectations a bit knowing that.

 

In closing, I believe that each cruise takes it's own personality based on the overall attitude and age of the cruisers, the itinerary and the attitude of the crew. I've been on some cruises (not necessarily line specific) that it seemed like the majority of people were a bit on the rude side and just went out of their way to complain about minimal things. It continually amazes me that some people expect a 5 star cruise for a 3 star price.

 

My philosophy on a cruise is to overlook the minor issues as I'm going to have fun regardless. Anyway, just my thoughts.

[sonalanjaria]

I too had a similar experience on the NCL Pearl during spring break, the shows were outstanding, the ship was georgeous, we were ok with the smaller balcony cabin and an even smaller balcony.

 

The service was disappointing, too many rude people, they could have said the same thing with a smile.

 

Food was a big disappointment for me, Princess makes special request meals if you give them 24 hour notice and so do all other cruise lines, not NCL.

 

On our cruise we had a huge line on the last day, people were over charged for services never used.

 

My GF was charged for drinks she never had in the mini bar, thankfully her steward agreed.

 

Daughter got scraped in the pool, I had gone to the bar to get them a drink, at that time, she didn't see me so she and her friend went to the buffet to get a napkin to stop the bleeding on her nose, they were extremely rude to her, refused to hand her a napkin, while I understand no shoes no service is the way it should be, but if a 10 year old frightened child is asking for a napkin why not give it.

 

We shall not be going on NCL any time soon.

 

I did post a review on the boards and they tore me apart, even wondered if I had been on the cruise, where my cabins cramped because we had two quad balconies.

 

They went and read my old posts where I mentioned would like to lose 20 pounds before the cruise, one poster said why complaint about food if I was looking to lose weight. The moderator deleted those and some other posts.

 

Why do they flame, I was objective did mention a lot of positives.

 

No cruise is a bad cruise, we had a blast inspite of NCL. Kids club was boring, no activities, kids were not thrilled about the stinging in the pools with the salt water.

 

Are the boards being monitored by NCL employees and they flame you if you say anything negative, what gives?

 

We are now booking with Ruby Princess for the grand mediterrannean.

Sonal.

[packercruising]

Hope you will also put your review on the NCL board so we can read their side.

 

Everyone has their own ideas as to what they look forward to in a cruise. We will be taking our first Princess cruise in August but have been on 5 NCL cruises. We have also sailed RCI, HAL, Costa and Carnival. We were on the NCL Star to the Mexican Riviera Feb 28. The CD was the best we have seen on any cruise. The food in the dining room was very good also. Except for our cabin stewards who wee acceptable the overall service on the ship was very good. The Maitre D even chipped in and helped which was a first for us. The buffet was a bit of a disappointment and the pizza was the pits so I am encourged by the positive pizza comments on here.:)

 

The OP's comments seemed fair and balanced to me.:rolleyes:

[Steph27]

We are scheduled for our first Princess (Diamond) cruise next month. We have cruised on Celebrity and Oceania before. Last December we decided to try NCL (Jewel) because I thought my little brother would enjoy the younger crowd. Like the original OP said, NCL made me appreciate (in my case) Celebrity even more. While there were things I liked about NCL (great aft balcony room, abundance of Asian food, large fluffy pillows and the soothing lavendar hand wash) I will probably not cruise with NCL anytime soon. The Jewel had wall to wall people. You could not even think about getting near the pool. They really pushed liquor too. However, if I knew that the Captain would be attending the pilates class (as the prior post said) I might give it a second thought!

[Guest Spo]

NCL :mad:and Celebrity :mad:now are the real Laggards in Service, Quality, Cuisine and they Both Do Nickel and Dime you around every corner...

 

 

Princess:D is many Steps Ahead of those two Laggard Lines..

 

 

Oh bye the way Celebrity used to be steps above Princess.. but now they care more for there own pennies than paying Passengers...

 

I haven't cruised Celebrity before, only Princess. You've got my curiosity up -- what does Celebrity charge for that Princess doesn't? I've considered looking at Celebrity just to see what it's like and for their no smoking on the balcony policy.

[karatemom2]

It's funny how we get accustomed to certain lines. I actually prefer taking NCL over Princess as my last experience on the CB was just OK. It may have been me but I felt the cruise was a bit sedate and less active than I prefer. The service was, again, just OK.

 

I've had better service on NCL but as mentioned by PP, any cruise is a good cruise. The entertainment overall was not to my liking on Princess and again was pretty sedate. The last time I was on the CB was due to it being less expensive than a comparable NCL.

 

I couldn't help but to disagree with grading the NCL kid's club lesser than Princess'. I guess during peak kids time (Easter) there isn't a ship out there that wouldn't be a bit overwhelmed and I would lessen my expectations a bit knowing that.

 

In closing, I believe that each cruise takes it's own personality based on the overall attitude and age of the cruisers, the itinerary and the attitude of the crew. I've been on some cruises (not necessarily line specific) that it seemed like the majority of people were a bit on the rude side and just went out of their way to complain about minimal things. It continually amazes me that some people expect a 5 star cruise for a 3 star price.

 

My philosophy on a cruise is to overlook the minor issues as I'm going to have fun regardless. Anyway, just my thoughts.

 

Well if you read my post I never said it was a bad cruise or that we didn't have fun. In fact I was complimentary in several areas. And I don't think I was expecting a 5 star cruise for a 3 star price. Just because the price was lower does not mean that I shouldn't have some basic expectations in the way of services and amenities. And frankly, at any price the service, activities and kids program were disappointing. Other things were good and a few things were excellent. I thought my comments were fairly well balanced. My point was that it did make me appreciate many of the wonderful things about Princess even more.

 

As for the kids program, yes it was Easter and we expected it to be crowded, but we have been on many holiday cruises on a number of different lines. This is our third cruise over Easter and we have cruised twice at Christmas and once at Thanksgiving, not to mention summer vacation, so I do have some basis for comparison. They were not adequately staffed for the number of children on board (nearly 800) and the facilities were way too crowded to the point where it seemed dangerous because the kids were literally running out of control. I have been on Princess twice at Christmas and once on Easter where the numbers were similar and they add staff specifically for those cruises and expand the spaces for the children's program accordingly. Also they tighten up the group age ranges to create smaller, more manageable groups. Princess excels in their kids program, especially with the California Science component and the variety of crafts, games and events. So I believe my comments via comparing the two were fair and accurate.

[mjkbaok]

I felt that your review was fair. You shared both the good and the bad. I believe that is what you are suppossed to do in a review. I've never been on NCL so your review (and the responses) are helping me learn about them. I might try them one day. Thanks to all for sharing your views.:)

[Sillyjilly]

Thanks for the feedback. NCL is on our to do list but just can't accept a cruise that's mostly casual, just yet. The next time I see it for $249, I am on it:D. I will miss certain things about Princess (mostly the pools and overall elegance) but look forward to trying others. I tried Princess after years with RCCL, thinking I would hate it but was I simply surprise.

 

 

I wouldn't try NCL again for free. I kid you not.

There's plenty of different cruise lines out there where your money will be more well spent IMHO.:D