Princess Cruiser but what about NCL?

[gettingmarried]

I am a past Princess cruiser x 2 and wondering if anyone can give me some insight into cruising on NCL? Their cruises seem such a good rate and I realize one gets what they pay for. We are taking our two adult daughters with us, ages 24 and 22 and thought to save some $$$ we would cruise on NCL but do not want to do this if they are a crummy cruiseline. Any suggestions or comments would be great, thanks!

[eh2zed]

NCL is more budget than Princess and you will get nickel and dimed a bit. They have freestyle cruising so a lot more jeans, etc in the DR; less traditional cruising. Do have some good itineraries and entertainment is usually very good..

[beng]

NCL is my least favorite line. Ive cruised Princess 3 times and RCL twice. NCL ABSOLUTELY nickel and dimes you. We found the food in the dining rooms was below average (free) but the food in the specialty restaurants was exceptional ($$$). This led to us dining in the specialty restaurants pretty much the whole trip.

[paul929207]

From my limited time on NCL, both the food and the service were below average.

[Joe Pflanz]

NCL is a bit more relaxed. They thrive on their no rules approach, allowing you to do whatever, whenever you wish. As for being nickel & dimed, that is no more so than on Princess. You will simply have more places to get nickel and dimed at. They have far more alternative (fee based) restaurants on board.... But that does give you a wider selection of cuisine. There meals are up to par, and their entertainment is also.

 

NCL has been above board , even to the extent of doing a documentary on the cruise business, where they go into the associated costs and business model of a cruise ship. Each department has a set amount of revenue to bring in to assure profitability. They take it down to the individual passenger level, knowing precisely how many drinks you must buy each day for that department to break even. They told what are the money makers and what are not. They covered every aspect include the money made from shore excursions and photographers.

 

Their ships are on a par with many of Princess's and RCCL's.

 

I have traveled most of the lines, and woudl not hesitate to cruise with them again, given the right circumstances. I prefer a bit more structure and traditional dining, but I would not let that hold me up from a decent price.

 

The key thing is to get a real apples to apple comparison on pricing....meaning get a firm price on each line, and not a available price from an advertisement. I have seen wide variations in what is posted on the Princess web site and what is available when you actually call and talk to them or see what is available on the Polar Booking Engine.

 

As for clientele, Princess's is merging into a wider demographic. Just because soem peopel choose not to dress for dinner, does nto make them any less respectable or any less the travel affianado.

 

NCL is possible more able to have more to offer to multiple age groups than even Princess.

 

I highly recommend the cruise documentary, and it is played periodically on the business cable channels.

 

Joe

[tetleytea]

NCL seems to depend a lot on the ship. I hate NCL. But if I got a good deal on the Pearl, I would probably go.

[Joe Pflanz]

you may want to ask on the NCL Board to balance the responses from those on here who are Princess die hards!

 

Joe

[cruseman]

I have cruised NCL twice and was pleasently supprised. They have more restaurant choices, most for an additional charge, but if you get a cheap fare, you'll have extra $$ to spend. The extra charge restaurants are very good. The entertainment choices are good as well. I like the fact that NCL cruises out of NYC and we can drive to the port. This really saves on flight expenses! Some downside with NCL are the pools are really crowded and there seems to be a lot less space in comparison to Princess. Also on our first cruise our cabin was not maintained as well as on Princess. While Princess is our perfered line, we have also cruised Holland America (twice), Carnival and Costa. All in all we have not had a "bad" cruise yet.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

NCL is my least favorite line. Ive cruised Princess 3 times and RCL twice. NCL ABSOLUTELY nickel and dimes you. We found the food in the dining rooms was below average (free) but the food in the specialty restaurants was exceptional ($$$). This led to us dining in the specialty restaurants pretty much the whole trip.

 

And there goes the money you saved by booking with NCL.

 

 

Bill

[rcacace]

First of all most of the responses you'll get here are going to be from the die hard Princess loyalists, so don't expect a fair & balanced comparison. I personally didn't see much wrong with NCL, even as far as the nickle & dimeing goes. Princess does the same thing every time you turn around as well as all the other lines.

The food was OK on NCL in the dining rooms & I didn't have any major complaints although it might not be as elaborate as Princess. The buffets were definitely less in quality on NCL. At the time we last sailed NCL I didn't see much of a price difference but we choose NCL because of the particular itinerary. All things being equal if the particular cruise is close in price I believe Princess gives a better value for the money.

[BalconyGal]

The first time we sailed with NCL we HATED it! The second time it was a charter and we wanted to go with the charter so we tried again. Ncl had improved in the cust. service area a lot. They seemed more interested in giving the cust want they wanted. Could be it was because of the charter but I don't know.

 

The food in the main dining rooms is ok, not great or even good. The buffet was better actually. We did not try the upcharge restaurants so our choices were limited to two restaurants (out of 11 or 13 total). We did not like that. One night we wanted to catch the comedy show and in doing so missed dinner. Our only option was the 24 hour "burger joint". We like to be able to go up to the buffet on princess after the shows and grab a bite ot eat...or a late night snack. If that doesn't bother you then I would say NCL is an ok choice. Pool scene is very crowded too! But you could choose a worse line than NCL...it could be Carnival!:eek:

[Wirral Girlie]

We have cruised NCL twice and loved it. Food, relaxed atmosphere, and the ship itself. Both times our experience was really good.

 

We cruised last year to Alaska on the Celebrity Mercury and were very disappointed, expecting it to be far superior to NCL...and it wasn't.

 

This year we have chosen Princess, purely for the itinerary, and I hope it will be as good as NCL and better than our celebrity experience.

 

And for the record my OH worked for Royal Viking then Crystal for 15 years!!

[Tak8]

I cruised NCL twice, both times before I sailed Princess. I enjoyed both cruises. They have some nice specialty restaraunts. You will probably miss some of the Princess touches, but find it enjoyable. I would search the NCL board for reviews of the ship you want to sail.

[tetleytea]

<dupe>

[tetleytea]

First of all most of the responses you'll get here are going to be from the die hard Princess loyalists, so don't expect a fair & balanced comparison.

 

I posted my issues with NCL in the NCL forum and got flamed for it. The food was substandard for a cruise line, the ship engines were not up to snuff resulting in two ports being cancelled from our itinerary, you had to anytime-dine at weird times or else face long lines, and the water coming out of my cabin's sink was BLACK.

[kooljamming]

I am a past Princess cruiser x 2 and wondering if anyone can give me some insight into cruising on NCL? Their cruises seem such a good rate and I realize one gets what they pay for. We are taking our two adult daughters with us, ages 24 and 22 and thought to save some $$$ we would cruise on NCL but do not want to do this if they are a crummy cruiseline. Any suggestions or comments would be great, thanks!

 

 

NCL is a line I am considering. Post this question on that board. I found the responses there to be balance without the usual put-downs, sarcasms, clichés, and elite attitude of some Princess cruisers :( You will get a clear picture of likes and dislikes, pros and cons. I originally booked NCL but changed to Princess because of what I learned on the NCL board. The reponse for me was fair and helpful, so I still have NCL on my do try list.

Just my experience from research on the boards, yours could be different.

Good Luck

[Joe Pflanz]

how long ago the experiences have been of some posters. Go back and check when NCL was purchased by STAR Lines, and how much money and effort has been put into them since then, and changes in philosophies and product.

 

There are many people here with thousands of posts whose experience is quite limited or aged.

 

But the recommendation to check the NCL board is a good one.

 

I have always said I have never had a bad cruise, just some are better than others.

[cynbar]

Overall, we prefer Princess, but we enjoyed our cruise last summer on the NCL Gem and would sail NCL again if the price and itinerary were right. I think the newer ships -- the Gem, Pearl Jewell and maybe the Dawn ---- get much better reviews than the older ships, the Sky and the Majesty, so you might figure that in. We would agree that the food in the MDRs was not as good as Princess, but we liked the alternate choices and ate in the specialty restaurants 3 nights out of 7. Entertainment was great, ship was clean and well maintained, staff was very friendly. I certainly wouldn't call it "crummy", so you may want to give NCL a try.

[Parrot Mom]

Our very first cruise was on NCL Seaward almost 25 years ago.Like them or not...they have been innovators in cruising. The first to cut apart a ship and add an additionatl 260 rooms.. the first to stop gluttony on the midnight buffets, the first chocolate buffets, heaven help us.the bowling alleys and "free style dining". Now they have the NCL Epic.. Im not quite sure what that is about yet. Other lines have followed naming their "free style dining" by another name, added more cabins, etc. etc. The last NCL was on the Sky on it's first trip through the Panama Canal...As for being nickled and dimed..Parrot Pop says that the Pacific Princess beat anything he had ever been on..We have tried Celebrity, RCCL, Dolphin/Premier, Carnival Fascination and the PP.. we are going on the NCL Gem.. The NCL Gem and NCL Jade from somebody in the know are the best of the fleet.. Do we realize we will have to pay if we want for all the alternative restaurants...yes..the price is more than right for a mini-suite..I've read rave reviews on the service on this ship.. Do I expect Crystal type meals.NO...but it should be a fun cruise.. until we get back to our beloved Celebrity... and a great itinerary..

[BalconyGal]

And I forgot to add, we had an awful sewer smell in the bathroom all week...nothing that was tried helped. This was on the Dawn last summer. However that is not typical and I agree ask the folks over on the NCL board what they think.

 

I hope you have a good time no matter what you choose!

[Parrot Mom]

And I forgot to add, we had an awful sewer smell in the bathroom all week...nothing that was tried helped. This was on the Dawn last summer. However that is not typical and I agree ask the folks over on the NCL board what they think.

 

I hope you have a good time no matter what you choose!

 

First the NCL Gem the end of November and then..and then.. back to my beloved Bermuda for the upteenth time.. this time I think on the Spirit for 6/210

[fatbird]

First, let me say I don't have a favorite line, but I have favorite places to go. I've been on NCL, Celebrity, RCCL, Princess and a few lines that are no longer around. I have had a wonderful time on them all. I don't expect things to be perfect, I expect things to be enjoyable, fun and worth my money. I watch what I buy on board, on shore and am happy to be on a wonderful ship with a beautiful view.

NCL has many good points- they all do, I liked the free-style dining. I do dress up, the food is good and I've only eaten in a specialty restaurant once and thought it was good, but I could have done as well myself at home.

The entertainment is fun, not what it was 10 years ago, but still fun. My daughter liked the ship then and recently went on a cruise with her new husband. They both had a blast.

The money you save with NCL can be spent on sightseeing, shopping, and being out of town which is why I love to cruise.

Have fun- :)

[Richie2pies]

I've cruised multiple times on both Princess and NCL. Princess is better, but NCL is worth the cheaper fare you pay. I suppose you get what you pay for on both lines.

[gettingmarried]

thanks so much everyone for all your input. It will certainly give me something to mull over. I will as suggested post to the NCL board and see what transpires there. Thanks again and happy cruising

[sunshine nana]

Our first 2 cruises were on Princess. Next two on NCL, mainly because of price and itinerary. Princess had somewhat better food, but sevice was the same. We never waited for a table on either and always got a nice table for 2. My only beef with NCL was that we couldn't bring wine back from shore to the ship without a fee on our Med. trip.