Differences - NCL and Carnival Quasi Review

[Hobbins]

Ok, to be fair this is a comparison between two ships, because even on the same line there is some difference between ships. In this way, however, I believe one can draw a picture that is somewhat applicable between the lines in general. The Carnival experience is on the Miracle, May 24, 2009 sailing. The NCL experience is on the Dawn, with several sailings.

 

Embarkation

 

Carnival seemed slow and tedious compared to NCL. Perhaps partly because Carnival wants to take your picture right before boarding instead of at registration. Or maybe because they didn’t have a Lattitudes line for me? Who knows.

 

 

Ship

I knew Miracle was only slightly smaller in tonnage but it was noticeable throughout. Ceilings seemed lower and spaces seemed confined/smaller than Dawn. I heard so much about the tall space in the grand atrium but I didn’t recognize it until I went looking for it. Was expecting something more ’open’ than ‘tall’. This tightness was a theme throughout the ship in general. More on this later. The décor is covered elsewhere.

 

One impression I had was that this ship design may result in more apparent wind for strollers on top decks. We were going relatively slow for the wind reported and felt.

 

One great thing about this ship though, they had no ‘naughty room” to my knowledge.

 

Crew

Mostly very nice people. I would have to give the nod to NCL, however, as the apparent attitude of many of the workers was that their activity was more important than the passengers’. I saw it many times here and very rarely on NCL.

 

On the other hand, the drink hawks were not constantly asking if you wanted a drink. Unless you looked at them they never said a thing. And it seemed there was always someone to look at, if you wanted one. This is way more relaxing than on the Dawn.

 

Cabin

First thing noticed was that the doorway was much more narrow on Miracle. Inside, the bed placement on Miracle was toward outside of cabin rather than inside, which made it a squeeze to walk between the curtain and bed. This and the swinging door (as opposed to slider) was annoying when heading out to the balcony. The other thing I missed was the fridge.

 

I have decided that I hate safes that need credit cards to operate. What’s wrong with a secret number like on the Dawn? Who wants to hide their credit card in the room or take it swimming with them? Credit cards should be protected with other valuable. That’s the whole reason for a safe, is it not? And if you want to open the safe you have to locate the credit card. Hide, locate, hide, locate… Folks, it’s a pain in comparison to a touchpad.

 

I have never seen drawer pulls that are loops of cord and I hope I never do again. They looked soiled/filthy and I can’t imagine the attendants sanitizing them for every cruise. Perhaps they do but they still looked disgusting. Hangars, on the other hand, were wonderful, being easy to remove and replace.

 

Needless to say the bathroom was small but it had much less room in the shower than the Dawn (comparing balcony cabins). The Miracle allows a much larger space for the vanity though. And the toilet paper was among the most flimsy I have ever seen.

 

The balcony was pretty much the same except I think the glass does not go all the way to the deck on the Dawn. And the swinging door on the Miracle required a ‘free zone’ on the balcony.

 

Public Areas

Heard much of the décor before boarding. I mean, how bad could it be? Well I don’t mind gaudy, which it was, but when it makes a small space even more confined it becomes counterproductive. If you have never seen the Bacchus dining room you really must. There are 3D grapes on ‘every foot’ of ceiling and wall. It looks like Bacchus might have gotten a little sea-sick at some point. Dawn main dining room is comparatively elegant and much more open.

 

Most everyplace I went (except for gym, see below) the interior was comparatively confining, including the outdoor promenade deck (actually the Atlantic Deck as opposed to the Promenade Deck that was inside). Here there was not enough room for chairs and consequently was usually deserted except as a hangout for the crew. This is a big difference with the Dawn as it allowed peaceful reading in the shade (hard to come by on Miracle, especially since it was hard to get away from the piped-in music), deck games, and strolling all the way around the ship.

 

The gym on the Miracle gets an excellent rating from this cruiser. Even though the views weren’t much the Multi-level design with overhead skylight and glass walled/separated hot tub made for a pleasant and un-crowded experience. They had every weight and machine I needed. For those that need TV monitors at their machines, forget about it.

 

The Miracle has a very nice Lido area at the stern near the Buffet (with some shade) which the Dawn does not. Great access from both sides of Buffet area (and ice cream and yogurt too!).

 

One difference that really surprised me was the amount of photography aboard. I am used to them coming around and taking pictures at different times on the cruise but never expected the virtual ‘Midway’ of ‘booths’ set up on the main deck. It reminded me of a mall.

 

Food

OK, here is my subjective take. We had the ‘Anytime’ option which I expected to be much like NCL and for the most part was. The difference here was that one could only eat in a small part (upper level starboard) of the main dining room. On the Dawn you have a choice of two dining rooms and you could find a table for two by a window. This made it a bit less interesting for me as we came back to the same area each evening (I know some like that though).

 

Quality was mixed. I believe Carnival puts their money into the evening meal and skimps on buffet items. Don’t get me wrong, they have plenty of food at the buffet but not really much to choose from and not the better quality (compared to NCL). The bread products in particular seemed to be made from the same industrial dough. NCL rolls can be considered ‘gourmet artisan’ in comparison.

 

Especially better than Dawn, Miracle had superior cakes and pastries which I enjoyed in lieu of the rolls. On the Dawn chocolate things had a chocolate look but very little chocolate taste.

 

One big difference for me, one of value lost, was that the Miracle did not open the dining room for lunch on port days. Perhaps not a big deal as lunches had rather simple offerings anyway. On the Dawn we would enjoy fabulous lunches on sea days and port days.

 

Did I mention the only hot served dishes (that were supposed to be hot) on the Miracle were escargot, cappuccino, and chocolate melting cake (all excellent by the way). This was only mildly annoying since the quality of the food was generally very good (could have been excellent hot) not counting the rolls. In contrast, on the Dawn, most items were served hotter except the cappuccino.

 

We tended to use the buffet more on the Miracle in spite of the frustrating four station set-up (five with pizza). Unless you wanted food at only one station there was no chance of eating hot food (sometimes even at one station). Typically I had to stand in two or three lines to get what I wanted. I prefer the more robust lines/stations on the Dawn buffet (and the selection and quality).

 

The Miracle had better lobster but the shrimp (even the ‘tiger shrimp’) were the pre-cooked supermarket quality and the scallops tasted like the fake preformed variety found at some Chinese buffets. Even though most other things were very good I would have to give the Dawn the definite win in the overall food category.

 

While not really food, but related, I have to comment on the maitre d’. I did not appreciate the nightly beckoning for the crowd to say “Hi Frankie” and then being drawn into a show. I prefer to enjoy my meal quietly and not let it get any colder than it already is. There is none of this on NCL.

 

One more thing here. I found it satisfying that there were hand disinfectant stations throughout the eateries but at the same time I was hesitant to use them. Why? Well, the experience was very slimy and long to dry. Even long after dry, once you wet your hands even slightly, they became slimy again! It was nothing like on the Dawn which was a pleasure in comparison.

 

Entertainment

Production shows were very enjoyable. Upper seating area was a bit of a maze to navigate and while no big deal for us, this could be quite troublesome for anyone with walking issues. It was refreshing to see something other than Southbeach Rave and Bollywood and the material is a little better suited to younger tastes. The only really bad show was the ventriloquist. Not that he moved his mouth so much but that the he needs a better writer for his material.

 

Especially superior to the Dawn was the Karaoke. They had a very professional and entertaining master of ceremonies for this and they held it in two large areas making it comfortable and enjoyable. Again, the younger taste thing gets high marks here.

 

The Captain’s Party was kind of hokey, IMO. Maybe it was the venue, the phantom theater, but it seemed awkward for some reason. Or maybe it was because the mixed drinks served were not that good?

 

Debarkation

It was nice to have a final breakfast that morning after which we went up to the room to wait. So here we are waiting for them to call our number expecting something to be announced on the PA or TV. Nothing happens although it seems everyone around us had vacated. Seeing the time was getting late, a short walk to the main deck finds everyone crowded up and waiting. Also, we found out our number had been called, apparently on the PA in that area only. This is different than NCL. On the Dawn, as I recall, it was much more relaxing, with announcements in the room area to keep everyone informed. No problem getting off the ship after that.