An HAL/NCL weekend

[InTheWASide]

Hey all,

This Friday I'm booking a 2 ship weekend that consists of:
NCL Star: Seattle to Vancouver
and the next day
Volendam: Vancouver to Seattle

What I'd like to know from anyone that's done NCL before... What's the best of the (14!!!:eek: ) dining options?

What's going to remind me the most of HAL (OR... what's going to make me wish HAL had it too)?

Anything that I'll want to avoid or make sure I get to experience this to it's fullest?

(I posted this in the HAL board becuase I'd really like comparisons... I'm not just asking NCL folks what they like about NCL... It's probably been asked 500 times already (or 500,000)

Appreciate the advice!

[Bicster]

Will give you as much info as possible, but we are not major cruisers. Having been on NCL before there's not much comparison between the 2 lines. NCL is more casual whereas HAL is more formal(we love to dress up). Even though we've been on HAL once and will be on HAL's Eurodam for our 2nd experience I felt there was no comparison. LOVE HAL & will do NCL only if there is another 2 or 3 nite cruise to nowhere & we need a mini-vacation. NCL's + is the anytime dining with no reservations. I love formal breakfast so we always go to the dining room no matter what cruise line(buffets bother me) . On HAL we are hearing other things about their As you wish dining. We only ate at 2 of NCL's specialty restaurants...the French Le Bistro & loved it & the Tapas/ Mexican place but had terrible service(can't remember the name). I just feel there is a different clientele(sp?) on both ships.

[norcal2]

Tapas for pre dinner munchies or a later snack (big in San Francisco). As far as dinner, the dining room is very good. The food is smaller servings with multiple entrees. They pay attention to presentation so it feeds the senses. One of the cover charge restaurantes has good sushi and saki. :D
We didn't do the steak house but I understand it is pretty good.

I think the freestyle dining room is down to an artform on NCL. Everyone is freestyle so you get less clogged lobbies. If you arrive in a time that is irregular or not on the hour you can get a table for 2 or any amount, request a window etc. You may have to wait but we only had one night that we waited about 10 minutes on a 7 day cruise.

I can't think of much to avoid off hand. I think it depends on what your likes or dislikes happen to be. Perhaps if you don't like crowds avoid the lido and that pool area in the afternoons. The casino can be smoky on some nights. On the Sun, the show I saw contained great singers and one really bad singer. The bad singer did solos and it was painful to the ears. I didn't know how she got in the cast. Hope you don't have that troop or that the one singer misses the ship just for you. I love NCL. Have fun. ;)