What sets Norwegian apart from the rest?

Just wondering what makes Norwegian what it is, and why it is more awesome than any other cruiseline :)

They do freestyle right? Lots of different eateries to choose from whether it's complimentary or specialty to eat for breakfast, lunch and dinner plus can sit by yourself or in a group.

Water slides!

Make your own asian soup (so far I think I have only seen this on epic) in the buffet.

Crepe station in buffet.

Lots of different ice cream...again in the buffet section...

o'sheehan's bar food included and cheap pitchers of beers!!!

I also have a list of thing I hate but OP didnt ask for that....

A happy atmosphere - the crew just seem generally happier in their work than in my (albeit limited experience) on RCCL. The happy atmosphere and the Freestyle 'vibe' makes for a properly relaxing holiday.

I can eat what I want, when I want and with whom I want - I can get a drink without waiting 20 minutes - I do not need to pack a suit - what's not to like?

Colorful hull artwork?

It makes the other lines' ships with no hull art look naked :eek:

Happy Cruising!

P.S. Plus the Chicken Pot Pie in O'Sheehan's.

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

* Entertainment - quality, quantity, variety. This is huge when you've sailed on cruise lines where this is lacking (in my opinion and experience).

*Entertainers - quality, quantity, variety. Again, this is huge when you've sailed on cruise lines where this is lacking (in my opinion and experience).

*Buffet - quality, quantity, variety. The out-of-the ordinary brings the wow factor that makes me want to sail NCL. Check for much-loved items NCL cruisers talk about often here on Cruise Critic : Pretzel bread/rolls, crepes, fresh pineapple/fruits. The only buffet that surpassed NCL's, in my opinion and experience, is Princess's.

*Dining - quantity of complementary (main dining rooms, room service, buffets, pool-side grill, Blue Lagoon/O'Sheehan's, etc.) and fee venues (steakhouse, churriscaria (sp.), seafood, asian, italian, etc.

*Dining alone or with others. Love being able to decide for myself when, where, and with whom I want to dine. I just can't go back to being told when, where, and with whom I am to dine with - and didn't on my most recent cruise. We chose Anytime Dining but ended up eating all our meals in the buffet - because it was that good and because of other factors.

*Ships. The ones I've been on have been have been pretty inside and out. Fun to explore inside and out. For example: On at least two ships there are glass artwork by famous artist Dale Chihuly (I always wished there were pieces on more ships), paintings by famous artists (found in one or more Le Bistro specialty restaurants), murals inside and outside, fountains, fish on carpeting that help you figure out which direction to go for forward or aft, ...

*Casino. Seems to have had more slot machines than I thought there was on the Princess ship I was on. Can't 100% remember the quantity of machines on Carnival, but maybe about the same amount. I liked that NCL had a few video machines (in lounges) and table/s (poolside).

*Cabins. They may be smaller, but I like them. I love the showers with a door rather than a curtain. I love the closets, shelves, and drawers. I love the beside lights being on the wall rather than having a lamp stuck right in the middle of the nightstand (Carnival and Princess :(:mad:). I did love the closet and its placement on my recent Princess cruise as it was set up like the NCL Spirit sideways cabin we had one time, where it was opposite the bathroom door rather than in front of the hallway door.

On edit: :Eek:!!! I forgot the most important item: The people! Crew, Staff and Officers. They are almost always smiling, make me feel like they truly do want to interact with us, and just give off a warmth during the interaction. The crew in the buffet we met on our recent Princess cruise would greet and offer to carry plates, get drinks or give refills, and smile while doing so, but with the exception of two or three people, the warmth was missing. Made me miss NCL's people!

ahhh. it is all about the staff! that's it! :) well, we are hoping to give NCL a try next fall. I hope we like it!!!!! I am kind of a bit over carnival, and RCCL is a little too pricey for us. Keep answering! I love to hear your responses!

How does NCL entertainment compare to RCCL entertainment? We loved RCCL entertainment! carnivals is sub par......

Studio cabins😍:)

We were also over Carnival. And with Breakaway sailing out of NYC we just had to try NCL. Had a blast last July.

The crew, staff and officers that were at our M&G were super nice, as were all the rest of the crew throughout the week. We really felt special (we were not in a suite or haven).

Will be back on BA next year.

~Robin

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

Studio cabins��:)

That and free expresso & pastries in the lounge.:D

Edit: Forgot about the wine machine.(still got to pay for it but at least we don't have to go to the buffet or elsewhere to get wine) :p

I like the martini tastings, the variety of the specialty restaurants, the shows, the suite experience and a 24 hour restaurant.

we are planning on the breakaway out of new york, because it is driveable for us, about 5 hours. that will save us money over flying to florida. I am thinking that going in september is better than october, at least the temps would be hotter and if it rains, one could still go outside, vs late october temps added with rain would be too cold to go outside. my kids really want to take advantage of all the outside activities that the breakaway has to offer!

* Entertainment - quality, quantity, variety. This is huge when you've sailed on cruise lines where this is lacking (in my opinion and experience).

*Entertainers - quality, quantity, variety. Again, this is huge when you've sailed on cruise lines where this is lacking (in my opinion and experience).

*Buffet - quality, quantity, variety. The out-of-the ordinary brings the wow factor that makes me want to sail NCL. Check for much-loved items NCL cruisers talk about often here on Cruise Critic : Pretzel bread/rolls, crepes, fresh pineapple/fruits. The only buffet that surpassed NCL's, in my opinion and experience, is Princess's.

*Dining - quantity of complementary (main dining rooms, room service, buffets, pool-side grill, Blue Lagoon/O'Sheehan's, etc.) and fee venues (steakhouse, churriscaria (sp.), seafood, asian, italian, etc.

*Dining alone or with others. Love being able to decide for myself when, where, and with whom I want to dine. I just can't go back to being told when, where, and with whom I am to dine with - and didn't on my most recent cruise. We chose Anytime Dining but ended up eating all our meals in the buffet - because it was that good and because of other factors.

*Ships. The ones I've been on have been have been pretty inside and out. Fun to explore inside and out. For example: On at least two ships there are glass artwork by famous artist Dale Chihuly (I always wished there were pieces on more ships), paintings by famous artists (found in one or more Le Bistro specialty restaurants), murals inside and outside, fountains, fish on carpeting that help you figure out which direction to go for forward or aft, ...

*Casino. Seems to have had more slot machines than I thought there was on the Princess ship I was on. Can't 100% remember the quantity of machines on Carnival, but maybe about the same amount. I liked that NCL had a few video machines (in lounges) and table/s (poolside).

*Cabins. They may be smaller, but I like them. I love the showers with a door rather than a curtain. I love the closets, shelves, and drawers. I love the beside lights being on the wall rather than having a lamp stuck right in the middle of the nightstand (Carnival and Princess :(:mad:). I did love the closet and its placement on my recent Princess cruise as it was set up like the NCL Spirit sideways cabin we had one time, where it was opposite the bathroom door rather than in front of the hallway door.

 

On edit: :Eek:!!! I forgot the most important item: The people! Crew, Staff and Officers. They are almost always smiling, make me feel like they truly do want to interact with us, and just give off a warmth during the interaction. The crew in the buffet we met on our recent Princess cruise would greet and offer to carry plates, get drinks or give refills, and smile while doing so, but with the exception of two or three people, the warmth was missing. Made me miss NCL's people!

Everything said above!! And not having to get dressed up. We are not people that enjoy dressing up, so being able to be ourselves and dress casually means a LOT to us. We just enjoy everything about FREESTYLE cruising. :p

Do they still make a lot of announcements (trying to sell you something)?

I have to offer the dissenting view. We have sailed with Carnival, Disney and NCL and we don't think anything sets them apart. From our cruises, they would rank 3rd. We did enjoy the cruise but we did find the MDR food to be average and the buffet mediocre. The staff was hit and miss and the entertainment was ok.

Do they still make a lot of announcements (trying to sell you something)?

On the Dawn, they had a huge push to get you to eat in the specialty restaurants.

Do people really think NCL stands apart and is "way more awesome" than other cruiselines? I like NCL and prefer it to most other lines but not by some huge leaps and bounds. I like freestyle and think NCL has good entertainment for adults, families and kids. It generally prices better for the cruises I want. And depending on kids, no kids, interests, ages, I might recommend one line over another. But, by and large, each has some pros and some cons and they are all pretty close to each other.

Generally, I am talking about the mainstream lines like RCCL, Princess, and NCL.

I love sailing on Norwegian because of the overall happy atmosphere. Its like they actually want you to have a good time & go out of their way to make it happen.

For me, it's the way they treat their passengers....I've been made to feel like a princess...no joke. On my Gem cruise in April I had chocolate strawberries waiting in my cabin upon embarkation :eek:...and I was only in a regular balcony cabin....and a note from the concierge...:eek:....so I called his number & said that I thought these were incorrectly delivered...they must be for someone else ....:eek:...and he said, "No, they're for you...welcome home." :D

I'm platinum with Carnival...but Norwegian is where my heart lives. ;)

Freestyle, Entertainment, and NOBODY does SUITE like Norwegian.

I had been on two other cruises when I first sailed NCL, and that is when I 'fell in love with' cruising. I have just stayed loyal to NCL since then. Nothing has made me want to change to another cruise line.

Do they still make a lot of announcements (trying to sell you something)?

They have cut back a LOT on this in the last few years. I think the complaints were heard!

I have to offer the dissenting view. We have sailed with Carnival, Disney and NCL and we don't think anything sets them apart. From our cruises, they would rank 3rd. We did enjoy the cruise but we did find the MDR food to be average and the buffet mediocre. The staff was hit and miss and the entertainment was ok.

Make that 2 of us. I've cruised every major and most smaller cruise lines out there and frankly, NCL does not stand out to me as "awesome" compared to other lines. In fact, like you, I put them near the bottom.

I used to put Carnival below NCL. That was until I cruised Breeze. It was far better than my Breakaway cruise.

Freestyle dining and the great welcome when returing to the ship. Loved the cold towels, beach towel exchange and the party atmosphere.

Beach towel exchange? Isn't NCL's policy one beach towel pp and you have to keep dropping that one off and picking up a fresh one at the one counter by the pool? And they don't even have them on GSC or hand them out at the dock? Sorry, their beach towels policy stinks.