Thinking of leaving Carnival and trying NCL!?!?!?

We have cruised Carnival 10 times and have enjoyed every cruise! Because we like New Orleans and Galveston ports, we are thinking of trying the NCL Star out of New Orleans next March - only because of the different itinerary! We have never been to Belize, Costa Maya, or Honduras and the NCL Star offers these ports! So . . . . .all of you Cruise Critic members that have cruised both NCL and CARNIVAL . . .give us the GOOD and the BAD (if there is any?!?!?!) about leaving Carnival and trying NCL!! THANKS !!

Well, we have cruised Carnival 31 times and Norwegian once, but the only reason is we are platinum and milestone members now and Carnival has been sailing out of N.O. longer. We saw very little difference except we like the certain time dining. If Norwegian had reserved seat dining, I would not have any problem with either. Very little difference in my opinion.

We have never sailed NCL...but everyone on the board says it (and RCCL for that matter) are more alike than different.

I would say give it a try.

But I would also suggest that you just cruise with them like you have never cruised Carnival and enjoy it for the NCL experience...instead of mudding the water with comparisons.

Enjoy!

I ABSOLUTELY LOVED NCL from New Orleans and the ports you mentioned. The crew and even the passengers were friendlier on NCL. The food was better. The entertainment was better. (the 7 night turned into 9 nights because of the tropical storm Lee) I sailed on Carnival out of New Orleans in Nov and it was the worst cruise of any. (my friend who was with me had been on 14 Carnival cruises and she agreed it was the worst also) There wasn't enough to do during the day on the ship. The food wasn't all that good. The crew was rude. The entertainment was very lacking.

I have a coworker who LOVES NCL! He especially loves the N.O. cruise and Honduras.

You should try it!

Yes very little difference. Atmosphere the same.

Glass of champagne (sparking fluid) on embarkation on NCL is a nice touch.

Corkage fee on NCL at embarkation security for the two bottles you are allowed to board with is disappointing. ie You pay corkage whether you consume it in your room or one of their venues.

Good or Bad dependant upon your preference are no formal, sorry, elegant nights on NCL.

Food not as good in MDR on NCL as Carnival but you have a number of choices to pay extra $$ to get good food.

Same itinerary NCL vs Carnival I would have to see the NCL cruise be $100 per person less than Carnival before I would book with NCL.

We have cruised Carnival 10 times and have enjoyed every cruise! Because we like New Orleans and Galveston ports, we are thinking of trying the NCL Star out of New Orleans next March - only because of the different itinerary! We have never been to Belize, Costa Maya, or Honduras and the NCL Star offers these ports! So . . . . .all of you Cruise Critic members that have cruised both NCL and CARNIVAL . . .give us the GOOD and the BAD (if there is any?!?!?!) about leaving Carnival and trying NCL!! THANKS !!

...at least NOT on any of their older ships!

We are Platinum with Carnival and have sailed on many other lines as well.

We sailed on the NCL Star out of Tampa in January and were VERY disappointed.

The ship seemed very outdated, "Your Time" dining was whenever they had room for you,

and the food (I know, very subjective) was not on par with Carnival's, cabins were TINY with minimal storage space........just a few of our observations and experiences.

If you want to visit these ports, sail on the Legend out of Tampa!!

I love NCL. I started sailing Princess (love them), and then I tried one carnival cruise (not the best)and then NCL. NCL has fantastic crew, good food (don't listen to any of the reviews on the MDR lol) and great entertainment. I have sailed the Star twice and it is a very nice ship, I would sail her again in a heartbeat. The main difference I would say is that they have a lot more options to eat at different for-fee restaurants other than the MDR. I would suggest you try Cagneys and Le Bistro (don't bother with the other ones, they are not nearly as good). I LOVE their margarita, or mojito, or martini tastings (best deal on the ship). Their pools are the same as all of the other ships.

I would give NCL a try, I really had low expectations of them due to their low cost and reviews that I had read on here. But when I got on the ship we found that they were great, we even decided to purchase a future cruise credit and they are now my "go to" cruise line!

Now I am on the flipside and going to give Carnival another try based on their itinerary and price (NCL doesnt sail to Mexico when I want to go otherwise I am sure I would have been sailing them again over Carnival).

I really loved the Star when it was doing Mex Riviera with our children(06). We went on the Spirit out of NOLA and we decided we'd never cruise with NCL again. They brought nickle and diming to an all new level, the food was terrible, customer service a joke, when we could find someone. Carnival has such a great fun atmosphere, customer service oriented, and they know how to draw you back. If you get a great deal, try NCL. But my husband and I were very disappointed and so were the rest of our party. We'd be happy to go back on Carnival again, we just got an awesome deal on Princess and trying them for the first time. The port of NOLA was a lot of fun and we want to go back and spend some time there. We've been to all of those ports and REALLY loved them. We won't do the ruins in Belize anymore, too much travel time and not enough to take in. Roatan, Honduras is our favorite port, ever. We went horseback riding and then hung out on a beach. It was beautiful and relaxing. Have fun!!!

I have been on both. Ncl twice and Carnival 12 times. On dress up or not night where they serve lobster the wait was over an hour both times to get into the dining room. Ncl has a lot of activities that you have to pay to participate in. They dont have too many free activities during the day. The star buffet is like a cafeteria set up. They have long tables to sit at. Some smaller ones too. No booths. Not very attractive. The evening entertainment is very good. Do not get a room above the redl lion pub. It is very noisy until late at night.They do have alot of pay restaurants.

We have sailed NCL 9 times including SS Norway--now that was a classic ocean liner.

We love NCL--IMO the food is much better as is the Lido deck area.

CCL has added so many bars etc in 2.0 updates there is little left of Lido space.

We have 3 cruises booked on CCL--after that it is back to NCL.

We have done all of our major cruises MED ,Alaska and Bermuda on NCL and have loved every cruise.

We are doing Hawaii on CCL because NCL has closed loop in Hawaii.

Planning NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.

Give NCL a try --I think you will enjoy it:)

One of the things that really irritated our party is that when you get back on the ship from port from your excursions, the very weak buffet was closed. Now, this wasn't important to me so much as the husbands. They would dive in several ports while us ladies shopped so they'd be famished by the time they got back. When we were on Carnival the buffet was open and they could eat. And they would, lol. And then we'd get ready for dinner and they'd eat again. But they did burn calories all day and even though they ate onshore, they were starving, and very thirsty. This is one of the things we really disliked about NCL. Between 2-5 on port days there seemed to be nothing going on at all either, they wanted us all in our cabins then it seemed. Weird.

We sailed NCL once and didn't like the Freestyle dining, also the food wasn't as good (our opinion of course :)). Thought the debarkation was very efficient.

If you sail in a suite you will get more perks on NCL.

Everyone is different so you really won't know till you give it a try.

Yes very little difference. Atmosphere the same.

 

Glass of champagne (sparking fluid) on embarkation on NCL is a nice touch.

Corkage fee on NCL at embarkation security for the two bottles you are allowed to board with is disappointing. ie You pay corkage whether you consume it in your room or one of their venues.

 

Good or Bad dependant upon your preference are no formal, sorry, elegant nights on NCL.

 

Food not as good in MDR on NCL as Carnival but you have a number of choices to pay extra $$ to get good food.

 

Same itinerary NCL vs Carnival I would have to see the NCL cruise be $100 per person less than Carnival before I would book with NCL.

The glass of champagne used to be a nice touch, but they haven't done that since 2009. Also did away with the nightly pillow chocolates. No formal/elegant nights, but there are Dress Up or Not nights so you can still dress up if you like.

DH and I just tried Carnival this past January after 2 NCL cruises and found that, as most others say, they are more alike than different. We preferred the NCL crew and their Freestyle Dining but we'd gladly sail either line if the price and itinerary were right.

I really enjoyed our NCL cruise. It's harder for me to compare entertainment because I was on the Epic and they had more than the usual. But with everything else I really enjoyed it and will eventually do another NCL cruise.

I really liked the NCL anytime dining. It truly was anytime. A lot more options on what type of food and when you want to eat it. But.... I do think Carnival's food is better (the free food - not including the for-fee). Not that NCL's is bad... just think Carnival has a little better quality. I was disappointed with NCL's lobster compared to Carnival and RCI.

Lots of things to do and lots of fun. They really are more similar then they are different. I recommend trying them out, I bet you will enjoy it. :)

Our neighbors have sailed numerous times on NCL (their work site gives discounts or something). Anyway, they have nothing good to say about NCL. The food is bad, the service is terrible, the staff is rude, ships seem old, etc. They absolutely hate it when their work books cruises on NCL.

If you can swing a suite on ncl do it. Fantastic experience. The star is my favorite cruise ever (but our room was 5,600 sf!). I'd say your onboard account will be higher on ncl due the many alacart options (which I like) but you do seem to get what you pay for in the added cost restaurants whether it be for sushi or steak. The steakhouse for suite guests for breakfast and lunch is great. Mmm. Filet mignon and eggs for breakfast. :)

Our neighbors have sailed numerous times on NCL (their work site gives discounts or something). Anyway, they have nothing good to say about NCL. The food is bad, the service is terrible, the staff is rude, ships seem old, etc. They absolutely hate it when their work books cruises on NCL.

3 ncl cruises.. Ive never ever ever had a single rude crew member.. EVER Service is always top notch Like im sure it is on CCL Ive been on the Oldest ship and it was top notch.. Ive not been on the newer ships so i cant compare.. Food was good in the mdr and great in the brizilian steakhouse and sushi bar..

And the poster above said the buffet was closed when they got back from port.. NCL buffet is open during breakfast lunch and dinner hours.. They do close a couple hours inbetween to prepare for the next meal but theres always something to eat somewhere.. If the buffet is closed the outdoor grill is open..

Our neighbors have sailed numerous times on NCL (their work site gives discounts or something). Anyway, they have nothing good to say about NCL. The food is bad, the service is terrible, the staff is rude, ships seem old, etc. They absolutely hate it when their work books cruises on NCL.

I take issue with your totally negative second hand information post. If they hate it, why do they keep going ?

I have sailed both lines (NCL more than Carnival) and see very little difference in the two lines. I have had nothing but pleasant experiences on both lines and have NEVER encountered rude crew or terrible service on any cruise line.

You have been misinformed or are misinterpreting what was told to you.

We have cruised Carnival 10 times and have enjoyed every cruise! Because we like New Orleans and Galveston ports, we are thinking of trying the NCL Star out of New Orleans next March - only because of the different itinerary! We have never been to Belize, Costa Maya, or Honduras and the NCL Star offers these ports! So . . . . .all of you Cruise Critic members that have cruised both NCL and CARNIVAL . . .give us the GOOD and the BAD (if there is any?!?!?!) about leaving Carnival and trying NCL!! THANKS !!

very similar. like everyone else says, more similarities than differences! if you like carnival you will like NCL!

some people may like one more then the other, i love the freestyle cruising, but to me the only difference i saw between carnival and NCL was freestyle DINING. saw no other real differences

Ive considered it...

But to be honest, with the Platinum benefits, and our travel agency benefits, we get more on Carnival, then if we started over on another line.

I take issue with your totally negative second hand information post. If they hate it, why do they keep going ?

 

I have sailed both lines (NCL more than Carnival) and see very little difference in the two lines. I have had nothing but pleasant experiences on both lines and have NEVER encountered rude crew or terrible service on any cruise line.

 

You have been misinformed or are misinterpreting what was told to you.

They go because the company they work for books the cruises. Maybe it is because they have to be around other people from work so they can't relax. All I know is what they have told me, and they have sailed on many cruise lines. They think NCL is the worst and have never complained about other cruise lines.

We have sailed NCL 9 times including SS Norway--now that was a classic ocean liner.

 

We love NCL--IMO the food is much better as is the Lido deck area.

 

CCL has added so many bars etc in 2.0 updates there is little left of Lido space.

 

We have 3 cruises booked on CCL--after that it is back to NCL.

We have done all of our major cruises MED ,Alaska and Bermuda on NCL and have loved every cruise.

We are doing Hawaii on CCL because NCL has closed loop in Hawaii.

 

Planning NCL Breakaway to Bermuda.

 

Give NCL a try --I think you will enjoy it:)

We were on the Liberty before the changeover to the 2.0 upgrades.

I can't imagine there would be much space for additional bars as there wasn't that much space to begin with.

How many bars did they add? I am not a drinker so more bars wouldn'y be a good thing to me.

Bill

We have sailed on NCL Star and Pearl to Alaska. We love the casual atmosphere on NCL. Both times we sailed in a JS which, to us, was about the equivalent of a standard balcony cabin on Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

We loved the ships and the ports, but absolutely hated the food. We had terrible service in the MDR, being told by the waitress (funny that we got the same table two nights and both times she told us basically to not go to the dining room as there were other options), the cabin stewards were fine.

We thought the food was probably the worst we have had on a cruise. Now, I am talking 3 years ago for our last cruise, so I don't know if things have changed. We loved the food in the specialty restaurants, and if we sailed NCL again, we would definitely go to only the specialty restaurants and look at it as a cost of cruising.

I do have to say that Carnival's food over the last few years has gone downhill, so perhaps now the foods are similar. On Carnival we go to the Steakhouse a couple of nights too. I guess to each his own.

Been on NCL twice and going on 3rd Carnival in May. I booked our last NCL, the Spirit out of NOLA, for the itin. I looked at Carnival but they were more expensive for that particular time frame. We always book a regular balcony.

MY comparisons

Food - I personally prefer Carnival. I found the MDR on NCL to be somewhat tasteless. Additionally I did not really enjoy my meal at Le Bistro all that much. I very much enjoyed Nick and Noras on the (CCL) Miracle. Food is a very subjective topic and my tastes may, and probably do, vary from yours greatly.

Cabins - Again I prefer CCL. The cabins on NCL are smaller and the beds less comfortable. However, the bathrooms are set up much better and are in fact larger on NCL.

Entertainment - This goes to NCL. I enjoyed their shows immensely. The second city players were very funny and the production shows were outstanding.

Crew - Room stewards, basically the same. Wait staff, much better on Carnival. I found the servers on NCL to be brusque, if not rude, or in some cases downright surly. Yes all of the ones I dealt with. Misc. staff most were about the same withthe exception of the customer service people whom I found to be impatient and rude on NCL. Not only with me but with every one else on the line at the same time as I was.

Ships - Again personal taste, Carnival ships are fun and over the top, maybe a little gaudy in places, but I enjoy that kind of ambiance, not everyone does.

I am sure I left things out and many others here will fill them in :D.