New To NCL - Princess Cruiser

Hi everyone-

 

We have been loyal Princess Cruisers, I think about 12 cruises now... We had a cruise booked for my Birthday on Princess, but its just not the right cruise for us. We are looking to Switch over to NCL because they have the itinerary we want.

I wanted to get a little feedback as to if anyone is familiar to the two brands, and what are the differences that I will notice (good or bad) and what maybe is kind of the same? Like I know Princess has fresh water pools, but not every cruise line does.

We are looking at the NCL Dawn out of New Orleans for a 7 day western Caribbean. Also if anyone has any advice on this ship... thats great too.

 

Thank you!!! So excited (and scared) about a new brand.

 

David

The Dawn is a wonderful ship with a great staff. I did this cruise this past January and would love to do it again.

 

Please if you can, add extra days to just be in and see New Orleans.

 

I have never sailed anything but Norwegian so I can not compare for you. I will be leaving in a few days on cruise #26, if that tells you anything.

We cruised three times on Princess. Then we tried NCL. We are going on our third cruise on the Gem and it will be our sixth Norwegian cruise. Love the choices on Norwegian. We did like Princess.

We are considering an opposite move - NCL to Princess because of itinerary. Here are the differences I have discovered which mostly seem to be about food and dining:

 

NCL is generally more casual. No formal nights, although you can dress up if you want anytime, but there are evenings specifically suggested for this. We don't. :)

Princess has formal nights, so I guess it will be buffet for us those evenings. :(

 

NCL has many more restaurant options than Princess. Although Princess does seem to have a few upcharge offerings and Anytime eating now, NCL does seem to do this best. We will probably try the Anytime eating as there seem to be things in the evening we would want to do and set times appear to interfere with those.

 

Some people say food is better on Princess generally, but the buffet is better on NCL. Food is very subjective however.

 

Otherwise, I am not seeing much of a difference.

 

We usually don't spend time in the pool so I can't answer that question for you.

Edited September 20, 2015 by drvalo

We have sailed both and have found them more alike than different. There is a review from a few years back comparing the two (link in my sig. block).

 

A few differences that we noticed (we do not do pools so cannot comment on the water - we do not drink pool water either!:rolleyes:)

 

Food - Princess is probably slightly better - BUT - NCL has a much better choice of upcharge restaurants. MDRs we found to be pretty similar, buffets also.

 

Princess has the formal nights - NCL does not - we prefer the NCL casual approach but it is OK to get dressed up occasionally (even though it means more packing).

 

Drinks - NCL are a bit more expensive - their drinks package is more restrictive than Princess's.

 

Princess excursions seemed more expensive.

 

DSC is less on Princess.

 

We are moving towards Princess more, mainly due to all of NCL's badly communicated changes - we no longer trust them to deliver what we sign up to at present.

There is a review from a few years back comparing the two (link in my sig. block).

 

.

Thank you for referring us to the link to your comparison review. That is very, very helpful

thanks everyone for you help... if anyone has anything else to share, that would be great :)

I'm getting more excited and less scared of the change :) lol

 

-David

We have sailed on NCL and Princess. NCL is more casual than Princess. However, the service on Princess is a notch above NCL.

I am sailing on the Getaway again in January and the Royal Princess in March.

we do enjoy both lines.

We like NCL and Princess (and HAL) they are more the same than different.

 

1. Like not having to pack a shirt and tie on NCL

2. Prefer Princess MDR food

3. Prefer NCL buffet food

4. Prefer NCL Entertainment (but this varies cruises to cruise for sure)

5. Kids have marginally preferred Princess kids club

6. On Alaskan cruises Princess has interesting naturalist lectures and NCL does not.

7. NCL suites much better than Princess

 

But we just shop on price and itinerary - both are good.

We also enjoy both lines. As others have said, overall they are more alike than different.

We find the energy level to be higher on NCL than on Princess. On our last Princess cruise we did not find formal nights particularly formal, even in the MDR. We felt dining room service, Anytime on Princess, to be a tad above what we have experienced on NCL.

I think Princess has a few more public spots to relax, read or have a quiet conversation with someone than there is on NCL.

A big difference I notice between the two - much less push for Bingo, scratch-off games on Princess than NCL. Also, the casino is smaller on Princess (at least the ships we've been on) than on NCL.

We cruise Disney, Princess and NCL, but like NCL best overall. I think you'll find that NCL and Princess are similar but, for us, NCL has a different fun vibe that we never got on Princess.

 

Food is always subjective, but I thought the MDR food on NCL tasted better, especially desserts, but was not presented in the best manner. Princess has more of a formal dining atmosphere, even with their Anytime Dining that still enforces a dress code. Some people like that and some hate it. We like casual dining all the time because, well, unless someone died or the President is coming to dinner, I will fight wearing a suit.

 

On NCL you get the equivalent of Anytime Dining but at least two main dining rooms to choose from. There is never a problem getting a table for two if that's what you want. And we always found the variety of free restaurants better on NCL than on Princess.

 

Princess has better cabins, overall, I believe. At least they are roomier on the ships we have been on. Service has been great on both lines.

 

We are looking at the Princess British Isles cruise in the future, and have no objection to sailing them (or Disney, for that matter). We have always enjoyed our cruises, even the one with crazy family issues (we implemented a rule that we will not sail with extended family ever again!)

Hi everyone-

 

We have been loyal Princess Cruisers, I think about 12 cruises now... We had a cruise booked for my Birthday on Princess, but its just not the right cruise for us. We are looking to Switch over to NCL because they have the itinerary we want.

I wanted to get a little feedback as to if anyone is familiar to the two brands, and what are the differences that I will notice (good or bad) and what maybe is kind of the same? Like I know Princess has fresh water pools, but not every cruise line does.

We are looking at the NCL Dawn out of New Orleans for a 7 day western Caribbean. Also if anyone has any advice on this ship... thats great too.

 

Thank you!!! So excited (and scared) about a new brand.

 

David

 

David, it is so hard to do a comparison cause most of us are loyal to a certain line and will always think our line is the best, but here is my take: remember it is just my opinion;

 

NCL pros as we see them: in recent years we have found the food better on NCL

There are more tables for 2 or 4 people thus you do not get stuck with a table of 8 every night. This works better for us.

The overall age of the passengers is a little younger on NCL, but you will certainly find all ages

Dependng on the ship I think the cabins on NCl are a little larger. They really are not larger, but have more living space cause they do not have the large close/dressing room area which we think is a waste of space. (just our opinion remember)

We think the overall passengers on NCL are friendlier.

The crew is more personable on NCL.

Entertainment better

 

Princess pros:

 

The ships are prettier

the drink prices last time we cruised Princess were a little less then on NCL.

even though we prefer the entertainment on NCL, Princess does have a better variety.

of course the fresh water pools are a plus.

more comfortable show room seats than on the Dawn particularly.

For some the dressing area would be a plus, as I have mentioned, we find it a turn off.

larger bathrooms than on the Dawn: the Dawn has really small ones.

 

I will add, I am not a huge lover of the Dawn, but this doesn't mean it is a bad ship. A lot of people sail her over and over.

 

Good luck, as long as you realize you will be on a different product you will have a great time. How can cruising be bad?

We did 3 Princess cruises, and now have are 4th NCL cruise booked. I too think they are very similar. Service was better on Princess, at least a few years back, but I will trade that for the casual attire on NCL any day!

 

About the only thing I really miss about Princess is the Afternoon Tea.

Afternoon tea on Princess is nice but NCL has the scones, jam and cream out in the buffet if I recall?

So very happy to report we are booked!!

Got an Aft Balcony penthouse (go big or go home on our first time right?) on the Dawn for 7 day out of NOLA the first week of may 2016.

 

Super excited... now reading up on everything i can find out about on NCL and the ship and the ports!!

 

May try to book an LA/Mexico cruise in the early part of the year to test out the waters... but very excited.

Casual Attire... I would think is also subjective?

What do you consider casual attire and what do most of you wear to dinner?

 

I'm happy about not having "formal" nights, but don't want to be too casual either. Casual to me would be jeans or capri's and a summer top/tank top or a sundress and flip flops. I consider dressed up to be slacks or sundresses with heels....

Casual Attire... I would think is also subjective?

What do you consider casual attire and what do most of you wear to dinner?

 

I'm happy about not having "formal" nights, but don't want to be too casual either. Casual to me would be jeans or capri's and a summer top/tank top or a sundress and flip flops. I consider dressed up to be slacks or sundresses with heels....

You will see almost anything but I remember being on a Princess cruise and the guy sitting next to me was wering cargo shorts and sandels. I was a bit surprised to say the least. Normally, capris or a sundress is perfect. In one dining you will see people in shorts and jeans but the other MDR shorts and jeans are allowed after 5pm. and the rule is pretty much followed. We have seen many people turned away. The freestyle daily will tell you which is which is which.

Casual Attire... I would think is also subjective?

What do you consider casual attire and what do most of you wear to dinner?

 

I'm happy about not having "formal" nights, but don't want to be too casual either. Casual to me would be jeans or capri's and a summer top/tank top or a sundress and flip flops. I consider dressed up to be slacks or sundresses with heels....

 

It doesn't matter what "we" consider casual attire, but rather what NCL does. You can find the dress code on the NCL website. Only one MDR on each ship, the more formal aft one, and one Specialty venue, Le Bistro, which for dinner bans shorts, tank tops, caps and open toed shoes for men. You would be welcome there in all of the "casual" and "dressed up" items you mentioned. For men, all that is required in those two venues is a pair of long pants, even jeans and khakis, shirt with collar and closed toed shoes. Shorts are welcome in all of the other venues, both MDR and Soecialty.

I've sailed both Princess and NCL several times and they're both great. I think for me the things I notice as being differences between the two lines are:

 

Princess is a bit more formal about things, NCL more relaxed atmosphere.

NCL has more alternative dining options.

NCL dress overall more casual than Princess.

NCL customers overall a lot younger than Princess and much more diverse.

 

I think you will have a great time and should not worry about anything! It is a lot of fun to try a new cruise line and have new experiences. We sailed Princess so many times and then we kind of got bored because the experience is so similar across their fleet. It was nice to switch to NCL and have everything feel new, and their different ships vary a lot too. Princess has gotten a bit formulaic, although I still love them dearly and can't wait to sail again, I just needed a break.

We are moving towards Princess more, mainly due to all of NCL's badly communicated changes - we no longer trust them to deliver what we sign up to at present.

 

Thanks for the comparison. I am booked NCL Getaway in Feb and really looking forward to it - but I agree with the sentiment above and just booked my fall cruise on Princess.

Thanks for the comparison. I am booked NCL Getaway in Feb and really looking forward to it - but I agree with the sentiment above and just booked my fall cruise on Princess.

 

We would be interested to hear your comparative views on the two lines.

Thanks for posting. I'm a frequent Princess cruiser, but just booked my first NCL cruise in 10 years. My cruise last month on Princess we tried ATD for the first time and I hated it. Didn't know you could make reservations until after the second night. Tried calling around 1 on the third day and basically they laughed at me. By the 4th day I finally got a reservation but it was a 4 day cruise so that was our last night.

 

It looks like NCL you can book before you leave. We are on the Jewel. I hear the mdr is slow, which we don't mind, but if I want to book something and still make sure we fit all the shows in, does anyone have any suggestions?

Oh if anyone could help with the coffee differences?

 

Princess specialty coffees are included in the unlimited beverage package.

NCL I don't believe they are?

 

Princess - if you don't have an UBP you can still buy a coffee card for $29 it gives you 15 stamps for 15 specialty coffees. Does NCL offer anything like that?

 

Princess - when I wake up we order just coffee and a roll from room service so we can get our selves up and going (plus take a pill that has to be taken with food.) - Princess - free plus tip to room service.

NCL ? $7.95 service charge plus tip from what I read some places? Other places say coffee and continental breakfast are free of service charge????

 

If the ship matters I am on the Jewel.

Edited October 16, 2015 by Cruisin Oma

Oh if anyone could help with the coffee differences?

 

Princess specialty coffees are included in the unlimited beverage package.

NCL I don't believe they are?

 

Princess - if you don't have an UBP you can still buy a coffee card for $29 it gives you 15 stamps for 15 specialty coffees. Does NCL offer anything like that?

 

Princess - when I wake up we order just coffee and a roll from room service so we can get our selves up and going (plus take a pill that has to be taken with food.) - Princess - free plus tip to room service.

NCL ? $7.95 service charge plus tip from what I read some places? Other places say coffee and continental breakfast are free of service charge????

 

If the ship matters I am on the Jewel.

 

 

NCL's UBP does not include specialty coffees or water. No coffee cards offered. I don't buy them, but I hear the specialty coffees are very reasonably priced as compared to a Starbucks, maybe around the $2 per drink price you would pay with the Princess coffee card. Maybe someone else can advise you on prices.

 

Until 10:00 am, continental breakfast and coffee has no convenience fee. If you order anything else, or after 10:00 am, it will incur the convenience fee.

I've cruised twice on Princess, 4 times with NCL - just got off the Gem a week ago. I have to say I prefer Princess although I do think the Dawn is a wonderful ship - we've sailed her twice, once to the Bahamas out of NYC and the other time to Bermuda out of NYC.

 

As for food, I was disappointed in last week's offerings &, as I remember it, Princess food was quite good in my opinion. But I choose most cruises for the itinerary & the price - this time NCL had the itinerary I wanted & the price for the Gem's Canada/NE cruise was considerably less than the Regal Princess cruise. We had sailed almost the exact itinerary on the Caribbean Princess in 2011 so it was an easy choice to make & we sailed on the Gem.

 

I think you will have a good time on the Dawn. They had a lot of onboard activities as I remember it & there was a very positive energy about it. Just relax & enjoy yourselves!