First time cruiser. Deciding between Carnival and Norwegian.

Hello!

I am going to be a first time cruiser and I was looking for some help deciding which to choose.

I'm debating between Norwegian Gem or Carnival Valor.

I'm going to be taking this cruise with my boyfriend. I'm 25 and he is 26. I would prefer a cruise ship with different activities to do. I'm not picky about the age as long as it doesn't seem like we're the youngest on the cruise. We also want some romance in our vacation.

My biggest issue is whether or not flying to Puerto Rico for the Valor or staying home to cruise out of New York. I live in Connecticut so I figured it'll be cheaper but I also hear Norwegian's cabins are really small and the food isn't all the good. But then again I read some reviews about how Carnival isn't good.

My real interest in the Valor is the ports that it stops at. I really want to go to St Lucia.

What are your thoughts? Should I save and cruise out of New York on the Norwegian or is the Valor worth it?

Thanks in advance!:)

Well are you a party hardy or a mellow Joe :)

Party hardy: carnival( it's in there name the funship which includes a active night life)

Mellow joe: Norwegian (the gem has larger rooms but you got to spend the dough but a question to ask yourself, are you going to be in your room a lot or just for sleep? Also they have a heaven which is restricted to heaven room holders)

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When are you sailing? Carnival Splendor sometimes also leaves from NYC

Hello!

I am going to be a first time cruiser and I was looking for some help deciding which to choose.

I'm debating between Norwegian Gem or Carnival Valor.

I'm going to be taking this cruise with my boyfriend. I'm 25 and he is 26. I would prefer a cruise ship with different activities to do. I'm not picky about the age as long as it doesn't seem like we're the youngest on the cruise. We also want some romance in our vacation.

My biggest issue is whether or not flying to Puerto Rico for the Valor or staying home to cruise out of New York. I live in Connecticut so I figured it'll be cheaper but I also hear Norwegian's cabins are really small and the food isn't all the good. But then again I read some reviews about how Carnival isn't good.

My real interest in the Valor is the ports that it stops at. I really want to go to St Lucia.

What are your thoughts? Should I save and cruise out of New York on the Norwegian or is the Valor worth it?

 

Thanks in advance!:)

I haven't sailed with Norwegian, but I did a quick look at their site for their Gem sailings. There's one that goes to St. Lucia, in December. It lasts for 12 days, which is more time than I can spare at once. But, of course, your situation is different. The price is nice.

I was on the Valor last month and had a great time. I think you will too, if you choose it. Going point by point:

* There were plenty of things to do on the ship. I found most of them cheesier than a Wisconsin dairy farm, but maybe your tastes are different.

* I found a very diverse crowd in terms of age, among other things. I doubt you'd be the youngest, even without counting the kiddies (of which there was a fair number, due partly to spring break).

* I thought the food was good, better than I expected. I doubt it would wow you (unless you're easily impressed), but it's certainly serviceable.

* The Valor visits lots of beautiful islands, and I thought St. Lucia was the most beautiful of them all!

I wish you well, whatever you decide.

You are comparing two very different ships on very different itineraries.

We have been on both these ships and lots of fun on both.

The Gem has more choices on the ship when it comes to specialty restaurants, and what they call freestyle dining, which basically means go whenever you want and first come first served. We like to dine early so we never waited in a line up to eat. Most times leaving the dining room there was a bit of a wait. Specialty restaurants can be by reservation. We absolutely loved the Blue Lagoon, their 24hr eatery, no surcharge and great food. Entertainment on board was very good.

The Valor we have been on twice, and overall, it is more traditional in the dining approach, same table for dinner each night, but you do have the option of my time dining, similar to NCL. The itinerary is fantastic, great Islands, lots to do. And by the way, St Lucia was the best of the stops. We did the Cosol tour, booked it ourselves - loved it.

Which did we enjoy more. Valor hands down. Why? Not the ship, but the itinerary. With the Gem you probably have 3 sea days total. With the Valor, only one, and the rest are port days.

As for flights, inexpensive fares from Dulles airport to San Juan and non stop too.

So it really depends on what you want. Read the reviews for both ships and itineraries. Decide how important your ports of calls are to you.

Whichever you choose, you will have fun either way.

The problem you're having is you're looking solely at the cruise line. Norwegian v. Carnival.

In my opinion, atmosphere, both NCL and Carnival offer a similar package. They are festive fun ships. They go about it a little differently. As someone else said, Carnival is a bit more "traditional" whereas NCL is all about casual and freestyle. Regardless, activities will not be a problem on either ship. I will have to chime in that if you like stand up comedy, Carnival has that in spades. Not 100% how NCL fares in that category alone.

That being said, your itinerary and even length of cruise will determine the passenger diversity. Go on a short 3 or 4 night cruise, then you will probably get a more party atmosphere. Go 7 or 8 nights, you will get a wider diversity from young, to families on vacation, to affluent, to elderly hard core cruisers. Go 10+ nights, you could be 20 years older and you'd will still be among the youngest cruisers.

My issue from sailing from the east coast other than Florida is the extra time it takes to sail from that port to the Caribbean (if that is your intended destination). An 8 night cruise from New York City, will only get you pretty much to Bahamas from New York or Bermuda. Whereas as 8 night cruise from Miami will get you all over. If ports are more your thing and you want to visit more diverse ports other than the Bahamas, then you would do well to fly to Florida and start there. Also, starting from Florida, you have a much larger choice of ships as well as itineraries. Usually, the biggest and best ships sail out of FL.

The good news is though, is that both lines are great for first timers and you will probably not make a mistake either way.

Choose the one with the itinerary you like best.

In my opinion, there isn't enough of a difference between the lines to impact your first-time experience one way or another. The staterooms of similar type (inside/balcony, etc) aren't that appreciably different in size. They are small, regardless, unless you're in an upscale suite. I've never been on a ship that didn't have an overabundance of storage space to get your stuff out of your way.

Look at specifics of the ships, if there are things you feel you must have. If you are reading reviews, look at them like gymnastics or figure skating scores and throw out the best of the best and the worst or the worst. The ones somewhere in the middle are likely the most realistic.

Go with a good attitude, expecting to enjoy yourself and you will have a much better time than those who go looking for what's "wrong".

We have sailed the Valor several times but always on the western itinerary. Always had a good time. Don't believe all of the hype about the party label. Carnival used to be the funships but since the cutbacks their party atmosphere has been downsized to DJ's and Crappioke. The larger live bands are gone from most ships. We are Platinum and will still cruise with Carnival but it is because I am cheap.

Last December we sailed Norwegian for the first time. The Jewel was very nice. The only thing that I didn't care for was the Freestyle Dining. Just not my thing. The food was as good or better than Carnival in the formal dining but some portions were small. It didn't matter because you could always hit the buffet and top off. The buffet had a very diverse selection and was better than most Carnival ships that we have been on. Where NCL shines is in entertainment. This was the best that we have had in 15 cruises.

Pick your itinerary or flip a coin. You will have a good trip on either ship.

I agree...I would pick based on itinerary. (unless one of the ships get really bad reviews, which it doesn't sound like)

St. Lucia is worth picking that trip alone! It is our favorite island. If you pick that one, there is an excursion called Cosol Tours. We went on our last cruise (nine of us) and had a blast. I think it was $60 and that included drinks and lunch. The tour was great and our driver was outstanding!

Since this is a first cruise and you live relatively near a port, I would choose to sail from NY. Save the money you'd spend on airfare or maybe upgrade the cabin you choose. If you wind up liking the cruise, you can plan many more with great itineraries.

But in the off chance that you don't like your cruise (again, not likely, but it's possible), you won't spend years bemoaning how much you spent in airfare to get to the departure port.

Just a thought.