Comparing Carnival and Norwegian. Is Norwegian "Fun"?

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

I've only cruised Carnival once, so I can't really remember too many specifics. I'm a faithful Norwegian cruiser before and after Carnival. We hated Carnival. We were on the Miracle and joked it was a Miracle we got off the ship alive, lol. Our rooms were dirty, staff was not personable as they were on Norwegian. Norwegian had an adult summer camp feel, and Carnival was totally different. At the Norwegian buffet, we joked that if you didn't have your fork in hand actively eating food the servers would be wanting to clean your table. At Carnival, there were all kinds of plates left on tables and people looking to get a clean table while the Carnival staff stood around and chit-chatted or flirted with each other. I think you'll love Norwegian and be a faithful NCL cruiser from here on. :)

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian? Absolutely!

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations? Yes they are open & no reservations needed. I found the food excellent.

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options? We didn't need reservations.

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival? We found them more personable.

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7? Yummmm. Yes!

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian? It all depends on whether you sail the beginning or end of the Month. Beginning you my find more families due to the Holidays.

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

Personally, I would choose NCL again over Carnival. I found more options, available.

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

Yes. You'll have lots of fun on NCL. They're very comparable to RCI - more refined and classy than Carnival but loads of fun.

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

We enjoyed the food in the MDR on the Pearl - better than our previous 3 Carnival cruises. A plus for NCL, the MDR is open on embarkation day which we really enjoy.

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

Nope, only some on the newer bigger ships.

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

Very service oriented IMHO. Carnival used to be that way but now the bean counters have taken over that company and its all about saving a buck, regardless of the service.

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

hmmmm, I can't answer that definitively but I expect it is during the day anyway.

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

Family oriented.

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

We did 3 successive Carnival cruises in 2009-2011 I think it was and on the last one for the first time ever, we couldn't wait to get off the ship. The food was sub-par and the staff over worked like crazy. With the cutbacks afterwards, we see no reason to return to Carnival.

You will really enjoy NCL. I'm a big RCI fan and NCL offers similar cruises with good food and great entertainment. Enjoy!

Interested in reading the responses.

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian? Yes, it's Freestyle!

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? I have no problems or issues with it. In fact NCL handles my food allergies much better than CCL did. Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, yes and do you need reservations? no

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options? no

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival? Much friendlier and officers much more visible

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7? Not sure on Getaway but it's not 24/7 on the other ships

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian? If it's after the holidays, less families or I should say less school aged children. it's a nice quiet time to travel.

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

I took 1 cruise on Carnival and hated it... Maybe because it was an older smaller ship??

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

 

Yes, more relaxed then fun but very nice

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

 

Food was very good on NCL. We enjoyed it very much. The waits for the Main Dining Room were very long some days (even off peak) on the NCL Epic, and one day they never called our pager number at all. Buffet was top notch though

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

 

Not all entertainment, but on the Epic there are a few shows that did need reservations

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

 

We found the staff MUCH better on NCL then Carnival or Royal

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

 

Not 24/7 like on Carnival. Soft server is available when the buffet is open. Thye also had a very nice hard server station for free in the buffet

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

 

Never been on NCL in January, but early in the month expect familes on holiday vacation. Later in the month it will be the standard mix of people.

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

I answered your questions in line above. We were new NCL cruisers earlier this month, and are already planning another NCL this fall. We LOVED the super relaxed atmosphere. The food was very good. The staff was fantastic. The NCL Epic is an amazing boat. You will not regret trying NCL. Compared to CCL, it was no contest that NCL was better for us.

I sailed on the Carnival Dream. Had a great time. NCL is more like Carnival then different. I had the incomperable John Heald as the CD (Cruise Director) that cruise. No CD on any ship I have sailed has been close to being as good as that guy IMO.

We did the dine anytime option. We were sat at our request with the same waitstaff nightly, no waiting too.

To answer some of your question, if you are happy with Carnival then you most likely will be happy with NCL.

Also... I know you said no specialty resturants, they are what has me choosing NCL over all the other cruiselines at this time. So many great dinning options.

Mind you, this is a NCL forum and our views will show NCL favor. For what it is worth, if Carnival had Boston as a long term home port, I would cruise on them more just to mix it up.

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

1. Yes NCL is just as relaxed if not more than Carnival.

2. Yes and you don't need reservations but I'm not sure the MDR is open for lunch on port days.

3. No, not on most of the NCL ships, only their newest ones and only some shows.

4. The staff is very friendly.

5. Not sure because I never tried to get it 24/7.

6. Not a lot of school age children but in one of our NCL cruises left 1/1 and the other 1/29 and there was a fair mix of young and old.

I do like CCL and in fact have booked another for 2016 because it had the ports and embarkation port we wanted. We like both lines a lot.

1. I think NCL is a little less relaxed than Carnival, and much more fun.

2. I loved the food the last time I sailed Carnival, but I also found much to like on NCL more recently. I especially loved the freedom of Freestyle. I never had to make reservations, but I can see where they might be required if there are a lot of you, and you insist on eating together at the same time every night. Only one of the main dining rooms is open for breakfast, both are open for dinner. I can't say about lunchtime, except I know MDR lunch is available on embarkation day.

3. To my knowledge, only some entertainment on some newer ships require reservations. There's still plenty of entertainment that requires nothing except showing up.

4. I thought the staff on NCL was a little more friendly and engaging, but not intrusive like on some other lines (looking at you, RCCL). While Carnival staff was very competent, they also seemed to me to be more harried.

5. I don't remember ever seeing a soft-serve ice cream machine on NCL, though I might not have noticed. I really liked those on Carnival and Cunard. On my NCL cruises, there's always been free hand-dipped ice cream in the afternoons. so I never missed the machine stuff.

6. I've never sailed in January on any cruise line, so I can't say. Hope you have a good time, whatever you decide.

One cruise with Carnival, never ever will sail with them again even if they gave us a free cruise including flights.

QUOTE=JustMeandTheSea;42082534]Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian? Very similar

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations? No reservations needed for any dinning room They are open for all meals.

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options? Not on older ships. I think you have to for some on newer ships.

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival? More friendly on NCL. officers are more present and come to Meet & Greets, unlike Carnival.

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7? Some ships only during buffet hours. Some all day. Hard ice cream during buffet hours.COLOR]

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian? A lot of Canadians due to Winter break(I think). Later in month some school groups have a winter break.

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

As you can see by my signature, we are NCL people, but early Feb. we did sail on the Carnival Breeze. There were way too many people and it took us a few days to keep from getting lost. There were lines everywhere you went all day long. We will be going on the Breakaway in Sept. Hope it is not the same way. We felt that the food in the dinning room was barely okay at best. I think you will like the food on NCL better....The 1 plus on Carnival is Guy's Burgers and the Mex. place by the pool.

1. Yes Norwegian is fun. It's freestyle so it's relaxed. But a plus it's not usually as rowdy as Carnival and not as noisy. Carnival's rowdy reputation for the most part is over hyped. Any cruise that's 2 or 3 days will attract the party hard group.

2. Reservations are not needed in the MDR and open for breakfast and dinner. The MDR does serves lunch on selected days of the cruise. The food is good, not fabulous. You will not go hungry and there's always something interesting on the menu. If you don't like your choice, you can ask for something else.

Do try to go to a least one specialty restaurant. Just for the atmosphere alone is worth spending a few extra $$ and the food is great.

3. Most entertainment events do not require reservations. Most consider NCL's entertainment to be better than Carnival.

4. I like the crew better on Norwegian than Carnival. Crew is friendly and always do an incredible job. They do their utmost to make your cruise great.

5. Yes NCL has free soft serve ice cream, but not available in the late hours.

6. January will have more adult passengers and more apt to be 30 and up. There will still be children and younger 20's aboard.

Mix it up a little a give NCL a try.................you will love it:)

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

Been on Carnival twice and don't think it compares to NCL. Last time on Carnival i spent 6 days - 12 meals (breakfast and lunch) carrying a tray in one hand and a cane in the other in the buffet and only once did a staffer offer to help me. On NCL they help you from the time you enter the buffet. Big difference in service. I thought the Cruise director's staff were equally friendly but the quality of entertainment was better on NCL and quality of food was much better. Soft served is available all day and evening but not sure if it is available 24/7 but it is always free. Less children in january. You will enjoy!

I have cruised Carnival many times, and while all cruiselines have had cutbacks, they are more noticeable on Carnival for some reason. The shows on Glory this past September were not good at all. Although I must say I did enjoy the Alchemy Bar's unique concoctions, and Guy's burgers.

It's nice there is soft-serve ice cream on Carnival 24/7 in various locations on their ships, and NCL has it too, but as others have mentioned, not 24/7. I think it was there during all buffet hours. Enjoyed plenty of it too! :cool:

I think it is best to give the other cruiselines a chance so you can see for yourself. Of the cruiselines we've sailed, we have not had a bad cruise yet! :)

I've enjoyed all of my cruises on Carnival, but as you can see from my signature NCL is my line of choice. Some of the reasons are directly related to questions you asked.

I find CCL and NCL to be similar in the "vibe" of the ship. In some ways NCL is even more laid back than Carnival, in that there are really no formal nights (optional Big Night Out, but more people than not will be dressed casually). That's a big plus for me, as I have no desire to bring a cocktail dress on a cruise vacation. Still, I would not feel out of place if I chose to do so, as many do. It's very much "to each his own".

The food in the MDRs is very similar on both lines. Many people prefer Carnival, many NCL. I like both equally, with the exception of desserts. For me, Carnival's desserts are usually better. That said, keep in mind that there are many, many dining options on NCL that are not the MDR and do not have an additional fee. On Getaway, O'Sheehan's (pub food - 24 hours), Flamingo Grill (Caribbean/Latin pastries and sandwiches, I believe), Garden Café (this is the buffet, and while I'll never eat at a buffet on land I find the buffets on NCL's newer ships...Gem class and beyond....to be very good)...room service...there are many options. I do agree with a few previous posters that you'd be doing yourself a disservice to not try at least one of the specialty options, though. They're delicious.

As for reservations, they are highly recommended for the main shows on the Epic, Breakaway, and Getaway. So, Burn the Floor, Legally Blonde, perhaps others, Illusionarium. The first two sometimes have open seating after all those with reservations have been seated, but not always and I wouldn't chance it. The rest of the entertainment options, and there are many, work like any other cruise ship. Walk up and find a seat.

The staff on the two lines are, to me, more alike than different. Very good on both.

Self-serve soft-serve used to be available 24/7, but due to people being disgusting and spreading germs NCL does now require that the machines be manned and they are no longer self-serve, so it's no longer a 24/7 thing. I'm not sure of the new hours. They also have hard-scooped ice cream in a lot flavors with toppings in the buffet.

I can't comment on clientele, as I haven't sailed in January.

I can't imagine you not liking a ship like Getaway if you like Carnival. Unless you hate Freestyle Dining or larger ships, you should give it a try!

Hello everybody.

I am a faithful Carnival Cruise Fan and I have never tried Norwegian, but I am considering my next cruise on the Getaway. I am looking for help from those who have recently tried both Carnival and Norwegian and can help me with my decision. I do have a few questions.

 

1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

 

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

 

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

 

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

 

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

 

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

 

Thanks and any other advice/recommendations are appreciated

I found Norwegian to be much more fun! We went to the themed parties and had great fun dancing. There was also great entertainment from live music to shows. I will say I enjoyed the comedy shows on Carnival better but that was it. The disco on Carnival was so smoky it asphyxiated us so we could not stay to even check out the dancing!

The NCL staff were WAY more friendly and engaging. In fact, we never saw the CD on Carnival until we were leaving the ship. There was always something to do.

I don't eat ice cream at all hours but it was certainly available while I was awake. During buffet hours they also have some GREAT hand-dipped. They also make crepes to order in the evenings which are great with ice cream.

The quality of the shows on Norwegian far outstrips Carnival. I feel like sometimes people are trying to be politically correct when they say the 2 are more similar than different. I disagree. I would much rather go to the expense to fly elsewhere for NCL than take CCL Fantasy 10 minutes from my house. I did it recently for convenience to treat my daughter but would not do it otherwise...

You will NOT be disappointed in the Getaway!

I forgot to say that the entertainment on Carnival can't touch NCL as a rule.

And like the last poster said, if you're comparing Carnival's Fantasy class to anything Norwegian, Norwegian wins. I still think that if you compare apples to apples the experiences are similar, for me anyway, even though I prefer NCL.

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1.) Carnival has a fun, relaxed atmosphere. Is it the same on Norwegian?

Definitely. I actually find the atmosphere a tiny bit better than Carnival. On both NCL cruises I went on, it was so nice, relaxing, and comfortable, that I didn't want my trip to be over :( Can't say too much about Carnival being that I was on one ship (Carnival Miracle…the decor was…gaudy). But at this point, I'd definitely choose NCL over Carnival. I actually can't wait for my next cruise coming up on the Gem!

2.) We will be opting out of any of the specialty restaurants if we choose Norwegian, so how is the food in the 3 included dining rooms? Are they open for Breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and do you need reservations?

Food was pretty good. Can't complain. The best part is, you don't have to wait on a time to go to dinner, you can go at ANY time. I believe you CAN make a reservation, but we never did. We purposely went when it wasn't too packed lol Carnival we had to wait till 8PM to get dinner and had to wait on a very long line just to get in. Outrageous!

3.) Do you need reservations for all entertainment options?

On the newer NCL ships like the Breakaway, yes you do. Sadly :( But check out Getaway and see if it's the same way. When I went on the Star, you didn't need to reserve.

4.) How did the staff compare to Carnival?

Over the top. They really care about their customers. On both NCL cruises my boyfriend and I went on, we got greeted by the Matre'D and the assistant cruise directors and asked about our experience. Hell, my boyfriend talked to the cruise director in one of our cruises for a suggestion on where to get some item he was trying to find. They were chatting man-to-man for 15 minutes lol. Your housekeeper also greets you by name and is so nice. Carnival, we really didn't get much of that. Only our servers in the dining room we always had the same table).

5.) Is soft served ice cream available free 24/7?

Forgot if they do. I don't see why they wouldn't! Didn't pay attention to that much, was always too hot for ice cream for us lol

6.) What will the clientele be like in January on Norwegian?

Not sure, always sailed in the summer. I'm actually going on my first off-season cruise this April!

Almost forgot the most important NCL does NOT have "Bacon Police" :)

Thank you everyone for your input. I am concerned about the quality of food in mdrs. I will have to think about this one and post more questions if I need to. Thanks again!

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Almost forgot the most important NCL does NOT have "Bacon Police" :)

I feel like sometimes people are trying to be politically correct when they say the 2 are more similar than different.

To be politically correct is to be untruthful. I am not one that folks feel is politically correct. I have absolutly no reason to say I enjoyed Carnival about as much as any other cruiseline other than it being true. And feel they are far more similar than different.

To be politically correct is to be untruthful. I am not one that folks feel is politically correct. I have absolutly no reason to say I enjoyed Carnival about as much as any other cruiseline other than it being true. And feel they are far more similar than different.

This applies to me as well. Not sure why it should be necessary to be "politically correct" when speaking of cruise line preferences. <<shrugs>>

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Thank you everyone for your input. I am concerned about the quality of food in mdrs. I will have to think about this one and post more questions if I need to. Thanks again!

 

 

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Honestly, there is no reason whatsoever to be concerned about MDR food quality. I saw what some of the responses were to your post on the Carnival board, and while everyone's opinion about food is their own i cannot say how anyone could say "everything was gross" or describe it as "inedible".

I am very much a die hard foodie. It's what I do. I listen to live music, and I eat excellent food at the very best, acclaimed restaurants. My circle of friends always calls me for restaurant suggestions, and not just in my own city.

Is any cruise ship MDR worthy of being called gourmet? Absolutely not. Have I ever had anything that was inedible? Yes. Once. It happened to be on Carnival and it was a cut of beef that happened to be almost entirely gristle and fat. I've also had some dishes (on both NCL and Carnival) that simply weren't to my taste so I ordered something else. But if the food really were as some people are describing it, no one would cruise. Even people who aren't foodies still want their food to taste good and be of decent quality.

Relax, and book it. There are so many fee-free options for delicious food I'd be completely shocked if this were an actual issue for you once on board.

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