VermontMaple

I'm sure I speak for all of us, THANK YOU for taking the time to do such a thorough review. I'm taking SEVERAL pointers from you when we go on the Dawn in August.

Wrap up. A tale of two cruises.

 

I figured I would give my overall impressions and compare to previous cruises.

 

Embark

Even with the slight delay which were reported being due to computers being down, it was super quick and friendly. This is a push based on the other cruise lines. Nothing special, nothing bad.

 

Room

Room was slightly smaller than what I was used to. I really liked the dual bathroom on the Disney dream, but I understand that is a much newer ship compared to the dawn. The bedding was new, but was really hard. My preference has been the comfort bedding on Carnival. I slept so well on my Carnival cruises. Plus having the toilet issues was a tick down. Never experienced that before. Advantage Carnival and Disney.

 

Dinning.

I was pleasantly surprised by the food on NCL. One of the things I love about cruising is eating. The specialty dining was pretty even between CCL and NCL, and I didn't use specialty in DCL. The MDR on NCL was better than Carnival and freestyle dining is the way to go. I don't think I ever want to go back to a set dining time. I preferred the buffet on Carnival and missed the pizza that was available on CCL. Desserts were better on CCL but overall advantage NCL

 

Entertainment.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the shows on NCL. They were really top notch. Which is similar to Disney and better than what I experienced on CCL. I did find that carnival had more events, i.e comedy shows, that I liked to attend. So overall this gets a push.

 

Bars/Nightlife

I found the bars to be similar across the lines, with the disadvantage going to DCL because the clubs and bars were always quiet, although very nice. Deck parties were similar across the lines. I wish disney would put in casinos, but that is no big issue. I will get into the UBP in my value for money part. Push between CCL and NCL

 

Staff

Truly a tale of two cruise here. I loved, loved my room steward. But some of the wait staff was hit or miss. Which I found to be close to CCL. One thing I didn't like about freestyle eating was that I enjoyed building the relationship with my wait staff as the cruise progressed. I still remember my servers from CCL (10 years ago) and DCL, but I none of the wait staff sticks out from this cruise. NCL and CCL is a push with service, with a big advantage to DCL for service (top notch)

 

Disembark

Push along all lines. Never had any issues with getting off the ship, outside of a previous rude customs agent.

 

Value for Money

Here is the big one for me. I don't cruise a lot, so this boils down to be the most important part. I did enjoy having UBP and SDP. I got good use out of the UBP because I had it. I am not a big drinker and would have had just as much fun having two drinks a day vs the 6-7 I had with the package.

 

I will base these costs based on two travelers with expenses. I am not figuring in ports and transportation in this one.

 

NCL. Exterior room with very obstructed window view on an older but nice ship. Final cost for 7 days for two adults with TIPs and service charges was $3200

 

CCL Balcony room. Similar type of ship (Legend) and age. Final cost for two (which includes drinks bought and specialty dining paid) was about $2200 for 8 days

 

DCL Extended Balcony room. Newer ship and more to do. Final cost for 2 was $2500 but was for a 3 day.

 

So what does this all mean. Cruising is very subjective and this is just my opinion. Value for money, CCL wins. I did enjoy my NCL experience, but I feel for the money, it could have been better. I would have preferred to have a lower cruise rate without perks. Unfortunately with work schedules, last minute fares are not an option. Kristen was slightly disappointed with NCL. This is her 3rd cruise with them and she sees how they have changed over the years, and not for the better. The bathroom issues were a big bummer. And her previous two cruises have been on DCL and there, service spoils you. If NCL comes around with the right price, I will cruise with them again. I had a very good time. So my initial thoughts are, if we are doing a family cruise, I will pick fewer days on DCL for a similar/lightly cheaper total cost. Next vacation between the two of us, I may explore other options like Celebrity, RCCL or Princess. Or take a super affordable CCL trip. I am also turned off about the new water policy. But I will allow more that for that to shake out.

 

I hope you enjoyed the review. Let me know if you have any questions and happy cruising