Seasoned cruiser, but NCL Virgin...what to expect?!?

Hi everyone!!! I am so excited to be giving NCL a try. They had such a great price on an almost identical cruise that I had booked on RC, BUT...for $500 less per person...I jumped ships!

I predominantly have stayed with RC because I have alway enjoyed my cruise experiences with them and, lets face it, it is great once you start receiving the perks after cruising with any line a few times.

I am just wondering if anyone who has cruised on RC and Carnival could tell me what I can expect to be different with the NCL experience, if anything at all.

So far...I find the NCL site easier to maneuver and I find the NCL customer service to be superior to RC (which was a nice surprise).

Thanks for any and all help/advice/tips/hints in advance.

Let the countdown begin for Alaska!!!

Which ship will you be on and what kind of cabin? Will you be in a suite?

Without knowing the answers to these questions it is hard to explain what you might experience. The main thing is you never have to dress up - which we really like! As there are no fixed seating times, you eat when you like, where you like, although sometimes you have to take a beeper and wait for a table just like at land based restaurants. We've cruised a lot of different lines. For suites, NCL has been our favorite so far - much better suite experience than on RCCL.

Sorry I meant the overall experience with NCL...not necessarily specific things about cabins. It is listed as my upcoming cruise on my signature.

But we will be in an inside...we've done inside, outside, inside promenade, and balcony with other lines. For this cruise, we just want on!!! :) We will be sailing on the Norwegian Jewel to Alaska on May 30th.

Basically just looking for differences...an idea of what to expect with the freestyle dining etc...we are use to having dining times, but this might be a nice change.

Thanks,

Cheryl

I think the biggest difference will be no assigned dinner times so therefor different wait staff each night. That is a thing that we are willing to give up for the relaxed due what you want when you want atmosphere of NCL.

Other than the difference in dining arrangements, all major cruise lines are more alike than different - just have an open mind and enjoy! :)

What comes to dining, as in land restaurants, peak hours will be busy and you will usually need to wait for a table but a bit of flexibility with the times (a bit earlier or later) or patience (with waiting) it's gonna be ok.

To add to the dining stuff, if you go to dinner at the MDR and there's a significant wait, you'll be given a champagne voucher along with a pager.

Biggest difference to us is that the entertainment seems superior to other lines, both the production shows and the specialty acts in lounges. You'll sometimes see the entertainers out and about when not on stage, too.

I thought the Jewel had the best buffet of any ship we've been on, not an NCL thing, just a Jewel thing. We just go off the Dawn, where the buffet was much less ambitious and nothing special.

I think you'll find the furnishings kind of spare. The in-cabin furniture is all kind of metal-and-corners, Ikea, maybe? Also, I found the main theater almost unsittable. It's just cramped seating. Too bad, because the shows are great.

Jim

To add to the dining stuff, if you go to dinner at the MDR and there's a significant wait, you'll be given a champagne voucher along with a pager.

Not always, so that is not a standard procedure on all ships and all times. Granted that we have not had to wait that long many times because we usually opt to eat when there are no huge waits - but on those few occassions we have gotten a pager, we have not gotten vouchers on all.

Not always, so that is not a standard procedure on all ships and all times. Granted that we have not had to wait that long many times because we usually opt to eat when there are no huge waits - but on those few occassions we have gotten a pager, we have not gotten vouchers on all.

Sorry. My bad. Thanks for the correction.

Jim

Like you, we tried NCL Jade last Dec, after 7 times with Royal. We sailed in a 2 bedroom penthouse non-haven suite. It was AWESOME!

See this review thread on cruise critic - http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2139442

Suite life aside, overall experience that stuck in my memory was that NCL Jade didn't feel crowded (even though ship was sailing full), unlike the Royal cruises we have been on.

Here are some videos on the experience.

2 bedroom penthouse suite cabin

[YOUTUBE]POIy0VzgXGw[/YOUTUBE]

Freestyle Dining Screens

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NCL Jade Main Dining Room Food

[YOUTUBE]xOimIZW3xEw[/YOUTUBE]

I thought the Jewel had the best buffet of any ship we've been on, not an NCL thing, just a Jewel thing. We just go off the Dawn, where the buffet was much less ambitious and nothing special.

We were on the NCL Jade and we found the dinner buffet to be good. Just curious how does the buffet on Jewel compare?

Pls see the video - I took a walk through the NCL Jade buffet.

[YOUTUBE]ic9vxaMs48M[/YOUTUBE]

Great thread. I am a veteran Carnival cruiser and like the laid back atmosphere, events at the pool, music playing on the Lido deck, evening parties on the Lido, etc. does NCL offer a similar vibe during the day? We aren't looking for a Spring Break atmosphere but we do like to have a good time and maybe even find ourselves dancing near the pool from time to time. How does NCL do in this regard?

. . . I think you'll find the furnishings kind of spare. The in-cabin furniture is all kind of metal-and-corners, Ikea, maybe? . . .

 

Jim

The staff on every NCL cruise we've been on is very visible and friendly. You will see them often walking through the ship. If you go to the Meet and Greet, chances are that if they come to the meeting, they will remember you later.

OP, have fun on the Jewel. She's a beauty.

We were on the NCL Jade and we found the dinner buffet to be good. Just curious how does the buffet on Jewel compare?

Our Jewel cruise was 2 1/2 years ago, so the memory dims, but your Jade buffet looks similar to the Jewel's. Lots of stations and islands.

The Dawn, where we sailed last week had the one-long-line concept and wasn't nearly as nice.

Jim

Sorry I meant the overall experience with NCL...not necessarily specific things about cabins. It is listed as my upcoming cruise on my signature ...

Thanks,

Cheryl

Not everyone sees signatures. Many CC members turn off signatures so pages load faster and have more posts per page.

One thing the Jewel has that most other ships don't have is The Great Outdoors, a wonderful open space aft, outside the buffet, with tables and chairs. A great place for viewing scenery. The crew might remove the tables and chairs sometimes so more people will fit, standing, for scenic cruising days.