Can anyone explain the differences

between Priness and NCL for the Caribbean? There will be 6 of us...... hubby (62), myself (55), daughter (30) and her hubby (36) and son (26) and his spouse (23). Can u tell me who has the better food? Entertainment? And just more to do without it being a "mega" ship? Any help would be greatly appreciated 😊

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

What homework have you already done in regards to comparing the 2 cruise lines?

No need to repeat what you have already done and know about, right?

Not much actually. I have only been on 1 cruise and that was on Celebrity Reflection. It was a beautiful ship and all but I have to admit, by the end of the 7 day trip, DH and I kinda got bored.

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

NCL is more casual with no formal nights. All their included restaurants are anytime, they have no first or second seating so you have no waits. The food on NCL is slightly better but that's subjective. There are at least 6 specialty restaurants which are more then Princess has and most are very good. Suite perks on NCL are better for dining because breakfast and lunch are in their specialty restaurants whereas Princess it's only breakfast served in a specialty restaurant. If in a suite NCL perks are far superior to Princess. The entertainment is similar. The passenger age is a bit older on Princess and the service on Princess is considerably better. NCL is a livelier crowd, Princess is more sedate. The decor on NCL is gaudy and on Princess is sophisticated. They are more alike then different if you are not sailing in a suite.

Why not one of the RCCL ships (mega-ships) if you want to be more active and not be bored.

From what I have been seeing, researching the Regal... While it is not Carnival or RCCL, it does seem to have more of a vibe than other Princess ships have had? More 'vibe' than you got on Celebrity??? But, still will never be like the RCCL, or maybe NCL ships.

Just from my general impressions - and not personal experience, NCL would not be my first pick.

Why not one of the RCCL ships (mega-ships) if you want to be more active and not be bored.

 

From what I have been seeing, researching the Regal... While it is not Carnival or RCCL, it does seem to have more of a vibe than other Princess ships have had? More 'vibe' than you got on Celebrity??? But, still will never be like the RCCL, or maybe NCL ships.

 

Just from my general impressions - and not personal experience, NCL would not be my first pick.

Thank u all for ur information! I'm afraid I'm not a cruise expect yet, so I learned long ago to just ask questions, lol. I haven't ruled out any cruise line just yet but as I have had friends said on the other lines, I was curious a out this one!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

NCL is more casual with no formal nights. All their included restaurants are anytime, they have no first or second seating so you have no waits. The food on NCL is slightly better but that's subjective. There are at least 6 specialty restaurants which are more then Princess has and most are very good. Suite perks on NCL are better for dining because breakfast and lunch are in their specialty restaurants whereas Princess it's only breakfast served in a specialty restaurant. If in a suite NCL perks are far superior to Princess. The entertainment is similar. The passenger age is a bit older on Princess and the service on Princess is considerably better. NCL is a livelier crowd, Princess is more sedate. The decor on NCL is gaudy and on Princess is sophisticated. They are more alike then different if you are not sailing in a suite.

Thank u for ur insight! 😊

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

We normally sail Princess, but recently sailed NCL for their Cuban itinerary. We enjoyed ourselves, but commented several times on how much we preferred Princess. Any cruise is better than no cruise, but given the choice between the two, go with Princess. It's more upscale without being stuffy. They also provide immediate access to your cabin, whereas NCL didn't grant cabin access until 2 pm. So, lots of people dragging carry-on around the ship. I know no one takes a cruise to watch TV, but Princess wins out there as well. Theater entertainment is also better on Princess.

The only time we strongly recommend NCL is for anyone who wants to sail the Hawaiian islands. Primarily because Pride of America is the ONLY ship that sails just the islands without a foreign port.

We normally sail Princess, but recently sailed NCL for their Cuban itinerary. We enjoyed ourselves, but commented several times on how much we preferred Princess. Any cruise is better than no cruise, but given the choice between the two, go with Princess. It's more upscale without being stuffy. They also provide immediate access to your cabin, whereas NCL didn't grant cabin access until 2 pm. So, lots of people dragging carry-on around the ship. I know no one takes a cruise to watch TV, but Princess wins out there as well. Theater entertainment is also better on Princess.

The only time we strongly recommend NCL is for anyone who wants to sail the Hawaiian islands. Primarily because Pride of America is the ONLY ship that sails just the islands without a foreign port.

Wonderful information.......thank you 😊

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

I compare NCL to Las Vegas and Princess to Charleston, SC. I know that comparison doesn't help people that haven't been to those cities but it has helped some of my friends decide between cruises so who knows.…it may help you.

I have been on 9 Princess cruises and will continue cruising with Princess. I have also been on two NCL cruises and do not plan to sail NCL again. I realize that both the NCL cruises I took were on Mega ships (Breakaway & Epic) and their smaller ships may offer a better and totally different experience but NCL failed so badly on our last cruise that I don't want to give them another chance. Princess, on the other hand, has mostly offered a consistently great product.

Regarding the food:

Main Dining Rooms- Princess definitely wins for us. On Princess the quality of the food and the service, given the number of people these dining rooms serve, has been great. The only exception we've had to that was on the Crown Princess back in 2012 when the dining room experience was mediocre which is actually what led us to try NCL. We went back to Princess. The food in the main dining rooms on NCL was awful on both of our NCL cruise (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and the service was also horrible.

Buffet- Princess wins hands down. The food in the NCL buffet tasted and looked like it came straight out of a can and I don't eat food of that low quality at home so I certainly don't want it on vacation. The Princess buffet also seems to have better hours.

Specialty Restaurants- NCL gets my vote here. NCL has a large selection of specialty restaurants and the quality of the food in these restaurants is good to excellent. I like the specialty restaurants on Princess but I don't find them worth the extra cost since I can already get a great meal in the main dining room.

Additional food comments- Food is an important part of my vacation and terrible meals in the main dining room will significantly diminish my enjoyment of a cruise so if on NCL we would pre-purchase the specialty dining package that covered every night of the cruise. We would certainly take that added cost into account when comparing the price of an NCL vs. Princess cruise. On Princess, I feel no need to go to a specialty restaurant as I am very happy with the quality of the main dining rooms so we don't spend additional money on food on Princess (except for the occasional balcony dinner which is amazing). Finding a quality breakfast or lunch on NCL was really the biggest problem for me when it came to food.

Regarding Entertainment:

We actually prefer to just relax on a cruise so I'm not the best one to comment here but I will still offer my opinion. I would rate NCL ahead of Princess in this category. There were some shows on NCL that actually appealed to us where as on Princess they've never peaked our interest (though I know many people love them). There seem to be more activities available on NCL. I love Movies Under the Stars on Princess.

Final Thoughts:

As I mentioned previously, I am not likely to go back on NCL and though the food is part of my reasoning there are other more significant factors that I feel are worth mentioning. I noticed when we sailed the Epic that the ship just wasn't as clean as the Princess cruises I had taken at that time but the Breakaway this past summer was truly filthy. Our room was disgusting (an unbelievable amount of dust, hairs, dirty carpet, handprints/smears on the walls and glass, fecal matter on the toilet flush button, etc.), I am quite certain that the only things that were done to prepare the room for us after the previous guests were to change out the linens and make the beds. The cleanliness around the rest of the ship wasn't really any better. I regularly received dirty silverware and picked up dirty plates from the clean piles of plates. The service was significantly lacking. We had decent service in the specialty restaurants but it ended there. Elsewhere it was terrible to just plain non-existent. Lastly, cigarette smoke was unavoidable and staff did not address the many people smoking in non-smoking areas. I realize that this isn't a problem for some people but as I have asthma and allergies to the smoke it caused a major problem for me and also decreased the enjoyment of the cruise for those traveling with me that simply don’t like the smell. I have no problem avoiding the designated smoking areas on Princess but I truly could not get away from the smoke on NCL (it was way worse on the Breakaway than on the Epic).

I always hesitate to share my opinions, observations and experiences with people that I do not know because I know they are specific to myself and my family. I know that NCL is not a good fit for us but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a great fit for you and your family. Everyone has different priorities, food and entertainment are subjective, and two people can have totally different experiences on the same cruise. My suggestion would be to make a list of the things that are most important to you and then read as many reviews as you can while considering the things that really matter to you. You will start to see trends and hopefully be able to gather a better idea as to which line is best for your family. Good luck with your decision!

OK, I've never been on NCL but my impression, both from fellow pax and TAs, is that NCL has a higher dissatisfaction index than Princess (or most other lines). For that reason, NCL has never temepted me though their newer ships seem really nicely designed.

It clearly is a bargain line compared to Princess, but that's somewhat offset by their expectation that passengers will choose to frequently dine in their upcharge specialty restaurants rather than the MDR. (I've heard that the MDR food is repetitive and not very good, but food is always a matter of taste.)

Princess ships aren't as stunning as Celebrity's, but if you were happy on X you probably should go with Princess, which caters to a similar market rather than family/first-time cruisers and at least makes a stab at elegance.

But of course, NCL has its fans and if you ask the same question on the NCL board you'll probably get replies about how stodgy and boring Princess is.

EDIT: see the above post, which went up when I was still writing this. It echoes a lot of what I've heard - too many times to want to try NCL. If I'm going downmarket, I'd rather try one of Carnival's newer ships.

EDIT TO EDIT: On the other hand, it might be important to the younger members of your family that, except maybe for holiday sailings, Princess passenger skew older than NCL's.

I compare NCL to Las Vegas and Princess to Charleston, SC. I know that comparison doesn't help people that haven't been to those cities but it has helped some of my friends decide between cruises so who knows.…it may help you.

 

 

I have been on 9 Princess cruises and will continue cruising with Princess. I have also been on two NCL cruises and do not plan to sail NCL again. I realize that both the NCL cruises I took were on Mega ships (Breakaway & Epic) and their smaller ships may offer a better and totally different experience but NCL failed so badly on our last cruise that I don't want to give them another chance. Princess, on the other hand, has mostly offered a consistently great product.

 

 

Regarding the food:

 

 

Main Dining Rooms- Princess definitely wins for us. On Princess the quality of the food and the service, given the number of people these dining rooms serve, has been great. The only exception we've had to that was on the Crown Princess back in 2012 when the dining room experience was mediocre which is actually what led us to try NCL. We went back to Princess. The food in the main dining rooms on NCL was awful on both of our NCL cruise (breakfast, lunch and dinner) and the service was also horrible.

 

 

Buffet- Princess wins hands down. The food in the NCL buffet tasted and looked like it came straight out of a can and I don't eat food of that low quality at home so I certainly don't want it on vacation. The Princess buffet also seems to have better hours.

 

 

Specialty Restaurants- NCL gets my vote here. NCL has a large selection of specialty restaurants and the quality of the food in these restaurants is good to excellent. I like the specialty restaurants on Princess but I don't find them worth the extra cost since I can already get a great meal in the main dining room.

 

 

Additional food comments- Food is an important part of my vacation and terrible meals in the main dining room will significantly diminish my enjoyment of a cruise so if on NCL we would pre-purchase the specialty dining package that covered every night of the cruise. We would certainly take that added cost into account when comparing the price of an NCL vs. Princess cruise. On Princess, I feel no need to go to a specialty restaurant as I am very happy with the quality of the main dining rooms so we don't spend additional money on food on Princess (except for the occasional balcony dinner which is amazing). Finding a quality breakfast or lunch on NCL was really the biggest problem for me when it came to food.

 

Regarding Entertainment:

 

 

We actually prefer to just relax on a cruise so I'm not the best one to comment here but I will still offer my opinion. I would rate NCL ahead of Princess in this category. There were some shows on NCL that actually appealed to us where as on Princess they've never peaked our interest (though I know many people love them). There seem to be more activities available on NCL. I love Movies Under the Stars on Princess.

 

Final Thoughts:

 

 

As I mentioned previously, I am not likely to go back on NCL and though the food is part of my reasoning there are other more significant factors that I feel are worth mentioning. I noticed when we sailed the Epic that the ship just wasn't as clean as the Princess cruises I had taken at that time but the Breakaway this past summer was truly filthy. Our room was disgusting (an unbelievable amount of dust, hairs, dirty carpet, handprints/smears on the walls and glass, fecal matter on the toilet flush button, etc.), I am quite certain that the only things that were done to prepare the room for us after the previous guests were to change out the linens and make the beds. The cleanliness around the rest of the ship wasn't really any better. I regularly received dirty silverware and picked up dirty plates from the clean piles of plates. The service was significantly lacking. We had decent service in the specialty restaurants but it ended there. Elsewhere it was terrible to just plain non-existent. Lastly, cigarette smoke was unavoidable and staff did not address the many people smoking in non-smoking areas. I realize that this isn't a problem for some people but as I have asthma and allergies to the smoke it caused a major problem for me and also decreased the enjoyment of the cruise for those traveling with me that simply don’t like the smell. I have no problem avoiding the designated smoking areas on Princess but I truly could not get away from the smoke on NCL (it was way worse on the Breakaway than on the Epic).

 

I always hesitate to share my opinions, observations and experiences with people that I do not know because I know they are specific to myself and my family. I know that NCL is not a good fit for us but that doesn’t mean that it wouldn’t be a great fit for you and your family. Everyone has different priorities, food and entertainment are subjective, and two people can have totally different experiences on the same cruise. My suggestion would be to make a list of the things that are most important to you and then read as many reviews as you can while considering the things that really matter to you. You will start to see trends and hopefully be able to gather a better idea as to which line is best for your family. Good luck with your decision!

Ur description of Vegas and Charleston made a world of difference to me, as I have been to both cities! The sad part is.....i also love both cities, lol.

The suggestion about making a list is an excellent one and something that I will definitely do. Hopefully that will help me with this process! Thank u so very much for ur information!

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

What NCL ship?

I read the reviews of the ships that I am considering along with the ports. Every ship is different and has different staff

I read so much before I decide which one to choose.

I would suggest reading reviews and the main cruise line boards to see what people are saying

4 millennials and 2 less than senior

Go NCL and do not rule out the megaships

We were on RCL Harmony and did not care for it...HOWEVER, I recommended it to my daughter and her husband. Just because DW and I don;t care for it, does not mean others will not.

While princess has GREAT food, NCL Epic had the best buffet when Winston Smith was head chef.

Princess is geared to an older crowd than NCL.

All cruises lines are good and each has its shortcomings. DW and I love Princess, but if we are going with adult children- Carnival, RCL and NCL is a better fit.

Just my opinion, which is worth what you paid for it

Despite some of the above comments, we have had excellent food in the NCL MDRs, buffet and specialities. I haven't yet sailed Princess, perhaps they serve gourmet 5 star food that is better. But I find it hard to believe anyone could have THAT much of a problem with the food on NCL. The entertainment on the NCL megaships is world class- they stage full Broadway musicals- Priscilla, Jersey Boys, Legally Blonde etc- not just variety song and dance shows. A good perk of NCL is that they tend to throw in the drinks package for free with most bookings.

I'm not an NCL cheerleader- as you can see from my signature that the next two cruises we have booked are not on NCL! But I just think some of the above comments are unfair and possibly give the wrong impression.

The most important thing is going in with an open mind and giving it a go! At the time of our Crown Princess cruise we will only have sailed megaships so we know she will be a different experience. But there is always things to like or dislike about any cruise. I'm sure you will have a good time on whichever you pick.

I can't thank y'all enough for taking the time to share ur insight!!!! For me, it has always helped to hear others experiences and view. There are many things to take into consideration and I suspect my "cruise picking" process has just begun! Good day to u all and don't be surprised if I pop in again from time to time 😉

Happy cruising.......no matter what line! 😊

Sent from my SM-G930V using Forums mobile app

I've sailed NCL maybe 6 times and Princess about 3 times that. The vibe on NCL is more boisterous, not quite the "let's get this party started" shtick like RCL, but Princess is serene in comparison. NCL seems to gear activities to the 30-50 crowd whereas Princess is probably 40-60.

The Las Vegas to Charleston comparison above is interesting. The décor and vibe on NCL does fit, but my thinking is that Princess is more like Ft Lauderdale ???

IMO NCL has the best production shows at sea and the main theaters are typically larger. Princess production shows are typically barely OK.

FWIW, DW and I have sailed most mainstream lines multiple times, and more recently have tried a couple of 200 passenger boutique voyages. We recently sailed on the Regal Princess and for some reason, Princess just seems to fit. We call it "going home".

We sailed the Norwegian Breakaway and then the Getaway a couple of years ago and with some reluctance and found much more to like than not. Having sailed Royal Caribbean a few times we found this the closest cruiseline to compare it to. For those that say the ships are garish, that is NCL of the past. The reality is (and you can google pictures) that most areas of the newer ships are very tastefully decorated and designed, with some "fun" popping in (sort of like RCCL). I will say we found the pool areas and waterslide area to be very crowded so we found this a negative as we like to relax on sea days. However there was a ropes course and other fun stuff to do that kept our teen son busy so that was a plus. Generally more casual, but people still dressed nicely in the diningroom, restaurants and lounges in general. We found the dinners in the included "restaurants" Taste and Savor to be pretty good, although not as good as Princess and nowhere near as good as Celebrity. The buffet was pretty good as were the included casual venues. A warning room service is not included. Service on Norwegian was fine, but also not as good as Princess or Celebrity. The entertainment was awesome - so if you were a bit bored by the end of your last cruise, perhaps choosing the Breakaway, Getaway or Escape might be for you. That said, we recently sailed on the Crown Princess and found that there was something for everyone to enjoy day and night. kids had fun, families enjoyed, adults relaxed too. I like the relaxed but still active atmosphere on Princess which we did not find on Celebrity.

Why not one of the RCCL ships (mega-ships) if you want to be more active and not be bored.

 

From what I have been seeing, researching the Regal... While it is not Carnival or RCCL, it does seem to have more of a vibe than other Princess ships have had? More 'vibe' than you got on Celebrity??? But, still will never be like the RCCL, or maybe NCL ships.

 

Just from my general impressions - and not personal experience, NCL would not be my first pick.

Totally agree....................

When are you cruising? That may make a difference as far as the “vibe” of huge ship. We were just on The Crown over Christmas and Skywalkers was packed every night. I went to bed about 1 or 1:30 and I was an early bird! If you are cruising over College spring break or summer or holiday the ship will be packed with young people/families. My 27 year old daughter always has a blast onboard.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

My DH and I are similar age to you -- DH is 62 and I am 51. Our kids and SOs are a bit younger (late teens into early 20s). They all loved NCL. Kids are going on their first Princess cruise soon. We chose Princess again primarily for the scheduling needs of the family.

I think the reality is that the answer to the question is too subjective. I read the one long posted response that said the food on NCL was not good, and was excellent on Princess. I had the opposite experience. I had better meals consistently on NCL-- some weren't great, but most were. On Princess, I had some great meals, but more poor ones, in comparison. I even had to send one back, which is rare for me to do. I found the entertainment on NCL to be far superior to that on Princess, although Princess did have a really good comedian. Service on Princess left a bit to be desired, but I think there may have been some staffing issues at that time as I've read some reviews of the same ship/time period that mentioned there were unusual service issues.

I just think that ultimately, it's going to come down to personal preference over any real significant difference in quality and value. The ship size will also be a factor, as well as itinerary and date options. You can have a great cruise on either line.