picking between two boats.

Has anyone been on both Carnival Dream and Norwegian Breakaway out of New Orleans? I am trying to choose between the two. I have been on RC and Carnival boats but not Norwegian. I not to concern with slides just food selections and if they nickle and dime you, and cleanliness of boat.

Following

They are more similar than different! I would try something new...but that's just me, maybe! NCL is more "casual" then RCI and even Carnival!

Can't offer a comparison between the two but once you decide and are on board, should you encounter the Captain, I would suggest not referring to his vessel as a "boat", but rather as a "ship" so as not to offend him......:D

I think another poster was trying to explain that a "boat" is what you put on a ship (like a life"boat"). So you are talking about two ships :). Norwegian is about nickel and diming with their many dining options. But probably not much worse than RCI when it comes to separating passengers from their money..

Hank

I also agree that there are more similarities to both of these cruises then differences.

Keith

I think another poster was trying to explain that a "boat" is what you put on a ship (like a life"boat"). So you are talking about two ships :). Norwegian is about nickel and diming with their many dining options. But probably not much worse than RCI when it comes to separating passengers from their money..

 

Hank

Maybe their cruise "boat" is a submarine.

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Has anyone been on both Carnival Dream and Norwegian Breakaway out of New Orleans? I am trying to choose between the two. I have been on RC and Carnival boats but not Norwegian. I not to concern with slides just food selections and if they nickle and dime you, and cleanliness of boat.

NCL is the master at nickel and dime. No other cruise line pushes you toward specialty restaurants more than NCL. I think the free food is better on Carnival.

As for the ships, I would just flip a coin, or go with whoever has the better price.

By the way....all ships are boats but not all boats are ships. So don't worry about calling them boats. ;)

NCL is the master at nickel and dime. No other cruise line pushes you toward specialty restaurants more than NCL. I think the free food is better on Carnival.

 

As for the ships, I would just flip a coin, or go with whoever has the better price.

 

By the way....all ships are boats but not all boats are ships. So don't worry about calling them boats. ;)

I have never felt pushed towards the specialty restaurants. Ever since they started offering the dining package as a free perk, it’s even hard to get reservations at decent times. And now that half of them are a la carte instead of a set price, I’d rather go to similar venues on land.

Has anyone been on both Carnival Dream and Norwegian Breakaway out of New Orleans? I am trying to choose between the two. I have been on RC and Carnival boats but not Norwegian. I not to concern with slides just food selections and if they nickle and dime you, and cleanliness of boat.

All lines nickle and dime you if you let them. You can go on NCL now and if you prepay your daily service charge and select the UBP as your perk you can leave the ship without owing a penny. Food is subjective. I don't see a lot of difference whether I am on NCL, or RCCL, or CCL. All of the lines maintain very clean ships, I haven't every noticed one that was unclean.

NCL is the master at nickel and dime. No other cruise line pushes you toward specialty restaurants more than NCL. I think the free food is better on Carnival.

 

As for the ships, I would just flip a coin, or go with whoever has the better price.

 

By the way....all ships are boats but not all boats are ships. So don't worry about calling them boats. ;)

NCL is the least nickle and dimer of all of the lines that OP is asking about. The food in the main restaurants is excellent and with all the perks NCL is offering right now, you can easily not spend a penny on board.

I find CCL to do much more nickle and diming than NCL these days.

I have never felt pushed towards the specialty restaurants. Ever since they started offering the dining package as a free perk, it’s even hard to get reservations at decent times. And now that half of them are a la carte instead of a set price, I’d rather go to similar venues on land.

Specialty dining is part of the package you PAY FOR. Just because it is included in the package hardly makes it FREE. This sort of thinking is like saying that Ford gives you FREE WHEELS when you buy a Ford Escort.

Of course, specialty dining is important on NCL - because the both service and food in the MDR's fall well below the standard of other lines.

I can't give you a comparison between the Breakaway and the Dream because I haven't been on either of them. However, I have been on the Getaway twice, and have cruised out of the Big Easy twice, most recently last April.

The Breakaway and Getaway are sister ships, essentially the same. What is different from ships of other lines, are passenger areas such as the Waterfront, Spice H2O, Vibe, Margaritaville and some great waterslides. I like the Escape even better. Whichever you choose, I hope you have a great cruise out of New Orleans!!!!;)

I can't say about the Dream but I have been on smaller Carnival ships and the Breakaway.

I was lucky and got an amazingly cheap upgrade to the Haven on the Breakaway. After sailing on her, I would can honestly say I personally would never ever ever sale on a ship that big without it.

I will say the food on Carnival was palatable, honestly not much better than I could cook at home, but hey I wasn't cooking right? On the Breakaway, I can't even tell you what the MDR food was like. We got the 3 specialty restaurant package (that we paid for) and ended up wishing we didn't. The food was.. okay? The ONE time we tried to eat at the MDR? We were told it was going to be a 45-1 hour wait... even with Haven Priority. We ate the first night in the Haven.... after that? We ate dinner every night in the Irish Pub....... as really the only choice we enjoyed.

If I had to choose between the two for food? It would be a toss up. But then again, I won't sail Carnival without a Blue Iguana Cantina, and I would be hesitant to sale on NCL without the Irish Pub.

As I said I have only been on smaller Carnival Ships, but I hate lines. Haven was amazing for that, but for shows and such on NCL? People would line up for things like Second City "will call" seating (aka people who reserved or weren't Haven.. didn't show up) for at least an hour before hand on our sailing. Bars were always packed because of the free drinks package.

While I think food is important, remember access to that food is important also.

Thanks for all the replies. :)