Norwegian or Celebrity

I haven't tried X yet....and you guys are almost starting to make me regret my decision....almost...

 

the charges for port day lunches in the MDR should be criminal...lame shows on X? I already don't think NCL's shows are all that great (they look good with great lighting, costume, set pieces, and etc. and are flashy, but the actual acting/singing is eh...). I also heard a lot of their events on X require a fee. :rolleyes:

Well don't regret it. Give it a try. Like I said, I was a Celeb loyalist for years, for a reason. They have a good product but I am younger than their traditional demo--actually am in the age range they are now targeting, and I don't go to bed at 10pm. Unfortunately, their night life, at least as of 2014, remained lame. But literally, it is a ghost ship by 10 and if your Summit cruise is the port intensive southern Carib, it definitely will be dead at night.

From what I remember, there is only a charge for lunch if you choose to go to one of the specialties that are hosting lunch one day. It's not required and I don't remember the main dining room ever charging. But the buffet on X is very, very good with carving stations and just about every regional offering there is. Mast Grill by the pool also returned to free status and they have some excellent burgers, hit dogs, fries etc...

Some of the "events" require a fee just like on NCL but most do not. They're just kind of sad. Lol For example, they tried to turn a small wine bar into a "Miami night club" complete with 1/2 naked cage dancers. It was crowded, for about 10 minutes. Or they advertise this strange pool party with staff dressed as mermaids and others trying to move inside a bubble ball. Silliness and it's held in a small area cause maybe 50 people show up.

This all really depends on why you're cruising. Neither line has the perfect mix of fun and relaxation imo so you have to decide if you want a good time with ok ports (NCL) or a fun time with better ports. X.

Well don't regret it. Give it a try. Like I said, I was a Celeb loyalist for years, for a reason. They have a good product but I am younger than their traditional demo--actually am in the age range they are now targeting, and I don't go to bed at 10pm. Unfortunately, their night life, at least as of 2014, remained lame. But literally, it is a ghost ship by 10 and if your Summit cruise is the port intensive southern Carib, it definitely will be dead at night.

 

From what I remember, there is only a charge for lunch if you choose to go to one of the specialties that are hosting lunch one day. It's not required and I don't remember the main dining room ever charging. But the buffet on X is very, very good with carving stations and just about every regional offering there is. Mast Grill by the pool also returned to free status and they have some excellent burgers, hit dogs, fries etc...

 

Some of the "events" require a fee just like on NCL but most do not. They're just kind of sad. Lol For example, they tried to turn a small wine bar into a "Miami night club" complete with 1/2 naked cage dancers. It was crowded, for about 10 minutes. Or they advertise this strange pool party with staff dressed as mermaids and others trying to move inside a bubble ball. Silliness and it's held in a small area cause maybe 50 people show up.

 

This all really depends on why you're cruising. Neither line has the perfect mix of fun and relaxation imo so you have to decide if you want a good time with ok ports (NCL) or a fun time with better ports. X.

I am in my 20s. I knew they weren't as poppin as NCL. So I adjusted my expectations.

I expect to have fun but a more chill full ;) time.

Too bad they don't have the kobe burgers any more ;)

I will be on the summit for the repositioning cruise. I plan to just chill full for a week and catch up w/ the people I am going w/.

With that being said, I don't think the people I will be going with will ultimately like x b/c of the slower pace, which is fine. They aren't as chill full as I am. chill full.

lol

I'm still a newcomer to cruising. 4 on Celebrity, 1 on Princess & 1 on NCL Breakaway. We used NCL for our full family cruise. Being from Patriots Nation, we found the short ride to NYC better & CHEAPER than flying to Florida. Breakaway was better for the our kids & grandkids. More "stuff" for them to do compared to X. For me (late 50's) X is better. But that didn't stop me from booking Breakaway's TA this April (2018). I liked the ports it will stop at. My ranking for the 3 lines I've been on is Celebrity followed closely by Princess with NCL a clear 3rd place... but like I said, Im still going to enjoy April's TA aboard the Breakaway.

I have zero brand loyalty. These are faceless companies to me. (Don't hate me plz. Just how I feel :D). X gave me a good price and I am willing to try out their product. I don't feel defensive, but I can understand others feeling so.

 

I freely admit I haven't been on X. But the X board said that X has a lot of fees for a lot of events. Personal friends who have been on NCL and tried X said that X was trying to nickel and dime them more so than NCL. To me, I don't get offended by these nickel and dime tactics. I just don't do the event and move on w/ my life. easy peasy

There is more nickel and dining on NCL, but we just say no and move on. NCL does some irritating things, like lot allowing you to bring on bottled water or soda. This doesn't affect us, since we drink the tap water and no soda.

NCL has a little better entertainment, but doesn't have the free happy hour for elites. Still, sometimes they have the best deal and itinerary. We did Alaska with NCL on the Sun and it was great. NCL goes to Glacier Bay, Celebrity doesn't.

Also, we are looking a Norwegian North Cape cruise that looks great. Celebrity doesn't go all the way to the North Cape. RCI has one as well.