Curious as to why...

[elcuchio24]

We have gone RCL, CCL, HAL, and NCL. We really don't 'hate' or 'love' any certain cruise line. CCL is our first choice now that they have the anytime dining option. Service is good on CCL and the food is the best. I like the NCL ships, they are a little more laid back and offer some extra perks. We went on the Pearl, it was beautiful, really nop notch interior design, bowling, pool table, etc. Food was good, not great. Comes down to price and itinerary with us, that how we shop and whoever we come up with is who we sail....

[elcuchio24]

NCL was once my favorite line, and we've done probably 10 or 15 cruises aboard the old Skyward, Sunward, and Seaward, and frankly the only reason I don't do them anymore is I DON'T like the open seating dining. We did one cruise with them since they went strictly to that concept, and it was O.K., but,,,,,I simply prefer assigned table, waiter, etc. I always found service, food, entertainment and the cruise in general to be at least as good, or better than any of the rest.

 

"SKY"

 

And we were the opposite, not planning on sailing with CCL again UNTIL they started offering open seating. To each his own I guess, thats why these choices and answers are so varied....

[MrPete]

MY NCL experience was on NCL's newest ship at the time, the Seaward.

 

 

For me, it was one shock after another.

 

First was walking into my "cabin". It was SO small, DW and I couldn't get ready for dinner at the same time. Shower was SO small, it was easier to soap the walls, and turn quickly to wash.

 

At first, I thought we got a piece of crap cabin, but quickly found out it was standard.

 

We decided to take the CRAM INTO A TELEPHONE BOOTH pic to illustrate.

 

 

When we set sail, the ship felt top heavy, with plenty of rocking on smooth seas.

 

Even the public rooms and halls appeared to be narrow, short, or cramped.

 

We quickly found that everything NCL seemed to be doing activity wise was just a poor imitation of what we experienced on Carnival.

 

Our worst experience happened to be on land, on a ships tour in Cozumel, where our bus included the tour director. We toured the ruins, then were taken to an actiuvity filled beach. The bus left without us, way before it was scheduled to leave!

 

We had to make our way across the island back to the ship with the locals and the chickens. Luckily, the ship wasn't sailing till 10 that night.

 

I was a bit taken back by walking up to Lickity Splits, the "ICE CREAM STAND", and finding they wanted to charge for ice cream. I was also surprised that there was specialty restaurant on board, where, for $10, you could get the good food.

 

But we did find the food in the MDR to be quite good, and never found the need to try it.

 

 

One highlight to the cruise was their version of the Olympics. We participated and had a ball.

 

 

However, the entire trip, we wished we had done another Carnival cruise instead of this one. In fact, the ship we previously sailed on was occasionally seen on the horizon.

 

Upon debarking, we decided that would be our LAST NCL cruise. We've held that promise now for 21 years. Watching them turn everything into a PAY PER USE has only confirmed our decision. Seems I'd rather have switching menues every night to try the different foods, than have to eat at different venues. All those restaurants could be better used public space.

[CRUZBUDS]

The reason I choose not to cruise NCL is because they pioneered the very restrictive liquor policies that most of the other lines are beginning to employ -- ie naughty rooms to open your bags while they search for booze.

 

It may not be a good reason -- but its how I feel

[ryanpatricksmom]

I enjoyed our NCL cruise a great deal except for the food. Freestyle dining worked for us, largely because we were suite passengers and a concierge made reservations for us ahead of time. There were an awful lot of disgruntled passengers that we walked past as we were ushered to the front of the line though, so I wouldn't say that it worked as a rule. The problem for us was, the food usually wasn't prepared well. The steakhouse was the best of the bunch, the Tex-Mex and Italian restaurants were the worst. Truth be told, that's the only reason that we haven't sailed NCL again.

 

Unlike Mr. Pete, I don't have any experience with their standard cabins, so that could be a deciding factor for me that I hadn't considered. I certainly would like a shower that doesn't require touching the tile. :D

 

Our master bath on the Dawn had a separate shower with multi-jets....very nice! Unfortunately, it also lacked shades, so when docked in Cozumel our bathroom lined up with the bridge of a Carnival ship. That day we all shared the second bathroom, which was nothing special. ;)

[HuggyBee]

I personally would be hard pressed to cruise with NCL again. We cruised the Pearl to Alaska last year, and I have to say we found the food (especially in the MDR) to be lacking. I had Tilapia in the MDR for dinner one night that was absolutely disgusting. The buffet area was total chaos. Good luck finding a seat there.

 

Bottom line, we found the Pearl to be a very crowded, but nice, ship. I think I would have to do a lot more research about other NCL ships before we decide to cruise with them again. I will be very interested to see what everyone has to say about the Epic.

[LemurCat]

I wouldn't say I'd never cruise NCL again, just that I'd never cruise one of their older ships. The Majesty and the Sea (fka Seaward) were ... less than comfortable ships. The Gem, however, was fabulous. I would cruise NCL, but I'd be very selective as to which ship I went on.

[wednesday]

I have never cruised on NCL but my sister has several times.....food is not as good....not much action at night on deck.....mostly older people onboard....I get along with everyone but i am only 52 and mingle with all ages of people so i don't want to feel as if i am in a retirement village. Plus Carnival is a better deal for your money!

 

That is not at all what we experienced on NCL! We are in our early 30's and did not see "mostly older people" We made more friends on the NCL cruise than on any other we have been on. It was "NOT" a retirement village:confused: and believe me, I live in S. Florida and I know a retirement village when I see one.

 

Also, I am a picky eater and found the food (even in the free venues to be very good) They even had Lobster in the MDR on the Western Med. itinerary, RCL didn't.

 

While we didn't attend they had deck parties (white hot party) and a few clubs for the nightlife.

 

As for price, we find them to be very competitive they are the only line that we can afford a suite (mini-suite.) If we would not have had to buy airfare, they had a 7 night med cruise in a mini-suite for about $200 less than what we paid for our carnival balcony and for the same week (early June)

[wednesday]

I personally would be hard pressed to cruise with NCL again. We cruised the Pearl to Alaska last year, and I have to say we found the food (especially in the MDR) to be lacking. I had Tilapia in the MDR for dinner one night that was absolutely disgusting. The buffet area was total chaos. Good luck finding a seat there.

 

Bottom line, we found the Pearl to be a very crowded, but nice, ship. I think I would have to do a lot more research about other NCL ships before we decide to cruise with them again. I will be very interested to see what everyone has to say about the Epic.

 

I do agree with you about the buffet, it was small and usually crowded.

[JerseyshoreBruce]

Funny but my experience on NCL tells me that you would be one of the "older" people on board.

Yes maybe but at least not stuck up;)

[Texaswinediva]

My first cruise 10 years ago was on the Norwegian Sea.

I didn't have any issues with the experience.

The food tasted fine to me and we all had a wonderful time.

Of course I didn't have anything to compare it to.

I could possibly cruise again with Norwegian, just depends

on the iteniary.

[kelz66]

I like both lines...NCL has a much better beer & wine selection onboard, and treats me like an adult by trusting me with glass beer bottles and not pouring my bucket of beer into 4 plastic cups. :p

 

OH...btw...on NCL you buy 5 beers and get 6 in a bucket.

:D

 

The 2 for 1 martini's every night do not hurt either.

[goodml]

Pete those are some seriously FUNNY pics. Ah the 80's. Gotta love all the big hair not to mention the crazy short shorts on the men. Hilarious. Makes me want to go home and pull out the old photo albums.

 

For the OP: I actually loved my cruise on Dawn to Bermuda two years ago. We really loved the freestyle dining concept and didn't think we were going to as we've always really enjoyed traditional dining on Carnival and RCCL. Our obstructed ocean view cabin was lovely and very roomy. Great bathroom even in a standard cabin. Bermuda as the destination was fabulous of course. I'd go back there again in a heartbeat.

 

We found the food wonderful in the main dining rooms - only ate in a specialty restaurant twice in the seven nights and that was more out of curiosity than a need to get out of the dining room. We also got the opportunity to dine with the food and beverage manager one evening and that was phenomenal! Wonderful food and the wine (and beer for my hubby) flowed freely.

 

We switch around. Just went back to Carnival in March after a 4 year break and absolutely loved it and have another booked for December. I don't have any loyalty to any of them and the one thing I've learned over the 23 years we've been cruising is that this is a dynamic and ever-changing industry. I don't let past disappointments stop me from trying again.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I do agree with you about the buffet, it was small and usually crowded.

 

I thought the buffet on the Jewel was very large and well laid out, with lots more room between the various stations than most other lines. Yes, finding tables was tough, but it is in the buffet area of most lines.

 

Once we figured out that you can bring your buffet food at noon and breakfast and eat in Mama's Kitchen (which is the Italian specialty restaurant at night), we always easily found a table there.

[APDMOM]

We liked Norwegian Dawn. The Blue Lagoon was fun with 24 hours chips and salsa.

 

I can't imagine that there could be a cruise line I would not like. I love to cruise and will have fun as long as I am on a ship. Most important is to find what you personally would like, and then enjoy the cruise. :) I certainly have my favorite lines, but will cruise on almost any ship if I find a great deal!

[LemurCat]

I do agree with you about the buffet, it was small and usually crowded.

 

I find this depends on the age of the ships. Their older buffets are usually small and crowded. The newer ships have very nice buffets with a lovely action-station layout (as opposed to the linear design CCL favors).

[briternik]

We just got off of an NCL cruise to Europe. We've sailed several times on RCL, Disney, and Carnival. I will never go on NCL again. I chose it for the itinerary and that didn't disappoint. I also liked the freestyle dining. However, the food was disgusting whether it was dining room or buffet. I lost weight on that cruise. The shows were awful. I was glad I went to the one they had the first night because it gave a glimpse of the shows for the rest of the week. After that, I knew not to go back.

I really want to sail Hawaii, but I will take a 10 day out of Los Angeles before I will fly to Hawaii and take an NCL cruise.

[rednose83]

I enjoyed our Norwegian cruise. In fact, the next cruise I book will be with NCL. I saw very little difference between the two lines. Except I tohught the food and service was better on NCL and the beds and rooms are better on CCL.

[CorvetteLady]

While we will probably not sail NCL again we didn't hate it. The pros: the Spirit was a beautiful ship, liked the seating in the theater, they really do debarkation right. Cons: higher price, smaller cabins, anytime dining, extras like pictures and bingo cost more, service was spotty, especially in the MDR, food not as good.

 

We still enjoyed our cruise. One of our favorite things about cruising is the MDR experience, anytime dining just wasn't for us and the food was not good. We had a couple of really good waiters but most just seemed like they would rather be somewhere else. The food and anytime dining is the main reason we wouldn't do NCL again.

[kenrod]

I would cruise with NCL again. I enjoyed everything about the Norwegian Pearl when we sailed on her last year.

 

The buffet was probably the best laid out of any other cruise ship I've been on, and we never had any problems finding a seat. The MDR food was fine as well, but I am easy to please.

 

Even when we had our Cruise Critic Meet & Greet, the Pearl's crew set aside the Bliss Lounge for our meeting. They had a spread of food (sandwiches, muffins and danishes) and non-alcoholic drinks. They also had several key crew members attend, such as the Cruise Director, Chief Engineer, First Officer, Executive Chef and a couple others so we could ask questions. According to one of the crew members I talked to, NCL takes Cruise Critic very seriously and they read the reviews and adjust accordingly. Frankly, I was impressed with that.

 

In comparison, I have never had a CC M&G like that on the last two Carnival ships I was on. I'm not complaining, but it just wasn't the same.

 

On the flipside, on our first two days on the Pearl, it was a free-for-all to get to the main dining rooms. Everyone wanted to eat at the same time so they could catch the one show later in the evening. We didn't want to pay for the specialty restaurants, but even some of them were full as well. After the second day, we figured out to get to the dining rooms earlier, or make reservations. I have to say, I prefer Carnival's scheduled seating and that there are two shows every night after each seating.

 

The cabins on the Pearl were smaller than on the Carnival ships we have been on, but that is just an observation, and it won't make or break a possible future cruise we would take with NCL.

 

Oh, another thing... when we were on the Pearl, we were sailing with friends. Our friends took a cruise on board the Jewel (sister ship of the Pearl) in March and they took lots of pictures of the ship. Not only was the layout the same, as I would expect, but the decor on the Jewel was pretty identical to the Pearl. On a Carnival ship, the decor is different on each ship. Even though the ship is the same class (Triumph and Victory), I look forward to the different interiors of each shipeven though the floorplans are the same.

 

One other thing and it may sound a little odd, even though I have only been on 3 cruises with Carnival, my wife and I seem to be more "comfortable" sailing with Carnival. I don't know exactly why, but it is just a gut feeling.

 

Nevertheless, I would definately cruise NCL again as long as the price is right and the itinerary is decent.

[wednesday]

I thought the buffet on the Jewel was very large and well laid out, with lots more room between the various stations than most other lines. Yes, finding tables was tough, but it is in the buffet area of most lines.

 

Once we figured out that you can bring your buffet food at noon and breakfast and eat in Mama's Kitchen (which is the Italian specialty restaurant at night), we always easily found a table there.

Quote:

Originally Posted by wednesday

I do agree with you about the buffet, it was small and usually crowded.

I find this depends on the age of the ships. Their older buffets are usually small and crowded. The newer ships have very nice buffets with a lovely action-station layout (as opposed to the linear design CCL favors).

 

Sorry don't know how to quote two people in one post.^^^

 

 

We were on the GEM on a European itinerary. I wonder if maybe it was the group we were sailing with. A lot of Europeans on that cruise and cultural differences being what they are, made lining up for anything interesting:p I overheard some Brit's complaining that these people didn't know how to queue. LOL

 

NCL is still my fav cruiseline and the Blue Lagoon more than made up for any lines at the buffet, I thought my husband would clean them out of hot wings:D