Carnival Cruisers Headed for NCL. What do we need to know?

[pyro8]

Looking forward to sailing 4 days on the Sky in October :)... have had 4 cruises with CCL and enjoyed them all (i guess my loyalty went out the porthole when i didn't recieve a collector ship pin on my last cruise) Actually we are really looking forward to the Freestyle Dining as my wife doesn't appreciate the assigned dining tables seeing that she does not speak english well. My only concern is that we will miss out on the personal service we recieved having had the same waiter at every sitting......:rolleyes:

[amistad]

Looking forward to sailing 4 days on the Sky in October :)... have had 4 cruises with CCL and enjoyed them all (i guess my loyalty went out the porthole when i didn't recieve a collector ship pin on my last cruise) Actually we are really looking forward to the Freestyle Dining as my wife doesn't appreciate the assigned dining tables seeing that she does not speak english well. My only concern is that we will miss out on the personal service we recieved having had the same waiter at every sitting......:rolleyes:

The first night we weren't to impressed with our waiter in the MDR on our first NCL cruise, but the next night we got a good one so we requested him each night, never had a wait, but they do work a different section each night so you may sit in a differernt area of the dining room. The last NCL cruise we took we ate in the MDR only once and we ate at specialty resturants the other nights and the service was very good. Enjoy the Freestyle and have a good cruise.

[VUCruiser]

we have enjoyed both NCL and Carnival but you can't beat the freestyle dining. tables for two any night and in different rest. is just unbeatable. Having been to both private islands, though to HMC via HAL as they share it, i give HMC better marks. It sticks in my mind as one of my favoroite places on earth. Really like GSC, too, so NCL has msot everything you could want (imho)

[LynneL]

We have always done Carnival (1 HAL) and just returned from our first NCL cruise on the Sky. We did prefer the dining options better on NCL, except that we did NOT think the food was as good as Carnival. The cabins/bathrooms are definitely smaller too! Overall, it was a pretty good cruise, but we are still big fans of Carnival. We would definitely do NCL again, if the price was right. We did LOVE Great Stirrup Cay, which is NCL own private island, where we spent the whole day on the beach, it was great!

 

Sue

 

I have done approx. 30 cruises...#17 booked on Carnival & only have done 1 on NCL Jewel so my experience on NCL is certainly more limited. However, I found much of what you say to be similar to my feelings.

 

For 2 people, the Freestyle dining worked nicely - though Carnival offers that too, so possibly the OP has used that option. We generally travel with family/friends in a group of 9-12 people so always go traditional. Easier to get everyone on the same schedule. What I didn't care for on the Freestyle was the waiter took the order, served it, and was gone off to attending to other tables. Never came back asking if you wanted more, at the end of one meal I had left most of my dinner & he asked if I didn't care for it. I said I didn't. Never offered to bring anything else. When I have the same waiter each night on Carnival they are always right there after placing the meal down to ask how it is, offer suggestions on what to eat, etc. I'm sure you could ask for more on the Jewel, but just not the same personal type feel. I also found the whole "Dress Up or Not" to be a little odd. On the one night I saw 2 couples really dressed up - long dresses & men in dark suits - sitting next to a table with a man wearing cargo shorts & a Hawaiian shirt. For the most part people were more the inbetween but you did have a bit of each end of the spectrum...more of the less dressed part. It was nice to be able to go more casual than we were used to (we wore dresses we'd wear to an upscale restaurant), but when we are usually going with our group we like to really dress up on formal/elegant nights. On a whole though, people are dressing up less all around. Only on our last two cruises has my husband/son/friend's husband stopped bringing their tuxes and go with a nice suit & tie. That, however, is not indicative of any "type" of person by how they dress. It is just how people view what they want out of their vacation experience - that is if shorts are in fact allowed. If the rules say no shorts, then people should abide by that without having staff be put in a position of having to enforce/offend people.

 

Food - the breakfast buffet was equal. I did like the outdoor area all the way in the back of the Jewel. Wasn't crowded & much quieter than the inside buffet area, which always seemed exceptionally noisey to me. The Jewel did have a seating area just for young children with their own little buffet that I thought was nice for families. I preferred Carnival's lunch buffet & dining room options. One thing I found annoying on the Jewel was you could get grilled burgers by the pool area, however to get iced tea you had to go inside. No outdoor drink stations - only a large cooler of water. Also, no lemonade, which is what I usually drink but not a deal breaker. Dinner - definately superior on Carnival - IMO. The lobster night had a tail the size of a prawn and grouper about the size of a postage stamp....no lie. My friend called it "The Diet Cruise" - lol - and by the way...I'm a size 6 so just an average/less than average portion eater. We did go to Cagney's one night & that was great. A friend who is a total NCL fan felt the dinners were a little less than great because it pushed people to go to the pay venues. Be assured, you won't starve & some meals were fine. Just not as good as I expected. The Blue Lagoon was nice for a late night snack (sometimes we'd pass on dessert in dining room & hit there late at night for dessert instead).

 

Entertainment - This is where I felt NCL took the lead. Not so much going on during the day...it was a Nickelodeon cruise so some pool activities based around that. I didn't know that when I booked but I like kids (my are all in their 20s now) & enjoyed seeing how excited the little ones got when doing the games & meeting Dora in one of the lounges. In the evening though there were very good shows & my friend & I would have to find time to squeeze dinner in because we wanted to sit & listen to the piano player/singer by the champagne bar, then get to the main show, then get up to Spinnakers Lounge at night. I would have to say out of the variety of cruiselines I have sailed on (and there have been many over the past 37 yrs. of sailing) the Jewel rated as one of my top for entertainment in the early evening (often a forgotten time slot) to late night.

 

Cabins - you are going to be in a suite so I'm sure it will be great & roomy. Have never had a suite on any of the lines. Our cabin on the Jewel was small. In their defense, my friend & I only got an inside. It was a late booking girls-getaway and the price was great with a convenient NYC sailing for us. We did ok with just the two of us in it but no room to spare. The bathroom was very little. When sitting on the toilet (which was on a slight angle to fit it in), my one knee was up to the wall. If you were a tall, large person...boy would you have trouble sitting comfortably.

 

Half Moon Cay vs. Great Stirrup Cay - I'd take HMC anyday over GSC. GSC the eating area was was huge tent like covering just a line of picnic table after picnic table...and not all area covered as my friend found out while eating her lunch & having a seagull give her "good luck" in her hair & on her back - lol. HMC has small secluded eating areas, which have only a limited number of tables, giving you a private island feel. HMC nicer beach, more spread out seating area & cabana options.

 

All in all, I prefer Carnival but I did buy a future cruise credit to go again on NCL. If the price is right, I would go. I felt like I got a decent value for my dollar on our particular Jewel cruise, but again, we booked late and got a good discount. I have yet to be on a cruise that I didn't have a fun time and always find some nice people to chat with. On the major lines I have sailed on (RCI, NCL, Carnival, Princess) I found the passenger demographics to be basically the same. Time of sailing & itinerary varies it slightly (sailed Carnival out of New Orleans in February & my husband & I were amongst the youngest on board and we are in our mid-50s...still they were a very nice group of passengers). One must find out what their sailing needs are, research what ships have to offer, and be willing to go in with an open mind not constantly comparing this ship to others as they are sailing. Enjoy each trip for what it is and then use that knowledge to make an educated decision for future vacations.

 

 

Awww, they're just lookin' for a non-brawl cruise.

 

In 16 cruises on CCL never saw a brawl nor even people having harsh words. Prior to my sailing on RCI, I did see a you-tube posting of a brawl in the disco & then just prior to my sailing on the Crown Princess there was the infamous "Brownie Riot." I initially wondered, "Oh wow, what type of passenger goes on these ships..." until my intelligent side took over the inital emotional reaction & said, "I'm sure if you seek out any mass marketed cruiseline that is carrying thousands of passengers you will find some idiots behaving badly." That would include NCL too.

[justjen321]

I have done approx. 30 cruises...#17 booked on Carnival & only have done 1 on NCL Jewel so my experience on NCL is certainly more limited. However, I found much of what you say to be similar to my feelings.

 

 

Thank you thank you. :) You sound a lot like us. Value driven, and pretty happy with most cruises.

 

We've never had a 'bad' experience on a Carnival cruise, but we did feel like we should be checking out the other lines. Funny that one cruise away from Platinum was when we decided to do so. But, like you, this one jusr fit our needs.

 

I'm not at all uneasy trying a new line, with the mild exception of merely figuring out how it all 'works' and what the differences are. But frankly, that'll just be a new adventure as well.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to write this. :)

 

Jen

[Derckert82]

Seeing how most of the replies have given you a great insight for most areas of interest, I'll just answer one and give advice on another.

 

The Great Stirrup Bay is a privaate island that NCL has. It is a very popular beach for just hanging out. Snorkling is pretty nice there for a novice to give it a try. There is also an extra fun area with a blow up water slide and other amusement park items (costs extra. beach use is free). You tender over to the beach. They provide a beach picnic lunch that is not too bad. You can use your soda card there too if you get one.

 

The other thing is that I saw you have kids. They have great kids programs for the varying age ranges. They stay busy most of the time and my kids made lots of friends and hung out with them most of the time they were on the ship. We were on the Pearl just this year and the bowling alley and rock climbing wall were great attractions for everyone.

 

I preferred the NCL kids programs because they better grouped the kids, had better activities, and the teens actually have their own place! When we were on Carnival Miracle, they had to share the Fenkenstein place with the adults. Kids had it early evening, adults at night. Not so on NCL Pearl and others. It's their place all the time.

 

We definitely preferred the free-style dining because we could eat when we wanted and it provided us with frexibility that we didn't have on Carnival.

 

Hope this helps.

[RaMar]

Hi hi cruisers!

 

My husband, children and I are all long time Carnival cruisers, and hubby and I have just today booked our first cruise with NCL. We will be in NY visiting my daughter at college, and figured it was a great time to squeeze in a cruise! (Is there ever a bad time, really?)

 

Anyhow - I'm completely unfamiliar with NCL. We are booked on the Jewel, in a Penthouse Suite, on the Oct 24th sailing. Anything we need to know? What's different? What's the same?

 

It looks to me as if NCL has some pretty excellent perks for suite guests, which I am super excited about. Photos, anyone? :)

 

I'm going to be buried in Cruise Critic today, looking for all the info I can find. Boarding times, what Freestyle Cruising means, what the heck is Great Stirrup Cay, and where will the best massage be. :)

 

Thanks in advance for anyone with advice!

 

Jen

 

You'll love the suite and enjoy your cruise!

[zerooveride]

Your on our October 24th Sailing. Make sure to hit up the roll call for our cruise!

[justjen321]

The other thing is that I saw you have kids. They have great kids programs for the varying age ranges. They stay busy most of the time and my kids made lots of friends and hung out with them most of the time they were on the ship. We were on the Pearl just this year and the bowling alley and rock climbing wall were great attractions for everyone.

 

I preferred the NCL kids programs because they better grouped the kids, had better activities, and the teens actually have their own place! When we were on Carnival Miracle, they had to share the Fenkenstein place with the adults. Kids had it early evening, adults at night. Not so on NCL Pearl and others. It's their place all the time.

 

 

It does help! We were just discussing the other day the differences between the kids programs. We only have one left young enough for it, but he LOVES the stuff on Carnival, so for me, a good kids program when traveling with them would be important.

 

Now I'm going to make it a point to peer around at that stuff. For some reason, I had it in my head that Carnival was the only one who really went all out to cater to kids!

 

Thank you. :)

[Krystilia]

seems to be alot of us CCL people jumping ship :)

 

I see you were on the Gem in February... I'm going in October. Can you share any info about your recent cruise?

 

Kimberly

[SASA13]

Hi! I have cruised on Carnival before too, and lets just say that NCL is 10 times better than Carnival. You can eat when you want, sit where you want, no dancing on tables, the ship is more subdued but absolutely beautiful! I loved going to the spa as it is exquisite! You can buy a day pass or a weekly pass. The stone warm loungers are to die for. If you dont want to pay, you can always go to the shower, steam and sauna (which I do on sailing day) for free all cruise long.

 

You will have a great time. I went on the Pearl and the food was fabulous. I really cannot compare it to the ship you went on, but Im sure it will be great.

 

UT OH--no dancing on the tables, too bad, I always found that quite entertaining :)

[Cruise_More_Often]

Justjen321, I have lots of Jewel photos of an AE Penthouse Suite (I think it's now called an SF) and a Courtyard Villa; just click the "Photos" link in my signature and look around for anything "Jewel."

 

We did a 14-day Caribbean cruise and a 10-day Canada/New England cruise on her. The Jewel is our favorite ship to date.

 

I would highly recommend Cagney's and Teppanyaki. Don't miss the Great Outdoors Cafe on the aft of the ship (just head all the way through the buffet and outside). There are great hamburgers and hotdogs poolside. The sailaway barbeque is great fun. OMG, I could go on an on. You'll see! :D