casual CCL cruiser... but NCL???

[ThisFemmeKat]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

[Cricket63]

You should be fine on NCL. Pretty easy going as CCL is! Have a great time!

[posh08]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

 

NCL was one of the first to do casual dining. I'm thinking about giving them a try.

[CarlaMasterson]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

 

You will be fine. I did NCL Pearl last year and there were not alot of differences between CCL and NCL other than the basic rooms are much bigger on CCL that is why I came back to CCL this year...set sail this Sunday on the Glory. The buffet much better on NCL. Freestyle dining on NCL was fine, but I prefer having a set dining time on CCL. No outdoor movie screen of a big atrium...didn't have the glamorous feel.

[QVickiB]

I felt much more casual on NCL than Carnival or RCCL. Go and have a blast!!!

They have freestyle dining which means you go whenever you want to the MDR, you don't get the same waiter, etc. So, more casual, but food still good.

 

I'm not a picky cruiser either... if it floats, has a sun deck and a pool bar, I'm in!

[elcuchio24]

I too am from Maine and feel your pain on the flight front. We usually fly out of Portland or Manchester, but sometimes they can be crazy expensive. We have been on NCL many times and always enjoyed it. The cruises out of NYC are usually more expensive than from Florida ports, but there are still deals out there. Parking is expensive, but Accela train works well if that's an option for you. NCL is just as casual as CCL for sure, they really go out of their way to make 'casual' the catchword of their whole opperation.

[norcal2]

Because NCL has done Freestyle for quite a while it is a breeze. The last time we cruised on it we were able to request a window each time with success. We experienced no waiting except on one evening when our timing was off and we hit the crowd.

 

I think you will find the food is fabulous with attention to presentation. LOVE IT since I am a bonofide foodie! They tend to be smaller portions which allows for more choices if that is something anyone enjoys. I know I do.

 

Look for the free dining areas some, if not all, of NCL ships have as they can be a real change or treat. We found a Tapas room on The Sun tucked away near the Lido where great horderves were to be had. They have many nominal pay options for dining and we enjoyed trying one or two of them also.

 

I feel it is just a tad less casual than Carnival but still quite casual. The Lido is very good but of course that depends on what you select as with all lines. I would say that if you enjoy Carnival, you will likely enjoy NCL. I personally love it. Enjoy your cruise.

 

btw: The last time we went we were with friends and found ourselves in a huge Karaoke room with a recorded singer and her friends and officers from the ship. You never know who you are going to meet. I am not a Karaoke person but we had a blast. We even met up with the singer over the summer when she came out to have some personal fun after we all got home.

[ThisFemmeKat]

you guys are awesome as always.. love this information.. i am feeling much better about possibly taking ncl.. what about shows and entertainment?? what are your feelings there?

[norcal2]

you guys are awesome as always.. love this information.. i am feeling much better about possibly taking ncl.. what about shows and entertainment?? what are your feelings there?

 

The shows on NCL were a little better than Carnival's shows imo so you will probably enjoy them...or not. Personal taste always impacts whatever anyone likes so trying it will give you that answer for you.

 

It is kind of a trade off when you cruise different lines as you will see. Where you may have something better on one line, you will find you miss something on the line you usually take. For me it seems like the best line would be 3 or 4 things from each different cruise line. lol

[halos]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

 

OMG...NCL is anything BUT stuffy.

I just cruised the CCL Liberty in Dec and 7 weeks later the NCL Dawn. There was more to do and more fun on the Dawn by far.

Being able to drive to port is a huge bonus.

Give NCL a try!!

I did for the first time back in 2007 and they won me over.

Unlike CCL who is cutting back, NCL is improving.

 

NCL has The Quest and White Hot Party Night on each cruise. The DJ's are always fabulous. They have more music poolside than Carnival does plus all the same poolside games that CCL has.

Not stuffy AT all!!

Music all around the ship all night long.

if you're sailing out of NY (on the Jewel??) The hotel Director is Hugo and he's fabulous. He runs around the ship all day/night making sure everything is going perfectly. I have no clue who the Cruise Director is on the Jewel at the moment, but most CD's we have experienced on NCL were pretty awesome (there was ONE dud... I forget his name)

 

Check out the NCL boards for more info :)

OH and if you book an NCL cruise DO join the roll call and make sure that someone sets up a Meet & Greet. NCL is great to Cruise Critic members. :D

[silkhair1]

I am a NCL fanatic going on my first CCL. I have all the same fears as you do. NCL is probably more relaxed about the dining thing than CCL. There is so much to do on the ships and trying new things is great (I keep telling myself this). You will enjoy NCL, but you can't compare the 2 lines. I am going to try to follow my own advice in June! Book the cruise. How bad can it be? Ship, water, food, drinks.................perfect. Have fun!

[DGP1111]

Give NCL a try!!

I did for the first time back in 2007 and they won me over.

 

Halos: I'm doing my first-ever NCL in a mere ten (Yes!!! :D) days, and I'm hoping for that same result. :)

[JohnStevenGordon]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

 

NCL would probably be a good choice for you then. They never force you to dress up. formal nights are not in all eating spots. Freestyle is something for everyone, do as you want................. NCL has ships out of NY all year round (2 actually). I think the Jewel is being replaced next year but I forget what ship (but not the EPIC) another in the same class.

 

I'm thinking of taking the GEM out of NY this summer, I pretty much gave up on them for totally different reasons but with the changes to all the other lines espically Carnival I see no reason to go back. GEM is also cheaper then the Miracle for that same week. Course you do get a day less........

[mrlddst]

We just recently did the NCL Jade in the med. It was very casual. We really enjoyed ourselves and the food choices were great. Also, we begged the food manager for some caribbean food during the cruise even though we were doing the med cruise, low and behold they delivered. No literally they delivered, on our last night, they sent down curry goat, oxtail, jerk chicken, rice and peas, dumplings. IT WAS GREAT! I couldn't thank them enough!

[tiggerman101]

I just got off a NCL Mediterranean cruise. As Halos pointed out, they are anything but stuffy. It really is a dress as you want kind of atmosphere (not in a bad way either). I was happy not to pack my suit up for the long trip over. We didn't feel out of place at all for not dressing up on the "dress up or not" nights. The rest was pretty much just like a Carnival cruise with a different ship layout. Aside from the ships, I have found RCCL, CCL, and NCL pretty much the same experience.

[arpie05]

It's been a bit since we sailed NCL but they were doing a White Hot party where you wear all white. Our ship wasn't lively as it was Alaska and we docked early every morning, so everyone went to bed early. There were older people (I say this because I was in my 30's) complaining about the lack of night life.

 

They had one dining room that did not allow jeans at dinner and one did. On formal night, it's the same as Carnival. I just didn't like the upcharges to eat in all the places. No you aren't forced but they advertise all these options but since the cruise (for us) costs a bit more than CCL, I was frustrated. Plus they had an upgrade the sailing before ours and some stuff previously free was no longer.

 

CCL has more dining choices in my opinion because they only charge you for one. They just don't call each area/station a restaurant like NCL does. There were down times in the Lido area that meant no food if hungry when returning in afternoon from shore. I liked their 2-3 pm offerings (like High tea with meats and sweets) but then closed from 4 -5:30 or it could have been 3:30-5.

 

I don't think our ship had the free soft serve ice cream.

 

I would sail NCL again, just not over CCL.

[Lib0007]

I have had very good NCL experiences. I find their MDR food to be good, maybe not quite as good as CCL, but still good. But they have the same menu every night with a couple of special entrees. The specialty restaurants are good and the price is right. I liked their buffet much better than CCL's . . except the pizza, grill & deli. I think the shows on NCL are much better than CCL. Enjoy!!!

[HULA77]

I completely agree that you will be fine on NCL. We too started with CCL but are now NCL fans. Just works better all-around for us.

 

HAVE FUN!!!!:D

[ThisFemmeKat]

well you all sure know how to make a girl feel comfortable with branching out.. thanks.. i get more information asking on a carnival board then i do reading all of the NCL board.. I swear.. I LOVE this board!

[gargoyle999]

I really like Carnival and am about to do cruise 7 and 8 on the Splendor starting in 9 days! And DW will turn Platinum. :D

 

But I have been hanging out on the NCL threads since I booked my first NCL cruise a couple weeks ago. I just wanted to try them for something different. The more I read about NCL the more I think I will like. Have to wait until 2013 though. :(

 

I say try it. You may like NCL more, less, the same but at least you'll know. And if it's more or the same it gives you additional options in the future. That is why I'm doing it.

[zqvol]

I love love LOVE CCL. And I have an opportunity to go on a last minute cruise.. but a flight cost last minute is not an option.. so since i live in maine.. NCL from NY is looking like an option. When I say Im a casual cruiser let me explain.. Im not crazy picky.. my important buttons are good food in the MDR, karaoke nightly, good shows. thats about it.. lol I doo like the occasional cheesy trivia games.. and comedy too. I love that the MDR doesnt require us to Dress to the 9's to eat in there every night. I like the "here's your coconut drink, now go relax" atmosphere that Carnival provides.. I am worried about going on the NCL Gem or Jewel and getting a stiff stuffy feel. and being forced to dress up for dinner.. I dont need convincing that CCL is awesome. thats already how I feel.. I just need an idea of what to expect if I book the NCL cruise.

 

NCL is all that Carnival is and then some. The only issue is that you might prefer some of the up charge restaurants which run between $5 and $25, though you never have to use them. Activities are pretty much the same.

 

As far as dressing up the dress code on NCL is more relaxed than on Carnival. Never a formal type night though they do have a dress up or not night which most people ignore.

[zqvol]

you guys are awesome as always.. love this information.. i am feeling much better about possibly taking ncl.. what about shows and entertainment?? what are your feelings there?

 

NCL's shows and entertainment are head and shoulders better than Carnival's since Carnival has been cutting way back.

[golfadj]

OMG...NCL is anything BUT stuffy.

I just cruised the CCL Liberty in Dec and 7 weeks later the NCL Dawn. There was more to do and more fun on the Dawn by far.

Being able to drive to port is a huge bonus.

Give NCL a try!!

I did for the first time back in 2007 and they won me over.

Unlike CCL who is cutting back, NCL is improving.

 

NCL has The Quest and White Hot Party Night on each cruise. The DJ's are always fabulous. They have more music poolside than Carnival does plus all the same poolside games that CCL has.

Not stuffy AT all!!

Music all around the ship all night long.

if you're sailing out of NY (on the Jewel??) The hotel Director is Hugo and he's fabulous. He runs around the ship all day/night making sure everything is going perfectly. I have no clue who the Cruise Director is on the Jewel at the moment, but most CD's we have experienced on NCL were pretty awesome (there was ONE dud... I forget his name)

 

Check out the NCL boards for more info :)

OH and if you book an NCL cruise DO join the roll call and make sure that someone sets up a Meet & Greet. NCL is great to Cruise Critic members. :D

 

Under the life is strange dept was all set to follow your advise and try NCL to Bermuda in Sept. However Miracle is doing the same cruise and price for balcony is actually lower than price for inside on the Gem and Miracle gives you an extra day. Between FCC and stockholder credit we decided to stick with Carnival for next one.

 

Howeever next one is going to be Ind of Seas out of England next winter. Thanks for your help.

[ThisFemmeKat]

ok so i decided to do it.. thanks for all your help.. im excited.. gonna do the jewel next month.. however because its a Bonus check last minute trip hopefully 2 days before saildate is not too late to get an inside room. quick cheap getaway for 2.. and i get to try out a new line.. and i am not packing a dress. :O