Celebrity to NCL

[dasmonkey]

Yup, I thought the food in the MDR on Gem, Jade, Jewel, Pearl and Dawn was all "terrible." Worse than what I would expect from a low end chain resturant on land (Like Applebee's for example) and the service was bad too. Food is subjective so if other folks like what NCL is putting out in the MDR I think that's great. For me, I'll stick to the specialty resturants where I find the food to be above average for cruise fare. I haven't been on X for a few years but I remember thinking the MDR food was good to very good. Maybe it is no so anymore. I can't really comment on that.

 

Yet amazingly they manage to stay in business serving "terrible" food. :rolleyes:

 

What I find more bizarre is you continue to pay to go back and eat it over and over and over again.

[Army/Police Vet]

Yet amazingly they manage to stay in business serving "terrible" food. :rolleyes:

 

What I find more bizarre is you continue to pay to go back and eat it over and over and over again.

 

Yep, you are so correct. Every passenger only goes on a cruise to eat every meal in the MDR. Wait a minute, now that I think about it....

[emcelh]

Yet amazingly they manage to stay in business serving "terrible" food. :rolleyes:

 

What I find more bizarre is you continue to pay to go back and eat it over and over and over again.

..... and then complain about long waits getting a table in the MDR because so many people are lined up for "terrible" food. I wonder what they eat at home. I'm glad I'm not cooking for them.

[The Scotsman]

We have been sailing Celebrity for the past six or seven years having been loyal NCL cruisers prior to that. Never had a bad cruise nor have we had 'poor' food. We are coming back to NCL (Jade 7 night from Venice) in September and hugely looking forward to the trip.

 

The above was chosen because NCL had the itinerary that we wanted. We realise this will be different to X but are quite sure it will be great cruise. I'd be happy to report back on our experiences and do a comparison between the two lines.

 

For sure you'll find NCL more casual. No required formal night or anything like that. Though I've never been on POAM' date=' would imagine it's even more relaxed given the Hawaiian setting.

 

Totally disagree that the main dining rms are bad - you can get some very good meals there and I've really never been disappointed. We like to mix it up between the DR's and the specialties - they are all worth trying, especially if you've budgeted it into the overall trip...generally NCL prices out a little lower but it's fun to add in a few nights to the specialties.

 

Be sure to attend the Meet & Greet. NCL does a great job sending the senior officers to stop by and answer any questions. If you do have any issues (or compliments!!) you will run into the team often and they love to get your feedback and have a chance to make improvements.

 

Have fun![/quote']

 

Hi Barbara - hope you are well and I can see you are still sailing the seven seas. Hopefully we will meet again sometime on another cruise.

[Minoushka]

Although I have not sailed Hawaii with NCL I can tell you about differences between the companies I noticed

THe age group of NCL is much younger On both Celebrity cruises my son and I were the youngest .At night it is quiet and subdued At night NCL ships come ALIVE

Entertainment on NCL is different and fun ...I'm thinking EPIC ...great stuff

Celebrity food is GREAT and nice easy going swervice NCL has AMAZING food on specialty restaurants NCL desserts are FABULOUS .If they have a CHOCOHOLIC buffet do not miss it

 

Hawaii is wonderful ...but expensive

 

I'm sure you will like it

Bon Voyage

Do not miss VOLCANOES NATIONAL PARK

[dforeigner]

FYI: X does have a 10/11 day Hawaiian cruises. You can start the cruise in Hawaii and debark in Ensenda, Mexico or the other way around.

[chrisbu315]

I've done 4 NCL cruises and just got off the Celebrity Solstice. I love them both. Below are a few things to consider:

• NCL is much more "in your face" with announcements, upselling, etc. This is not a problem for me, but some don't like it. Celebrity is much more subdued.
  
• A young crowd looking to party will prefer NCL. There are more party venues and entertainment to match. Celebrity leans toward elevator music that stops around midnight. I am not a "party until you drop" type so Celebrity is fine with me, but I did miss some of the late night entertainment normally found on NCL.
  
• The food is better on Celebrity - particularly the MDR. The buffet food is about equal but the Solstice buffet setting is much nicer. The Celebrity hamburgers at the Mast Grill are the best I've ever had anywhere - land or sea.
  
• NCL has some great "hydro-therapy" rooms - particularly on the Jewell and Star. These are extra charge but a great way to relax after shore excursions. The Celebrity Solstice has the Persian Garden but no comparison to what I have experienced on NCL.
  
• The Celebrity Solstice cabins are far superior - slightly larger and well designed. All with large flat screen TVs. Also, the bathrooms and showers are not cramped.
  
• I love the convenience of NCL freestyle dining. Celebrity offers it to a limited number of passengers. I booked 6 months in advance and could not get it. This can be very important when cruising with a large group with different food preferences.
  

Bottom line: I will still book based on itinerary and composition of our group. If it is just my wife and I, Celebrity is my preference. If bringing the kids and grand children, NCL is the better choice.

[my_crib_too]

Although our trip to Hawaii was a few years ago, cruising Hawaii is a different experience because it is so port intensive. We ate plenty of meals off the ship or were so tired when we returned, we wanted a quick meal and some time to relax and get ready for the next day. Nightly entertainment or big, late night meals were not a huge part of our trip. Lunch at Cagney’s would have been tough because we were never on the ship during port days at lunch.