Veteran Princess Cruiser going on First NCL cruise...

[Love Boat Dream]

What should I expect? :D

 

Going on Jewel in Feb from NYC.

 

Thanks!

[Penny S.]

Expect to have a great time!

[LynneL]

I've only sailed once on Princess & that was on the Crown Princess. Loved that cruise. Felt very catered to, but of course that's all who you happen to get in dining room, room steward, etc. Our dining staff couldn't be beat on that particular cruise! Have also been on the Jewel & had a fun time.

 

I think you'll find the whole atmosphere more casual on the Jewel. "Dress up or not" night as opposed to the more dressy formal night on Princess with guests being able to pour champagne over the stacked champagne glasses. NCL has only anytime dining - I believe Princess had it but we didn't try it. Obviously veteran NCL cruises love the concept, I've got mixed feelings on it. Convenient not to be locked into a dining time but on our last NCL cruise a couple of nights we did have waits of 30-40 minutes (we were a party 9). On the Jewel only 2 of us so not as much of an issue. More choices on dining venues on the Jewel, though some do have a cover. Having the no cover 24 hr. restaurant nice for a late night snack.

 

The nightlife on the Jewel lasted longer into the evening & I felt a wider variety. It is one area that I feel NCL edges out other mainstream cruiselines. On the Jewel I felt like there were many choices: singer/piano player at a bar before dinner, good variety act in in main theatre in the evening, after that a talented duo singing in Spinnaker Lounge, followed by a DJ that brought in the younger crowd.

 

I didn't feel like the demographics were vastly different on the 2 lines, just a little different atmosphere. Both good - just different.

[doitallWMB]

What should I expect? :D

 

Going on Jewel in Feb from NYC.

 

Thanks!

 

Been on Princess twice and loved it. If you've done "anytime dining" on princess, you will love NCL. We like both of them. NCL is more active , but some of the same laid back vibes. In our opinion, NCL and Princess are more alike than different. Other than the color schemes, its very much the same pace. Especially on longer cruises.

[Nebr.cruiser]

We've sailed Princess 8 times, plus several other lines.

 

Our one NCL cruise was a TA on the Jewel. I went in expecting to be underwhelmed, but it was a really great cruise--much better than I expected.

 

I didn't really think the food was that much different than Princess and I liked the buffet set-up a lot, lot more--so much more room and different stations.

 

We do Anytime dining anyway, so the dining situation was fine. Sometimes we ate alone, sometimes at a table. We never had a wait of more than 5 minutes.

 

As to dress, yes, it is often quite casual, but on this cruise I actually saw a man refused entry to one of the dining rooms who was wearing nice jeans! (This dining room had a no-jeans policy) I have never seen anyone actually sent away on any other ship.

 

Many people also dressed up very nicely, cocktail wear and more, on the 'dress-up or not' nights, almost as many as most other lines. In fact, we saw the most breathtaking couple I have ever seen on a cruise; she in a bronze damask full-on ball gown, he in dress kilt. They were magnificant.

 

I thought the entertainment was actually the best I've ever seen, especially the Cirque de Soleil-type show and the guest performers.

 

The pools were kept very nice and warm. (It was April)--Like 90 degrees! Our minisuite was fine, though smaller than other lines, but the bathroom was great. The room was kind of noisy for some reason, at night, creaking like it was moving.

[NewPennCruiser]

We have not cruised on the Jewel but did take a trip on the Jade last year after only cruising Princess many times. I can't speak for the ship but will agree with other posts so far, NCL and Princess are more alike than they are different and I would not have any concerns about having a great time. Some folks actually tried to talk us out of the NCL cruise saying we wouldn't like it but we really liked the itinerary and thought we would give it a shot. Everything surpassed our expectations and we had an amazing time.

 

You will find NCL to be very laid back, friendly with the one difference probably being more lively, especially later at night. There are different things we like about each line better than the other but would happily cruise NCL again and have in fact booked a cruise in 2013 on both lines. Enjoy your trip! Dave

[shanecindy21403]

This is great to hear! We are also Princess regulars and have our first NCL cruise next month. I was kind of worried that it wouldn't be that great so I had low expectations. We normally would never sail another line but we have 8 cabins booked and NCL had the best pricing that everyone could afford. So hopefully after this cruise we'll have 2 lines that we like to choose from.

[chillyw]

As a Veteran of Princess, it's important to know that NCL DOES NOT do any of the following:

 

• Provide Trays in the Buffet
  
• Allow Free Wine On-board
  
• Line Dancing
  
• Zumba
  
• Have really large BA Category Rooms
  
• Washers/Dryers
  
• Require Life Jackets At Muster Drills
  

 

If you do not set those expectations, you may give Princess an A, but NCL an F.

[SteveH2508]

As you can see from the above post - different strokes for different folks. A virtually identical post starting a thread has been dissected here http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1719548

 

There is a review linked to in my sig block comparing NCL and Princess (from 2 years ago and European sailings) but hopefully still informative.

[tourismtessy]

We are also primarily Princess cruisers. I recently sailed for the 2nd time on Norwegian (the Star out of NYC to Bermuda). I LOVED everything about the Norwegian Star! The food to me was better, the entertainment MUCH better, service: better and overall cruise experience: Better. That being said, it is a matter of personal opinion on what "matters" to you on a cruise. The only real thing I can say Princess has over NCL is the MUTS (outdoor Movies under the stars). My husband and I are in late 40's early 50's and don't care to dress up. Really enjoy the complete "freestyle" concept on Norwegian. The other thing I can say that really stuck out to me was our cruise director on the Norwegian Star was FANTASTIC! I find the cruise ship director on our past Princess cruises to be more annoying than entertaining. Less PA announcements on the Star, More activities to choose from. Princess is more sedate--they are the "escape completely" cruise line. I find Carnival to be too "party" atmosphere and Norwegian is "just right". This was also my first cruise out of NYC and I really loved that experience! Honestly, I would love to cruise ALL the time from NYC now! We are used to cruising on fairly new ships and the Star is 11 years old. I was concerned that I might not like the old ship as much but can honestly say, I could not tell she was that old. Very clean and in great shape. Our standard balcony cabin was about the same size as a mini suite on Princess (for less $$).