Need your help/thoughts

[HOTROD1]

A little background. The last two Christmases we have sailed NCL and loved the experience (Epic & Dawn). We like the Freestyle experience; casual dress, able to get food almost anytime we were hungry and many things to do while on the ship for son (not a sun lover). DH, DS (18) & myself stayed in a mid-ship balcony cabin on Epic and an Aft Suite on Dawn.

 

This Christmas we are looking to take a cruise but looking at a different cruise line only because NCL ships are not working with our dates & don't want to sail on the same two ships. From Tampa our options is MSC Divina or if we drive to Miami or Fort Lauderdale our options include HAL, Princess & Celebrity.

 

Here is were I need your help. Will these other lines be too "fancy" for us? Are formal night a requirement? Is meal time flexible as on NCL? Any

[HOTROD1]

Whoops - hit enter by accident.

 

Any in site will be appreciated. So many of you have sailed on many lines and I rather ask you guys on the NCL forum rather than the other lines and get NCL bashers.

 

Thank you and happy sailing!

[Starry Eyes]

I have not sailed MSC, so I can offer no insight there.

 

I have sailed all the others. All three have formal nights in the main dining room, but you could opt for a different option those nights (such as a buffet). sometimes the best menus in the MDR are on formal night, so maybe you will be sorry if you do not pack some nice clothes (at least a dress shirt with tie or sport coat for guys). all three lines tend to draw a bit of an older crowd most weeks, but you should get many families and extended families at Christmas on any of them. all three tend to be a bit more sedate and dressier than NCL. The activities do vary by ship in each of those lines, as they have bigger and smaller ship of differing ages. all three offer some form of "open" dining for some passengers (while other passengers opt for traditional set dining)...not quite like NCL where everybody is freestyle, but probably close enough for your clan.

 

too fancy for you? I do not know for certain. If you are going to drive to south Florida, aren't there other NCL ship's out of Miami? How about Royal Caribbean...they tend to be a little less fancy and very family friendly....especially their newer ships.

[Starry Eyes]

also remember to look at Port Canaveral...maybe you will find the right ship there.

[NLH Arizona]

Here is what the Celebrity website says:

 

Evenings aboard Celebrity include two types of dress: "Smart Casual and Above" and "Formal."

"Smart Casual and Above"

Ladies: Skirt or pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sweater or blouse.

Gentlemen: Pants (no holes, rips or tears) with a sports shirt or sweater. Shirts must have sleeves.

"Formal" attire:

Ladies: Cocktail dress, gown, or a dressy pantsuit.

Gentlemen: Tuxedo, suit or dinner jacket with slacks.

 

Note: T-shirts, swimsuits, robes, bare feet, tank tops, baseball caps and pool wear are not allowed in the main restaurant or specialty restaurant at any time. Shorts and flip-flops are not allowed in the evening hours. The dress code will be enforced at all restaurants. And guests are asked to follow the "Smart Casual and Above" dress code in the Celebrity Theater for all evening performances.

 

I've seen jeans on both "smart casual" nights and even during "formal nights" on my last cruise in November.

 

You don't have to dress that formally in the MDR on "formal nights", I've seen men in slacks, shirt and tie and women in what I would consider every day dresses or you can dine in the alternative restaurant that is "smart casual" or the buffet.

 

There is a flexible meal time, I believe it is called, select dining where you can dine when you please (I don't do it, I book fixed dining, so I can elaborate on it).

 

Hopefully this helps.

 

p.s. I really enjoy Celebrity as a cruise line; was on the Summit in November and will be on the Century April of 2014. BTW, other than in the evenings, I'm a t-shirt and shorts kind of girl!!!

[HOTROD1]

We are flying from Texas to meet the family in the Sarasota area for Christmas. Thought about taking a cruise afterward so Tampa is closest and Miami is just a 4 hour drive.

 

I will check Cape Canaveral - hadn't thought of it so thank you.

 

I'm not worried about me as dresses can get me thru any type of dress requirement but hubby would not take pants at all if he could get away with it. I can't remember the last time I saw him wear a jacket or tie.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Any comparisons about cabins and suites on the different lines?

 

Thanks again!

[NLH Arizona]

We are flying from Texas to meet the family in the Sarasota area for Christmas. Thought about taking a cruise afterward so Tampa is closest and Miami is just a 4 hour drive.

 

I will check Cape Canaveral - hadn't thought of it so thank you.

 

I'm not worried about me as dresses can get me thru any type of dress requirement but hubby would not take pants at all if he could get away with it. I can't remember the last time I saw him wear a jacket or tie.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Any comparisons about cabins and suites on the different lines?

 

Thanks again!

Don't think he could get away with just his undies on Celebrity LOL! He could get away with dockers.

 

A balcony cabin on Celebrity, in my estimation, is larger than those on NCL. Not sure about the suites, since this November will be my first time in an NCL suite.

[Starry Eyes]

We are flying from Texas to meet the family in the Sarasota area for Christmas. Thought about taking a cruise afterward so Tampa is closest and Miami is just a 4 hour drive.

 

I will check Cape Canaveral - hadn't thought of it so thank you.

 

I'm not worried about me as dresses can get me thru any type of dress requirement but hubby would not take pants at all if he could get away with it. I can't remember the last time I saw him wear a jacket or tie.

 

Thank you for sharing your experiences. Any comparisons about cabins and suites on the different lines?

 

Thanks again!

NCL excels at suite perks, so do not expect Cagney's-like experience on the other lines. No other ship has veranda cabins like Epic's (and that is probably a good thing as Epic's cabins have obvious draw backs). the cabins on the other lines are fine in general. once you pick a ship, it will be easier to give some advice on cabins and such.

 

Really I do not see many grown men in shorts in the main dining room on other cruise lines. will you husband wear dockers or khakis, perhaps? or will you be happy just eating in the buffet? my DH does jot like to dress up on vacation, but on non-NCL cruises he reluctantly brings a sport coat, tie and dress pants.

[pengu1n]

We didn't care for HAL for our Alaska cruise. Food in the main dining rooms was identical to that served on the buffet. So if you didn't care for choices, you were out of luck. On NCL, we always check the menus and if nothing appeals, we know we can eat in the buffet for other options. Also, HAL has a rep as an old people's line, so your son may not find as many cruisers in his age group.

[HOTROD1]

I don't see where RCCL is an option for our dates. Sure, Hubby will wear pants for dinner. We like to have dinner options and don't have a problem paying an upcharge.

 

Which line, in your humble opinion, is the most flexible towards dress & food dining options? Plus has family friendly options?

 

Thank you

[jbpinkie]

I'm not worried about me as dresses can get me thru any type of dress requirement but hubby would not take pants at all if he could get away with it. I can't remember the last time I saw him wear a jacket or tie.

 

I am a huge Princess fan gearing up for my first ever NCL experience. I have sailed Holland and Princess both in the past year and would say Princess is your better bet. I am 44, and was made to feel young and out of touch by some of the passengers on Holland. (it should be said I was traveling with my mom, 69 and gram 90) My mother also felt that the agist feeling on Holland had gotten a little over the top. We had enjoyed Holland previously, but won't sail them again anytime soon. I'm afraid how your teen would feel.

 

Now for my favorite, Princess. I was on a Christmas cruise in 2012 on Princess. We sailed on the Ruby. You can see by my signature that I have cruised Princess more than others, and have found that people just aren't dressing "the way they used to" and boy do I feel like my granmother making those type of statements. What I mean is, it just isn't as line share formal as it once was. We decided we would do our version of formal (cocktailish, when ex husband went previously he would have worn a suit to coordinate) one night and skip one, going to the buffet. The princess buffets have the same choices as the MDR so you don't miss the meal, because you didn't want to dress up. Also there were a fair amount of families on the trip, and with their movies under the stars and things like that I would think that there would be things for the teens to do.

 

Anytime dining is like going to a restaurant, if there is a wait, you get a pager. No boards like I have heard about on the Epic to show wait times etc. Fewer specialty restaurants but all quite good imho.

 

Entertainment will be very different on Princess if you go that way. With mom and gram, they turn in early so my cruises don't have a lot of need for night life. I am excited about the epic as I hear about the shows, disco etc. You won't find any of that on Princess. Other than the casino, most of the ship is asleep by 11.

 

Sorry for writing so long, but wanted to share my thoughts.:)

[Starry Eyes]

I don't see where RCCL is an option for our dates. Sure, Hubby will wear pants for dinner. We like to have dinner options and don't have a problem paying an upcharge.

 

Which line, in your humble opinion, is the most flexible towards dress & food dining options? Plus has family friendly options?

 

Thank you

 

Well, I have only sailed HAL once, and it was not a holiday cruise. the ship I sailed was smaller than NCL's, and rather dull in my middle aged opinion. HAL would be the lowest of the three you are considering if I were sailing with a young adult.

 

I have been on three Princess cruises and five Celebrity. I like both. I like Celebrity's food better. I like Celebrity's Select dining much better than Princess' Anytime dining...less waiting on X and less hectic. I think Princess and Celebrity are equally formal and equally family friendly, in general. Both lines have a variety of ships...some are newer, some older, some have more features, some fewer. So, which ships on those lines work for your dates?

[mabones]

Back in 2005, I took my daughter on a Princess cruise for her college graduation. She was living 6 hours from home at the time. Needless to say, she didn't' t pack any dress clothes. We ate at the buffet or cafe every night & it was very relaxing. Just because these other ship's have formal night's, doesn't mean you have to go. I hope you find a good fit for your vacation.

[jpm168]

You don't need to dress up for formal night on Princess if you don't want because they have the MDR entrees in the buffet anyway so on those nights you can just eat there. It is also open late, unlike the Epic which closes at 10? Its much more flexible, and the late night menu also varies which must be a foreign concept to NCL. I would say generally the food on Princess is at least a couple notches above the Epic.

[jdvmd]

A little background. The last two Christmases we have sailed NCL and loved the experience (Epic & Dawn). We like the Freestyle experience; casual dress, able to get food almost anytime we were hungry and many things to do while on the ship for son (not a sun lover). DH, DS (18) & myself stayed in a mid-ship balcony cabin on Epic and an Aft Suite on Dawn.

 

This Christmas we are looking to take a cruise but looking at a different cruise line only because NCL ships are not working with our dates & don't want to sail on the same two ships. From Tampa our options is MSC Divina or if we drive to Miami or Fort Lauderdale our options include HAL, Princess & Celebrity.

 

Here is were I need your help. Will these other lines be too "fancy" for us? Are formal night a requirement? Is meal time flexible as on NCL? Any

MSC is making a big push in Florida and will be having a ship here all year round. I think the Divinia looks amazing and would love to sail on her.

 

Been on all of the other lines you mentioned. Celebrity is probably my favorite from a food and wine standpoint but kind of boring. HAL lets you bring on unlimited amounts of wine (big plus in my book) but on my two cruises in the last year on HA, the food was average at best. Actually, I think it was below average because it was overly salted. My husband was served a rotten lobster as well but my son's was fine.

 

Any of these lines will have an Anytime Dining Option but you are expected to dress appropriately or you will just have to go to the buffet.

[flcruiser1969]

There is also Fort Lauderdale / Port Everglades that will be about 45 min closer than Miami. No NCL that I am aware of but RC and Carnival.

[itravelalot]

We have been on 2 MSC Cruises, Sinfonia and Fantasia, and both of them were beautiful ships. We found that formal nights were more formal in Europe on those ships being that they are full of Europeans.

 

On all other lines, I agree with the others that pants would be required in the dining rooms but just because it is formal, it doesn't mean you have to be. We like to "dress" for dinner, but the more we cruise the less formal we are becoming on formal nights.

 

A suite on NCL is great. I am one cruise away from Platinum on NCL and the Cagney's perk is a good one.

 

Enjoy your cruise!!