Princess vs. NCL vs. Celebrity

[iceleven]

If there are no children involved, I'd look into Holland America as it docks in Hamilton instead of way out in Somerset at Kings Wharf. Transportation to everything is much easier and the convenience of being right there in town has much value to your experience. HAL's food is on par with Princess as well as it's service.

[alyssa0922]

Royal Caribbean has a bunch of cruises going to Bermuda. I would go with them!

 

 

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[pjo]

I want to thank everyone for their opinions. It has been a big help.

 

Paul

[richstowe]

I did this cruise on the Celebrity Summit and it was the worst cruise I have ever taken.

Our Summit Southern Caribbean cruise was the best cruise we have ever taken.

Great ship , great food with a fabulous itinerary. Bliss !

[swedish weave]

OP -- Below is a link to a thread on the NCL board that has several posts with opinions about NCL. This may assist you in choosing a cruise line. Posts by Azure Moon are the most comprehensive.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2116643

Edited October 20, 2014 by swedish weave

[Cruising.Lovers]

Our Summit Southern Caribbean cruise was the best cruise we have ever taken.

 

Great ship , great food with a fabulous itinerary. Bliss !

 

 

Different strokes for different folks, the best cruise my wife I took was on the NCL Getaway, the crew and passengers were the best, the best pool side party ever, I wished we lived in Miami, would cruise every other month.

[Cruising.Lovers]

OP -- Below is a link to a thread on the NCL board that has several posts with opinions about NCL. This may assist you in choosing a cruise line. Posts by Azure Moon are the most comprehensive.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2116643

 

 

Right on the money, I have four NCL cruises booked for 2015, I'm booked on the Quantum of the Seas which in my option is overprice, I'm thinking about canceling and wait for NCLs new ship to come out in 2015, and how about their new island in Belize!

[Cruzaholic41]

Out family is looking at a Bermuda cruise next summer. Since Princess does not do Bermuda my question is this: between NCL and Celebrity what comes closest to Princess? Which line do we pick?

 

Definitely Celebrity. I have cruised all 3 lines extensively and NCL and Princess are nothing alike. They're about as different as 2 major cruise lines can be, with Princess being leaps and bounds better than NCL. Celebrity and Princess are defined as being in the same cruise category due to their dining, service, guest lectures, etc.

[Cruising.Lovers]

Definitely Celebrity. I have cruised all 3 lines extensively and NCL and Princess are nothing alike. They're about as different as 2 major cruise lines can be, with Princess being leaps and bounds better than NCL. Celebrity and Princess are defined as being in the same cruise category due to their dining, service, guest lectures, etc.

 

 

It's not a fair comparison, I've cruised them as well, you're comparing apples to oranges, if you're into freestyle, NCL surpasses all other cruise lines, if you're comparing dining, food, formal, no one comes close to Holland America

 

 

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[swedish weave]

I refuse to compare cruise lines because there is more variety among the various ships of each cruise line than between the cruise lines.

 

They all provide me with a nice bed, good food, great entertainment, and take me to the places I want to see.

 

Regarding service, I have met crew members on Princess and NCL that I knew from the other line in the past, and they all provide excellent service.

 

Some of the comments here remind me of the avid sports fans who become so enhanced with their favorite team that they cannot see anything good about any other team.

 

If you keep an open mind, all cruises can be great !!!

[richstowe]

I refuse to compare cruise lines because there is more variety among the various ships of each cruise line than between the cruise lines.

 

They all provide me with a nice bed, good food, great entertainment, and take me to the places I want to see.

 

Regarding service, I have met crew members on Princess and NCL that I knew from the other line in the past, and they all provide excellent service.

 

Some of the comments here remind me of the avid sports fans who become so enhanced with their favorite team that they cannot see anything good about any other team.

 

If you keep an open mind, all cruises can be great !!!

your post is 100 % true and yet I disagree. :eek::D

 

Yes they all provide you with a nice bed, good food, good (not always great) entertainment

BUT there are differences between the lines.

For example, Celebrity treats you as a trusted adult with less hawking of stuff. You don't need

to sign out pool towels, you are welcomed back to the ship with a cool towel and a drink.

There are generally way less kids on board then on Carnival ,NCL or Royal cruises.

NCL has a more a la carte approach while RC generally has the best entertainment.

Yes of course the cruising experience is more alike then different . All are mass market

cruise lines aimed at the same population .

This doesn't mean there are no differences between the brands .

[Cruzaholic41]

It's not a fair comparison, I've cruised them as well, you're comparing apples to oranges, if you're into freestyle, NCL surpasses all other cruise lines, if you're comparing dining, food, formal, no one comes close to Holland America

 

I agree it's not a fair comparison, but what I am doing is answering the op's question. The Op asked for a comparison.

 

Out family is looking at a Bermuda cruise next summer. Since Princess does not do Bermuda my question is this: between NCL and Celebrity what comes closest to Princess? Which line do we pick?

 

So I stand by my response that NCL is not like Princess. Celebrity is.

[FRMPEI]

NCL seems to spend every waking moment of your cruise trying to sell you something. Celebrity seems to spend only half of that time. ;)

 

That is funny. Made me LOL!

 

Regards,

Kevin Reid

[Cruzaholic41]

NCL seems to spend every waking moment of your cruise trying to sell you something. Celebrity seems to spend only half of that time. ;)

 

Ain't that the truth. NCL is the Spirit Airlines of the cruising industry. ;)

[swedish weave]

your post is 100 % true and yet I disagree. :eek::D

 

Yes they all provide you with a nice bed, good food, good (not always great) entertainment

BUT there are differences between the lines.

For example, Celebrity treats you as a trusted adult with less hawking of stuff. You don't need

to sign out pool towels, you are welcomed back to the ship with a cool towel and a drink.

There are generally way less kids on board then on Carnival ,NCL or Royal cruises.

NCL has a more a la carte approach while RC generally has the best entertainment.

Yes of course the cruising experience is more alike then different . All are mass market

cruise lines aimed at the same population .

This doesn't mean there are no differences between the brands .

 

Some of the camparisons you are using are outdated.

 

NCL has had a welcome station at the ship with drinks and cold wet towels on all my recent cruises. The sales announcements are not presented in the staterooms unless you turn them on. The number of kids onboard can vary with any cruise ship or cruise line depending on the time of year. I don't understand the "ala carte" comment, but all cruise lines have specialty restaurants as well as included venues. The professional entertainment I have seen on my NCL cruises rivals anything I have seen in Las Vegas. We have always had two pool towels in our stateroom when we check in.

 

Maybe things have changed since you cruised NCL, but most cruise lines are changing quite often.

Edited October 20, 2014 by swedish weave

[swedish weave]

The mention of sales announcements brings up the question ?

 

Do you know you don't have to turn them on in your stateroom if you don't want to hear them??

 

This is not a valid complaint about ANY cruise line.

[Aquahound]

Out family is looking at a Bermuda cruise next summer. Since Princess does not do Bermuda my question is this: between NCL and Celebrity what comes closest to Princess? Which line do we pick?

 

Paul

 

Hi Paul (good name ;)). I've only been on 2 Princess cruises...both this year...but I'm Elite on Celebrity and Gold on NCL. I have to agree with the majority of responses that Celebrity is much more similar to Princess than NCL. Celebrity has similar activities, similar food, and similar entertainment, all of which I think is more upscale than NCL.

 

I'm assuming it's a Millennium Class ship doing Bermuda. You won't find the central atrium to be as lively and as much of a meeting point as the Piazza on Princess, but the trade off is the ship being much less crowded.

 

If it's a Princess-like cruise you're looking for, Celebrity is a much better option than NCL.

[Aquahound]

I'll also vouch for the announcements issue. Celebrity does one announcement daily at noon. Any other announcments are for unavoidable stuff....emergencies, drills, gangway being open to go ashore, unaccounted for passengers. There are no sales announcements, hawking specials all over the ship.

 

NCL is the worst at announcments. Bingo here, jewelry sales there. It's awful when you're listening to a good song by a live band, only to have it cut off to be reminded there's a $10 table selling $5 crap in the atrium. :rolleyes:

[swedish weave]

OP -- I am at the top level on both Princess and NCL, and find them both excellent for my wants and needs. They both do many things alike, and I find minor insignificant differences in them.

 

If the little things such as towels and announcements in public areas mentioned in this thread bother you, then by all means you should cruise another line.

[Buchini]

Celebrity would be a better fit than NCL

[speedlady]

Hi Paul (good name ;)). I've only been on 2 Princess cruises...both this year...but I'm Elite on Celebrity and Gold on NCL. I have to agree with the majority of responses that Celebrity is much more similar to Princess than NCL. Celebrity has similar activities, similar food, and similar entertainment, all of which I think is more upscale than NCL.

 

I'm assuming it's a Millennium Class ship doing Bermuda. You won't find the central atrium to be as lively and as much of a meeting point as the Piazza on Princess, but the trade off is the ship being much less crowded.

 

If it's a Princess-like cruise you're looking for, Celebrity is a much better option than NCL.

 

Yup. Celebrity, hands down. Not "similar" to Princess, but, IMHO, much better.

[Whitechapel girl]

We are thinking of doing a 7 night to Bermuda next year - 6 Sept sailing - as it fits in with our plans to go to Boston/NYC. We normally cruise with Celebrity. Are we going to hate NCL?? It's the 3 days in Bermuda that is the big draw for us.

[SRQtravelqueen]

Having cruised all three lines, gave up on Princess after attaining Elite status and being treated rudely by dining room captains and food being inferior to Celebrity's. Now we're Elite on Celebrity and love the perk amenities Celebrity and RCI share for their passengers. NCL just doesn't deliver as Celebrity does. Even their specialty dining pales in comparison.

Like another reviewer stated: no signing out for pool towels, but NCL offers the free-style cruising and no dress code.

Embrace the 3 days in Bermuda. It's expensive on shore so you will enjoy having your ship as an alternative to escape to for meals when possible.

So, explore your preferences of what makes you happy when on a ship! If checking the carpet with which way the fish swim to know bow from stern is important, chose NCL.

[cheezenip]

Some of the camparisons you are using are outdated.

 

NCL has had a welcome station at the ship with drinks and cold wet towels on all my recent cruises. The sales announcements are not presented in the staterooms unless you turn them on. The number of kids onboard can vary with any cruise ship or cruise line depending on the time of year. I don't understand the "ala carte" comment, but all cruise lines have specialty restaurants as well as included venues. The professional entertainment I have seen on my NCL cruises rivals anything I have seen in Las Vegas. We have always had two pool towels in our stateroom when we check in.

 

Maybe things have changed since you cruised NCL, but most cruise lines are changing quite often.

 

I am in complete agreement with Swedish Weave here about outdated information. I recentlyt got back from a cruise with NCL's Getaway (vowed never to go on another NCL ship after my experience 15 years ago) and I was SHOCKED on the improvements made.

 

Taking into account my Celebrity Eclipse (Solstice class) cruise experience during the maiden year along with my 8 Princess cruises, I am of the opinion that NCL exceeds both Princess and Celebrity in entertainment, buffet variety / quality, and is on equal footing in the MDR with Princess (I rate Celebrity lowest of the 3). Obviously, some things are done better on each cruise line / ship as situations are in constant flux.

 

For all those who have pegged NCL the worst in the industry and will not cruise with them anymore (I use to feel that way), my suggestion is to reconsider and try the Breakaway class (Getaway / Breakaway). If NCL continues on their renewed commitment of changing their image and the other cruise lines don't improve, I can assure you NCL will blow right by Princess / Celebrity. I have been frustrated with the decline of Princess recently but hopefully that will change in 6 weeks when I get to try Royal Princess.:)

Edited October 29, 2014 by cheezenip

[linden28]

Absolutely agree with "If you keep an open mind, all cruises can be great !!!"

 

Since we retired in 2009, we have been on 12 cruises: Celebrity (4), Norwegian (2), Carnival (2), Royal Caribbean (2), Holland America (1) , Princess (1)

 

I have enjoyed each ship and style. Now looking forward to the Quantum in January.