Celebrity vs NCL

[RikkuCat]

I did a search and found comparisons of particular ships, but nothing recent comparing the two lines in general. I'm hoping that some of the more experienced crusiers will share their opinions on the two lines! We have been on two NCL cruises and thinking about trying Celebrity for our next.

 

We are considering two cruises, both in April of this year. The Celebrity one is on the Summit out of San Juan and goes to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Thomas, and St Maarten. The NCL one is on the Getaway out of Miami and goes to St Thomas, St Maarten, and Nassau. Our bottom-line price (including the cruise itself, onboard spending, flights, spending on the islands, and factoring in Celebrity's 123 promotion) would be comparable for both cruises - not enough of a difference for it to be a deciding factor, anyway. We have been to Nassau and St Maarten before (two of the three stops on the NCL cruise), though I'm sure we'd have a good time if we revisited them. I'd be more excited to visit new ports and St Lucia in particular has been on my "need to go there" list. DH is fine with either option. We'd enjoy a pre-cruise day in either San Juan or Miami, though I'd prefer San Juan - we've been to both and Miami is fine, but I really like San Juan.

 

I like the itinerary better for the Celebrity cruise, so we're leaning that way right now. Before booking with a cruise line we've never been on, however, I wanted to ask a few questions about the differences and verify the information that I've seen in the threads that I've read.

 

1) We like the Freestyle concept of NCL, but I understand that most cruise lines have an "anytime dining" option. For those who have done this on Celebrity, did you think it was handled well? We don't mind having different waiters and don't mind a wait, as long as it isn't a wait of several hours every night. We prefer not to make reservations in advance, but don't mind doing so if that works better.

 

2) For those who have cruised on both Celebrity and NCL, how does the food compare? We really like the variety of specialty restaurants on NCL and I know Celebrity doesn't' have as many. We've never been crazy about the MDR food (quality or variety) on NCL and we usually eat in the specialty restaurants. This is probably the biggest reason for hesitation - we won't have as many options if we think the food sucks in the MDR. That said, I've always assumed that NCL doesn't try very hard in the MDR because they want to encourage people to pay for the specialty restaurants. Thoughts? Mediocre food certainly will not ruin our trip, but we'd like to know what to expect. I hope it's at least a little better than NCL.

 

3) I know NCL has as reputation for being pretty casual, so Celebrity will probably not be as casual as we've experienced before. Not an issue for us - I'll check out the dress code sticky and we'll pack accordingly. We're usually better dressed than most people on NCL, but we're not the "fully decked out for formal night" people, either. Ideally, I'd be fine with a cocktail dress or two that I can rotate for dinner and DH would not have to pack an entire suit, just slacks and a couple of dress shirts. But it's not a deal-breaker if we end up having to pack a suit for him, either.

 

4) I read something about Celebity (or maybe specifically the Summit) being "quieter" regarding night life than NCL. We're not all-night partiers and probably would not stay up late at all on a port-intensive cruise, but we would be slightly annoyed if we happened to want a nightcap and everything is closed. Was this exaggerated on the review that I read? We wouldn't care if we had to walk to the other end of the ship to get a martini at midnight, as long as we could find one if we wanted.

 

5) The other big comparison seems to be about the entertainment - and I've read opinions preferring each. Either way, it's a bit of a non-issue for us. We'd go to a show if we were in the mood and something sounded interesting, but we're equally happy to do our own thing in the evening. We have not been to many shows on our two previous cruises.

 

6) Anything else I should be considering? Opinions? We know the Summit is an older ship than the Getaway and will probably have fewer bells and whistles. Since its a port-intensive cruise, I don't think we'll have time to miss the ropes course and stuff. Cosmetic issues don't bother us - we rarely notice them and I always giggle a little when I read reviews that complain about things like frayed carpets. I mean no offense to people who notice and comment, I just get a funny mental picture of cruisers walking around the ship with clipboards, inspecting carpets and checking every stall in each bathroom to make sure the door locks are in working order.

 

If it matters, we're a professional couple with no kids yet, 32 and 35. This will hopefully be our last pre-kids vacation. I'm more of an active traveler, though I enjoy some downtime and I like the "being out to sea" aspect of cruising. DH is a little more of a low-key traveler - likes doing stuff, but doesn't like overplanning and enjoys the downtime. I think he likes sea days more than I do, though we're both ready to get off the ship and do something after two consecutive sea days. An ideal cruise would include 1-2 ports or activities that we're pretty excited about, 1-2 ports where we'd just go to the beach (ideally one with good snorkeling) and do some shopping, and 1-2 sea days (ideally not consecutive).

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinions and experience!

[Sapphire723]

I did a search and found comparisons of particular ships, but nothing recent comparing the two lines in general. I'm hoping that some of the more experienced crusiers will share their opinions on the two lines! We have been on two NCL cruises and thinking about trying Celebrity for our next.

 

We are considering two cruises, both in April of this year. The Celebrity one is on the Summit out of San Juan and goes to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Thomas, and St Maarten. The NCL one is on the Getaway out of Miami and goes to St Thomas, St Maarten, and Nassau. Our bottom-line price (including the cruise itself, onboard spending, flights, spending on the islands, and factoring in Celebrity's 123 promotion) would be comparable for both cruises - not enough of a difference for it to be a deciding factor, anyway. We have been to Nassau and St Maarten before (two of the three stops on the NCL cruise), though I'm sure we'd have a good time if we revisited them. I'd be more excited to visit new ports and St Lucia in particular has been on my "need to go there" list. DH is fine with either option. We'd enjoy a pre-cruise day in either San Juan or Miami, though I'd prefer San Juan - we've been to both and Miami is fine, but I really like San Juan.

 

I like the itinerary better for the Celebrity cruise, so we're leaning that way right now. Before booking with a cruise line we've never been on, however, I wanted to ask a few questions about the differences and verify the information that I've seen in the threads that I've read.

 

1) We like the Freestyle concept of NCL, but I understand that most cruise lines have an "anytime dining" option. For those who have done this on Celebrity, did you think it was handled well? We don't mind having different waiters and don't mind a wait, as long as it isn't a wait of several hours every night. We prefer not to make reservations in advance, but don't mind doing so if that works better.

 

2) For those who have cruised on both Celebrity and NCL, how does the food compare? We really like the variety of specialty restaurants on NCL and I know Celebrity doesn't' have as many. We've never been crazy about the MDR food (quality or variety) on NCL and we usually eat in the specialty restaurants. This is probably the biggest reason for hesitation - we won't have as many options if we think the food sucks in the MDR. That said, I've always assumed that NCL doesn't try very hard in the MDR because they want to encourage people to pay for the specialty restaurants. Thoughts? Mediocre food certainly will not ruin our trip, but we'd like to know what to expect. I hope it's at least a little better than NCL.

 

3) I know NCL has as reputation for being pretty casual, so Celebrity will probably not be as casual as we've experienced before. Not an issue for us - I'll check out the dress code sticky and we'll pack accordingly. We're usually better dressed than most people on NCL, but we're not the "fully decked out for formal night" people, either. Ideally, I'd be fine with a cocktail dress or two that I can rotate for dinner and DH would not have to pack an entire suit, just slacks and a couple of dress shirts. But it's not a deal-breaker if we end up having to pack a suit for him, either.

 

4) I read something about Celebity (or maybe specifically the Summit) being "quieter" regarding night life than NCL. We're not all-night partiers and probably would not stay up late at all on a port-intensive cruise, but we would be slightly annoyed if we happened to want a nightcap and everything is closed. Was this exaggerated on the review that I read? We wouldn't care if we had to walk to the other end of the ship to get a martini at midnight, as long as we could find one if we wanted.

 

5) The other big comparison seems to be about the entertainment - and I've read opinions preferring each. Either way, it's a bit of a non-issue for us. We'd go to a show if we were in the mood and something sounded interesting, but we're equally happy to do our own thing in the evening. We have not been to many shows on our two previous cruises.

 

6) Anything else I should be considering? Opinions? We know the Summit is an older ship than the Getaway and will probably have fewer bells and whistles. Since its a port-intensive cruise, I don't think we'll have time to miss the ropes course and stuff. Cosmetic issues don't bother us - we rarely notice them and I always giggle a little when I read reviews that complain about things like frayed carpets. I mean no offense to people who notice and comment, I just get a funny mental picture of cruisers walking around the ship with clipboards, inspecting carpets and checking every stall in each bathroom to make sure the door locks are in working order.

 

If it matters, we're a professional couple with no kids yet, 32 and 35. This will hopefully be our last pre-kids vacation. I'm more of an active traveler, though I enjoy some downtime and I like the "being out to sea" aspect of cruising. DH is a little more of a low-key traveler - likes doing stuff, but doesn't like overplanning and enjoys the downtime. I think he likes sea days more than I do, though we're both ready to get off the ship and do something after two consecutive sea days. An ideal cruise would include 1-2 ports or activities that we're pretty excited about, 1-2 ports where we'd just go to the beach (ideally one with good snorkeling) and do some shopping, and 1-2 sea days (ideally not consecutive).

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinions and experience!

 

1) I haven't done the anytime dining on Celebrity, but it is available. Set time dining was great.

 

2) No comparison. The food in the MDR on Celebrity is actually good, while I found that I went hungry when I tried eating in the MDR on NCL. The main difference is that you won't have to pay for every meal in order to enjoy it. I think you're right that NCL makes the MDR food so bad that you'll have to eat at pay restaurants every night. That's what we ended up having to do.

 

3) Celebrity is slightly more formal than NCL. If you're going to eat in the MDR on formal nights, I'd recommend bringing a suit, but your dresses will be good.

 

4) On our Summit cruise, we made friends with a group of guys who were sharing the Penthouse. They invited us for a party at their place after a show and said to just call to make sure they were awake before we showed up. We finally hit the hay around midnight, because they still weren't back. Turns out, they were out on the town(or ship in this case) until 2am.

 

5) NCL did have better entertainment, but we don't always go to the shows anyway. We found the people we met on Celebrity to be much more fun to hang out with, so we didn't mind chilling with them at the martini bar rather than going to a show.

 

6) I found service to be much better on the Summit than I did on the Dawn. NCL is the only time on 12 cruises I've actually tipped less than the recommended amount, because I had more than one crewmember be rude to my face and a room steward who I opened my cabin door to hear him mocking me (because I asked him to put our beds together with the appropriate linens when he had time). When I asked if the barrista could stir up my mocha (with her metal spoon) because I wasn't able to break up the cocoa powder chunks with the little wooden stick I had, the response I received was "Why don't you do it yourself?" Service on the Breakaway might be better, though.

 

I found the stabilizers on the Summit to be much better than the ones on the Dawn (lots of moving, lots of tipping, despite waters that weren't super rough). And we had neighbors (sounded like spring breaker types, even though it wasn't that time of year) who were screaming obscenities and lewd things at all hours of the night.

 

While the Breakaway has some cool things that I think might be fun (Howl at the Moon, the Ice Bar, etc), I probably wouldn't go on it unless I was getting The Haven which might have better food/service. If the price and itinerary are comparable to you, I'd sail Celebrity.

 

PS I checked the Dailies someone sent me, and it looks like the bars on the Summit are open until at least midnight. Some are open until 1am or "late" (probably means until the party dies down? I've never been able to party that hard! LOL).

Edited January 19, 2015 by Sapphire723

[cruzeluver]

It actually sounds like Celebrity may be a very good fit for you! We have cruised NCL a few times and while we had no serious complaints, we definitely prefer Celebrity. We think they do anytime dining quite well. We have not had a wait of more than 5 minutes.

 

Of the two you are looking at, Celebrity's itinerary is far better in my opinion.

 

While I think NCL has some terrific specialty restaurants (especially Le Bistro), we found their main dining rooms to be fair at best, and think X's are far superior in terms of everything from food quality, choices, presentation and especially service. Celebrity has great specialty dining as well.

 

Overall X is going to be more subdued, but should still have enough on board activities to keep most folks occupied. And there will be multiple venues open into the wee hours.

[harz99]

I sail with both lines and would only expect to pay NCL 50% of Celebrity's price for the equivalent cruise. That should illustrate the difference in quality between the two lines.

 

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[Host Jazzbeau]

We have sailed on Summit out of San Juan (but the other loop to the one you have planned) and on NCL Dawn Western Caribbean. My memories of Dawn are better than Sapphire723's, but I still preferred Summit overall. And the Summit itinerary is much more interesting than the NCL one you describe. Even if you like the MDR food on Summit, be sure to dine at Normandie early in the cruise [so that you'll have time for return visit(s) ;)]

[RikkuCat]

Thank you so much to everyone who responded - all of your responses have been very helpful. I'm feeling pretty good about booking the Celebrity cruise and just read the responses to DH and he agrees! The comment about paying 50% of the Celebrity price for a comparable NCL cruise was very helpful - both of our previous NCL cruises were last-minute decisions based on a very good deal popping up, so this is the first time that we've considered paying "full price" for a NCL cruise and I've been cringing a bit about the price we're looking to pay - just not sure it's worth it, based on our previous experiences vs the quality of comparably-priced land vacations we've taken recently. Good to have a cost/quality comparison from someone who cruises both.

 

The Summit does actually have two different loops out of San Juan in April - the one I mentioned, and another that goes to St Croix, St Kitts, Dominica, Grenada, and St Thomas. I've done some preliminary research on all of the possible ports, as the only places we've been to on either itinerary are St Maarten and San Juan. I like both itineraries and if this first cruise goes well, will probably do the other at a future date. We are considering both - I just picked this one to post because our anniversary falls during that itinerary. All other factors being equal, we'd probably go for the trip that includes our anniversary.

 

We did the Breakaway for our last NCL cruise, which is the sister ship of the Getaway, the NCL ship for this cruise. It was a Bahamas/FL cruise booked after a serious rate drop and we got a great deal on it. The ship made up for the boring itinerary. We didn't have a Haven room, but we had a "spa cabin" which came with spa passes - I hung out there for most of the cruise and would do the same if we went with NCL this time. Buuuut, I really think we're going to end up going with one of the Celebrity cruises, depending on which date we decide to go or whether DH has an itinerary preference.

Edited January 19, 2015 by RikkuCat

[dkjretired]

Have done both lines, been on the Summit but not the Breakaway. The other posters have covered pretty much everything. I will add one thing if it makes a difference and that is the smoking policy. Celebrity has one of the strictest smoking policies at sea, no smoking indoors at all, including casino, in cabins or on veranda's. Only a couple of designated smoking areas on the ship all outdoors.

 

I have not been on NCL in a couple of years but their smoking policy in some areas is very poor, casino was like a chimney as were many other areas.

[RikkuCat]

Have done both lines, been on the Summit but not the Breakaway. The other posters have covered pretty much everything. I will add one thing if it makes a difference and that is the smoking policy. Celebrity has one of the strictest smoking policies at sea, no smoking indoors at all, including casino, in cabins or on veranda's. Only a couple of designated smoking areas on the ship all outdoors.

 

I have not been on NCL in a couple of years but their smoking policy in some areas is very poor, casino was like a chimney as were many other areas.

 

Thank you - this is very helpful! NCL definitely allows smoking in the casino - we don't spend much time there, but will take advantage of a coupon if we have one. I didn't notice a lot of smoking on the Breakaway, but I spent most of my onboard time in the spa area. I think it might not have been allowed on the promenade area, which had outdoor bars and outdoor seating for the specialty restaurants. It was a bigger issue on our cruise on the Star - it was impossible to get a drink at an outdoor bar without sitting in a cloud of smoke. I think I've read that NCL allows smoking on balconies, but we've lucked out and haven't been next to or above any balcony smokers. That would really bother me, as I like to sit on the balcony and read.

Edited January 19, 2015 by RikkuCat
Fix autocorrect

[puppyluv1]

I think the cabin sizes are also a bit larger on Celebrity.

[Turtles06]

OP: among our cruises, we've taken 5 on NCL and 3 on Celebrity. You've gotten good info above, I will just add a few things.

 

We totally love freestyle dining on NCL. We like being able to decide when we want to eat and where. Our first two cruises on X were in traditional dining, but on our most recent cruise (a TA this fall on the Silhouette) we opted for Select Dining and we just loved it. It worked very well for us. We never made reservations, just showed up around 8:15 PM and never had to wait more than a few minutes. Also, we loved the servers we had on the second night, so always asked for their section again. It was the best of both worlds.

 

Food is subjective, but overall I think the food on Celebrity is better than the food on NCL (at least in the MDRs).

 

We haven't sailed on the Summit, but we have sailed on another M-class ship, the Infinity, and I think it's a far better size than the Getaway. You mentioned that your DH likes the "being out to sea" aspects of cruising; I feel pretty certain he will feel closer to the sea on a (relatively) smaller ship like the Summit. (I frankly have minimal interest in huge ships like the Getaway and Breakaway, so the decision would be an easy one for me.)

 

Celebrity's no-smoking policy is terrific (NCL now bans smoking on balconies, but still allows it in the casino). I think entertainment is hit or miss on both lines; we've seen good and bad on each. You already know that the Summit is an older ship, so you know that it won't have the same bells and whistles as the Getaway.

 

I personally think itinerary is important; that seems to argue for Celebrity here....

 

Hope this is helpful, and that you enjoy whatever you choose!

[Sapphire723]

We didn't have a Haven room, but we had a "spa cabin" which came with spa passes - I hung out there for most of the cruise and would do the same if we went with NCL this time.

 

If you liked the spa cabin on NCL, you might want to consider getting an Aqua Class cabin on Celebrity. You'll have access to Blu which is a special dining room for the AQ passengers. You'll also have access to the Persian Gardens which would be like your spa passes on NCL. Alternatively, I think you can purchase the spa passes separately no matter what cabin you're in.

[vulcan1971]

I did a search and found comparisons of particular ships, but nothing recent comparing the two lines in general. I'm hoping that some of the more experienced crusiers will share their opinions on the two lines! We have been on two NCL cruises and thinking about trying Celebrity for our next.

 

We are considering two cruises, both in April of this year. The Celebrity one is on the Summit out of San Juan and goes to Barbados, St Lucia, Antigua, St Thomas, and St Maarten. The NCL one is on the Getaway out of Miami and goes to St Thomas, St Maarten, and Nassau. Our bottom-line price (including the cruise itself, onboard spending, flights, spending on the islands, and factoring in Celebrity's 123 promotion) would be comparable for both cruises - not enough of a difference for it to be a deciding factor, anyway. We have been to Nassau and St Maarten before (two of the three stops on the NCL cruise), though I'm sure we'd have a good time if we revisited them. I'd be more excited to visit new ports and St Lucia in particular has been on my "need to go there" list. DH is fine with either option. We'd enjoy a pre-cruise day in either San Juan or Miami, though I'd prefer San Juan - we've been to both and Miami is fine, but I really like San Juan. I am a big fan of visiting or spending time in Puerto Rico - such a beautiful island and culture. Since you have done the numbers and they work out comparably for you and your budget, my recommendation is to take the Celebrity cruise, especially since you have not been to these ports before.

 

I like the itinerary better for the Celebrity cruise, so we're leaning that way right now. Before booking with a cruise line we've never been on, however, I wanted to ask a few questions about the differences and verify the information that I've seen in the threads that I've read. I won't try to "convince" you that Celebrity is better because there is plenty that I like very much about NCL. I will only highlight differences and let you decide.

 

1) We like the Freestyle concept of NCL, but I understand that most cruise lines have an "anytime dining" option. For those who have done this on Celebrity, did you think it was handled well? We don't mind having different waiters and don't mind a wait, as long as it isn't a wait of several hours every night. We prefer not to make reservations in advance, but don't mind doing so if that works better. Celebrity offers "Select Time" dining. Not sure how you will make your reservation (on-line, through travel agent/partner, call Celebrity), but when you do, ask/inquire of the availability of Select Time dining. This works as closely as possible to what you are used to on NCL. If you have determined prior to boarding the ship that you know you want the same dining time every night, I would recommend that you make that reservation pre-cruise. Even if you think you may want to change the time up on different nights due to port excursions, etc, I think I would still recommend that you do this in advance. Yes, you can go every night to the MDR without a reservation and probably be seated in a short amount of time (10-15 minutes, but probably less if you are a small table). Service is generally quite good and you won't miss or mind having a different server each night. If you find a station/server you really like, you can inquire about that as well with your select time dining host.

 

2) For those who have cruised on both Celebrity and NCL, how does the food compare? We really like the variety of specialty restaurants on NCL and I know Celebrity doesn't' have as many. We've never been crazy about the MDR food (quality or variety) on NCL and we usually eat in the specialty restaurants. This is probably the biggest reason for hesitation - we won't have as many options if we think the food sucks in the MDR. That said, I've always assumed that NCL doesn't try very hard in the MDR because they want to encourage people to pay for the specialty restaurants. Thoughts? Mediocre food certainly will not ruin our trip, but we'd like to know what to expect. I hope it's at least a little better than NCL. The quality of the food in the MDR is regularly given high marks by Celebrity and non-Celebrity cruisers alike. Compared to your experiences on NCL, I think you will be pleasantly surprised, so much so that you may decide that you don't need to spend extra money on specialty restaurants when cruising with Celebrity. I love the specialty restaurants on NCL and they are much more affordable. To get a good steak at Cagney's, you would need to go to Tuscan Grill. Some people say the cook to order steaks in the Oceanview Cafe are decent, but I don't have experience with that.

 

3) I know NCL has as reputation for being pretty casual, so Celebrity will probably not be as casual as we've experienced before. Not an issue for us - I'll check out the dress code sticky and we'll pack accordingly. We're usually better dressed than most people on NCL, but we're not the "fully decked out for formal night" people, either. Ideally, I'd be fine with a cocktail dress or two that I can rotate for dinner and DH would not have to pack an entire suit, just slacks and a couple of dress shirts. But it's not a deal-breaker if we end up having to pack a suit for him, either. You are right, there is plenty of information to read in the "Dress Code Sticky" as well as numerous other threads on this forum. If you are looking to avoid having to dress up on "formal" nights or don't care to meet the minimum requirements for the MDR, you have the option of Smart Casual in any of the specialty dining venues as MDR formal dress doesn't pertain to the specialty restaurants. There is the Oceanview Cafe. Or, you can do room service. I'm sure you will be just fine.

 

4) I read something about Celebity (or maybe specifically the Summit) being "quieter" regarding night life than NCL. We're not all-night partiers and probably would not stay up late at all on a port-intensive cruise, but we would be slightly annoyed if we happened to want a nightcap and everything is closed. Was this exaggerated on the review that I read? We wouldn't care if we had to walk to the other end of the ship to get a martini at midnight, as long as we could find one if we wanted. Celebrity, not just the Summit, is more sedate than NCL when it comes to entertainment, but if you are just looking for music, bar, entertainment options in the evening, you will finds several options. You can get a nice nightcap at the Martini Bar, Cafe al Bacio is open till midnight (think adult coffee drinks and options for cordials), I think the Oceanview bar is open late if you want a quiet place to enjoy a drink and watch the ship's wake... and there is the Revelations Lounge... probably other places that are not immediately coming to mind.

 

5) The other big comparison seems to be about the entertainment - and I've read opinions preferring each. Either way, it's a bit of a non-issue for us. We'd go to a show if we were in the mood and something sounded interesting, but we're equally happy to do our own thing in the evening. We have not been to many shows on our two previous cruises. Sounds like no additional advice is needed here. ;)

 

6) Anything else I should be considering? Opinions? We know the Summit is an older ship than the Getaway and will probably have fewer bells and whistles. Since its a port-intensive cruise, I don't think we'll have time to miss the ropes course and stuff. Cosmetic issues don't bother us - we rarely notice them and I always giggle a little when I read reviews that complain about things like frayed carpets. I mean no offense to people who notice and comment, I just get a funny mental picture of cruisers walking around the ship with clipboards, inspecting carpets and checking every stall in each bathroom to make sure the door locks are in working order. Regarding the ship being "older" and not all the "bells and whistles" I was just on the Constellation (NOV 2014) and it is similar in shape/size/amenity offerings. I found that ship to be very beautiful and plenty to do and enjoy for 16 days. These ships were retrofitted (or "solsticized") in 2012/2013 to be more like their S-Class siblings. I was too busy enjoying myself to notice some chipped paint, rust, or a random dust bunny in a corner somewhere around the ship. Having a "port intensive" itinerary means you most likely will be off the ship (a lot!), and while on the ship, you will be relaxing and enjoying. Sounds like you have a great mindset going into this vacation already.

 

If it matters, we're a professional couple with no kids yet, 32 and 35. This will hopefully be our last pre-kids vacation. I'm more of an active traveler, though I enjoy some downtime and I like the "being out to sea" aspect of cruising. DH is a little more of a low-key traveler - likes doing stuff, but doesn't like overplanning and enjoys the downtime. I think he likes sea days more than I do, though we're both ready to get off the ship and do something after two consecutive sea days. An ideal cruise would include 1-2 ports or activities that we're pretty excited about, 1-2 ports where we'd just go to the beach (ideally one with good snorkeling) and do some shopping, and 1-2 sea days (ideally not consecutive). I am early 40-something and my partner is a few years older. No kids, one dog. We work very hard and we travel to get away from it all... so we can unplug, destress, unwind, and recharge. Sometimes we pre-plan a port, especially if other ships are in port on the same day. If it is a port we have been to before, we may go and do it unplanned or even stay on the ship.

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinions and experience!

 

RikkuCat -

 

Hello and welcome to Celebrity. I have add my comments above (in red).

 

Also, I have included a short 5 minute video clip (YouTube) that highlights the Millennium (M-Class) ship highlights. The blurb on Michael's Club is now a feature reserved for upper level suites and Zenith Captain's Club members (think Haven private bar/lounge on NCL).

 

 

Feel free to ask more specific questions or email me at vulcan1971a AT aim DOT com. Enjoy your cruise option, which ever you pick! :)

[vulcan1971]

I think the cabin sizes are also a bit larger on Celebrity.

 

I didn't visit any standard balcony rooms on NCL Pearl, but I did on the NCL Epic. I also saw what is categorized as a "mini-suite" on the Epic. These "mini-suites" are about the size of a typical Celebrity veranda room.

[Sapphire723]

If it matters, we're a professional couple with no kids yet, 32 and 35. This will hopefully be our last pre-kids vacation. I'm more of an active traveler, though I enjoy some downtime and I like the "being out to sea" aspect of cruising. DH is a little more of a low-key traveler - likes doing stuff, but doesn't like overplanning and enjoys the downtime. I think he likes sea days more than I do, though we're both ready to get off the ship and do something after two consecutive sea days. An ideal cruise would include 1-2 ports or activities that we're pretty excited about, 1-2 ports where we'd just go to the beach (ideally one with good snorkeling) and do some shopping, and 1-2 sea days (ideally not consecutive).

 

Thanks in advance to anyone who shares their opinions and experience!

 

I realize that I didn't comment on this portion of your original post, and I had meant to do so. We too are around your demographic and I found our cruise on the Summit to be the best fit that we've had so far. We met plenty of people around our age who shared our interests. That's not to say that we haven't made friends on other cruiselines or enjoyed meeting people on those trips, but sometimes we find people on some cruiselines (like Carnival or NCL) to be more of a party/spring break type or to be full of those a little more experienced than we (like HAL). The tablemates we had on Celebrity have become friends with whom we spend time now that we're home.

[Still Dreaming]

We are on the getaway in a week!! Yea!

 

We did the summit last year and have her booked for next year. If you book the Summit Google the sweet sixteen cabins. These cabins have an extra large balcony and are priced at the lowest level for this catagory.

 

I think the Summit itinerary is far superior to the Getaways, but we want to try the mega ship and see if we like it. We also love ncl for the freestyle but celebrity was not as formal as I thought it was going to be.

[huskerc]

At the same price, all things considered, Celebrity is a no-brainer choice over NCL.

 

Celebrity is a bit quieter and definitely more formal than NCL. However you can find some bar (Martini or nightclub) open at least past midnight, and there are always buffet options.

 

NCL's specialty restaurants are OK but do not compare to Celebrity's.

[ChicagoCruisin]

We also liked NCL, until we tried Celebrity.

The food is way better on X, all the way around. I found NCL food sometimes to have an odd off-putting taste, not so on Celebrity.

And the specialty restaurants on X are so good, sometimes we go more than once on a 7day cruise, we often go to Qsine more than once. On NCL we never ate at the same place twice, probably because we were searching for a great meal. We have had really good meals on NCL, but way more hit-and-miss, and the misses were bad.

 

We dont really do the shows very often, so the one advantage NCL may have is moot to us.

 

The other huge upside to X is how uncrowded the ship feels, we always wonder where all the passengers are. Sometimes NCL seems a little crowded.

 

Hope you enjoy X as much as we do!

[yoj13]

We are fans of Celebrity and whilst we have been on the 'M' class ships, the 'S' class ships are our favourite. However, in November (and after an absence of approximately 8 years) we did the transatlantic on NCL Epic. We had read lots of reviews on the ship and at one point we almost changed our mind due to the 'horror' stories regarding the shower/toilet arrangements:eek: Honestly speaking, to us, it was no big deal.

I cannot tell you how much we enjoyed it, it was an amazing cruise and the food was of a very high standard in the MDR. The entertainment and activities far outweighed Celebrity's offerings. In a nutshell we were really impressed. On disembarkation of the Epic, we embarked the Silhouette for a 2 week cruise to the Caribbean and what a disappointment in comparison to our Epic adventure in every department. In fact, we were pleased to be going home - a first for us. We haven't been on the Getaway, but our friends who were travelling with us have and they had a marvellous time. We wouldn't hesitate to book NCL again, based on our Epic experience.

[swigso]

As has been said you should enjoy the Summit,

Noticed that you enjoy the Spa, have you thought of an Aqua Class

Cabin, you would dined in Blu then which

Is more like a speciality restaurant.

The Summit was our favourite ship until

We sailed on the S class, but she is still a beautiful ship

[blindrid]

It actually sounds like Celebrity may be a very good fit for you! We have cruised NCL a few times and while we had no serious complaints, we definitely prefer Celebrity. We think they do anytime dining quite well. We have not had a wait of more than 5 minutes.

 

Of the two you are looking at, Celebrity's itinerary is far better in my opinion.

 

While I think NCL has some terrific specialty restaurants (especially Le Bistro), we found their main dining rooms to be fair at best, and think X's are far superior in terms of everything from food quality, choices, presentation and especially service. Celebrity has great specialty dining as well.

 

Overall X is going to be more subdued, but should still have enough on board activities to keep most folks occupied. And there will be multiple venues open into the wee hours.

 

Just back from Equinox.

 

Pro's X, beautiful ships

Food is better in MDR

Cons: way too geriatric for me (I'm late 50's and felt young)

Entertainment, pretty lame

Never saw ruder passengers beating up staff. I felt like I was in NYC.

Bar service, spotty. Great back bar, thanks Vedron.

Still good cruise.

Multiple venues, " not". One, maybe.

 

NCL: more fun, good ships, anytime dining.

 

Your call.

Edited January 21, 2015 by blindrid

[MizDemeanor]

Ship vs Ship I'd not sail Summit again for any reason for any itinerary. Too old.

 

Food vs Food, Breakaway I think wins hands down open dining. Forget fixed dining times, the food was well prepared and the menus refreshing. And we sailed Haven. We went to all the venues. Specialty Fine Dining wins on Celebrity any ship. Breakaway Fine Dining is not great in comparison. But the fun venues on Breakaway, well they ARE good!

 

Entertainment vs Entertainment. Breakaway vs any Celebrity Ship.

[schlimazel_traveler]

Can I piggyback on this thread?

What about Summit vs NCL Gem?

 

We're still looking for the best fit for us.

 

First 2 cruises were on Royal Vision Class ships from Baltimore.

Fun, but food was eh and we didn't meet other interesting passengers.

 

3rd cruise--Reflection from Miami.

Food was good, passengers seemed more cultured, tasteful, interesting, but the "fun" wasn't there--almost like an afterthought because cultured, tasteful, interesting people wouldn't be into silly games. (And mostly, they aren't.)

Also...really didn't like having to fly to and especially FROM the cruise. Sucked the vacation feeling right out.

And we felt the ship was too large for us. Everything was such a hike! Even though our cabins were quite close to the forward stairs.

 

So, this leaves us Baltimore or NYC, Grandeur, Gem, or Summit.

 

The prices for Grandeur are insane and the cruises are longer than we have time for. Plus, we've tried that already.

 

Thoughts?

[Queen of Oakville]

I sail with both lines and would only expect to pay NCL 50% of Celebrity's price for the equivalent cruise. That should illustrate the difference in quality between the two lines.

 

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I've been reading here about the Haven, and have been pricing out some suites, and they are coming out considerably higher than what we pay for a verandah on X {granted - not apples to apples} but include drinks and dining packages.

 

Your comment above says it all. We'll give NCL a chance, perhaps on a last minute deal booking .... but won't be something we plan ahead for at the prices I was finding.

 

thanks!

[NLH Arizona]

I'm currently on the Summit and was on NCL's Pearl over Thanksgiving.

 

NCL now has no smoking on the balconies and, yes, the casino is very smoky.

 

The food in Celebrity's MDR is far better than NCL. I only do the specialty restaurants and the food is very good on NCL. I also like the variety of the restaurants and the UDP (which saved me over $100 if I didn't purchase it) on NCL.

 

NCL is a lot more casual during the evening (NCL has one MDR where no shorts are allowed and they strongly enforce the rule, where on the Summit there have been a few men in the MDR in the evening in shorts, which is against Celebrity's dress code and obviously not enforced). Celebrity has formal nights and NCL has dress up or not things. On NCL's dress up or not night, I found some ladies way more formally dressed, than those on formal night on the Summit.

 

I will say, since I'm on Celebrity's internet that NCL's internet is a lot faster and has a lot less issues than Celebrity's.

 

If you go into a cruise line and not try to compare them to another line, I think you will be happy. Funny thing is that many on Celebrity complain about no nightly chocolates on their pillow, no flowers in their rooms, that they have to ask for daily ice and q-tips and cotton balls are not in a container in their bathroom on Celebrity...well, all these things were in my cabin (without having to ask for them) on my November NCL cruise.

 

I think if one goes into a vacation/cruise thinking they will have a great time, they will, but if they go in looking for issues, they will certainly have many complaints, because all ships and/or cruise lines have their pluses and minuses.....it just depends on if you dwell on them to have a great time.

Edited January 22, 2015 by NLH Arizona

[SeaWatch]

We have sailed on 2 NCL cruises and 1 Celebrity ( booked on #2 in March).

 

Celebrity food quality far exceeds NCL. In fact, food was so bad on our last cruise we have decided never to cruise NCL again.

 

For our tastes and from our experiences, food on X is much better than Costa, Carnival, RCL and HAL ( although HAL is a nice second)

 

 

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