How does Norwegian compare?

[aflyingbuttress]

Hi! We are considering booking a cruise on NCL and I was hoping some people here could give me some input. I was wondering how it compares to the other cruise lines?

 

We went on a Carnival cruise and hated it. The service was bad, the food was bad (and often unavailable?!?), and the childrens program was bad. Plus, the ship was fairly boring.

 

We also went on a Celebrity cruise and loved the food, loved the peacefulness of the ship (but we didnt have a kid back then), the quality and service was great. But there was also not a ton to do.

 

I'm hoping to find something in between. Something that feels nice, with decent service, decent food (doesn't have to be 5 stars but I really don't want 1 star food), and fun activities for the whole family.

 

What do you all think?

[helpmecruise16]

What ship? I think there is a wide range across NCL. We personally loved the food on the Escape and getaway - especially the specialty restaurants. There was tons of activities for the kids too.

 

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

We were planning on the Escape.

 

What ship? I think there is a wide range across NCL. We personally loved the food on the Escape and getaway - especially the specialty restaurants. There was tons of activities for the kids too.

 

 

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[kelmac]

We have 28 cruises with Celebrity and really enjoy their product. As of late we have rediscovered NCL as a viable option. To make it work for us, we buy a 7 day UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat every evening meal in one of their great alternative restaurants; we eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR or one of the other venues, and avoid the buffet completely. The entertainment is better than Celebrity and there are many things going on all over the ship.

As long as you can live with the added number of families, crowded areas, and awful disembarkations of their mega-ships, you will enjoy what they have to offer.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

[Mac4YYZ]

You'll be happy with a cruise on Escape. I like Celebrity too but the ships are quieter. NCL excels with entertainment. Be sure to try Bayamo, Food Republic and the craft beer place. All very good. My gripe with Escape was the lack of deck space and tiny pools.

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

Thanks for the input. Looking at pics, the decks definitely look crammed. Is the getaway any better in that regard? I do think we will book a mini suite with the large balcony so we have our own outdoor space in addition to their deck space.

 

How small are the pools? I think we will probably go in the kids water park fairly often. It looked like that was deep enough to enjoy even as an adult. My dificulty with pools is that I am disabled and while I am mostly mobile, I cannot get in or out of a deep pool using a ladder. So many cruise ships don't have steps to get in and out. On our carnival ship I was unable to swim at all, which was complete unexpected and a huge disappointment. I can't really tell how deep it is by the photos but I'm hoping itll be shallow enough to stand before getting on the ladder.

 

You'll be happy with a cruise on Escape. I like Celebrity too but the ships are quieter. NCL excels with entertainment. Be sure to try Bayamo, Food Republic and the craft beer place. All very good. My gripe with Escape was the lack of deck space and tiny pools.

 

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[Xewrsw]

You didn't mention the age of your kids. Will you be able to put them in a kids club on the ship? If so, more choices for you as to where you park yourselves. The pool crowd and size isn't going to matter much to you if your kids are in the clubs, and they will have a good time in the clubs. You will be free to find a spot to lounge and enjoy yourselves instead of having to watch them at the pool.

NCL and Royal Caribbean have the edge on the kid friendly ships. Carnival tends to be way understaffed which affects everything! The two mentioned above generally are well staffed. If you are cruising during peak vacation seasons, it's a given that the pools etc. are going to be fairly crowded. That's just the way it is.

I've traveled for 10 years with groups of kids and they have always enjoyed the NCL and RCCL ships with outdoor activities and the kids clubs. When the kids are happy and sleep well, mom and dad are happy too! Good entertainment on NCL and RCCL too.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[aflyingbuttress]

Our daughter is 5 and we will definitely make use of the clubs! I don't know what it was about the kids program on Carnival, but she absolutely refused to go. She said one of the men who worked there was creepy and she was scared of him. I'm hoping this time will be different.

 

 

Thanks so much for the info!

 

 

You didn't mention the age of your kids. Will you be able to put them in a kids club on the ship? If so, more choices for you as to where you park yourselves. The pool crowd and size isn't going to matter much to you if your kids are in the clubs, and they will have a good time in the clubs. You will be free to find a spot to lounge and enjoy yourselves instead of having to watch them at the pool.

NCL and Royal Caribbean have the edge on the kid friendly ships. Carnival tends to be way understaffed which affects everything! The two mentioned above generally are well staffed. If you are cruising during peak vacation seasons, it's a given that the pools etc. are going to be fairly crowded. That's just the way it is.

I've traveled for 10 years with groups of kids and they have always enjoyed the NCL and RCCL ships with outdoor activities and the kids clubs. When the kids are happy and sleep well, mom and dad are happy too! Good entertainment on NCL and RCCL too.

Hope you have a wonderful cruise!

[aflyingbuttress]

We have 28 cruises with Celebrity and really enjoy their product. As of late we have rediscovered NCL as a viable option. To make it work for us, we buy a 7 day UDP (ultimate dining package) and eat every evening meal in one of their great alternative restaurants; we eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR or one of the other venues, and avoid the buffet completely. The entertainment is better than Celebrity and there are many things going on all over the ship.

As long as you can live with the added number of families, crowded areas, and awful disembarkations of their mega-ships, you will enjoy what they have to offer.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

 

It's so good to hear someone compare to Celebrity! I've heard people say a few times now that the entertainment is better on NCL. That's definitely promising.

 

I have not heard of their 7 day UDP. Does that mean you can eat absolutely everywhere, including specialty restaurants, at no extra charge? Because that sounds amazing! Half the reason I vacation is because of the food. :)

 

I think I can deal with crowds. I was thinking of booking an itinerary that has 4 port days and we are not big on ports. We'd maybe get off for one full day and a couple hours at most on the other day. I think we will find smaller crowds on the ship those days. As for disembarkation, well, that sounds miserable, but perhaps if I prepare myself ahead of time I can deal with it better.

[kelmac]

It's so good to hear someone compare to Celebrity! I've heard people say a few times now that the entertainment is better on NCL. That's definitely promising.

 

I have not heard of their 7 day UDP. Does that mean you can eat absolutely everywhere, including specialty restaurants, at no extra charge? Because that sounds amazing! Half the reason I vacation is because of the food. :)

 

I think I can deal with crowds. I was thinking of booking an itinerary that has 4 port days and we are not big on ports. We'd maybe get off for one full day and a couple hours at most on the other day. I think we will find smaller crowds on the ship those days. As for disembarkation, well, that sounds miserable, but perhaps if I prepare myself ahead of time I can deal with it better.

 

Hi afb,

 

The Ultimate Dining Package is $152.22 per person for seven nights and you can pre-reserve a time in these alternative restaurants 90 days in advance of your cruise. Some people get the 3 day package as part of their booking bonus. Changes everything as far as food quality goes. The MDR is fine, but not great, however the alternatives are better than anything you can get on RCL, Princess, and Holland America. Food quality is better than Celebrity's MDR and even better than some of their alternative restaurants. Le Bistro, Cagney's, Moderno, Ocean Blue, La Cucina are all wonderful. Many people love Teppanyaki as well.

 

We have only one Celebrity cruise coming up and three with NCL.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[schultz]

Having cruised on Carnival many times I liked their buffet and lunch options. They're deli is the best and the Indian food station was delicious. We were on the Escape last year and noted that they didn't have the variety of Carnival. Where NCL exceeds is their specialty restaurants & night time entertainment. Went on Celebrity Reflection last month and although the dining room food is superior, their lunch buffet was always just OK. Except for the silent disco, which was a blast, Celebrity evening entertainment was mediocre.

[denatravels]

I've been on the breakaway twice during school breaks and I learned a lot between my very first cruise and my second NCL cruise (8th overall):

When your daughter is in the club, go to the adults only sections.

Staying on the ship on port days WILL make it feel less crowded overall.

Avoid the buffet as much as possible.

Entertainment and specialty dining on NCL are both awesome.

 

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[oncruisecontrol]

While I cannot speak to the kids club aspect, as I have no children, I can say that I am a Platinum cruiser on Carnival and do not plan to sail Carnival ever again. My main reason for not ever sailing them is the food. We first sailed Carnival back in 2003, and the food was outstanding and remained so for about 5 years. Since 2009 their food quality has steadily and rapidly declined. However, in my opinion, the service on Carnival(dining room and room stewards) has always been high. Carnival also has the best Disco/night club at sea. We took our first NCL cruise last year on the Getaway (one in our party had previously cruised on an older NCL ship), and we loved it. The NCL service was very good, as it has been on every line I have been on. The food was leaps and bounds better than Carnival in taste and in dining options. The quality of the complimentary main dining room food was very good. We also enjoyed their specialty Italian, French, and Steakhouse restaurants. Our inside cabin was nice, but did not have the amount of storage as our Carnival inside cabin (a small inconvenience). The Getaway pool decks were very crowded and seemed cramped compared to Carnival. Having said that, Carnival's pool decks aren't nearly as spacious compared to Princess, which are, by far, my favorite pool decks of all the lines I've been on. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

[PorkChopKid]

There are differences in "hardware" between cruise lines and even ships within a cruise line. Things like cabin sizes, deck layout, pool sizes, facilities, elevator placement, etc.

The things constantly being reported on are very very subjective. Food quality, service, etc. We have been on cruises where we heard people on one side of us say the food was awful while someone on the other side of us said it was great. Same for service, same for stewards, etc. Don't get me wrong, we've experienced slow service or a meal we didn't enjoy but never every day of the cruise.

 

I'm reminded of the M&G I attended where someone complained to the Housekeeping Officer about their room steward folding the end of their toilet paper into an arrow, they simply didn't like anyone touching their toilet paper. Think they were going to find fault elsewhere on the cruise?

 

Another cruise we heard someone say it was their first and last NCL cruise. When I asked why... He expected lecturers about each port and she couldn't find any organized bridge card games.

 

One thing we have noticed is how people will let a negative experience on day 1 taint the rest of their cruise.

[newmexicoNita]

Haven't sailed Carnival for years so no way can I comare them with NCL. As for the kids program, our great granddaughter loves the kids camp on NCL. Food wise it just keep improving every year. We think, even in the MDRs it is on par with Celebrity, but the dining service may be lacking a little. That and the small balconies are our two main complaints about NCL. We love the variety of entertainment and the friendly crew overall. As for the special dining rooms, they are all outstanding. A buffet is a buffet, it is meant for a quick meal and that is all. I don't expect quality, but some of the food is very good.

[aflyingbuttress]

That sounds like a pretty good deal. My only concern is pre-reserving all my meals. I tend to like to play it by ear, but for good food I suppose I can make a sacrifice. It looks like I can purchase it on days 1 & 2 of the cruise but I'm wondering if I do that, will I still be able to make reservations at the specialty restaurants 90 days in advance. Do you happen to know?

 

Hi afb,

 

The Ultimate Dining Package is $152.22 per person for seven nights and you can pre-reserve a time in these alternative restaurants 90 days in advance of your cruise. Some people get the 3 day package as part of their booking bonus. Changes everything as far as food quality goes. The MDR is fine, but not great, however the alternatives are better than anything you can get on RCL, Princess, and Holland America. Food quality is better than Celebrity's MDR and even better than some of their alternative restaurants. Le Bistro, Cagney's, Moderno, Ocean Blue, La Cucina are all wonderful. Many people love Teppanyaki as well.

 

We have only one Celebrity cruise coming up and three with NCL.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[aflyingbuttress]

I have read few reports on here about Carnival having great food and a variety of options and I can't help but wonder if I was on an off sailing. We found the food to be largely terrible. We did the Chef's table and that was spectacular and a few meals in the MDR were ok. The buffet was mostly mediocre and even the chocolate bar was sad.

 

Every time we went to the buffet either all or half of it was closed. We were with our daughter, who was 3 at the time, and we couldn't even find fruit and veggies for her half the time at the buffet. And perhaps this sounds crazy to some, but I like a diet coke with my breakfast and was told that was an impossibility. Something I have never encountered in my life. They also gave really small cups of soda and juice and my husband, who is a 6'4 giant (built like a football player) would down it in one gulp and they'd make him stand there and wait for 5 minutes before he'd get another.

 

I've also seen some people say Carnival has free room service. Perhaps that has changed from my sailing, but we paid for room service.

 

We just did not have a good food experience in Carnival. I'm super happy to hear that NCL exceeds in the specialty restaurants and their entertainment. Both of those sound fun!

 

Having cruised on Carnival many times I liked their buffet and lunch options. They're deli is the best and the Indian food station was delicious. We were on the Escape last year and noted that they didn't have the variety of Carnival. Where NCL exceeds is their specialty restaurants & night time entertainment. Went on Celebrity Reflection last month and although the dining room food is superior, their lunch buffet was always just OK. Except for the silent disco, which was a blast, Celebrity evening entertainment was mediocre.

[aflyingbuttress]

I've been on the breakaway twice during school breaks and I learned a lot between my very first cruise and my second NCL cruise (8th overall):

When your daughter is in the club, go to the adults only sections.

Staying on the ship on port days WILL make it feel less crowded overall.

Avoid the buffet as much as possible.

Entertainment and specialty dining on NCL are both awesome.

 

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These are great tips! Thanks!

 

While I cannot speak to the kids club aspect, as I have no children, I can say that I am a Platinum cruiser on Carnival and do not plan to sail Carnival ever again. My main reason for not ever sailing them is the food. We first sailed Carnival back in 2003, and the food was outstanding and remained so for about 5 years. Since 2009 their food quality has steadily and rapidly declined. However, in my opinion, the service on Carnival(dining room and room stewards) has always been high. Carnival also has the best Disco/night club at sea. We took our first NCL cruise last year on the Getaway (one in our party had previously cruised on an older NCL ship), and we loved it. The NCL service was very good, as it has been on every line I have been on. The food was leaps and bounds better than Carnival in taste and in dining options. The quality of the complimentary main dining room food was very good. We also enjoyed their specialty Italian, French, and Steakhouse restaurants. Our inside cabin was nice, but did not have the amount of storage as our Carnival inside cabin (a small inconvenience). The Getaway pool decks were very crowded and seemed cramped compared to Carnival. Having said that, Carnival's pool decks aren't nearly as spacious compared to Princess, which are, by far, my favorite pool decks of all the lines I've been on. Just my 2 cents. Hope it helps.

 

This is interesting because I went on a millenium Carnival cruise and I don't remember thinking the food was bad. That's the kind of thing that sticks out to me so perhaps your explanation explains why. The Carnival food was so bad that even my 3 year old, who is not a picky eater, did not like much. She called the eggs "kitty cat eggs". lol

 

We also went on a Princess cruise back in 2005 I think. It stands out in my mind as one of the best cruises I ever went on. We had a blast and the pools were incredible. That said, it also stands out in my mind as having worse food than Carnival. I wonder if it has improved over the past 12 years.

[Mac4YYZ]

Getaway and Escape are fairly similar. If mobility is an issue try the grotto at Spice H2O. The pools do have a shallow area but are too packed.

 

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[aflyingbuttress]

There are differences in "hardware" between cruise lines and even ships within a cruise line. Things like cabin sizes, deck layout, pool sizes, facilities, elevator placement, etc.

The things constantly being reported on are very very subjective. Food quality, service, etc. We have been on cruises where we heard people on one side of us say the food was awful while someone on the other side of us said it was great. Same for service, same for stewards, etc. Don't get me wrong, we've experienced slow service or a meal we didn't enjoy but never every day of the cruise.

 

I'm reminded of the M&G I attended where someone complained to the Housekeeping Officer about their room steward folding the end of their toilet paper into an arrow, they simply didn't like anyone touching their toilet paper. Think they were going to find fault elsewhere on the cruise?

 

Another cruise we heard someone say it was their first and last NCL cruise. When I asked why... He expected lecturers about each port and she couldn't find any organized bridge card games.

 

One thing we have noticed is how people will let a negative experience on day 1 taint the rest of their cruise.

 

Yup, I totally agree with you that a lot of this is subjective. But I still like to hear peoples opinions. If you get enough of them you can formulate a conclusion. It also depends on what people are eating to a degree. The two people you mentioned who had different opinions probably ate a lot of different stuff.

 

And yes, some people are just complainers. While it is sometimes hard to look critically on oneself, I don't think I am one of those peoples. And I will give anyone in service all the credit they deserve because that is one tough job. Impossble to please people. We did actually have some stellar service from a few key individuals on Carnival, and I tipped them heavily and even sent emails to Carnival to say so. But the rest of the services was really terrible.

[aflyingbuttress]

Haven't sailed Carnival for years so no way can I comare them with NCL. As for the kids program, our great granddaughter loves the kids camp on NCL. Food wise it just keep improving every year. We think, even in the MDRs it is on par with Celebrity, but the dining service may be lacking a little. That and the small balconies are our two main complaints about NCL. We love the variety of entertainment and the friendly crew overall. As for the special dining rooms, they are all outstanding. A buffet is a buffet, it is meant for a quick meal and that is all. I don't expect quality, but some of the food is very good.

 

I think we are going to get a room with a large balcony to combat that small balcony problem. My only concern is not having enough shade.

 

I don't expect buffets to be 5 star dining. But I do believe its possible to be quality food. On Celebrity, I remember really enjoying their buffet.

[aflyingbuttress]

Getaway and Escape are fairly similar. If mobility is an issue try the grotto at Spice H2O. The pools do have a shallow area but are too packed.

 

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Thanks!

[kelmac]

That sounds like a pretty good deal. My only concern is pre-reserving all my meals. I tend to like to play it by ear, but for good food I suppose I can make a sacrifice. It looks like I can purchase it on days 1 & 2 of the cruise but I'm wondering if I do that, will I still be able to make reservations at the specialty restaurants 90 days in advance. Do you happen to know?

 

Since NCL now offers three night dining packages for free as part of their booking specials, getting a time you want becomes a bit more difficult. Some people report that they would show up at Cagney's and the only time available was 9:00pm. We pre-reserve all restaurants at our preferred times and make adjustments on the spot. We like to eat early and so this works well for us. For example, we had a 6:00pm reservation at one restaurant and showed up at 5:30pm and they seated us early with no problem. Seems like everyone wants to eat at 7:00pm.

 

Anyone can reserve a time, you don't need a dining package, however you may have to prepay for that reservation.

 

Enjoy!

Kel

[mizLORInj]

It is best to try it out and form your own opinion.

 

We have cruised all these lines mentioned and have not had what we'd call a "bad cruise" yet. (yes, even on Carnival). We have formed our preferences, but they are our tastes. I would not discount any cruise line because someone whom I don't even know didn't like the food.

My nephew didn't care to spend much time in the kids clubs on Celebrity or Norwegian--he wanted to hang out with all of us. He did do maybe 1/2 day here and there, but for the most part, wasn't into it.

Have fun! :D

[aflyingbuttress]

It is best to try it out and form your own opinion.

 

We have cruised all these lines mentioned and have not had what we'd call a "bad cruise" yet. (yes, even on Carnival). We have formed our preferences, but they are our tastes. I would not discount any cruise line because someone whom I don't even know didn't like the food.

 

Have fun! :D

 

Well, I wasn't planning to discount it based on one persons opinion. I wanted to hear other peoples experiences with the cruise line, specifically pertaining to what I find important. Then based on the responses form a decision. If a ton of people flooded this with comments that the food and kids programs were awful, I probably would decide not to go on an NCL cruise. That is a fairly normal thing to do, if you ask me. Cruises are expensive so I want anecdotal data before I invest my money.

 

I'm an analyst for a software company and I analyze subjective data from our employees all the time. I also used to do research analysis for educational instutions and museums based on largely subjective experiences. It is possible to analyze subjective data and predict potential outcomes based on it.