Help from those who have done both HAL and NCL

[rslinky]

Love Hal, especially the Vista ships. Just love the layout, the size, the entertainment, and all the quiet places on the ship to relax on sea days.

 

Have been invited to join friends on a Baltic cruise aboard the Breakaway on NCL. The size of the ship is not appealing at all. Having to make reservations for shows is not appealing. While there seems to be far more to do on this ship, some of it doesn't interest me. I

 

I am hoping that because it is a port intensive cruise and all places I have not been with the exception of Berlin, that the ship wont matter that much because the itinerary is perfect for us.

 

Give me your comparisons, pros and cons. Thanks much.

[navybankerteacher]

Because you are happy with the itinerary, you should focus on that rather than the ship. I have sailed both HAL and NCL a number of times - finding HAL’s service, food, layout, and general ambience preferable. A major difference seems to be that NCL’s public areas always seem crowded -which on a ship of Breakaway’s size would be a deal breaker for me.

 

The emphasis on “Freestyle” seems to lead to a different passenger mix — it is hard to find people interested in sharing tables on NCL, while on HAL there seems to be more interaction generally.

 

Again, focus on your itinerary and ports- and enjoy traveling with your friends.

[Aquahound]

In my opinion, HAL Vista Class ships and Breakaway are worlds apart in comparison. They are 2 totally different experiences.

 

The entertainment on Breakaway blows HAL away. On the other hand, Breakaway will be one of the most, if not the most crowded ship you'll ever sail.

 

Service is typically better on HAL, as is the included food options. Breakaway has more specialty restaurants. The Waterfront is a really nice feature on that ship for dining.

[Gail & Marty sailing away]

It is a different type of crew and a different type of guest.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Love Hal, especially the Vista ships. Just love the layout, the size, the entertainment, and all the quiet places on the ship to relax on sea days.

 

Have been invited to join friends on a Baltic cruise aboard the Breakaway on NCL. The size of the ship is not appealing at all. Having to make reservations for shows is not appealing. While there seems to be far more to do on this ship, some of it doesn't interest me. I

 

I am hoping that because it is a port intensive cruise and all places I have not been with the exception of Berlin, that the ship wont matter that much because the itinerary is perfect for us.

 

Give me your comparisons, pros and cons. Thanks much.

 

I have sailed NCL 15 times and HAL 7 times. I just did a Baltic cruise last June on P&O; it was a 14-night sailing on an adult's only ship that is identical to HAL's Vista class. It was one of my favorite cruises of all time.

 

1. Could you convince your friends to sail a different line? If they are open to it, there are better choices, especially as most of the benefits of a Freestyle cruise are best experienced on relaxing itineraries.

 

2. If you cannot convince your friends to switch to another line, don't worry about the size of Breakaway. Folks do tend to disappear in all that space. It may take a bit longer for folks to disembark in port each day; otherwise you won't notice the crowds.

 

2a. On port days, you will get up early, eat breakfast, and leave the ship early. You will return late, stagger exhausted into the MDR and then go to bed so you can repeat the procedure the next day.

 

2b. On your two sea days, if you have nice weather, you can hang out at Spice H2O. That's an adults only pool area at the back of the ship. Otherwise the Waterfront is very nice, as mentioned. There are activities, if you would like to particpate. But I'm going to anticipate that you will just want to relax on those two sea days.

 

In any case, enjoy the many ports. The Baltic is a spectacular region in which to travel. Good luck!

[Ken the cruiser]

We just finished our first NCL cruise and luckily we had booked a cabin in the Haven; otherwise it would have been a total failure. Basically, NCL cruises are geared for folks in their 20's through their 40's on a budget. We were on the Getaway with 4700 passengers, 800 of them children.

 

All of the public areas are packed, the buffet area is not even worth talking about and the evening shows in the main theater are repeated the following evening rather than having a new one every night. Not quite sure where NCL excels over either HAL or Celebrity. I'll leave that to those that enjoy cruising with NCL as there are plenty and as you might be able to tell, I'm not one of them.

 

Our balcony room in the Haven was great, but they used the same breakfast, lunch and dinner menus every night in their private restaurant which definitely was a let down. When you pay $350 pp/day, we expected to see at least a different dinner menu every night like you would expect in the MDR which I'm not sure NCL even has one.

 

Now, we are in our mid 60's and have been spoiled by the cruise lines we've sailed on these past 5 years, especially Celebrity and Oceania. We used to like cruising with HAL, but their cruises have been getting increasingly more boring these past few years.

 

However, it all comes down to your budget and what you expect from your cruise experience. For us if you want great shows to include interactive game shows, good food and organized excursions, Celebrity would be my recommendation. If you want a cruise which is more geared to folks in their 70s, has plenty of trivia games, good shows and quality food at a fair price especially if you book an OV, then HAL is a good choice.

 

However, when it comes to a NCL cruise, I'll let the other folks who enjoy cruising with them to tell you why they like it so much. For us they get a big thumbs down.

Edited December 29, 2017 by Ken the cruiser

[stickey_mouse]

I have been on the Noordam (HAL) and on the Getaway (NCL), the sister ship to the Breakaway. Like others have said, it's a completely different experience. Noordam was quiet and a much older crowd. NCL was a bit chaotic, but not necessarily in a bad way. NCL has a ton of stuff to do in the evenings. Don't be too put off by advanced reservations for shows, as they always have room for standby attendees. The pool deck and lido buffet are a bit crowded, but it never kept me away. I would give NCL a go and enjoy yourself. The ship, although huge and full of people, will still provide a great vacation, and is by no means a deal breaker. My best advice would be to splurge and book a speciality dining package so that you can eat in the speciality restaurants every night. The food in these places was fantastic. Skip the Brazilian steakhouse but repeat all the others.

[denatravels]

I’ve done the breakaway twice and HAL once. NCL is fun— it’s my favorite choice for my annual “escape the snow” cruise from NYC in February. The Baltic cruise I did on HAL— both are great for different reasons, but I wouldn’t want to be standing in those lines on the breakaway in Stockholm, Copenhagen, and Russia— getaway reviews from last year all mention extra long waits. For me, that wasn’t a time for NCL fun; I wanted off the ship fast and more time in port- HAL was perfect on this.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[Wehwalt]

I was on the Breakaway for a very cheap cruise last January (2017). There are crowds, and you have to accept that. There was a line the length of the ship to get off in San Juan. That being said, they seem to manage it better than RCCI. But it is a very mass production experience.

 

It all depends what you want.

[Lady Arwen]

In 2015 we sailed Breakaway to Bermuda. We've always sailed on Celebrity Summit to Bermuda, but thought that we'd try NCL for a change. Very big mistake. Breakaway is like a giant Walmart at sea. Honestly, I cried everyday seeing Summit docked beside us. HAL is so far superior to NCL! Elegant and classy, great service, good food, fabulous itineraries. Some folks like NCL and that's what makes cruising so awesome......something for everybody!

[dogo88]

I have been on the Noordam (HAL) and on the Getaway (NCL), the sister ship to the Breakaway. Like others have said, it's a completely different experience. Noordam was quiet and a much older crowd. NCL was a bit chaotic, but not necessarily in a bad way. NCL has a ton of stuff to do in the evenings. Don't be too put off by advanced reservations for shows, as they always have room for standby attendees. The pool deck and lido buffet are a bit crowded, but it never kept me away. I would give NCL a go and enjoy yourself. The ship, although huge and full of people, will still provide a great vacation, and is by no means a deal breaker. My best advice would be to splurge and book a speciality dining package so that you can eat in the speciality restaurants every night. The food in these places was fantastic. Skip the Brazilian steakhouse but repeat all the others.

 

Totally agree with your comments. We too have been on the Getaway and would go again. HAL and NCL offer different things on a cruise some good, some less good and many similar. Remember posters tend to embellish their experiences a bit. Being on a HAL forum expect to get a lot of less than glowing reviews about NCL especially from their cheerleaders. NCL isn't as bad as they say and HAL isn;'t as good.

One of the things we loved about the Getaway was the Waterfront which is similar to HALs promenade deck. But NCL has a number of couches and chairs setups long this deck, rather than teak deck chairs, where you can sit and relax and watch the seas go by.

 

Dan

[rslinky]

Thanks all for your thoughts which give me a good picture of what to expect and I don't see any deal breakers. I can have a good time anywhere with my husband and good friends and experiencing new places. Our group is 63-80 in age so it sounds like we will be among the oldest on this ship especially during a summer sailing. I will enjoy the positives, keep a good attitude when I am more crowded than I want to be and I will look forward to booking our next HAL cruise.

[hamrag]

....I am hoping that because it is a port intensive cruise and all places I have not been with the exception of Berlin, that the ship wont matter that much because the itinerary is perfect for us....

 

We are early 60's, with 8 NCL (including Breakaway) and 3 HAL cruises, and many other lines. I quote the main reason for you to enjoy this cruise, especially as itinerary trumps every other aspect of cruising for us. Incidentally, in the Baltic area (which is full of culture, and gloriously beautiful), I would expect an older crowd than normal for NCL. As others have said, use the specialty restaurants and use the waterfront on deck 8 (might be 7) for relaxation....do not go near the pool area, the noise will blow you away but is easily avoided.

[halos]

Thanks all for your thoughts which give me a good picture of what to expect and I don't see any deal breakers. I can have a good time anywhere with my husband and good friends and experiencing new places. Our group is 63-80 in age so it sounds like we will be among the oldest on this ship especially during a summer sailing. I will enjoy the positives, keep a good attitude when I am more crowded than I want to be and I will look forward to booking our next HAL cruise.

 

I love NCL (haven't been on HAL yet but do have one booked for 1/14)

I will say that the bigger ships on NCL are not exactly my favorite because of crowd size...however that hasn't stopped me from booking on them if I like the itinerary (see my signature)

 

As for NCL being a 'cheap' experience...that is misleading. NCL is quite amazing if you book in a suite, especially a Haven suite. There is no experience like it.

 

NCL crew are top notch and entertainment is fabulous. If you enjoy lots of live music, you'll love NCL

 

I do hope you enjoy your NCL cruise. Trying new lines is a good thing. I will state however that a summer sailing on a big ship is going to be FULL of kids.....keep that in mind. My least favorite NCL cruise was a summer sailing on a mega ship. To get a real NCL experience, especially with the age group you are sailing with, a longer sailing (more than 7 days) any time BUT summer, the cruise will be fabulous. SO, if your summer cruise is too crowded for you, please don't hesitate to give NCL another go outside of the summer months.

[kim826]

I have been on the Getaway and Epic as well as the Eurodam. Like previous posters have said, they really can't compare. Entertainment is great on NCL, food much better on HAL. When we travel on NCL now we order the specialty dining package.