norwegian vs. princess

[marilla chris]

We have mostly done Royal Caribbean cruises, and will be going on our 1st NCL cruise because we like the itinerary in Europe- any thoughts on the Princess line- we are looking more at itinerary than ships, but would like some info on amenities onboard, entertainment, food, etc. thank you!

[OCruisers]

Seems you've already pick NCL.

Are you considering changing you mind?

[dogs4fun]

Which particular european itinerary? I first compare time spent in ports of call as this is the factor that most influences which ship/line we book. The European itineraries are so port intensive that the onboard amenities (other than food) do not really matter to us because we spent so little time onboard ship.

[marilla chris]

Seems you've already pick NCL.

Are you considering changing you mind?

No, I am not thinking of changing my mind, I booked 2 NCL cruises and was just wondering what people think about Princess as far as their ships and itinerary as a reference for future cruises.Always interested in other people's opinions and experience!

[Nebr.cruiser]

We like both, but have sailed a lot more with Princess, just because of price, itineraries and we enjoy Princess. We have done 3 NCL cruises and liked them all.

 

NCL is more casual (although Princess is much more casual than it used to be) with a lot more specialty dining areas and usually has more things like slides, climbing walls, etc.

 

Prince is slightly more 'adult' in tone with fewer glitzy areas.

[soozles]

I think it also depends which ship. We were on one of the new monster NCL ships, and I really didn’t like it. But we’ve sailed on some of the smaller NCL ships and greatly enjoyed it. I think my issue with the larger ships was that it felt like we were constantly waiting on line, everything had to be planned in advance, defeating the whole purpose of “freestyle” cruising.

 

We do like that on NCL, you don’t have to dress up on formal night but you can still enjoy the same food. Yes I realize you can skip them on other lines, but I usually feel like the menu is the best on those nights, and I hate going to the buffet. Call me a snob but I love getting served when I’m on vacation.

[Floridastorm]

To tell you the truth I live in Florida and only put on a suit when going to a funeral. I worked 45 years in a suit and refuse to do it in retirement. Only on one cruise did I put on a sport jacket and tie on formal night. That was the last. I now go to formal night dining in a dress shirt and slacks. No tie, no jacket. Not going to miss out on the best food of the cruise because I don't dress like a Penguin. Never had anyone deny me seating and saw a few others there dressed as I was. :rolleyes: