Long time Celebrity cruisers -first time NCL - will we be disappointed?

[XuGator]

We are excited for our first cruise with NCL and have almost strictly sailed with Celebrity.  We really like Celebrity and I am starting to notice some little things that is making me second guess our decision. The first one is  - why in the world is bottled water not included in the beverage package? That seems like it should be a pillar of the beverage package and is a little ridiculous that it is not included. Secondly - after reading some other posts - it sounds like any and all drinks we order while in a US port are subjected to sales tax. Granted it probably will not amount to much but Celebrity never charges this type of tax for any of their drink packages regardless of local tax laws. I assume they just eat the cost. Finally, the idea of having to make reservations for theater shows seems a little bizarre. Why cant it just be first come, first serve like the other lines do it?  I am hoping others who have sailed both Celebrity and NCL might be able to provide some more insight on the 2 lines. Are there other little details such as the ones above that are going to stand out? I am hoping we didnt make a mistake.

[PTC DAWG]

I had sailed on 4 NCL cruises the past few years, enjoyed them all...your points are valid

 

last year, went on Celebrity Equinox 11 day cruise...The Wife and I now have 2 Celebrity  cruises booked this year...make of that what you will..Edge and Equinox again. 

 

56 and 54 years old, active couple..

 

I would sail on the NCL Escape again for the right price...it is a fun ship. 

[draxnair101]

Welcome to the NCL brand! I also have previously sailed with Celebrity and now only sail with NCL. The biggest differences for me is with the suite experience. NCL and the Haven is leaps and bounds better than Celebrity. As far as the entertainment, even though shows need reservations there are multiple showings so you can pick which one works best for you; especially with your dinner plans. Hope you enjoy the experience with NCL!

[trummy]

14 minutes ago, XuGator said:

We are excited for our first cruise with NCL and have almost strictly sailed with Celebrity.  We really like Celebrity and I am starting to notice some little things that is making me second guess our decision. The first one is  - why in the world is bottled water not included in the beverage package? That seems like it should be a pillar of the beverage package and is a little ridiculous that it is not included. Secondly - after reading some other posts - it sounds like any and all drinks we order while in a US port are subjected to sales tax. Granted it probably will not amount to much but Celebrity never charges this type of tax for any of their drink packages regardless of local tax laws. I assume they just eat the cost. Finally, the idea of having to make reservations for theater shows seems a little bizarre. Why cant it just be first come, first serve like the other lines do it?  I am hoping others who have sailed both Celebrity and NCL might be able to provide some more insight on the 2 lines. Are there other little details such as the ones above that are going to stand out? I am hoping we didnt make a mistake.

My first NCL cruise in in January. I have cruised on other lines. I share some of your same concerns. I go on a cruise to relax and enjoy myself. Having to schedule events goes against the way I enjoy vacationing. I have schedules in real life, I don't want them on vacation. It also seems that a lot of things that are included on other lines have an upcharge on NCL.

 

The more I read the NCL section here on CC the more leery I become. I will enjoy myself, because that is what I do. 

 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by trummy

[YVRBassElectric]

are you sailing on a bigger NCL ship than you have sailed with Celebrity? are you sailing Haven?

[XuGator]

Thanks everyone for the responses. We are sailing on the Encore. We do not have the Haven and are booked in a standard balcony.

[Zippeedee]

The theater is not big enough to hold all 4000ish passengers at once. You can make reservations or you can stand in the standby line and hope someone who booked ahead doesn't show up. It really comes down to choices. You are "free" to wing it  and risk disappointment if you miss something you wanted to see (or eat, in the case of dining reservations) or you can do a little planning and make sure you have the experiences you want.

[trummy]

4 minutes ago, Zippeedee said:

The theater is not big enough to hold all 4000ish passengers at once. You can make reservations or you can stand in the standby line and hope someone who booked ahead doesn't show up. It really comes down to choices. You are "free" to wing it  and risk disappointment if you miss something you wanted to see (or eat, in the case of dining reservations) or you can do a little planning and make sure you have the experiences you want.

Too much planning, and I do NOT get the experience I want.  Different people value different things. 

Edited December 13, 2019 by trummy

[Turtles06]

OP: my wife and I have sailed (and still sail) Celebrity and NCL, and enjoy them both, for different reasons.   I totally agree with you about NCL's premium beverage package -- it's absurd that it does not include water (still or sparkling).  But we here don't make those rules!   

 

As for needing to reserve shows on NCL, you have made a generalization about NCL ships that is not correct.  That is only the case on NCL's newer, mega-ships.  It's certainly not the case on the smaller Jewel-class ships.  We love the latter, they are a great size, easy to get around, genuine promenade deck, etc.   Sorry you aren't sailing on one.   

 

And NCL is not the only cruise line with mega-ships that require reservations for certain shows.  Try RCI's various Behemoths of the Seas, for example.   If that's not the way someone likes to vacation, then don't pick those huge ships.  

 

 

[miataman19]

Only 2 sailings on Celebrity Reflection. This January will be my 16th on NCL. 13 of those on the SS Norway. Like the bigger NCL ships. Sailed on Getaway and Escape. Sailing Escape again. The only thing about NCL that might have you miss Celebrity is the food. IMHO Celebrity has the best MDR food afloat.

[Turtles06]

3 minutes ago, miataman19 said:

The only thing about NCL that might have you miss Celebrity is the food. IMHO Celebrity has the best MDR food afloat.

 

I was going to say that, but frankly, I think Celebrity's MDR food just isn't what it used to be, even in the last year.  The main difference is that NCL's never really was.  

[Oxo]

We cruise many cruise lines. RCI, MSC and NCL require reservations for entertainment. We like that as we can plan on when we want to go to dinner and what time our show is. 

Do agree with NCL not providing water as part of the package.

Food is very subjective and we like the MDR food and the Specialty Restaurants on NCL better. However, that could change as each time we go on a ship, things do change such as selections on Menus, price, etc. We buy the SR Dining packages as that is more economical than paying al cart.

We are Elite+ on Celebrity, Diamond+ on RCI, Diamond (Black Card) on MSC and Platinum on NCL. So, we have no cheer leading alliance with any cruise line. LOL

Each cruise line has something to offer that you may or may not like. However, treat it as a new experience and don't try to find fault or compare each aspect. Happy Cruising!

[DinaS]

1 hour ago, XuGator said:

We are excited for our first cruise with NCL and have almost strictly sailed with Celebrity.  We really like Celebrity and I am starting to notice some little things that is making me second guess our decision. The first one is  - why in the world is bottled water not included in the beverage package? That seems like it should be a pillar of the beverage package and is a little ridiculous that it is not included. Secondly - after reading some other posts - it sounds like any and all drinks we order while in a US port are subjected to sales tax. Granted it probably will not amount to much but Celebrity never charges this type of tax for any of their drink packages regardless of local tax laws. I assume they just eat the cost. Finally, the idea of having to make reservations for theater shows seems a little bizarre. Why cant it just be first come, first serve like the other lines do it?  I am hoping others who have sailed both Celebrity and NCL might be able to provide some more insight on the 2 lines. Are there other little details such as the ones above that are going to stand out? I am hoping we didnt make a mistake.

 

We have been on Celebrity (the Summit), and we have been on NCL (Gem, Dawn, Escape).  We agree that the beverage package is MUCH better on Celebrity in that they include bottled water AND specialty coffee.   We feel that the food - at least in the MDR  and buffet - is pretty comparable now on Celebrity and NCL.

 

One thing about Celebrity that we absolutely loved was that there was no smoking in the Casino.  While we are not really gamblers, it made a HUGE difference in general.  On all of the NCL ships, each time we were anywhere NEAR the casino, the smoke was overwhelming.  On the Escape, even on another floor, the smoke from the Casino was really bad.  

 

We have been on both the smaller (Jewel Class - Gem & Dawn) ships and the larger (Breakaway Plus - Escape) ships on NCL, and we definitely will stick with the smaller ships.  You don't need to make reservations for shows on the Jewel Class ships, and that was what we absolutely HATED on the Escape.  It really was a hassle, and although we got to see all the shows we wanted, it definitely interfered with the fun.  We had to hustle to reserve what we could when we boarded, and then wait in the stand-by lines when we couldn't get a reservation.  Crowds in the public areas on the Escape were MUCH worse - as well as in the elevators.  

 

The Gem, although older, is a much more relaxing way to cruise for us.  We're heading back on the Gem next year 🙂

 

We won't cruise on the larger ships again.

 

 

Edited December 13, 2019 by DinaS
Added casino info

[sanger727]

We like both celebrity and NCL.

 

yes, agreed that it would be nice if bottled water was included in NCLs beverage package. That being said, we typically bring refillable bottles and fill them at the buffet so it hasn’t been a major deterrence for us

 

we appreciate the more casual dress code on norwegian. Pretty much, outside of swim wear, what you are wearing for the day is fine in several restaurant choices so no need to hurry back from port to change

 

only some of Norwegians ships need show reservations and it’s because they have more and small theaters. So no everyone can go to the ‘main’ show every night but you can still find entertainment between the headerliner shows, comedy shows, and dinner theater shows.

 

One of the main advantages for NCL is the dining choices. I haven’t been on their newest ships but on their mid to older ships there are 2 MDRs, a 24 pub, and often a Chinese restaurant included. They also have a wide variety of reasonably priced specialty restaurants (or they were reasonable, they seem to be going up). So many choices for dinner

I also think Norwegians shows are quite a bit better than celebrity’s

 

at the end of the day we cruise for the itinerary, not the ship. So we are happy to do either when the price and itinerary fits

[trummy]

30 minutes ago, Turtles06 said:

 

 

As for needing to reserve shows on NCL, you have made a generalization about NCL ships that is not correct.  That is only the case on NCL's newer, mega-ships.  It's certainly not the case on the smaller Jewel-class ships.  We love the latter, they are a great size, easy to get around, genuine promenade deck, etc.   Sorry you aren't sailing on one.   

 

 

 

 

This is good information. Thank you. As this will be my first NCL cruise, I was not aware of this. I chose the ship I did because it has solo cabins and was close to home. It sounds like the smaller ships would be more to my liking. 

 

 

[ColeThornton]

If you go on the ship with a positive attitude and understand things can be different than what you are used to the chances are you will not be disappointed and will enjoy yourself.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, XuGator said:

Secondly - after reading some other posts - it sounds like any and all drinks we order while in a US port are subjected to sales tax. Granted it probably will not amount to much but Celebrity never charges this type of tax for any of their drink packages regardless of local tax laws. I assume they just eat the cost. 

 

No, Celebrity just spreads the cost to everyone on the ship whether they drink or not. You don't "see" it on most lines but the guests pay it one way or another. 

 

1 hour ago, XuGator said:

 Finally, the idea of having to make reservations for theater shows seems a little bizarre. Why cant it just be first come, first serve like the other lines do it?

 

Would you rather sit in front of your computer in the comfort of your own home or waste part of your vacation waiting in line to be "...first come"? It's either make a reservation or wait and hope that you get in...I don't like waiting. 

[Ilikebigboats]

Celebrity has a much better product, but you will pay for it. I just booked NCL Getaway/Greek cruise because I’m paying for several college age kids and it was a lot  cheaper than Celebrity Edge/Apex.  Don’t get me wrong I like NCL, great shows, amazing spas, and O’Sheehan’s Is open 24/7, yes please! 

[XuGator]

6 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

No, Celebrity just spreads the cost to everyone on the ship whether they drink or not. You don't "see" it on most lines but the guests pay it one way or another. 

 

 

Would you rather sit in front of your computer in the comfort of your own home or waste part of your vacation waiting in line to be "...first come"? It's either make a reservation or wait and hope that you get in...I don't like waiting. 

I don't think Celebrity "spreads the cost" across the entire passenger base. Where did you come up with that?

 

I never wait in line ever on Celebrity even when showing up 1 minute before the show, there are seats always available somewhere. Granted most of their S class ships are around 3K passengers and the Encore is 4K+. Maybe its the size of the ship that will take getting used to.

[XuGator]

28 minutes ago, DinaS said:

 

We have been on Celebrity (the Summit), and we have been on NCL (Gem, Dawn, Escape).  We agree that the beverage package is MUCH better on Celebrity in that they include bottled water AND specialty coffee.   We feel that the food - at least in the MDR  and buffet - is pretty comparable now on Celebrity and NCL.

 

One thing about Celebrity that we absolutely loved was that there was no smoking in the Casino.  While we are not really gamblers, it made a HUGE difference in general.  On all of the NCL ships, each time we were anywhere NEAR the casino, the smoke was overwhelming.  On the Escape, even on another floor, the smoke from the Casino was really bad.  

 

We have been on both the smaller (Jewel Class - Gem & Dawn) ships and the larger (Breakaway Plus - Escape) ships on NCL, and we definitely will stick with the smaller ships.  You don't need to make reservations for shows on the Jewel Class ships, and that was what we absolutely HATED on the Escape.  It really was a hassle, and although we got to see all the shows we wanted, it definitely interfered with the fun.  We had to hustle to reserve what we could when we boarded, and then wait in the stand-by lines when we couldn't get a reservation.  Crowds in the public areas on the Escape were MUCH worse - as well as in the elevators.  

 

The Gem, although older, is a much more relaxing way to cruise for us.  We're heading back on the Gem next year 🙂

 

We won't cruise on the larger ships again.

 

 

This is good to know about the casino smoke also. Smoking should definitely not be allowed in these common areas.

[Turtles06]

2 minutes ago, XuGator said:

I never wait in line ever on Celebrity even when showing up 1 minute before the show, there are seats always available somewhere.

 

This September, on a NE/Canada cruise aboard the Summit, for some reason the shows were always packed, as in -- no seats unless you got there early.   I haven't seen that before.   (We did have some good entertainment on that cruise!) 

[DinaS]

3 minutes ago, XuGator said:

This is good to know about the casino smoke also. Smoking should definitely not be allowed in these common areas.

 

I should mention that they have a non-smoking area in the casino on the Escape, but getting to or from it, and being anywhere near the casino, you wouldn't know.

[Two Wheels Only]

4 minutes ago, XuGator said:

I don't think Celebrity "spreads the cost" across the entire passenger base. Where did you come up with that?

 

Every cruiseline has expenses. Those expenses are paid with money from the guests. Your toilet paper isn't "free", either. Your neighbor might use 5 rolls in a week while you only use 1 roll. Since the neighbor isn't "charged" extra, everyone on the ship helped to cover that cost with their fare.

 

The tax that the cruiseline pays is paid by the guests. In NCL's case, the heavy drinker contributes to fill that void more than the none drinker (a percentage on each drink). In Celebrity's case, everyone fills the void even if they don't drink.

 

 

[XuGator]

7 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Every cruiseline has expenses. Those expenses are paid with money from the guests. Your toilet paper isn't "free", either. Your neighbor might use 5 rolls in a week while you only use 1 roll. Since the neighbor isn't "charged" extra, everyone on the ship helped to cover that cost with their fare.

 

The tax that the cruiseline pays is paid by the guests. In NCL's case, the heavy drinker contributes to fill that void more than the none drinker (a percentage on each drink). In Celebrity's case, everyone fills the void even if they don't drink.

 

 

I appreciate your response two wheels but you kind of proved my point. Just like I dont want to be charged for toilet paper, I dont want to be charged sales tax on drinks in a US port when I have the drink package.

[Two Wheels Only]

9 minutes ago, XuGator said:

I appreciate your response two wheels but you kind of proved my point. Just like I dont want to be charged for toilet paper, I dont want to be charged sales tax on drinks in a US port when I have the drink package.

 

Either way, you DO pay for those things. It's just a matter of whether you see the specific charge or you don't.

 

On Celebrity, the guy having 20 drinks before leaving port doesn't see an extra charge. A woman having 1 drink before leaving port doesn't see an extra charge. Both guests fill the tax void equally.

 

On NCL, the guy fills the void more than the woman.

 

Both NCL and Celebrity will fill that void. They just do it differently.