Why do you pick NCL?

[Wannacruise81]

Is there a reason why you pick NCL over other cruise lines? What is different that NCL provides that other cruises don't offer? If there were 2 cruises on 2 different cruise lines with same itinerary,  similar ship but NCL is more expensive, would you still book NCL? 

If it was up to me, I would go for the cheaper option.

Personally I like the NCL product for the entertainment and not having to dress up to goto the dining rooms. 

 

[HalfHand]

Nope, we rotate thru NCL, RCL, and Carnival.

 

We enjoy different things on each line, we also dislike different things on each line. As far as cost is concerned, we usually go with the cheapest option dependent upon where we want to go. Unless we are doing a specific ship.

 

 

[HokiePoq]

We have never had a bad cruise on NCL.  We love the entertainment and like the OP never having to worry about dining arrangements.  I continue to follow three of the entertainers on FB and would book a cruise just to hear them again.  Itinerary is why I book.   As a new cruiser I chose NCL for price and itinerary.   Now we've done the common itineraries and haven't been on NCL for a while.   They finally have one we haven't done and I'm looking to book that.   Seeing the world while having a great time is a winning combination.     RCCL is the only line we've been on that has equal entertainment (IMO of course).  But the two cruises with them were both less enjoyable by a lot than all the rest of our NCL cruises.   

[1025cruise]

I pick a cruise based on availability for the itinerary on when I want to go. Then I pick between them. While I have some preferences for one line over the other, I don't go straight to that.

[Diver2014]

We are not loyal to any one cruise line but NCL's Pride of America is the only ship on the 7 day cruise around the Hawaiian Islands.  My first cruise was on SS Norway.  We go with whatever cruise line, ship or itinerary that appeals to us at the moment.

[smplybcause]

No, but as a solo cruiser who wants a drink package it's quite rare for NCL not to be cheapest. 

 

I have no real desire to go on Carnival, their new Mardi gras might be an exception but with no solo cabins I doubt it'll ever be cheap enough. 

 

I like royal and cruised with them a lot with friends, but the one solo cruise I did it was $$$. Cabin and drink package cost the same as my Alaska cruise, drink package, flight, hotel, and excursions on NCL. I've only seen a handful of fares for solos that are the same or less than NCL once you add in drink package. 

[tallnthensome]

We sail many lines . We sail as a family of four and many times there are good discounts with free 3rd and 4th guests on NCL. Our 12 day Alaskan cruise on the Sun this August is the same case. No fare for the kids who are 10 and 12. Many times this, good prices, low deposits, and the drink package made NCL the best deal apples to apples for us. Unfortunately a lot has changed in the past couple months and their “best value for us” reasons have disappeared and we have moved on to Celebrity for 2022 which as a premium line has better deals than NCL now. NCL has terrible value as of today in our opinion and won’t be back after 2021. My two cruises are now up $1800 from when I booked so no more new bookings for us on NCL until they get back to reality .....

Edited February 22, 2020 by tallnthensome

[4774Papa]

20 cruises and have done 7 on NCL.  I always compare NCL with Celebrity, Royal C. and Princess.  Our preference is Celebrity, but NCL works for us, since it has excellent entertainment.

We haven't booked NCL as much since they went to bundled pricing (we book early and sail away rates are never available).  We don't want perks, since we are moderate drinkers and mainly drink wine.   When we compare NCL against the other three, it always seems to be the highest price.  

 

Also, we do a lot of transatlantic cruises in connection with land trips in Europe.   NCL's options for TA cruises are not so good compared to the other lines.

[Peachypooh]

I choose them because I know what to expect both good and not so good. If possible I try to go

on a ship I have been on before. I hate the learning curve of a new ship or a brand new cruiseline

although we have also cruised on Celebrity, Royal, and Homelines (defunct). We made an exception

to cruise on the Encore and as expected it took me until the end of the second day to get my bearings.

Fortunately since I am Platinum on NCL I have been on enough cruises to know their policies....it

was the layout of the ship and getting the feel of it that took so long. So in other words I know what to expect.

[Two Wheels Only]

After trying different lines over the years, NCL (Haven) and MSC (Yacht Club) work best for us. Prices on both lines are a bit like an EKG at the hospital so it's best to keep an eye on them before and after booking. For example, a stateroom that we had in the summer of 2018 is $8K more in the spring of 2021. I know that it will come down at some point but I jumped on a MSC price in the meantime.

 

True luxury lines wouldn't work for us and neither do smaller ships. Large ship with enclave fits the bill.

Edited February 22, 2020 by Two Wheels Only

[RaftingJeremy]

Initially it was because they offered no single supplement. I really enjoyed the product and so I have been pretty loyal.  I have been on several other lines and just like the way it was done at NCL best.  I am however going to switch it up this coming fall.

[hallux]

Like @smplybcause I'm most likely yo be sailing alone.  NCL has one of, if not THE, best solo programs/setups on the newer ships with the Studio cabins and lounge.  It's MUCH easier to book a solo cabin on NCL than it is on Royal since each NCL ship with the Studio cabins has over 80 while RCI's ships with studio cabins have 24 or less.

[cementhands]

We started off early on Carnival then enjoyed Celebrity and Princess. Elite on celebrity and up there on Princess. Then loyal to royal for a while. Diamond level. Ncl we enjoyed 2002 until 2013 platinum level. But we were disappointed with RCL Grandeur activities January 2018 very pathetic. Lacking dancing opportunities and same for Celebrity as well. Celebrity has a silent disco often. It’s a cheap way to say that you had a party.
 As our cruise next certificate were expiring we Loved the Gem Halloween 2019 14 nights out of Boston. Excellent band called Prism. Excellent activities staff. Almost every night time a theme party.

So we enjoyed the Bliss 14 night out of New York City 2/2/20. Excellent ship. So many dancing opportunities. Outstanding activities staff. Amazing dancing in sugarcane mojitos bar with Gold River duo. Beatles band. Country western band. 6 different comics. Favorite Kenny Garcia from Brooklyn. Excellent Jersey Boys play saw it twice. Amazing play 6 and Bryono the girl with pink hair danced with us every night. Social club was excellent for late night dancing. Local food and bar were outstanding excellent food and service. Chicken wings and salad. District brewery bar was excellent. Pacifico and lone star beer. Plus craft beers. Mojitos bar were outstanding drinks especially the ginger mojitos and Saturn rising drink. Margarita bar. Water slide and race track is excellent. We enjoyed the cruise experience. Excellent. Can’t wait to return. Platinum now for 2 specialty dining.
We did one Holland America and will return when elderly.
NCL MDR was decent but for us dancing the key and ya can’t beat live music.

For now the NCL is perfect for our still active bodies. 26,000 steps on Fitbit was one day and night dancing. Average about 20,000 steps. Excellent dancing opportunities. Reggae band and rock band too!

[PortFees45]

Last minute fire sales for solo travelers, and I live a quick train ride away from the NYC port. 

 

Literally no other reason whatsoever. 

 

Okay maybe Howl at the Moon. 

[BirdTravels]

Price and Freestyle cruising. We have cruised for several decades. We have tier status on multiple lines and being casual and on vacation is most attractive. 

[bonvoyagie]

We don't cruise often, but when we do it is with NCL. We started with them in 2002 and are still loyal. We were drawn to them with the Freestyle Dining and more relaxed vibe.  Now after a total of 6 cruises we are at Platinum and enjoying the perks. We are mostly destination cruisers and so far NCL has delivered the service we like to the destinations of our choice. I will admit that there are some destinations we would like to visit, and NCL does not go there so we may be looking to other lines in the future - we will cross that ocean when we get to it.

[Comi.uy]

So far we've been to 4 NCL cruises and soon having our 5th and they are been great.

We already know most of the tricks and the prices always have been great, if you buy at the right time.

 

We are totally looking forward to try other lines tho, probably MSC by the end of this year. I'm even wondering if we should even buy cruise next coupons again, considering our wish to try other lines...

[insidecabin]

Dress the same on all lines we look at. 

Celebrity,RCI,Princess,MSC,Marella, CMV and others. 

 

We like the variety of food options on NCL at sensible prices with the SDP. 

 

Total price always a factor

 

 

 

[coastcat]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

Like @smplybcause I'm most likely yo be sailing alone.  NCL has one of, if not THE, best solo programs/setups on the newer ships with the Studio cabins and lounge.  It's MUCH easier to book a solo cabin on NCL than it is on Royal since each NCL ship with the Studio cabins has over 80 while RCI's ships with studio cabins have 24 or less.

Same here. As an introverted solo traveler, I'm perfectly content to dine alone and would feel trapped at a group table. On those rare days when I do feel social, NCL's daily solo gathering gives me the opportunity to chat and dine with other solos.

 

This doesn't mean I won't sail on other lines - I'm solidly in Celebrity's demographic and will try them out next year - but at the moment NCL suits my preferences very well.

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by coastcat

[LadyBerard]

We only cruise Ncl if leaving out of Boston or NY and it must have a good itinerary.  Last time I cruised out of NY on Escape in the fall of 2018 food in the main dining room was not pleasing to me. Although our past few cruises on RCI food in their main dining room was wonderful just about every night.  That being said, we will still sail on Ncl and have one booked on the Gem for Jan. 2021.  Nice itinerary and got very good rate for balcony with perks. 

[IrieBajan54]

I cruised on the other 5 mass market lines until I became solo. I was 4 cruises away from Elite on Princess. My research showed that price would be a problem on those lines since I refuse to pay for an imaginary cabin mate. So I switched to NCL. What I like:

 

** Price. Good last minute solo deals (love the cabin dumps)

** Casual dining. Can't stand formal nights anymore

** Good evening Solo program with a host

 

 

Edited February 22, 2020 by IrieBajan54
correction

[spanishguy1970]

We liked the freestyle, itineraries and the competitive prices. However, the prices have gone up a lot you can still find good deals every now and then. We have been NCL loyalists since 2009 but we are now looking into Celebrity and MSC. Right now you can find a nice transatlantic for 398 dollars for 15 days, you can't beat that with other cruise lines..We love our Transatlantics.

Edited February 22, 2020 by spanishguy1970

[Russiamomm]

We actually started with NCL because of our then 18 year old son.  He wanted to be able to buy beer so he could get into the nightclubs.  NCL allows 18-20 year Oldsmobile buy beer and wine with a parent’s permission.  Turned out we really liked the ships, the entertainment, the specialty restaurants and the casual atmosphere.  I also agree about the solo cabins.  Last year I did two trips to Bermuda with friends. We really liked having our own cabins and the Studio Lounge.  Best coffee on the ship.  😃

[tallnthensome]

17 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

He wanted to be able to buy beer so he could get into the nightclubs.  NCL allows 18-20 year Oldsmobile buy beer and wine with a parent’s permission.  😃

You have to love auto correct ! Lol! Ha! 

[ColeThornton]

27 minutes ago, Russiamomm said:

NCL allows 18-20 year Oldsmobile buy beer and wine with a parent’s permission.

 

Seems like that liquor would be Auto charged to your account.