Norwegian vs Princess

[shel003]

I’m considering taking my first cruise with Norwegian (up until now have cruised primarily with Princess).  I love the service and everything about Princess but have found essentially a dream itinerary with Norwegian and princess doesn’t offer it.  The itinerary I’m looking at is on the jade and is 19 nights from Athens to Dubai.  I’m have heard mixed reviews of Norwegian as a whole... I have friends that love them (but have not sailed any other line to compare it to) and on some of the boards not so great reviews.... mainly that they nickel and dime you.  Here are my questions:

 

1.  Where do they tend to nickel and dime you?

2.  Is it worth sailing with them for a great itinerary?

3. Overall how do they compare to Princess?

 

Thanks in advance for the feedback!

[susique]

I have cruised on both Princess and NCL.  We have never felt nickeled or dimes on any of our 19 cruises.  I prefer NCL over Princess.  The Princess ships were nice, but seemed to stuffy for us.  List here the things you like to do on Princess and how much you paid and we can let you know the cost for on NCL.

 

I can tell that the Jade is a great ship.  We have sailed on her 3 times.

[shel003]

2 minutes ago, susique said:

I have cruised on both Princess and NCL.  We have never felt nickeled or dimes on any of our 19 cruises.  I prefer NCL over Princess.  The Princess ships were nice, but seemed to stuffy for us.  List here the things you like to do on Princess and how much you paid and we can let you know the cost for on NCL.

 

I can tell that the Jade is a great ship.  We have sailed on her 3 times.

I’m not a big spender.  I don’t drink soda or alcohol do avoid the beverage packages.  I would consider it for this cruise though if bottled water is included.  I go to the shows and/or trivia but usually only spend money on the cruise fare and shore excursions.  Typically I book private excursions as I’m a wheelchair user and private tours are more than just a “drive by” of the sites.  I can also do without specialty dining as I find the food in the MDR good (at least on princess).

[tallnthensome]

I sailed Princess to Egypt and Turkey and Greece when I was in my late 20s with my wife in her mid 20's we were the youngest couple aboard ..... That being said I enjoy all the  cruises I have taken. Food, service, itineraries are better in my opinion but I just have more fun on NCL as the entertainment and liveliness is much better. Much more piece and quiet on Princess but thats to be expected with the clientele. Very similar to our Holland cruises.  Service and food is sufficient on NCL and pricing was better. I still look at princess cruise offerings a few times a month. 

[susique]

20 minutes ago, shel003 said:

I’m not a big spender.  I don’t drink soda or alcohol do avoid the beverage packages.  I would consider it for this cruise though if bottled water is included.  I go to the shows and/or trivia but usually only spend money on the cruise fare and shore excursions.  Typically I book private excursions as I’m a wheelchair user and private tours are more than just a “drive by” of the sites.  I can also do without specialty dining as I find the food in the MDR good (at least on princess).

NCL does not supply bottled water unless you have the premium drink package.  My husband drinks loads of water and he thinks the water from the taps are great.  You can purchase bottled water for your consumption for your cabin.  A little pricey, though.  We have gotten off the ship with zero balance due because we prepay the daily service charge.  Heck, we were given 200.00 dollar obc and had to find places to spend it on.  You will be good to go.  Sounds like a great vacation.

[Rob_H]

On 4/9/2021 at 5:58 AM, shel003 said:

I’m considering taking my first cruise with Norwegian (up until now have cruised primarily with Princess).  I love the service and everything about Princess but have found essentially a dream itinerary with Norwegian and princess doesn’t offer it.  The itinerary I’m looking at is on the jade and is 19 nights from Athens to Dubai.  

 

We've been on Princess a couple of times, and Norwegian a lot, lot more - including Rome to Dubai on the Jade in November 2019 (and then staying on to Singapore).  That cruise is great, we had two and half days in Israel, a couple of days in Egypt, and so on.  One of our most memorable cruises. The second leg had the Maldives, India, Sri Lanka, Malaysia and more, again recommended. 

 

We find NCL more fun than Princess, great entertainment, more active, less stuffy.  We also like the service better on Norwegian, more relaxed and friendly, but maybe we were just unlucky on the two Princess cruises.  The tables (especially for 2) are mostly spaced better on NCL in the MDR, Princess seems very crowded (but does have better bread).  (also, our Diamond Princess cruise in Japan only had set meal times, which didn't suit us at all).

 

On all cruises, any company, it's easy to spend a lot if you drink a lot and go on all the ship's tours.  On the other hand, if you don't drink much, and arrange tours yourself (when it's permitted again...) the final bill can be small, like ours is.  The cabin tap water is perfectly good to refill water bottles with (especially if you then put it in the fridge overnight). 

 

We get a couple of free speciality meals each cruise (Platinum Plus) and sometimes the meal package on long cruises but really the main dining rooms are acceptable, quite varied, no need to spend more if you don't want to. 

Edited April 11, 2021 by Rob_H
Corrected placename

[d9704011]

@shel003  Great thread.  I’m a long time Princess and X cruiser and have been looking at Norwegian for precisely this type of itinerary, except the opposite direction.  Great feedback from other posters, thank you.

[Sailing12Away]

On 4/8/2021 at 4:48 PM, shel003 said:

I’m not a big spender.  I don’t drink soda or alcohol do avoid the beverage packages.  I would consider it for this cruise though if bottled water is included.  I go to the shows and/or trivia but usually only spend money on the cruise fare and shore excursions.  Typically I book private excursions as I’m a wheelchair user and private tours are more than just a “drive by” of the sites.  I can also do without specialty dining as I find the food in the MDR good (at least on princess).

I've never sailed Princess, but based on your preferences above it sounds like NCL will be a good fit for you. Skip the beverage package as it does not include bottled water - instead you could look into the bottled water package they have. It's pricey (considering you could buy it at your local supermarket for 1/5th the cost), but will still be cheaper than the drink package. We brought refillable water bottles with us and simply filled them up in the room or at the buffet and then chilled them in our fridge as needed. That works fine and is free.

 

Specialty dining is one of the free perks you can pick, and I think it's worth it. You pay gratuities, but it's small for the dinners (compared to the drinks). I think it's like $20 or so for the equivalent of a $100 meal - so worth it in my mind to splurge and take that as a perk. Everything else is based on your preferences, so if you don't want to buy a photo - don't. If you don't want to do the specialty alcohol tastings - don't. If you don't want to do an NCL excursion - don't (provided we're in pre-covid times when that is allowed). 

 

The only other thing I can think of that is an extra cost is the snack shops that some of the ships have (fancy gelato and such). There's free self-serve ice cream cones near the buffet, so just avoid the fancy ice cream and get the free one instead (or splurge and get the crazy ice cream, you're on vacation after all).

 

Most ships also offer a deal on laundry where there will be a day that you could have everything that fits inside the bag laundered for only $20. If you're on a long journey, it's worth it. Everything comes back usually within a day nicely folded in a basket fresh and clean.

[AstoriaPreppy]

We've sailed on all lines, and have things we like and dislike about each. 

NCL gets a bad rep for nickel and dimeing, but it's more because all of their specialty restaurants, which can get very pricy. The MDRs are oft-debated on this board, but from my experience they're absolutely a step or two down from Princess. NCL MDR food often has an airport Holiday Inn banquet vibe. It tends to be a little cut-rate... you're not getting lobster or other high quality proteins like a Princess MDR. When we sail NCL, we only eat in specialty restaurants because of multiple MDR experiences. Again, lots of people on these boards like the NCL MDR, but they're not my scene. 

One thing we like about NCL is that it's completely casual, at almost all hours. Princess is like the QM2 on a formal night compared to NCL. With one or two exceptions, shorts and t-shirts are entirely okay around the ship for dinner. You may see some people dressing up, but it's not required or encouraged. 

Service on NCL tends to be more functional and less personalized. You don't get staffers going our of their way to get to know you like you will on Princess. Again, not a deal breaker for us. 

 

You also won't get much cultural enrichment on NCL. Princess brings in local artists and performers to the Piazza, will have cultural lecturers and naturalists from the region onboard the sailing, and will add food and drink from the region to the ship's menu. NCL doesn't do anything like that.

 

One thing that never gets mentioned on these boards is NCL's pricing structure for shore excursions, which is easily 20-30% more than other lines. This happens for a few reasons. 

 

NCL's included benefits often include $50 per port shore excursion credit. They are also very generous with discounts for loyalty club members, offering passengers with just 30 sailing days or more a 10% discount on the shore excursions. When you take these into account, you can start to meet the pricing of other lines... without them, they're much more expensive. When we sailed NCL in Alaska (and Princess a year later), we were shocked at how reasonable the Princess excursion pricing was for identical excursions to NCL. Plus, Princess will price-match any identical excursion you can buy for cheaper off the ship. We've gotten OBC from Princess on ever sailing because of this. 

 

Overall, while we've found NCL pricing to be really aggressive, and while we enjoy them in the Carribean, I don't know that they'd be my first choice for a cultural or regional-specific sailing. Princess (and HAL) really tend to excel on those sorts of itineraries. 

 

 

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by AstoriaPreppy

[debenson0723]

32 minutes ago, AstoriaPreppy said:

You also won't get much cultural enrichment on NCL. Princess brings in local artists and performers to the Piazza, will have cultural lecturers and naturalists from the region onboard the sailing, and will add food and drink from the region to the ship's menu. NCL doesn't do anything like that.

While this may be true on Caribbean cruises, NCL does bring in lecturers on their longer cruises. On our 15 day Panama Canal cruise, we had a wonderful professor who did a lecture every afternoon in the theatre. While his Panama Canal lectures filled up the theatre and was live streamed into the atrium due to the high demand, I really enjoyed his other less attended lectures, which included everything from astronomy to sea life, based on where we were on the voyage.  It was great to go out at night and look for the stars he told us about or spend the afternoon on the Waterfront looking for sharks, whales and dolphins.  We also had entertainers (and comedians) come on board for a few performances and then disembark at the next port.  So sometimes it does happen.

 

I have also cruised most of the lines and find the service on NCL to be excellent.  I have only had one room steward who was not personable, but most always greet me by name when coming or going, and other room stewards on the floor do the same thing. I also find a bartender I enjoy conversing with for my one or two cocktails while on board (do not typically get the drink package) and receive great service. 

 

I do independent tours so very rarely use the ship excursions but if my next cruise happens, it will be a new experience for me to use them. I will get the discount and have the $50 credit so hopefully it won't break the bank too much.

[HBCcruiser]

Hi. I have sailed on both lines and did a comparison review if you’d like to view it. I’m not sure which Princess ship you are looking at. We sailed on the Royal Princess, which is a newer ship.  The Jade is a smaller ship like the Star, but does have a Haven courtyard (no bar/restaurant though). I think it depends upon what you prefer. Adult only areas? Haven VS Suite experience? Itinerary? Night life? I enjoy both lines and never felt nickeled/dimed on either line. 

 

 

[AstoriaPreppy]

1 hour ago, debenson0723 said:

While this may be true on Caribbean cruises, NCL does bring in lecturers on their longer cruises.

We might have been the odd ship out. We did a 12 night in Southeast Asia, and got nothing The same thing happened on our repositioning cruise in Alaska. Even Carnival had an onboard naturalist living onboard, but NCL as a rule doesn't. 

[Sailing12Away]

On the POA they have someone there to narrate the sail around the NaPali coast as well.

 

So yes, there are pockets of cultural enrichment, but overall it is not their priority.

[casofilia]

In general we enjoy both NCL and Princess having done quite a number of cruises on each.   Like anything there is good and bad on both lines.   On both the staff appear excellent almost all of the time.   Personally I generally prefer the officers on NCL but those on our last cruise with NCL dropped out thought about them.

We have cruises on both lines booked mainly for the different itineraries; and that includes the one you are looking at.   I suggest you have a read of https://boards.cruisecritic.com.au/topic/2758267-jade-nov-13-2022-athens-dubai/

 

[Crazy planning mom]

NCL and the Jade also has O'Sheehan's Pub which is open 24 hours or close to it and is complimentary.  There is also the Jasmine restaurant which is complimentary.  We are sailing on the Jade in October 2022 on a cool itinerary out of Athens.  NCL offers some great itineraries.  I have never sailed on Princess so I can't compare there.

[casofilia]

@Crazy planning mom

 

Jade also has O'Sheehan's Pub 

 

Where is O'Sheehan's on the jade plaese?

[HBCcruiser]

3 minutes ago, casofilia said:

@Crazy planning mom

 

Jade also has O'Sheehan's Pub 

 

Where is O'Sheehan's on the jade plaese?

Looks like Deck 8:

 

Edited April 11, 2021 by HBCcruiser

[Crazy planning mom]

NCL Jade Ship Tour

 

[casofilia]

@HBCcruiser

@Crazy planning mom

 

Thank you

Mike

[Sea Hag]

I've sailed on both Princess and Norwegian, and, while I prefer Princess, I'd sail with Norwegian again like a shot. We had some really good trips on Norwegian. I wouldn't say they nickel and dime you any more than Princess does, and it's in the same areas as Princess. Service on Norwegian was very good, except for one cruise where it was pretty incompetent. But the wait staff were all so happy and cheerful that we didn't mind. We actually found humor in it and were still happy cruisers. The best lasagna and the best lamb shanks we ever had when cruising were both on Norwegian. We were happy with the quality of the food. Cabins and cabin service were always fine.

[shel003]

Thank you everyone for your great feedback.  I see some differences from Princess but don’t think they are deal breakers.  Am I correct that when you eat at a specialty restaurant that there’s the normal cover charge plus you have to pay taxes and additional gratuities?  With Princess there’s only a coverage charge.  Also with Princess room service is free whereas it looks like there’s a service charge on NCL.  Does the coverage charge apply to breakfast as well?

 

I’ll probably wait to book until 2023 at the earliest so I can make sure to be able to book private excursions.

[Sailing12Away]

Each of the specialty restaurants are different. If you're using one of your free dining perks, you pay nothing at all. If you're paying outright, it depends on the restaurant. Some are a pre-fix (Teppanyaki, Moderno) where you pay one price regardless of what you order. Others are a la carte and the cost will depend on what you choose to eat. 

 

If you're in Haven, you can order any meal to be brought to your cabin, including the specialty restaurants. If it's a ship that has a specific Haven restaurant, I recently learned you can ask them to deliver the specialty meals to the Haven instead of sitting in the other place. So if I wanted the amazing pesto gnocchi from La Cucina, but hubby wanted the Haven restaurant dinner meal, we could get both in the Haven location without having to visit La Cucina itself. I think you just need to give them a little bit of notice of your intention.

There a thread somewhere here in the NCL boards that lists the menus for all the specialty restaurants including the Haven menu offerings.

[AstoriaPreppy]

4 hours ago, shel003 said:

Am I correct that when you eat at a specialty restaurant that there’s the normal cover charge plus you have to pay taxes and additional gratuities?  With Princess there’s only a coverage charge.

This is a major difference. On Princess, specialty restaurants are cover charge only. If you go to Sabatini’s, you pay $25 and you’re done. 
 

Lots of the NCL specialty restaurants have gone to a la carte pricing, unless you have a dining package. 
 

For example, if you went to La Cucina, you’d pay $10 for an app, $15 for a pasta course, and $25-30 for your main. Alternatively, you can use one specialty dining credit for this meal. If you’re planning on doing any specialty dining, the packages (both included and the add one you can buy) will almost always save you a ton of money over paying a la carte. 
 

The teppanyaki and Brazilian restaurant are still a set cover charges, but that’s it. Without a dining package, you’re paying out of pocket for each thing you order in specialty dining on NCL. 

Edited April 12, 2021 by AstoriaPreppy

[rebeccac]

We have sailed both Princess and NCL.  Like a lot of people commenting here, we like both lines although we personally prefer Princess.  For us the main dining room food on Princess was significantly better and the buffet food was soooooo much better on Princess.  That being said, we wouldn't hesitate to book either.  At this point, while there are differences between all the major cruise lines, there are also a lot of similarities.  If we are sailing the Caribbean, we pick the line based on price and ship.  Everywhere else, it is price and itinerary. 

[Cruiser933]

Having been on a few of each, here are my thoughts:

Princess has better food in the MDR

NCL has more dining options to choose from

Main shows are better on NCL

Princess seems to have more brought on talent and lectures

Princess passengers are a bit older than NCL.  Music in venues will reflect this.  Evenings on Princess are quieter and end earlier.

Princess has more of a formal dinner vibe even when it is not formal night while NCL is more casual.

Princess does not have water slides/go carts/etc like NCL

Activities like bingo/trivia/jewelry sales are very similar

Princess let’s you bring on soda/water while NCL does not

Prices for extras like drinks/shore excursions are higher on NCL