Jumping Ship: Celebrity to NCL

[DoubleEntry]

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

[complawyer]

there is what  is called a daily service charge. for anything less than a suite (haven included) i believe its $18 per day per person. theoretically this is in lieu of tipping, and ncl claims these funds are distributed among the staff. ( cabin stewards, waiters/ waitresses all all assorted back stage workers)

 

in a suite or a haven suite i believe its 20 per person per day. if you book a suite you get a concierge, 24 hr on call butler, a special designated restaurant for breakfast and lunch, priority boarding and disembarking, and a few other goodies. the daily service charge for a haven or a suite, does not include the butler or concierge, so i always manage to tip them at the end of out cruise.

 

there have been many posts about tipping or not. regardless of the service charge, i always tip anyone on board that performs a service for me. I tip the bartenders whenever i get a drink, i tip the wait staff that is serving me, even though they are included in the daily service charge plot.

 

my wife and i are the other side of your coin. i'm 75 and she's 74 and we've been on almost 30 cruises, all with norwegian.

 

i have claimed in the past that i am extremely anal when it comes to booking a cruise, cabin, and the airfare getting to and from our destination.

i believe as far as amenities, choices of ports, prices and size  of cabins, ncl gives you the best bang for your buck. i have checked celebrity, rccl, carnival, msc and most other carriers, and i still believe ncl gives me the best itinerary, the best prices, and the largest average cabins.

 

This may not be of interest to you, but i find the ncl shore excursions to be by and large expensive.

 

what we do is take along the descriptions of the excursion, and hire a cab when we dock. they usually charge us half of what the ncl excursion costs, they take credit cards, and will stop and go whenever you wish so you can get out and take pictures. we have had drivers drop us off in various locations, give us a few hours to eat, shop and generally just look around and then come  pick us up at a designated time and spot. Knock on wood, we have never been late getting back too the ship.

 

finally, it's tough getting off the ship on the last day along with 3000 of your closest friends. the fact that in a suite we have a concierge is worth the entire price of admission. he has us meet at a certain time at a pre-designated location, and takes us right of the ship and directly to our luggage. if you're in a suite, your luggage is in a separate designated area, and is most easy to find.take s15-20 minutes max.

we usually (especially in european ports of call), like to fly in a few days prior to sailing, and stay at the disembarkation city a few days before flying home. the day before the ship docks, we have the concierge arrange a taxi to pick us up at the pier and drive us directly to our hotel (you absolutely  can't beat that for convenience)

 

sorry for the length of this post, i hope it was able to help you, and bon voyage

 

i don't know what is comparable to the concierge you are used to, but i can assure you, if you book a

haven suite, you (1) wont regret it  (2) never want to book another type of cabin. that being said however, on the ships that offer both a haven suite and a "suite" the rooms and most of the goodies are identical, the rooms look the same sizewise, the only difference, is on some ships, there is also a specially designated haven deck. this has its own pool/jacuzzi area, sundeck, and its own bar and restaurant. its also about $3000  higher in price that the same type of "suite" while we love the haven complex, for $3000 less, i can forgo the pool/bar and restaurant.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

3 hours ago, DoubleEntry said:

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different. 

What is this "nonsense?"

[rj59]

If you love Cafe Al Bacio, you'll be disappointed on NCL, because they usually only have Starbucks, which isn't covered by their drinks packages. if you book the Haven you might be insulated from a lot of the chaos and kids on ships that are sailing over 100% full, but if you want something comparable to Celebrity, I think you'll be very disappointed. On a sailing on Joy last February, rooms weren't ready until 5 pm on embarkation day, and there were screaming kids everywhere, which you usually don't find on Celebrity, since they don't have go karts or other kid stuff. Also, while NCL has great shows, the theaters aren't large enough to handle all the people, so if you don't make a reservation as soon as you get on the ship, you might not get in to see a show you want, which has never happened on Celebrity. It seems a bit of a strange choice to be disappointed in a drop in Celebrity service or standards and to go for a budget, youth-oriented, nickel-and-diming line that routinely sails over 100% full. Personally, I'd look instead to something like Azamara instead, especially if I were in my 70s.

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, DoubleEntry said:

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

Complawyer already discussed the DSC.

 

The Fee at Sea program offers some nice amenities. Know that for the drink package & the specialty dining offer, you will be immediately billed a 20% gratuity based on an estimated value of those add ons. I believe it comes to about $22 pp per day for the drinks, and about $9 pp per meal. There are no additional fees except for certain premium items or expensive drinks (I think it's over $15). For those you pay the excess + 20%.

You can decline these items if you would prefer to do so. We don't take the drink deal as we consume very little alcohol (my 15 day cruise next month would have cost over $600 for the "free" beverages).

 

Also, note that any drink ordered outside of the beverage package and any pay as you go food purchase will also be tagged with a 20% gratuity on the tab. Many tip additional amounts, but certainly not a requirement.

 

Free shore excursions means that you get a $50 credit for the first person named on your reservation per port. The other party pays full price. If you can squeeze in 2 tours in a port, you will get that $50 for each tour.

It was commented above that NCL tours are expensive. My experience is that all tours sold by all cruise lines are expensive. You do get protections regarding return to ship; they are cancellable up to 2 days before (on NCL); and would be automatically cancelled if the ship misses a port.

About that pricing - for some tours in Mexico next month, I was surprised at the low prices for a few of them. Yes, only a few hours, but selling for  $45-$50. A local cab will be cheaper if you want to go that way; but there are (as you probably know) inherent risks. 

[PATRLR]

If you haven't done so, use the search tool and search for Celebrity in titles.  There have been a couple decent threads here comparing NCL and Celebrity.

[Sailing12Away]

7 hours ago, rj59 said:

If you love Cafe Al Bacio, you'll be disappointed on NCL, because they usually only have Starbucks, which isn't covered by their drinks packages. if you book the Haven you might be insulated from a lot of the chaos and kids on ships that are sailing over 100% full, but if you want something comparable to Celebrity, I think you'll be very disappointed. On a sailing on Joy last February, rooms weren't ready until 5 pm on embarkation day, and there were screaming kids everywhere, which you usually don't find on Celebrity, since they don't have go karts or other kid stuff. Also, while NCL has great shows, the theaters aren't large enough to handle all the people, so if you don't make a reservation as soon as you get on the ship, you might not get in to see a show you want, which has never happened on Celebrity. It seems a bit of a strange choice to be disappointed in a drop in Celebrity service or standards and to go for a budget, youth-oriented, nickel-and-diming line that routinely sails over 100% full. Personally, I'd look instead to something like Azamara instead, especially if I were in my 70s.

That's a bit loaded and unfair. Amount of children on a sailing is 1000% dependent upon the time of year the trip is and where it's headed. We were on Prima in early September from Iceland to Southampton and there was 10 children on board - 2 of which were my niece and nephew. The only main theatre show we needed reservations for was Price is Right and that was more so because it was tied to your ability to be a contestant. 

 

We were on Celebrity Summit over Thanksgiving. There were easily 100-200 children running around and taking over the pools. So it has nothing to do with NCL being "chaos and kids" when my 2 most recent experiences this year with both lines showed the exact opposite to your claim.

Stop saying it's over 100% full - they're not allowed to do that. Just because it felt crowded to you doesn't mean they were sleeping people in closets. 

[marys350]

NCL's daily service charge is more expensive than Celebrity.

From NCL's website:

How much are the service charges?

For bookings made on or after January 1, 2023:

$25.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$20.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below;

 

From Celebrity's website:

Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms:          US$18.00 per guest, per day

Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms:            US$18.50 per Guest, per day

The Retreat:                                                                      US$23.00 per guest, per day

 

Edited December 25, 2023 by marys350

[Sailing12Away]

11 hours ago, DoubleEntry said:

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

I just took my first Celebrity trip last month, so I have a fresh comparison between the 2. Honestly, both NCL & Celebrity are mass market cruise lines. Meaning they're way more similar than they are different. Celebrity tends to have a higher price because they roll "free" things into that price. Whether it's a true value add is up to you and how much you'll use it.

The Free at Sea (FAS) promo that NCL has been running for a long time is a great value if you like 2+ drinks a day. You pre-pay the gratuities on those drinks at the time you say you want it (about $20/pp/day) and then you have a much higher limit on your drinks than what Celebrity offers. NCL give you up to $15/drink, Celebrity's classic package is only $10 and their premium package is $17. 

 

In November we were in the Retreat so had the premium package for "free" (gratuities were all rolled into the trip price so no way to tell what they were charging). For our 2025 trip we have booked with Celebrity we have only the classic package, and recently paid to upgrade when it was on "sale" an extra $7/pp/day (plus additional gratuities) for the premium package. $10 is way too low to us, so we like the sweet spot NCL has of $15 better. 

 

If you care about specific brands of top shelf liquor, being able to have bottles of san pellegrino, specialty Starbucks mochafrappawhateverchinos.... you can consider upgrading to NCL's premium drink package. If you just like your fancy coffees, they offer a separate Starbucks package you can add on which gives you unlimited fancy coffees for only ~$10/day. Cafe al Bacio is better though - simply for the fact that they can add booze to their coffee drinks. NCL's Starbucks is literally a Starbucks at sea - so no boozey coffees. 

 

Wifi - meh, depends on what you like to do. NCL gives you a set number of free minutes - so you have to log in, do what you want to do, and remember to log out or your minutes will be gone on that first day. Having unlimited wifi from Celebrity was nice, but for us not needed. I'd rather pay less money and use my free minutes when I did need to check email, otherwise wait till we're on land to post pictures here or on FB.

 

Celebrity no longer offers free gratuities, so it's a wash between the 2 lines for that area. You can prepay those gratuities before you get on board so you walk off with a zero balance, or you can wait until you're on board and will be charge the daily pp fee based on the cabin you're in. 

 

With the "free" excursions on NCL, that's a sore spot that they haven't rebranded that at all. It's $50 off at each port of call for guest #1 only. So if you have an itinerary with 5 ports and did an NCL excursion at each one - you would save $250. If you were super adventurous and it was a long port day and did more than one excursion, you would save even more. But it's certainly not "free" excursions as there's very few offered for <$100. The one thing I do like with Celebrity is when you have on board credits with them - you can use them before you get on board. So I used our OBC to upgrade our drink package for the 2025 trip. I used our OBC for the Thanksgiving trip to pay for our excursion. NCL makes you wait until you're on board the ship to use any OBC you may have. You can't use them ahead of time like Celebrity lets you do.

 

There's a few NCL ships that offer a better value than others if you wanted to try their Haven experience (go big or go home). Epic tends to have really good pricing as it's a bit of a quirky ship - folks either love it or hate it, but the Haven area on the ship is one of the better ones so a great value if you shop around. We've gotten a 2 bedroom Haven room on 2 different occasions for ~$360/pp/day. Do you need 2 bedrooms for 2 people? Usually no, but it's nice to have that extra space (and toilet) when it's at such a low (comparative) price. 

 

The other ship to look at this the Joy - it has a lot of extra Haven amenities as it's one of the newer class ships, and there's rooms in the HH, HI, HJ category which are a great value. They're just outside of the Haven area, so a short 2 flights of stairs or elevator ride, and tend to be bigger cabins with larger balconies at lower prices than the regular Haven rooms. Again, have done those twice for an average price of only ~$425/pp/day.

 

With NCL - the jewel class ships (Jade, Gem, Pearl....) are similar to the M-class ships with Celebrity. A bit smaller, a bit older, smaller passenger counts. As with Celebrity, the fancier the ship the higher the price. Concierge class on Celebrity is probably closest to the "Club Balcony Suite" on NCL. Don't be fooled though - it's not a suite, not even a junior suite, just a marketing play on words. Those cabins will get you some concierge help with booking things, some snacks in the cabin 1-2x during your trip, and a free bag of laundry. That's about it. Again, depending on the ship you were looking at, some offer non-Haven suites at a good price. Those jewel class ships in a non-Haven suite are nearly identical to the Haven experience - but you don't get access to the private Haven pool. Nearly everything else is identical to a Haven experience (you get a butler, priority embarkation, private restaurant for breakfast & lunch) but for several thousand dollars less. So again, if you wanted to splurge a bit to try NCL at it's best, look into a non-Haven suite on a jewel class ship and you'll probably have a great experience at a fair price.

[AndyCapn]

There really isn't an equivalent class to Concierge or AquaClass on NCL. Club Balcony Suites get canapes delivered a couple of days and get to book restaurants 5 days earlier than other classes, otherwise it's just a cabin with a slightly larger bathroom.

 

Now if you're talking Haven, that may meet your expectations, although you certainly pay for the privilege. It's also the only section of the ship with a covered pool... no Solariums (Solaria?) on NCL.

 

Booking wise, NCL never has sales for on-board activities like X. For example, you never have to worry waiting for a Flash Sale on specialty restaurants and shore excursions, because there won't be one.

 

And when you see the Free At Sea offers, make sure you understand the details. "Free Shore Excursions" means $50 off each shore excursion , but only for person one (not one person!) on the reservation.

[graphicguy]

Have sailed both NCL and Celebrity.  They are both my top two cruise lines, with a slight nod to NCL.  Won't repeat what's already been stated.

 

Like you, Cafe al Bacio is a great area to hang out on Celebrity ships.  Similarly, so is Starbucks on NCL ships.  I like the coffee drinks from the Starbucks over Cafe al Bacio, but that's a personal preference.  I like the Starbucks location on NCL vs Cafe al Bacio location on Celebrity,  But, both are ship dependent.  Starbucks tends to be closer to the main area of NCL ships, where Cafe al Bacio tends to be nearer the Buffet on Celebrity.

 

FAS is a good deal if you have a couple of alcoholic drinks/day given you only pay for tips on the value of the drink package.  You also get some internet minutes, some specialty dining vouchers and some excursion credits.  You can get a fare without FAS, which is lower.  The fare delta seems to be pretty attractive in favor of FAS, though, at least when I've done a comparison.

 

Celebrity has all inclusive with drinks, tips,  and internet, but no specialty dining vouchers.  And, they offer two fares, one with "all inclusive" and a much lower fare without.  

 

There's a pretty big difference between Celebrity's newer EDGE class ships and something like the Solstice.  I prefer the EDGE class.  They are gorgeous ships (have sailed EDGE and APEX).

 

NCL has some forward thinking entertainment like Choir of Man, Donna (Donna Summer), Million Dollar Quartet, Jersey Boys and a house band that is one of the best I've ever seen on a ship (in Syd Norman's).  I know NCL is developing some entertainment in house (like the Syd Norman's House Band).   It's not clear which direction they will go as the contracts for the big shows expire. But, NCL does entertainment well.  There are the typical game shows, trivia, etc available, too. 

 

Celebrity tends to have good entertainment throughout the ship, but it's typical cruise fare shows. It's good.  No complaints.  

 

Food is comparable on both.  Both are unique in their own ways (e.g. the Waterfront outside al fresco dining and bars around the outside of the ship with cushy chairs and couches on NCL and the Magic Carpet on Celebrity).

 

Both tend to have unique and whimsical art throughout.

 

Overall, there are a wealth of things to do, some focused on kids, via NCL.  Celebrity is calmer and focused on a more mature audience.

 

I have sailed the GEM, Epic, -Away, Away+ and in a few weeks the new Prima on NCL.  Looks like Prima class is moving away from traditional huge buffet areas and into many more specific cuisine focused dining options.  They tend to have more to do that appeals to a wider audience than Celebrity.  That does not in any way make Celebrity bad, just different.

 

Celebrity has MDRs that are cuisine specific options, too.

Edited December 25, 2023 by graphicguy

[Ken the cruiser]

12 hours ago, DoubleEntry said:

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

We are in our 70s and Elite+ with Celebrity and have moved on from them as well due to their latest price increases, to include the 20% upcharge for booking a refundable deposit and ridiculous All Included costs. As far as NCL goes, we went on an awesome 38-day Middle East/Africa B2B on the Jade last year (see Live From in my below signature area) in an aft-facing Club Balcony (mini-suite) where we got a free bag of laundry on each leg. However, we also learned early on that NCL and Celebrity do things differently with regards to booking options.

 

When it comes to NCL, here are some comments.

 

- You cannot pay your Daily Service Charge (gratuities) with nonrefundable OBC. When we found out the DSC could not be paid using nonrefundable OBC, our TA instead gave us a rebate check (cash) for booking the cruise through them.

 

- Do not assume because you get free "beverages" with their Free AT Sea (FAS) beverage package (as long as you pay the FAS beverage gratuities charge when booking the cruise) that you get unlimited bottled (boxed) water and Starbucks specialty coffees/hot chocolate for free.

 

- The "free wi-fi minutes" are just that, by the minute. If you want to upgrade to unlimited minutes, there is a significant upcharge, especially for the second person in the cabin.

 

HOWEVER, they recently came out with their "Free At Sea Plus" package for an additional $49 pp/day, which for us checked all of the boxes we previously had issues with, and then some.

 

 

Norwegian's Free at Sea Cruise Deals: Free Open Bar & More (ncl.com)

 

 

The bottom line when booking with NCL, as their cabins are very reasonably priced when compared to other lines, you need to take the time to do the math. In our case we cruise now mostly with PCL. But if the itinerary is just right, we have no issues with booking with NCL with their FAS Plus package.

 

 

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, marys350 said:

NCL's daily service charge is more expensive than Celebrity.

From NCL's website:

How much are the service charges?

For bookings made on or after January 1, 2023:

$25.00 USD per person per day for The Haven and Suites;

$20.00 USD per person per day for Club Balcony Suite and below;

 

From Celebrity's website:

Inside, Ocean View, and Veranda staterooms:          US$18.00 per guest, per day

Concierge Class and AquaClass staterooms:            US$18.50 per Guest, per day

The Retreat:                                                                      US$23.00 per guest, per day

 

Sure it's more at NCL.

However, does anyone seriously find an extra cost of about $4 per day (for 2 ppl) or $28 per week, a factor in choosing a cruise vacation that costs thousands?

Not to mention that Celebrity cabin prices are likely higher to begin with.

[Jetswdo]

I have mostly cruised on Celebrity and Princess- a couple of times on NCL and Royal Caribbean--

One thing that NCL has over Celebrity is the excellent choices  of restaurants --. I did notice that Celebrity has gotten "cheaper" with food choices-- they ruined one of my favorite restaurants -Qzine-

catering it to kids-  The Lawn Club Grill was fabulous on the Reflection- not on other ships but one other-

They used to have in all their ships a casual French restaurants with excellent crepes- Bistro on Five- that was turned into Sushi on Five.  We always booked Aqua class-- But on our recent sailing, Haven dining wasn't great- the included Persian Gardens Spa wasn't great either.  For best dining, in my opinion, NCL beats Celebrity.  And yes, the coffee place on Celebrity was still really nice.  NCL doesn't have that.  

[The Traveling Man]

17 hours ago, cruiser2015 said:

 

The Fee at Sea program

I'm not sure if that was intentional or a typo, but I think you just won the internet for the day.

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, The Traveling Man said:

I'm not sure if that was intentional or a typo, but I think you just won the internet for the day.

That's funny, but it's really not a winner for the day.  That requires original and truly clever.  Our buddy @cruiser2015, while perhaps clever, isn't one of the perpetual whiners, so very likely a typo or auto correct.

 

80% of the posters here are good enough at math to just add everything up, see the final cost and make a decision that's right for them.  The others?  Most can do the same thing but just can't help but whine about the evil NCL (or likely the other cruise lines on those boards).  The remainder are likely incoherent and just parrot what others are saying.  I like parrots, but as "bird brains," I'm not going to take advice or guidance from them.🤣

[mugtech]

19 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

What is this "nonsense?"

Looking for new nonsense

[KarimaJ]

What is the nonsense? 
Personally, I like both celebrity and NCL. I thought food was a bit better quality on Celebrity a few years ago when I sailed with them. The Edge was a beautiful ship and calm. The casino gave us a killer deal which was better than NCL deals. We are booked on NCL for January and hope to sail Celebrity again soon.

[cruiser2015]

4 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

I'm not sure if that was intentional or a typo, but I think you just won the internet for the day.

Freudian slip.    😳

[cruiser2015]

3 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

That's funny, but it's really not a winner for the day.  That requires original and truly clever.  Our buddy @cruiser2015, while perhaps clever, isn't one of the perpetual whiners, so very likely a typo or auto correct.

 

80% of the posters here are good enough at math to just add everything up, see the final cost and make a decision that's right for them.  The others?  Most can do the same thing but just can't help but whine about the evil NCL (or likely the other cruise lines on those boards).  The remainder are likely incoherent and just parrot what others are saying.  I like parrots, but as "bird brains," I'm not going to take advice or guidance from them.🤣

Hey there, Chief. While I like to consider myself a clever fellow, I suppose one can't beat a good, old fashioned TYPO.

Your radar seems to working in top form. Not a whine there at all, just trying to summarize some data.

[Mississippian]

On 12/24/2023 at 9:18 PM, DoubleEntry said:

Hi and thanks for reading this.  We're a couple of seniors in our 70's but active.  We have about 35 cruises under our belt and most of the on Celebrity.  None on NCL. 

 

We're tired of X and their nonsense over the last couple of years and are wanting to try something different.  We usually sail Concierge or better on X and our favorite spot is the cafe Al Bacio.  My question is kind of basic.  What do I need to know when booking NCL.  They offer free drinks, wi-fi etc., but no mention of tips.  Are there other little things you seasoned cruisers know about that might be of help?

 

Thanks, and look forward to your help.  Drinks on me. 🙂 

 

Jeff

I am going to get flamed for this, and before I say another word I will say my older brother absolutely loves NCL. But for my tastes, Celebrity is head and shoulders better. Of course, money is important, and NCL has had a lot of cruises with no single supplement and relatively low prices, but if the cruises with drink package were the exact same price I think you would be nuts to choose NCL over Celebrity. Just my view. 

[olemissreb]

@Mississippian I see the website link in your signature...am I right that you understand HOTTY TODDY!?

[Sailing12Away]

7 hours ago, Mississippian said:

I am going to get flamed for this, and before I say another word I will say my older brother absolutely loves NCL. But for my tastes, Celebrity is head and shoulders better. Of course, money is important, and NCL has had a lot of cruises with no single supplement and relatively low prices, but if the cruises with drink package were the exact same price I think you would be nuts to choose NCL over Celebrity. Just my view. 

Just for the folks who have not yet sailed Celebrity.... their main martini bar (the busiest most hopping bar akin to the NCL atrium bar) - yes, there are lovely martinis to try, but the espresso martini comes from a Costco sized pre-made box. Yes, a box of premade cocktail goop that they dump into a chilled fountain and squirt it out from there. 

I was on line for about 10 mins waiting for my martinis and saw them swapping it out. Immediately changed my drink order from the espresso martini to another one they would make fresh by hand. I will gladly pay a $2 upcharge on NCL for a real espresso martini made with freshly brewed espresso than to get a glass of goop from Costco.

[graphicguy]

7 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

Just for the folks who have not yet sailed Celebrity.... their main martini bar (the busiest most hopping bar akin to the NCL atrium bar) - yes, there are lovely martinis to try, but the espresso martini comes from a Costco sized pre-made box. Yes, a box of premade cocktail goop that they dump into a chilled fountain and squirt it out from there. 

I was on line for about 10 mins waiting for my martinis and saw them swapping it out. Immediately changed my drink order from the espresso martini to another one they would make fresh by hand. I will gladly pay a $2 upcharge on NCL for a real espresso martini made with freshly brewed espresso than to get a glass of goop from Costco.

Celebrity's Martini Bar is, as you point out, the main bar on their ships.  Fun place.  But, also as you say, many of their "specialty" martinis use pre-mixes.

 

That said, they do make a mean dirty martini....my fave.

[DoubleEntry]

Thanks, Everyone.

 

I appreciate your help and your time with my question.

 

Maybe we'll see you aboard.

 

Jeff