If you were going to cheat on NCL with another line...

[spanishguy1970]

On 2/2/2024 at 3:16 PM, yakcruiser said:

Every time I think I might want to take a cruise on HAL that Twilight Zone episode "Passage on the Lady Anne" starts playing in my head.

someone i know only likes Holland always told us that the ships were noisy, the metal cracking sound constantly in her stateroom, all i could think was when will the Iceberg hit. lol

[cooncat_mom]

We’ve done  Carnival, Royal and NCL. Our first cruise was the little Carnival Imagination, which is what got us hooked. With airfares being so much now (and my hatred of flying!) we pretty much cruise out of NY or Boston. We tend to like both Royal and NCL. Totally enjoyed the Oasis, which was our first post Covid cruise, but we were spoiled since it was at half capacity. Great Vegan menu though (dairy and my body are not on good terms), and we like RCL’s  private island and cabanas.   We did the Carnival Venezia last October, and won’t do Carnival again. It was a cruise and we enjoyed it, but the vibe was not us, we didn’t enjoy the private island, and I did miss a vegan menu!  We thought about MSC, but getting there would be a pain so our next cruise will be NCL’s Joy. 
 

I think post Covid service has slipped some and the food is kind of meh sometimes on the mainstream 3 lines, but it’s better than my cooking and I don’t have to clean up. Having the steward coming in only once a day doesn’t bother us since we keep the room neat anyway. That said, even though we’re not purposely loyal to one line, we’ll probably sail NCL most of the time, and if we “cheat”, it’ll be Royal. For us the question is more along the lines of big, tricked out ship or smaller one. 
 

 Whatever you choose, I hope you enjoy it!

[Joesantos]

I’m not ever bringing my suit on NCL again! Just got home and shorts and tank tops on big guys with flip flops in every dining restaurant specialty included! My ring dinger suit is staying home from now on!

From experience Celebrity has better food and service but everyone is in bed by 8 pm. RCL has great ships but not enough activity. 
NCL has non stop activities and excellent live bands and dancing opportunities. Food is adequate drinks great so that’s why we are loyal, platinum and soon sapphire I believe.

[Norwayfan1]

We've tried lots of lines and I would have said Princess was our favourite, but we had a very bad experience with them a couple of years ago and that put us off somewhat.

 

We don't really stay loyal to any particular line.

 

We are looking forward to trying Virgin this Autumn, as the food looks really good, soft drinks are included, there's free wi-fi and we like the concept of the 'bar tab' rather expensive drinks packages, which are never good value for us.

 

We booked the cruise a few months ago and taking into account the very good price, the included bar tab and several perks earned through their loyalty match (including some laundry, coffee credits and so on), the cost per day is very reasonable.

[KeepCalmBearOn]

On 1/28/2024 at 10:46 AM, Monica887 said:

Planning an extended family trip and trying to decide or see if there's anything I'm missing before I go back to NCL as my default. Youngest kid is 11 up to grandparents. Warm weather, easy to get to from the east coast. Christmas week. (We're stuck with school schedules...)

 

Lots of great responses, but ultimately, THIS is what the OP asked.

 

So Virgin is out, HAL isn't a great option IMHO (and I like HAL) neither is Celebrity (really like them too), that leaves Disney and RCCL (Oasis and Navigator Class) as the best alternatives with Princess as a maybe. Too many negatives with Carnival for me personally to recommend them.

[cooncat_mom]

Good point scottca75! If I knew how to red I would have known that!
 

 I know Royal had a daily children’s program pre-pandemic because even though my kid is grown, she and I would go to the kids’ end of cruise show (very cute!). NCL also has a daily children’s program, We cruised with my 2&4 year old grandchildren but my older granddaughter was shy and after one time there were too many kids so she opted out. Fortunately we had lucked into a Garden Villa so that was fine - lots of running around room, a hot tub ( well, a cool hot tub) and Gramma brought an inflatable splash pool, PLUS they had  Auntie and Grandma. Oh. Mom and Dad were there too…but those kids were ours!  I would think the bigger Royal or NCL ships would be something to look into. They seem to have multiple family activities…Royal Oasis class has Mega Slides, zip lines, rock climbing walls, aqua park, escape room, bumper cars…none of which we’ve tried.  We had a Boardwalk balcony on the Oasis so we watched some of the activities in comfort! NCL's larger ships have many of those things as well.

 

Try Googling family activities or head over to the Family Cruising board under Special Interest here. Hope you and the family have a great time!

[ColdCruise]

On 1/28/2024 at 4:12 PM, Epic_Bear said:

Im cheating on them with Royal Carribean in September to cruise roundtrip from my homeport of Boston to Greenland and Canada

@Epic_Bear

I’m on that trip too. Not my home port but lots of family with a short drive. 
 

Are you interested in joining the Roll Call for the September sailing?

 

Edited February 19 by ColdCruise

[ColdCruise]

On 1/29/2024 at 2:08 PM, bkrickles1 said:

We've sailed Celebrity, RCCL and NCL.

Our last 4 have been on NCL and our next one in April is also NCL.

With that being said, we have no allegiance to any one cruiseline.

I do the same thing every time. My girls will let me know that they're interested in going on a cruise and they'll give me a time frame. I will then look for sailings that meet the date requirements and then drill down on the value for us. What's included, do we have to fly, deals, etc.

We've loved all of our cruises so I'd go on any of the three I mentioned, if it's the value winner.

For our most recent sailings, NCL has won out. Before that, we sailed on a lot of RCCL ships.

I've wanted to sail MSC and should have booked something when YC was super cheap, but I didn't. And now, I'm not so sure. I've had 2 sets of friends sail MSC and neither was overwhelmed.

I think I'll probably check out the YC on MSC when it's just my wife and I sailing.

Anyway, 81 days until Getaway!!

@bkrickles1

My experience with MSC leads me to favor them for European cruises, esp in the Med. It’s their backyard after all, and I really appreciate the way the spread the embarkation points for their “circle” itineraries since we can board where we can get the best airfare + cruise fare combination. Also I found their ship excursions better in price and quality.
 

As for MSC in the Caribbean- it was comparable to NCL but not especially great. I’d choose them over NCL based on price, but would need to add loss of platinum benefits into that calculation.

 

to answer the original question, we’ve “cheated” on NCL by sailing on MSC, Princess and the now deceased CMV, plus some niche lines that offer what the mainstream ocean cruise liners don’t - polar exploration with landings and river cruises. All of which I’d happily repeat. 
 

For future ‘Cheats”, we’re considering Oceania, Celebrity, Aida, Tui and some expedition providers as well as a river or barge cruise in France. 
 

At the end of the day (or sailaway) it boils down to itinerary & price/value ( or rather, what we get for our money)

[KhanOfKhans]

I'm not loyal to one cruise line in particular, if I see a good deal on an interesting ship/itinerary, I'd take it regardless of line. That being said, as long as NCL has good deals for solo travelers and offers good itineraries from New York, it'll probably be the first place I look.

[rodndonna]

On 2/16/2024 at 2:14 AM, Mike B Landlubber said:

Actually, I am cheating on my main squeeze HAL when I sail on NCL! 😉 I am mostly driven by itinerary and price, but I really try to be faithful to HAL. I strayed to NCL for the first time when I took a cheap TA fling with MSC and wanted a quick trashy affair with one of those stylish European trips before I flew home. NCL had a port-packed Baltic cruise that was inexpensive if I used an inside cabin, which I did. I recently signed up with NCL again, not for a cheap thrill this time, but for a rather pricey cruise from South Africa to Portugal. An itinerary I lusted after for some time… 🙂 I generally prefer dining on HAL, but really enjoy the Pub food on NCL.

 

Like you (at least since Covid) we have sailed primarily with HAL (Casino discount!) but it's not a line I would think of a typical alternative NCL. That being said we took our first NCL in 15 years last month on the Viva. We have since booked another NCL on the Sky and curious to see if that experience is a little more HAL-ish feeling being a smaller ship. We're not meat eaters so the dining on HAL is a big advantage for us with regards to seafood offerings (The Viva seafood offerings left a lot to be desired)

 

Of the lines we've sailed, Celebrity would be worth considering as an NCL alternative - I put the vibe somewhere between HAL and NCL ....a little bit of the contemporary cruise elements, but more relaxed with a more lively and fun vibe.

 

 

[KeepCalmBearOn]

15 hours ago, ColdCruise said:

to answer the original question, we’ve “cheated” on NCL by sailing on MSC, Princess and the now deceased CMV, .... For future ‘Cheats”, we’re considering Oceania, Celebrity, Aida

 

Once again, that is NOT THE ORIGINAL QUESTION. The original question is about which other cruise line to consider for a multi-generational trip, easy to get to from the East Coast, warm weather, Christmas week.

 

That lets out Oceania and Aida. Disney and RCCL's newer ships are reasonable subs. MSC might be, but I am not a fan, based on two trips. Celebrity and Princess are great, but I still think young kids to grandparents is Disney and RCCL's sweet spot.

[Monica887]

Thanks for the responses! Yes, my question was specifically about the multi generation trip I'm considering now, but I don't mind the input overall, in case DH and I can ever ditch the kids for a solo trip! (I WOULD like to try Virgin...) 

 

We have done the major lines and I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something. We haven't loved the last couple of Carnival. I generally like Royal but our last one was on an older ship to Alaska - so there wasn't much, and the rock wall kept closing due to weather. I'd be happy to try them again, and the NCL ships are usually a good in between for the big family trips. 

[coaster]

Cheated on NCL in the early 2000's when bought out in a hostile takeover by Star Cruises. Freestyle was not for us. All the other lines still offer traditional dining in some form which we love. Just moved on to the other lines when NCL just threw this concept out the window and alienated those of us who were loyal to them in the 90's and earlier. Loyalty only goes so far. Sad as they were so good when Knut Kloster owned them before Star Cruises took them over.

Edited February 21 by coaster

[Sailing12Away]

17 minutes ago, coaster said:

Cheated on NCL in the early 2000's when bought out in a hostile takeover by Star Cruises. Freestyle was not for us. All the other lines still offer traditional dining in some form which we love. Just moved on to the other lines when NCL just threw this concept out the window and alienated those of us who were loyal to them in the 90's and earlier. Loyalty only goes so far. Sad as they were so good when Knut Kloster owned them before Star Cruises took them over.

It's amusing to me the vastly different opinions some folks have on the traditional dining vs newer freestyle way of doing it. My first cruise was when I was around 8 yrs old with my family. I absolutely hated the fact that there were strangers with us at the table. It was just very odd to me, as they were loud and mean. Granted - I was 8 yrs old. But still....

 

Even though our most favorite part of cruising is making new friends, I want to still pick and choose who I share a dinner table with. Also don't like having such a strict thing of you must be hungry for dinner at 5:30pm otherwise good luck. 

 

Folks who want a set time and the same table and same waiter can easily talk to the maitre'd and request that on day one. For the rest of us, we'll come and go as we please.

[coaster]

Met many good folks at the MDR being assigned to a table with them. You were young and it makes sense at that age not to sit with folks you don't know. Only started cruising on NCL in our mid-20's and it was comfortable for us to seat with others at a table every night who we did not know. Same waiters that got to know your preferences without telling them. NCL is for you, but they lost a lot of folks like us who were loyal to them in the past. Thankfully other cruise lines offer traditional dining without having to make special arrangements once onboard.

[cruiseny4life]

13 hours ago, coaster said:

Met many good folks at the MDR being assigned to a table with them. You were young and it makes sense at that age not to sit with folks you don't know. Only started cruising on NCL in our mid-20's and it was comfortable for us to seat with others at a table every night who we did not know. Same waiters that got to know your preferences without telling them. NCL is for you, but they lost a lot of folks like us who were loyal to them in the past. Thankfully other cruise lines offer traditional dining without having to make special arrangements once onboard.

Stinks "your" cruise line changed their policies on you. I would be disappointed too! But, gosh, I am happy NCL is freestyle. We are in the camp of not wanting to share a table with rando strangers or eating at a specific time, and definitely do not want to ever dress up when on vacation! So, the current NCL meets our vacation desires.  

 

But, I get how you would have felt when when the line was purchased and policies were changed! I'm glad there are a bunch of other lines that still have specific times, tables, more stringent dress codes, etc. for folks like you that desire those type of things. 

 

Ahh, isn't it great we can all be catered to based on our desires? Cookies, be damned! Haha!

[swmichigan cruiser]

On 1/28/2024 at 5:31 PM, swmichigan cruiser said:

I would do HAL on one of their newest ships. We did the Amsterdam this past summer and I was really impressed. Was really nice the hotel director on the Amsterdam used to be a hotel director on NCL that I had met before so we had a few good conversations.

I'm really old the ship we were on was the Rotterdam and we left from Amsterdam.  Guess I will use the being old as an excuse.

[amygutman]

On 2/19/2024 at 2:24 PM, Monica887 said:

Thanks for the responses! Yes, my question was specifically about the multi generation trip I'm considering now, but I don't mind the input overall, in case DH and I can ever ditch the kids for a solo trip! (I WOULD like to try Virgin...) 

 

We have done the major lines and I wanted to make sure I wasn't overlooking something. We haven't loved the last couple of Carnival. I generally like Royal but our last one was on an older ship to Alaska - so there wasn't much, and the rock wall kept closing due to weather. I'd be happy to try them again, and the NCL ships are usually a good in between for the big family trips. 

Late to the thread, but you asked a question I have been pondering for a number of months. 

 

Our family loves NCL, specifically the Haven. Had the best "bucket list" cruises on old / smal and new / large ships, wonderful service, outstanding itineraries. Like your family, we have a child - and sailing without our soon-to-be 15 yo is a non-starter. Our current home port is Port Canaveral but anywhere is Florida is "train-able" and we are happy to fly if the itinerary is right. 

 

But we have become somewhat disillusioned with NCL of late - still have two Havens booked and 4 FCCs, but 2 NCL-initiated cancellations repositioning / repurposing (Spirit TP, Epic TA), and instant dislike we took to the Prima class ships (not our style, Haven looks awful, and the design is just...lord, like Ikea vomited in a tiny, cramped space) have made it hard to find another NCL cruise we are excited about outside of our current bookings. 

 

NCL prices have also skyrocketed (even booking 2 years out), and recent horror tales of customer service are concerning. We had our own negative interaction when we were assured that a 12 night Middle Eastern itinerary was "still going ahead" when clearly there is a war on. We were told that "itinerary may change but only if necessary, and shortly before the cruise leaves port". Um, that port was Haifa, so yeah...i'm not dropping 18K not having any idea about potential ports so that gave us a great excuse to run away from the Viva (we had only booked for the itinerary). 

 

You'll see from our profile that although we love NCL (especially our Sapphire perks), we have dipped our toes into other lines with very positive experiences. Interestingly, looking at many cruise website recent readers' polls, NCL seems to have taken a precipitous drop off of cruisers' favorites so am not sure if that plays a part in your booking decisions. Like you, we have a child so Virgin and Viking are out.  

 

• Carnival: I freely admit that I changed my opinion of this line 180 degrees when we took a 3 night "Super Bowl Booze Cruise" last month on a tiny, old ship out of Canaveral. Oh lord it was fun for the whole family. Now - the kids clubs literally had no kids (there were <25 children under 16 on the cruise total), but despite their small size, the clubs were well-staffed (by very cheerful, but bored-looking attendants). The arcade was amazing, and although there was only 1 slide, it was never busy and the pools / hot tubs were plentiful. Food...amazing. Service...top notch. Friendliest crew we have ever had. We loved it so much we just booked a 7 night Caribbean and upgraded our Mardi Gras TA to an excel aft corner suite (with hot tub!). The price for this suite which includes tons of perks and access to the Loft 19 suite area was A THIRD of what our cancelled Epic Haven TA cost. ). 
• Celebrity: loved our Summit suite, and i'm excited to try a ship with a true "suite retreat" as we feel the very high prices do not justify a room + perks but no suite deck nor pool. We thought the dining and amenities were lovely, and our neighbors have had 3 Celebrity balcony cruises this year they loved (though they did grumble about pricing). They said Celebrity is both LBGTQ+ and family friendly (they are a gay couple and went with their kids and grandkids). I just snagged a deal on an AquaSpa Suite for a last-minute girls long weekend (about a third off of the regular price) so steals can be found (maybe even for Christmas)
• Disney: ung-dly expensive, and kiddo not currently into Disney, Star Wars or Marvel. Plus, so... many... children. Service was wonderful on on prior cruises, food great, shows outstanding. But kids everywhere (and worse, their pushy demanding parents you can't escape even in the adults-only areas). No deals for Christmas traditionally (prices actually go WAY up)
• Royal Caribbean: Deals can be found!. We booked a Allure Star Class 2 bedroom AquaSuite for a 3 night Bahamas (kiddo's April birthday) for about 200$/day less than what a Haven 2 bedroom villa would have been for an equivalent # of days. Our travel agent actually recommends the smaller / older ships with fewer bells and whistles; that means fewer kids overall so your child may actually be able to really enjoy use the child-specific activities without over-crowding. The older ships are much cheaper as well (vs the 70k+ Icon of the Seas Family Suite 🫣). Yes...there are holiday deals (we recently looked at an early January / late Dec non-holiday cruise for S&Gs)
• Oceania: trying NCL's sister line June 2025 to return to Alaska. The smaller size and much better itinerary (long port stops) really appealed to us. Agent says not a ton of children, but very "child-friendly and accommodating" (not sure what that means, but hey, Alaska). There are threads detailing the holiday spirit on this line, and prices are similar to the Haven / suites (not cheap, but the inclusions are impressive and <900 cruisers vs 5000 on big ships)
• MSC: love the Yacht Club and our kiddo says the food is "way better" than in the Haven (he likes the rotating menus, plus they really cater to the kids). Pricing almost always better than NCL, and tons of holiday deals to be had. We have spoken to cruisers staying outside the YC though and they nearly universally state that embarkation / debarkation are chaotic, lines are long, and the kids club activities are "crowded" and super weird". It could be a matter of taste though. We had a recent bad experience with customer service so not returning to MSC for a while (a shame, and the prices are so, so good for families). 

We love our NCL Sapphire perks but looks like we will be Loyal to Royal, Treated Like A Celebrity, and Joining the Fun Squad in the near future. I wish you good luck and hope you had as interesting of a time reading this thread as I did...good seeing familiar names after lurking on Carnival and Royal boards for the past few months. 

 

Warmest Amy

[cruiseny4life]

@amygutman - what a great, yet depressing post. I appreciate you spending so much time putting together all that information. We have two CruiseNext's, but I'm not seeing any reason to go on a cruise with NCL right now. They are obviously making changes and as always, their notification to passengers is abysmal. 

 

I especially enjoy reading your thoughts as your family cruises much like we do. Granted, we don't have a kid to take into account, but reading many of your posts, I've found a lot of similarities in what you and my husband and I look for. I'm saddened, because we have really loved the Haven product. I'm hoping to convince him that our next cruise should be on one of the lines you mentioned above as I've heard from you (and others) how great Yacht Club is. 

But, the cruise vacation is on hiatus until 2025, most likely as we have a trip along the east coast/midwest to show his mom what the USA looks like. It includes Disney, so you know the trip is well into the five figures (ugh)! 

[reeinaz]

I will be taking my 3rd MSC cruise out of Brooklyn on the Meraviglia in October. That's the cruiseline I would recommend to someone who likes NCL but wanted something different. I was on their first sailing out of Brookyn and yes it was chaotic. The second time was infinitely better, and I had the same arrival time. The same could be said for disembarkation. I thought the bar service was good. The bartenders at the Edge bar would get my caramel cappuccino with a shot of Bailey's ready as soon as they saw me in the mornings. They have espresso machines at most bars. I'm not even a coffee drinker but I loved my espresso with a piece of dark chocolate. I didn't have any issues with the food in the MDR. I ate most of my meals there, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The food service was spotty though. Like if I wanted a juice that wasn't on the tray they walked around with, I might have to ask 3 or 4 servers about it before I finally got it. It sometimes took a while for one of my friends to get either cream or milk for her coffee. I can't remember which, but it wasn't the one they serve with the coffee. The only specialty restaurants that I ate at were the Mexican place and the Sushi place, which were both excellent and cheap in my opinion. I ate at both several times each on my 12 day cruise. the buffet pizza is as good as everyone says it is.

[Broccan]

My wife and I have been on Norwegian (Cuba 1 years ago, Iceland, Hawaii is this year) MSC (Western Med) Princess (Alaska, Western Carib). The only one I would not go back to is the MSC. The service was not great and the food did not even get to mediocre. The excursions did not seem that great either with most of the guides seeming to have a chip on their shoulders.

[dexddd]

14 hours ago, Broccan said:

My wife and I have been on Norwegian (Cuba 1 years ago, Iceland, Hawaii is this year) MSC (Western Med) Princess (Alaska, Western Carib). The only one I would not go back to is the MSC. The service was not great and the food did not even get to mediocre. The excursions did not seem that great either with most of the guides seeming to have a chip on their shoulders.

Welcome to CC.

 

We've done eight MSC and numerous NCL.  While I'd say the first seven were great, last was not so good as far as food on MSC other than pizza and burgers.  Hola's was extra charge at a cheap $17 pp but worth it.

 

NCL had a brief stint to Cuba but it was more like six years ago.

[Broccan]

It was in 2019 for the Cuba Trip. I forgot the Iceland trip was after that. As we were pulling out we met another cruise ship turning around in the harbor because Trump had just secured all travel to Cuba so we were the last cruise ship in for a while.

 

[Travelling2Some]

We recently returned from our brief yet torrid affair (it was hot in the Caribbean!) with Carnival Mardi Gras.  We had sailed Carnival twice before - once many years ago and again out of Charleston just before the pandemic.  I've always had a good time on any line but the 3 carnival cruises have been my least favorite.  Carnival is just not a good fit for us and we would be very unlikely stray again even though the ship is beautiful and there was much to like (and dislike). 

 

Our next dalliance (in May) will be with Celebrity, whom we have sailed with previously and loved.  We are booked on the Viva in June (Rome to Lisbon) and I predict we will be among those who really like it.  We mostly sailed NCL and Royal while our kids were growing up.  My husband is very keen on the Icon of the Seas but his enthusiasm may wane by the time prices become reasonable, (or Hell freezes over, lol).  I think going forward it's going to be Celebrity with NCL being our "bit on the side".

[amygutman]

On 2/26/2024 at 10:51 AM, cruiseny4life said:

@amygutman - what a great, yet depressing post. I appreciate you spending so much time putting together all that information. We have two CruiseNext's, but I'm not seeing any reason to go on a cruise with NCL right now. They are obviously making changes and as always, their notification to passengers is abysmal. 

 

I especially enjoy reading your thoughts as your family cruises much like we do. Granted, we don't have a kid to take into account, but reading many of your posts, I've found a lot of similarities in what you and my husband and I look for. I'm saddened, because we have really loved the Haven product. I'm hoping to convince him that our next cruise should be on one of the lines you mentioned above as I've heard from you (and others) how great Yacht Club is. 

But, the cruise vacation is on hiatus until 2025, most likely as we have a trip along the east coast/midwest to show his mom what the USA looks like. It includes Disney, so you know the trip is well into the five figures (ugh)! 

@cruiseny4life I highly suggest Universal Studios > Disney. Way, way more affordable choices, and even the Fast Pass options are cheaper. Hotels - definitely cheaper (we love Cabana Bay...super Kitchy and right next to Volcano Bay). Plus...oh man, do we love the Harry Potter train. 

 

If you had told me 1 year ago that I would be considering Carnival > NCL I would have though you crazy. But I have to tell you, I cannot justify spending $$ on the ugly and ill-designed Prima-class ships. I will not give up hope for my Haven experiences though. It is an amazing product and such a divine treat. Gritting my teeth as I love MSC, but possibly the worst customer service of them all. 

So - with new Princess experiences coming to Ft Lauderdale that may be a viable option until my desire to cruise in Haven & the Yacht Club overwhelms my frustrations with NCL and MSC.

Warmest Amy