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

[Nola26]

11 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

I like NCL best for food choices and entertainment.  I like Princess best for having self service laundry on board--I used to really like Celebrity for their food choices, but they closed my favorite venues  and I don't like their entertainment of late----I like RC for their soda machines convenience----- I don't like NCL if you really are booking for specific ports and itinerary- Princess has been the most reliable with overall enough time at each port.  But their food is inconsistent from ship to ship and sailing to sailing.

I will be on a really bad itinerary for a future Alaska cruise, because for that cruise I just wanted to try out NCL Bliss.  It is only a week, so I can manage without self service laundry, I just want great food, great shows, and the Haven experience (although we booked the cheapest Haven cabin we could find.

It was only a short flight for us, so NCL was the way to go for that.     We found the best itinerary for a New England/Canada cruise for us on a Princess ship-- where the food is not going to be very good, according to reviews.  But the itinerary is most important for us for that cruise and no way was I going to leave it in the hands of NCL.  The itinerary will be pretty secure, I can pack reasonably light since every few days I can run a quick wash and dry on board. Don't care about entertainment on that ship.

Will eat off the ship as much as possible to make it work.

 

You are on vacation, stop doing your own laundry. NCL runs a laundry special. Fill the bag and watch what happens! If you're Gold you get half off, yes even off the special price. Once you reach Platinum level you get a complimentary bag of laundry. If you're spending for the Haven you can give yourself a laundry splurge too. We are taking a 12 night cruise later this year. I imagine we'll use our complimentary and 1/2 priced bag perks. Packing a suitcase of primarily clean clothes is easy and really easy to put away once home.

[DCGuy64]

I love the laundry service on NCL, that's one of the nicest perks about sailing in a Club Balcony suite. One thing I *don't* like about it is that you have no control over how it gets washed. When we were on Oceania last year, they had a self-service launderette, which was complimentary. I was able to sort delicate items from other ones, so the things that needed to be done in cold and tumbled dry low, were done that way as opposed to everything lumped in together. Having said that, I can't remember anything on NCL coming back discolored or shrunken, but it was still nice having a bit more control over the water and drying temperatures.

[SimplyAlbert]

While we mostly cruise on NCL, we have cruised Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity, Princess and HAL.  In fact, we took a cruise on RCCL recently and have one on Carnival coming up this year (along with one on NCL). 

 

For me, Carnival and RCCL are pretty much the same as far as food, service, and entertainment go.  RCCL has a more "upscale" feel to their ships, while Carnival has a more "Las Vegasy" vibe.

 

HAL's food and service were really good, but I found the overall vibe was geared toward "older" customers.  When we cruise with them I was in my 50's and DH in his 60's and we were some of the youngest people on the ship.  I also didn't find the entertainment options as good.

 

Celebrity and Princess have both been hit or miss for us.  We've had great food and service, with some really good entertainment, and they we've had pretty bad food, service and entertainment.   There just hasn't seemed to be a good middle ground with them.  It's either great or poor.

 

As far as NCL goes, both DH and I think their food is overall better than the other lines.  We also like that the drink package and wifi minutes are included, as well as specialty dining.  When pricing out other cruise lines and adding those things in, it makes NCL come out as the best value, especially if we're traveling with our adult children, which usually happens.

 

 

[spanishguy1970]

We haven't been on another cruise line, mostly because NCL continues to offer the itineraries we like and because we enjoy the freestyle but if we did go to another it would be Celebrity. We had a friend ( she is no longer with us) who swore by celebrity cruises.

[spanishguy1970]

1 hour ago, DCGuy64 said:

I love the laundry service on NCL, that's one of the nicest perks about sailing in a Club Balcony suite. One thing I *don't* like about it is that you have no control over how it gets washed. When we were on Oceania last year, they had a self-service launderette, which was complimentary. I was able to sort delicate items from other ones, so the things that needed to be done in cold and tumbled dry low, were done that way as opposed to everything lumped in together. Having said that, I can't remember anything on NCL coming back discolored or shrunken, but it was still nice having a bit more control over the water and drying temperatures.

We have gotten items back from NCL that have come back tore, with holes or discolored, and these were new underwear, shirts etc but hey free laundry wash is great 🙂

[PATRLR]

We've been on HAL, CCL, RCCL, DIS, NCL and a line that's now gone.  Lately, NCL had been our primary, but, they've fallen off so much since the restart we are openly cheating.  Went back to RCCL last summer (MDR/buffet food was worse, SD was way better, entertainment much better) and will do them again.  We've got Sky Princess booked for Norwegian fjords this summer.  I would like to get on Celebrity but their price point makes it difficult to justify the jump.   

[DCGuy64]

1 hour ago, spanishguy1970 said:

We have gotten items back from NCL that have come back tore, with holes or discolored, and these were new underwear, shirts etc but hey free laundry wash is great 🙂

Oh wow, that's never happened to us. I'm sorry that happened to you. 😢

[schmoopie17]

22 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

 

Did a whole cruise back in 2020 without pants.

Well, if no shirt and no shoes doesn't get you service, what does no pants get you? 

Arrested. 🤪

[Jetswdo]

This is in response to Nola regarding "stop doing your own laundry on vacation."  This has nothing to do with money--- I have very sensitive skin and only use hyper allergenic detergent.  My clothes are cotton,  and just put in dryer for a short time, so as not to shrink.  So no, I don't care whether or not NCL would wash my clothes for free.  If the cruise I am taking is no more than maybe 8 nights, I just wash my clothes when I am home.  But for longer cruises, I just use Princess so I don't pack that much and just do a laundry maybe 2 times per 10 days or so. Not a big deal for me, as I just plan which days to take care of it so as not to interfere with excursions. 

[swmichigan cruiser]

I wouldn't rule out one of the newer ships on HAL. We hadn't been on them for about 20 years but last summer we chose them for a cruise out of Amsterdam to Norway because it worked out well with a 17 night TA from Amsterdam we already had planned. It was not the HAL from years gone by at least to us. The Rotterdam is their newest ship and they have something called the Music Walk that has a BB King Blues Club, Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard on Board all on it. Also was great that the Hotel director  was a former NCL hotel director who we had met before.  I was going to book it again for this  but the airfare at springbreak killed that idea. I really like NCL as we are Diamond but HAL caught our attention with that ship.

[bkrickles1]

2 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Well, if no shirt and no shoes doesn't get you service, what does no pants get you? 

Arrested. 🤪

Lmao 😂! Cutting out the rest of my post makes me look a little sketchy. 

[PATRLR]

12 hours ago, Nola26 said:

You are on vacation, stop doing your own laundry. 

 

2 hours ago, Jetswdo said:

This is in response to Nola regarding "stop doing your own laundry on vacation."  

It's a shame that some people feel the need to tell others how to enjoy their vacations, as if it's any of their business what others choose to do.

I once paid extra to rent a condo in Vegas where the owner intentionally made the washer/dryer available to his tenants (almost all others did not).  I'll be damned if I explain why that was important to us on that vacation.

Edited February 1 by PATRLR

[Sailing12Away]

On 1/31/2024 at 11:52 AM, scottca075 said:

If you've never done a transatlantic with seven days at sea, dressing up is something great to break-up the day and seeing everyone in their finest is nice.

Again - barking up the wrong tree. I would jump overboard if I was at sea for 7 days straight. Not sure I see us ever doing a trans anything and intentionally pick trips that are port intensive. The ship is just transportation and a floating hotel for us. So long as we have a nice bar, and a sunny spot for me and shady spot for hubby, that's all we need until we get to our next port of call.

[mugtech]

    Not married to any cruise line, the idea of it being cheating to sail with anyone but NCL makes no sense to me.  Sapphire, but not a stock holder.  I would be cheating myself to not try other cruise lines, once and done on Princess and Carnival, diamond on Royal and gonna try Celebrity in 2025.

[cruiseny4life]

21 hours ago, PATRLR said:

We've been on HAL, CCL, RCCL, DIS, NCL and a line that's now gone.  Lately, NCL had been our primary, but, they've fallen off so much since the restart we are openly cheating.  Went back to RCCL last summer (MDR/buffet food was worse, SD was way better, entertainment much better) and will do them again.  We've got Sky Princess booked for Norwegian fjords this summer.  I would like to get on Celebrity but their price point makes it difficult to justify the jump.   

Do you have any reviews/lives from your time on RCCL? If you do, I'd love to take a look, but totally understand if you're nope, not my thing, go away! 

[cruiseny4life]

19 hours ago, swmichigan cruiser said:

I wouldn't rule out one of the newer ships on HAL. We hadn't been on them for about 20 years but last summer we chose them for a cruise out of Amsterdam to Norway because it worked out well with a 17 night TA from Amsterdam we already had planned. It was not the HAL from years gone by at least to us. The Rotterdam is their newest ship and they have something called the Music Walk that has a BB King Blues Club, Rolling Stone Lounge and Billboard on Board all on it. Also was great that the Hotel director  was a former NCL hotel director who we had met before.  I was going to book it again for this  but the airfare at springbreak killed that idea. I really like NCL as we are Diamond but HAL caught our attention with that ship.

I have an older friend that absolutely loves Holland America. But he gives me the impression it's boring, boring, boring. He wakes up, walks a couple miles on deck (ewww exercise), has breakfast, relaxes on his balcony, has lunch, chills on his balcony or an open deck, has buffet dinner (for some reason he's not a main dining room kind of guy), and then watches a show.

 

For shore excursions, he goes on a beach day or a tour in a van/bus. Never any activity other than possibly 30 or 40 steps at a viewpoint. Nothing active at all.

 

Is this all there is to Holland America or is he just super duper boring? He has certainly not sold me on going on Holland America...at least not until I'm really dusty. 

[PATRLR]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

Do you have any reviews/lives from your time on RCCL? If you do, I'd love to take a look, but totally understand if you're nope, not my thing, go away! 

I don't.  Damn, I really wish I did, I just struggle with finding the time to take notes during and then writing it after. 

[schmoopie17]

2 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

 He has certainly not sold me on going on Holland America...at least not until I'm really dusty. 

Even though I'm dusty, musty, gusty and rusty, I have no desire to go on HAL

Good thing I'm not busty...

[Liljo22]

I would do another Oasis class ship on Royal.  We did a winter cruise on the Oasis OTS and loved the ship. So much to do and I think Central Park is the best area on any cruise ship.  Its so nice to sit and have coffee in the morning there or sit and have a drink and listen to music at night.

 

 

[kirtihk]

On 1/30/2024 at 6:52 PM, smillerholmes said:

I thought it was just me - thinking about 6,000 people on a ship freaks me out!

Think of it just as of a mass.  One will observe up to around 500 at any given time (at the embarkation just don't look around, and it's dark in the theater, anyway).

[yakcruiser]

6 hours ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

 

Is this all there is to Holland America or is he just super duper boring? He has certainly not sold me on going on Holland America.

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.

[Liljo22]

1 hour ago, kirtihk said:

Think of it just as of a mass.  One will observe up to around 500 at any given time (at the embarkation just don't look around, and it's dark in the theater, anyway).

Agreed.  The size of the ship and the number of venues spreads the crowds out well.  I didn't feel it was any more crowded than any other size ship I have been on.  

[MrsTocko]

We are fairly loyal to NCL.  We like the freestyle format (especially DH and no formal nights).  The things that we like and others - the MDR staff getting to know you and your preferences - we have learned that once we find the one we connect with, we just request them.  there is sometimes a little wait, but worth it. So we have found a solution to the differences that is acceptable to us.

If we were to cheat...I am thinking RCCL or Celebrity (intriqued by infinite balcony cabins), virgin (we dont have kids - not little ones anyway, and dont mind kids...we DO find it frustrating to see kids of an age that should know better acting like they are the only ones on the ship - you know the ones that I am referring too.  It doesnt ruin our vacation, because that 30 second intaction, is JUST that - but you still see it happening - and I am not one to parent other peoples kids), holland america (they have interesting preferred itineraries - but I think the age range is still a generation or 2 older than us. We are not night owls, but we also dont to feel like the youngest on the ship).  We have done CCL and PC in the past.  So for now, NCL seems to be the best fit for us and our vacation budget. 
 

Bucket list is a river cruise.  Destinations on bucket list are Egypt, Italy, Greece, Australia, African Safari.   At some point all the stars will align, and we will check one of our list.  I just have to find the right combination of price, form (cruise vs. land), time, and destination. 

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, MrsTocko said:

Celebrity (intriqued by infinite balcony cabins),

 

holland america (they have interesting preferred itineraries - but I think the age range is still a generation or 2 older than us. We are not night owls, but we also dont to feel like the youngest on the ship). 

 

Bucket list is a river cruise. 

 

If you like a hot and humid room, try the infinite balcony.

 

We will be doing Holland in August. We're just 60, but young looking and young at heart. I don't think age matters. Would love to see you there. The Rotterdam looks like an amazing ship.

 

Totally with you on the river cruise. Someday.

 

[MrsTocko]

2 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

If you like a hot and humid room, try the infinite balcony.

 

We will be doing Holland in August. We're just 60, but young looking and young at heart. I don't think age matters. Would love to see you there. The Rotterdam looks like an amazing ship.

 

Totally with you on the river cruise. Someday.

 

We will be 54(DH) and 52(myself) this year.  Very young at heart.  Holland America routinely goes out of San Diego (Home port), and we love Alaska...I have a friend (that told me about CC to begin with) that is a Loyal Holland America passenger.  Not to say they wouldnt go another line, but they love Holland America