If You Switched Cruiselines To Ncl Then Why?

[watchdiva]

Longtime NCL cruiser who switched to HAL for a few years and have now returned "home".

 

We LOVE freestyle, butler service, and the deciding factor for us was the Pearl being homeported (for now) in Miami. We only live 30 minutes from the Port and once I saw the 9 day itinerary, we booked!

 

For us, freestyle is the BEST - I like being able to eat when/where I choose and at whatever time suits us best.

[KKeeganS]

I guess our deciding factor was price/itinerary. Our first cruise with NCL was the Boston/Bermuda run which we really enjoyed. I can get psyched up both for traditional dining and the casual, freestyle dining so it's not a deciding factor. On our upcoming cruise on the Sun, it was a combination of departing from New Orleans and going to Costa Maya and Belize. The ship looks great, too! NCL might not be the first line we look at, but we will always consider them (especially for Hawaii).

[wannagoagain]

Our 1st cruise was Celeb Constellation 12/05. Our 2nd on Norwegian Dawn 12/06. We loved Celeb so much that we booked Century 3/05 for 1/07. When we realized we picked the wrong itinerary (Century alternates 2), we asked to change it (way back in the summer) to the cruise before or after (same price). Sure, for $300 more per person! I complained to TA, who couldn't believe it, and then to Celeb directly. Their response didn't even attempt to answer my question. So, I cancelled. Celeb lost an exclusive customer. I did a little looking around and found the Dawn. The 10 day cruise out of NY was just about equal to a Century 5-day from Miami when airfare/hotel etc. was factored in. So, we got twice the cruise for the same price. Dawn was very enjoyable, to the point where we put a deposit on a future NCL cruise. Freestyle was very nice on Dawn; the level of service on Constellation was superior. For the time being for future cruises, if we want a specific itinerary, and Celeb and a competitor are going there, we're going with the competition.

[Jabee]

1) New Orleans....I am a five hour drive and if I want to can cruise and not even spend a night in a hotel (but I will)

 

2) Related to #1....7 day cruise...I did not want a four or five day cruise. If I drove to Florida, I would have to cut back to a five day...but being in NOLA means 7 days.

 

3) Price...I got a fantastic price on this cruise. I originally booked Fantasy five day from NOLA...but for about $50 bucks more I moved up to SEVEN days.

 

I love Carnival, and already have two more cruises booked with them (Mobile) and Freedom from Miami in Dec.

But, I look forward to trying out NCL...even if I am not excited about Freestyling.

[Barb Nahoumi]

I like freestyle. Being told when to eat or what to wear, is not my idea of vacation.

 

Resort casual is good enough.

[CruisingClarks]

Our first cruise was on the Spirit out of Miami, and we absolutely fell in love w/ cruising. We then tried a 4 day Disney cruise. It was very nice, but we paid about the same for the 4 day on Disney as we paid for a 9 day on the Spirit in a very comparable balcony stateroom. We also found that we preferred the flexibility of freestyle as opposed to scheduled dining times. So, we did the Majesty this past Nov, and it was a terrific family trip, even with mechanical troubles and other issues. We're now set for the Jewel in Europe this summer, and we can't wait! Excited to try one of NCL's big ships. NCL offers the flexibility and activities that fit us (me, hubby and 12 yo son) just perfectly! Would certainly try other lines in the future, especially if they offered freestyle.:)

[cbcloud]

Very Simple: NCL is the only cruiseline that offers 7 day Hawaiian itineraries.

 

to be honest, if RCL or Princess offered a similar cruise, we might have decided to go with them before NCL. But since we booked the PofAM, and started researching the cruiseline, we're thinking of doing the Norwegian Pearl in the fall or winter. We just might be Freestyle kind of people :D

My reasons precisely! All my previous cruises were on RCL ships, all very satisfactory, and I'd sail with them again if they offered the Hawaiian itinerary. But the freestyle intrigues me, and the price from NCL was not to be passed up.

[Cosmopolitan]

Never cruised another line...only NCL.

 

Finally tried cruising in 2004 due to:

 

Out of NYC (no flying after 9/11)

NO "set" dinner times with "set" tablemates

No formal dress every evening...too much to pack!

 

5 NCL cruises later..I couldn't be more pleased!

 

If it ain't broken..I'm not about to fix it.

 

I love NCL:)

[alpal1993]

The last 6 cruises were on another line.We are lattitudes members,but joined before freestyle came into play.

The reason for choosing NCL this time

1. Itinerary, and time of year

2.Freestyle

[Dortmunder]

Booked my first cruise with NCL by "accident". Initial plan was to do a b2b2b on the Diamond Princess from LA to Whittier. Couldn't book the last leg because it would have violated the Jones Act. Now the last leg will be on the Norwegian Sun and I'm looking forward to it. It's always exciting to try something "new".