Why NCL?

[QTMichele]

Hello all! I recently took my first ever cruise and LOVED it! Everyone said I'd become an addict and they were RIGHT! :D

 

We loved RC and would happily cruise one of their Voyager class or Freedom class ships; however, we would consider trying another cruise line.

 

SO... I asked a similar question on the RCCL boards, but I want the NCL fans' opinions. :D Why should we try NCL? And if we try, which ship(s) should we consider? ***We are in our early/mid 30's and have a 7 year old and 3 year old.***

 

THANKS a bunch!

[Pamster]

I don't have anything to compare it to, having only sailed NCL, but I chose it for our second cruise because I'm all about the Freestyle. I like the option of lots of different restaurants, not having to do the dress up thing every night - but that's us.

[QTMichele]

Can you tell me more about the freestyle and dress code options? We like to RELAX on vacation and don't need to get all glitzed and glammed - don't mind it for a night, but I'm more of a cute pair of capris & top kind of vacationer. :)

[Tahoestarr]

Pretty much, it's the same a RCCL....one formal night (optional), and no jeans or shorts on regular nights. The thing I really love about freestyle, is freestyle disembarkation. You can stay in your stateroom until you depart the ship. No need to drag your carry on bags to breakfast, or try to find someplace to sit with all of your stuff.....it's very convenient! We had a late flight, so there was no need to rush off the ship, we stayed until the very end, and enjoyed our stateroom. That's the best!

[QTMichele]

Tahoestarr, sounds like a great perk! How early can you board and how late can you stay? THANKS!

[pamera]

Can you tell me more about the freestyle and dress code options? We like to RELAX on vacation and don't need to get all glitzed and glammed - don't mind it for a night, but I'm more of a cute pair of capris & top kind of vacationer. :)

 

 

I, too have only sailed on NCL and love it so much, I really haven't considered trying another company. For us, it's all about Freestyle Cruising. I can wear shorts and a t-shirt and dine in the Garden Cafe. If I choose to wear jeans or a nice dress - doesn't matter - I can still eat in the other restaurants. It's the freedom to wear what I want, when I want. Also, with no fixed seating times, I don't feel like my vacation is running on a schedule. (My life is stress enough by a schedule when I'm not on vacation.)

 

As far as ships go - I just came back from the Pearl and I LOVED it! She is fantastic and soooo new! I have heard many people say that the NCL ships aren't as opulent as other cruise lines. If that is important to you, then you might be disappointed. (It's not to me and I have never been disappointed by NCL.) But NCL clearly makes up for that in service and relaxation. I've cruised 4 times and have had very little to "complain" about. I've also sailed the Sun, Star and Dawn and enjoyed those ships, too.

 

Hope this helps.

[Tomct]

Can you tell me more about the freestyle and dress code options? We like to RELAX on vacation and don't need to get all glitzed and glammed - don't mind it for a night, but I'm more of a cute pair of capris & top kind of vacationer. :)

 

Here's a couple of quick references:

 

1. NCL.com page about FreeStyle:

 

http://www.ncl.com/nclweb/cruiser/staticPages.html?pageId=freestyle_family_fun

 

 

 

2. A recent thread that talked about NCL, FreeStyle, etc. for first time NCL cruisers.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=479880

[Tahoestarr]

Tahoestarr, sounds like a great perk! How early can you board and how late can you stay? THANKS!

 

We boarded at about 1:00 pm and didn't have more than a 15 min wait...walked right onto the ship. I'm not sure what time they began boarding. But we didn't disembark until 10 am. Even if they call your color, you don't have to leave....you just can't leave before they call your color unless you are carrying off your own luggage.

[electricron]

Hello all! I recently took my first ever cruise and LOVED it! Everyone said I'd become an addict and they were RIGHT! :D

We loved RC and would happily cruise one of their Voyager class or Freedom class ships; however, we would consider trying another cruise line.

SO... I asked a similar question on the RCCL boards, but I want the NCL fans' opinions. :D Why should we try NCL? And if we try, which ship(s) should we consider? ***We are in our early/mid 30's and have a 7 year old and 3 year old.***

THANKS a bunch!

 

Variety adds spice to life, so cruising on another cruise line is a good thing to do to avoid boredom. Just don't expect everything to be the same, and don't tell avid NCL cruisers how they do things differently on RC. No one really wants to hear about your last cruise while they are attempting to enjoy the one they are on. That works both ways.

Have a great cruise.

[QTMichele]

Thanks so much for all the responses and links! :) I've been seeing so many NCL commercials lately, but it's nice to hear from the FANS! As I've heard from so many people on CC - a bad day on a cruise is still better than a good day at work... ;)

[newmexicoNita]

Why NCL? what a question and I have the answer; at least in my opinion. Two things come to mind; 1-absolutely great kids program: 2-freestyle. For some traditional dining is a wonderful experience but think about what fun your kids will have sampling food in all different restaurants. No, you do not have to pay extra for all of them, just a few. The Blue Lagoon should be a big favorite for the kids, with great hamburgers among other options. blue Lagoon serves breakfast as well, thus you don't need to fight the crowds at the buffet or venture into the main dining room if you do not want to. Being able to eat at the time that suits you far outweighs traditional dining. 6pm can be early and 8:15 a little late. With fressstyle you can choose to eat as early as 5:30 or wait til 9:30 if you like, or eat early and skip dessert until later. You can then wander back into the dining room just for that little extra sweet you didn't have after dinner.

If dressing for formal nights is your thing, you will have a couple chances, but if you prefer to stay casual every night, no one will care and you will fit in, either way.

 

Normally NCL ships are pretty port intensive thus offering you the opportunity to explore more ports than some lines.

 

As for the cabins, food quality and service, RCI and NCL are quite similar. NOw, I hope you decide to give NCL a shot, only you can decide which fits your needs after you have experienced both. NMNita

[QTMichele]

newmexicoNita, THANKS so much for your response! Now I'm hungry and want to eat on a ship! ;) There have been a lot of positive comments on the freestyle, but I'm wondering - do you eat with just your party or do you eat with others at your table?

[Tahoestarr]

It's freestyle, you can do it either way ;) And what's cool, if you meet new friends on board, you can arrange to share a meal with them as well. It's the best!

[alwayssingin]

newmexicoNita, THANKS so much for your response! Now I'm hungry and want to eat on a ship! ;) There have been a lot of positive comments on the freestyle, but I'm wondering - do you eat with just your party or do you eat with others at your table?

 

That's completely up to you! I think the only times we ate "alone" were lunch upon boarding (but then we chatted quite a bit with the people at the next table), and breakfast the last morning (they didn't ask - just put us at a table for two). You will always be asked if you want to dine alone with your party or, my favorite line, "Some other nice people?" :p

[QTMichele]

Sounds very accomodating! :)

[newmexicoNita]

newmexicoNita, THANKS so much for your response! Now I'm hungry and want to eat on a ship! ;) There have been a lot of positive comments on the freestyle, but I'm wondering - do you eat with just your party or do you eat with others at your table?

you can do it either way. We usually like to eat with one other couple. If it is a family of 4 you may choose to eat with just the family. Either way works for some, but not others. NMnita

[Cameron Lake]

Hello all! I recently took my first ever cruise and LOVED it! Everyone said I'd become an addict and they were RIGHT! :D

 

We loved RC and would happily cruise one of their Voyager class or Freedom class ships; however, we would consider trying another cruise line.

 

SO... I asked a similar question on the RCCL boards, but I want the NCL fans' opinions. :D Why should we try NCL? And if we try, which ship(s) should we consider? ***We are in our early/mid 30's and have a 7 year old and 3 year old.***

 

THANKS a bunch!

Hi: We travelled on the NCL Sun in Jan. 05, The NCL Jewel in Feb. 06, & 2 back to back cruises on the NCL Pearl in Feb. 07. We loved them all. The Pearl has a rock climing wall, a bowling alley and a water slide. The Jewel has a water slide also. They are al nice ships. I think the cabins are alittle bigger on the Sun thou. We like the freestyle dining. We had inside rooms on the Sun. & Jewel & a balcony on the Pearl. We liked them all but will probable stick to the balconies now. (we're spoiled I guess!!!)

[QTMichele]

Hi: We travelled on the NCL Sun in Jan. 05, The NCL Jewel in Feb. 06, & 2 back to back cruises on the NCL Pearl in Feb. 07. We loved them all. The Pearl has a rock climing wall, a bowling alley and a water slide. The Jewel has a water slide also. They are al nice ships. I think the cabins are alittle bigger on the Sun thou. We like the freestyle dining. We had inside rooms on the Sun. & Jewel & a balcony on the Pearl. We liked them all but will probable stick to the balconies now. (we're spoiled I guess!!!)

 

So glad you enjoyed your cruises! :) AND your balcony! We had a balcony and loved it - wouldn't do it any other way in the future. Thank you for your response!

[ce2000]

You should give NCL a try. It is different than RCCL. Until you try freestyle you will never know if freestyle is for you, it is rather painless to find out. I think with the ages of your children, it may work out very well for you.

[LadyStahr]

We're returning to NCL for our third cruise. The first was on the (sadly, now defunct) SS Norway - and it was NOT freestyle, but we loved it nonetheless. The staff were absolutely fabulous, and our room steward was great. That was in July 2002...I even won a door prize at Bingo (but couldn't drink it - champagne doesn't go well with pregnancy :( ).

 

We moved on to Carnival in July 2005. I have to say, the cruise was fine...until we got ready to leave our last port, Cozumel. If everyone remembers, 2005...was THE year of hurricanes, and Dennis was going up the Gulf of Mexico as we prepared to depart Cozumel. We were supposed to stay in Cozumel an extra day...but someone decided to take us out of port just two hours later than we were originally scheduled. Long story short - lots of seasick folks, and 20 foot seas all the way back to Tampa....I vowed NEVER AGAIN.

 

So..."here comes the Sun"....in July of this year, to Alaska...and we are so looking forward to experiencing Freestyle! Cruising different lines is how you learn about what your preferences are, and I would definitely recommend NCL based on past cruising experiences. :)

 

Lisa

[Kuffam]

We really enjoyed freestyle- that's why DW & I are going back for our Anniversery. Also NCL America is the only cruise line that does an All Hawaiian port cruise. Yes sometimes the service isn't 5 star, but we've had problems with Disney too, but it's luck of the draw.