Pearl Vs Millennium

[MattOsprey]

Hi all you NCLers,

 

I am looking at doing 14 nights on Pearl in October. I am a little concerned, as I don't know what to expect. We have sailed HAL, X, Princess & P&O.

 

Can anyone who has done different cruise lines please let me know how they compare.

 

Thanks.

 

Matt

[sneakerstud]

If you go on the New Build NCL ships it is defenitely 1 - 2 steps above, the cruise lines you have sailed with. especially, if you are staying in a Penthouse (AE and up)!

[rundogrun]

Boy, what a choice to have to make.

 

We bounce back and forth between NCL and X. We love the Millie and have sailed her twice, both in Europe and the Caribbean.

 

Haven't been on the Pearl, but have been on the Dawn a couple of times which is close.

 

Two very different, yet great cruise experiences. It really boils down to Freestyle vs. traditional. X gets the edge in terms of overall service and food. NCL gets the edge for cabins and flexibility.

 

We're sailing the Spirit this summer, then the Jewel in the Baltics next summer. After that we'll be itching for the different experience Celebrity offers, so we'll probably sail them in 2009.

 

Again, it's all about preferences. If you know what you're looking for, it's an easy choice. If you don't know, well, you can't go wrong with either.

[MattOsprey]

I should have said, we will probably be in a cabin with the brooms. We like to holiday a lot and can only do this by cheaper cabins.

 

Thanks.

Matt

[hotspur]

X gets the edge in terms of overall service and food. NCL gets the edge for cabins and flexibility.

Our experience is that the two lines are comparable when it comes to service and food. X wins for pretentiousness, rigidity of dining options, and stuffy passengers.

[rundogrun]

Wow, hotspur, sorry you had a bad Celebrity experience. On four X cruises, we never found any passenger stuffiness compared to NCL, Disney or RCCL.

 

The Millie does offer traditional dining, which we and many other passenger's enjoy. The alternative dining Olympic Restaurant was outstanding as well. Several in our party chose to eat in the cafe on some nights. Complimentary Sushi was available every evening and we made at least one or two meals out of that.

 

Matt, broom closet accomodations will be about the same on either ship, so it really does come down to the question of what you are looking for when it comes to dining and what to wear at night. NCL is a non-traditional cruise. Freestyle is easy to get used to. You'll have a great time.

[hotspur]

Wow, hotspur, sorry you had a bad Celebrity experience.

No, we had a good Celebrity experience. But the evening dining choices were limited (assigned time, place, and tablemates in the main dining room; reservation-required casual dining in the undersized cafe; or room service), the dress code was pretentious, and many passengers were stuffy. We have had the same quality of "experience" on five NCL cruises, with none of these drawbacks.