How does NCL compare with HAL?

[Cruise Organizer]

I enjoy the elegance and the food offer by HAL. The service is definately better. But, the entertainment is more lively on HAL, the pool area has better music, the pax are younger, the lines are longer.

I also enjoy Carnival and RCL.

Each cruise offers a difference experience. Depending who I go with, I will book on different lines. I will also go based on itinerary, time of year and price.

Each line focuses on different things

Depending on what you are looking for, should guide you to the cruise you should take.

Enjoy the cruise - it sure beats working.

[Opinions]

I enjoy the elegance and the food offer by HAL. The service is definately better. But, the entertainment is more lively on HAL, the pool area has better music, the pax are younger, the lines are longer.

I

 

Perhaps I misunderstand but did you mean NCL for entertainment music, etc.?

[mamaofami]

I just returned from dinner with friends who have sailed HAl many times, but recently took a cruise on NCL because it left out of New York. They said the food was awful. The first night they had anytime dining, made a reservation for 6pm, got a table for two and then the next night decided that was too early to eat. They made a reservation for 7 and were given a beeper and had to wait a long time to get a table for two. They ate at two specailty restaurants and said the food was awful and they finally wound up having dinner in the buffet restaurant. NCL was charging $55pp for a tour of the ship which included lunch. The soap in the bathroom was from a liquid dispenser as was the shampoo. When stopping in port, they bought a cake of soap. The crowd was young and although it was cold when they left from NY, people were in the pool, in the hot tub and drinking before departure. All in all, they were very unhappy with the NCL experience and most unhappy with the no trays in the buffet. They couldn't believe HAL was doing the same thing.

[welove2cruise232]

Don't believe everything that is posted on this board. Yes, NCL and HAL are different experiences, but, both are totally enjoyable for different reasons. I've taken three cruises on the Noordam and three on the Dawn. One line is no better than the other, just different. Go with an open mind and enjoy.

 

I agree -- yes, we've only done two cruises on HAL (Noordam) and they were verynice, but not better than NCL. NCL has much better entertainment and activities than HAL; we thought food and service were the same on both lines. Cabins are smaller on NCL -- a VA on the Noordam is equivalent to an AF on the newer NCL ships. Price, surprisingly, was LOWER on HAL than NCL.

 

We've just sailed NCL one time...........on the Dream. It was NOT at all, nowhere near the HAL experience. The food left a lot to be desired (except for dinner in the Italian Restaurant)..........the buffet was SO bad.

The public restrooms were consistently dirty and a mess.

There was NO enforcement of clothing in the dining rooms. On formal night the people right next to use were in workout t-shirts and shorts and flip flops (on their way back from the gym, perspiration soaked) and the man left his baseball hat on the entire time he ate.

Men wore baseball hats in all of the dining room / dining areas..........and these were NOT young men.

Being used to the great art on HAL, I was shocked with what was on display on the Dream; most of it looked like things my Kdgn. students painted / drew.

We left port on Sept. 1; had purchased our tickets in July........with Sitka listed as a port. Sitka was not a port and another one was deleted as well. Things DO happen, but we later learned that NCL had cancelled Sitka as a port stop on JUNE 3 for the entire season.......yet they kept "marketing" it as a stop.

The cabins were smaller and the bathrooms and showers were MUCH smaller and, as you know, nothing compares with HAL's beds........we need to try NCL again with a different ship, I guess...........but hesitate to take the chance.:cool:

 

The Dream is not representative of the fleet on NCL -- one of the oldest ships in the fleet. The newer freestyle-built ships are head and shoulders above this little ship -- which by the way is out of service. However, I will say we sailed on the Dream twice -- to Bermuda -- and had a great time, thought the food was very good, service excellent, and the ship was very clean and well maintained. The newer NCL ships have beautiful upgraded bedding (part of Freestyle 2.0).

 

I just returned from dinner with friends who have sailed HAl many times, but recently took a cruise on NCL because it left out of New York. The soap in the bathroom was from a liquid dispenser as was the shampoo. .

 

The soap and shampoo in the dispensers in the cabins is Elemis. And if you want a bar of soap, all you have to do is ask your cabin steward, and he will bring you a bar of Elemis soap...

 

So I would say if you have found the perfect itinerary, date and price point, go with that!

[SuperTrooper00]

I am certain there are many people unhappy on all cruiselines, including HAL. We never found the food awful. Was it as good as HAL's? Overall, no. Some things were...some things were not. We loved a couple of the Specialty restaurants as good if not better than Pinnacle.

However, we found NCL to be a great "medium" between Carnival and HAL. We are not party animals, and we do not enjoy wild ships...so Carnival has never appealed to us. We have never, on multiple cruises, found NCL to be a "party atmosphere". It is not as subdued as HAL's, but it is certainly not SPring Break either.

One final thing, I forgot to mention service in my earlier post, and as others have said this is an area where HAL also shines. NCL was good, but not up to HAL's standards. I would still go on another NCL cruise in a heartbeat.

[Fighting34th]

Other than entertainment,it is HA hands down, no contest or whatever cliche you would like to use.

 

To put it another way - HA 4 stars and NCL 2 stars ( at best).

 

I'm sorry to disagree (in part). HA is more upscale, but NCL is certainly not 1/2 the experience.

 

You are correct about the entertainment :)

 

They are different experiences, but both are wonderful

[Fighting34th]

and it makes Carnival look upscale.

 

I completely disagree. To me, Carnival is the Queen of Mass market sailing. But, different strokes for different folks.

[Rabbitlady]

It probably also depends on the NCL ship. My aunt and uncle loved the NCL Pearl but thought that the NCL Majesty was nowhere near as great.

 

RL

[fann1sh]

I find this a very interesting thread. I've not cruised NCL for a number of reasons. One is style preferences. More important is personal abhorrence of both NCL's marketing, and their late attempt to modify the PVSA to gain a monopoly on the Hawaii market (with no regard to consequences in Alaska).

 

This thread isn't going to prompt me to book NCL tomorrow, but it's interesting that some people who like HAL have also enjoyed NCL.

[Opinions]

Our last 3 cruises have been NCL Dawn and Jewel and HAL's Zuiderdam...We enjoyed both...The service on NCl was equal to that of HAL...The entertainment was better on NCL...The food was better on HAL but we never had a problem with NCL's meals...Of course these are just my opinions and I realize there are some who would not consider NCL at all...It is also much more informal than HAL.

 

As a background I have cruised for over 40 years always on what I consider as mass market lines...Almost always in a inside cabin...From reading these boards it seems I may be less critical than others...I do try to be fair to the lines I have sailed on.

[Cruzman]

NCL and HAL are both cruise lines offering a cruise experience to those that book their ships. That is where the similarity ends! HAL is all about class, NCL is classless. NCL is a Motel 6, whereas HAL is the Marriott. Having sailed once on NCL, I would never sail them again! If you want a Motel 6 experience, I say go for it!

[fridayeyes]

I have sailed on HAL, Carnival, NCL and Celebrity. My preference is for HAL, but my NCL voyage was a fine, enjoyable trip. I agree with the posters who have said that HAL has better food, nicer appointments and a more luxurious feel than NCL, but I also agree with the posters who have said that this doesn't make NCL bad, just different. I've never been much into the entertainment options so I can't make a call there.

[mrsbooger]

I'm a 44 year old female with 2 teenaged boys and a DH. I started cruising at the age of 16 with my mom and dad. My first cruise was on the Carnival Mardi Gras. It was awesome to me at the time. Looking back we laugh now. The ship was a bucket of bolts, the cabin was BEYOND small, and you had to sit on the toliet to take a shower! None the less, I had a great time. Throughout the years I have traveled with my DH alone, with friends, and with my family on various cruise lines. I have cruised on Carnival, RCCL, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

I just returned from Spring Break with my family on the Eurodam. There's no such thing as a bad cruise but this one was probably one of our least favorite. I will try to touch base on the major factors point by point. Keep in mind it's all subjective and personal preference.

THE SHIP ITSELF: The Eurodam is a nice ship but a bit on the boring side when it comes to decor. There were some areas that were really well done and others that were just blah. The hallways to the cabins were like extremely blah and uninspiring. I prefer the look of the newer NCL ships. We have cruised on the Sun, Dawn, Jewel and Pearl. The later three were our favorites of NCL so far. They have bright colors and one of the most helpful things to me was the carpet in the cabin hallways. I never know which way is the front of the ship. All you have to do is follow the direction the fish are swimming on the carpet. They swim to the front of the ship. Stupid but really helped this location challenged chic!

CABINS: Hands down the winner is NCL. We booked a suite on HAL, the SA I believe. Nice cabin but not very luxurious and kind of a little on the boring side. The bathroom was nothing compared to the ones we have had on NCL. We stayed in the Garden Villas twice. These rooms ROCK! Not only do you get two bathrooms, separate bedroom for the kids, a bathroom straight out of a spa, you also get the privacy of the private pool, sun deck, and hot tub. I always felt so pampered in this suite. I had a butler and a concierge. We really are not high maintenance so never really used the butler, but the concierges are some of the best at sea. They checked in and made sure we had everything we needed. Alex on the Jewel even got us some bleach for a Conch shell my son 'caught' while on an excursion. The HAL concierges sat in the Neptune Lounge and waited for you to come to them. They were nice but certainly did not go above and beyond. In these suites you also get two ship phones that you can take with you and check in with at anytime anywhere on the ship. Great with kids! If booking a suite on a newer NCL ship, they beat HAL hands down.

Crew: This is a close one, but overall I think the crew on HAL is a tad friendlier. NCL is friendly and has some standouts, but the Lido crew on HAL was truly one of the friendliest we have encountered at sea. Mark and Charles in the Retreat Cabanas were AWESOME on the Eurodam too!

ENTERTAINMENT: HAL was BEYOND boring! Good golly we went to a show and it was like a bad American Idol. Yes, they could sing, but very boring. I gave up after that and watched movies in the room. My older son went to a couple of shows and said they were better. The comedian he said was terrific. I much prefer the excitement of NCL with Cirque de Soliel, Jugglers, Magicians, Comedians and the list goes on. They have the HAL entertainment beat hands down. Even the onboard activities were lacking on HAL. NCL had a two story TV screen in one of the atriums to play Wii. This was not just for the kids, the adults were at it all the time. One of the most popular areas on the ship. People were having a lot of fun. On HAL we laughed at the "Bingo, Bingo, and more Bingo" announcements. On the Jewel the Juggler gave a workshop on juggling and there were over 200 people who showed up. My son is actually a great juggler and helped the juggler show all the people what to do. Very interactive.

FOOD AND DINING: First let me say, when I'm on vacation I don't want to have to eat at the same time every night. I'm on vacation and want to go with the flow. That's not for everyone, I get that. I was thrilled when I heard that HAL had the anytime dining. Well, it's a JOKE! I was in a suite and the first day sat with the concierge trying to get dinner reservations for the week. DH and I wanted to dine alone and found out this was just not possible booking on the first night of the cruise and in one of the top suites! WOW! We did a couple of the pay dinners and a couple of the regualr dining rooms dinners. One night we cancelled and just went to the buffet. At NCL our concierge booked all our pay dinners and on the other nights we just walked into the dining room, asked for a table for two and were seated immediately! No reservations, no waiting, no problems! Imagine that. HAL has a LONG way to go with their system. I also love the fact that formal is optional on NCL, again, personal preference. When on vacation I don't want to spend half my time getting dressed for dinner. Not fun for me. I will say that HAL was not as 'formal' as I expected. I did the when in Rome thing and dressed to the nines. I saw A LOT of smart casual in the dining room on Formal night. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than ok with that, but HAL shouldn't give out the impression that they are above and beyond with elegance on formal night. I saw MUCH better on NCL with the people that truly wanted to dress formal. My teens didn't want to bother with it so went to the buffet and were fine with it. NCL offers one of their main dining rooms for smart casual on formal night. A nice option. You're not forced to give up your surf and turf and go to the buffet or pay to eat in the room. One the NCL newer ships you have 11 resaurants to choose from vs. 4 or 5 max on HAL. The Japanese Steak House on NCL is by far one of our favorites. I'm not a foodie and my DH is a boring meat and potatoes guy so we are not the right people to compare the food. We found both to be good. Hey as long as I'm not cooking life is good!

KIDS CLUBS: Again NCL hands down. My kids were totally bored with the HAL program and only went because there was nothing else to do. The schedule they printed was never correct and they watched movies most of the time. NCL had a wide variety of things for all the ages and stuck to their programs. NCL is used to entertaining a lot of kids, HAL is not.

OVERALL: NCL remains my favorite cruiseline. I will cruise various lines since I like to experience different things and not get stuck in a rut. I would have never known that NCL was my favorite if I hadn't ventured out and tried it. I'm not sure that we will ever cruise on HAL again though. We went during Spring Break thinking it would skew younger than it's normal demographic, it didn't. I think the average age was 60 on this cruise. I have never seen so many oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes on a ship in my life! Please don't blast me, my mom is disabled and uses a scooter. I totally understand traveling with someone disabled. My point is that this was Spring Break, the most expensive time of the year to travel and yet the ship was filled with retired people that could travel anytime of the year. Yes, some were traveling with their families and grandchildren but that was the minority. My mom prefers to travel when it's slower and finds it easier with less people. I realize that's not always possible, but I didn't expect so few young people on this ship. I'm 44 and we were seated for dinner with a 92 year old and his 70 year old trophy wife! It was a VERY long dinner. I get along with people of all ages, but this dinner was very strange. Most HAL people state that HAL is so upscale compared to NCL. I totally disagree. If you've traveled both in true suites, you would know the difference between the two. I felt like I was just another customer on HAL, on NCL they went out of their way to go above and beyond. These are both mass consumer lines and it all boils down to your likes and dislikes. My advice to people, go ahead and try something new, you never know, you might like it better.

Anyone who has specific questions feel free to ask. Judging by this post I think you can see I will be brutally honest.

[fridayeyes]

Some very interesting opinions here! For me, it comes down to why I cruise. I cruise for four reasons: 1) to relax, 2) to be on the ocean, 3) to enjoy some nice meals, and 4) to enjoy the company of my cruise pal.

 

Here's my demographic: 41 yo female with a 9 yr old son. My travel companion is a retired lady in her 60s. I'm the director of a small, non-profit research institute and she's a retired diplomat. Both of us are quiet people. If we're reading a book or watching for whales while sipping a drink in the forward observation lounge, we are delightfully happy. We tend to avoid the pool decks because we find them loud, crowded and noisy. If we go to the Lido, we go during off hours for the same reason. We've never set foot in the discos, tho I peeked in from the outside once or twice. We like the piano bar. You're more likely to find me singing show tunes in the piano bar than doing karaoke somewhere else. We like Explorations and the computer lounge and I like video poker. She loves the spa, but I can never afford it and I'm ooky about strangers touching me anyways. Manicure, maybe. Massage - not on your life.

 

We can stand at the rail, watch the water go by and daydream for hours. We like the cooking demos, and we LOVED the cooking class we did once. I've never seen a show on a cruise ship. This doesn't mean I think they're bad. It just means it's not the kind of thing I like to do. I don't go on a cruise to be entertained; for me the cruise IS the entertainment.

 

I don't need rock climbing walls, wave pools, Broadway shows or dancing waiters. I like HAL's closing night waiter parade for the sake of honoring the staff, but even on HAL, I find it a bit loud and unpleasant. Carnival's booogying on the serving stations with feather boas and disco lights? No thank you. Once again, this doesn't mean that I look down on people who enjoy that, but it's just not me. My parents, for instance, love Carnival and wouldn't sail with anyone else.

 

I'm full willing to concede that possibly every line out there has better entertainment than HAL, but for me, it's not a factor in choosing a cruise line.

 

I've gone on adventure vacations before (whitewater rafting, several times), and I love Disneyland. In college, I waited tables and went out club-hopping with the waitstaff after the restaurant closed. I live in an area where we get headliners at the local casinos, and I've been to my share of those shows (just saw Matchbox Twenty and Chris Rock) - but it's not the experience I want when I cruise.

 

Movies, shows, dance clubs, pool parties - I can do all of that at home. What I can't do at home is stand on the deck and watch the ship's trail fade into the sunset. For me, all of those entertainment options distract and DEtract from what I want a cruise to be, which is a relaxing ship on the water. At home, I'm bombarded with honey-do, work demands and Mom-can-I. At sea, I want to have zero schedule and zero obligations. It's actually a bit of a tossup for me about scheduled dinner seatings. There have been times when the scheduled time feels like a demand and an obligation, a la my 4 o'clock meeting. But I think the at-will seating makes dinner feel less special somehow, and the elegant dining room is one of the highlights of my cruise, so I come down on the side of wanting scheduled seatings.

 

I don't want to hear a bajillion announcements about this starting or come-and-do-that. MS Outlook nags me all day at work. I don't need the CD doing the same thing at sea. I want my hardest choice choice of the day to be "hmmm, do I want the Grand Marnier souffle or the berry trifle?" Again, doesn't mean other lines are bad, and people's preferences whether they match mine or not do not constitute a moral failing. But HAL, so far, is the best fit for me.

 

I'm actually a little worried about some of the changes that have come down the pike. I'm not sure I'll like this As You Wish dining, and I want the chimes back, etc. Maybe one of my next few cruises will be on a different line. Who knows. For now, though, it's HAL.

 

Would I cruise Carnival, NCL or Celebrity again? Yes, and my recent cruise on the Carnival Glory was good. Overall, though, I'd rather be on HAL.

 

Cheers,

 

Friday

 

(BTW, Mrs. B - if you come back to this thread, could you do me a tiny favor, please? If it's not too much trouble, could you put an extra space between your paragraphs? I wanted to give your post a detailed reading but without the white space to help, the lines all seem to mash together. It might make your post a bit easier on the eyes. Thanks!)

[JDinWA]

CABINS: Hands down the winner is NCL. We booked a suite on HAL, the SA I believe. Nice cabin but not very luxurious and kind of a little on the boring side. The bathroom was nothing compared to the ones we have had on NCL. We stayed in the Garden Villas twice. These rooms ROCK!

 

I think, price-wise and size-wise, the Norwegian's Garden Villas are comparable to HAL's penthouse suite category -- not the SA category. The Garden Villas sound wonderful, but this was comparing apples and oranges.

[pipedreams62]

Oh - and if you're sailing with NCL, you're sailing with "big brother", every inch of the public areas, hallways, etc... is under video surveillance, as is the bridge, the engine room, the kitchens... you get the drift.

 

Lydia

 

[mrsbooger]

JDinWA, yes, I think you have a valid point that I am comparing apples to oranges with the Garden Villas to the SA. My mistake though. I was actually talking about the Courtyard Villa which is an A3 on NCL. They are just shy of 600 sq ft. Even though this is still closer to the SA in size I do believe that it is comparing apples to oranges. The private courtyard beats HAL hands down.

 

I do take offense when people call other lines classless, whether it be NCL, HAL, RCCL, etc. All lines offer different things. The fun of it is finding the one that fits you best. People who have only tried one line and are true blue might be missing out on another line that they might like better. You just never know.

 

I really don't care what people wear in the dining room as long as you are presentable and clean. That being said, I read that HAL was very strict on their dress code. That's not what I encountered on my Eurodam cruise. No one looked bad, everyone looked nice, but pure elegance was not bubbling over on formal night. I saw a few tuxes, but not many. Like I said, I thought it was fine, but then you read the comments on here about HAL being so classy and upscale. Upscale does not parade their waiters through the dining room singing with the baked Alaska while everyone waves their napkin. I'm just saying...

 

I come to these boards to learn and get information. All comments I make about my experience I clarify that they are MY personal preferences and experiences. If we all liked the same things it would be a boring world. Just because Carnival is known as the party ships doesn't mean that classless people go on Carnival. Let's be careful what we say on these boards and remember that saying different strokes for different folks.

 

I look forward to all the comments. As a side note right after I posted the original post I received a call from Johnny Quinn, the cruise director of the Eurodam from the ship. He read my comment card and wanted to talk to me personally about my cruise. We talked for 15 minutes and went through everything good and bad. I was TRULY impressed that HAL followed up and took the time to call me and get it straight from the horses mouth. VERY impressive!

[fann1sh]

I agree, Mrs. Booger, that we all like different things, and if we didn't it would make a boring world. I'm always interested in other people's observations and comments - yours are very interesting.

 

The problem with any of these "How does A compare with B" threads is if avid fans of one gets frustrated: isn't it obvious what they themselves prefer is *best*? That's when the problematic posts start.

 

One of my concerns with freestyle is I don't find it easier, more convenient, more flexible, or in any way better to NOT have a fixed dining time. Since evening movies or shows are at fixed times, I want my dinner hour to fit, and to be finished so I can attend without rushing. I don't want to have to make reservations in the morning, or if I fail to do so, wait with a beeper in my pocket. I want to breeze into the dining room knowing there's a table waiting, and that I'll be done in time for evening activities.

 

I'm hesitant to try open dining (on HAL, NCL, or any line) when fixed time/table dining just seems so much easier - for me.

 

As someone who's apt to book SA suites on HAL, I'm interested in your comments on Courtyard Suites. I've priced HAL "SA" versus NCL, and the category that seems to match most nearly in price is an A5 Penthouse. Courtyard Villas seem start about 30% more expensive than SA, at least for cruises in the fall/winter 2009 I was looking at. Maybe your TA gives better deals!

[PopPop3]

I'm a 44 year old female with 2 teenaged boys and a DH. I started cruising at the age of 16 with my mom and dad. My first cruise was on the Carnival Mardi Gras. It was awesome to me at the time. Looking back we laugh now. The ship was a bucket of bolts, the cabin was BEYOND small, and you had to sit on the toliet to take a shower! None the less, I had a great time. Throughout the years I have traveled with my DH alone, with friends, and with my family on various cruise lines. I have cruised on Carnival, RCCL, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

I just returned from Spring Break with my family on the Eurodam. There's no such thing as a bad cruise but this one was probably one of our least favorite. I will try to touch base on the major factors point by point. Keep in mind it's all subjective and personal preference.

THE SHIP ITSELF: The Eurodam is a nice ship but a bit on the boring side when it comes to decor. There were some areas that were really well done and others that were just blah. The hallways to the cabins were like extremely blah and uninspiring. I prefer the look of the newer NCL ships. We have cruised on the Sun, Dawn, Jewel and Pearl. The later three were our favorites of NCL so far. They have bright colors and one of the most helpful things to me was the carpet in the cabin hallways. I never know which way is the front of the ship. All you have to do is follow the direction the fish are swimming on the carpet. They swim to the front of the ship. Stupid but really helped this location challenged chic!

CABINS: Hands down the winner is NCL. We booked a suite on HAL, the SA I believe. Nice cabin but not very luxurious and kind of a little on the boring side. The bathroom was nothing compared to the ones we have had on NCL. We stayed in the Garden Villas twice. These rooms ROCK! Not only do you get two bathrooms, separate bedroom for the kids, a bathroom straight out of a spa, you also get the privacy of the private pool, sun deck, and hot tub. I always felt so pampered in this suite. I had a butler and a concierge. We really are not high maintenance so never really used the butler, but the concierges are some of the best at sea. They checked in and made sure we had everything we needed. Alex on the Jewel even got us some bleach for a Conch shell my son 'caught' while on an excursion. The HAL concierges sat in the Neptune Lounge and waited for you to come to them. They were nice but certainly did not go above and beyond. In these suites you also get two ship phones that you can take with you and check in with at anytime anywhere on the ship. Great with kids! If booking a suite on a newer NCL ship, they beat HAL hands down.

Crew: This is a close one, but overall I think the crew on HAL is a tad friendlier. NCL is friendly and has some standouts, but the Lido crew on HAL was truly one of the friendliest we have encountered at sea. Mark and Charles in the Retreat Cabanas were AWESOME on the Eurodam too!

ENTERTAINMENT: HAL was BEYOND boring! Good golly we went to a show and it was like a bad American Idol. Yes, they could sing, but very boring. I gave up after that and watched movies in the room. My older son went to a couple of shows and said they were better. The comedian he said was terrific. I much prefer the excitement of NCL with Cirque de Soliel, Jugglers, Magicians, Comedians and the list goes on. They have the HAL entertainment beat hands down. Even the onboard activities were lacking on HAL. NCL had a two story TV screen in one of the atriums to play Wii. This was not just for the kids, the adults were at it all the time. One of the most popular areas on the ship. People were having a lot of fun. On HAL we laughed at the "Bingo, Bingo, and more Bingo" announcements. On the Jewel the Juggler gave a workshop on juggling and there were over 200 people who showed up. My son is actually a great juggler and helped the juggler show all the people what to do. Very interactive.

FOOD AND DINING: First let me say, when I'm on vacation I don't want to have to eat at the same time every night. I'm on vacation and want to go with the flow. That's not for everyone, I get that. I was thrilled when I heard that HAL had the anytime dining. Well, it's a JOKE! I was in a suite and the first day sat with the concierge trying to get dinner reservations for the week. DH and I wanted to dine alone and found out this was just not possible booking on the first night of the cruise and in one of the top suites! WOW! We did a couple of the pay dinners and a couple of the regualr dining rooms dinners. One night we cancelled and just went to the buffet. At NCL our concierge booked all our pay dinners and on the other nights we just walked into the dining room, asked for a table for two and were seated immediately! No reservations, no waiting, no problems! Imagine that. HAL has a LONG way to go with their system. I also love the fact that formal is optional on NCL, again, personal preference. When on vacation I don't want to spend half my time getting dressed for dinner. Not fun for me. I will say that HAL was not as 'formal' as I expected. I did the when in Rome thing and dressed to the nines. I saw A LOT of smart casual in the dining room on Formal night. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than ok with that, but HAL shouldn't give out the impression that they are above and beyond with elegance on formal night. I saw MUCH better on NCL with the people that truly wanted to dress formal. My teens didn't want to bother with it so went to the buffet and were fine with it. NCL offers one of their main dining rooms for smart casual on formal night. A nice option. You're not forced to give up your surf and turf and go to the buffet or pay to eat in the room. One the NCL newer ships you have 11 resaurants to choose from vs. 4 or 5 max on HAL. The Japanese Steak House on NCL is by far one of our favorites. I'm not a foodie and my DH is a boring meat and potatoes guy so we are not the right people to compare the food. We found both to be good. Hey as long as I'm not cooking life is good!

KIDS CLUBS: Again NCL hands down. My kids were totally bored with the HAL program and only went because there was nothing else to do. The schedule they printed was never correct and they watched movies most of the time. NCL had a wide variety of things for all the ages and stuck to their programs. NCL is used to entertaining a lot of kids, HAL is not.

OVERALL: NCL remains my favorite cruiseline. I will cruise various lines since I like to experience different things and not get stuck in a rut. I would have never known that NCL was my favorite if I hadn't ventured out and tried it. I'm not sure that we will ever cruise on HAL again though. We went during Spring Break thinking it would skew younger than it's normal demographic, it didn't. I think the average age was 60 on this cruise. I have never seen so many oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes on a ship in my life! Please don't blast me, my mom is disabled and uses a scooter. I totally understand traveling with someone disabled. My point is that this was Spring Break, the most expensive time of the year to travel and yet the ship was filled with retired people that could travel anytime of the year. Yes, some were traveling with their families and grandchildren but that was the minority. My mom prefers to travel when it's slower and finds it easier with less people. I realize that's not always possible, but I didn't expect so few young people on this ship. I'm 44 and we were seated for dinner with a 92 year old and his 70 year old trophy wife! It was a VERY long dinner. I get along with people of all ages, but this dinner was very strange. Most HAL people state that HAL is so upscale compared to NCL. I totally disagree. If you've traveled both in true suites, you would know the difference between the two. I felt like I was just another customer on HAL, on NCL they went out of their way to go above and beyond. These are both mass consumer lines and it all boils down to your likes and dislikes. My advice to people, go ahead and try something new, you never know, you might like it better.

Anyone who has specific questions feel free to ask. Judging by this post I think you can see I will be brutally honest.

 

I'm sure you had some really germaine and interesting points in your posting, but I didn't read them because, frankly, I couldn't follow your commentary.

 

As one who has made a living as a writer and editor, among other vocations, I might point out the unreadability factor of writing without paragraph breaks. Writing for the Web pretty much requires separating sentences with white space in-between. That's the current best-practice and it really aids in reading.

 

Unfortunately, your posting had all the legibility of a several-hundred word run-on sentence.

 

Sorry to sound critical. Just trying to suggest a better way to post so that folks will take the time to read your comments....and they won't be cross-eyed afterwards.

[mrsbooger]

To all those who suggested that I add line breaks to my post... Thank you. I have already implemented your suggestions.

 

PopPop3, I never claimed to be a writer. Just trying to get my thoughts down quickly. I appreciate your candor and will try to add more line breaks. I am one that writes as I talk and that will never change, sorry. Hopefully line breaks and spacing will help.

[mrsbooger]

I agree, Mrs. Booger, that we all like different things, and if we didn't it would make a boring world. I'm always interested in other people's observations and comments - yours are very interesting.

 

The problem with any of these "How does A compare with B" threads is if avid fans of one gets frustrated: isn't it obvious what they themselves prefer is *best*? That's when the problematic posts start.

 

One of my concerns with freestyle is I don't find it easier, more convenient, more flexible, or in any way better to NOT have a fixed dining time. Since evening movies or shows are at fixed times, I want my dinner hour to fit, and to be finished so I can attend without rushing. I don't want to have to make reservations in the morning, or if I fail to do so, wait with a beeper in my pocket. I want to breeze into the dining room knowing there's a table waiting, and that I'll be done in time for evening activities.

 

I'm hesitant to try open dining (on HAL, NCL, or any line) when fixed time/table dining just seems so much easier - for me.

 

As someone who's apt to book SA suites on HAL, I'm interested in your comments on Courtyard Suites. I've priced HAL "SA" versus NCL, and the category that seems to match most nearly in price is an A5 Penthouse. Courtyard Villas seem start about 30% more expensive than SA, at least for cruises in the fall/winter 2009 I was looking at. Maybe your TA gives better deals!

 

Just as I want to go with the flow, I completely understand that you want to have a set schedule because of shows etc.

 

I'm not familiar with the A5 Penthouse but I am with the AB Penthouse. If this is the one you are talking about I can give you my take on the room and what it offers.

 

On the newer ships, that offer the Courtyards, this is the same room as the Courtyard Villa (A3) but not on the Courtyard. It does not offer the use of the Courtyard either. It's an AWESOME room! The bathroom in this suite is one of the best in this price range. I've attached a picture from the Jewel (A3). Yes, there is a tv in the bathroom!

 

When you book a true suite on NCL, the mini suites do not fall into this category on all the ships, the concierge can make just about anything happen. One phone call to the concierge and she can arrange for you to eat at the same table and the same time the entire cruise. That's the nice thing about booking a suite. For the extra charge restaurants you must book the day or or the day before. If you are in a suite the concierge can book for you at anytime.

 

It's true, I do prefer NCL over HAL but it goes beyond the Freestyle/Anytime Dining. It's a personal preference. I have NEVER had a bad cruise. Some I enjoyed more than others though. I think all the cruise lines are trying to keep everyone happy and are offering options. Isn't that what it's about? Keeping options available for all.

 

I use an online website for booking all my cruises. I have used them since 2002 and I haven't found anyone that can beat their prices so far. I believe my email is in my info. You can email me and I will supply the information if you would like it.

 

I Hope this helps. I do have additional pictures of the A3 from both the Jewel and the Pearl if you are interested.

[mrsbooger]

PopPop3 - I went back and read your comments about my post and was a little bothered by the fact that you didn't read them because I didn't put the correct line spacing in. I decided to edit the spacing and repost it so you can read it without going cross-eyed. Please remember while reading, I am not a writer like you. I never claimed to be one and will never aspire to be one. Please take what I have to say as my opinion. Feel free to chime in on your opinions, but please, my writing style is my own and that's not what is up for discussion here.

 

Also keep in mind, that I am still trying to adjust to the fact that vacation is over and the laundry is non-stop! UGH!

 

Below is the repost...

 

I'm a 44 year old female with 2 teenaged boys and a DH. I started cruising at the age of 16 with my mom and dad. My first cruise was on the Carnival Mardi Gras. It was awesome to me at the time. Looking back we laugh now. The ship was a bucket of bolts, the cabin was BEYOND small, and you had to sit on the toliet to take a shower! None the less, I had a great time.

 

Throughout the years I have traveled with my DH alone, with friends, and with my family on various cruise lines. I have cruised on Carnival, RCCL, NCL, HAL, and Princess.

I just returned from Spring Break with my family on the Eurodam. There's no such thing as a bad cruise but this one was probably one of our least favorite. I will try to touch base on the major factors point by point. Keep in mind it's all subjective and personal preference.

 

THE SHIP ITSELF:

 

The Eurodam is a nice ship but a bit on the boring side when it comes to decor. There were some areas that were really well done and others that were just blah. The hallways to the cabins were like extremely blah and uninspiring. I prefer the look of the newer NCL ships. We have cruised on the Sun, Dawn, Jewel and Pearl. The later three were our favorites of NCL so far. They have bright colors and one of the most helpful things to me was the carpet in the cabin hallways. I never know which way is the front of the ship. All you have to do is follow the direction the fish are swimming on the carpet. They swim to the front of the ship. Stupid but really helped this location challenged chic!

 

CABINS:

 

Hands down the winner is NCL. We booked a suite on HAL, the SA I believe. Nice cabin but not very luxurious and kind of a little on the boring side. The bathroom was nothing compared to the ones we have had on NCL. We stayed in the Garden Villas twice. These rooms ROCK! Not only do you get two bathrooms, separate bedroom for the kids, a bathroom straight out of a spa, you also get the privacy of the private pool, sun deck, and hot tub. I always felt so pampered in this suite. I had a butler and a concierge. We really are not high maintenance so never really used the butler, but the concierges are some of the best at sea. They checked in and made sure we had everything we needed. Alex on the Jewel even got us some bleach for a Conch shell my son 'caught' while on an excursion. The HAL concierges sat in the Neptune Lounge and waited for you to come to them. They were nice but certainly did not go above and beyond. In these suites you also get two ship phones that you can take with you and check in with at anytime anywhere on the ship. Great with kids! If booking a suite on a newer NCL ship, they beat HAL hands down.

 

CREW:

 

This is a close one, but overall I think the crew on HAL is a tad friendlier. NCL is friendly and has some standouts, but the Lido crew on HAL was truly one of the friendliest we have encountered at sea. Mark and Charles in the Retreat Cabanas were AWESOME on the Eurodam too!

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

 

HAL was BEYOND boring! Good golly we went to a show and it was like a bad American Idol. Yes, they could sing, but very boring. I gave up after that and watched movies in the room. My older son went to a couple of shows and said they were better. The comedian he said was terrific. I much prefer the excitement of NCL with Cirque de Soliel, Jugglers, Magicians, Comedians and the list goes on. They have the HAL entertainment beat hands down. Even the onboard activities were lacking on HAL. NCL had a two story TV screen in one of the atriums to play Wii. This was not just for the kids, the adults were at it all the time. One of the most popular areas on the ship. People were having a lot of fun. On HAL we laughed at the "Bingo, Bingo, and more Bingo" announcements. On the Jewel the Juggler gave a workshop on juggling and there were over 200 people who showed up. My son is actually a great juggler and helped the juggler show all the people what to do. Very interactive.

 

FOOD AND DINING:

 

First let me say, when I'm on vacation I don't want to have to eat at the same time every night. I'm on vacation and want to go with the flow. That's not for everyone, I get that. I was thrilled when I heard that HAL had the anytime dining. Well, it's a JOKE! I was in a suite and the first day sat with the concierge trying to get dinner reservations for the week. DH and I wanted to dine alone and found out this was just not possible booking on the first night of the cruise and in one of the top suites! WOW! We did a couple of the pay dinners and a couple of the regualr dining rooms dinners. One night we cancelled and just went to the buffet.

 

At NCL our concierge booked all our pay dinners and on the other nights we just walked into the dining room, asked for a table for two and were seated immediately! No reservations, no waiting, no problems! Imagine that. HAL has a LONG way to go with their system. I also love the fact that formal is optional on NCL, again, personal preference. When on vacation I don't want to spend half my time getting dressed for dinner. Not fun for me.

 

I will say that HAL was not as 'formal' as I expected. I did the when in Rome thing and dressed to the nines. I saw A LOT of smart casual in the dining room on Formal night. Don't get me wrong, I'm more than ok with that, but HAL shouldn't give out the impression that they are above and beyond with elegance on formal night. I saw MUCH better on NCL with the people that truly wanted to dress formal. My teens didn't want to bother with it so went to the buffet and were fine with it.

 

NCL offers one of their main dining rooms for smart casual on formal night. A nice option. You're not forced to give up your surf and turf and go to the buffet or pay to eat in the room. One the NCL newer ships you have 11 resaurants to choose from vs. 4 or 5 max on HAL. The Japanese Steak House on NCL is by far one of our favorites.

 

I'm not a foodie and my DH is a boring meat and potatoes guy so we are not the right people to compare the food. We found both to be good. Hey as long as I'm not cooking life is good!

 

KIDS CLUBS:

 

Again NCL hands down. My kids were totally bored with the HAL program and only went because there was nothing else to do. The schedule they printed was never correct and they watched movies most of the time. NCL had a wide variety of things for all the ages and stuck to their programs. NCL is used to entertaining a lot of kids, HAL is not.

 

OVERALL:

 

NCL remains my favorite cruiseline. I will cruise various lines since I like to experience different things and not get stuck in a rut. I would have never known that NCL was my favorite if I hadn't ventured out and tried it. I'm not sure that we will ever cruise on HAL again though. We went during Spring Break thinking it would skew younger than it's normal demographic, it didn't. I think the average age was 60 on this cruise. I have never seen so many oxygen tanks, wheelchairs, walkers, and canes on a ship in my life! Please don't blast me, my mom is disabled and uses a scooter. I totally understand traveling with someone disabled. My point is that this was Spring Break, the most expensive time of the year to travel and yet the ship was filled with retired people that could travel anytime of the year. Yes, some were traveling with their families and grandchildren but that was the minority. My mom prefers to travel when it's slower and finds it easier with less people. I realize that's not always possible, but I didn't expect so few young people on this ship.

I'm 44 and we were seated for dinner with a 92 year old and his 70 year old trophy wife! It was a VERY long dinner. I get along with people of all ages, but this dinner was very strange.

 

Most HAL people state that HAL is so upscale compared to NCL. I totally disagree. If you've traveled both in true suites, you would know the difference between the two. I felt like I was just another customer on HAL, on NCL they went out of their way to go above and beyond. These are both mass consumer lines and it all boils down to your likes and dislikes. My advice to people, go ahead and try something new, you never know, you might like it better.

 

Anyone who has specific questions feel free to ask. Judging by this post I think you can see I will be brutally honest.

[Luv4dacruise]

JDinWA, yes, I think you have a valid point that I am comparing apples to oranges with the Garden Villas to the SA. My mistake though. I was actually talking about the Courtyard Villa which is an A3 on NCL. They are just shy of 600 sq ft. Even though this is still closer to the SA in size I do believe that it is comparing apples to oranges. The private courtyard beats HAL hands down.

 

I do take offense when people call other lines classless, whether it be NCL, HAL, RCCL, etc. All lines offer different things. The fun of it is finding the one that fits you best. People who have only tried one line and are true blue might be missing out on another line that they might like better. You just never know.

 

I really don't care what people wear in the dining room as long as you are presentable and clean. That being said, I read that HAL was very strict on their dress code. That's not what I encountered on my Eurodam cruise. No one looked bad, everyone looked nice, but pure elegance was not bubbling over on formal night. I saw a few tuxes, but not many. Like I said, I thought it was fine, but then you read the comments on here about HAL being so classy and upscale. Upscale does not parade their waiters through the dining room singing with the baked Alaska while everyone waves their napkin. I'm just saying...

 

I come to these boards to learn and get information. All comments I make about my experience I clarify that they are MY personal preferences and experiences. If we all liked the same things it would be a boring world. Just because Carnival is known as the party ships doesn't mean that classless people go on Carnival. Let's be careful what we say on these boards and remember that saying different strokes for different folks.

 

I look forward to all the comments. As a side note right after I posted the original post I received a call from Johnny Quinn, the cruise director of the Eurodam from the ship. He read my comment card and wanted to talk to me personally about my cruise. We talked for 15 minutes and went through everything good and bad. I was TRULY impressed that HAL followed up and took the time to call me and get it straight from the horses mouth. VERY impressive!

 

Thank you for your post. What i have highlighted in red is something that bugs me to no end on these boards, some are far worse than others also.

 

There is one poster in general that i find it in almost every thread they post in if its anything that is praising any other line than something under Carnival Corp. I hate to have to single them out like this, but it really is annoying and tasteless IMHO.

[rubytue]

nevermind...

[mrsbooger]

Thank you, rubytue. I reread PopPop3's post several times and wondered if I was just taking it a little too personally. I appreciated the earlier post pointing out a better way to present my posts and quickly implemented the change. I certainly don't mind constructive criticism, but I felt that I was attacked in PopPop3's.

 

Now back to our regularly scheduled posts...