Anyone been on or considered the Norwegian Cruise Line

[perdidobay]

Haven't cruised NCL yet, but will in Sept as my father wants to take my sisters and I on a cruise. No one but me has ever cruised before, and I have only cruised DCL.
It will be an Alaska cruise on the Pearl as that is where he wants to go and the Pearl was the only cruise ship that worked for everyone's dates.
I am looking forward to trying out a different cruise line, and seeing Coastal Alaska (I've been to Alaska's interior before).
That said, I've looked at videos and photos online of the Pearl and am turned off by how loud and garish and tacky the ship looks compared to DCL's ships. I was shocked when I read it was built in 2006, it looks like a 70's Vegas Casino in most of the common areas, and the fakey Palm trees around the pool deck among other things look cheap to me. As skylynx mentioned, that huge screen in the atrium looks so wrong. I am sure I'm going to be constantly comparing the ship to Disney's, and not in a good way. Hopefully all the rest will be good, he's signed us up for freestyle cruising, can't wait to see how that works, but My father won't pay for specialty dining so here's hoping the "free dining" is ok.

 

[Laura24]

My family of adults sailed on NCL Dawn to Bermuda. Beautiful ship but limited activities. If gambling, drinking, smoking are your thing then this is the perfect cruise line. Freestyle dining is great, however, everyone tends to eat at the same times so it is chaotic for seating. The premium restaurants had a charge for dining. Lots of karaoke and line dancing. We all have personal preferences and expectations. You never know until you have the experience. Good luck with your choice.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Haven't cruised NCL yet, but will in Sept as my father wants to take my sisters and I on a cruise. No one but me has ever cruised before, and I have only cruised DCL.
It will be an Alaska cruise on the Pearl as that is where he wants to go and the Pearl was the only cruise ship that worked for everyone's dates.
I am looking forward to trying out a different cruise line, and seeing Coastal Alaska (I've been to Alaska's interior before).
That said, I've looked at videos and photos online of the Pearl and am turned off by how loud and garish and tacky the ship looks compared to DCL's ships. I was shocked when I read it was built in 2006, it looks like a 70's Vegas Casino in most of the common areas, and the fakey Palm trees around the pool deck among other things look cheap to me. As skylynx mentioned, that huge screen in the atrium looks so wrong. I am sure I'm going to be constantly comparing the ship to Disney's, and not in a good way. Hopefully all the rest will be good, he's signed us up for freestyle cruising, can't wait to see how that works, but My father won't pay for specialty dining so here's hoping the "free dining" is ok.

I have done Alaska on the Pearl. You are right, decor-wise it doesn't compare to Disney. However, for me an Alaskan cruise really wasn't about the ship. Much of our time was spent in the ports, and on the ship, we spent most of our time in the spa, which we really liked. They have comfy loungers in there with an awesome view. You can get a week-long pass. Don't get hung up on the decor, and you will have a great time.

In regards to dining, the "free" dining isn't anything special, but it isn't horrible. It was average.

 

[Maddysdaddy]

My family and I love DCL, but now that my daughter is at an age (11) where the kids clubs hold zero appeal for her, and she would rather spend her days on deck catching some sun and reading a book, DCL doesn't feel like the "only" choice for us anymore.

Looked back in January to see what hopping a Dis cruise would cost us for next (2016) Easter, and at the same time, decided to take a look at what (virtually) the same itineraries would cost on Royal and NCL, and an outside view cabin on the Fantasy was literally almost twice the price of sailing in a mini-suite w/large balcony cabin on the NCL Escape (their newest mega ship which doesn't even launch until this fall).

And when I say double the price, I'm taking into account the difference in fares between the two lines in US dollars, plus the almost 30% exchange on the Canadian dollar since it has sunk like a stone with the price of oil tanking. NCL allowed me to book in Cdn currency at only a 10% exchange rate, as opposed to me having to book in US dollars and then purchase US currency to pay for it.

Yes, NCL has upcharge dining, but so does DCL (Remy/Palo), and yes, NCL does charge for soda (but the special they have on now has the 3rd+ passengers either 1/2 off or free depending on sail date, plus your choice of an OBC, gratuities paid for, unlimited dining, or unlimited beverages). We chose the unlimited beverages, which means soda & "adult" beverages for my wife and I, and soda for my daughter, so that's actually a significant plus in the NCL column, since we always pay for the 7 night wine package on DCL. Other than those two items, I'm not seeing where NCL nickles & dimes, as opposed to DCL.

Will NCL have the Disney magic that my family loves? Probably not, but not going into it expecting it to be the same as DCL will allow us to enjoy it for what it is.

 

[candizfan]

My 16 year old daughter and I were on NCL to Alaska and I would NEVER sail with this cruise line again. I have cruised many times on a few different lines over the past 25 years including DCL.

On NCL the food was terrible in the restaurants that are included with your cruise. The service was poor and the entertainment was lacking. The only good parts were our cabin attendant and the ports of call.

I did complain to management when there was a problem, but nothing was done to correct it. I had one piece of chicken that looked like plastic because it has been under the heat lamp for so long and meat loaf that looked like dog food. I did not gain weight on the cruise the food was so bad.

If you want to look at a cheaper cruise line, you could consider Royal Caribbean. It is my second choice behind DCL.

 

[perdidobay]

I have done Alaska on the Pearl. You are right, decor-wise it doesn't compare to Disney. However, for me an Alaskan cruise really wasn't about the ship. Much of our time was spent in the ports, and on the ship, we spent most of our time in the spa, which we really liked. They have comfy loungers in there with an awesome view. You can get a week-long pass. Don't get hung up on the decor, and you will have a great time.

In regards to dining, the "free" dining isn't anything special, but it isn't horrible. It was average.

Thanks for your input, I do hope to spend a lot of time in ports, my father booked excursions for us, and although I would love to get a spa pass, and spend my days there, my 85 year old father wants to spend time with us "kids", so I don't think he'd like me spending much time away from the "family". And he won't do spa time. I may be writing a tell all book or spending time in jail after this cruise....lol. I'll just try to focus on all the beautiful scenery and not the decor.

 

[mylittlebuttercup]

Thanks for your input, I do hope to spend a lot of time in ports, my father booked excursions for us, and although I would love to get a spa pass, and spend my days there, my 85 year old father wants to spend time with us "kids", so I don't think he'd like me spending much time away from the "family". And he won't do spa time. I may be writing a tell all book or spending time in jail after this cruise....lol. I'll just try to focus on all the beautiful scenery and not the decor.

If he won't do the spa, there are also great views in the Spinnaker Lounge, and a National Park ranger comes out on the Glacier Bay day to talk about the wildlife, etc.

 

[KashasMom]

Ok, maybe I'm wrong. If I'm reading this right, it's 75 days or 90 days in a holiday period for a 6+ day sailing.

http://www.ncl.com/about/cancellation-fee-schedule

One thing I have learned is Disney appears to be the only cruise line that "locks in" the pricing when you book. I tried to upgrade our room and was told I would have to cancel and rebook with the current prices. So if you do book with NCL, make sure you book the category room you want to be in.

This is absolutely not true. Everyone knows that first-day bookings get the absolute best price. I booked one of the new European cruises (summer 2015) the second day bookings opened. (I canceled to go on the Fantasy a couple of weeks ago.) Those same prices for an inside are now double what I booked at. So you're saying that if I still had the booking I could "upgrade" to a balcony for less than what I booked an inside a year ago?? No way. If that were true....everyone would do that.

By the way, the flip side is that if you book with NCL or RCI and prices go down before final payment, you'll get the new LOWER price. Would never happen with DCL because they don't reduce prices until after PIF date.

 

[jenf22]

This is absolutely not true. Everyone knows that first-day bookings get the absolute best price. I booked one of the new European cruises (summer 2015) the second day bookings opened. (I canceled to go on the Fantasy a couple of weeks ago.) Those same prices for an inside are now double what I booked at. So you're saying that if I still had the booking I could "upgrade" to a balcony for less than what I booked an inside a year ago?? No way. If that were true....everyone would do that.

I don't really understand what you're saying. Maybe I didn't explain myself well. From what I've read on the DIS (and experienced in real life) when you call to upgrade (or even downgrade) you pay the difference in fare based on the fares on the date of booking. So people tend to book insides on opening day and then change to the category they really want later and still get the opening day price (not the current pricing). So using your scenario, you would pay whatever the difference in fare between your inside and a balcony was on the day you booked... not the difference between what you paid and the prevailing balcony rate. We booked early on NCL and the cruise went WAY up. But to upgrade to a room that was one category higher and maybe $500 more on the day we booked would have been $2000 more the day I called and asked. It would have been $500 on DCL since they lock in the pricing tier. DCL may have changed, but this is how it worked for me in the past.

 

[ThistleMae]

Hi fellow cruisers. I am sorry to say that I haven't done a Disney Cruise. I have; however sailed with NCL to Bermuda, twice. Two different older ships, not the breakaway or epic. I thoroughly enjoyed the cruise and wouldn't hesitate about going again. The entertainment every night was great. The food was delicious and you can eat most anytime of the day or night. We are an older couple, so didn't pay a lot of attention to the kids activities. Bermuda was beautiful, we rented scooters and drove around the Island Beaches and went snorkeling. I'm thinking Royal Caribbean for my next cruise. I'm sure Disney Cruises must be phenomenal, if they pay close attention to detail, like Disney does. But, NCL was meticulous about cleaning and serving and making sure everyone was entertained. The servers were from all over the world and were so friendly and helpful. We got to learn about their goals and dreams for the future from a multicultural perspective...if you take the time to talk with them. We even played shuffle board with couples who spoke very little English but managed to have a great time in spite of the language barrier. It was pretty amusing to try and teach shuffleboard without using words. (We did a lot of pointing!) Are the Disney Cruise staff very diverse? No matter what you do, I'm sure it will be great!

 

[lmhall2000]

This is absolutely not true. Everyone knows that first-day bookings get the absolute best price. I booked one of the new European cruises (summer 2015) the second day bookings opened. (I canceled to go on the Fantasy a couple of weeks ago.) Those same prices for an inside are now double what I booked at. So you're saying that if I still had the booking I could "upgrade" to a balcony for less than what I booked an inside a year ago?? No way. If that were true....everyone would do that.

By the way, the flip side is that if you book with NCL or RCI and prices go down before final payment, you'll get the new LOWER price. Would never happen with DCL because they don't reduce prices until after PIF date.

Not everyone knows this. We booked a Mediterranean cruise for much less than opening day, 7 people for 10 nights total under 4k with $1600 OBC...no one can touch that on opening day. We had kids sail free that fit 8 for under $3200...we had GT pricing within the 30 day mark that was less than opening day...you have to be savvy and flexible with travel plans but opening day is not the absolute best price. Not everyone can be so flexible to book a GT rate within a 60 day window. For those that can, they often beat opening day prices. One popped up last week that would put four on the Magic for $2500 for a 7 night..haven't seen those prices on opening day for a few years...wish I could have nabbed it!

 

[KashasMom]

Not everyone knows this. We booked a Mediterranean cruise for much less than opening day, 7 people for 10 nights total under 4k with $1600 OBC...no one can touch that on opening day. We had kids sail free that fit 8 for under $3200...we had GT pricing within the 30 day mark that was less than opening day...you have to be savvy and flexible with travel plans but opening day is not the absolute best price. Not everyone can be so flexible to book a GT rate within a 60 day window. For those that can, they often beat opening day prices. One popped up last week that would put four on the Magic for $2500 for a 7 night..haven't seen those prices on opening day for a few years...wish I could have nabbed it!

Unfortunately we haven't been able take advantage of any deals because of our limited travel times (which is always peak season). I do know that I've watched the cruise I originally booked on the second day of booking (the Iceland) go from about $7,000 to over $11,000 today. And the Fantasy July 2015 I've been watching is over $6,000, which is more than the around $4,000 we paid for this past President's week. So while there may be deals to be had, they're not available to most people who just cannot be flexible. And Disney does not offer kids sail free when most kids CAN sail free.

 

[bfamilyx4]

we just booked ncl getaway for feb 2016. with their current promo, it was too hard to pass up. We are able to stay in a large balcony for $3165 cdn. we can't even get an inside on the fantasy for that much. we originally had dcl cruise booked for 2016 but are now moving that to 2017. we have done 3 dcl cruises in the past 2 yrs adn just can't afford to keep doing it every yr. it breaks my heart to stray but at the same time excited to try a different line. i just hope that i don't spend the entire week comparing the 2 lines. from the reviews i've read, the getaway is great for families with their activities and nick jr characters. they also have fireworks at night. our kids are 4/5 and will be 6/7 when we go back to dcl so i'm really hoping that in 2 yrs they will still believe in the "magic"

 

[gdstone04]

We have booked a suite on NCL for Summer 2016 in the hope we can assuage our DCL blues and limit any comparisons between NCL and DCL. That promotion was pretty awesome! Now, of course, I am desperately trying to find info on NCL since I really haven't read anything. Anyone cruised in a suite on NCL?

 

[bfamilyx4]

We have booked a suite on NCL for Summer 2016 in the hope we can assuage our DCL blues and limit any comparisons between NCL and DCL. That promotion was pretty awesome! Now, of course, I am desperately trying to find info on NCL since I really haven't read anything. Anyone cruised in a suite on NCL?

go to cruise critic ncl site. lots of great info on there. i went through so many threads before booking

 

[deanimal]

I had my heart set on a 7 day Disney cruise on the Fantasy for spring break 2016 but when the prices were released I chickened out. We are very limited in our dates because my husband is a teacher. I did a bit of searching and discovered that we could get a one bedroom suite in the Haven on the NCL Breakaway for the same week for less than a Verandah cabin on the Fantasy. I`ve heard great reviews about the Haven and it looks amazing with a private pool and hot tubs for only 42 suites as well as butler service, a separate restaurant or the option of white tablecloth dining in your own suite and priority booking of specialty restaurants and shows. All for the same price as the cheapest inside cabin on DCL.

The final kicker was that we are celebrating our 10th anniversary on the cruise and we wanted to do something special. DCL doesn`t offer vow renewals; the only option is to modify a wedding package and that would cost thousands. NCL offers a small, intimate renewal package with flowers, cake and a special meal starting at only a few hundred.

I`m sure there will be few things we miss about Disney, but after 3 Disney cruises there are already a few things that are getting a bit repetitious to us such as menus and shows. We`re looking forward to the new experience!

 

[KashasMom]

We have booked a suite on NCL for Summer 2016 in the hope we can assuage our DCL blues and limit any comparisons between NCL and DCL. That promotion was pretty awesome! Now, of course, I am desperately trying to find info on NCL since I really haven't read anything. Anyone cruised in a suite on NCL?

There are some good NCL FB groups if you're on FB (even for specific ships).

 

[tvguy]

NCL was the standard I used to rate all cruise lines by because 3 of my 10 cruises were with them. And the first 2 cruises I took my wife on were on NCL. I haven't cruised them since 2008. They aren't what they used to be in the 1980's, but cruising is much more main stream now, and today's passengers aren't interested in the same things as they were back then. People WANTED to wear formal wear on formal night, they WANTED dinner to be an experience that lasted a couple of hours, and when the next day was a sea day, they WANTED to party until sunrise.
NCL used to be big on name entertainers. Okay, I guess Mickey and the gang are name entertainers in a manner of speaking. But they used to always have celebrity singers and comics on board who you knew from TV shows like the Tonight Show, and they would do a couple of shows, and then mingle with the passengers the rest of the cruise.
I'll be honest, any cruise to me is a good cruise, just some cruises are better fits for certain people.

 

[ThistleMae]

We Loved ncl. The room was very nice. The food was great. The entertainment was spectacular! There was nothing we didn't love! Now that being said, a couple I know went on same cruise diff. Dates and she said she was disappointed. Now come to find out...she was going through a rough patch with her husband so I suspect it impacted her enjoyment. Each cruise experience is different from person to person. Just go and have fun.

 

[edith76]

I have to second the cruise critic board for NCL. You can ask specific questions about the Getaway to help with your decision. Personally we love both NCL and Disney for different reasons. I've done 31 Disney and 13 NCL along with a few others on other lines. In the past year we did 4 Disney and 4 NCL (more days here). Every cruise is different because the passengers are different and it does make a difference. Haven't been on the Getaway yet but have done the Breakaway 3 times. A lot of the same type activities on both DCL and NCL but Mickey and princesses on one and SpongeBob on the other. Dining is the biggest difference. NCL does do something for people that want to eat at the same time everyday but we've never done it. You do have the choice though to dine alone or with others. And the servers serve, so no magic tricks with your kids. NCL has a main dining room and 2 smaller ones that are included. There is also a 24 hr place, O'sheehans that serves pub/diner type stuff. And most of the day the buffet is open. We like to go at night after the show to grab something and have noticed its a popular spot for families. There are several specialty restaurants but I'm sure a lot of people never go to them. Honestly the food in the free dining rooms has been great - NCL's menus have been a work in progress but the past year they finally got it right. The freestyle concept usually works well but every once in while you have a cruise where it doesn't and there is a wait.

The show set-up on the Getaway will be different also because even though the ship is larger the venues are all smaller. So for some of the shows you reserve ahead. (Legally Blonde, Burn the Floor and Second City are reservation shows and you can do this ahead, on your SR tv, or the box office on the ship. The crew are very helpful in scheduling) There is a standby line and I was told most do get in but no personal experience with that. Some nights there are other shows or performers that you don't need to reserve plus there is always something going on somewhere. There is a charge for the dinner show (Illusionarium) which would probably appeal to your kids. On the Breakaway we did the Cirque show and it was worthwhile. The Breakaway does fireworks, not sure if the Getaway will too. Not as good as DCL's but last time we could watch them from our Balcony which was cool.

Someone mentioned the giant screen in the lobby. This is one of my favorite areas of the new ships, Its a center of activity. They do Wii games, trivia and other activities there. Can't say much about the kids clubs because they are truly separate. I've heard good things about them but no personal experience.

The other big difference is the staterooms. Balcony rooms are similar to DCL but no split bath and glass shower doors - and most do not have tubs. Inside and Oceanview rooms are very small. Fine for sleeping but not much else. The stateroom tv doesn't have all the Disney choices but do you really want you kids just hanging out in the room watching tv anyway.

We've always had really nice crew and fellow passengers on NCL if you were worried about that. But hands down - Disney has the best island.
Sorry this got a little long, but hope it is in someway helpful.