Anyone been on or considered the Norwegian Cruise Line

[MakiraMarlena]

first Norwegian cruise on the Dawn in 2019.

It is so much cheaper than DCL.

 

[bcwife76]

It looks like we'll be heading to Northern Europe in 2020 on NCL as we are travelling with a big group (all of whom are avid NCL cruisers) so we shall see what our first experience is like. I'm glad to be with others who know NCL, since it will be our first non-DCL cruise. I don't know which ship yet as apparently those dates won't be released until the end of this year, but I can see by their website the Getaway is being used in 2019 for northern Europe so if it's like DCL, they will use the same ship year after year for the same itinerary (but what do I know? )

 

[cadien]

They've actually been alternating the Breakaway and the Getaway for Northern Europe. Getaway for 2017 and 2019 (which we're booked on) and the Breakaway this summer. It's really disappointing that they so recently switched to megaships for that itinerary. It puts some of the more attractive fjords off limits. Traditionally they'd used the much-smaller Star.

 

[Pens Fan]

I agree that the -Away class ships aren't ideal for the Baltics. Not only does it limit some of the smaller ports, apparently they have issues docking in Stockholm during certain weather conditions and have to dock a couple of hours away.

They usually have a second ship in Northern Europe, though, running the Norway / Iceland routes. This summer it's the Jade - much smaller ship. Oddly enough, they have yet to release those cruises for 2019. The Jade is moving to the Med in 2019 (we'll be on her!! ) and originally the tiny Spirit was supposed to take over those routes. But it's almost May and while most everything else for that timeframe was released in December or January, they still haven't released any Norway/Iceland cruises for 2019. NCL tends to move their ships around quite a bit, so there is no telling what they have up their sleeve.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I posted about this in another thread but we are currently booked (haven't PIF so things could change) for EBTA with DCL and then a Mediterranean with NCL. Honestly, a big reason we are jumping ship to NCL (instead of doing the b2b and staying on the DCL ship) is price. We are booked in the Haven in a 2 bedroom villa on NCL whereas that same money wouldn't even get us a Deluxe Family verandah on DCL.

 

[abbiep]

What was your impression of the Pearl if I might ask? I do realize NCL is not Disney so we are not going into this cruise with that expectation. I think if we did, that would lead to disappointment. We are going in with an open mind and the "let's check out this cruise line and see what they have to offer". I have to admit we also chose this cruise because we were tiring of some of the Disney ports of stop and this cruise offered ports we had not yet been to except Cozumel.

I thought it looked kind of old, not kept up. We had a balcony room and when the couch was opened up to sleep on, you couldn't use the balcony. I thought the bathroom was smaller. Definitely not the smiling faces you see on Disney from the crew members. When we walked one the ship, there was no welcoming committee and we had no idea where to go. We also don't do the Casino and aren't big drinkers so if that's your thing there seemed to be a lot to do on sea days related to wine and chocolate tasting, alcohol testing etc. We were looking for more family things to do and we found a cupcake decorating class and thinking they were going to show us some cute ideas decided to go. We went in, they handed us a cupcake, a dap of icing and told us to go get our sprinkles and have at it. In all honesty if we hadn't done the Disney cruise first it might have been okay. The bar was set pretty high on the Disney cruise and the NCL Pearl didn't come close. Now that is just my humble opinion and others that have sailed love it.

I did like the freestyle dinning but missed the service from our servers on Disney. The shows were pretty good.

 

[Pens Fan]

I posted about this in another thread but we are currently booked (haven't PIF so things could change) for EBTA with DCL and then a Mediterranean with NCL. Honestly, a big reason we are jumping ship to NCL (instead of doing the b2b and staying on the DCL ship) is price. We are booked in the Haven in a 2 bedroom villa on NCL whereas that same money wouldn't even get us a Deluxe Family verandah on DCL.

You will enjoy the suite life on NCL. They really spoil you. The main reason we've chosen NCL was the fact that (for us anyway) their itineraries are better than DCL's, but being able to sail in a suite for what we normally pay for a DCL balcony is a nice bonus. We also love the freestyle dining. I'm sure we will sail on DCL again at some point, but I'm really not looking forward to going back to set dining times and locations. Everyone's different. A lot of people love the traditional dining aspect of cruising and really aren't comfortable with NCL's system. But for us it worked perfectly.

 

[lilsonicfan]

I'm sure we will sail on DCL again at some point, but I'm really not looking forward to going back to set dining times and locations. Everyone's different. A lot of people love the traditional dining aspect of cruising and really aren't comfortable with NCL's system. But for us it worked perfectly.

I can see the appeal of traditional dining and DCL does do a great job of it having your servers follow you to the different rooms. That being said, I personally never eat dinner at either 5:45 or 8:15 so I am really not a big fan of that aspect. Definitely looking forward to being spoiled in the suite in NCL! They do have some pretty neat itineraries - I'd love to see the Greek islands!!!

 

[EPCOTatNight]

Not particularly. Just curious as to why?

The last 2 pages of very helpful info is why.

 

[jeepnjudy]

I thought it looked kind of old, not kept up. We had a balcony room and when the couch was opened up to sleep on, you couldn't use the balcony. I thought the bathroom was smaller. Definitely not the smiling faces you see on Disney from the crew members. When we walked one the ship, there was no welcoming committee and we had no idea where to go. We also don't do the Casino and aren't big drinkers so if that's your thing there seemed to be a lot to do on sea days related to wine and chocolate tasting, alcohol testing etc. We were looking for more family things to do and we found a cupcake decorating class and thinking they were going to show us some cute ideas decided to go. We went in, they handed us a cupcake, a dap of icing and told us to go get our sprinkles and have at it. In all honesty if we hadn't done the Disney cruise first it might have been okay. The bar was set pretty high on the Disney cruise and the NCL Pearl didn't come close. Now that is just my humble opinion and others that have sailed love it.

I did like the freestyle dinning but missed the service from our servers on Disney. The shows were pretty good.

Thank you so much for the feedback! We are staying in a suite on this cruise since it was much more reasonable than even an inside stateroom on DCL so I am looking forward to that! We are not a casino family and will likely not even step into the casino while on board. We are also not big drinkers but DH will likely enjoy a few during the cruise. If there are not a lot of family activities, I can imagine we will find ourselves at the pool most of the time as both DS are like fish! I will still be keeping an open mind, keep my fingers crossed, and pray for the best!

 

[Scoobypop]

Just off the Bliss Transatlantic maiden voyage. As for the smoking issue and the enclosed casino, it works beautifully. Never even smelled a hint of smoke and we walked through the casino several times to go from one end of that deck to the other. Granted, the ship was brand new, and even had the new ship (new car) smell throughout, so hopefully it will stay smoke free with the enclosed part. I had always considered Disney Fantasy to be the most beautiful ship I’ve ever sailed on, but I actually am bumping the Bliss ahead of it. The ship was stunning, and the service outstanding. For anyone who might be wondering, the Stateroom TVs are not on demand, as on Disney, but on the Family TV channel, we saw Moana, Beauty and the Beast (live action), Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Frozen, Disney Nature, (I think about bears maybe?) and a couple Disney channel shows like Jessie, etc.

 

[momof2n2]

Just off the Bliss Transatlantic maiden voyage. As for the smoking issue and the enclosed casino, it works beautifully. Never even smelled a hint of smoke and we walked through the casino several times to go from one end of that deck to the other. Granted, the ship was brand new, and even had the new ship (new car) smell throughout, so hopefully it will stay smoke free with the enclosed part. I had always considered Disney Fantasy to be the most beautiful ship I’ve ever sailed on, but I actually am bumping the Bliss ahead of it. The ship was stunning, and the service outstanding. For anyone who might be wondering, the Stateroom TVs are not on demand, as on Disney, but on the Family TV channel, we saw Moana, Beauty and the Beast (live action), Guardians of the Galaxy 2, Frozen, Disney Nature, (I think about bears maybe?) and a couple Disney channel shows like Jessie, etc.

Oooooo - Thank you for sharing!!!
I am anxiously awaiting 2020 Alaska dates to be released. I'd hopeful for a Bliss trip then. For now, I am just counting down to next year's Caribbean cruise on Getaway.