Anyone sailed with NCL?

[macm525]

My son and his wife sailed with NCL for their honeymoon, and they didn't like it at all. They said the service was poor and the quality of food was just okay. They felt that the entertainment could have been better and said that the overall experience with NCL was very disappointing. My son and his wife aren't the fussiest people in the world, so for them to complain, it had to be just ok.

My husband and I and other son are booked with DCL for Alaska next year. I would have preferred going out of Seattle, but DCL is really the best way to cruise.

 

[Rogillio]

There were no assigned dining times. You could do a reservation at a specialty restaurant for a surcharge. One thing I did like better was that I could book my excursions any time I wanted, unlike the DCL ressie rush at 90 days out.

Yeah, $15 pp. I could not see paying $60 for a 'speciality restaurant' for a family of four....even if it did mean waiting 45 minutes to be seated for dinner at the main dining rooms.

~Mike

 

[Almagetty]

We've never had to wait more than 10 minutes to be seated at any of the main dining rooms on NCL. The only exception to this was on the Norwegian Dream, which was a smaller ship not built for Freestyle. It's also no longer in the NCL fleet. If you take care not to show up to be seated at the peak dining room times, there usually shouldn't be a long wait. Also, if you are traveling with 8 people or more in your party, you can make reservations for the main dining rooms.

We also sailed on Princess with their Anytime Dining and had no problems being seated.

 

[justmestace]

I have done both the Pearl (2010) and the Star (2009) to Alaska. We prefered the Pearl for multiple reasons including Glacier Bay. It is also newer with improvements over the Star. I would absolutely recommend NCL over DCL. Don't get me wrong....we have sailed DCL 8 times with the 9th coming up, and we LOVE Disney, but for Alaska, NCL is MUCH better equipped. Some notes:
- freestyle dining is wonderful. You eat when you want where you want. With kids, that is a wonderful option for us and not having a set schedule was great. It is also neat having a 24 hour restaurant for those late night cravings.
- has a neat bowling alley and rock climbing wall.
- there are so many more scheduled activities on board than DCL. There is a neat game room (cards and board games) too with floor to ceiling windows.
- Spinnaker's lounge on the front of the ship is WONDERFUL for watching for wildlife and enjoying the scenery. It has a 180 degree view and is HUGE with wall to ceiling windows with tons of very comfy plush seating. Alaska cruising is so different from other cruises because you really want to be able to look out a lot. The NCL is much better for that and Spinnakers is one huge reason. A lot of the activities that we wanted to participate in was in that lounge so we didn't feel like we were missing anything by playing trivia or bingo. Plus, it was so big that line dancing or other actitivities could be going on and you had enough space to get away and enjoy your own part of the lounge without being involved in the activity. On DCL, there just isn't that viewing opportunity. One of the largest dining rooms (buffet) on the Pearl was floor to ceiling windows with semi circle booths that face the window so you have a beautiful view all the time. That is one big thing that people need to consider and why I wouldn't do DCL to Alaska...the views from the ship. Think about on DCL where you eat and do activities. Unless you find a large porthole in one of the lounges, or at Topsiders or Beach Blanket it is hard to have a good view when doing actitivites/eating. There is so much BEAUTIFUL scenery all the time and whales were everywhere on our last cruise so especially with the kids, being able to look out and watch for things is important.
- The shore excursions are basically the same for the ships. Glacier Bay is BEAUTIFUL and shouldn't be missed. When we did the Star we didn't go there and after seeing Glacier Bay, we agreed that that was the best itinerary. We are booked on the Pearl again next year for Alaska.
- The staff are nice. No, it isn't Disney, but our cabin stewards were just as friendly as DCL. The wait staff wasn't the same but that didn't matter to us. They were nice and did their jobs and that is what we expected.
- Our kids commented that there was a lot more to do on the ship and we all agreed. A lot more activities for games and things to do.
- We had a mini-suite (AF) and it was wonderful. It was almost identical to a cat 4 but I thought it seemed a little larger. I liked the drawer layout better and it seemed we had more room to put our clothes away. The bathrooms are not separate like DCL but the toilet does have a sliding glass door. Seemed a little roomier since it was a larger room versus 2 separate rooms.
- When we booked for next year (booked in Sept for Aug next year), our fare is $5475. DCL during the same week is $7507 for the same type of veranda cabin. For all of the above mentioned pluses of the Pearl and especially Glacier Bay, it wasn't hard to decide to go with NCL.
One last note, yes, it does get tiring to hear on NCL the constant push for jewerly demos, etc, but you just ignore it. When you passed by the demos, there were a lot of people there (usually drawn in by the free drawings) but they will continue to do it as long as people go. You don't get that on DCL..but it wasn't something that made us not enjoy our cruise.
I hear that the Star was removed Spinnakers lounge and replaced it with Suites.The Star doesn't do Glacier Bay. They also don't have the rock climbing wall, bowling and the restaurants have been improved on the Pearl so I wouldn't do the Star again to Alaska.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Have a great cruise no matter which you choose. Alaska is AWESOME!!!!!

I'm going to say DITTO DITTO DITTO on everything she said.

We cruised the Pearl to Alaska this past summer and LOVED it. ALL of it.
We did have the advantage of being in a suite, so we didn't experience the "wait time" for dining, but honestly, every time we walked up, there was never more than one couple waiting. EVER.

I would do it again in a heartbeat, my son loved it, my husband loved it, and the smaller kids in our group had a great time in the clubs. I don't think any of them missed the characters, and we've all cruised DCL up to 10 times.
And you can't beat saving a couple of thousand dollars.


PLEASE REMEMBER, DIE-HARD DCL FANS....THE OP ASKED ABOUT NCL. I'm not bashing DCL, I love it too. But they did ask for opinions from people who have gone NCL.

 

[Almagetty]

Justmestace: The suite perks on NCL are awesome! Breakfasts and lunches at Cagney's ... Wow!!!

 

[dragonfly08]

I haven't sailed on the Star or Pearl, or to Alaska for that matter, but I have sailed with NCL and would do so again.

The staff were just as polite and helpful as any I encountered on my DCL cruise. I'll admit that we saw more of our cabin steward on DCL, but still got everything I needed on NCL so that wasn't a problem. The cabin was a bit smaller on NCL, but unless you're planning to spend a huge amount of time in it that's not a big deal. I can't compare the kids programming since I didn't have my girls with me on NCL, but the kids I did see were having a great time. DCL does do a fantastic job of that, but even so it's no guarantee...my youngest hated the kids club! One thing that NCL has over DCL, for me, is the Freestyle concept. I MUCH prefer being able to eat when/where I want. And I never waited more than 5 or 10 minutes to be seated, even during some peak dining times. Traditional seating on DCL didn't work for my family (we actually went the entire cruise without having a single dinner in the dining rooms because of it). And as for servers getting to know you, that's not something I'm interested in. Just because I order a specific drink or appetizer tonight doesn't mean I automatically want it tomorrow...I was just fine with having to ask for what I wanted/needed.

 

[nikkistevej]

I am definitely interested in NCL too, we are doing a "family reunion" cruise to Alaska next July- and we are going to do the Norwegian Pearl. We wanted to leave from Seattle and it has pretty good reviews on cruise critic. We also really wanted to see Glacier Bay- so that narrowed our choices down to the Pearl. I hope we enjoy it.

 

[tvguy]

We've never had to wait more than 10 minutes to be seated at any of the main dining rooms on NCL. The only exception to this was on the Norwegian Dream, which was a smaller ship not built for Freestyle. It's also no longer in the NCL fleet. If you take care not to show up to be seated at the peak dining room times, there usually shouldn't be a long wait. Also, if you are traveling with 8 people or more in your party, you can make reservations for the main dining rooms.

We also sailed on Princess with their Anytime Dining and had no problems being seated.

You were lucky, our first night the wait was 2 hours. But there is a trick to Freestyle if you want to eat in the regular dining room. When you finish dinner, stop as you exit and make a reservation for the next night. They won't let you make a reservation more than 24 hours in advance for the free dining room but they HAD to start taking reservations. The extra cost dining rooms you can make reservations 7 days in advance, but there never was a wait in those restaurants. NCL grossly over estimated how many folks would eat in the extra cost dining rooms, and just didn't build the free dining rooms big enough.

We cruised NCL in 1983 and 1984 on the Norway when they were still a top flight cruise line. Great shows with name entertainers, singers, comedians, and other acts you would see perform on the Tonight show were on board to do shows, and they hung out with the passengers for the week too.
Now a days, NCL has gone more mass market than they were. You will get your money's worth, but don't expect Disney or HAL levels of service, or the old NCL level of service.

 

[iloverags2]

I recently booked a HAL cruise and my expection are pretty low....I hope to be pleasantly suprised but we are focusing on the ports and shore excursions and not expecting to do much on the ship except eat, sleep and hang out at the pool.

~Mike

My mom just did HAL to Alaska this past summer and loved it. Her first DCL cruise was Oct 2009, which she fell in love with DCL after going in with reservations and low expectations. So, when she went on HAL she was hesitant it wouldn't live up to Disney standards. She still gives the edge to DCL, but she was pleasantly surprised with HAL and quite happy with them.

Off-topic, I noticed in your signature a trip to Door County! I spent most of my life in Chicago and we often took weekend trips up there. In fact, my husband and I honeymooned there (since we had our wedding in Chicago and not Florida, where we now live)!

 

[justmestace]

I am definitely interested in NCL too, we are doing a "family reunion" cruise to Alaska next July- and we are going to do the Norwegian Pearl. We wanted to leave from Seattle and it has pretty good reviews on cruise critic. We also really wanted to see Glacier Bay- so that narrowed our choices down to the Pearl. I hope we enjoy it.

If you can swing it, spend an extra day or two in Seattle. We did, as we'd never been there before, and had a great time. We also stayed at the Waterfront Marriott, nearly across the street from the pier, so the morning we boarded, we just pulled our luggage across the street. It was SO easy!

 

[justmestace]

Justmestace: The suite perks on NCL are awesome! Breakfasts and lunches at Cagney's ... Wow!!!

Their concierge and suite perks are so far and above DCL's it isn't even funny. I could go on and on about it. It was a special treat for my husband's birthday, and I'm so glad we did it.

 

[dato63]

If you can swing it, spend an extra day or two in Seattle. We did, as we'd never been there before, and had a great time. We also stayed at the Waterfront Marriott, nearly across the street from the pier, so the morning we boarded, we just pulled our luggage across the street. It was SO easy!

I like reading your post. We are booked at the Marriott for 2 days pre cruise, as we have never been to Seattle. Looking forward to seeing the city. Then we are NCL Pearl bound for Alaska. Very happy to read more positive feedback.

 

[justmestace]

I like reading your post. We are booked at the Marriott for 2 days pre cruise, as we have never been to Seattle. Looking forward to seeing the city. Then we are NCL Pearl bound for Alaska. Very happy to read more positive feedback.

Please feel free to send me a PM if you have any questions!

 

[crazybones27]

Their concierge and suite perks are so far and above DCL's it isn't even funny. I could go on and on about it. It was a special treat for my husband's birthday, and I'm so glad we did it.

On our trip in 2007 on the Pride of Hawaii we were in a suite. I agree the perks in the suite were definitely worth the price we paid for them. My hubby and I were on our honeymoon and when the travel agent called and said would you like to upgrade we thought about it and decided to go with it. I have SUCH a hard time now looking at rooms below a suite level on ANY cruise line. I will definitely cruise NCL again in the future and most likely it will only be in the suites LOL.

 

[Page4]

The anytime dining as you guys explain it sounds pretty interesting. I love DCL but going to dinner when they assign it to you felt almost cafeteria style. Not to mention, we ate lunch at different times around excursions or whatever and that pushed meals too close together sometimes. That being said, I wouldn't want DCL to change their way of doing dinner because that would mess things up, I think.

 

[justmestace]

On our trip in 2007 on the Pride of Hawaii we were in a suite. I agree the perks in the suite were definitely worth the price we paid for them. My hubby and I were on our honeymoon and when the travel agent called and said would you like to upgrade we thought about it and decided to go with it. I have SUCH a hard time now looking at rooms below a suite level on ANY cruise line. I will definitely cruise NCL again in the future and most likely it will only be in the suites LOL.

I've had no problem at all going from being in NCL's courtyard suite, to a Cat 6 on DCL. I just really love to be cruising, and also....no offense DCL, but once you've had the concierge service on NCL (especially the Pearl!) there's no comparison, so I don't mind not having it on DCL.

 

[justmestace]

The anytime dining as you guys explain it sounds pretty interesting. I love DCL but going to dinner when they assign it to you felt almost cafeteria style. Not to mention, we ate lunch at different times around excursions or whatever and that pushed meals too close together sometimes. That being said, I wouldn't want DCL to change their way of doing dinner because that would mess things up, I think.

I think the biggest difference is that dining on DCL is a show in itself. You get to have the same waitstaff, and getting to know them can be a lot of fun. Plus the atmosphere is amazing. I hope DCL doesn't ever change the way they handle dinners.

But since the other cruise lines are basically just like a nice restaurant in any city, it's great to be able to get ready to go to dinner without the rushed feeling of being "late" and holding up the whole table.

 

[rusafee1183]

Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond and for the honest input. I think we are going to go for it and do the Pearl this spring.

I have done both the Pearl (2010) and the Star (2009) to Alaska. We prefered the Pearl for multiple reasons including Glacier Bay. It is also newer with improvements over the Star. I would absolutely recommend NCL over DCL. Don't get me wrong....we have sailed DCL 8 times with the 9th coming up, and we LOVE Disney, but for Alaska, NCL is MUCH better equipped. Some notes:
- freestyle dining is wonderful. You eat when you want where you want. With kids, that is a wonderful option for us and not having a set schedule was great. It is also neat having a 24 hour restaurant for those late night cravings.
- has a neat bowling alley and rock climbing wall.
- there are so many more scheduled activities on board than DCL. There is a neat game room (cards and board games) too with floor to ceiling windows.
- Spinnaker's lounge on the front of the ship is WONDERFUL for watching for wildlife and enjoying the scenery. It has a 180 degree view and is HUGE with wall to ceiling windows with tons of very comfy plush seating. Alaska cruising is so different from other cruises because you really want to be able to look out a lot. The NCL is much better for that and Spinnakers is one huge reason. A lot of the activities that we wanted to participate in was in that lounge so we didn't feel like we were missing anything by playing trivia or bingo. Plus, it was so big that line dancing or other actitivities could be going on and you had enough space to get away and enjoy your own part of the lounge without being involved in the activity. On DCL, there just isn't that viewing opportunity. One of the largest dining rooms (buffet) on the Pearl was floor to ceiling windows with semi circle booths that face the window so you have a beautiful view all the time. That is one big thing that people need to consider and why I wouldn't do DCL to Alaska...the views from the ship. Think about on DCL where you eat and do activities. Unless you find a large porthole in one of the lounges, or at Topsiders or Beach Blanket it is hard to have a good view when doing actitivites/eating. There is so much BEAUTIFUL scenery all the time and whales were everywhere on our last cruise so especially with the kids, being able to look out and watch for things is important.
- The shore excursions are basically the same for the ships. Glacier Bay is BEAUTIFUL and shouldn't be missed. When we did the Star we didn't go there and after seeing Glacier Bay, we agreed that that was the best itinerary. We are booked on the Pearl again next year for Alaska.
- The staff are nice. No, it isn't Disney, but our cabin stewards were just as friendly as DCL. The wait staff wasn't the same but that didn't matter to us. They were nice and did their jobs and that is what we expected.
- Our kids commented that there was a lot more to do on the ship and we all agreed. A lot more activities for games and things to do.
- We had a mini-suite (AF) and it was wonderful. It was almost identical to a cat 4 but I thought it seemed a little larger. I liked the drawer layout better and it seemed we had more room to put our clothes away. The bathrooms are not separate like DCL but the toilet does have a sliding glass door. Seemed a little roomier since it was a larger room versus 2 separate rooms.
- When we booked for next year (booked in Sept for Aug next year), our fare is $5475. DCL during the same week is $7507 for the same type of veranda cabin. For all of the above mentioned pluses of the Pearl and especially Glacier Bay, it wasn't hard to decide to go with NCL.
One last note, yes, it does get tiring to hear on NCL the constant push for jewerly demos, etc, but you just ignore it. When you passed by the demos, there were a lot of people there (usually drawn in by the free drawings) but they will continue to do it as long as people go. You don't get that on DCL..but it wasn't something that made us not enjoy our cruise.
I hear that the Star was removed Spinnakers lounge and replaced it with Suites.The Star doesn't do Glacier Bay. They also don't have the rock climbing wall, bowling and the restaurants have been improved on the Pearl so I wouldn't do the Star again to Alaska.
Hope this helps. Let me know if you have further questions.
Have a great cruise no matter which you choose. Alaska is AWESOME!!!!!

Thank you for taking the time for such a detailed response. It's very appreciated. We haven't cruised with DCL before, I have been on 1 cruise that was SO long ago I can't count it because I didn't plan any of it and my DH has never cruised before. So, we aren't die hard DCL fans and we are open to try any cruise line as long as there is enough to entertain us on board or give us a nice pool or a quiet spot to read. I'm very much looking forward to going on the Pearl now and thanks again for taking the time to give such great details.

 

[LKFan]

We cruised the Pearl to Alaska before we cruise Disney. The service on the Pearl was adequate. There were many staff (servers, hand sanitizing people, etc) with very strong accents which made it difficult for the kids. I don't know if it is a cultural difference but there just weren't as many smiles as there are on Disney.

We cruised in August and it was wet and cold the entire time. The rock wall, pools and outdoor restaurants were closed until the final day of the cruise. I assume it would be the same risk on any cruise you take to Alaska.

We bought the week pass for the spa and loved it. They have several hot tubs, saunas, warm tiled chairs, etc. all with beautiful views (floor to ceiling windows). After a day in the Alaskan cold, my husband and I enjoyed kicking back and relaxing in the spa while watching for whales.

As far as food goes, to us, it was mass produced cafeteria style food. And the coffee was horrid! We waited a decent amount of time to be seated for dinner. What we started to do was to get to the restaurants as soon as they opened. That way, we didn't have to wait for the first round of diners to finish before we were seated. Other nights, we just ate in the buffet.

NCL has a better Alaskan itinery than Disney does and I think that matters more when you are travelling to a place as scenic as Alaska. I've read that there are other ships (HAL, Princess, etc) that have better schedules than NCL.

 

[WDWDeb]

We stayed at the Marriott Waterfront too in Seattle. We highly recommend it like others have mentioned above. You literally walk across the street to the ship. It is so neat to wake up and there is the ship right out your window! It is also walking distance to Pike's Place Market and the Space Needle.

Also, weather in Alaska is unpredictable. Someone posted that it rained most of their cruise in August, yet for our week in August, it only rained the night we left Seattle. Just be prepared for anything because it can change quickly. Dress in layers and have rain gear. The coldest part of the cruise tends to be Glacier Bay.