Lollipop's Mom
<font color=teal>Special trip with your little one
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2004
- Messages
- 4,357
I know that people are often wondering on here how another cruise line compares to Disney (seeing they are usually much cheaper), and we just did a weekend cruise on the NCL Pearl, so I thought I would compare them for you.
We cruised for only 2 nights from Vancouver - Seattle - just a weekend getaway, but enough to get a 'taste' of another cruise line.
We cruised DCL in January in a cat 11 on deck 5 for a 7 day western, and on this cruise we had a balcony on deck 9. The Pearl was built in 2006 and is one of their big ships.
It was myself and my daughter (13) for both cruises.
Rooms
Even though we had an inside room on DCL, I still liked the room layout on DCL better. I have to admit the balcony spoiled me, and I can't imagine sailing without one now. I loved having it. I did manage to get a good look at an NCL inside room this morning when they were cleaning, and they are SMALL!!!!!!! I would have been clausterphobic in there. Their insides are about 135 sq feet I think. Our balcony room was about 185 sq feet (I think) and felt the same size as our DCL inside. The layout of our DCL room made it seem roomier and easier to walk around. On NCL we had to juggle ourselves around everything. We had a queen bed (very comfortable), sofa (that pulls out), table with coffee maker and a nice hair dryer. Balcony chairs were comfy. Small flat screen tv almost identical to Disney. Decent amount of storage and also a safe. I found the bathroom hard to move in. The toilet area was TIGHT. It was a shower stall (not tub).
DCL wins on the rooms for me, but NCL gets points for a coffee maker and decent blow dryer!
TV
NCL channels were terrible. We got a cartoon channel, 2 news channels, 2 movie channels and that was it. Of course, we were not there to watch tv, but I love having the Disney channel on DCL.
DCL wins this one.
Public Areas
NCL Pearl has some VERY cool public spaces. They have great funky furniture in their lounges. They have double bed type loungers (plush like laying on a mattress) by the pool. Their lounge chairs on the decks were very comfy. Many cushy ones to be found.
The one night club (but open to families during the day) had bowling lanes (hard to bowl at sea, but still fun - $5 a game per person), slot machines (adults only obviously), and then all kinds of 'rooms' that felt private. Each room had amazing lounge chairs and even beds with tvs over top, so if you wanted, you could just lay down and watch the game above you. We were in there in the daytime and it was not crowded - I imagine this was a hot spot at night, and wouldn't really want to say what 'might' be going on in those rooms after they kick the kids out. LOL.
All of the furniture in the main lounges,etc.. was just so comfy and different. The spinaker lounge (where they hold bingo, comedy shows,etc...) was set up beautifully and we spent quite a bit of time attending events there.
Also, I have to admit I enjoyed the casino for some 'me' time. I understand why DCL doesn't have one (and in a way I am glad because I lost $50 in an hour! LOL), but it was fun to have it for the weekend.
NCL wins on the public spaces.
Pool
The Pearl has a large waterslide - much larger than in the photos you see on their website. You can see the pool area here http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2584881284_f0a6e3dbc6.jpg (Not my photo - found it on the net).
Adults can use the slide which is a bonus over disney. The main pool by the slide can be used by kids and is zero entry. There are 2 hot tubs kids can go in.
The pool you see at the front of the photo (furthest away from the slide) is adults only. There is actually a really cool waterfall that goes into this pool. The hot tub near it is larger and adults only.
DCL & NCL Tie on this one - I have to say I liked NCL's pool set up better and like the waterslide for all ages, but I like DCL having a whole other quiet section for the adult pool.
Food
NCL wins.
Yep, simple as that. I wasn't overly impressed with DCL food, and they need to take a lesson from NCL.
1. NCL's buffet is 4 times the size and is running constantly with only a 2 hour break between 3-5pm. I hated how DCL shut their buffet in the evening to be a 'casual restaurant'. Sometimes I don't feel like doing the dining room and just want to grab a quick bite that isn't pizza, burgers or chicken fingers.
NCL's buffet was HUGE.
The sections I can recall were salads, bakery, pizza (yummier than DCL I must say), carving station (usually 3 types of meat at any given time), asian (usually had sushi out), pasta (pick your pasta from 6 different types and pick your sauce and it was made on the spot for you), fruits, veggies, grill (hot dogs/hamburgers), soups, appetizers, cheeses, desserts (Ohhhhhhhhh the desserts!!!!! Pre-cut and pre-plated so it was easy to grab them), soft ice cream and also a hard ice cream/sundae station (hard ice cream had a server and you could get a cone or cup, with toppings like sprinkles, cookies, fruit, hot fudge sauce, etc....), and a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN that runs every night!
As for restaurants they have 2 main dining rooms, one where you can go in jeans (no shorts) if you wish and one that is more dressed up. Both run the same menu each evening. We didn't eat in them, as we were having a very relaxed weekend and didn't feel like doing the dining room thing. People said the food was great.
There is also one restaurant we loved called Blue Lagoon. It was very informal and was all comfort food. Potato skins, mozz sticks, nachos, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, etc...etc... and the best dessert ever - hot fudge brownie sundae! This was the best one of those I have ever had!
They also had several cover charge restaurants which we didn't bother with, but I hear were good.
Breakfast we had at the buffet each morning. Way better breakfast than DCL puts on. Tons and tons of items and everything tasted great (DCL pancakes suck! lol).
There were also 2 outdoor grill type areas with similar stuff to DCL's grill areas.
NCL really did food well.
Beverages
DCL wins this hands down!
I was nickled and dimed to death on beverages from NCL.
The ONLY thing they offer is coffee, tea, hot chocolate, unsweetened iced tea, water and milk.
They do have apple and orange juice in the mornings.
I spent $18 on pop over 2 days - 7 cans of pop! I can't believe they didn't even have a 2nd option like a fruit punch, lemonade or orange tang type drink available.
They offer a $6.25 teen soda card, but refused to sell them on a 2 day cruise. This pizzed me off a bit.
Ship
DCL wins this one!
While the Pearl was a gorgeous ship. Beautiful decor (not that cheesy feeling at all), it was laid out really weird.
We would get off the elevator on deck 13 and realize we couldn't go where we wanted. We would have to walk down to deck 12, over to another area of the ship, and back up to 13 to go to where we wanted. A restaurant would 'be in the way' or something. Odd layout. I was on for 2 full days and still felt lost at times.
I love on DCL that I can walk from one end of the ship to the other on the same deck and not feel lost.
On NCL I was constantly saying 'wait....where am I? which direction am I walking in?'. For some reason on DCL, I never felt lost or wondered which direction I was going.
Also the atrium on NCL was very un-impressive. Only 2 decks high.
The theater was HUGE and big enough to hold nearly all of guests at the same time. There were balconies and it was hard to see the stage from so far away.
Entertainment
DCL DCL DCL
OMG NCL's shows were so bad we got up and left part way through the first one.
We had sailed a 4 night carnival paradise cruise and the entertainment was so bad - and I mean BAD. I had spoken to someone who works in the cruise industry and they said the bigger and newer and better the ship, the better the shows. She said that once we got on a big new ship, it would be amazing.
So here we were on one of NCL's newest and biggest ships. I knew there was no Mickey and no characters, but did expect to see something fun.
IT WAS BAAAAAAAAAAAAD! A bunch of scantily clad women dancing (and I use that term loosely - my daughter could do better when she was 9 and in jazz class), some guy attempting to rap, etc....
We got the giggles and just about lost it. We noticed everyone getting up and leaving - we were not the only ones to feel this way obviously. So we followed.
The 2nd night we went to the show again, because they were going on about this show being the best one at sea for NCL.
If this was their best, I think I would rather see DCL's worst!
We did catch the second city improv show (love improv) and it was great. They had a comedian and advertised it as an all ages show. We went and got seats and 2 mins before the show they announced it was now an 18&over show, so we left.
The programming on this sailing was lacking. A couple of trivia type games (we attended and enjoyed), bingo (we attended and WON $730!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -that was a HUGE highlight for us - we were shaking - I have never won anything other than a stuffed animal in my life!).
I did get the impression that this was a short cruise and NCL wanted people to gamble & drink, and that is why they didn't do alot of programing. I would think on a longer cruise there is more going on, so its hard to judge from this.
They have a huge 60 foot screen in the atrium that you can play wii on. Looked like fun, we didn't bother with it though. They were showing Slum Dog on it, but not until 3am!!! Also, the movie they showed in the big theater during the day was an odd choice - Madagascar 2 - and there were not tons of kids on board. Again, this was probably to keep people away from free activities and have them gamble and drink and spend money.
They showed some good movies in the cabin, and we watched Bride Wars last night before going to sleep.
Kids Clubs
Well let me put it this way......
My daughter was 12 on DCL and had to go the 11-13 group, but desperately could not wait to be old enough for the teen club. She is just too mature for the kiddie games now. She did enjoy the group on DCL for some of the things, but really wanted to be in the stack. She is a very social and mature girl.
So she is finally 13 (this cruise was actually her bday present) and she can go to the teen club on NCL.
We walk in the first time, and there is NO ONE around. There is a family in there with 2 kids who were about 4-6 yrs playing around.
We left.
She went back 2 hours later. Same thing.
Another hour later. Same thing.
This continued. No one was around.
The room consisted of 3 or 4 computers, some lounging chairs, a foosball table, air hockey table and 3 bean bag chairs that had all their beans squished and were not able to be used. There was also a cool looking smoothie bar that was closed for the duration of the cruise.
She gave up trying to go there on Friday.
After breakfast on Saturday I went to the teen club with her. There was a counseller sitting at the smootie bar, head down on her arms, having a nap. I had to wake her up. No, I am not joking.
Me: "Hi, do you have any programming today?"
Her: "Yes we do"
Me: "What kind of programming?"
Her: "A few things."
Me: "Do you have a list?"
Her: "oh yah...sure hang on"
Pulls a paper out of her backpack and its printed on the proper 'teen club' cruise handout. I asked why we couldn't find this yesterday and she said "I don't know".
So we look at it and my daughter finds a few things she wants to do.
She goes back at 1pm for the first thing.
No one has shown up.
She started to spread the word whenever she saw teens "There is a photo scavenger hunt at 3pm (or whenever it was)". There were tons of teens on this cruise.
So my daughter shows up and there are about 10 teens with their cameras, wanting to do the hunt. The counsellor was on the computer playing a game and cancelled the photo hunt. She didn't feel like doing it.
That was it for the teen club now. She didn't bother to go back.
I am hoping on a 7 day cruise it is much different. I think she got lazy because it was a 2 day.
For many obvious reasons, and even though we haven't been to the stack, DCL WINS!
Service/Staff
I was impressed with NCL staff. Friendly, smiling and helpful.
I would say DCL and NCL tie on this.
Spa
Disclaimer first - I didn't use the spa on DCL or NCL, but did tours of each.
NCL has an amazing hydro therapy pool and individual whirlpools that look like big oversized reclining bathtubs. They also have the heated tile loungers and similar rain forest area.
NCL charges $20/day to use the facilities.
I won't say 'who wins' because I didn't use them, but will say NCL's felt more inviting to me.
Overall
Would I cruise NCL again?
Yes I would, if the price was right and the itinerary was right (port intensive trip). I would pack a suitcase with pop/water/juice to bring on.
I couldn't do a 7 day on this ship without taking a good look at some recent dailies to make sure they do indeed add more activities that don't cost money.
They offered a deal on board where I could put a $250 deposit down on another cruise (you don't choose the cruise at that time - you basically are buying a deposit to use when you get home). If you buy it, you get an immediate $100 OBC for the cruise you are on. I liked this idea. Also the deposit is fully transferable to another person. It is only refundable in the first 30 days. So I have 30 days to decide if I don't want it, and they will refund my money. It is good for 4 years.
I did buy one, because my mom and dad plan to book an alaskan cruise with NCL very soon, and my mom can buy this from me, and we got some OBC (I texted her while at sea and asked her if she wanted to go for it, and she said sure).
NCL's prices are definately better, and now considering I am a balcony person, it really makes it tough to spend so much extra to cruise disney, BUT - I want to go back to DCL - I love the theming, the shows, the entertainment options, the movies on board, the adult only pool area, etc...etc...etc....
I do feel like even though DCL costs much more, I get more bang for my buck with DCL than NCL.
We had a REALLY FUN time this weekend, but I felt there were many times I went "well what should we do?" and there was nothing much to do (it was too chilly to go relax by the pool) together as a mom/daughter. Maybe I would feel differently on a 7 day cruise?? If we were on a very port intensive cruise and we were cruising for ports, I would go with NCL and the cheaper cruise fare, but if I was looking at the ship as part of my vacation, I would go with DCL.
Anyway, I know this was really long to read, but I always wanted a good comparison and hope I can help others out with mine!
We cruised for only 2 nights from Vancouver - Seattle - just a weekend getaway, but enough to get a 'taste' of another cruise line.
We cruised DCL in January in a cat 11 on deck 5 for a 7 day western, and on this cruise we had a balcony on deck 9. The Pearl was built in 2006 and is one of their big ships.
It was myself and my daughter (13) for both cruises.
Rooms
Even though we had an inside room on DCL, I still liked the room layout on DCL better. I have to admit the balcony spoiled me, and I can't imagine sailing without one now. I loved having it. I did manage to get a good look at an NCL inside room this morning when they were cleaning, and they are SMALL!!!!!!! I would have been clausterphobic in there. Their insides are about 135 sq feet I think. Our balcony room was about 185 sq feet (I think) and felt the same size as our DCL inside. The layout of our DCL room made it seem roomier and easier to walk around. On NCL we had to juggle ourselves around everything. We had a queen bed (very comfortable), sofa (that pulls out), table with coffee maker and a nice hair dryer. Balcony chairs were comfy. Small flat screen tv almost identical to Disney. Decent amount of storage and also a safe. I found the bathroom hard to move in. The toilet area was TIGHT. It was a shower stall (not tub).
DCL wins on the rooms for me, but NCL gets points for a coffee maker and decent blow dryer!
TV
NCL channels were terrible. We got a cartoon channel, 2 news channels, 2 movie channels and that was it. Of course, we were not there to watch tv, but I love having the Disney channel on DCL.
DCL wins this one.
Public Areas
NCL Pearl has some VERY cool public spaces. They have great funky furniture in their lounges. They have double bed type loungers (plush like laying on a mattress) by the pool. Their lounge chairs on the decks were very comfy. Many cushy ones to be found.
The one night club (but open to families during the day) had bowling lanes (hard to bowl at sea, but still fun - $5 a game per person), slot machines (adults only obviously), and then all kinds of 'rooms' that felt private. Each room had amazing lounge chairs and even beds with tvs over top, so if you wanted, you could just lay down and watch the game above you. We were in there in the daytime and it was not crowded - I imagine this was a hot spot at night, and wouldn't really want to say what 'might' be going on in those rooms after they kick the kids out. LOL.
All of the furniture in the main lounges,etc.. was just so comfy and different. The spinaker lounge (where they hold bingo, comedy shows,etc...) was set up beautifully and we spent quite a bit of time attending events there.
Also, I have to admit I enjoyed the casino for some 'me' time. I understand why DCL doesn't have one (and in a way I am glad because I lost $50 in an hour! LOL), but it was fun to have it for the weekend.
NCL wins on the public spaces.
Pool
The Pearl has a large waterslide - much larger than in the photos you see on their website. You can see the pool area here http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3277/2584881284_f0a6e3dbc6.jpg (Not my photo - found it on the net).
Adults can use the slide which is a bonus over disney. The main pool by the slide can be used by kids and is zero entry. There are 2 hot tubs kids can go in.
The pool you see at the front of the photo (furthest away from the slide) is adults only. There is actually a really cool waterfall that goes into this pool. The hot tub near it is larger and adults only.
DCL & NCL Tie on this one - I have to say I liked NCL's pool set up better and like the waterslide for all ages, but I like DCL having a whole other quiet section for the adult pool.
Food
NCL wins.
Yep, simple as that. I wasn't overly impressed with DCL food, and they need to take a lesson from NCL.
1. NCL's buffet is 4 times the size and is running constantly with only a 2 hour break between 3-5pm. I hated how DCL shut their buffet in the evening to be a 'casual restaurant'. Sometimes I don't feel like doing the dining room and just want to grab a quick bite that isn't pizza, burgers or chicken fingers.
NCL's buffet was HUGE.
The sections I can recall were salads, bakery, pizza (yummier than DCL I must say), carving station (usually 3 types of meat at any given time), asian (usually had sushi out), pasta (pick your pasta from 6 different types and pick your sauce and it was made on the spot for you), fruits, veggies, grill (hot dogs/hamburgers), soups, appetizers, cheeses, desserts (Ohhhhhhhhh the desserts!!!!! Pre-cut and pre-plated so it was easy to grab them), soft ice cream and also a hard ice cream/sundae station (hard ice cream had a server and you could get a cone or cup, with toppings like sprinkles, cookies, fruit, hot fudge sauce, etc....), and a CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN that runs every night!
As for restaurants they have 2 main dining rooms, one where you can go in jeans (no shorts) if you wish and one that is more dressed up. Both run the same menu each evening. We didn't eat in them, as we were having a very relaxed weekend and didn't feel like doing the dining room thing. People said the food was great.
There is also one restaurant we loved called Blue Lagoon. It was very informal and was all comfort food. Potato skins, mozz sticks, nachos, hamburgers, hot dogs, grilled cheese, chicken fingers, etc...etc... and the best dessert ever - hot fudge brownie sundae! This was the best one of those I have ever had!
They also had several cover charge restaurants which we didn't bother with, but I hear were good.
Breakfast we had at the buffet each morning. Way better breakfast than DCL puts on. Tons and tons of items and everything tasted great (DCL pancakes suck! lol).
There were also 2 outdoor grill type areas with similar stuff to DCL's grill areas.
NCL really did food well.
Beverages
DCL wins this hands down!
I was nickled and dimed to death on beverages from NCL.
The ONLY thing they offer is coffee, tea, hot chocolate, unsweetened iced tea, water and milk.
They do have apple and orange juice in the mornings.
I spent $18 on pop over 2 days - 7 cans of pop! I can't believe they didn't even have a 2nd option like a fruit punch, lemonade or orange tang type drink available.
They offer a $6.25 teen soda card, but refused to sell them on a 2 day cruise. This pizzed me off a bit.
Ship
DCL wins this one!
While the Pearl was a gorgeous ship. Beautiful decor (not that cheesy feeling at all), it was laid out really weird.
We would get off the elevator on deck 13 and realize we couldn't go where we wanted. We would have to walk down to deck 12, over to another area of the ship, and back up to 13 to go to where we wanted. A restaurant would 'be in the way' or something. Odd layout. I was on for 2 full days and still felt lost at times.
I love on DCL that I can walk from one end of the ship to the other on the same deck and not feel lost.
On NCL I was constantly saying 'wait....where am I? which direction am I walking in?'. For some reason on DCL, I never felt lost or wondered which direction I was going.
Also the atrium on NCL was very un-impressive. Only 2 decks high.
The theater was HUGE and big enough to hold nearly all of guests at the same time. There were balconies and it was hard to see the stage from so far away.
Entertainment
DCL DCL DCL
OMG NCL's shows were so bad we got up and left part way through the first one.
We had sailed a 4 night carnival paradise cruise and the entertainment was so bad - and I mean BAD. I had spoken to someone who works in the cruise industry and they said the bigger and newer and better the ship, the better the shows. She said that once we got on a big new ship, it would be amazing.
So here we were on one of NCL's newest and biggest ships. I knew there was no Mickey and no characters, but did expect to see something fun.
IT WAS BAAAAAAAAAAAAD! A bunch of scantily clad women dancing (and I use that term loosely - my daughter could do better when she was 9 and in jazz class), some guy attempting to rap, etc....
We got the giggles and just about lost it. We noticed everyone getting up and leaving - we were not the only ones to feel this way obviously. So we followed.
The 2nd night we went to the show again, because they were going on about this show being the best one at sea for NCL.
If this was their best, I think I would rather see DCL's worst!
We did catch the second city improv show (love improv) and it was great. They had a comedian and advertised it as an all ages show. We went and got seats and 2 mins before the show they announced it was now an 18&over show, so we left.
The programming on this sailing was lacking. A couple of trivia type games (we attended and enjoyed), bingo (we attended and WON $730!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! -that was a HUGE highlight for us - we were shaking - I have never won anything other than a stuffed animal in my life!).
I did get the impression that this was a short cruise and NCL wanted people to gamble & drink, and that is why they didn't do alot of programing. I would think on a longer cruise there is more going on, so its hard to judge from this.
They have a huge 60 foot screen in the atrium that you can play wii on. Looked like fun, we didn't bother with it though. They were showing Slum Dog on it, but not until 3am!!! Also, the movie they showed in the big theater during the day was an odd choice - Madagascar 2 - and there were not tons of kids on board. Again, this was probably to keep people away from free activities and have them gamble and drink and spend money.
They showed some good movies in the cabin, and we watched Bride Wars last night before going to sleep.
Kids Clubs
Well let me put it this way......
My daughter was 12 on DCL and had to go the 11-13 group, but desperately could not wait to be old enough for the teen club. She is just too mature for the kiddie games now. She did enjoy the group on DCL for some of the things, but really wanted to be in the stack. She is a very social and mature girl.
So she is finally 13 (this cruise was actually her bday present) and she can go to the teen club on NCL.
We walk in the first time, and there is NO ONE around. There is a family in there with 2 kids who were about 4-6 yrs playing around.
We left.
She went back 2 hours later. Same thing.
Another hour later. Same thing.
This continued. No one was around.
The room consisted of 3 or 4 computers, some lounging chairs, a foosball table, air hockey table and 3 bean bag chairs that had all their beans squished and were not able to be used. There was also a cool looking smoothie bar that was closed for the duration of the cruise.
She gave up trying to go there on Friday.
After breakfast on Saturday I went to the teen club with her. There was a counseller sitting at the smootie bar, head down on her arms, having a nap. I had to wake her up. No, I am not joking.
Me: "Hi, do you have any programming today?"
Her: "Yes we do"
Me: "What kind of programming?"
Her: "A few things."
Me: "Do you have a list?"
Her: "oh yah...sure hang on"
Pulls a paper out of her backpack and its printed on the proper 'teen club' cruise handout. I asked why we couldn't find this yesterday and she said "I don't know".
So we look at it and my daughter finds a few things she wants to do.
She goes back at 1pm for the first thing.
No one has shown up.
She started to spread the word whenever she saw teens "There is a photo scavenger hunt at 3pm (or whenever it was)". There were tons of teens on this cruise.
So my daughter shows up and there are about 10 teens with their cameras, wanting to do the hunt. The counsellor was on the computer playing a game and cancelled the photo hunt. She didn't feel like doing it.
That was it for the teen club now. She didn't bother to go back.
I am hoping on a 7 day cruise it is much different. I think she got lazy because it was a 2 day.
For many obvious reasons, and even though we haven't been to the stack, DCL WINS!
Service/Staff
I was impressed with NCL staff. Friendly, smiling and helpful.
I would say DCL and NCL tie on this.
Spa
Disclaimer first - I didn't use the spa on DCL or NCL, but did tours of each.
NCL has an amazing hydro therapy pool and individual whirlpools that look like big oversized reclining bathtubs. They also have the heated tile loungers and similar rain forest area.
NCL charges $20/day to use the facilities.
I won't say 'who wins' because I didn't use them, but will say NCL's felt more inviting to me.
Overall
Would I cruise NCL again?
Yes I would, if the price was right and the itinerary was right (port intensive trip). I would pack a suitcase with pop/water/juice to bring on.
I couldn't do a 7 day on this ship without taking a good look at some recent dailies to make sure they do indeed add more activities that don't cost money.
They offered a deal on board where I could put a $250 deposit down on another cruise (you don't choose the cruise at that time - you basically are buying a deposit to use when you get home). If you buy it, you get an immediate $100 OBC for the cruise you are on. I liked this idea. Also the deposit is fully transferable to another person. It is only refundable in the first 30 days. So I have 30 days to decide if I don't want it, and they will refund my money. It is good for 4 years.
I did buy one, because my mom and dad plan to book an alaskan cruise with NCL very soon, and my mom can buy this from me, and we got some OBC (I texted her while at sea and asked her if she wanted to go for it, and she said sure).
NCL's prices are definately better, and now considering I am a balcony person, it really makes it tough to spend so much extra to cruise disney, BUT - I want to go back to DCL - I love the theming, the shows, the entertainment options, the movies on board, the adult only pool area, etc...etc...etc....
I do feel like even though DCL costs much more, I get more bang for my buck with DCL than NCL.
We had a REALLY FUN time this weekend, but I felt there were many times I went "well what should we do?" and there was nothing much to do (it was too chilly to go relax by the pool) together as a mom/daughter. Maybe I would feel differently on a 7 day cruise?? If we were on a very port intensive cruise and we were cruising for ports, I would go with NCL and the cheaper cruise fare, but if I was looking at the ship as part of my vacation, I would go with DCL.
Anyway, I know this was really long to read, but I always wanted a good comparison and hope I can help others out with mine!
