Looking for comparisons with NCL...

[omalley1118]

OK, this is probably off topic...but I really want to know how DCL and NCL compare, so I figured come to the EXPERTS!!! We have sailed twice with DCL with the kids and once with NCL; but that was 18 years ago on our honeymoon and I barely remember small details.

I won a free cruise for 2 on NCL, and there are a few choices. I can pay extra for additional. So, we are considering a 7 night Boston to Bermuda and adding the kids. I want to know how kids do on NCL. This just happened, and I am trying to research things. It seems like there are a lot of additional charges on NCL. I also have to take an inside cabin, which is hard to imagine with 4 of us...

The final consideration is that it has to be this year, so if we do this, we would be skipping our planned Vero/WDW trip at the end of August. It does seem like we could save money over that. Also, I really want to do a 7 night cruise, but I find the DCL ones a bit pricey... This would allow me to do 7 nights for 4 to Bermuda for $1380 for the cruise itself...

Any and all (constructive) thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!!

 

[tvguy]

OK, this is probably off topic...but I really want to know how DCL and NCL compare, so I figured come to the EXPERTS!!! We have sailed twice with DCL with the kids and once with NCL; but that was 18 years ago on our honeymoon and I barely remember small details.

I won a free cruise for 2 on NCL, and there are a few choices. I can pay extra for additional. So, we are considering a 7 night Boston to Bermuda and adding the kids. I want to know how kids do on NCL. This just happened, and I am trying to research things. It seems like there are a lot of additional charges on NCL. I also have to take an inside cabin, which is hard to imagine with 4 of us...

The final consideration is that it has to be this year, so if we do this, we would be skipping our planned Vero/WDW trip at the end of August. It does seem like we could save money over that. Also, I really want to do a 7 night cruise, but I find the DCL ones a bit pricey... This would allow me to do 7 nights for 4 to Bermuda for $1380 for the cruise itself...

Any and all (constructive) thoughts would be greatly appreciated!!!!

My most recent NCL experience was on NCL America, and it doesn't compare to Disney. Now, the old NCL, in the 1980's was on par or better than Disney, especially when it came to food and entertainment. But, that was too long ago, back when NCL featured name entertainers on board (folks who were regulars on the Tonight Show, Late Night, Etc.)

 

[ali in wonderland]

The last NCL sailing I was on was 10 years ago. It was on the Dawn during its maiden year. We loved it, but we did not have the kids with us. My brother took his kids on the same trip two years later and the kids had a great time. We took our first DCL cruise 7 years ago, and I think nothing compares for families. The pros of NCL for us are no flying which saves us a lot of money, freestyle dinning (I hate to be forces to come in from a beautiful day to have dinner), and better ports of call. We have also cruised with Royal Caribbean. IMHO DCL is the best, but that doesn't mean you won't enjoy a different cruise line. The cost savings alone might be enough for some people to prefer one over the other.

 

[stsomewhere]

We haven't sailed on NCL in 14 yrs. We are booked on NCL Sun for a 10 night deep Southern over Christmas and NYE. We are looking forward to it.

 

[NancyIL]

You are likely to get a "DCL is fabulous...NCL sucks" response from DCL fans on this board! Read what people like about DCL here, and read what people like about NCL at that forum on Cruise Critic: www.boards.cruisecritic.com. (I'd give you the link to the NCL forum, but Cruise Critic's web site isn't cooperating for me right now.)


**Here is the NCL forum at Cruise Critic: http://boards.cruisecritic.com/forumdisplay.php?f=107

 

[Rogillio]

You are likely to get a "DCL is fabulous...NCL sucks" response from DCL fans on this board! Read what people like about DCL here, and read what people like about NCL at that forum on Cruise Critic: www.boards.cruisecritic.com. (I'd give you the link to the NCL forum, but Cruise Critic's web site isn't cooperating for me right now.)

I agree. And just because we love Disney does not mean we can't share our experience with NCL objectively.

We took a NCL cruise in HI a few years ago and it was ok. The food was ok and the rooms were fine and the service was ok. The shows were a joke and I'm not sure why they even bothered. The ship was dirty and not well maintained IMO. The crew were all American and we were NOT impressed with them at all. This was a HI cruise and I've heard this cruise is different than other NCL cruses as people taking the HI cruises are using the cruise to sleep and get from island to island. Nevertheless, given all the other choices out there, I doubt we'll ever sail on NCL again.

 

[MikeAndNick]

My review of the one NCL ship we went on was Motel 6 on the water.

 

[omalley1118]

My review of the one NCL ship we went on was Motel 6 on the water.

Wow!!! Thanks for everyone's input. I am searching on cruise critic as well for info. I'm really undecided, but then I have some time...

 

[Bear3412]

NCL has some beautiful ships. They have made significant strides in the last few years with customers service and crews, excluding POA.
IMO they do push you to the pay dining to get quality fare.
They have reworked their kids clubs with positive reviews. The clubs do close during meal times though, and charge after 11pm?????

Given a choice which line would we sail? DCL
I wouldn't hesitate to sail NCL if DCL didn't work for whatever reason.

Happy sailing.

 

[Fielhol]

I have never taken our kids on ncl. But friends of ours have on the Epic. And their child loved it!!! They had nothing but good things to say. I travelled on the Pearl with hubby and we always saw the kids in the programs out and about with the leaders. And they all looked like they were having fun.

 

[Tonka's Skipper]

You will get lots of honest and fair opinions on this and other boards. That said, picking a line is like picking dinner off a menu, very subjective. You will likely find more fighting on Cruise critic. Just weed though the extremes (pro and con) on all the boards, the rest will most likely be honest and fair reviews.


AKK

PS.....We have not yet sailed NCL and I don't' know much about the interiors of the vessel, design, etc. That said, they have the ugliest designs on thier hulls and the Epic just is plain ugly with that hump over the Bridge!...Just a ole sailors eye for a vessel's lines.

 

[DisneyNutMary]

Having cruised DCL three times, and NCL just this past summer I hope I can give you some useful input.
We sailed on the NCL Gem out of NY to Florida and the Bahamas. Nearly the same exact itinerary as the Disney Magic was sailing from NY, and we left on the same day. I have to admit, my sister and I were jealous looking at the Magic, so close yet so far away.
NCL exceeded in - dining choices, but not food quality. Comparing the two, we did not like the Anytime dining, we much preferred DCL's rotational dining.
NCL had better adult entertainment- comedians, shows, late night activities. Cigar humidor for my cigar smoking DH and BIL. Casino is a definite perk over DCL; yes, we did miss having a casino on our DCL cruises.
NCL was better for our now teenaged kids. They were younger when we cruised DCL. Now that they are in that bumper age- high teens, they are the forgotten group, but NCL was good for them. Rock wall, golf driving cage, entertainment, karaoke, etc

DCL exceeds in family entertainment and family activities.
DCL wins hands down in children's program for ages 3 to pre-teen
DCL's quality of shows slightly edges out NCL, and the timing of shows on DCL is better- we missed parts of shows on NCL due to meal timing, some nights there was a wait to be seated.
DCL seemed to be easier to find food at odd hours than NCL. I have been saying I have never been as hungry on a cruise as I was on NCL. afternoon and late night eats were hard to find, and not great variety
DCL had it right with the soda. Make it free, it costs so little, just get rid of the hassle of soda cards. They make plenty of $ on alcohol to cover the soda cost. Plus, in the lounges and bars on NCL, my kids felt the bartenders ignored them or resented them using their soda card. My kids will gladly walk to a central locale for a soda- but why should they if I paid over $100 combined on their darn soda cards. Any bartender should be happy to pour the glass I paid so much for. And they did not drink enough to justify the cost.
DCL service wins hands down. Cabin stewards, wait staff, cruise staff, and everyone in general were more friendly and willing to provide quick, high quality service on DCL.
Pools, DCL wins! NCL had one pool area on the Gem. It felt so darn crowded all the time. In fact NCL also loses to Carnival and Royal Caribbean on this issue. The pool deck just sucked.

I can probably go on more, but I've hit on all of my major points. All that said. Out of the four cruise lines I've sailed, NCL ranks fourth. But we had a great time, an awesome time. Your vacation is what you make of it, so enjoy it. And don't skip the chocolate buffet on NCL, it was a cruise highlight for us.

 

[FJS961]

We just did the NCL pride of America HI cruise and it was the best vac we have taken to date! Granted it had to do with the itinerary more than anything else.

My kids liked the club a little (they aren't crazy about DCL clubs either). We had a chefs table res and had to drop kids off by 5:30. You have to pay $6 per child during 5-6 (dinner time). The ship just had a major rehab and was very clean, lots of things looked new, there was new carpeting throughout. That is THE cruise to see the islands hands down. I give it my highest recommendation.

We have the Breakaway coming up in July and that will be a fair test of NCL for us.

Still love DCL. We have a no kids Dream cruise and a Med cruise lined up.

 

[dato63]

We have done NCL and DCL.

My DH and I would pick NCL over DCL any day. We like the laid back atmosphere, the casual food choices & the size of stateroom we can get for our $$$.

Now, our DDs would pick DCL over NCL any day for the kids club.

When I have friends who ask me if I would recommended NCL I point out to them it depends on their cruising style. If you like formal nights and/or are a foodie then NCL might not be for you. If you want your kids to beg to go to the kids club, that seems to be a given on DCL and a hit or miss on NCL depending on the ship. I have found the crew to be just as friendly on both - and we have walked away keeping in touch with crew members on both cruiselines.

I would go to cruise critic like it was suggested, and read members reviews of the particular ship you are considering. I do tend to read past trip reports on the ship/cruise itinerary we are considering to see if there is a bad trend. So far, we have never had a bad cruise with anyone.

Good luck choosing.

 

[KWithers]

I've been on both the Disney Wonder and Norwegian Sun. 10 members of our family went on the Sun together (DD was 15 months at the time) for a 7-day cruise in 2010. We will never cruise Norwegian again. Well, if it were free I'd consider it. There were multiple complaints put in with NCL during and after our cruise. Not just by our family either. We found other cruisers shared our concerns with the service, cleanliness, etc. Now maybe it was a one-time thing and our cruise was a fluke, but there were just TOO many issues. A couple things that stick out: miscommunication about disembarkation which resulted in crowds of passengers waiting for 1.5 hours to get off the ship (at least we had some good humored folks joke about "the never ending nightmare!"); while waiting, someone dropped their case of alcohol which sent liquid streaming out of it and across the floor. Several crew members stepped OVER the stream and continued on without bothering to help clean it up. This was the general attitude the whole time. Anyway, the point is, you get what you pay for. Disney has the highest standards and treats their guests with high regard. I'll always choose DCL over NCL.

 

[TwinPrincessMermaids]

(regarding PP)

Hehe. You must be a NCL hater, you disney-loving, NCL-hater.

hehehe.

 

[KWithers]

(regarding PP)

Hehe. You must be a NCL hater, you disney-loving, NCL-hater.

hehehe.

This is pretty accurate, I am a Disney lover. As far as NCL.. hate is a strong word..I just wouldn't spend money with them again.

 

[omalley1118]

This has been very helpful. I just spent some time on the phone with NCL, trying to figure out what it would cost to do the Bermuda cruise with adding our two kids. It's a lot mre than I thought, and I will most likely be keeping our DCL plans!!!!

 

[mkmommy]

Do you want to go to Bermuda? DCL does not go to Bermuda and if Bermuda is a place you want to go this is a great opportunity.

I have never been , but from what I have read it is Beautiful and a different type of cruise vacation, as the ship usually overnights there for 2 or 3 days, and then a couple of sea days.

I am going on my first NCL cruise in October , I am sure it will be different than DCL, but I am going for the ports, and I am really excited about some new ports.

 

[Minnie Monellen]

The NCL Breakaway is supposed to be an amazing new ship that will sail from NYC to Bermuda this spring/summer. The Breakaway departs on its inaugural sailing at 5:00 p.m. Should be interesting to read the reviews. It will have fireworks, water slides, and even an ice bar!