Never Cruised NCL how does it Differ from the others..

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mlzangel78

Guest
Hello everyone, My fiance and I are looking at booking the 4day bahama cruise on the Sky for my 30th bday in December... its a choice between that and carnivals 4 day western carib.. price is the same so thats not an issue... I have Cruised Princess, Carnival and Royal before , and I love all three lines, and I am familiar with them.. could someone please tell me other than the freestyle dining what they found that differed from thte other lines.. For the most part other than ship design and waitstaff, and I have had good and bad on both.. what to expect from NCL.. Pros and Cons,.. its my fiance's first cruise, and we decided to choose a line i have never cruised before so that we have a FIRST memory together.. we have also picked NCL because I have never been to grand bahama island.. only nassau... and i have never been to great stirrup cay , so he was looking for us to have our OWN expiriences together... I just hope i wont be in some kind of shock, since i dont know what to expect from NCL in regards to my prior cruises.. thanks for all your help
 
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nmnita

Guest
I think you made a good decision. The only way you can learn about different lines is to try them. If you were happy on your short Carnival cruises I am sure you will love the Sky. she is the prefect ship for 3 and 4 day ventures. Freestyle dining does not work for everyone, but more and more ships are adopting the policy. You don't get to know your wait people which some cruisers miss, but the pros off set this in my opinion.

The cabins on the Sky are smaller than on Carnival but about the same as other lines. The entertainment probably is as good as any line sailing. Don't expect a lot of night life, but you can always find a lounge with late night entertainment if this is something you like. Cruising early December, the ship will have more seniors than other times. The other side of this: the shorter the cruise the younger the crowd.

I can't think of too much negative about NCL except for the strict liquor policy. If you are going to try and bring booze on think of a very clever way to disguise it.

if you have any more questions please ask.

Nita
 
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mlzangel78

Guest
I am reading alot of negative reviews in regards to the ships "refurb" after taking back her name from being the Pride of Aloha, i dont know wether it is because of the new crew, but most reviews i am reading are tending to be very BLAH... to me even a bad cruise is better than a good day at work, but i am a little hesitant to book with a new line.. especially when its my fiances first cruise... atleast with Carnival i know what to expect and being a past pax im hoping for a few more perks considering its my bday... uggghhhh i dont know what to pic.. and there arent many new pics or reviews of that ship enough to make a final decision....
 
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uppitycats

Guest
It seems like people either LOVE NCL or HATE the line...not much in-between. I've not cruised on NCL yet -- I have a cruise scheduled on the NCL Jewel this fall. I've been on Carnival and Princess and prefer Princess, really dislike Carnival..

but Carnival is indeed a "fun ship", so if you like nightlife, glitz, Las Vegas-style shows and such, Carnival is a good choice, and familiar to you.

But I do like your reasoning -- you haven't been on NCL -- and maybe you'll like it! It is only for the 4 days, long enough to get a feel for how the cruise line is, short enough that if it is awful, you'll be off the ship soon! :)
 
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mlzangel78

Guest
He is a night owl, so after reading that the ship tends to die down after 10pm is a little concerning... However, i have been on 3 day cruises on carnival ships where at midnight the ships were DEAD, actuallyi like them that way because then you get the hottubs to yourself at midnight.. and the serenity and quite of the decks... wespecially when on 3 days cruises i dont book balconies its nice to have the deck all to yourself at some point.. however having the same waiter every night has always made my cruises have that "little extra" and i want him to experience that as well... ohhhh mannnnn choices choices choices.. the one good thing.. i am fortunate enough to have choices and be going :)
 
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nmnita

Guest
remember though the reviews are not positive for sure, she just went back into the water last week. It does take time for glitches to be ironed out.

Nita
 
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mlzangel78

Guest
I know, im just wishing there were more reviews than there are.. and ofcourse pics would be nice too :)
 
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illy

Guest
I might be too late to reply but I have been on NCL twice, the Jewel and the Sky and loved them both. I actually just booked another cruise on the sky for next Monday. Yes the rooms are smaller than Carnival but other than that, I have no complaints. The entertainment was great on the Jewel, the cruise director was a lot of fun and there was music every where you turn. The food was so-so. On the sky, the food was better, the entertainment was very good too.
I love both Carnival and NCL, but I think I am liking NCL a little bit better.
 
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