We jumped ship to NCL!! How did they do??

[Aerodyne78]

My in-laws will be sailing on Holland for a 2-week Alaska cruise during the same time we'll be on the Disney Dream for our first cruise. I'm looking foward to comparing the cruise lines.

 

[darnheather]

Great review thank you. May I ask how you got such a great deal? I just checked and for a family balcony room on NCL it's the same price as an ocean view on DCL for Alaska in the same week 2018 (once I add soda packages for all). While I know some say you have to have a balcony I'm happy to forgo that with the DCL kid's clubs.

 

[Pens Fan]

Great review thank you. May I ask how you got such a great deal? I just checked and for a family balcony room on NCL it's the same price as an ocean view on DCL for Alaska in the same week 2018 (once I add soda packages for all). While I know some say you have to have a balcony I'm happy to forgo that with the DCL kid's clubs.

I booked the cruise in December 2015 (on the first day it was eligible to be booked) at the going rate direct with NCL. No deal. Just what it cost. Anyone logging in that day would have paid the same price.

Then I checked Disney's prices several months later on their opening day just for kicks and giggles. I was floored by the cost. We sailed on the Wonder in 2012 to Alaska and paid nothing even remotely close to what they are charging now.

I'm not a TA, and I don't spend my spare time checking prices of cruises I don't plan to take. Therefore I have no idea what you would find if you checked prices today. Anyone that cruises regularly knows that prices fluctuate - often dramatically - for cruises based on timing and how far in advance you book. Anyone can cherry pick pricing to make a point. I didn't do that. As I said from the very beginning my comparison was based on our first hand experience, nothing more, nothing less. Pricing info was based on comparing both Disney and NCL pricing on the first day the cruises were eligible to be booked - by anyone - no deals.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

I booked the cruise in December 2015 (on the first day it was eligible to be booked) at the going rate direct with NCL. No deal. Just what it cost. Anyone logging in that day would have paid the same price.

Then I checked Disney's prices several months later on their opening day just for kicks and giggles. I was floored by the cost. We sailed on the Wonder in 2012 to Alaska and paid nothing even remotely close to what they are charging now.

I'm not a TA, and I don't spend my spare time checking prices of cruises I don't plan to take. Therefore I have no idea what you would find if you checked prices today. Anyone that cruises regularly knows that prices fluctuate - often dramatically - for cruises based on timing and how far in advance you book. Anyone can cherry pick pricing to make a point. I didn't do that. As I said from the very beginning my comparison was based on our first hand experience, nothing more, nothing less. Pricing info was based on comparing both Disney and NCL pricing on the first day the cruises were eligible to be booked - by anyone - no deals.

Game, set, match!

 

[Pens Fan]

Fellow Pens Fan here originally from SW PA. It seems NCL does a better job in Alaska or maybe it is the ships. We sailed the Epic two years ago and it was our worst cruise experience ever. Embarkation was chaos (out of Miami), the bar staff was rude (especially if you only wanted a Pepsi on their drink program) and the nighttime entertainment was poor. We didn't think anything was "Freestyle" because you had to book every show if you wanted to see it because they all sold out. But we sailed NCL around Hawaii previously and they were great. So maybe the ship makes a difference.

It's a good time to be a Pens Fan (As I duck from the flames of Preds/Caps/Flyers fans - heck most NHL fans)

The Epic intrigues me. I read a lot on the CC NCL board prior to our cruise and that ship seems to be the most polarizing. It appeared that people either absolutely loved or hated it, with nothing in between. Part of me really wants to try it, just to see what all the fuss is about (or not), but then I don't want to drop a lot of money on something we won't like. The bottom line for us though is itinerary anyway, so unless it's going somewhere we really want to see, it probably won't happen. Sorry you had a bad time.

 

[RedSox68]

When originally researching this cruise, I thought the regular balcony cabins on the Sun seemed really small. Now that I've been on the ship, I'm not so sure. Walking by a few times when the rooms were being cleaned I glanced in and while they are smaller than Disney's they looked fine to me. You can't tell a lot by just walking by, but if the storage was as plentiful as it was in our cabin, I think a balcony would work really nicely - especially for a couple.

When we were on the Breakaway, the verandahs were much smaller than what we're used to on Disney (the biggest we have ever had were on HAL), but they were fine for us and we really enjoyed our verandah (except for the dang smokers next door who finally got caught and fined). We had the absolute best room steward on the Breakaway than we have had on any cruise, including Disney.

 

[RedSox68]

Holland America really surprised us. I've always considered them the "old people ship" - a terrible stereotype, I know. As I mentioned, we spent a lot of time down in Canada Place checking out the ships. There were Holland Ships there two different days, plus we saw others in the ports we visited. The mix of passengers we observed was really no different than what we experienced on NCL. There probably won't be as many children as on Disney, naturally, but we saw all ages, families, young couples and retirees. The thing that impressed us the most was the condition of the ships. They are beautiful and so well maintained. The only ships that compared (from the outside, anyway) were the Wonder and the World (a ship for the mega rich where they buy their cabin and sail around the world, getting off and on whenever they want). Holland's ships were beautiful. I plan on checking them out. I will look forward to your report!

We did HAL for Alaska and we had a lovely mix of age groups, including couples with families and lots of middle age. We've done two HAL cruises and it was the same on both. I love that line -- and the food is really top notch.

 

[Pens Fan]

When we were on the Breakaway, the verandahs were much smaller than what we're used to on Disney (the biggest we have ever had were on HAL), but they were fine for us and we really enjoyed our verandah (except for the dang smokers next door who finally got caught and fined). We had the absolute best room steward on the Breakaway than we have had on any cruise, including Disney.

When we sailed on the Magic out of NYC last fall we were docked next to the Breakaway. What a beautiful ship! The one thing we did notice was the balconies. Just like you, we thought they looked small. But for that itinerary I don't think I'd mind. We are weird. On our warm weather cruises we've hardly every used the balcony other than to step out for a few minutes for some fresh air. But our cold weather cruises have all been to places with amazing scenery so we just bundle up and live out there! That's when I'd probably miss a large balcony, but I'm sure we could make it work as you did - assuming there would be no smokers out there .

We were a bit worried about smoke going into this cruise, especially with the casino. But it wasn't even the slightest issue. We got lucky and had no one smoking on the balconies around us. It's not allowed, but as you found out some people are "special". We aren't gamblers, so we only passed through the casino twice going somewhere else and the smoke really wasn't that bad. Even if it had been we didn't have to pass through, it was just a little bit quicker.
I've read very conflicting reports about smoke from the casino on the Breakaway drifting out into other areas. Some say it's awful, some say they didn't notice it all. It certainly wasn't a problem on the Sun, thank goodness.

 

[RedSox68]

When we sailed on the Magic out of NYC last fall we were docked next to the Breakaway. What a beautiful ship! The one thing we did notice was the balconies. Just like you, we thought they looked small. But for that itinerary I don't think I'd mind. We are weird. On our warm weather cruises we've hardly every used the balcony other than to step out for a few minutes for some fresh air. But our cold weather cruises have all been to places with amazing scenery so we just bundle up and live out there! That's when I'd probably miss a large balcony, but I'm sure we could make it work as you did - assuming there would be no smokers out there .

We were a bit worried about smoke going into this cruise, especially with the casino. But it wasn't even the slightest issue. We got lucky and had no one smoking on the balconies around us. It's not allowed, but as you found out some people are "special". We aren't gamblers, so we only passed through the casino twice going somewhere else and the smoke really wasn't that bad. Even if it had been we didn't have to pass through, it was just a little bit quicker.
I've read very conflicting reports about smoke from the casino on the Breakaway drifting out into other areas. Some say it's awful, some say they didn't notice it all. It certainly wasn't a problem on the Sun, thank goodness.

Oh, we had a threesome next to us of young people and they not only smoked in the room and on the balcony, but decided to bring their music out to the balcony on day one. We did complain about the music, while the guests next to us and above them complained to the room steward and guest services about their smoking. It ended by day two, but we kept getting dirty looks because they think we reported them. The only "complaint" I have about that ship is that some of the decks had the smallest passageways I have ever seen -- and the doors opened OUT into the hall. So everytime you went out, you had to be careful you didn't hit someone coming in the room next to you!

We don't gamble or drink much, so the balcony is our splurge. I can do an oceanview with a big window, but miss the fresh air. I could never do an inside -- savings or not. We did love our balcony in Alaska. Best upgrade we ever spent. The decks were mobbed and we could see the same and hear the narrator from our room and be cozy and quiet.

We saw the Magic next to us and she looked so cute and little. Like I said the Breakaway was the biggest ship we'd been on and we felt overwhelmed at first and wanted to be on the nice small Magic. Hopefully someday we can afford to sail on her from NYC.

 

[darnheather]

I booked the cruise in December 2015 (on the first day it was eligible to be booked) at the going rate direct with NCL. No deal. Just what it cost. Anyone logging in that day would have paid the same price.

Then I checked Disney's prices several months later on their opening day just for kicks and giggles. I was floored by the cost. We sailed on the Wonder in 2012 to Alaska and paid nothing even remotely close to what they are charging now.

I'm not a TA, and I don't spend my spare time checking prices of cruises I don't plan to take. Therefore I have no idea what you would find if you checked prices today. Anyone that cruises regularly knows that prices fluctuate - often dramatically - for cruises based on timing and how far in advance you book. Anyone can cherry pick pricing to make a point. I didn't do that. As I said from the very beginning my comparison was based on our first hand experience, nothing more, nothing less. Pricing info was based on comparing both Disney and NCL pricing on the first day the cruises were eligible to be booked - by anyone - no deals.

How far in advance are their opening day prices? I understand prices fluctuate. I just found it interesting that at today's prices they are to me equal.

 

[Club Disney Chandler]

Great review thank you. May I ask how you got such a great deal? I just checked and for a family balcony room on NCL it's the same price as an ocean view on DCL for Alaska in the same week 2018 (once I add soda packages for all). While I know some say you have to have a balcony I'm happy to forgo that with the DCL kid's clubs.

Interesting, we booked our June 2018 DCL Alaska cruise on opening day and paid $8900 for the four of us in an oceanview on deck 5. I just priced the brand new NCL Bliss for Alaska in a deck 5 oceanview and it's only $6033, a mini suite is $6958. Those prices include the included Ultimate Dining and the Beverage Plan. These prices are for the 6/11/18 DCL and 6/9/18 NCL cruises.

 

[Pens Fan]

How far in advance are their opening day prices? I understand prices fluctuate. I just found it interesting that at today's prices they are to me equal.

I am no NCL expert, but from what I've seen they roll their cruises out over a series of weeks. There is no one grand release date for the season. That being said, as I noted in the post you quoted, I booked our cruise as soon as it was available. That was Dec 2015 - it was around Christmas because I remember booking it while visiting family in TN - for our July 2017 cruise. We were also considering a European cruise with them and those weren't released until sometime after the first of the year, but ultimately stayed with the Alaskan one.

 

[Pens Fan]

Interesting, we booked our June 2018 DCL Alaska cruise on opening day and paid $8900 for the four of us in an oceanview on deck 5. I just priced the brand new NCL Bliss for Alaska in a deck 5 oceanview and it's only $6033, a mini suite is $6958. Those prices include the included Ultimate Dining and the Beverage Plan. These prices are for the 6/11/18 DCL and 6/9/18 NCL cruises.

The Bliss looks amazing!!! I wonder how that pricing compares to the Jewel. The Sun is moving to Cuba next summer and the Jewel is taking over the itinerary we just did on the Sun. I wouldn't be surprised if the Bliss is going at a premium as it's brand new, but I really don't know. I really wish the Bliss was going to do the one way cruises. That's definitely our favorite vs the round trip, but man, does that ship look tempting!! If you are even considering the Bliss, I'd recommend checking out some NCL Escape reviews. NCL has been pretty tight lipped about the nitty, gritty details of the Bliss, but it's assumed it will be similar to the Escape.

 

[mevelandry]

I noticed how low the prices of the cruises can go when you book a last minute deal with NCL... We came so close to book a Bermuda cruise in june!

 

[Pens Fan]

I noticed how low the prices of the cruises can go when you book a last minute deal with NCL... We came so close to book a Bermuda cruise in june!

I'm a planner, so typical book things super early, but I've noticed this as well. Another thing that they do with is kind of cool is they have a bidding program when a cruise is near the sail date. You can go online and place a bid to upgrade your cabin if any upgrades are available. It's a relatively new program, but there are multiple threads on CC trying to figure out how to get the best deal. . I've never tried it, myself, so I don't know all of the particulars.

 

[darnheather]

Interesting, we booked our June 2018 DCL Alaska cruise on opening day and paid $8900 for the four of us in an oceanview on deck 5. I just priced the brand new NCL Bliss for Alaska in a deck 5 oceanview and it's only $6033, a mini suite is $6958. Those prices include the included Ultimate Dining and the Beverage Plan. These prices are for the 6/11/18 DCL and 6/9/18 NCL cruises.

I can't remember what month I was looking at but I have to work around soccer. We homeschool so used to travel any time but my oldest now plays with an elite team and can't take off from tournament dates and can only miss minimum practice/games during regular season. Once she's in college I plan to travel only with my youngest so we'll only have to work around Nutcracker ballet season.

 

[lisaradz]

Kid Stuff:

I’m not much help with this subject. Our son is 19, so no kid's clubs for him. There were kids on board, but not nearly as many as on Disney. That is either good or bad, depending on your perspective. We liked it. Don’t get me wrong. I love kids. I have one. But we’ve raised him (well you never stop raising them, but you know what I mean), and don’t necessarily want to spend our vacation with a bunch of little kids. I’m not becoming the cranky “get off my lawn” lady (or at least I hope not!), but I do like a little peace and quiet in my down time.

There was an 18-20 meet up scheduled the first night in the tapas bar. Our son was the only one that showed up and the bar tender had no clue it was even scheduled. Obviously, not a big thing on NCL (or least not on the Sun).

I have no clue what the kid’s clubs are like other than that they had them, because I saw them on the the deck plans. The kids we saw on the ship looked to be having a good time. That’s pretty much all I’ve got on that subject.

Hopefully someone reading this with smaller children can chime in and relate their experiences.

Thank you so much for your thorough review. I am so happy that you had such a fabulous experience on NCL. I just wanted to chime in on the Kid Stuff. We sailed on NCL Gem Eastern Canada cruise out of NYC June 2016. My teens 13 & 16 begged to go back to Disney after that trip. The tween club, 10 - 12 was held in a conference room. Seriously, there was a piece of paper that one of the couselors wrote "Tween Club" on that they posted on the door at open hours. My older son was able to go to the teen club which wasn't fancy like Disney, but was at least a place to socialize with other teens. My 12 year old (we cruised 2 weeks before his 13th bday) was stuck in a conference room that was accessed by going through the smoky casino. The tween counselors made the best of it, but it was seriously lacking. I'm sure the newer ships have fabulous kids clubs, but if you are going on an old ship take the time to ask questions about all the clubs. Lesson learned and we are going on the Wonder to Alaska in 2018.

 

[Pens Fan]

Thank you so much for your thorough review. I am so happy that you had such a fabulous experience on NCL. I just wanted to chime in on the Kid Stuff. We sailed on NCL Gem Eastern Canada cruise out of NYC June 2016. My teens 13 & 16 begged to go back to Disney after that trip. The tween club, 10 - 12 was held in a conference room. Seriously, there was a piece of paper that one of the couselors wrote "Tween Club" on that they posted on the door at open hours. My older son was able to go to the teen club which wasn't fancy like Disney, but was at least a place to socialize with other teens. My 12 year old (we cruised 2 weeks before his 13th bday) was stuck in a conference room that was accessed by going through the smoky casino. The tween counselors made the best of it, but it was seriously lacking. I'm sure the newer ships have fabulous kids clubs, but if you are going on an old ship take the time to ask questions about all the clubs. Lesson learned and we are going on the Wonder to Alaska in 2018.

Thanks for this info! As our son has aged out of the youth programs, I'm no help there. He certainly loved the Sun, but that was a 19 year old.

 

[KashasMom]

Thank you for such a thorough review. We began testing the NCL and RCI waters a few years ago and like the big ships for all they offer. We've been on the Breakaway and Getaway - both were family reunions with kids of all ages. We liked them well enough but found that RCI's Oasis class ships have more in the way of family friendly shows as well as 3 pools (plus an adult pool plus a kids pool and splash area). We love all the dining options, especially dinner buffets on the nights we don't feel like going to a MDR, which is most nights! We did enjoy freestyle on NCL though and did eat in the MDR many nights because of the family. We like the cooked to order stations on both. My daughter's been in the kids clubs on NCL (won't go in Disney's) and liked them. On RCI she spends most of her time in the pool or on the rock climbing wall. NYC is our home port so we do have smaller (and older) ships to choose from but I don't really think they're for us, which is too bad since it's so much easier not to fly!

 

[RedSox68]

Interesting, we booked our June 2018 DCL Alaska cruise on opening day and paid $8900 for the four of us in an oceanview on deck 5. I just priced the brand new NCL Bliss for Alaska in a deck 5 oceanview and it's only $6033, a mini suite is $6958. Those prices include the included Ultimate Dining and the Beverage Plan. These prices are for the 6/11/18 DCL and 6/9/18 NCL cruises.

WOW, with those savings it would cover your flights, any hotel stays, onboard expenses and excursions!

Thank you for such a thorough review. We began testing the NCL and RCI waters a few years ago and like the big ships for all they offer. We've been on the Breakaway and Getaway - both were family reunions with kids of all ages. We liked them well enough but found that RCI's Oasis class ships have more in the way of family friendly shows as well as 3 pools (plus an adult pool plus a kids pool and splash area). We love all the dining options, especially dinner buffets on the nights we don't feel like going to a MDR, which is most nights! We did enjoy freestyle on NCL though and did eat in the MDR many nights because of the family. We like the cooked to order stations on both. My daughter's been in the kids clubs on NCL (won't go in Disney's) and liked them. On RCI she spends most of her time in the pool or on the rock climbing wall. NYC is our home port so we do have smaller (and older) ships to choose from but I don't really think they're for us, which is too bad since it's so much easier not to fly!

I'd be willing to drive 6 hours to Boston even just to avoid flying! Since more and more ships are docking in NYC, Brooklyn and New Jersey, and we also have Baltimore and Boston, lots of nice choices to pick from