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

[KashasMom]

Some people think a balcony in Alaska is a waste of money because it might be too cold -- but it was the best money we've ever spent on a cruise. They (HAL) provided warm blankets and binoculars, and the views you got and the wildlife you got to see from the privacy of your balcony was amazing.

I love having a balcony in Alaska. Early morning with a hot coffee looking for whales through my binoculars...priceless!

 

[RedSox68]

I love having a balcony in Alaska. Early morning with a hot coffee looking for whales through my binoculars...priceless!

....or hot chocolate

 

[RedSox68]

Food Republic was fantastic. It's not included in the specialty plans but the prices are reasonable and so easy to make a meal out of a variety of small plates.

@RedSox68, I've eaten at all of those on the Escape and my favorites were Cagney's, Le Bistro and Teppanyaki. Bayamo was not good at all. Bad service and bad food. Let me add that we were on the inaugural TA crossing, the ship was fresh out of the ship yard. So I wrote off the experience as growing pains since it was a new venue on NCL. But on the other hand...Food Republic didn't have those same issues.

Thanks. I am leaning towards Cagney's, Teppanyaki and either La Cucina or Le Bristro. I've done the Brazilian Radicchio steak houses and not a fan of all that meat, but do like the salad bars.

 

[RedSox68]

Oh yay, from the pictures from one of the links posted, I see that O'Sheehan's is ENCLOSED! That should alleviate the annoying noise problems we had on the Breakaway since the restaurant was open to the atrium and the noise was so bad you couldn't carry on a conversation.

Edited to add: Dang, looking further down and it appears that was not the entrance and the restaurant is open on this ship too. Oh well.

 

[KashasMom]

....or hot chocolate

Even better!

 

[abuck75]

Having just read the first couple pages, I think this is a great and helpful review.

That said, isn't it difficult to compare service/room when comparing a "concierge" level product to a standard one? I understand that the price difference allows for that "upgrade" but in this case it would negate the "price" advantage.

That said, given the price differences, despite DW and I's love for Disney I can't imagine choosing to sail DCL after kids are older.

 

[oumagic]

No real “fair” way to do comparison reviews. If one books an inside cabin on NCL and compares it unfavorably to a DCL veranda, the NCL fans will say it wasn’t fair because look at the price difference.

I appreciate reviews that show what I could get for the same money. Very interesting to me.

That said, I still am sailing DCL ocean view when I have the funds; when I don’t have the funds I just book ocean view on a different line

 

[Pens Fan]

That said, isn't it difficult to compare service/room when comparing a "concierge" level product to a standard one? I understand that the price difference allows for that "upgrade" but in this case it would negate the "price" advantage.

Yes and no - is it fair to compare a suite cabin to a regular cabin? On the surface, no. But if you factor in the cost aspect and look at it from the standpoint of what you can get for the same amount of money, then yes, I do think it's fair.

I agree with @oumagic that there really is no true "fair" comparison. There are always going to be things that people can pick apart and cause them to cry foul. There was a long discussion (rant? ) on here a few weeks ago in a different thread where people were picking apart a comparison before the poster even posted it - all based on what they thought she was going to say!! At the end of the day all anyone can really do is share their experiences, whatever they are. Hopefully when doing so, they are as transparent as possible and give enough information that the readers can form their opinion as to what is fair or not and whether any of the information is relevant to their family.

That's all I was trying to do. I hope you continue to enjoy the review and it helps you out. We have loved our DCL cruises and they have brought great enjoyment to our family. But we really fell for NCL hard. It was an amazing cruise and an amazing vacation.

 

[KashasMom]

Yes and no - is it fair to compare a suite cabin to a regular cabin? On the surface, no. But if you factor in the cost aspect and look at it from the standpoint of what you can get for the same amount of money, then yes, I do think it's fair.

I agree with @oumagic that there really is no true "fair" comparison. There are always going to be things that people can pick apart and cause them to cry foul. There was a long discussion (rant? ) on here a few weeks ago in a different thread where people were picking apart a comparison before the poster even posted it - all based on what they thought she was going to say!! At the end of the day all anyone can really do is share their experiences, whatever they are. Hopefully when doing so, they are as transparent as possible and give enough information that the readers can form their opinion as to what is fair or not and whether any of the information is relevant to their family.

That's all I was trying to do. I hope you continue to enjoy the review and it helps you out. We have loved our DCL cruises and they have brought great enjoyment to our family. But we really fell for NCL hard. It was an amazing cruise and an amazing vacation.

I don't need anyone to compare an oceanview on DCL to an oceanview on another line. I can kind of figure out what I can and cannot live without room-wise on a cruise. When it comes time to book then I would actually compare prices for the same cruise (room-date-itinerary) on different lines. I do like reviews that tell me about the things that I think are important - entertainment, activities, pools, and dining/food. I always enjoy reading about others who have enjoyed cruises that are not DCL cruises because we have as well.

 

[abuck75]

To me, I think they are all “fair” comparisons, and I’m not really talking about comparison of the room, but rather the service. I’m really not trying to be critical of the review, just sharing the thoughts I had reading.

One comparison of interest is what can you get for the same price, and in that comparison you can get a premium service/room level with other lines vs standard with DCL. This negates the price advantage but allows for an experience not otherwise available.

Another comparison is the money you can save, and if I was looking to save money I’d want to know what the non-premium service of each line offers.

 

[ForMyBoys]

Thank you for posting. This was a great review and I enjoyed reading it

 

[wl1117]

Thanks for the review! I love the comparison and am glad you gave us a suite review. We've sailed DCL 7 times (and have a EBPC booked on the Wonder next year). Five of our cruises have been in Concierge, both a CatV and CatT, sometimes its been the category we booked originally and sometimes its been a port upgrade. The other two times were a Cat 4B and a 7A (both on the Wonder). Our EBPC is also a 4B. For us, while we love Concierge, its still a balance between the service and the price. If I can get a good price for Concierge I'll book it, if not we'll play the upgrade game or be content in our initial choice.

We have 2 girls, currently 9 and 5 (almost 6), so the Clubs have been a big reason behind sticking with DCL. But, as prices continue to climb, NCL has become more and more intriguing. I do love the wealth of itinerary choices and the Haven is very interesting. It sounds like the Suites on the older ships would be a good option too...I've hesitated on the older ships because of the lack of Haven amenities, but the prices are even better typically.

It was nice to hear about the differences in the food too. DH and I have always agreed that the food on DCL was just "meh", with the exceptions of Remy and Palo. There are some good meals and some bad, but overall "fair", as you stated.

I agree that embarkation/debarkation is really port driven. We've sailed out of PC, Galveston and Vancouver. Vancouver was the most convoluted and least enjoyable in our experience and it had little to do with Customs. However, we'd do another Alaska/Pacific Northwest itinerary any day!

Thanks again. I have a feeling we'll jump ship and give NCL a try sooner than later. However, I also know we'll try all 3 new DCL ships when they come on line too (just hoping for some good itineraries).