Ncl

[terri110874]

Has any one tried NCL? We are up here in Boston and wanted to take a cruise from the port here.

How different is from Disney Cruise Line?

I want pros and cons before I book. Thanks in advance

[Disney Lynn]

We have cruised with NCL several times (Dawn, Sun and Spirit) and once on the Disney Magic. (Plus many other cruise lines.)

I suggest looking at another website: www dot cruisecritic dot com (sort of an INTERCOT for cruising).

Depending on the ship, your experience will be very different from a DCL cruise. For instance, the Majesty is the smallest of their ships and therefore has fewer amenities. I'm not saying that it's a bad ship- just different. As the size increases, more can be offered.

The biggest difference will be at dinner time. DCL has set dining times (same table, same wait staff, dress code, etc). NCL has Freestyle Dining- you eat when and where you want to eat, with no set dress code. The main dining room(s) (at least two on the larger ships) have a time range during which you can arrive as you choose. My DH loves the flexibility! As for food quality (very subjective), I was not impressed by the food on DCL at all- I like my hot food hot and my cold food cold; everything on the Magic was one temperature- room temp!

Both cruise lines have alternative dining for an additional fee plus the standard buffet for all meals if you prefer that style.

If you will use the kids' program, check the age groupings on NCL-they may be different than the groupings on DCL. Both have active & secure kids' programs. But only DCL will have Disney characters (LOL) and shows that are "disneyish" (NCL shows are G or PG, but still might not hold the attention of young kids).

Finally, as the veteran of 20+ cruises (ocean and river), we choose a cruise by price and itinerary, rather than by cruise line. If the NCL price is good and you like the ports- go for it!

[TheDuckRocks]

There is a lot of information to be gained by going to the Cruise Critic website, but be warned they don't always "play nice" on their discussion boards.
We are going to be going on our first NCL cruise at the end of September to New England/Canada.
We cruised for the first time ever on the Disney Wonder this past Jan. and as much as we found out we love cruising, we won't be going with Disney again. Our main reason is that we are 2 senior citizens and we didn't find very many day time activities that did not involve families. Our other reasons for going with other cruise lines are:
2) Limited intineraries with Disney.
3) Disney is one of the more pricie cruise lines.
4) Traveling with Disney would always mean a flight to board the ship.
5) As much as I enjoy kids, the noise level and Disney not keeping the adult only areas child free was a bit wearing.
That said if you are taking little ones with you, you just want to go on a cruise anywhere and you can afford it, Disney is a wonderful choice.

[disneydiva9902]

The NCL ships out of Boston are small in comparison to Disney, but the advantage of not having to fly somewhere was fantastic. The dining option was great too. We did not have to panic that we would miss our assigned time if we were out and about. I would recommend NCL but just be prepred that they are not DCL.