Here are some thoughts on how Norwegian stacked up against its main competition, Royal Caribbean and Carnival. (I posted an in-depth comparison of Royal Caribbean and Carnival last October)

So far I’ve cruised with four different cruise lines: Commodore (1992, now extinct), Carnival (5-night to Cozumel/Cancun on Holiday in 2003 and 8-night to Southern Caribbean on Legend in 2006), Royal Caribbean (4-night to Bahamas on Majesty of the Seas in 2010), and Norwegian (4-night to Bahamas on Norwegian Sky in October 2011). Keep in mind that some things could have changed on any of the lines since our last sailing four years ago, and I can only compare the ships and itineraries I’ve actually sailed. Newer ships are generally better than older ships, which can make a big difference. Also, bigger ships can offer more amenities.

Dining

We ate in the main dining room for lunch and dinner (except during excursions) and the buffet for breakfast. Norwegian’s big selling point is Freestyle Dining, which is a fancy way of saying that you don’t have an assigned seating time or place for dinner. It’s like going to a restaurant every night instead of having B lunch at table 4 like in junior high school. Most cruise lines assign you either early or late seating (say, 6:00pm or 8:00pm) in one of the main dining rooms unless you choose the buffet or one of the extra-charge speciality restaurants. Our group didn’t like the speciality restaurant concept – why pay extra for dinner when we already paid for it with our cruise fare? – so we never tried any of the Sky’s three premium options.

Before the cruise, I liked the idea of freestyle dining for three reasons:

1. It removed the possibility of getting paired up with the same random strangers at the same table every night at dinner. (although I’ve been told that Jenny and I can get a private table on any line if we ask, but I don’t know whether that’s universally true)
2. It gave me extra flexibility regarding when I have dinner.
3. If we decided to have dinner somewhere else one night, I wouldn’t have to feel guilty the next time I see our waiters, like I’ve been unfaithful. (am I the only one who has that problem?)

For some, the big disadvantage is having different waitstaff every night. They like getting to know their waiters and vice versa so that the waiters learn that Bob likes coffee with dessert and Kelly always wants wine with dinner. That’s not a big deal for me in principle. I’m not on the cruise to build relationships with strangers. However, Freestyle Dining reduces the waitstaff’s incentive to provide good service. On a normal ship, the dining portion of your standard gratuity goes mainly toward the specific waiters for your table. You have the option to tip extra for outstanding service, which gives them incentive to do a great job. With prepaid gratuities and no obvious way to tip extra to individual waiters on Norwegian, I believe the service suffered. Some of our waiters were pretty nice, but others were a bit cold and aloof, and all of them seemed like they were simply doing their job. They weren’t rude, but they were definitely a step down from the previous waiters I’ve had on other ships.

The food was good overall. Some dishes really blew me away, such as the Norwegian salmon. I enjoyed almost everything I tried. Some items, though, were simply mediocre rather than WOW, such as the carrot cake and apple pie. I was also surprised at how small the portions were. Granted, these portions were more in-line with healthy portion size, but cruising is my chance to splurge for a little while. I want to leave delightfully stuffed. Sometimes I had to order two desserts just to feel full. =) Some of our friends who normally sail Princess, a more upscale line, were surprised at the lack of variety of food and the limited hours on the Sky, especially for the buffet.

One big plus for NCL: they don’t make the dining room staff sing and dance for us.

Overall, dining on NCL was probably at the bottom of the three lines – good enough, but a few steps below Carnival and Royal Caribbean in quality and service.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Royal Caribbean
3. Norwegian

Service/Staff

We didn’t encounter any employees who were rude, although I did get heckled by a Yankees fan when I tried to board in my Rangers t-shirt. =) Our cabin steward was very nice and eager to please. But most of the waitstaff, from the dining room to the bars, didn’t seem particularly happy to be there.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Royal Caribbean
3. Norwegian

Rooms

Carnival Legend’s rooms were bigger and included more storage and better TVs compared to the other two. Sure, you don’t really need a huge amount of space on a cruise, but it’s definitely nice to have when you’re traveling with someone. I also got spoiled by Legend’s moving map channel that showed you where the ship was. Norwegian’s cabin was comfortably big, maybe a bit smaller than Carnival’s, but with less storage space, no moving map, limited channels, and a TV barely bigger than my friend’s iPad. RC’s Majesty cabin felt small, and it was (120 sq ft on Majesty vs 149 sq ft on NCL’s Sky). Compare an oceanview room on Carnival Legend to the same room on Sky and Majesty of the Seas.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Norwegian and Royal Caribbean

Ship Design & Decor

Norwegian Sky was a beautiful ship, cared for well and decorated in good taste. The artwork was more modern than Carnival’s, with lots of contemporary ocean and cultural scenes. The ship was easy to navigate. Carnival’s decor is much bolder. Some call it gaudy, and with good reason. Royal Caribbean’s is more subdued and to my taste, like a nice hotel. I prefer Carnival’s ship layout in general. Carnival Legend is my favorite ship so far. However, somehow RC’s Majesty felt less crowded despite being smaller and holding more people.

Ranking: Tie

Shows

Due to the short length and World Series games, we only saw two shows on the Sky. I really liked the comedian-magician, one of the best I’ve seen aboard a cruise ship. The Broadway show was acceptable, with high energy but no showstopper voices. Carnival had some decent song-and-dance shows, but Royal Caribbean’s really impressed me. They had four singers and five or six dancers who seemed to really love their craft and were blessed with real talent. I actually wonder why they were on a cruise ship instead of on Broadway. When a singer makes me want to sing myself, I get happy.

Ranking:

1. Royal Caribbean
2. Norwegian
3. Carnival

Onboard Amenities

Naturally, this one varies strongly from ship to ship, based largely on the size of the ship. On Norwegian Sky, we were most interested in the workout facilities and the sports bar. The gym was smallish but good, with modern equipment and plenty of space including a separate room for classes. Unfortunately, they only offered one spin class, and it was during one of our excursions. The jogging track was almost identical to RC’s Majesty and far superior to Carnival’s tiny one. Sky had one evening and late-night dance club, which we missed again, and one late-night White Hot dance party by the pool. Late night partying and early morning excursions don’t mix well. Carnival Legend’s gym was awesome, but I don’t know how it compares to those on other Carnival ships. Carnival seems to focus more on dancing than Royal Caribbean, although both get started too late for my taste, making me feel quite old. Our RC ship had one dance club that didn’t open until 11:30pm, so we never went dancing like we’d wanted. RC did offer the rock climbing wall, which we really enjoyed. RC Majesty had a small gym with a ceiling so low that it couldn’t offer elliptical machines, and I wouldn’t been nervous running on the treadmill.

Amenity Ranking: TIE – depends on your priorities. Choose Carnival for dancing and “enrichment” activities like wine tastings and massage classes. Choose Norwegian or Carnival for workout facilities. Choose NCL if you like running outdoors or workout classes. Choose RC if you like rock climbing.

Sunbathing Dress Code

Some, if not all, of Carnival’s ships offer a clothing-optional sunbathing area on one of the highest decks. Norwegian only offers them on one class of ship, which does not include the Sky. Royal Caribbean ships do not except on European itineraries. It’s nice to have the option for those who prefer not to have tan lines.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Norwegian
3. Royal Caribbean

Embarkation/Disembarkation

Both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean had very easy embarkation. NCL took maybe 10-15 minutes, which was fine with us. We made the fortunate mistake of getting to the Royal Caribbean terminal a bit later than planned, around two hours prior to departure. Apparently, most of the guests were already onboard, so we had NO wait. Both times we sailed with Carnival, we had to wait in line for some time, maybe 30 minutes or more, and fill out lots of paperwork. (Carnival might have streamlined their embarkation process by now) Upon our return, we chose Express Departure (carry your own bags, which I prefer anyway) with Norwegian and RC and had virtually no waiting there, either, compared to 30-60 minutes or more with Carnival.

Ranking:

1. Royal Caribbean and Norwegian
2. Carnival

Little Details

Norwegian didn’t make any massive errors, just a few minor ones. For example, we only got a towel animal on our bed one night, the dessert menu inexplicably changed between the time we ordered our meal and the time we ordered dessert, etc. The only really annoying thing was Cruise Director Richard’s too-frequent announcements, especially the 4:00pm Call to Bingo during our afternoon naps. Norwegian did a great job of using its website both before and after the cruise to let us book excursions, learn about the ship, complete our paperwork, and fill out an online survey afterwards. They also automatically enrolled us in their Latitudes loyal program and gave us credit for this voyage.

Royal Caribbean missed a few details that Carnival got right, such as forgetting to give us soap in our bathroom at first, forgetting to give us a guest satisfaction survey at the end, and neglecting to station someone at the gangway to steal store our wine purchases. Also, RC made me fill out paperwork to join its loyalty program and didn’t bother to respond for several months.

Overall, Carnival just seemed a bit more polished than the other two – towel animals every night, the next day’s newsletter clearly placed on our bed, things like that.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Norwegian
3. Royal Caribbean

Price

Since these three lines are all fierce competitors, their prices on similar cruises are similar. I think Carnival is a bit cheaper than the other two on many itineraries, but it really depends on the trip. RC and Norwegian seem to run neck-and-neck.

Ranking: TIE

Clientele

The crowd on this voyage on the Sky seemed to be mostly middle aged and well-behaved. Many were from the Northeast, which surprised me a bit. I only encountered a few semi-unhappy people, and they had legitimate concerns. We normally sail in October, so your experience might be different. Carnival seems to cater to younger people. I’m sure this could be more of a problem during Spring Break and summertime when the college students go out to drink as much as possible, but it also means that they offer more of the things that appeal to people our age. (Yes, I still consider myself sort of young!) I encountered a few more rude passengers on Royal Caribbean than I did on Carnival, and Jenny found some of the older crowd to get obnoxious when they drank, whereas the younger people on Carnival just got buzzed and happy and weren’t too difficult to tolerate. Obviously, this is very subjective. =)

Ranking:

1. Carnival and Norwegian
2. Royal Caribbean

Overall

I’ve been on five cruises now and thoroughly enjoyed every one. Each line and each ship has its own special features, crew, strengths, and weaknesses. I would happily sail again on any ship or itinerary I’ve done.

That being said, since cruisers usually have options, it’s worthwhile to compare them so that we have the best possible experience. Of the three, I think I have to go with Carnival by a small margin. The dining-room seating on Royal was a big sticking point for me, but if Carnival would give us a way to sit alone (I’ve read this is possible now), I think I would come down more strongly on the Carnival side. However, we did have a very good experience on Royal Caribbean and Norwegian and wouldn’t mind sailing with them again. Norwegian was a solid experience, but Jenny and I agreed that we just weren’t wowed, mainly because of the food and service compared to the other two lines. Perhaps a different Norwegian ship would provide a different experience.

Ranking:

1. Carnival
2. Royal Caribbean
3. Norwegian

Eventually (once we have more money!), we hope to sail on Disney, Princess, and maybe Holland America to see what they are like. Since each cruiser values different things, you can find devoted fans of all cruise lines. It really depends on your priorities – itinerary, ship, price, onboard activities, rooms, etc.

For other opinions, check out CruiseCritic.

What are your thoughts? Have you sailed on any of these cruise lines or ships?

Jenny and I spent most of this week on a cruise to the Bahamas. We had a great time as always. Cruising is awesome. Here is a link to some of our best pictures:

Bahamas Cruise 2011 Photo Album

This cruise, although its itinerary was very similar to the cruise we took last October, was different in two respects:

1. We sailed on Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) for the first time. Our previous cruises together involved Carnival (twice) and Royal Caribbean. It was time to try something new.
2. Some of our good friends went with us.

Pre-Cruise

To ensure we reached the port in time, we flew out on Southwest the day before. Unfortunately, the flights were so full that we got stuck in Houston for about six hours on Sunday afternoon. (flying for free is a great perk of being an airline employee, but it’s not nearly as easy as it might sound) So we grabbed some seats to relax and read. Finally, we reached Fort Lauderdale after 11:00pm, rented a car, and drove to our hotel, the Newport Beachside Resort on A1A in Miami. Although we didn’t get to spend much time there, it was a very nice hotel right on the beach at a reasonable price.

Day 1 – Departure

I woke up early Monday morning and ran on the beach, a rare treat for this north Texas boy. After a quick breakfast on the balcony, watching the waves roll in and the guests walk the beach, we drove to Miami International to turn in our rental car and take National’s shuttle to the Port of Miami.

For the first time on a cruise, we arrived around lunchtime and got an extra free meal onboard. Checkin at the port was fast and easy. NCL added a simple health questionnaire (do you currently have a cold or GI illness?). They also had hand sanitizer stations posted around the ship to reduce the spread of germs. Nothing can ruin a cruise like a disease outbreak, so I was a fan. We met our friends James, Alexis, and Donny in the main dining room for lunch. After 2:15pm, we could check out our cabin. This time we sprung for the balcony, and I’m glad we did. It’s so nice to be able to step outside and watch the action or read from the privacy of your own balcony. Careful, though – it’s easy to get spoiled. At 5:00pm we sailed with our traditional sail-away pina colada, just after watching our ship from last fall (RC’s Majesty of the Seas) sail away on her own four-night Bahamas itinerary. After a tasty dinner in the main dining room with our crew, we grabbed at table at Longboard’s sport bar to watch Game 5 of the World Series. This was the final game that the Rangers won. I don’t normally watch sports in bars, so it was cool to try it here for such an important game.

Day 2 – Freeport

Our first Bahamian port was Freeport, population 60,000, on Grand Bahama Island. Our friends are divers, so they booked a dive that day. Jenny and I booked a bike tour of the area that was just as fun as we expected. I got a cruisers with squishy 3-inch tires, a squishy seat pad, and a weird upright stance that felt much different from my hybrid bike at home. But this wasn’t like riding at home, trying to go as fast as possible to keep my heart rate up. We rode single file at a leisurely pace and explored various points of interest – a dolphin sanctuary, a beach with a beach club, a beautiful nature preserve. Our fantastic guide, Mario, kept us from getting run over by the 7 cars that we saw through the whole day and stopped us periodically to tell us about the area’s history, politico-economic system, culture, and vegetation. The nature preserve was my favorite stop, similar to last year’s Ardastra Gardens in Nassau only without the animals. I wish we could have spent more time there to study its gorgeous plants, flowers, waterfalls, and meditation garden. Back on the ship, we took a nap that afternoon before meeting the crew for dinner and then seeing a very funny comedy-magic show. Then it was back to Longboard’s, our new favorite hangout spot, for some Apples to Apples.

Day 3 – At Sea

Day 3 was scheduled as a stop at NCL’s private island, Great Stirrup Cay. Our plan was to sleep in, take a yoga class on the beach, and then lie on the beach and read all afternoon. The island is small, so cruisers must take small ferries called tenders between the cruise ship and the island. Around 8:45am, the Captain announced that the ocean swell was too high for the tenders to operate safely, so we would spend the day at sea instead. In a classy move, he made a point to say this was his decision alone and that we shouldn’t get mad at the people at the front desk. Sometimes at work, I must make unpleasant calls like that myself, so I felt for the guy and appreciated how he handled it. That decision probably cost his employer a significant amount of money and some goodwill among the passengers, but he chose safety over revenue. Good call.

It was no big deal for us. We got breakfast and worked out instead. James and I ran on the ship’s full-length jogging track. Jenny hit the elliptical in the gym. We probably napped again that afternoon, a helpful trick we learned from the Beyers. That night we’d hoped to watch Game 6, but when it got rained out, we caught the Broadway show instead. It was pretty good, but I only knew a couple of the songs (Go Abba!), and the overall quality paled in comparison to last year’s performers on Royal Caribbean’s Majesty of the Seas. Afterward we parked by the buffet and played Phase 10 for a while. Alexis charmed one of the waiters into retrieving some secret cookies from the bakery even though they weren’t available at the buffet.

By Day 3, I had finally broken myself of the habit of reaching for my iPhone anytime I had nothing better to do. I was amazed at how addicted I’d become to that thing.

Day 4 – Nassau

Nassau was the only port that was actually a repeat from last year. Our friends were going diving again. This time we decided to tour Atlantis, the high-end megaresort that’s the first thing you see as you sail toward the island. It’s so high-end and large that they sell various levels of passes to non-guests that provide various levels of access to the grounds. We bought passes that let us tour the aquariums and relax on the beach.

The resort overwhelmed us with its size, beauty, attractions, and architecture. See the pictures in my photo album to get some idea of how amazing this place really is. It reminded Jenny of a high-end Disney resort due to the attention to detail and outstanding integration of the Atlantis theme throughout. One of my favorite parts was the two aquariums and marine life pools, which included manta rays, sawfish, lionfish, great hammerhead sharks, Caribbean reef sharks, huge grouper, moray eels, lobster, jellyfish, and many more. The numerous beaches were beautiful and immaculate. We couldn’t access the water park, but it looked amazing with a Mayan temple-themed slide and a roaring rapids-type ride. After spending an hour or two just wandering around and taking pictures, we grabbed lunch (surprisingly only $16 for cheeseburgers, fries, and drinks for the two of us) and lay by the beach to read for a while.

That night, we had dinner with the crew and then grabbed a table in Longboard’s to watch the heartbreaking Game 6 of the World Series. I knew we had to get up early the next day to disembark, but I couldn’t leave before the game ended. By the end, the bar was full of baseball fans, about evenly split between the two teams.

Day 5 – Back Home

We carried our bags off early (control freak!) to make sure they got to the NCL shuttle to Fort Lauderdale. Disembarkation was even easier than embarkation, largely because we beat the crowds by handling our own bags. After an uneventful trip to the airport, we checked in. The flights looked really full, but we managed to get on. Jenny took the next-to-last seat, and I rode in the galleys with the flight attendants on the FLL-HOU leg. Then I had to move up to the cockpit with another jumpseater to stay on the HOU-DAL leg, but we finally made it back to Dallas with our bags. Then it was off to pick up the boys, whom we were definitely missing by that point. Thanks again to our parents for watching them for us so we can get a break!

I’ll share some thoughts on our Norwegian experience soon in a separate post.