I agree with most of your observations. The internet on Regal Princess is much faster than other ships though. It rivals a land based connection. I've tried NCL 3 times and never feel as if I need to sail the line again. It is just not for me. I hate having to pay numerous upcharges and making reservations for entertainment, but you are right, they lead the market for solo cruisers, at least for now. Royal Caribbean has gotten smart too and offering better options for solo cruisers. I will say that Princess in general serves a slightly older demographic and is quite a chill atmosphere, which I prefer, but some people will want more to do.
Princess! No contest! We are Elite with Princess so we get free laundry, free mini bar setup, free wifi, etc. We find Princess fits our budget, and we feel comfortable with the clientele. Tends to be 40+ with few children and spring break types. Its elegant but subdued. NCL is a fine cruise line but it is more family and kids oriented and that is what we don't want! Princess has great food, great service, and we don't feel nickle dimed.
We really enjoy princess too, something very nice about going back to an elegant cruise focused on relaxation! Thanks for sharing Richard and Happy Travels! 🦩
They are so amazing, it may be one of the "do not miss" events on a. ship for us, to at least understand the background to what you'll be seeing in these incredible places. Thanks for the comment & feedback Hrvoje. Happy Travels! 🦩
Searching for the perfect cruise line for my family (including 75+ yr-old father), I did a side-by-side comparison (esp. on pricing) and it seemed to me Princess is the winner. Your video aligned with what I found while researching, and helped me with the final decision (Princess it is!). Thank you!
I have traveled on both NCL and Princess and greatly prefer Princess. The biggest difference I found between the two lines is that NCL seemed to be in your face all the time with sales pitches. I believe I saw 87 different sales pitches on NCL between the time I got to my room and finished breakfast. It just never stopped. Although Princess also tries for upsells, they are less in your face and less of them.
We did also find that NCL was constantly trying to up sell. I am pretty fugal so I just said no thank you and kept on with my day :) thanks for watching and commenting.
Have been on many cruises. Basically food is not much difference but quality makes the difference. One simple example is the juice served. You can always know the food quality if the juices provided are very diluted.
I just came off of Norwegian Cruise and it was great. I found the rooms with balcony Ocean View to be tight. The dining rooms was well-appointed the specialty restaurants were inviting the service charge was within my budget. The entertainment was unique people were friendly from the guest to the workers. Entertainment for the young children and teenagers was awesome they really enjoyed themselves. My overall View would be if I was traveling by myself and I'm 72 I would travel on princess but when I have my grandchildren with me their teenagers it would definitely be Norwegian Cruise Line thank you
You guys have done the vs format better than anyone else I've seen. But I can't find any other videos of that kind on your channel. Can you make a playlist with that kind of videos?
COVID has unfortunately delayed any one comparison videos but we'll definitely look to put them into a playlist. Great idea. Thanks for the comment and for watching Luredreier!
I've been on both multiple times. Both are nice, but I like NCL more. Reason being, NCL has a more modern look and I don't have to get dressed up for a formal night. It also seems like there are more to do on NCL ships(go carts, water slides, ropes course, etc).
Very well done. You seemed a bit slanted toward Princess. Both cruise lines are excellent and are definitely geared toward two different age groups. Some of the comments about NCL are debateable and I would argue not accurate. Both cruise lines are very solid. I have never had a bad cruise experience. However, there are always those that will find fault in anything. Great job.
We have been on several Princess Cruises-Tahiti, Mexico (3 times), Alaska, Coastal. Can say we enjoy the laid back, non jarring interiors that are quite elegant. Food never disappoints. We have a 15 day Panama booked for next October. We'll continue to cruise with Princess-have no desire for Norwegian.
Hey there, congratulations for your video ! I've had the chance of cruising with both Cruise companies and yes, Princess is much more exclusive and relaxing Cruise Company. Princess knows much more how to feel special onboard and, on the other hand, on Norewigian your only one more in the middle of a bunch of people crasy to have fun !!!
Royal Caribbean gives you 25.00 on-board credit, I used it to buy a towel at service desk. its excellent quality, soft , thick, and extra large plus it comes with an inflatable pillow !!
I appreciate your efforts and how you went about the comparisons. Our honeymoon was awesome on Princess to Alaska, last year we took NCL to see the fall New England/Canada colors and in 2 weeks we're going to the Baltic. Last year's trip had less than 2,000 on a 2,000-max ship. The average age was 63! This year we know that all 3,900 spots are totally full. Also last year we saw how awesome (beyond well) that NCL handled those with handicaps; very impressive! I think it is important up front to clarify that you are/aren't comparing same size ships. and same destinations for each line. There are some similarities across the board but an Alaskan cruise can be different than a Mediterranean vs Caribbean, etc. Does Princess have naturalists on all ships or just Alaska? Yes it was a strength on the Princess Alaska but please share more info for true comparisons. I know our experience on the Getaway will be different than last year on the Gem just by the fact of the different sizes of the ships and capacities. I was a bit disappointed in some of your NCL characterizations. You talked about the Haven but forgot to mention that it is $1k - $3k per person more for those rooms; it truly is like going first class which many of us can't afford. You mentioned O'Sheehan's but forgot to share that it is a restaurant open 24 hours which many people give positive reviews to for late night wings or a freshed cooked breakfast. In pricing you talked about the "giveaways" that NCL has and skipped over that one of them is for 4 free meals at a specialty restaurants. Having eaten at them, I disagree a bit with you and my experience is that they do in fact have many choices for every diet. On the negative there are a lot of upcharges on NCL. Even with the "freebies" you have to pay tip ahead of time on the free specialty restaurants and the all you can drink packages. So it sounds like Princess, with their discounts sounds better on the pricing. Lastly, it would be nice to have heard "off the record" what the employees say about their cruise lines. Anyways....thanks much!!!!!
Been on a total of 34 cruises (11 Princess, 3 NCL). Re Food and Drink: Princess has overall better MDR but NCL has better specialty dining. Problem with NCL is no more lobster. NCL drinks are stiffer. Princess: casual food is best but late night options are awful. NCL: 24 hr restaurant is excellent. Re Entertainment: NCL is better; hands down. NCL has shows like Jersey Boys and SCTV comedy improv. Princess has typical cruise-ship like entertainment. Princess has a more elegant, upscale feel, while NCL has much more activities like water slides and race tracks. Overall, I have a slight preference for NCL because food, entertainment are of high importance to me. Also, I tend to disagree with the cost factor. I think NCL cruises are a better value for the money because their costs are cheaper, especially when you factor in beverage and dining pkgs that are often included in the cruise fare. Yes, you have to pay more for certain activities but again, the cruise price is cheaper to begin with.
Wow 34 cruises! We agree the 24 hour restaurant on NCL was great. There is definitely a lot of entertainment on NCL. You won’t be bored on their ships.
We went on our 1st cruise this August on Grand Princess, had a great time. Good food, entertainment, loved the 10 days we spent going to Alaska. Going to Mexico in February and back to Alaska in September on Royal Princess.
Princess and NCL are in different categories. NCL is a megaship. Princess is slightly more premium and the next smaller category down regarding quantity of passengers. The ships for both lines are 4-5 stars rated out of 6.
Princess also has a self serve laundry onboard, if you are on for more than 7 days it is really great. They also have the best rewards program for cruising with them.
I have cruised with Princess from Alaska a month back, and I can tell you its a Premium Class Cruise line, from my understanding NCL is a Mainstream Cruise line more in tune for families and not a traditional cruise experience like Princess. Princess does not offer Solo travelers discounts what so ever, NCL does, thats a huge difference, since I paid double for my room, but it was worth it in my humble opinion. 👍🏼
Reddy 2 travel I totally agree Sailed from Anchorage Alaska in August Fabulous Cruise on Royal Princess!! No complaints at all Excellent food & entertainment on Board. So clean & Sanitized. Would definitely sail again. Loved the New Madallion Class!!!
What I found was the food on Norwegian was a good variety but it was not HOT it was always tepid. Also, there are many fun things to do on Norwegian but there is often an up charge for these and it makes it hard when you need to shell out 15 dollars for the kids to ride a go cart for a few minutes or do lazer tag, ect. I also found Norwegian 's exscursions were more expensive than Princess. I do believe that Norwegian is a more family friendly ship perhaps but all in all I like Princess for the quality and price.
Been on 7 Princess cruises but have recently begun searching out other lines to try out. Thanks for the well thought out analysis between the two here. Those shots of the NCL pool areas all crowded up though gave me anxiety lol.
There are a lot of great cruise options. NCL pools and hot tubes are very busy. If you want to pay for a quieter experience you can upgrade to the Haven.
biggest thing i found that ships are close to the same size but ncl has about 1000 more people because of the more children allowed and that makes a huge difference on how crowded it is .i prefer the less crowded myself
Princess has thermal spas on some ships! They are great. Our 16 day cruise cost us $400USD for both of us We just did Antarctica on Princess. They had 3 specialist guest speakers and 2 ice pilots. We were very well informed the whole 16 day cruise
That sounds amazing! We always enjoy the enrichment experiences on Princess, they really do a great job and providing awesome information. Yes, the thermal spas look great on princess we'll definitely try them next time. That sounds like an AMAZING cruise! which ship were you on?
I found this very helpful! Thanks! My wife and I have cruised on Celebrity only. We will be on a 10 day Princess Cruise to Tahiti in October, and have booked a week with all our kids (and granddaughter) to the Mediterranean on the Epic for June of next year. Now I am eager to see how they are.
The big difference is age of passengers. NCL much younger. Princess older 60+. If you want a quiet cruise choose Princess, if you are looking for drinking and younger crowd choose NCL.
Great information, thanks for that. Originally we were booked with NCL to go to the Yucatan. NCL cancelled that cruise August 2021. We rebooked the same cruise with Princess. We are hoping it all works out.
My wife and I have only been on Norwegian, the Breakaway and Bliss. We love Norwegian won't sail with any other cruiseline. We did the Thermal Spa and that alone we believe was worth it, can be expensive but it's definitely worth it
Alluska no worries, I actually booked a cruise on Royal Princess in two weeks to try for sure :) I’m all about trying. I will say as of now I enjoyed my NCL cruises
We've enjoyed both lines. Prefer the activities on NCL (Escape on our last cruise) and the crews were awesome. In fact, we had a chocolate covered strawberries and wine on day two from Assistant Matre-D as a surprise. NCL seems to anticipate what we like and fun interaction with the crews. But sometimes we want to just chill - and Princess is nice for that. We were on Sky princess (last sailing before Covig-19). The Medallion is nice since you don't need keycard to get into your cabin it recognizes you about 5-10 feet away. Free WiFi for the medallion is spotty if you need to locate your family but if you purchase the WiFi - it's good. Good perks with Princess . NCL take longer for an Ambassador status (top latitude status) vs Princess Elite status on the Captain's Circle only takes 16 cruises. We'll cruise one more time with NCL for Platinum and then focus on Princess - most of our family are Elite status on Princess and we want to get there as well. Lol
Studio rooms on Norwegian are very nice and I went on the Epic and find the Solo lounge nice, but there are only certain times when there are people there who are receptive to mingling. Most are there with their single group and already have plans. I liked the free provided snacks there and tea and coffee and occasionally a bartender to make adult drinks.
great video, well done, very informative. However I think that you are comparing two very different service level type of cruise line. NCL is more similar to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. While Princess is more in the same class as Celebrities and Holland America. Another very important aspect that you did not cover is the loyalty program, on Princess is probably the best one in the industry and Princess passengers tend to be quite loyal because of that. NCL loyalty program is not great.
Having been on both lines, on similar sized ships, my preference is Princess. Norwegian's fares are lower, but they tend to be trying to sell you more once you are on board. Also, I found the decor on board some of the Norwegian ships to be a bit gaudier. I also found the service on Princess to be a bit better. I wonder if the commentators did the same itineraries on both lines? In Alaska the focus is more on cultural/enrichment activities, as compared to the Caribbean where the focus is more on just fun activities. As was noted, if you are younger and more into partying, or have kids, then NCL is probably your better choice, but if you are looking for a more relaxed and upscale environment then Princess is a better choice.
@@gloriabowie5629 I wouldn't say Princess is boring. They had a lot of different activities of the fellow travelers were often well-traveled and interesting.
Between Norwegian Encore and Princess Discovery, which one would you pick for a cruise to Alaska from Seattle with young kids? Both go to glacier bay which is a must for us.
great question, I think with the changes after shutdown Princess is a bit lower in their ranking. That said what princess offers is still true, it's very much a "the old days of cursing" with some modern amenities. NCL is way more modern but also has more distractions. I appreciate the library on princess and such but if thats not up your alley NCL or Celebrity would probably be what I would recommend. Hope that helps! Happy Travels.
NCL has the HAVEN,which is really nice and competitive against the top luxury cruise lines. I would love to see a comparison among cruise lines that have similar "Haven" alternatives.
We have heard the Haven is nice but expensive. We will try it sometime and see how it compares. Who would you consider a top cruise line to compare it to?
I liked NCL up to the time that the Kloster family sold the line to Asian ownership. From that time on it was evident that your last dollar was what they were after. Some nice public areas were given over to suites. Lots of additional charges as the video brings up. Princess as with all of the Carnival Corp products is starting down that road but still not so bad and pretty consistent as to expectations over the years.
Do you remember exactly what time of year you did the Alaska Norwegian cruise? We have a teen so leaning toward NCL (between Princess and NCL), but wondering if that population of kids changes dramatically depending on when you cruise. We plan to go last half of August.
NCL caters to 35+ with their all day sport activities and to families with kids. Their cruise ships are in bright colours, often clushing. The Princes caters to 50+ with more upscale finishes, less bright lights and colours, less sports more classy entertainment.
That is a great way to describe the two cruise lines. We are in the 35 age range and have enjoyed both and our neighbours 10 year old son loved less kids on princess. However you are right they do cater to different markets.
you said O'Sheehans has only five things on their menu "and that's it." when showing the menu with 12 items. Obviously a bias against NCL. You also failed to mention O'Sheehans is free, right after talking about paying for specialty restaurants, and failed to mention O'Sheehans is open 24 hours.
Thanks for watching and commenting. We were aware of how long the video was going. But you are absolutely right. Those are important points we should add especially as it’s the only dinning open 24 hours.
We just got off the Sky Princess and as beautiful as it is, it is pretty boring for younger cruisers. We're in our 70s, so we didn't miss these, but Norwegian has many activities for more active folks that Princess lacks. If you are looking for rock-climbing walls, water slides, bumper cars, laser tag, surfing pools, skating rinks, etc., you won't find them on Princess. I think it's safe to say that Princess attracts a much older demographic than Norwegian. Which is why we like Princess better.
We have heard the Sky Princess was beautiful. We agree there is far less on board activities on Princess however we never found ourselves board. Maybe we just enjoyed a quiet day in between ports. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Norwegian and Princess. In my opinion, Norwegian is a family and teen oriented cruise line while Princes is tailored towards more to adult as they don’t have as many activities such as rock climbing. I’d rather see the comparison between Norwegian with Royal Caribbean as RCCL is also a family oriented cruise line. Based on my experience, I prefer Princess as it has a better value and quality.
Went on two Alaska cruises, identical ports of call and days. Cabins were the same category. Once all costs were totaled up we saved $1,000 with NCL over Princess. Enjoyed all our cruises, but some lines are a better value than others. Make the best of your vacation and don't sweat the small stuff. Just beware of the lines that have very few promotions and shock you when you get your final bill. The extra charges are there for most ships. At least with NCL I know total costs in advance with all promotions included.
I have been on 4 cruises - 3 Caribbean and 1 Mediterranean = all Norwegian and well they could not have been more perfect and glitch free - But want to go on a particular 12 day cruise - U.K. area out of London next year and are going to book with what is available there - (well my travel agent is ;- ) she is booking Regal Princess so after seeing the comments here are more comfortable with switching crusie lines - as I do not want to get on a p.o.s. ship - tho I am 65 and like nice and classy things - don't want a wild party for sure but don't want it too quiet like a library or or something ;-) 😆 so my travel agent is sure I will enjoy the Regal Princess
All is not as it seems. I am an insider working at one of these 2 cruise lines for a very long time. Many times, you can book an inside cabin paying the single supplement cheaper than a solo cabin. Solo cabins are in high demand and therefore priced higher. For less money, you can get 140 sq ft versus 100 in a solo cabin. The only thing you give up is the solo lounge. Is the solo lounge worth $400 and a smaller cabin?
I think overall you guys did a great job. For me though, Princess is better hands down. But that's because it fits me better. I'm more about relaxing, whether it's by the pool or elsewhere. Last thing I want is over crowded areas. I don't need slides and all that other stuff. Plus, I go, I don't care to be around a bunch of curtain climbers(kids). Now I'm not against kids, but I go on an expensive vacation to relax, not listen to screaming and yelling children. Then there's the up charge. I prefer to pay for up front then not have to worry about paying more because I want to experience something like certain entertainment. I don't care if there's less variety, I didn't book the cruise to see a show. I'll make my own entertainment if need be. Lastly you mentioned free at sea, or something like that. I leave soon for Hawaii aboard the Grand Princess and when we booked I picked our room and my wife and I received the drink package at no charge. So I think if you look for incentives you can find them with any cruise line, not just Norwegian. On top of that we received on board credit for my veteran status, which I'd be surprised if Norwegian didn't do something similar, but that's worth checking into also if you're a veteran.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I think there are a lot of people who would agree with you and prefer to pay up front than be hit with charges later.
I wouldn’t say it’s a different class they target different travellers which is what we say at the end but the point is to help people pick what experience resonates with them. Thanks for commenting and for watching!
You're right they are totally different classes of ships... not really a fair comparison Princess CL's parent company is carnival and it is classed as their "premium" cruise line. Norwegian Holdings (Norwegian's parent company) also has "premium" class ships, it may be more fair to compare those.
We paid NCL $500 for insurance in case anything happen to our trip. We were at the NZ airport when the weather went bad. 14 inches of rain fell that day. The airport was closed. We had to spend the night in the airport because they wouldn't let anybody leave. The next day we were threatened with jail time by the airport if we didn't leave so we left. NZ air offered no help. We arranged a hotel for two day hoping we would get help by any of the parties involved with no luck. We ended up staying for 5 day thinking we would be covered by the insurance that we purchased through NCL. The extra 5 days cost us $3k + $1400 to purchase new tickets through NZ air. We ended up with a $500 per person compensation for $1000 total and nothing from NZ air. Do NOT sail NCL. They hold no responsibility for anything that may go wrong and LIE about any kind of service they may have to provide. In the end it cost us $3400 for something that was not our fault. DON'T buy insurance it's a SCAM. Corporate Slobs.
Thank you for the very informative video. I was debating between NCL and Princess for our August 2020 Alaska cruise. It will just be my husband and I and we are in our mid 60 and 50 respectively, and based on your video we will probably go with Princess. Thanks again.
we REALLY enjoyed princess for our Alaska cruise, best cruise line for Alaska they also have amazing enrichment activities to actually understand the ports and culture which is great. It's a simple, classic way of cruising. Glacier Bay National Park is breath taking and the ship goes right up to the glacier!
It sounds to me like you're talking apples and oranges. If you want a more traditional, upscale cruise, you want Princess. If you want more trendy-type of things, go with Norwegian. -- Personally - I've never cruised with either line - from your description, I'd definitely choose Princess. It just sounds like a premium cruise line, so it's more of a real getaway and time to relax. Think I'll be looking at Princess for a cruise! Thanks for your help.
We sailed on NCL Pride of America around Hawaii a few years back and there was a naturalist on board then entire time. Lots of opportunities for information on EVERYTHING Hawaii. Maybe they just have them in certain markets?
For Alaska tour which one do u recommend. I was going wth princess until I saw ur video and now I am rethinking for ncl. I have 2 kids ages6&11 with us. We do look for in cruise activity. Our friend took cruise on ncl but wasn’t able to do go cart for her kids as it was closed. Let me knw
Good question Princess is known and won awards for their Alaska cruises. You do get a lot of time at ports to explore so you might not be on the ship too often. They do have a decent kids program. NCL does have a lot more activities for the family to participate in all together. It is a risk some may not be in operation when you sail. I guess the question is are you looking for more activities on the ship (NCL) or more Alaska enrichment activities (Princess)?
We saw more drunks on NCL, felt very crowded, a wilder group of passengers, not impressed at all. Princess hands down for the best of the two cruise lines.
An excellent, thorough video, but you are comparing apples and oranges. Like you said yourself at 23:12, these are two very different cruise lines. NCL is mainstream, carries more passengers and costs a bit less. Princess is aiming for a more upscale market with less crowding and more elegance. Personally I prefer Norwegian for the Freestyle concept. I don't want fixed dining times or dress codes. Still, any potential cruiser could not go wrong with either one.
FYI... You can also have "anytime" dining on Princess ships. We did that on our Alaska cruise and did not have difficulty getting the times we wanted. If there was a slight delay we were given a pager and would go to a nearby bar for a drink. Usually were paged within a few minutes.
Thank you so much for the wonderful video. I have never sailed with Norwegian I have sailed with princess numerous times and I really love sailing with them. The reason I have not sealed with Norwegian as of yet is the overall price just seems more to me then when we book with princess also with princess cruises I have found cruises for significantly less money than what I booked them for and princess will give me the difference back they do not force me to take an onboard credit. I also like when you can put a future cruise credit down on princess it is $100 refundable if you do not use it. I do not know how Norwegian works that. The haven seems beautiful but the cost just seems too much for me for that experience but I would love to see more videos on Norwegian Cruise line.
Thanks for watching and commenting. NCL also has a future cruise deal. There are different packages that if you book while on the cruise there are some discounts. But I agree the haven is very expensive.
We just got back from Alaska on the Coral princess and as you mentioned at the beginning of this video you had said that all cruises are smooth. Well that was not a smooth cruise for us. At least 4 rough days and so bad on our day in Ketchican the ship could not dock at the port so we lost one of our 3 stops.
I just had very bad experience with ship island princess one week ago. My friend and I, 4 of us joined the 5 day from vancouver to Jeneau and ketchican alaska cruise , 1st day got on board, nothing special, until 4pm departure time, broadcasted ship had problem delayed to 7pm depart, around dinner time, broadcasted again, delayed to mid night depart, and cancelled to Jeneau changed to ketchican and prince rupert only. only given back 100 us dollar onboard credit, and 15% of the cruise fee rebate for next cruise booking. so frustrated feel like cheating. my alaska cruise only touching the edge of alaska, no gracier, no beautiful alaska passage inlet? it ruined my holiday without any apologize! also the ship could still sailed at 32km per hours...why they cut 1/3 of the voyage? the food in the restaraunt was bad, no hot enought, soup too salty, the steak or tenderlion infact just some cheap beef meat, and no taste even worst than the buffet restaraunt. never join princess cruise anymore
Barb Frank - I hope it was still an enjoyable trip for you. I’m planning a cruise to Alaska for 2020. When was your cruise? I’m wondering if it’s the time of year. Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply, yes, I believe it was the time of year. We went September 18th to the 25th 2019. Four years ago we went end of June, much better weather. It was disappointing due to the three excursions being cancelled but we absolutely loved the ATV in Skyway! Very glad it didn't get cancelled. Seen no refund from Princess and they have not replied from are survey. Princess did offer excellent food and some great shows on board but as far as the accounting/front desk very disappointed as we were told cause we were Canadian we would see the refund immediately if you are American they mail you a cheque.
Cruising on the ncl getaway to Europe next year in the haven. Cruised 2 years ago on the getaway in the Caribbean and loved it. Cruised this year on the island princess to Alaska on a 12 day land/cruise tour and had a great time. We had a aft corner suite and the balcony was awesome. Alot smaller and older ship then the getaway. Comparison the two is tough, I like both. My key differences is the drink package, excursions and laundry. The excursions are comparable but princess had a price guarantee. We booked our excursions early and found cheaper excursion online and princess actually gave us a credit. The norwegian drink package is unlimited and requires all adults in the room to participate. The princess drink package is limited to 15 per day but does not require every adult to participate. This is beneficial when you're a moderate drinkers. It's a little tricky but you can get drinks for everyone. Norwegian and princess usually includes the package as a perk on booking. I know most cruisers don't think about laundry but it's huge when you're on a longer cruise (europe will be 6 days on land and 10 at sea) or you want to pack light. The island princess had laundry facilities on each floor and since we had a suite or laundry was free. Norwegian requires you send it out and it can be $10 - $30 per bag.
Good point on things we can expand on in another version of this, more about the drink packages / offers and the laundry. Great points and thanks for commenting!
@@TravelingFlamingo It'd be wise to book at the specialty restaurants, especially on sea days. But I never needed to at any of the other dining options. They are not required, if there is room. The really nice thing is there are electronic boards showing the availability at all the specialty restaurants... if there is no line, then no reservation needed. Also, I've heard that other cruise lines require you to share a table with strangers, at a set time. Which is fine if you are up to that. Me, I'd rather share the evening with those I'm traveling with, at the time I choose, that fits in with my schedule. If a show i want to see starts at 7pm, I can choose to dine before or after... Freestyling... I love it.
froglaps40 that makes a lot of sense. We often just booked reservations for everything so we were not stuck waiting. We haven’t yet on a cruise been forced to sit with other people for dinner. However on our cruise this March we will be. It should be interesting. I hope the people at our table are nice. Thanks for sharing 😊
@@TravelingFlamingo My sister and her husband went on Royal Caribbean, and she hated it... I've got another NCL cruise booked for Alaska next August... I don't cruise enough to risk a bad one...lol. If i did go more often, it would be nice to check out other cruise lines... but I've been happy for the most part with NCL.
Thank you for the comparison of Princess and NCL. I've only had experience with Royal Princess and Crown. Both are so beautiful. And the food is amazing. My parents are long time Princess cruisers. Going back to the "old Royal" .
Love the video very informative, however, one thing you did not mention was that Princess Cruises bases themselves in the Southern Hemisphere during the northern Wintertime, with a growing number of cruses happening, each year there are more and more cruises, from Australia, and with new Ships from Princess being moved down south, so if you are looking for a cruise during the northern wintertime you should look at Princess, they have ships based in the Three main Capitals on the Eastern Coast, with Cruises along or around Australia, Around New Zealand and to the Pacific Islands, with each of the Ports being close to the Main Capital for that state, with INternational airports in each state. Finally, Princess offers the Rewards points the goes over Princess and P & O Cruise ships, this makes it easier to recognise your fellow travellers by the Room Card Color, Thanks, Glen Princess cruise lover
If you want be nickeled an dimed for everything, sail with NCL. If you want to be tendered at most ports, sail with NCL. If you want to be uninformed about the layout of the buffet, sail with NCL. If you want to sail with only one 110V outlet in your suite, sail with NCL. No thanks, I am back to Princess for good.
YES :) Were working on that. We were able to get on a Celebrity (edge) cruise recently so we are definitely planning on comparing the two. Very distinct styles but I gotta say I like them both :D Thanks for the suggestion and for watching/commenting D'Cruze. Happy Travels 🦩
Sailed on Breakaway and Bliss last year. The food was very disappointing. Even the specialty restaurants could have been better. The deserts were so bad, we ended up ordering ice cream each night. Considering the number one reason to choose a cruise line is the food, we’ve decided not to sail on them in the future.
LeRhonda Jones-Bates enjoy your cruise! I’m sure it will be amazing. We loved ours and would do it again. We just didn’t love every meal. Let us know how your cruise goes
I have never travelled on princess, but have heard great things and many do so one day. I have been on NCL's newer ships(Breakaway and Bliss and Encore twice next year). I also have only been in the Haven on NCl, so my perspective is not the same as Haven guests have their own dining room which is First Class, their own pool area, and their own sun deck. Food selection is great on NCL, but I can only compare to Carnival (4 cruises).
Thanks for the information. I did a Princess Alaska cruise last summer, now I am about to do an Norwegian cruise Mediterranean this summer. What do you recommend or some suggestions.
We have a video for everything you need to know before sailing Norwegian :) We would recommend planning where you want to eat and if you can book it ahead of time. We also really enjoyed the thermal spa as the main pool can get very busy. We hope you have a great cruise
Have been on the GETAWAY and CROWN PRINCESS... both offer different points that they do very well...the question i young adults NCL may have more for them to enjoy...however get them to the meet and greet night for sure...and you as Parents now can enjoy your cruise....Princess now understands their are likely going to be young adults on board...but no water slides or rope climbs...sorry Enjoy the ship as the vacation....Let Princess Pamper you ....or let NCL tempt you with non stop action...hey it's your cruise enjoy it YOUR way... I would guess the average age of the passengers on Princess are 65+...NCL might be more like 45....thats just my opinion...but hey I am retired so what do I care...lol
I completely agree with your summary and average ages. We are usually on the younger side but have enjoyed all our cruises and always find activities to enjoy. A day on vacation is always a great day.
@@williambrunette1263 We did a MSC Cruise...22 day Mediterranean Cruise. The MSC Divina was a Gorgeous Ship...but our issue was that the whole ship got terribly ill!!! The problem was the ship doesn't in force hand washing & sanitizing like Disney and Princess Cruise does. My Husband also got so sick and had to see the Dr. On board along with many many others! I loved the ports we stopped at and all the terrific entertainment on board. I will never sail with MSC again.
@@londonaviation6233 Hope you had a better time than We did on the MSC ship! Did you hear about that 12 year old that died on the MSC ship yesterday? Details haven't come out yet why he died!
I just watched your video and I never went on a priness or royal or and any other ones and the main reason is none of the other cruise lines have a Haven suites and the up charge isnt to bad for what you get we get a lot of free stuff but the private haven restaurant is the best and to be honest maybe my age plays a factor in this I don't know since we are in our mid 50s thank you and happy cruising
@@sunseekermama I think they are quite a bit different. Even tho you can pay extra of Sanctuary with princess with Haven its a room type which you need to book in advance and also includes private dining areas and more than just a pool area, priority boarding, butler service, 24x7 concierge etc... The Vibe Pass on NCL is probably more equivalent to the Sanctuary. You can't really get "Haven" on Princess with all those extras but you can get a private area on princess with Sanctuary.
@@sunseekermama lol well you're 100% right that there is a private area on princess and I didn't mention that in my first reply so thank YOU and of course for having a bit of a dialogue! All the best Kelly!
I agree with most of your observations. The internet on Regal Princess is much faster than other ships though. It rivals a land based connection. I've tried NCL 3 times and never feel as if I need to sail the line again. It is just not for me. I hate having to pay numerous upcharges and making reservations for entertainment, but you are right, they lead the market for solo cruisers, at least for now. Royal Caribbean has gotten smart too and offering better options for solo cruisers. I will say that Princess in general serves a slightly older demographic and is quite a chill atmosphere, which I prefer, but some people will want more to do.
Princess! No contest! We are Elite with Princess so we get free laundry, free mini bar setup, free wifi, etc. We find Princess fits our budget, and we feel comfortable with the clientele. Tends to be 40+ with few children and spring break types. Its elegant but subdued. NCL is a fine cruise line but it is more family and kids oriented and that is what we don't want! Princess has great food, great service, and we don't feel nickle dimed.
We really enjoy princess too, something very nice about going back to an elegant cruise focused on relaxation! Thanks for sharing Richard and Happy Travels! 🦩
Glad you covered enrichment programs; it's wonderful to learn about different cultures and places visited!
They are so amazing, it may be one of the "do not miss" events on a. ship for us, to at least understand the background to what you'll be seeing in these incredible places. Thanks for the comment & feedback
Hrvoje. Happy Travels! 🦩
Searching for the perfect cruise line for my family (including 75+ yr-old father), I did a side-by-side comparison (esp. on pricing) and it seemed to me Princess is the winner. Your video aligned with what I found while researching, and helped me with the final decision (Princess it is!). Thank you!
We are so glad our video helped you pick a cruise. Where are you sailing too? Thanks for watching and happy travels 🦩
@@TravelingFlamingo Alaska 😊🏔 - on family bucket list to visit Alaska and see glaciers. Thanks, again, for the great video!
Princess is the best! Getting ready to sail on the new Sky Princess.
Have an awesome cruise, we can't wait to try the Sky Princess! Thanks for watching
I've been on both and Princess wins hands down! No comparison!
Thanks for watching and commenting
Plus for Princess. No laundromat on NCL! Strictly room pickup and quite pricey! Princess also has ironing boards and irons too. Very handy.
Yes we have made use of the laundry a number of time! So very handy.
Lol.
I have traveled on both NCL and Princess and greatly prefer Princess. The biggest difference I found between the two lines is that NCL seemed to be in your face all the time with sales pitches. I believe I saw 87 different sales pitches on NCL between the time I got to my room and finished breakfast. It just never stopped. Although Princess also tries for upsells, they are less in your face and less of them.
We did also find that NCL was constantly trying to up sell. I am pretty fugal so I just said no thank you and kept on with my day :) thanks for watching and commenting.
I felt that way on Carnival.
Have been on many cruises. Basically food is not much difference but quality makes the difference. One simple example is the juice served. You can always know the food quality if the juices provided are very diluted.
That is very interesting. I’m going to be focusing more on the juice on our next cruise. Thanks for the tip 👍
I just came off of Norwegian Cruise and it was great. I found the rooms with balcony Ocean View to be tight. The dining rooms was well-appointed the specialty restaurants were inviting the service charge was within my budget. The entertainment was unique people were friendly from the guest to the workers. Entertainment for the young children and teenagers was awesome they really enjoyed themselves. My overall View would be if I was traveling by myself and I'm 72 I would travel on princess but when I have my grandchildren with me their teenagers it would definitely be Norwegian Cruise Line thank you
Thanks for sharing your experience. We have heard from a few teens who also loved all that NCL had to offer. You are never bored on an NCL ship.
Done 4 NCL cruises, enjoyed 3 of them. Cruising Princess to Alaska next year. I hear the food is better on Princess so looking forward to that.
You guys have done the vs format better than anyone else I've seen.
But I can't find any other videos of that kind on your channel.
Can you make a playlist with that kind of videos?
COVID has unfortunately delayed any one comparison videos but we'll definitely look to put them into a playlist. Great idea. Thanks for the comment and for watching Luredreier!
I've been on both multiple times. Both are nice, but I like NCL more. Reason being, NCL has a more modern look and I don't have to get dressed up for a formal night. It also seems like there are more to do on NCL ships(go carts, water slides, ropes course, etc).
Very well done. You seemed a bit slanted toward Princess. Both cruise lines are excellent and are definitely geared toward two different age groups. Some of the comments about NCL are debateable and I would argue not accurate. Both cruise lines are very solid. I have never had a bad cruise experience. However, there are always those that will find fault in anything. Great job.
Great video, I like both princess and NCL but there are a lot of differences, good to know.
We have been on several Princess Cruises-Tahiti, Mexico (3 times), Alaska, Coastal. Can say we enjoy the laid back, non jarring interiors that are quite elegant. Food never disappoints. We have a 15 day Panama booked for next October. We'll continue to cruise with Princess-have no desire for Norwegian.
Princess is definitely a great line with a great focus on what matters most on cruises! Thanks for watching & happy travels!
Hey there, congratulations for your video ! I've had the chance of cruising with both Cruise companies and yes, Princess is much more exclusive and relaxing Cruise Company. Princess knows much more how to feel special onboard and, on the other hand, on Norewigian your only one more in the middle of a bunch of people crasy to have fun !!!
Thanks for watching and commenting. We did feel NCL was much busier.
Royal Caribbean gives you 25.00 on-board credit, I used it to buy a towel at service desk. its excellent quality, soft , thick, and extra large plus it comes with an inflatable pillow !!
Wow that is awesome. I’m all about large fluffy beach towels :)
😂
Great video! Looking at booking an Alaskan cruise and this video is exactly what I was looking for!
So glad you found it helpful. Happy travels 🦩
I appreciate your efforts and how you went about the comparisons. Our honeymoon was awesome on Princess to Alaska, last year we took NCL to see the fall New England/Canada colors and in 2 weeks we're going to the Baltic. Last year's trip had less than 2,000 on a 2,000-max ship. The average age was 63! This year we know that all 3,900 spots are totally full. Also last year we saw how awesome (beyond well) that NCL handled those with handicaps; very impressive!
I think it is important up front to clarify that you are/aren't comparing same size ships. and same destinations for each line. There are some similarities across the board but an Alaskan cruise can be different than a Mediterranean vs Caribbean, etc. Does Princess have naturalists on all ships or just Alaska? Yes it was a strength on the Princess Alaska but please share more info for true comparisons. I know our experience on the Getaway will be different than last year on the Gem just by the fact of the different sizes of the ships and capacities.
I was a bit disappointed in some of your NCL characterizations. You talked about the Haven but forgot to mention that it is $1k - $3k per person more for those rooms; it truly is like going first class which many of us can't afford. You mentioned O'Sheehan's but forgot to share that it is a restaurant open 24 hours which many people give positive reviews to for late night wings or a freshed cooked breakfast. In pricing you talked about the "giveaways" that NCL has and skipped over that one of them is for 4 free meals at a specialty restaurants. Having eaten at them, I disagree a bit with you and my experience is that they do in fact have many choices for every diet. On the negative there are a lot of upcharges on NCL. Even with the "freebies" you have to pay tip ahead of time on the free specialty restaurants and the all you can drink packages. So it sounds like Princess, with their discounts sounds better on the pricing.
Lastly, it would be nice to have heard "off the record" what the employees say about their cruise lines.
Anyways....thanks much!!!!!
You have brought up a lot of good points. I agree the cost of the haven is a lot and I would rather go on another cruise than pay that much more.
So Princess cruises are the best
Thanks
Been on a total of 34 cruises (11 Princess, 3 NCL). Re Food and Drink: Princess has overall better MDR but NCL has better specialty dining. Problem with NCL is no more lobster. NCL drinks are stiffer. Princess: casual food is best but late night options are awful. NCL: 24 hr restaurant is excellent. Re Entertainment: NCL is better; hands down. NCL has shows like Jersey Boys and SCTV comedy improv. Princess has typical cruise-ship like entertainment. Princess has a more elegant, upscale feel, while NCL has much more activities like water slides and race tracks. Overall, I have a slight preference for NCL because food, entertainment are of high importance to me. Also, I tend to disagree with the cost factor. I think NCL cruises are a better value for the money because their costs are cheaper, especially when you factor in beverage and dining pkgs that are often included in the cruise fare. Yes, you have to pay more for certain activities but again, the cruise price is cheaper to begin with.
Wow 34 cruises! We agree the 24 hour restaurant on NCL was great. There is definitely a lot of entertainment on NCL. You won’t be bored on their ships.
We went on our 1st cruise this August on Grand Princess, had a great time. Good food, entertainment, loved the 10 days we spent going to Alaska. Going to Mexico in February and back to Alaska in September on Royal Princess.
Mexico is February will be nice to get away from the cold. We also loved our Alaska cruise and would love to do another.
Princess and NCL are in different categories. NCL is a megaship. Princess is slightly more premium and the next smaller category down regarding quantity of passengers. The ships for both lines are 4-5 stars rated out of 6.
I would like to see a comparison between Princess vs. Celebrity !!
We really appreciate the suggestion. We are working on that 😊
Princess also has a self serve laundry onboard, if you are on for more than 7 days it is really great. They also have the best rewards program for cruising with them.
Great point!! Sometimes it nice to just do your own laundry.
I have cruised with Princess from Alaska a month back, and I can tell you its a Premium Class Cruise line, from my understanding NCL is a Mainstream Cruise line more in tune for families and not a traditional cruise experience like Princess. Princess does not offer Solo travelers discounts what so ever, NCL does, thats a huge difference, since I paid double for my room, but it was worth it in my humble opinion. 👍🏼
Its definitely a debate between the two! :) Thanks for watching & for commenting!
Reddy 2 travel
I totally agree
Sailed from Anchorage Alaska in August
Fabulous Cruise on Royal Princess!!
No complaints at all
Excellent food & entertainment on Board. So clean & Sanitized.
Would definitely sail again.
Loved the New Madallion Class!!!
@@TravelingFlamingo
Great Video Thanks!
Balcony cabins on Princess more spacious and more storage.
I do norwegian, I like the "general purpose cruise" I also LOVE their catering of solo travelers.
Hate their Nicole and dining though.
Their focus on solo travellers is a really amazing perk of NCL totally agree and the nickel and dime mentality has to stop!
What I found was the food on Norwegian was a good variety but it was not HOT it was always tepid. Also, there are many fun things to do on Norwegian but there is often an up charge for these and it makes it hard when you need to shell out 15 dollars for the kids to ride a go cart for a few minutes or do lazer tag, ect. I also found Norwegian 's exscursions were more expensive than Princess. I do believe that Norwegian is a more family friendly ship perhaps but all in all I like Princess for the quality and price.
We did Mediterranean Cruise on NCL, and have first Princess coming up in February!
That sounds exciting. Where are you going with Princess in February?
@@TravelingFlamingo Mexican Riviera
Been on 7 Princess cruises but have recently begun searching out other lines to try out. Thanks for the well thought out analysis between the two here. Those shots of the NCL pool areas all crowded up though gave me anxiety lol.
There are a lot of great cruise options. NCL pools and hot tubes are very busy. If you want to pay for a quieter experience you can upgrade to the Haven.
biggest thing i found that ships are close to the same size but ncl has about 1000 more people because of the more children allowed and that makes a huge difference on how crowded it is .i prefer the less crowded myself
We also found NCL more crowded. Thanks for watching and commenting
I was constantly dodging people, kids and handicapped scooters on Norwegian Joy.
I agree.. the Adults only pool with two spas was good at bow of ship .. go in when others at dinner or shows and have it to yourself
Very nicely done video! Got my conclusions: Princess offer quality and more cultural and relaxation time. I prefer that kind of thing when sailing.
Well said. There are so many hidden relaxing places on Princess cruise ships. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Princess has thermal spas on some ships! They are great. Our 16 day cruise cost us $400USD for both of us
We just did Antarctica on Princess. They had 3 specialist guest speakers and 2 ice pilots. We were very well informed the whole 16 day cruise
That sounds amazing! We always enjoy the enrichment experiences on Princess, they really do a great job and providing awesome information. Yes, the thermal spas look great on princess we'll definitely try them next time. That sounds like an AMAZING cruise! which ship were you on?
We were on Coral Princess.
I found this very helpful! Thanks! My wife and I have cruised on Celebrity only. We will be on a 10 day Princess Cruise to Tahiti in October, and have booked a week with all our kids (and granddaughter) to the Mediterranean on the Epic for June of next year. Now I am eager to see how they are.
Sounds like some amazing cruises, I'm sure you'll have an awesome time! Tahiti sounds awesome. Happy Travels!
The big difference is age of passengers. NCL much younger. Princess older 60+. If you want a quiet cruise choose Princess, if you are looking for drinking and younger crowd choose NCL.
That is a good point. Thanks for sharing
Great information, thanks for that. Originally we were booked with NCL to go to the Yucatan. NCL cancelled that cruise August 2021. We rebooked the same cruise with Princess. We are hoping it all works out.
We have our fingers crossed for you Christopher! Lets hope things reopen soon. Take care and safe travels. 🦩
My wife and I have only been on Norwegian, the Breakaway and Bliss. We love Norwegian won't sail with any other cruiseline. We did the Thermal Spa and that alone we believe was worth it, can be expensive but it's definitely worth it
The thermal spa is great. We purchased that and thoroughly enjoyed all it had to offer. Thanks for watching and commenting
Would suggest at least trying a cruise on another cruise line of a similar level to know for sure NCL is your line
@Alluska I disagree
Alluska no worries, I actually booked a cruise on Royal Princess in two weeks to try for sure :) I’m all about trying. I will say as of now I enjoyed my NCL cruises
AJ enjoy your Royal Caribbean cruise.
We are trying them this summer.
We've enjoyed both lines. Prefer the activities on NCL (Escape on our last cruise) and the crews were awesome. In fact, we had a chocolate covered strawberries and wine on day two from Assistant Matre-D as a surprise. NCL seems to anticipate what we like and fun interaction with the crews. But sometimes we want to just chill - and Princess is nice for that. We were on Sky princess (last sailing before Covig-19). The Medallion is nice since you don't need keycard to get into your cabin it recognizes you about 5-10 feet away. Free WiFi for the medallion is spotty if you need to locate your family but if you purchase the WiFi - it's good. Good perks with Princess . NCL take longer for an Ambassador status (top latitude status) vs Princess Elite status on the Captain's Circle only takes 16 cruises. We'll cruise one more time with NCL for Platinum and then focus on Princess - most of our family are Elite status on Princess and we want to get there as well. Lol
Yep! Princess is for me.
Thanks.
On Princess I did appreciate not having to worry about my pool towel going missing and having to pay for it. Thanks for watching and commenting.
Tried both cruise lines numerous times ,Princess is our favavourite , a bit pricey but Norwegian has a good destination .
We really enjoy Princess as well. To be honest with this weather I would be happy with a trip anywhere.
An all you want specialty dinner make that the winner of Cruise line comparison.
Royal Caribbean is my most favourite cruise ship. They are the best.
Studio rooms on Norwegian are very nice and I went on the Epic and find the Solo lounge nice, but there are only certain times when there are people there who are receptive to mingling. Most are there with their single group and already have plans. I liked the free provided snacks there and tea and coffee and occasionally a bartender to make adult drinks.
great video, well done, very informative. However I think that you are comparing two very different service level type of cruise line. NCL is more similar to Carnival and Royal Caribbean. While Princess is more in the same class as Celebrities and Holland America. Another very important aspect that you did not cover is the loyalty program, on Princess is probably the best one in the industry and Princess passengers tend to be quite loyal because of that. NCL loyalty program is not great.
Good point. Next time we will be sure to include the loyalty programs :) thanks for watching and commenting
I agree the up selling at the spa on NCL is ridiculous.
Oh its breaks the experience so much! Thanks for watching
Having been on both lines, on similar sized ships, my preference is Princess. Norwegian's fares are lower, but they tend to be trying to sell you more once you are on board. Also, I found the decor on board some of the Norwegian ships to be a bit gaudier. I also found the service on Princess to be a bit better.
I wonder if the commentators did the same itineraries on both lines? In Alaska the focus is more on cultural/enrichment activities, as compared to the Caribbean where the focus is more on just fun activities.
As was noted, if you are younger and more into partying, or have kids, then NCL is probably your better choice, but if you are looking for a more relaxed and upscale environment then Princess is a better choice.
Thanks for watching & commenting Smokeyham! As well as your feedback.
Princess sounds boring,I'm 62 but i still feel young,i guess i will go on the princess when i get older.
@@gloriabowie5629 I wouldn't say Princess is boring. They had a lot of different activities of the fellow travelers were often well-traveled and interesting.
@@gloriabowie5629 I agree! I like the energy of young people, and I can almost keep up with them.
Between Norwegian Encore and Princess Discovery, which one would you pick for a cruise to Alaska from Seattle with young kids? Both go to glacier bay which is a must for us.
now that 3 years have pasted, how would you rank them?
great question, I think with the changes after shutdown Princess is a bit lower in their ranking. That said what princess offers is still true, it's very much a "the old days of cursing" with some modern amenities. NCL is way more modern but also has more distractions. I appreciate the library on princess and such but if thats not up your alley NCL or Celebrity would probably be what I would recommend. Hope that helps! Happy Travels.
Hey there, another very cool video. Love comparison videos my friends. LIKE 40.
NCL has the HAVEN,which is really nice and competitive against the top luxury cruise lines. I would love to see a comparison among cruise lines that have similar "Haven" alternatives.
We have heard the Haven is nice but expensive. We will try it sometime and see how it compares. Who would you consider a top cruise line to compare it to?
I liked NCL up to the time that the Kloster family sold the line to Asian ownership. From that time on it was evident that your last dollar was what they were after. Some nice public areas were given over to suites. Lots of additional charges as the video brings up. Princess as with all of the Carnival Corp products is starting down that road but still not so bad and pretty consistent as to expectations over the years.
Do you remember exactly what time of year you did the Alaska Norwegian cruise? We have a teen so leaning toward NCL (between Princess and NCL), but wondering if that population of kids changes dramatically depending on when you cruise. We plan to go last half of August.
NCL caters to 35+ with their all day sport activities and to families with kids. Their cruise ships are in bright colours, often clushing. The Princes caters to 50+ with more upscale finishes, less bright lights and colours, less sports more classy entertainment.
That is a great way to describe the two cruise lines. We are in the 35 age range and have enjoyed both and our neighbours 10 year old son loved less kids on princess. However you are right they do cater to different markets.
you said O'Sheehans has only five things on their menu "and that's it." when showing the menu with 12 items. Obviously a bias against NCL. You also failed to mention O'Sheehans is free, right after talking about paying for specialty restaurants, and failed to mention O'Sheehans is open 24 hours.
Thanks for watching and commenting. We were aware of how long the video was going. But you are absolutely right. Those are important points we should add especially as it’s the only dinning open 24 hours.
We just got off the Sky Princess and as beautiful as it is, it is pretty boring for younger cruisers. We're in our 70s, so we didn't miss these, but Norwegian has many activities for more active folks that Princess lacks. If you are looking for rock-climbing walls, water slides, bumper cars, laser tag, surfing pools, skating rinks, etc., you won't find them on Princess. I think it's safe to say that Princess attracts a much older demographic than Norwegian. Which is why we like Princess better.
We have heard the Sky Princess was beautiful. We agree there is far less on board activities on Princess however we never found ourselves board. Maybe we just enjoyed a quiet day in between ports. Thanks for watching and commenting.
I don’t think it’s fair to compare Norwegian and Princess. In my opinion, Norwegian is a family and teen oriented cruise line while Princes is tailored towards more to adult as they don’t have as many activities such as rock climbing. I’d rather see the comparison between Norwegian with Royal Caribbean as RCCL is also a family oriented cruise line. Based on my experience, I prefer Princess as it has a better value and quality.
Went on two Alaska cruises, identical ports of call and days. Cabins were the same category. Once all costs were totaled up we saved $1,000 with NCL over Princess. Enjoyed all our cruises, but some lines are a better value than others. Make the best of your vacation and don't sweat the small stuff. Just beware of the lines that have very few promotions and shock you when you get your final bill. The extra charges are there for most ships. At least with NCL I know total costs in advance with all promotions included.
Every line has a personality.
I have only been on Princess. I Enjoyed it. And the internet was not bad. But it was a medallion ship.
We haven’t had a chance to be on a medallion ship yet but have heard amazing things!
Love the thermal spa! The one on the Royal Princess is amazing!
Thanks for watching and commenting. We will have to check out the thermal spa next time we are on the Royal Princess
I have been on 4 cruises - 3 Caribbean and 1 Mediterranean = all Norwegian and well they could not have been more perfect and glitch free - But want to go on a particular 12 day cruise - U.K. area out of London next year and are going to book with what is available there - (well my travel agent is ;- ) she is booking Regal Princess so after seeing the comments here are more comfortable with switching crusie lines - as I do not want to get on a p.o.s. ship - tho I am 65 and like nice and classy things - don't want a wild party for sure but don't want it too quiet like a library or or something ;-) 😆 so my travel agent is sure I will enjoy the Regal Princess
Norwegian is cheaper for singles. Since they have rooms with 1 bed and you don't pay 1.5 for your cruise..
Definitely we have heard a lot of good things about the solo cabins.
All is not as it seems. I am an insider working at one of these 2 cruise lines for a very long time. Many times, you can book an inside cabin paying the single supplement cheaper than a solo cabin. Solo cabins are in high demand and therefore priced higher. For less money, you can get 140 sq ft versus 100 in a solo cabin. The only thing you give up is the solo lounge. Is the solo lounge worth $400 and a smaller cabin?
I love Norwegian cruise line. 👍🏻🤩🌹🌺 I always go for Norwegian cruise ship. ❤😍
Let’s hope we get back on a cruise ship soon 🚢 ❤️
Another very informative and useful video, thanks. I'm now considering a big boat cruise after a few on Viking.
Hopefully we'll have a viking cruise under our belt some time, they sound amazing.
I think overall you guys did a great job. For me though, Princess is better hands down. But that's because it fits me better. I'm more about relaxing, whether it's by the pool or elsewhere. Last thing I want is over crowded areas. I don't need slides and all that other stuff. Plus, I go, I don't care to be around a bunch of curtain climbers(kids). Now I'm not against kids, but I go on an expensive vacation to relax, not listen to screaming and yelling children. Then there's the up charge. I prefer to pay for up front then not have to worry about paying more because I want to experience something like certain entertainment. I don't care if there's less variety, I didn't book the cruise to see a show. I'll make my own entertainment if need be. Lastly you mentioned free at sea, or something like that. I leave soon for Hawaii aboard the Grand Princess and when we booked I picked our room and my wife and I received the drink package at no charge. So I think if you look for incentives you can find them with any cruise line, not just Norwegian. On top of that we received on board credit for my veteran status, which I'd be surprised if Norwegian didn't do something similar, but that's worth checking into also if you're a veteran.
Thanks for watching and commenting. I think there are a lot of people who would agree with you and prefer to pay up front than be hit with charges later.
Is not Princess a class higher than NCL? More like HAL and Celebrity??And NCL more like RCCL and Carnival? But nice video:0)
I wouldn’t say it’s a different class they target different travellers which is what we say at the end but the point is to help people pick what experience resonates with them. Thanks for commenting and for watching!
Carnival owns Princess and other cruiselines.
You're right they are totally different classes of ships... not really a fair comparison
Princess CL's parent company is carnival and it is classed as their "premium" cruise line. Norwegian Holdings (Norwegian's parent company) also has "premium" class ships, it may be more fair to compare those.
We paid NCL $500 for insurance in case anything happen to our trip. We were at the NZ airport when the weather went bad. 14 inches of rain fell that day. The airport was closed. We had to spend the night in the airport because they wouldn't let anybody leave. The next day we were threatened with jail time by the airport if we didn't leave so we left. NZ air offered no help. We arranged a hotel for two day hoping we would get help by any of the parties involved with no luck. We ended up staying for 5 day thinking we would be covered by the insurance that we purchased through NCL. The extra 5 days cost us $3k + $1400 to purchase new tickets through NZ air. We ended up with a $500 per person compensation for $1000 total and nothing from NZ air. Do NOT sail NCL. They hold no responsibility for anything that may go wrong and LIE about any kind of service they may have to provide. In the end it cost us $3400 for something that was not our fault. DON'T buy insurance it's a SCAM. Corporate Slobs.
Thank you for the very informative video. I was debating between NCL and Princess for our August 2020 Alaska cruise. It will just be my husband and I and we are in our mid 60 and 50 respectively, and based on your video we will probably go with Princess. Thanks again.
go Princess i heard they are better than ncl ! our food in ncl didnt change for ten days ! the cooks sucks
we REALLY enjoyed princess for our Alaska cruise, best cruise line for Alaska they also have amazing enrichment activities to actually understand the ports and culture which is great. It's a simple, classic way of cruising. Glacier Bay National Park is breath taking and the ship goes right up to the glacier!
It sounds to me like you're talking apples and oranges. If you want a more traditional, upscale cruise, you want Princess. If you want more trendy-type of things, go with Norwegian. -- Personally - I've never cruised with either line - from your description, I'd definitely choose Princess. It just sounds like a premium cruise line, so it's more of a real getaway and time to relax. Think I'll be looking at Princess for a cruise! Thanks for your help.
We sailed on NCL Pride of America around Hawaii a few years back and there was a naturalist on board then entire time. Lots of opportunities for information on EVERYTHING Hawaii. Maybe they just have them in certain markets?
That is good to know! Thanks. We have heard great things about Hawaiian cruise and it’s on our bucket list.
For Alaska tour which one do u recommend. I was going wth princess until I saw ur video and now I am rethinking for ncl. I have 2 kids ages6&11 with us. We do look for in cruise activity. Our friend took cruise on ncl but wasn’t able to do go cart for her kids as it was closed. Let me knw
Good question Princess is known and won awards for their Alaska cruises. You do get a lot of time at ports to explore so you might not be on the ship too often. They do have a decent kids program. NCL does have a lot more activities for the family to participate in all together. It is a risk some may not be in operation when you sail. I guess the question is are you looking for more activities on the ship (NCL) or more Alaska enrichment activities (Princess)?
@Manz have you considered a Disney cruise to Alaska. It would be perfect for your children too.
The older we get the more we like Holland but we are going on NCL with the grand children at the end of November. Last time on NCL was good though.
We have heard Holland is goof as well. It is on our list to try. Enjoy your trip with the grandchildren.
You're wrong. Norweigan has way more than 3 desserts in the buffet 🤣
Ikr.
there is a lot of biases in this review.
Just came back from a Norwegian cruise and they had ice cream, fresh fruits, a bunch of cakes and pies, cannoli, and fresh crepe.
We saw more drunks on NCL, felt very crowded, a wilder group of passengers, not impressed at all. Princess hands down for the best of the two cruise lines.
Towels on NCL are not chargeable and you can grab as many as you like.
I’m so glad to hear they have changed that. Thanks for watching and commenting.
An excellent, thorough video, but you are comparing apples and oranges. Like you said yourself at 23:12, these are two very different cruise lines. NCL is mainstream, carries more passengers and costs a bit less. Princess is aiming for a more upscale market with less crowding and more elegance. Personally I prefer Norwegian for the Freestyle concept. I don't want fixed dining times or dress codes. Still, any potential cruiser could not go wrong with either one.
I agree a lot of people appreciate the flexibility of NCL. Thanks for watching and commenting
I love NCL but found I like their smaller ships better. I didn't care for the Breakaway. It was my least favorite. Pool was way too crowded
FYI... You can also have "anytime" dining on Princess ships. We did that on our Alaska cruise and did not have difficulty getting the times we wanted. If there was a slight delay we were given a pager and would go to a nearby bar for a drink. Usually were paged within a few minutes.
Thank you so much for the wonderful video. I have never sailed with Norwegian I have sailed with princess numerous times and I really love sailing with them. The reason I have not sealed with Norwegian as of yet is the overall price just seems more to me then when we book with princess also with princess cruises I have found cruises for significantly less money than what I booked them for and princess will give me the difference back they do not force me to take an onboard credit. I also like when you can put a future cruise credit down on princess it is $100 refundable if you do not use it. I do not know how Norwegian works that. The haven seems beautiful but the cost just seems too much for me for that experience but I would love to see more videos on Norwegian Cruise line.
Thanks for watching and commenting. NCL also has a future cruise deal. There are different packages that if you book while on the cruise there are some discounts. But I agree the haven is very expensive.
We just got back from Alaska on the Coral princess and as you mentioned at the beginning of this video you had said that all cruises are smooth. Well that was not a smooth cruise for us. At least 4 rough days and so bad on our day in Ketchican the ship could not dock at the port so we lost one of our 3 stops.
Oh no I am sorry to hear you missed a port. That is so frustrating when that happens.
I just had very bad experience with ship island princess one week ago. My friend and I, 4 of us joined the 5 day from vancouver to Jeneau and ketchican alaska cruise , 1st day got on board, nothing special, until 4pm departure time, broadcasted ship had problem delayed to 7pm depart, around dinner time, broadcasted again, delayed to mid night depart, and cancelled to Jeneau changed to ketchican and prince rupert only. only given back 100 us dollar onboard credit, and 15% of the cruise fee rebate for next cruise booking. so frustrated feel like cheating. my alaska cruise only touching the edge of alaska, no gracier, no beautiful alaska passage inlet? it ruined my holiday without any apologize!
also the ship could still sailed at 32km per hours...why they cut 1/3 of the voyage?
the food in the restaraunt was bad, no hot enought, soup too salty, the steak or tenderlion infact just some cheap beef meat, and no taste even worst than the buffet restaraunt. never join princess cruise anymore
Thanks for your reply, no refund from Princess yet, three excursions were cancelled.
Barb Frank - I hope it was still an enjoyable trip for you. I’m planning a cruise to Alaska for 2020. When was your cruise? I’m wondering if it’s the time of year. Thanks!
Sorry for the late reply, yes, I believe it was the time of year. We went September 18th to the 25th 2019. Four years ago we went end of June, much better weather. It was disappointing due to the three excursions being cancelled but we absolutely loved the ATV in Skyway! Very glad it didn't get cancelled. Seen no refund from Princess and they have not replied from are survey. Princess did offer excellent food and some great shows on board but as far as the accounting/front desk very disappointed as we were told cause we were Canadian we would see the refund immediately if you are American they mail you a cheque.
Cruising on the ncl getaway to Europe next year in the haven. Cruised 2 years ago on the getaway in the Caribbean and loved it. Cruised this year on the island princess to Alaska on a 12 day land/cruise tour and had a great time. We had a aft corner suite and the balcony was awesome. Alot smaller and older ship then the getaway.
Comparison the two is tough, I like both. My key differences is the drink package, excursions and laundry.
The excursions are comparable but princess had a price guarantee. We booked our excursions early and found cheaper excursion online and princess actually gave us a credit.
The norwegian drink package is unlimited and requires all adults in the room to participate. The princess drink package is limited to 15 per day but does not require every adult to participate. This is beneficial when you're a moderate drinkers. It's a little tricky but you can get drinks for everyone. Norwegian and princess usually includes the package as a perk on booking.
I know most cruisers don't think about laundry but it's huge when you're on a longer cruise (europe will be 6 days on land and 10 at sea) or you want to pack light. The island princess had laundry facilities on each floor and since we had a suite or laundry was free. Norwegian requires you send it out and it can be $10 - $30 per bag.
Good point on things we can expand on in another version of this, more about the drink packages / offers and the laundry. Great points and thanks for commenting!
Princess is know for Alaska. They have their own train and other property. Both ships have their own personalities like people.
That is a really great comparisons. They are like people with a very different vibe.
I'll stick with the freestyle dining on ncl
A lot of people like the freestyle. Would you make reservations ahead of time or just show up?
@@TravelingFlamingo It'd be wise to book at the specialty restaurants, especially on sea days. But I never needed to at any of the other dining options. They are not required, if there is room. The really nice thing is there are electronic boards showing the availability at all the specialty restaurants... if there is no line, then no reservation needed.
Also, I've heard that other cruise lines require you to share a table with strangers, at a set time. Which is fine if you are up to that. Me, I'd rather share the evening with those I'm traveling with, at the time I choose, that fits in with my schedule.
If a show i want to see starts at 7pm, I can choose to dine before or after... Freestyling... I love it.
froglaps40 that makes a lot of sense. We often just booked reservations for everything so we were not stuck waiting.
We haven’t yet on a cruise been forced to sit with other people for dinner. However on our cruise this March we will be. It should be interesting. I hope the people at our table are nice.
Thanks for sharing 😊
@@TravelingFlamingo My sister and her husband went on Royal Caribbean, and she hated it... I've got another NCL cruise booked for Alaska next August... I don't cruise enough to risk a bad one...lol. If i did go more often, it would be nice to check out other cruise lines... but I've been happy for the most part with NCL.
froglaps40 that makes a lot of sense. Alaska will be amazing. Thanks for sharing and happy travels.
Should have compared apples to apples: NCL Vs. Carnival; which I know you've already done.
A lot of them that supposed to be included , you gotta pay for it with ncl including Towel! Go with Princess all the way!
Thank you for the comparison of Princess and NCL. I've only had experience with Royal Princess and Crown. Both are so beautiful. And the food is amazing. My parents are long time Princess cruisers. Going back to the "old Royal" .
Love the video very informative, however, one thing you did not mention was that Princess Cruises bases themselves in the Southern Hemisphere during the northern Wintertime, with a growing number of cruses happening, each year there are more and more cruises, from Australia, and with new Ships from Princess being moved down south, so if you are looking for a cruise during the northern wintertime you should look at Princess, they have ships based in the Three main Capitals on the Eastern Coast, with Cruises along or around Australia, Around New Zealand and to the Pacific Islands, with each of the Ports being close to the Main Capital for that state, with INternational airports in each state. Finally, Princess offers the Rewards points the goes over Princess and P & O Cruise ships, this makes it easier to recognise your fellow travellers by the Room Card Color,
Thanks, Glen Princess cruise lover
Glen thanks for watching and commenting. You made a great point. The time of year you are able to travel can influence where you can go.
If you want be nickeled an dimed for everything, sail with NCL. If you want to be tendered at most ports, sail with NCL. If you want to be uninformed about the layout of the buffet, sail with NCL. If you want to sail with only one 110V outlet in your suite, sail with NCL. No thanks, I am back to Princess for good.
LOL all good points raaharr 😂
Be like to get a Princess v Celebrity cruise line as they are both premium.
YES :) Were working on that. We were able to get on a Celebrity (edge) cruise recently so we are definitely planning on comparing the two. Very distinct styles but I gotta say I like them both :D Thanks for the suggestion and for watching/commenting D'Cruze. Happy Travels 🦩
Sailed on Breakaway and Bliss last year. The food was very disappointing. Even the specialty restaurants could have been better. The deserts were so bad, we ended up ordering ice cream each night. Considering the number one reason to choose a cruise line is the food, we’ve decided not to sail on them in the future.
Yikes, yea our ships food was pretty good but the desserts.... we'll..... not great. Thanks for watching and commenting!
Noooo, don't say that ☹️☹️😭😭 I do my first cruise in 7days on NCL breakaway and very excited about THE BUFFET😨😨
LeRhonda Jones-Bates enjoy your cruise! I’m sure it will be amazing. We loved ours and would do it again. We just didn’t love every meal. Let us know how your cruise goes
How do they compare on specialty diets such as gluten free and dairy free? And handicap accessible main dining room and public areas?
Good analysis!
Thanks :)
I have never travelled on princess, but have heard great things and many do so one day. I have been on NCL's newer ships(Breakaway and Bliss and Encore twice next year). I also have only been in the Haven on NCl, so my perspective is not the same as Haven guests have their own dining room which is First Class, their own pool area, and their own sun deck. Food selection is great on NCL, but I can only compare to Carnival (4 cruises).
We would love to try the Haven too one day.
Thanks for the information. I did a Princess Alaska cruise last summer, now I am about to do an Norwegian cruise Mediterranean this summer. What do you recommend or some suggestions.
We have a video for everything you need to know before sailing Norwegian :) We would recommend planning where you want to eat and if you can book it ahead of time. We also really enjoyed the thermal spa as the main pool can get very busy. We hope you have a great cruise
Have been on the GETAWAY and CROWN PRINCESS... both offer different points that they do very well...the question i young adults NCL may have more for them to enjoy...however get them to the meet and greet night for sure...and you as Parents now can enjoy your cruise....Princess now understands their are likely going to be young adults on board...but no water slides or rope climbs...sorry
Enjoy the ship as the vacation....Let Princess Pamper you ....or let NCL tempt you with non stop action...hey it's your cruise enjoy it YOUR way...
I would guess the average age of the passengers on Princess are 65+...NCL might be more like 45....thats just my opinion...but hey I am retired so what do I care...lol
I completely agree with your summary and average ages. We are usually on the younger side but have enjoyed all our cruises and always find activities to enjoy.
A day on vacation is always a great day.
I cruise with princess 2 time I think it's the best . 2nd is celebrity cruise. MSC is the worst.
TOTALLY AGREE!!!
we did a MSC Cruise from Hell 2 years ago!
We would put NCL 1st, Holland 2nd, Princess 3rd, MSC 4th (never had a problem with them), RCCL 5th, and Carnival last. Never sailed Celebrity.
@@williambrunette1263
We did a MSC Cruise...22 day Mediterranean Cruise. The MSC Divina was a Gorgeous Ship...but our issue was that the whole ship got terribly ill!!! The problem was the ship doesn't in force hand washing & sanitizing like Disney and Princess Cruise does. My Husband also got so sick and had to see the Dr. On board along with many many others! I loved the ports we stopped at and all the terrific entertainment on board.
I will never sail with MSC again.
Josephine Gueco I would put MSC 1st I went on MSC Meraviglia in February and found it to be amazing
@@londonaviation6233
Hope you had a better time than We did on the MSC ship!
Did you hear about that 12 year old that died on the MSC ship yesterday? Details haven't come out yet why he died!
My hubs and I love princess cruises. We're booked for a Caribbean cruise this November :)
I'm sure that will be an awesome trip hope you have an amazing time. Happy Travels 🦩
Are there solo rooms on any other cruise lines do you know? Thnx
We're cruising with friends in a few weeks that are booking solo rooms on NCL...great question.
LeRhonda Jones-Bates NCL has solo rooms on the Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Bliss, Joy, and Encore.
I just watched your video and I never went on a priness or royal or and any other ones and the main reason is none of the other cruise lines have a Haven suites and the up charge isnt to bad for what you get we get a lot of free stuff but the private haven restaurant is the best and to be honest maybe my age plays a factor in this I don't know since we are in our mid 50s thank you and happy cruising
100% Haven is amazing for those who go with it, its a nice way to travel the ocean! Thanks for watching and commenting! Have an awesome day (or night)
What ncl ship were you on? Does Princess have a Haven area as well?
Princess doesn't have a Haven, we were on the Breakaway/Getaway on the NCL side.
Yes Princess has a Sanctuary
@@sunseekermama I think they are quite a bit different. Even tho you can pay extra of Sanctuary with princess with Haven its a room type which you need to book in advance and also includes private dining areas and more than just a pool area, priority boarding, butler service, 24x7 concierge etc... The Vibe Pass on NCL is probably more equivalent to the Sanctuary.
You can't really get "Haven" on Princess with all those extras but you can get a private area on princess with Sanctuary.
@@TravelingFlamingo thanks for that correction😉
@@sunseekermama lol well you're 100% right that there is a private area on princess and I didn't mention that in my first reply so thank YOU and of course for having a bit of a dialogue! All the best Kelly!
I have heard many people that have taken an ncl cruise and they hated it
It is good to know what you are getting into. There are positives but we didn’t like all the additional charges.