Hello. Hola!

Please answer all or just one of the questions! Everything helps!

I am thinking about booking a cruise for 4 or 5 on April 11th or 12th on the Dawn. It looks like a really nice itinerary and places that I haven't been to yet.

This will be my 4th cruise. I have previously only been on RCCL.

I have a few questions....

1. Why does the price seem so good? Or is it just me?

2. Pros and Cons of freestyle dining

3. How are the Category G Staterooms?

4. Can the Cat. G fit 4 people ok?

5. Is RCCL or NCL better?

Thanks so much for your help.

Regarding freestyle dining, I liked it. First we always had a table for just the four of us. On a previous Carnival cruise, we had a table for six, and one of my kids was still a preschooler, and frequently the other couple didn't show up, so I always felt guilty that they didn't like children. Second, I liked deciding that I wasn't hungry yet, and to wait until after the show to eat dinner. We often had late lunches or snacks, which would have messed up our schedule if we had an assigned time to eat. Finally, I liked the choices of restaurants. Even though we always ate at ones with no cover charge, I liked dressing up or down for the evening depending on which restaurant we were headed too. We never had to wait for a table! I hope this helps.

I've been on 14 NCL cruises and have only had one cruise I didn't care for...I enjoy Freestyle cruising....I like to eat when I want for my main meal...if you want a table for two, you just request it, if you want to share a table they will put you with other people, I usually don't eat at the extra charge restaurants because I feel the food in the main diningroom is always above average....You can dress up if you want, or you can come in causual dress...even jeans now....suit yourself on your style....just no SHORTS....and if you want the same waiter every night, you just request his or her area....it's never been a problem with me...just serve me the food...NCL seems to be a few dollars cheaper but I can't really say way....Take the savings and run...Happy Cruising...

Bob E

quote:

Originally posted by Paradise Cruiser:
Hello. Hola!

Please answer all or just one of the questions! Everything helps!

I am thinking about booking a cruise for 4 or 5 on April 11th or 12th on the Dawn. It looks like a really nice itinerary and places that I haven't been to yet.

This will be my 4th cruise. I have previously only been on RCCL.

I have a few questions....

1. Why does the price seem so good? Or is it just me?

2. Pros and Cons of freestyle dining

3. How are the Category G Staterooms?

4. Can the Cat. G fit 4 people ok?

5. Is RCCL or NCL better?

Thanks so much for your help.

1. The price is great because NCL plans on getting more cash from you while you are aboard. They are also the smaller cruise line, and discounts cabins trying to fill empty cabins.

2. Pros, you decide who sits with you when dining, you decide when to dine or not, you decide whether to dine at the free or surcharge restaurants.
Cons, you might not like having a different waiter every night, you might not like dining at different restaurants, you might not like dining at different times each night, you might not like standing in line to get reservations at the specialty restaurants, or standing in a short line at the main restaurants.

3+4. Oceanview cabins on the Dawn can be small for four passengers. Cat G cabins often have obstructed views, usually caused by a lifeboat. But sunlight will enter the cabin, unlike Inside cabins.

5. Both cruise lines are nice. Which is better depends upon what you want to do on a cruise.
Both provide features the other does not, yet both offer many of the same things too.
I don't think one is better than the other, they're just different.