hey everybody it's Andrew with braggin Adventures today we're doing the ultimate battle royale it's Norwegian versus Carnival who will come out on top are you ready to find out let's go this is bragon Adventures okay so if you've been around the channel for a while you know we are pretty loyal Carnival Cruisers but recently we've branched out with a couple of Norwegian Cruises obviously we can't help but make comparisons did we miss our Carnival Staples who makes a better Burger which ship offers more activities who has better drinks while on the Norwegian Bliss I wrote notes about everything so I could put this video together for you hopefully this can help you decide which line to take if you're on the fence there's no better place to start than the port Norwegian ships dock at the Port of Los Angeles a Stones Throw from the Port of Long Beach where Carnival docks the Port of Long Beach is exclusive to Carnival which is a huge perk given that the Queen Mary and Hotel Maya are walking distance for pre or post Cruise stays there's a large private parking structure and a very large indoor terminal the Port of Los Angeles handles all other cruise lines as well as commercial shipping it is a chaotic hot mess with terrible traffic control and outdoor tents in place of a terminal in some cases it's not a great way to start your trip if you're unprepared for it even being dropped off can take an hour or more we're going to give the win to Carnival on this one let's talk about the basics of each line I'm going to lump a few things under Basics before we get to the specifics beginning with customer service pre Cruise Norwegian customer service on the phone is easier to get a hold of but less friendly I've had vacation planners with both companies and Norwegians are much better in my experience Carnival planners aren't very accommodating in that they only want to talk via phone instead of email whereas I requested communication via email with my NCL planner and she was more than happy to oblige all in all NCL takes the win here how about that safety briefing Norwegian has you watch a safety video as part of the online check-in process and then a quick mustard check-in on board allowing you to get right to the cruising Carnival has you check into a mustard station once you're on board but you literally only scan your boarding pass if you've ever cruised before if not it's a very quick demo of a life vest in both cases the process is so simple and so quick I think it's a tie let's talk about the apps for both lines NCL takes a win in that you can use the app before boarding while you have to be on the ship to use Carnivals that being said NCL takes a loss because the app is not userfriendly and glitches regularly Carnival's going to take the slight edge here let's talk about sailaway parties we just started participating in these in 2024 previously you would have found us just just about anywhere but there we actually found out we enjoy watching the party from the deck above the Leo you can still hear the music and enjoy the vibe without being crammed in with hundreds of people in front of the pool the added benefit is that you can see some of the more eclectic guests better both lines feature music and games and a staff entertaining the crowd overall the Carnival Fun Squad staff is more well fun but as far as the cellway parties go the lines are fairly equal NCL does take a slight win for how onboard entertainment is handled we particularly enjoy their trivia more since the questions are displayed on a large screen preventing any language barrier issues let's talk about staff the staff on Carnival ship is always Lively and a little goofy I really do feel like it's every single employees mission to make my cruise the best one yet there's rarely an exception but I suppose bad experiences have happened it's the nature of the business but all in all I have an overall fondness for CCL staff NCL staff isn't bad they're just less Lively the bartenders on the Bliss were particularly terrible with an apparent attitude we were ignored at multiple bars and the drinks were just lackluster the one exception was the sugar can mojito bar if that staff trained the rest of the bar staff we would be scoring this very differently Carnival definitely takes the win in staff customer service is a big deal to me and I think the ship staff is more important than some of the other Basics we've discussed so we're going to give the win to Carnival on this one let's talk about the rooms of each line both ships have comparable layouts and sizes for the balcony rooms featuring a bed a couch a desk like area closets a balcony and a bathroom both feature a place to rest with many similarities so let's focus on the differences the carnival TV has a sleep timer a userfriendly interface and actual channels the NCL TV has no sleep timer a terrible and slow interface and no channels but rather categories you're forced to watch a welcome video no matter what time you get on board or what time it was when you first turned on your TV now this is not to be confused with the required safety video that you watched when you checked in rooms on Carnival are ready much sooner than on NCL generally your Carnival room is ready by 130 p.m. our NCL room was barely ready for dinner the NCL balcony feels cleaner and better maintained than the CCL balconies which almost always feature rust and grime the NCL shower features a Superior Door over Carnival's cleany curtain ncl's layout feels larger though the closet feels awkward located next to the bed the NCL room does also feature more nooks and crannies to set things on and we do prefer the hallways leading to the state rooms on NCL the rooms both have issues and pluses so it's a tie rather than compare all food to all food we're going to pick three specialty restaurants from one ship that mirror three on the other we're doing this to keep the video short as both lines have comparable dining options to one another perhaps we'll do the steakhouses and barbecue joints the main dining rooms buffets and the tan girls in a future video but for today we'll compare gu burger joint on Carnival to the American Diner on Norwegian Bonsai Sushi on Carnival to food Republic on Norwegian and coina Del Capitano on Carnival to LA coina on Norwegian before we dive in I'll point out a few distinct ship dining differences the service in the main dining room on our region is infinitely slower than the service on Carnival the bread service in any Norwegian restaurant blows the bread service on Carnival out of the water NCL seems to be more proactive about food allergies and dietary restrictions than Carnival does NCL offers more dining options on embarcation day than Carnival lunch in the main dining room is available daily on Norwegian and is a much better qual quity than that MDR lunch on Carnival which is only really available occasionally on longer cruises okay moving on it's time to compare Burgers gu burger joint is found on nearly every Carnival ship and features a grabbing ghost Smash burger with fries and a wide array of toppings all headlined by Guy Fetti meanwhile Norwegian features the 50s themed sown burger joint called the American Diner now they serve more than burgers and it is a full dining experience including appetizers and desserts but it's the closest analog to guys so we'll focus on the burger American Diner used to be an upcharge but in early 2024 it became complimentary I tried the Wrangler Burger which comes with cheddar cheese sauteed onions bacon barbecue sauce jalapeno and a sesame seed bun the fries are phenomenal and definitely better than guys most of the time the burger is made for Tasty Bite with good flavor and a nice selection of toppings the Patty was well cooked and the cheese is perfectly melted the flavor profile is good enough to satisfy any craving Guys burger joint has a pre-made menu but I like grabbing the straight up burger and adding my own toppings the Smash Burger is crispy with melted cheese and a delicious selection of toppings rarely have I experienced a bad burger here and even a bad one is better than a burger on land the fries here are very inconsistent but the burger never disappoints it's flavor town baby in reality both burgers are absolutely fine choices and you'll be hard pressed to find a better Burger on Shore but Carnival tastes slightly better and takes the win let's compare Italian fine dining laucha on the Norwegian Bliss is upcharge Italian restaurant featuring a four course meal in an elegant setting the salads here are nothing to write home about with just a basic flavor profile I also think the spot is super overpriced when compared to Carnival but if you book it under a free at C package it's definitely worth your time the pastas are all tasty and Alyssa seafood stew was one of her favorites my lasagna while heavy was so flavorful the spicy shrimp pasta dish was tasty but not at all spicy we both build our desserts as the best we've ever had I think the portion sizes here are good for your stomach but I would likely be upset if I paid sticker price for them all in all the service is friendly and the atmosphere is great I would absolutely dine here again kachin Del Capitano on Carnival ships feels a little less fancy given its location on an upper deck but the price is a flat rate for the four course meal instead of all a cart like on NCL the value here is insane with large portions this is in fact my favorite specialty restaurant on any Carnival ship the appetizers are varied and delicious and the pasta dishes really hit those spots and yes you can get a second pasta is aside the garlic butter bread service is amazing the most lackluster thing here is the dessert and even that's good I highly recommend this even if you only get in for the complimentary c-day lunch the comparison here is the most difficult for me as both spots are really nearly perfect we're going to have to call this one a tie our final dining comparison is Sushi food Republic is an allart upch charge on in CL that again is included with a free at C package if using the package you get four items from the menu which are large enough to share the venu itself is lackluster and can get very warm during the day I recommend sitting at the sushi bar Instead This is not strictly a sushi restaurant as they offer some Asian fusion bites as well but it's my favorite dining experience on the Norwegian ships the food here is unparalleled the sushi is fresh and offers unique flavor profiles the additional sides all match the quality and flavor the service here is some of the best you'll find I highly recommend making this a stop in fact we ate here twice on our last Cruise Bonsai Sushi is on most Carnival ships and offers a more upscale feeling on the larger ships on some this can feel very grab and go with Bonsai Sushi Express the sushi is delicious and the Sushi Boat for two is one of the best values out there their pokeballs are simple but satisfying and that salad dressing could be injected straight into my veins this is a great place to grab a bite to eat on any Carnival ship even if you're grabbing it to go from the Bonsai Sushi Express on some ships and taking it up to the serenity deck we can stop here every time we Cruise hands down it's not even close NCL takes this one finally we want to talk drink [Music] packages before we do can I ask you to click that subscribe button and ring that notification Bell also if you're finding this video helpful why not give it a thumbs up you can find us across social media on Tik Tok Instagram and Facebook by typing @ bragon Adventures for those that know us you know we always purchase the cheers package on Carnival which includes up to 15 alcoholic beverages per person per day plus unlimited non-alcoholic specialty drinks like Java blue coffee Gatorade and milk shakes MCL has a similar package that comes with the freeat c package though we did upgrade to the freat C Premium Plus which increases limit on what drinks you can order and adds those specialty non-alcoholic drinks like coffee Red Bull and Bott of water let's discuss the differences cost is the number one difference since you always have to pay for the carnival package but can often get the Norwegian package included in your cruise Fair Norwegian also has no cap on how many daily alcoholic drinks a person can get this means the bartenders could pour doubles and even triples you don't sign for your drinks on Norwegian which means unless you have cash you can't tip extra for excellent service at Java Blue Cafe on Carnival you automatically can get a shot inside your coffee or tea but on norwgian they have a Starbucks so you have to get your Starbucks and then make your way over to a different bar to get that shot all in all both packages accomplish the same thing but the journey there is different the 15 drink cap at carnival is sometimes a huge pain but but we do have a neat cheers video coming out later this year to help you navigate it you can also check out our is the cheers package worth it video by heading to our Carnival playlist due to the drink limit on Carnival NCL claims another Victory well that's our Battle Royale video for NCL versus Carnival there are pluses and minuses to both lines and at the end of the day you just have to pick which line ticks the most boxes for you you can see full video reviews of the carnival Panorama and the Norwegian Bliss by clicking these videos on screen thanks for watching we'll see you on the next adventure