Help! Norwegian or Royal Caribbean for New England Cruise?

My husband and I are in our early 30's, no kids and we are looking at the Norwegian Gem or Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a 7 night New England cruise this fall.

We enjoy luxury and relaxing but we can also be adventurous. We have never cruised on either line, what can we expect? Does one have an older crowd? One more family focused?

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

My husband and I are in our early 30's, no kids and we are looking at the Norwegian Gem or Royal Caribbean's Brilliance of the Seas for a 7 night New England cruise this fall.

 

We enjoy luxury and relaxing but we can also be adventurous. We have never cruised on either line, what can we expect? Does one have an older crowd? One more family focused?

 

Any insights would be greatly appreciated!

the 2 lines are more similar than different. New England cruises generally attrack an older crowd, with few kids. I would go wiht the price and itinerary on this one. of course because of dining choices and a few other things I am partial to NCL. We have also had much better service on NCL, but this can vary from ship to ship and week to week.

Unless you have a clear preference for one line over another, I'd look at itineraries to see which line offers the port stops you like. For example, some of the Gem itineraries go to Newport and Bar Harbor, while others go to Portland and Bar Harbor. The Brilliance OTS goes to Portland and Bar Harbor. The 9-night itinerary offered out of Boston on the Brilliance looks awesome, with fairly unique ports, but it's quite expensive. I'm keeping an eye on it to see if pricing gets more reasonable as the cruise gets closer. I have a few financial issues these days, and might not get to go in any case, but it's worth tracking...even if I don't particularly like RCCL. I could overlook a lot for an itinerary like that.

I'd also check to see how many hours the ship will be in port, and how early you have to wake up to disembark at a port. To me, this can be a real dealbreaker if I have to wake up at the crack of dawn, and feel rushed the entire time.

No matter what you decide, I don't think you can go wrong with a Canada/NE cruise.

buckirj1 those are great suggestions on things to look a on any comparable cruise comparison.

What a nice thing to say, Sunshine. Thank you. Getting back to the topic, it also might be useful to see how many ships are scheduled to be in port with you that day. There are a bunch of websites for this, and they're all about the same. Do a google search to find them.

This probably isn't as important for the larger ports, but it's good to be prepared for big crowds if, say, the QM2 is in Bar Harbor the same day you are.

The itineraries are identical but in reverse of each other: one leaves from Boston and goes to NY, the other leaves NY and goes to Boston. Both are the same price. Decisions, decisions.

I hate paying for the speciality dining and spending more money...which line has the best food in the main dining rooms?

The itineraries are identical but in reverse of each other: one leaves from Boston and goes to NY, the other leaves NY and goes to Boston. Both are the same price. Decisions, decisions.

 

 

 

I hate paying for the speciality dining and spending more money...which line has the best food in the main dining rooms?

We have been on both lines. The food and service were very poor on NCL. The wait staff was completely overwhelmed and understaffed. We felt sorry for them but haven been back to NCL. Did enjoy entertainment though.

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We have been on both lines. The food and service were very poor on NCL. The wait staff was completely overwhelmed and understaffed. We felt sorry for them but haven been back to NCL. Did enjoy entertainment though. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

...and my experience was the complete opposite. I tried RCCL twice, and didn't much like it either time. The MDR food on RCCL was mostly adequate, but the service was very lacking. I maintain that cruiseline has no idea how to treat solo cruisers, whereas NCL is outstanding in this aspect.

Doesn't matter, since the OP isn't a solo cruiser. For what it's worth, I thought the MDR food and especially service were far superior on NCL.

Interesting what experiences we all have.

Our last RCC NE cruise was Jewel out of Boston in 2012.

I gave up on them due to the poor quality of food.

We looked at NCL for Canada/New Englad but live in Florida and are not excited about leaving from NYC or sailings that leave from Boston and then you fly back from Canada.

Still looking....

Well I have only cruised on NCL so I can't compare to other lines.

Therefore I am cruising on the NCL Dawn 14 days Boston RT. I chose this itinerary because I could not make up my mind on which 7 day cruise to take - they both visit different ports. Other factors for my choice was the fact that I can fly non stop from Portland OR to Boston. Also my wife's family comes from the Quebec area so we want to look into some family history. We are also cruising with my MIL.

I have also heard that Boston is easier to get around in and has a better cruise port setup compared to NYC - I guess I will have to wait and see on that one. My previous cruises have been out of Seattle which has a very nice cruise port.

All of this lead to putting the cruise out to 2016 so I can save up for it :D

...and my experience was the complete opposite. I tried RCCL twice, and didn't much like it either time. The MDR food on RCCL was mostly adequate, but the service was very lacking. I maintain that cruiseline has no idea how to treat solo cruisers, whereas NCL is outstanding in this aspect.

 

Doesn't matter, since the OP isn't a solo cruiser. For what it's worth, I thought the MDR food and especially service were far superior on NCL.

of course I have to agree with you. I wonder what ship and what itinerary she was on? I have cruised both lines, more than once; only one time did we have a service problem with NCL and I did go to the hotel manager to discuss it. Otherwise we have been more than pleased. Yes, there have been a few times service has been hit or miss in the MDRs but certainly not what she is saying. I wonder if she could come back and explain a little better, rather than the crew seemed overwelmed!!!

The itineraries are identical but in reverse of each other: one leaves from Boston and goes to NY, the other leaves NY and goes to Boston. Both are the same price. Decisions, decisions.

 

I hate paying for the speciality dining and spending more money...which line has the best food in the main dining rooms?

Since the itinerary is a wash and it comes down to the ship, I recommend Brilliance. I've been on both lines several times and I'm familiar with both ships. Radiance Class on RCI are beautiful ships and tend to be a favorite class among RCI cruisers. The ship is designed with huge glass windows in public areas so you can almost always see out. Actually, this decision would be a pretty easy choice for me. :)

My first cruise was a double. Boston-Bermuda-Boston and then Boston-Quebec. The New England/Canadian week was a lot older and low key but I enjoyed the historical aspects of the trip. Have fun!

Call me crazy but, I just cannot see the point of a Canada/New England cruise. Then again, I live in New England and I am 90 minutes from Montreal. :D

The OP mentioned if one line caters more to families, in which case RCL definitely gets the nod. But if the kids are back in school, it will likely not be a big issue. Pack as you would for Alaska, with lots of layers and rain gear... it could be 80 or it could be 40.

Also mentioned was luxury, and if this is indeed a requirement, suites on either line would be a necessity with NCL suites being the best among mainstream lines (or so I've been told, ha ha).

I did this cruise on NCL about 4 - 5 years ago. We went to Newport, Quebec, Halifax and another port that I dont remeber which was a waste. It was a nice quiet cruise certainly not a young crowd and I dont remember any kids.

We have done the Boston-Quebec-Boston 14 day cruises on the NCL Dawn twice. Have not sailed on RCCL, so cannot comment on them. Absolutely love the itineraries. The ports were beautiful. Favorites are LaBaie (Saguenay) and Cornerbrook (Newfoundland). Being from Massachusetts and being at both before, Portland and Bar Harbor were great walking around town days. Gaspese, Charlottetown PEI, Sydney, St. John and Halifax were some of the other ports. Very few children on the ship. Have been on the Dawn many times and have always enjoyed the ship. Last year we had an over night in Quebec City, which was fantastic. Hoping to do this itinerary again next year. :)

My DH and I did CCL for our honeymoon to St. John in 2012...4 days out of Boston...made us fall in love with cruising! In 2014 we took our 2 boys...10 and 14 on RCCL for a 7 day out of Boston to 2 stops in Maine, St. John and Halifax. It was COLD and a little rainy....BUT we still loved it and our boys had fun too! That was the second week of Sept. .....NOT many kids at all! Most were 20+ years older than us...BUT they loved seeing our kids and said they were WELL behaved. We are trying NCL this year and going to Bermuda.....Just wished there were MORE destinations out of Boston!!!!! We want more choices!!!

To the OP....have not cruised NCL yet..but i think it all depends on the person...some want to be fully pampered...some like just getting away! Go by the itinerary....and price!! Perks HELP!!! I want decent food....but hey...I know when I cook I expect better and it doesn't come out the way I like it all the time!! Also...others on board will help with wether you like it or not...if THEY are grumpy it might make you grumpy!!!

Hope you enjoy no matter WHAT line you choose!!!

PS....sometime you will find decent excursions in port that are not offered through the cruise line....and I LOVED the pink buses in Canada where you could hop on and off and a decent price in a lot of the GOOD spots!!!

I have been on both ships and between these 2, Brilliance of the Seas has the clear advantage to me. If one itinerary isn't clearly better than the other, I strongly suggest BOS.

Call me crazy but, I just cannot see the point of a Canada/New England cruise. Then again, I live in New England and I am 90 minutes from Montreal. :D

Watching the Beluga Whales in the Saguenay river made it well worth the trip for us .

Been pondering your post for a few days and decided to chime in. We have only a few RCI cruises behind us and just tried NCL again a few weeks ago after many years away. We have three future NCL cruises booked now. But, I keep thinking about your comment that you like "elegance". If that is truly important to you, it seems you'd be happier on the Brilliance. NCL has it's hooks in us right now with the prices and promos they are offering and we're really excited about the cruises we have booked with them, but the ships don't have the elegance of some of the other lines. Good luck with your decision.