Comparing RCI to Carnival and NCL

We have been on a couple of Carnival and NCL cruises and are thinking of trying a RCI cruise. To those who have been on Carnival and/or NCL what did you like or not like about RCI compared to Carnival and NCL?

Having been on all three in the last couple of years, for us it has really come down to the itinerary, the availability when we plan to travel, and the price. Some people put a lot of emphasis on the ship or line, but for us it doesn't really matter. We've enjoyed every ship we've been on and had a good experience overall in every case.

We have sailed with RCI (liberty of the seas)and Carnival (Splendor) with our kids. I liked that RCI had more things on the ship to keep busy. We were able to go ice skating and rock climbing and try out the flow rider and tidal wave and other slides. We also liked that the pools were chlorinated as opposed to the salt water. It didn't bother me but the kids hated the salt water. We live inland so the kids haven't been exposed to salt water much. We spent lots of time by the pool and the pool was bigger on the RCI ship.

Both ships had great shows but I think Carnival had more shows plus the comedians every night.

The pizza on Carnival was better plus the pizzeria and burger stand were located by the pool. The Promenade on Liberty was nice to walk around and you could also access the bow of the ship and stargaze at night.

My dd loved the kids clubs on both ships but ds preferred camp carnival, which I think had more to do with access to video games.

I enjoyed the food on both although dinner on royal was a higher quality. The steaks were excellent and so was the lobster. If you are picky eaters, carnival has more food options that would appeal to you. Dh is picky and there were fewer things he was willing to try on royal.

Both cruises were great and you can't go wrong with either.

For us, we wanted to try royal and we chose Liberty because we could drive to the port and save money on airfare.

For us, the food was much better (dining rooms, and buffet) on NCL and Carnival (Carnival has Guy's Burgers and Fries! :))

However, we like that RCI sails to Costa Maya (our favorite western port,) out of Galveston.

NCL has incredible drop slides and their freestyle dining is very under-rated. They have the best (and most frequent) deals on drink packages.

I'd be happy with any of them. Good luck deciding!:)

I would of in the recent past put down NCL over Royal. Royal has adopted NCL's fee for room service and a very aggressive campaign to divert passengers from MDR to fee based dining. Royal has downgraded their product to match NCL. NCL and Royal are equal in amenities now. Book based on price.

Can't comment on Carnival as interior pictures of their ships have kept me from trying them for around 25 years since I got the 'cruise bug'. Just too extreme for me, but your taste might be different.

For us, the food was much better (dining rooms, and buffet) on NCL and Carnival (Carnival has Guy's Burgers and Fries! :))

 

 

 

However, we like that RCI sails to Costa Maya (our favorite western port,) out of Galveston.

 

 

 

NCL has incredible drop slides and their freestyle dining is very under-rated. They have the best (and most frequent) deals on drink packages.

 

 

 

I'd be happy with any of them. Good luck deciding!:)

What is it that you especially like about Costa Maya? Sailing there in 55 days (but who's counting!). Would love ideas!!

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How do the drink packages compare? Royal seems to never have a promotion that includes the alcohol package for free like NCL does, but I'm wondering if NCL's includes as much as Royal's paid high-end package?

I would of in the recent past put down NCL over Royal. Royal has adopted NCL's fee for room service and a very aggressive campaign to divert passengers from MDR to fee based dining. Royal has downgraded their product to match NCL. NCL and Royal are equal in amenities now. Book based on price.

 

Can't comment on Carnival as interior pictures of their ships have kept me from trying them for around 25 years since I got the 'cruise bug'. Just too extreme for me, but your taste might be different.

The newer Carnival ships have toned down the decor. If I had to compare decors, I would say that the new Carnival decor is closer to NCL than Royal.

I've sailed all three several times in the last 2 years - they are much more alike than different. Daily on-board activities (trivia, contests, etc), MDR food, itineraries, kids clubs are fairly similar. Here's my personal opinion on the lines:

Royal - Best ship layouts - Oasis-class is a "must experience" at least once, but all the other layouts are spacious and don't feel crowded at all. Best nightly shows. Best pool decks. Probably my least favorite line for lunch/late night food. Best loyalty perks. Worst night life of the three (my experience is 7+ nights). Our kids enjoy Royal's kids club best. Adults-only Solarium is great (no pool on Harmony). Probably skews the oldest, but plenty of families and under 50s. Definitely the most formal of the 3, but nice jeans and a **** on formal nights will fit in just fine. If you do drink packages, currently there is no requirement for each adult in the stateroom to purchase a package - this is nice for us because I drink quite a bit but my wife will only have 2-3 a day (Harmony is testing something different, so this may change at some point).

NCL - I enjoy their newer ships (Epic+). Best spa of the three, and amazing thermal spas in Epic+. Most specialty food options (some ships have 20+ dining options), really enjoy Le Bistro & Cagneys. Small pool areas, especially Epic+, but kids areas on Epic+ are nice and fun water slides. Adults only area has no pool (-aways, Escape). If you sail in suites, The Haven is tough to beat. "Included" perks (drink package, dining package, etc) on many staterooms/sailings (must pay gratuities on the retail price of those promos), but often makes for a good value. Probably the most night life. Pioneered and mastered "any time" dining.

Carnival - Free lunch/early evening dining options are great (Fun 2.0 ships only, which is a majority now - Guys Burgers, Mongolian Wok, Blue Iguana, BBQ). Most casual line (fairly close to NCL, though). Worst buffet of the 3 IMO. Limited specialty restaurants. Better pools than NCL but smaller than Royal, however the kids areas and slides are fun. Zero perks for suite guests (rumors are that may be changing). Generally the most affordable. Good night life. If you do drink packages, they limit you to 15 per day and you are cut off once you reach the 15.

How do the drink packages compare? Royal seems to never have a promotion that includes the alcohol package for free like NCL does, but I'm wondering if NCL's includes as much as Royal's paid high-end package?

NCL's does not include bottled water and you cannot bring water on board. Wine-by-the-glass selections on NCL are pretty limited - Royal has more by-the-glass options but quite a few are above the $13 total, so you might pay a buck or two for a decent glass. Except on Harmony, Royal does not require all adults in the stateroom to purchase a drink package. On Oasis-class ships the Starbucks kiosk is not included (however the Lattitudes specialty coffee is). I don't drink coffee, but I THINK specialty coffee is not included on NCLs package (ironically, you can order an alcoholic coffee with the alcohol on the side and that IS included). Royal includes fresh-squeezed OJ and smoothies, NCL does not.

There are probably a few other differences, but those come to mind.

If you're "all about the ship" and want to try RCCL, I'd suggest that you book on either the Freedom of the Seas, Liberty of the Seas or Independence of the Seas for the first time to get a good gauge of how the cruise line is (the Freedom Class Ships). The layout of these ships are fantastic, entertainment is good in our experience. RCCL private island Labadee is one of my favorites if you're looking for an itinerary.

Oasis Class ships are nice and I agree with a previous poster that it's a "must try" at some point.

I used to like the Mariner of the Seas, but recently sailed on the Navigator and we were very disappointed. It's basically the same layout as the Freedom Class ships but with one less area to eat, which created long lines when we were aboard. (there were other issues but I truly feel that they were specific to that particular ship, and it would not be a good gauge to base RCCL on in my opinion).

Liberty of the Seas/Freedom of the Seas/Independence of the seas are my favorite ships out of all of my cruises (14 Royal, 6 Carnival)

I will be sailing on the Epic soon to try NCL and have heard good things about the Breakaway, getaway and Escape from family members but I don't have experience with NCL.

Disneycruisers, I agree with you 100 percent. Food I have experienced on the Breakaway is superior to anything I've had on any Rccl. ship

For us, the food was much better (dining rooms, and buffet) on NCL and Carnival (Carnival has Guy's Burgers and Fries! :))

 

However, we like that RCI sails to Costa Maya (our favorite western port,) out of Galveston.

 

NCL has incredible drop slides and their freestyle dining is very under-rated. They have the best (and most frequent) deals on drink packages.

 

I'd be happy with any of them. Good luck deciding!:)

We like Royal's ships and staterooms better, but prefer NCL at this point. We have found most things to be similar (food, ports, etc) but NCL gives us a better value. On our last few cruises with them we have gotten the drink package as part of our cruise fare along with specialty dining 4 nights at no additional charge (other than gratuities for both the drink pkg and dining pkg).

We have never tried Carnival, but aren't opposed to trying them in the future.

I agree with others who say they are more similar than different. However, what stands out above Carnival and NCL regarding Royal: the larger pools and the ice-skating shows.

We now sail mostly on Royal, as they have the best loyalty program. However, we still enjoy Carnival and NCL when the itinerary, ship, and price look good.

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The newer Carnival ships have toned down the decor. If I had to compare decors, I would say that the new Carnival decor is closer to NCL than Royal.

We were on the Splendor last year. Let's just say it was very pink and had that tacky 80s look. My dd liked the ship because pink is one of her favorite colors.

The Liberty of the Seas was definitely more classy looking.