Carnival v RCI v Norwegian?

Most of my previous cruises have been on Carnival, but I've taken two on RCI...I know a lot of cruisers are very loyal to a particular cruise line, but I am not...I have enjoyed all the cruises and there are certain things I like about each of the cruise lines over the other

for a change, I am considering cruising next on Norwegian...I would like feedback from any cruisers who have cruised all three of these lines in the past to give me some opinions on what you did and didn't like about these three cruise lines when compared to the others

thanks for any info you care to share :)

Every cruise line offers a different experience, in fact I would hate it if all cruise lines were the same....what would be the point.

I have cruised all three lines you mentioned...some cruises were better than others, some ships offered better diversions, some better food, some cheaper prices. I, personally, think comparisons are a big waste of my time since no cruise, even on the same line, is exactly like the last cruise I took.

Its fun to "play the field". Our cruises are more about selecting an itinerary, a port of departure, our pocketbooks at any given time, traveling companions, and how a particular cruise fits into our vacation timeframe.

We have sailed all 3 multiple times and enjoyed them all.

While they are very much alike, there are some differences. How you percieve each line will depend on your tastes and preferences.

I must mention Freestyle, because that is a dealbreaker for some. If you like traditional dining, you won't find it on NCL. We do MTD on all three lines, so it is not an issue to us.

From what you said, I think you will like NCL.

I have done all three and consider them more the same than different. Had I not gotten the steal of a deal on my next cruise on Carnival I was looking to cruise on NCL because of the beverage package they throw in. We had a great time on our NCL cruise and wouldn't hesitate to book them again.

Most of my previous cruises have been on Carnival, but I've taken two on RCI...I know a lot of cruisers are very loyal to a particular cruise line, but I am not...I have enjoyed all the cruises and there are certain things I like about each of the cruise lines over the other

 

for a change, I am considering cruising next on Norwegian...I would like feedback from any cruisers who have cruised all three of these lines in the past to give me some opinions on what you did and didn't like about these three cruise lines when compared to the others

 

thanks for any info you care to share :)

What NCL ship are you considering? Just like Carnival their ships/experiences are very different. You cannot compare the Dawn/Star with Breakaway/Escape......what I personally really like about NCL is:

Suite life - the perks are amazing

Freestyle - I like going casual and to dinner whenever I want and no formal nights

PICK ONE or GET ALL 4 - the drink pkg you can get with balcony or higher is great, or book a suite and get drinks, dining pkg, OCB/Excurions or Wifi free are great as well.

Like the others have said the lines are all very similar... As you'll see in my signature my next cruise is Carnival, then RCI, then NCL. Some differences:

- NCL's freestyle is great - no set dining times and no "formal" nights. They do have nights where you can dress up but you don't have to if you don't want to.

- I enjoy RCI's food options and they have some great speciality restaurants on ships like Oasis/Allure. To be honest most dining rooms are very similar but DH and I found some different food options on RCI that we hadn't seen on other lines.

- Carnival has a great "fun" atmosphere. Again, other lines are also fun.

For us we pick our cruises by destination and price so we get to enjoy the best of all lines. I am platinum on NCL but that doesn't stop me from enjoying Carnival, RCI, Princess and NCL. :D

Thanks for this thread.

We are looking to book our winter cruise as well. We are loyal to CCL but looking to try new things. After reading Mitsugirly's reviews I really want to try NCL. I can take or leave the Freestyle stuff as we are used to the assigned dining but willing to try the new things. I'm more excite about a 24/7 full restaurant vs 24/7 pizza that can take FOREVER after a show when everyone wants a late night snack. The pick a choice has me interested as well. Granted I can book the same week here on Carnival for less but then I need to factor in my bar bill. So there I would pay more up front but win on the back side when the S&S bill comes.

So many choices

I have sailed all 3 and NCL was the least favorite. Carnival is my favorite (due to pricing) and RCCL is good as well (but costs more).

thanks for the feedback so far...one of the reasons I am attracted to NCL right now is the "pick one" offer now going on--I almost always book a balcony so the unlimited beverage package is quite tempting, as is the deal on shore excursion credits

I like set dining times for dinner in the MDR, but it is definitely not a deal-breaker

I agree that the comparison and experience would differ depending on the class of ship in each line; plus I also agree--at least for Carnival and RCI--that they are more alike than different; however there are some differences in style/format that are pervasive throughout each respective line of those 2 lines

here are some examples I perceive: for snacks on carnival ships--especially late night--you are limited to room service or the Lido Deck pizza/grill with Carnival; with RCI, they have the cafe promenade where you can get small bites, pizza and pastries as well as complimentary coffee (to get complimentary coffee on Carnival, you once again need to brave the Lido deck)

the layout of Carnival ships is fairly similar, for the biggest and smallest ships in the line...the hub is the promenade deck, and you pretty much must pass through that deck to get to shopping, lounges, casino, etc.; on RCI ships it seems like there is a more open concept, and you can avoid the casino if you desire, since it isn't right there in the heart of the shopping, lounges, etc

I think Carnival also focuses more than RCI on passenger interaction: games, trivia, audience participation in shows; also, photos are a big deal on Carnival, with multiple booths set up every night and photographers coming to your table at dinner and during sail-away...on RCI, I didn't notice many photo booths set up--you generally had to schedule a sitting or something, plus I didn't notice as many photographers in the main dining area and about the ship

I don't even compare things like food, atmosphere of fun or entertainment options, since definitely that is either a matter of personal taste or depends on the size of the ship and length of the cruise predominantly

I agree overall that it is wonderful to have so many options and elements to fit all people's styles and expectations

For a person traveling solo, NCL is fantastic. The tiny studio cabins are usually less than an inside on Carnival. The perks of the Studio Lounge and the free offers add to the value.

I don't drink, but I can see why someone would go with NCL and the free drinks package vs. Carnival's Cheers, which can doublr the cost of an inside cabin. I prefer the free specialty dining every night and I can schedule what time I want dinner pre-cruise on line.

Entertainment on NCL just blows Carnival away - Blue Man Group, Cirque Dinner Theater,2nd City, and dueling pianos beats Hasbro and the Marriage Game no problem.

I'll still cruise Carnival when I can get a casino fare, a 150% supplement or a B2B on a Journeys cruise and Princess when in Europe or Alaska, and Disney with the kids and grandkids.

For a person traveling solo, NCL is fantastic. The tiny studio cabins are usually less than an inside on Carnival. The perks of the Studio Lounge and the free offers add to the value.

 

 

Entertainment on NCL just blows Carnival away - Blue Man Group, Cirque Dinner Theater,2nd City, and dueling pianos beats Hasbro and the Marriage Game no problem.

 

it is not difficult to beat Carnival on entertainment...RCL also far exceeds what Carnival presents...I am curious about the studio rooms for single travelers...do all NCL ships offer these?

I have yet to experience an RCI cruise (planning one next year), but my family has done 4 Carnival and 1 NCL so far, with our next NCL in 45 days! :) When comparing Carnival and NCL for us the price for a balcony room with a similar itinerary was close, so the unlimited drinks package perk from NCL won us over. We have the UBP again in December. :) We eat early so I actually made reservations for the earliest seating at the various complimentary restaurants, and we had our own table which was nice. Additionally, the 24 hour sit down restaurant for NCL ships is awesome- as is the late night buffet snacks. The varied bars and nightclubs, as well as the shows are in my opinion way better than Carnival.

I have cruised all three and like you, I enjoy all my cruises. I like some things about each line/ship and some things I missed. Each has different amenities and onboard experiences, which is another reason to try other lines, for variety. Food is more similar than dis-similar in my opinion, though each does have their own specialty type venues.

I am not blessed to be able to cruise often, so being loyal to one line doesn't interest me. I would not be able to cruise enough to gain anything of real benefit, therefore, I do not mind switching it up. I look at the itinerary I want, then the ships and the costs. I will go with the best itinerary for the price, I don't care which ship.:) I have been pleased so far!

Debbie

I have yet to experience an RCI cruise (planning one next year), but my family has done 4 Carnival and 1 NCL so far, with our next NCL in 45 days! :) When comparing Carnival and NCL for us the price for a balcony room with a similar itinerary was close, so the unlimited drinks package perk from NCL won us over. We have the UBP again in December. :) We eat early so I actually made reservations for the earliest seating at the various complimentary restaurants, and we had our own table which was nice. Additionally, the 24 hour sit down restaurant for NCL ships is awesome- as is the late night buffet snacks. The varied bars and nightclubs, as well as the shows are in my opinion way better than Carnival.

I like the idea of a 24 hour sit down restaurant...for the complimentary dining, did you have to wait until you were on board to make the reservations or could you do it before sailing?

For a person traveling solo, NCL is fantastic. The tiny studio cabins are usually less than an inside on Carnival. The perks of the Studio Lounge and the free offers add to the value.

 

I don't drink, but I can see why someone would go with NCL and the free drinks package vs. Carnival's Cheers, which can doublr the cost of an inside cabin. I prefer the free specialty dining every night and I can schedule what time I want dinner pre-cruise on line.

 

Entertainment on NCL just blows Carnival away - Blue Man Group, Cirque Dinner Theater,2nd City, and dueling pianos beats Hasbro and the Marriage Game no problem.

 

I'll still cruise Carnival when I can get a casino fare, a 150% supplement or a B2B on a Journeys cruise and Princess when in Europe or Alaska, and Disney with the kids and grandkids.

This is a bit of an over exaggeration as Blue Man Group is only on 1 ship in the fleet (Epic). 2nd City and Cirque Dinner is only on 3 that I remember (Epic, Getaway, Breakaway). The entertainment on the rest of the fleet is about par with Carnival. Also, for folks like me, most of NCL's ships do not have the big TV screen which I enjoy in the evening to watch movies and the few that do have it rarely have a movie on it (on the Epic I mostly watched fish in the water on it).

I've used all three, although ships and personal experience are subjective.

Carnival is a quality product for a price I'm happy paying, especially when we have to fly to the states for a cruise.

RCL was nice and lots of activities for everyone. Although the food was the worst of any cruises we've had (quite consistently so)

RCL often does drink packages included in Europe which makes the price worthwhile for us.

We just got off the Norwegian Escape yesterday and it's the only brand new ship we've sailed on, so might not be fair to compare to all the older ships we've sailed, but I will say that the food was amazing across the board. Not so many activities that interested us BUT as it was the inaugural passenger voyage, I don't think everything was running as it would be on a 7 day Caribbean trip.

I've enjoyed all of my cruises on all three lines, as I am very good at making my own fun when it's not provided for me!

I like the idea of a 24 hour sit down restaurant...for the complimentary dining, did you have to wait until you were on board to make the reservations or could you do it before sailing?

You can make reservations online 45 days before sailing. Same with certain shows. If you are a planner (as we are) we block everything out and book it so we won't be disappointed if we can't eat or see a show we want.

We have sailed on all 3 lines. Royal was our least favorite due to bang for the buck. Their Royal Promenade is well done, as is their ice show. We found their dining room food sub-par. We have been recently "favoring" NCL due to their casino rates, different itineraries, and entertainment options. Their larger ships - we have sailed Epic, Breakaway, with Getaway coming up- have great entertainment, and we love freestyle dining. (Have also sailed Gem, and enjoyed that ship also) O'Sheehans is great, open 24/7. The lines are more similar than different. I thought I would never try a different line, but am so glad I did.

thanks for the continued feedback

as for the "big" ships, I have sailed both Carnival Dream and RCI Allure...without a doubt to me, Allure overshadows Dream as far as food and entertainment options and overall experience...from what I am reading here I think that the NCL Escape and other NCL ships in that class sound more like the Allure/Oasis class...I think I would enjoy going on an Escape class ship

I also think I would enjoy a smaller class ship on NCL for a change, but it does seem like such a cruise/ship would be more alike than different when compared to a cruise on a similar class ship on Carnival or RCI...I do see there are some differences that are a matter of preference and personal style, but I don't see any difference that would be a deal breaker for me :cool:

In reply to evanbob regarding solo cruising on CCL vs NCL' just have to say that although I have experienced nine cruises on Carnival but seven of those with my DH and only 2 solo, I have to exclaim that the entertainment on NCL is far superior to CCl on ot just the Breakaway, Getaway, Epic class, but even on the dowdy Dawn! The reason for this statement is that NCL employs many more live entertainers versus CCl with their canned sailaway, their computer controlled pianos, and their minimalist main theater presentations vs. live entertainers in multiple venues plus great main theater options including 90 i ute Broadway shows on their largest ships.

However, I am not exclusively an NCL fan; in fact I am now preparing for a December Carnival Glory 7 day Eastern Caribbean cruise right now. I am doing so because even without the benefit of the NCL studio with its little bit lower rates than booking an interior and paying double as solo, and with less entertainment options, I will get a great rate with a good itinerary, a larger cabin, food as good or better than NCL - what's not to like on either cruiseline?

But don't let any one tell you that Carnival's entertainment is on par with other lines. This is the area that they have skimped on most in the last few years, and for those who love live combos performing all round the ship, live steel drum bands on sail-away, theater productions with live bands of ten or more musicians, and production crews of ten or more singers and dancers; you will not find this anymore on Carnival. If that's not a big deal to you, CCL's low fares and large abins will be fantastic. But if you are looking for real entertainment and willing to compromise on a smaller cabin, then Carnival is a clear winner! As evident in my post so far, I go with the best price for the best itinerary after 35 cruises on many lines

Sharon

thanks for the additional feedback, sharon

I'm late to the party, but I've done 5 on NCL. Most people have already touched most things so I'll skip it. IMO, the entertainment is way better on NCL than it was on Carnival, and I've only sailed the Star and jewel class ships.

That's not why I was replying though. I like eating when I want, and actually having time to relax a bit before getting ready for dinner since late dining is just way too late for us. You can request to be sat with other people when you go to the dining rooms. I didn't learn that until 4 NCL cruises in and I wish I would have known it sooner.

thanks for the tip about requesting to be seated with other diners...that is one of the things I enjoy on cruises; i.e., meeting other cruisers during meals

I've sailed all three, and liked NCL and Carnival best. NCL for freestyle, great showers and entertainment, and Carnival for food and cabins. NCL and Carnival are both very good for solo cruisers, but I thought NCL was a little better. I didn't like either of my RCI cruises, but I think it might have been more a matter of the class of ship than the line itself. I hope so, since my next cruise is on Explorer of the Seas!

I've sailed all three, and liked NCL and Carnival best. NCL for freestyle, great showers and entertainment, and Carnival for food and cabins. NCL and Carnival are both very good for solo cruisers, but I thought NCL was a little better. I didn't like either of my RCI cruises, but I think it might have been more a matter of the class of ship than the line itself. I hope so, since my next cruise is on Explorer of the Seas!

thanks for the feedback...I see that you have made several cruises to New England/Canada...I have explored that option and am wondering what you have to say about those types of cruises...so far, the only destination I've cruised is the Caribbean

We have also sailed all three of those lines.

They really are similar with a few +'s and -'s to each.

The passengers attitude & expectations fluctuate so widely which makes it really hard to give opinions between the three.

The real difference is if you book suites; Carnival's perks barely exist,

Royal Caribbean's are good to great depending on the ship

and NCL blows those 2 out of the water with their suite benefits.

However the fare does commensurate with that.

We have cruised Carnival the most and DH just said he wants to go back on the cruise that has the Concierge Club, so Royal Car is next to be booked for us.