RCI vs. NCL

Hi--

My DH and I have taken 5 cruises, all RCI. How do RCI and NCL compare? We tend to like bigger ships. What are the NCL ships like?

Any information would be helpful. We're loyal to RCI, but would maybe like to try another line . . .

Thanks!

Sandytoes,

We've cruise RCI 4 times and NCLA once, we are getting ready for our NCL cruise in March.

The AOS is our favorite ship/cruise, we love the southern Caribbean, which is probably why we did that one 3 times! The bigger ships like the AOS are also what we prefer, but we still had a great cruise on the PoAM and I'm positive our upcoming Star cruise will be just as good. We've done RCI, NCLA, Princess, Disney, and Carnival. To me, these are all pretty comparable for cruise vacations. Disney would probably be my favorite, but with the kids getting older, they don't care about the mouse much anymore.

We pick our cruises based on itinerary and cost, but if we are cruising the Caribbean, we would most likely try to find a RCI Voyager class ship. On the other hand, I can't wait to see the new larger NCL ships set sail that are in production.

The biggest difference will be the Freestyle thing vs. the standard meal times with RCI, and theres pros and cons to both. Pros - no formal night, less structure, we don't have to rush to get dressed at 5 every day, more restaurant options. Cons- unless you request the same server every night, you don't build a relationship with your wait staff.

We would definately cruise either line.

Mark

Hi--

 

My DH and I have taken 5 cruises, all RCI. How do RCI and NCL compare? We tend to like bigger ships. What are the NCL ships like?

 

Any information would be helpful. We're loyal to RCI, but would maybe like to try another line . . .

 

Thanks!

Please read my review (link follows) of my most recent NCL cruise. I love Freestyle. I'm trying RCI in a few weeks and am looking forward to a "different" experience. Nothing ventured.....nothing gained. Let us know how you liked it.

Winnie <-----> loves NCL but not afraid to wander

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=36160

We are booked on our 6th NCL. This past summer we went on our 1st RCL cruise on the Grandeur. It was very nice but NCL really wins out.

Mark stated that you do not build a relationship with a waiter on NCL and freestyle. I must admit we had the same waiter on RCL and we thought he was only alright. He did not go out of his way to make our dining special. IMHO the same waiter each night is overrated.

Enjoy

Jeanne

We are booked on our 6th NCL. This past summer we went on our 1st RCL cruise on the Grandeur. It was very nice but NCL really wins out.

 

Mark stated that you do not build a relationship with a waiter on NCL and freestyle. I must admit we had the same waiter on RCL and we thought he was only alright. He did not go out of his way to make our dining special. IMHO the same waiter each night is overrated.

 

Enjoy

Jeanne

A great waiter is not overrated. Unfourtunatly there are good and bad waiters on all lines. My DH and I had a wonderful waiter on our last RCI cruise and he kept us wanting to attend formal dinner more so than eat in the buffet. On NCL we did not have the ability to form a bond because of the different resturants. Some staff are great others only ok or bad it is the way of world these days just like if you go to a department store.

Don't mean to flame you please don't take it that way but I just disagree and wanted to express my opinion.

A great waiter is not overrated. Unfourtunatly there are good and bad waiters on all lines. My DH and I had a wonderful waiter on our last RCI cruise and he kept us wanting to attend formal dinner more so than eat in the buffet. On NCL we did not have the ability to form a bond because of the different resturants. Some staff are great others only ok or bad it is the way of world these days just like if you go to a department store.

 

Don't mean to flame you please don't take it that way but I just disagree and wanted to express my opinion.

"Don't mean to flame you" either but jeannep said nothing in her opinion about a "great waiter." She said having "the same waiter every night is overrated." Having no great desire to "bond" with a waiter while on my vacation, I agree wholeheartedly with her.

Furthermore, having the same waiter every night when that waiter is not only not "great" but not even "good" (as ours was not on Maasdam) can make for a trying dining experience over the course of seven-to-fourteen days. "Some staff are great others only ok or bad" applies to traditional-dining cruise lines, too, you know.

I have a bit of a different view.

I enjoy meeting every waiter - certainly some are more talkative and outgoing, while others are more "strictly business" and just work as hard as they can to get the job done right. Either are fine, and enjoyable in their own right. I don't need someone to remember what I want to drink, I can order for myself.

Sometimes I think I love to travel so much because you get that window into so many other lives. Having different waiters with freestyle just means you get to peek into more windows. :)

We are Diamond RCL - have been on the large to the small ships with them. Freestyle has been the deciding factor for us. We simply don't see going back to RCL until they implement the same unstructered alternative.

As far as all of the other amenities of cruising - both lines are very comparable. If you are going on your first NCL cruise - I would recommend you choose one of the newer ships that was built specifically for Freestyle. We were hooked on them after being on 4 sailing with the older fleet, but after we sailed the Dawn last summer - we are now officially NCL "junkies". As a matter of fact, our next "fix" is in 5 weeks - back on the Dawn. :)

The RCCL ads exude energy and adventure. The NCL ads promote doing your own thing on your own schedule.

If standing on the Royal Promenade of the AOTS during the parades or the Captains party left you in awe, you may be underwhelmed with NCL.

Many folks find the singing waiters, the dressing up and planning for dinner, the ice show, the parades and the entertainment on RCCL to be a bit hokey. If thats you, give NCL a try.

If standing on the Royal Promenade of the AOTS during the parades or the Captains party left you in awe...

If such trivia could cause "awe" in someone, I couldn't imagine that someone being "underwhelmed" by anything. Good grief. "Parades?" Please.

"Don't mean to flame you" either but jeannep said nothing in her opinion about a "great waiter." She said having "the same waiter every night is overrated." Having no great desire to "bond" with a waiter while on my vacation, really not much of a difference to get so upset about. I agree wholeheartedly with her.

 

Furthermore, having the same waiter every night when that waiter is not only not "great" but not even "good" (as ours was not on Maasdam) can make for a trying dining experience over the course of seven-to-fourteen days. "Some staff are great others only ok or bad" applies to traditional-dining cruise lines, too, you know.

Never said it did not apply to traditional dining as well. It was a general statement that there are good and bad no matter where you go or what Line you choose. I'm sure there bad in traditional dining I have not had a bad experience yet and hope not to. I enjoyed the freestyle concept but prefer a bond with my waiter and such. Freestyle we never ate in the same rest. twice. Both have pros and cons.

If such trivia could cause "awe" in someone, I couldn't imagine that someone being "underwhelmed" by anything. Good grief. "Parades?" Please.

The promanade is really something to see. But not everyone is awed or will they agree. It is just something really neat to see and take a stroll in. The parades are just something they add to the entertainment. I personally missed the promanade on my NCL cruise. Just how I felt as I am an avid people watcher and the promanade is perfect for that. Although I really like the lounge in the front of the Dawn as RCI does not have one that has areas where you can look right down at the water.

We are trying NCL (Pearl) for the first time in February. We just could not beat the price on 9 days! We love RCI! I just want to try as many cruiselines as possible to just see whats out there. Mariner of the Seas was an amazing ship it has ice skating, put put, etc it was a beautiful ship. We didnt seem to use all the amenities... but I feel every experience has something new to offer. There are negatives on every board I read but also many positives. For me if I dont have fun its pretty much my fault :D I will let you know when we get back!!!

We are also trying the NCL Pearl this month (Jan. 25) after previously cruising RCI several times. I have done three previous RCI cruises (Rhapsody of the Seas; Monarch of the Seas and Explorer of the Seas), while my wife has done five RCI cruises. We wanted to give Freestyle a try and it's nice not having to bring my tux on a cruise ship, although I am not opposed to putting a jacket and tie on for dinner one night.

You do develop great relationships with your waiters. I know on our previous RCI cruises, we had tremendous servers. By the second night, they know what you like and don't like. And I have always been impressed with the food on RCI.

So we'll find out if NCL can measure up to my previous experiences on RCI. I have also been on Carnival, Cunard (Countess) and Regency Cruises, which I believe has gone out of business. That wasn't a great ship, but we were cruising Alaska and the sights were much more important. I didn't think much of Carnival, but that cruise was 12 years ago. The Cunard cruise was 20-plus years ago when I was in high school.

Diamonds members and we have free specialty coffees on Jewel OTS & Freedom OTS. But on Brilliance & Radiance we are told the Concierge Lounge with the specialty coffee machine is for SUITES ONLY. So we get a bar to have free drinks for 2 hours but the rest of the day we have no place to go meet & greet fellow Diamond members enjoying latte or cappuccino or espresso. Celebrity broke 3 toes on my left foot with Summit's gangway and never paid for it to our CSA travel insurance, so we lost $8K for a Panama Canal cruise... My birthday cruise was wrecked when my $78 birthday surprise my husband bought a month before the cruise & it was delivered to the front of the ship not to our AFT balcony.

They stated the delivered it so no credit. Even VISA did -0-. So I canceled both cards & got NCL Mastercard and pleased with 3% & 4% instead of RCCL's 1% and now they state it is not for gratuities, casino or cash. So we left & went to NCL for doing what we want when we want. No extra luggage to carry formal wear. Comfort is #1 to us!

We have been on 4 RC cruises and will be doing our first NCL in August. We wanted to try going from NY and saving the $2,000+ to fly to FL.

Different from the earlier posters, we liked the smaller ships of RC better than the larger ones. The larger one that we went on was lacking in service. The smaller ships, the staffs were better and did a great job, the larger ships are too big for the staff to take care of and RC built the kitchens too small to feed all the people onboard.

We look forward to the Spirit and will have a great cruise no matter what.

Cruising is cruising and there is nothing negative about it.

Diamonds members and we have free specialty coffees on Jewel OTS & Freedom OTS. But on Brilliance & Radiance we are told the Concierge Lounge with the specialty coffee machine is for SUITES ONLY. So we get a bar to have free drinks for 2 hours but the rest of the day we have no place to go meet & greet fellow Diamond members enjoying latte or cappuccino or espresso. Celebrity broke 3 toes on my left foot with Summit's gangway and never paid for it to our CSA travel insurance, so we lost $8K for a Panama Canal cruise... My birthday cruise was wrecked when my $78 birthday surprise my husband bought a month before the cruise & it was delivered to the front of the ship not to our AFT balcony.

They stated the delivered it so no credit. Even VISA did -0-. So I canceled both cards & got NCL Mastercard and pleased with 3% & 4% instead of RCCL's 1% and now they state it is not for gratuities, casino or cash. So we left & went to NCL for doing what we want when we want. No extra luggage to carry formal wear. Comfort is #1 to us!

I am curious, was the concierge lounge on the two RCI ships the only problem you had with RCI (not Celebrity)?

Thanks for all the posts so far--it's fun to read.

My DH and I don't care that much about bonding with the waiters as long as the service is good--so that would not be a big deal for us.

Is the price difference in RCI and NCL due to the fact that RCI, in general have bigger ships? Lower prices are one of the reasons NCL looked good to us.

Thanks!

Diamonds members and we have free specialty coffees on Jewel OTS & Freedom OTS. But on Brilliance & Radiance we are told the Concierge Lounge with the specialty coffee machine is for SUITES ONLY. So we get a bar to have free drinks for 2 hours but the rest of the day we have no place to go meet & greet fellow Diamond members enjoying latte or cappuccino or espresso. Celebrity broke 3 toes on my left foot with Summit's gangway and never paid for it to our CSA travel insurance, so we lost $8K for a Panama Canal cruise... My birthday cruise was wrecked when my $78 birthday surprise my husband bought a month before the cruise & it was delivered to the front of the ship not to our AFT balcony.

They stated the delivered it so no credit. Even VISA did -0-. So I canceled both cards & got NCL Mastercard and pleased with 3% & 4% instead of RCCL's 1% and now they state it is not for gratuities, casino or cash. So we left & went to NCL for doing what we want when we want. No extra luggage to carry formal wear. Comfort is #1 to us!

I thought that you left RCI because you don't like them and they don't like you. Your words, not mine. I have read that you also no longer like Carnival, Princess or Celebrity. I do hope that you enjoy NCL as you're running out of cruise lines.

So there is no confusion on this board, the RCI Concierge lounge is for suite guests and C&A Diamond/+ but when there are too many Diamond/+ on board they open up an additional lounge to handle the overflow in the evening for drinks and such. They close the Concierge lounge to anyone but suite guests which makes sense due to the amount that is paid for suites. Most people do not have a problem with this and can go with the flow. Those that do not are the ones that seem to have issues but then again free coffee is not a deal breaker for me when choosing a cruise line.:rolleyes:

To the OP, I cruised on NCL in July for the first time in 13 years. While I had a very nice time, it did not stack up to the experiences that I have had on RCI. The ships of NCL are nice but again RCI's Radiance, Voyager and Freedom class ships are much nicer and have more to offer. Freestyle is great though. Service was good and the crew was also nice and helpful. I say try them as that is the only way that you will know if they meet your needs.

Thanks for all the posts so far--it's fun to read.

 

My DH and I don't care that much about bonding with the waiters as long as the service is good--so that would not be a big deal for us.

 

Is the price difference in RCI and NCL due to the fact that RCI, in general have bigger ships? Lower prices are one of the reasons NCL looked good to us.

 

Thanks!

Regardng pricing, I have found that the NCL price for a comparable ship/itinerary is cheaper because my TA can discount the NCL cruise but not RCI. And sometimes the difference has been significant. Since RC stopped allowing discounts, we have sailed NCL more.

If you are not huge fans of either traditional dining or dress code etc, give NCL a try, especially the newer ships. We find NCL the most relaxed oinboard exoerience, which is for us what vacation is all about. We really don't need warm fuzzy waitstaff or singing waiters anymore, found that got old after a few cruises.

I don't think there is too much more to add: all mass marketed lines are similar regardless of what some may think or say. Each has its own nitch as well.

The main difference in the two lines will be freestyle versus traditional dining. Oh sure one may have a skating rink, another bowling, etc, but when it comes down to the bottom line they are more alike than different.

Because we have done the dancing waiter thing more times than I would like to mention, don't care about becoming buds with the wait staff and like flexibility on vacation we normally choose NCL. Others prefer the traditional way of sailing.

I think you need to try NCL to see which fits you best.

Nita

I thought that you left RCI because you don't like them and they don't like you. Your words, not mine. I have read that you also no longer like Carnival, Princess or Celebrity. I do hope that you enjoy NCL as you're running out of cruise lines.

 

So there is no confusion on this board, the RCI Concierge lounge is for suite guests and C&A Diamond/+ but when there are too many Diamond/+ on board they open up an additional lounge to handle the overflow in the evening for drinks and such. They close the Concierge lounge to anyone but suite guests which makes sense due to the amount that is paid for suites. Most people do not have a problem with this and can go with the flow. Those that do not are the ones that seem to have issues but then again free coffee is not a deal breaker for me when choosing a cruise line.:rolleyes:

 

cruisingator2, thanks for putting the facts out there. I'm afraid we have seen the story of broken toes too many times also and it gets old and tired.

I posted this in May 2006 on the RCI boards:

Brenda, you make me laugh. You are still banging on about this poor Summit experience. You couldn't fault them before and waxed lyrical about your Concierge Class home away from home. Where did it go wrong? I suspect it was after they knew you were on there trying to blag an upgrade with your black light fiasco. They really did know you were coming. I have a funny feeling that having gone through Princess and Celebrity, you will fall out with RCCL, but let's wait and see.

I suspect the same will happen with NCL.

Phil

Celebrity has the Concierge Class service, which is the old 1A-C staterooms. They have a dining room table on the balcony dressed as it is in the dining room. Breakfast, lunch & dinner on the balcony, no need for the dining room. Dress as you want too. Added perks are towels & bathroom carpeting that changes colors daily, fresh flowers in the stateroom & bathroom, bottle of bubbly in an ice bucket on checkin, canapaes at about 4Pm daily. A Concierge ready to help with reservations, excursions, etc. But they are charging almost $1000 more on some cruises.

RCCL has the Concierge in his lounge which was for Diamond members to enjoy. But with over 500 members on a cruise they could not fit in a 26 seat area. SO they opened a bar for the free drinks which was great. But we still had our coffee & Concierge to do stuff for us even just add what the next port has to offer, besides shopping. But last 3 cruises we are told Concierge is for SUITES ONLY. A plastic coffee carafe was in the bar but after a half hour it was quite cold. Ships didn't have the machines from Seattles Best to put in the bar. So we had to buy the coffees which we all love.

NCL has free lattes, cappucinos, espresso in the dining rooom & some ships have the machine in the buffet area. RCCL doesn't!

I am curious, was the concierge lounge on the two RCI ships the only problem you had with RCI (not Celebrity)?

cruisingator2, thanks for putting the facts out there. I'm afraid we have seen the story of broken toes too many times also and it gets old and tired.

 

Phil

Thanks Phil. I am just making sure that the facts are told correctly on the boards. There are new members to Cruise Critic that are looking for good solid information and not things swayed in one direction or the other because someone on a ship did not bend to a passengers set of rules.

If such trivia could cause "awe" in someone, I couldn't imagine that someone being "underwhelmed" by anything. Good grief. "Parades?" Please.

Its very difficult to describe the energy that is generated at the Captains Parties and Parades on the 3-story promenade. No ships out there have a public space that compares to this venue, and RCCL knows how to use it to create an unforgettable experience.

Its very difficult to describe the energy that is generated at the Captains Parties and Parades on the 3-story promenade. No ships out there have a public space that compares to this venue, and RCCL knows how to use it to create an unforgettable experience.

It doesn't surprise me at all that it's "very difficult to describe."