Apples to Oranges? RCCL vs NCL

[Jdaniels679]

Hello all!

 

I just thought I'd get feedback from my cruising experts. I've cruised on RCCL in the past but have an upcoming NCL cruise later this year. I thought I'd ask those of you that have cruised on both lines before, how do they compare? I've only seen NCL ships at port and thought the insider feedback would be helpful.

 

Thanks for your time and your insight! :cool:

[ryarger]

More like Gala Apples to Red Delicious. There are far more similarities than differences, they're both very good but neither is quite as good as Honeycrisp.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jvalentine]

Ryarger...which would be the "honeycrisp"? :)

[Barb Nahoumi]

Most of my cruises were on NCL, but we have cruised on RCL as well. There were two things which NCL does for its passengers which RCL did not.

 

NCL always greets passengers returning to the ship in tropical locations with cold face cloths, and cups of ice water. So refreshing after a day of excursions.

 

NCL has one of the MDRs open for lunch on embarkation day, so we do not have to put up with the crowded buffet with carry on luggage in hand.

 

Little thing do mean a lot.

 

We thought that the food, entertainment, and service on both lines were similar.

 

RCI still runs a formal night, but formal dress is not required. Smart casual will do. NCL has NCL's Evening Out, which is optional. Resort casual attire is OK every evening.

 

I cannot discuss the spa or specialty restaurants, because I do not visit them.

[ryarger]

Ryarger...which would be the "honeycrisp"? :)

 

 

 

Everyone has their own opinion! ;)

 

For me, probably Princess. But it's been 7 years since I've said Princess and maybe they've been "Carnivalized" since...

[jvalentine]

Everyone has their own opinion! ;)

 

For me, probably Princess. But it's been 7 years since I've said Princess and maybe they've been "Carnivalized" since...

 

:) I was just curious. You are totally right, everyone has their own opinion and that's totally okay!

[Sissaaaaaa]

Hello all!

 

I just thought I'd get feedback from my cruising experts. I've cruised on RCCL in the past but have an upcoming NCL cruise later this year. I thought I'd ask those of you that have cruised on both lines before, how do they compare? I've only seen NCL ships at port and thought the insider feedback would be helpful.

 

Thanks for your time and your insight! :cool:

 

I left RCCL in 2009 because of service issues, so my opinion is based on sailings from 7 years ago ... but I found NCL to be more upscale than Royal, with a friendlier crew. What started out as "let's try NCL" turned in to a product that we really love. I wouldn't say no to Royal, and we are sailing on the Harmony next year, but as of right now, NCL is my favorite line.

[Sissaaaaaa]

Everyone has their own opinion! ;)

 

For me, probably Princess. But it's been 7 years since I've said Princess and maybe they've been "Carnivalized" since...

 

Totally agree. Princess used to be upscale and so nice, but I saw a huge decline since Carnival took them over. It's a shame.

[Jdaniels679]

That's great to hear that you guys have had favorable cruises with NCL! Which ships have you guys sailed on?

[Sissaaaaaa]

That's great to hear that you guys have had favorable cruises with NCL! Which ships have you guys sailed on?

 

I have been on the Sky, Escape, Getaway, Epic, Pearl, Dawn, Sun, and Jewel. The Sun is my favorite "small" ship, and I'm tied between Epic and Escape for my favorite large ship.

[Young & Cruising]

Been cruising for only 4 years and exclusively with Royal and NCL (with a minor stint with Costa) and I would give Royal a slight edge based on my experiences. Both crews are great but my first cruise on the Liberty really set a high standard for me and cruising. So much that we've done all her sister ships.

 

The Breakaway had the same effect (Did the Getaway and about to the Escape) but there's something about that crew on the Liberty that really stuck with me.

 

I would also say Royal's food is much better in the MDR as well as their pool layouts ;).

 

For pool side entertainment, both are at par with NCL taking a slight lead in theatrical entertainment.

 

Saying this, if costs were the same, I would probably take Royal over NCL but who knows after my Escape cruise. :D

[Young & Cruising]

That's great to hear that you guys have had favorable cruises with NCL! Which ships have you guys sailed on?

 

I'm still a newbie so only the Breakaway, Getaway, Sky and soon Escape. Breakaway to Bermuda has been my favourite NCL cruise so far. It's what converted me to NCL.

[patsfantb12goat]

Hello all!

 

I just thought I'd get feedback from my cruising experts. I've cruised on RCCL in the past but have an upcoming NCL cruise later this year. I thought I'd ask those of you that have cruised on both lines before, how do they compare? I've only seen NCL ships at port and thought the insider feedback would be helpful.

 

Thanks for your time and your insight! :cool:

 

We just tried NCL for the first time on the Escape and we loved it! The one thing that has us sold is the "any time" concept. That alone is worth the price of admission! Being able to eat wherever, whenever and do whatever was awesome! I cruised RCL once and DCL many times and for the price you pay NCL is a winner in our book. Are there some things that each line does better than others? Sure, but to us it was so minor that RCL and DCL does not justify the difference in price.

[Kellismom]

I've cruised on NCL, RCCL and Carnival and I lke them all. That being said, my daughter and her hubby just came back from the Beakaway, they were on their honeymoon and they said they definately preferred Carnival. I do think the weather swayed their opinion though. There wasn't alot to do because of the bad weather and lots and lots of kids because of spring break in NJ.

[Jenjer]

I would say you will find more similarities than differences. Ncl tends to have a lower price to book but they both end up costing about the same.

 

We go back in forth between NCL and RCCL. Have been on Oasis, Allure, Quantum, Freedom to name a few. On NCL have gone on Epic Getaway and Escape is next.

 

If your in a suite Rccl can not touch The Haven.

 

We find both lines have seen a recent decline in entertainment. Ncl doesn't do as many big nightly shows and Rccl. But they have other options like the comedy club and howl at the moon.

 

Rccl MDR beats. More options faster service more to my taste. NCL buffets are better than RCCL again more options. We really enjoy all the specialty options NCL offers. That is one of reasons why we tried NCL and fell in love with it.

 

I find NCL to be more casual especially in the dinning rooms on the dress up or not nights most people don't.

 

NCL has water slides RCCL has the flowrider, both keep my kids happy for hours. Slides might win a little since it doesn't take any skill. The pool decks on both get crowded and busy on a sea day period its a cruise ship if you want a big pool cruises are not the place to find them.

 

Loyal to Royals complaining about the service on NCL almost stopped us from trying it I am glad it didn't. Sure your wait staff do not know what drink you want waiting on your table because you have new wait staff. You will find great employees on each line.

 

Give it a try and make your own decision.

[Loonbeam]

Structurally they are very similar, BUT a lot depends on the ship class. There is a significant drop in features on NCL from the Escape/Epic/Away classes and the older ships, more so than RCCL on the Oasis/Anthem class to their older ships (until you get to the oldest).

 

In other categories I find them generally similar. One note is that RCCL does offer a version of traditional dining on some ships.

[poolreader]

Because we have been on over 40 cruises people ask us which is the best cruises line. I always tell them that cruise lines have a personality, and the line that is best is the one that will fit best with your own.

[Jdaniels679]

Loving all of the feedback so far everyone! Keep it coming. :)

[Clarea]

Most of my cruises were on NCL, but we have cruised on RCL as well. There were two things which NCL does for its passengers which RCL did not.

 

NCL always greets passengers returning to the ship in tropical locations with cold face cloths, and cups of ice water. So refreshing after a day of excursions.

 

NCL has one of the MDRs open for lunch on embarkation day, so we do not have to put up with the crowded buffet with carry on luggage in hand.

 

Little thing do mean a lot.

 

We thought that the food, entertainment, and service on both lines were similar.

 

RCI still runs a formal night, but formal dress is not required. Smart casual will do. NCL has NCL's Evening Out, which is optional. Resort casual attire is OK every evening.

 

I cannot discuss the spa or specialty restaurants, because I do not visit them.

Appreciate the comparison, we are thinking of NCL and this helps.

[Bees29]

When I book our cruises I always compare RCCL and NCL. NCL always seems more expensive, by at least $500. So we go with RCCL. We just got burned by them in the whole Empress fiasco, so we are trying NCL.

[Jeremiah1212]

I've only been on the Escape to date but a handful of Royal cruises. Some things we did not like about the Escape was the constant need for reservations ("Freestyle" only if you want to make your dinner plans 3 months in advance), layout of the sundeck and pool areas are bad to terrible and we missed the Promenade space. Food was about neck and neck. MDR service was hit or miss, just like on Royal. The quality and diversity of drink options were far and away better on Escape. The NCL price may seem lower but the extras do quickly add up. We enjoyed our cruise a lot but have no plans to return to NCL.

[msjaxson]

Taking my first NCL cruise longer than two nites in two weeks on the Breakaway ...going to keep an open mind ...it was a great deal with the drink package thrown in...that being said i dont find freestyle to be all that free since i have a spreadsheet to keep track of when and where our dinner reservations are....its spring break in the north east and didnt think winging it would be in our best interest. Wanted a reservation for a party of five for teppanayki ...had to make it for six and get a refund on the ship... i thought it was odd but whats an extra $35 in the scheme of things... :eek:...my crowd can have fun in a box so i am not concerned about having a good time but am curious to compare...

[Strangerush]

We cruised exclusively with Royal...too afraid to jump ship. BUT, they have recently priced us out so we tried NCL and we're thrilled that we did. My husband and I are in our 20s and vacations need to be somewhat economical. We usually do interior rooms (although we just got our first oceanview on our first NCL cruise!) and we also do not do speciality restaurants. For what it's worth we have also never done a mega ship.

 

There was nothing on Norwegian that made us regret our decision and since they continue to offer the free drink package we will continue to go with them. We also lucked out and got 4 nights in specialty restaurants, so our upcoming cruise in December will have a lot of firsts for us. I think the perks NCL has been offering is good to get new people to give them a try. We may have never given them business in the past just because we were comfortable with Royal's product. We wouldn't hesitate to book either line at this point if the price is right.

[hospital]

I've sailed Celebrity, Costa, Princess, NCL, RCL, Homeric,and Carnival. In my opinion each experience was different. Each ship had its own personality and offered different things. Had only one bad experience on Carnival, but went back to give them another chance, and had 3 more fantastic cruises with them.

 

I love RCL's promenade the most over the atriums. The Getaway atrium was beautiful but they held a lot of their shows there and it's just not big enough of a venue to hold the amount of people that show up. Would it deter me from NCL nope, I have 3 more NCL cruises coming up with them.

 

Sometimes I notice when staff are at the end of their contracts and looking forward to seeing their families they are a little less attentive, but still doesn't ruin my cruise.

 

Each ship offers something special to take away. Go with an open mind to have fun and I guarantee you will have an awesome time.

 

I travel for the cost, convenience, and itinerary so whichever cruise ship is doing it, I'm on it.

 

Have a great cruise!!!!

[sjbdtz]

I have been on the Sky, Escape, Getaway, Epic, Pearl, Dawn, Sun, and Jewel. The Sun is my favorite "small" ship, and I'm tied between Epic and Escape for my favorite large ship.

 

 

We've been on the Sky (1st), Sun (21 days), Spirit (twice), Jewel (twice), Gem (twice), Pearl, Dawn (twice), EPIC (3 times), Escape, Getaway (twice), Breakaway, Jade, Star, and I know I'm missing some.... the one that I most want to go back to, is Escape.

 

My favorite smaller ship would be Spirit, but that's probably because I've just had 14 days on Sun & was getting a little antsy.

 

 

 

.