NCL or RCCL?

[Noliboli]

We are looking at a 7 night Caribbean cruise next August on either the Norwegian Getaway or Royal's Oasis of the Seas in a small suite. Has anyone been on both (or a sister ship) and do you have a preference and why? Is the Haven on NCL worth it? We were on RCCL last year and loved it, but there wasn't a lot for my kids (they'll be 14 next summer) to do on the Navigator. Thanks for any advice.

Edited March 16, 2017 by Noliboli

[taglovestocruise]

Navigator is a barren waste land compared to Oasis. happy cruising

[OCruisers]

NCL is a good option verses most RCCL ships except for the Oasis Class. ;)

[leaveitallbehind]

You and your kids will have plenty to do on Oasis, which is a ship class all its own with nothing else quite like it. While Navigator is a very nice ship, it is no comparison to Oasis.

[SuiteTraveler]

What do your kids like to do?

 

The key difference is in the types of things onboard the ships. NCL has water slides, rock climbing, mini golf, ropes course, bowling. RCCL has flow riders, zip line, sports court, rock climbing, mini golf.

 

The key difference for adults is NCL has a thermal suite in the spa that beats the heck out of anything RCCL has. Also NCL offers a suite restaurant and bar/lounge, butler, concierge service, free welcome aboard flowers, sparkling wine, robes, slippers, coffee maker, dvd player, daily hors d'ouerves, dedicated Haven pool and hot tubs and sundeck, upscale bathroom amenities. RCCL only offers a larger room, upscale bathroom amenities and restaurant and a sun deck (nowhere near the suites) and none of the other amenities offered by NCL. If you compare the suites, NCL has a much nicer bathroom for all the suites and many suites which are more than one room. The suites on NCL are more attractive and luxurious. RCL - you have to go to the Royal suite or Aquatheater suite to get to more than one room - even loft suites are essentially 1 big room separated by a curtain. Even the Owner's suite on Royal is really just 1 room with the bedroom separated by a curtain and this is goofy - the closets are all in the dining room. So you have to go get your clothes and take them back to the bedroom to get dressed. The other thing is the specialty restaurants were actually started by NCL and some of them are considerably better than on NCL such as Ocean Blue, Le Bistro, Teppanyaki, Moderno and sushi. In terms of suites, RCCL is playing catch up with NCL which started the Haven concept. Now RCCL has added Coastal Kitchen as the restaurant for suite guests. Basically, right now, you get more for your money with a Haven suite on NCL.

[Noliboli]

My kids definitely prefer slides to sports and surfing. You have definitely made up my mind to try NCL (plus the Haven looks darned amazing). Thank you.

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

My kids definitely prefer slides to sports and surfing. You have definitely made up my mind to try NCL (plus the Haven looks darned amazing). Thank you.

 

 

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Getaway and Breakaway have 4 water slides. Epic has 3. Escape has 4 and the largest waterpark at sea. Here are some photos of the waterpark and you can also see cabin and suite photos here:

http://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/norwegian-escape-691/aqua-park-208733/

 

The Haven IS amazing! I think you will thoroughly enjoy it!

[cmurchake]

If you're drinkers, NCL offers the Ultimate Beverage Package as a promo to choose from. I was deciding between RCCL and NCL and found that because I would need a package on either line, NCL was it

[SuiteTraveler]

BTW, for next year, you might look at the MSC Seaside. The ship is not operating yet as it is currently under construction, but it will have a huge waterpark and the suites onboard are an All-Inclusive experience - all food and drink and even your mini bar is included and the price is typically lower than a suite on NCL or RCCL.

[Noliboli]

1. We love getting a drink package! NCL def has the edge there.

2. Does NCL ever have % off sales like RCL?

3. I will look into MSC Seaside for sure. That sounds awesome.

[Noliboli]

Ok the Seaside looks incredible and is about $3000 less than NCL (YC vs Haven). Which would you choose? Honestly I've never heard of MSC until today. Reviews are mixed.

 

 

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[SuiteTraveler]

Ok the Seaside looks incredible and is about $3000 less than NCL (YC vs Haven). Which would you choose? Honestly I've never heard of MSC until today. Reviews are mixed.

 

 

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I've been in the Yacht Club on Divina and it is out of this world great. The only deficits are the suite bathrooms - in most suites it's a tub/shower combination and only 1 sink and the suites are more like the Penthouses on NCL. There are some larger suites which have a living room/dining room and separate master bedroom - I think those would be better but I'm not sure if they are in the area of the Yacht club on Seaside which is really where you want to be because the bar and lounge there is the place to hang out (for grown ups) and then the Yacht Club pool is just upstairs. The restaurant for suite guests offers highly personalized service and the food is just wonderful - it includes a lot of food from the specialty restaurants, so we never got around to going to any of them, although next time, we will probably try the tasting room restaurant - that is the one we would be most interested in. Yacht Club also includes access to the spa, which unfortunately doesn't include the thalisotherapy pool and water circuit that NCL has. The entertainment is designed for people who speak many different languages, so the nightly shows in the main theater are music shows. They have managed to hire Broadway Caliber performers and a chorus of dancers who are so well choreographed as to be in perfect sync with each other - they make Burn the Floor on NCL look like amateur hour. The casino is smoke free.

 

You couldn't go on MSC until 2018, though and I would not recommend the first few cruises on Seaside to give the crew a chance to get used to the ship and whatever unexpected problems there are worked out in their systems. So...for this year, I would recommend NCL and next year (or the year after) MSC Seaside.