NCL vs RCL?

[Tatka]

13 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

I once heard someone put it very succinctly (which I happen to agree with) saying Royal Ships are better during the day while NCL ships are better at night. Longer version being that during the day on Royal Ships places like the solarium, or diving shows, flowriders, etc might be better than what is offered by NCL. And at night the specialty restaurants, broadway quality shows, various bars, etc. were better on NCL ships. YMMV

When comparing lines you must compare ships. They are all different. For example entertainment on Oasis class ships of RCI cannot be compared to anything. Aside from Broadway shows they have Ice Shows (ice shows exist on Voyager and Freedom classes too). As well as Water shows (this feature I haven’t seen anywhere cruises or land) . Each Oasis class ship has Jazz club, Latin music club Boleros (they start from Smaller ships), Schooner piano Bar (all ships) and more

 

 This is my unprofessional YouTube video from Oasis. With moving between floors bar, Central Park, Ice show

 

 

This one with Private island and Nassau in the beginning, but also Jazz club and Water show 

 

 

I personally never bored with Royal on any ship size (including entertainment), but just an example of apples to apples.

[hallux]

1 hour ago, Tatka said:

Anyways I haven’t noticed any difference between lines in this regard. At all.

I've experienced the opposite on NCL.  If there's no line they are happy to converse briefly as you enter the theater, especially if you've interacted with them previously and are reliving a mutual funny moment from the game show or trivia they were running for that previous interaction.

 

I have yet to come across an NCL entertainment staff member that hasn't seemed to thoroughly enjoyed their job and interacting with the passengers at any moment.  They have all been wonderful.  Are my 3 cruises a small sample size?  Sure, but first impressions are lasting impressions.

[Tatka]

   With my 22 on RCI and 9 on NCL I honestly do not see a difference in staff happiness or willingness to interact. It is all individual for each staff member.

[CruizinSusan70]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:15 PM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

 If I am looking for cheap (and a headache due to passenger drama, garish décor and noise) the Walmart of the Seas always provides that. 

One cruise out of ten on Carnival and you paint the entire line with a wide brush.  Go on one of their Excel Class ships, the Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral or the upcoming Celebration out of Miami later this year or the Jubilee out of Galveston next year and your opinion will certainly change.

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

2 hours ago, CruizinSusan70 said:

One cruise out of ten on Carnival and you paint the entire line with a wide brush.  Go on one of their Excel Class ships, the Mardi Gras out of Port Canaveral or the upcoming Celebration out of Miami later this year or the Jubilee out of Galveston next year and your opinion will certainly change.

This is actually a very fair point.  Thanks for your comments.  Maybe we'll consider Carnival again next.  It is unfair to judge based on one experience.  I do think that the media may have something to do with opinions, as Carnival has had quite a lot of negative attention as of late. But, heck, NCL just bumped into a freaking ice berg....  We won't even discuss the availability heuristic and Costa.  😉

 

 

[Red-Sol]

6 hours ago, Tatka said:

When comparing lines you must compare ships. They are all different. For example entertainment on Oasis class ships of RCI cannot be compared to anything. Aside from Broadway shows they have Ice Shows (ice shows exist on Voyager and Freedom classes too). As well as Water shows (this feature I haven’t seen anywhere cruises or land) . Each Oasis class ship has Jazz club, Latin music club Boleros (they start from Smaller ships), Schooner piano Bar (all ships) and more

 

You do not need to compare ships in order to do an overall comparison of Cruise Lines...but if you do which NCL ships are you comparing to all of the features you have listed about Oasis Class ships? 

 

6 hours ago, Tatka said:

I personally never bored with Royal on any ship size (including entertainment), but just an example of apples to apples.

 

What apples to apples? Again all you did was praise all of the amenities on (Oasis Class Ships) that you said couldn't be compared with anything else. I actually agree with that but at the same time the two times I sailed on Oasis Class Ships (Oasis and Allure) that was enough to convince me that Royal would never be my favored cruise line and found NCL to be much better for my needs/wants.

[Tatka]

  We all have favorite lines, but when you somebody says there are more to do in the evening on NCL ... many questions arise. On which ships? I responded to specific post.

 

 If you compare Broadway shows... I watched them on both. It is very difficult to compare quality of shows. I say they are pretty much equal in quality. Not all ships have Broadway shows. Other shows? We had great and not so great with both lines.

 

With NCL I prefer midsize ships, although I sailed on several Breakaway and + ships. To me they are congested and pool areas are not adequate. I do like festive atmosphere on Jewel class. And I like ship design. They are lacking covered pools even though they sail pretty often from Northeast, but we sail when itinerary is good/great.

 

 I do not use specialty restaurants with either line. Included dining again is a bit tough to compare. NCL had much weaker food when we started in 2000-x, but not it is good. There are no lobsters now and no everyday escargot, but overall I like food.

 

 

 

[Sailing12Away]

22 minutes ago, Tatka said:

  We all have favorite lines, but when you somebody says there are more to do in the evening on NCL ... many questions arise. On which ships? I responded to specific post.

 

We sailed RCC Jewel of the Seas in September/October last year. The only entertainment at night was trivia, a game show, and some piano-bar type singers scattered around. No 'shows' of any sort. In May we were on NCL Star (so a somewhat fair comparison) and there was no 'broadway' level show, but there were acts in the main theater every night (singers, illusionists, comedians, etc), and a rock cover band that we made a point to catch in the smaller lounge. Nearly every bar on NCL had a singer, plus the standard game show acts, kareoke, etc etc. So a little bit of something for everyone, whereas with RCC we felt like it was lounge music, trivia or bust.

 

As for the Oasis class ships, I have zero interest in being on ship with 5,000+ other people. And I can't afford the Star class suites with RCC. And even if I could, you still don't get the same 'perks' as you do with the Haven area on NCL.

But to each their own...

[hallux]

2 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

as Carnival has had quite a lot of negative attention as of late.

When there's negative attention to give, it's rightfully given.  NCL had some earlier this year with the Escape hitting the sand bar and the Sun hitting the growler.  Carnival just seems to have more events warranting negative attention than other lines.  Between the fires over the years and fights recently (and in the past) there's plenty to get Carnival in the news.

 

2 hours ago, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

But, heck, NCL just bumped into a freaking ice berg

To be fair - ANY ship sailing the area could have bumped it in the same conditions.  If you go find the thread on that topic you'll see an explanation of how radar can't distinguish those things from random surface clutter from the retired at-sea engineer that worked on NCL ships and peruses the boards.  He also explains that, as the ship did, the ships slow down when sailing that area in dark/foggy conditions on the off-chance they come across such an obstacle, to help minimize possible damage.

2 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

Again all you did was praise all of the amenities on (Oasis Class Ships) that you said couldn't be compared with anything else. I actually agree with that

I also won't disagree that there are more entertainment options on an Oasis-class ship (I've never sailed one but I'm sure there is no lack of venues with offerings considering the sheer size of those vessels), but I've never been lacking of entertainment options on the BA+ ships in NCL's fleet.  On my last cruise on the Joy I went to one venue, was not thrilled with the performance so I departed and was able to find another venue with a better performer.  I don't think there were any fewer than 3 musical performances at most times in the evening, in addition to the theater show and the movie playing on deck.

 

 

[Tatka]

59 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

We sailed RCC Jewel of the Seas in September/October last year. The only entertainment at night was trivia, a game show, and some piano-bar type singers scattered around. No 'shows' of any sort. In May we were on NCL Star (so a somewhat fair comparison) and there was no 'broadway' level show, but there were acts in the main theater every night (singers, illusionists, comedians, etc), and a rock cover band that we made a point to catch in the smaller lounge. Nearly every bar on NCL had a singer, plus the standard game show acts, kareoke, etc etc. So a little bit of something for everyone, whereas with RCC we felt like it was lounge music, trivia or bust.

 

As for the Oasis class ships, I have zero interest in being on ship with 5,000+ other people. And I can't afford the Star class suites with RCC. And even if I could, you still don't get the same 'perks' as you do with the Haven area on NCL.

But to each their own...

I only sailed on Brilliance (same class as Jewel) only once and we had production shows and other entertainment too. So it’s not something regular, maybe Covid thing? We sailed on Enchantment this March for 12 days.  It’s a smaller ship. Like Sun of NCL. We had production shows, all kind of other entertainment in main theater daily. Aside there was entertainment in Centrum, Boleros, Schooner, Stardust (this one I’m not sure about name) and disco. 
 

I LOVED entertainment on NCL Dawn in 2018 in East Mediterranean.

[TominNC]

We've sailed Oasis and Encore and enjoyed them both.  My wife found Oasis to be "too big" and preferred Freedom.  I like having a lot of space to wander around.  I don't go in the main pools so crowding there one way or another doesn't bother me.  I do like the solarium/Adult only area of RCL ships I've been on.  A little quieter reading time works in my daily routine.

 

We enjoy the various shows on both ships.  The parades and such on RCL are fun.  We also enjoyed the quieter piano bar in the forward area on NCL.

 

We're happy with the food on both.  The NCL drink and dining "Free" at sea perks are a plus.

 

In the future it will be a matter of whose going where we want to go.

[Tatka]

By the way… I named Oasis class, but there are :

 

Voyager class with 5 ships 

Freedom with 3

All have ice skating and shows, and tons of entertainment too. They are 140k tons and 160k tons

 

Quantum class of 160k t with 4 or 5 ships with other choices … including Broadway shows, special venue two70 with very unique show like Spectra Cabaret and smaller entertainment. And most importantly amazing Solarium and separate indoor pool for families. 

[Red-Sol]

4 hours ago, Tatka said:

  We all have favorite lines, but when you somebody says there are more to do in the evening on NCL ... many questions arise. On which ships? I responded to specific post.

 

This is the post you responded to:

 

"I once heard someone put it very succinctly (which I happen to agree with) saying Royal Ships are better during the day while NCL ships are better at night. Longer version being that during the day on Royal Ships places like the solarium, or diving shows, flowriders, etc might be better than what is offered by NCL. And at night the specialty restaurants, broadway quality shows, various bars, etc. were better on NCL ships. YMMV"

 

Nowhere does it say there is "more" to do at night on NCL than Royal. I still stand by that as it encompasses many things besides shows...all of which are of a higher quality than what Royal offers at night. People cruising NCL just make for a better vibe than Royal IMHO. They know how to have fun in many dfferent ways. Nightlife on NCL is much more geared at adults than families with children and that too makes it preferable to me.

[kayjaypea42]

I have been on three NCL ships(Pearl, Getaway, and Escape x2), and Prima will be the fourth in December.  I have only been on Wonder of the Seas for RCCL, and that was for a European cruise, so that may be a contributing factor, but I too found that Wonder's nightlife was lacking.  (I mean, I was fine with that; I was exhausted from the many strenuous excursions...) But I did note that as I walked around the ship at night, it seemed a bit dead.  There were musicians in various venues, and there was a 70s party, but had I not been tired, I'd've been quite bored, which is shocking, actually.  By comparison, there is no shortage of things to do on NCL! The comedians are fantastic, the cover bands are great, the parties in Spice H20 are amazing! AND NCL has some ships (I've been told) with non-smoking casinos, which makes it accessible to me.  

 

But aside from entertainment, I cruise for the water.  Being able to enjoy the ocean on the ship is a big deal for me.  While RCCL's Central Park, Boardwalk, and Royal Promenade are so cool, I prefer NCL's Waterfront.  Being able to enjoy a drink while watching the ocean and/or a sunset, listening to the band playing in the inside version of the bar while sitting outside is so fun, and being a bit separated means that you can still chat while enjoying the music.  

 

The food is also better on NCL.  There were a ton of times in Escape's MDR especially where I found the food to be as good or better than the specialty dining.  (I discovered corn jalepeno chowder and fell in LOVE!) Royal's food was only ever OK.  (That said, RCCL's is still significantly better than MSC's...now there's a line I won't drop cash on again any time soon!) 

 

Anyway, if the deal was right for RCCL, I'd do it again for sure! But NCL is so far still my first choice.  (That said, I want to try Mardi Gras soon)

[DrSea]

9 hours ago, Tatka said:

  We all have favorite lines, but when you somebody says there are more to do in the evening on NCL ... many questions arise. On which ships? I responded to specific post.

 

 If you compare Broadway shows... I watched them on both. It is very difficult to compare quality of shows. I say they are pretty much equal in quality. Not all ships have Broadway shows. Other shows? We had great and not so great with both lines.

 

With NCL I prefer midsize ships, although I sailed on several Breakaway and + ships. To me they are congested and pool areas are not adequate. I do like festive atmosphere on Jewel class. And I like ship design. They are lacking covered pools even though they sail pretty often from Northeast, but we sail when itinerary is good/great.

 

 I do not use specialty restaurants with either line. Included dining again is a bit tough to compare. NCL had much weaker food when we started in 2000-x, but not it is good. There are no lobsters now and no everyday escargot, but overall I like food.

 

 

 

NCL, RCL, and Viking are my top 3 favorite lines. I would say that I prefer NCL, but not by much.

 

I disagree in that you can compare broadway shows. NCL has better shows than RCL. Sometimes the actors on RCL lip sync (happened on my cruise). NCL just has better production values. I have a degree in theater and am a classically trained actor. So the nuances are not lost on me (although I would argue that lip syncing isn't nuanced at all).

 

RCL has the flow rider, which is my favorite thing to do on sea.

 

 

[Tatka]

7 hours ago, DrSea said:

NCL, RCL, and Viking are my top 3 favorite lines. I would say that I prefer NCL, but not by much.

 

I disagree in that you can compare broadway shows. NCL has better shows than RCL. Sometimes the actors on RCL lip sync (happened on my cruise). NCL just has better production values. I have a degree in theater and am a classically trained actor. So the nuances are not lost on me (although I would argue that lip syncing isn't nuanced at all).

 

RCL has the flow rider, which is my favorite thing to do on sea.

 

 

 

 Based on your preferences I suggest you try Celebrity Edge class. It is a bit more premium (closer to Viking), but with really nice entertainment and unusual ships. Very modern. No Broadway shows, but entertainment is quite nice.

Edited July 15, 2022 by Tatka

[Cruiser1862]

Mine is only $20 difference from 70% off second guest to 40% off both. We’re going 11 days to Caribbean in January. This is our first NCL cruise. We have mostly sailed on Princess and RCI but like this itinerary. And we wanted to try NCL as we have good friends that like this cruise line. But, we agree that the pricing isn’t very competitive. 

[Crazy planning mom]

Personally, I like both lines.  My favorite ship was the Harmony of the Seas and the entertainment was top notch.   However, I like NCL's varied itineraries, the wonderful spa, and that NCL seems to renovate their cabins more often.  While the Harmony was my favorite ship, the Pride of America itinerary was our favorite.  Looking forward to sailing the Jade this Fall out of Greece.  Next booked cruise after that will be the Celebrity Apex.  Variety is the spice of life at least for me.

[aubreyc1988]

On 7/14/2022 at 9:19 AM, hallux said:

I've experienced the opposite on NCL.  If there's no line they are happy to converse briefly as you enter the theater, especially if you've interacted with them previously and are reliving a mutual funny moment from the game show or trivia they were running for that previous interaction.

 

I have yet to come across an NCL entertainment staff member that hasn't seemed to thoroughly enjoyed their job and interacting with the passengers at any moment.  They have all been wonderful.  Are my 3 cruises a small sample size?  Sure, but first impressions are lasting impressions.

I agree with this. It's my opinion that NCL barstaff/entertainment staff love their job and are super engaged with the guests. I will report back in Sept with a fresh view of Royal

[DrSea]

5 hours ago, Tatka said:

 

 Based on your preferences I suggest you try Celebrity Edge class. It is a bit more premium (closer to Viking), but with really nice entertainment and unusual ships. Very modern. No Broadway shows, but entertainment is quite nice.

While shows are very important, I find the activities to be more important. I really enjoy the flow rider, ropes course, rock wall climbing, etc. So I am partial toward NCL and RCL. I haven't tried X, but I am concerned of how sedate that cruise line will be and few activities there will be for me to do. I also despise review shows. I need some plot, even the vaguest one will suffice.

Edited July 15, 2022 by DrSea

[DrSea]

One thing that NCL has over every other cruise line is the dedicated year round HI trip. It's the only one in the entire world. My favorite cruise will be sailing next to an active volcano during dusk. The molten lava was beautiful. 

[CruizinSusan70]

16 hours ago, kayjaypea42 said:

 (That said, I want to try Mardi Gras soon)

I would choose the Celebration, which is the second ship in the Excel Class which starts this November and embarks from Miami.  This way you can fly into either MIA or FLL   The Excel Class on Carnival has been a game changer for them.  I predict the Prima Class will be a game changer for NCL, especially with the way that bookings have gone for them so far.

[CruizinSusan70]

1 hour ago, DrSea said:

One thing that NCL has over every other cruise line is the dedicated year round HI trip. It's the only one in the entire world. My favorite cruise will be sailing next to an active volcano during dusk. The molten lava was beautiful. 

But because of that you pay dearly for it because of no competition.  At one point NCL had three ships doing Hawaii, but because of demand and lower profits, the bean counters decided to cut back to only one ship.  It's an older ship with an American crew.  I don't think the all American crew would bend over backwards for you like a normal crew would, but that's just my opinion.

 

Have been to Hawaii 6 times with land vacations between 1985 and 2007 and enjoyed each trip, so I'm looking forward to getting there via cruise ship.  Possibly in 2024 or 2025.

[JCDCA]

On 7/12/2022 at 10:24 PM, Treasure Hunter said:

I’ll try not to make this complicated. Unless you are in RCCL top suite and have a Genie to pave the way, you are treated like dirt at the entrance to the theater. At one of the specialty restaurants I really wanted a steak. The waiter ( who was actually very charming and amusing) said , “no you’ll have the lamb chops”. And the children’s pools are not cleaned properly. I would still cruise RCCL if the grandkids want to as long as it isn’t the Anthem from NJ. I love the big shows. The concierge in The Haven ( even the smallest stateroom in the Haven) goes above and beyond to help with any problem. The service in the Haven restaurant is so wonderful. If you have a show you can pre order dinner and the jumbo shrimp cocktails come out immediately on being seated. You can return for dessert after the show. These are all Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean cruises. For Mediterranean , Baltic, UK,  Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia we have only been on Princess, Oceania and Regent so I can’t compare RCCL and NCL. But we are thinking of Greece for next year with kids so it’s a possibility.

This is just not true.  Crew on both lines are pretty comparable.  In general Royal crew a bit more friendly.  Norwegian seems to be understaffed of late leading to longer lines.  

[nferr]

20 hours ago, Red-Sol said:

 

This is the post you responded to:

 

"I once heard someone put it very succinctly (which I happen to agree with) saying Royal Ships are better during the day while NCL ships are better at night. Longer version being that during the day on Royal Ships places like the solarium, or diving shows, flowriders, etc might be better than what is offered by NCL. And at night the specialty restaurants, broadway quality shows, various bars, etc. were better on NCL ships. YMMV"

 

Nowhere does it say there is "more" to do at night on NCL than Royal. I still stand by that as it encompasses many things besides shows...all of which are of a higher quality than what Royal offers at night. People cruising NCL just make for a better vibe than Royal IMHO. They know how to have fun in many dfferent ways. Nightlife on NCL is much more geared at adults than families with children and that too makes it preferable to me.

 This has to be one of the strangest posts I've seen on here. Really? Generalizing about thousand of passengers? I've cruised a lot on both. Passengers are passengers. They vary on every cruise.