Just sailed with RCCL, my 2nd cruise ever—1st on the Norway, am coming back to NCL!!

[sunlovey]

Oh my, who knew cruising could be so different from line to line! Food on NCL, wine list on NCL, overall experience of NCL was better. Am coming back! I want to book the Spirit for the 9-day itinerary in April 2005- husband is hesitant after our Royal Caribbean experience....

[herb]

ok, I'll bite....... which cruiseship in the RCI fleet did you sail on and what was it about that cruise you didn't like that makes you want to sail with NCL again??

[Host CMLA]

While waiting to hear more from sunlovey I'll add that we tried RCI in January and we prefer NCL too. We were on the brand new Mariner of the Seas and the food wasn't as good and the service was pretty bad across the board. On our cruise it seemed like saying no to every request was something they learned in training. Can I have a plain green salad instead of the fancy salad on the menu? NO. Can you make 5 x 7 pictures from the 3 8 x 10 pictures we purchased? NO. Can we get extra soap for the bathroom? NO. Can we get a wine list? YES (however it would get to us as we were ordering dessert). We're going to go on RCI again because we don't think our experience was the norm. I think we just had some bad luck on that trip. But we still prefer NCL to RCI.

[4 cruisers]

Hi NCLer's! We just completed our 1st cruise on RCI (Splendour) in the Med. It was really very nice...I'm back on the NCL board thinking "Hawaii" for 2005 or 2006...if we can hold out that long!:p Just such different feeling to the two lines. We had a mini suite on Splendour and our only amenities were two bars of soap...seemed strange to me...REALLY uncomfortable beds too. Other than that, service was great, food most nights was great...buffets, standard but bagette sandwiches poolside which was a nice European touch!

 

I just had a shock when I read that the Pride of America will do those three day trips...I think I saw it on their web site. ? Darn...sounds like more problems to me and a loss of the feeling of comraderie (sp?) you get on the 7+day cruises. H-m-m now maybe the Wind (though I think after the Star, my husband won't be too pleased!).

For us (we've been on the NCL Crown and the Star and the Celebrity Century, and the RCI Splendour) we'd sail any of them again if the itinerary was right as well as the price! Star and Century are prob. our favorites, but once again, almost impossible to compare (free-style vs. traditional for starters!).

Keep writing everyone! I'm still piecing together what is best for us! Star out of LA is awfully tempting!:rolleyes:

[mbisson]

My concern for the op would be that the Norway was not a freestyle ship. While I love freestyle, it's not for everyone.

 

herb-I checked their posting and it seems they were on the Enchantment OTS. It looks like their sailing missed some of the ports and they did not get what they felt was adequate compensation (hope someone corrects me if wrong on this). I hope this isn't what they disliked about the cruise.

 

-Monte

[catharina]

Hi 4 cruisers!

I wanted to send you an email about the Crown, but it was not possible. Could you (if you feel inclined) please mail me at vanoverveld@hotmail.om

I am a dutch girl for her first cruise in dire need of advice on the crown...

 

Carina

[dalwhitt]

My only experience with NCL was with POA, so not counting that awful cruise I'm going to assume that NCL has a nice product. However, with Royal Caribbean I've sailed on Voyager, Majesty, Radiance and Adventure. Perhaps I've been lucky, but the service on all were exceptional. We have never been turned down for anything that we asked for on one of these ships, including apple pie in the dining room every day of our Adventure cruise, even though it wasn't on the menu until Saturday, the last day of the cruise. They baked it special for my table of 8 people. The first day it was cold, and one person who asked for a slice of cheese on it got swiss cheese. They worked hard each day to get it exactly the way we wanted it and by Friday it was perfect. The head waiter did this personally for us, and always with a smile, just saying he wanted us to be happy. And as good as this cruise was, our Radiance cruise was even better. We're doing Jewel in January, and unless our luck runs out we will have a great cruise.

[4 cruisers]

The Jewel sounds interesting for sure! Did you get the bath amenities on your other RCI cruises? We just were wondering if this is on all of RCI or we were the exception...not that we needed anything other than some lotion and cotton balls would have been nice. We were pretty well stocked with everything else (I'm a real overpacker!).

[Host CMLA]

We have never been turned down for anything that we asked for on one of these ships, including apple pie in the dining room every day of our Adventure cruise, even though it wasn't on the menu until Saturday, the last day of the cruise.

See, I knew it...I think we were just on the ship during an off week or maybe we just had some bad luck. I'm sure our experience on the Mariner of the Seas wasn't what it's usually like. We look forward to going on RCI again. I have to say the Mariner was a great ship. We had a Promenade View room and it was the best.

[jkrislc]

See, I knew it...I think we were just on the ship during an off week or maybe we just had some bad luck. I'm sure our experience on the Mariner of the Seas wasn't what it's usually like. We look forward to going on RCI again. I have to say the Mariner was a great ship. We had a Promenade View room and it was the best.

 

Dalwhitt/Cecilia,

 

You guys are starting to scare me. You're starting to agree in too many of your posts ;) I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but you've got me wondering . . .

[shoreguy]

Dalwhitt/Cecilia,

 

You guys are starting to scare me. You're starting to agree in too many of your posts ;) I'm not a conspiracy theorist, but you've got me wondering . . .

 

It's just getting close (I think) to her wedding and she is being nice :D

[Host CMLA]

It's just getting close (I think) to her wedding and she is being nice

LOL Maybe that's it! The wedding is in 8 days.

 

Seriously though, I appreciate Dalwhitt's point of view even if we differ on how we view NCL in some areas. I haven't sailed the POA so I can't comment on how bad it is (I have sailed on her to Hawaii when it was the Sky). I can only hope it gets better. :)

[jkrislc]

LOL Maybe that's it! The wedding is in 8 days.

 

Seriously though, I appreciate Dalwhitt's point of view even if we differ on how we view NCL in some areas. I haven't sailed the POA so I can't comment on how bad it is (I have sailed on her to Hawaii when it was the Sky). I can only hope it gets better. :)

 

I know you appreciate everyone's input. I just wanted to give the two of you a little jab for humor's sake. Congratulations on the wedding. I hope everything goes as planned, although I'll have to admit that many of the CCers' invitations apparantly got lost in the mail ;). Do you plan on posting any pictures afterwards?

[buchie614]

When I sail on the RCL Navigator in Dec. that will complete all the Voyager Class ships until the Ultra debutes. I have had good luck, with the exception of the Mariner last Dec. but it was the waiter who I had the problem with. I have had over 20 cruises with RCL and loved them all. 2 with NCL and they were horrible, the poa being the worse of the 2, but it looks as though things are beginning to get better, and cruisers can have the type of cruise that they are suppose to get, including great food, and enough staff that can cater to their every need.

[Host CMLA]

Congratulations on the wedding. I hope everything goes as planned, although I'll have to admit that many of the CCers' invitations apparantly got lost in the mail ;). Do you plan on posting any pictures afterwards?

Thanks! Even if the wedding doesn't go as planned, it's OK. We're getting married in Las Vegas. How terrible could that be??? :D And I did try and invite some CC'ers that live in Las Vegas but the three I asked about meeting up are on cruises at that time. I'll have pictures afterwards and I'll probably add one or two to a post if anyone is interested. ;)

[cruise pup]

I was about to post a new thread on the same topic so I hope you don't mind me just tacking on my p.o.v. on this subject.

 

I sailed on Norwegian Spirit recently and posted a glowing review on this board. I was just so happy with the service, the accommodations and the food. NCL really picked a winner when they acquired this ship and I can't wait for her to sail out of NYC. My only fear is that NCL will be raising the rates because she is bound to be one of the most poplular ships in the fleet.

 

Now for the RCI part. Last May I sailed on one of the first sailings Voyager of the Seas did out of Bayonne, New Jersey. This cruise could only be called disastrous. First off, RCI rushed to get this new facility running and it was plagued with problems. Transportation from New York City was horrible. I understand that people who arrived at LaGuardia Airport had no way of knowing how to find their transfers. For me, the worst was after the cruise when RCI failed to coordinate with the local taxi companies and I waited over 90 minutes to get one for a 5 minute ride to the local train station. In fact, it was only when I begged the dispatcher to put me on a van heading to NYC to just drop me off at the entrance to the port that I got a ride at all.

 

The ship itself was a big disappointment and compared with Norwegian Spirit even more so. The dining was mediocre at best. The selection of food at the Windjammer Cafe was pretty poor, especially for afternoon snacks. Johnny Rockets served overcooked burgers and undercooked onion rings (Spirit's Blue Lagoon was a much better venue to grab a quick bite and the offerings went beyond burgers. Okay, no milk shakes, but the one I got at JR's was overpriced anwyay). Voyager's dining room had the same menu for lunch every day except for a daily special soup, entree and I think dessert. Plus seating was a problem and there was always a wait on Voyager for a table for lunch. I would add that the service was not so hot, especially at open seating meals on Voyager. I was actually told by a waiter when he got the order wrong to just not eat the part I didn't want. Even though I had different waiters at every meal on Spirit, I couldn't find a thing wrong with the service. There's a laundry list of other things I disliked about Voyager but I'll finish up by saying waiting for elevators was torture, especially for disembarkation.

 

I wrote RCI a letter expressing my disappointment with the cruise. They sent me an envelope with a $50. coupon good towards another cruise with so many restritctions, even if I was inclined to book with RCI again, which I am most definately not, I probably couldn't use it. I made sure to cancel my transatlantic booking with RCI for November but don't feel sorry for me. I'm going on the QM2 for a 10 day "what's left of the Caribbean after 4 or more hurricanes" cruise. I was really annoyed that the coupon came without a letter, as though they thought they'd dismiss me by throwing me a bone, so I did write Jack Williams, COO of RCI to tell him what I thought. I received a voice mail from a rep explaining that the letter was written but never made it into the envelope and to please call him. When I did he changed the story to that the reason I didn't receive a letter is that if they have an e-mail address they use that to contact the customer. Well, that's not what he said on voice-mail and I never received an e-mail either. It was pointless to proceed and I wondered why I bothered in the first place. I feared that I was becoming a one-man crusade against RCI. But I did one last thing. I wrote Colin Veitch at NCL to thank him for a wonderful cruise and cc'd RCI.

[4 cruisers]

Cruisepup, I was interested to read your input! I will look into the Spirit for sure! I am pretty sure that the larger RCI ships are not our style. About the QM2...we were sitting on our balcony on the Splendour last month in Civitavecchia when my husband's eyes almost popped out of his head...the QM2 came into sight and docked right next to us!!! She is beautiful and we ended up riding the train into Rome with some of the crew members. Super people! One of the servers in one of the restaurants gave us his card and told us that his his girlfriend is in a position to arrange for us to visit the ship...we of course didn't have time, but I will see if my husband has the card still...you would definitely enjoy meeting this man! Let me know if you're interested! tantunez@earthlink.net

[RSGS315]

I don't believe that a server in a restaurant on the QM2 would be able to arrange his girlfriend to allow someone to visit the ship, as that would be a serious security breach. .

In order to visit any cruise ship in port these days, you have to fax the cruise line your creditionals in advance, i. e. passport information or other proof of citizenship with photo ID.

I have taken many ship tours in New York, Philadelphia or other ports as a

travel agent, and this has been the procedure for some time now.

Ginnie

[cruise pup]

Wow, that is so nice of you! Believe it or not, this will be my 2nd cruise on QM2. I did a 3-night sailing to nowhere out of NYC last Mother's Day weekend. I fell in love with this ship. Of course 3 days were not enough, so I think 10 days will be ample time to really get to enjoy the ship. I had booked this 2 years ago when they first started accepting reservations and planned to decide if I would take the cruise when it got closer to the deadline. In the meantime I had booked a transatlantic on Brilliance of the Seas but after my experience with RCI last May (and this wasn't the first time they ticked me off) I cancelled. It worked out for the best as far as I'm concerned because I really hated to have to give up the QM2 cruise and now that I've seen the cruises for 2005 and the rates I don't think the opportunity to sail her will come again for a very long time, if ever.

[e.durban]

I'm with you on the QM2 part, cruise pup, we were also on the QM2 mother's day weekender, and it was heaven. We also looked at the Mary's Thanksgiving 10?day Carrib, but finally booked the Dawn for 11/28. We can afford a balcony on the Dawn (BA) for 11 days, but a QM2 balcony (B2) for only 3 days! No big deal, the Dawn is just as lovely a ship, in her own way...Enjoy yourself!

[platterb]

Coolpup..love your review for the Spirit. We are booked for the 12/3 sailing to the Southern Caribbean. Historically, NCL generally catered to the 7-day sailings. Was glad to see that they have now added the 9-Day.

 

This will be my 6th NCL cruise (Starward, Norway, Dream, Wind, and Sun) and have enjoyed all of them. I will admit that I preferred the way their Dive-In program was handled during the 80's and early 90's. The Sun was their first ship that went to the Free-Style and my husband really likes it. One of the reasons he always liked NCL was because of its more casual atmosphere.

 

We've also cruised on RCCL, Regency, Holland America and Celebrity. I'm sure they all have their good/bad points. I do think that NCL has always had the best entertainment options. In our experience, the quality and variety on NCL ships were better than any of the cruise lines. I thought Holland America's overall food was better, Celebrity's had the best service.

 

But bottom line, I think the real difference between the cruises is your fellow passengers. That was what really hurt our Celebrity cruise. The average-age must have 80+. It wasn't so much the age, but their total demeanor. Rude and always complaining.

[4 cruisers]

Ginnie, we were surprised about the possibility of a visit too...she is apparently someone with a lot of clout. I believe he was referring to a visit when she is state side in the future, but my husband was the one visiting with him while I was talking with two of the bartenders (a young woman from Hungary and a young man from Ireland). It's so nice to get so much culture on a ship these days! I think our kids learn as much about other lands from the people they meet on board as from their shore visits!!!!!:rolleyes:

[dalwhitt]

Cruise pup, this passion that you have against Royal Caribbean ... that's exactly how I feel about POA. Therefore I can respect what you said, even though RCCL is my favorite cruise line.

[cruise pup]

Trust me, having to deal with a single supplement, I'm not getting a balcony, either. It's inside all the way for me, but fortunately despite having been spoiled with balconies (especially getting one on Norwegian Spirit for Alaska for $974. for a single) I still feel that whatever I can financially manage is good enough. In fact, I can't tell you how many times sitting out on the balcony was so wonderful that I missed a lot of stuff, like if a whale was seen on the opposite side, or some activity I would have enjoyed was going on. But I just couldn't tear myself away. And having the coffee maker right there made it even more comfortable because I could always fix myself a hot chocolate or herb tea (I was raiding the beverage station at Raffles a lot). Fortunately the QM2 has the bow and stern cams so I do get a look at the outside. I also love the bay windows in the Kings Court so you can have a bite and enjoy the scenery.

 

Anyway, enjoy the Dawn. I sailed her sister, Star in Hawaii and had a great time.

[newmexicoNita]

Cecelia, boy is it getting close and Vegas to boot! We did not get married there, but will renew our vows there in about 4 years: 50 for us! As for RCI versus NCL, everyone knows I am an NCL loyalist and for good reason I believer. Regardless of other experiences, we have yet to have a really bad experience on NCL. Not that other lines have been bad, but we found the cabins on RCI to be smaller (hard to believe is some cases I know) the food to be similar but not as good, the buffets on NCL to be better with a larger selection and the staff to be a bit friendlier. We would go back on RCI anytime if the itinerary and price was right, but will always check out NCL first. Just our humble opinion. NMNita