Trying new cruise line. Royal or Norwegian??

I have been on 8 cruises, all on Carnival. My Fiance and I are looking to go on a cruise for our honeymoon this October and I cant decide which cruise I want! I like the Royal itinerary but the Norwegian ship. These are the two I'm looking at. Thoughts?

Norwegian Getaway to St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau

OR

Royal Adventure of the Seas to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados.

I think that Royal itinerary looks MUCH nicer!

The adventure leaves from San Juan right?? if so, compare the price of flights to san juan versus miami..the adventure itinerary is more appealing than the getaways, tho it is port intensive.. Do you prefer more days at sea to relax and enjoy the ship or prefer more days in port?? .Nassau leaves alot to be desired.. the adventure of the seas is a fine ship with large cabins....if still based in San Juan expect more citizens of Puerto Rico as passengers.

Just my opinion, for a honeymoon cruise I go on a brand new mega-ship and that is the Getaway. Adventure is older, and its smaller. Just my 2 cents.

Both excellent and accurate responses.

RCCL sounds like a better itinerary, but the extra money for the flight to/from San Juan may be cost prohibitive for a newly wed couple.

My opinion is that when you have an opportunity, try both NCL and RCCL and make your own decision based on what's important to you. My wife and I enjoy freestyle cruising, but RCL appears to also be going this way with their new dining options package on newer ships.

Either way, enjoy your cruise and new life together.

AOS has the better itinerary but I don't like that ship. I love all the other RCL ships I have sailed...something is off with the AOS and DH and I were in the owners suite. I haven't sailed the Getaway but have sailed the Epic and the Breakaway...love both of them. I was in a studio on the Epic and DH and I were in the Haven on the Breakaway!

I know you did not mention Princess but the Regal Princess is doing a 10 day repositioning cruise to Fort Lauderdale from NY. We did this cruise last October with the same ports and it was excellent. I believe it is Oct 25th. Ports are Aruba, St. Thomas and Antigua

First of all..itinerary is much better on 2nd option. If price is the same it is a no-brainier in my opinion. If price is a factor then you have to debate ship to ship. I used to say NCL hands down for entertainment, food and value but since the CEO change I am concerned.

This makes me sad on so many different levels. I feel like I have stood by this cruise line through the reinvention from the time when TA's would completely steer you away to the recent feeling of finally being able to say "I told you so"!

I'm not sure now where the line is heading. I will be price/itinerary shopping going forward. I cruise 2x a year - one Caribbean and one European/Adventure cruise. We have cruised 36 times so have seen lots of changes through the years. Hoping we can continue to cruise rather than do vacation packages but will have to evaluate as things progress.

Why is Carnival not in the mix? It is familiar to you, and marriage is a very new journey. Why add something to the mix?

Just asking. Not trying to make a point.

The Getaway is my favorite ship, so pretty. I can't wait to sail her again. But the AOS itinerary is amazing and you won't regret going on it. I'm doing the AOS this year because the price was too good to pass up. I'm not a royal Caribbean fan, I prefer Norwegian but what you have here is a win win. Norwegian prices have increased too much so that's how I made my decision. If you like a newer ship go Norwegian Getaway she's fun. If you want to see more islands do AOS. AOS is just a ride, the Getaway is the destination. Either would be fine. Dining wise, you'll have more privacy on Norwegian since it's freestyle. Royal usually seats everyone very close or has shared tables. I dislike formal seated traditional dining. NCL doesn't have that, which is good. I wish all ships were freestyle. But you probably already know that since you've cruised before.

Dunno, if the flights are not a problem to you - I say Royal for the Port stops, those look amazing. Otherwise go with everyone else suggestions.

I have been on 8 cruises, all on Carnival. My Fiance and I are looking to go on a cruise for our honeymoon this October and I cant decide which cruise I want! I like the Royal itinerary but the Norwegian ship. These are the two I'm looking at. Thoughts?

 

Norwegian Getaway to St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau

OR

Royal Adventure of the Seas to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados.

Depending on what you want to get from you cruise, each will offer a special something. Obviously port wise, RCI wins hands down. Babbados alone is worth it. I think of all the ports it is our favorite. St Maarten and St Kitts are great as well. That being said, our experience has been NCL has better food and much better entertainment. I Understand why you are having trouble making a decision.

Why is Carnival not in the mix? It is familiar to you, and marriage is a very new journey. Why add something to the mix?

 

Just asking. Not trying to make a point.

Maybe they just want to try something new. Good for them. I really don't think picking a cruise line that is new to them really is a huge challenge.

No contest, I'd take the Royal cruise for the itinerary. :)

...if still based in San Juan expect more citizens of Puerto Rico as passengers.

Citizens of Puerto Rico? No such thing. Puerto Ricans have US citizenship. :rolleyes:

I have been on 8 cruises, all on Carnival. My Fiance and I are looking to go on a cruise for our honeymoon this October and I cant decide which cruise I want! I like the Royal itinerary but the Norwegian ship. These are the two I'm looking at. Thoughts?

 

Norwegian Getaway to St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau

OR

Royal Adventure of the Seas to St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, St. Lucia and Barbados.

RCI. Hands down with those itineraries.

Citizens of Puerto Rico? No such thing. Puerto Ricans have US citizenship.

Oops, I'm wrong. Wikipedia tells me that Puerto Ricans have both US and Puerto Rican citizenship. It's kind of fascinating actually, because Spain grants Spanish citizenship to those with Puerto Rican citizenship. That means that Puerto Rican citizens can have four citizenships: US, Puerto Rico, Span, and EU.

I shall now roll my eyes at myself. :rolleyes: :D

Oops, I'm wrong. Wikipedia tells me that Puerto Ricans have both US and Puerto Rican citizenship. It's kind of fascinating actually, because Spain grants Spanish citizenship to those with Puerto Rican citizenship. That means that Puerto Rican citizens can have four citizenships: US, Puerto Rico, Span, and EU.

 

I shall now roll my eyes at myself. :rolleyes: :D

Don't be so hard on yourself - Some people don't know that Puerto Rico is a commonwealth, the US Virgin Islands are a territory and that Alaska plus Hawaii are states. Or forgetting that New Mexico is part of the US and confusing Washington State with Washington DC. Let's not get started with the rest of the world's geography - I dunno whether to laugh or be embarrassed.....[emoji52]

Sent from my SGH-T399 using Tapatalk

We have sailed once on RCL, once on NCL. RCL wins, hands down. Better food and better entertainment, in our opinion. We're currently booked on NCL again, with the specialty dining package. However, another thread here mentioned that NCL was dropping Cagney's from the dining package, converting it to a la carte. If true, this may cause us to cancel our booking and move to either Carnival, Princess, or RCL for our next cruise.

San Juan is an awesome town. There are several inexpensive hotels downtown in Old San Juan a short walk from the cruise pier, the food and nightlife is amazing, and you can take a free shuttle in the morning before boarding to visit the El Moro fort guarding the harbor entrance.

As another poster mentioned, do both if you can!:)

You asked this on the RCL board already.

If you like the idea of traditional dining, then RCL. But they do have their own version of NCL's Freestyle dining.

You asked this on the RCL board already.

It makes perfect sense to post on both boards. :)

If you can delay your wedding for a year NCL Gem will be doing similar itineraries out of San Juan...

But on a serious note, it is hard to compare when one leaves from San Juan and the flight cost is a factor. The San Juan itineraries are very nice (I've done X, RCL and Princess from there), but very busy, often only one sea day.

Also, much will depend on your honeymoon plans. Do you plan to get out and explore the islands? Or, do plan on spending 7 days rocking the boat confined in your stateroom?

I was on the SOS. I was excited a out the itinerary. It was just a lot. The days blended. Everything was very nice however NCL is my thing. Food entertainment, friendly crew.

It makes perfect sense to post on both boards. :)

Agreed

The itinerary on the Adventure of the Seas does look better. If you guys are just going to lay low, eat a nice meal and have minimum entertainment expectations, then do the Adventure. You will have that, plus go to more islands.

If your looking for a bells and whistles ship experience, then do the Getaway.