DCL vs. Princess vs. RCCL vs. NCL

My friend and I are looking to take a 7 night Eastern Caribbean cruise during the first 2 weeks of December 2016. We are both in our mid-40s. We would like good food but not necessarily haute cuisine. We would like a ship with some nightlife or shows but nothing too wild. I think we have it narrowed down to one of the 4 below. We both have cruised before but neither of us have visited any of the ports on these itineraries. I've only cruised once to the Western Caribbean on Carnival so I'm feeling a little bit of information overload at this point.

1. Disney Magic out of MIA stops at Tortola, St. Thomas and Castaway Cay. This itinerary appeals to me the most and I like that the ship is smaller. My friend and I are both big Disney buffs and the cabins are a good size. I know it's odd to be considering a Disney cruise without kids but the adult only areas look nice. We both have older (college and early 20s) aged kids so we like kids even though we will be childless on this trip. Disney is the most expensive by about $200.

2.Regal Princess out of FLL stops at Amber Cove, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. This ship looks really nice but I'm not sure how I feel about Amber Cove. The pics I've seen left me feeling a little underwhelmed. I was also wondering how French the French side of St. Maarten is, as the possibility of French pastries could sway me. The cabins look nice although I've heard most of the balconies are small. Family members that have sailed Princess really liked it, especially the food.

3. Allure of the Seas out of FLL stops in Nassau, St. Thomas and St. Maarten. We've been looking at the different cabin types and there are just so many choices. I was wondering how the noise would be on the Boardwalk or Central Park balconies. My biggest concern with Allure is just the size of the ship and how crowded areas like the pool deck might feel on sea days and how long lines might be for getting on and off the ship at the ports.

4.NCL Epic out of Miami to St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau. We liked the offer that includes the drink package and hopefully they will offer the pick 2 offer again soon so specialty dining would also be included. The nightlife options also looked interesting. I've read some reviews that complained about how crowded the ship was on sea days and seen a few Youtube videos that might support that, but others that don't look nearly as crowded. The cabins are smaller than on any of the other ships.

Price between Princess, RCCL and NCL are comparable unless we went with the Princess Emerald deck obstructed balcony (not actually very obstructed) which is quite a bit cheaper. Disney is again about $200 more.

Which option would you select and why?

I can only speak out of experience for RCI so that would be my endorsement. But to support it Allure is a terrific ship with a wide selection of very good restaurants from the main dining room to a number of excellent specialty (fee surcharge) venues and no charge options.

The entertainment is varied and offers a lot of choices from the aqua theater shows to the Broadway production and the headliner shows, ice show, comedy club and jazz club. Very unique layout with the Royal Promenade shopping and dining, Broadway with the aqua theater and dining, Central Park with higher end shopping and dining. Five main pool areas including the adults only Solarium for a choice of pool activities. The Rising Tide Bar is also unique with it's elevator ride between the Royal Promenade and Broadway.

The crowds IMO are manageable in each venue as there are so many activities to choose from and the overall crowd feel is less than that of some smaller ships.

The room selections really aren't that complicated with inside, ocean view, balcony, and suites. Naturally within each category is a wide selection of options but just go with what you think you would enjoy best. The Central Park balcony rooms will be generally quieter on the balcony than the Boardwalk view, but the Ocean view balconies offer the quietest and ocean view.

She is a large ship but really not that difficult to navigate and get around to see everything. She is one of our favorite ships and would be my recommendation. Very unique compared to any other ship and should be experienced at least once IMO.

Enjoy your cruise, whatever choice you make.

I would suggest the NCL Getaway instead and to get a spa cabin because the spa on these ships (Epic, Getaway, Breakaway and Escape) is extraordinary with a water circuit, hot tub, heated tile loungers, sauna, sanarium, salt room and aromatherapy steam room (and Escape also has a snow room.) A lot of the crowding issue has to do with if you hang around the pool all day and mostly eat at the buffet.

The NCL Epic is a French built ship that has some very unusual design features. The bathrooms were very controversial. The toilet is located in a small room with a frosted glass door and the shower is located across the hall from it - both in the entry and then the sink is located on the dresser at the foot of the bed or across from the sofa. There is a privacy curtain between this toilet and shower area and the rest of the cabin. But it's not the most private arrangement ever. The NCL Getaway is a German built ship. It has a similar decor to the Epic but the cabins are the standard cruise ship cabins and are larger and you can see this ship was built far better than Epic. This is not to say Epic is a bad ship, it's just a very different design that some people really hate. For us, we quite enjoyed our The Haven Spa Suite with the round bed and spa tub in the cabin and a great shower. One thing Epic IS notorious for is hair dryers that conk out on your after only 1 to 2 minutes of use. I experienced this myself and to top off the problems it caught on fire while I was using it on Epic. I quickly unplugged it and put it in the sink and drowned the hair dryer. I have wondered if perhaps NCL got bad hair dryers but don't know it. Bring your own hair dryer if you go on this ship.

If you do decide to sail on NCL, be sure to make all of your dinner reservations ahead of time online and your show reservations as well. Otherwise, you will wind up having to eat at odd times - like 9:30pm and you might not get into the shows that require reservations at all. The Vibe on these newer NCL ships is like a new Las Vegas Casino resort with a water park. They remind me a great deal of Aria with the casino at the heart of the ship and restaurants and stores arranged around the casino. The Haven on these ships would be like High Roller Suites.

Allure of the Seas is a gorgeous ship. What they don't have is a great spa like on the NCL ships but they do have the All-Adult Solarium which is included in the price of the cruise. However, the entertainment on this ship is fantastic. The inward facing Central Park cabins tend to have hot balconies with no breeze if you are cruising during hot weather. Also, the cabins look into each other - it is not all that private, to me it feels kind of urban. The balconies in the Boardwalk area are better in terms of climate. Also it is fun to watch the high diving show from your balcony if you want. Other than when shows are going on, it is not terribly noisy. Also, at least you can look out from your balcony and see the ocean. My preference on Oasis class RCCL ships is to get either an ocean facing balcony or be in a Grand Suite - which has some perks such as entrance to a special restaurant only for suite guests and a nicer bathroom with separate tub and shower and larger balcony. These Oasis class ships are so massive that if you don't get a cabin with a view of the ocean, you might never feel like you are on a ship! Again, with Oasis class ships you must make your specialty dining reservations in advance and also your show reservations. Shows on Allure are spectacular. I don't like the buffet on this ship, however. (I'm not a big buffet fan anyway, but this one is particularly bad, IMO.) They never seemed to have anything I would want to eat during the day, so I would go to the Park Cafe or go downstairs to Promenade Cafe instead. Whereas NCL reminds me of a Las Vegas Casino Resort, RCCL Oasis class reminds me of being at a big theme park with different neighborhoods.

Regal Princess is a ship I have not yet been on, but I do want to go on it. Because of the spa facilities, I think it would be great for a girl's trip or a romantic couple's trip. I have been on many other Princess ships and they are very nice and more adult. The shows, however, are more your typical cruise kids shows - an opportunity to see attractive young people in pretty costumes, some British humor and a very British type crew show. We enjoyed it. There is also a nice tea shop on this ship - something else I'm fond of. I think this ship would have a more traditional cruise vibe.

Disney cruise line is all about the kids. There is no casino onboard at all. And you should google something called Fish Extender. I've had friends who have gone on these ships with their little daughters and had a great time, but if this is an adults only trip, then be prepared for lots of little kids onboard who may be running around in the restaurants and dining rooms, crying, screaming, etc. It really is a very family oriented cruise. Also there are often long lines because Disney does lots of character meet and greets onboard. They also have one night per cruise where you dress up as pirates and watch fireworks. If you love to be around lots of other people's children, then this is the cruise for you! Otherwise, Disney charges more than other cruise lines typically and that's to subsidize all the Disney entertainment and things going on that are mainly for kids and families.

I would eliminate Disney. Then it is just a matter of what you want from your cruise. Do you want more of a Las Vegas environment on NCL or more of a theme park environment on RCCL? And if you don't want either, then you would probably enjoy the more adult environment on Princess.

Thank you both for the helpful replies. I did mistype however on the NCL ship (we had also looked at the Epic out of Port Canaveral but ruled that out), the NCL ship would be the Escape. The NCL Getaway seems to only have Western Caribbean itineraries during December.

We are actually going to Vegas next month and staying at Aria so that was a good comparison for me, as I've stayed there before. I'm not sure I really want a theme park environment overall. I like the dining options on the bigger ships but I can't see us trying the climbing walls or wave runners as an example. I'm probably more traditional in my tastes than he is so the tea appeals to me.

We have sailed DCL, Princess & RCL.

A VERY important factor is when you are looking to cruise. You are going to find the demographics on all the ships considerably older the 1st 2 weeks of December. We have cruised Princess & the Allure the 1st week in December & the Allure had a much better variety of ages traveling, likely due to the sheer numbers.

Forget DCL--the Disney themeing is mild. The cost is more & it isn't better. And the nightlife the week we sailed was DEAD DEAD DEAD. (too bad, they have a nice nightclub area).

We like Princess but it was definitely a mellower cruise that 1st week in December.

Why the Allure? Because it is large there is SO SO SO much to choose from. This was our FAVORITE cruise ever. If you want a balcoy I recommend oceanview; go Central Park 2nd (its cool). I dont think you will find the noise to be a factor even with these interior balconies. We only found it to feel crowded once--during muster. Because it is so large & there are so many places to be (and many that feel intimate), it just doesn't feel crowded. We danced in the nightclub every night until late. (again, this was also early December). Spent most days in the very uncrowded Solarium. Gee, we need to go back!! I am not a huge theme park fan; never felt I was at a theme park (tho the Boardwalk area does feel that way a bit--perhaps why I never revisited that area after seeming it once!)

We have never sailed NCL as various family members who have cruised several lines as we have put NCL as their distant next to last place line preference (Carnival is the consensus for last...). They all say it is fine, but they just prefer RCL, Princess, Celebrity.

BTW, Vegas & cruising are our 2 fav vacations. Aria is fantastic! ENJOY!

I'd choose any but Disney. BUT I am not particularly a Disney fan. While the Magic's food was superb and ship was pretty, there was not a lot for adults on that ship at all. Even the theater shows were geared toward kids. At that point we decided not to spend the extra on $ on a Disney cruise again.

I wouldn't hesitate to go on Escape (very new), Princess (quite new) or Oasis. Have had fabulous cruises on NCL, Princess and RC.

If Disney is "only" $200 more than the other ones then no brainer to me. DCL all the way! All mass market cruiselines are all about the cruise. DCL is about the magical experience ... for people who do "get it" or value it, don't have to be a Disney fanatic to appreciate it.

So if I eliminate Disney, any thoughts on the itineraries between Regal Princess, Allure of the Seas or NCL Escape?

The Escape has what seem to me to be short times in the ports - St. Thomas from 8 am to 6pm, Tortola from 7am to 3pm and Nassau from Noon to 7pm.

Allure for St. Thomas is 10am to 7pm, St. Maarten is 8 am to 5pm, and Nassau 7am to 2pm.

Princess definitely has more time in St. Thomas 10 am to 10pm, St. Maarten 7am to 6pm and Amber Cove 7am to 3pm (ok with that one).

Any feedback on the different ports? I think we could probably be happy with any of the three ships, even if the experience might be different from one line to the next. That's maybe why it's feeling hard to pick one.

I'd choose any but Disney. BUT I am not particularly a Disney fan. While the Magic's food was superb and ship was pretty, there was not a lot for adults on that ship at all. Even the theater shows were geared toward kids. At that point we decided not to spend the extra on $ on a Disney cruise again.

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I agree with the entertainment. But we were very underwhelmed by the MDR food on the Magic. (this was 10 years ago...perhaps it is better now)

Regarding the ports, it is just a shuffle of St. Thomas, St. Maarten & Nassau (tossing in Amber Cove--private island? & Tortola). I like all these ports for different reasons, and would always be willing to go back.

St. Thomas we love Paradise Beach on the other side of the island, but also have gone to town for a bit of shopping & found a fun bar in a courtyard area.

St. Maarten--we have wandered thru the Dutch side (CHEAP shopping); would love to check out the French side next time.

Nassau--if you haven't seen Atlantis, definitely worth a look (Vegas, baby!)

Private islands are always relaxing

Sry, cannot comment on Tortola, haven't been.

Honestly in this case the ports have little impact on the decision if it were me.

Thank you both for the helpful replies. I did mistype however on the NCL ship (we had also looked at the Epic out of Port Canaveral but ruled that out), the NCL ship would be the Escape. The NCL Getaway seems to only have Western Caribbean itineraries during December.

 

We are actually going to Vegas next month and staying at Aria so that was a good comparison for me, as I've stayed there before. I'm not sure I really want a theme park environment overall. I like the dining options on the bigger ships but I can't see us trying the climbing walls or wave runners as an example. I'm probably more traditional in my tastes than he is so the tea appeals to me.

I love the Aria - we always stay in a corner suite - they are great and usually we get one overlooking the pool at the Cosmopolitan. Did you know Barmasa (restaurant) will do a chilled sake tasting if you request it led by their sommelier? He did 2 flights of old world and new world sakes. We did that with friends for my birthday 2 years ago and also had the Omakase. It was really great and we all learned so much about sake!

The Escape is NCL's newest ship. It also has the lovely The Haven Spa Suites, a great spa with a snow room, sauna, sanarium, aromatherapy steam room, water circuit, hot tub and heated tile loungers. It also comes with the "get all 4" perks for suites (not mini-suites - Penthouse and above) or pick 1 perk for all other cabins. The decor is also similar to Aria. New on this ship:

2 musicals:

After Midnight

Million Dollar Quartet

For the Record: The Brat Pack Live at the Supper Club

28 possible dining experiences including Food Republic (gets great reviews) Bayamo (gets so-so reviews), Margaritaville (gets so-so reviews), Cagneys Steakhouse, Moderno (Churriscaria) Le Bistro (French) La Cucina (Italian), Sushi, Teppanyaki, etc.

New also is The Cellars - wine tasting and Tobacco Road - a legendary bar based in Miami brought onboard the ship.

There is an Aqua Park topside with major slides - exciting enough for adults and a ropes course and a rock climbing wall.

At any rate, I would classify RCCL and NCL (especially outside of The Haven on NCL) as more of a family cruise with some adult areas. On NCL we always sail in The Haven and you really get pampered in there and it's quite a special experience, but it is expensive.

Regal Princess is going to be a bit more sophisticated and quiet overall. It is more of an adult type experience although there will definitely be some kids onboard. I'm excited about the spa, the spa cabanas and the water fountain show. If they still have the Beatles Live cover band show, I probably would go to that.

AS to the ports:

St. Thomas: The best place to go on St. Thomas is to St. John. St. Thomas is just a bunch of shopping in their downtown area with tourist jewelry stores and trinkets - not very interesting shopping at all. The beaches are overrun with tourists and most of their coral reefs have suffered to the point they are not worth snorkeling. St. John is unspoiled and uncrowded by comparison. Trunk Bay beach is spectacular. You could charter a boat for the day and sail around St. John - here's an example:

http://www.cruisingexcursions.com/excursion.php?ID=26401&A=2&I=0&C=&D=2016-12-01

Yes, I know it is expensive but if you can afford it, it is an amazing experience, you can also go to St. John by ferry or by ship's excursion which costs very little. Alternatively, consider a helicopter ride - the whole Virgin Islands is absolutely gorgeous by air.

If you go to Tortola, take the ferry to Virgin Gorda and The Baths Beach - this is one of the greatest shore excursions in all of the Caribbean - like something out of Treasure Island!

DO take some Bonine BEFORE breakfast so that you will be ready for the ferry ride over to Virgin Gorda - the water is choppy and lots of people who did not plan ahead like I did were seasick on my crossing. My husband was so GLAD I insisted he take a Bonine that morning! Wear water shoes - you will need shoes you can get wet to climb the rocks in the baths and bring a beach bag packed with as little as possible - remember you have to squeeze through the caves and climb on rocks with your bag. Go down to The Baths Beach via the trail on the right. Buy bottled water at the bar down there before continuing into the caves as there is no place to buy anything on the other side of the caves. After enjoying the caves for a while, go to Devils Bay Beach on the way up from The Baths and do some snorkeling - this trail is a less steep climb. At the top of The Baths, go to the restaurant and bar there. They have a freshwater pool that is nice and cool and are known for having the best Pina Coladas in the Caribbean - and they REALLY DO! They also have an amazing view.

http://topofthebaths.com

St. Maarten - I like snorkeling on the French side - there really are some great off-shore sites, so that is probably what I would do there and I'd go by boat. Otherwise, you can walk from the dock to the water taxi on the left side as come off the dock. Get a round trip wrist band and this will take you to the beach and downtown St. Maarten. There is some shopping there - the typical tourist stores, some restaurants and the beach.

Nassau - There is the Atlantis water park, but with only a half day there and the expense, I would do something like walk to the straw market and buy a bag - have the ladies there put your first name on the bag if you want and then go to Junkanoo Beach. This would make for a very inexpensive day there.

At Amber Cove, we'd probably rent one of the private cabanas over the water. We have done that several times and just love it. We bring our IPads and just relax. Half the time my DH falls asleep for most of the morning, then we have lunch and do some swimming.

I do really like the idea of the spa cabins, and that Haven spa suite looks perfect. I need to pick a back-up plan though in case he decides we should spend less. It doesn't look like either of the other ships have spa cabins? I know that Celebrity has spa cabins, any other lines? I do like the fact that Princess looks a little more relaxed and adult to me.

I was definitely hoping to see St. John as my brother has been pushing me to go there for a long time, and he is convinced that I will love St. John. The Baths look amazing too. And if there were both nice beaches and French pastries on the French side of St. Martin I would be sold.

The first spa cabins I ever heard about were on the Carnival Splendor and Carnival has had spa cabins on their new ships ever since but the NCL spa's thermal area is considerably better than that on Carnival's ships. NCL's thermal area is considerably larger, it has the water circuit, whereas Carnival only has a thalisotherapy pool and NCL has a lot more heated tile loungers. However, the rooms in the thermal suite are about the same. A short time after the spa cabins were introduced on Carnival, Celebrity came out with their spa cabins and one upped Carnival by adding a spa restaurant, Blu. NCL at least since the Gem class ships has always had a nice spa, but their first spa cabins were on the Epic. They have spa cabins on Epic, Getaway, Breakaway and Escape so far. If you want a less expensive cabin on NCL, then do a spa mini-suite or spa balcony or you can get a regular cabin and pay $179 pp per week for spa access - set this up via the NCL website. You don't get in the Haven, but you still get in the spa.

One of the strange things about The Have Spa Suites is that they are the least expensive suites and get all the perks of the Haven plus entry to the spa, which no other suites get even though they cost more. All the other suites have to pay $179pp per week for the same spa access the spa suites get. Here are the perks for the suites, btw:

starting shoreside, VIP check in and VIP waiting room

Personal escort onboard the ship to either the Haven Lounge (if the suites are not ready) or your suite.

welcome aboard flower arrangement

welcome aboard sparkling wine and a large bottle of water

fruit bowl replenished daily

butler service (room service, pillow, dvd library)

concierge service (restaurant, show and excursion reservations)

Access to the Haven, pool, spa, sauna, steam room

Access to the Haven lounge and bar

Access to the Haven restaurant

Special seating at shows through the concierge

Special coffee maker in your stateroom with all the accouterments

Special pillow menu

Bathrobes and spa slippers

Upscale toiletries (shampoo, conditioner, lotion, body wash)

Seashell bath salts

Daily hors d'ouerve's

DVD player in suite

Shower with body jets

Officer's cocktail party for Haven guests only

Special earliest possible walk-off disembarkation through the concierge so you can catch an earlier flight home if desired.

If you are in a Haven suite, you get a gold card and basically all ship personnel will treat you special in all venues and even upon exiting and entering the ship at ports. The butler, cabin steward and concierge will do everything they can to never say no to any request you make of them. The concierge will help you to avoid ever having to stand in line for anything on the ship. Your butler will want to bring you room service (for which there is no charge for Haven and Suite guests). The bartenders, waiters and waitresses in The Haven bar and restaurant will learn your name and do all they can to please you, even bringing food from another restaurant if that is what you really want.

With the included 4 amenities for suite guests, you can dine in a different specialty restaurant every night, have any cocktail, wine or beer you want up to $15, have free WIFI and $50 per port towards any shore excursions you arrange through the ship. So basically, the cruise will almost be completely all-inclusive.

I still think you would really enjoy the Regal Princess as well.

That's a very nice list of perks. Since we are staying in a sky suite at Aria next month (life offer), I might be setting a precedent and end up booking a suite so we don't feel like we are taking a step dow.

I did find that suite guests on Regal Princess would also have access to that spa included as well, so I think I'm down to those two.

One of my coworkers will be on the Escape next week with her family, so I'll get a firsthand report once she gets back.

Oh my gosh the Sky Suites at Aria are fantastic! You are going to have an amazing time there.

Since you are used to suites, then, yes, if you go on NCL, I would say definitely book a suite or you will feel let down. NCL will really spoil you. There really are not any other spa suites on other cruise lines that have the spa tub in the room (as opposed to the bathroom.)

But I did forget on RCCL, they now have started to have some spa junior suites on their newest ships - that the Quantum Class Ships. BUT these are Junior Suites so they don't have any suite advantages - like eating in the restaurant for suite guests and no priority seating at shows. RCCL still doesn't have a water circuit in their thermal suite and it's not included with the spa junior suite anyway. Really, I wonder what RCCL was thinking when they introduced these spa junior suites without spa access. To me, it doesn't make a lot of sense. Here's a video of the spa junior suite:

It looks like Holland America now has spa cabins as well but they don't list access to the spa thermal suite as a perk for these cabins either. Well, last time I went on HAL, the average age was 70+, and although we liked our suite, we felt kind of out of place on that cruise and I've talked to others who have been on HAL and they felt similarly to us, so I know now it was not just a fluke or that one cruise.

I just did a bit more digging. Azamara Journey now has spa suites - but no photos or reviews yet - the remodel of that ship is so new, I believe it is on the first or second voyage after the major remodel and some areas are not yet complete. They also remodeled their spa - no photos of that yet either.

I've done 3 cruises on Princess and only had a balcony or mini-suite but on Regal I'd like to do a full suite. But look what I found about the Regal Princess spa on the Princess website:

"Use of the Lotus Spa® Thermal Suite,

a communal relaxation center (on select ships, excluding Regal and Royal Princess)"

That's disappointing so I guess we'd have to buy spa passes. I still want to try Regal Princess, though. The only thing is the reviews say the thermal suite is an internal space without windows.

I just hung up the phone with Princess as the website said 2 different things in 2 different places. On the Regal and Royal princess, suite guests have access to the thermal spa but not automatically to the Enclave.

I did watch a video of the spas on both the Escape and the Regal and they both look pretty nice.

hands down, the Escape and drink package. you really need to factor that into your cost comparisons. i just got off a 2 week Breakaway cruise, and friends said the drink package tipped the scale cuz it was worth over a thousand bucks on a 2 week cruise.

I just hung up the phone with Princess as the website said 2 different things in 2 different places. On the Regal and Royal princess, suite guests have access to the thermal spa but not automatically to the Enclave.

 

I did watch a video of the spas on both the Escape and the Regal and they both look pretty nice.

I agree - they both look very nice although it appears to me that the Princess spa has fewer features than the Escape spa and is nowhere near as large as that on Escape. Still the Princess spa is a very lovely and sophisticated space. I definitely want to get on Regal and try it! The Escape thermal suite takes up the entire front of the ship on 16 with panoramic windows overlooking the bow. The Haven Spa Suites are located on 16 as well, port side with The Haven being just upstairs on 17.

I don't know how I would choose between the two ships if I were you. It's a good problem to have - 2 really good options. Can you do a 2 week vacation and do them back to back? You could do Escape Sat - Sat and then Regal Princess the following week Sun - Sun. With cruise prices so low, it's really tempting to me to book this myself even though I have 2 other cruises booked for this spring.

I think you are into something. I don't know that we can do 2 weeks straight in December but I'm thinking maybe go on the Escape for the Eastern Caribbean cruise as Regal Princess has a lot more itineraries so we could do that one next somewhere else.

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