NCL Pearl vs Ruby Princess

I am in charge of booking an Alaskan cruise for the beginning of June 2018 for a group, a mix of family and friends. We are all basically in our 50's, but there is a mix of likes, dislikes and budgeting. We are all easy-going, so I will try to please the majority and then the others will "deal". I have cruised a few times, never on Princess and never to Alaska.

So, I have narrowed it down to the NCL Pearl and the Ruby Princess. The prices are about the same on both cruises, but Princess does offer a nice deal if we book enough cabins. I believe both have very similar itineraries. Please correct me if one itinerary has a particular advantage over the other.

Here's our individual concerns -- my sister-in-law would like a ship with an indoor, heated pool, which I think Ruby Princess has. I would like a ship with as much outdoor viewing area as possible, as well as a good spot to sit indoors and view outside. Some members of our party will be concerned about getting a reasonably priced alcohol package, where I think NCL excels. My brother is a very casual guy, so I get the sense he'd be happier on NCL for that reason, but he is flexible.

We will have a mix of inside cabins, oceanviews and balconies in our group. But advice on cabins is appreciated, as well.

Help! I so appreciate CC and all your opinions. I know this is a lot of questions, but I feel as if I should do my absolute best to pick the "best" for my group.

In case you haven't, you may want to post this at both Princess and NCL Forum for ship specific experience.

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I am in charge of booking an Alaskan cruise for the beginning of June 2018 for a group, a mix of family and friends. We are all basically in our 50's, but there is a mix of likes, dislikes and budgeting. We are all easy-going, so I will try to please the majority and then the others will "deal". I have cruised a few times, never on Princess and never to Alaska.

 

So, I have narrowed it down to the NCL Pearl and the Ruby Princess. The prices are about the same on both cruises, but Princess does offer a nice deal if we book enough cabins. I believe both have very similar itineraries. Please correct me if one itinerary has a particular advantage over the other.

 

Here's our individual concerns -- my sister-in-law would like a ship with an indoor, heated pool, which I think Ruby Princess has. I would like a ship with as much outdoor viewing area as possible, as well as a good spot to sit indoors and view outside. Some members of our party will be concerned about getting a reasonably priced alcohol package, where I think NCL excels. My brother is a very casual guy, so I get the sense he'd be happier on NCL for that reason, but he is flexible.

 

We will have a mix of inside cabins, oceanviews and balconies in our group. But advice on cabins is appreciated, as well.

 

Help! I so appreciate CC and all your opinions. I know this is a lot of questions, but I feel as if I should do my absolute best to pick the "best" for my group.

Nobody in your group is going to be totally satisfied with your selection and you have been stuck or suckered w making a decision. Pick whatever cruise you want to go on and inform the group that if they do not like your choice, they are free to pick their own cruise or take over the cruise management duties.

DON

We've been on many NCL cruises and a few Princess cruises. There are a few things we like better about NCL and a few things we like better about Princess. We too were considering both cruise lines and the decision for us ended up being Princess for Alaska as the time in port was slightly more so we thought we could see more. Princess also seems to have a North to Alaska program which is supposed to have some interesting presentations as well.

Good luck with your decision... whatever you decide, you will have a great time! If there's an excursion you really want to do, book those early.

Here's our individual concerns -- my sister-in-law would like a ship with an indoor, heated pool, which I think Ruby Princess has.

No, it does not, but this should not be a major deciding factor.

Work with a cruise only travel agent. Each line has a certain amount of cabins free before a free birth. A cruise only agent will setup group space for you regardless of what line you work with. I think with Princess it is 8 cabins gives you 1 free birth (not cabin).

Ruby Princess does not have a covered pool.

Princess does run (along with other lines) free drink packages at times. Princess calls it "sip and sail" and they offered this in June last year. Other lines run free drink specials periodically also -I know Celebrity runs it often.

I would get yourself a good travel agent to work with who can give you pros and cons of lines and group spaces.

Good luck!

Thank you, all, for your help!

Easyboy, I didn't post on the NCL or Princess boards because I thought I might get more unbiased opinions here.

Don, you are right that you can't please everybody even some of the time. But, I still want to do my best for myself and the group. That characteristic is probably how I got "nominated" for this job, to begin with :)

ccndfw - I will look into Princess' program that you mention; thanks!

Coral, thanks for the info on Sip 'n Sail! That helps tremendously, and I will watch for that sale.

Coral and SherryF, thanks for correcting me on Princess' pool! At least I go into it with correct information for those concerned, so as not to disappoint.

I am working with a travel agent who specializes in Alaskan cruises, so she helped me narrow down our choices to these two, to begin with. She recommends Princess over NCL, and now my husband and I are leaning that way, as well. If my brother and sister-in-law agree, we are ready to get bookin'!

ccndfw - I will look into Princess' program that you mention; thanks!

!

http://www.princess.com/learn/cruise-destinations/alaska-cruises/onboard-experience/

The drink program started June 21st last year. Who knows about this year. Haven't sailed NCL to compare. Overall, Alaska is pretty casual.

NCL also has a group program and the Pearl is newly refurbished - we are sailing on her in THREE DAYS!!!!!!! (not that I'm excited or anything lol)

Also, you might want to look at the deck plans for both ships, since your group will be getting a mix of cabin types. See if you can get cabins in the different categories fairly close together to visit back and forth. (Or you may WANT to be as far apart as possible lol - either way, knowing where your desired cabin types are available may be one factor to consider.)

And if anyone in your group can't live without Diet Coke - stay away from Norwegian. They only offer Pepsi products and you can't bring your own on board.

Princess along with HAL has a LONG time record of providing wonderful cruises to Alaska.

While Ruby does not have an indoor heated pool, there are so many other nice things about that ship. :)

MamaSylvia, thanks for your help. And have a great trip!! (Hope I didn't miss telling you that before you left.)

OCruisers and Coral, I also appreciate your help!

We decided on Princess, yahoo, and hope to take advantage of the $1 deposits on Monday. Now on to do some cabin research ...

MamaSylvia, thanks for your help. And have a great trip!! (Hope I didn't miss telling you that before you left.)

OCruisers and Coral, I also appreciate your help!

We decided on Princess, yahoo, and hope to take advantage of the $1 deposits on Monday. Now on to do some cabin research ...

The mini suites on Emerald that have covered balconies. There are 2 that are extended at the end (E730 and E731) though they don't look it on floor plans. Those are usually the first ones booked but any of these aft Emerald mini suites are covered (Dolphin ones are not covered).

The balconies on Caribe are also desired. They are larger than most balconies and are half covered, half not covered.

If you like inside cabins - I like Lido deck. You are quick to being outside. Also, far aft cabins on Riveria deck as you are just a few steps from the Terrace aft pool (outside views).

Let me know what type of cabins and I can try to assist.

Coral, amazing and so generous of you to offer! I need all the help I can get. My brother wants an obstructed view ocean view. I found a website with photos of each one's view. My husband and I are torn between oceanview and balcony. I will get out the deck plans and check what you suggest here. Thank you!

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Your family should treat you to a balcony breakfast on a scenic cruising day for all your hard work.

JanetAlice - It's going to be an amazing trip, so I'm so excited regardless! And my second favorite thing to do in this world (travel is first) is to research travel! Ha ha, it's time consuming but I enjoy it.

Lost Again, I had the exact same job as you. I have been planning our cruise since last summer. We leave on the Ruby Princess on 6/10/17! I narrowed it down to the same 2 ships and chose Princess. My decision came down mostly to port time and recommendations that Princess shows and food were a bit better than NCL. But that could be very subjective depending on who you talk to.

I felt like both ships would probably work just fine for our group. We are a very mixed group of 6...my parents in their 70's, me, my daughter, and son and daughter in law who are in their 20's and early 30's. I will write a report when I get back on the ship and the excursions. I love to trip plan and do all the research, but so many folks just don't seem to have a lot of opinions or won't share them. I hope I've planned well for our group, but hopefully they won't complain too much if it didn't!

MommyCPA, I can't wait to hear about your trip! Have fun and safe travels! The more that I hear about Princess, the more sure I am that I made the right decision for me. And I hope that it is the right decision for everybody in the group. I agree that many people won't share their opinions, and that does make the research and decisions difficult. Although they are trying to be agreeable and say it doesn't matter, I feel put into the situation of trying to read minds. But, such is life, and everybody's different personality is what makes the world go 'round, and we love each one, don't we. I've only had one situation where I made a bad decision for a group activity. One person refused to participate because of her fears, which I did not know about, and which she didn't express until we got to the venue.

MommyCPA, we are on the Ruby Princess in July. Looking forward to your review. Have fun!!