RCCL vs. NCL

[MrZoey]

I could use some input.....DD really wants to try The Epic or The Pearl. Has anyone been on the Pearl? How does it compare to the Freedom class ships?

Thanks!:D

[NJCruiseGal32]

DH & I just departed the NCL Pearl on 1/9/10. The pearl offers two main dining rooms, comfort food cafe, and buffet for no additional cost. There are several other restaurants which charge a sur charge ranging from $10pp to $25pp. Dining is simple on NCL, just check the board for availability, and make your choice for the night at whatever time you'd like.

 

The pool area consists of two pools, one family pool, one adults only pool. There aren't many lounge chairs, in replacement are tables and chairs to eat. On deck, there are little 'spritzers' under the deck to cool you off. There are also several day bed's available overlooking the ocean. There is no solarium on board. There is one slide available.

 

The ship consists of several live entertainment options, and lacks a promenande. The ship does appear to be lacking public space.

 

The food is exceptional, in comparison to RCCL. There's a basketball court and a golf cage, that's all for the sports deck. Oh yes, and the rock cimbing wall.

 

The ship is in great shape. The NCL Epic, is supposed to be more innovative.

[MrZoey]

Thanks......I get the impression it would be worth trying one of these ships!:D. My DD was pretty unhappy with how much the quality of food had slipped on our last cruise, not that it would stop us from going on RCCL again, just made us a little more open to try other products.:rolleyes:

[NJCruiseGal32]

Your most welcome:o)

 

DH & I were booked on the Oasis of the Seas this past Jan, however we canceled and decided to book the NCL for a B2B for Christmas/New Year's.

 

RCCL, has seen a decline in quality of food as of the last few years. Even the service in the dining room has been lacking. DH & I had more assistance from the Maitre'd then our own waiter/bus boy.

 

You'll enjoy NCL....it's smart casual as well.

[SylvieQuebec]

We tried NCL this summer and although we did not have any bad experience, we did not like this company overall. Compared to Princess it was way below for the quality and level of service. I cannot compare with RCCL since I will try them next month, but I am really confident I will prefer RCCL over NCL.

 

It may take many many years with a lot of convincing or change from NCL to go back with them.

 

My opinion.

[lorijm23]

We've been on the Jewel which is a sister ship to the Pearl. While we really liked the different restaurant options, the fact that you have to pay for most of them is a bit of a downer. My husband and son are really into sports and was very disappointed that they shut down the basketball court around 5pm since it sits directly above the buffet restaurant. RCI's court is open 24 hrs. When we were on Navigator, the court was always busy and they had numerous planned activities for both kids and adults (basketball, dodgeball, volleyball, etc). NCL's was very limited.

 

They have to have somewhere to put all the extra eating options so they minimize big open public spaces like promenades and atriums, which we also severely missed from RCI. The small 2 story atrium they do have is very unimpressive to us. However, they do give you free champagne in this area upon embarkation which we didn't get from RCI.

 

NCL did have pretty good shows, including a Cirque show which amazes you and you forget you are on a ship and not in a Vegas or Orlando theatre. RCI has the ice show which is amazing and one of a kind as well.

 

On RCI you can find food 24/7 somewhere and there are quick grab options like Cafe Promenade, Sorrento's, Johnny Rockets. On NCL, there were actually times late at night when there was nothing to eat after they closed the buffet and you had to wait an hour or so for them to open the poolside grill. The only other option was to try to get into one of the sit down restaurants but that was never quick. Didn't like this aspect at all, however, the food was pretty good quality.

 

One definite highlight on NCL is the Japapese Steakhouse restaurant, Tepanaki. Excellent quality food and entertainment, albet it did have a surcharge (I think $25).

 

For us personally, RCI has more activities, food and public areas that we like and we will stick with them. If NCL was your first cruise then you'd probably love it. If you've been on Voyager or above class ships, you'lll probably feel like you're missing something.

[lorijm23]

Forgot to mention that if you play bingo, NCL kind of forces you to purchase a card machine for any hopes of winning. This ends up making each bingo session cost about $80! I love to play bingo on cruises and this ended up costing me a fortune. They do have lottery sticks they frequently give out or you can purchase, and I don't remember having that on RCI unless they have added them. I did win $500 from one of the lottery cards which was nice, but ended up going to my tab to cover the bingo's!

[Robbo66]

 

They have to have somewhere to put all the extra eating options so they minimize big open public spaces like promenades and atriums, which we also severely missed from RCI.

 

We have sailed on 2 NCL cruises (Dawn in 05 and Jewel in 08) and have to agree with the post above. At times there was little to see or do. We definitely enjoyed the relaxed dining options and trying some of the other free restaurants - but now NCL charge for almost all but the MDRs (and their 24 hour snack restaurant and buffet).

 

I also felt my family never got to have that special relationship with wait staff who serve you every evening because on NCL there are always different people even if you sit in the same restaurant.

 

So this year I'll be taking the family on RCI. I still like NCL, but I also feel they probably give up too much space for restaurants - which now that you have to pay for - I won't be using so much.

[Riksha]

We've sailed the Pearl but never RCI so I can't compare but we had a great time on the Pearl.

 

The food was pretty good, and we never had issues with the freestyle dining. We had a great wait staff in the MDR the first night so we requested to be seated in their section whenever we were there. Loved the specialty Teppanyaki restaurant (extra charge). We always went to the MDR for breakfast.

 

The kids liked the rock climbing, bowling alley, and the wii tournaments.

The ship was in good shape.

 

We loved the casual atmosphere, very laid back, which suited us fine. It was a good first cruise for us because it wasn't totally kids oriented, but not totally adult either, good middle of the road demographic for us.

 

The only disappointment was no towel animals on the bed! We never even knew we had a cabin steward, but our room was always cleaned in a timely manner.

[MrZoey]

Thanks everyone again for all the info.....if it's just my DH and me, I think we'll try the Epic! If we go with some of our DDs we might have to have a family meeting!:rolleyes: Even though we will be on the Independence the first week of March, I think we are ready to try some other cruise lines!