Norwegian vs RCCL

[luvbrady]

OK- so, we've been RCCL all the way. 1st experience was great, and it's been an 'ain't broke why fix it' thing for us. Our TA has a deal on Norwegian- but we've got a few folks suggesting that if we are used to Royal we may not like. OK-OK. We'll be on a cruise- I get it. What's not to like, right? But just looking to someone who's been there done that who might shed some light on the differences.

 

THANKS

[Tapi]

What ship will you be on?

 

Just like with Royal Caribbean where the experience would be vastly different if you sailed on the Majesty vs. the Allure, the same applies with NCL...:)

[AFsouth]

I'm determined to sail lots of different lines, to include NCL.:)

[DavyB]

I've been on the Epic twice mainly because of the entertainment. Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Cirque, Howl at the Moon, and Second City Comedy were all great. Not to mention NCL's parties are amazing. I also loved the freestyle dining where you eat when you want, where you want, and with whom you want. :-) With that said, my favorite ship so far has been the Liberty of the Seas!!

 

I say try it. If you don't like it, then go back. Like you said, you're on a cruise. Any day cruising is better than any day at work. :-)

 

Enjoy!!

[Starry Eyes]

NCL is more casual...no real formal nights.

NCL only has open dining...I am fine with either, but some people just LOVE having the same table, assigned table mates and the same waiter each night...if that is one of the highlights of your cruise, do not chose NCL.

NCL's entertainment is good..they do not have ice rinks, but their production shows are pretty comparable to RCCI.

I like RCCL's food a bit better, but tastes vary. NCL has many specialty restaurants, so if you do not like the MDR menu, you will have many choice (many cost some extra money).

each line has a variety of ships, so knowing which ships you have happily sailed and which you are considering might help.

[cruisinfever]

I've been on the Norwegian Dawn and have to say it did not compare to RC. The food was not as good except if youy went to their specialty restaurants.

The room stewards did nit compare to RC. We also went on Princess ships which were definitely comparable to RC.

[matj2000]

Why would you want to do the same thing every time?

I think it gets pretty boring after the 5th time.

It's not like anything changes..

[stairgy]

We were on the NCL Sun TA in October 2010 and thoroughly enjoyed it! We loved it so much we decided to book another TA this fall November 2012 and this time on the Mariner of the Seas. To us, the best part of a TA cruise are the relaxing days at sea. No matter what ship we are on, we know we will enjoy every minute of it...we are looking forward to the Mariner TA so then we can answer your question.

[travelingran]

are the seas rough a lot of the time in the fall?

[Cruisin824]

Great Question!! We are going on the Allure next but I would like to know how the NCL Epic compares to FOS and Allure. I know it wont have a Flowrider but I may be able to part with that for a week.

[kccrzr]

Took NCL once, for the itinerary - Hawaii. That really was the only great thing about the experience. Service not nearly as good as RCI; waits of 45 minutes to an hour for "free-style" dining and food not that great; ship not well maintained.

[bmlovell]

We sail with both lines and will continue to do so the Ncl Gem is a wonderful ship and so is Explorer RCL we live near NY city and would never miss a chance to sail on either line. they are more similar to us then different food both good to great entertainment good to great We love the dining options on gem including the main dining room . We really enjoy the royal promenade on Explorer . sometimes we choose by itinerary which line to book. we will for sure book Ncl new breakaway class that's to home port in Ny 2013 why limit your options ;)

[retiredonthesea]

As far as suites go--nothing compares to NCL. We have cruised NCL in suites and RCL in suites. We love the specialty dining rooms on NCL, but like some of the bars entertainment better on RCL--FOS only ship we have been on with RCL. Each have their good points and not so good, but just plain cruising is the best vacation. Like the spa on NCL Jewel the best, but love the ice show on FOS.

 

To me, it's what you make of it--find what you like best about each ship and just enjoy yourself!!!:D

 

Have a wonderful cruise!!

[Cruisin'cockney]

We are NCL Latitudes gold and will be on our first RCI sailing in April. I cannot believe they are significantly different and we have always been really happy on NCL. However we have no false loyalty and will always look at trying other lines for variety. The only real difference is the dining which is casual (but NOT sub-standard). Other than that you should enjoy. I would recommend Jewel class (Gem/Jade/Jewel/Pearl) or Epic if possible for the best experience. We cannot afford suites but those who can say that the NCL "suite life" is the best in class. Enjoy.:)

[herbanrenewal]

For the right price and itinerary I'd happily take either.

 

That said, I think there was more overhead announcements of opportunities to spend your money on NCL than on any RCCL or Celebrity cruise. Almost constant bombardment. So for me, if it's a port intensive cruise NCL is in the running, but for a TA where I want quiet leisure time NCLs atmosphere is a deal breaker.

[lah66]

I have been on 3 NCL cruises. I do not think we will go back. Our last cruise on the Sun we were surrounded on all sides by smokers and really could not use our aft balcony that we had spent big bucks for. I think the lower price of Ncl draws more the partier or very very retired group. Having said that, the ships are beautiful, the food good, love the eat when you want and dress up or not! Yes, there are too many overhead advertisements!

 

Do not listen to any Hawaii reviews. The Pride is staffed with young Americans which can never compare to any other ship's staff. How embarrassing.

 

We loved trying multiple lines and feel they are all essentially the same. You will have a marvelous time either way. Not only does each cruise vary from line to line, but also ship to ship, even week to week depending on the passenger mix.

 

Happy cruising!

[cruisenshop]

Asking whether RCI or NCL is better is like asking which kid do you love best... love them both but they are different in their own ways.

 

We generally get a mini suite or penthouse on NCL. Up front cost per suite is not as high as RCI. That said, we spend more on the ship for dining since we are the cruisers that like a different restaurant every night. Dining on both lines is very comparable and I have never had service issues except when we had an ill room steward on NCL once - but who can fault that? When we book RCI we spend more upfront on cabin but less on the ship for dining as we usually only do Portofino and Chops once. Suite amenities are similar on both lines.

 

Entertainment is similar. The headliner shows on RCI seem to be better , and comedy better on NCL (and Princess) but really its a close call. Rock wall and ice shows on RCI are fun (and zip line etc on Oasis can't be beat)

 

I agree with the prior poster about ship choice - comparing two different types of ships would not be fair. Also, the itinerary versus line can sometimes effect my love of a particular cruise. We did the Mexican Riveria on NCL. Did not love the ports. Would not have loved it on RCI.

 

For us it depends on itinerary, ship amenities and cost. We enjoy the differences of the different lines and don't feel we have to be loyal to only one line!

[luvbrady]

Thanks everyone for the input. We are looking at Dawn out of BOS or Explorer out of Cape Lib to Bermuda. From what I can see Dawn is more comprable to the Majesty. We've done Voyager class before, but not Explorer. Port in BOS for Norwegian is closer, but that's not such a driving force.

[BobKat406]

Took first NCL cruise in October (have cruised RCI only). Love the freestyle concept. Food in specialty restaurants is good and lots of choices. MDR on RCI is slightly better than NCL.

 

The one big issue I had with NCL was they allow smoking in the cabins. We didn't notice it too much in the beginning of the week (but the weather was bad) and by the end of the week since everyone spent a lot of time inside it was very noticeable in the hallways and even in my cabin. I believe they were going to stop this in January.

 

Shows are great and if you are a gambler - the casino program on NCL is better than that on RCI.

[clean1owner]

OK- so, we've been RCCL all the way. 1st experience was great, and it's been an 'ain't broke why fix it' thing for us. Our TA has a deal on Norwegian- but we've got a few folks suggesting that if we are used to Royal we may not like. OK-OK. We'll be on a cruise- I get it. What's not to like, right? But just looking to someone who's been there done that who might shed some light on the differences.

 

THANKS

 

 

 

I would say the 2 lines are more similar than different

[MikeNJ1109]

We've sailed on RCL six times (Explorer, Brilliance, Voyager, Mariner, Liberty, Freedom) and on NCL twice (both times the Dawn to Bermuda from NY) ... and have loved each and every cruise. Service from both lines have been exemplery, our cabins have been exactly what we've needed (enough room to suit us, and very comfortable), food has been good to great on both lines.

 

For us, it's not WHICH cruise line we're on, but rather the fact that WE'RE CRUISING that matters. "All we need is a tall ship, and a star to sail her by"

 

Michael and Silke

[graphicguy]

NCL and RCCL are both good cruise companies. The couple of big differences will be the way NCL does Freestyle. They really do excel at the concept, where RCCL kind of just takes a stab at it with mixed results. I prefer the entertainment on NCL, too. It's much better, overall, than RCCL's is.

 

That said, I got a deal on the Allure I booked a month or so ago for a May, 2012 sailing and couldn't pass it up. I'm very much looking forward to it.

 

But, after that I'm looking forward to a suite on NCL. From what I've read, it's the best suite experience of any of the major lines. Probably 10 months away from booking that cruise, though.

[jebl]

WE took our first NCL cruise on the Star last month. I was not impressed and probably will stick with RCL or X in the future. The food ranged from mediocre to poor in both dining rooms and the french specialty restaurant.

 

I like My Time Dining on RCL but felt that the freestyle was pushing you to use the pay restaurants.

 

I did enjoy the entertainment and the staff were very friendly and helpful except for our steward. Worst steward in 24 cruises.

 

It wasn't a bad cruise but it sure wasn't comprable to RCL.

[OTownNick]

Ive only been on RCL or Celebrity. At this point, I love my Crown and Anchor benefits and dont want to venture elsewhere because RCL has me spoiled. At least on Celebrity, my benefits are the same and Celebrity is awesome.

[Starry Eyes]

Took NCL once, for the itinerary - Hawaii. That really was the only great thing about the experience. Service not nearly as good as RCI; waits of 45 minutes to an hour for "free-style" dining and food not that great; ship not well maintained.

 

NCLA (Hawaii cruises) are not the same as NCL cruises. Since NCLA is US flagged, the service is given by US people, while other NCL cruises have an international crew, like RCI. It is kinda strange and kinda nice to hear all sorts of US accents from crew, but the service is not the same. We are not the most service oriented culture on earth. Very different work rules. Very different wages. So, please, kccrzr, be careful about extrapolating your NCLA experience to NCL in general. I do not know if NCL would please you...it might not, but I do know it is a different animal.