NCL or Royal Caribbean?

[Steppy08]

One other thing to consider is the bringing wine aboard policy. We found every Med port had great local wines and X allowed us to bring purchases aboard even though it was against their policy as long as the bottles were in carry on bags and not in open view. This policy will vary from one X ship to another. However X had a very high corkage fee in the MDR. I prefer NCL policy of no wine limits and a very reasonable corkage fee of $15 per bottle.;) It is my understanding that RCL will not allow any wine brought aboard for consumption on the ship, which is why I will never sail with them again.

 

RCL has changed this policy and does allow wine to be brought onboard now. But their corkage fee is $25 I think.

[Cruisegirl6]

alg7334- thats odd, I very friendly and make friends when I go on cruises I get to talk to many and been on 5 RC cruises the past 4 years never found RC to be stuck up at all. When was the last time you went on RC and where did you go, was it an european sailing? We never really see many with tux and gowns in fact we not even dress up anymore we always dress nightly same as every other night and never felt out of place. Usually when we go we do dine at the specialty restaurants at least 6 out of 7 nights, as far as sitting with others we always gotten our table for 4.

 

I like the idea of choosing when to dine but I only would want this if I can make my reservations ahead of time which I know we can so I am all good. I usually like to eat at 7 which with other cruise lines timed dining it never fell in the early or late it was always in between the two times, so I think NCL is a better choice for us.

 

terrydtx- I would not spend 15 for corkage fee I just rather choose the wines that are on the wine menu, I hate being ripped off, now if they charged 5-7 thats more like it but 15 to me is a rip off.

 

So now its 25 corkage fee what the heck!

[SteveH2508]

<snip>

 

Jdvmd- The way I meant "nickle and diming" is that when a ship has a deck that one must pay a fee to use such as posh/vibe along with other available passes to get into areas Im sorry thats nickle and diming. I not know another cruise line that closes certain areas of the ship to passengers unless they purchase a pass, I haven't seen this on Princess, RC or Carnival ships.

 

<snip>

 

Sdmike- so true others nickle and dime but as I have explained above I just not like the idea that they close areas on decks for people who pay for "passes" to use them, this is what I really talking about. I wish I knew more about these passes what you get and the cost I would most likely be purchasing them myself.

 

<snip>

 

Other lines do this as well e.g. Princess and their Sanctuary is a charged option IIRC. NCL do not 'nickle and dime' (I hate that expression BTW) more than any other line.

 

Look at it another way - do you want to pay for things in your base fare that you do not use? (e.g. spa, kids club) - if you want to use those facilities then you pay - if you do not then don't pay. Makes sense to me.

[jdvmd]

RCL has changed this policy and does allow wine to be brought onboard now. But their corkage fee is $25 I think.

 

Only two 750-ml bottles per cabin. If brought to a bar, dining room or specialty restaurant, there is a $25 corkage fee.

[terrydtx]

terrydtx- I would not spend 15 for corkage fee I just rather choose the wines that are on the wine menu, I hate being ripped off, now if they charged 5-7 thats more like it but 15 to me is a rip off.

 

 

I have to disagree, the real rip off is that most cruise lines including NCL sell their wines at 3 to 4 or more times retail. I have seen Berenger or Sutter Home White Zinfandel, a terrible wine to begin with, sell on cruise ships for $29 to $35 a bottle. This is a wine that usually retails for less then $4.50 a bottle. A good Calif Cabernet that I can buy for $15 a bottle would sell on NCL for $45 to $50 but with the corkage fee it costs me $30. I always bring on board my own wines and pay the corkage fee as I know what I am getting before hand. Paying for wine on a cruise ship to me is the real rip off.:eek:

[sdmike]

Epic has an adults only area called Spice H20 at the rear of the ship.

 

 

 

Posh is an area reserved for suite customers and is one of their perks. It's on deck 16-17 forward. They offer a limited number of passes to this area depending on how full the ship is. To me this isn't "nickle and diming" either, but rather part of the suite fare.

 

 

Included in the base fare, whether you pay $300 or $3,000, are 10+ dining options, the water slides, rock climbing & rapellng area, sports courts, pools, Blue Man, Legends, blues club, dueling piano bar, the largest gym at sea and more.

 

Not included (extra price) are the spa, spa services, personal trainer services, about 10 dining options (al a carte & specialty), cirque dinner theatre, the ice bar, and some other things. You can have a great time without any of these things, but they're available.

[terrydtx]

Only two 750-ml bottles per cabin. If brought to a bar, dining room or specialty restaurant, there is a $25 corkage fee.

 

X has gone to a $30 corkage fee and HAL is $18:eek:

[sdmike]

X has gone to a $30 corkage fee and HAL is $18:eek:

 

I'll drink water with my dinner before I pay $40 for a bottle of cheap wine. Just not worth it. I can go without for 7 days for sure

[Cruisegirl6]

I take that expression back, I meant I not sure if I agree whether cruise lines should block areas on the ship and only have those who paid for them (and remind you they not offering to all, they very limited number of passes they can sell).

 

Actually we usually do dine in the specialty/pay restaurants 5-6 times on each week cruise, I not mind paying because we getting better variety and quality. I guess I can understand this concept just needed to "see the light".

 

Yes, wine sure has a high markup whether your on a cruise or restaurant. I rather order by the glass this way if I not care much for that particlar brand I can change and didn't pay for the entire bottle.

 

Actually I do like the idea of variety and options for all. :)

[roe2ship]

I was interested in this thread since I will be trying NCL and LOVE Royal..I like to read others comparisons.

 

 

Jdvmd- The way I meant "nickle and diming" is that when a ship has a deck that one must pay a fee to use such as posh/vibe along with other available passes to get into areas Im sorry thats nickle and diming. I not know another cruise line that closes certain areas of the ship to passengers unless they purchase a pass, I haven't seen this on Princess, RC or Carnival ships.

 

Princess has the sanctuary now (adult area) where you have to purchase a pass.

 

You are right about the drinks. I found RCCL drink prices the highest of any ship we've been on. HAL and NCL have drink specials like happy hours where drinks are 2:1. The regular RCCL prices on the cocktails I usually order were about $2 higher than HAL and NCL. Overall this was a good thing as I wouldn't pay the inflated price and didn't gain so much weight!

RCL drinks prices may be high but they are made with the proper amount of alcohol in them. On another line, the drink prices are lower but they were watered down....so, you get what you pay for.

[jdvmd]

X has gone to a $30 corkage fee and HAL is $18:eek:

 

Since when has Celebrity's corkage fee gone up to $30. I sailed less than one month ago on the Constellation and we paid $25 in the main dining room twice. We are also on the Reflection next month and all of our documents say the corkage fee is $25.

HAL's corkage fee has been $18 for some time now.

[Jotravelnut21]

OK.....I'VE DONE IT!......For anyone out there who remembers my turmoil, NCL or RC??......I've taken the plunge and BOOKED..... NCL EPIC here we come!! July 21st :)

[jdvmd]

OK.....I'VE DONE IT!......For anyone out there who remembers my turmoil, NCL or RC??......I've taken the plunge and BOOKED..... NCL EPIC here we come!! July 21st :)

 

Congratulations! Thanks for the decision update! Think you will have a great time. If you have any questions in the mean time, feel free to post and we will answer!

[WaldosPepper]

OK.....I'VE DONE IT!......For anyone out there who remembers my turmoil, NCL or RC??......I've taken the plunge and BOOKED..... NCL EPIC here we come!! July 21st :)

 

Thanks for updating us! I sure hope you'll post a full review when you return. Very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

:D

[Jotravelnut21]

Thanks all (especially Jdvmd) for the kind words of encouragement.

Feelin' akinda excited now!!!!

J :D

[Cruisegirl6]

Yes RC does make excellent drinks but I never had any problem with Carnival they always were perfect now maybe because I always extra tip who knows?

 

I didnt know that Princess now charges ok it seems to be the norm all accepted.

 

Good for you trying the Epic Im sure you will love it, I am booked on the Breakaway the fifth of her first sailings and I have to say I having a feeling that NCL may just get my business over RC in the future from what I reading I will find out.

[lostinthetriangle]

Ok. So NCL Epic is starting to look more positive. Any opinions on the smokey casino ruining the bars and eating areas? What about kid free zones? and are there quiet areas on board to just watch the ocean go by?

 

On the Sky I was surprised to find cigarette smoking only in the casino, no cigars or pipes! Made a big difference .........lost more money as I stayed longer!

 

Also I liked the boards set up showing if the restaurants were full or empty for dinning times. The time that I had reserved for The steakhouse online conflicted with another event we decided while on the ship. A quick look at the board and a visit to the reservations desk fixed it.

[Cruisegirl6]

On RC there is no cigar smoking either believe Carnival maybe also.

[Jotravelnut21]

Thanks for updating us! I sure hope you'll post a full review when you return. Very much looking forward to hearing your thoughts.

 

Have a fantastic cruise!

:D

 

Thanks for that! I'm sure it will be great.

I always worry about posting reviews....in case I get into the "droning on" mode. However Hubby (he who knows all things technical) has said he is going to set me up a tumbler account (Blog type thing) We travel a fair bit, Barcelona, Cote d'Azur and just back from Scotland and it would be nice to keep a record. We are off to Scotland again shortly and then London in April so I will blog that. If anyone is interested I'll post the link and blog the Epic. Thanks again to all for the fantastic forum... No idea how I managed cruising before I discovered Cruise Critic! :):)

[alg7334]

alg7334- thats odd, I very friendly and make friends when I go on cruises I get to talk to many and been on 5 RC cruises the past 4 years never found RC to be stuck up at all. When was the last time you went on RC and where did you go, was it an european sailing? We never really see many with tux and gowns in fact we not even dress up anymore we always dress nightly same as every other night and never felt out of place. Usually when we go we do dine at the specialty restaurants at least 6 out of 7 nights, as far as sitting with others we always gotten our table for 4.

 

I've only been on RC once so maybe I just picked a bad cruise. We went out of NY to Bermuda in 2009. The people at our dinner table actually made fun of my husband... we still had a good time and the staff on RC was very friendly but we didn't find anyone on the cruise interested in mingling and making friends. Oh well.

[alg7334]

RCL drinks prices may be high but they are made with the proper amount of alcohol in them. On another line, the drink prices are lower but they were watered down....so, you get what you pay for.

 

NCL makes very strong drinks! In fact the last time I was on a cruise with them my rum drink was so strong I couldn't drink it and had to give it to my husband! :)

[kkpcruiser]

We just took over first NCL Cruise on the EPIC in January after many wonderful cruises with RCL. We really enjoyed it and actually found the wavy staterooms to be a refreshing change from a typical cabin. Bathroom set up was different but doable.

 

We had very good dining experiences in MDR but for one night.

I tried the EPIC due to its entertainment options like BLUEMAN, legends, Howl at the moon and found them to be a nice change from a traditional cruise show schedule.

 

We are also in our 50s.... With grown kids but also prefer an adult seating area. We weren't fans on spice aft seating and pool but LOVED deck 18 forward adults only lounge area. No pool but superb views, quiet and comfy loungers!!

I recommend trying the EPIC!

 

 

Sorry Barbara...I'm new

RC ship had adult only pool (we aren't 100% child friendly!) The staterooms were small but regular layout... I've heard Epic staterooms are a strange layout but more worrying I've read that the rooms aren't dark i.e. lights and led blubs don't turn off??

The RC ship had a casino which was very smokey and we avoided this but again Iv'e read that it hard to avoid on the Epic and finally the Epic is more geared to families.

Thanks

J

[mj cruiser]

I love both lines but for us it was more expensive almost $1200 more on RCI for the same week. There is so many things you can do with $1200!! :) You can eat in specialty restaurants, spa, etc. We chose Epic for spring break and I cant wait to see what it is like. I read the reviews but try and experience it myself to make up my mind.

 

We like to try different lines and different boats just to see what the others are like. I have some friends that will only cruise one specific line which is great I just think sometimes they miss out on something new...

 

I love NCL freestyle dining. I love RCI boats and both in our experience had amazing customer service.

[terrydtx]

When we have looked at RCI's Allure and Oasis of the Seas from Florida Deluxe OV View balconies are way more than the Epic std balcony as much as $600 per person more. IMO NCL is a no brainer for the Caribbean from Southern Florida.:D

[Luckynana]

I, too, miss the escargot and shrimp cocktails that are not available on NCL unless you eat in their specialty restaurants! I also miss the smoked salmon for morning room service, which is available on Royal Caribbean. On NCL you have to go to the cafe in order to enjoy it..just sayin..