NCL vs. RCI

[fergusonvt]

OP, on our two cruises on NCL we found the MDR food to be very good with some things I would call excellent. Food is subjective so take the posts of those who say that in order to get a good meal on NCL you have to eat in the "for pay" specialty restaurants with a grain of salt, it is merely their opinion.

[halos]

I made this comment on your thread on the RCI boards, but also wanted to post it here:

 

I sailed my first Royal cruise back in 2008.

I never booked a second one until recently, and I only booked it because it is a special cruise to be with friends.

I much prefer NCL (at this point)...maybe I will change my mind after my August cruise on the Serenade, but Royal is going to have to totally wow me to even come close to what I feel NCL provides in the way of service and entertainment.

I also think that the food I had on my one RCI cruise was my least favorite of any cruise I have ever taken.

 

I'm giving them another shot, and I am one who is thrilled to death about the new smoking policy which sets them up a notch, but the bar NCL set for us is pretty high.

[Aquahound]

I made this comment on your thread on the RCI boards, but also wanted to post it here:

 

I noticed it's two different ops. I don't know if it's coincidence or.... :confused:

[polySeraph]

Thinking of switching to NCL also, especially for a European cruise, since we wouldn't feel the need to bring formal wear. Keep the information coming. We're Diamond on Royal, but no longer feel loyal. Would love more information. Do any of the balcony cabins have pull down beds instead of a sofa bed for a third passenger? Are the beds comfortable?

 

We've had 3 European cruises with NCL and will probably choose Royal for the 4th. Yes, it's been wonderful not having to schlep formalwear on international flights. In fact, we have been wondering just how formal the formal nights are on Royal's European cruises. We had heard that there were more tuxes in the MDR on the European cruises than the US-based cruises.

 

As far as the beds on NCL go, we've found them very comfortable. On our first cruise on the Sun, we thought the mattress was hard so we asked our steward to bring an egg crate foam topper and that solved the problem. (We always test the bed by lying down on it as soon as we get into the cabin and if it feels hard, we let the steward know asap.) I can't answer the question about the 3rd bed.

[halos]

I noticed it's two different ops. I don't know if it's coincidence or.... :confused:

 

I never even looked. :eek:

Doesn't matter, my opinion is the same regardless :)

[tiessa]

I noticed it's two different ops. I don't know if it's coincidence or.... :confused:

 

 

Yes, I posted the first one here and then someone else posted it. I also posted on Royal Caribbean's forum.

 

I appreciate any information anyone can give and especially the cross posting in case I miss one!

 

Thanks, everyone. Your comments are extremely helpful!

[tiessa]

I never even looked. :eek:

Doesn't matter, my opinion is the same regardless :)

 

No problem! All information is appreciated no matter who it is posted to!

[buckirj1]

We are not fans of My Time either, ( nor it's equivalent on Princess ). It seems we waited frequently for a table and we were always relegated to a remote, out of the way section of the dining room, most nights sitting at the exact same table next to the exact same people. Might as well go with Traditional Dining.

 

I had a similar experience with My Time, and thought the same thing that I might as well have chosen Traditional Dining.. I also thought Royal Caribbean's MDR service wasn't very good, either. The wait staff was very cloying and obsequious, but were never around when they were needed. The food itself was fine, consistantly good, but nothing made me say "wow" like several of NCL's MDR dishes.

[Bocadude85]

We just did our first cruise with Royal a few months ago and I was not impressed. I thought the service, entertainment and food were of lower quality then what is offered on NCL. We purchased a wine package for our royal cruise and when we boarded the ship we had a letter from the food and beverage director stating that most of the wines that were advertised were not available because of a hurricane in Miami.. that was funny because we live close to Miami and did not recall having a hurricane. That was just one of serveral problems we ran into while on our royal cruise. Unfortunately NCL has limited itineraries so we will sail on other lines, but I really do like the product NCL offers.

[Aquahound]

Yes, I posted the first one here and then someone else posted it. I also posted on Royal Caribbean's forum.

 

I appreciate any information anyone can give and especially the cross posting in case I miss one!

 

Thanks, everyone. Your comments are extremely helpful!

 

Gotcha. :)

 

For what it's worth, most of my cruises have been on RCI, but I have had no problem booking otherwise, including NCL. If you're interested, here is a photo review I did of my cruise on Dawn. A little background...my choices out of Tampa were a 5 night cruise on Jewel of the Seas in a D1 balcony, or a 7 night cruise on Dawn in a mini-suite for the same price. I went for what seemed like the obvious choice.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1759414

[Sequim88]

After a string of RCI cruises we picked NCL next for a specific itinerary and I've been reading comparison threads likes this since last March. On our last TA we met a couple who are big NCL fans so that nudged me into check their TA itineraries.

 

Really liking the idea of packing very light with no formal wear needed. One downside though to the Freestyle dining is that apparently the wait staff moves around a lot. Even with MTD on RCI we could usually request a specific team and they got to know our preferences. On NCL my understanding is this is not possible.

 

Another difference that I may be liking a lot (depending on 1st NCL experience) is the Lattitudes loyalty program. Our first cruise will bump us into the 2nd tier - took three to make 2nd tier (Platinum) on RCI. With the 9 month advance booking two more TAs and we will be top level on NCL. And the benefits seem much better than Crown & Anchor.

 

Slight disapointment with NCL is using the sauna and steam room requires a spa pass. RCI has been free.

 

Looking forward to the much wider range of specialty restaurants on NCL.

 

Lastly one HUGE difference - you can order a bar setup for the cabin on NCL for a pre-dinner drink or balcony nightcap. Something RCI goes out of their way to make difficult without smuggling. The setup is not cheap but not any more than bar prices and a lot more convenient.