Royal Caribbean Cruisers: Norwegian?

[hscruiser]

Hi all,

 

As my family and I begin to think about various cruise choices for this summer, I am curious to hear some Royal Caribbean perspectives about the following choices that we're closely looking at.

 

We would be doing a week-long cruise during the last week of August. As of this morning (when I noticed some big price drops on Oasis/Allure), here are the three cruises we are looking at:

 

 

• Allure Western - ~$4000 for 4 in an (oceanview) balcony (also available: $3600 for 4 in a Boardwalk balcony)
  
• Oasis Eastern - ~$4000 for 4 in an (oceanview) balcony
  
• Norwegian Getaway Eastern (identical itinerary to Oasis Eastern) - ~$3200 for 4 in an (oceanview) balcony
  

What got me interested in Getaway is that (a) it is a brand new ship (just came out January 2014), and (b) Norwegian is currently running a promotion called "The Ultimate Freesome," which gives balcony cabins or higher a free Ultimate Dining package. This would mean that most specialty restaurants onboard (steakhouse, French, Italian, hibachi, etc.) would be free. We have never loved the NCL concept of paying for so many specialty restaurants, but this promotion would allow us to try several of these restaurants for free, which is great.

 

On the other hand, we LOVED Allure, and would be ecstatic to cruise either Allure or Oasis again. Plus, prices are pretty reasonable for four during this week - $4000 for a balcony isn't bad at all. Airfare would be roughly the same for all three choices.

 

So I'm curious to hear thoughts about this from those who have been on both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Getaway is about $800 less than Oasis/Allure, though we're not sure how the quality compares to Oasis/Allure. Thoughts? Thanks so much! :)

[TryingCruising]

My personal belief is that any vacation will be a good one! I'm excited to board the Allure for the first time next week. While I haven't been on the Getaway, I love NCL. We did our last two cruises with Norwegian and had fabulous experiences. In this situation, price would probably sway me. That being said, I'd also factor in transportation. We ended up choosing Allure over Getaway because we were able to get much cheaper airfare to FLL. I know that the FLL and MIA airports aren't that far apart but it made our deciding factor when doing the price totals. I'm making an assumption that NCL must be having some trouble filling the new ship because of how many emails and calls we've gotten about promotions to book it.

[SadmanCruiser]

We did the inaugural crossing on the Getaway and LOVED it.

 

The Tropicana main dining room was excellent - with live entertainment on many nights.

 

Cagneys and Moderna speciality restaurants were also excellent, and they have sit outside dining on deck 8.

 

Entertainment, including Burn the Floor and Legally Blonde were well worth seeing. In 'Headliners' there were a couple of comedians as well as 'howl at the moon' duelling pianos which we went to most nights.

 

The buffet was very good and the food in the Irish pub (free) was good.

 

The only complaint I had was the running track was short and in the wrong place.

 

We have not done Oasis/Allure yet, but with the price difference mentioned I would have no problems booking NCL

 

Pete

[anandaindonesia]

Very happy not having to choose :

We will be both on RCL Allure and NCL Epic soon.:D

 

Whichever you choose, I believe you are going to enjoy your cruise!

[beshears]

Perhaps things have changed on the NCL ships. Years ago we went on the "brand new" Star ship. To say the least, we as well as MOST people on this ship were very unhappy with it.

 

I will never forget their Atrim room. To me, that is supposed to be one of the nicest rooms on the ship. All they had were "plastic" flowers that I could have bought at K-Mart for 10 cents a piece. Cheap, cheap.

 

Unless things have changed on the NCL, I (this is MY opinion) call them the lazy ships. You don't have much to do, and if that is what you want, then I say do their ships. When we were on the Star, there was very little activities to choose from. I would rather have plenty of things to choose from, than very little at all.

[sassyredhat]

I haven't been on the big ships, only on Radiance, which I LOVED, and we are booked on NCL Star in a few weeks.

My TA has sailed on a few NCL ships, and she thinks we will enjoy it.

 

I have to say, we are HAL and Princess people, but I'm looking forward to trying something new with NCL.

 

So, for this cruiser who has not sailed those RCI ships (which my kids did love), I say choose the one that fits your budget, and go without any comparisons. :D

 

Pat

[hollon]

If I didn't already have a cruise booked on the Oasis for this summer (I've been on the Allure) I would switch to the Getaway - I as well saw their prices and not to bad for a new ship. I'd go for the Getaway - plus my kids would love the slides, etc.

[toocruisin2]

Hi all, I'm curious to hear thoughts about this from those who have been on both Royal Caribbean and Norwegian. Getaway is about $800 less than Oasis/Allure, though we're not sure how the quality compares to Oasis/Allure. Thoughts? Thanks so much! :)

 

We've sailed Breakaway, sister to Getaway, and absolutely loved it.

 

Having been on Allure twice I was very interested in seeing NCL's big ship and how it compares; in short, it doesn't as they are two very different experiences, each wonderful in their own way.

 

We found the service on Breakaway to be excellent, with extremely attentive staff; no MDR on Breakaway. There are complimentary restaurants, and fee-added restaurants; we found both to be enjoyable, and recognize that food is a very subjective matter.

 

The ship breaks public spaces into smaller venues, so unlike Allure, you may not realize how big the ship is. Many clubs, bars, sports courts, etc to keep you busy.

 

NCL in general, and Breakaway specifically is very informal, including dining.

 

I will cover the four things that seem to get the most attention on the boards:

- the stateroom balconies are small by any standard; we didn't mind as there was only two of us and we weren't planning on doing anything that required a lot of space

- the pool is also small, and deck chairs are at a premium; we adjusted by sitting on forward decks away from the pool

- the jogging track is tiny and in an awkward space, so if you need a track get out early so you can avoid crowds

- the gym and other entertainment venues, including the casino also get crowded; we didn't mind because we enjoy watching others have fun, and that's what a vacation is all about.

 

Have a great time, whichever way you choose. Paul

Edited March 1, 2014 by toocruisin'
I can't count :-)

[JasonV1]

Same dilemma, I chose to cancel my August Oasis cruise (been on once, and doing Allure shortly) for the Getaway the same week.

 

Went from a Oasis boardwalk balcony (good one, next to Aqua suite) to a S5 Haven suite with both unlimited drinks and speciality restaurants. Price was only ~25% higher, but given the perks the difference is almost a wash.

 

Reviews are positive so far which is why I decided to go for it. Never had a suite before and really can't afford them on Royal for the times during which I cruise (not counting junior suites, which are still too pricey most of the time). Worth a shot as I have sailed NCL before and liked it. I still think Royal innovates more than NCL, but this is worth a try.

[Cruisegirl6]

This is going to be long I have so much to say....

 

I am 50 and been on 51 cruises as of this date. As a young girl I cruised, back in the 70's we tried NCL, my parents prefer other cruise lines back then and we have not used NCL until the 1980's to try it again..same thing happened...but I got to be an adult and then started taking my own cruises...in 2002 I went back to NCL along with my kids we didn't care for it AGAIN....tried it again with the brand new Breakaway ship last year, WE NEVER WILL GO BACK TO NCL!

My other half has been on many cruises himself since we been together in 02, his first NCL cruise was last year on the Breakaway and his dad came along also, both of them said they NEVER go on another NCL cruise again..in fact my other half said it was his first and his left those exact words. lol

 

Let me explain the pros and cons of the Breakaway

 

CONS:

The Breakway (sister ship of the Getaway) did feel crowded as if she did hold 4k passengers

 

The hallways are very narrow, so if somebody in a wheelchair has to go by in the hallway, the cabin stewards have to maneuver their carts so that they can pass by, passengers also need to find an area aside so they can go through also

 

The staff was unfriendly, we would walk by cabin stewards in the hallway, never get a hello, have a good day, etc. The bar staff also were not very friendly and the MDR staff gave you the impression they were "cold people". The specialty restaurant staff were friendly but only to a certain point, the entire cruise staff made us feel as if NCL had a rule not to speak to the passengers unless asked a question, we never had this on any other cruise line.

 

The bar staff showed difficulty in understanding english, for instance, numerous times at different bars my other half ordered a jack and coke and many of them would ask him to repeat what he wanted or they would confirm what he had ordered only he would get whiskey and coke. ugh

 

The lunch buffet....I have to be gluten free so I eat the carved meats, veggies, salads and potatoes...they only had a carved meat (prime rib) the first day and no carvings were available on the remaining 6 days (even Carnival remains to have their meat carving). The vegetables all had sauces on them (gluten), the salad bar NCL should be ashamed of themselves it was the smallest I ever seen on any ship in fact there was extremely limited selection, if you call it a selection.

 

Buffet breakfast- There was no ham as other cruise lines offer and the bacon was always full of grease.

 

MDR breakfast was very good decent with a variety of selections.

 

MDR dinner was good nothing stood out (but we only dined here two evenings) and the lobster (don't think they serve it any longer) was so salty 5 out of 7 of us had it and agreed. They did have a gluten free dessert each night for me.

 

If you like to job the track is in a horrible wrong place, you will find many passengers can't help but to be on the track to get to certain places.

 

The main showroom is in an area when the show is over it takes a long time to get out due to the fact you must walk through the casino to get out

 

The casino was always warm I believe because there was a lot of traffic as people needed to get from one area to the other and had to go through the casino

 

The pool was the smallest we ever seen on any ship well maybe the same size of an old Carnival ship, i believe it was salt water also. People looked like a can of sardines in that pool.

 

The outdoor layout of the ship was confusing, it was like "tiny area" to sit outside only they were pretty much blocked by walls and you rarely can see the ocean from these areas

 

The best place to lie out in the sun was way back on the ship but it had no pool

 

Balconies were smaller than other cruise ships but were sufficient

 

Night Snacks- There was only food at O'Sheehan's...if you need to be gluten free you will only be able to have the french fries that is all unless you want to order room service and wait forever for it at night. The menu past 10:30 changed and there were 7 choices of foods to order, hot dogs, burgers, forgot what else...

 

PROS:

 

They had many types of hard ice cream flavors to choose from at the lunch buffet

 

The buffets for breakfast omelet station had many choices to put in the omelets, cheese, ham, mushrooms, onions, peppers, bacon, tomatoes, jalapeños, etc.

 

The shows were excellent but we went to the show where you pay Cirque Show and the meal was just ok, I would rate it on par with a banquet hall meal and many parts of the show lingered such as that guy who through the rings up in the air, it was never ending, but I was happy I still went to this show.

 

Embarkation and disembarkation for this ship in NYC was excellent

 

The elevators were not slow

 

We had the all you can drink package worked out perfectly.

 

Jazz Club had Sam Allen he was excellent

 

OceanBlu- Very good, didn't care for the soups, my steak that I ordered medium rare was well done and it had this sweet sauce on it, I believe it was an error the sauce was suppose to be on a chicken/duck dish. The seafood was excellent as so was it at the raw bar but we did go back on the 6th evening we did a restaurant hop thing and my raw clams was "fishy" tasting and my father in law did not care for the freshness of the shrimp.

 

Le Bistro- Don't think any of us find a negative or something we didn't care for, this was my favorite restaurant on the ship a must.

 

La CucinaSpecialty Restaurant- (forgot the name) we did not care for the menu it was pretty basic of what you get in a pizzeria and there were too many young kids, we didn't feel it was the type of atmosphere we wanted.

 

The Sushi Place- We had lunch here excellent overall!

 

The Noodle Bar- Excellent overall, we went here on our 6th night doing a restaurant hop. Wished I had lunch here to.

 

Churrascaria Brazillian Steakhouse- The salad bar was excellent. They pushed a lot of the less costly meats such as chicken thighs and sausages but they had meat we just had to ask for it and they would come back, I enjoyed this place and rate it good to very good. I go to other Brazillian Steakhouses and this was my least favorite one.

 

Cagneys- We went here on the 5th evening, it did not impress me at all and I would not go back. The NY Strip was cooked the way I asked for it which was medium rare but it was nothing memorable. My father in law ordered the shrimp for appetizer and said it was too soft and could not eat it.

 

What made this cruise great was that we were with our family, if it weren't for that I don't even want to think of it lol.

 

 

To sum things up....we won't go back on NCL again and our favorite cruise line remains to be RC, as you can see below we are heading back to RC for our main cruise for this year. I have one thing to say, you get what you pay for, I choose RC in a heartbeat! I would choose the Allure over the Oasis because I believe this October the Oasis goes into dry dock for refurbishment.

Edited March 1, 2014 by lyndamr

[hscruiser]

Thank you to everyone so far who shared their thoughts - very, very helpful. I am leaning towards the Allure simply because we loved it so much last time, we'd like to try the Western itinerary, and the fact that $3600 for a Boardwalk Balcony for four is pretty phenomenal during such a peak time of year. We are still completely undecided, though.

 

Please continue to provide me with your thoughts! :)

[reney313]

I can't compare the Oasis/Allure class to Breakaway/Getaway as i haven't been on Breakaway/Getaway--yet.

 

I can say that I was on the Allure in January and then sailed a short 3 day cruise with NCL Sky last weekend. I shutter to think that I had more fun on the NCL Sky. Maybe because it was only 3 days and I never slept because of all of the activities...and I could smoke on the balcony. I'm not sure.

 

I loved the Allure--the ship is fantastic. I found the staff on NCL Sky to be more enthusiastic and about the double high energy activities on NCL. It could have been the difference between the demographics of the ships, I'm not sure. And it hurts me to state that in writing. While onboard Allure I was truly blown away by the amount of live music venues at night. But then on this little (in comparison) ship, I encountered just as many?

 

I have never had a terrible experience/cruise on any line. I think they all have their individual strengths and weaknesses. Since I have had the Allure experience, I think my next "big" ship for a 7 day Caribbean will likely be the Getaway (or even Epic, ugly as a ship that she is). But then again, I do have 3 NCC's on RCI. And if we return to Alaska on Princess this summer, I'll likely have another NCC for them as well. Who knows. LOL. I really enjoy mixing up the cruise lines and ship classes. That way I don't get bored with the same style. It is personal preference though.

[clean1owner]

In January of 2013 we sailed the NCL Dawn, and in January of this year we sailed Liberty Of The Seas. We found NCL and RCCL to be very similar, with each line having some things better than the other.

 

Based on those two sailings, if not for NCL's Freestyle only dining option, I would be inclined to give them a better overall score than RCCL.

[Cruisegirl6]

People always talk about NCL freestyle dining, all cruise lines have it now its just called/named something different. On RC its called My Time Dining, you can go anytime you wish so basically NCL doesn't offer anything different that you can't get on other cruise lines.

[clean1owner]

People always talk about NCL freestyle dining, all cruise lines have it now its just called/named something different. On RC its called My Time Dining, you can go anytime you wish so basically NCL doesn't offer anything different that you can't get on other cruise lines.

 

 

 

But it IS different. With RCCL you can still choose Traditional early or late seating, with the same wait staff every night, or My Time Dining. With NCL there is no traditional dining option.

[S.S.Oceanlover]

Perhaps things have changed on the NCL ships. Years ago we went on the "brand new" Star ship. To say the least, we as well as MOST people on this ship were very unhappy with it.

 

I will never forget their Atrim room. To me, that is supposed to be one of the nicest rooms on the ship. All they had were "plastic" flowers that I could have bought at K-Mart for 10 cents a piece. Cheap, cheap.

 

Unless things have changed on the NCL, I (this is MY opinion) call them the lazy ships. You don't have much to do, and if that is what you want, then I say do their ships. When we were on the Star, there was very little activities to choose from. I would rather have plenty of things to choose from, than very little at all.

 

Yes have vastly improved in 13 years since the Star was new. NCL got a large infusion of cash about 4 or so years ago and they now have Kevin Sheehan as CEO of the company who has turned the cruise line around.

 

I cruised on NCL in 1993 and it was boring as you say it was and didn't step foot on another NCL ship until 2 years ago.

 

NCL now has great entertainment, freestyle dining with many restaurants to eat at, most pay but the cost are minimal, and their ships are very nice.

 

RCI still wows me with their ships but NCL isn't bad.at all.

 

Bill

[Cruisegirl6]

Clean1owner very true, then I have to say the better is the one who gives us choices and not demands what we must do. I never thought of it that way, hummmm another reason to add why I not care for NCL. :roll eyes:

 

SS Oceanlover- The Breakaway was modern yes....but it didn't wow me. I did like the fact 2 out of their 3 dining rooms were small and intimate.

 

We always do the pay restaurants usually 5/6 nights on a cruise as we find its the better of the food. RC and NCL offers a variety of dining options when it comes to their "mega ships" where Carnival only has the Steakhouse (I must say it was excellent overall on the Dream).

 

As far as entertainment, I have to say that RC and NCL are wonderful, perhaps an edge on RC Allure, Oasis and the soon Quantum because they also have an Aqua Theatre. Carnivals entertainment is just not worth even wasting time going to.

[swmichigan cruiser]

We just did the NCL Getaway on their first cruise in the Caribbean and had a great time. Staff was excellent and I really enjoy the entertainment on that ship. That being said we have been on the Oasis 4 times and the Allure twice. Also we are booked on the Allure for September doing the western caribbean. We get really good perks on both cruise lines but for us the reason for doing the Allure in September was because of it doing the western caribbean. I don't think you can go wrong doing either ship.

[debshomespun]

You are already leaning towards the Allure. The boardwalk balconies are ok. We had one on Allure, and it was just ok. We had gone on the Oasis the week before in an oceanview facing cabin, and preferred it. If the $$$ is an issue, I would book the Allure in the Boardwalk Balcony (hopefully, it is near the back of the ship for the ultimate view).

 

We are D+ with RC, and have cruised on Allure/Oasis, and many others. We have also sailed on 4 NCL cruises, and had very good experiences. A cruise is what you will make of it. Decide between all the members going which one is best, and go with it. Then, you should have your ultimate experience for your cruise.

[hscruiser]

You are already leaning towards the Allure. The boardwalk balconies are ok. We had one on Allure, and it was just ok. We had gone on the Oasis the week before in an oceanview facing cabin, and preferred it. If the $$$ is an issue, I would book the Allure in the Boardwalk Balcony (hopefully, it is near the back of the ship for the ultimate view).

 

We are D+ with RC, and have cruised on Allure/Oasis, and many others. We have also sailed on 4 NCL cruises, and had very good experiences. A cruise is what you will make of it. Decide between all the members going which one is best, and go with it. Then, you should have your ultimate experience for your cruise.

We were in a Boardwalk Balcony last summer on Allure, and thought it was fine. It was nice because it was on Deck 11, which has a "secret balcony" in the back.

 

Of course, the single Boardwalk Balcony that was available on Allure is now gone (literally sold out this morning), so now there are only oceanview balconies available on Allure and Oasis.

 

Thanks again to everyone who shared their thoughts. We are collectively leaning towards Allure or Oasis, but we'll see...

[reney313]

People always talk about NCL freestyle dining, all cruise lines have it now its just called/named something different. On RC its called My Time Dining, you can go anytime you wish so basically NCL doesn't offer anything different that you can't get on other cruise lines.

 

You are correct from the standpoint of MTD or equivalent on other ships. For me, the difference of freestyle dining is the casual dress, which even on RCI My Time Dining, you "should not" wear shorts, etc. For some, this is a non issue, me included as I wear dresses most nights. But ask my husband and he will disagree.

 

If you want the traditional dining, that can't really be found on NCL, although they do allow reservations with the same waitstaff as the MTD rooms do in RCI.

[hscruiser]

Just a quick update - the whole family had another discussion, and I think we're going to try the Getaway! We're likely doing Jewel next February, followed by Quantum the following summer, so we feel like this August would be the perfect time to take a little "break" from Royal Caribbean. Plus, the Getaway really does look spectacular. :)

[clean1owner]

You are correct from the standpoint of MTD or equivalent on other ships. For me, the difference of freestyle dining is the casual dress, which even on RCI My Time Dining, you "should not" wear shorts, etc. For some, this is a non issue, me included as I wear dresses most nights. But ask my husband and he will disagree.

 

If you want the traditional dining, that can't really be found on NCL, although they do allow reservations with the same waitstaff as the MTD rooms do in RCI.

 

 

 

But not too casual.

 

On our Dawn cruise last year, We actually saw people being turned away from the Venetian Dining Room for wearing shorts or sandals.

[reney313]

But not too casual.

 

On our Dawn cruise last year, We actually saw people being turned away from the Venetian Dining Room for wearing shorts or sandals.

 

I'm not familiar with NCL Dawn. But if that dining room is the aft dining room, you are correct. The forward dining room allows shorts. The aft typically does not (although on the 3-day route, they do).