Rccl vs ncl

[eagle8846r]

Hi everyone I want to know people's opinions on Norwegian Sky. I have never sail with NCL I have always sailed with RCCL just wondering about the differences between the 2. I have received a certificate from a casino for a free cruise on the Sky just want to know what to expect thank you in advance

[clean1owner]

Hi everyone I want to know people's opinions on Norwegian Sky. I have never sail with NCL I have always sailed with RCCL just wondering about the differences between the 2. I have received a certificate from a casino for a free cruise on the Sky just want to know what to expect thank you in advance

 

 

 

I have never sailed the Sky, but my last 2 cruises were Liberty Of The Seas and Norwegian Dawn.

 

I found these 2 ships to be very equal. Each one has good and bad.

 

RCCL cabins are a little roomier, but NCL supplies pool towels right in your cabin, which is better for going on shore excursions. The NCL Cabin Steward seemed to do a better job, but that could have just been the difference between 2 Cabin Stewards.

 

Food in the MDR and Buffets were equal. Dining room service was better on RCCL. RCCL also has the choice of My Time Dining, or Traditional. NCL only offers Freestyle dining.

 

The Promenade on Liberty is way better than the Dawn's shopping area. It is one of the nicest features on the ship.

 

Pools are equal.

 

The cruise staff on Dawn was friendlier than on Liberty

 

Entertainment is equal.

 

Casinos were equal with one exception. They both allow smoking, but you barely notice it on Liberty. On the Dawn, you notice it as soon as you walk in the door.

 

Overall, I think the 2 lines are very equal, with a slight edge going to RCCL for offering Traditional Dining.

 

I have also sailed the Majesty Of The Seas, which is a closer comparison to the Sky. Pretty much everything about Liberty was the same on Majesty, with the exception of the Promenade. Majesty doesn't have one.

[couple_cruisers]

NCL gem was my first cruise. It was good but then I tried RCCL last May and I think it is much better quality.

 

I did not enjoy the freestyle dinning. (I liked having the same waiter every night in RC)

 

I thought food on RC us better.

 

RC rooms are bigger

 

I would sail on NCL again but only if it was it had a better deal then RC. RC is now my first choice to cruise

 

 

 

 

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[Yurita]

Since the Sky is only a 3-4 night cruise, I'd book it... however, if it's anything longer than that, I'd probably not book a NCL cruise.

 

My last cruise was NCL Dawn and I was soooooo bored!!!! only 1 pool for a big ship... did I SAY1 POOL!!!!???:mad:, no rock climbing, ice skating, nor promenade, no movies under the stars, no good shows, food was just ok, small cabin.... a truly disappointment, especially after being used to RCCL cruises, I don't think I'd cruise NCL again (unless it's a short cruise or an out-of-this-world-itinerary.

 

The only positives about NCL were the freestyle dinning experience and price. But again, that's my personal opinion.

Edited March 10, 2014 by Yurita

[JemzRoo]

I just finished a 7 day on NCL Breakaway. Probably my last NCL cruise, unless it's an excellent deal. On NCL I never saw my stateroom attendant once, main dining service was horrid - not a fan of this "freestyle cruising" for dining, it loses all personal interaction and care that your waitstaff has. They'd show up at the table with a pad of paper, no introduction, couldn't answer questions about the menu, notta.

 

NCL did have a wonderful buffet, though. Saw the assistant cruise director a million times more than the actual cruise director. Overall, I felt the employees on Breakaway were not as caring as RCCL.

 

Opposite of Yurita above me, the major negative to me was the freestyle dining experience.

[davy jones]

If you like one, you will probably like the other.

 

I use MTD, so I find the lines to be more alike than different. If you prefer traditional seatings, you will need to consider that.

 

My most recent sailings on each were the NCL Gem and Explorer. Both sail from the NYC area. Here is a brief comparison.

 

Embark/Debark: Gem, primarily for ease of debarkation.

 

Ship/Decor: Decor is different on both, but I had no preference. Explorer is about 40% larger and has the promenade, which gives the edge to the Explorer.

 

Cabin: Even.

 

Food: MDR: Slight edge to Explorer. Casual dining: Edge to Gem. NCL buffet beats Explorer WJ. Explorer had no pool side dining options.

 

Entertainment: Even: Slight edge to NCL in theater shows quality and variety was offset by Explorer ice show and parties/parades on promenade.

 

Service: We had the same servers every night in MDR on Explorer. That dynamic gives an edge to RCI in MDR. Otherwise, very good on both. Hotel Director on Gem was very accessible and responsive if you needed her.

 

Bottom Line: We have another cruise booked on Explorer and will be booking a Gem cruise shortly if we can align our schedules. I think that about says it all.

[eagle8846r]

If you like one, you will probably like the other.

 

I use MTD, so I find the lines to be more alike than different. If you prefer traditional seatings, you will need to consider that.

 

My most recent sailings on each were the NCL Gem and Explorer. Both sail from the NYC area. Here is a brief comparison.

 

Embark/Debark: Gem, primarily for ease of debarkation.

 

Ship/Decor: Decor is different on both, but I had no preference. Explorer is about 40% larger and has the promenade, which gives the edge to the Explorer.

 

Cabin: Even.

 

Food: MDR: Slight edge to Explorer. Casual dining: Edge to Gem. NCL buffet beats Explorer WJ. Explorer had no pool side dining options.

 

Entertainment: Even: Slight edge to NCL in theater shows quality and variety was offset by Explorer ice show and parties/parades on promenade.

 

Service: We had the same servers every night in MDR on Explorer. That dynamic gives an edge to RCI in MDR. Otherwise, very good on both. Hotel Director on Gem was very accessible and responsive if you needed her.

 

Bottom Line: We have another cruise booked on Explorer and will be booking a Gem cruise shortly if we can align our schedules. I think that about says it all.

 

 

Thank you everyone for your thoughts about NCL we are going to try it you dont know if you dont try it. For a free cruise I can not go wrong:)

[miamijewel]

We cruised NCL Sky last year for a wedding and found that there was no comparison to RCCL. Food was subpar and dining service was downright terrible. We waited 20 minutes to order in the MDR and had to practically beg for water. This is all while the dining room was nearly empty. I never saw my steward. The only good thing was the bar staff. They were attentive and efficient. Also, the photographer lost all of the wedding pictures. My friends are left with no professional photos of their wedding. Very sad.

[JohnGaltny]

After several cruises on each line my (and 6 of my friends) opinion of NCL is

 

"It ain't bad but it ain't Royal".

 

If you like, take a read of my GEM review which does direct comparisons between NCL and RCI. http://www.pbase.com/bilsen/gemblog&page=1

 

The short story is that they are very similar BUT (and this is huge) NCL staff does their job while RCI crews make us feel like they're glad we are onboard. It could be an act but, if so, it's a very good one. This was born out by an cruise employee satisfaction survey I saw recently (can't find it now) where RCI was on tp and NCL near the bottom.

Edited March 14, 2014 by JohnGaltny

[dolita22]

I sailed the NCL Sky a couple years ago and thoroughly enjoyed it. It's a small ship with a friendly crew. Rooms are small, but with being in port each day, you'll likely be out and about anyway. We enjoyed the food on NCL and the Freestyle concept suits us well. Sailed RCCL about a month ago and decided we'll stick with NCL for the time being, unless an RCCL itinerary appeals to us in a few years.

 

Enjoy the Sky! Can't go wrong with any cruise. :-)