ncl vs rccl

[sunlover98]

Fellow cruisers,

I am in a dilemma. My husband and I are planning on taking a mediterranean cruise this october, 2014. I am choosing between NCL Epic and RCCL Liberty of the seas. I have sailed on RCCL twice and Carnival twice. I have never sailed NCL. The price difference is quite significant between RCCL and NCL. I can get a balcony room on NCL at the same price I can get an inside room on RCCL. HELP!! I have been poring over reviews on each ship and I am still undecided. Is RCCL that much better than NCL to forfeit the balcony room? The balcony room on RCCL is just way too expenisve. Also, I have never had a balcony before on any of my cruises and figured it would be worth it for the Europe cruise. However, Will I be disappointed in NCL? I need your advice please.

[cruiseaholic777]

I have never cruised on ncl, but i have heard from people that have. It was not good news so i will not even give them i try. Stay with rccl, you get what you pay for. Princess or Celebrity are great options. Have a great cruise. ;)

[OCruisers]

This might be a great time for you to give NCL a try. It's good to "sleep around" on different cruise lines. :)

LuLu

[CasinoCruzGirl]

Fellow cruisers,

I am in a dilemma. My husband and I are planning on taking a mediterranean cruise this october, 2014. I am choosing between NCL Epic and RCCL Liberty of the seas. I have sailed on RCCL twice and Carnival twice. I have never sailed NCL. The price difference is quite significant between RCCL and NCL. I can get a balcony room on NCL at the same price I can get an inside room on RCCL. HELP!! I have been poring over reviews on each ship and I am still undecided. Is RCCL that much better than NCL to forfeit the balcony room? The balcony room on RCCL is just way too expenisve. Also, I have never had a balcony before on any of my cruises and figured it would be worth it for the Europe cruise. However, Will I be disappointed in NCL? I need your advice please.

 

It depends on many things 1 being the biggest difference is the freestyle dining. Do you like more formal dining as opposed to freestyle? Sitting at the same table with the same waitstaff at the same time? If so then NCL is not for you. I much prefer freestyle I love NCL wouldn't go anywhere else.

[#1TravelMom]

We have been on 25+ ships. The Epic is our favorite to date. We have been on all major lines. The Epic has so much to do. The entertainment is outstanding. We have been on the Epic three times. We were on the Epic a few months ago back to back with the Allure. While the Allure is an incredible ship to see - we just didn't find a lot to actually do. We were really expecting the Allure to become our new favorite ship - Epic definitely still number one. We are scheduled for the Getaway soon - can't wait.

[t_car]

Personally, I would look at the ports of call first. You spend less time on the ship when on a med cruise, so the ports are more important than the ship.

Your port are very similar, but the Epic has some advantages.

1. It stops in Livorno, so you can opt for a tour of Florence or Pisa. If you are in Italy and see Rome and Naples, you have to go to Florence.

2. Med ports are not known for beach spots, but Palma de Mallorca is a great beach day stop.

3. You get a balcony and save money. Again, given the choice, I would save the money off the balcony, and spend it on really nice excursions, or items to buy ( shoes, clothes, leather goods )

 

Whichever ship you choose, you will have a great time. Enjoy your cruise.

[dorisis]

I think this might be a good time to try NCL. The Med is still the Med no matter what ship you are on. It's the ports that matter.

[Aquahound]

Fellow cruisers,

I am in a dilemma. My husband and I are planning on taking a mediterranean cruise this october, 2014. I am choosing between NCL Epic and RCCL Liberty of the seas. I have sailed on RCCL twice and Carnival twice. I have never sailed NCL. The price difference is quite significant between RCCL and NCL. I can get a balcony room on NCL at the same price I can get an inside room on RCCL. HELP!! I have been poring over reviews on each ship and I am still undecided. Is RCCL that much better than NCL to forfeit the balcony room? The balcony room on RCCL is just way too expenisve. Also, I have never had a balcony before on any of my cruises and figured it would be worth it for the Europe cruise. However, Will I be disappointed in NCL? I need your advice please.

 

Generally, I think NCL is a notch or two below RCI but if the itineraries here are comparable, I definitely think a balcony is a must in Europe. How often are you going to see these ports? I think a balcony makes a big difference for approach and sail away. In this case, I think you should choose the Epic.

[tip]

This might be a great time for you to give NCL a try. It's good to "sleep around" on different cruise lines. :)

LuLu

 

I would agree. We have cruised with both lines multiple times and both provide a good product. NCL gets bashed by some folks and I think that it is undeserved. I wonder if those who bashed have ever sailed NCL?

 

That being said, I would caution you if you are concerned with folks smoking on balconies. RCCL has 21st century smoking policies. NCL still allows smoking. It is a roll of the dice. You could get stuck with a neighbor who smokes on their balcony and thus you will be subjected to second hand smoke.

[momofmeg]

Generally, I think NCL is a notch or two below RCI but if the itineraries here are comparable, I definitely think a balcony is a must in Europe. How often are you going to see these ports? I think a balcony makes a big difference for approach and sail away. In this case, I think you should choose the Epic.

 

I agree-the OP may want to budget for eating in the specialties a few times-as the food is so-so at best. I just as soon as eat at the buffet as eat in the main dining room on NCL.

 

One thing the OP may need to remember too is smoking is allowed on NCL balconies-so if they are sensitive to smoke they may not enjoy their balcony.

 

That said, if NCL offered the better itinerary I would still go with them, as the Med is mostly 12 hour ports. I was often too tired to go for dinner and ate a quick bite in the buffet even though the Celebrity Solstice had wonderful food in the main dining room.

 

In fact hubby and I are considering a 12 day NCL Star cruise next year that does ports he likes in both Norway and Scotland, the only cruise we found with that itinerary. It is pricey so no worries about smoky balconies, we will book perhaps an oceanview at best if we book that cruise.

[jamessemaj]

I have sailed on rci 4 times and ncl 1. I didn't care for the dining routine on ncl, but overall all things equal I would go with rci, but would say the difference is very slight. NCL has some excellent extra fee dining options as good or better than rci. The smoking on the balcony is of no concern to me, but then again the balcony is not worth the extra cost either. Another option you might consider especially if balcony smoking matters to you is taking an interior on ncl and having even more money to spend on other things. In any event, I don't think you would regret going with ncl if you are cost conscious.

[momofmeg]

I have sailed on rci 4 times and ncl 1. I didn't care for the dining routine on ncl, but overall all things equal I would go with rci, but would say the difference is very slight. NCL has some excellent extra fee dining options as good or better than rci. The smoking on the balcony is of no concern to me, but then again the balcony is not worth the extra cost either. Another option you might consider especially if balcony smoking matters to you is taking an interior on ncl and having even more money to spend on other things. In any event, I don't think you would regret going with ncl if you are cost conscious.

 

If the OP is going to Kotor they may want a balcony! It is beautiful there. However, they can just go up to the buffet and sit by a window as I am sure I will do for the fjords in Norway. The price on Celebrity went way down 2 years ago for the Med I suspect because of the Costa Concordia disaster people were scared off from booking the Med. We actually ended up in a skysuite with a view of the ship's wake. Granted, the NCL Star balcony is only a bit more in price for what we paid for that-but still-we had a skysuite with a view of the wake AND we were celebrating our 30th anniversary. A regular balcony is just not worth that.

[Tinkerbell]

We have been on 25+ ships. The Epic is our favorite to date. We have been on all major lines. The Epic has so much to do. The entertainment is outstanding. We have been on the Epic three times. We were on the Epic a few months ago back to back with the Allure. While the Allure is an incredible ship to see - we just didn't find a lot to actually do. We were really expecting the Allure to become our new favorite ship - Epic definitely still number one. We are scheduled for the Getaway soon - can't wait.

 

We also love the Epic and have done the Allure! I would like to return to the Epic sometime in the future!

[#1TravelMom]

We also love the Epic and have done the Allure! I would like to return to the Epic sometime in the future!

 

The Epic is even better the 2nd and 3rd time. Our first time was great, but with so much to do onboard - I had every minute of every day planned. It's so nice to relax and repeat our favorite things. Even though we are mid 40's - we just love the slides. While we enjoyed the Allure - I don't get the RAVES. If you don't like ziplining(which I think once would suffice anyway)

, or iceskating, and you don't want to do the flowrider - I just didn't think there was enough for our family to do. Thew water show was good, but we didn't like Chicago at all. The entertainment on the Epic has been fabulous. I guess everyone has their preferences.

[Tinkerbell]

The Epic is even better the 2nd and 3rd time. Our first time was great, but with so much to do onboard - I had every minute of every day planned. It's so nice to relax and repeat our favorite things. Even though we are mid 40's - we just love the slides. While we enjoyed the Allure - I don't get the RAVES. If you don't like ziplining(which I think once would suffice anyway)

, or iceskating, and you don't want to do the flowrider - I just didn't think there was enough for our family to do. Thew water show was good, but we didn't like Chicago at all. The entertainment on the Epic has been fabulous. I guess everyone has their preferences.

 

Wow scary we had the same thoughts!

[dolita22]

Sailed RCCL for our honeymoon earlier this year, and sailed the NCL Epic last year. Hands down, NCL wins for us, all because of the Freestyle concept and laid-back atmosphere. Though we enjoyed the itinerary on our honeymoon cruise, RCCL was not for us. We enjoy Freestyle dining and not having to dress up for dinner, and NCL offers that. We prefer dressing comfortably (sundresses for me, Hawaiian shirts & shorts for my hubs) over dressing up, especially on our Caribbean/Bahamas cruises, and on Royal, we felt like we had to dress up. Also, we did not enjoy the food at all on either of our Royal cruises. On NCL, we felt like there were plenty of options and have never dined at a specialty restaurant. Most of the complimentary food has been very good. If not, we'll try something else. :)

 

In addition, we felt entertainment is better on NCL, and the Epic is truly a great ship! So much to see and do, it almost seems like a challenge to be bored. ;-)

 

I would go with the significant savings and go with the Epic balcony. The additional cost is not worth it for Royal, IMO. Save the money for shore excursions!

 

Happy cruising!

[grand isle joe]

NCL?.......:eek::eek::eek:...RCL?........::):):)

[piratenurse09]

We are having the exact same discussion currently in my house. Hubby and I are also wanting to cruise the med in October this year and are having a difficult time choosing between NCL and RCI. I like that NCL epic stops at Palma Majorica, which I feel would be more interesting than Provence, France, however we have sailed on Carnival in the past and I am worried that NCL will be too non-traditional. We always chose MTD on carnival as we did not like the rigidity, but I am afraid that the service will suffer with NCL, which is why the prices may be so low? Looks like NCL excursions may be more pricey than RCI though. It is definitely a tough choice.

[momofmeg]

We are having the exact same discussion currently in my house. Hubby and I are also wanting to cruise the med in October this year and are having a difficult time choosing between NCL and RCI. I like that NCL epic stops at Palma Majorica, which I feel would be more interesting than Provence, France, however we have sailed on Carnival in the past and I am worried that NCL will be too non-traditional. We always chose MTD on carnival as we did not like the rigidity, but I am afraid that the service will suffer with NCL, which is why the prices may be so low? Looks like NCL excursions may be more pricey than RCI though. It is definitely a tough choice.

 

After having a couple of nightmare table mates I actually like not doing traditional. We can still do that on Celebrity, our favorite line, but we opted for the anytime. Needless to say when we dialed NCL that was one of the few things I actually liked.

 

I will be honest with you. NCL in my mind is a step above Carnival. The only thing Carnival did better is the main dining room food. NCL had good shows, and service was every bit as good as Carnival's if not better. We did have one dud steward on NCL, but that happened to us on Carnival too once. Otherwise I can say I got descent service on both lines.

 

That said, I would pick by ports for the Med-you have hardly any sea days, and the ports are 12 hours, we did ours on Celebrity Solstice, great ship, superb food, much better than even Carnival's food, great shows, but I was so exhausted every night, that several times I actually opted to eat at the buffet or have room service and skipped the shows and just did the solarium pool. So you see the cruise ship was more transportation for us than the "cruise experience".

 

We are actually looking at NCL for a northern European cruise next year. The one we like is the only cruise PERIOD no matter the line that these ports are offered in one cruise. It starts in Copenhagen and does Norway ports and then swings over to do Ireland and Scotland ports and ends in Dover. That really appeals to me, because otherwise, we may do a land trip for Scotland and cruise the other part. Twelve days without having to pack, change hotels or take a train to the destination sounds awfully good to me-even if it is NCL, one of my least favorite lines.

[Cruzman]

Would not cruise NCL if it were the only cruise line available! Just my two cents.

[Guest maddycat]

I would agree. We have cruised with both lines multiple times and both provide a good product. NCL gets bashed by some folks and I think that it is undeserved. I wonder if those who bashed have ever sailed NCL?

 

That being said, I would caution you if you are concerned with folks smoking on balconies. RCCL has 21st century smoking policies. NCL still allows smoking. It is a roll of the dice. You could get stuck with a neighbor who smokes on their balcony and thus you will be subjected to second hand smoke.

 

I'm one of those who bashes NCL. We sailed on NCL twice. We will never sail with NCL again. We didn't care for the product at all. We didn't like the crew's attitude and service on either ship. We weren't happy with the MDR food. The buffet food was awful.

 

Our cruise lines of choice are RCI and Celebrity. Oh, and we love my time dining/anytime dining. We are not fans of traditional dining.

Edited May 18, 2014 by maddycat

[swedish weave]

OP -- I hope you are able to distinguish the "brand biased" posts from those who offer honest opinions.

 

NCL is a good cruise line and they offer a good cruise for a fair price. All the mainstream cruise lines offer similar experiences, so take into consideration those posts from some who have made one cruise on a specific line and didn't like it. It is not logical to condemn an entire cruise line because of one cruise on one ship. Each line has different types of ships and each of those ships are different regardless of the name that is painted on the side of the ship.

 

Also, human nature being what it is, you may thoroughly enjoy a cruise while someone on the same cruise can't wait to get off the ship.

 

Go with a positive attitude on whatever you choose, and your cruise will be a good one.

[SteveH2508]

As you can see from my sig. block we have sailed NCL in Europe several times and RCI once(albeit a 4-day taster cruise). NCL's European experience was much superior to the RCI experience IOHO.

 

Also, European sailings are port intensive, so the ship-board experience is less important because you will be in port most days and tired when you return to the ship.

 

Most answers you will get will be based on people's personal experiences and preferences - your preferences may be different.

[Aquahound]

We are having the exact same discussion currently in my house. Hubby and I are also wanting to cruise the med in October this year and are having a difficult time choosing between NCL and RCI. I like that NCL epic stops at Palma Majorica, which I feel would be more interesting than Provence, France, however we have sailed on Carnival in the past and I am worried that NCL will be too non-traditional. We always chose MTD on carnival as we did not like the rigidity, but I am afraid that the service will suffer with NCL, which is why the prices may be so low? Looks like NCL excursions may be more pricey than RCI though. It is definitely a tough choice.

 

I don't blame you for your concerns. NCL's way of doing things...Freestyle...can be hit or miss. Some love it, some hate it. My feelings about NCL do not come from just one cruise. I've cruised 7 times with them. But my most recent experience on the Dawn was enough to say this is not the cruise line for me. I'm not against trying their new ships, but never again will I cruise on any of their ships older than Epic.

[leaveitallbehind]

It depends on many things 1 being the biggest difference is the freestyle dining. Do you like more formal dining as opposed to freestyle? Sitting at the same table with the same waitstaff at the same time? If so then NCL is not for you. I much prefer freestyle I love NCL wouldn't go anywhere else.

 

Based on your signature it appears your only RCI experience was in 1999. To clarify, RCI has offered My Time Dining with a number of different restaurant choices on board for several years with great success. It offers every bit the same flexibility as Freestyle in terms of choice and times while also offering the more traditional early and late seating as additional options.

 

The dress code is quite relaxed on most days and the suggested attire is only that for the two (on 7-night itineraries) formal nights and only pertains to the main dining room.