RCL Compared to NCL

[ACruisingWeWillgo]

Have cruised with RCL many times, took a cruise on NCL Dawn last year and enjoyed it alot.

Thinking about cruising on NCL Spirit out of New York this Feb. any comments would be appreciated.

[Asiablue]

I have sailed on the Norwegian Dawn and completely enjoyed it! I found the staff to be attentive and courteous. I would much prefer to sail all my cruises with Norwegian rather than RCCL. :)

[ACruisingWeWillgo]

Thanks for your reply, any other comments would be great.

[smeyer418]

The newer NCL ships are very comparable to RCI(IMO). The major difference is that RCI has more active activities-like rock climbing(on all? its ships) ice skating on the voyager class ships etc and set dining in the resturants. NCL has freestyle dining, classier entertainment(again IMO). I found the food similar- the buffets are better on RCI, the meals in the main dining rooms are better on NCL(again this is in my opinion). So if the price is similar or the port is easier for you I would go for that.

[PDAA]

We recently returned from the Voyager to Bermuda, have done the the Dawn as our first cruise 2 years ago.. The major difference was the Dawn was brand new vs. the VOS that is showing a little wear & tear (still a beautiful ship) and the Freestyle Dining on the Dawn we preferred over the set seatings on VOS, but did enjoy both ways. As far as service, it was about the same, good, not exceptional on either ship in our experience, but nothing to complain about either with the exception of the problem with the staff on the Dawn, the week we were on there were a lot of brand new crew members to the ship that were not all that familiar with the locations of things or how things worked at Norwegian, but not unfriendly, just new employees learning the ropes.

[PDAA]

P.S.

 

I agree with SMeyer with the exception of the entertainment, IMO, the entertainment was much better on RCI, although my husband felt other than the singers on RCI (fabulous) the entertainers were comprable.

[smeyer418]

P.S.

 

I agree with SMeyer with the exception of the entertainment, IMO, the entertainment was much better on RCI, although my husband felt other than the singers on RCI (fabulous) the entertainers were comprable.

 

 

Thanks I do think this is a personal preference that reasonable people can disagree with and still be right :)

[mbisson]

P.S.

 

I agree with SMeyer with the exception of the entertainment, IMO, the entertainment was much better on RCI,

 

I'd agree with you except I just can't sit through another rendition of "Rock On Broadway"! Every RCI sailing I've been on has that But it's been over a yr since I've sailed RCI so I'm holding out hope.

 

-Monte

[PDAA]

Monte,

 

This was our first RCI, maybe I will feel the same as you this time next year!

 

SMeyer418: As far as all of our different opinions, I am very thankful to hear all sides and everyone's opinions, I have found these boards to be a wealth of info, I'm getting quite addicted though (not good!) Thanks for all your posts!!!:)

[crewsn]

We were on the NCL Spirit this past April on a 10 day southern Carribean out of Miami and have also sailed on the Dawn. The Spirit was the first ship built in the class the Dawn is in but is smaller. The Spirit was launched as the Superstar Leo for Star Cruise Line, sister cruise line to NCL. Superstar Leo was converted to the Spirit after the NCL Pride of America sank in a storm while nearing completion in a German shipyard. The Spirit was converted in a two week time period for the US cruise market. I believe the Dawn also started out being built for Star but was converted very early during construction for the US market.

 

The Spirit as a result has an Asian and European decor on the ship which is unique in the US market and is beautiful. Cabins are on the small side compared to RCCL + Carnival. Bathrooms are similar to the Dawn and have added a sliding door between the toilet + sink area which was neat. The Spirit was the first ship that NCL has added flat panel displays throughout the ship to show the staus of the various dining rooms such as open/closed, how full or approximate waiting time for different table sizes. Freestyle has also evolved where you can now make reservations in advance which is especially helpful for large groups. You can reserve for the whole cruise if you want. So many tables are set aside for resevations so do it early in the cruise.

 

The Blue Lagoon, the 24 hour eatery was great especially for lunch. Small seating capacity so get a seat while you can. You can also sit in the adjacent sports bar and eat there. We ate there later in the cruise and wish we had tried it earlier. We preferred the Garden Room main dining over the Venetian. The Garden Room was more intimate, smaller, and quieter than the Venitian which is larger and in the back of the ship. Vibration is noticeable the further in you go.

 

The one major negative was they didn't upgrade the beds which were very hard and uncomfortable especially when pushed together. The Spirit is supposed to go in for refurb in certain areas including the beds before she heads to NY in September.

 

Steve

[abridalmaven]

We did the Dawn last May. I did not care for it one bit. We may go back on it again only because it will be a freebee, but otherwise I would not consider going. I hated freestyle; in all the meals we had in ther DR only 3 we had decent service and 2 of them were the paying ones. At most meals we did not see the same server twice. In fact one meal we counted 7 different servers, and none of them could get the fact we use cream ot half and half in our coffee/tea. And we missed 2 shows and 2 cocktial parties ( after all the dining rooms times are not coordinated with the shows) and service was so slow and spotty we would readjust our eating times and still missed the shows. we dined with another coouple most meals and two additional couples a few more. I guess if there are just two people it is ok, but for more than two, it was awful.:mad:

 

 

AND COME ON THE LAYOUT OF THE SHIP IS AWFUL. One restaurant is on 2 levels in the middle of the ship so to get from one end of the ship to the other you had to go up or down a floor.. great planning:eek: And this seems to be a theme all over the ship, it was like a maze. And since tipping is already prepaid... well you can guess the rest.

 

Nope, Only a free trip or an amazing itinerary and price will lure me again.

[newmexicoNita]

this is just a matter of opinion; We love freestyle so are inclined to lean toward NCL, but both lines are good middle of the road choices. Neither are what one would consider top of the line and they are not preceived to be. As has been stated the newer NCL ships can stand up to any mass marketed product, the older ones, which are gradually been taken elsewhere are a different story. Which I would choose would be based on costs, ease in getting to the pier, and itinerary. As for entertainment we actually prefer NCLs, but after just so many cruises the entertainment all runs together. Foodwise, main dining room we give a slight edge to NCL except RCI has great veggies. Remember another feature offered by NCL is the alternative dining with several choices. Of course there is an extra charge, but NCL does offer the biggest variety of eateries. Service, we have had both great and bad on both lines. In the dining room RCI has been better, cabin steward, we probably have just not hit it right, but other than the towel animals ours on RCI wasn't anything special. This does not mean bad, just not great. They have always done what was expected, beds made, towels changed, bath cleaned but little things like making sure we always had ice, not; friendly smile, not. I would sail on either line any day. NMNita

[ACruisingWeWillgo]

Thank You to everyone for your advice its nice to see a post with great information. Thanks again.