Looking for unbiased opinions on NCL vs RCCL.

[swedish weave]

I've hesitated responding to this thread, mainly because some of my NCL experiences have been the worst cruises of my life, so I was a little conflicted on what the op meant by an "unbiased opinion."

 

My opinion certainly is biased, but it's an opinion derived from experience. I've cruised RCI enough to be Pinnacle and I've cruised NCL enough to be Platinum - although most of them were many years ago. However, in recent years, Epic is one of the few NCL ships I've cruised. The experience was far better than my other recent NCL cruises (Getaway, Pride of America, Dawn and Sky). In fact, if I had to choose a NCL ship to sail, it would be Epic.

 

That said, there are still some areas where I think NCL falls far short of RCI. Freestyle is a disaster on a busy ship. I hate being handed a pager and being told to wait upwards of a half hour for a table. The whole Freestyle concept goes down the toilet when you're made to wait so long for a table and you're wanting to make the show. Second, NCL does not maintain their ships nearly as well as RCI. Fixing rust, corrosion and broken fixtures and chairs around the ship does not seem to be a priority on NCL. And third, specific to Epic, I can't stand the room design with the shower in the bedroom area and a frosted glass door for the toilet. You have no individual privacy in a Epic stateroom. And last, NCL food is the worst in the cruising industry. NCL spends the least amount of money per passenger on food costs and it shows. I'm sure you'll find things you like, but I'm also sure you'll have plenty of disappointment.

 

But on a good note, Epic does have great entertainment. I got a little bored with Blue Man Group after about 10 minutes, but I really enjoyed the rest of the shows.

 

OP asked for UNBIASED opinions !!

[SuiteTraveler]

OP, I wanted to mention to you that if you don't want to shower in your shared balcony cabin, you can always go to either the spa (with a spa pass) or the gym and shower there instead. That takes some of the strain off of sharing your balcony cabin with your parents.

 

I hope you have a wonderful cruise on the Epic!

[iheartbda]

There is never a wait for My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean and you will nev er see rust, corrosion or broken down fixtures and chairs on any of their ships either........NOT.:D

[cpj]

After many cruise on Princess, celebrity and RCCL we finally tried Ncl. We wanted something different. We have been on there new ships Getaway and Breakaway out of New York ..we really enjoyed the freestyle concept and we had dining packages on both ships. It was nice eating in a different restaurent every night. Food was good. Entertainment was outstanding. Also they do have the best casino program at sea if that interests you. Also nothing wrong with the other cruise lines we always had a good time, outside of some food issues. But if you enjoy traditional cruising NCL may not be for you.

[Aquahound]

To the op, here's my advice. Go and enjoy yourself. I'm no NCL fan either, but some people are. You might end up being one of them. Either way, what I don't recommend is only cruising one line. You miss so much doing that. If not NCL, try something different like Princess, Carnival, etc.

 

And while I'm at it, read our responses with a grain of salt. Takeaway from people's experiences that might relate to you, and disregard those who would prefer to attack other posters rather than actually try to help you. Enjoy your cruise. :)

 

Edit....I just caught on that you are in a balcony room with both parents. That shower is going to make things very awkward. It's a pretty retard design on the part of NCL. Good luck. :o

Edited January 30, 2015 by Aquahound

[navybankerteacher]

To the op, here's my advice. Go and enjoy yourself. I'm no NCL fan either, but some people are. You might end up being one of them. Either way, what I don't recommend is only cruising one line. You miss so much doing that. If not NCL, try something different like Princess, Carnival, etc.

 

And while I'm at it, read our responses with a grain of salt. Takeaway from people's experiences that might relate to you, and disregard those who would prefer to attack other posters rather than actually try to help you. Enjoy your cruise. :)

 

Edit....I just caught on that you are in a balcony room with both parents. That shower is going to make things very awkward. It's a pretty retard design on the part of NCL. Good luck. :o

 

Great advice - particularly about trying different lines - they all have their own characteristics, so do not credit posters who maintain that they are more alike than different. They all involve ships, true, and food, and some entertainment - but beyond the real basics, they are different; so check out different lines.

[Kaya4114]

^_^ Thank you all for your responses. Even the negative ones I will take everything with consideration.

 

I agree about trying different lines. That is the reason that I am doing NCL. I may have 3 on RCCL, but compared to some posters on CC I'm just a baby in experiences. I have a lot to see, and I plan to travel a lot.

 

I am up for more vacation this coming October and believe me, you can guess what I plan to do with it. The question is, though, where and which line do I want to try.

 

I will be sure to report back with my personal findings once this trip is through, but I know that I will have fun.. I live in Canada for heaven sake lol, ANYTHING is better than this freezing cold snow where I actually have to MAKE my own food and buy my own ingredients to do so lolol :P :P ;) Also if I tried to go swimming right now, I'd have a hard time diving through that ice. :P

 

Thank you all for the well wishes.

[Warmer Climes]

Our first cruise was on RCCL and it was wonderful. Our second was on NCL and it was wonderful. Our third was on RCCL and it was wonderful. Then we went back to NCL and stayed because we started booking suites and the perks were outstanding. I think the two lines are more similar than different. Our youngest preferred the NCL kids club to RCCL's when she was the age to use it. I prefer freestyle dining to set dining times but now RCCL has that option, also. In general I think the entertainment is better on NCL ships and the food is better on RCCL. Epic isn't my favorite NCL ship but the entertainment, cabin and food was very good. Our next cruise is on Celebrity and I know it's going to be wonderful, too. Like you, I come from the Frozen North so I appreciate our good fortune to be able to take vacations to warm places sometimes. Have a great cruise!

[Iluvcruising2]

We tried NCL (Jade) for the first time after many sailings on Royal and we had a blast. I put up a thread here to compare.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2139442

 

I guess we were spoilt by the NCL Suite treatment.

[Cruzaholic41]

OP asked for UNBIASED opinions !!

 

Try to keep up SW.