A few ideas Royal should steal from NCL

[LMaxwell]

Thank you so much for posting your review. I've been on Majesty four times and debating on going again or trying Sky. I've read boards that Majesty is having plumbing issues so I was thinking of Enchantment. Can you give more detail on entertainment (shows, activities). I've been on Oasis and Freedom.

 

Please bear in mind the Sky is older/smaller; so doesn't have as much going on as their big ships.

 

There was one nightly show in the main theater. First night Welcome Aboard variety show (missed it). Second night was Vegas - a song and dance show (Rat Pack, Elvis, Sonny and Cher, Tom Jones, Elton John). No live show band but there were 14-16 singers and dancers. About 45 minutes long. Third night was a comedy vantriliquist (spelling doesn't count). Fourth night was an American Idol style singing show where the crowd votes for the winner.

There is Deal or No Deal audience show but we skipped those. We also skipped Bingo. Skipped Family Feud.

 

Secondary games/shows included Newlywed Game, Quest, Battle of Sexes, a dance competition pairing up guests with one of the professional entertainment.

 

There was live music in 3 or 4 spots per night, all different variety. usually a DJ up by the pool deck and one night they have a big "white" party by the pool that did a reasonable job of looking like a trendy south beach club with satellite bars, couches, light shows, wacky waving arm inflatable tube man. Piano Bar was in Captain Cooks (think Schooner Bar). Karaoke each night in Plantation Bar up on Deck 12. Honestly...the Karaoke space seemed larger than what Royal gives on Oasis. I'm missing my Daily from the day with Norwegians Night Out so I don't recall all the entertainment that day

 

The name of the entertainers were Barry (piano guy) Melvin (solo artist), DJ Magno, DJ Trap, Caribbean Wave (good live band; knows more than 2 Bob Marley songs!), Duo Luna.

 

One of the most beautiful, spacious lounges on the ship is Outriggers on Deck 11 all the way forward in front of the spa and gym. It has huge floor to ceiling windows sort of like viking crown lounge, and a forward observation deck overlooking the bow. They barely scheduled any entertainment there and the bar always seemed to close early. That was a shame.

 

There was various rounds of trivia (daytime, early evening). Some of the trivia was run by the CD who played piano and sang for name that tune instead of just playing a soundtrack. That was fun.

 

Good crowd on the ship, friendly people.

Edited October 12, 2015 by LMaxwell

[LuvBNatC]

Spot-on comparison of all the little things that NCL does to make life easier (such as pool towels in the cabin).

 

I cut my cruising teeth on NCL, but eventually migrated over to RCCL. I'll probably be back on NCL in 2016.

 

Tried Norwegian Getaway last year (as a solo, in a balcony for what I'd pay for an inside on Royal). I generally found the whole ship had a more cordial vibe than Royal, especially when I was wandering around evenings looking for dinner alone without a reservation (I don't go on vacation to make a bunch of appointments).

 

Hosts in the dining rooms made sure I got a good table by a window when there was one, and the wait staff was very friendly and attentive.

 

On the whole, as a solo cruiser, I felt that NCL had a better attitude toward my situation. It's probably because they see a lot of solos from the Studio cabins.

 

RCCL seems hell-bent right now on driving solos off its ships with its faux sales, based on stratospheric base pricing.

[decemberpsyche]

I'll offer the flip side thank you for the review.

 

I've sailed with NCL 5 times and really like it. We did a Carnival in April and that was nice too. We have our first RCI in November and it is nice to know that RCI and NCL are very similar.

[Pumbaamd]

We sailed on Sky back in July. We especially loved the crew and the great service they provided. They just heard at that time that they were awarded 'Best in Fleet' from guest surveys. The whole staff/crew reminded us of the Monarch's. Seems as if the smaller ship crews are happier and do a better job.

We had a great time on Sky and have her booked again for next year.

Rick and Deirdra

[negc]

To me, the main Dining Room being opened on embarkation day is the most important item you mentioned.

 

Our NCL cruises always start off well eating in the Dining Room. Whereas we are often disappointed with our first meal on RCCL (we are not Buffet people and Park Café and other available venues are often too crowded).

 

Based solely on our experience on NCL Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda a year ago, I must say that having luncheon in the Dining Room was not a great one. We (a party of 7 -4 adults and three children) arrived in a nearly empty dining room and were made to wait for at least ten minutes while they figured out where to seat us. It appears that they have tables for two, six or eight and it took them that long to decide that seating 7 people at a table for eight would work.:rolleyes: After we were finally seated and our orders (simply items from the menu, including a PB&J sandwich for one of the kids, pizza for another and mac and cheese for the third) we sat for another twenty minutes waiting for our meals as the dining room began to fill. Finally we came to the attention of one of the ship's officers, who, when he was apprised of the situation, went directly into the galley to expedite our orders. Most things were better during our later dining experiences but we and members of our group continued to have problems at times in some of the restaurants. RCI's food station buffet setup is far superior to the cafeteria-style single line in the Dawn, IMO.

The pool area on the ship is relatively small and was overrun by kids running and jumping into the pool despite signs prohibiting such behavior. Unfortunately there was a total lack of security in the area to enforce the rules.

On at least one occasion a trivia contest was scheduled in a venue where the bar was not yet open which simply seems to indicate a lack of coordination in the CD's office.

Despite these complaints we had a good (not great) cruise but we would likely not rush back to the NCL Dawn.

Edited October 13, 2015 by negc

[mcatmcat]

I am also for having the MDR open for lunch on embarkation day.

 

 

I rather give the employees a break on embarkation day. Most people board the ship so late that they won't make it to the MDR and they are also in the proses of changing table size etc,,,

[Badger-Badger]

The Sky was such an unexpected surprise for us! We loved it so much we chose NCL for our Baltic cruise this coming summer (we booked a while ago and got fantastic promotions to boot). Although I just booked the Enchantment today for New Years I would have happily booked the Sky again had the schedule worked. I not only love Freestyle dining I really liked the whole vibe on NCL. Just laid back .... and I thought the food in the MDR and Cagney's was excellent.

 

I also found the staff and officers unbelievably friendly. The captain was very visible and welcoming. I can't recall having an opinion on a captain until the Sky.

[karena1]

Thanks for the review. We are doing our first NCL on Sky in January. Pretty much for one reason - free bev pkg. That alone on a 3 night cruise is a savings of $342 over Royal.

 

Plus for years sitting on CocoCay, DH has always wondered what NCL's private island looked like.

 

So we are going in Jan and if we like it, probably will book more short cruises with NCL and take advantage of having the drink pkg included.

 

We are D+ on Royal and love many things about it, but have started venturing to Celebrity, Princess and no NCL. Even if you are not huge drinkers, have the pkg is a HUGE perk. We like Celebrity and Princess so take advantage of the bev pkg and now with Sky including it all the time, just makes it easy to think about.

 

Great comparisons between the 2 ships. Thanks

[champagne123]

We don't prefer one cruise line over the other, BUT.....

 

NCL'S Breakaway out of NY, 7 day to Bermuda, was AMAZING.

 

Yes OP, I agree with a lot of your comparisons. :)

[big al]

Cruise agent here who has done 13 RCI & 5 NCL myself..sent 8 couples on the Getaway or Breakaway the last 4 months and ALL raved about the 2 ships..all couples had previously cruised the Oasis, and / or the Allure and said the Getaway had the best food & entertainment they've ever had anywhere...2 couples also said the service on the Getaway was stellar, which is sometimes different from what you read here on CC from Loyal To Royal fans, who I ve seen bash all but RCI...FYI- all took the specialty dining package and loved the concept of dining in a different venues every night..some dined twice in Le Bistro Or Cagney's or Moderno's because they loved it so much..also O'Sheehan's 24 hour Irish Pub with FREE food is a great concept RCI should do with their British Pubs ..my friends said the fish & chips, and ribs & wings were terrific...Burn The Floor, which is a Latin Dancing dinner show, all said was spectacular, along with Illusionarium, another magic dinner show...

 

My wife & have done the Sky twice, and loved both cruises...biggest complaint was the music at the pool was kinda like a psychedelic Indian 60's LSD type music..very weird..horrible..so the 2nd cruise I brought my I-POD...one couple from NJ was so impressed with the Breakaway cruise to Bermuda, they booked another 10 night cruise to the Southern Caribb one year later on the Breakaway...

 

I will say the cabins & balconies on NCL ships are a little tighter & smaller than RCI's..balconies on Voyager, Freedom class & Oasis class average 45-65 SF for D & E balconies, while the NCL's are 32-36 SF..best bets are the AFT balconies on Epic, Breakaway, Getaway & Escape, which average an amazing 110-135 SF...

 

I have cruised all but Costa & MSC ( which I will do soon when their new ships come out in 2017-21..look amazing!)...I think Norwegian has come a long way the last 5 years, and if you like variety for dining & entertainment, you will love these new ships..variety is the spice of life..you don't dine at the same restaurant all the time do you, or stay at the same hotel chain? I have preferences, but I like to see what's out there...Princess's new Royal & Regal ships are stunning..so are the Celebrity Solstice class..Disney's Dream class best service, best cabins, best shows, & best private island IMO...BUT Disney is $$..HAL, Princess & Celebrity do attract an older crowd statistically, with RCI in the middle & Carnival & NCL slightly younger than others..RCI is losing clients mainly due to higher cruise rates & boring ports of call..ships are fantastic, no doubt, but there ARE alternatives, & NCL is a great option IMO...

 

Big Al

[champagne123]

Cruise agent here who has done 13 RCI & 5 NCL myself..sent 8 couples on the Getaway or Breakaway the last 4 months and ALL raved about the 2 ships..all couples had previously cruised the Oasis, and / or the Allure and said the Getaway had the best food & entertainment they've ever had anywhere...2 couples also said the service on the Getaway was stellar, which is sometimes different from what you read here on CC from Loyal To Royal fans, who I ve seen bash all but RCI...FYI- all took the specialty dining package and loved the concept of dining in a different venues every night..some dined twice in Le Bistro Or Cagney's or Moderno's because they loved it so much..also O'Sheehan's 24 hour Irish Pub with FREE food is a great concept RCI should do with their British Pubs ..my friends said the fish & chips, and ribs & wings were terrific...Burn The Floor, which is a Latin Dancing dinner show, all said was spectacular, along with Illusionarium, another magic dinner show...

 

My wife & have done the Sky twice, and loved both cruises...biggest complaint was the music at the pool was kinda like a psychedelic Indian 60's LSD type music..very weird..horrible..so the 2nd cruise I brought my I-POD...one couple from NJ was so impressed with the Breakaway cruise to Bermuda, they booked another 10 night cruise to the Southern Caribb one year later on the Breakaway...

 

I will say the cabins & balconies on NCL ships are a little tighter & smaller than RCI's..balconies on Voyager, Freedom class & Oasis class average 45-65 SF for D & E balconies, while the NCL's are 32-36 SF..best bets are the AFT balconies on Epic, Breakaway, Getaway & Escape, which average an amazing 110-135 SF...

 

I have cruised all but Costa & MSC ( which I will do soon when their new ships come out in 2017-21..look amazing!)...I think Norwegian has come a long way the last 5 years, and if you like variety for dining & entertainment, you will love these new ships..variety is the spice of life..you don't dine at the same restaurant all the time do you, or stay at the same hotel chain? I have preferences, but I like to see what's out there...Princess's new Royal & Regal ships are stunning..so are the Celebrity Solstice class..Disney's Dream class best service, best cabins, best shows, & best private island IMO...BUT Disney is $$..HAL, Princess & Celebrity do attract an older crowd statistically, with RCI in the middle & Carnival & NCL slightly younger than others..RCI is losing clients mainly due to higher cruise rates & boring ports of call..ships are fantastic, no doubt, but there ARE alternatives, & NCL is a great option IMO...

 

Big Al

 

This is funny Big Al. Someone just posted a thread on the Carnival Boards, trying to decide between Carnivals Sunshine (Destiny...hahaha) and the Breakaway.

 

So much of what you have stated, is what I stated about NCL. :)

[Cruzaholic41]

Based solely on our experience on NCL Dawn out of Boston to Bermuda a year ago, I must say that having luncheon in the Dining Room was not a great one.

 

Agreed. The idea of the MDR being open for lunch is great but what wasn't mentioned was how bad the menu is. The food served by NCL in the MDR at lunch is terrible. I know there's a lot of good things being said in this thread about NCL, but the Sky, Dawn, Epic and Pride of America have put me off NCL for a long time.

 

And yes, I also sailed Breakaway Class. The ships were a nice step up from their usual but I whole-heartedly disagree with their entertainment being as good as RCI Oasis and the main pool on that class is a joke.

Edited October 13, 2015 by Cruzaholic41

[big al]

Agreed. The idea of the MDR being open for lunch is great but what wasn't mentioned was how bad the menu is. The food served by NCL in the MDR at lunch is terrible. I know there's a lot of good things being said in this thread about NCL, but the Sky, Dawn, Epic and Pride of America have put me off NCL for a long time.

 

And yes, I also sailed Breakaway Class. The ships were a nice step up from their usual but I whole-heartedly disagree with their entertainment being as good as RCI Oasis and the main pool on that class is a joke.

 

Many, including my friends, have said that besides the Aqua show & In The Air, ice show, there's not much else to do on the Oasis/ Allure.. I have read this quite often..Boleros is great, British Pub is good, though too smokey at times..Schooner Bar is OK..whereas on the Breakaway, ALL I know said they were not bored for one minute- always something to see or do..and they LOVED the Oasis, as I do..but, I do agree the Burn The Floor, Rock Of Ages, Jazz Club were simply fantastic...I think the specialty restaurants on the new NCL (& even some older ships) blow away RCI's venues, but food is subjective...Le Bistro was always my fav, and Teppanyaki was a blast, and all my friends agreed Moderno was superb & as was Cagney's...MDR food is hit n' miss , but no one cruises NCL for the MDR food...everyone knows to get the specialty dining package , which has been offered for free now for a while...ALL pools on cruise ships are pretty small & never are big enough, but few cruise because of pools..I do think the Solarium on Oasis is great, but waaayyy too hot from May to Nov for me...

[kicker]

As a loyal Royal I got on here figuring I'd have to defend Royal, but you make some very valid arguments. That being said, every cruise line has plusses and minuses. We've done mostly Royal, but also have cruised Celebrity & Princess. There were some things I liked better on Celeb & Princess, but overall I enjoy Royal the most.

 

So, my personal thoughts:

 

1. Dining room open on embarkation day for lunch -Neutral on this one

2. Pool side BBQ's every day of the cruise - that would be nice, but would prob add cost to the cruise

3. Sign up available at guest services if you wish to dine with captain/officers. - no personal interest

4. Late night food; way larger variety and choices than RCI including a buffet line until 2AM and a sports bar with about a dozen different items made to order (no charge) until 5AM. This is an area RCI trails the industry frankly and the difference is embarrassing. On the Majesty of the Seas, for example, if you are hungry after 9 you can get terrible pizza. And if you are hungry late at night too bad. - same answer as #2

5. Pool towels are in the cabin when you embark. More are available for checkout if you desire at the pool deck, but nice to have them in your cabin to start with. - personally I prefer them on deck; less room clutter

6. Hard ice cream scoops with multiple toppings at no charge. Maybe not Ben & Jerrys, but no charge wins. - soft serve available days, hard in DR as mentioned previously

7. Every port had tent set up near gangway with lounge chairs in the shade, iced tea, ice water, etc. This was a nice luxury touch and have never had that on any RCI cruise. - Just back from a 7 day adventure OTS. Each day plainice water and/or water flavored with strawberry, lemon, cucumber

8. The Sky is always "resort casual". I saw no sloppy gym clothes in dining room, but many men and women in shorts and golf shirts. Just a preference here. On NCL's larger ships they designate one dining room as dressier. Don't understand why Royal can't do this especially now that they market their ships as floating amusement parks. These are not ocean liners. - I like the option of dressing up - adds some class to eating

 

Everyone is different. Cruised in June, met a couple who raved about Carnival's food compared to Royal (a VERY minority opinion). Excellent post here, and I'm glad no one has trashed you about it. Your points are logical.

[ZandZ]

Haven't read the whole discussion, but quickly before I forget - we were on the Majesty in August/Sept this year and they had a tent with a fee chairs and water near gangway. This was something I haven't seen before and I thought it was nice.. Now it was cucumber or lemon flavored water so it didn't work for me, lol, but you can't please everyone.

[davy jones]

But there are a few things NCL does that as a long time Royal Caribbean guest I found appealing and some areas RCI should outright steal ideas from NCL:

 

1. Dining room open on embarkation day for lunch

2. Pool side BBQ's every day of the cruise

3. Sign up available at guest services if you wish to dine with captain/officers.

4. Late night food; way larger variety and choices than RCI including a buffet line until 2AM and a sports bar with about a dozen different items made to order (no charge) until 5AM. This is an area RCI trails the industry frankly and the difference is embarrassing. On the Majesty of the Seas, for example, if you are hungry after 9 you can get terrible pizza. And if you are hungry late at night too bad.

5. Pool towels are in the cabin when you embark. More are available for checkout if you desire at the pool deck, but nice to have them in your cabin to start with.

6. Hard ice cream scoops with multiple toppings at no charge. Maybe not Ben & Jerrys, but no charge wins.

7. Every port had tent set up near gangway with lounge chairs in the shade, iced tea, ice water, etc. This was a nice luxury touch and have never had that on any RCI cruise.

8. The Sky is always "resort casual". I saw no sloppy gym clothes in dining room, but many men and women in shorts and golf shirts. Just a preference here. On NCL's larger ships they designate one dining room as dressier. Don't understand why Royal can't do this especially now that they market their ships as floating amusement parks. These are not ocean liners.

 

 

.

 

I have had many of the same thoughts myself.

[anandaindonesia]

I read many negative things about NCL so was apprehensive when booking the Epic for our TA. Turns out we like it!

I will add one more sweet thing to the OP list : room service is available on debarkation day (albeit limited menu).

 

Sent from my SM-G7102 using Tapatalk

[3Blessings]

Our cruise on Adventure in July had the tent outside with water, flavored water and wet towels, which were very nice when getting back from the beach or excursions. Hopefully they will add this to all of the ships.

 

Haven't read the whole discussion, but quickly before I forget - we were on the Majesty in August/Sept this year and they had a tent with a fee chairs and water near gangway. This was something I haven't seen before and I thought it was nice.. Now it was cucumber or lemon flavored water so it didn't work for me, lol, but you can't please everyone.

[ZandZ]

Ugh... not fee chairs... few chairs... lol. Sorry.

 

Sent from my SM-N910C using Tapatalk

[vacalover99]

Great comparisons!

 

Having been on both, the past few years we have chosen NCL mainly due to the free beverage package promo and the couple we cruise with prefer NCL. But we also enjoy the free style dining concept.

 

One thing I do notice is that NCL lacks in offering longer than 7 night cruises to the Caribbean during Nov & Dec. Plus very few NCL cruises cruise to Aruba and Curacao (which I have been dying to go back to)

 

Anyways my main question for Royal regulars is do you think Royal will start offering a free beverage package like NCL? Or have they in the past? It's been a few years since we cruised on Royal, but thinking about booking one for Nov 2016 - out of Puerto Rico!

 

Thanks!

[NYcruzzer]

I rather give the employees a break on embarkation day. Most people board the ship so late that they won't make it to the MDR and they are also in the proses of changing table size etc,,,

 

This Summer Celebrity Summit offered lunch in the MDR on embarkation day. The Dining room was quite busy at 12:30 What a lovely way to start the cruise.

[Big_G]

I never understood the lack of a poolside grill on Royal. Even Celebrity has them. It would cutdown on Windjammer traffic and even chair hogging.

 

 

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[Lowcountrygal]

I look forward to Epic spending winter of 2016/2017 doing the Caribbean from Port Canaveral. Oasis will be arriving about the same time as will new & larger Carnival ships.

I wonder how the added competition will affect pricing & service not only for RCI -- but NCL, Disney, & Carnival as well.

While I cruise mostly Royal, I am thrilled with new choices coming to my home port! The fact that Epic will do shorter Bahama cruises as well as the traditional 7 day Caribbean run is definitely intriguing to me! What a wonderful way to get reacquainted with NCL. Haven't been aboard since the Norway in '92! [emoji54]

[jules815]

I booked a 5-nighter on Celebrity Constellation last week. With their current promotion, for $225pp (the "Best" selection) we're each getting a premium beverage package (their high end pkg.), unlimited wi-fi, pre-paid grats, and $150pp obc. (A 5-day Ultimate Beverage Pkg. on RC would have run over $380pp) All that, and the rate was pretty good too. I'm still shaking my head and wondering if it's because it's one of those peak college spring break weeks, and they might be having a hard time booking.

 

My daughter has been emailing me "deals" on NCL for 2017, and I have to admit, they look pretty good.

[davekathy]

Another Cruiser that would like to see RCCL have a pool side grill. Huge success on Celebrity and Princess as well.