RCL vs NCL vs Carnival

[John319a]

Hey all, John's wife here.

 

Me and my son - 14 - are considering going on a cruise by ourselves during a week he has off in April. My husband's birthday is Friday, so we'd want to be back by then (he wouldn't want to celebrate his birthday onboard). I've found 4 that fit the schedule:

 

4 day Majesty of the Seas (Mon-Fri)

4 day Empress of the Seas (Sat-Wed)

5 day Carnival Paradise (Sat-Thu)

6 day Norwegian Escape (Sat-Fri)

 

Obviously I know that none of these cruises will be a repeat of the Celebrity Silhouette, but I'm hoping to find the best of this bunch. The quality of food is fairly important, even if none will be as good as a higher-end line, and we'd like to avoid a too-crowded/loud/rambunctious/"booze cruise" atmosphere -- my son's an introvert and we both prefer to sit and read than go to a deck party.

 

I like the age and amenities of the Escape but worry about the food and potential crowding. Majesty/Empress are older but could be a nice experience especially with the large windows I've seen in images -- here I'm concerned about the age (30 years!) and also that it's only 4 days so could take on a "booze cruise" feel (though it is during the week). And then there's the Paradise. It's another older ship, my son doesn't like that there is seemingly no promenade deck to be outside away from the pool crowds, Carnival's decor is... ugh, and I don't know how Carnival's food is nowadays.

 

Thanks for any help ;)

[Velvetwater]

If there's not much price difference the Escape for sure as its 6 days. Also the fact is that the longer the cruise the less loud 'party happy' cruisers often are. Not mention you have said things you like about it already and the overcrowding wont be a huge issue as the ship is big enough to find quiet spots. I sailed with a smaller NCL ship last year and liked the food just as much as the other 2 lines you mentioned. The big ship will give you lots of choices too.

 

I think you will also be fine on either Royal...shes a sister line of X after all.

Edited March 27, 2018 by Velvetwater

[Keith1010]

I too would go with the longer of the cruises.

 

Often shorter cruises are party ships with a lot of younger people.

 

Keith

[Clarea]

I'd go with Escape.

[John319a]

Thanks for the replies so far, I'm going to go ahead and just eliminate the Carnival -- don't know if I can stand that color scheme ;p

 

Anyone who has sailed the Escape, is the lifeboat deck (under the Waterfront) open to walking? And is smoke leaking from the open casino still a problem?

 

The price is a factor but not a deal-breaker - it's about 40-50% more to go on the Escape, and we did just go on a cruise earlier this month...

[Velvetwater]

Thanks for the replies so far, I'm going to go ahead and just eliminate the Carnival -- don't know if I can stand that color scheme ;p

.

 

You get used to it quickly...its a bit of a laugh I suppose.

 

I forgot to mention that the Paradise has just come out of her dry dock with a great new water park and new dining options.

 

Wow...the escape is much pricier...but if its the one you like the best go for it.

[goodshiplollipop]

The water front on NCL is awesome. Small sitting areas under an overhang are perfect for reading!

[John319a]

I'll look into the Escape more with my husband and see if he's okay with the price. :)

 

BTW the price difference is also ocean view on RCL vs balcony on the Escape

 

What are the Empress and Majesty like, and for people who've been on both, which did you prefer?? And compared to the Escape?

Edited March 28, 2018 by John319a

[John319a]

I'll look into the Escape more with my husband and see if he's okay with the price. :)

 

BTW the price difference is also ocean view on RCL vs balcony on the Escape

 

What are the Empress and Majesty like, and for people who've been on both, which did you prefer?? And compared to the Escape?

 

Sorry didn't mean to add "And compared to the Escape?" at the end... It was going to be "And does RCL or Norweigan have better food"

[SuiteTraveler]

I'll look into the Escape more with my husband and see if he's okay with the price. :)

 

BTW the price difference is also ocean view on RCL vs balcony on the Escape

 

What are the Empress and Majesty like, and for people who've been on both, which did you prefer?? And compared to the Escape?

 

Escape is a new mega ship with a full scale waterpark, ropes course and one of the best spa thermal suites at sea. It also has great specialty restaurants and the culture on NCL is you go to a different restaurant every night and dine with your own party only. You have to make reservations for dinner in specialty restaurants and shows in advance of your cruise. They also have The Haven which is a great experience. The Haven Spa Suites are the best deal at sea as you get full access to The Haven and also access to the Spa Thermal Suite.

 

Empress and Majesty are old smaller ships that lack almost ALL of the amenities of most modern cruise ships. IMO, these are the kind of ships you would go on for a port intensive cruise where you are off the ship all day everyday - such as in the Med where the ship is just a floating hotel.

 

Majesty was built in 1992 and last refurbished in 2016. It has a rock climbing wall, 2 swimming pools, and a sports court. That's about it as far as deck amenities. 63 suites with verandas, the rest are inside or outside. Here's a tour of Majesty: http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-MJOS--Tour-1.html

 

Empress is even older, built in 1990 and refurbished in 2016. Here's a tour:

 

Which do I prefer? Hard to say as they have been made over substantially since I was on them. For me to consider either these days they would have to be doing a port intensive cruise and the ports would be why I chose the ship. But be warned the staterooms are really small on both of these ships but Majesty is much more high density (2,744 passengers) than Empress (2,020 passengers).

 

With the older ships you are not going to have near the amenities of a mega ship such as Escape. In terms of food, I prefer NCL's food to RCCL. I prefer RCCL's mega ships (Oasis class) when I want to have a very busy cruise with lots of entertainment and the feel of being in an amusement park. I prefer NCL's mega ships such as Escape when I want a great spa experience and the feel of being at a Las Vegas Casino Resort with a waterpark. I think NCL's specialty restaurants are marginally better than RCCL's and certainly NCL has more different types of specialty restaurants than RCCL.

[John319a]

Escape is a new mega ship with a full scale waterpark, ropes course and one of the best spa thermal suites at sea. It also has great specialty restaurants and the culture on NCL is you go to a different restaurant every night and dine with your own party only. You have to make reservations for dinner in specialty restaurants and shows in advance of your cruise. They also have The Haven which is a great experience. The Haven Spa Suites are the best deal at sea as you get full access to The Haven and also access to the Spa Thermal Suite.

 

Empress and Majesty are old smaller ships that lack almost ALL of the amenities of most modern cruise ships. IMO, these are the kind of ships you would go on for a port intensive cruise where you are off the ship all day everyday - such as in the Med where the ship is just a floating hotel.

 

Majesty was built in 1992 and last refurbished in 2016. It has a rock climbing wall, 2 swimming pools, and a sports court. That's about it as far as deck amenities. 63 suites with verandas, the rest are inside or outside. Here's a tour of Majesty: http://www.beyondships.com/RCI-MJOS--Tour-1.html

 

Empress is even older, built in 1990 and refurbished in 2016. Here's a tour:

 

Which do I prefer? Hard to say as they have been made over substantially since I was on them. For me to consider either these days they would have to be doing a port intensive cruise and the ports would be why I chose the ship. But be warned the staterooms are really small on both of these ships but Majesty is much more high density (2,744 passengers) than Empress (2,020 passengers).

 

With the older ships you are not going to have near the amenities of a mega ship such as Escape. In terms of food, I prefer NCL's food to RCCL. I prefer RCCL's mega ships (Oasis class) when I want to have a very busy cruise with lots of entertainment and the feel of being in an amusement park. I prefer NCL's mega ships such as Escape when I want a great spa experience and the feel of being at a Las Vegas Casino Resort with a waterpark. I think NCL's specialty restaurants are marginally better than RCCL's and certainly NCL has more different types of specialty restaurants than RCCL.

 

Thanks for the detailed explanation -- I'm leaning towards the Escape if I can convince the hubby!

 

I don't know what kind of autopilot my mind was on to ask for a comparison between a 30 year old ship and a brand new one... :o

 

We'll probably eat in one of the main dining rooms at least 60-70% of the time. We'll use the "Free At Sea" specialty restaurants the rest of the time and maybe pay for one other night. What are the main dining rooms like compared to RCL?

[SuiteTraveler]

Well, there are 3 main dining rooms and they are interesting. There is Taste and Savor and of those two, one will be more casual attire and then there is a 3rd one called the The Manhattan Room which you have to get reservations for online prior to your cruise and it is like a dinner club with a live band and dancing. The food is the same in all of these MDR's and is good. There is also O'Sheehans which is included and it's a British Pub, but on one night they usually serve Prime Rib - usually the first night - you have to look at your daily to find out. Of course there is the Garden Cafe (huge buffet.). If you are in The Haven, then The Haven restaurant is also a MDR but only for Haven guests and they serve a different, more upscale menu which is included for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

 

Beyond that, there are a whole bunch of specialty restaurants: Teppanyaki - your child would love that!, Bayamo seafood, Cagney's Steakhouse, Food Republic (highly recommended), Margaritaville, La Cucina, Le Bistro (my favorite), Moderno (Brazilian BBQ like Fogo de Chao - a whole lot of meat but their salad bar is especially good!), Pincho Tapas Bar (another favorite of mine), The supper club - different from the Manhattan room - they have a music show in there - usually a cabaret singer at night and during the day they have Winelovers the musical sometimes.

 

You can see some of the menus here: http://www.beyondships2.com/norwegian-escape-menus.html

 

Typically we eat at Le Bistro twice and Cagney's at least once and then we also like Pincho Tapas (especially when I am all fooded out and my husband still wants to eat) and Food Republic and Bayamo, so we'd do those as well. Margaritaville does not get good reviews and it is not decorated like on-land Margaritavilles - which, IMO, is an important part of the whole Margaritaville experience, so I'd skip that and maybe get something from the 5 O'Clock Anywhere bar and Teppanyaki we've done - it's best for families with kids as they entertain you - like at Benihana.

 

RCCL took a major wrong turn a couple of years back with their MDR by introducing Dynamic Dining which didn't work most of the time due to a massive technology problem. https://www.usatoday.com/story/travel/cruises/2016/09/14/royal-caribbean-dynamic-dining/90367520/ It was a massively expensive mistake, so now they are back to a regular MDR menu but people are complaining about that. We have not eaten in a RCCL MDR for years. We always eat dinner at Chef's Table or in Specialty restaurants and the food we have in these venues is very good to excellent. I have gone to the buffet on Allure and couldn't really find anything I wanted to eat in there. I mostly ate lunch at the Promenade Cafe or Park Cafe but then all I wanted was a simple sandwich or a salad. You can see a discussion of the new Oasis class MDR menus here: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2572861

Edited March 29, 2018 by SuiteTraveler

[SuiteTraveler]

I should also mention there are no formal nights on NCL. You can get dressed up for Norwegian night out as they have the photographers out, but you don't have to ever - which is great when you are traveling with kids and also in Europe - I hate coming back from an all day tour and have to get dressed up in formalwear for dinner when I'm tired and just want to eat and go to bed.

[John319a]

Thanks for all the help SuiteTraveler! How much of an issue is smoke from the casino in the atrium and does it spread to the rest of the ship and Le Bistro? I'm a bit sensitive to smoke.

[John319a]

Okay, so my weeklong cruise-just-one-month-after-the-last-one was veto'ed... :rolleyes: And some of the others are sold-out now. I do still want to do at least a short one for some needed RandR.

 

So revised list:

 

 

 

 

• 3 day Majesty
  
• 4 day Empress
  
• 3 day Sky
  
• 3 day Victory
  
• 4 day Liberty
  

[Velvetwater]

4 day Liberty since you want a ship with lots of bells and whistles.

 

We were on her sister ship the Indy and she was action packed (even on a 7 day cruise in Europe in May).

 

As a class they are big enough for activities if you need them but theres also enough quiet spaces too.

[Grandma Dazzles]

4 day Liberty since you want a ship with lots of bells and whistles.

 

We were on her sister ship the Indy and she was action packed (even on a 7 day cruise in Europe in May).

 

As a class they are big enough for activities if you need them but theres also enough quiet spaces too.

 

Not sure if OP is referring to RC Liberty of the Seas, which is the sister ship to Independence of the Seas (Indy) or Carnival's Liberty. OP needs to clarify and use full name of ship if referring to Liberty of the Seas. When people see Liberty they probably assume Carnival.

[John319a]

Not sure if OP is referring to RC Liberty of the Seas, which is the sister ship to Independence of the Seas (Indy) or Carnival's Liberty. OP needs to clarify and use full name of ship if referring to Liberty of the Seas. When people see Liberty they probably assume Carnival.

 

Sorry about that, its the Carnival Liberty :)

[Velvetwater]

Haha no worries...I would still vote for the Liberty as its 4 days and shes the biggest (just!) ship (which you seemed to like earlier) and the youngest.

 

I guess which line comes to your head first you think the ship is from...I have just been reading Symphony inaugural stuff so Royal was in my head even though I have sailed Carnival a lot more.

[Blasnif]

If you are traveling with kids (Age 6-17) Carnival is the way to go. A lot of activities geared toward younger people. If you are older, and kids tend to annoy you, RCL, HAL or NCL are a better choice. HAL has more formal nights too - which are not our cup of tea - and tend to be just a bit pricier. Not a lot - just a bit.

[Velvetwater]

If you are traveling with kids (Age 6-17) Carnival is the way to go. A lot of activities geared toward younger people. If you are older, and kids tend to annoy you, RCL, HAL or NCL are a better choice. HAL has more formal nights too - which are not our cup of tea - and tend to be just a bit pricier. Not a lot - just a bit.

 

I have always put NCL, Carnival and RCL in the same boat as it were as fun family lines.

 

HAL seems very different to the above 3.

[Grandma Dazzles]

If you are traveling with kids (Age 6-17) Carnival is the way to go. A lot of activities geared toward younger people. If you are older, and kids tend to annoy you, RCL, HAL or NCL are a better choice. HAL has more formal nights too - which are not our cup of tea - and tend to be just a bit pricier. Not a lot - just a bit.

Disagree! Carnival, RC and NCL are all family oriented. They will all have passengers of all ages, including kids.

HA definitely caters to an older crowd.

 

I would say shorter cruises attract a younger crowd on most cruise lines.

 

The ship also makes a huge difference. The two RC ships OP is considering are the oldest and smallest in the RC fleet, which would also make a big difference.