Comparing Royal Caribbean to other cruise lines

[lovebarbie]

Please be honest, and only answer if you have been on both of these cruise lines. I have sailed with RCCL twice and loved both times, though I have not been back since 2000 due to raising a family. I have also sailed on Princess twice, and didn't care for them back in the early 90s, but really loved them in 2012. Also went on Celebrity once. (went on Carnival once because it was a free trip my friend won, but I did not care for it compared to all the others) So I'm planning a group cruise to the Mediterranean/Greek Islands, and Norwegian has the best perks for groups, but I have never sailed with them. I've heard some people rave about them, and others complain. I am not super picky, but I also don't want my group to be disappointed. Being that I liked or loved RCCL and Princess, will I be disappointed in Norwegian? Is their customer service really as bad as some complainers I read said it was? NCL offers two free perks (drink package, free internet, free tips, specialty dining, photo package, shore excursion credit, etc) with their rate, and the other lines do not include them.

 

Thanks for any advice!

[Merion_Mom]

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2601415

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2607107

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2535960

[Pstreet12]

Only thing I can add is that grat. are NOT included in the drink package--there is a standard grat. rate charged per day, whether you drink that much or not.

[Merion_Mom]

Only thing I can add is that grat. are NOT included in the drink package--there is a standard grat. rate charged per day, whether you drink that much or not.

And the percentage is 20% of a very high amount. (which I forget, but is in the 80's, I believe)

[mugtech]

And the percentage is 20% of a very high amount. (which I forget, but is in the 80's, I believe)

Yes you can have as many drinks as you like for $16/day. Or you can take a different freebie. Hard to complain about that.

Edited April 5, 2018 by mugtech
spelling

[Merion_Mom]

Yes you can have as many drinks as you like for $16/day. Or you can take a different freebies. Hard to co plain about that.

One needs to compare apples and apples, always.

 

Take the two cruise fares and add everything that would make them equivalent.

 

THEN compare.

[Merion_Mom]

And the percentage is 20% of a very high amount. (which I forget, but is in the 80's, I believe)

 

Yes you can have as many drinks as you like for $16/day. Or you can take a different freebies. Hard to co plain about that.

I checked. It's $89 a day, so the gratuities are $17.80 per day.

 

Just being accurate. :)

[ravensbad]

I was recently on the NCL Pearl out of New Orleans. I've posted about it previously but I was very unimpressed. I tried to go into it with an open mind and just enjoy that cruise on its own merits but a lot of things just did not come close to my experience on Royal Caribbean. It wasn't bad, and I didn't have a bad vacation, but if everything else is the same it's the little things that count.

 

The staff in general was not as friendly and helpful, and I even had some servers give me an attitude (which absolutely shocked me, I have never experienced this on a cruise before and it happened multiple times at different restaurants on the Pearl). I mean, something as simple as requesting to skip dessert because the meal had run longer than we planned and we wanted to make it to a show caused a server to be very rude. I wasn't rude, wasn't complaining or asking her to go faster, I just said we needed to head to a show so we'd be skipping dessert and she apparently did not like that one bit. And that was not an isolated incident.

 

The food everywhere but the MDR and O'Sheehan's was worse and the food in the MDR was about the same when compared to Royal. The specialty restaurants especially were very disappointing. I couldn't get a properly cooked steak to save my life and the food just was not as good as any specialty restaurant I've been to with Royal.

 

Tendering was an absolute nightmare. Seriously, you would have thought no one on that ship had ever tendered before. In Grand Cayman the last group of passengers didn't make it off the ship until around 3pm, 4 hours after tendering was supposed to start. Also, a ton of the technology was not in working order on the ship. Like that map on the tv that shows where you've been, or current time/temperature/sunset/sunrise. They had tv screens in all the elevators with the current date and time and I swear every elevator I was in that had the screen working showed a different date and/or time.

 

Some of that stuff might seem silly, but I'm just relating my experience. None of it was enough to ruin my vacation but when taken as a whole it definitely says something about the NCL experience.

 

Now, to be fair, NCL did do some things better than Royal. Late night food was definitely better, and O'Sheehan's in general was great. Also, NCL had more gameshows (though this is heavily dependent on the CD no matter the line) which we enjoy. I did miss the Quest though. They also had more trivia, and you even accumulated activity points you could trade in on some coveted NCL logo merchandise at the end of the week. I don't know if the newer Royal Ships do this differently, but on the Serenade if you show up without a reservation to the MDR you have to stand in this huge line. I liked on NCL that they give you one of those buzzer things like you get at a regular restaurant so you don't have to stand there in line for 30+ minutes. I also like that you get some included freebies with NCL. We got free gratuities, which seems to be a rare promotion, and free specialty dining so we saved a good chunk of change on stuff we would normally spend. I also like NCL's NextCruise program a lot better than what Royal is doing right now.

 

All in all I enjoyed my vacation but if I had the choice of two equal cruises (itinerary, price, etc.), one from Royal and one from NCL, I would book with Royal 100 times out of 100 and not even give it a second thought.

[lovebarbie]

I checked. It's $89 a day, so the gratuities are $17.80 per day.

 

Just being accurate. :)

 

Thank you, yes, I was told that too. But then, when I got the quote from the agent, it said the gratuities were included in the drink package, so I questioned her on it because I thought it was a typo. She said, because we are a group, the gratuities would be free also for this package. I hope she knows for sure about this. I am just worried because of some of the negative reviews I read about "nickel and diming" and "bad service" (but aren't there naysers with every cruise line, or people that generally just aren't happy)? For all the bad reviews, there are good ones too.... I just worry a bit since I haven't traveled with Norwegian yet, but I've loved just about every other cruise I've been on (RCCL, Celebrity, and Princess, specifically).... Carnival was the only one I wouldn't go on again (unless it was very cheap or free like the other one I went on).

[champagne123]

You are going to get all different opinions on any cruise line. We are not loyal to any of them. I, for one enjoyed NCL very much...yet my husband was not crazy about it. We have never had a bad cruise on any of the cruise lines we have been on. Nothing is perfect and if you expect that it will be, then expect a bad experience. Go with a great attitude!!! I am sure you will have a wonderful time.

[mpdog42]

Man, Just read this.. Been sailing since 1993 and heard of ships coming out of Dry Dock with some Repairs going on during the following cruise...But this?

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/norwegian-cruise-passengers-angry-1.4603237

 

 

Mike

[grapau27]

Please be honest, and only answer if you have been on both of these cruise lines. I have sailed with RCCL twice and loved both times, though I have not been back since 2000 due to raising a family. I have also sailed on Princess twice, and didn't care for them back in the early 90s, but really loved them in 2012. Also went on Celebrity once. (went on Carnival once because it was a free trip my friend won, but I did not care for it compared to all the others) So I'm planning a group cruise to the Mediterranean/Greek Islands, and Norwegian has the best perks for groups, but I have never sailed with them. I've heard some people rave about them, and others complain. I am not super picky, but I also don't want my group to be disappointed. Being that I liked or loved RCCL and Princess, will I be disappointed in Norwegian? Is their customer service really as bad as some complainers I read said it was? NCL offers two free perks (drink package, free internet, free tips, specialty dining, photo package, shore excursion credit, etc) with their rate, and the other lines do not include them.

 

Thanks for any advice!

I would check which itinerary and date you want and read the reviews of the ships that are doing them.

Personally i would go for RCCL and you have had good experiences with them.

The choice of restaurants is excellent on NCL and we loved the NCL Gem.

NCL Epic bathroom sink was outside the bathroom for after you went to the toilet.

Some NCL ships didn't have fridges in cabins.

The Mediterranean and Greek islands are fantastic destinations.

[topnole]

The specific ship makes a big difference (not just the cruise line).

[Hoopster95]

So I'm planning a group cruise to the Mediterranean/Greek Islands... Thanks for any advice!

 

Is having a view of the amazing ports and islands you will be visiting important to you? Is this a once in a lifetime sailing that you (or many of your group) may never do again? One of my personal biggest hates on NCL was the siteline to view anything at all when going into and out of ports. You and your group may not care so the following may not apply to how you feel.

I posted the following a couple of years ago, and is still valid today

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44382880&highlight=sitelines#post44382880

 

If you wish to see what the views are like from an RCL ship in the Med.....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44387231&highlight=St.+Mark%27s+Square+sail-in+to+Venice#post44387231

 

Note fellow cruisers on the railing and the views we all had sailing in.... unless NCL changed railings/upgraded/whathaveyou during dry docks you cannot do that on the smaller NCL ships (I haven't been on NCL for about 5 years now).

In the Med, for my own personal criteria of what's important to me, this would be massive

[lovebarbie]

Only thing I can add is that grat. are NOT included in the drink package--there is a standard grat. rate charged per day, whether you drink that much or not.

 

Except that the agent said that since we are booking as a group, the gratuities will not be charged on the package. I just got concerned when I read some complaints about "nickle & diming" that Norwegian does. Then I know some people that loved Norwegian, yet have they ever sailed any others? To me, any cruise is great, but when you have been on multiple lines, you can't help but start to compare. I am just checking because I want my group to be happy with what I choose for us.

[lovebarbie]

Yes you can have as many drinks as you like for $16/day. Or you can take a different freebie. Hard to complain about that.

 

Are you saying that by "adjusting", you can say you don't want to pay that much for tipping?

[lovebarbie]

I checked. It's $89 a day, so the gratuities are $17.80 per day.

 

Just being accurate. :)

 

Thanks, wow, I think $89 a day is a lot. When I'm on a cruise, I would normally drink one or two chargeable drinks a day. Water poured from a pitcher with my meals. Given that, is the package really worth it in my case? No. But if I chose the package, I would definitely try to drink more! On my last cruise with Princess, they offered lemonade and juices with breakfast in the buffet cafe, so I would just get a refill when I left and take it to me room and put it in my water bottle for later. It seemed to work for me, as someone who drinks a lot of water.

[lovebarbie]

I would check which itinerary and date you want and read the reviews of the ships that are doing them.

Personally i would go for RCCL and you have had good experiences with them.

The choice of restaurants is excellent on NCL and we loved the NCL Gem.

NCL Epic bathroom sink was outside the bathroom for after you went to the toilet.

Some NCL ships didn't have fridges in cabins.

The Mediterranean and Greek islands are fantastic destinations.

 

So you are saying that you did like NCL also? It's been since 2000 that I've cruised with RCCL. So that's a long time. Thanks for your reply. I figure since there's a port every single day, we won't be on the ship that much anyway, except for sleeping and night time dinner and entertainment.

[Guest]

I did a great Italy and Greek Isles cruise on the Celebrity Reflection last August. Ports were great, Ship was amazing, service and food impeccable.

 

We also got grats and drinks package included when booking. I believe it’s the only line with decent size/new ships doing the Italy/Greek Isles itinerary’s. Unless you count Princess, but their itineraries were pricing up £1000 more PER PERSON. We paid £2000 each for a 10 night in a Concierge Class cabin. School holidays so it was more expensive, but I saw it going stupidly cheap (like £800 less pp) in term time.

 

We went from Rome- Messina (Sicily)- Malta- Mykonos- Rhodes- Santorini- Athens- Naples- Rome.

[lovebarbie]

Is having a view of the amazing ports and islands you will be visiting important to you? Is this a once in a lifetime sailing that you (or many of your group) may never do again? One of my personal biggest hates on NCL was the siteline to view anything at all when going into and out of ports. You and your group may not care so the following may not apply to how you feel.

I posted the following a couple of years ago, and is still valid today

 

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44382880&highlight=sitelines#post44382880

 

If you wish to see what the views are like from an RCL ship in the Med.....

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=44387231&highlight=St.+Mark%27s+Square+sail-in+to+Venice#post44387231

 

Note fellow cruisers on the railing and the views we all had sailing in.... unless NCL changed railings/upgraded/whathaveyou during dry docks you cannot do that on the smaller NCL ships (I haven't been on NCL for about 5 years now).

In the Med, for my own personal criteria of what's important to me, this would be massive

 

Hi Hoopster95,

Thank you for posting the links to your past cruises on each. I see that Norwegian has high "windows" around their pool deck. Are all their decks like that, or just the pool deck? I see what you're saying, but then again I figure you have to weigh in the free perks that Norwegian gives and the ports. I like the one comment where the person said that they like to try them all, and choose the variety of different cruise lines. I used to cruise a lot in the 90s, but then after raising a family, only been on one 5 years ago since my last cruise in 2000 on my honeymoon. So can I really compare the RCCL of the 90s and 2000 to the newer, bigger ships they now have? I always thought the Sovereign, Monarch, Majesty ships of the 90s (which were one of the largest at the time) were beautiful... I can only imagine how the newer ships are. Though I have seen photos of the 2017 refurbishment of the Norwegian Jade, and it looks really nice. I also sailed on Celebrity Meridian in the 90s and loved it (it was a quite old ship that had been refurbished, since then it has sunk.) So always wanted to go back on Celebrity since I found their food the best of all. But they don't have many Greek Island sailings to choose from. Holland America I want to try at some point also. I didn't like Princess in 1992, but really loved the Golden Princess in 2012. So who knows? I guess just take the chance.

[CanadaRob]

Man, Just read this.. Been sailing since 1993 and heard of ships coming out of Dry Dock with some Repairs going on during the following cruise...But this?

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/norwegian-cruise-passengers-angry-1.4603237

 

 

Mike

 

Interesting read-with the amount of chemical bucket pictures I would think this should have been a 2 week drydock instead of a Panama Canal sailing. The need to keep the revenue flowing is certainly a factor but at some point they must have realized this was not going to go there way. Damage control with a 25% offer off of next cruise sounds even less palatable than the offers floated after the Anthem PR disaster last winter.

[vacationlover_mn]

We found NCL to be very similar to RCI. My inlaws were loyal to NCL, until they went on Epic and HATED HATED HATED it. Then, they converted to RCI. I agree that the ship is important :)

 

We did a Mediterranean on Brilliance, and loved it :)

[Laurin612]

Man, Just read this.. Been sailing since 1993 and heard of ships coming out of Dry Dock with some Repairs going on during the following cruise...But this?

 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/edmonton/norwegian-cruise-passengers-angry-1.4603237

 

 

Mike

 

Oh, wow....I can't believe the cruise line didn't do more for them than offer 25% on a cruise with Norwegian during the next year. I'd be so :mad:

[EleventyBangBang]

In general I would say Royal and Norwegian are comparable. As others have noted, most of the differences would be specific to individual ships.

 

The only "across the board" difference I can think of is NCL usually offers drink packages as a perk and RCL does not.

[lovebarbie]

In general I would say Royal and Norwegian are comparable. As others have noted, most of the differences would be specific to individual ships.

 

The only "across the board" difference I can think of is NCL usually offers drink packages as a perk and RCL does not.

 

Great! Thank you.