Thinking of booking a Norwegian cruise over Royal Caribbean

[CruisingNole]

26 minutes ago, pabrett46 said:

I can't say enough good things about the OASIS class ships.  I honestly have not cruised anything smaller. 

 

It's very important to keep in mind that NCL does not have anything comparable to Oasis class.  So if that's all you've cruised, you have probably come to expect certain things that you're not going to find on NCL (or even on smaller Royal ships). Aqua theater comes to mind.

 

Keep an open mind and you'll have a great time. It's a cruise after all.

[KKB]

Interesting thread as we also have booked our 1st NCL cruise after 13 cruises on Princess, DCL, RCCL & Celebrity. DS 24 cruised NCL for Spring Break in college & said it was fun, but food was not as good as the other lines. 

 

The 2nd poster that mentioned the Quantum in Alaska--Quantum is notorious for poor design & Alaska cruises don't seem to be quite as kiddo friendly as Caribbean.

 

We LOVED Allure & the Anthem...we LOVE RCCL large ships & the only time we felt crowded was during muster (figures with 6K people crammed on 3 floors...). Mariner was our LEAST fav cruise. Very few activities--I felt that was due to the Cruise Director. Plus MX Riviera was our least fav destination.

 

Also have 1st Carnival cruise booked for Mediterranean next summer; figure a Europe cruise is more about the destination that the ship/food/activities. Couldn't pass up $1100/pp for 12 nts OV on a refurbed ship.

[KKB]

17 hours ago, mugtech said:

We found the entertainment to be very good on both NCL and RCCL.  The best show we ever saw at sea was We Will Rock You on Anthem OTS.  We have not done an Oasis class ship yet, but we found the Anthem the best in overall food, entertainment  and layout of the ship.  We would pick it or her sister ships, of which Quantum is one, over the Breakaway, which we have sailed.

LOL--I almost walked out on WWRY...it is a WEIRD plot line to start & the 1st couple songs were BIZARRE. Luckily DD wanted to stay & we ended up loving it as well!

[CruisingNole]

40 minutes ago, KKB said:

 Mariner was our LEAST fav cruise. Very few activities--I felt that was due to the Cruise Director. Plus MX Riviera was our least fav destination.

 

Was this pre or post dry dock? I would think with the complete overhaul, there'd be plenty of things to do. 

[VegasChic2014]

 

We had done several sailings with RCCL and Disney before taking our first NCL earlier this year.

 

Some things really stood out for me as differences- we were travelling with 3 kids (age 13, 11 and 8) staying in the Haven two bedroom. 

 

1. I found myself grumbling about the included drink packages. I felt they were designed to exclude key items that you likely will seek out over the cruise thus costing you more- either by a total package upgrade or continual $5 charges throughout cruise if upgrade not worth it. The premium drink package- seems to be all pop and alcohol- excludes bottled water, fresh juice, specialty coffee etc. Now they have a premium plus package which does include those but you have to have the alcohol in it as well and is priced accordingly.
2. Kids drink packages are extremely limited...pop package or bottled water package. Have to get pop package (no bottled water in that) if adults have the alcohol package. If kids want bottled water, fresh juice, smoothies, virgin mocktails ...you have to pay for each and every one of them, no inclusive upgrade option. I know RCCL had a great package covering all the non alcoholic specialty stuff that was also great for kids.
3. We were on Epic and there were no self serve pop stations- so for kids to get their pop when outside of restaurants they have to go to the bars where many adults are well into their unlimited alcohol packages lol. I’m not sure how NCL figures that is a good idea. Also, they just have the standard fountain selections- not the huge variety from the freestyle coke dispensers RCCL has.
4. Internet- I believe RCCL has some of the best priced packages available and NCL has alternatively some of the most expensive. On NCL it was over $200 per device (was it $250?) for a week for the cruise we were on. No way all 5 of us were getting that! Quality of internet was comparable.
5. The ships I had been on with RCCL seemed to have a more segregated section for the casino- where they allow smoking. You could smell the smoke permeating , but limited to more of the immediate surrounding area because it was somewhat closed off. On NCL Epic, the casino was just in the open main area of one of the decks where the entrances to restaurants and entertainment venues also were. It was not closed off like an enclosed or separate space. My kids were upset they could smell cigarette smoke while having dinner in the main dining room- we noticed it in a couple of the restaurants. If that’s a concern for you then you may want to check the deck plans on the ship you are considering to see if it’s designed in a similar way.
6. I’m still not sure if I’m sold on the freestyle dining. We were in the Haven so expected to dine there for the trip. Once we realized the menu didn’t change each day my hubby wanted to try other restaurants for more variety and change of scenery. By that point all reservation times were full at all restaurants- so we had to wait in line for tables to open up. They did fast track us since we were Haven guests so it wasn’t ever much of a wait- but not sure how much longer the non Haven guests waited without that  line jump. You can make reservations in advance online but it’s a limited number of tables- if unable to book in advance you reserve while on the ship. For me it’s just extra planning required compared to just knowing we always have a table at xx:xx time.
7. In the Haven they do an excellent job with priority disembarking, but the final day the route they took us off the ship made me extremely uncomfortable. After meeting in the lounge they took us through back stairs etc which ended out at the front of the line right in front of a loooooong line of waiting passengers. Great for us but we were met with the other line guests literally yelling at us “hey, we’ve been in line three hours you aren’t better than us just because you paid money” “go to the back of the line” and other nasty remarks....in front of our kids. OMG! We were suite guests on RCCL with priority boarding etc, and never experienced that. I’ve read about fist fights breaking out at times since then....I think NCL needs to fix whatever they got going on in that process. Yikes.

 

Despite what sounds like a bunch of complaining (not intended) we enjoyed the cruise, and we have since booked another cruise on one of their itineraries again due to favourable timing. The shows were good, the Haven did provide an elevated level of service and our favourite specialty dining was Tappenyaki. I do prefer RCCL but I’m fine with NCL too and will adjust expectations in those areas now that I know the differences! 

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone

Edited August 10, 2019 by VegasChic2014

[dwp1127]

On 8/9/2019 at 5:59 PM, Deeliteful said:

Dwp1127 I think the internet issue was probably down to the fact you were cruising in Alaska rather than it being a RCL issue.

i did my first NCL cruise in June on the Breakaway, (usually cruise with RCL, Celebrity or P&O) and I was pleasantly surprised.

i am sailing on the Getaway in December so for OP I think you would definitely enjoy it. Younger demographic than X and plenty for kids to do.

It sucked in Seattle too.  Poor implementation on that ship.  Even the Internet staff admitted that the service was poor on Ovation. 

 

Edited August 11, 2019 by dwp1127

[dwp1127]

On 8/9/2019 at 8:02 PM, CruisingNole said:

I cruise the “big 3” lines and I find NCL to be equivalent to Carnival but the food isn’t as good. It’s a good time, but not anything to write home about. The food in particular is awful. Similar “clientele.”

 

Royal’s Oasis class ships can’t be compared to NCL because there is no comparison. The entertainment, food, service, everything makes NCL inferior in comparison.

Just got off Ovation (Quantum class). I can’t compare Oasis class, so I’ll concede that 🙂

Edited August 11, 2019 by dwp1127

[KKB]

On 8/10/2019 at 1:34 PM, CruisingNole said:

 

Was this pre or post dry dock? I would think with the complete overhaul, there'd be plenty of things to do. 

This was in Fall 2010

[CruisingNole]

2 minutes ago, KKB said:

This was in Fall 2010

 

LOL, details like “my experience was almost 10 years ago” are kind of important. A lot changes over the years. 😉

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/mariner-of-the-seas

[KKB]

Just now, CruisingNole said:

 

LOL, details like “my experience was almost 10 years ago” are kind of important. A lot changes over the years. 😉

 

https://www.royalcaribbean.com/cruise-ships/mariner-of-the-seas

It's in my signature☺️

I also conditioned it that I felt whoever the Cruise Dr. was on that cruise did a rotten job. 

Having sailed 13 times on 4 different lines on ships of varying size, we never felt so may "dead" times with no activities on any other cruise as that MX Riv one on the Mariner. I did let them know on the comment card at the end. (tactfully...)

[KristieB]

We have been on 2 of Breakaway's sister ships, Getaway and Bliss. We sailed once on Royal, Liberty of the Seas. We felt that they were pretty comparable as far as service, activities, food. We just didn't enjoy the Royal ship as much but I do want to try an Oasis class ship. Our teens really enjoyed the teen club on both lines. I really like the Waterfront on the NCL ships. 

[newmexicoNita]

We have done all the mass marketed lines and more than once I will add. Anyone who compares Carnival and their food with NCL has a bone to pick with NCL. I know there are some or many who prefer RCI and those who prefer NCL. We happen to prefer NCL, but find the 2 lines similar. RCI has a few more kids as a rule. NCL has much better dining choices and we think slightly better food. Service is similar. Entertainment, that is like food, quite subjective. OP I think you should give NCL a try. As for which of the lines are better, I don't think there is an answer for that. This is true about the nickel and diming  as well Both lines are known for their way of squeezing more money out of the guests. We have just set a limit as to how much we intend on spending and stick with it. We do not order room service as both lines charge about the same for it. We don't spend a lot of time in the casino but will allow ourselves some time to play the crazy machines. We stay away from bingo and anything else that costs more. 

[bkrickles1]

On 8/9/2019 at 3:51 PM, pabrett46 said:

Hello there,

So I have pretty much exclusively booked Royal Caribbean in the past.  I thought I'd like to try something else for a change.   So.. I find it kind of hard to figure out what comes with your cruise and what doesn't.   So if you've cruised both lines can you tell me the difference?   We are looking at NCL Breakaway out of New Orleans.  I've mostly cruised the Oasis class ships with Royal Caribbean.

I have a teenager come with us... so I'm looking for something that offers things for her to do.   What is included with the cost of the cruise?  What would I have to pay extra for?  Ie drink packages, both alcohol and non alcohol, shows, meals etc.

Thanks in advance.

Debbie

Like you I have historically booked with rccl. I sailed the ncl Dawn when it was brand new, but before that and up to July 2018, I was exclusively a rccl fan.

In July of last year, we sailed the Escape and like many have said here, there were many more similarities than differences.

We thought food and service was comparable. We gave the edge in main theater entertainment to rccl but enjoyed all of the other entertainment on ncl a little more. Howl at the Moon and The Choir of Man just can't be beat.

I would say the crowds on our rccl cruises were a little more subdued. On the Escape it was a bit more lively.

RCCL uses their different venues more efficiently for games, trivia, etc and NCL crams almost everything into the Atrium. We weren't big fans of that.

We definitely prefer the freestyle dining. We'd grown tired of the set meal times and had decided before the Escape cruise to not make dinner the most important part of our days. We ate every night in one of the mdr's and never had much of a wait. There's a beautiful bar next to every mdr and we would have a drink and wait the few minutes to be seated. Of course I also love the casual dress. I didn't even bring a pair of pants on this last sailing. One night we had very little time before a show and just had appetizers in Savor so we were in and out in something like 30 minutes. That has to be a record. Lol.

Anyway, we thought the 2 lines were very similar and had such a fun time on Escape that we're sailing the Encore in January, 2020. 

[MamaToMany]

Having cruised both an Oasis class RCI ship, and one of the largest NCL ships (Bliss), I would have to say that I prefer NCL.  It’s not by a huge margin, and we’ve got a cruise booked with both lines again in 2020.  For me, the biggest draw on NCL is the Waterfront.  There is so much lovely outdoor space to enjoy and just watch the ocean go by.  It was easy to feel more connected to the sea on NCL.  The mojito bar being just steps away also was a plus... Of course YMMV, but I can’t wait to be on the Waterfront again!  We have 5 kiddos, and I’m confident that they will find plenty to do to keep themselves entertained on Joy when we go next spring break.

[dam64]

We just sailed RCCL and the buffet food was better than NCL more variety. We found RCCL to be boring compared to NCL, less food choices with restaurants and their steak house wasn't better than Cagney's. Too formal in the evenings and not much happening like NCL has in the atrium in the evenings. The internet sucked on RCCL. The staff on RCCL was not the happy happy bubbly staff we are used to with NCL. Our balcony room the bathroom was very dirty and the cleaning guy did the basics. Throughout the ship we found it dirty as well not as pristine as NCL. We have cruised both haven and non haven and will stick with NCL for our next cruise we are Platinum. I think its good to try other lines to compare. NCL has lots to offer for teens and children on their "Away" class ships, they will never be bored. The new NCL ships in my opinion are more fun and we prefer them.Been on the Breakaway 3x times so that tells you how much we loved it! I think RCCL is overrated and very over priced .Everyone talks about the "WOW" factor with RCCL, never felt that. Not trying them again this was our second time with them. "Wow"factor is the Haven on NCL 😉 

Edited August 12, 2019 by dam64

[graphicguy]

I have cruised NCL the most, but I have also sailed RCCL 2nd most.

 

I like both.  Recently, I’ve found NCL my preferred line for many of the same reasons stated here.

 

I do feel more crowded on the large Royal ships (AOS, HOS, AOS).  It just felt like I was constantly in line.

 

Said this before, I prefer the way NCL handles the outside areas with the WATERFRIONT, dining and drinking al fresco, etc.  RCCL tries to move you inward, even with many of their balcony cabins being pointed inward of the ship.  What’s the point of being on a cruise if you’re not going to have terrific views off your balcony of the water and ports of call?

 

Entertainment is good on both.  I will give the edge to NCL because I Enjoyed their shows more.  They are really innovative when it comes to bringing big Broadway/Vegas type shows to their ships.  Actually, it’s quite a phenomena that they can pull that off on a ship.

 

Cabins....each category on each line is similar.  There’s nothing there that’s going to have me choose one over the other (except for the balcony placement on RCCL,

which I mentioned before).

 

I’ve sailed solo on both (something I seem to be doing a lot lately given I’m no longer “attached”).  NCL does this well.  They have solo cabins on their larger ships....so does Royal.  It’s just that NCL seems to be able to gear many activities to the solo traveler.  Even dining alone in Royal seemed to be a travail for them to find a table for me (seriously, even when I said I’d dine at a large table with more people).

 

My Time Dining on Royal has been a flop whenever I’ve attempted to use it.  Long waits.  And, being a solo, seemed like I was an afterthought for dining. NCL has Freestyle.  I never make reservations for anything.  If one restaurant can’t accommodate me in a timely manner, I find one that can.  Dining for me is easy-peasy on NCL.

 

I love....LOVE....me some Haven.  While I don’t always sail in the Haven, when I do, it’s always been fantastic. I’ve tried several times to book a Star suite with their version of the concierge (Genie?).  Prices have been crazy expensive, even over the expensive fares on NCL Haven.  I have read about the Royal Star suites here.  And, it sounds like they do similar functions as the Haven concierges.  Book dining and shows....take care of priority embarkation/disembarkation, resolve customer service issues (if any), escort to “best seats in the house” for shows, etc. 

 

Not sure if Star has Butlers, but the Haven Butlers take care of serving in cabin dining requests, delivering snacks and drinks to your cabin, etc.  When I was on the GEM slast year, someone on our “cabin crawl” had a party in their Haven Garden Villa Suite (which was amazing).  They hosted a party in their suite at the end of the cabin crawl. Their Butler acted as bartender and food server duping the affair, and he was really good at it.  Lots of fun.

 

Pricing,.....I realize some book their cruises a year in advance.  Obviously, prices change depending on date, time of year, cabin type, ship type, etc.  But, due to work, I steal away whenever I can.  I can’t book a year in advance.  Usually, it’s 90 days to a week in advance for me to book.  As such, I can get an NCL cruise much less expensive than a Royal cruise.  And, if you’re booking a balcony cabin (or above) that price differential is pretty large.

 

As an example, I can now book a Haven cabin on the Breakaway sailing next month for about the same price as a regular Balcony Cabin on Royal sailing around the same time (in this case, just under $4K/cabin).

 

Does any of this mean I don’t like Royal?  Not in the least.  I’ll probably sail them again.  It’s just that NCL has been offering me such a great product (vacation) on some beautiful ships, at a good price right now it’s hard to see me looking elsewhere unless there’s a deal to be had on another line.

 

I’ve sailed other lines, too.  Carnival....that’s a different experience....not bad, mind you....just different.  I have to be in a different mind set to cruise Carnival (and let’s face it, the news coming out of Carnival recently hasn’t been all that good).  

 

I’ve sailed MSC (Yacht Club) twice....once in the Mediterranean).  Great experience.  At the time, quite a deal, too.  These days?  Their deals seemed to have dried up.  It’s definitely a “European” feel, including the passengers (which seems to skew the experience for us Norte Americanos).  You either like it, or you don’t.

 

Sailed both HAL and Celebrity.  Nice ships.  I guess the best thing I can say, I couldn’t complain about the food, or the ships themselves.  But, if you’re looking for good entertainment or any night life, you’re on the wrong ships.  Most exciting thing I did on the Celebrity Solstice was watch a glass blowing exhibition.  That’s exactly as exciting as it sounds.

 

HAL I haven’t sailed in quite a while, but nothing really stood out.  That sort of says it all.

 

Good luck.  I love the “-Away” ships.  I think you’ll find them to offer a great cruise.

[pabrett46]

Thank you.  This is really good feedback!

[BuckeyeOne]

On 8/9/2019 at 5:09 PM, dwp1127 said:

We have traditionally been NCL and Celebrity cruisers in the past (along with 3 Disney Cruises over the years when the kids were younger).   We just got off RCL Ovation of the Seas from Seattle -> Alaska last week (our first RCL cruise), and while I won't say we "hated" it, we definitely came to the realization that RCL (or at least the Ovation) isn't for us.   I'm 47, Wife is 44, boys are 13/11.  We've cruised 9+ times, so have some basis of comparison.  We've sailed Haven on NCL, non-haven, etc.

 

To RCL's credit, I thought our Wait Staff in the main dining room was hands down, the BEST wait staff we've ever had on 9+ cruises with different lines.  They were truly excellent.

 

What we didn't like about RCL (or at least the Ovation):

1. WAY too many people crammed into the ship with limited options on Day 1.   Embarkation itself wasn't bad, but once we got on the ship it was a complete mess.  15-20+ minute waits for the elevators, and the only thing really open/available was windjammer (buffet) at that point.   Once you got up there, it was just a sea of humanity and good luck finding a table.   On NCL, we feel there are more things "open" and available on embarkation day.   Even after the first day, it just always felt crowded.  Never have felt that way on NCL.  We met a couple who had been on Oasis and they felt it was design flaw with Ovation, saying that Oasis felt much more "roomy", so perhaps it was just the ship.

 

2. VERY limited dining options.   We had a 5:15 Main dining seating (we were with my in-laws).   By 9pm I wanted a snack. I don't do Pizza.  I was pretty much out of any real options at that point.   NCL I feel like there's always SOMETHING available with some variety.  I never felt like I had to hunt things out on an NCL ship.

 

3. Internet was AWFUL compared to NCL.   We were in the Med last year on Epic and I was literally facetiming my kids crystal clear, as well as doing some stuff for work.  On RCL (Ovation), it (no exaggeration) took my wife 6 hours to upload 20 pictures to Facebook (and we did have the streaming package).

 

4. VERY limited entertainment.  Again, I'm hearing this may have been more of an Ovation of the Seas issue vs. RCL overall, but we were not impressed at all with the night time entertainment.

 

5. I felt like EVERYTHING was an upcharge on Ovation.  Granted, most cruise lines are heading this way, but I never felt like I was being nickle and dimed on NCL.

 

To RCL's credit, my boys (13/11) LOVED Seaplex.  They practically lived up there between Bumper Cars, Basketball, Xbox, etc.   My 11 y/o had ZERO interest in the kids club (we stopped by after registering him to drop him off, and even my wife and I said "no way".. they had a bunch of 10-12 year olds literally just sitting like it was a Kindergarten class room with not much activity.  Beyond Seaplex, my boys said the cruise was "boring" compared to other cruises we've done.

 

Hope this helps... I know it's just my personal opinion, but I really don't see us doing RCL again.  We're already booked for NCL Encore next summer, and we're all looking forward to it.

 

Interesting. I believe I may have been on the same cruise as you.  It was my first cruise, but my experience seems to have been somewhat different.  Some of that may have been that I purchased The Key.  The dedicated hours for key members and dedicated reservations for some of the activities paid off nicely.   We had a fun meal with a menu from Chops after boarding so I avoided the buffet.  I agree the Windjammer was an issue throughout the trip, but we avoided it most of the time.  Everyone went there and the seating is far too limited. Too many parties of two taking 6-8 person tables as well.  We had a daily table even though we were on My time dining and it truly was the best experience of the trip.  If I could figure out how to have those two waiters on every cruise, I would never go anywhere else.  It made the trip.  While the internet service is slow at times, I kind of expected that in Alaska.  My kids were able to stream some shows (with buffering occasionally).  I can't compare to NCL.  The entertainment was a little limited, but with the long daylight hours, I just wanted to relax on the balcony and watch whales. We did Pixels and the Aerosmith cover band which was pretty good.  I will say the shopping needs improvement.  Snack-type dining options were insufficient and closed too early as you noted. That was somewhat minor. Ultimately, my wife came away never wanting to do another cruise line other than RCCL.  I'm trying to change her mind as I'm debating NCL. 

[thepla]

On 8/7/2019 at 12:07 PM, Beamafar said:

 

The low post count gave it away (that, plus the "attitude").

 

22 hours ago, mk-ultra said:

Any time I've priced a cruise through AMEX travel, I've found that I can beat it in total cost by just booking it myself.  It's a great card, and I easily get way more out of it than the high annual fee since I travel quite a bit.

 

One note: if you have a corporate AMEX through work and are thinking about getting a personal platinum card, definitely apply through your corporate account's web login.  AMEX will refund $150 per year of the annual fee each year you have both.  That makes the platinum card a steal if you're able to use the annual benefits for Uber, airline, Saks, Global Entry / TSA Pre, etc.

 

[cloud_nine]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

I have cruised NCL the most, but I have also sailed RCCL 2nd most.

 

I like both.  Recently, I’ve found NCL my preferred line for many of the same reasons stated here.

 

I do feel more crowded on the large Royal ships (AOS, HOS, AOS).  It just felt like I was constantly in line.

 

Said this before, I prefer the way NCL handles the outside areas with the WATERFRIONT, dining and drinking al fresco, etc.  RCCL tries to move you inward, even with many of their balcony cabins being pointed inward of the ship.  What’s the point of being on a cruise if you’re not going to have terrific views off your balcony of the water and ports of call?

 

Entertainment is good on both.  I will give the edge to NCL because I Enjoyed their shows more.  They are really innovative when it comes to bringing big Broadway/Vegas type shows to their ships.  Actually, it’s quite a phenomena that they can pull that off on a ship.

 

Cabins....each category on each line is similar.  There’s nothing there that’s going to have me choose one over the other (except for the balcony placement on RCCL,

which I mentioned before).

 

I’ve sailed solo on both (something I seem to be doing a lot lately given I’m no longer “attached”).  NCL does this well.  They have solo cabins on their larger ships....so does Royal.  It’s just that NCL seems to be able to gear many activities to the solo traveler.  Even dining alone in Royal seemed to be a travail for them to find a table for me (seriously, even when I said I’d dine at a large table with more people).

 

My Time Dining on Royal has been a flop whenever I’ve attempted to use it.  Long waits.  And, being a solo, seemed like I was an afterthought for dining. NCL has Freestyle.  I never make reservations for anything.  If one restaurant can’t accommodate me in a timely manner, I find one that can.  Dining for me is easy-peasy on NCL.

 

I love....LOVE....me some Haven.  While I don’t always sail in the Haven, when I do, it’s always been fantastic. I’ve tried several times to book a Star suite with their version of the concierge (Genie?).  Prices have been crazy expensive, even over the expensive fares on NCL Haven.  I have read about the Royal Star suites here.  And, it sounds like they do similar functions as the Haven concierges.  Book dining and shows....take care of priority embarkation/disembarkation, resolve customer service issues (if any), escort to “best seats in the house” for shows, etc. 

 

Not sure if Star has Butlers, but the Haven Butlers take care of serving in cabin dining requests, delivering snacks and drinks to your cabin, etc.  When I was on the GEM slast year, someone on our “cabin crawl” had a party in their Haven Garden Villa Suite (which was amazing).  They hosted a party in their suite at the end of the cabin crawl. Their Butler acted as bartender and food server duping the affair, and he was really good at it.  Lots of fun.

 

Pricing,.....I realize some book their cruises a year in advance.  Obviously, prices change depending on date, time of year, cabin type, ship type, etc.  But, due to work, I steal away whenever I can.  I can’t book a year in advance.  Usually, it’s 90 days to a week in advance for me to book.  As such, I can get an NCL cruise much less expensive than a Royal cruise.  And, if you’re booking a balcony cabin (or above) that price differential is pretty large.

 

As an example, I can now book a Haven cabin on the Breakaway sailing next month for about the same price as a regular Balcony Cabin on Royal sailing around the same time (in this case, just under $4K/cabin).

 

Does any of this mean I don’t like Royal?  Not in the least.  I’ll probably sail them again.  It’s just that NCL has been offering me such a great product (vacation) on some beautiful ships, at a good price right now it’s hard to see me looking elsewhere unless there’s a deal to be had on another line.

 

I’ve sailed other lines, too.  Carnival....that’s a different experience....not bad, mind you....just different.  I have to be in a different mind set to cruise Carnival (and let’s face it, the news coming out of Carnival recently hasn’t been all that good).  

 

I’ve sailed MSC (Yacht Club) twice....once in the Mediterranean).  Great experience.  At the time, quite a deal, too.  These days?  Their deals seemed to have dried up.  It’s definitely a “European” feel, including the passengers (which seems to skew the experience for us Norte Americanos).  You either like it, or you don’t.

 

Sailed both HAL and Celebrity.  Nice ships.  I guess the best thing I can say, I couldn’t complain about the food, or the ships themselves.  But, if you’re looking for good entertainment or any night life, you’re on the wrong ships.  Most exciting thing I did on the Celebrity Solstice was watch a glass blowing exhibition.  That’s exactly as exciting as it sounds.

 

HAL I haven’t sailed in quite a while, but nothing really stood out.  That sort of says it all.

 

Good luck.  I love the “-Away” ships.  I think you’ll find them to offer a great cruise.

You're mixing up genies and concierge. The genies are your butlers, the concierge is the concierge on RCI star class.