Regal Princess vs. NCL Bliss

[CruisingLover]

Hi

 

I need help! We (4 adults) have 2 NYE 2022 bookings on hold right now; Regal Princess and NCL Bliss. 

 

The prices between the 2 are minimal and have pretty much the same perks (beverage pkg, WiFi, specialty dining....)

 

We are having a hard time trying to decide which one to keep (need to know by Feb 5th) so I would love opiions on them but especially opinions from those that have been on both. Pros and cons 🙂 

 

Thanks!

Tracy

[navybankerteacher]

29 minutes ago, CruisingLover said:

Hi

 

I need help! We (4 adults) have 2 NYE 2022 bookings on hold right now; Regal Princess and NCL Bliss. 

 

The prices between the 2 are minimal and have pretty much the same perks (beverage pkg, WiFi, specialty dining....)

 

We are having a hard time trying to decide which one to keep (need to know by Feb 5th) so I would love opiions on them but especially opinions from those that have been on both. Pros and cons 🙂 

 

Thanks!

Tracy

In my experience, Princess offers a higher level of service -- which significantly less "nickel and diming" and a lot less crowding - as they seem to have much more space in common areas.  I do think that NCL generally has more varied entertainment.

 

Of course itineraries (possible interest in ports of call) should be considered as well.

[George C]

Given the choice between Princess and Ncl I would definitely go with Princess.

[XBGuy]

You might want to check this "Live From" thread over on the Princess Board.  

 

 

The OP is an experienced NCL cruiser (who calls out the NCL Bliss in his report more than once) reporting on his first Princess cruise aboard the Majestic Princess, whicn is pretty similar, though not identical, to the Regal Princess.  You can go to the Princess web site and look at deck plans to see the differences between the Regal Princess and the Majestic Princess.

 

 

 

 

 

[CruisingLover]

7 hours ago, George C said:

Given the choice between Princess and Ncl I would definitely go with Princess.

Why is that? 

[navybankerteacher]

11 hours ago, CruisingLover said:

Why is that? 

Probably because the poster has experienced both lines and recognized the differences.

[sparks1093]

5 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Probably because the poster has experienced both lines and recognized the differences.

I haven't experienced Princess and would select them if pricing were similar because I have experienced NCL. I don't have anything against NCL per se, but their CEO has changed the environment significantly so in order to sail with them again it has to be the best price overall. I do include NCL in my cruise searches and their pricing has never been close.

[CruisingLover]

55 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

Probably because the poster has experienced both lines and recognized the differences.

Oops, sorry. I guess I just meant what are the reasons they would definitely go with princess

[Aquahound]

I've cruised both lines a few times and have been on Regal and a ship similar to Bliss (Escape).  To be honest, it's 50/50 for me and I think you have a tough decision.  

 

What I love about NCL's newer ships is the entertainment, which I think is second only to Royal Caribbean.  I also love all the specialty dining choices, especially the ones with the outdoor seating.  Plus, I felt like a kid again on the slides.  I found those to be really fun.

 

What I don't love about NCL is the free dining, which I think is the worst in the business, and how crowded those new ships are. It feels like utter chaos in the public spaces.  I also hate the pool setup.  It's way too crowded.  

 

What I loved about Regal was the better free dining and the fact it didn't feel nearly as crowded as NCL.  Overall, it's a nicer and more refined experience.  The adult pool was way better than on NCL.  The buffet was the most amazing buffet I've ever seen on a ship.  

 

What I hated about Regal was the fact there were no interior lounges that look out to sea.  The only space with outward views was the buffet.  

 

The majority of balconies on both ships were a joke.

 

So I guess if I was looking to have a fun cruise, I'd book Bliss.  If I was looking for a more relaxed experience, I'd pick Regal.  Hope this helps.  🙂

Edited February 4, 2022 by Aquahound

[CruisingLover]

5 hours ago, Aquahound said:

I've cruised both lines a few times and have been on Regal and a ship similar to Bliss (Escape).  To be honest, it's 50/50 for me and I think you have a tough decision.  

 

What I love about NCL's newer ships is the entertainment, which I think is second only to Royal Caribbean.  I also love all the specialty dining choices, especially the ones with the outdoor seating.  Plus, I felt like a kid again on the slides.  I found those to be really fun.

 

What I don't love about NCL is the free dining, which I think is the worst in the business, and how crowded those new ships are. It feels like utter chaos in the public spaces.  I also hate the pool setup.  It's way too crowded.  

 

What I loved about Regal was the better free dining and the fact it didn't feel nearly as crowded as NCL.  Overall, it's a nicer and more refined experience.  The adult pool was way better than on NCL.  The buffet was the most amazing buffet I've ever seen on a ship.  

 

What I hated about Regal was the fact there were no interior lounges that look out to sea.  The only space with outward views was the buffet.  

 

The majority of balconies on both ships were a joke.

 

So I guess if I was looking to have a fun cruise, I'd book Bliss.  If I was looking for a more relaxed experience, I'd pick Regal.  Hope this helps.  🙂

Wow! Thank you for your thoughts!! Sounds like it really is 50/50 and we have some thinking you do 😊

[sparks1093]

9 hours ago, CarelessAndConfused said:

 

Can you elaborate on this?  I have a couple of cruises lined up with them in the future, one which I will take because it's all paid for and I want the itinerary.  But I may very be inclined not to use them going forward depending on just what you mean by that.

 

 

The biggest change is the way the company seemingly looks at its customer. Under the previous CEO they did a good job of showing that the customer was a valued guest. Their farewell song was heartfelt. Under the current CEO he made it clear early on that the customer was a sheep to be shorn, first and foremost. Now, I get that businesses are in it to make money, but when the CEO raises the price of a soda because "if people want a soda they will pay the price for it" (i.e. a captive audience) then to me that is very off-putting. NCL had a reputation for nickel and diming before the current guy took over, but he has taken it to a whole new level. Another example is the "free" drink package (and I put "free" in quotations because nothing is really "free", we pay for it). At first it was given with no strings, then they started charging gratuities on what the package would have cost. Then to make it better (only for the company) they virtually doubled the price of the drink package, thereby increasing the gratuity cost. Sheep to be shorn. I have at least one cruise left on NCL if the price or other conditions are right, but I can tell you that if they sing that same farewell song at the end of the cruise I will LMAO because I know they don't mean it. (And I will say that I have sailed NCL, CCL and Royal and find them all to be more alike than they are different in the things that matter to us.)

[George C]

On 2/3/2022 at 9:40 PM, CruisingLover said:

Why is that? 

I loved NCL in the 1980’s and 1990’s took over a dozen cruises with them , I thought they started going downhill about 20 years ago , food quality wasn’t what it was. Service in general was bad. While Princess has some faults I just think there food is way better. My current preferred lines is Celebrity, rccl and MSc yacht club.

[navybankerteacher]

On 2/5/2022 at 5:32 PM, George C said:

I loved NCL in the 1980’s and 1990’s took over a dozen cruises with them , I thought they started going downhill about 20 years ago , food quality wasn’t what it was. Service in general was bad. While Princess has some faults I just think there food is way better. My current preferred lines is Celebrity, rccl and MSc yacht club.

My thoughts exactly — NCL went “mass market” pushing inexpensive travel - which they did several ways: 1) seriously reducing food and service quality in included venues; 2) instituting add-on charges everywhere they could; 3) designing their ships to maximize passenger head count by minimizing common ares — resulting absurd over-crowding.   Yes - their entertainment competes with, and sometimes surpasses, that offered on other lines —- but aside from that, NCL only makes sense if you want to be on a ship as cheaply as possible - and can be satisfied with a cheap experience — closely surrounded by thousands of others so easily satisfied.

[sparks1093]

10 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

My thoughts exactly — NCL went “mass market” pushing inexpensive travel - which they did several ways: 1) seriously reducing food and service quality in included venues; 2) instituting add-on charges everywhere they could; 3) designing their ships to maximize passenger head count by minimizing common ares — resulting absurd over-crowding.   Yes - their entertainment competes with, and sometimes surpasses, that offered on other lines —- but aside from that, NCL only makes sense if you want to be on a ship as cheaply as possible - and can be satisfied with a cheap experience — closely surrounded by thousands of others so easily satisfied.

While there might be some good deals still available on NCL they are far from the cheapest and have been since the current CEO took over. I still include them in my searches and they are always much higher than both Royal and Carnival. When we booked our one Royal cruise that one came in at $1800 and NCL was at $3600 for a similar cruise. I believe that NCL still has good rates for singles and they will slash prices when the cruise starts getting closer (as most lines do) but getting on a ship as cheaply as possible? Probably not (unless you are also calculating in all of the "free" stuff you are getting, but that only makes sense if you would actually spend that money on those things anyway). (And from what I've read on the NCL boards it's still pretty much people love them or hate them and there are still quality issues that are spoken of with food and service.)