NCL or RCCL???

[jkl55us]

Hi all,

 

My DH and I are planning to take our first Western Mediterranean cruise in May 08. We are down to 2 choices:

 

(1) NCCL Jade - 13 Day Barcelona to London

 

(2) RCCL Voyager of The Seas (7 nights)

 

Which one is good for us?? We are mid 30's and like to explore Europe as much as we can in 2 weeks. Thanks a lot!!!!

[cruizinwithkids]

I have never been to Europe, but it seems to me that NCL versus RCCL doesn't matter, nor does the ship. Well, doesn't matter much.

 

The NCL is a longer cruise. Does one of the ships spend more time in port than the other? Which has the better itinerary.

 

If for example you get to see more places on NCL, but only get to spend 6 hours in each port and on RCCL you see less places but for 12 hours, that would probably be the best choice.

 

So, check out the itinerary and the port times closely/.

 

Not advice from experience.

[adamsmom]

I agree--check the itinerary and see which suits you best, especially since that will likely be your focus on that cruise. The major differences between NCL and RCCL is that NCL has the freestyle dining, where you just show up at a dining room whenever you are ready to eat (within the posted meal times), but you may have to wait for a table. On RCCL, you will have an assigned table and time for dinner. In my experience, the food on NCL is not so great, at least on the ships we've been on. After a few meals in the dining room, we just nibbled at buffets the rest of the trip. At least that way, we knew what we were getting.;) RCCL has great food.

[kitty9]

I would agree with adamsmom. My experience is that neither the food nor service on NCL is as good as RCCI. I'm also not a fan of their freestyle dining. I like having an assigned table, and the same waitstaff every night. I also don't want to wait in line just to get a table at dinner---just want to walk in and sit down and eat.

[chrisbd1]

I did a 7 day cruise to the Mediterranean and LOVED it. I, on the other hand, had no issues with food. Food is very subjective and many a fight has started on these boards regarding NCL and Freestyle. We never had to wait to be seated. Granted, we weren't we only went to 2 specialty resturants between the two cruises. I found the escargot and Beef Wellington a joy at the main dining room. I wasn't a fan of the Tex-Mex resturant but I'm from Texas and my standards for Tex-Mex are high :D . Even so, the service was fast and friendly.

 

The main issue should be price and itinerary.

[LHP]

I have never sailed either line, but our best friends have (several on each) and they have always preferred RCCL.

 

Of course, none of their cruises were in Europe.

[samtig]

Been on NCL & RCCL & enjoyed both. Prefer NCL due to free-style dining. Found the food, service to be about the same. Enjoy NCL's pay restaurants too. A lot depends upon the ship. Only been on one RCCL & didn't find it any better than NCL cruises. I'd go for the longer cruise.

[mitzy52]

My husband and I really like shipboard activities. The voyager has some things that cater to a younger crowd such as a rock climbing wall (but I couldnt do it,lol), ice skating rink, mini golf, full basketball court, etc. Obviously itinerary is very important but we did really like this ship a lot.

[Aquahound]

Depends on your priorities. I believe Voyager has the better route and I am admittedly an RCI fan. But if the prices are the same, perhaps the longer NCL cruise is the way to go.