3 Day Bahamas - which cruise line?? RCI or NCL???

[want2cruiseagain]

Both have great prices right now. We have cruise on NCL. Give me a reason to go with RCI instead. Food??? Decor??? Cabin space???

[Silvery Seas Cruiser]

We've sailed on Majesty of the Seas four times, 3-night once and four-night three times. All were great, fun relaxing cruises. We have sailed on NCL once. We love the crew on Majesty. The food seems better than on some other RCI ships too. WE have sailed on NCL once, but it was the Pearl so I cannot speak for Sky.

 

I have to say we like RCI's Coco Cay better than NCL's Great Stirrup Cay.

 

Majesty is an older ship which has been beautifully refurbished. The rooms are small, however, which is common on older ships. There aren't many rooms with balconies, if that matters to you.

 

Hubby was impressed with the food on NCL Pearl and likes it better than Royal. I'm not 100% convinced that this is true, but it is a matter of personal preferences after all. Hubby also likes NCL's anytime dining option. Again, I am not so convinced.

 

My guess is that you will have fun either way. My choice would be to stick with Majesty of the Seas or Royal Caribbean, but I don't like to talk down other cruiselines. Almost any cruise is better than no cruise.

[cb at sea]

For a 3 day--take the cheapest option--on a longer cruise, any differences will be more pronounced.

[want2cruiseagain]

Thanks -they are about the same price. We always like to try another cruise line if we can. Just wondered if it was worth going with RCI instead of NCL for this small cruise.

 

Buffet??? Dining room??? Pros/cons.

 

 

We did the Carnival Ecstasy- come on -can't get any worse for food.

[berbet]

Heavy Surf - We are thinking of a 4 night on the Majesty over Christmas. We've only sailed on the larger RCCL ships before. I've heard that the 3 & 4 night cruises tend to be a much younger, more party type crowd (not our scene). Is this true? Or do you think over Christmas it will be more families? Having only done the larger ships with things like Flow Rider, will we bored on Majesty? Or are there just as many activities to choose from? I like bingo, trivia, and those types of activities, too.

[want2cruiseagain]

Heavy Surf - We are thinking of a 4 night on the Majesty over Christmas. We've only sailed on the larger RCCL ships before. I've heard that the 3 & 4 night cruises tend to be a much younger, more party type crowd (not our scene). Is this true? Or do you think over Christmas it will be more families? Having only done the larger ships with things like Flow Rider, will we bored on Majesty? Or are there just as many activities to choose from? I like bingo, trivia, and those types of activities, too.

 

We are looking to do this on Jan 2nd. Younger crowd??? We are mid 50's. We enjoy a lively group, but not a "booze cruise" atmosphere.

 

Advice please??

[jaxon41]

I've done NCL in the med; the price was great and the itinerary what I wanted. That said, if prices and itinerary are equal, there is no way I'd go NCL. I don't care for free style (for me, scheduling restaurants was just one big hassle), and I found the food far less appealing than with RCI. While NCL had the best stage shows I have ever seen on water, I hated that I had to plan, plan, plan because of the conflicts of entertainment and dining. I also prefer the classier look of RCI's decor. But, most important for me was that free style dining means very few venues for music and dancing -- in fact, the ship we were on (Jewel, if memory serves)had viturally no dance floor, except for the disco. We are your age, and like a drink and a dance to live music before and after dinner.

[RhondaC]

We just went on the NCL Sky 3-night twice last month. It was ok -- but nowhere near as nice as the Majesty! The food is MUCH better on the Majesty, the service is much better on the Majesty, and the staterooms are nicer, with better bedding and TVs.

 

We did the Sky because it was cheap. But, we learned that you get what you pay for! If the price is comparable, go with the Majesty!!

[piercetc4]

off topic somewhat but my brother has been on ccl holiday and ncl spirit and liked ccl holiday better! said the food was not great at all - ( he lives near that port and hates to fly or i would have gotten him on rci by now!) so i would say based on the food criteria............go with majesty- we have been on the sovereign and it was a great cruise - great everything- the sov is a sister ship to the majesty-

[MattInFLL]

I've been on one NCL cruise and really enjoyed it and would go back again with no trouble - except for the Sky 3/4 day out of Miami. Whether it's because this is a new itinerary for them or some other reason - it's just not getting good reviews. I've done Majesty twice and about to do her for a 3rd time - great food and great service on a ship that feels "newer" than many newer ships. Yes, the standard cabins are pretty small, but for 3 days it isn't an issue. Besides the Windjammer buffet, you have Compass Deli, Sorrentos, and Johnny Rockets for casual dining - but the main dining room is great for dinner.

 

The Majesty crew has been doing this route for a long time, and they are a well oiled machine...

[funinthsun]

Actually, we booked the RCL Majesty beause it was less expensive than the NCL one. Had the same dilemma, then booked cuz of price. Check out the weekly specials from your travel agent! email me if you need help.

[cruiserbryce]

one of the posts above hit the nail on the head...I would go with the least expensive option. Having a port nearly every day and trying to see all there is to see on board the cabins and other small differences wont be as obvious as they would be on a 7 day trip

[want2cruiseagain]

Thanks for your comments. The price is just about the same. We've never tried RCCL and always wanted to. Our first cruise was NCL Jewel to the Med and we thought it was great, but we did not have anything to compare to.

 

We are also looking at T/A from BCN to Galveston next November.

[RhondaC]

I really think the two major differences are the food and the private island. Coco Cay is WAY better than Great Stirrup Cay!! GSC is very small -- too small for all those people. And, it's basically just a beach. We were bored by lunchtime, so we went back to the ship. Coco Cay is prettier, larger, and has more to do.

 

Oh - another thing. If you do spend time on the ship, instead of the island, NCL doesn't offer as many activities during the day. RCCL has silly pool games (Men's Bellyflop Competition, etc.) :D

[want2cruiseagain]

I really think the two major differences are the food and the private island. Coco Cay is WAY better than Great Stirrup Cay!! GSC is very small -- too small for all those people. And, it's basically just a beach. We were bored by lunchtime, so we went back to the ship. Coco Cay is prettier, larger, and has more to do.

 

Oh - another thing. If you do spend time on the ship, instead of the island, NCL doesn't offer as many activities during the day. RCCL has silly pool games (Men's Bellyflop Competition, etc.) :D

 

 

Thanks - I think this post convinced us to try RCL.

[logan1_2000]

We are looking to do this on Jan 2nd. Younger crowd??? We are mid 50's. We enjoy a lively group, but not a "booze cruise" atmosphere.

 

Advice please??

 

We did Sovereign out of Port Canaveral for a 3 nighter to Bahamas on Jan. 2, 2007, DW and myself (early 40's), DS (10 at the time), friend (early 40's) her son (10). We all enjoyed it. We were not party-ers, very much a PG family style trip for all of us, and that is what we experienced. The 3 of us were in a JS, our two friends in an SO. It was their first cruise ever, they loved it. (And the SO was larger than I had expected). DS and I went back for a boys cruise 7 months later.

 

Perhaps the trips out of Miami get more party-ers than the Canaveral trips, I'll acknowledge that may be an issue (though I don't know if there is a difference or not).

 

My TA's take on NCL, and we are looking to book our first NCL sometime in '09, is that she gets good feedback from the Jewel, the Pearl, and other ships of that class and age, and she gets poorer reports from those travelling on the older NCL ships. So be aware that what gets experienced on other ships may not be what a passenger would experience on an older, smaller ship going to the Bahamas.

[stanjj111]

We are taking the 4 night trip next week. RCCL has a very good reputation from my frineds who have done this venue. I would try RCCL based on recommendations that I got.