RCI - Splendour Seas or NCL - Gem out of Venice

[snowwmax]

Hi All,

 

My Fiance and I are wanting to take a 7 night cruise to the Greek isles. The 2 cruises that we came across are:

 

• RCI's - Splendour of the Seas -- departing June 26th, 2010
  
• NCL's - Gem -- departing July 3rd, 2010
  

Our most recent cruise was an 11 night to Alaska aboard the Celebrity Infinity and we really liked it.

 

We are trying to determine which one to go with:

 

RCI - 4 Ports but longer times @ Port

• Dubrovnik(Croatia) -8
  
  
• Ephesus(Turkey) - 10
  
  
• Santorini (Greece) -10
  
  
• Corfu(Greece) - 7.5
  
  

NCL - 5 Ports slightly short times @ Port

• Split(Croatia)-8
  
  
• Corfu (Greece)- 8
  
  
• Santorini (Greece)-7
  
  
• Mykonos (Greece) - 8
  
  
• Crete (Heraklion)(Greece)- 5
  
  

One of my main concerns is quality of Food on the Ship and the Freestlying deal. I thought the food on the Celebrity Infinity was 8 outta 10 and I have never done "Freestyling" Cruising (NCL). Though as it stands, I am learning towards the Norwegian Gem because of more ports.

 

Any thoughts / comments / suggestions are welcomed!! Also this will be our Honeymoon :D

 

Regards,

-Steve

[CintiPam]

Of those two, RCI's itinerary is much better. Dubrovnik, Ephesus and Santorini all are wonderful stops. (Have not traveled on either of those two cruiselines, so cannot provide any insight about them.)

 

Congratulations and enjoy your honeymoon!

[GSPLover]

Hi All,

 

My Fiance and I are wanting to take a 7 night cruise to the Greek isles. The 2 cruises that we came across are:

 

• RCI's - Splendour of the Seas -- departing June 26th, 2010
  
• NCL's - Gem -- departing July 3rd, 2010
  

Our most recent cruise was an 11 night to Alaska aboard the Celebrity Infinity and we really liked it.

 

We are trying to determine which one to go with:

RCI - 4 Ports but longer times @ Port

• Dubrovnik(Croatia) -8
  
  
• Ephesus(Turkey) - 10
  
  
• Santorini (Greece) -10
  
  
• Corfu(Greece) - 7.5
  
  

NCL - 5 Ports slightly short times @ Port

• Split(Croatia)-8
  
  
• Corfu (Greece)- 8
  
  
• Santorini (Greece)-7
  
  
• Mykonos (Greece) - 8
  
  
• Crete (Heraklion)(Greece)- 5
  
  

One of my main concerns is quality of Food on the Ship and the Freestlying deal. I thought the food on the Celebrity Infinity was 8 outta 10 and I have never done "Freestyling" Cruising (NCL). Though as it stands, I am learning towards the Norwegian Gem because of more ports.

 

Any thoughts / comments / suggestions are welcomed!! Also this will be our Honeymoon :D

 

Regards,

-Steve

 

Of the two, I would suggest RCI. Smaller ship (fewer people); better food. I think that the port choices are better. We haved sailed both cruise lines.

[stubbornoldowl]

I haven't sailed RCI yet (scheduled this October) - however I have done a couple NCL cruises, including the Gem. We select NCL for their price and itinerary but not for the food unless you are prepared to pay for the restaurants with an extra charge. Most of those restaurants are good but the freestyle on NCL (unless you are OK with the buffet) in my experience is a giant frustration - always waiting in line or with a pager to get a seat.

[cruisemom42]

Based on the itineraries, I'd vote for RCL -- although there are fewer ports, they are better choices. And, since it's your honeymoon, you may enjoy a few days of downtime too.;)

[Cecethekittencat]

Take note on the "Freestyle" cruising that the up-charge for dinner is quite a bit per person ... so is it really freestyle when every dinner costs $40-60 per night? IMHO makes the cruise prices not comparable ... I'd much rather spend that $$ in ports having some really interesting experiences ...

[FinelyRetired]

I did the RCI itinerary this past May. Perfect mix of good Ports/sea days. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. It's an older, smaller ship, but well cared for, good crew and it was pretty lively at the pool as the entertainer/combo was just terrific. If you're lucky, you might get a Cirque de Soleil performer either 1st or last night. I had a duo act on the Brilliance in Jan. and a solo former Cirque performer on Splendour. Welcome addition to the normal 1st night fare.

[marc1956]

Our family did the Splendour earlier this summer and really enjoyed it. If the NCL would do that itinerary it would be perfect! While we like freestyling better and the Splendour is a smaller (less entertainment options), I wouldn't want to miss Ephesus. It is truly amazing!

[sunshine nana]

Did you look at NCL Gem May 1st? It goes to Athens as well as Dubrovnik and Ephesus. Does not go to Santorini though. NCL food is ok, not as good as Princess, but NCL is less expensive.Never been on RCL.The weather would be much cooler in May than July.

[snowwmax]

I decided against both of these cruises... Partly because getting airfare to Venice on Frequent Flier miles was a pain... and we didn't feel like dishing out $2500 for a pair or Coach tickets! Also you all confirmed what I thought to be true about NCL - food ok / somewhat of a headache to eat..

 

We decided up a 10 Night Greek Isle Cruise on the Celebrity Equinox

 

1. Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
   
2. Sicily (Messina), Italy
   
3. At Sea
   
4. Athens (Piraeus), Greece
   
5. Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
   
6. Mykonos, Greece
   
7. Rhodes, Greece
   
8. Santorini, Greece
   
9. At Sea
   
10. Naples/Capri, Italy
    
11. Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
    

Thanks for the replies!

-Steve

[CintiPam]

I decided against both of these cruises... Partly because getting airfare to Venice on Frequent Flier miles was a pain... and we didn't feel like dishing out $2500 for a pair or Coach tickets! Also you all confirmed what I thought to be true about NCL - food ok / somewhat of a headache to eat..

 

We decided up a 10 Night Greek Isle Cruise on the Celebrity Equinox

 

1. Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
   
2. Sicily (Messina), Italy
   
3. At Sea
   
4. Athens (Piraeus), Greece
   
5. Ephesus (Kusadasi), Turkey
   
6. Mykonos, Greece
   
7. Rhodes, Greece
   
8. Santorini, Greece
   
9. At Sea
   
10. Naples/Capri, Italy
    
11. Rome (Civitavecchia), Italy
    

Thanks for the replies!

-Steve

 

A nice itinerary on a well-regarded cruise line.

 

One thought: if you have the time, it always is fun to book a cruise starting in one Med port and ending in another, giving you plenty of time to explore two great places rather than one. We have had no trouble using our FF miles to fly "open jaws" and do not feel that we have paid more when using cash for airline tickets either.

 

For example, we cruised Istanbul to Athens last September, Athens to Rome in June, and have booked Venice to Barcelona for next May.