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Ncl vs royal vs celebrity


taylortime05
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Between NCL, Royal and Celebrity

 

Which is your favorite cruise line & why?

 

Which is your least favorite cruise line & why?

 

Which is your favorite ship on each cruise line & why?

 

I've sailed on Royal Allure & Oasis and Celebrity Eclipse. I'm sailing on NCL Escape in November. I loved all 3 cruises but the Allure & Oasis have the edge over Eclipse because I enjoyed the entertainment much more on Allure & Oasis. All 3 ships were beautiful but Allure & Oasis had the promenade and Central Park.

 

I will post this on the 3 sites.

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Between NCL, Royal and Celebrity

 

Which is your favorite cruise line & why?

 

Which is your least favorite cruise line & why?

 

Which is your favorite ship on each cruise line & why?

 

I've sailed on Royal Allure & Oasis and Celebrity Eclipse. I'm sailing on NCL Escape in November. I loved all 3 cruises but the Allure & Oasis have the edge over Eclipse because I enjoyed the entertainment much more on Allure & Oasis. All 3 ships were beautiful but Allure & Oasis had the promenade and Central Park.

 

I will post this on the 3 sites.

 

I have sailed on all three cruise lines. I liked different things about each of them. Celebrity had the best food, Royal had a wonderful promenade that was like an indoor shopping mall and NCL gave you lots of freedom and choices plus very friendly crew. I would choose NCL because it has decent enough food, a decent enough shopping/atrium area but you can't beat the freedom to do what you want and the absolutely outstanding crew.

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I have sailed on all three cruise lines. I liked different things about each of them. Celebrity had the best food, Royal had a wonderful promenade that was like an indoor shopping mall and NCL gave you lots of freedom and choices plus very friendly crew. I would choose NCL because it has decent enough food, a decent enough shopping/atrium area but you can't beat the freedom to do what you want and the absolutely outstanding crew.

I have heard Celebrity as being very traditional, which to me sounds like it is a very stuffy cruise w/ little fun activities, including crappier shows. Would you agree?

 

 

I have never been but am open to trying them and princess since everyone raves about their food

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Between NCL, Royal and Celebrity

 

Which is your favorite cruise line & why? NCL. There are a lot of reasons, but ultimately, NCL feels like home to me. The staff (in my experience) creates an atmosphere that you don't get on the other lines.

 

Which is your least favorite cruise line & why? Celebrity. Because of sheer, absolute boredom.

 

Which is your favorite ship on each cruise line & why? NCL - Getaway. Again, that "homey" feeling. It's the one ship I keep going back to over and over and never get tired of.

RCL - it's kind of a toss up between Anthem and Harmony. They're very different, but both have aspects that I enjoy. But they also both have aspects that I don't like as well. I don't really feel like Oasis class ships are ships. They're entertaining, but it feels more like being in a giant amusement park than on a boat. Also, after being in an NCL suite, an RCL suite is a waste.

X - not sure I can really pick a favorite. I've been on Equinox and Solstice. Wouldn't do either again unless it were with my grandparents, which is how I wound up on the first two.

 

I've sailed on Royal Allure & Oasis and Celebrity Eclipse. I'm sailing on NCL Escape in November. I loved all 3 cruises but the Allure & Oasis have the edge over Eclipse because I enjoyed the entertainment much more on Allure & Oasis. All 3 ships were beautiful but Allure & Oasis had the promenade and Central Park.

 

I will post this on the 3 sites.

I obviously have my own preferences, but any cruise is still a good cruise :D

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I've been on the NCL epic and jade and the celebrity reflection; I'm currently booked on the celebrity solstice. I'd love to do royal some day but every time we've chosen a time frame and area to cruise royal's option was ridiculously expensive when you account for NCL and celebrity including the beverage package as s booking perk.

 

I though celebrity was better on food and overall ship appearance. I though Norwegian was better on entertainment. Would be willing to cruise with either again.

 

I def preferred the epic to the jade. The crowds were a bit much but the amenities were better (kiosks to book shows/dining, rock wall, etc) and the entertainment was better.

 

 

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I have been on all three (Total of 6 cruises between them). There is more that is the same than is different. Royal had the best entertainment of the three. I liked the food on Celeb. NCL seemed to be the best organized. Although I don't eat burgers they were plentiful and always available on NCL, which for a lot of folks is a good thing. On Celeb, DW had to special order by the pool and they gave her a pager for when it was ready.

 

Bottom line, just about any day on a cruise is better than a day at work.

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Hmmm... I've been all three. Several Royal ships, can't remember all the names off the top of my head. I've been Celebrity Solstice and Silhouette, both beautiful ships, loved the food and shows and demos on board. I've been NCL, Sky, Sun and Pearl. Booked on Epic.

 

I love things about all of them. Celebrity welcomes you with champagne on board. Their CC meets are awesome and have more free drinks. Their welcome aboard party gives you a choice of different beverages rather than most lines white or red wine... and I've been on 18 cruises so like to dress up for dinner... I started cursing when that was still the norm.

 

NCL is about freedoms and they have some nice ships as well and good promos.

 

Royal... like others said, promenade and Central Park.

 

My fav? Depends on what I want... NCL or Celebrity toss up. (I was never board on Celebrity and I'm in my thirties)

 

Least fav of this bunch? Royal... but like I said, I like and dislike things about all of them.

 

I pick whoever has where I want to go, when I want to go and the best price/ promos.

 

I don't think I've ever had a bad cruise, regardless.

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I have heard Celebrity as being very traditional, which to me sounds like it is a very stuffy cruise w/ little fun activities, including crappier shows. Would you agree?

 

 

I have never been but am open to trying them and princess since everyone raves about their food

 

Yes it was traditional and you could use the word "stuffy" to describe our experience. There wasn't as much to do either. Never went to any of the shows so can't comment on that.

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Interesting question. I have sailed all 3 lines, plus some others, and prefer different things about them. As another poster said, I usually pick for the itinerary first, and then go from there.

Celebrity - of the three listed, I find this one to be my first choice. It feels just a tad higher end over the other lines, a bit nicer in food and elegance.

Royal Caribbean - I would rank this one in the middle of the three, but I rarely choose it as their prices tend to be higher than other lines when you factor in everything.

Norwegian - sometimes I feel like they cut corners in certain areas, which cheapens their product to me, and makes me put them third in the list of preference. BUT I will give them the advantage over all 3 based on the value. Once I factor in perks such as a free drink package, and free wifi, they usually come out ahead. If they are offering an itinerary I want, and there are perks involved, many times I will choose them.

The differences are so slight to me, and I always have a good time on a cruise, that I tend to look at them similarly and will give an edge here and there to each of them.

Also, Princess was mentioned later, and I put this line just a tad under Celebrity, and above Royal and Norwegian.

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The differences are so slight to me, and I always have a good time on a cruise, that I tend to look at them similarly and will give an edge here and there to each of them.

Also, Princess was mentioned later, and I put this line just a tad under Celebrity, and above Royal and Norwegian.

 

I love Princess, to me they are above all 3, it's just their prices tend to be higher and don't drop much. Their high teas, food and entertainment to me are the best.

 

 

I have also sailed HAL, Disney and Carnival as well. Loved the one Disney cruise I did..but again high prices...

 

HAL seems to be the one with less entertainment but again good food and all and I don't have to have clubs going till 1am to be happy.

 

Carnival is probably my least favorite out of all the lines I have done.. though one of their newer ships, like Vista, I would give a shot.

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I have been on all three lines. Each has their own strengths and I like them all.

 

Celebrity( solstice class)--Amazing free drink package with wonderful specialty coffees, bottled premium water and creative drinks. Love their martini bar with the frost top. Great artwork on the ships. Excellent specialty restaurants and a well laid out buffet. Best buffet design by far. Also very nice thermal spa. This was where we got hooked on the thermal spas with great views. Now we have to have it on every ship! Non smoking casino.:D Cons- Weak on entertainment, no broadway type shows, no comedy club. not a good line for kids. But on the plus side, much fewer kids for those that want that.

 

Royal (Oasis Class) Love the Boardwalk and Central Park. Book a sea balcony if you want to feel you are really on a ship. Great creative specialty restaurants. Creative bars & drinks. Entertainment is more varied with the water and ice shows along with some broadway type productions. Love the flowrider (watching, not doing) Good line for kids. Usually a decent amount on board. Decent buffet. Cons- Only rare free beverage pkges which is why we cruise them the least.

 

 

NCL (Breakaway Class) Excellent value. Love the perks. Nice ships. Great broadway type shows, but once you've seen them you are left with just the other shipboard entertainment if you cruise again before they are changed out. Nice bars, decent variety of drinks. Fabulous thermal spa. Great selection of specialty restaurants. Great slides and outdoor activities. Wonderful line for kids and there will be lots of them, which may be a con for some. Cons- Small crowded pool. Worst buffet layout. Some of the specialty restaurants that are included with the perks are starting to lower their quality a bit due to all the people dining for free. ie: no more lobster, no more tomahawk ribeye in Cagneys etc. The venues that are not on udp or have an upcharge, Food Republic, Pinchos , Margaritaville etc. remain consistently high.

 

We will gladly go on any of these three lines. We will be on the Escape in about 2 weeks. On the RCL Harmony of the Seas the end of September and on Celebrity Reflection the beginning of December. We have booked the NCL Bliss for the eastbound Panama Canal in 2018 and the Celebrity Edge for New Years Eve 2018-2019. There will be a few more maybe on other lines in between. TBA

 

 

 

 

Mary Ann

Edited by UFMOM
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Can people compare the things to do between the different cruise lines please?

 

It depends on the ship.RCCL Liberty of the seas had an ice skating rink, pretty decent shows, nice pool area with slides, A big shopping mall type area that also had pubs and a casino. NCL Jewell class has outstanding evening shows, trivia, bingo, shopping/port talks, a smallish pool area, climbing wall, big screen in atrium to watch sporting events. Celebrity Mercury (not in service anymore) had almost nothing to do except eat and they had pool parties.

If you do a search on this site for the specific ship you are interested in there is a write up on each ship and it will highlight the activities available.

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Yes it was traditional and you could use the word "stuffy" to describe our experience. There wasn't as much to do either. Never went to any of the shows so can't comment on that.

 

 

 

Out of RCC, NCL & CC, Celebrity was my favourite by far. Have been on Millennium , Reflection , Solstice & Silhouette, all top class. I love the layout of the ships. Open air Sunset bar at back, open air seating area in buffet. Champagne greeting when coming on board. On NCL we just 'wandered ' on without any welcome at all as people boarding at every port. Disappointing that no effort made . Food excellent on Celebrity as on other two lines but dining experience far better on CC. Shows were fine too and at least you didn't have to queue and book in advance as with NCL. Shows not top priority for me but never any complaints. Cruise not 'stuffy' at all I felt, but was relaxed pampering experience rather than the helter skelter of slides, climbing walls, bowling , 'deal or no deal'.. I don't like ships focussed mainly on the 'centre' with huge boardwalks, central casinos , 100 ft high screens. I like to be able to see the sea as much as possible. Have towels given to you at poolside instead of holding on to the ones you are given at start of the cruise under penalty of a fine if they are lost(NCL) NCL freestyle and larger RCC ships not for me I now see. Prices of NCL hard to beat and so was tempted recently with Epic but that cruise re enforced my preferences for future cruising.

Each to his own. Just need to figure out your priorities on holiday . Also different styles can suit different stages in your life. It's like all inclusive resorts. Some are full steam ,games, shows, discos , centre of the action .and some are quieter, luxurious away from it all resorts. (Both types can have similar food standards etc) The latter is my preference and so maybe that's why Celebrity appeals. I'd like to try Princess also- we'll see!

 

 

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I have been on all three lines. Each has their own strengths and I like them all.

 

Celebrity( solstice class)- Cons- Weak on entertainment, no broadway type shows, no comedy club. not a good line for kids. But on the plus side, much fewer kids for those that want that.

Mary Ann

 

When were you on? I have been on two and we saw Broadway type shows...

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Can people compare the things to do between the different cruise lines please?

 

Celebrity- Welcome aboard champagne, nice martini show, good cooking demos and arts and crafts activities, liked the Broadway shows I saw. Glass blowing is nice too. Buffet layout as someone else mentioned is nice. Karaoke is good. Food is good, Venetian style masque party is awesome!

 

 

Royal- Promenade with parades and shopping and cabins facing it. Ice skating and other such activities depending on which ship. Good food. Nice kids club (or least teen as I remember from personal experience from some years ago)

 

NCL- Freestyle... prices and promos...

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When were you on? I have been on two and we saw Broadway type shows...

 

 

 

We were on Equinox a little over a year ago. Most of Celebrity shows consisted of medley type song and dance productions with a different headliner here and there. The exception was their Cirque type show they ran for a few years which was always shown on formal night ( now called Evening Chic). I see they have ramped up some new entertainment which I look forward to seeing in December on the Reflection. I like the broadway productions like Cats, Legally Blonde and Grease etc. Still wish they would do a comedy club .Hopefully that will come soon.

 

 

 

Mary Ann

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Most lines are very similar in food and entertainment, don't care about the drinks. My next 5 cruises consist of 4 RCCL and 1 Princess because of the itineraries. Very disappointed with NCL in Asia and Australia, and the prices were comparable, doing 10 days out of Singapore on Princess for $1410 for an inside for two. The 41 days on RCCL from Singapore to Dubai to Barcelona to Miami is only $6,200 for two inside cabin including taxes and fees and insurance. Was hoping to take the Jewel back to North America from Japan on 4/28/18, but who knows when the itinerary will be posted.

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Actually, of the three, NCL is both my most favorite and least favorite. I've been in suites on all three lines, including the Garden Suite on Gem and the Royal Loft on Oasis. IMHO, the suite experience on Royal and Celebrity cannot hold a candle to NCL. NCL absolutely has the suite life down pat -- they know how to pamper and totally cater to your every whim. On the other hand, I have also been in non- suite cabins on Royal and NCL as well as -- though you didn't ask, Carnival, and I would actually rate carnival number one in that class. The cabins are larger than Royal or NCL, and the entertainment is certainly equal to, and on occasion superior to Royal. I really didn't think NCL measured up in that category

 

On food, again, it's not close -- Celebrity wins going away, with Royal second and NCL a close third.

 

Having said all that, however, I really think the differences are greater from ship to ship than line to line. The Royal experience on the old Monarch or Majesty of the Seas, for example, is completely different than the Royal experience on the Oasis or Allure. And though I've only been in the Gem and the Dawn, I would bet they are very different experiences than on the newer NCL ships. So really, you should take any line-to-line comparison with a HUGE grain of salt.

 

 

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What princess ship and date for $1410? Thanks!

Most lines are very similar in food and entertainment, don't care about the drinks. My next 5 cruises consist of 4 RCCL and 1 Princess because of the itineraries. Very disappointed with NCL in Asia and Australia, and the prices were comparable, doing 10 days out of Singapore on Princess for $1410 for an inside for two. The 41 days on RCCL from Singapore to Dubai to Barcelona to Miami is only $6,200 for two inside cabin including taxes and fees and insurance. Was hoping to take the Jewel back to North America from Japan on 4/28/18, but who knows when the itinerary will be posted.
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Celebrity is our favorite out of the three. We compared Celebrity and NCL, when booking a 7 night cruise out of San Juan, this past November. We got a better price, more perks (without adding the gratuities like NCL does), a bigger suite, and more OBC with Celebrity. That was 1 year out. It was only our 3rd cruise with Celebrity, and we are platinum with NCL. Not much difference between Royal Caribbean and NCL.

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Hi everyone,

 

My wife and I have cruised Celebrity 29 times; Royal 9 times and NCL 7 times. All three are great in their own way. Head to head, Celebrity is the best bang for the buck, with better MDR food, more space and better service. Families would be better served on Royal or NCL with much more entertainment for all ages.

 

Just got off a BtoB matching the NCL Escape (6/10/2017) and Celebrity's Equinox (6/18/2017) -- this was a nice way to compare NCL's new large ship with the S-class of Celebrity. Food was excellent on both ships, but understand, we only cruise NCL with the Ultimate Dining Package and eat every evening meal in one of their great alternative restaurants. Celebrity's MDR food is much better than NCL's, or any Royal ship we have cruised. The Escape had great entertainment, but the ship feels very crowded, with a very small theatre onboard, and the ship is chopped up into many smaller spaces. The Equinox is open, modern and feels very spacious. Strange that the NCL Escape cruise was much more expensive than the Equinox. The huge negative for the Escape is the smoking issues they have by placing the casino in the middle of the atrium. In addition, the adult pool area aft has one bar with smoking areas. Celebrity ships have no inside smoking and only three small areas outside. The casino is 100% smoke free.

 

I really like the larger ships of RCL, with the Anthem of the Seas being our favorite. Great spaces all over the ship and wonderful activities and entertainment. To bad the food quality is not up to Celebrity's or even NCL's.

 

We will continue to cruise all Celebrity ships, the smaller ships of NCL, and the larger ships of RCL.

 

Enjoy!

Kel:D

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What princess ship and date for $1410? Thanks!

Sapphire Princess February 8, 2018, 10 days out of Singapore. Had put a deposit on the cruise which had been priced at over $2,100 on June 12 but then the price came down, was listed at starting at $609 plus $105 but we got $599 plus taxes and fees, total $1410.

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