new cruisers few questions NCL vs RCCL

[jayk59101]

Hello we are inexperienced cruisers, went on the NCL star from los angeles to mexican riviera last march, loved the cruising experience however I was not impressed at all with the ship and thought the food was horrible. The ship lacked things to do IMO and the food was very bland and desserts were horrible, I am currently thinking on taking a cruise on the freedom of the seas jan 9 11 from port canaveral to the western carribean. Price point was a major influence in my decision to take NCL last time and was wondering if its merely a matter of getting what you pay for, or if perhaps my expectations were unrealistic. I chose the FOS because it is substantially less expensive than going on the oasis or the allure, and it seems to have many activities like florider, rock wall ice rink etc which the ncl star had none of. also considering the navigator of the seas as it seems to have everything the freedom has minus the florider... has anyone here cruised on ncl and rccl? Is the Royal experience superior? Any help would be appreciated, its our 20th anniversary and looking for a memorable experience.. thanks in advance for your input and help

[i guide the sky]

I think you will love the RCCL experience. In fact the only people I ever talk to who aren't THRILLED with cruising are the people who have been on only NCL. That says a lot about their brand IMO. I should say that I have heard Good things about the NCL Epic. Still I don't think NCL will ever be my cup of Tea and from my experience many others.

[zaffydad]

Hello we are inexperienced cruisers, went on the NCL star from los angeles to mexican riviera last march, loved the cruising experience however I was not impressed at all with the ship and thought the food was horrible.

 

We have cruised a lot with both lines. We were , for a time, loyal to NCl . We were fortunate enough to have been cruising in the newer ships and in the gorgeous courtyard villas. We have only been on one of the older ships and it was not impressive. NCL has changed their itineraries, and we needed a change of pace as well...while we were spoiled rotten on NCL for the most part, we did NOT feel any warm-fuzzies from the people in charge. There were several incidents that occurred on our last NCL voyage, one that resulted in an actual mob threatening to throw me overboard ( I had the unmitigated gall to say that I loved the Coast Guard!..long story- and then later, the same evening, I was told by the black jack dealer that "you don't look rich enough to play at my table..)

 

We have come back to RCI for the time being...I find the food about the same in the MDR and specialties, but the Windjammer has much better food than the NCL buffets,. ALso, on FOS you have so many options, more shops...

I think you will LOVE an RCI cruise...especially on such an incredible, fun ship

 

Go for it and ENJOY

[dcward89]

My husband and I took our first cruise on RCCL and it was FANTASTIC in every way...service, food, ship, etc. Since then we have cruised NCL, coincidentally NCL's Star, twice. I never thought the food or ship was bad on the Star, however, it definitely did not measure up to RCCL. We are coming back to Royal Caribbean in January on the Serenade of the Seas for a Southern Caribbean sailing...SO EXCITED!! I say you should definitely try RCCL and if you're like us, nothing else will measure up!

[DaMom]

Our first cruise was RC Vision of the Seas - Mexican Riviera 2008.

Second - NCL Sun - Alaska 2009

Third - RC Freedom of the Seas - Western Caribbean 2010

 

Granted it's not a huge sample size, but we found RC to be superior to NCL in almost every way. We even had a Penthouse on the Sun, but would rather have our Junior Suite on RCCL any day. We did have some great excursions in Alaska, but otherwise nothing compared to RC, not the service (surly on the Sun), the look of the ship (the Sun was dirty compared to RC) the food (best on the Vision!) and overall experience. We plan to stick with RCCL forevermore. The only people who seemed thrilled with the Sun were the many folks on board who had only previously sailed with Carnival....

[seaofwonder]

We did one cruise on NCL and were VERY disappointed. Almost decided to give up cruising it was that bad.

But then we decided to try RCL. MUCH better IMO. So much more to do and see on the ship. I didn't find much difference in the food though. Thought NCL actually won a few points there when it came to their buffets.

[tonit964]

We have been on both and I would choose RCL over NCL. The food and choices in the MDR were not very good and I think they do it to encourage you to dine in the fee dining rooms. Food is an issue with NCL by many.

 

The only time we will cruise with NCL is comps through Total Rewards. I would never plunk down the $$$ otherwise, too many other choices.

Good luck with whatever you decide and enjoy your cruise.

Toni

[itslin561]

The food choices and quality on NCL is usually bad with the exception of the Epic which is positively gourmet. We have been extremely satisfied with Princess' newer ships. We have found that the food is generally better on the newer ships than on the older ones because they can charge a higher price for the cruise and therefore give you better quality.

[Caleo]

My parents and I took my DH on his first cruise with NCL...all 4 of us were so upset and disapointed in the quality that NCL had to offer...from food, times of dining, options, the cleanliness, etc...it was the only cruise that we lost weight on.

 

After that, RCCL blew us out of the water. You could actually find something to eat after 9pm! Go figure! Desserts were edible! Juices were made from...fruit! LOL Go with RCCL...you won't be disapointed, especially going from the Star to the Freedom.

[jjb415]

I've sailed on both Royal Caribbean and NCL and have leaned more toward RC recently. Since the OP mentions the rock wall and Flowrider, I'm sure that RC will be a good choice. Fitness Centers on the Freedom Class ships cannot be beat also. Crew and staff on RC are far above NCL in attitude toward passengers and quality of service provided.

[guyver]

And you will get the same response in reverse if this is posted on the NCL board.

 

I've not sailed anything but NCL so far because I like their product and have not had a reason to change. From what I read, the mainstream lines are much more alike than different.

[jayk59101]

well I dove in, booked the FOS for jan 9 western carribbean, I posted it here to get an opinion be it biased or not as I have never sailed RCCL and I have myself sailed on NCl and been very dissatisfied, along with some co workers, NCL has an attractive feature price, but the way I am viewing this particular trip a low price will mean nothing if your not satisfied. I too had customer service issues, granted I am not a high roller, but just an average everyday person, but felt on many occasions that my requests were bothersome to them and towards the end of our NCL cruise i found it easier to just do everything for myself rather than get the attitude that came with many of the requests we had. On our cruise we had a pipe burst closing down the main lounge, there were some renovations being done which had the ship in disarray with the signage being inaccurate and the biggie for me was the lack of activities.. one can only take so many art auctions or bingo games which i wouldn't normally attend but found myself surprised what i would and would not attend out of sheer boredom. Thanks again to all for the info and I look forward to sailing on this cruise... come on Jan 9:)

[jjb415]

well I dove in, booked the FOS for jan 9 western carribbean, I posted it here to get an opinion be it biased or not as I have never sailed RCCL and I have myself sailed on NCl and been very dissatisfied, along with some co workers, NCL has an attractive feature price, but the way I am viewing this particular trip a low price will mean nothing if your not satisfied. I too had customer service issues, granted I am not a high roller, but just an average everyday person, but felt on many occasions that my requests were bothersome to them and towards the end of our NCL cruise i found it easier to just do everything for myself rather than get the attitude that came with many of the requests we had. On our cruise we had a pipe burst closing down the main lounge, there were some renovations being done which had the ship in disarray with the signage being inaccurate and the biggie for me was the lack of activities.. one can only take so many art auctions or bingo games which i wouldn't normally attend but found myself surprised what i would and would not attend out of sheer boredom. Thanks again to all for the info and I look forward to sailing on this cruise... come on Jan 9:)

 

Have a great trip and come back to the Royal Caribbean forum often to keep up with current news and trends.