NCL versus RCCL for 12 night Mediterranean?

[tomko2]

Tomko - the reviews are excellent and I love your photos - they are also helpful!

 

I do think NCL will be a good fit for us, the more you tell me. We are happy to dress up if needed, but we are really very casual people. We are so excited to get the most of the ports that I bet we are wiped out by dinner time.

 

I did see the Carnival cruise, but honestly, the whole "Fun Ship" reputation scares me, although I may be way off base.

 

The more I read about Turkey, the more excited I get. I mean, TURKEY! I never would have a chance to go there unless it is a cruise. My husband travels all over the world on business but I don't so this cruise will be a trip of a lifetime for me!

 

 

Wonderful. Glad to help. You are so right that the ports are exhausting (wonderful though). I was blown away by the beautiful coastline of Kusadasi, Turkey; we stopped at the site of the Temple of Artemis and went to Ephesus -- amazing. One of our objects of that cruise was to "see" as many of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World that we could "see". I say "see" because the Rhodes statue is underwater and there is not much left of the Temple of Artemis.

Happy Sailing.

Kathy

[Suzieanna]

I had to make the exact same decision a few months ago. I picked NCL Spirit leaving on 9 July, despite not having been on any of their ships before. My main reason was the fact that NCL went to Istanbul and Izmir and the other didnt. I have been on RCI before and I do believe it is a good bit more formal than NCL. I decided against Carnival because whilst I like "fun" I dont think I would enjoy a ship dedicated to it!!! I think the spirit is only just starting this Med itinerary about now, so hopefully we should start to get some reviews coming through soon.

[honeybee100]

Ports rule the day, it sounds like!

 

My husband was really focused on this NCL cruise and it sounds so fabulous - I'd love to hear from someone who has done the 12 night one.

 

I think I am the only one of the four of us to be excited about the ports in Turkey but I am! Has anyone been to Turkey?

 

This is a year away but it is so exciting to plan this, and I cannot thank you enough for your help!

 

In May 2010-June, I was on the Gem, and we docked at Izmir, Turkey for Ephesus. We decided to do the ruins of Asclepion (I'm sure I butchered the spelling), but anyways, we had a wonderful time! Once you get away from Izmir, an industrial port, Turkey is a very neat country, a lot of history that people don't necessarily think about! It's all about being open to new places and taking in a different culture. :)

[gogispu]

We are also die hard Rccl cruisers as well as Princess and Carnival. We are looking at doing the Spirit also from Venice to Barcelona next June. I t will be my self and our 2 kids as we are leaving dad stateside. Anyway, I too have some apprehensions about NCL because the last ship of theirs that I was on was the Norway. I fell in love with the itiniary especially doing Istanbul. My biggest concern would be that my kids would be bored at night but I am agreeing that they will be too tired to be bored . We are flying into Rome and then going on to Florence before we make it to venice as we wanted more time in each of those spots.

[genealogygail]

Have done 2 and doing 3rd this fall with NCL and have done 2 with RCL, love NCL. Love the Freedom of meal time, casual atmosphere, Enjoy will look forward to seeing how it goes, This is on our bucket list

[keystoneboarder]

I'm going to go with NCL and the Spirit. In fact, the airport shuttle picks me up in an hour. I'll be there in less than 24 hrs.

[ttnc4me]

I'm going to go with NCL and the Spirit. In fact, the airport shuttle picks me up in an hour. I'll be there in less than 24 hrs.

Yay! Please share your trip report when you return! Have a great time!

[polySeraph]

We did a 15-day Barcelona-Venice repositioning cruise aboard the Norwegian Jade last year that was similar to the itineraries the Spirit is doing. Our itinerary was: Barcelona-Monte-Carlo-Livorno-Civitavecchia-Katakolon-Athens-Izmir-Istanbul-Venice. There were a couple of reviews written for that sailing that you might find useful: my review and and a review by CarrieT, a member of my roll call. Both of our reviews have lots of details about our port calls. You'll have to click the port reviews link to see mine, but Carrie put her details in the review itself.

 

Basically, I agree with what the previous posters have said. It's all about the ports; the ship is less important. At the end of the port calls, I was usually so tired, all I wanted to do was fall in bed and rest up for the next port. I did see the occasional show (they were great!) and I did appreciate the flexibility of Freestyle dining.

 

I would encourage you to add a couple of days to either end of the cruise to see Barcelona and Venice. These are fascinating, ancient cities. I would also encourage you to join your roll call. Our roll call was wonderful and made the difference between a great experience and a fantastic, over-the-top, once-in-a-lifetime experience!

[mypleasure]

Thanks everyone - you all seem like a very friendly bunch!

 

I'll be honest with you: I have some people telling me to let the itinerary rule, and others who tell me (people I know socially and work with) that NCL's service is sub par. I have no basis of comparison. I can tell you anything about all-inclusive resorts on Mexico's Yucatan peninsula, but I am lost with cruises.

 

I want a casual boat. I don't need to dress up and dine every night as the emphasis will be on the ports. On the other hand, I don't want a boat with beer drinking contests. Am I making any sense?

 

Those who have cruised with NCL - what is the line known for best? What is the vibe like? Any opinions will help!

 

Well the Spirit has a fantastic intinerary and you will be spending a lot of days off the ship so are the ports the most important to you or the ship?

 

You want a casual boat and with NCL you have it. No need to rush back to change into fancy duds every night on an NCL cruise. Come back, chill, get changed and have dinner where you want, when you want and with who you want.

 

Never seen a beer drinking contest on NCL but not to say that some individuals couldn't start one of their own I suppose.

 

Do you want fawning servers? Or would you prefer an efficient and friendly crew who are there to help you when you need something?

 

I fear that if our first cruise had been on a different line we may never have cruised again. The NCL vibe is that you do everything ( most things) on your schedule at your pace. You are free to make your own decisions and choices as you are an adult.

 

We have found NCL to be very relaxing as we have rarely had to check our watches to make sure we aren't late for something and have enjoyed the people we have met on our trips. NCL attracts nice people. NCL suits us perfectly.

 

If all of this above is what you want then NCL is for you.

 

I will report back on my fothcoming cruise in June when we get back.

 

Oh and don't worry about the seasickness thing. The meditteranean is a vary calm sea most of the time.

[mypleasure]

We are booked for the "opposite" sailing-Venice to Barcelona on the Spirit in October also for the itinerary which while busy sure is "bang for the buck".

I too have cruised before but never on NCL.

In actual fact I am finding it hard to find too much about the Spirit and virtually nothing about the Spirit doing this itinerary so hopefully you will get lots of responses;)

 

 

I am due to sail on 22nd May from Barcelona. That puts the Spirit in Venice today (22 -12 = 10) having completed the first run on this itinerary. Expect there to possibly be a review or two in the next week or so then every couple of weeks after.

[hbr777]

The itinerary is for sure most important to me! Thanks for the reminder that reviews should be coming soon as the Med season gets going. I have been focused on booking a short Caribbean cruise to see if I have sea legs, so to speak. I do think it might have to be a Carnival cruise, although I would prefer NCL, but they only go to the Bahamas in the summer and not the Caribbean.

 

Thanks for taking the time to give me your thoughts!