How does RCI suite life compare to NCL?

[Tricialy]

I know there are lots of posts about how much better the NCL suite life is than other lines. We've only sailed NCL (and LOVE it!) - but, I can take a Southern Caribbean cruise on RCI out of San Juan (in a grand suite) for a little more than half the cost of sailing the Getaway in a suite in July.

 

If I post this on the RCI boards, I'll get a lot of RCI is "wonderful" - but since I know how much we like NCL - what do others who enjoy NCL and have sailed RCI think?

 

My husband loves Cagney's for breakfast and lunch - how does the RCI "specialty restaurant" compare - is it similar??

 

Thanks in advance!

[Sparky38]

I know there are lots of posts about how much better the NCL suite life is than other lines. We've only sailed NCL (and LOVE it!) - but, I can take a Southern Caribbean cruise on RCI out of San Juan (in a grand suite) for a little more than half the cost of sailing the Getaway in a suite in July.

 

If I post this on the RCI boards, I'll get a lot of RCI is "wonderful" - but since I know how much we like NCL - what do others who enjoy NCL and have sailed RCI think?

 

My husband loves Cagney's for breakfast and lunch - how does the RCI "specialty restaurant" compare - is it similar??

 

Thanks in advance!

 

We had a grand suite on Freedom of the Seas and honestly did not think it worth the money. NCL is our preference all the way, not just for the room and suite benefits but the service - particular the customer service which starts at officer level and is inherent throughout the ship's crew. That said its all about personal choice!!!!

[njhorseman]

We've also cruised in a Grand Suite on Royal Caribbean, and our opinion is the same as Sparky38's . Overall the NCL suite experience is better.

 

The nature of the venue used for suite breakfast and lunch varies from ship to ship. We were on the Explorer of the Seas, and they used the Italian restaurant. At breakfast it was reasonably comparable to breakfast in Cagney's on NCL...as long as you don't want anything comparable to one of NCL's signature dishes like Crab Cakes Benedict (and it included complimentary specialty coffees, which is a plus), but at lunch it was just a private place to sit. You were not served lunch...you got your food at the adjacent Windjammer buffet and brought your plates into the restaurant. Again, this varies from ship to ship, and also things could easily have changed since our last suite cruise on Royal Caribbean about two years ago.

 

One Royal Caribbean plus was a reserved seating section at the main pool for suite passengers and very high level Crown and Anchor members. We don't like to bake in strong sun, so we never used that section.

Edited January 16, 2015 by njhorseman

[GeezerCouple]

Funny timing :)

 

Earlier today we had this type of conversation with our regular Travel Agent (TA here, not to be confused with a phone call to a Trans Atlantic!).

 

Having now been on a DOS on the Dawn (no Haven, but otherwise full suite perks and LOTS of space, and that amazing view over the bridge) and then a 2BR Haven suite on the Pearl, I tried finding similar physical accommodations on other lines, leaving the "suite or Haven perks" for later.

 

We had a lot of trouble finding even the physical suites that were similar, without going "whole hog" on something huge and hugely priced. And even then, sometimes there was only one on the entire ship, so good luck getting it.

 

As for the suite perks, our TA was pretty blunt, saying that compared with the Haven area especially, even the premium/luxury lines (where we have a few reservations in addition to more NCL reservations), there isn't going to be anything quite like it elsewhere.

 

I was surprised to hear that, expecting that she'd say that if we went with the more upscale cruise lines, we'd get a similar experience.

 

We'll see, as there are other reasons to travel on other lines, including, especially, different itineraries.

 

But these were DH's first two cruises, and it seems that he has gotten "too spoiled, too quickly" :) - and now, so have I :)

 

It's also tricky, because although I wouldn't mind a more "formal" line, DH wears enough suits at work, and he wouldn't be nearly as "comfy" needed to dress that way or even more formally "on vacation".

 

We'll probably give a try to quite a few different types (including a few expedition cruises to special locations, although I worry about the "activity level" on some of the excursions on those, especially).

 

But without any question, the NCL Haven suite experience was absolutely superb.

 

At least on the Pearl (and maybe on the others?), as one first turns down the hallway after exiting the elevator at the Haven level, there was a sort of "zig zag" in the hallway, and in the diagonal "zag", there was a cutout, back-lit arched shelf, with a zen-type statute.

 

That immediately signalled "this is a peaceful, special area, relax!".

It was a small touch that added a great deal, in our minds.

 

And we also got spoiled by having a phenomenal Butler.

(NOW we realize that our experience on the Dawn wasn't quite... what it should have been. Not "bad", but not great.)

 

We'll be back to the Haven as often as we can!

The combination of space and perks was ideal.

 

We also have reservations on Oceania, so we'll see for ourselves.

We assume we'll have a wonderful time there, too. Win, win, but "different".

 

But most surprising was our TA's comment. She's been on quite a few of these, obviously, and also gets feedback from her other clients all the time.

(And she'd probably get a higher commission selling us a suite on a luxury line.)

 

GeezerCouple

[OzCanuck]

The only truly comparable product is on MSC in their Yacht Club - at least at the mass-market line level.

[stetucke]

I'll be honest with you I have never fully understood the cult like attraction some people have to one particular line. With that being said I had a great time on all of my RCI cruises. The service was top notch.

 

I will say this caveat, I am not the hardest person to please. I spend little time in the room and almost none of that time am I awake for. I am always around doing something.

 

Go once so that YOU have the experience it sounds like your getting a good price anyway.

[Iluvcruising2]

 

My husband loves Cagney's for breakfast and lunch - how does the RCI "specialty restaurant" compare - is it similar??

 

Thanks in advance!

 

I don't recall RCI having a speciality restaurant for suite guests, unless you are referring to the very new ships.

[Iluvcruising2]

I'll be honest with you I have never fully understood the cult like attraction some people have to one particular line. With that being said I had a great time on all of my RCI cruises. The service was top notch.

 

I will say this caveat, I am not the hardest person to please. I spend little time in the room and almost none of that time am I awake for. I am always around doing something.

 

Go once so that YOU have the experience it sounds like your getting a good price anyway.

 

We were very loyal to Royal, until recently. Why? Their prices have gone through the roof.

 

Last Dec we tried NCL, and loved it.

 

This year, we plan to try MSC Cruise Line

[Anton]

RCI is putting suite-only dining rooms on some ships, but they are only on Quantum and Oasis right now.

 

Take it from me as a Diamond Plus member of Crown & Anchor who has done a lot of suites with RCI....they don't even approach NCL as far as the amenities and service provided to suite guests. RCI is really falling behind as NCL and MSC race away with the Haven and MSC Yacht Club.

[52marv]

My extended family of 20 has sailed both lines in suites and balconies. We like the overall Royal ship experience (stores, layout, gym, activities, kids club) better than Norwegian. However, NCL's suite life is head and shoulders above Royal's.

 

Our family rule is:

 

NCL if we're sailing in a suite, and then only in a Haven suite

 

Royal if we are not sailing in a Suite.

 

You already know how good the Haven experience is. So I'll only describe Royal.

 

When we sailed in Grand Suites on Royal we loved it, because we hadn't yet experienced the Haven.

 

Here's what you get on Royal:

 

Expedited Embarkation

Big room, BETTER LAYOUT THAN NCL, CAN ATTACH REGULAR BALCONY ROOM

Wall of Closets

Big Bathroom

Big Bar Area (no free alcohol)

BIGGER BALCONY THAN NCL

Sit down & Continental Breakfast in Portofino's, as good as Haven

Private lunch area in Portofino's: go get food in Buffet, bring it back, nice, but not as good as Haven

Suite Concierge Lounge all day: Continental breakfast, FREE ESPRESSO MACHINE to make specialty coffee drinks, FREE ALCOHOLIC DRINKS, WINE, SODAS & SNACKS OFFERED 5:30-8:00 pm

Expedited Disembarkation with Concierge escort

SUITE BEACH WITH GOLF CART LIMO & UPGRADED LUNCH IN LABADEE

Reserved seating at pool (NO SHADE, NO UMBRELLAS)

 

So you'll enjoy the suites on Royal, but for the price, you could sail in a balcony and still have a very good time and not feel you were missing much in the way of suite perks. We've sailed out of San Juan on Royal in balconies twice: on the Adventure and the Serenade. The Adventure is a bigger ship, but the Serenade is lovely and it's smaller size lets you go to a wider variety of islands. We loved both ships and the itineraries.

 

Either way,

 

Have fun!

[Loucat]

We have sailed in several grand suites on RCI and also suites on NCL.

The staterooms are comparable; the service on NCL has been better.

We like having breakfast and lunch in Cagneys for sure.

Both have reserved seating in the theater.

RCL has a much better concierge lounge for grand suite passengers. We enjoyed the concierge lounge for sure.

NCL could learn from this!

Given a choice, I would choose NCL suites~

[love2relax]

It's been a while since I was in a suite on an RCI ship, but even at the lower end; although the Grand Suite on RCCL was bigger, the perks were better on NCL, even in an SG. We weren't offered breakfast or lunch in any special restaurant on RCI. Maybe they have added that recently, or on newer ships like someone else already suggested.

[stetucke]

We were very loyal to Royal, until recently. Why? Their prices have gone through the roof.

 

Last Dec we tried NCL, and loved it.

 

This year, we plan to try MSC Cruise Line

 

Loyalty I understand but I have encounterd more than a few people where they obsesion to a particular line is like putting a fan of Michigan and Ohio state in the same room. It just defies the logic of sanity.

[my_crib_too]

Loyalty I understand but I have encountered more than a few people where the obsession to a particular line is like putting a fan of Michigan and Ohio state in the same room. It just defies the logic of sanity.

 

+1, good comment.

 

If all things are equal, we select NCL but we never start a cruise search with NCL. We start with a generic TA cruise search site. See everything that is cruising during the time period we want to cruise or in the area we want to visit. Also, we like to cruise in warm weather so NCL has that covered very well.

 

We live in Wisconsin so we get to experience eight months of Alaska type weather each year. If we ever want to actually visit Alaska, I doubt NCL would fit what we would want to see. Other lines seem to do Alaska better for us. If we ever visit Europe, other lines seem to fit this better too.

[SuiteTraveler]

We sailed on Allure in an Owner's Suite. As expected the ship is lovely and the entertainment and food excellent. What I can say is the suites perks are not comparable. The suites on both lines are nice although I like the bathrooms and decor on NCL far better because they are larger and compartmentalized. There are no tiers on the RCCL suites (where perks increase with level of suite). The concierge lounge was grossly overcrowded and unusable. My husband and I like Chardonnay (should be easy to please us) but the brand they serve is absolutely awful. So much for the free drinks. The concierge lounge was so crowded with diamond and double diamond passengers there was never anywhere for us to sit. Unlike NCL, the concierge never contacted us about show seating or anything else. The suite did have upgraded room service with a fuller menu. There is no butler. Our cabin steward was excellent. There is a bowl of fruit but nothing else provided unless you call and ask for it. Early self-debarkation - the concierge told us what floor to go to and what time in order to walk off by ourselves. IMO, RCCL misses many, many touch points with suite guests. Because of this experience and how RCCL does suites, I would never pay to sail in more than a Grand Suite on RCCL. The continental (cold breakfast) was provided in the concierge lounge. As a result, we always ordered from room service and ate on our balcony or in our dining room. The room service menu for breakfast includes much of what is available in Cagney's or the Suite restaurants on NCL. I would order up 5 or 6 different items to make a semblance of what we would have had on NCL. They did have a sail-away cocktail party on the helicopter pad one day and that was nice. We enjoyed the private suite area on Labadee but their so-called "upgraded buffet" was: steam-table hamburgers and hot dogs, grilled chicken, ribs and some cold salads. If that's "upgraded" I would hate to see what they served the non-suite guests. We rented a cabana ($250 for the day) and our cabana attendant could not bring alcoholic beverages to our cabana and did not bring food to our cabana. Usually at all-inclusive beaches, this is part of the normal service and I would think that the servers would be allowed to do this to increase their tips, but inexplicably, that is not how RCCL's private beach for suite guests works. However, our cabana was excellent and we thoroughly enjoyed relaxing there in the shade. Our cabana attendant did all he could to bring us non-alchoholic drinks on a regular basis.

[Starflyr3]

We did Monarch of the Seas just before it was retired, in the owner's suite. I was not terribly impressed. The only thing I found that approached perks was 1) being able to get a cabana reservation for Coco Cay and 2) the nightly 3 hours of free booze. The concierge did chase us down once while we were waiting to get off the ship, pulled us out of line (while chastising us) and got us off quicker (the angry looks we got...). Other than that....yeah.

 

Now, I haven't been in a suite on NCL yet, but we will be in the Haven in March. I am extremely excited about it!

 

Eta: oops! Sorry for the necro.

Edited January 2, 2016 by Starflyr3