Royal to NCL, to book getaway or way for escape?

[mcatmcat]

For 2016 my plan was to sail with royal oasis, but for the price I'm paying with royal right now I realized I can invite 2 more family members and sail with NCL

 

I sailed onboard the sky back in 2009 and I didn't like it that much so I became loyal to royal ever since but I feel like I need something different and a new challenge. I belong to the Millennial Generation and not really picky but a great service is a great factor for me since food is subjective

 

The only way I could book NCL again is if I'm

Sailing with their newest ship, I believe service will be great and the exceptions will be higher for the crew and passages. getaway is NCL's newest ship but for the time I'm planning on sailing it will be the Escape I'm planning on booking this week, should I book the getaway now with the info, reviews and video that are now available or should I go for the unknown, still under construction Escape?

 

Sorry for the long topic, I'm familiar with royal but I'm lost when it comes to NCL and I know cruise critic is the best place to find accurate, right to the point info and advise

 

I have been singing the " cruise like a Norwegian" song all day can't wait to fin sky book again with NCL

 

Thanks everyone !!!

 

[legion3]

Well we considered both vessels when we booked, but for the week we were looking, Getaway was a western Caribbean cruise and Escape was an Eastern trip.

 

We have done far more western ports and cruises so we opted for the Escape.

 

The choice then was as simple as that. At the time the Escape cruise was only about $200 more than Getaway.

 

As we looked into the differences, some of the Escapes' new food choices appealed to us. Also the John Hughes supper Club show appeals to us and the Bigger ropes course and more extensive kids water park. Bigger thermal spa area. Tobacco Road bar.

 

Currently the prices on both cruises have skyrocketed, the promo's are not as good, and currently we would not even consider booking either of them.

 

Although I have not priced them as compared to the Oasis, Royal always is more expensive when we price it.

 

I would opt for the Escape as it will be newer, depending on the overall price,

[SissasMomE]

I would wait for the Escape. New ship, and they supposedly corrected the "design flaws" that the 'Away ships have with the

"narrowness" issue. Really won't know if that's true until she starts sailing though. I personally did not care for the Getaway at all.

[mattwright]

We're D+ with Royal, but we are incredibly excited about cruising on Escape next February. I have cruised once with NCL previously and enjoyed it, but now I'm really looking forward to seeing how the latest and greatest from other lines compares to what we had gotten so accustomed to with Royal. All the bonuses, discounts, and free ultimate beverage package we got when booking Escape really made it a no-brainer at the time.

[CamaCama]

We debated the same... ended up booking the Escape since it was the same price at the time! Sailing thanksgiving week so she'll be brand new, can't wait.

[Jenjer]

We tend to go back and forth between Rccl and NCL.

 

I have 2 kids who love cruising. My DD lives on the flowrider. With that being said Getaway has been their favorite ship ever. They enjoyed Quantum but are looking forward to Escape.

 

If ports don't matter then think of it this way Harmony is the newer Oasis/allure. Escape is the newer Getaway.

 

We also think of NCL as more a la cart pricing. Dinner is a big part of our cruising experience. RCCL MDR is better and has more options than NCL. So we know booking NCL we will have the extra cost of the dinning plan or paying for meals. NCL buffet is better than Rccl.

 

Pools are similar main pool is crowded and loud. Adult area more lively on Getaway and no pool but hot tubs. Escape is going to have a better grotto pool like feature.

 

RCCL has the flowrider, NCL has ropes course and water slides. Honestly I thought the ropes course was something like "rock climbing" fine for 10 min but not a draw, until I saw how it works and how much my kids loved it. I don't do the slides but I love how they keep my kids busy for hours. :-)

 

The thermal spa on Getaway and Escape are my peaceful getaway place I love it but its a extra cost much better than the solarium but so worth it.

 

I have never had issues with service on either line. The MDR on NCL was a little slower but I don't care if my waiter knows my name and my drink before I sit down. I am on vacation. We sailed Quantum and lots of people complained about its serve but we found it to be the same as our past 8 cruises.

 

Entertainment is about the same on both. Maybe a little better on RCCL the dive show is super cool but its not like that pool is open for swimming or anything else.

 

If your budget can take it look at The Haven its amazing and service is top notch. If your budget does not allow for Haven then look at booking a Minisuit deck 8 is the best. The standard balcony's are very small but on deck 8 they are HUGE. The minisuites are not much larger than regular balcony cabin except in the bathrooms. The bathrooms in Minis are HUGE for cruise ships a very nice treat.

 

If you have any questions just ask.

[Jenjer]

This spreadsheet done by someone else has been very helpful in selecting cabins on Getaway/ Breakaway and it gives you a idea of what Escape will have since the cabin drawings seem to match just with different color.

 

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/10YW7fMQarer30UCHKqKJ_zLDmbyMTczCTtYf2XRflh8/pub?single=true&gid=0&output=html

[coldflame]

For 2016 my plan was to sail with royal oasis, but for the price I'm paying with royal right now I realized I can invite 2 more family members and sail with NCL

 

I sailed onboard the sky back in 2009 and I didn't like it that much so I became loyal to royal ever since but I feel like I need something different and a new challenge. I belong to the Millennial Generation and not really picky but a great service is a great factor for me since food is subjective

 

The only way I could book NCL again is if I'm

Sailing with their newest ship, I believe service will be great and the exceptions will be higher for the crew and passages. getaway is NCL's newest ship but for the time I'm planning on sailing it will be the Escape I'm planning on booking this week, should I book the getaway now with the info, reviews and video that are now available or should I go for the unknown, still under construction Escape?

 

Sorry for the long topic, I'm familiar with royal but I'm lost when it comes to NCL and I know cruise critic is the best place to find accurate, right to the point info and advise

 

I have been singing the " cruise like a Norwegian" song all day can't wait to fin sky book again with NCL

 

Thanks everyone !!!

 

[ATTACH]354137[/ATTACH]

 

We debated the same. Ended up on NCL because honestly we got fed up with RCCL's questionable pricing tactics. Every month they had a "promo" which in most cases was worse than the previous price. "50% off your 3&4th guest" resulted in an overall stateroom cost increase by nearly $500 on same ship, same dates quoted couple of days prior.

 

NCL pricing was straightforward and when they have promos is entirely clear what you are getting and why is better to book with promo. Same with DCL, straightforward pricing, all upfront (although we've gotten priced out of their ships).

 

That alone (the cruise line being forthcoming) is one of the most important aspects.

[mcatmcat]

Thanks everyone. I think I will go with getaway. It has more port stops and it doesn't go to Nassau as Escape will do. I will definitely miss Tortola, never been there :-(

Edited July 1, 2015 by mcatmcat