NCL vs Royal C. / pls compare them

[SSBrickNJ]

We've had two good cruises w/ Royal C. #1 Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne NJ and #2 Enchantment of the Seas out of Cape Canaveral. I just finished a cruise with Carnival ( Valor ) and found the shows and the food fell short of the Royal C. standard. How would I feel (for example) if I took the NCL Gem out of Manhattan? Would that be comparable to Royal C??? All answers are welcome but detailed answers would be awesome! If you've never cruised the NCL Gem but want to compare and contrast any NCL ship to any Royal C. ship...go for it!!

Thanks in advance for any and all responses. :) :)

[New2cruise1483]

I've cruised on the Dawn and The Pearl so far ( Pearl being sister ship to the Gem), and just took my first RCI cruise in September on the Adventure. My comparisons with the ship are that the Adventure was so much prettier and much more elegant. The two NCL ships I mentioned had much louder colors, also not as many places just to sit and relax. So as far as the ships go, from my experience, RCI wins this by a landslide.

As far as the staff go, I found them to be equally as friendly and attentive in both lines. Always making sure we were enjoying our cruise and that we had everything we needed. I have to say though it seemed like RCI had more servers on the pool deck making sure everybody had drinks that wanted them.

No for the food, I know it's completely subjective, but figured I'd give my two cents. I found the food on RCI to have more variety and to be of better quality. Especially since RCI still does the lobster night, and NCL did away with it.

With the dress code, I prefer NCL's policy of dress up or not. It's much more relaxed and easier to pack for. Both lines have there pros and cons as you can see. I hope this helps a little bit, if you have any questions in particular let me know :-).

[SSBrickNJ]

That was very helpful. Since you are kind to offer me to ask questions...please address the following if you are willing: 1) shows in the theater 2) things to do on the Fun at Sea days 3) Windjammer Buffet vs NCL Buffet

Thanks!

[New2cruise1483]

That was very helpful. Since you are kind to offer me to ask questions...please address the following if you are willing: 1) shows in the theater 2) things to do on the Fun at Sea days 3) Windjammer Buffet vs NCL Buffet

Thanks!

 

1) We only went to a couple of theater shows on the Adventure, but so far, I have to say I liked the shows on NCL better.

2) It seems like the entertainment on sea days was equal, as far as things going on, but I honestly can't remember exactly what activities there were. I usually spend my time wandering around the ship, or just relaxing and watching the sea :D. Of course the pool decks are always packed on see days lol.

3) I actually preferred the Windjammer to NCL's buffet. In my opinion, it seemed to have a better lay out and also more choices. I also liked the asthetics of it more as well.

[New2cruise1483]

I just thought of another comparison lol. Not sure if it matters to you, but I found the muster drills to be different. On NCL, we usually just meet at a venue for our muster station. On our Adventure cruise however we mustered right at the life boats. Just another difference I thing I would throw out there lol

[dinkydee718]

I have only been on NCL Breakaway and RCI Quantum (so both lines' Megaships).

 

Both ships were brand new the first time I went on them and Quantum had issues. Perhaps they've since worked them out. Service and staff on NCL far surpassed RCI's. Entertainment would go to NCL for sure, though I don't know if Gem has as much as Breakaway. My assumption would be it does not. Activities would also go to NCL. Personally, I thought NCL's restaurants were better except for the buffet.

 

I liked the staterooms and buffet better on RCI.

[wilmingtech]

We did our first cruise on Freedom OTS out of Cape Canaveral and our Second cruise with NCL on the STAR out of Copenhagen through Norway.

 

RCI ships are hands down amazing. The STAR was slightly older and much smaller than Freedom and it certainly felt it. There was much to do on the Freedom vs. STAR as well. Both ships are completely different classes of ships so its not fair to compare but from what Ive researched RCI ships typically have a much better design.

 

The service was comparable on both ships. Crew was very friendly and we felt catered to on both cruises.

 

There are different aspects to each area of food on the ships.

 

Buffet - RCI had a prettier and much larger buffet with more choices. Food seemed a step up on the buffet with RCI. They had a nicer setup and variety of foods. Better selections of cheeses and salad toppings and breads. Make your own sandwich instead of premade sandwiches. RCI had the little things that made it nice. Some things in the NCL buffet area I preferred were the drink stations and rolled silver on the tables.

 

MDR -

We did eat breakfast and lunch in the MDR on most sea days on our NCL and RCI cruise. We really liked the lunch in the MDR on NCL. Food was fresh and most meals we enjoyed. But while we much preferred the hot lunch meals in the MDR on NCL (over RCI) we did love the make your own salad bar in the freedoms MDR on the sea days. Breakfast in both MDRs was a wash. Slow and unexciting.

 

MDR Dinners - This is a tough one as we had the Ultimate Specialty Dining plan (UDP). We did eat MDR one night on the STAR and thought it better than Freedom. Not by much but the meal seemed cooked to order while RCI meals in the MDR seemed like preplated food you would get at a wedding or hotel meeting. It was good but just had that precooked sitting in a food warmer feel to it. We also noticed on RCI that some of the same exact main courses on the menu in the MDR were available in the buffet as well.

 

The biggest difference between the two lines is that on RCI we had buffet (or pizza) almost anytime and could only eat MDR dinner at 8pm. (Or MDR lunch/breakfast on sea days) With NCL you can eat at Osheehans anytime, Buffet anytime, MDR lunch everyday, two MDRs (same menu) each night and Asian each night anytime you want. Walk in for Asian apps and go grab dinner at MDR. Wings and beer at Osheehans at 4 and dinner in MDR at 630. It was nice having all the options. On top of that we had UDP so we could have steak and lobster every night if we wanted. And then go to another specialty for more food or dessert. And the specialties were pretty good. Way better than MDR on Freedom.

 

We did plan on the dining experience on RCI (same bat channel) and we loved getting to know our same servers each night. The service aspect of that was amazing and we enjoyed that. But getting to eat anything you want whenever you want was fantastic.

 

Entertainment -

RCI hands down. It was like seeing a fairly decent show in Vegas (RCI) compared to a really good community theater on NCL. RCI had a much nicer venue and stage set. The STARs theater was beat up. Entertainers were good on both but the amount of money spent in the theater on the Freedom just gave it that extra touch of professionalism. The Ice Show on Freedom was amazing.

 

Live Music -

This is subjective as the individual musicians make all the difference. We loved the live musicians on the STAR. Many were also the same musicians for the nightly shows. Very talented. We didn't care for most of the live musicians on Freedom. We do appreciate live talent and really good live talent can be hard to come by.

 

Activities -

Freedom had way more going on than on the STAR. But this isn't fair either as the STARs itinerary was completely different and different crowd as well.

 

One thing I didn't care for on RCI were the constant in your face sales of jewelry and watches and perfume etc... all over the ship. It seemed to always be there every afternoon. No matter where you were the sales people were bugging you to stop and look before it was gone. They did have sales on NCL but it was confined to a small area by the jewelry store on the ship.

 

We do love the pricing and specials on NCL though. We have our 3rd cruise coming up and for the same price of a family OV on Freedom we got a 2 bedroom haven with 300 OBC, 150 toward specialty dining, free internet and port credits.

Our STAR cruise was pretty cheap as well with a bunch of extras for that too. RCI never seems to offer more than 50$obc, if that, and the bogo deals seem to make the price just cheap enough to maybe consider spending the extra dollars on that nice RCI ship.

 

-Sean

[SSBrickNJ]

Wow! Even though I asked for detailed responses in my OP, you posters have exceeded my expectations.

This is really terrific! I'm very grateful. Nice job!

[BalekFekete]

Chiming in as I am very interested in responses here. DW and I have cruised twice on RCI and are now contemplating a trip on NCL this summer. Feedback is VERY much appreciated! :)

[Fyruf]

There are a lot of pro and cons to cruise ships and were the go.I'm setting on the FOS right now in Falmouth and going on the SOS in February to the southern Carib. Been to these places many time so my idea of cruising much different now. We don't worry about the shows to much and the kids stuff i.e. Flowrider ect. Like to eat well drink well sleep well and just be on the water and mingle with the folks from different parts of the country. I think you can give and take most shows and ports for that matter,in the ports same ol same ol shops but every now and than you can fined some good deals. I will say this being diamond plus on Royal we can't wait to get back on NCL and hopefully in the Haven that is hands down the best,cruise within a cruise. I threw this FOS in the last minute really don't know why it's a nice ship but after the Haven they all fall short. Hopefully NCL doesn't screw up and make changes but if they do not to many. Remember though if your on a cruise enjoy yourself and make the most of it.

[queenschick9b]

I just have a little buffet comparison. RCL has carts that go around - breakfast with juices and coffee and lunch with ice teas and lemonades and water, so you don't have to get up. For me, since I am often alone, that means I would lose my table just to get a glass of juice. I noticed it this time on the Breakaway.

 

For regular food - I think RCL's MDR is better, but NCL has a better variety of specialties. But I believe RCL's newer ships are the same, but the older ships only have 2 or 3 choices and one is usually italian which I skip. I did enjoy their Mexican restaurant on FOS.

 

ETA: I also think it is easier to compare within a type -- for example -- I would compare the Allure and Breakway since I have been on both and I think there more commonalities. The same with the Adventure and the Pearl, and I did a Celebrity Summit vs. NCL Sun which are the same size.

 

Like I would say the entertainment on Breakaway and Allure were both great, and the shows on the rest were all the same caliber and pretty terrible across the lines.

Edited January 6, 2016 by queenschick9b

[Jenjer]

We have cruised both RCCl and NCL. The smallest ship on each line we have cruised on before was Freedom Rccl and Epic. I think you will find more things that are alike than are different.

 

We are a family of 4 with kids. So our experiences would be different form people with no kids.

 

Buffett. We like NCL better. Find more options and variety especially for dinner. We like hard packed ice cream.

 

MDR this is where Rccl wins. They offer better service, faster food and more variety on their MRD. You can have traditional dinning with the same wait staff something that improves your service IMO.

 

Specialty. NCL wins that one more options and they have welcomed kids since the beginning. But you pay for that. Quantum was the closest to NCL. Her dinning options are fantastic.

 

Cabins. same really NCL minisuits are what we cruise in and we find the extra large bathroom to be very helpful when you have 4 in a stateroom. Getaway and Breakaway have very small balcony's but the Large balcony class on deck 8 where we stayed is like a aft but off the side of the ship.

 

Suites our next cruise is NCL Escape and we are staying in a 2 bed haven room. Rccl can not compete with the suite benefits that NCL has. When I price a 2 bed suite on RCCL its crazy expensive for less benefits. NCL has perfected the ship within a ship idea and I think Rccl is trying to play catch up.

 

Pool area: Ncl has slides Rccl has the flowrider so kind of a wash. Both have small crowded main pools. Personally I like Rccl solarium better than spice H2O but I like quite and shade. if you love sun spice H2O is for you.

 

Show: We enjoy both lines entertainment options. I think Rccl has more shows but Ncl has the comedy club and Howl at the moon.

 

Service around the ship is the same IMO. They are hard working staff who get mistreated so often by entitled cruisers that a little kindness and patience goes a long way.

 

 

We pack less on NCL since there are no mandatory formal night

 

I spend more time make all the reservations that we want but as long as your organized its not hard. We dine mostly in specialty's on NCL and MRD on RCCL.

 

If you have any specific questions please ask.

[jakesnana]

We've had two good cruises w/ Royal C. #1 Explorer of the Seas out of Bayonne NJ and #2 Enchantment of the Seas out of Cape Canaveral. I just finished a cruise with Carnival ( Valor ) and found the shows and the food fell short of the Royal C. standard. How would I feel (for example) if I took the NCL Gem out of Manhattan? Would that be comparable to Royal C??? All answers are welcome but detailed answers would be awesome! If you've never cruised the NCL Gem but want to compare and contrast any NCL ship to any Royal C. ship...go for it!!

Thanks in advance for any and all responses. :) :)

 

I would compare the Gem more to the Enchantment than to the Explorer. We have been on the Explorer, the Enchantment and the Pearl (sister to the Gem). The Gem will not have the expansive promenade of the Explorer, so if that is important, be forewarned.

 

I enjoyed the Pearl buffet better than RCCL's buffet. I REALLY loved the rottiserie (sp) and the pasta made to order. I also LOVED O'Sheehans for late night snacks (found the options on RCCL limited after midnight). Just be warned that NCL DOES charge a $7.95 delivery fee for EVERY room service order besides Continental Breakfast before 10 AM.

 

With the exception of the ice show on Explorer (which is amazing), I think the entertainment on NCL is superior to any other cruise line out there. Love, love, love the Broadway shows in the theatre and the performers to Burn the Floor in the main dining room.

 

Hopefully you have gotten enough information to be able to make an informed decision. I'm sure you would have any amazing time on the Gem.

[helen haywood]

We recently did a B2B of sorts, one week on our first ever NCL cruise on Getaway and then a second week on Oasis. We are Diamond on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity. The Getaway was our favorite ship by far!! The MDR breakfast in Oasis is in the huge main dining room. On Getaway they have open one of the smaller MDR venues and it was so much nicer...like being in a specialty restaurant. The food for breakfast was much better on NCL. I thought the buffet on NCL was much better as well. We loved having a coffee machine in the cabin. We loved that the MDR was open for lunch on embarkation day. We loved that you could get a cooked to order hamburger 24/7 at O'Sheehans (included in your fare.) No such thing on Oasis. Even if you paid the cover at Johnny Rockets the burgers are not cooked to order.

 

Lastly, the Waterfront concept was absolutely amazing! I can't speak to any other NCL ship except the Getaway but we loved it so much we came home and cancelled a cruise later this month on Celebrity Reflection and booked the Escape!

 

Oh, and the entertainment on Getaway was much better than Royal's, IMHO. The only thing I missed, that Oasis does better, was the lack of a dance band on Getaway.

[tinkr2]

We recently did a B2B of sorts, one week on our first ever NCL cruise on Getaway and then a second week on Oasis. We are Diamond on Royal and Elite Plus on Celebrity. The Getaway was our favorite ship by far!! The MDR breakfast in Oasis is in the huge main dining room. On Getaway they have open one of the smaller MDR venues and it was so much nicer...like being in a specialty restaurant. The food for breakfast was much better on NCL. I thought the buffet on NCL was much better as well. We loved having a coffee machine in the cabin. We loved that the MDR was open for lunch on embarkation day. We loved that you could get a cooked to order hamburger 24/7 at O'Sheehans (included in your fare.) No such thing on Oasis. Even if you paid the cover at Johnny Rockets the burgers are not cooked to order.

 

Lastly, the Waterfront concept was absolutely amazing! I can't speak to any other NCL ship except the Getaway but we loved it so much we came home and cancelled a cruise later this month on Celebrity Reflection and booked the Escape!

 

Oh, and the entertainment on Getaway was much better than Royal's, IMHO. The only thing I missed, that Oasis does better, was the lack of a dance band on Getaway.

I am so excited on your feedback. It is what I wanted to here:) We are on escape in September and hubby wanted to do Oasis...again. So this NCL cruise needs to be great!

[newcastlemam]

I have sailed independence twice and explorer once for Rci and getaway with ncl I have to say I love them both food is better with ncl we only ate in speciality restaurants though so that may be a factor.

There seemed to be more things to do on ncl especially later on at night but I feel the staff on Royal are better.

We are booked on Rci harmony of the seas transatlantic in October and we get off and jump straight into ncl escape so that is proof I couldn't choose between the two lines [emoji5]️

[SuiteTraveler]

While I realize sailing out of NY/NJ may be cheaper for you, you are cutting yourself out of the BEST ships in the world by not flying to Miami or Ft. Lauderdale which the exception of Breakaway which sails from Manhattan to Bermuda - you might want to try that one first. These are the Mega ships which are designed to be THE destination, not just a ship to get you places. These ships are so good with so much to do onboard that you cannot do it all in 7 days and probably not even in 14 days:

 

These RCCL and NCL Mega ships are direct competitors:

 

NCL

Epic

Getaway

Breakaway

Escape

 

RCCL

Oasis of the Seas

Allure of the Seas

Harmony of the Seas

 

Atmosphere:

RCCL feels like a theme park with different neighborhoods and their shows rely on the spectacular such as high diving, ice skating, acrobatics with a Broadway show thrown in.

 

NCL feels like a new Las Vegas Casino Resort with a waterpark. There are high roller suites (The Haven), the best spa at sea, and the casino is located at the heart of the ship with restaurants and shops clustered around.

 

Winners and Losers:

 

Best Buffet: NCL

Best food overall: NCL

Best Suite Experience: NCL

Best Adults only area: RCCL

Best Main pool area: NCL

Most Athletic Activities: RCCL

Best Water Slides: NCL (RCCL doesn't have them yet - but they will be on newer ships)

Best Flow Riders: RCCL (NCL doesn't have them yet, but they will be on newer ships)

Best Suites: NCL (more attractive and better bathrooms)

Best Specialty Restaurants:

Italian: RCCL

French: NCL

Steakhouse: NCL

Brazilian BBQ: NCL

Sushi: RCCL

Teppanyaki: NCL

Best onboard shopping: RCCL with actual non RCCL stores.

[SuiteTraveler]

Now onto the Gem:

The Gem was built in 2007 and refurbished in 2010. It has a very tropical color palette. This is the last of the jewel class ships built for NCL and was shortly followed by the Epic. Here is the Wikipedia page for Gem:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norwegian_Gem

 

To me, what distinguishes these ships is The Haven. If you can grab a cruise in one of The Haven rooms, then you will have a very unique experience. It feels more like being on a private yacht than on a big cruise ship as there are only a handful of suites surrounding the Haven Courtyard (pool, hot tub and sundeck area.) Haven passengers have butler and concierge service and eat breakfast and lunch at Cagney's. This is really just incredible. I've been in the Haven with regular folks and one time with a world famous person and his family and entourage including his body guards. It is always just a really special experience and it is something you really must try at least once in your life.

 

This ship also has a bowling alley! Something you won't see on RCCL.

 

As to the rest of the ship, we eat in the specialty restaurants mostly, although MDR food is very good. The specialty restaurants feel more like an on-land vacation and we enjoy that aspect. Our favorite specialty restaurants are Le Bistro and Cagney's (steakhouse, sometimes called something else but still a steakhouse.) We also like sushi. Moderno is nice, but a LOT of food. The buffet is not big enough for the huge demand at breakfast, but as suite guests, we always either went to Cagney's for the suite guest breakfast (wonderful!) or had out butler bring room service breakfast.

 

Some of the food that modern ships offer (burgers, hot dogs, pizza, wings) are things that my husband and I don't eat, so I really can't comment on these items.

 

At any rate, I do think the Gem is a good ship and comparable to the other RCCL ships you mentioned. We try different cruise lines regularly and find this fun.

[helen haywood]

I am so excited on your feedback. It is what I wanted to here:) We are on escape in September and hubby wanted to do Oasis...again. So this NCL cruise needs to be great!

 

It was our second time on Oasis. They had changed the MDR since our first visit in an attempt to do Dynamic Dining...then scrapped the idea. But what they did accomplish was to make parts of it feel very cramped and crowded with a lower ceiling. The food had seriously gone downhill from our first sailing. NCL has much better desserts than Royal or Celebrity.

 

Also, a frequent complaint on Oasis is being detached from the ocean. That was what I loved about the Waterfront area. I always had a sofa to myself often without another soul in sight! I loved being able to look out at the water while being in the shade.

 

Lastly I think everyone benefits from trying a new line. You get tired of the same old menus fleet wide on one line if you sail them enough.

[SSBrickNJ]

I just got home from work. So many lengthy responses while I was away. wow! to the one person who said I'm missing out on great ships by not flying to Miami, maybe so....but I just drove to Port Canaveral two late Decembers in a row....see my OP. I'm a teacher and the airfares go sky high when school is on vacation....that is the only time I'm free though.

Hey everybody, instead of the gem, I'd consider RC's Anthem of the Seas. Anyone have any experience or feedback re. that ship?

[SSBrickNJ]

In my rush to post something and join my wife as she arrived home, I think I failed to show the proper gratitude for all the info people provided. My "wow!" in post 20 was meant to convey that. The NCL positive thing someone shared that most fits what we like is the good theater shows. Even though we really like that, the number of positive things posters have shared re. RC strike a chord of agreement with me. The elegant ship's appearance versus NCL's colorful outer appearance. The MDR in RC had more thumbs up throughout this entire thread than NCL...both cruise lines received positive comments but I think RC won if you view this thread in its total package.

So thanks everyone. We liked RC and we'll probably return to them when were ready.

Again, can anyone share anything about RC's "Anthem of the Seas"? Additional thoughts on my OP are still welcome. This thread has taken on a life of its own. Don't hold back because of my "Anthem" question. this thread belongs to everybody. :)

[SSBrickNJ]

I found a thread on RC's Anthem of the Seas that has 4,509 views. Many , many people posted. That will naturally give me all the info I could possibly want ( and more) re. that ship.

Edited January 7, 2016 by SSBrickNJ

[Jenjer]

I just got home from work. So many lengthy responses while I was away. wow! to the one person who said I'm missing out on great ships by not flying to Miami, maybe so....but I just drove to Port Canaveral two late Decembers in a row....see my OP. I'm a teacher and the airfares go sky high when school is on vacation....that is the only time I'm free though.

Hey everybody, instead of the gem, I'd consider RC's Anthem of the Seas. Anyone have any experience or feedback re. that ship?

 

We sailed Quantum, Anthems sister ship. Last March.

 

Its the most like NCL. They have changed the dinning...don't all the lines seem to do that every other month so I am not sure about it currently.

 

 

We love love loved Jamies more than any other restaurant we have ever ate at on a ship. I made dinner reservations and right after we boarded we went straight there for lunch and it was worth every penny. After that lunch we added a 2nd dinner at Jamies. It was defiantly full the whole cruise and they turned people away all week.

 

Don't over look the Solarium Bistro used to be Devenly decadent. Great place to grab lunch and dinner. They had Lobster night in there to take the pressure off the MDR. Watch the handouts not sure if they are doing that on Anthem.

 

I am not sure when you are looking to cruise but Anthem was designed to keep people busy in cold weather with the whole sports court. It was the kid both old and young hang out area. Bumper cars in the evening, Basketball and trapeze school during the day. Night club at night. X box room for all the boys to get their fix.

 

 

The solarium is a huge space with lots of pools and hot tubs for adults to enjoy. Some evenings I found kids in them but I never let that bother me. It was defiantly the best Solarium (adult pool) on any RCCL IMO.

 

We stayed in a balcony cabin and found the cabin design and storage to be very generous for 4 people. Don't forget the over the bed storage great place for hats and such.

[Trumpster]

We enjoyed both lines but Royal was the clear winner. NCL was good but not really great. At the time NCL was less expensive but now the fares seem to be more in line with each other, with NCL's fares coming up not royal's coming down.

 

More to do on the royal ships, more to eat on the NCL ships. Although some of the newer royal ships seem to be coming on big in that regard.

 

Might do Escape but with so many negative reviews we might wait to see if it straighten's out.

 

Harmony of the seas has our attention too.

[SSBrickNJ]

Thank you for the 2 recent posts :)