Heeelllp! RCL Liberty of the Seas vs Carnival Freedom vs NCL Jade

[ranger2131]

I need help. We want to take our in-laws on their first cruise in at the end of February. We have 3 kids (9,11,13) and did a RCL cruise on Navigator of the Seas 2 years ago. We really enjoyed it. However, right now NCL Jade is MUCH cheaper (kids sail free) and carnival is a bit cheaper. Question, is RCL Liberty of the Seas worth the extra cost? It has WAY more for the kids (especially after current dry dock), but quite a bit more. I'll take any opinions from those who have sailed different companies.

 

Thanks!

[spookwife]

be very sure you are comparing apples to apples. NCL is known for including less over all in the base price and charging you for lots of other stuff that the other lines include.

 

for instance, they charge for Room service all day long.. at like $8 a pop. Royal only charges between midnight and 5 am at $4.

 

also I keep reading that their included food is so lousy that you are almost forced to pay the up charges for the other dining options.

 

I won't go back to Carnival and based on everything I have seen, read and talked with others about, would never touch NCL with a ten foot pole.

[ranger2131]

Good to know. Thanks!

[mailmama]

I have been on RCCL since the 90's and just took my first NCL cruise. (have not yet tried Carnival and it will take ALOT to get me to do that) My opinion of NCL is that they up charge for everything. The food was wonderful on the new Escape but limited to just a few places without paying extra for it. Service was extremely slow in the "free" places. The rope and watersides were free. The Liberty will soon be offering the waterside experience also. There were very few free entertainment shows on NCL. Disappointed in that. Overall, we didn't have a bad time on NCL at all, just didn't have a WOW like on Royal Caribbean.

[Siora7777]

I think the food is better on NCL, better bigger portions. Some of it is comparable, like the buffet. NCL has more food choices then Royal. But they do charge for room service, not a big deal to me.

 

The ship will not be as fun or as nice as the Liberty. The new NCL ship are nice though.

[hollon]

This is just my opinion, I haven't cruised w/ the other lines except Princess and RCCL, but I'd go with the liberty simply b/c after drydock there will be so much for the kids to do, when we took our extended family onboard rccl, they loved it and couldn't wait to plan their next cruise, my sister went on carnival (older ship) and said she would never cruise again. I'd pick Liberty

[lj77346]

I'll be sailing on the Liberty in February and was on the NCL Jade in December. I had an enjoyable time on the Jade, but the range of activities for children appeared to be limited on the Jade. With the age of your children, I'm sure that they would have much more to fun on the Liberty with the rock climbing wall, ice skating, flowrider, and the new slides. It's probably a trade-off between a newly refurbished ship with lots to do v. going for the lower priced cruise with fewer activities, but still enough for a fun vacation. Only you know what's important to you family. Hope you find a decision that works for you.

[QueenofKrakatoa]

I'm biased but I would choose the Liberty. They're adding water slides and your kids are going to have a blast. Plus the entertainment is better than both NCL/CCL.

[ApoJacks]

Royal Caribbean hands down. We almost booked on NCL for our most recent cruise and started to peel back the onion. While it might look cheaper on paper , do a side by side comparison of the ships. How are the cabins going to stack up? What is included in the overall cruise? We never ran out of things to do on our honeymoon cruise on RCL. And we still feel like we missed a lot.

 

Consider this like you are searching for a new apartment. Let's say you have three different apartments you are looking at. All are in similar neighborhoods, all have pretty much the exact same amenities, the only difference (and let's assume that money is not going to be the deciding factor.) The first apartment is $1200, the second apartment is $800, the third apartment is $495. Consider the kind of people that each is going to attract. And let's also remember that there are some people who couldn't care less where they live as long as they have a roof over their head. How is that place going to look in five years? Ten years? Fifteen years? What about hidden costs? It might look like it is a steal at the low price, but what is included?

 

I'm not a cruise snob, as many of my close friends have gone on Carnival in years past and said they had fun, they wouldn't have hung out with a majority of their fellow travelers because they just didn't fit in their demographics. I don't think I would go on Norwegian if you paid me to. I don't know why, but something doesn't seem right about it.

[CanadaRob]

I actually was quite excited to book an ncl cruise and the money was more than a 1000 less than the RCL(Freedom? I think) talked to o my cruise specialist TA and she said I won't book you on NCL based on your preferences. If you want to save the money try some of the new Carnival products. I was quite surprised because my sister has done Getaway twice and Jade? I work with a guy that has sailed everybody but Royal and prefers carnival and it's casual vibe and great burgers at Guys(which are free on Carnival)

Kids programs are important based n your kids ages, how much is that worth to you to sail Royal?

[WupperAV]

My choices in order are Princess, RCCL and NCL. NCL is the Mcdonalds of cruise ships, Princess is pretty nice and RCCL buffet was real good. Restaurants on Princess had the best meals with Steak being tops. Navigator is going into Drydock, be out 7 Feb so we shall see as we are going on the Valentines Day Cruise.

[uoftxchik]

We were looking at three ships at out of Galveston at the end of February too. We've sailed on NCL before and just weren't impressed though we were willing to give them a shot because we could get an awesome suite on the Jade. We are RCCL fans and will be on the Liberty. We worked with a travel agent and she found a balcony and an inside across from each other for a very reasonable price. Still more expensive than NCL but we felt more comfortable with RCCL...and the refurb will hopefully make the ship fresh.

[Wilson]

Liberty OTS.

 

Been on all three lines. Note from our below list of cruises that once we sailed Royal we never went back to the others.

[landlockedinco]

Lots of great input about all three lines. I might look at it this way: list the pros and cons of each, and look at photos and youtubes of the ships you are considering. That will give you a better perspective. Then I consider it this way, we are not wealthy people going on vacations frequently, so when we go, are we really saving by putting the money first or am I really missing an opportunity to have a great vacation by spending a a little more. Trust your instincts, too. ;)

[LadyLion_AP]

I need help. We want to take our in-laws on their first cruise in at the end of February. We have 3 kids (9,11,13) and did a RCL cruise on Navigator of the Seas 2 years ago. We really enjoyed it. However, right now NCL Jade is MUCH cheaper (kids sail free) and carnival is a bit cheaper. Question, is RCL Liberty of the Seas worth the extra cost? It has WAY more for the kids (especially after current dry dock), but quite a bit more. I'll take any opinions from those who have sailed different companies.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Hi. My kids went on Carnival Freedom for their first cruise & like us fell in love with cruising. This was several years ago but we all had a lot of fun on the ship & we enjoyed our dining experience. Since then they have been on RCCL Indy & Freedom (Liberty's sister ships). We much prefer these ships. There's so much to do, the entertainment is fantastic & there is definitely a WOW factor! Bottom line...for a 1st cruise I'm not sure the ship will matter as long as the kids have enough to do. I haven't sailed NCL so the only advice I can give there is check out family related reviews.

[matj2000]

I have been on all 3 and recommend all 3.

 

Each one has its pro's and con's.

 

As far as kids go, shouldn't really be a factor.

 

My kids have been on many cruises and would have a great time on a HAL ship..........

 

[Midwestgal]

I would pick Liberty

[39august]

It is Liberty that comes out of dry dock on Feb. 7, not Navigator as someone posted.

Edited January 24, 2016 by 39august

[foxgoodrich]

I've never sailed NCL, so I don't know about the Jade. I have sailed Carnival and, of course, RCL. Here is my thinking on a decision between RC and Carnival:

 

-Liberty will be newer and shinier due to the dry dock upgrades and renovations that are happening right now. Liberty will have new water slides in addition to the flowrider and rock climbing wall. There's also a new kids' pool area.

-The adults only pool area is nicer on RCL than on Carnival ships.

-The food is comparable on both RC and Carnival in the MDR and the buffet. Slight advantage to Carnival in that Guys Burgers are quite good, made fresh for you, and free at the burger stand on the pool deck. Also Carnival has better pizza. (They say that RC pizza will kill you and Carnival's is 'to die for.' That's kind of true. RC pizza is frozen. Carnival's is hand tossed and made for you as you wait.)

-RC has better entertainment and more live entertainment. I enjoyed the sea day activity choices more on RC than on Carnival, and Carnival seemed more crowded to me.

-Kids clubs on RC and Carnival both are great. Don't know about NCL.

-RC ships have more of a WOW factor than Carnival ships, in my opinion, and they are also easier to get around on. It drove me nuts that only 3 decks on the Carnival Breeze went from forward to aft. I always had to take an elevator a few floors, then walk the length of the ship, then get another elevator to get where I was going.

 

I think your kids will enjoy the cruise no matter what you choose! If you want to WOW your inlaws, choose Liberty. (It's like a bigger improved Navigator) If your budget is limited, choose the one the fits the best. You could probably get some info/opinions/reviews on NCL Jade on the NCL boards here. The bottom line is…IT"S A CRUISE! You'll have a good time.:)

Judy

[LadyLion_AP]

I had to chime in again because the previous post is articulated much better! 100% agree with foxgoodrich.

[Semi Retired]

Liberty...hands down! RCCL is awarded consistently for its kid friendly and adult enjoyability factors. I love the open concept of Liberty. So spacious.

[ranger2131]

Thank you to all the advice. We did choose Liberty, and we are looking forward to it. Now we just have to get all our excursions squared away. :p

[mikaula]

It's Liberty of the Seas for me!