NCL vs RCCL

[lgates63]

Does anyone have any thoughts as to Royal vs Norwegian for a Scandinavia/Russia cruise? We have cruised both and are wondering in this area if there are things to consider that we may be overlooking.

We are planning for 2018 and waiting to see what Royal will offer (no itineraries yet).

We have been checking what NCL has to offer and noticed that they have a cruise but they allow you to embark in multiple ports. Is this common? I have never experienced a cruise where people are starting their cruise on different days. Was wondering about this....

Thanks so much!

Lori

[hallasm]

Have NOT checked the schedule for RCCL for 2018, but expect that they will have similar Norwegian cruises out of Copenhagen and probably Southampton. I have also seen RCCL cruises where it was possible to embark in either Copenhagen, Oslo or Warnemunde. So not only NCL.

No difference for RCCL or NCL when sailing in Scandinavia versus other itineraries. So decide based on ports of call, time, price or preference. Royal as Norwegian as NCL.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[tidygirl]

We did a Mediterranean cruise on Royal where they embarked at a couple ports didn't affect us any.

We normally cruise Royal but have chosen Norwegian for our upcoming cruise to the Baltic they had the option of 3rd and 4th guest free, so when your paying for 7 that's a big difference!

They also had a 9 night versus 7 with an extra day in Russia so my adult kids liked that better!

[kitkat343]

On the Baltic cruises, the most important thing is the itinerary. There are very few sea days, and you will be tired from touring so many amazing cities that whether or not you have a shiny new ship will be less important than for other cruises.

 

You need to make sure you are docking directly in Stockholm (the Regal/Royal princess sometimes don't do this) so you see the amazing archipelago, and avoid a tender and long train ride and that you pick the itinerary that will give you a maximum amount of time in all of the ports. Some of the cruises occasionally have more than one overnight (Stockholm and Copenhagen sometimes in addition to St. Petersburg) which would obviously be ideal if you have the time and can afford it.

 

2 years ago, NCL offered priority disembarkation in St. Petersburg if you stay in a suite or have achieved a high level with their loyalty program, so that could help you a lot since it takes awhile for customs to clear everyone on the first day in St. Petersburg. But the other cruise lines may also offer these perks. I haven't sailed RC yet, so I'm not as familiar with their policies. NCL did a very nice job on our Baltic cruise, but I think you'd be happy with any of the lines and just need to find the one that works best for your family.

Edited January 24, 2017 by kitkat343

[kitkat343]

I forgot to mention that Princess has been doing this on the Baltics for a few years. It makes a lot of sense, since some people will want to spend extra time in St. Petersburg but that requires a visa (not a visa waiver) if you fly into Russia, and others will want more time in Berlin due to the distance from the port.

[wheezedr]

European cruises often have multiple points of both embarkation and debarkation. In the Med Princess stopped every Sat in either Rome, Athens or Barcelona and our fellow cruisers were on for as short as a week and as long as 28 days. Remember that the restrictions of the PVSA do not come into play.

[Donna_In_India]

We did the 13 night Ultimate Scandinavia/Russia cruise on the Serenade of the Seas last year. It was absolutely amazing. We had 3 days in St. Petersburg, which was the highlight of the cruise for me. We only had 1 sea day and were just so exhausting from our long days out that we could have been on a tug boat and not noticed! I've also been waiting for their 2018 itineraries and in my impatience went over to the NCL website where I found a fantastic cruise on the Jade. I haven't been on any of the "small" NCL ships and this cruise has 4 sea days (out of 14 days). If the pools are too cold to swim it will probably be a long 4 days with my daughter...but the ports are probably too hard to pass up. I would definitely pick the best itinerary over the ship (it's why I passed on the Symphony of the Seas, which was a disappointment).