RCCL V Other lines

[kernow]

While we've done more RCL than anything else, we've tried most of the mass market lines (not HAL or Cunard). I do still enjoy RCL but agree you have to look really hard to find a good deal these days. I feel they are charging a high price for all the gimmicks on the newer ships (which we can do without) and cutting back on food and service.

 

We've done both P and O and NCL and still prefer RCL, but would take the other 2 at a great price. For us P and O is a bit too British, the food, the entertainment and the passengers. We prefer a bit more of a mix of nationalities. The freestyle dining put us off NCL, we love a large table with the same waiters every night, just not possible on NCL. I know lots of people won't mind this though.

 

I also think you should consider MSC, we tried them last year and have just booked out of Southampton for next year. Their prices are great, add ons much cheaper than other lines and the ships are modern and well maintained. They also have a status match for their loyalty club. Not so many perks as RCL but still nice to have a few extras.

 

Julie

[deliver42]

The person comparing NCL prices to Royal is also comparing apples to oranges on dates. March is spring break time, so prices always go up. The NCL cruises were in Dec and Jan years ago on an old ship. To each his own, but my question is why not NCL again since they are such a bargain. I just came off the Jewel in May, which is a sister ship, and my prices weren't anything like the poster's.

[Aquahound]

The big question as we are starting to look at future cruises mainly next year, is what other lines would RCCL 'supporters' recommend or suggest we try. we like the style of RCCL with its more relaxed atmosphere to a certain extent. We are thinking P&O or NCL compared to RCCL. The only reason we have said NCL as a couple we were talking to on our last cruise mentioned the exact same issues as us and said they had had a great cruise with NCL. We are looking at a Caribbean cruise and then another one later in the year.

 

If you read my signature, you'll see I was pretty loyal to Royal for a while. But now, I haven't cruised with them in 3 years. No real reason other than I like new experiences. I still think RCI has the best entertainment and ship designs at sea.

 

Ref NCL, my earlier cruises with them on Sky and Dawn were awful. Out of 53 cruises, my experiences on those 2 ships were the worst. I was done with NCL because I thought they sucked. Then, a family member talked my into trying Escape and I loved it. I still get irritated with NCL's pricing games and how they charge you hundreds of dollars in gratuities for so-called "free" promotions but once on board, I had a great time. If you do try NCL, I don't recommend anything older than Breakaway.

 

Princess is a decent alternative to RCI. Their entertainment is very similar to what you would find on RCI's older ships, and the service is very good. The drawbacks to Princess, though, are crowded ships, small cabins and very outdated décor. Otherwise, nothing really stands out with Princess as being a "best" at anything particular.

 

I've come to love Celebrity, especially their Solstice Class ships. I think they're the most beautiful ships at sea. These ships are very modern and the cabins are really nice. Service and food are great. But their entertainment can be lacking and things seem to shut down kinda earlier at night. Although, if you get lucky and have Richard Spacey as your Cruise Director (former RCI CD) like I did on Eclipse, you might be impressed with the entertainment.

 

I've cruised HAL a few times. I only recommend HAL if you're looking to relax on a more classic looking ship and you don't mind the older (much older) crowd. Entertainment is the absolute worst.

 

My experience is very limited on Carnival. I had a good time on Carnival Liberty but I certainly got what I paid for. All I could do was shake my head every time I returned to my pink cabin.

Edited July 13, 2017 by Aquahound

[Clarea]

... Although, if you get lucky and have Kevin Spacey as your Cruise Director (former RCI CD) like I did on Eclipse, you might be impressed with the entertainment. ...

Paul, did you mean Richard Spacey?:)

[Aquahound]

Paul, did you mean Richard Spacey?:)

 

Ha! :D Yes, Richard Spacey. I fixed it. Thanks Bob.

[floatel_lvr]

We have sailed almost exclusively on Royal but did do a Panama Canal cruise on Princess. It was a wonderful trip. Very comparable to Royal (at that time, over 10 years ago) but also added some very nice touches. This was the first trip where frozen towels were handed out while waiting to board when in port. The food in the specialty restaurants was amazing and the MDR was also quite good as was the service. I don't recall the entertainment. But overall I would not hesitate to do Princess again if the itinerary and price were right.

[floatel_lvr]

Paul, did you mean Richard Spacey?:)

 

Although Kevin Spacey probably would have been VERY entertaining. :D

[George C]

Last 5 cruises and next cruise is on RCCL which is strange for us since we do like other lines but have become addicted to perks and size of the GS, will cruise Celebrity again next year, would consider doing Hal again also Princess, Costa and MSC, only lines we avoid are Carnival and NCL

[dacsmom]

I found the same thing, prices going up. I tried NCL and loved it, so much so that when I got home I cancelled my Harmony cruise and booked the NCL Escape. The lines are similar but for right now NCL is the better value for me.

 

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[jules815]

We've been sailing with Celebrity and really enjoying it. Always liked our cruises with RC (although not a fan of the BIG ships), but just needed something different. Celebrity has some nice itineraries, and since we recently became Diamond with RC, we're Elite with X. With their Go Best promotion, things like gratuities, internet, and premium drinks package are included (yeah, I know, we're paying for it) and we also have $550 obc. (Upcoming cruise was booked on board, so the Go Best and extra obc were part of a promo because we booked a suite. It was a really good deal.) Sky Suites are the sweet spot on X. Comparable in size to a JS (minus the walk in closet), but full access to Michael's Club lounge (VERY nice!! They will make you any drink, and if they don't have it, they'll get it for you. There is no "list.") and their suite restaurant, Luminae, which I thought was nicer than CK. We also had a butler who we didn't use for anything other than bringing our tea and danish in the morning. While he was setting it up, he would tell us about what was happening on board that day, including a description of the evening's entertainment.

 

We have a 10-day coming up in December out of Ft. Lauderdale on Reflection that goes to some islands we've never been to. The only one we'll be repeating is St. Maarten, but we overnight there, so we'll be able to have dinner at one of the French restaurants in Grand Case. It also has 2 sea days on the front and end...nice.

 

I've never had any interest in NCL. If we try anything else would probably go with Princess, or maybe even MSC in their Yacht Club. (Do they still recognize Diamond members in their program?)

[golf43]

We have been on Carnival, NCL and Royal. We just did a Carnival cruise a few months ago because Royal did not go to a few islands we wanted to see. The itinery Carnival had was nice. The Carnival ship we were on did not have a lot to do. Their Lido deck buffet for dinner was terrible. The dining room was good. Their Prime Steakhouse was excellent. Our NCL cruise was years ago. We had fun. Maybe in the near future we will cruise them again. For now though we will stick with Royal.

[Biker19]

I've never had any interest in NCL. If we try anything else would probably go with Princess, or maybe even MSC in their Yacht Club. (Do they still recognize Diamond members in their program?)

RCI D is matched to Black card level on MSC.

[jpolm]

We have been on Carnival, NCL and Royal. We just did a Carnival cruise a few months ago because Royal did not go to a few islands we wanted to see. The itinery Carnival had was nice. The Carnival ship we were on did not have a lot to do. Their Lido deck buffet for dinner was terrible. The dining room was good. Their Prime Steakhouse was excellent. Our NCL cruise was years ago. We had fun. Maybe in the near future we will cruise them again. For now though we will stick with Royal.

 

 

 

I've been wanting to to try carnival as some the newer ships look nice and they have some different itineraries. But I love oasis class!!

 

 

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[Beachdude]

Most mass market lines will be fairly similar and many things about a sailing are subjective. Try something by ship, itinerary and value and not name brand.

 

I agree. Ships and on board programs are the only differences between the lines today. A little research to learn about ships on each line would help guide you to finding a different experience for your style of cruising.

 

Burt

[jules815]

RCI D is matched to Black card level on MSC.

 

Good to know. Wasn't sure if it was a temporary thing they were offering.

 

thanks.

[Clarea]

Good to know. Wasn't sure if it was a temporary thing they were offering.

 

thanks.

Still being offered, but you have to cruise at least once every 3 years to maintain the status match.

[jules815]

If you read my signature, you'll see I was pretty loyal to Royal for a while. But now, I haven't cruised with them in 3 years. No real reason other than I like new experiences. I still think RCI has the best entertainment and ship designs at sea.

 

Ref NCL, my earlier cruises with them on Sky and Dawn were awful. Out of 53 cruises, my experiences on those 2 ships were the worst. I was done with NCL because I thought they sucked. Then, a family member talked my into trying Escape and I loved it. I still get irritated with NCL's pricing games and how they charge you hundreds of dollars in gratuities for so-called "free" promotions but once on board, I had a great time. If you do try NCL, I don't recommend anything older than Breakaway.

 

Princess is a decent alternative to RCI. Their entertainment is very similar to what you would find on RCI's older ships, and the service is very good. The drawbacks to Princess, though, are crowded ships, small cabins and very outdated décor. Otherwise, nothing really stands out with Princess as being a "best" at anything particular.

 

I've come to love Celebrity, especially their Solstice Class ships. I think they're the most beautiful ships at sea. These ships are very modern and the cabins are really nice. Service and food are great. But their entertainment can be lacking and things seem to shut down kinda earlier at night. Although, if you get lucky and have Richard Spacey as your Cruise Director (former RCI CD) like I did on Eclipse, you might be impressed with the entertainment.

 

 

Loved Celebrity Reflection. That ship is stunning. Probably my new favorite.

 

I agree about the entertainment. The shows we saw on X I thought were good, enjoyed them. I do agree that they're might not be as many late night options, but we didn't really miss them.

[mek]

After our cruise last December on HAL I thought we were through with cruising for a while and really didn't plan on taking any cruises this year and I booked a bucket list safari to Africa for November. But I wanted to do something before then and the only thing DH and I could agree on was a cruise, so we are sailing on Celebrity next month. We haven't been on X for several years and we like to switch lines, so maybe a change of pace will work well for us.

[rtownsend]

I think the most important thing to consider is the niche each cruise line focuses on. I prefer NCL and RCCL because they appeal to me. As an agent I have a sailed on other lines and noticed that Celebrity and Princess have a great product but I'm bored with lack of activities offered. In the end all cruise complaints are the same the complaining is a result of different expectations and demographics.

 

 

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[graphicguy]

I think the most important thing to consider is the niche each cruise line focuses on. I prefer NCL and RCCL because they appeal to me. As an agent I have a sailed on other lines and noticed that Celebrity and Princess have a great product but I'm bored with lack of activities offered. In the end all cruise complaints are the same the complaining is a result of different expectations and demographics.

 

 

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Truth!

 

I'm not loyal to any line. My loyalty can't be bought with a few extra drinks.

 

That said, I keep going back and forth between NCL and RCCL. Both have good products that are similar in a lot of ways. I'll throw MSC in there, too. Sailed them last October and was bowled over how good they are from service to food to how beautiful their lone ship in North America (for now) is.

 

Generally, for the price of a Superior Ocean View Balcony on RCCL, you can get the Yacht Club on MSC. Just like the Haven on NCL, the Yacht Club on MSC is truly a special experience.

 

Carnival....you know what you're getting when you board. Nothing wrong with that, but as long as you know booze fueled activities are the themes on board, you'll be fine.

 

Celebrity and HAL I just couldn't warm up to. As someone else said, maybe you have to be of a "certain age" to enjoy those two lines.

 

Princess I've never sailed.

 

For now, I keep flip flopping between RCCL and NCL, and am pleased with both. But, I've booked a Mediterranean Cruise on the MSC Meriviglia in the Yacht Club this November. Leaving on Harmony in two weeks, too.

[BNBR]

We just booked what will be our last Royal cruise for next year. A few years back we tried NCL and LOVED it. The price is much lower than Royal and we had some of the best service we have ever had with them. Not to mention they gave us an all inclusive drink package and 4 free dinners at the specialty restaurants with our booking. The crew was wonderful, the stops were exactly the same, the entertainment was better. The only thing we missed was the promenade. Royal is so expensive for what we are getting and when we can go on a cruise that, in our opinion, is just as good as anything we have gotten with them for half the price with someone else...well...we will go with someone else.

 

We are comparing cruises next year and NCL Getaway is more expensive than Allure for a similar itinerary and same dates. With the drink packages factored in, it comes out a little cheaper - however, Royal isn't running a very good special on that sailing. If you don't drink, Royal is $500 cheaper. If you do drink, NCL was slightly cheaper.

 

One is not always cheaper than the other.

[luvintravel]

We've been on Princess, MSC, Celebrity and Carnival. For us, RCCL meets our cruising needs best. Yes, it is getting pricey, especially the OASIS class, but we are Diamond+ and enjoy the perks we would not have on the other ships, except for Celebrity. Celebrity is nice but caters to an older crowd. MSC caters to a European crowd. Every announcement was in 5 languages! Carnival, when we went in 1998, had its reputation for being the fun ship. I know they've been trying to change that perception, but we have not been back. I believe they cater to a younger crowd. I had heard that HAL was very stuffy and crew were not quite as friendly as those on RCCL so we never tried it.

[escapesnow]

We've been on Royal, NCL, and Carnival and have enjoyed all three thoroughly. We're a late 20's couple with no kids from Canada. Great food quality, plenty of entertainment, and pool time = awesome trip for us. We don't concern ourselves too much with the other details. Breakdown of the pros and cons of each from my perspective:

 

Carnival:

- Best for our taste in entertainment. We're not really into musicals and singing/dancing type shows nor do we find ourselves entertained sitting at a bar. Give us comedians and guest game shows (think Quest, Love and Marriage, etc.) and we're happy. You can expect hours upon hours of comedy acts every single night so we were always entertained.

- Worst for food. Food is so subjective and we've only been on one Carnival ship so take this as you will. In our experience sometimes they tried to make food really "fun" at the expense of quality. Think cereal-covered french toast that just turned into a soggy mess.

 

NCL:

- Best for food. The quality was amazing and tons of different options. I definitely recommend going on a ship with O'Sheehans (most do), it was our favourite place to hang out. I would say the MDR and buffet was about the same quality and offerings as RCCL but O'Sheehans really set it apart for those in-between-meals or late night snacks. Most lines will offer somewhat-lacking pizza, pastries, salads, and sandwiches as snacks whereas O'Sheehans offered wings, nachos, spinach dip, fajitas, etc. Anything you would expect from a good pub restaurant back home.

- As mentioned above, the Free at Sea promo is great. While you still end up paying a little, it's still a great deal

- Worst for entertainment. If you enjoy broadway style musicals you will love it. On Breakaway specifically they have a comedy club where they performed one or two improv shows per night. We didn't find it that funny and the shows were repeated throughout the week. We found ourselves walking through the ship aimlessly in the evenings on multiple occasions.

 

RCCL:

- Well rounded and somewhere in the middle when it comes to food and entertainment. Always something going on for every taste.

- The thing that really puts RCCL ahead of the rest for us is their indoor solariums. It's something that has really set RCCL apart from the rest for us as very few other ships offer this while combined with the rest of our interests. We're from Canada so all of our travel costs plus the weak dollar make it considerably more expensive for us than the average cruiser and limits us to one cruise per year (I know, first world problems lol). With that in mind we try to avoid too many risks and go with ships that we know will deliver great food, we will be entertained, and we'll be guaranteed plenty of pool time (indoor solarium). We're already spending thousands of dollars just to get to the port, what's a couple extra hundred dollars at that point then to go with RCCL which does well across the board. You may not be in that situation so take this as you will.

 

Hopefully that helps. I think sometimes people will throw out their opinions about things without specifying what "good" means to them. What we look for may be similar or completely opposite but you should be able to recognize that fairly quickly here.

[jmorrisuk]

Hi,

 

Its interesting to get everyones opinion on this and i know it all depends on what you exactly want from your cruise and holiday overall.

 

Looking at it i think we will go for the P&O one as it is a much better offer compared to RCL.

 

I honestly think RCL have increased their prices to pay for all these new ships they are building so they can maintain the position of the largest fleet available, and in doing so are cutting costs and corners in other areas at the expense of the customer.

 

I have to admit i do love RCL and the way things are done a few years back at least but a change never hurt anybody. We may hate it and come straight back saying all is forgiven!

[jpolm]

We've been on Royal, NCL, and Carnival and have enjoyed all three thoroughly. We're a late 20's couple with no kids from Canada. Great food quality, plenty of entertainment, and pool time = awesome trip for us. We don't concern ourselves too much with the other details. Breakdown of the pros and cons of each from my perspective:

 

Carnival:

- Best for our taste in entertainment. We're not really into musicals and singing/dancing type shows nor do we find ourselves entertained sitting at a bar. Give us comedians and guest game shows (think Quest, Love and Marriage, etc.) and we're happy. You can expect hours upon hours of comedy acts every single night so we were always entertained.

- Worst for food. Food is so subjective and we've only been on one Carnival ship so take this as you will. In our experience sometimes they tried to make food really "fun" at the expense of quality. Think cereal-covered french toast that just turned into a soggy mess.

 

NCL:

- Best for food. The quality was amazing and tons of different options. I definitely recommend going on a ship with O'Sheehans (most do), it was our favourite place to hang out. I would say the MDR and buffet was about the same quality and offerings as RCCL but O'Sheehans really set it apart for those in-between-meals or late night snacks. Most lines will offer somewhat-lacking pizza, pastries, salads, and sandwiches as snacks whereas O'Sheehans offered wings, nachos, spinach dip, fajitas, etc. Anything you would expect from a good pub restaurant back home.

- As mentioned above, the Free at Sea promo is great. While you still end up paying a little, it's still a great deal

- Worst for entertainment. If you enjoy broadway style musicals you will love it. On Breakaway specifically they have a comedy club where they performed one or two improv shows per night. We didn't find it that funny and the shows were repeated throughout the week. We found ourselves walking through the ship aimlessly in the evenings on multiple occasions.

 

RCCL:

- Well rounded and somewhere in the middle when it comes to food and entertainment. Always something going on for every taste.

- The thing that really puts RCCL ahead of the rest for us is their indoor solariums. It's something that has really set RCCL apart from the rest for us as very few other ships offer this while combined with the rest of our interests. We're from Canada so all of our travel costs plus the weak dollar make it considerably more expensive for us than the average cruiser and limits us to one cruise per year (I know, first world problems lol). With that in mind we try to avoid too many risks and go with ships that we know will deliver great food, we will be entertained, and we'll be guaranteed plenty of pool time (indoor solarium). We're already spending thousands of dollars just to get to the port, what's a couple extra hundred dollars at that point then to go with RCCL which does well across the board. You may not be in that situation so take this as you will.

 

Hopefully that helps. I think sometimes people will throw out their opinions about things without specifying what "good" means to them. What we look for may be similar or completely opposite but you should be able to recognize that fairly quickly here.

 

 

 

This is exactly what I've always thought. Good response. I'm in my late 40s. My step kids have done carnival with their mom and we've taken them on oasis and allure. My daughter preferred carnival but her reason was more for her age things to do (teen) but we've done bigger ships better itineraries. So I guess it's an age thing as well. We feel that rccl has the most for all ages type of people. With my kids ages 17-14-9 we think Royal is a good package. We also love the solarium and the kidsclub. We think the food is good in mdr but in specialty restaurants really good entertainment well rounded. I've wanted to try carnival but just haven't been decided. It'd have to be a newer larger ship. For now we stick to rccl

 

 

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