Royal cruiser goes on NCL for the first time - Feb 11-18, 2018

[BrentD]

I share most of the same thoughts on the Getaway. I sailed her as a solo cruiser in 2014 in her inaugural season. The crew was much less miserable than it sounds like they were on your cruise, but this may be because they put the "all stars" on the first seasons of brand new ships for all I know. I had only been on Carnival Ecstasy and Paradise previously, so this was my first "big" ship experience. I didn't dislike it, and certainly didn't hate it, but all of the other issues you mentioned existed then as well. The atrium thing was especially frustrating. O'Sheehan's was my first experience on a ship where you could just walk up and get made to order included food so readily. I seemed to eat there at least once a day and it was never busy no matter what time it was. The elevators on this ship also seemed to be a huge traffic jam for me. Really enjoyed the Grammy experience, which apparently only lasted about a year before it was removed. I'm a musician, so that one really piqued my interests. The pool area was ridiculous with only one tiny pool for a ship so large. I didn't even bother with it most of the trip and only relaxed with my feet in the water once on a breezy and chilly night when not many people were around because of the chill and the boat rocking pretty good. The smoke from the casino was also a major issue for me with how it encroached on many other areas. Was a terrible idea putting it around that secondary atrium area with the staircases. I will say I loved the mini-suite concept. Stayed in one of those and they were essentially balcony rooms with a larger bathroom (large, jetted shower that was amazing and a wider sink area).

 

That being said, my next cruise was on the NCL Jade a few weeks after dry dock upgrades. A much smaller ship, but was a much better experience in most ways. Had a sideways interior room on that one, which was just fine, but the bathroom was incredibly small compared to what I got used to on the Getaway, especially since I'm now married and had to share it! :D

 

April will be our first RCI sailing, and also first large ship sailing with my wife. We're really pumped about it, and from everything I've read, should be a big improvement over my first large ship experience.

[acruisingcouple]

I share most of the same thoughts on the Getaway. I sailed her as a solo cruiser in 2014 in her inaugural season. The crew was much less miserable than it sounds like they were on your cruise, but this may be because they put the "all stars" on the first seasons of brand new ships for all I know. I had only been on Carnival Ecstasy and Paradise previously, so this was my first "big" ship experience. I didn't dislike it, and certainly didn't hate it, but all of the other issues you mentioned existed then as well. The atrium thing was especially frustrating. O'Sheehan's was my first experience on a ship where you could just walk up and get made to order included food so readily. I seemed to eat there at least once a day and it was never busy no matter what time it was. The elevators on this ship also seemed to be a huge traffic jam for me. Really enjoyed the Grammy experience, which apparently only lasted about a year before it was removed. I'm a musician, so that one really piqued my interests. The pool area was ridiculous with only one tiny pool for a ship so large. I didn't even bother with it most of the trip and only relaxed with my feet in the water once on a breezy and chilly night when not many people were around because of the chill and the boat rocking pretty good. The smoke from the casino was also a major issue for me with how it encroached on many other areas. Was a terrible idea putting it around that secondary atrium area with the staircases. I will say I loved the mini-suite concept. Stayed in one of those and they were essentially balcony rooms with a larger bathroom (large, jetted shower that was amazing and a wider sink area).

 

That being said, my next cruise was on the NCL Jade a few weeks after dry dock upgrades. A much smaller ship, but was a much better experience in most ways. Had a sideways interior room on that one, which was just fine, but the bathroom was incredibly small compared to what I got used to on the Getaway, especially since I'm now married and had to share it! :D

 

April will be our first RCI sailing, and also first large ship sailing with my wife. We're really pumped about it, and from everything I've read, should be a big improvement over my first large ship experience.

 

 

 

I preferred the Gem over the Breakaway. I found it to a better layout and the smoke was not an issue. I especially loved the Great Outdoors. Nothing like breakfast in the sun with a beautiful ocean view. We are going on our 2nd RCI cruise on the Enchantment - like the itinerary for a short cruise. I am looking forward to trying RCI again.

 

 

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[southernshug]

Poncho 1973......i posted a question on ur NCL post and am still hoping to get a response! I've never been on either line, so hoping to get ur thoughts ☺

 

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[BillOh]

Thanks Bob. I'm trying hard to be even and factual.

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'm not sure if we'll do NCL again or not. I wouldn't completely rule them out, but I'd have to be VERY careful which ship we're on. I'm going to do some investigation when a relative goes on the Escape soon. This person is very similar in taste to me, so I trust their opinion.

 

 

I've read enough of your posts to get a feel for that. Thanks for taking the time.

[poncho1973]

Poncho 1973......i posted a question on ur NCL post and am still hoping to get a response! I've never been on either line, so hoping to get ur thoughts ☺

 

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As far as my favorite Royal ship... that's a pretty easy one for me. The Mariner of the Seas is my favorite, although she has been in Asia and I haven't been able to go on her for quite a while now. We've been on her and her sister Navigator multiple times and loved them both.

 

She's what I love to call our Goldilocks ship. Not too big, not too small, just right! HOWEVER, I will say that I will need to re-evaluate that and make sure it isn't just nostalgia talking. She's coming back to my homeport of Port Canaveral in 2019 to do shorty (3/4 night) cruises. I'm over-the-moon excited about that. I warned my wife that we may do 6+ shorties that year.

 

As you probably can see from my sig, we have a huge gap in that we've never been on a Radiance-class ship. My friends tell us that we would love them.

 

I was mentally prepared to dislike the Oasis-class ships because they were so large and had so many passengers. With the exception of few shows we have wanted to see being sold-out (we usually book last-minute because the ports are so close and the shows might be booked by then and we have to go stand-by) we haven't had any crowd problems on any of our monster ship cruises.

 

I actually prefer not to sail on Freedom-class ships because they take everything I love about Mariner and Navigator (same floor plan, same general layout, but streeeeeeeetttttchhhhhed out longer) and make it less cool. That said, we're booked on one of them this summer, but that was booked because of the itinerary, not the ship.

 

 

EDITED TO ADD:

I didn't clearly state that we actually love the Oasis-class ships despite being prepared for them to stink. I'm also a dedicated Abyss fan after Harmony. I think I almost went down it enough times to get a plaque in my honor.

Edited February 21, 2018 by poncho1973

[poncho1973]

We might have to try the smaller, older ships that you guys have suggested.

 

Sadly, I pushed HARD for the Getaway because of the gadgets and gizmos.

[wolfganghowell]

Thanks for the comparison. We've been considering trying something different - NCl Haven or MSC Yacht Club. But everything I see keeps me loyal.

 

I've missed your hashtags. #mushycroutons? ;)

[poncho1973]

Thanks for the comparison. We've been considering trying something different - NCl Haven or MSC Yacht Club. But everything I see keeps me loyal.

 

I've missed your hashtags. #mushycroutons? ;)

 

#mushycroutonsthatarestillhardasbricks????

[trician24]

We did our first NCL cruise last week on the Epic and absolutely loved it. The staff were all super friendly and the food was amazing. You could see the staff were working long hours but they still gave a smile even after a long shift.

 

Our favorite cruise line is Disney and you pay for that, however, NCL is where we will spend our money for now. We already booked our next cruise only 2 days after being home. The entertainment was great, the food was probably better than Disney and we loved the service. I wouldn't check NCL off the list if you are considering it. We originally were going to do a RCL cruise and decided at the last minute to cancel and change it to NCL. I am SO glad we made that change.

 

One thing I have noticed on CC is that there is just as many positives about RCL as there are about NCL. I think that you truly need to try it out for yourself. Everyone's idea of an ideal vacation is different than the next guy. Also the same ship can have a different cruise from even week to week. I just hope our next NCL cruise is as awesome as the last one was!!! :)

[southernshug]

As far as my favorite Royal ship... that's a pretty easy one for me. The Mariner of the Seas is my favorite, although she has been in Asia and I haven't been able to go on her for quite a while now. We've been on her and her sister Navigator multiple times and loved them both.

 

She's what I love to call our Goldilocks ship. Not too big, not too small, just right! HOWEVER, I will say that I will need to re-evaluate that and make sure it isn't just nostalgia talking. She's coming back to my homeport of Port Canaveral in 2019 to do shorty (3/4 night) cruises. I'm over-the-moon excited about that. I warned my wife that we may do 6+ shorties that year.

 

As you probably can see from my sig, we have a huge gap in that we've never been on a Radiance-class ship. My friends tell us that we would love them.

 

I was mentally prepared to dislike the Oasis-class ships because they were so large and had so many passengers. With the exception of few shows we have wanted to see being sold-out (we usually book last-minute because the ports are so close and the shows might be booked by then and we have to go stand-by) we haven't had any crowd problems on any of our monster ship cruises.

 

I actually prefer not to sail on Freedom-class ships because they take everything I love about Mariner and Navigator (same floor plan, same general layout, but streeeeeeeetttttchhhhhed out longer) and make it less cool. That said, we're booked on one of them this summer, but that was booked because of the itinerary, not the ship.

 

 

EDITED TO ADD:

I didn't clearly state that we actually love the Oasis-class ships despite being prepared for them to stink. I'm also a dedicated Abyss fan after Harmony. I think I almost went down it enough times to get a plaque in my honor.

Lol......thank u so much for ur reply!!! The hubby and I are wanting to take our 2 adult children and their spouses (none have cruised before) and since I have only been on 1 other cruise (celebrity), I truly value honest opinions. Thanks again 😊

 

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[poncho1973]

We did our first NCL cruise last week on the Epic and absolutely loved it.

 

My now retired co-worker loves NCL. She did say that the worst part of Epic was the glass bathrooms. They creeped her out and were very awkward because they had connecting rooms with the D/SIL and had them and her grandkids popping in the room a lot. She hated that and said it was the only NCL ship she'll never sail on again.

 

Did you have one of those bathrooms?

[trician24]

We didn't have that design but I know that the bathroom set up on the Epic for some is really wonky. Either you are okay with it or hate it.

 

The one thing we were impressed with is how many people we met that were on their 3rd, 4th or even 5th cruise on the Epic. We also met so many repeat NCL guests. It was interesting that it was also such a diverse demographic with young couples, families of all ages, singles and senior citizens. We honestly heard nothing but good things about the ship and NCL. People had such great things to say.

[poncho1973]

I made that statement and emailed her to tell her that I said that.

 

She says "Oh, I forgot to tell you that I booked a TA on Epic. Just made sure I didn't get a room with that bathroom."

 

*SAD TROMBONE* that's what I get for saying that.

[Julieinoregon]

Thank you very much for your travel log. I tend to prefer the smaller ships myself. I need relaxation, not all the bells and whistles!

[CTSandy]

I agree with pretty much everything you've posted - have taken 8 or 9 cruises on NCL and have decided I will only sail on their smaller ships. Hated the Breakaway because of the Atrium issues (especially on a rainy sea day), smoke in/from the casino, and overall number of passengers, although my nephew and his girlfriend (26 years old) raved about how much fun we had on that trip. Big positive for NCL is the quality of their entertainment - have enjoyed almost all of their productions. Sailed on Gem (again) in September 2017 and enjoyed the cruise and crew members - however, the demographic is much different on a fall New England cruise.

 

My favorite line to date is Celebrity - I think much better quality of food and service, casino is smoke free, entertainment is fair. This September will be trying RCI for the first time on Serenade of the Seas out of Boston - looking forward to this cruise - I've done Bermuda on both NCL and Celebrity so it should be an interesting evaluation.

 

Thanks for sharing your thoughts, I enjoyed reading your posts about this cruise!

[appletx]

Agree! I hated the Breakaway. No place to escape noise. We would be having a conversation in a bar off the atrium and they would start some stupid game in the atrium with extremely loud volume. Never again on that ship. Will stick to Celebrity when possible.

 

 

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[poncho1973]

I didn't hate it, but I seriously think the open smoking problem and atrium noise were SUBSTANTIAL detractors.

[mugtech]

OP: thanks for your detailed review and thoughts. My wife and I have had many enjoyable cruises on NCL, but have very little interest in the Away-class ships, for many of the known negatives that you have pointed out (including the bad design that allows cigarette smoke to overwhelm so many public areas).

 

I think NCL's Jewel-class ships (the Jewel, Jade, Pearl, and Gem) are a much better option. They are smaller and more comfortable, just don't expect all the bells, whistles, and amusements of the new mega-ships.

Gotta agree the Jewel ships are the best NCL has to offer.

[KmomChicago]

The Weird:OK... so I hope I didn't oversell this.

 

 

 

The weird stateroom attendant. First, he did a wonderful job. Our room was done incredibly well. Always spotless and very timely cleaned. However, he was a ghost. We met him on Sunday morning as we were leaving the room to go home. I thought he did such a good job that I wanted to slide him a few extra bucks. I had to hunt him down to give him money! We were in and out of our room a lot. We slept late some days, we woke up early some days. We came back for naps when we couldn't find a lounger. We forgot things and had to make pit stops in the room. We first arrived at our room about 10 minutes after they announced they were open. Nothing. I called him once and noted he took 1 beach towel, but didn't replace it.

 

 

 

****NCL puts 2 beach towels in your room, you throw them on the bathroom floor and get them replaced, unlike DCL or Royal****

 

 

 

He knocked on the door, but in the 10-20 seconds before I got off the bed and to the door he was LONG GONE. The towel was outside the door. We saw several attendants in the hall... none were ours. In an even weirder moment, I asked a guy in the hall if he knew if our guy was around. He responded that HE was him. This guy's nametag had another name and he definitely wasn't the guy we met on Sunday with the correct nametag on. It should also be noted that we had never seen this man in the hallway either!!! It was like some weird, foreign Candid Camera show or something where they switch people behind an object. The SIL/BIL also never met their stateroom host, but they had a different guy than us.

 

 

 

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The weird croutons. It's really hard to mess up croutons. Stale bread with some oil or butter and spices or herbs on it. This ship has no idea how to make croutons. They were both mushy and hard at the same time. It was like the VERY VERY VERY outside was mushy. Like the first 1/16th of an inch was soggy and then the entire rest of the crouton was as hard as a brick. Like your fork and knife couldn't break them kind of hard. You could line a bunker with these croutons. We had them with soup and salads all week. Awful. World's most bizarre and awful croutons. We also found them very odd smelling. Like instead of garlic, oil, butter, and/or herbs they were seasoned with rotten milk instead for kicks and giggles. All week.

 

 

 

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The weird use of the atrium. The atrium pretty much became the catch-all for anything on the ship. On one hand that makes sense because it is a central meeting place. On the other it makes no sense at all. They played tons of games there. They played movies on the giant screen there. They had live music there. They replayed events there. They had shows there. All those things SOUND awesome.

 

 

 

The weird part is the reality of it. The 8th floor opens down to all these events. However, the only people on the 8th floor that can watch, see, or participate are on the railing. (Sidebar... ladies in skirts... CLOSE YOUR LEGS at the 8th floor bar glass because it was quite the show) These people are sitting at higher bar stools, so they are too tall to see over and the action is all going on below. The bar stools are too close for anyone to mingle around between them and watch.

 

 

 

This means you have an entire floor of people that can HEAR nothing but the event at volume 11, but see only about the top 1/8 of the screen above all the people.

 

 

 

Imagine if you needed to speak to someone in the guest service department? Or if you needed to book an excursion? Or make a reservation? Or visit the next cruise agent? YES! All of those are located about 30' away from the heart of the ship's action. The GSR agents who had the pleasure of answering the phones were doing so with one ear plugged with a finger and shouting. Imagine the music for the game going at full blast and you're trying to tell the person at the desk "fkljf fjlfs; kensl kn eln ke ksl kelsle nensel sekj... (GAME GOES SILENT) AND THEN MY KID'S GIANT POOP CLOGGED THE TOILET!! That's what I was saying on the phone earlier. Sorry."

 

 

 

It's also weird for bar service and that it is the home of the bakery. If there was an event going on, you couldn't possibly order from either of those two. This is supposed to be the main bar of the ship. This was the bar where everything unique was to be ordered. Completely off-limits during these events because there simply isn't enough seating anywhere else there. So everyone crowds the bar and bakery. Trust me. We tried. You had to come back when something wasn't going on.

 

 

 

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It's not that weird, but it was definitely odd that almost everyone we met seemed so completely miserable. I know it's not the greatest job in the world, but it's a living. I live in Orlando, the tourist capital of the world. I know the tourist industry. It's not all roses and smiles, but abject misery is bad. So many gloomy faces. I'd try to compliment someone or smile at them and get almost nothing back. The I Can't Getaway attitude was pervasive.

 

 

 

 

 

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I'll gladly attempt to answer any questions as best I can.

 

 

 

Giggling a lot at your just-the-facts perspectives on this review. Just a couple comments. We sailed on Carnival Sensation from Miami in January on a max capacity ship (over 3000) and all was smooth and efficient, However we did have Faster to the Fun which can expedite the process. Parking at the port was easy. Your experience sounds awful.

 

I worked 5 years at Medieval Times (terrible but shame on me for staying so long) and then 5 more at Disney (much better but surprising how much people complain) so I relate to the occasional misery, not that I worked anything like crew hours. My attitude in those days was linked to immaturity and I learned over time to keep calm and carry on, but I would not choose to work in hospitality again if I don’t have to.

 

For what it’s worth both Carnival and RCCL crew have been very pleasant this past year on our 3 cruises so it’s particularly interesting to hear about NCL. It would not stop us from jumping on a deal if all the other pieces fell perfectly into place, but I would find it depressing if they are all miserable.

 

It is indeed weird that a newer ship had poorly designed and used public spaces! You might expect that on something older and smaller.

 

Thanks for giving honest opinions without getting whiny about it. Also thanks for including all the aspects that were well done.

 

 

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[micmacmissy]

 

We truly missed the Royal chair hog program where the attendants will remove towels after 20-30 minutes of inactivity.

 

Really? We were on Allure and some a** had taken towels and knotted rows of loungers together in the Solarium. I asked the attendant to please remove them and he said "they're probably just getting something to eat". I explained I had already been there for 1/2 an hour (sitting at a table in the Solarium Café) and no one had been there. He refused to do anything.

 

So....I removed the towels myself and proceeded to spend the next 2 1/2 hours there with my daughter. No one showed up to claim "their" chairs. I thought it stunk that Royal didn't do more to take action on this. Maybe other ships are different? This is how it was for us on both Indy and Allure.

 

 

I asked a couple of attendants and they said they won't remove towels. One attendant told me the people probably went to lunch and would be back in an hour or two. DUH!!! That's the point of removing towels from chair hogs. I finally just got fed up and we stood talking/having a drink around loungers we wanted for about 20 minutes. No one came back to the towels and I folded them up, put them on another chair and sat down. We sat on those chairs for THREE HOURS (I was napping, the wife was reading) and no one came back. She was awake the entire time and said no one came to any of the nearest dozen chairs for the entire time we were there. A dozen chairs with towels for three hours. That's insulting.

 

I'm glad you took matters into your own hands and moved the towels! Most people are too intimidated to do it...which is why chairs wound up being reserved for hours and people who are actually there can't get a seat. Unconscionable!

[micmacmissy]

 

My favorite line to date is Celebrity - I think much better quality of food and service, casino is smoke free, entertainment is fair. This September will be trying RCI for the first time on Serenade of the Seas out of Boston - looking forward to this cruise - I've done Bermuda on both NCL and Celebrity so it should be an interesting evaluation.

 

We really like Celebrity too, especially the smoke-free aspect. But their MDR sure has gone downhill. Tables crammed together like sardines and they can't seem to get a grasp on their My Time Dining - we often had long waits despite a reservation. Our compromise is lots of specialty dining so we can avoid the MDR!

[mickletickle]

We sailed on 2 brand new NCL ships. Never saw more miserable crew anywhere. It was actually depressing. Guest services and hotel management were just rude even if you had a severe cabin issue as we did, they would look at it, promise to fix, do nothing, except send Champagne (though knew we do not drink).While so many working cabins were empty.

Food was actually the best we'd had on any cruise.

But after the cruise staff and hotel management issues felt the ceiling could be falling on our head and they simply would not care. I observed on deck during a major activity a group of several of the crew stood by taking amongst themselves while an elderly woman took a bad fall (bleeding from head and both knees) due to a cable they had left unsecured across a walkway on the deck. They all looked her way as she lay there bleeding and did nothing. Not one moved to help her up or assist in any way. She had to be aided by other passengers who glared at the crew.We also had to pitch a fit to get them to fix that cable before anyone else tripped over it. This was the type of thing that went on everywhere on the ship.

Have to mention that we only went on the second NCL cruise because had enough earned enough points that it was totally paid for. We said to ourselves that surely there was no way next cruise could be like the last. But after the second try at NCL said never again. Miss the food.

[zackarykeef]

First, I just have to say...your crouton analysis (although negative) is stellar and probably the best comment I have ever or will ever read on this website. I have literally never thought so much about a crouton before in my life. :')

 

Second, I'm sorry you had such dismal employees on your cruise! Calling it an internment camp must've meant it was pretty abysmal! I've sailed on Getaway twice (it was my first NCL ship), Pearl once, and most recently, the Escape. I've become a complete NCL convert. I've always found the staff to be outstanding. The food is excellent, especially in the specialty restaurants. Skip the desserts...seriously, save for some amazing creme brûlées, I've never found good desserts on cruises.

 

As for the smoke, I absolutely cannot stand the smell...I was worried prior to cruising reading the comments, but I honestly didn't find it THAT bad outside the casino. The Waterfront on those class of ships have one side smoking, one side non-smoking. The Waterfront is awesome...I love being that close to the water outdoors, especially on the aft.

 

Also, as many have said before, The Haven is probably THE best suite experience on any of the main lines (excluding the $$$ lines). If you get the chance, DO IT.

 

Just my two cents. As anyone can see, there are so many varying experiences and positives and negatives from everyone about every line. I've never had a bad cruise, honestly...maybe I've just been lucky. For anyone considering, don't let one review of one ship here or there persuade you against a line. Try every line once!

 

I'm sailing on my first RCCL cruise in two weeks on the Jewel OTS, after my Adventure OTS cruise last fall was cancelled by Maria. I've been trolling the RCCL boards gathering info in preps for a bit now...looking forward to my first RCCL experience and hoping it's just as great!

 

Happy cruising, y'all~*~:cool: