Better ship and law enforcement questions

[saussi27]

Hey all. I know this is personal preference but I'm curious of those who have cruised on Royal and Norwegian, which do you prefer? Norwegian seems to have better deals but I'd rather travel to some of the stops that Royal has. It seems some of the deals Norwegian has sound pretty amazing. But I'm asking because my daughter is paying for our mother/daughter cruise and I'm sure if I asked her, she'd say whatever I want. But as a mother, I almost feel bad choosing the more expensive. 

 

Also, do any of these cruise lines have any sort of discount for law enforcement/corrections officers? 

 

And finally, im going to safely assume no, but do cruise lines match other cruise lines? Discounts, deals, things of the sort? 

[George C]

Loved ncl in 80’s and 90’s but they went downhill. Rccl is our favorite and you can get decent deals if you pick the smaller or midsize ships since they are older. 

[cruisegal40]

I have been on both.  NCL does have good deals. However, keep in mind with those pretty perks that there are gratuities and such to be paid out on the beverage and dinner packages.  RCCL is also a favorite of ours. It sounds like you are going for the destination, not the ship, so pick which itinerary you like best. 

 

Hope this helps.

[zqvol]

Went on RCCL once. The  value, food and ambience on NCL is better. All RCCL has that is better is the activities.

[taglovestocruise]

Yes they have cabin discounts on select ships and sailing dates on Royal Caribbean, let you TA take care of it. 

 

To qualify for a police/fire department rate, an individual must qualify under the following:

1. At least one guest in the stateroom must be an active or retired employee or volunteer of a local or state law enforcement agency, fire department or Emergency Medical Services unit in the United States or Canada.
2. Qualified guests must present valid proof of employment (badge or ID) plus a second form of identification when boarding the ship. The offer is not valid where restricted by applicable law.
3. All guests traveling in the same stateroom are eligible to receive the police/fire rate. No additional staterooms, other than the one that is occupied by the qualified person is eligible for the police/fire rate. Spouses, parents, in-laws, children or other family members or friends are not eligible for the rate without the eligible person occupying the stateroom. 

 

[Shmoo here]

1 hour ago, saussi27 said:

And finally, im going to safely assume no, but do cruise lines match other cruise lines? Discounts, deals, things of the sort? 

No.  Not that I've ever seen.

[BDRebel]

Note that on the LE discount on RCCL, the offer extends only to local and state Law Enforcement. It does not extend to Federal Law Enforcement.

[cb at sea]

NO...they do not "match" other cruise line prices.  But, there are specials and discounts....not on EVERY sailing, tho.

[Nebr.cruiser]

I've never seen cruise lines 'match' prices, but they all discount and you will probably get the best deal by checking the large online agencies.

 

We like both RCL and NCL, although we haven't sailed them as much as some others.  NCL does seem to have better deals, but watch out for the gratuity charge on the drink package--not a concern for us as we don't drink, but wow, it is high.  The gratuities are usually included on most other drink packages.

 

IMO I would go with the cruise that goes where you prefer to go, unless the price difference is huge.

[Husky61]

I have never had a law enforcement discount on any cruise line, nor was one ever available.

[pacruise804]

16 hours ago, zqvol said:

Went on RCCL once. The  value, food and ambience on NCL is better. All RCCL has that is better is the activities.

Went on NCL once (to date RCCL once too).  We found pros and cons to each, but felt RCCL had the edge on service and drinks.  There was good and bad food on both, but I felt like I was wanted and welcomed on RCCL rather than barely tolerated on NCL.

 

Each cruiser will have different tastes and preferences.  If you have a way of determining total final price (including any anticipated specialty dining, drinks packages, etc), the price difference likely isn't very much.

 

I would consider itinerary (including times in each port), ease of departure port (can you drive there or do you need to fly regardless?), size of ship, and ship amenities in my decision.  A travel agent might be helpful in knowing unadvertised discounts.

 

Enjoy your trip and how sweet of your daughter to treat you.  Maybe she will let you splurge on an excursion, specialty meal, or spa treatment for her.

[spookwife]

17 hours ago, saussi27 said:

Hey all. I know this is personal preference but I'm curious of those who have cruised on Royal and Norwegian, which do you prefer? Norwegian seems to have better deals but I'd rather travel to some of the stops that Royal has. It seems some of the deals Norwegian has sound pretty amazing. But I'm asking because my daughter is paying for our mother/daughter cruise and I'm sure if I asked her, she'd say whatever I want. But as a mother, I almost feel bad choosing the more expensive. 

 

Also, do any of these cruise lines have any sort of discount for law enforcement/corrections officers?   any discounts would be itinerary specific and possibly limited to  certain cabin categories.   as military, the only discounts we often find are balconies.  

 

And finally, im going to safely assume no, but do cruise lines match other cruise lines? Discounts, deals, things of the sort?  no.  each line is run independently even if they are owned by the same parent company.  closest you can get is being status matched on  related lines.   for instance,  my Diamond status on Royal  gets me Elite status on Celebrity.  that being said,  Carnival corp does not offer it within their own brand

 

 

I have never sailed NCL, however  my research says it's not a line we would enjoy.   most of our cruises are on Royal although we are expanding our  horizons for our Alaska cruise in 2020