Comparison...NCL, RCCL, and Princess

[mlmoss]

Okay, I'm asking you to be as unbiased as possible! We have gone on 3 RCCL cruises and we're about to go on a Disney cruise next month. We are early 30s and want to celebrate our 10th anniv. this June with another cruise. We're thinking of trying something different but a little nervous.....Tell me what you think!

[madforcruising]

I can only compare NCL and RCCL. I´ve been on several RCCL cruises on different ships and on one NCL on the NCL Dawn.

 

While the NCL Dawn was not bad and I enjoyed it I would only go back to NCL if it were for a really good deal or an itinerary I really want and nothing comparable is available.

 

My reasons for this are in the very first place the Freestyle cruising concept.

I know many people love it and for them I say go for it but I hated it big times.

On the first look it was nice to have so many dining options like they advertise, but once onboard I had to find out that a number of these options are no real options. At least three of the dining rooms had the same food, so just a different looking room but other than this no real alternative. The downside to this was mostly long lines at all of these venues and I had a wait time of up to one hour for a table. The other point was that due to the long lines the waiters have been in a hurry all the time and were rushing you through the dinner as they needed the table to be empty again ASAP. Of course the waiters seemd not very happy as instead of having two seatings/ sets of guests each evening they had to serve multiple sets of guests during the evening. Which catered to their stressed behaviour again. So I had not one relaxed dinner.

 

The buffet line had nice choices on NCL and good quality food, though the ambiance was more like a cafeteria to my appeal.

 

The rooms have been nicely layed out and especial the bathroom was nice with a huge shower compared to what I´ce seen on other ships, though the room itself I thought was rather small in comparison to comparable categories on other ships I´ve been on.

 

The service from the crew was not the same like on RCCL ships too. I can´t really say I´ve had bad service but it was not the same. I hardly ever saw my cabin attendant and of course for dinner you had always different waiters so they had no chance to learn preferences like drinks etc. and personalize the service a little bit. I too don´t think that the tipping procedure of pooled tips didn´t help here. Tipping was automatically billed to your onboard account. So the crew was sure to get the tip anyway.

 

The last thing I did not care for was the layout of the ship itself. I like it better if you can walk a ship from one end to the other. But on the Dawn if you are on one floor in the front and want to go to another location in the back on the same floor you might have to go up one or two floors in the middle, procede further back to go down again to reach your destination. Kind of weird to me.

 

I know this is not an objective report as it contains many personal opinions, though I tried to state the facts that lead to my personal opinion.

 

This is just my opinion about the NCL Cruise and others may just prefer them for things I didn´t like them for.

[GMoney]

I have been on all 4 cruise lines, and I think this decision really boils down to personal preferences. It's also going to depend a bit on what ships you are considering.

 

DIS cruises (3) are the best I've been on; they don't throw a knockout punch (save perhaps entertainment), but eveything is so consistently good across the board.

 

RCI cruises (30) are my favorite, and the Voyager & Radiance class ships are a destination in themselves with so much to do. If you've never tried them, I'd recommend it.

 

Princess cruises (3) are very similar to RCI. I'd travel with them more, but prefer to to build loyalty with 1 line.

 

NCL cruises (1) to me fall just a bit short. The Dawn is a beautiful ship, but I am not a huge fan of freestyle dining. Food and service and very average. However, if you live near NYC, the convenience and itineraries are unparalleled, and largely why I would sail her again. I agree with many of madforcruising's comments.

 

In short, there's no wrong decision here. You can easily have an average cruise on RCI or a great cruise on NCL. There will always be some variables you cannot control. I would decide on a few obvious factors:

 

- Price. This includes length of cruise (the more days at sea the better!) and cabin type. I'm not too picky about cabins, but some folks really like their balconies. Also consider cost of airfare to departure ports.

 

- Itinerary. Anywhere you really want to go? Or want to avoid b/c you've been there?

 

- Ship. Is new or older? Is the ship a destination? Also, June cruises are likely to be kid-intensive.

 

- Loyalty. If you plan on cruising regularly, sometimes it pays to build loyalty with one line to gain certain benefits. You may want to stick with RCI until you get to a certain level with them (like Diamond), and then start branching out.

 

Whatever you select, I'm sure you will have a great time.

[rubrrick]

I

- Loyalty. If you plan on cruising regularly, sometimes it pays to build loyalty with one line to gain certain benefits. You may want to stick with RCI until you get to a certain level with them (like Diamond), and then start branching out.

 

Whatever you select, I'm sure you will have a great time.

 

 

Having 30 cruises with RCCL you must have a Diamond Plus status. What have you received for your loyalty towards them?

 

Rick

[GMoney]

Hi Rick - Ive been Diamond Plus since they started that program. While I think the loyalty program could use some work, I've received some valuable things for being a member. Here are the things that have meant the most to me:

 

- free promo cruises

- stateroom discounts

- proactive complimentary stateroom upgrades

- concierge lounge access

- priority embarkation & debarkations (these meant more before sign n sail and express departure)

- invitations to dine with the captain

- ability to get reservations @ specialty restaurants anytime with no hassle.

 

It's definitely worth it, especially when things go wrong and you need some leverage.

[threeofus]

I've been on all three..

 

NCL - ship was beautiful. We actually liked the freestyle dining. Although many of the restaruants had a service charge.

Buffet was not good.

Their "johnny rockets" is beyond awful.

BBQ's on the pool deck....those are fun and the grilled food is delicious.

Service - not great

Would not go back except great deal or great destination.

 

RCL fun. good service

Food is good....but not anything special.

Beautiful ships...beautiful rooms.

Very Family oriented.

Consistent.

 

Princess.....not as family oriented - fewer kids except during holiday breaks.

Food is VERY good.

Pizza is great - they actually make it poolside in pizza ovens.

We like the open dining choice....but there were lines at times.

Service is above average.

Beautiful ship.

Would go again but only during holiday breaks because we have a teenager and the usual crowd is older.

 

We are going RCL in April so obviously we are very happy with them.

But I must tell you...Princess is special.

[mikefast]

We have sailed all three. As far as NCL's freestyle dining is concerned, we loved it. Many people complain about long wait lines, but as we like to eat early, we were there when the restaurant opened, and never had any wait time at all, and were able to choose which table we wanted. Also, being that we were among the first in the restaurant, our waiters didn't seem to be rushed, and we had excellent service. The buffet on NCL didn't seem to be arranged very well. Not enough seating for one thing, and the lines didn't seem to be arranged quite right. (We have been on 3 NCL ships.) The Princess, for us anyway, had the best entertainment, but to us, RCCL was the best cruise, the ship was the prettiest, the service was the best.

 

 

[coka]

Try something different! I sailed Carnival 6X, Princess 2X, Royal Caribbean 1X and Norwegian 16X. Next month I will be on RCCL's Mariner of the Seas and in April I will be the Star Princess. Every sailing is a unique experience. Similarities and differences exist between the cruise lines as well as between different ships of the same cruise line. So, do not be nervous! You are on the correct path of "doing your homework" before you book! Good luck!

 

Coka

[threeofus]

Try something different! I sailed Carnival 6X, Princess 2X, Royal Caribbean 1X and Norwegian 16X. Next month I will be on RCCL's Mariner of the Seas and in April I will be the Star Princess. Every sailing is a unique experience. Similarities and differences exist between the cruise lines as well as between different ships of the same cruise line. So, do not be nervous! You are on the correct path of "doing your homework" before you book! Good luck!

 

Coka

 

Great way to put it!

There's good and better on every ship.....but we had a great time on all of them. Enjoy what it great on that particular ship or line...and overlook the tiny annoyances. You're on vacation, you're with friends or family....enjoy it.

[kirbmeister]

I have only sailed once and that was on NCL. I read often about long wait lines in the Freestyle restaurants and of poor service.

 

The longest I ever waited to be seated in the dining room was on debarcation morning for breakfast. The wait was a whole five minutes.

 

We met a couple that had a favorite waitstaff and they requested her table every night. So it is possible to get the same waiter.

 

As for service, I can't imagine it being better. We chatted with our cabin stewards several times a day and had a great relationship with them.

 

I only hope that when we sail on RCI in May that the service is as good.

 

As I have seen several times on this board, "the only bad cruise is the one you are not on.":cool:

[madforcruising]

I have only sailed once and that was on NCL. I read often about long wait lines in the Freestyle restaurants and of poor service.

 

The longest I ever waited to be seated in the dining room was on debarcation morning for breakfast. The wait was a whole five minutes.

 

We met a couple that had a favorite waitstaff and they requested her table every night. So it is possible to get the same waiter.

 

Unfirtunately this was not available when I sailed with them, though it was advertised and requested several times. Instead of this the above mentioned wait time.

 

 

 

As I have seen several times on this board, "the only bad cruise is the one you are not on.":cool:

 

I agree with this and even the NCL cruise was a good one, just not the best in the list when compared to others.

[abridalmaven]

I can only compare NCL and RCCL. I´ve been on several RCCL cruises on different ships and on one NCL on the NCL Dawn.

 

While the NCL Dawn was not bad and I enjoyed it I would only go back to NCL if it were for a really good deal or an itinerary I really want and nothing comparable is available.

 

My reasons for this are in the very first place the Freestyle cruising concept.

I know many people love it and for them I say go for it but I hated it big times.

On the first look it was nice to have so many dining options like they advertise, but once onboard I had to find out that a number of these options are no real options. At least three of the dining rooms had the same food, so just a different looking room but other than this no real alternative. The downside to this was mostly long lines at all of these venues and I had a wait time of up to one hour for a table. The other point was that due to the long lines the waiters have been in a hurry all the time and were rushing you through the dinner as they needed the table to be empty again ASAP. Of course the waiters seemd not very happy as instead of having two seatings/ sets of guests each evening they had to serve multiple sets of guests during the evening. Which catered to their stressed behaviour again. So I had not one relaxed dinner.

 

The buffet line had nice choices on NCL and good quality food, though the ambiance was more like a cafeteria to my appeal.

 

The rooms have been nicely layed out and especial the bathroom was nice with a huge shower compared to what I´ce seen on other ships, though the room itself I thought was rather small in comparison to comparable categories on other ships I´ve been on.

 

The service from the crew was not the same like on RCCL ships too. I can´t really say I´ve had bad service but it was not the same. I hardly ever saw my cabin attendant and of course for dinner you had always different waiters so they had no chance to learn preferences like drinks etc. and personalize the service a little bit. I too don´t think that the tipping procedure of pooled tips didn´t help here. Tipping was automatically billed to your onboard account. So the crew was sure to get the tip anyway.

 

The last thing I did not care for was the layout of the ship itself. I like it better if you can walk a ship from one end to the other. But on the Dawn if you are on one floor in the front and want to go to another location in the back on the same floor you might have to go up one or two floors in the middle, procede further back to go down again to reach your destination. Kind of weird to me.

 

I know this is not an objective report as it contains many personal opinions, though I tried to state the facts that lead to my personal opinion.

 

This is just my opinion about the NCL Cruise and others may just prefer them for things I didn´t like them for.

I felt EXACTLY the same way. Plus due to the wait for tables and so so service we often missed shows which are NOT scheduled around seating times.

[abridalmaven]

You know one thing dawned on me, I bet the long lines most of us encountered were due to the fact that people were trying to eat and have time to get to the shows. Of course because the lines were longer then, that foiled that idea. So for those that dine alone or early, there was probably no issue. And yes the buffet was very much like a cafeteria, and bad seating. The only thing I did notice was the mini buffet area for children, that WAS a good idea. I did not have an awful time either, I just did not have as good an experience as on RCI.

[madforcruising]

That´s true I already forgot about the shows, we missed many of them too because of dinner issues.

 

The childrens buffet was a really nice idea, though I don´t have kids I was impressed by this one.

[caviargal]

I found the free dining to be slammed when the doors opened and it stayed that way for about an hour.

 

I do not like Freestyle and ended up dining at the ala carte restaurants and sushi bar every evening.

[mlmoss]

Thanks everyone.

I think we'll stick with RCCL this time. We are probably going to do the Southern Carribean on the Adventure of the Seas.