Difference between NCL and RCL.

[yoolykeme]

Hey everyone.

 

Have been on like 25 NCL cruises, so no stranger to cruising.  NCL is the only line that I've been on.

 

Going on first RCL cruise (Vision of Seas, Greek Islands.)

 

Looking for a discussion of differences between cruise lines that I should be aware of.

 

The first thing that I see is that I have a stated dinner time of 6pm.  What does that mean?  That there is a dedicated dining room?  NCL let's you do whatever you want whenever.  Can I change that seating time?  The port days end at 7pm.

 

Please let me know your insight on anything else that could be helpful  Please and thanks.

 

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

NCL makes a big deal of there “do it your way” cruising - but when it comes to dining, RCL offers My Time Dining - as opposed to fixed schedule, so you do have the option.  You will want to reserve as much in advance as possible to avoid having to wait if you just show up - but that wait is rarely more than a few minutes.

 

The big difference between the lines, when it comes to meals, is the quality of the food and service on included dining.  NCL emphasizes the number and variety of “alternative dining” options : which means you pay extra - and the alternatives are pretty good - but the quality of food and service on included NCL dining seems distinctly below that on RCL.

 

Other than dining, I believe NCL has livelier and more varied entertainment, but their public spaces seem a lot more crowded than on RCL

[sparks1093]

I found RCL to be a step up over NCL in many regards. Food was a bit better. Service as well. We were on one of RCL's newer ships with entertainment not found on others so I would say for the standard stuff NCL might be a bit better. But overall the two lines are so close as to be interchangeable and we would be happy to sail with either, depending on the price. As pointed out RCL does offer My Time dining which means you can emulate NCL's freestyle concept if you choose to. We've found that it's no big deal to have an assigned time to eat and normally pick the early seating. Port days might end at 7pm but when will you likely be back on the ship? In all of our cruises I believe we've returned too late for early dining once and just grabbed a bite from the buffet. We haven't sailed with NCL since Del Rio took over and I can't say that I'm a fan of his changes but for the right price we've at least one sailing on NCL left in us.

[Diane67B]

Following along. I’ve done one cruise with Carnival, going on my second cruise with Norwegian in September and doing my first with Royal next year. Very interested in responses as well.

[Aquahound]

22 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

Hey everyone.

 

Have been on like 25 NCL cruises, so no stranger to cruising.  NCL is the only line that I've been on.

 

Going on first RCL cruise (Vision of Seas, Greek Islands.)

 

Looking for a discussion of differences between cruise lines that I should be aware of.

 

The first thing that I see is that I have a stated dinner time of 6pm.  What does that mean?  That there is a dedicated dining room?  NCL let's you do whatever you want whenever.  Can I change that seating time?  The port days end at 7pm.

 

Please let me know your insight on anything else that could be helpful  Please and thanks.

 

 

 

Vision of the Seas is one of RCI's oldest ships and therefore is more traditional in terms of amenities and structure.  It's a beautiful ship, much nicer than NCLs older ships IMO, but it certainly does not fit the mold of what RCI is known for today on their newer ships.  

 

There is 1 main dining room.  It is 2 stories.  Switch your dining to "My Time."  Reservations are still recommended with My Time, but you are also free to show up at will.  

 

Otherwise, go and enjoy yourself.  Like I said, she's a beautiful old ship that provides great views from several lounges.  

[Markanddonna]

I've been on both several times, mostly longer cruises. Except for the dining time issue they are more alike than similar. Can you change to the my time dining? I was on the Vision and it is a lovely ship. I believe you won't find huge differences because it doesn't have the bells and whistles of thw newer Rcl ships. 

[yoolykeme]

Super cool.  Thanks for the insight.

 

So basically, I can just show up at the MDR and try to get seated whenever, if I don't come at the reserved time.  And also, VOS is an older ship.

 

How about formal nights?  are those a thing on RCL?

[Aquahound]

2 hours ago, yoolykeme said:

Super cool.  Thanks for the insight.

 

So basically, I can just show up at the MDR and try to get seated whenever, if I don't come at the reserved time.  And also, VOS is an older ship.

 

How about formal nights?  are those a thing on RCL?

 

Only if you switch your dining to MTD.  You can't do that if you're still scheduled for set dining.

 

Formal nights do still exist on RCI.  You'll likely have 2.  Don't expect a ship full of gowns and tuxes though.  It's not what it used to be.  

[navybankerteacher]

11 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

Only if you switch your dining to MTD.  You can't do that if you're still scheduled for set dining.

 

Formal nights do still exist on RCI.  You'll likely have 2.  Don't expect a ship full of gowns and tuxes though.  It's not what it used to be.  

Of course you can switch to MTD - just stop by the MDR and tell the Maitre de that you want to -- and, at the same time perhaps reserve a time you want for your first dinner.

 

Also, whatever "formal nights" which might be scheduled only really means that you are ALLOWED to wear a coat and tie.  You might be told that you can't wear shorts or tee shirts at dinner -- and they might say you shouldn't wear jeans -- but as long as about 43% of your body is covered there is not likely to be much enforcement.

[oasisorbust]

On 6/16/2022 at 4:23 PM, yoolykeme said:

Hey everyone.

 

Have been on like 25 NCL cruises, so no stranger to cruising.  NCL is the only line that I've been on.

 

Going on first RCL cruise (Vision of Seas, Greek Islands.)

 

Looking for a discussion of differences between cruise lines that I should be aware of.

 

The first thing that I see is that I have a stated dinner time of 6pm.  What does that mean?  That there is a dedicated dining room?  NCL let's you do whatever you want whenever.  Can I change that seating time?  The port days end at 7pm.

 

Please let me know your insight on anything else that could be helpful  Please and thanks.

 

 

 

I have cruised on NCL and RCCL about equally. And I enjoy them both. One thing I will say about the dining- I had been on several cruises before taking my first NCL cruise. I was unsure about the Freestyle dining at first. There is something to be said about having a set table with the same waiter and assistant waiter for the whole cruise. They get to know you and your likes and dislikes. But I now appreciate the flexibility of freestyle dining. RCCL tries to copy it with My Time dining- but it isn’t quite as organized. Other than that I think they’re very close- except Royal’s Oasis class ships which I feel everyone should experience at least once!

[Markanddonna]

If you are on port intensive cruise, NCL works great. You don't want a dining time to force you back to the ship prematurely.  Of course, you can also request MTD on Royal.

[CPT Trips]

On 6/17/2022 at 7:56 PM, navybankerteacher said:

Of course you can switch to MTD - just stop by the MDR and tell the Maitre de that you want to --

OP shouldn’t bet the house on being able to shift to MTD after boarding. It’s not a sure thing . . . we attempted to change to MTD on three cruises and succeeded only once.
 

Several posters have mentioned that Royal has better MDR food and service than NCL. I would have agreed up until our 2021 October NCL and December Royal cruises. NCL food was definitely better (and much improved from my memory of pre Covid times). Surprisingly, Royal MDR service (same waitstaff every dinner) was perfunctory and inattentive; NCL MDR service (not the same waitstaff twice) was attentive, personable, and prompt.

 

 

[navybankerteacher]

7 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

OP shouldn’t bet the house on being able to shift to MTD after boarding. It’s not a sure thing . . . we attempted to change to MTD on three cruises and succeeded only once.
 

Several posters have mentioned that Royal has better MDR food and service than NCL. I would have agreed up until our 2021 October NCL and December Royal cruises. NCL food was definitely better (and much improved from my memory of pre Covid times). Surprisingly, Royal MDR service (same waitstaff every dinner) was perfunctory and inattentive; NCL MDR service (not the same waitstaff twice) was attentive, personable, and prompt.

 

 

I have a hard time understanding your problem.   If you just show up at the MTD and ask for a table, they will seat you.   You may have to wait a while - I never found it overly long- and you will get the next available table.   They rarely Reserve all tables for all time slots - and even if they did, there will always be no-shows.

[Aquahound]

7 hours ago, CPT Trips said:

OP shouldn’t bet the house on being able to shift to MTD after boarding. It’s not a sure thing . . . we attempted to change to MTD on three cruises and succeeded only once.

 

 

 

Correct.  If the OP wants MTD, they should switch now and not wait until on board.  

[navybankerteacher]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

Correct.  If the OP wants MTD, they should switch now and not wait until on board.  

But your earlier post (#8 on this thread) claimed that they could not switch if they are scheduled for set dining.  

 

So, I guess they are doomed?

[Aquahound]

31 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

But your earlier post (#8 on this thread) claimed that they could not switch if they are scheduled for set dining.  

 

So, I guess they are doomed?

 

I think you misread my post #8.  I didn't say they can't switch.  I said they can't show up anytime they want if still scheduled for set dining time.  They need to switch their reservation to MTD first.  

[navybankerteacher]

43 minutes ago, Aquahound said:

 

I think you misread my post #8.  I didn't say they can't switch.  I said they can't show up anytime they want if still scheduled for set dining time.  They need to switch their reservation to MTD first.  

But they can also switch when on board  - which is what I said.

[CPT Trips]

1 hour ago, Aquahound said:

 

I think you misread my post #8.  I didn't say they can't switch.  I said they can't show up anytime they want if still scheduled for set dining time.  They need to switch their reservation to MTD first.  

Your posts have been quite clear and on target. I’ll chalk up PP’s apparent confusion with our answers to unfamiliarity with with Royal’s operations. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

 

[navybankerteacher]

8 minutes ago, CPT Trips said:

Your posts have been quite clear and on target. I’ll chalk up PP’s apparent confusion with our answers to unfamiliarity with with Royal’s operations. 🤷🏻‍♂️
 

 

But perhaps misleading - in view of my personal experiences on RCL.

[Cruzaholic41]

50 minutes ago, navybankerteacher said:

But perhaps misleading - in view of my personal experiences on RCL.

I’m not sure what you’re misunderstanding. What they said is crystal clear. RCI has 2 choices - fixed dining or my time dining. You can’t alternate. If the op knows he wants flexible dining, he should call and change it now. Taking a chance and waiting until on board is foolish. 

[navybankerteacher]

10 hours ago, Cruzaholic41 said:

I’m not sure what you’re misunderstanding. What they said is crystal clear. RCI has 2 choices - fixed dining or my time dining. You can’t alternate. If the op knows he wants flexible dining, he should call and change it now. Taking a chance and waiting until on board is foolish. 

I do not think I was “misunderstanding” anything - rather that your statement that it was not possible to switch from fixed to My Time dining on board was misleading.

[yoolykeme]

Ohhhh....so I actively have to switch to MTD in order to eat whenever I want, and if I don't then they will deny me access if I go to the MDR outside of my stated time?  Do I have this correct?

[CPT Trips]

17 minutes ago, yoolykeme said:

Ohhhh....so I actively have to switch to MTD in order to eat whenever I want, and if I don't then they will deny me access if I go to the MDR outside of my stated time?  Do I have this correct?

That’s pretty much what it comes down to. You might get lucky if you just show up at the MTD podium, but don’t count on it.

[sparks1093]

20 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I do not think I was “misunderstanding” anything - rather that your statement that it was not possible to switch from fixed to My Time dining on board was misleading.

I think the crux of it is it is possible to switch once onboard, but it is more difficult to do because of the way dining assignments are handled (only so many passengers can be in each dining option, as I understand it). Therefore if someone has their heart set on MTD they should make that switch before for they board, as early as they can (like, when they book the cruise).

[sverigecruiser]

20 hours ago, navybankerteacher said:

I do not think I was “misunderstanding” anything - rather that your statement that it was not possible to switch from fixed to My Time dining on board was misleading.

 

Is it always possible to switch from fixed to MTD onboard? Can they say no if too many want MTD? Do you know?