RCL vs NCL?

[Bxc53]

We have cruised on several of the mainstream cruise lines ( list in the sig), but never NCL. Hoping to hear from folks that have cruised on both for pros and cons, etc. I know this is the RCL forum, I’m asking the same Question at the NCL board as well, should be interesting to compare..

 

Thanks for any input.

[broadwaybaby123]

I cruised on NCL Bliss just before the shutdown.  I hated it!  The company was so disorganized it was ridiculous! 

[ECCruise]

Sailed both many times.  Diamond level on both. Probably 25 or so total on both so fair amount of comparison (likely 300 or so days).  Sailing Vison in September followed immediately by NCL Dawn B2B2B for 31 days.

Honestly, there are differences in food/entertainment/decor, but for us the differences are so minor that we book exclusively on itinerary and price.  We find prices to be fairly comparable, when you factor in the 4 drinks/day we get on Royal with Diamond and the included drinks on NCL (even when you add the gratuities to the "free" package there).

Caveat:  We no longer sail any large ships.  Nothing above Radiance class RCCL, nothing above Dawn/Jewel on NCL.  After making a few mistakes on both lines, decided that the big ships have no appeal for us.

[LMaxwell]

I liked NCL entertainment on their biggest/newest ships, but I didn't particularly love the ships overall. I've never done their suites/Haven so can't say, but general population cruising feels a half step behind Royal. Their pool decks and crowding are horrible, very industrial look.  I don't recall service being standout as good or bad, which means it was fine and consistent.  They are very clever at NCL about nickel and diming you to death, beware. 

[Broons77]

Fairly new cruisers, we sailed NCL for the first time in May after 5 RCI cruises.  Was on the Pearl which is about the size of a Radiance class ship and we had a ball.  Found NCL had a better variety of complimentary food as well as an actual late night snack buffet!  But didn't find anything that made us reconsider going exclusively with one above the other.  Price and itinerary win the day here.

[HelenaCruiser2012]

The biggest difference we notice between the two (besides NCL including drinks and specialty restaurants although their pricing is higher initially) is that we think the exterior decks on Royal's ships are much much nicer with more pools.  We've only sailed Mariner on Royal, and Star and Breakaway on NCL, but we noticed that outside on Mariner's decks was open, spacious, streamlined, beautiful.  DH and I both thought that the outside deck areas on Star and Breakaway were choppy, hard to navigate and unattractive.  We can't wait to try Symphony and expect it to be waayyy different than NCL's ships.

[Project-College]

Out of all the cruises we have been on, we loved the NCL Breakaway the best!  At that time, the Cruise Director (Julie) made it such an experience, had all the free add-ons, great sports area for the boys, etc.

Have been on the BLISS and no way in comparison.  On RCL Anthem and didn't like it too much.  Carnival, people were very rude on that one!

Since my boys are a bit older, I asked THEM what they wanted in a SHIP and 'good sushi' was there number one.

Your really need to determine what's important to YOU and YOURS to really answer your question as to some of the Diamond-Plus elites, its service, to the commoners (myself included) it was the entertainment (as a hamburger and fries pleases me), to my wife (easy on and off and italian).

I don't choose for location destination but for the ship.  My wife says I am crazy

[firefly333]

I've done ncl 3 times and thought the included food was a step above rcl. would do ncl again if the price was rigjt.

 

Liked all the stuff for kids to play on ..getaway breakaway and another. 

 

Food impressed me 

[Itchy&Scratchy]

1 hour ago, firefly333 said:

I've done ncl 3 times and thought the included food was a step above rcl. would do ncl again if the price was rigjt.

 

Liked all the stuff for kids to play on ..getaway breakaway and another. 

 

Food impressed me 

just the opposite for us... MDR and buffet food on Jade and Getaway were inedible, aside from the free crepes, but we loved the entertainment. MDR and buffet food on various RCI ships ranged from acceptable to quite nice, and the entertainment is great as well.

 

Smoke smell permeated everything on the middle decks on both NCL ships. That was definitely a deal breaker for us - we couldn't use many of the free food venues because they were in the middle of the smoke cloud.

[ONECRUISER]

5 minutes ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

just the opposite for us... MDR and buffet food on Jade and Getaway were inedible, aside from the free crepes, but we loved the entertainment. MDR and buffet food on various RCI ships ranged from acceptable to quite nice, and the entertainment is great as well.

 

Smoke smell permeated everything on the middle decks on both NCL ships. That was definitely a deal breaker for us - we couldn't use many of the free food venues because they were in the middle of the smoke cloud.

Agree, Buffet Food the Taste and Selection goes to Royal over NCL

[twangster]

As cruisers we are all fortunate to have so many choices.  It never hurts to try something different.  My opinions are worthless because they all reflect my likes and dislikes. 

 

Food is personal.  I eat nearly the same thing for breakfast at home day after day.  For me the breakfast buffet on any ship far exceeds my normal breakfast routine.  Other people must have five star Michelin chefs at home because I often see people complain the breakfast on the ship is the same day after day.  Their opinions just don't make sense to me.  Food is personal, to each their own.  Neither opinion should matter to you because you are not us. 

 

Try it and see if you like it.   

 

 

Edited July 10, 2022 by twangster

[FLConnie]

We tend to like the NCL European ports offered.  We stay in a higher end suite and love the service. It's all about the dates and itinerary for us!  Doing a Princess repositioning to try that line because it fit our schedule.

[smokeykat]

We were on the ncl joy at the end of April. The food does not even compare to Royal Caribbean. The main dining room was awful. We ended up eating in all specialty restaurants our dinners for the entire trip. On Royal we really enjoyed the main dining room. They have an area in the casino with glass doors just for the smoking area and every time the doors open that whole area outside stinks because all the smoke comes out into the non-smoking area of the casino. The casino on the joy is very small also. As for comparing balcony cabins rcl cabins are larger and feel more spacious. 

[MsMidge]

Everything on NCL is mediocre, nothing really stands out.  Everything is fine on NCL, just don’t expect to be wow ed with anything.

[sadiwest]

I think I'm in the minority when I say I feel like most major (MOST) are similar.  Yeah the decor is different but overall the rest comes down to price, itinerary,  activities on board and personal preference.  

 

We aren't fancy eaters. If the food is good, even if not fantastic,  service can make the biggest difference.   I've never had an issue with service on board any line. My most frequently boarded are RCCL, NCL, and Princess.  

 

Oasis, most recently,  boasted the most activities for the 3 of us (dd, 12. Dh and me).  Our only complaint was a supply chain issue which I imagine is happening elsewhere. 

 

I booked NCL for the first time in quite a while, simply because the Alaska 2024 cruises were published,  and I was eager to book SOMETHING  to Alaska.   If/when everyone else publishes, it can change. 

Edited July 10, 2022 by sadiwest

[John&LaLa]

Haven't sailed NCL in forever, but giving it a go next year. Going into it with zero expectations.  Just want to have fun with friends

 

So, what's your time frame?

Edited July 10, 2022 by John&LaLa

[LittleMissMagic]

I've sailed both Royal Caribbean and NCL, and I like them both. For either cruise line, I think it really depends on choosing the right ship for the type of cruise experience you want to have.

 

If you like the Oasis Class ships, the most comparable NCL ships are the Epic Class, Breakaway Class, Breakaway Plus Class, and (brand new) Prima Class. I've sailed NCL Epic (3 times - I liked it enough to do again!), Escape, and Encore (currently writing a review on my cruise on the Encore if you'd like to read more).

 

Everyone has preferences when it comes to ship layout. I generally prefer the central Promenade for orientation purposes on Royal Caribbean ships. However, Norwegian has a really cool outside space on Deck 8 on Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships called The Waterfront. It's an outdoor wrap-around deck that has bars and outdoor seating for restaurants. On the mega ships, the top deck feels so far from the water - The Waterfront has a very nice atmosphere where you can hear the waves crashing under the ship.

 

Norwegian "Freestyle" concept means no early/late dining room seating. There are main (complimentary) dining rooms, but you do not have an assigned time every night. Show up, and they'll seat you. If you've ever done My Time Dining on Royal Caribbean, it is nothing like Freestyle (MTD you still have to choose a set time... it's just not a traditional seating time). Now, "Freestyle" doesn't really apply to the specialty restaurants - you'll need to make advance reservations for those. The same goes for shows - reserve in advance. It's very similar to Oasis-class ships where there is a lot of pre-planning involved if you want to see the shows and dine at specialty venues.

 

Like @twangster said, food is personal. Personally, I think the MDR food is mediocre on both Royal and Norwegian. I would utilize specialty dining on both cruise lines (also, I think the specialty dining is very hit-or-miss on both lines).

 

If you're curious about Norwegian, I'd say give it a try!

[hallux]

20 hours ago, Project-College said:

Cruise Director (Julie) made it such an experience

The CD's that have been on my 3 NCL cruises have been AMAZING!  They were VERY engaged, quite opposite my two RCCL cruises where I couldn't have picked them from a lineup.  The staff running activities have also been quite engaging on all of my cruises on NCL.

20 hours ago, Project-College said:

Have been on the BLISS and no way in comparison

LOVE that ship!

19 hours ago, Itchy&Scratchy said:

Smoke smell permeated everything on the middle decks on both NCL ships.

The newest in the fleet all have enclosed smoking areas in the casino, this mitigates this issue.

12 hours ago, LittleMissMagic said:

However, Norwegian has a really cool outside space on Deck 8 on Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships called The Waterfront.

Such an amazing space!

21 hours ago, broadwaybaby123 said:

I cruised on NCL Bliss just before the shutdown.  I hated it!  The company was so disorganized it was ridiculous! 

I feel quite the opposite.  As noted above - I LOVE the Bliss, so many amazing spaces on that ship.  Waterfront, Observation Lounge, Spice H2O.  Of all their "mega ships", the Bliss and the Joy are probably the most balanced in regards to free/up-charge space.

 

As for the food - anything I'm eating on a cruise is likely better than anything I'm shoveling in my mouth at home so I'd probably rate them about equal.

 

For a solo cruiser - NCL takes it, hands-down.  NIGHTLY solo gatherings, the Studio lounge (on ships with the Studio cabins, but you need to be in one of those for full access), planned solo cruiser activities and dinner as a group every night for those that wish to participate.

[blackshirt]

We are veteran Royal cruisers and we tried NCL for the first time earlier this year. There are more similarities than differences but we enjoyed our cruise on NCL Bliss as much as any Royal cruise we’ve done. I would gladly try NCL again.

[Itchy&Scratchy]

42 minutes ago, hallux said:

As for the food - anything I'm eating on a cruise is likely better than anything I'm shoveling in my mouth at home so I'd probably rate them about equal.

that's what I'd always thought until we sailed on NCL.

I am an omnivorous glutton and even I was not able to enjoy or even find much of the food choices acceptable on the NCL ships. I do have to give props to Jade's crepes - they were heavenly, but since the ship broke down on day 3, we only enjoyed them for 3 days.

[Tatka]

We cruise with NCL from time to time due to itinerary and entertainment (large and small). We like midsize more than their large ships. Although none have clear adult solarium, and none have indoor pools which is a huge drawback for sailing from colder places.

 

I find RCI product better overall, but also liked our NCL cruises.

Edited July 11, 2022 by Tatka

[coaster]

Stopped going on NCL over 20 years ago when they ditched traditional dining and were bought out by Star Cruises. Was our go to line when we first started cruising in the 90's. No included lobster in the MDR. MDR menu is the same every night. Rather pay a little more for Royal as NCL is not what it was.

Edited July 11, 2022 by coaster

[hallux]

5 minutes ago, coaster said:

MDR menu is the same every night.

Not true.  PART of it is consistent throughout the cruise, approx. half of the entrees change every night.

[4774Papa]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:46 AM, Bxc53 said:

We have cruised on several of the mainstream cruise lines ( list in the sig), but never NCL. Hoping to hear from folks that have cruised on both for pros and cons, etc. I know this is the RCL forum, I’m asking the same Question at the NCL board as well, should be interesting to compare..

 

Thanks for any input.

We have done 20 ocean cruises with Celebrity  (11), Royal C.(2) and NCL (7).

We can go with any of the three, depending on the itinerary and price, but prefer Celebrity and Royal.

 

Royal C. and NCL have great entertainment, but I would give Royal C. the edge on ship design and dining.

[billslowsky]

1 hour ago, hallux said:

Not true.  PART of it is consistent throughout the cruise, approx. half of the entrees change every night.

Their "information" is based on cruises they took more than 20 years ago.