RCL vs NCL?

[coaster]

23 minutes ago, billslowsky said:

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

I know for a fact that NCL does not offer traditional dining to this day. No free lobster in the MDR also. Seeing bloggers on NCL recently and they show the same menu everyday in MDR on NCL.  Admit I have not been on NCL for over 20 years, but the MDR menu could be where I am wrong as I am basing it on people I don't know blogging about it on YouTube.

[hallux]

55 minutes ago, coaster said:

Seeing bloggers on NCL recently and they show the same menu everyday in MDR on NCL.

This page was updated in May - 

https://profcruise.com/norwegian-dining-and-restaurant-menus-2022/

 

The only duplication I see is the "classics" that are the same every night as I noted before.

[billslowsky]

3 hours ago, coaster said:

I know for a fact that NCL does not offer traditional dining to this day. No free lobster in the MDR also. Seeing bloggers on NCL recently and they show the same menu everyday in MDR on NCL.  Admit I have not been on NCL for over 20 years, but the MDR menu could be where I am wrong as I am basing it on people I don't know blogging about it on YouTube.

The five NCL cruises that I've taken much more recently than yours from the 1990s...

 

We could go to the dining room on the first day of the trip and reserve our seating at times we wanted for the entire week.  

The dinner menu changed EVERY day; our tour of the kitchens showed cycles of daily menus that went beyond a simple seven day repeat.

No free lobster... eh?  I'll live, especially considering the small serving my wife got on our last Royal cruise.

 

Since you have no interest in NCL, why do you spend time watching the youtube videos?  Especially ones that aren't accurate?

[ECCruise]

19 hours ago, coaster said:

I know for a fact that NCL does not offer traditional dining to this day. but the MDR menu could be where I am wrong as I am basing it on people I don't know blogging about it on YouTube.

Yep.

You are definitely wrong.  Different choices every night along with "always available" items.

[life is to be happy]

my family and I have done both NCL and RCI and both are about on par with each other 

My opinion is that so far NCL has more variety of entertainment which is what we look for on ship- there was just so much more options entertainment wise on EPIC NCL. For me RCI food is better (slightly) 

NCL is  more casual than RCI but you can be as dressy or casual on both

 

For my daughter there is more things to do for her on RCI certainly during day

 

My Husband prefers NCL entertainment and food 

 

I would go either of them - it would depend on price, dates, entertainment which I would choose on my next one

[Tatra603]

I've done 8 RC cruises, as well as one each of Princess, P&O and Celebrity.

I've often been tempted by NCL but am always put off by the smoke issue.

Is it as bad as I have read on numerous occasions? 

[hallux]

8 minutes ago, Tatra603 said:

I've often been tempted by NCL but am always put off by the smoke issue.

Is it as bad as I have read on numerous occasions?

As I noted in a previous reply in this thread - the Joy, Bliss and Encore all have casinos with walled-off smoking sections.  I imagine all the new ships on order (Prima and Viva under construction) will have this as well.  Stick with those and you'll be fine.  Go on an older ship and everything is wide open like it is on other lines.

[MississippiMom]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:34 PM, twangster said:

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.   

 

 

Yes!  This is so accurate, twangster.  Plus, the "season" of your life also impacts your opinion of the food selection.

 

Most of our cruises have been on Carnival, however, we do have one NCL and one RCCL cruise under our belt.  (One luxury Crystal, too, but that was funded by my spouse's employer, so no comparison allowed.)  I have ALWAYS been able to find food that worked for me.  (Rarely on the buffets, though, because that's not my thing.)  Yes, I will always prefer the cold fruit soups on Carnival, the flexibility with NCL dining options, and the delicious RCCL steak, but every single one of those cruise lines gave this mom the opportunity to NOT grocery shop, NOT prepare meals and to NOT have to clean up the kichen afterward.  Those things are a win in my book.

[cruiseny4life]

On 7/11/2022 at 6:48 PM, coaster said:

I know for a fact that NCL does not offer traditional dining to this day. No free lobster in the MDR also. Seeing bloggers on NCL recently and they show the same menu everyday in MDR on NCL.  Admit I have not been on NCL for over 20 years, but the MDR menu could be where I am wrong as I am basing it on people I don't know blogging about it on YouTube.

The new NCL ship, Prima, will have the same MDR menu every day, which I am guessing NCL will then send to other ships if it has good reviews. 

 

Bloggers (vloggers?? I never know)...wannabe "influencers" on YouTube may be showing NCL's Haven menu which does not change. It is the same for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, every single day. This is one reason I choose the Haven as I love the consistency of the restaurant and my ability to order 2 or 3 lobster tails, a couple filet portions, etc. whenever I want for no upcharge. Of course I pay a hefty fare for that privilege, so yea, it's no MDR.

 

The other reason, and one that I know you'll not agree with, so let's agree to disagree right from the start...I love that I can wear shorts, t-shirts, and my flippie floppies in the Haven. There's no pomposity in the Haven, well unless you watch some of the other cruisers there that think they're G-d. 

 

I do hope you have happy cruising - to each person their own stroke! 

[cruiseny4life]

OH, and @coaster, as for traditional dining...do you mean a formal evening? You're correct - none of those since the pandemic. I think I've heard others claim the dress nicer than normal (or whatever it's called) may come back for one evening a cruise? I'll not be participating in that...but you can have a reserved table with the same servers so long as their isn't a wage shortage going on. You may be able to sit with strangers if you so choose, and others on your boat want to do this, so traditional cruise dining does still exist if you want it. Others just have the choice not to choose it if they would prefer not to. 

 

How's that for a run-on paragraph?

[TominNC]

6 hours ago, Tatra603 said:

I've done 8 RC cruises, as well as one each of Princess, P&O and Celebrity.

I've often been tempted by NCL but am always put off by the smoke issue.

Is it as bad as I have read on numerous occasions? 

I've been on two NCL cruises (Epic and Encore) and have not found a smoke issue.  I don't smoke, I would have noticed.  There is a glassed in outdoor area where the addicted can congregate.  It's easy enough to avoid,

[mpk]

On 7/11/2022 at 1:44 PM, coaster said:

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.

 

On 7/11/2022 at 1:51 PM, hallux said:

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

That's my recollection too.  There's a stable set of choices that are offered daily.  Like salmon, a chicken dish, and a beef dish.  Most of the menu changes daily.  I sailed on NCL Encore last fall early in the restart.

 

EDIT:

Here's a 2021 menu from beyondships.  It shows six "classic entrees" that are offered daily.  Six special ones are "today's featured entrees".

Edited July 13, 2022 by mpk

[mpk]

On 7/10/2022 at 11:34 AM, twangster said:

Food is personal.  I eat nearly the same thing for breakfast at home day after day.

 

I'm the same way.  And it doesn't change when I'm sailing.  The waiters usually try to push stuff on me, but I don't budge.  I like to start with a healthy breakfast.  Boring to many I guess, but I like it.  That's my thing, everyone is different.

 

All bets are off for lunch and dinner in port or onboard though  😀

Edited July 13, 2022 by mpk

[SKSMIKE5]

We've been on both, prefer everything about RCCL. We picked the NCL because of the Mediterranean Itinerary but the service was awful and we were not impressed with the food in the main dining room. Sometimes it wasn't even edible. The other NCL was with a group of friends celebrating a retirement. We had a great time (Feb 2020) but had the same experience with service and food - bad. We also find the entertainment options on the Oasis Class ships better than NCL.

[Rusty_lock]

On 7/10/2022 at 8:46 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.

You have almost no experience on Royal so it is difficult make a quantitative difference that will be relevant.  

[aubreyc1988]

I am basing my experience on my last RCI cruise in 2018 so take that how you want to. I'll compare Oasis class ships to the Breakaway+class. 

 

-Oasis class better entertainment

 

=Breakaway+ class has a LOT of smaller things always going on, and has better/unique game shows/trivia..and I will say their Elements show was one of the best I have ever seen in a production Theatre, even compared to some of Royal Caribbean's shows. 

 

-Breakaway+class has better connection to the sea: Waterfront, Observation Deck, outdoor dining at specialty restaurants on the waterfront, etc

 

-Oasis class IS much bigger overall and has a solarium, but solarium is enclosed.

 

-Breakaway class can have crowding by the pool deck, this can be solved by going to Spice H20 adults only area if the ship has it or going to the waterfront

 

-Oasis class has a very bad "pod" setup of the buffet that really makes no sense to me and didn't have much nighttime eating options (at the time I sailed)

 

-Breakaway class has a more traditional line buffet style, with a repeat buffet line to handle crowds and also has a small buffet in the Observation lounge, and also has a 24 hr sit down restaurant (O'Sheehans or the Local)

 

-Oasis class had just OK specialty dining package

 

-Breakaway+ has similar specialty but you get more selections in the specialty dining and they had some really unique places to eat, like Food Republic/Q

 

-This next one may not mean anything to you, but NCL pre pandemic shutdown (And once pre-omicron) put on AMAZING meet and mingles. The officers show up and they actually care to listen and give you their cards (Which I have used to rectify problems before) MANY people on CC show up, and there is usually catered food and free drinks, it is SUCH a fun time. Same with the past guest events, always a blast. On Royal, the meetups were fine but sort of snooze fests. 

 

These are just some of the things I thought of. I will be sailing RCI this year and hope to update some of my opinions since it has been a while

 

Edited July 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[cruiseny4life]

46 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

This next one may not mean anything to you, but NCL pre pandemic shutdown (And once pre-omicron) put on AMAZING meet and mingles. The officers show up and they actually care to listen and give you their cards (Which I have used to rectify problems before) MANY people on CC show up, and there is usually catered food and free drinks, it is SUCH a fun time. Same with the past guest events, always a blast. On Royal, the meetups were fine but sort of snooze fests. 

The meet and greet in April on Getaway was well attended by folks. I didn't go, but heard about it at the slot pull. Officers showed up and everyone that attended found a shrimp cocktail in their room. That would be a big detail to me if we hadn't been in the Haven where I could order shrimpy shrimps anytime. 

 

The slot pull crew on the Getaway was fun and we saw each other around Bermuda which made for fun conversation of how our day was going! 

 

There was a cocktail party with officers - captain, hotel manager, F&B manager, and housekeeping manager - that had decent cocktails and some good food. It was nice to just have conversation in such a nice atmosphere. 

[MightyMike]

On 7/11/2022 at 4:44 PM, coaster said:

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.

 

Completely agree. The Norwegian Wind was one of our favorite cruises ever when we sailed in 1998. The dining, activities and excursions were amazing. The two NCL cruises we took since (Norwegian Sun, Norwegian Pearl) were among the worst.

[aubreyc1988]

6 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

The meet and greet in April on Getaway was well attended by folks. I didn't go, but heard about it at the slot pull. Officers showed up and everyone that attended found a shrimp cocktail in their room. That would be a big detail to me if we hadn't been in the Haven where I could order shrimpy shrimps anytime. 

 

The slot pull crew on the Getaway was fun and we saw each other around Bermuda which made for fun conversation of how our day was going! 

 

There was a cocktail party with officers - captain, hotel manager, F&B manager, and housekeeping manager - that had decent cocktails and some good food. It was nice to just have conversation in such a nice atmosphere. 

I've literally gotten free day passes to the spa for attending meet and mingles. 

[aubreyc1988]

19 hours ago, TominNC said:

I've been on two NCL cruises (Epic and Encore) and have not found a smoke issue.  I don't smoke, I would have noticed.  There is a glassed in outdoor area where the addicted can congregate.  It's easy enough to avoid,

I wish they would enclose areas on Breakaway, Getaway, Escape in the Casino because it really does just take care of the smoke problem. 

[cruiseny4life]

12 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

I wish they would enclose areas on Breakaway, Getaway, Escape in the Casino because it really does just take care of the smoke problem. 

In April I was on the Getaway and noticed the smell of cigarette smoke only one time as we wandered through the casino. My entire family smokes, except for my husband and I. Coming from that environment I recognize the smell of smoke, or smoke on clothes, very quickly! I was happily surprised on the Getaway. If I remember, I'll let you know how the Getaway is in August.

[aubreyc1988]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

In April I was on the Getaway and noticed the smell of cigarette smoke only one time as we wandered through the casino. My entire family smokes, except for my husband and I. Coming from that environment I recognize the smell of smoke, or smoke on clothes, very quickly! I was happily surprised on the Getaway. If I remember, I'll let you know how the Getaway is in August.

I am sure the smell is dependent on how many people are smoking and what they are smoking, etc. 

 

Do let me know, the Getaway holds fond memories for me as I have been on her 4 times 🙂

Edited July 14, 2022 by aubreyc1988

[Airbear232]

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’ve sailed on both many times out of NY/Bayonne.  Like both.  Prefer Royal’s ships, especially larger ones , they’re a destination in themselves.  I don’t like NCL’s ship layout.  Ding ceilings low and far too much space is taken up by the Haven.  I think overall the food has been better on NCL and they handle allergies better.  I’d also give NCL the nod on itineraries.  However, overall we prefer Oasis and Quantum classes of Royal.  Great spaces. 

[DaniDanielle]

We prefer Royal, hated NCL Breakaway.  That is ranked as our worst cruise out of all of them. We would be willing to try a different NCL ship, maybe a smaller ship.

[CroNich]

On 7/15/2022 at 6:27 AM, DaniDanielle said:

We prefer Royal, hated NCL Breakaway.  That is ranked as our worst cruise out of all of them. We would be willing to try a different NCL ship, maybe a smaller ship.

Can I ask why you hated the Breakaway so much?