NCL vs RCL?

[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 NCL forum, I’m asking the same Question at the RCL board as well, should be interesting to compare..

 

Thanks for any input.

[tallnthensome]

This comparison has been made on CC many times and probably why no one is responding . Done both many times and they are more similar then not. NCL used to kill Royal on pricing but not anymore.  Not enough differences except the ship designs and activities. Kind of like comparing HAL and Princess. 

[Momto3girlsintheCarolinas]

I agree with the poster above.  If you look at my signature, you can see we have done both.  I prefer NCL if it is just my husband and I, and prefer Royal Caribbean if we have the kids. That is just a personal preference, though. 

 

I find NCL ships to be more sophisticated and elegant with less drama among passengers.  Both lines are very similar, though.  If I want a  "step up" I can book Holland America or Celebrity.. If I am looking for cheap (and a headache due to passenger drama, garish décor and noise) the Walmart of the Seas always provides that.  

 

You asked for an opinion.  That's mine.  Yours may be different.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, 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 NCL forum, I’m asking the same Question at the RCL board as well, should be interesting to compare.. Thanks for any input.

I preface this by saying that we are Diamond members on both Royal and NCL and been on two RCCL and one NCL cruise this year. Next three cruises this year are on NCL. 

 

We enjoy NCL more because they seem to go out of their way to cater to the "contemporary cruiser". Always innovating and looking for things that would appeal to the next generation cruiser. We have cruised for decades. And for the longest time, everything was the same. NCL has tried to break that mold. And even though we're in the "senior" generation, we like to experience something new and different each time we cruise. 

 

NCL embraces Freestyle Cruising. You're on vacation... be on vacation. Do what you want... when you want. NCL is 100% "my time dining". Show up to the MDR when you are hungry and when it fits your schedule. Always get a table for your party and only your party.... don't get bogged down with chatty tablemates who take 30 minutes to finish a bowl of soup. No such thing as "formal night" and cruise casual attire (including shorts) is expected at all times. And no one looking down their nose at you when you show up to dinner in causal clothes. Yup, folks still like to dress up. We don't. 

 

NCL pushed the idea of brining broadway shows on to their larger cruise ships. And, as much as possible, rotating those shows after 5 years (don't need to see Cats for the 20th time). 

 

NCL is constantly trying to evolve their menus to meet the tastes and desires of the contemporary cruiser. Yeah,,, there is outrage on the forums when they take off fish finger and replace it with poached salmon. Or taking off chicken noodle soup and replacing it with pho. 

 

NCL will offer 7 or 8 specialty dining venues, if you want, to spend money on different cuisines. If not, the MDR is perfectly fine for dinner. Again, since the menus are tuned for the contemporary cruise (not old folks like me), some people don't like all of the ethnic foods. We love them. Are there some duds??? Yup, sure, and they quickly leave the menus. Since NCL has been launching a new ship every year, the menu changes are typically centered around that event. I would give RCCL MDR a slight edge over NCL,,, but the menus have been pretty static over the years. I would give NCL Garden Cafe buffet a clear lead over the Windjammer. And, since the buffet is properly sized, you never hear the PA announcements "If you're done eating, get out so others can eat" like in the Windjammer. 

 

Since restart, RCCL's entertainment has been definitely lacking. You could fit RCCL's entire entertainment schedule each night on a business card last summer. We're just off the Quantum and it is getting a little better. NCL has tried to offer a mostly full entertainment schedule, as constrained by COVID restrictions.   

 

If you decide to try NCL, enjoy the free at sea beverage package and the free at see specialty dining. 

[jamadeliz]

We are Diamond on RCCL and have been for quite some time.  That being said, we have not been on RCCL since 2008.  It was a very bad experience.  Bad enough that we did not cruise again until trying NCL in 2013.  I like the vibe on NCL.  I like being able to eat when I want.  I find the pricing to be better on NCL and I like their itineraries.  We will be gold on NCL after our next cruise, don't get nearly as many perks as on RCCL and still have chosen NCL.  Our experience in 2008 was that we  all caught the norovirus and watched the suite attendant reuse our towel animals even though he knew we were sick.  Found that a bit disgusting.  If we found an itinerary on RCCL that we like, we will try RCCL again but for now, we have four cruises booked on NCL.

[Treasure Hunter]

We are Elite on Princess which was our first cruise in 1990 and was beloved. . We cruised December 4 and the food was not edible. We cruise suites so we were heartbroken because Princess doesn’t have a suite only restaurant, just a roped off part of the MDR . That said the suite life is a different ballgame on both RCCL and NCL. Our grandkids first preference will be RCCL with or without a suite. We took them on NCL for Thanksgiving and everyone had a great time. I find the food better on NCL whether  in the, MDR or specialty restaurants and if you go Haven, there is no comparison to Costal Kitchen. CK doesn’t come close to the food quality in theHaven restaurant ( twin lobster tails etc). Entertainment has always been great on RCCL especially their broadway shows and ice shows but we recently saw Million Dollar Quartet on the Getaway and it was fabulous . Also Choir  of Man ( I think it was the Bliss) was fantastic. It didnt hurt that I had four handpays in the casino. We cruise a lot. 5. in the last year. If we don’t book a suite, we go on Celebrity for the best all around experience.

[ChiefMateJRK]

10 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

We are Elite on Princess which was our first cruise in 1990 and was beloved. . We cruised December 4 and the food was not edible. We cruise suites so we were heartbroken because Princess doesn’t have a suite only restaurant, just a roped off part of the MDR . That said the suite life is a different ballgame on both RCCL and NCL. Our grandkids first preference will be RCCL with or without a suite. We took them on NCL for Thanksgiving and everyone had a great time. I find the food better on NCL whether  in the, MDR or specialty restaurants and if you go Haven, there is no comparison to Costal Kitchen. CK doesn’t come close to the food quality in theHaven restaurant ( twin lobster tails etc). Entertainment has always been great on RCCL especially their broadway shows and ice shows but we recently saw Million Dollar Quartet on the Getaway and it was fabulous . Also Choir  of Man ( I think it was the Bliss) was fantastic. It didnt hurt that I had four handpays in the casino. We cruise a lot. 5. in the last year. If we don’t book a suite, we go on Celebrity for the best all around experience.

This post borders on needing a flow chart....🤣

[YVRteacher]

@BirdTravels thank you for this detailed perspective.  I really appreciate all the points you made.  I’ve only cruised NCL so don’t have the same insight that you do and I really value what you said about NCL.

[Sailing12Away]

Also depends on the type of cabin you're looking to book. We sailed Haven with NCL last August, and a month later sailed in an owners suite with RCC (albeit on one of their smaller ships). It was a great comparison since the 2 trips were so close to each other. For suites, NCL wins for us hands down. For us to get a similar experience with RCC we would need to be in one of their mega ships with a Star Class room - at about double the price of what we normally pay for Haven. And even then they don't have that same 'ship within a ship' concept that NCL, MSC and Celebrity's Retreat offer.

 

With RCC we sailed very shortly after the restart, so I'm holding onto hope that played a lot into our experience and we're willing to give them another try if an itinerary and price point suit us. But with RCC the only entertainment on board was trivia. Every. Single. Night. Both cruise lines offer a 'newlywed' style game show - with NCL there's always a line of people who want to participate. With RCC, they had to beg 2 couples to play and one backed out halfway through which made for an awkward 'competition'.

 

The general vibe of the passengers was also starkly different from what we were used to. With NCL we always find folks to chat with. On the RCC trip, we found one couple from the UK willing to chat with us, and another couple who lived 30 miles away from us by chance. Other than that, everyone kept to themselves and wouldn't socialize. Again... I'm chalking it up to Covid concerns and 'stranger danger', but it was so odd for us. 

 

It honestly depends on what is important to you. Do you want 100 different food options? Do you want big name entertainment shows? Do you want water slides and race cars for the kids (both in age and in heart)? Do you want top notch spa retreats on board? If you knew which NCL ship you were considering that would also help folks tell you the pros/cons for that particular ship too.

[SimplyAlbert]

We've cruised both and prefer NCL over RCCL, although our upcoming cruise is on RCCL.  I like the more laid back atmosphere of NCL and I think the food is much better.  On our last RCCL cruise the food was very hit or miss.  Some things were ok and others were inedible.  I also think the entertainment options on NCL are better.    We're cruising RCCL this fall solely due to price ($1232 for both of us in a balcony cabin for an 8 day cruise) and itinerary (ABC islands)

Edited July 11, 2022 by SimplyAlbert

[hallux]

49 minutes ago, Sailing12Away said:

The general vibe of the passengers was also starkly different from what we were used to. With NCL we always find folks to chat with. On the RCC trip, we found one couple from the UK willing to chat with us, and another couple who lived 30 miles away from us by chance. Other than that, everyone kept to themselves and wouldn't socialize. Again... I'm chalking it up to Covid concerns and 'stranger danger', but it was so odd for us.

To this point - on my second NCL cruise I was wearing a shirt from a place I've often spent a week in the summer, while sitting in the Atrium with my sister and her SO a young woman came over to me and asked about the shirt, it turns out she has worked in one of the shops in that city (the cruise was out of LA, the city we had in common was in NJ!).  I've had no trouble with striking up conversations with others, or others striking up conversations with me.  Shoot - on my last cruise, as a solo, I was conversing with some folks in the embarkation lounge and ended up spending the cruise with them (at their invitation) and we all had a wonderful time!

 

NCL vs. RCCL?  I've done 3 cruises on NCL now, two on RCCL.  I feel like NCL has nicer ships, at least the ones I've been on, though RCCL's Quantum class has some excellent amenities.  A couple differences stand out to me though.  I LOVE the freestyle concept on NCL.  The entertainment on NCL has been excellent, better than RCCL (though there have been some good ones on RCCL such as the Journey tribute band, DSB, that was on Anthem with us in 2018).  NCL has an EXCELLENT solo cruisers 'program'.  The Cruise Directors on all 3 of my NCL trips have been HIGHLY engaged, on my two RCCL cruises I'm not sure I could have picked the CD out of a lineup, and their staff have been EXCELLENT.

[PTC DAWG]

21 hours ago, 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 NCL forum, I’m asking the same Question at the RCL board as well, should be interesting to compare..

 

Thanks for any input.

I've sailed on both a good many times..I prefer NCL when all else is equal..I think their drink packages are MUCH better for those who want the alcohol package.  Entertainment is a wash...varies widely by ship.

 

 In my opinion, they are more alike than different.  

[Red-Sol]

2 hours ago, Sailing12Away said:

The general vibe of the passengers was also starkly different from what we were used to. With NCL we always find folks to chat with. On the RCC trip, we found one couple from the UK willing to chat with us, and another couple who lived 30 miles away from us by chance. Other than that, everyone kept to themselves and wouldn't socialize. Again... I'm chalking it up to Covid concerns and 'stranger danger', but it was so odd for us. 

 

So happy to hear someone else experience this. Our only two cruises with Royal were on the Oasis and Allure back when they were new. (Well before covid) While we thought the ships themselves were spectacular all of the people and crew on them seemed to be very aloof and not at all friendly. After experiencing it twice we felt that it wasn't coincidence and decided to not go back and just keep on enjoying the much better vibe on NCL ships.

[cruiseny4life]

10 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

This post borders on needing a flow chart....🤣

Not funny...I'm currently procrastinating on creating a flow chart for work by reading Cruise Critic!! Work world - stop intruding on my cruising life. 🤪

[debenson0723]

3 hours ago, SimplyAlbert said:

We've cruised both and prefer NCL over RCCL, although our upcoming cruise is on RCCL.  I like the more laid back atmosphere of NCL and I think the food is much better.  On our last RCCL cruise the food was very hit or miss.  Some things were ok and others were inedible.  I also think the entertainment options on NCL are better.    We're cruising RCCL this fall solely due to price ($1232 for both of us in a balcony cabin for an 8 day cruise) and itinerary (ABC islands)

I tried out RCL for the 2nd time in May and am so glad you mentioned the food.  I did find some of the food inedible and really thought it was just me.  I had a wonderful meal in Jamie's Italian but other than that, it was subpar at best (even Chops). The crew was not friendly at all and many were undertrained (and I understand the staffing situation so gave them a break on that).  As a solo traveler, I have always made friends on NCL, many who I have sailed with again. No one engaged with me on this trip and I tried. I only took this cruise because I got a super cheap last minute rate on a balcony and had the time off.  I do want to try one of their Quantum class ships and visit Coco Cay but will make sure the price is right and take someone with me.

[hallux]

1 hour ago, debenson0723 said:

As a solo traveler, I have always made friends on NCL,

Hiii!  lol

[debenson0723]

2 hours ago, hallux said:

Hiii!  lol

I knew you would know I was referring to you, among others! 😄

[tcrandal]

We cruise both lines, and love them both. I used to prefer NCL over RCL slightly, however after sailing Star Class with RCL earlier this year, it blows away Haven, even without a dedicated area for suite guests. We do have a Haven sailing coming up next month with NCL, but after sailing Star class, which was definitely comparable in price with Haven, we are more looking forward to our next Star Class sailings. 

[Treasure Hunter]

I’ll try not to make this complicated. Unless you are in RCCL top suite and have a Genie to pave the way, you are treated like dirt at the entrance to the theater. At one of the specialty restaurants I really wanted a steak. The waiter ( who was actually very charming and amusing) said , “no you’ll have the lamb chops”. And the children’s pools are not cleaned properly. I would still cruise RCCL if the grandkids want to as long as it isn’t the Anthem from NJ. I love the big shows. The concierge in The Haven ( even the smallest stateroom in the Haven) goes above and beyond to help with any problem. The service in the Haven restaurant is so wonderful. If you have a show you can pre order dinner and the jumbo shrimp cocktails come out immediately on being seated. You can return for dessert after the show. These are all Bahamas, Bermuda, Caribbean cruises. For Mediterranean , Baltic, UK,  Hawaii, South Pacific, Australia we have only been on Princess, Oceania and Regent so I can’t compare RCCL and NCL. But we are thinking of Greece for next year with kids so it’s a possibility.

[nferr]

Of course most here are going to say NCL and if you post the same question on the RCL board they'll say RCL. I like the NCL ships a little better but overall it's very similar. I cruise both. I will say right now I'm getting way better pricing on RCL, I'm diamond status there so I get 4 free drinks a day which allows me to skip the drinks package which is a huge savings, plus they let you bring on two bottles of wine. 

[Tatka]

On 7/10/2022 at 1:15 PM, Momto3girlsintheCarolinas said:

I find NCL ships to be more sophisticated and elegant with less drama among passengers. 

 

 

 Interesting observation. In 22 cruises with RCI I never witnessed drama between pax... on 9 with NCL it was once on Spirit for loungers.

 

 I like NCL for festive ambiance and great shows... but it is difficult to call it more sophisticated. I do not believe PAX varies much. Both are family lines. I wish NCL had adult solariums and/or covered pools.

[Tatka]

18 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

I’ll try not to make this complicated. Unless you are in RCCL top suite and have a Genie to pave the way, you are treated like dirt at the entrance to the theater.

What? I must be sailing on different RCI line. Never ever we felt treated like dirt.

[PTC DAWG]

53 minutes ago, Tatka said:

What? I must be sailing on different RCI line. Never ever we felt treated like dirt.

I have never had anyone speak to me when entering the theater..

[Red-Sol]

I once heard someone put it very succinctly (which I happen to agree with) saying Royal Ships are better during the day while NCL ships are better at night. Longer version being that during the day on Royal Ships places like the solarium, or diving shows, flowriders, etc might be better than what is offered by NCL. And at night the specialty restaurants, broadway quality shows, various bars, etc. were better on NCL ships. YMMV

[Tatka]

14 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

I have never had anyone speak to me when entering the theater..

Same here. They check cards if show requires reservation. Anyways I haven’t noticed any difference between lines in this regard. At all.