RCCL vs ....

[Saintsfan007]

I am a cruise novice, as having only been on one cruise. I can say I had an extremely great time on RCCL, but I can't really compare it to any other line. A bad day on vacation is better than a good day at work.

[MrPete]

 

I personally have no desire to sail with Carnival as it looks to be too much of a party ship for my tastes, but I know it appeals to a lot of people.

 

 

Hmm. In my 15 of them, I'd yet to see that. Your loss.

[Guest scfjjb]

We have been on Carnival, Princess and RCI. We had a good time on all of our cruises. Our view:

 

Stateroom - Princess / Carnival (seem larger and better storage)

 

Service - RCI

 

Dining Rooms - RCI / Princess (traditional seating). Did not care for "any time" dining when we had it on Princess though.

 

Food - Carnival (we were on a smaller ship - no specialty restaurants- dining room food was great)

 

Specialty Dining - Princess

 

Pools - Princess - has more options but we enjoy solarium in RCI also.

 

Lounges - RCI

 

Entertainment - Princess

 

Gym/spa - RCI

 

Really try to pick by itinerary but we would favor RCI and Princess over Carnival.

[TRadle]

We are in the process of researching a cruise for the late fall or early winter of 2008/2009. HAL seems to have excellent itineraries and reasonable prices for 10 day cruises. We will be taking our third consecutive RCCL cruise in August and have noticed that the itineraries are pretty stale. Since we won’t be traveling with anyone else, HAL is appealing to us. The only other line we have cruised is Celebrity, which was outstanding.

[kluv2cruz]

I've done 2 NCL's now and it's just not my favourite - I really miss the waiter & fellow table guests smiles as you arrive at dinner. But, if I was a guy, I can imagine that it'd be nice not to have to dress fancy for dinner - much more casual on NCL. Us women can get away with the classic black slacks or skirt & shirt no matter how dressy it should be, but guys... well you really need to pack a blazer and chinos at least to look moderately dressed for dinner. A blazer doesn't roll so nicely into one carrry on wheeley bag :-)

 

There is one thing that was great on NCL - they have coffee pots in the room! Those little tea baggy coffee filter things - but I took my own filters & coffee and it made quite decent coffee. Kept some milk in the fridge and had a real tasty couple of cups to start my day. Unlike most cruiselines now, they also do not charge for cappucino in the dining room, but my 2 experiences of orderring it were barely palateable! Really not worth sufferring through.

 

And why oh why, when you're on vacation, do you have to get to the dining room at the crack of dawn to have a sit down breakfast? Almost missed the dreaded buffet breakfast the first morning after early rise, workout, shower, etc.!

[negc]

 

We sailed on the Norwegian Empress which is a small ship, (we prefer smaller ships), so maybe that had something to do with the wait time. One couple I spoke to loved the freestyle dining and said they never had a problem because they went every night at 5:00. But that just shoots down the whole premise of dining anytime you want. One night we couldn't be seated so we went to the show first and did not finish dinner til 10:00. Other times we missed things because of waiting to be seated

 

Are you sure of the name of the ship you were on? I can't recall any ship in the NCL fleet named Norwegian Empress. Now RCI had the Nordic Empress (renamed the Empress of the Seas) but from your post it seems that you have not yet sailed on RCI,so your comments are a bit confusing.

As far as your experiences with Freestyle Dining, I happen to agree with you.:)

[Cruising89143]

cruisingator2

I did not care for NCL's freestyle cruising. They say eat when you want, with whom you want, etc. We never once were able to eat when we wanted for dinner and had a minimum of a 30 minute wait and up to a 50 minute wait to be seated every night. Maybe we didn't understand something about reservations, which was never explained. You could opt to share a table which many people did not, therefore you would see many tables half empty while others were waiting to get into the restaurant.

 

Just felt the level of service was not as good as having the same wait staff every night. They all were getting the same pay at the end of the week so there's not the incentive to go the extra mile for an extra tip. Service was not bad, just nothing extra.

 

We sailed on the Norwegian Empress which is a small ship, (we prefer smaller ships), so maybe that had something to do with the wait time. One couple I spoke to loved the freestyle dining and said they never had a problem because they went every night at 5:00. But that just shoots down the whole premise of dining anytime you want. One night we couldn't be seated so we went to the show first and did not finish dinner til 10:00. Other times we missed things because of waiting to be seated.

 

One thing I really missed was getting to know table mates which doesn't happen when it's different people every night.

 

This was my first time on NCL. It was ok for what it was, a girlfriend's winter getaway, but I would not take NCL for a vacation with my husband. We have always cruised Celerity but we are trying RCCL this fall.

 

Don't want to seem like a crabby nitpicker, just telling you my experience. Like I said, maybe there's something about making reservations that we didn't understand and you may want to check into that. Just hope you have a better experience than we did, and then again, maybe you'll LOVE it.

 

Thanks for the feedback on NCL. I will keep an open mind. I know just from looking at the photos of the Dawn that she will not match up with any of the newer RCI ships in design or looks but I did want to see what Freestyle is all about. I will be doing a comparison on the Dawn against the Jewel since I cruised on this ship in December and they are similar in size.:)

[Cruising89143]

You're a brave man.

 

 

Pete, I will let you know how it goes. I am looking forward to sailing out of New York.:)

[Cruising89143]

I am the type to try different lines just to be as versatile as possible. I have cruised RCCL 2 times, and Carnival once. I would only consider another Carnival cruise if it were on one of their newer ships. I cruised on Carnival fantasy and did not enjoy it at all, but I think it was more the ship than it was anything else.

 

I have been researching our cruise itinerary for 2008 and I am looking at Norweigian because the free style cruising sounds appealing to me. I am also looking at a cruise line I have only recently heard of called Costa Cruise Line. I have not looked much at princess, mainly because (silly as it may sound) they have some of the ugliest looking ships I have seen. AND we are planning an Alaskan cruise in the future that we will likely use Princess for. We also plan on sailing on Celebrity in the future.

 

As far as comparing them all, each line has its strengths. It really depends on what you are looking for. I am also content with RCCL as I have just recently finished my cruise on Mariner and have another one booked on Jewel in December. But it never hurts to see what else is out there.

 

 

IMHO each cruise line has their strong and weak points. To me out of the cruise lines that I have cruised RCI seems to be the most consistent across the board with the product that they offer. For many years I would never think of cruising with anyone but Carnival but in 03 I started noticing a change that I did not like. I looked around and decided that the Navigator of the Seas was a ship that I wanted to cruise. I haven't been back to Carnival since. Carnival is not a bad cruise line but for me RCI gives the best overall cruise experience. I love the service and ships. It's great that we all have so many different cruise lines to choose from.

[MrPete]

Pete, I will let you know how it goes. I am looking forward to sailing out of New York.:)

 

I look forward to your review! Is this your first time out of NY Harbor?

[StarCruiser]

I think NCL is taking a beating here, because you either love it, or not. Just like traditional cruising. I am a traditional girl, but I know people who swear by NCL. It's one of those black and white things. I suspect RCI would take a drubbing on the NCL boards.

 

Good Point.

 

My parents are loyal Princess cruisers, so it will be interesting to see their reaction to RC.

 

Be sure to come back and let us know what they thought about RCI vs Princess.

 

I also would like to add that I think a lot depends on the ship you sail (especially with NCL). It sometimes seems like there are often certain ships on a particular line that get more bad reviews. I know with NCL the newer ships are better designed for freestyle cruising than the older ones. The newer ones usually have a greater number of restaurants. JMHO.

 

cruisingator2, Hope you really enjoy the Dawn. We sailed on her last October and had a great time. We've also sailed out of NY twice and I have to say it was great. No plane ride and going by the Statue of Liberty on the way out is great.

[Cruising89143]

I look forward to your review! Is this your first time out of NY Harbor?

 

This is the first.:)

[Black Pearl Sailor]

The comments regarding the different ships in each line are very valid, but I also think there is a major difference between RCI and NCL if you are staying in an Owners Suite. Having experienced both NCL (Sun, Dawn, Jewel, Pearl) and RCI (Jewel and Navigator) NCL provides by far a better service and options.

From the greeting on the pier by the conceige who hands you off to your butler to escort you to your suite, to the courtyard on the jewel class ships, to the items delivered to your suite so that you don't have to go to the conceige club for snacks and drinks. Which is invariably full with Diamonds on RCI determined to get every thing they can!

If you are fortunate enough to be able to afford the luxuary of an Owners Suite then NCL is way superior to RCI.

[iheartbda]

Are you sure of the name of the ship you were on? I can't recall any ship in the NCL fleet named Norwegian Empress. Now RCI had the Nordic Empress (renamed the Empress of the Seas) but from your post it seems that you have not yet sailed on RCI,so your comments are a bit confusing.

As far as your experiences with Freestyle Dining, I happen to agree with you.:)

 

:o Sorry, I'm getting my cruise lines mixed up, it was the Norwegian Travesty...no, no, I mean Majesty.

I had Empress on my mind since we're going on RCCL's Empress of the Seas in Oct.

[broberts]

While many consider Carnival a "party" line I thinks its a bad rap. Its true that there is an energy on most Carnival cruises that isn't found on RCCL. Certainly one usually finds that passengers are drawn from a very wide cross section of society. For me this just makes things more interesting.

 

I only have experience on Carnival and RCCL. Carnival has much, much better food in the dining room. Buffet restaurants are close, with an edge to RCCL, by a whisker.

 

Standard staterooms are bigger, but the decor is less subdued on Carnival than RCCL. Staff are a wash, lots of very good people on both lines and a few who shouldn't be working cruise ships, also on on both lines.

 

RCCL solariums don't, as far as I know, have an equivalent on Carnival ships. And, of course, the promenades of the larger ships are unique.

 

On the other hand, Carnival ships seem to have more teak decking (something I appreciate). And the main pool area is lots of fun during the day.

 

Not being big on shows, I can't comment on overall quality. But I do have to say that the ice show I attended on Mariner was well worth the hassle of getting the tickets.

 

In the final analysis I think one has to pay attention to particular ships. The cruise line dictates only the broad strokes. Each ship I've been on has offered a different cruise experience.

[Host Kewlguy]

Well I have been very loyal to RCCL taking all my 7 cruises on them. However, my last 3 have had their fair share of problems. I am considering trying another line but hesitate as I do know what to expect from RCCL for the most part. I would just like to hear what other's have experienced on different lines good or bad and how they would compare that cruise to one on RCCL.

 

Thanks,

J

 

We tried NCL in October 2005 and enjoyed the cruise. I would say try one of their newer ships. Freestyle is not for everyone but some prefer it compared to traditional dining. We also like Celebrity which is a more formal mature atmosphere compared to Royal. Both these cruise lines are different cruise experiences from Royal. There is certainly nothing wrong with shopping around to find the cruise line which best fits your tastes. You may find after trying the others that you come back to Royal. ;)

[Host Kewlguy]

cruisingator2

I did not care for NCL's freestyle cruising. They say eat when you want, with whom you want, etc. We never once were able to eat when we wanted for dinner and had a minimum of a 30 minute wait and up to a 50 minute wait to be seated every night. Maybe we didn't understand something about reservations, which was never explained. You could opt to share a table which many people did not, therefore you would see many tables half empty while others were waiting to get into the restaurant.

 

Just felt the level of service was not as good as having the same wait staff every night. They all were getting the same pay at the end of the week so there's not the incentive to go the extra mile for an extra tip. Service was not bad, just nothing extra.

 

We sailed on the Norwegian Empress which is a small ship, (we prefer smaller ships), so maybe that had something to do with the wait time. One couple I spoke to loved the freestyle dining and said they never had a problem because they went every night at 5:00. But that just shoots down the whole premise of dining anytime you want. One night we couldn't be seated so we went to the show first and did not finish dinner til 10:00. Other times we missed things because of waiting to be seated.

 

One thing I really missed was getting to know table mates which doesn't happen when it's different people every night.

 

This was my first time on NCL. It was ok for what it was, a girlfriend's winter getaway, but I would not take NCL for a vacation with my husband. We have always cruised Celerity but we are trying RCCL this fall.

 

Don't want to seem like a crabby nitpicker, just telling you my experience. Like I said, maybe there's something about making reservations that we didn't understand and you may want to check into that. Just hope you have a better experience than we did, and then again, maybe you'll LOVE it.

 

The problem was you were going to dinner at the same time everyone else was going. Probably around 7pm. That's when everything is crowded. If you go between 5-6 or after 8pm you would have no wait. We would eat around 5:30 and never had to wait. Plus the specialty restaurants on NCL were half price between 5-6 pm. That's why we were eating dinner so early.

[Tatka]

On the other hand, Carnival ships seem to have more teak decking (something I appreciate). And the main pool area is lots of fun during the day.

 

Pool area was THE BIGGEST turnoff for us. It was huge, overcrowded and not nice.. Add there Hairy Chest contest, and competition involving barfing buckets. :mad:

[ILoveScotland]

I've been on both the Norwegian Majesty which is an older ship and the Dawn which is newer. For some strange reason I preferred the Majesty. I especially liked the free style dining.

 

However, I loved the Brilliance and am looking forward to the Serenade next January as well as Celebrity Galaxy this fall. And then the current NCL Pride of Hawaii which will be refurbished and renamed the Jade. We'll be on her out of Southampton up the Norwegian coast and back in 2008.