RCI NCL, or Princess?

[Lifesaver123]

Last year my family and I went on RCI's Mariner of the Seas, and we loved it. Next year we are planning on going on another cruise, with friends, and I was considering sailing with someone else. I've never traveled with any other cruise line before, and was looking for opinions on these three cruise lines.

Thanks so much, Rylee:)

[sunsetbeachgal]

HI,

 

We did Mariner of the Seas this year with family and also loved it, but we usually sail Princess, and just booked another Princess cruise. I can't speak about NCL, but from some of what I read, I do not think they are in as comparable to each other as Princess or RCI are, which I think you will find more alike than different. I prefer Princess Anytime Dining over the traditional seatings on RCI, and I find dining room food a little better on Princess, but enjoyed the buffets alot more on RCI. I found the entertainment on Mariner to be somewhat disappointing, considering the size of the ship, with the exception of the ice show and the parades. But I found RCI to be more "fun", as it was a family and younger crowd. Look for a nice cabin and a good deal on the itinerary you want, and go from there!:)

[bowlcoach]

Wow! What a question. You could probably get 10,000 different answers.

Each cruise line is unique in its own way. Some more family oriented, some with different dining arrangements, some with more activities, etc.

We can tell you that if you are looking for things to do onboard, Oceania Cruise Line is not the one. We just returned from a 12 day in the Caribbean in February and it is very laid back, quiet and for those who just want to read without any distractions.

[CrusinAgain]

We have only sailed with Carnival and Princess and wanted to try other lines - not because we are unhappy with Princess but we like to see what the other lines offer. So we are trying NCL Pearl's - the new ship with the bowling alley. So far all reviews have been positive unlike their ships in Hawaii so we are hoping it gives us another option to choose from when Princess schedule doesn't match what we need. Princess is a very good cruise line and you won't be displeased but you will never know for yourself unless you try a different cruiseline. If you have any specific questions the folks here are always so helpful with answers. :)

[SoCalGal]

Here's one of 10,000 opinions. Our favorite cruiseline is Celebrity (for many reasons). But we're sailing on the Royal Princess June 2008. Haven't been on a Princess ship since 1985! Should be interesting.

[ssbeagle]

Last year my family and I went on RCI's Mariner of the Seas, and we loved it. Next year we are planning on going on another cruise, with friends, and I was considering sailing with someone else. I've never traveled with any other cruise line before, and was looking for opinions on these three cruise lines.

Thanks so much, Rylee:)

 

The best advice is to look for the itinerary, price, and what's available on board each ship. To us itinerary is most important, then price. We have cruised most often on Princess but we have also done RCL, NCL, HAL. It depends on who gives us the best deal for what we are looking for.

[Pia1913]

The bulk of our cruises have been with Princess, but we're also in double digits with Carnival, Celebrity, RCI and HAL. If you want "stuffy" that's Celebrity. If you want "old and stuffy", that's HAL. Carnival is the "fun ship", but we only like it when school is in session. Princess and RCI are about even. I love the big RCI ships (Navigator) and I adore the little Princess ships (Pacific). We prefer a larger ship since there's much more to do.

 

I didn't forget NCL. We disliked the "old" NCL; giving them another chance in February.

 

Pia

[willysgrandma]

I can tell you that NCL doesn't touch Princess or RCCL as far as service.

 

But if you like a casual cruise and don't want to dress up, NCL is a great choice. It is freestyle cruising, so there is no assigned dining and you don't have to dress up AT ALL if you don't want. You won't be forced to use the buffet on formal night if you don't want to dress formally.

 

As others have said, look at itinerary first.

[WannaCruise365]

Our first cruise was Celebrity,,

[WannaCruise365]

Our first cruise was Celebrity,,from there many RCI cruises,,never had a bad cruise,,we started cruising Princess a few years ago,,and love the anytime dining and of all things the laundry facilities..From many cruises I've found a huge difference on the same cruiselines,,on the different ships..depending on the time of year you sail, length of cruise,,age of ship,,destination (such as the Sea Princess and Crown,,same line,,very different ships,,food, entertainment) Bottom line,I love cruising,,and can honestly say I've never had a "bad" cruise,,I believe one's attitude has a lot to do with their cruise experience..

[cruzbabe]

I think I have already responded to your posting on NCL board. We have never cruised on RCI but have enjoyed all of our Princess cruises (consistently). On the other hand, last week we were on Pride of Aloha and didn't care for it (to put it mildly). We were very disappointed.

[iancal]

We have been on all three and liked them all...for different reasons. I think that it also depends on ship/itinerary. We have had good trips, good food, and good service on all three (Legend, Star, Sun, NCL Sun).

Our favorite is Celebrity.

[sandysav]

RCCL or NCL, Princess ship we were on in January smelled terrible and their customer service stinks too.

[Tak8]

I have sailed on all 3 and have liked them all, but Princess is my favorite. I hiave only sailed the Caribbean. NCL has a good children's pogram; RCCL and Princess have more activities for the young passengers. RCCL has great on board activities. I like Princess' swim against the current pool and paddle tennis court. I give a slight edge to Princess on food, because I like the dinner selections more on Princess.

I would sail on any of the three and would use itinerary and price as ultimate factors in deciding which one. It's nice to try another line to have personal comparisons.

[Pia1913]

RCCL or NCL, Princess ship we were on in January smelled terrible and their customer service stinks too.

 

LOL!!! Sorry.......pretty funny. Obviously there must have been a problem on the Star at that given time and perhaps in your area, but to choose other lines over Princess because of that, is..............(I'm speechless).

 

Pia

[Griff4AU]

The bulk of our cruises have been with Princess, but we're also in double digits with Carnival, Celebrity, RCI and HAL. If you want "stuffy" that's Celebrity. If you want "old and stuffy", that's HAL. Carnival is the "fun ship", but we only like it when school is in session. Princess and RCI are about even. I love the big RCI ships (Navigator) and I adore the little Princess ships (Pacific). We prefer a larger ship since there's much more to do.

 

Wow, I think Pia nailed it.

 

I didn't find Celebrity 'stuffy', but definately more subdued. I won't ever do Carnival again, ever. I think there are too many other lines that are much more polished AND fun for roughly the same money as Carnival.

[ssbeagle]

HAL is for the older set according to what I have seen and heard from other people. When I say older I mean 70s +. We were on the Veendam which is a beautiful ship but the cigarette smoke was awful in the public areas. My eyes burned and I couldn't breathe. The only place we didn't smell it was in the show lounge and our cabin.

 

NCL was our first three cruises and we really enjoyed them back in the 1980s. That was before freestyle and was a lot more traditional.

 

We first cruised Princess in 1990 on the old Royal and fell in love with it. After 23 cruises on Princess it's hard to choose another line.

 

We have sailed twice on RCL in the last two years and both times have found fault with the service and the first time we ran into a norovirus scare on board a ship. The only good service we got was in the dining room at dinner on both cruises and the first cruise we had an excellent cabin steward. We have a third cruise booked for 2008 but only because it goes out of Galveston which is where we wanted to leave from. We would have done Princess if they hadn't quit cruising there.

 

So, first choice is itinerary, second is price, third is ship.

[sandysav]

LOL!!! Sorry.......pretty funny. Obviously there must have been a problem on the Star at that given time and perhaps in your area, but to choose other lines over Princess because of that, is..............(I'm speechless).

 

Pia

 

Yes our group of 6 were pretty speechless for the entire week, hard to speak when you are covering your nose and mouth to avoid smelling the lovely black water emissions odors in our hallway, rooms and balconies for the whole week (almost). Therefore, RCCL or NCL anytime please.

[drpack]

I like RCL and Princess. There are things that I like better on Princess such as fresh water pools and PC dinning. RCL seems to have more things to do if you're the active type. I love the Voyager and Freedom class vessel's layout with the Promenade.

I sail more on Princess because the prices on RCL are always much higher than I can get on Princess. I can usually get a balcony on Princess for less than an inside on an RCL Voyager or Freedom class ship.

[tawcat]

celebrity by far is our favorite, but the $$$$ are more.

 

rcl and ncl are pretty close. rcl, especially the smaller ships seem to be competing with carnival. less service more partying! with that said, we have never been disappointed with rcl.

 

ncl is, as someone previously mentioned, totally freestyle. be aware here, ncl's smaller older ships were not designed for freestyle serving, thus, at times the service is slow and really lousy. the larger ships were built with galleys to accommodate freestyle and we hear service is much better. again, with that said, we have only been disappointed once on ncl and that was on the Dream out of houston.

 

princess is great in all aspects. affordable, great service and lots of fun.

[Lifesaver123]

Thank you all so much for your responses. I'm leaning toward Princess. They have fresh water pools, whichh my kids will enjoy much more than the saltwater pools on Mariner, and I have read a lot of good reviews about it.

[CruiseQueen13]

Celebrity is my favorite with Princess running close 2nd. My least favorite - NCL. Good luck

[Pia1913]

Thank you all so much for your responses. I'm leaning toward Princess. They have fresh water pools, whichh my kids will enjoy much more than the saltwater pools on Mariner, and I have read a lot of good reviews about it.

 

Whatever you choose, have a wonderful cruise!

[Lifesaver123]

Whatever you choose, have a wonderful cruise!

 

Thanks so much:) I know we will have a wonderful cruise!

[we2cruze]

HI,

 

We did Mariner of the Seas this year with family and also loved it, but we usually sail Princess, and just booked another Princess cruise. I can't speak about NCL, but from some of what I read, I do not think they are in as comparable to each other as Princess or RCI are, which I think you will find more alike than different. I prefer Princess Anytime Dining over the traditional seatings on RCI, and I find dining room food a little better on Princess, but enjoyed the buffets alot more on RCI. I found the entertainment on Mariner to be somewhat disappointing, considering the size of the ship, with the exception of the ice show and the parades. But I found RCI to be more "fun", as it was a family and younger crowd. Look for a nice cabin and a good deal on the itinerary you want, and go from there!:)

This sums up my feeling too, except I enjoy the Princess buffets. There is definitely a lot more for the kids to do on the Mariner.

 

RCCL or NCL, Princess ship we were on in January smelled terrible and their customer service stinks too.

There have been reports of smells on some Princess ships, but this is not a fleetwide problem. There were no smells on the Tahitian or Island Princess when I sailed, and only a slight odor once on the Crown during my sailing. If you had a question about smells on a particular ship, you could post here to find out if anyone experienced a problem on that ship.