Royal Caribbean vs. Norwegian (Vision vs. Star) - thoughts?

[bgstewar]

Sorry for asking a newbie type of question. I tried searching on this site, but the search function kept giving me errors.

 

My girlfriend and I (both 30 years old) have cruised on RCC in the past and loved it. We're planning a Mexican cruise in October, and both RCC and NCL have the same cruise for the same price. The RCC ship is the Vision of the Seas, and the NCL ship is the Norwegian Star.

 

I know RCC is more "traditional" and NCL is a "freestyle" type of cruise. But can anyone compare their experience had on either line? Or, if by chance, someone has actually been on both of these ships? We feel like it's a big decision to make, but even after reading the reviews on cruisecritic, we still don't really know the differences.

 

Thanks so much for any input!

[cruiselover57]

Sorry for asking a newbie type of question. I tried searching on this site, but the search function kept giving me errors.

 

My girlfriend and I (both 30 years old) have cruised on RCC in the past and loved it. We're planning a Mexican cruise in October, and both RCC and NCL have the same cruise for the same price. The RCC ship is the Vision of the Seas, and the NCL ship is the Norwegian Star.

 

I know RCC is more "traditional" and NCL is a "freestyle" type of cruise. But can anyone compare their experience had on either line? Or, if by chance, someone has actually been on both of these ships? We feel like it's a big decision to make, but even after reading the reviews on cruisecritic, we still don't really know the differences.

 

Thanks so much for any input!

 

I've been on both - Vision to Hawaii and the Star to Mexico. I would prefer RCI as I like their activities much better. I'm not really into freestyle cruising - although I did like the variation of restaurants aboard. I like being seated with the same people at dinner to get to know them better. Once you've hit Diamond level on RCI, you'll definitely get some great perks!

 

Laurie

[Leafpeeper]

We enjoy cruising on Carnival, RCI, NCL, and Princess. I've been on both ships and enjoyed both cruises. I would definetely choose NCL Star because it is a newer ship than Vision. I like all the restaruant choices on the Star. Vision has only one dining room and the buffet. We simply get bored eating in just one place for our entire cruise. On NCL, you can ask to sit with other guests if you want to. It is your choice. You can even request the same table and time each night if you want to. We simply don't enjoy having a set time to eat. We enjoy variety.

 

The Asian restaurant on the Star was our favorite. We liked the fact that each restaurant had a different size and decor. For a quiet romantic dinner, I recomend LeBistro. At only $15pp it is a real bargain. Aqua and the Versailles Dining Room are both free and don't need any reservations. We enjoyed them both. I recommend their seafood medley. The tiramasu on NCL is my favorite dessert anywhere. It is fantastic.

 

One thing we loved on the Star that they don't have on the new NCL ships is the movie cinema, which shows very current films. It is great on sea days.

 

The entertainment on NCL is a bit different from RCI. People seem to really enjoy the SCTV impro comedians. I like the musical entertainment the most on our NCL cruises. We seem to dance every night on NCL ships because the bands are so good.

 

BTW, try the Blue Lagoon Diner while you are onboard. It is open 24 hours a day and has the best lomein and fried rice anywhere.

 

NCL cabins also have a coffee pot and provides tea, coffee, and hot chocolate in your cabin. Fresh creamers are replaced in your fridge daily. We really enjoy having a late night cup of tea before retiring for the night. We always pickup banana bread at the Blue Lagoon before heading back to our cabin each night. We love it with our coffee out on our balcony when we first wake up.

 

Hope you enjoy your cruise. We love the Mexican Riviera. I wish the Star was still doing the 8 day itinerary to Alcapulco because Zihuantenjo/Ixtapa is our favorite Mexican port. Only Carinival is sailing there next year.

[DAGVBSB]

Sorry for asking a newbie type of question. I tried searching on this site, but the search function kept giving me errors.

 

My girlfriend and I (both 30 years old) have cruised on RCC in the past and loved it. We're planning a Mexican cruise in October, and both RCC and NCL have the same cruise for the same price. The RCC ship is the Vision of the Seas, and the NCL ship is the Norwegian Star.

 

I know RCC is more "traditional" and NCL is a "freestyle" type of cruise. But can anyone compare their experience had on either line? Or, if by chance, someone has actually been on both of these ships? We feel like it's a big decision to make, but even after reading the reviews on cruisecritic, we still don't really know the differences.

 

Thanks so much for any input!

 

The Star is my favorite ship in the NCL fleet... did her twice, once to Alaska and once to Hawaii. I will be taking my first RCCL cruise in 2 weeks, so I will be able to give you a better response after we get back.

 

But I love NCL for the Freestyle Concept...

 

1.) You aren't forced to sit with other people during dinner. So the two of you can have a table for two, alone together.

2.) There is a large selection of dining options. Mexican, Italian, Steakhouse, and two main dining rooms.

3.) There are no set dining times. So you don't have to worry about missing dinner or being forced to the buffet because you are late. You show up when you want to and are seated like a restaurant on shore. (Specialty restaurants do require reservations, but again, you can set the time that YOU want to eat.)

 

4.) You are not forced to dress up on NCL. Resort Casual... polo shirt, kahki pants, and tennis shoes, are perfectly acceptable attire for EVERY meal in EVERY dining room on EVERY night. Only about 50% of the passengers will dress up on the "Dress up or Not" night (Optional Formal) and that will range from tuxes to shirt/tie. The other 50% will be in resort casual. (And, unlike RCCL, if you choose not to dress up, you are not forced to go to the buffet instead of the main dining room....)

 

5.) You can remain in your cabin on the last morning until you color is called for dismebarkation. No being herded like cattle into a public area waiting to be called. (that is the part of my cruise that I am least looking forward too... the cattle call on the last morning.)

 

 

Just some of the differences between the two.

[ce2000]

I think that you should give NCL Freestyle 2.0 a try. I am not saying that you will prefer NCL over RCCL, but you might. I did enjoy the onboard activities and entertainment onboard RCCL over NCL.

[AzCruiseGurl]

I am booked on the Star late Sept!! Have never been on

NCL before but REALLY looking forward to it.... :p