At last...my NCL vs. RCI Comparison is Finished!

[4boymom]

Hi Darrell and Tracy...

Remember us from Ivan and David's Mayan Ruins tour and meet and greet...?

We are cruising again with our boys and friends (Sandra and Paul)in 19 days on Mariner, have been wondering how you both are and what's new. Still cruising I see... Take care, Loreen (and DH Brad)

[cynbar]

IF you were on the Voyager or even better-the Freedom class ships,and we're NOT blown away,it's time for an MRI....I love NCL,but their ships DO NOT even compare to the big RCI ships-no way,no how...some go on the smaller older ships and say,"what's so great about RCI?"....JUST the canti-levered hot tubson the Freedom class that are 112 ft up from the sea that stick out 12 ft over the sides are worth the cruise,not to mention the terrific must see ice-skating shows and the awe-inspiring Royal Promenade make these ships so unique.I'm booked on the Sky for Labor Day weekend and after reading all the problems,I'm paralyzed with fear-hope they fix their mess ASAP....a ship having A/C and toilet problems on it's FIRST cruise out after 6 weeks of dry dock is unacceptable .......

 

Big Al

 

Well, I think it's a little soon for an MRI. This is just a matter of taste--- all the "bigness" of the Freedom class ships didn't appeal to me. I don't care as much for multi tiered DRs as I do the smaller, more intimate DRs. And the promenade reminded me more of a regular shopping mall back home. I also have no interest in rock climbing walls or flow riders or ice rinks, and RCCL seemed to attract larger numbers of teens and very young adults who were always underfoot. Princess and NCL just seem to suit me better. RCCL definitely has its loyal fans, but not everyone thinks it is #1.

[mommyof2]

Thank you for your great comparison.

 

We had our 1st experience on NCL in June. I had tempered my expectations somewhat based on some of the reviews I had read. I'm glad I did.

 

We were last on RCI 3 yrs. ago. Maybe the food has gone downhill since then. I was extremely disappointed in the food on the NCL Star. Only 2 nights was it decent...only 1 night I left full. Don't get me wrong, I'm not complaining! I wasn't cooking or cleaning up!

 

I felt like on the Star we always had to go up a level to get somewhere and walk through restaurants or pubs. I LOVED the promenade on AOS! We had an inside cabin with a window over the promenade...perfect!

 

We never saw the captain on the Star. His table in the dining room was always empty whenever we were there.

 

I thought the shows on AOS were 100 times better than the ones on the Star. We went a couple of nights on the Star, stayed for 10 minutes each time, then left and didn't go back the other nights. I didn't love all the shows on AOS (Velvet Rope was awful) but most were good.

 

Does RCI now serve you the food in the buffet too? That gets a little sickening!

 

Those were my major things I noticed between the two.