Interested in comparisons between RCI and NCL from anyone who has cruised BOTH please

[leaveitallbehind]

We have always cruised on RCI. However, we may consider an option for a 7 day Bermuda cruise on NCL Dawn out of NYC. I would appreciate any input from anyone who has cruised BOTH RCI and NCL regarding a comparison of the two and feedback about NCL. The freestyle dining option is not important to us, but understanding the service and overall quality levels are. (The other alternative is Celebrity, which I do have info on, but NCL pricing appears rather attractive). Your comments are appreciated. Thank you.

[wg6530]

I've been on 8 NCL cruises (including Dawn Jan 09) and 2 RCI (Indy April 09 and vision Aug 05) as well as 7 on various other lines. I like both lines though they are different. NCL is more casual. Many do not dress up on "formal or not" nights. We pack less for NCL. Freestyle means the waitstaff don't get to know you, and the dining room experience tends to resemble a decent restaurant on shore compared to traditional RCI dining. By that I mean you may or may not wait for a table depend on when other diners arrive, your waitstaff and table will probably be different every night, some servers/some evenings will be better than others. But I have always found the experience at least adequate in the main dining rooms, sometimes very good. I give the edge to RCI's main dining room fare over NCL's, but that is very subjective. I like the buffets on both lines about equally. NCL has more alternative restaurants, most for a fee. These extra restaurants take up space on the ship, a downside if you don't use them. But I felt the Dawn's public spaces were sufficient regardless.

 

Room stewards on NCL do their jobs well but the experience tends to less personal on NCL (they may not introduce themselves or solicit extra requests for example). But the cabins are cleaned andturned down; towel animals and chocolates appear regularly.

 

Try NCL is you believe you can be fairly laid-back. Be willing to roll with the flow on NCL (or at least consider spending some extra cash on alternative dining if you want extra attention). Don't go on NCL if others might call you formal or high-maintence.

[momofmeg]

Kewlguy is the best person to ask. He likes both lines very much.

[leaveitallbehind]

I've been on 8 NCL cruises (including Dawn Jan 09) and 2 RCI (Indy April 09 and vision Aug 05) as well as 7 on various other lines. I like both lines though they are different. NCL is more casual. Many do not dress up on "formal or not" nights. We pack less for NCL. Freestyle means the waitstaff don't get to know you, and the dining room experience tends to resemble a decent restaurant on shore compared to traditional RCI dining. By that I mean you may or may not wait for a table depend on when other diners arrive, your waitstaff and table will probably be different every night, some servers/some evenings will be better than others. But I have always found the experience at least adequate in the main dining rooms, sometimes very good. I give the edge to RCI's main dining room fare over NCL's, but that is very subjective. I like the buffets on both lines about equally. NCL has more alternative restaurants, most for a fee. These extra restaurants take up space on the ship, a downside if you don't use them. But I felt the Dawn's public spaces were sufficient regardless.

 

Room stewards on NCL do their jobs well but the experience tends to less personal on NCL (they may not introduce themselves or solicit extra requests for example). But the cabins are cleaned andturned down; towel animals and chocolates appear regularly.

 

Try NCL is you believe you can be fairly laid-back. Be willing to roll with the flow on NCL (or at least consider spending some extra cash on alternative dining if you want extra attention). Don't go on NCL if others might call you formal or high-maintence.

 

Great input and thank you very much! While we enjoy getting to know the waitstaff and enjoy the degree of formality that perhaps comes with the regular schedule for dinners, we are by far "formal or high maintenance". I had to laugh at that comment as, although dressing for dinner occasionally is fine, shorts and bare feet are the typical routine at home! Thanks again.

[cruzeluver]

Make sure the responses you get are from a fair comparison.

 

For example, if someone has been on only one older ship from NCL (say the Majesty) and multiple newer ships on RCCL, then how can they possibly give good feedback?

 

Another example: somone's one and only RCCL cruise was back in 1985, so how accurate would their info be?

 

In the interest of full disclosure, I have three NCL cruises under my belt within the last five years (two on older ships, the Majesty and the Sea and one on a newer ship, the Star) and one RCCL cruise two years ago on the Mariner.

 

I have enjoyed every cruise I have been on and find all the major lines a lot more alike than different. Since you state service and quality are your biggest considerations, I would say that if you've been happy overall with RCCL than you should be fine on the Dawn.

 

Happy cruising!!

[wg6530]

I'm glad you laughed and took that comment in the spirit intended. After I posted, I wondered if someone might think I implied RCI cruisers are generally overly formal, stuffy or high maintenance--I don't think so at all. Based on the cruises I noted very, very few. I just wouldn't recommend NCL's freestyle to those few. Nor would I recommend it to people who really adore the very traditional aspects of cruising. NCL is shooting for the market that finds those aspects either off-putting or unimportant. I think I get a tad bit higher maintenance with each cruise; spoiled, I guess. But so far I'm not out of NCL's satisfaction range.

 

I agree that the fleets vary in each cruiseline. Though I like NCL, I have avoided the NCL Majesty because I tend to like bigger, newer ships.

 

You probably have already compared the stats for the Dawn to the RCI ships you loved. Dawn certainly lacks attractions found on bigger RCI ships like skating, flow rider and royal promenade. I assume you have already weighed the importance of those differences, but fire away if you have questions.

[leaveitallbehind]

I'm glad you laughed and took that comment in the spirit intended. After I posted, I wondered if someone might think I implied RCI cruisers are generally overly formal, stuffy or high maintenance--I don't think so at all. Based on the cruises I noted very, very few. I just wouldn't recommend NCL's freestyle to those few. Nor would I recommend it to people who really adore the very traditional aspects of cruising. NCL is shooting for the market that finds those aspects either off-putting or unimportant. I think I get a tad bit higher maintenance with each cruise; spoiled, I guess. But so far I'm not out of NCL's satisfaction range.

 

I agree that the fleets vary in each cruiseline. Though I like NCL, I have avoided the NCL Majesty because I tend to like bigger, newer ships.

 

You probably have already compared the stats for the Dawn to the RCI ships you loved. Dawn certainly lacks attractions found on bigger RCI ships like skating, flow rider and royal promenade. I assume you have already weighed the importance of those differences, but fire away if you have questions.

 

We've cruised first as a couple and then with our kids - over the years they've grown up cruising in the sense that they've experienced all the different programs and attractions with RCI. With two in college and one getting married next year, (the day before our departure, in fact) this is a "back to a couple" cruise. So all the other stuff on the ship is secondary - other than the spa, adult pool, entertainment, and of course food. (We are also taking the kids with friends on Freedom next March so they'll get their fill of all that other good stuff then).

 

Your information is great and, along with the other posts, has provided a lot of what we were looking for - thanks again to all. We've been to Bermuda on our honeymoon and again on our 5th anniversary (I actually was there once before as well- believe it or not - for a business meeting!) - so it's been quite a while since we've been back. We're actually planning on going mainly to see the island and all the sights once again, so the ship really is secondary to that. It also will be my wife's **th birthday so that plays into it as well.

 

But again thanks to all for all the good info - we have a lot to think about!

[DocJohnB]

I've been on 8 NCL cruises (including Dawn Jan 09) and 2 RCI (Indy April 09 and vision Aug 05) as well as 7 on various other lines. I like both lines though they are different. NCL is more casual. Many do not dress up on "formal or not" nights. We pack less for NCL. Freestyle means the waitstaff don't get to know you, and the dining room experience tends to resemble a decent restaurant on shore compared to traditional RCI dining. By that I mean you may or may not wait for a table depend on when other diners arrive, your waitstaff and table will probably be different every night, some servers/some evenings will be better than others. But I have always found the experience at least adequate in the main dining rooms, sometimes very good. I give the edge to RCI's main dining room fare over NCL's, but that is very subjective. I like the buffets on both lines about equally. NCL has more alternative restaurants, most for a fee. These extra restaurants take up space on the ship, a downside if you don't use them. But I felt the Dawn's public spaces were sufficient regardless.

 

Room stewards on NCL do their jobs well but the experience tends to less personal on NCL (they may not introduce themselves or solicit extra requests for example). But the cabins are cleaned andturned down; towel animals and chocolates appear regularly.

 

Try NCL is you believe you can be fairly laid-back. Be willing to roll with the flow on NCL (or at least consider spending some extra cash on alternative dining if you want extra attention). Don't go on NCL if others might call you formal or high-maintence.

 

Fantastic post!

 

Having sailed on both lines three times, I pretty much agree with everything your wrote.

 

I would give the edge in "non-specialty" dining service to RCI. NCL's dining service in their "regular" dining venues can be somewhat spotty, at best. Cabin service, IMO, is a wash. Both excellent.

 

For "daytime" entertainment, again to RCI. However in the "evening" entertainment I would give that to NCL.

 

IMO food is to subjective to make comparisons.

[geojobes]

Gotta say, I've never sailed on NCL. However, I recently priced out RCCL, NCL & Celebrity to Bermuda for May 2010. RCCL, NCL & Celebrity were all within $50 of each other on the website for an inside cabin on a high deck. I had my TA price out RCCL & Celebrity for me & Celebrity came out a little cheaper only because we are Founder Classic & get the category 9 cabin for the price of a 10. I only tell you this, because Celebrity also has Bermuda cruises next year from Capy Liberty & the price is about the same. We also get an OBC from our TA, making it a great deal.

[GottaLuvCruising]

I have sailed three times on RCI and four on NCL (five if you count a B2B as two). One of my cruises was on an older RCI ship, but all others have been newer, larger ships. I've also sailed Carnival, Celebrity, Princess & Disney.

 

We very much enjoyed Royal Caribbean, particularly the entertainment and activities. We were disappointed in the entertainment on NCL, but mostly because it seemed to target a younger demographic.

 

I wasn't particularly impressed by the food on either line, but with a slight preference for RCI for a nicer dining experience. We had some frustrations with wait times for tables at dinner on NCL and can avoid that with dining assignment on RCI. We also aren't fans of surcharge restaurants on board, but did go to several of them on NCL (very good dining experiences, but making a reservation isn't exactly "freestyle").

 

RCI now offers smoke-free staterooms which, for us, is an advantage over NCL.

 

We have enjoyed the service on both cruise lines with no issues at all, but again would give a slight edge to RCI for a bit more personal attention.

 

I would be happy to sail either line again, but generally would have a preference for RCI over NCL.

[Taxguy77]

Room stewards on NCL do their jobs well but the experience tends to less personal on NCL (they may not introduce themselves or solicit extra requests for example). But the cabins are cleaned andturned down; towel animals and chocolates appear regularly..

 

Chocolates?:confused::confused:

 

Since NCL went downhill a few years ago, I have cruised on; Celebrity, Azamara and HAL, but have not seen chocolates except in airport stores!:eek:

[Taxguy77]

We've cruised first as a couple and then with our kids - over the years they've grown up cruising in the sense that they've experienced all the different programs and attractions with RCI. With two in college and one getting married next year, (the day before our departure, in fact) this is a "back to a couple" cruise. So all the other stuff on the ship is secondary - other than the spa, adult pool, entertainment, and of course food. (We are also taking the kids with friends on Freedom next March so they'll get their fill of all that other good stuff then).

But again thanks to all for all the good info - we have a lot to think about!

 

We're almost a generation ahead of you. I wish we had had the $$$ to cruise earlier, but wish you the best of cruising.

PS; We gave our DD and family a 'Disney week' when the kids were about 10 & 12 (so they could really appreciate it) One week, half at Disneyworld and half on the Disney ship. They loved it! DD said it was super well organized. We gave the boys a CD about it for Christmas, and their parents a note saying,"book it to our CC".

[Leafpeeper]

We cruise lots of different cruiselines for lots of different reasons ranging from cost to itinerary and the appeal of each ship. We cruise NCL and RCCL most frequently, but we also enjoy Carnival and Princess cruises.

 

What we like most on our NCL cruises is dining in a different restaurant with different ambiance each night. We usually prefer to dine before 8pm and have never had to wait to be seated on NCL. People can dine in the main dining room each night at a scheduled time like traditional dining on other lines. Just go to the dining room when you board the ship to set up a time. We prefer the flexibility of eating when we are hungry and in the mood and not because we are scheduled.

 

On our recent NCL cruise, they offered 2 for 1 rates for various specialty restaurants each night for earlybird dining before 7pm. We dined at the Italian Restaurant for $10 for both of us. We love LeBistro and only paid $15pp there, but could have done a 2 for 1 another night. LeBistro is a small intimate restaurant with soft lighting and lots of dark wood. I love the decor. Our favorite NCL restaurant is the Asian one. Ambiance is cheerful and the size is comfortable--not too big and not too small. I love the steak terriyaki and tempura with hot and sour soup.

 

One thing we loved on our last NCL cruise was the 2 for 1 martinis every night from 6-8pm. Late afternoons, they also have martini tastings, wine tastings, beer tastings, and margarita tastings (4 or 5 drinks for $15). Some couples pay the $15 and share the cocktails.

 

Most cruiseship entertainment is very similar. However, we have really enjoyed the hypnotist comedy acts on NCL ships. We also enjoy the SCTV comedy sketches. One thing we love on NCL Dawn is the movie cinema with bags of popcorn waiting.

 

The Blue Lagoon on NCL Dawn is a great spot for quick food anytime day or night. The chicken wings with lomein or fried rice is great. DH likes the fish & chips. We love to take our food outdoors to eat there. I also like their banana bread and keep some in my cabin for my morning coffee. We love the inroom coffee pots and the creamers in the fridge. Great start before room service arrives.

 

We are sailing NCL Star (twin to Dawn) in September and then sail RCCL Explorer of the Seas, Carnival Destiny, and NCL Sky. Obviously, we prefer variety. There are things we love on every cruiseship. Focus on enjoying what's different and new.

 

Everybody loves Bermuda. Enjoy your cruise no matter which ship you take.

[leaveitallbehind]

Thanks to all for the responses and great information! Whichever ship we choose I'm certain it will be one more terrific experience which, as always, will have us thinking about the next one as we pack our bags on the last night. Happy cruising!

[Happy ks]

We've been on 2 NCL cruises, actually the same ship, Star which is a sister ship to Dawn. We've been on 9 RCI cruises, several of them on the same ship, Monarch, when it was still on the West Coast.

 

We really believe a cruise is what a person makes of it. Although we prefer the RCI ships we had a great time on Star.

 

The food, no comparison even though we're not impressed with cruise ship food on any line, NCL was at times inedible for us. We ended up eating dinner at the specialty restaurants almost every night on NCL, when we didn't we were disappointed.

 

The RCI ships are more nicely turned out, they seem to keep up their ships better. We noticed a dramatic difference in Star between the two cruises, yet they were only 4 years apart, Star was showing some serious wear and tear. We cruised on RCI Legend last year and were pleasantly surprised how well kept she was, she was built in 1995.

 

Service is a draw, we had great service on both lines.

 

Although we enjoyed both cruise lines, we would give the edge to RCI overall.

[marco]

Been on both, been happy with both. I assume you are going this year? We have cruised to Bermuda many, many times but are waiting until 2010 when HAL will be going again out of NY. The ONLY reason.......the ship will dock in both St George's and Hamilton, 2 days each which makes it so much more convenient to see and do in both locations and not have to spend so much time traveling when docked the entire time at "the Dockyard".

[Leafpeeper]

We've been on 2 NCL cruises, actually the same ship, Star which is a sister ship to Dawn. We've been on 9 RCI cruises, several of them on the same ship, Monarch, when it was still on the West Coast.

 

We really believe a cruise is what a person makes of it. Although we prefer the RCI ships we had a great time on Star.

 

The food, no comparison even though we're not impressed with cruise ship food on any line, NCL was at times inedible for us. We ended up eating dinner at the specialty restaurants almost every night on NCL, when we didn't we were disappointed.

 

The RCI ships are more nicely turned out, they seem to keep up their ships better. We noticed a dramatic difference in Star between the two cruises, yet they were only 4 years apart, Star was showing some serious wear and tear. We cruised on RCI Legend last year and were pleasantly surprised how well kept she was, she was built in 1995.

 

Service is a draw, we had great service on both lines.

 

Although we enjoyed both cruise lines, we would give the edge to RCI overall.

 

We sailed Jewel of the Seas last Fall and DH commented that he has seen a huge drop in the food quality on RCCL. We won't sail an RCCL ship that doesn't have specialty restaurants because of the decline of the food on RCCL. We are sailing Explorer of the Seas in January, so I am hoping things will be better for DH. I am more interested in the desserts and NCL and RCCL both do a good job with that.

 

Our family all feels that, except for the limited choice of desserts, the best food we've had on a cruiseship was on Princess. Unfortunately, we don't get a chance to sail Princess very often and they do not run Boston to Bermuda cruises--which is funny because they are registered in Bermuda.

[aidanht]

Thank you for this post and for everyone's responses, because we, too, are trying to decide between RCI and NCL. We're looking at a European cruise next summer, and the NCL cruise is so much cheaper than RCI that it makes me nervous . . . we have been on RCI and Disney before, and we're wondering what we'll be giving up for the substantial price savings on NCL. I'd love to hear any other perspectives anyone has--especially if anyone can compare the activities for older kids (12-15) on each line.

 

Thanks!!!

[aidanht]

oops -- duplicate post -- sorry

[Cruzaholic41]

(The other alternative is Celebrity, which I do have info on, but NCL pricing appears rather attractive). Your comments are appreciated. Thank you.

 

I highly recommend considering that Celebrity option. The service is just a step up from other cruise lines....and so is the food.

 

I will say that RCI's food has declined in quality. But then again, the food on my last NCL cruise was awful. On NCL, you had to eat in one of the many specialty restaurants to get decent food.

 

I also feel that NCL is the worst nickel and dime cruise line out there, probably because of the dining options. I cruise a lot and my tab is usually about the same after every cruise due to being a creature of habit. However, my NCL tab was nearly double. Keep this in mind when you see lower booking prices on NCL. They'll make up for it on board.

 

If you are comparing ships, RCI wins hands down. Are you looking at Explorer? If so, NCL has nothing to compare with it.

[momofmeg]

Thank you for this post and for everyone's responses, because we, too, are trying to decide between RCI and NCL. We're looking at a European cruise next summer, and the NCL cruise is so much cheaper than RCI that it makes me nervous . . . we have been on RCI and Disney before, and we're wondering what we'll be giving up for the substantial price savings on NCL. I'd love to hear any other perspectives anyone has--especially if anyone can compare the activities for older kids (12-15) on each line.

 

Thanks!!!

 

Is it a med cruise? I notice most med cruises are port intensive. Chances are you will eat dinner off ship often. I would not worry about food in that situation. I would pick the cruise by ports and not by ship or line

 

I have only done one NCL cruise, but I found the food was fine. My experience with RCI the food was just so-so also. I do not find either line has very good food, except in the specialty restaurants. But I would only give Princess a slight edge over them. To me HAL and then Celebrity has the best food. Carnival had a slight edge, about equal with Princess in food. Disney, I found Disney's food not so good either, except in Palos, their specialty.

 

Now on our NCL cruise we did do the specialty restaurants 4 times, but 2 of those was a $10 charge, one was $15, and the most expensive was $20-so all in all-it added around $110 in cost of our cruise for my hubby in I. We did tip a little extra so probably more like $175-200 total. However, I did not find the food in the no pay extra dinning room bad. In fact I enjoyed my ravioli I ate there better than what I had in the Italian pay extra.