Suggestion: NCL and Princess Forums or a General Other Cruise Forum

Would love to see more discussions about NCL, Princess and others as the "family cruising" genre is getting very competitive with lots of new ships launched or launching - perhaps Disboards could add an Other Than DCL forum to hold those reviews/deals/discussions?

Thanks

Try the Cruise Critic forums: www.cruisecritic.com. Click on "Community," then "Forums."

It sure would be cool. And I support it.

But I'm fairly certain Dis only added this one once Dreams Unlimited (owner/sponsor of wdwinfo/disboards) started booking Royal cruises.

And so much of the info here is also over on cruisecritic, that in some ways it's like reinventing the wheel.

bumbershoot said:

It sure would be cool. And I support it.

But I'm fairly certain Dis only added this one once Dreams Unlimited (owner/sponsor of wdwinfo/disboards) started booking Royal cruises.

And so much of the info here is also over on cruisecritic, that in some ways it's like reinventing the wheel.

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Good to know!

RCCL v.s. NCL: Radiance of the Seas Compared to Norwegian Pearl

I just so happened to sail these two ships recently within weeks of one another and they are really great for a head-to-head comparison because they are relatively similar in size and age and I believe my experience on each is very representative of what they have to offer. Neither is among the newest or "best" either line has to offer, but both the Radiance-class (RCCL) and the Jewel-class (NCL) seem to have their fair share of ardent admirers, especially amongst "cruising purists" that claim not to value the more novel features of the larger, newer builds. While everybody's experience will be different (and conditions can change very quickly in the cruise industry), I think my opinions are fairly well informed, as we have now taken 12 cruises (RCCL, NCL, Carnival, Celebrity & Princess) on 11 different ships (LOL and have researched countless numbers more). I had pretty reasonable expectations going in and had quite a bit of information about each ship.

The Ship/Public Areas
This one wasn't even close. The Radiance was far and away a nicer ship with a better overall design and way more effective layout. Despite 2,300 passengers we nicknamed it the "ghost ship". There were many times we were all alone in the common areas, never once waited for an elevator or had any trouble finding a spot in a hot tub or a great seat in an entertainment venue. The Pearl lacked a centrium and was made up of countless "little rooms" and narrow hallways; mostly all very separate from one another and even a few people in them seemed like a crowd. The pool deck had the impression of being down in a pit, with two higher sundecks around it and only one stairwell up. The thing that shocked me the most was the lack of high end finishes. RCCL (and every other ship I've ever been on, really) creates a luxurious environment through the extensive use of marble, wood and gleaming glass and metals. The Pearl was finished mostly in cheap ceramic tiles and plastic laminates; public washrooms looked like they belonged in truck stops. That said, the decor on the Pearl was much more contemporary and in fresher condition; the Radiance is very much in need of the upcoming drydock when many of the textiles and soft furnishings will be replaced. Both ships were equally clean and well kept.

Cabins
The Radiance was better, even though we had an Inside GTY as opposed to a Deluxe balcony on the Pearl. Although RCCL is fairly notorious for having very small cabins, our inside actually felt roomier than our balcony on the Pearl despite it measuring 20ft. sq. smaller. There was more storage space and the desk/vanity and tv locations worked way better. The thing I liked most about the Radiance was a heavy privacy curtain that separated the bed from the rest of the cabin - I've never seen it before but it was an excellent idea. The thing I liked least on the Pearl was the bathroom which had a remarkably large shower, but the toilet was walled-off behind a sliding door into a little compartment that was too tight even for me (5' tall and of modest girth). The only place the Pearl excelled was in the unbelievably comfortable beds, bedding and pillows. The Radiance had probably the worst mattress I've ever slept on and our requests for a topper and softer pillows was declined. Again, both cabins were kept equally (and acceptably clean). The Pearl also offers coffee makers as standard in their cabins, unlike any other cruiseline we've tried.

Dining
The Pearl absolutely blew the Radiance away - not even a contest. Admittedly, I don't like MTD and having been stuck with it on the Radiance, where I don't think it's smoothly run at all, tainted our view. NCL though is well known to be Freestyle only - no traditional dining and understanding that going in moderated our expectations. They have perfected the anytime dining system and offer a great range of variety; even novelty in their venues. While both lines are starting to "jump the shark" with the price of the specialty restaurants, the Radiance served us an appallingly bad dinner (in Chops) while the Teppanyaki Grill on the Pearl was better than similar Japanese places we've been to on land. (Both of these cost $30/pp.) The free MDR's on the Pearl were much, much better than on the Radiance, which surprised me. I had two dinners in Indigo that may have been the best MDR experiences I've ever had. The Garden Cafe food was way better than the Windjammer (yuck, just yuck) and the breakfast, lunch and snacks available in a variety of places were better on the Pearl too. Radiance does get the nod for room service - NCL now charges a ridiculous $8 fee for each order which I find so irksome I just wouldn't even use the service (which is, presumably the end goal of the fee in the first place).

Activities/Entertainment
Very close; maybe even a tie. Main showroom events every night were varied and of pretty good quality, with the Pearl having an edge in the quality of their singers and dancers and the Radiance gaining ground by including a live orchestra. Although we don't partake, both lines advertise a number of daily trivia contests, guest participation games, karoke and small-venue events like Love & Marriage and the Quest. There are many bars on each ship that host various types of live music. For movies, the Radiance excelled with an outdoor big screen, dedicated cinema and pay-per-view system in the rooms. The Pearl lacked all of these things and had instead a huge screen in the guest services area that was used for movies and Wii play (the location was not very conducive to either, IMO). As for active recreation, both ships lack; each have swimming and hot-tubbing, and a sports court but little else. Radiance had mini-golf while the Pearl had bowling alleys. No water slides, surf parks, ice rinks or ropes courses on either ship. Both ships offer gym facilities (better equipped and better located on the Radiance) and a spa with a Thermal Suite (for a fee). The Pearl thermal suite was way nicer with a thelasso-pool and a variety steam/sauna options, but it was also twice the price of the Radiance's thermal suite, which, on balance, made both of them quite a disappointment.

Service
The Pearl ran away with this category as well. Dining room service was pretty well flawless, the wait staff respectful and attentive and the courses timed perfectly. Our cabin steward was accessible and accommodating (they still fill the icebuckets twice a day!) and bar servers were omnipresent everywhere. In general, there just seemed to be a greater ratio of crew to passengers on the Pearl; on the Radiance the staff seemed harried and somehow less hospitable in general. We felt much more welcome and valued on the Pearl.

In Conclusion
Many aspects of the experience were better on the Pearl. As a ship, the Radiance was much more to our liking, even though it's out least favourite of all the RCCL ships we've sailed. Price-wise, NCL is uniformly less expensive than RCCL on any comparable itinerary and I think they deliver an excellent value, especially since they've been running a free dining or free drinks promotion for the better part of a year. RCCL promotions don't touch this. I'm hard pressed to say which line we'd favour over the other though - but I could happily recommend either to friends or family, depending on their own preferences.

Thank you @ronandannette for this thoughtful comparison! Very good info to know...

Shea&Van said:

Thank you @ronandannette for this thoughtful comparison! Very good info to know...

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I hope somebody found it useful. I wasn't sure where to put it and it's possible not too many people will see it. But if anybody is considering RCCL as an alternative to DCL, maybe some might be considering NCL as an alternative to RCCL, and I think it competes well.

bumbershoot said:

It sure would be cool. And I support it.

But I'm fairly certain Dis only added this one once Dreams Unlimited (owner/sponsor of wdwinfo/disboards) started booking Royal cruises.

And so much of the info here is also over on cruisecritic, that in some ways it's like reinventing the wheel.

Click to expand...

That's true, and I certainly check the forums on Cruise Critic as I'm preparing for my first RCCL cruise to Alaska next summer. However, having my only previous cruise experience being Disney, I find this forum particularly useful for the perspectives that folks can offer more directly comparing the advantages and disadvantages that DCL and RCCL offer.

I have a Princess and NCL vs DCL review in my signature also. Cruise Critic has great info on both lines, but there isn't a lot of DCL vs other lines posts.

ronandannette said:

I hope somebody found it useful. I wasn't sure where to put it and it's possible not too many people will see it. But if anybody is considering RCCL as an alternative to DCL, maybe some might be considering NCL as an alternative to RCCL, and I think it competes well.

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It has really helped me as well! We just booked an Alaska cruise for next year and seriously debated these two cruise lines...we ended up going with NCL, looks like we won't be disappointed.