RCCL vs NCL - couples vacation

[kamgen]

So, I am considering booking a surprise for my hubby for his 40th birthday! We have cruised DCL 15 times and have been hesitant to try another line. I have been researching both RCCL and NCL for the month of April. It would be just the two of us, no kids
Looking for opinions and experiences and thoughts from those who have cruised RCCL and/or NCL.
Looking at a 4 or 7nt out of a FL port since we live in FL.
Thanks!!!!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

Hi! I'm an avid cruiser...been on 8 DCL cruises, 12 NCL cruises, 2 Celebrity cruises and 1 Carnival Cruise. I am sailing on RCCL next year, so I can't comment on that. I've cruised NCL lots of times and can definitely give opinions on that. For an Adults only cruise sans kids, NCL is great. Which ship do you plan on going on? I have been on the older ships and the newer ships and I HIGHLY recommend the newer ships. While the older ships are fun, the newer ships are a whole level above with Broadway shows, water parks, etc. What specific questions can I answer?

 

[kamgen]

Hi! I'm an avid cruiser...been on 8 DCL cruises, 12 NCL cruises, 2 Celebrity cruises and 1 Carnival Cruise. I am sailing on RCCL next year, so I can't comment on that. I've cruised NCL lots of times and can definitely give opinions on that. For an Adults only cruise sans kids, NCL is great. Which ship do you plan on going on? I have been on the older ships and the newer ships and I HIGHLY recommend the newer ships. While the older ships are fun, the newer ships are a whole level above with Broadway shows, water parks, etc. What specific questions can I answer?

Thanks!!! The NCL ships that I am looking at are Escape, Getaway and Sky
The RCCL ships are Allure, Independence and Majesty

Ports don't matter as much as the ship does, but we would love to see something different, especially since the kids won't be coming. This allows us freedom to venture out a bit more. My hubby will love having a casino, and I love entertainment and sunshine!
Thanks for your help!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

Thanks!!! The NCL ships that I am looking at are Escape, Getaway and Sky
The RCCL ships are Allure, Independence and Majesty

Ports don't matter as much as the ship does, but we would love to see something different, especially since the kids won't be coming. This allows us freedom to venture out a bit more. My hubby will love having a casino, and I love entertainment and sunshine!
Thanks for your help!

I've been on NCL Sky and NCL Getawy's sister ship the Breakaway. I absolutely LOVE the Breakaway! I can't imagine not loving the Escape. The Escape is their newest! I'd go for Getaway or Escape...the Sky is OLD and quite honestly my least favorite. I haven't sailed on RCCL yet, but I'm sailing her next year. We will be on Independence of the Seas. Of the 3 you mentioned, I'd go for Allure first then Indy. Majesty is OLD and does not appeal to me. Lol

FYI...both NCL and RCCL's newest ships have actual Broadway shows! Not just abbreviated versions of the shows...actual full length Broadway shows. If you're looking for awesome entertainment, definitely stick with one of these 4 ships. The Sky's entertainment was weak and paled in comparison...I was happy the cruise didn't last longer than 4 nights! (Kidding...I LOVE cruising no matter what!
NCL GETAWAY - LEGALLY BLONDE
NCL ESCAPE - AFTER MIDNIGHT
RCCL INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS - GREASE
RCCL ALLURE OF THE SEAS - MAMMA MIA

 

[Dug720]

I've been on NCL Sky and NCL Getawy's sister ship the Breakaway. I absolutely LOVE the Breakaway! I can't imagine not loving the Escape. The Escape is their newest! I'd go for Getaway or Escape...the Sky is OLD and quite honestly my least favorite. I haven't sailed on RCCL yet, but I'm sailing her next year. We will be on Independence of the Seas. Of the 3 you mentioned, I'd go for Allure first then Indy. Majesty is OLD and does not appeal to me. Lol

FYI...both NCL and RCCL's newest ships have actual Broadway shows! Not just abbreviated versions of the shows...actual full length Broadway shows. If you're looking for awesome entertainment, definitely stick with one of these 4 ships. The Sky's entertainment was weak and paled in comparison...I was happy the cruise didn't last longer than 4 nights! (Kidding...I LOVE cruising no matter what!
NCL GETAWAY - LEGALLY BLONDE
NCL ESCAPE - AFTER MIDNIGHT
RCCL INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS - GREASE
RCCL ALLURE OF THE SEAS - MAMMA MIA

FWIW, reports are that the run time on Grease is 90 minutes. The legit Broadway show is over 2 hours. The 90 minutes is more in line with "Grease, Jr." which is geared to be performed by schools both in length and content (IOW it's been "sanitized").

I don't know about the others, but having seen three of the four ON BROADWAY, if they aren't in the 2 hour 15 minute to 2 hour 30 minute range with intermission, they have been cut.

 

[kamgen]

Thanks for all the information. Another thought I am having is that we are looking to sail to Alaska in the next 2 years and I figure it will be on NCL or RCCL. If we try them now, we can get a feel for the line itself. Any thoughts??

We love Broadway shows!!! Mama Mia interests me the most, but I fear that Allure will lack the intimacy and be overcrowded. Plus price tag is an issue

 

[DisMommyTX]

For the last couple years, we have been able to get the free beverage package on all of our NCL cruises, but none of our RCCL trips. If you enjoy adult beverages, free unlimited drinks can significantly improve the experience!!

 

[In Luv with Disney]

FWIW, reports are that the run time on Grease is 90 minutes. The legit Broadway show is over 2 hours. The 90 minutes is more in line with "Grease, Jr." which is geared to be performed by schools both in length and content (IOW it's been "sanitized").

I don't know about the others, but having seen three of the four ON BROADWAY, if they aren't in the 2 hour 15 minute to 2 hour 30 minute range with intermission, they have been cut.

Oh, thanks for this info. I wasn't sure how it was on RCCL. On NCL, they are over 2 hours and they haven't been cut, they are the full musicals. Either way, they are FANTASTIC additions to the onboard entertainment.

 

[kamgen]

So I have narrowed it down based on our time frame and it looks like RCCL is Majesty and Oasis or NCL is Escape, Jade or Pearl.
Any specific reviews on these would be great. Thanks!

 

[Scoobypop]

As dismommy said above, if cocktails are something you enjoy, you can't beat NCL's offers they have been doing the past two years or so. They are basically "including" a choice of two (or 5 depending on category booked) "free" offers. We always pick the Unlimited Beverage Package and Free Specialty Dining offers, but there are some others that may appeal to you as well. I put the "free" in quotes because obviously they have worked the cost into the fare, but depending on your alcohol consumption, it's a fantastic deal. You pay the gratuity on it, which comes to about $95, so for they cost, you can try any cocktail you like under $15 all week long.

Escape is a great ship, as stated above, it's brand new. The adult pool, which isn't really a pool, it's a waterfall grotto, is my favorite adult pool I've ever had on a cruise. 15 DCL, 2 NCL and 3 RCI. I also LOVED their night time parties. If you like nightlife as adults, you don't want to miss the theme parties. Thy are held at Spice H2O, which is the adult pool/deck area, so just the outdoor venue we thought was really great. Tons of bars and restaurants, free and up charge, so you'll never go hungry. I love sailing out of Miami, it's beautiful scenery to watch as you pull away, and a fun city to spend the night in before the cruise. The other show besides After Midnight, is For the Record: Dear John Hughes. It was terrific for an 80's kid who grew up on John Hughes movies. It was definitely NOT sanitized, as in there is adult language and guys and girls dancing in their underwear for entire scenes.

Also been on Allure, and it is a big ship, but laid out so well that honestly, it never felt crowded EXCEPt for in their adult pool, the Solarium. The pool is just way too small for a ship that size. Same complaints people have had about DCL pools on these boards for years. I also loved Allure, but I think you mentioned Oasis is now in the running, which a sister ship, so imagine it's quite similar. For me personally, given the two, oasis or escape, I'd choose escape again. Cats is the Broadway show on oasis now. Both have greet specialty dining options, but the adult pool and activities and the free beverage package and specialty dining would give escape the edge, in my opinion. If I can answer any other questions about escape or allure or RCI/NCL, feel free to ask, I'll share what I can based on my experiences on both.

 

[In Luv with Disney]

As dismommy said above, if cocktails are something you enjoy, you can't beat NCL's offers they have been doing the past two years or so. They are basically "including" a choice of two (or 5 depending on category booked) "free" offers. We always pick the Unlimited Beverage Package and Free Specialty Dining offers, but there are some others that may appeal to you as well. I put the "free" in quotes because obviously they have worked the cost into the fare, but depending on your alcohol consumption, it's a fantastic deal. You pay the gratuity on it, which comes to about $95, so for they cost, you can try any cocktail you like under $15 all week long.

Escape is a great ship, as stated above, it's brand new. The adult pool, which isn't really a pool, it's a waterfall grotto, is my favorite adult pool I've ever had on a cruise. 15 DCL, 2 NCL and 3 RCI. I also LOVED their night time parties. If you like nightlife as adults, you don't want to miss the theme parties. Thy are held at Spice H2O, which is the adult pool/deck area, so just the outdoor venue we thought was really great. Tons of bars and restaurants, free and up charge, so you'll never go hungry. I love sailing out of Miami, it's beautiful scenery to watch as you pull away, and a fun city to spend the night in before the cruise. The other show besides After Midnight, is For the Record: Dear John Hughes. It was terrific for an 80's kid who grew up on John Hughes movies. It was definitely NOT sanitized, as in there is adult language and guys and girls dancing in their underwear for entire scenes.

Also been on Allure, and it is a big ship, but laid out so well that honestly, it never felt crowded EXCEPt for in their adult pool, the Solarium. The pool is just way too small for a ship that size. Same complaints people have had about DCL pools on these boards for years. I also loved Allure, but I think you mentioned Oasis is now in the running, which a sister ship, so imagine it's quite similar. For me personally, given the two, oasis or escape, I'd choose escape again. Cats is the Broadway show on oasis now. Both have greet specialty dining options, but the adult pool and activities and the free beverage package and specialty dining would give escape the edge, in my opinion. If I can answer any other questions about escape or allure or RCI/NCL, feel free to ask, I'll share what I can based on my experiences on both.

This is a great review...makes me want to sail on the Escape!

 

[zoo2tycoon]

This is a great review...makes me want to sail on the Escape!

We are going on the Escape next May. Have you been to cruise critic? Lots of great info on all the cruise lines. We were torn between Allure and Escape, I got great info here and had 2 reservations for about a month before finally deciding on the Escape.

 

[msjprincess]

I can't comment on NCL but as far as RCCL goesm I would definitely pick Oasis over Majesty

 

[Frozen2014]

Can't comment on NCL, but Allure is amazing. It is a large ship so you have to be ok with that, but there are so many food options (both complimentary and specialty), entertainment is top notch from Broadway show Mamma Mia to the Aqua show to ice skating, etc. There are lots of activities and different neighbourhoods. But is slides are important to you, then this isn't the ship as Allure doesn't have any (but a variety of pools, flowriders, zipline, rock walls, etc)

 

[In Luv with Disney]

We are going on the Escape next May. Have you been to cruise critic? Lots of great info on all the cruise lines. We were torn between Allure and Escape, I got great info here and had 2 reservations for about a month before finally deciding on the Escape.

Yes, I'm obsessed with that site! I'm trying to decide between NCL Escape and our traditional Disney Fantasy for President's Week 2018. While DCL hasnt released pricing for those dates yet, I'm comparing what I'm paying this Feb and the Feb 2018 Escape will cost us HALF what DCL is costing me in Feb 2017! And that includes FREE BEVERAGE PACKAGE and FREE GRATUITIES! That's huge!!! So depending on the Fantasy itinerary...we just might be cruising on the Escape!

 

[Scoobypop]

Yes, I'm obsessed with that site! I'm trying to decide between NCL Escape and our traditional Disney Fantasy for President's Week 2018. While DCL hasnt released pricing for those dates yet, I'm comparing what I'm paying this Feb and the Feb 2018 Escape will cost us HALF what DCL is costing me in Feb 2017! And that includes FREE BEVERAGE PACKAGE and FREE GRATUITIES! That's huge!!! So depending on the Fantasy itinerary...we just might be cruising on the Escape!

So many of us on this site are avid DCL and Disney fans, no denying, but pricing has forced several of us to look elsewhere these past few years. Other people have said this a few times both on this site and the DCL forum, but there is definitely life after Disney. We LOVED the Escape. Yes, it's a big ship, like Allure, and Fantasy, but as long as you have good "cruise ship flow", you should be okay. What I mean by that is, know when and where the crowds will be coming from, like big events, and if you don't like crowds, it is easy to avoid them. Sort of the way we watch the Pirate Party on DCL from the top deck to stay out of the madness. Like I said, the Escape had my favorite adult pool EVER, in the Waterfall Grotto. We just came off the Anthem in August, and that Solarium (Adult Only) pool was pretty spectacular too, three small pools, but multi-leveled. Very classy and cool, and never crowded. As much as I loved the Allure, I did think the Solarium pool was way too small to enjoy.

We were initially booked on a 7 night Epic for this coming March 2017. But some friends who haven't sailed DCL decided now they finally wanted to try it. So we have now switched to a 4 night Dream, Oceanview, so our first time ever in 18 cruises with no balcony, and it is STILL more than our 7 night Epic would have been, and the Epic would have included our alcohol and specialty dining (or gratuities, or internet, depending on ones choosing). I don't even like to think about the cost difference, but we are doing it to sail with our friends who want to try DCL. So after that, it will probably be it until 2021 when the next new DCL ship comes out, and in the meantime, continue to enjoy NCL and RCI.

 

[goofy4prez]

We are going on the Escape next May. Have you been to cruise critic? Lots of great info on all the cruise lines. We were torn between Allure and Escape, I got great info here and had 2 reservations for about a month before finally deciding on the Escape.

We are going to be sailing on the Escape ourselves doing the Western Caribbean the week of May 13th. This will be the first time we will not be going to WDW in a long time. I'm going to wait until they are done with HS and AK before going back. I agree with you about Cruise Critic; It's been a wealth of information for me with this being our first cruise in 25 years. Which sailing are you going to be on?

I should say that we really wanted to do a Disney cruise but it was just way more than I wanted to pay. Love Disney, but I'm not smoking that pixie dust for a Disney cruise.

 

[zoo2tycoon]

We are going to be sailing on the Escape ourselves doing the Western Caribbean the week of May 13th. This will be the first time we will not be going to WDW in a long time. I'm going to wait until they are done with HS and AK before going back. I agree with you about Cruise Critic; It's been a wealth of information for me with this being our first cruise in 25 years. Which sailing are you going to be on?

I should say that we really wanted to do a Disney cruise but it was just way more than I wanted to pay. Love Disney, but I'm not smoking that pixie dust for a Disney cruise.

The week after you! May 20th. I wanted to do the May 13 but kids getting done with college made it too hard. I'm really excited to try NCL. As a family we did our first cruise in January on Celebrity. Did RCL 23 years ago on honeymoon!

 

[tarheelmjfan]

Thanks for all the information. Another thought I am having is that we are looking to sail to Alaska in the next 2 years and I figure it will be on NCL or RCCL. If we try them now, we can get a feel for the line itself. Any thoughts??

We love Broadway shows!!! Mama Mia interests me the most, but I fear that Allure will lack the intimacy and be overcrowded. Plus price tag is an issue

I'm also deciding between RCCL, NCL & Carnival for a cruise next year. At the moment I'm leaning toward RCCL. Due to our vacation style, we would have a large onboard bill on NCL. When I'm ready to book, I'll price them all out anyway to see what the final total would be.

Anyway, I posted all of that unhelpful info to suggest you choose a ship for Alaska that has Glacier Bay or Hubbard Glacier on the itinerary. IMO, that's the highlight of an Alaskan cruise. Hubbard Glacier was awe inspiring. The glacier we saw on an NCL cruise I went on was nothing more than a frozen river to me. I was with my sisters & was so disappointed for them, after seeing how amazing a glacier can be. One of my sisters booked that cruise. If I had booked it, I wouldn't have chosen that itinerary in the first place. For Alaska, you really should choose itinerary first, then cruise line & ship.

 

[Paula Sedley-Burke]

We have sailed NCL and DCL and booked RC for next year. I enjoyed NCL pride of America ship but The Jade we sailed her twice. No thanks. But that's just our view. It wasn't the nicest ship , had noro virus on both occasions , staff were poor and we wouldn't sail with them again. Pride of America was lovely completely different experience. The Ocean View on The Jade was the smallest cabin I have ever stayed in. Food was awful.