Cruises- Differences in lines?

I've been on about 5 cruises in my life. All of them have been NCL, all of them have been excellent. HOWEVER, the food and entertainment is basically the same on every ship. Sure, they have two new ships with some fun, new entertainment, but the food is still the same and they are MUCH pricier and sailing to places I've already been or leaving from Florida, which I'd prefer not to do.

Anyway, I was wondering what really are the differences between NCL and other cruise lines? I've heard as many rants as I have raves about RCCL and Carnival so I don't know what to believe. I always thought the main difference was that NCL offers "freestyle" dining which lets you have dinner at any time rather than a designated time slot. But the thing is, we usually make reservations and eat at the same time every night anyway so is it THAT big of a deal to have a designated dinner time each night? Also, do you have to sit with people you don't know? That's weird to me! lol! That is one thing I don't think I'd like! Are there any other differences? And who do you think has the best entertainment?

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

Well my 1st cruise was a long time ago on NCL. We enjoyed it but after going on Celebrity we realized that we had a much better experience on Celebrity than on NCL. I have also gone on 2 Princess cruises and had a great time on there as well.

Yes there are definitely difference. I would love to try RCCL and Disney some day. But I will be honest like with many vacations you can put 2 people on the same ship and they will have 2 totally different experiences.

I think many lines these days have their own version of "anytime" dining. I know on Princess we had a choice of anytime OR traditional dining. They also do this on Celebrity. The traditional is just that - you have a set time early or late seating. You get the same table every night and the same wait staff. You may or may not dine with other. We haven't sat with others since our 2nd cruise (have done 15 or so cruises). We either dine with those we are traveling with or have a table for 2. I have eaten with others when going to the dining room at lunch but don't love it so we request a private table.

With anytime dining - it might be the same dining room (just a separate area they reserve) or you might have a different dining room just for anytime diners. We did this with Princess. With Celebrity we prefer traditional. Princess let us pick a specific time and come that time every night (we ended up with something that was a better time for us than early or late seating). This also allowed us to request a table for 2 every night. But you have the option of coming anytime. You might have to wait and you might or might not get your own table - most times you dine with others. But you can usually arrange in advance for a separate table. We just speak with the Maitre d and they are very accommodating.

As far as food - I can say that the food was much better on Celebrity than on Princess. But I have to say that "reputation" wise - Celebrity is supposed to have the best food. But honestly we have had cruises and some ships the food is better than others. I can say every cruise I have taken I have heard conversations where people compare the cruises - One person says - Oh the food is horrible I found the food on RCCL or Carnival to be so much better. While the person they are speaking with completely disagrees and says Oh the food on x ship was disgusting. So you kind of have to take it with a grain of salt. I can say my cousin went on his honeymoon and loved RCCL in the past - but said on their cruise the food was inedible - and lets says he is not very picky. But has thought the food was amazing on another RCCL ship. So it can also vary by ship and not just line.

I think it is fun to try new lines. One important thing though is to make sure no matter what you choose that you pick one that fits YOU. I think a lot of times that people don't have a great time is that they didn't choose one that fits their personal preference. You don't want to pick a line that is party, party, party, if you want quiet, rest and relaxation, or one that is all families if you want an almost adult only experience. I think that there is a ship and line for most people just finding the right fit is important. I have had friends who tried one line who hated it and swore they would never cruise again - but tried a different line and now love cruising.

But yes there is definitely a difference in the lines. Some might be less important to you than others or less noticeable but I do think there is definitely a difference between lines.

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I'm a RCCL cruiser, never been on a different line.
My perception of Carnival is that it is more of a younger, party ship.
Holland America is more of an older crowd. NCL is a tier below RCCL Disney is for families. (again these are my perceptions and also info from my TA.)
I like RCCL, but am thinking of upgrading to their Celebrity ships for our 2013 cruise. Azamara Cruises is the luxury line for RCCL.

They all pretty much have the same itineraries, and I am so bored with the Caribbean. Looking to do Europe/Meditteranean for 2013.

RCCL also has the free style dining option, we just prefer to have a set dining time because we travel in a group of a lot of people. Can you imagine trying to get 14 people to agree on a dinner time every night ?
If it just two of you, you can request a table for two. Otherwise you will be assigned a larger table and yes, you will see the same people at dinner every night.

I like the entertainment on RCCL, might have missed a show or two just because I felt like doing something else.

If you want to try RCCL, join my group of I think 18, sailing April 26th out of Bayonne. We are doing a 9 night cruise sailing to Bermuda, St. Maarten, Puerto Rico, and Labadee.
Ship is Explorer of the Seas.

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

Thank you both for your insights! This is extremely helpful.

We're usually cruising with my ILs, who are die hard NCL fans. They said they went on an RCCL cruise years ago and hated it so they stuck with NCL. I've never had a negative experience on any of my cruises, but like you both said, I get bored with the same stuff every time so I've been thinking I want to try a new cruise line. DH is going to be the one who needs convincing though- he's of the mind that MIL's word is law so if she says RCCL is rubbish, it must be. That's why I asked on here! lol! I wanted to gather my arguements so I have an answer for every complaint!

But honestly, I think the dining thing is what gets him. I've always thought other lines were much less flexible with dining and that you'd be forced to sit with a large grou of strangers. It's good to know that it's not.

April 26th is no good for us though, but I definitely want to try to get him to consider a different cruise line. We also still have an all-inclusive in Costa Rica or DR in the back of our brains, too! We just want something a little different- we went to Couples Swept Away in Jamaica in September and it was by far the best trip we've ever taken. I need more of those days!

Thanks again everyone!

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Ive been on Princess, Carnival and Celebrity and Celebrity is def the best! Carnival def gives you the most bang for your buck, the food and entertainment was good and we were on a brand new ship so it was really nice but the crowd can be a little rowdy. Princess was a classier ship but the food was horrible. On celebrity the staff was better, the food was better, the restaurants on the ship were awesome and it was one of their new ships so it was really spectacular.

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I have been on Carnival, Celebrity, RCCL and NCL.

I like Carnival, mostly because of the cost and slightly larger cabins

I Like RCCL a little more than Carnival. The Services is a little better, the Food is about the same. I love the private Islands...which Carnival doesn't have. Also, there seems to be more on-board activities on Sea Days

Celebrity is by far my favorite, but this is a cruise line that I will wait to take the kids on. The food, the service an the decor all out rank RCCL and Carnival.

NCL is my least favorite, and I will not be returning to this Cruise Line any time soon

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I've been on...
Celebrity Silhouette
Royal (2)
Princess (many)
HAL (1)
NCL (1)
I like the lines in that order.
IDK if HAL had the freestyle but all of the other lines do. You can request a table for two, make reservations, or even request a table for two with the same waiter every night.
Night time entertainment has varied greatly for me. Some great comics, some awful ones.
Depending on the length, itinerary & time of year of the cruise, the clubs have been dead or packed.
The longer the cruise, the older the crowd.
We book cruises according to ports then cruise line.
I liked the celebrity shows the best, but also really like Princess' movies under the stars (it's outdoors). I've only been on Royal's older ships but their hot tubs are open later than most. Definitely want to try one of their giant newer ships.
Try some different lines. If after two different ones you're not pleased, at least you'll know NCL is for you if you're going to cruise.

Message edited 1/20/2012 8:52:46 PM.

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

IMO RC is so much better than NCL - and then Celebrity is above RC for food, service but more of an older crowd, so if you're looking for a 'younger' crowd then RC might be more your speed.. Faster!

The only reason I go on NCL is because it's cheap. If I want quality then I'd go on RC or Celebrity.

Message edited 1/19/2012 8:52:50 PM.

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

I just got back from an RCCL and hated it. They have flexible dining though.

If they like NCL so much, I am pretty sure they will love Princess. Everyone I know who cruises a lot, always put NCL and Princess together. And princess is supposed to be one of the nicer, higher end lines.

And if your in laws already hate RCCL, it will be easier to talk them into a different cruise line than that one!

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I've only been on Carnival (6 times) and I loved each one so much. I've never gotten that "party" vibe and the crowd was always very mixed.

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We just got back from a Royal Caribbean cruise - Explorer of the Seas. In comparison to our other two cruises (both on Celebrity), it was good but not great. Food was much better on Celebrity, focus on service was better on Celebrity.

We wouldn't rule out another cruise with Royal Caribbean, though. But if we want a better food and service, we'd go Celebrity in a heartbeat.

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I agree with many of the other servers that it varies not only between cruise lines but also between ships. I have been on RCCL 6 times and always had a good experience, but the quality of the food has varied greatly. Some times it has been excellent, sometimes good, and once just ok. I went on one Celebrity cruise, the food was great, the dining room service was great, but we had many other issues (problems with our cruise cards not working properly, concierge class with service that was not at all concierge level.) The entertainment was very similar on RCCL and celebrity. I think I would have a good time no matter what cruise line I went on.

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I've been on two Carnival cruises and loved them both. I did not find them to be party ships, as many perceive them. I have been on one RCCL cruise and found the crowds to be fairly similar. There is so much to do on these ships that there is something for everyone.I love the piano bars on Carnival. I do have to say that while the food was decent on my most recent Carnival cruise (2009), it was not as good as I remember on either of my past cruises, but those were in 1998 (carnival) and 2002 (RCCL), so things may have changed. Carnival now has anytime dining in one of the main dining rooms, or you can still elect to have an assigned seating. Personally, I like assigned seatings. I like getting to know my tablemates, and enjoy having the same waiter every night.

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Wow! This is great!!! A lot of information to sort through but thank you so much for all your input!

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

I love the Cruise Critic forums, if you havent yet looked over there - def check it out. I was addicted to that site right before I went on my first RCCL cruise last year on Navigator of the Seas.

FWIW, I dont know what the other cruise lines were like but I went with 3 other friends and all 5 of us had a table all to ourselves at dinner. We had 2 options for dinner - early dinner at 6/6:30 pm or late dining at 8/8:30 pm. The early dining option is better because most of the shows start at 8-9 pm and you can miss them.

We enjoyed the ship, the food and had a wonderful time. I think RCCL ships are designed a lot better than other cruise lines' ships and the fact that Oasis of the Seas/Allure of the Seas has a flowrider and ice rink --well thats one reason I am looking to book my next RCCL cruise soon...lol.

Re: Cruises- Differences in lines?

I have been on 8 - a combo of RCCL, Carnival, Celebrity, and Silja line (a European line.)

I think the reason you are getting so many different answers is because it's ship specific almost as much as it's line specific.

For example, if I had to pick, I like RCCL the best overall. However, there were Carnival ships that I liked better than one particular RCCL ship I went on (an old ship that no longer sails under RCCL.) So if someone's only cruise on RCCL was on that particular older ship, and then they sailed Carnival, they would probably rank Carnival better and I wouldn't blame them. However, they might feel differently if they had sailed other ships in RCCL's fleet.

If you tell us more about the experience you are looking for, we can probably help you more.

Cruisecritic is great although it can be overwhelming.

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i did RCCL for my HM and honestly, nothing else compares IMO

we were on the explorer of the seas for 15 days - we did back to back - 5 day bermuda, and 10 day western caribbean

i've been on probably a dozen norwegian cruises in the past with my family, one celebrity, one princess, three or four carnival cruises.

good luck!

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I've done rc, princess, ncl and carnival..


rc is my favorite - princess and ncl were both nice - carnival was my least favorite - won't go on it again

when we cruise again it will be royal Caribbean unless we get a phenomenal deal with princess or ncl..