NCL or Royal Caribbean?

When looking at cruise lines, there is a lot to consider. What is most important to you? Is it the food, the destinations, the entertainment, or perks? Here is my experience with both NCL and Royal Caribbean.

First off, I must say that both cruise lines are amazing. They both have beautiful ships and great ports of calls. From my experience, you would not be disappointed with either cruise line.

NCL offers freestyle dining. What is freestyle dining? Freestyle dining is choosing your own desired time to enjoy dinner. You can make reservations, but they are not necessary. More than likely your wait staff will be different every night and you will not be set at the same table as the previous night. Royal Caribbean ships allow you to pick a time for dinner. Usually, it is 5:30 or 8:30. You will have an assigned table and assigned wait staff. Some people enjoy this for many reasons. The table is ready upon arrival, you get to know your wait staff and they learn your preferences quickly. Both experiences are great, it is simply what works best for your party.

Drink packages can be very expensive on all ships. If you plan to drink, you need to figure out if the drink package is worth it. NCL offers the drink package as "perk". This covers all drinks up to $15 and most all drinks are around that price. If there is a drink that is over $15, you would only pay the difference. When visiting NCL's private island, the drink package was not included on the island. Guests had to pay for drinks out of pocket. Royal Caribbean offers the drink package as well, but it came at a higher price and not considered a perk. The drink was amazing on Royal Caribbean and when you visited their private island, the drink package was included as well as the food.

Entertainment on both cruise lines was great. The boarding process seemed to be easier with Royal Caribbean than NCL. Ports of call were great and that is something you choose when you book. What destinations would you like to visit? There are many choices for ports as well as duration of cruises.

If you have not ever cruised before or if you have cruised and are ready to book your next cruise, please click on the link below and start making plans for your next vacation.