The only reason I can really come up with is Royal Caribbean are a lot better at marketing to the UK market. Granted they do have a lot more ships over here to fill, so they have to spend a bit more to cover all the ships. But NCL are massive company and the brand has a lot to offer. They are an all around product and are equally suitable if you are 5 or 50. This is due to the amount of facilities on offer, which I will go into later. If you want to be very active in the gym, or go on one of the many pre-arranged excursions, or maybe even if you just want to relax in the sun NCL has it all.
The main difference between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruise Line is that NCL is a completely freestyle experience. This does not mean that it is ok the go to dinner in your swimming trunks. It just means that in terms of dining you have a Steak House, an Italian, a Chinese, a Mexican, a French Bistro and many others. In terms of cuisine, there are not many other lines out there that can match the variety of food on offer. Another unique selling point is that there are no formal dining nights on board. Although it is true alot of people like to dress up, there are probably an equal number of people who do not. NCL is smart casual throughout, so anybody who wants to avoid the "stuffiness" of traditional cruising then give NCL a go. It's really an ideal option for families with kids who don't want to dress up also.
The NCL ships tend to be on the large / huge scale and carry between 2000 - 3500 passengers. In terms of children's facilities, really only Royal Caribbean can compare. Water parks, Bowling alleys, Rock climbing walls, Sports courts, Kids clubs and Discos are a few of the options that are on offer.
For adults, apart from the various dining venues, including a "Teppanyaki" restaurant where Japanese Chefs, slice, dice and cook meals there right in front of you. NCL do have various night clubs, bars and entertainment to pass the night. The shows on board included the Blueman Group and Cirque Dreams to name a few. Or if you prefer a nice relaxing day by the pool and then a soothing Spa treatment, then you can do that too!
So to summarise the point I am trying to make is that NCL are an excellent brand. I can quite confidently say that most people who enjoy Royal Caribbean cruises are highly likely to enjoy NCL.
Adults and kids alike, there is plenty on offer. So if you are stuck for a cruise this summer give me a call, and you never know I may just convert you to NCL!
If you like anything that you read above, NCL are running a 4 day Sale from Friday 9th March to Monday 12th March 2012 where savings of up to £250 are on offer. So if you are thinking about trying NCL, I would strongly recommend to act quickly and prices will defiantly go back up next Tuesday!
We chose Royal Caribbean over NCL when we found reviews and also spoke to people who had been treated like cattle when it came to the eating experience. Not enough tables , having to queue all the time and waiting up to one and a half hours for a table. Most of the restaurants that you mention charge a high fee to eat in them so you do need to have plenty of spare cash to pay for them. Regards Higgy
ReplyDeleteMost what u say is true but 2 say your treated like cattle is way over the top we did have 2 queue sometimes & it depends on what time you decide to eat really we never waited more than. 10 mins on the epic. We found the crew members very friendly all over the ship some bar staff even remembered our names when we were just passing by their bar & it's not because we spent alot of time in the bars I only have soft drinks & 3 at the most. Yes you do pay to dine in the restaurants we never used any of them we went to the main dining rooms the comment I'd make on that is the menu is repetative. The shows & clubs are good the fat cats club is brilliant with the slam Allan band my main & only complaint is paying 12$ p/p a day for tips which is added to your account I prefer to hand tips over to the crew members personally. Finally I am lucky enough to cruise 3/4 times a year & have been with many cruise lines to the med/Caribbean/fjords & nil epic is a really nice ship I would go on it again rbi are very good & we've been with them the most allure of the seas there largest ship is fantastic. Carnival ships are also great they have the fun factor
DeleteHi I have tried both. NCL is very good, but is more Americanised. The comedians were definitely more used to an American audience. NCL sailed from Dover (Baltics) and IOTS from southampton. I would go on NCL again if the itinerary was right as when we went it was.Took elderly parents on their 1st cruise Dad's 80th Birthday and were looked after brilliantly. Ship was a bit smaller than IOTS but taht wasn't a problem either.Liked the corridor carpets as the fish design shows you the way to front of ship, so easy to know where u are.
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