NCL vs RCCL

I agre, the cow and I seem to eat alnoe even at a large table? It used to
bother me, but now prefer it!
"Lee Lindquist" wrote in message
...
On 7 Jan 2007 13:51:24 -0800, "number6" wrote:

I'm a big freestyle fan as you are ... but the alternative has things
going for it also ... Many on vacation like to socialize during meals
... and having the same set of tablemates often leads to a nice
experience ... having the same wait staff ... who are trained to lea

A couple years ago, we met two other couples whilst on Golden
Princess. For the rest of the cruise, we had dinner together
in the personal choice dining room -- set up a reservation with
the same table, waiter and assistant waiter.

With some of the ass^h^h^h^h fine folks I've sat with in the
past, I prefer to interview my dinner companions before
committing to an entire cruise with them. And, they are
welcome to reciprocate.

And, I'm really over strangers using my bread plate.

And, I'm even more over watching someone's freakin' spawn
take butter out of the butter dish with their paw.

If I had done that as a child, in the view of my mother,
'd be ty ng with ne hand
--
- Lee

Jim Booth wrote:

*Only* freestyle for me. The very last thing I would want is a time to
eat.....guess I have lived in Alaska just too long where people do pretty
much as they want and not be structured.

Just don't understand those that take a vacation and have restrictions to
it.....like dinning.

Well, you can look at it another way...

Having to figure out dinner plans for each evening, making
reservations, hoping for a table at a time that I want to dine, waiting
for a table, paying extra for several of the dining venues....not my
idea of relaxation. Knowing that there's a seat waiting for me at the
same time each evening, with the same tablemates (only one table out of
all my cruises was a dud), same waitstaff who know my preferences from
day one...that's vacation.

Lee



JIM

On our first two cruises we had traditional dining and unfortunately
meeting the same people meal after meal after meal was extremely
wearisome. It prevented us from meeting new people during the day and
sharing a meal with them in the evening. This is the beauty of NCL
Freestyle.




John Sisker wrote:
SD,

My wife Deborah and I have personally been on both lines, and as already
pointed out, the biggest difference is Norwegian Cruise Line (NCL) has
Freestyle Dining, while Royal Caribbean International (RCI) has the more
Traditional Dining. While Deborah did like the Freestyle concept of NCL, I
actually prefer the more traditional dining as found on RCI. Yet, like a few
others, we tend to adjust and make the most out of what we can. In other
words, either works for us. Yet, we did both agree, that while the Freestyle
concept allowed for much greater flexibility, the service did tend to suffer
because of it.

While RCI does seem to have a little better reputation in the industry with
both the traveling public and agents, NCL is certainly doing what it can to
overcome some of the negative comments it has received. The bottom line, at
least for us, is that would have no issue with sailing on either line again.
Again, to us, it would not be a matter of comparing cruise line to cruise
line, or even ship to ship, but what would best match our time frame and
budget.

Happy sailing,
John Sisker, SHIP-TO-SHORE CRUISE AGENCY®
(714) 536-3850 or toll free at (800) 724-6644 & (pagoo ID: 714.536.3850)
www.shiptoshorecruise.com

Proveniebam wrote:
On our first two cruises we had traditional dining and unfortunately
meeting the same people meal after meal after meal was extremely
wearisome. It prevented us from meeting new people during the day and
sharing a meal with them in the evening. This is the beauty of NCL
Freestyle.



It really is "to each his own". I've only had 1 bad table in 20+
cruises and we switched tables after the first night. If I had to wait
in line even one second to get into a "PC" (which did in fact happen the
1 time I tried PC for a whole week) or "Freestyle" dining room I'd go
ballistic....as I loathe loathe loathe waiting on lines, especially on
vacation! The time of second seating works fine for me....I've never
had to "rush" at the end of my day since it's at 8:30 of course (and
usually can fit in my workout in the gym and some hot tub time before
dinner) and waltzing into the dining room for what is really, to me, a
very nice social event, works for me.

Jeff

On the first trip on HAL with traditional dining (in 1950) my parents
and my sister and I all ate at a table for four. No problem.

The first cruise we had on the Maasdam where we had traditional dining
it was really nice and we had such fun with our table mates although we
had not met before - it didn't matter at all that we had to be in the
dining room at a specified time - that was no problem for us. Although
we didn't find that the wait staff was all that good about remembering
what we wanted. Some of our tablemates wanted decafe, and they would
often get regular coffee instead.

The second cruise we had the same table (and I really liked the table)
with different wait staff. It was much less pleasant. This was a
table for 6, and we had two older ladies who were upset because they
wanted a larger table, so as soon as they could, they switched. They
were replaced with other couple whom we found very compatible. (She
had purchased beer with her meal, but the drinks person often had to be
reminded to bring it - another instance where the idea that the staff
will remember your wants didn't quite work. But in general this set of
waiters did much better than the first set)

But the other couple who were there initially never came to dinner
after the first three nights. So their seats were vacant for 10 days
straight. About the third or fourth day we became concerned and asked
- they could have fallen ill, or fallen overboard or something.
(fortunately Bob remembered their room number). Their response was
that they were enjoying eating in their cabin which had a veranda.
That meant that when we ate at the Pinnacle Grill, or when the other
couple went to a BBQ on the Lido Deck, the couple that remained was
eating alone. I found this disappointing. It would not have happened
with Freestyle.

I noticed that a lot of tables were empty or had very few people at
them


Sue and Kevin Mullen wrote:
Boomer wrote:
"Sue and Kevin Mullen" wrote in message
...


SD wrote:

Hi All,
I have taken RCCL trips previously but never NCL. I am interested in
going to Bermuda and see a lot of specials going on with NCL. Can
someone tell me what their experience has been on NCL ? I was thinking
of going end of April.

I am booked on the NCL Crown this coming August, but haven't sailed with
them before. The biggest difference between the 2 cruise lines is that
RCCL has only Traditional Dining and NCL has only Freestyle Dining. I am
not thrilled with the idea of Freestyle, but my DH wants to try it and it
is the best deal for Bermuda this coming summer.

sue


What could you not like about Freestyle? It's just like Princess's pc dining
but without the dressiness. If you like a particular time, it can be
reserved, if you want to sit with 2 other couples, no problem. It lets YOU
choose who you want to sit with instead of being told who to sit with. We've
been stuck with people I have nothing in common with to many times & have to
force myself to converse with them for the entire week. Correct me if I'm
wrong but I don't believe RCCL has that option- Yet.

We enjoy traditional dining, same table mates and wait staff every
night. We get to know our table mates very well and our wait staff
knows exactly what our needs and/or wants are. We have never had a bad
experience with table mates in our 16 cruises so far.

I have heard many negative reports on the service/food with PC and
Free Style dining, but that can vary from ship to ship and sailing to
sailing.

You are right that RCCL does not have any kind of free style or PC
dining, but you can always us the buffet for dinner if you want.

sueg
but without the dressiness. If you like a particular time, it can be
reserved, if you want to sit with 2 other couples, no problem. It lets YOU
choose who you want to sit with instead of being told who to sit with. We've
been stuck with people I have nothing in common with to many times & have to
force myself to converse with them for the entire week. Correct me if I'm
wrong but I don't believe RCCL has that option- Yet.

We enjoy traditional dining, same table mates and wait staff every
night. We get to know our table mates very well and our wait staff
knows exactly what our needs and/or wants are. We have never had a bad
experience with table mates in our 16 cruises so far.

I have heard many negative reports on the service/food with PC and
Free Style dining, but that can vary from ship to ship and sailing to
sailing.

You are right that RCCL does not have any kind of free style or PC
dining, but you can always us the buffet for dinner if you want.

sue

Tom K wrote:
Which NCL ships are you looking at? Crown? Or one of the new ships that
goes to Bermuda for 1 day?

The new NCL ships are wonderful, but the Bermuda itinerary is one day at the
Wharf (thumbs down). The old NCL ship is the Crown. But she's small enough
to get into the tiny channels so that she can dock in Hamilton and St.
Georges.

The Bermuda logic is simple IMO.

If you want ship, go with either the huge Voyager ships or new NCL ships.
You get 1 or 2 days in Bermuda. But it doesn't matter, since you're going
for the ship. There, the ship is the experience.

If on the other hand you want Bermuda, then go with a small ship like Crown,
RCI Empress of the Seas, or the Celebrity Expedition ship. There you get 4
days in Bermuda. Ships like Crown and Empress are more of an after thought.
You're going with an older, smaller ship, but you're getting Hamilton and
St. Georges.

--Tom

Absolutely. We love Bermuda and want to be there as much as possible.
We used rhe ship as a hotel. In other locations you might want the
ship to be a resort where the ship itself is the destination, but not
(for us) in Bermuda.

There is also available from NCL a freestyle dining ashore option in
Bermuda.

"SD" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I have taken RCCL trips previously but never NCL. I am interested in
going to Bermuda and see a lot of specials going on with NCL. Can someone
tell me what their experience has been on NCL ? I was thinking of going
end of April.

Thanks in advance!

But Tom!
Enchantment and Granduer are SOOOO different. the Enchantment stretch
is the best stretch I have seen, and the ship was wonderful! lovely
pool area and alot of fun and it was vitually all gutted and replaced.
I would sail again on her in a New york Minute whatever the heck that
means!
I am not thrilled with the Grandeur myself, esp the big dent cheapens
it! BUT I hear its going in to be stretched and lifted hahaha!

In my Opinion there is NO ships out there with the Bells and Whistles
of the Freedom class or Voyager class ships, they have re-invented
cruising to those who normally would not go cruising.... GREAT ships!

Tom K wrote:
"Von Fourche" wrote in message
ink.net...

"Jeff Gersten" wrote in message
...
(SD) wrote:

Hi All,
I have taken RCCL trips previously but never
NCL. I am interested in going to Bermuda and
see a lot of specials going on with NCL. Can
someone tell me what their experience has
been on NCL ? I was thinking of going end of
April.

Thanks in advance!

We had only previously been on Royal Caribbean before cruising to
Bermuda on the Norwegian Crown this past summer. My review of the cruise
is at the following:

http://www.seacruisereviews.com/bycr...?cruiseid=1404

To summarize quickly, Bermuda was great. Some of the things on the Crown
were great such as the entertainment. Being a much smaller ship, there
are definitely less bells and whistles.


Bells and whistles is what it's all about as far as I'm concerned. Are
there any cruise ship lines that have ships that can match Royal
Caribbean's Voyager Class or even Enchantment of the Seas?


I'm a huge fan of the Voyager class ships. Nothing can match them, with the
possible exception fo the Queen Mary 2 (though I've not been on her, but
she's equivalent in size to Voyager class).

As far as Enchantment, I was on sister ship Grandeur and didn't care for
that class at all. There are lots of ships that I think are far superior.

--Tom

Having just returned from the NCL Spirit today , I have recently had some
thoughts and discussion about this very topic.

I prefer the concept of freestyle in general ... but miss some of the
experience of the more traditional dining . I don't particularly like
dressing for dinner , especially on days in port , have children , and
usually cruise in a group of about 20 other friends / family that don't
necessarily do all the same things such as shore excursions , shows , ect .
... a set dinner time just wouldn't work as well . So , as I said , I prefer
the CONCEPT of freestyle , however in practice there are quite a few
problems with it that I haven't had on RC .

First of all , freestyle should be called "free for all" . The buffet is a
state of general confusion , they never know how many people will show up
for it and they can't seat everyone at the same time . The food isn't very
good , and never hot . Everyone tends to eat at the same time , so lines and
over crowding are common. Obviously , it's much more efficient to serve a
first class meal if the kitchen knows exactly how many people will be eating
, and at precisely what time.

The other full service restaurants have the same problem . The menu's are
the same in some of them , ( on the Spirit at least ) just in a different
location , and they share the same kitchen . The other more casual eateries
are smaller and have limited menu's and are not open at all times. Seating
is limited , and often are full. At off peak hours there are few options ,
only one place on the Spirit is open more than 3-4 hours at a time and there
a hotdog or hamburger is the most substantial offering. There are no
midnight buffets , baked alaska parades , ect , and all drinks other than
water,coffee , milk and iced tea are an extra charge , even at dinner . The
exception is breakfast , where juice is available. When the restuarants are
closed , water and coffee are the only options, and only available at one
location on the ship . There are no fountains anywhere aboard the ship , and
bottled water is $4.75 . It's obvious that the idea is to sell lots of soda
and water to thirsty people.

The "specialty restaurants " are a little better , but you pay extra to eat
in them , and are small and get booked up early.

Because you eat where and when you want ( not quite true - at off peak
hours almost everything is closed) , and most people will tend to eat to
eat around the same time ( earlier breakfast on port days, or dinner in
time for a good show in the evening , for example ) the best places will be
crowded and probably be under staffed , so in order to avoid the wait you
will probably find yourself in the buffet line more often than you would on
a ship that offered traditional dining .

Even in the full service restuarants , the food is obviously prepared in
advance and never hot .

In general , freestyle is a little more flexible , but comes with a price
, and that price is food quality and service. I think it's a great example
of good marketing ... increasing profits by reducing quality , and putting a
positive spin on downgraded food by offering it at slightly more flexible
times.

I didn't mind it that much , fine dining isn't as improtant to me as it is
to some others , I mostly ate in the buffet anyway as that was open the
most. . Overall , the dining was just fair , but adequate . Now , if I was
on a ship with traditional dining , I probably still would have still used
the buffett a lot , but the bufett would have been better and the few nights
that I went to the full service seating would have been better as well , so
if I had to rate which is better overall , I'd have to say the traditional
dining is the best bet.



"Sue and Kevin Mullen" wrote in message
...


SD wrote:
Hi All,
I have taken RCCL trips previously but never NCL. I am interested in
going to Bermuda and see a lot of specials going on with NCL. Can
someone tell me what their experience has been on NCL ? I was thinking
of going end of April.

I am booked on the NCL Crown this coming August, but haven't sailed with
them before. The biggest difference between the 2 cruise lines is that
RCCL has only Traditional Dining and NCL has only Freestyle Dining. I am
not thrilled with the idea of Freestyle, but my DH wants to try it and it
is the best deal for Bermuda this coming summer.

sue

NCL is more of a low budget cruise line as far as I can tell. Freestyle
dining is just a way of putting a positive spin on downgraded food service.
I just returned yesterday from a cruise on the Spirit , my only experience
with NCL. It was ok , but in most area's not comparable to RC. The exception
was child care , they did an outstanding job. The entertainment was pretty
good too. The food was not as good , the casino was poorly run , the dealers
were mostly rude and inexperienced .The ship itself was not impressive. I
had a balcony cabin , and the furniture on the balcony was a white plastic
table like the type you would get in Kmart for $10 , and two rusty lawn
chairs. It had recently been painted , and there was paint scrapings and
drops of paint all over the carpet . The sheets on the bed were worn ,
threadbare in spots. The carpets were worn as well , and the ship developed
a smell of sewage about it after a few days.
I've sailed RC to Bermuda in the past , and I think in general they have
much higher standards than NCL.


Ray Kloc


"SD" wrote in message
...
Hi All,
I have taken RCCL trips previously but never NCL. I am interested in
going to Bermuda and see a lot of specials going on with NCL. Can someone
tell me what their experience has been on NCL ? I was thinking of going
end of April.

Thanks in advance!

In article , Ray
wrote:

NCL is more of a low budget cruise line as far as I can tell. Freestyle
dining is just a way of putting a positive spin on downgraded food service.

I never saw it put that way before but I agree with that.

--
Charles