Last year, I finally did something I had wanted to do for a long time: travel with Norwegian Cruise Line.
For one reason or another, I had always had to postpone it, but my curiosity was strong, especially since I wanted to compare it with other cruise lines I have often traveled with.
I really enjoyed the cruise, and I noticed many similarities with the Royal Caribbean cruise I had taken a while before, but also many differences.
Let’s see how it went in detail and which one, in the end, was my favorite.
The fleet
I don’t want to talk specifically about the ship I’ve been on since not everyone will be interested in that particular ship, but rather let’s look at what are the differences in the fleet between Royal Caribbean and Norwegian.
As you probably know, Royal Caribbean is a bit of a leader in this aspect. Its ships set an example for many other companies and are admired all over the world.
The current fleet consists of 26 ships and includes some of the most innovative and modern ships ever, including Icon of the Seas, the world’s largest cruise ship.
It can accommodate up to 7,600 passengers at full capacity and has a crew of 2,350, making it nearly a small city at sea.
If you’re interested in that, on the blog you can find the list of all Royal Caribbean ships from best to worst.
On the other hand, it looks like Norwegian prefers a completely different approach.
They opt more for small- to medium-sized ships that can accommodate up to about 4,000 people.
The CEO Harry Sommer, during an interview on Norwegian Encore said “bigger isn’t necessarily better“.
I quite agree with him and I’ve explained why in the article on why small cruise ships are usually better than big ones.
However, in the end, it’s more of a personal choice. The important thing to know is that if you prefer large ships, Royal Caribbean is probably better for you, while if you prefer medium ships you will probably enjoy NCL’s ships more.
Cabins and suites
Both Norwegian and Royal Caribbean offer a broad range of accommodations.
From what I’ve noticed, Norwegian always tries to add some innovation to the type of cabins.
For example, I really appreciated the decision to add studio cabins designed specifically for single passengers, which also provide access to an exclusive lounge where you can socialize with other passengers who are traveling alone.
You can find more details about this in the article where I told you about my solo cruise.
At the same time, Royal Caribbean is not standing still and has introduced many innovations over the years.
On its ships, for example, you can find inside cabins with a virtual balcony: a large LED screen that projects images from outside.
Or you can find cabins that face the Royal Promenade, Boardwalk, or Central Park neighborhoods, something you can’t find on any other cruise line!
I didn’t notice much difference. I had a balcony cabin on both cruises, and they were very similar.
The size and amenities were exactly the same; the only thing that varied was the furnishings, but I liked them on both cruise lines.
Food and drink
Food is the first point where you start to see substantial differences.
As I said at the beginning of the article, it was my first time on Norwegian, and I literally loved the “Freestyle Cruising” experience.
You basically have no fixed dining times or pre-assigned seating and can just show up at the restaurants whenever you are hungry.
In my opinion, it’s something that truly changes the cruising experience because you no longer have to follow fixed schedules and can adjust your day as you prefer.
On both cruise lines, there are complimentary and fee-based specialty restaurants, and the food always seemed to be of good quality on both.
The only thing that was definitely better on Royal Caribbean was the buffet. There is always a wide variety at Windjammer, probably because there are more passengers on board their ships.
Onboard attractions and Entertainment
The other aspect where I noticed several differences is the attractions and entertainment.
From my point of view, Royal Caribbean continues to be the best cruise line in the world for attractions, but Norwegian is shortening the gap.
On RC you can find some of the most fun attractions you can do on a ship: the FlowRider surf simulators, rock-climbing walls, carousels, ice skating rinks, zip lines, laser tag, escape rooms, minigolf, skydiving simulator, and even the North Star, a viewing pod that rises 300 feet in the air above the top deck.
In contrast, NCL has focused heavily on Go-Kart tracks, which are featured on the upper deck of several of its ships. They are truly one-of-a-kind and I definitely recommend you try them out!
Other attractions include water slides, basketball courts, minigolf, escape rooms, laser tag, bowling, and ropes courses.
In terms of entertainment, both cruise lines have Broadway-style shows onboard and are all produced with good quality.
However, in my opinion, Royal Caribbean has more popular shows such as “CATS” and “Grease”, while on NCL I’ve seen “Beetlejuice” and “Six”, which are not amongst my favorite ones.
Final considerations
As you can guess, I liked both cruise lines.
I find that they are quite similar, and I think you will be on the safe side by booking a cruise with either one or the other.
The only advice I could give you is to prefer Norwegian if you are looking for a more relaxing vacation with more freedom and flexibility,
Instead, I would recommend Royal Caribbean if you are traveling with children, teenagers, or if you are a young couple who wants to have fun.
Of course, if you have already traveled with one cruise line, you can choose the other to try it out. In my opinion, they both deserve to be tried at least once.
I wish you a wonderful cruise!
XO, Leo!
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