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Norwegian Jewel Alaska Vs Celebrity Millenium Cruise Reviews
Norwegian vs. Regal Caribbean: Smackdown!
Which fast-paced line is best for you? - Photo past Norwegian Prowl Line and Royal Caribbean International
We take a wait at 2 behemoths of the cruising manufacture, Royal Caribbean area and Norwegian Cruise Line, and compare them in a Cruiseline.com Smackdown!
Highlights
Norwegian Cruise Highlights:
Norwegian is known for their lack of traditional scheduled dining times, and were the pioneers in coining the term "Freestyle" dining. Their ships offer a more sophisticated atmosphere without sacrificing family-friendly civilities, truly offering something for every cruiser. Those with extra coin to spend will find an upscale home in The Oasis, an sectional 'ship within a ship' space filled with spacious suites and its own private amenities including a pool, restaurant, lounge, and more. Solo travelers who are weary of the unmarried supplement fee volition appreciate Norwegian's studio cabins.
Norwegian is known for their loftier-quality amusement, both in their resident Broadway-fashion shows as well as with guest entertainers who perform magic, one-act, acrobatics and more.
To fully experience all of the cutting-border amenities that are offered on a Norwegian ship, such as become-karting or the adults-only Vibe Beach Gild sundeck, you'll have to pay actress on meridian of your cruise fare. The vast majority of cruise lines are not all-inclusive, but vacationers may observe that they have to swipe their cruise card even more while on a Norwegian sailing.
A vast array of dining options are bachelor on virtually of Norwegian's ships, ranging from Brazilian and French to Italian, Mexican, and more than. Foodies that are willing to pay extra for a specialty dining experience volition be especially satisfied with the variety. A money saving tip: purchase a dining package to save some cash on these specialty dining experiences.
Imperial Caribbean Highlights:
The superlative cruise line for adrenaline junkies and adventure seekers alike, Royal Caribbean area's approach to cruising could be described as "get big or go home." While some of the older ships in their fleet are smaller (if you can call a ship with iii,000 passengers "small"), most of their new vessels easily agree upwards of 5,000 passengers on every sailing, and 4 of the top 5 largest ships in the world fly the Royal Caribbean flag.
New Purple Caribbean ships come with so many onboard activities, entertainment, and dining options, yous literally may not exist able to experience all of information technology during a 7-dark sailing.
Royal Caribbean continues to uphold its reputation equally the leader of onboard entertainment, with near all of its ships boasting its signature rock climbing wall and surf simulators. The newer ships come with fifty-fifty more onboard adventures similar zip lines, sky-diving simulators, and enormous water slides. You might get overwhelmed by the corporeality of offerings on Imperial'south ships, but y'all will never, ever be bored.
Royal's Oasis-class ships go along to be among the top-rated ships on Cruiseline.com, and their newest ship, Symphony of the Seas, has admittedly dominated our Members' Choice awards for the past ii years.
Royal Caribbean area is a dandy option for outgoing and adventurous families, couples, and singles, only unless you're sailing one of their smaller, older ships, it's not the best line for travelers looking for a low-key getaway.
Prices
Norwegian Cruise Prices:
On boilerplate, Norwegian's prices are comparable with Royal's. As with near cruise lines, older ships and less pop itineraries may be priced lower per night than newer ships and highly sought-later on itineraries.
For older ships and less popular routes, Norwegian can be slightly cheaper than Royal just once more, very similar overall.
Inside cabins on short sailings to the Bahamas are consistently available for less than $60/dark, per person.
If you want to try out a new ship or exotic itinerary without breaking the bank, expect for a one-way or repositioning prowl, or a voyage at the beginning or end of a flavor for that region such as Alaska in May or September. The shoulder season sailings are less popular, and are priced at lower rates accordingly.
Majestic Caribbean Prices:
While information technology's possible to find proficient deals on Royal Caribbean area sailings, it's less common for their newer ships and the best prices will almost ever be on the smaller, older ones. For newer ships, their price betoken is a bit higher than Norwegian's.
Royal'due south older ships canvas brusk Caribbean and Bahama islands itineraries, only these ships don't have the new, cutting-border amenities Imperial has get known for over the by decade.
It's possible to detect proficient deals for their superlative ships similar Oasis and Allure of the Seas, (think inside cabins from about $70/nighttime per person and balustrade cabins from $100/nighttime), simply sailing during loftier-need times of year will generally cost more.
Our Pick:Norwegian — In comparison of base fares, you'll find cheaper sailings on Norwegian's older ships than on Regal Caribbean's similar sailings, and more than ofttimes come across the larger, newer ships priced under $ninety per dark which rarely occurs on Royal's largest ships.
Itineraries
Norwegian Cruise Line and Royal Caribbean itineraries are very comparable when information technology comes to the regions they sail; they both operate in just almost all the same destinations. They also both take a large number of extended 12+ nighttime sailings, but Royal tends to top out at itinerary lengths of about 18 nights, while Norwegian has a scattering that are twenty nights or longer.
Our Pick: Draw — you probably won't find an itinerary on Norwegian that Royal doesn't sail, and vice versa. And while Norwegian has some longer itineraries, there's so few that it isn't enough for u.s. to recommend them over Royal Caribbean area (unless you plan on taking a cruise 3 weeks or longer).
Cabins
Norwegian Cruise Cabins:
Across their fleets, Norwegian and Majestic Caribbean area offer similar standard cabins in both size and amenities. Bathrooms are standard sized and laid out nicely, and on newer ships, the line has moved away from shower defunction in favor of curved glass doors which makes taking a shower easier since you aren't getting tangled in a shower curtain.
Several Norwegian ships include spa cabins, which offer free access to the spa'south thermal suite and zen-inspired decor exclusive to these cabins.
Norwegian is known for their studio cabins, which allow solo travelers to have a room designed especially for them, without paying the dreaded single supplement fee.
What really sets Norwegian apart is their 'ship within a ship' area (mentioned previously), called The Haven.
Suites in The Oasis are the definition of luxury, and come in a variety of spacious sizes and layouts. Their largest offerings include a three-bedroom villas with separate living and dining areas and massive outdoor balconies.
Bathrooms are especially well idea-out, lacking a boxy 'one-size-fits-all' feeling that you lot'll find in standard cabins. Marble surfaces, double vanities, and even separate bathtubs can be institute in The Haven suite bathrooms.
Purple Caribbean Cabins:
Along with Norwegian, Royal's cabins are fairly standard, and you'll find that newer ships may offering a little additional space. One affair that Royal tends to accept problem with are narrow showers in the bathrooms, so be certain to research this for any particular ship if you're thinking virtually sailing Imperial Caribbean.
A unique feature that Royal Caribbean offers for some interior rooms is a virtual balcony — a balcony-sized screen that displays the view off that side of the ship in real-time. Information technology's a cracking concept and may help interior cabins feel less isolated.
Another element that sets Imperial autonomously is the sheer variety of suites that are offered on their newer vessels. For example, Oasis and Quantum form ships offer some suites with ii-story, glass-walled loft suites complete with a split up living room.
Other unique staterooms that are a flake more budget-friendly include spa cabins like to Norwegian'due south, which are new to Regal Caribbean. These cabins come with upgraded toiletries, discounted spa treatments, daily coffee and tea, and more. But pointedly missing is costless access to the thermal suite, which is a big miss in our opinion.
Our Pick: Norwegian — While Royal has an astounding variety of cabins to cull from, we tin can't ignore the luxury that's offered in The Oasis on Norwegian, or the fact that their spa cabins include admission to the thermal suite (while Royal Caribbean's practice not).
Dining
Norwegian Cruise Dining:
Norwegian pioneered the "freestyle dining" concept, meaning that you won't detect a gear up fourth dimension dinner seating anywhere on the transport.
Freestyle dining proves flexibility for those who don't desire to exist constrained by a schedule each night, all the same information technology does have its own set of cons. The showtime is that during the busiest dining 60 minutes, you may have a fleck of a wait before you lot will be seated (just like at a landside restaurant). The 2nd is that y'all will probable have a dissimilar team of servers each dark, and so they will never get to know you and your dietary needs and preferences.
Information technology's worth noting that if yous would like to have a dinner schedule without waiting, you can make dinner reservations in accelerate with Norwegian. Y'all can also ask to be seated in a specific server'due south department at the time you lot make the reservation, but it won't be guaranteed.
As far as other dining options, Norwegian impresses with variety beyond the fleet — even with their smaller and older ships. The drawback is the fact that the majority are specialty restaurants, meaning you'll have to pay extra to relish them. Only if that isn't a business concern, there's a card onboard to suit everyone's fancy. Specialty restaurants include La Cucina with Italian fare, Moderno Churrascaria — the line'south have on a Brazilian steakhouse, hibachi-way dining at Teppanyaki, and Q Texas Smokehouse, a charcoal-broil venue on newer vessels consummate with alive music.
Those looking for other included dining options besides the main dining rooms will savor the ship's buffet, every bit well as O'Sheehan's/The Local (similar venues; one or the other can be found on every transport except Pride of America), a casual sit-down restaurant that's generally in the atrium and open 24/7.
The sit-downwards restaurant dress lawmaking is smart casual, and Norwegian does have their ain have on optional formal nights, aptly called "Dress-Up or Non Night."
Imperial Caribbean Dining:
The newest Royal Caribbean ships take so many specialty restaurants, you won't be able to consume at all of them on a 7-night sailing. This might be disappointing for cruisers who like to experience everything a ship has to offer, but the upside is that in that location'south a great selection to cull from.
Just similar Norwegian, Majestic Caribbean offers My Fourth dimension Dining, where passengers who are signed up for it are not constrained past set dinner times and can eat when they want. However, the line also does offer traditional set time dining with multiple seatings to choose from, which will appeal to those who desire a more traditional feel with the aforementioned servers each night.
Elevation specialty choices include rustic Italian fare from glory Chef Jamie Oliver at Jamie's Italian, traditional American steakhouse favorites at Chops Grille, Japanese cuisine at Izumi, whimsical fare at the Alice-inspired Wonderland restaurant, modern Mexican dishes at Sabor (with guacamole prepared tableside!), and ice foam and candy at Sugar Beach. These all showcase Royal'southward culinary disrespect and desire to take onboard dining to the next level.
For those looking for something quick and simple, several Royal Caribbean ships accept pizzerias, doughnut shops, and hot dog stands; and most also include Johnny Rockets diners consummate with milkshakes and a ketchup smiley confront.
In that location is generally ane formal night per cruise where passengers are asked to wearing apparel upwards for dinner. As always, those who desire to stay casual can savour the evening repast in the buffet.
Our Pick:Imperial Caribbean — While both lines have a great array of dining options to choose from, Royal Caribbean area has a lot more variety, offers ready times for those who want them, and has a better selection of costless venues.
Activities
Norwegian Cruise Activities:
On newer ships, Norwegian Cruise Line has been stepping upwardly their game as far as unique onboard activities get with the debut of the become-kart rails on Norwegian Bliss, Joy, and Encore, equally well as the permanent laser tag arenas on the same vessels.
Many Norwegian ships offering the heart-pounding 'walk-the-plank' experience, ropes courses, mini golf, and rock walls, and vessels built since 2013 besides include some form of a water park.
Those that don't want to surrender on their exercise routines will find a basketball game court (which tin can be converted to play other sports) on about of their ships as well as a fitness center with treadmills, ellipticals, stationary bikes, weight equipment, and more. Fettle classes are besides available.
Passengers who wish to savour a slower pace to their cruise twenty-four hours are likely to exist spotted at the casino, any one of the numerous lounges and bars with live music and group activities, various hot tubs around the ship, or the spa — complete with treatments, massages, and the relaxing thermal suite. Depending on the ship, the thermal suite might even include a panoramic view of the bounding main.
Regal Caribbean Activities:
In the cruising earth, Regal Caribbean is known as the pioneer of onboard innovation with their purpose-built entertainment venues, first-at-sea activities, and their Haven grade ships, which smashed the world record for the largest cruise ships always congenital. They also fix a new bar for activities and experiences on land with their completely overhauled individual island in the Bahama islands, Perfect Day at CocoCay. Back onboard, the daily Cruise Compass outlines a plethora of activities for all age groups and adventure seeking levels.
Most ships have the standard climbing walls, mini golf game, and FlowRider surfing simulators, but some go as far equally to include ziplining, bumper cars, and even a RipCord skydiving simulator in partnership with iFLY.
All Royal Caribbean ships accept at least ii water slides, and the line can now claim the title of tallest slide at sea (not a waterslide) thank you to the ten-story Ultimate Completeness on Oasis, Allure, Harmony, and Symphony of the Seas.
The Quantum class ships come with a SeaPlex, the largest indoor active space at bounding main that includes a circus school, total-size regulation basketball court, roller skating, bumper cars, and a DJ booth.
Those that want to keep their physical fitness in tip-height shape will savor the sports courts, jogging tracks, and the fitness center consummate with all the equipment they would expect from a land-based gym. Fettle classes such as spinning, sculpting, yoga, and more than are also offered onboard.
Travelers who want to kicking back and relax will discover just what they're looking for at the Vitality Spa or the (adults-only) Solarium, a large, tropical-themed space with lounge chairs, hot tubs, and a full bar covered past a large glass awning.
Our Selection:Royal Caribbean area, hands downward — Not simply are most of their ships absolutely loaded with activities to go along the whole family busy, merely many are things that passengers may have never tried earlier. And unlike Norwegian, most popular activities are free and included in the cruise fare.
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Amusement
Norwegian Cruise Entertainment:
Norwegian Cruise Line is known for their high-quality entertainment offered in a variety of venues throughout their ships.
Many ships feature Broadway shows, such as "After Midnight," "Rock of Ages," and "Burn down the Floor." Norwegian likewise boasts dinner shows, such as 'Cirque Dreams'.
The line as well excels in their pick of invitee performers that will only spend a short fourth dimension at sea, or travel around to dissimilar ships. This gives Norwegian's ships swell diverseness, every bit yous never know who will be performing fifty-fifty if yous've recently sailed the same send. Acrobats, magicians, singers, comedians, contortionists, and more are some of the variety acts you'll find on a Norwegian prowl.
If theater shows aren't your matter — or you're looking for other amusement around the ship — you'll observe sing-alongs in the piano bar, singing and instrumentals in diverse lounges and confined throughout their ships, as well as high-energy music and dancing during parties on the lido deck or in the atrium.
Imperial Caribbean Entertainment:
Just similar with their onboard activities, Royal specializes in calculation flashy, high-tech flares to their live performances.
The Two70 amusement venue, institute on Quantum grade ships, is a multimedia concert experience made awe-inspiring with video projection and moving screens controlled by robotic arms.
Regal's tiptop stage shows are the aforementioned caliber as Norwegian's, delivering Broadway-quality performances to musical-loving passengers. The show varies by transport, only the about pop include staples like "Mamma Mia", "Hairspray" and "Grease."
Many of the line's ships offering parades and movies, along with their unique ice-skating and water/diving shows. Amusement found in other venues around the transport include pianoforte sing-alongs at the Schooner Bar or Karaoke at the On Air Lodge.
The outdoor AquaTheater on the Oasis class ships is a truly unique venue in cruising, offering high diving and aquatic dancing shows. Some cabins even have a directly view of this theater so you lot tin watch from your balcony.
Our Choice:Draw — At this bespeak, it's difficult to cull between the immense quality and variety of amusement that Norwegian offers and the unique, ane-of-a-kind shows that you lot'll find on Majestic Caribbean. We're certain that no matter which line yous sail, you'll be pleased with the quality and selection onboard.
Kids & Families
Kids & Family Civilities on Norwegian:
Like other mainstream cruise lines, Norwegian has a youth program across the fleet chosen Splash University.
Kids ages 3-12 are divided up into three dissimilar clubs based on their age, and volition enjoy activities such as craft, treasure hunts, circus schoolhouse, sports, team-edifice challenges, video games, and theme nights.
Kids likewise have the opportunity to participate in activities with their parents and other members of the family unit during special family events like game shows, sports challenges, pizza making, and more.
Teens have their own infinite onboard, chosen Entourage. The space is a hangout for teens to boot back, play video games, attend themed parties, try their mitt at crafts, and participate in other organized activities. In that location are too activities hosted by teen counselors effectually other parts of the ship including circus school, improv classes, and sports tournaments.
Babies aged 6 months to 3 years are called Guppies on Norwegian, and have their ain space which consists of a placidity room for sleeping and a playspace that tots can enjoy with their parents.
Norwegian offers Tardily Dark Fun Zone hours to parents who want to spend a nighttime out aboard the ship. Starting at 10:thirty pm, kids can be dropped off at Splash Academy for a small fee to be supervised with games and activities throughout the late hours of the night. Reservations should exist made in accelerate, but aren't always required.
Families with kids and teens will as well appreciate Norwegian'southward variety of activities, which (depending on the ship) can include light amplification by stimulated emission of radiation tag, mini golf, a ropes form, an onboard water park, and go-karting.
Kids & Family unit Amenities on Purple Caribbean:
Alongside their popular youth clubs, Royal Caribbean'due south pick of thrilling onboard activities make them one of the best cruise lines in the world for older kids and teens.
The Adventure Ocean kids clubs on Oasis ships have designated areas for toddlers, kids, tweens, and teens, which includes their own theater, video arcade, a DJ academy, and arts and crafts workshops.
Adventure Ocean offers Late Nighttime Party Zone hours, which showtime at x pm. Parents can savor a special family dinner with their kids before leaving them in the care of the youth counselors so they tin can enjoy a night out on the ship. An hourly rate does employ.
The Imperial Tots and Royal Babies programs are a lifesaver to parents of babies and toddlers — driblet off your niggling ones during the solar day or evening for an hourly fee.
Many of Imperial'due south signature amenities are perfect for families with children, such every bit FlowRider surfing simulators, rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks, and h2o parks.
Our Option:Royal Caribbean — Both lines take highly-rated youth programs and an array of amenities around the ship that entreatment to kids and their families, merely Royal Caribbean edges Norwegian out with the sheer diversity of activities that are bachelor. When y'all factor in that more of Royal'southward family-friendly amenities are included in the cruise fare, that makes them an even better holiday value. These lines are very similar in terms of kids-only offerings, but it's the amenities for the whole family unit that sets Royal Caribbean autonomously.
Overall
Our Choice:Royal Caribbean but slightly edges out Norwegian equally the better cruise line overall. Norwegian stands out as the best choice where cabins and the ever-important pricing is concerned, however Imperial Caribbean area got our vote for onboard activities, dining, and kids' programs. However in most categories, both lines deliver an equally modern and activeness packed cruising experience, and families will surely make wonderful lasting memories on ships from either brand.
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