There are many similarities between the Royal Caribbean and Norwegian cruise lines and in many ways, they target the customers.

They both have huge fleets of ships, they both constantly launch new vessels that push the limits of what can be achieved onboard a cruise ship, and they both are the definition of a mass-market cruise line that try to offer something for everybody.

For many new to cruising or for those who are trying to find a new line to sail on, it can often come down to deciding between these lines, especially if you are sailing as a family but trying to decide which one to sail with can be a tricky challenge.

I have been fortunate enough to sail with both of these giants of the cruise world, in fact, the Norwegian Bliss was the first ever ship that I sailed on and using that experience, and by going through all of the key aspects of a cruise, I hope to make that simpler for those looking to make that choice.

These are also two lines that I would look at when choosing my next adventure, so in a selfish way, it is also useful to break things down to see which line I should be focussing on over the other.

RCI v NCL- Which is best?

Before you even set foot onboard a ship or arrive at the departure terminal, a line can set the tone for your getaway by the pre-cruise experience.

Over the years, more and more has to be done in the weeks leading up to your cruise including booking restaurants, choosing excursions and filling out all of your paperwork and security information.

For my Royal Caribbean cruise, this was all incredibly straight forward and you could do everything you need to do via the line’s app or on their website.

Things like this can change over time, especially as laws and technology change around the world but if I compare my last cruise with both lines, it really was chalk and cheese.

With RCI it was straight forward and I could book everything I needed to, or complete by pre-cruise check in details with a couple of clicks, for my last cruise with Norwegian, it was a nightmare.

Booking the cruise was hard work, I had to phone to sort excursions only to be met by somebody trying to sell me upgrades and all but ignoring my requests and numerous errors would crop up for my booking.

Winner: With all of that in mind, this one is a simple one to decide as Royal Caribbean take it and it isn’t really close based on my most recent experience of the lines.

As mentioned, much of the check-in process is now done pre-cruise and in the main, it was incredibly similar for both lines.

The second part is what needs to be done at the cruise terminal and when it comes to this, it can often be down to the port and terminal you sail from, as well as the line, but thankfully, I have sailed from the same terminal at the same port with both lines.

That allows me to compare apple with apples and to be honest, both are equally as good.

Royal Caribbean did set my own personal record for speed in getting from arrival to onboard but both keep the process straight forward but, and it is a big but, the very final stage of the check in process just tips this one for me.

After clearing immigration and security, the very last thing is arriving on the ship and whilst my experience with RCI was that I was free to explore the ship, with NCL I tend to just get bombarded by people trying to sell me packages, speciality dining and more- I’m now on holiday and don’t need that hassle.

Winner: So for this one, Royal Caribbean get the point

Entertainment is one area that is hugely important to both lines and it is something that both have excelled at when I have sailed with them.

Again, there are lots of similarities as both offer a mix of guest entertainers and production shows in the theatre, both offer West End/Broadway shows, they also have lots of musicians and singers around the bars and lounges onboard.

The lines also utilise large public areas such as the Royal Promenade on RCI and the atriums whilst up on the top deck, there tends to be musicians playing on the pool deck and a big sail away party.

Overall, it’s an area that I would have no concerns with either line when thinking about booking with them but there are a couple of differences.

Royal Caribbean offer things no other liens do, such as ice-skating shows and high diving shows and they have live musicians accompanying shows in the theatre whereas Norwegian have started to cheapen their product by a music backing track.

Winner: That last point pushes this one the way of RCI for me, but again, this one really is close.

This is something that on the face of it, the two are very similar at, as they both offer a more relaxed style of cruising where there is always something happening onboard their ships.

They give you the opportunity to have as busy or quiet getaway as you want but they do tend to aim their experience at a younger crowd that other lines and at families.

From water parks to go-karts and from street parties to ice rinks, it is quite amazing what you can get onboard their ships, so it is no surprise that they tend to want you to keep busy.

Things tend to be laid back when it comes to the more traditional side of cruising including getting dressed up on an evening, how you dine in the MDR’s and even the pre-sail away safety drills.

All that helps for a relaxing feel to what they offer but where the two have differed for me when onboard is with Royal Caribbean, all of the staff and especially the cruise director are there to make sure you have a good time and just have fun whilst on holiday, whereas the first thought for NCL staff is to try and sell or upsell you something.

You do get that with RCI of course but it’s just not in your face as much as it is with NCL which is probably why they have a reputation as the ‘Nickle and Dime’ line.

Over the years I have sail with Norwegian, I have to say that the quality of the food has continue to get worse and worse.

My last sailing with them, onboard the Prima, was the first time when I really struggled to eat in the buffet as the food lacked any flavour and was often greasy.

On that ship, you did also have a food hall and that is where I ate most of my meals, with the MDR offering decent but not great meals, more pub grub standard than restaurant levels.

Royal Caribbean on the other hand had much better quality in the buffet and their grab and go spots, including the fish and ships and café) were a match for the food hall concept with the newer NCL ships and over and above what is offered on older NCL ships.

I have also had a couple of poor experiences in speciality restaurants with Norwegian, but as I haven’t tried one with Royal Caribbean, it’s unfair to use that against them in this comparison.

Winner: In the end though that doesn’t matter as the win for this category once again goes to Royal Caribbean as they are just that bit better in all aspects of this one.

For some the ship is the most important aspect of a cruise holiday, for others it is the line that is the most important but for me it is the destination that you visit which makes choosing the right itinerary incredibly important.

Yet again, both lines have lots of similarities in this regard as both have a main focus on the Caribbean and the Mediterranean and both offer mostly 7-14 night round trips.

Both do also have large fleet around the world offering the chance to visit popular cruising regions such as Alaska, Asia, Oceania, Northern Europe, the Norwegian Fjords as well as lesser visited places such as South America and Pacific Islands.

Winner: That makes this another category that is close but again there is a small difference and that is Norwegian have more itineraries that go to lesser visited ports and repositioning routes.

Those are my favourite type of itineraries and through there Extraordinary Journeys options, NCL just grab the point in this one.

There are so many variables involved in this one that it is always a difficult category to judge on as it depends on the type of ship you cruse on, when you cruise and if you manage to get a great deal or not.

With Royal Caribbean, you do get a bit more included in your base fare, but extras are a lot more with the line so if you want a drinks package, wi-fi or other add-ons, you pay through the nose.

With NCL, the base cost can often be lower, but you then have a lot more to pay for once onboard, although their extras are a bit more reasonable, well compared to other lines anyway.

Winner: Their Free At Sea offering also makes its better value to take shore excursions and enjoy Specialty Dining if that is what you want to, so I am going to give this one to Norwegian, but based just on the base fare, it’s a toss of the coin for this one.

I have done quite a few of these comparison posts and videos over the years and usually I have a bit of an idea in what the outcome will be, but it often turns out to be a bit different than what I expected.

Most have tended to be close than I thought they would be but before starting this comparison, I was expecting things to be really close between the two lines.

In the end, it turned out to be quite a comfortable win for Royal Caribbean who won in 5 of the categories against 2 wins for the Norwegian Cruise Line and on balance, that probably is about right.

I really enjoyed by cruise with Royal Caribbean and would love to sail with them again whereas NCL have really gone backwards with their offering since I first cruised with them and would need to get the perfect itinerary at a great price to sail with them again.

Winner: So Royal Caribbean win this battle and whilst close in a lot of aspects, it is a relatively comfortable win for RCI.