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Royal vs NCL vs Celebrity Mediterranean Cruises


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Hello Gang of Happy Cruisers,

We are planning a summer 2023 Mediterranean Greek Isles trip.  About us:  We are very active 54 year olds. We enjoy physical activity and historic venues.  Unfortunately, our 20 something children will not be able to accompany us on this cruise.  Initially, we looked at Royal, but didn't find longer(more than 7 night) cruises to be very appealing.  Additionally, we felt like all the bother of flying to Europe from the East Coast of the US, dictated a longer length cruise.  We then started looking at Celebrity and NCL.  They both(ncl and celebrity) have better itineraries in the +7 night category , unless we did a back to back on Royal Explorer, which would total 14 nights.  Celebrity in the 9 night range could be less expensive than the back to back on Royal.  The NCL Cruises seem to be less inexpensive and super all inclusive, however, we are wondering if that is fools gold?

In the Caribbean we have traditionally purchased the deluxe beverage package and gone on excursions in each port.  We don't travel in suites, and as school teachers, are always on a budget of some sort.  Our loyalty status on Royal is Platinum, so that is not really a factory one way or another.  

European Travelers, who have been on these 3 lines:   could you explain the differences.  We understand what Royal offers, but we have never been on Celebrity or NCL, so how do these other lines stack up and/or compare to Royal?  

 

 

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All three cruise lines are totally different - my opinion RC is great for onboard stuff and to me the most kid friendly.  Celebrity part of RC umbrella,  has (I think) in most cases better food, things to do onboard but no slides and not as much for kids.  It has been ages since we were on a NCL and I think that might fall in the middle of the pack.

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I'll be going on a Celebrity Mediterranean cruise.   I will say that when we booked there were some great incentives (booked in November when ships were not as full and bookings were way down).  There was a lot of credit offered which we were able to use for our excursions. The booking was also an all inclusive wifi, classic alcohol package and gratuities.  In the end, I would have been better off paying my own way for gratuities and wifi due to my equated level from Royal (D+) to Celebrity (Elite).  Wifi on the ship is "nice" but honestly, we will be in port for the majority of the day and can benefit from our phones then (now have that as an additional cost as well).  We did snag an upgrade to the Elevate package that will give us the better alcohol, but truly how much can you drink on a port intensive-exhaustive day?  
My advice, compare what you get in each package with Celebrity and decide if you need it.
Book early enough that you get direct flights for the best pricing (I put my flight bookings off for many months, which cost me hundreds)
Consider the points, if that is a factor in moving up the loyalty program. ( I know you indicated it didn't matter but you might take a closer look, you never know)
Whichever line you pick you likely won't be onboard for lunch, so you need 2 decent meals.
I've sailed with both Royal and Celebrity out of the US and would sail either again.

BTW- I had a nice Veranda on Constellation and downgraded to a Oceanview Forward corner, it is a larger room.  I figure we will be out of the room so much that it does not matter if I have a nice balcony.  I'll see if I regret hearing the anchor drop every day-I'll have to remind myself of the large $ savings

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I would personally go with the Celebrity cruise based on your circumstances.

Another option would be to add on a land-based vacation to your 7-day cruise.  Royal usually has a 7-day Mediterranean cruise that starts/stops in Rome which is a great place to extend your trip if you love history

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My priority for European cruises is always itinerary.  That said, I find Celebrity (owned by RC) to be the most refined and adult-oriented of the three, and the line often offers the most unique itineraries.  Princess and Holland America (owned by Carnival) are comparable.  I took a Celebrity Greek islands cruise in 2019--the ship departed RT Venice (sadly, no longer permitted) and provided us a nine night wonderful experience.  I am booked on Princess for 2023 with a similar itinerary departing Rome OW and arriving in Athens. We will visit Istanbul, which my husband has not yet seen. That trip is only one week because we want pre-and post-time in those two marvelous cities of Rome and Athens.  My brother and family (two children) enjoyed the NCL Western Mediterranean cruise (Rome to Barcelona)--I think the itinerary is very good, but quite busy, and I would certainly book the ship just to see all those ports.  I find NCL more casual and budget-friendly, but again, that is never my reason to book in Europe.  I was tempted a few times by some of the RC cruises, but they just seem a little too basic in itinerary for me, although RC ship activities cannot be beat, and husband ALWAYS attempts the rock-climbing wall. I always recommend RC to families with children as the best choice.

Just so you know--we are archeology and history enthusiasts, so we do not cruise in Europe to relax, but rather to visit and see as much as we can.  We take full-day tours at every port and listen to all the lectures.  We go the shows at night and dance in the nightclub. We just came off the Cunard Queen Mary 2 two weeks ago--we took that cruise just to see the ship--(we were in New England and Canada) and soak up some British hospitality.  We are a tiny bit older than you but in excellent shape and highly experienced travelers.  We have cruised transatlantic and find it a bit boring.  We also have many pets, so we are limited in our length of time away from home.  

We only invite other people to cruise with us when we go on more relaxing types of cruises, such as the Caribbean.  

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Royal and NCL are comparable in the middle of the road/mainstream lines. Celebrity is a step above. NCL owns Oceania which is closer to Celebrity. Holland America and Princess are also comparable to Celebrity and Oceania. 
 

All of these more premium lines offer slightly different, unique itineraries versus Royal/NCL. I don’t think you could go wrong with any of them. We are approaching Diamond Plus with our next cruise with Royal (12 night Holy Land/Best of Greece-go check out that itinerary!) and will be entertaining Celebrity for our future European cruises, mostly due to itineraries (and a family member is their corporate executive chef!) 

 

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I've cruised in Mediterranean Sea with Royal, Norwegian and Princess. We found service similar on RCL and Princess, but disappointing on Norwegian. NCL also once missed a port on the morning, speaking about weather security when another company cruise ship docked the whole day, and NCL never refunded us port taxes (RCL missed a port in a different area and refunded us port taxes). About the itinerary, my advice would be to pay attention to the length of the stops : in Mediterranean Sea, ships frequently dock only for the morning or the afternoon. If you do want to explore one specific stop, be sure that you will have enough time to.

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My family and I just did a Mediterranean cruise on MSC in the Yacht Club.  We had a wonderful time.  Drinks are included in the YC and the YC restaurant is very good.  They also have a nice grill area on the YC pool deck that serves breakfast and lunch.   The interior YC cabins are a very good value, especially on a port intensive cruise.  The entertainment is not as good as RC, but we were so tired in the evenings that it really didn't matter.  

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