buckirj1

Trying to bring more light than heat: Many cruisers want Sunday corporate worship. HAL's literature says they will provide it. Sometimes they do, sometimes they don't. That's the real issue.

Having automatic gratuities on my tab is one less thing I have to think about on vacation. In my view, that's a good thing.

I did a city tour, which stopped at Timmy's for coffee and doughnuts (such a Canadian thing)😉 Victoria's a beautiful place. It was nice to visit a real city where people actually live and work after stopping at the touristy Alaskan ports.

Nothing new here. NCL is simply continuing its tradition of ala carte cruising. Some call it nickel and diming, though that's wrong. I'm definitely okay with paying most things ala carte, and definitely okay with an inside cabin, so long as I have a human-sized bathroom. I don't like being shut out of some things (like the gym on certain ships), but accept it as part of cruising in today's world.

Folks are really over-thinking this. There are a lot of places to eat, a lot of times to eat, and lots (and lots) of tables. Figure out when it's least crowded and go eat. I travel solo, and don't expect "my" table to be free when I get back from 2nd helpings. I just find another table or ask someone to share.This isn't difficult or complicated.

Why are women late?

 

Because they have to get themselves, the kids and to an extent, the husband ready.

 

Men? They just get themselves ready. Easy Peasy.

Uh, no. Married mothers choose to get themselves, the kids and the husband ready. "Woman" does not equal "mother", for which I am eternally grateful.

One of the best things is that the itineraries are slightly different in each direction. I think doing the Boston-Boston round trip is a great idea if you have the time and money.

A gnat here and there wouldn't bother me, but a swarm of gnats would give me the heebie-jeebies. Kudos to HAL for fixing the problem so quickly.

I usually don't pay much attention to decor and such, but the NCL Spirit is the loveliest I've sailed. Everything about that cruise was just about perfect. I hope your experience is the same.

NCL, and then Carnival, provide the best experiences for me and the way I like to cruise, but NCL has become too expensive for a solo cruiser on the itineraries I take. In my experience, both lines are great for a solo cruiser, with a slight edge to NCL.

I'm not sure about the Dream specifically, but in my experience Carnival buffets are one continuous line instead of separate islands like NCL has. It doesn't matter to me, but some folks don't like to wait in line. I remember the food in Carnival's MDR was better than NCL, but there was lots for me to like in NCL's MDR.

You'll find Carnival cabins much larger than NCL, in almost every category. Carnival bathrooms are larger, but NCL's showers (at least in the Jewel class) are bigger.

I found NCL's entertainment more...entertaining, but I wasn't bored on Carnival ships, either. Both lines have plenty of nooks and crannies if you need to seek aloneness. On Carnival ships, many of the small bars are empty and silent during the day. I liked hanging out in there to read.

If you like the itinerary (and how great it must be to leave from New Orleans!), then I don't think you can go too far wrong with either line. Have fun!

NCL, and then Carnival, provide the best experiences for me and the way I like to cruise. I'm also heavily driven by total price, as well as being limited to particular itineraries and cruise length. Carnival (and RCI) have been offering the best overall deal lately, and no amount of NCL "promotions" can make up the difference. It's too bad, really, but the pendulum will surely swing back the other way eventually.

I'm enjoying your review, and the excellent photos. I'm considering the Serenade for Canada/NE next year, so I'm finding this very interesting. I'm a little concerned with all the glass on Radiance-class ships, though. Are there shady areas inside the ship as well as outdoors? I'm sensitive to sunlight, which weighs heavily into my decision. I look forward to reading the rest of your review.

Despite being an experienced cruiser, I have taken only one warm-weather cruise, to Bermuda. I liked Bermuda, but it was very hot and humid when I visited in mid-October some years ago. I'm considering broadening my horizons with a short (no more than 5-days) cruise to either the Bahamas or the Caribbean. I'm not fussy about ports, because I'm sure it'll be too hot for me to leave the ship, but I thought I'd ask which itinerary is likely to have cooler weather. I'm guessing the colder the weather in the mid-Atlantic, the colder the weather in the Bahamas or Caribbean. Thanks for any advice.

I've sailed all three, and liked NCL and Carnival best. NCL for freestyle, great showers and entertainment, and Carnival for food and cabins. NCL and Carnival are both very good for solo cruisers, but I thought NCL was a little better. I didn't like either of my RCI cruises, but I think it might have been more a matter of the class of ship than the line itself. I hope so, since my next cruise is on Explorer of the Seas!

I liked the NCL onboard experience very much, but I've already been priced out. No amount of fake "promotions" shilling unnecessary (to me) fancy food and drink will change that. There are lots of cruise lines; I can wait it out until the pendulum swings the other way. It's bound to happen sooner or later.

Windjammer is nice for dinner. They turn down the lights, it's quiet and peaceful compared to the chaos in the MDR.

I think so, too. Sometimes I'm happy to forego "service" for quiet.

As usual, I'm enjoying your report. The cabins look to be very nice indeed, and I'm glad you're in what sounds like a great location. I hope your dining situation is sorted out as a result of the table change, and you can truly enjoy your dinners and dining companions instead of merely making the best of them. Keeping my fingers crossed that the good things stay good, and the not-so-good things get better.

There are some ports where airfare might be reasonable, but ground transportation can be quite expensive. Port Canaveral is one such port; another is Houston/Galveston. I'm never cruised out of either port, but I wonder if it might be one of those rare instances where it might make more sense for the OP to take the cruiseline's transfers, depending on how many are in his/her party. Driving a car on vacation is out of the question - for me - but it might be a good alternative for the OP.

I didn't really realized that knowing exactly what time I wanted to go watch a show on the Breakaway and just reserving it via the TV in the cabin / Kiosks around the ship or just showing up was too much planning.

That'll work for me, especially the "just show up" part. Perhaps those other reviews about pre-planning and reservations were overstated. Not the first time THAT'S ever happened;)

Thanks, OP, for an interesting review. I love the Jewel-class ships, and I love freestyle. That said, I might be willing to try the GetaBreakaways, provided the cost fit my budget and they sailed anywhere I'd want to go. They currently sail to unacceptably hot destinations, and aren't under consideration for that reason. From reading other reviews, it seems the huge NCL ships require a fair amount of pre-planning and reservation-making even for shipboard activities, and I don't want to be bothered with that on vacation. I'd definitely do an inside or oceanview on the megaships instead of the suite or Haven nonsense. All that "luxury" is lost on the likes of me. I've almost always been able to find isolated cubbyholes onboard cruise ships to get away from the crowds, even on RCI.

As I remember, poppies were available on a self-serve basis at the purser's desk: passengers could take a poppy from the basket, and put some money into a box indicating a particular charity would benefit. There was indeed a memorial service on Remembrance Sunday, conducted by the ship's master. It was an ecumenical hymn sandwich-type service loosely based on Morning Prayer from the Book of Common Prayer, with familiar music such as "Abide with Me", "Jerusalem", and "Eternal Father, Strong to Save." The service was hosted largely by entertainment staff, who handed out service leaflets and facilitated seating. There's a review of a QM2 service on the Ship-of-Fools website, through I think a regular Sunday service was reviewed. The review might give you an idea of how it works.

Nice review--I enjoyed reading it. I don't like the promotions in general, and figured the onboard credit would be my best bet. I hadn't realized it carried a lot of restrictions--thanks for pointing it out. I'll have to research the OBC promo to find out exactly what I'd be in for.

I wonder why NCL started to direct people down to street level? They used to disembark at the upper level, and I think Carnival still does.

Chocolate croissants on the breakfast buffet (best sweet onboard, beats heck out of most of the dining room desserts); cheese and pretzel rolls at the lunch/dinner buffets; hand-scooped ice cream (again, better than most NCL desserts). The meat carving station is almost always good. I like to head to the buffet to get my vegetable fix, because there isn't much quantity available on a MDR plate. Every once in awhile there's interesting fruit on the salad bar, but sadly not too often.

I think the Spinnaker Lounge could be fabulous if they changed the furniture, especially around the perimeter where they have chaise lounges and backless benches. Useless on a ship full of older people. I just think the Spinnaker Lounge has lots of potential with the right set up.

Nice review. I agree with this, being of the old folk demographic, but it's important to note the Gem sails lots of places, with a diverse group of passengers who probably love those loungers. I'd probably like them, too, if only I could get in and out of them;) Canada/New England cruises tend to skew older, in my experience.

I'm interested in the Gem's upcoming dry-dock. Have the date(s) been announced? I'm trying to decide on this cruise for next October.