Which Ship Would You Recommend?

[KrystalWaters]

Hi Everyone!:)

I've been thinking about booking our next cruise on NCL but i have been a bit apprehensive. NCL has had a bad wrap in the past but it seems like the more I review CC the more I see there is definitely a strong NCL following. :)

 

As I was researching some of the ships on NCL website and on CC i noticed that there are not that many "new" ships available. I'm sure the older ones have gone into dry-dock and added numerous features.

 

My questions to you is,

 

1.Which ship should i book that when i step off the ship i would think to myself....all that talk was lies...lies?!!

 

2.Which ship should i try and why was it so special?

 

3.What's your favorite ship and why?

 

4. Are there any older ships heading to dry-dock within the year or just finished? It's hard to tell.:confused:

 

Basically, what would appeal to my family is customer service, quality of food(which some of the TA I spoke to said, ugh!! Has it gotten better?), and modern/updated rooms. My hubby and I are in our early/mid 30s...no children.

 

Thank you,

Kristy:D

 

Oh yeah, what is Latitude Members? How do you become a Latitude Member and its benefits?

[Sunkissed Mommy]

We're in our late late 20s with no kids. I find that NCL has more newer ships than any other major line out there. We tend to stick with Royal Caribbean, but we were excited to hear about the Epic. We went on the Sky last year and had a great time. So we'll be on the Epic in less than 2 months. We're very excited for it because it's something new to us and hopefully we can find a 2nd or equally favored line :)

 

The Epic is new. The Dawn just went through a major overhaul. The Pearl & Jewel were both in GREAT shape when I went on them for a tour.

 

I've had good food and one "eh" meal. But I think my food was eh because I was forced to order a steak one night (not forced by NCL) and I'm not a big steak eater :( I enjoyed every meal other than the steak one.

 

Latitudes is the Past Guest program. You are enrolled after your 1st cruise on NCL.

[KrystalWaters]

We're in our late late 20s with no kids. I find that NCL has more newer ships than any other major line out there. We tend to stick with Royal Caribbean, but we were excited to hear about the Epic. We went on the Sky last year and had a great time. So we'll be on the Epic in less than 2 months. We're very excited for it because it's something new to us and hopefully we can find a 2nd or equally favored line :)

 

The Epic is new. The Dawn just went through a major overhaul. The Pearl & Jewel were both in GREAT shape when I went on them for a tour.

 

I've had good food and one "eh" meal. But I think my food was eh because I was forced to order a steak one night (not forced by NCL) and I'm not a big steak eater :( I enjoyed every meal other than the steak one.

 

Latitudes is the Past Guest program. You are enrolled after your 1st cruise on NCL.

 

thanks for the quick reply.:D It's so hard to see which ones are newer or not. When i looked on CC to see i don't remember seeing anything built recently except the Epic of course and then late 90s b4 then. I knew for sure that meant the older ones have been through some type of dry-dock, but just didn't know which ones.

 

I'm really interested in the Epic but it seems like that particular ship is mostly in Europe until late late into the Fall, which is harder for us to get off of work to go:(

[DMH15]

My fave NCL Ship? The Sun. One of the oldest. And smallest. Love the aft PH with the large balcony. Love it.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

Yes, it can be tough! The only week we could get it was during my spring break (I'm a teacher) so we ended up having to pay more than we normally do for cruises.

 

I know they have a reputation for having bad food, but in all honesty we didn't have an issue. Nothing was inedible. There were actually a few dishes that I liked more than any other cruise meal on other lines.

 

I find that people complain about every cruise line's food. People rave about Princess food... but we found there were less options that we liked and everything was SUPER salty!!

 

To each his own, it's too subjective!

[fiftyguy]

Did you see the new ship, Breakaway, on their site for 2013? It will sail out of NY to bahamas, caribbean, and Bermuda (separate itineraries).

I don't know when you want to sail or where, but this may be an option if you wait until next year.

[KrystalWaters]

Did you see the new ship, Breakaway, on their site for 2013? It will sail out of NY to bahamas, caribbean, and Bermuda (separate itineraries).

I don't know when you want to sail or where, but this may be an option if you wait until next year.

 

Yeah fiftyguy, that's what got my wheels turning. The 12 day one is my dream itinerary. I've always wanted to go to Barbados:) But those prices!:eek: For $3000 i can just fly there...lol but i love cruising so.:rolleyes:

[fiftyguy]

The Pearl is doing a 12 day from NY in jan/Feb 2013. The itinerary has Barbados. I haven't sailed the Pearl, but everything I hear is positive. My son sailed her, to Alaska, a couple of years ago and loved the ship.

Good luck

[groo]

I vote for the Pearl. Loved going through the buffet area at night and getting a dessert, then out to the Great Outdoors area to enjoy it with a cup of coffee.

[STARFISH*4]

have been on the STAR/SPIRIT/JEWEL & SUN and each have been WONDERFUL cruises--i dont see it so much as the ship but the TIME you choose to have on them--havent done the EPIC yet as we are not ready for the HUGE ship experience!!

[LynneL]

I've been on many cruise ships, though just 2 of NCL's - Jewel & Epic. Out of all the cruises I've been on and various lines, the Epic was my favorite. I know you said Fall vacation doesn't work with your jobs but how about December or January? If considering it here's my answers to your questions about why this ship is my favorite, special, and all the talk was lies....

 

While the ship is huge, it never felt that way. We stayed in the aft section & felt it was convenient to everything.

 

There were many entertainment choices - Never bored - and the shows were different than the standard singing dancing type revues.

 

We enjoyed all our meals. You have the option of eating in different restaurants, some for minor coverage charges. The no charge Manhattan Dining Room had entertainment, starting at 9:30, as you dined each night. I've never experienced that on other ships. O'Sheehan's was open 24/7 and offered nice casual type food in a pub style atmosphere as opposed to only buffet (which they also did have) or late night pizza.

 

The water slides, especially the Epic Plunge, were a lot of fun.

 

Hope you get to choose a cruise that is great for you!

 

 

 

I did not go when school was out so I would suggest the same, especially since you do not have children.

[che5904]

Since I have only been crusing on NCL since 2009, I have no idea what "bad rap" it apparently had so I cannot address that.

 

The attached PDF files gives the information on NCL fleet except the Breakaway.

 

Again, without knowing what "lies" you have been told, it's pretty hard to steer you toward what you may be looking for.

 

I loved both of our cruises on the Dawn (pre drydock) and Star (post drydock). My favorite part of NCL is the freestyle dining (exactly as land dining) and no designated dress up time. And an absolutely incredible crew. But you may be looking for something different in a cruise than I am.

 

Food is subjective but we had no issues at all with any of our meals and ate in the included MDR for 6 out of 7 meals on each cruise.

 

Our cabins were not updated except the beds, they were clean and in good shape, which is all we cared about.

 

You will apparently have some TA's that will steer you away from NCL. Some say it is because their commission is lower than other cruise lines and/or they are cheaper and therefore the commission isn't as much, some say it is because NCL will not allow them to discount the listed price, there have been a few suggestions on CC why this is so.

 

If you are looking for more of a "wow" feature you may want to try NCL's suites. They get very high reviews.

cruise_pearl.pdf

[akupupule]

Ignore the negative reviews! Check out the posters. Most are 1 shot wonders who have never cruised, or a few are cruisers from the grand ole days of cruising when the world was handed to them on Silver platters. And a few may have vested interests in dogging NCL in favor of their favorite line. Cruising is mass market now. That's the reality now. We are RCL Emerald cruisers with 12 cruises under our belts and have sailed on the Epic last year and on the Star in December. LOVED them! Crew goes sooo out of their way to be friendly...and plenty of interaction from the Officers as well. The food ain't bad at all! And the Specialty restaurants are a cut above. And the live entertainment can't be beat on the other 3 lines we've been on! Both ships were in great shape with crews constantly cleaning everything. Give NCL a try...I think you'll like them.

[akupupule]

Ignore the negative reviews! Check out the posters. Most are 1 shot wonders who have never cruised, or a few are cruisers from the grand ole days of cruising when the world was handed to them on Silver platters. And a few may have vested interests in dogging NCL in favor of their favorite line. Cruising is mass market now. That's the reality now. We are RCL Emerald cruisers with 12 cruises under our belts and have sailed on the Epic last year and on the Star in December. LOVED them! Crew goes sooo out of their way to be friendly...and plenty of interaction from the Officers as well. The food ain't bad at all! And the Specialty restaurants are a cut above. And the live entertainment on NCL can't be beat on the other 3 lines we've been on! Both ships were in great shape with crews constantly cleaning everything. Give NCL a try...I think you'll like them.

[KrystalWaters]

Thank you all for your input! Che thanks for the pdf. I'll check that out.

Some of the things I was told by the TA was you won't like food, it's tasteless and bland. Well i'm easy peasy....so long i have salt and pepper near by i'm good. Although, don't mess up my steak!:p:eek:

The shows are boring....etc...everything that would probably interest a young couple. She did say she would recommend either Royal, Carnival, or Celebrity.

Epic is REALLY interesting to me. I will have to talk to hubby and see what we can do.

 

Now what is this about $99 rates? Is that only if you live in certain states? or for just past cruisers? I have yet to see those when i've looked. I would have been all over that!:D;)

[che5904]

Well i'm easy peasy....so long i have salt and pepper near by i'm good. Although, don't mess up my steak!:p:eek:

 

I've had the steak in the MDR and although mine was cooked correctly it wasn't the best I've ever had, it was good but not fantastic. I would recommend Cagneys or Le Bistro if you love steak. I've had Cagneys and loved it and lots of people on here recommend Le Bistros as well. They are upcharge restaurants but worth it if you want a better steak.

 

As for entertainment I would suggest NCL's fleet wide white hot party. You can you tube videos of it.

 

Sorry I have no idea on what you are talking about with the $99.

[Sunkissed Mommy]

 

You will apparently have some TA's that will steer you away from NCL. Some say it is because their commission is lower than other cruise lines and/or they are cheaper and therefore the commission isn't as much, some say it is because NCL will not allow them to discount the listed price, there have been a few suggestions on CC why this is so.

 

If you are looking for more of a "wow" feature you may want to try NCL's suites. They get very high reviews.

 

Interesting things that people hear about NCL. I kinda giggled at what you heard from/about a TA. It's actually quite wrong! Commission is based on the volume of sales. So if they're getting low commission it's because they aren't selling enough of it!!!! I think a lot of people stick to one brand and refuse to consider others. NCL is THE MOST friendly line toward agents. They have many many programs that support agents, as opposed to other lines who are clearly trying to eliminate agents! No major cruise line allows discounting these days.

 

But, I digress! We were very happy with NCL, like I said in an earlier post. We're excited to be going back :)

[fergusonvt]

Here are the NCL ships and the year they were launched to give you an idea on age. My first NCL cruise was on the Sun and I loved the ship. Great crew and the perfect size for our first. Upcoming is on the Star and I'll post a review as soon as I return. I had read a lot of bad reviews AFTER I had already booked our cruise on the Sun but we had a great time and loved the ship. I didn't find any of the bad things that had been posted.

 

 

CLASSSHIPYEARBreakaway Norwegian Breakaway 2013 Epic Norwegian Epic 2010 Jewel Norwegian Gem 2007 Jewel Norwegian Jade 2006 Jewel Norwegian Pearl 2006 Jewel Norwegian Jewel 2005 Other Pride of America 2005 Dawn Norwegian Dawn 2002 Dawn Norwegian Star 2001 Sun Norwegian Sun 2000 Sun Norwegian Sky 1999 Other Norwegian Spirit 1998

 

 

Table formatting didn't stay. First is the class, then the ship name and then the year launched.

[VideoTech]

Not sure what the "bad rap" is about NCL...you can find just as many negative comments about any other cruise line. Being on a new or newer ship does not guarantee you a good cruise experience..in fact, it can be quite the reverse if the ship is still working out the kinks and the staff isn't used to working on it.

 

In any case, as you can see from my sig, we've sailed many times on NCL, and also on RCI and Carnival. My DW has made many sailing (in her previous life :-) ) on RCI, Carnival and others. Our combined take is that there's really not that much difference between the large, middle of the road cruise lines any more.

 

All the ships, on all lines, of whatever age, provide comfortable cabins in varying sizes. All provide massive amounts of adequate, good food. All provide entertainment that, with few exceptions, isn't top of the line, but isn't bad either.

 

You've listed good customer service as your first criteria - well, we have never found an NCL ship yet that didn't provide outstanding customer service, with the friendliest staff. That was not our experience on Carnival, where we generally felt we were treated like cattle in a pen. But of course, others will have just the opposite experience to tell.

 

Your second request is for quality of food. Well, as I said above, I don't think you're going to be served gourmet food on any cruise line these days. You will have to go to the specialty restaurants on NCL (and pay a surcharge) to experience their best food, but that's happening on many cruise lines now too. If the surcharges bother you, than don't cruise NCL or those lines that apply them.

 

Your third request was for modern/updated rooms. As others have pointed out, most of the NCL fleet has been updated in drydock over the last few years. If you want really modern, try the Epic, but be prepared for much smaller regular cabins. If you can afford it, try a penthouse suite (or larger) on any of NCL's other ships. You'll love the increased size and comfort, and the perks like butler service that go with them.

 

Your age puts you squarely in the middle of the cruising demographic. I think you'll find plenty of people your age on any NCL cruise.

 

Our favorite NCL ship: The Pearl, followed by the Dawn. But we prefer smaller ships, with fewer passengers on board.

 

I'd suggest you pick your cruise line by itinerary and price, and simply be open to whatever the experience brings you. I hope you do decide to cruise NCL, and do enjoy it!

[jdvmd]

We love the Sun and have done 23 nights on her over the last two years.

 

The Sky is a great ship for a short getaway. Did one 3-nighter last year and getting ready for another next month.

 

The Pearl is awesome. Liked the Star but haven't been on her for several years. A lot of changes to her in the last year.

 

The Epic is awesome. I think I would go with that one for her entertainment value. One of the largest ships in the world.

 

Favorite meal on any of these ships is LeBistro's filet mignon.

[Scoop_MSU]

The Dawn - deck 10 - aft

"nuff said

[SuiteRose]

thanks for the quick reply.:D It's so hard to see which ones are newer or not. When i looked on CC to see i don't remember seeing anything built recently except the Epic of course and then late 90s b4 then. I knew for sure that meant the older ones have been through some type of dry-dock, but just didn't know which ones.

 

I'm really interested in the Epic but it seems like that particular ship is mostly in Europe until late late into the Fall, which is harder for us to get off of work to go:(

 

Not sure where you got the info that except the Epic the ships were built in the 90's... here's a list... I personally like the Jewel class ships as you can see in my signature.. also, if you can afford a suite (even a penthouse) go for it...the perks are amazing!!

 

CLASS SHIP YEAR LENGTH GUESTS TONS CREW

Breakaway Norwegian Breakaway 2013 1081 4500 144017 1700

Epic Norwegian Epic 2010 1068 5186 153000 1404

Jewel Norwegian Gem 2007 971 2807 92502 1010

Jewel Norwegian Jade 2006 971 2816 92000 1100

Jewel Norwegian Pearl 2006 971 2807 93000 1154

Jewel Norwegian Jewel 2005 971 2846 92000 1100

Other Pride of America 2005 921 2440 81000 800

Dawn Norwegian Dawn 2002 965 2807 92250 1010

Dawn Norwegian Star 2001 971 3000 91740 1084

Sun Norwegian Sun 2000 848 2350 78309 847

Sun Norwegian Sky 1999 848 2350 77104 847

Other Norwegian Spirit 1998 881 2800 75338 1125

[marelind]

So far the Pearl is my favorite. You can see by my signature that we have been on the Pearl, the Star, and the Majesty. I think the Jewel class ships are beautiful, not too big or too small, new enough to still have some sparkle and be on good shape. We have always found the crew to be very professional and friendly.

[penguinpatty]

I have been on 7 NCL ships. The Gem was my favorite. She is bright, charming, and manageable. The EPIC was my least favorite but all in all it is a very good ship. I have never had any problem with the food on NCL but then I am not a food guru. Good luck finding the right cruise. I hope it includes Barbados - such a beautiful island.

[Bars7816]

I'd say most of what you've heard about NCL is utter nonsense. "Freestyle" says it all. Do what you want, when you want. There is absolutely nothing boring about the entertainment on the Epic. And I suspect that the Breakaway will follow in the same vein for the entertainment venue.

 

The food is just fine and probably just like every other line. Besides, we just eat to avoid scurvy and stay alive so that we can enjoy the cruise! :D