Which Ship Would You Recommend?

[newjerseygeorge]

The Norway was by far the greatest... no longer in service, but it was a grand ship. My favorite was the Spirit as it had that small intimate feeling. OF the Jewel class ships, the Pearl was my favorite.

 

I think it all depends what friends you meet on ship, the service, etc. I've never had a bad NCL cruise.

 

Epic has the best entertainment.

[willysgrandma]

The Epic is my favorite, enough so that I am sailing on her in Europe in Oct. There is SO much to do I was never bored and the entertainment was great.

 

That said, NCL's food is so-so in my opinion, but I never starved and I don't cruise for the food - I cruise for the itinerary. I did love Le Bistro on the Epic (but not on the Gem - go figure how the exact same food in the same restaurant on two different ships could be so different).

[KrystalWaters]

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!

 

 

thank you for that wonderful breakdown!:)

[shark with a laser]

It's hard to answer your question without knowing where you want to go and what you're preferences are. I've been on the Dream (very small, no longer in service), western Caribbean from Houston; Jade, London to Barcelona; and Epic, eastern Caribbean from Miami. I personally preferred Jade to Epic, but others rave about Epic. I was in a penthouse on Jade and an aft balcony on Epic, so that may account for some of my preference, but I still preferred Jade overall. Epic was just too big for my taste. I also really liked Dream, but that's not an option any longer.

[genegri]

For a feel of a typical NCL ship, choose a Jewel class 7 night.

For a unique experience, try Epic.

For luxury and pampering, get a suite. :D

[cruzingthebriny]

All I have to say about the negative things you hear about NCL, is to take it with a grain of salt. My first cruise on NCL was on the Dream. This was our 3rd cruise with the first 2 being on Celebrity. After I booked the Dream, I started reading alot of negative things about the ship. Thought I had made a bad mistake, and this cruise was going to be the cruise from hell. I decided to bite the bullet and go, but with an open mind. The Dream turned out to be one of my favorite cruises. I have sailed on RCI 7 times, Celebrity 2 times and will be taking my 4th NCL cruise next month on the Spirit. The other NCL ships we sailed on were the Star and the Pearl, loved them both.

[shark with a laser]

The Norway was by far the greatest... no longer in service, but it was a grand ship. My favorite was the Spirit as it had that small intimate feeling. OF the Jewel class ships, the Pearl was my favorite.

 

I think it all depends what friends you meet on ship, the service, etc. I've never had a bad NCL cruise.

 

Epic has the best entertainment.

 

Glad to hear that! I'm booked on Spirit next year!