Favorite ship in the NCL fleet and why?

[dr.d]

My favorite is the Spirit.

[Clay Clayton]

Clay, as you can see in my post we are in agreement about TGO... That's why Dawn ranked last on my list.

and that is why we need to coordinate our vacations sometime and cruise together....I still want to see the mini blender!:D

[HokiePoq]

Spirit.

 

Several have mentioned the Spirit. Can you tell me what you like best about the Spirit? Never been on that one.

[linwood77]

We like the Jewel class ships because of the Great Outdoors for breakfast. You can eat outside on the Epic but it is not the same experience.

[hawaiilvr]

Several have mentioned the Spirit. Can you tell me what you like best about the Spirit? Never been on that one.

 

What I liked about the Spirit is that it was unique and different. No offense to anyone, but the other NCL ships we've been on are fairly generic - meaning that they are very similar. The Spirit is definitely NOT similar to any of the others we have been on. It had a definite Asian theme. The statues in the stairwells, the soldier statues outside the Asian restaurant, etc. had an exotic, Asian look and feel about them. IIRC, the casino had a middle-eastern theme.

 

Also Buccaneer's Wet & Wild at the rear of the ship look like paradise for children complete with an amphitheater for the parents. For a ship as "small" as the Spirit, it has an amazingly large children's area. My own child was 17 when we took on this ship and she was quite miffed that we hadn't taken her on it when she was about six (ship wasn't even built then!) so she could play in the kids's pool area.

 

Anyway, the Spirit is a completely unique ship in the fleet.

[SyberCat]

Thanks for all the great info everyone! It's so hard to choose just ONE...so many cruises, so little time!! :p

 

Cat

[unboringuy]

For now, we have only been on the Sky and the Epic......couldn't be more different!!

Loved the Sky because it was my first cruise and exceeded all my expectations! Great crew, good food and a party atmosphere!

Loved the Epic because she is JUST that......Epic!! But you really need a less port-intensive cruise than we did....Western Med....to fully appreciate all the Epic has to offer!

 

I agree! She was perfect on the 13 day TA with only two ports. And I STILL didn't do everything I wanted to!

[xenagurl]

That's hard to say. I like different ships for different reasons, but I guess it would be the Jewel and the Jade. As I've been on both of them 3 times I must like them a lot! LOL I definitely like the Jewel class ships the most.

[beachmonkey]

My favorites (out of the ones I have sailed) are the Pearl and the Epic. Maybe it is partly due to the great memories, excellent service, etc on the Pearl.

 

The Epic is not like the other ships and I would not try to compare them. The Epic is just a different kind of experience. The one low rating I would give the Epic is that it lacks the level of customer service of the other ships. I think it is due to the size, but the crew gets to know you better on the smaller ships.

 

Happy sails to you...

[lambchoplady]

I think cruise ships are like children - you love them all but for different reasons. My first cruise was the Majesty - old charming, and my first! My second cruise was the Pearl in an aft balcony - a beautiful ship, a great destination (Alaska), and an overall great experience. My next cruise will be on the EPic. I chose this cruise simply for the ship, not he route. I expect to be overwhemed with excitement!

[Lena B]

Here's another vote for the Spirit! I never found myself turned around, because when you step off of the stairs, you are facing forward and when you exit the elevators you are facing aft - how simply brilliant is that? The decor is lovely and the crew is wonderful. I like the size of the ship - it's big enough to have things to do but small enough that it's easy to make new friends and get from one end of the ship to the other. I sure wish that they'd bring her back to NOLA!

[travelnap]

Our best cruise ever was on the Wind around the Hawaiian islands and to Fanning Island 2004. The Wind was very nice but not built for Freestyle Dining.

 

I think that some seadays should make the Hawaiian itinerary better.

 

I did the same trip and I really enjoyed the Wind as well. She was an older ship but was in pretty good shape for her age, and the crew was really great.

[JimInBuffalo]

We have to say that it is the Epic. We sailed on her a few years ago and loved the ship layout and the public rooms.

 

Our favorite room on the ship is the MDR with the dancefloor in the middle of the room. They always had great music and it was quite a treat to be able to dance in between courses of our meal.

 

The other part of our cruise that stood out was the personnel. We were treated like we were the owners of the ship. They couldn't have been nicer and we greatly appreciated it.

 

Snowing in Buffalo right now and 8 degrees F.

 

-Jim

[Warmer Climes]

So far I have done the Dream and Majesty (both out of service); the Dawn; the Jewel; the Epic; the Sun; and the Dawn again in February. I would say my favorites were the Dawn for its layout; the Sun for its size; the Jewel for the Great Outdoors. One of my favorite cruises was on the funky Dream which had been stretched. Even though I thought the food, entertainment and cabin were best on Epic, I didn't like the vibe of the cruise as much as I do on smaller ships.

 

Everyone is looking for something different on a cruise. I like friendly staff, laid back passengers, a size that lets you run into people you've met, good service, ok food, nice gym, not many long lines. I don't care about the casino, what other people wear, what is or isn't on the menu anymore, if the waiters know I drink iced tea with dinner. I'm not putting those things down but I have my own criteria of what constitutes a good time.

 

And in NCL I never have to be assigned a dining time with strangers or be forced to endure parade if chefs or big honoring of the captain on the promenade.

[gra2172]

What is your favorite ship in the NCL fleet, and why you like it? My hubby and I are seriously considering a cruise in November for our 10-year anniversary. We're looking at the Dawn to Western Carib out of Tampa.

 

I've seen a lot of pros/cons about the Dawn posted. What's great about some of the other ships in the fleet?

 

Any and all comments about the ships are appreciated as we prepare for this, our first-ever cruise!

 

Cat

 

 

My favorite is the Jewel. Its not too big or too small, and has everything a person could want... well except for enough buffet seating. No one seems to have that. :p

[leedm]

The Spirit, and it is one of my top 5 of all the ships I have sailed. The crew was the best of all the ships I have sailed.

[cruisin0504]

Gem and Jewel - love the Great Outdoors and their spa areas

[biker@sea]

For me Spirit has a "personality" that stands out above the rest .

 

Nice size , good layout, Great crew

[SyberCat]

Thanks again for all the informative comments! So far it looks like the Dawn gets great reviews, as well as the Epic, and the Spirit. But it seems to be true what someone said, the ships are like kids and they are all loved for different reasons! We went ahead and booked the Dawn for Western Carib in November. I can't wait to experience my very first cruise!!

 

 

...Snowing in Buffalo right now and 8 degrees F.

 

 

Eeek! That's way too cold for me...it's 19 here in DC right now and was snowing earlier. Wish I was in the Caribbean somewhere.:cool:

[flcruiser1969]

I have two for different reasons. The Pearl for the bars and pool layout. The best. The Epic for her entertainment and solo room options.

[Kuffam]

So far we've sailed the Pride of Aloha, Pearl, and EPIC. So far we've liked the Pearl the most (we've even sailed on her twice). Pride of Aloha was old and small. EPIC was too much of a party for us. My family think the Pearl has nice activities, quiet places to relax and read or maybe play a game, and was the perfect size.

 

We are looking forward to trying the new Getaway, it looks like they may have improved some of the problems of the EPIC.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Any ship that I happen to be on for the moment, is my favorite at the time.

 

But, I really love the Spirit, Pearl & Dawn. The Spirit, for its lovely Asian decor, the Pearl and Dawn for a great all-around cruising experience.

 

We'll be back aboard the Dawn in April for its repo 12 day cruise from Tampa to Boston.

 

Yay, Can't wait.

[newmexicoNita]

Several have mentioned the Spirit. Can you tell me what you like best about the Spirit? Never been on that one.

 

The things that make her so popular are: beauty (asian decor) size, she is just enough smaller to feel friendlier and the crew is wonderful. The only drawback for us was the cabins sizes. Our daughter, who loves NCL as well as we do, hates the Spirit. It shows how different people can be...

[gra2172]

Any ship that I happen to be on for the moment, is my favorite at the time.

 

 

 

 

^^ This ^^ ;)

 

Sums it all up I think! :D

[pennington2]

The one I am on!:D

 

Actually probably Sun because of a few special staterooms, but love the Jewell class restrooms over Sun's. My only real requirement is that there be a Great Outdoors....having breakfast and lunch outdoors is just about my favorite thing to do on a ship.

 

Been on the Jewel class and Dawn, and I'll second each of these sentiments. Love the Great Outdoors! Because the Dawn doesn't have this venue, I would be very hesitant with traveling on her again.