New ships versus old ships

[dam64]

We are interested in going to new ports but love the new builds and most of them are ports we have been to. Unfortunately mostly older builds go to the ports we are interested in. Do you book based on ship or ports? I guess we will have to bite the bullet and get back to an old ship....all though its been awhile and Im hoping we don't get bored or turned off.

[pspercy]

We have little interest in the megaships of any cruiseline.

[my3sonsnj]

We are interested in going to new ports but love the new builds and most of them are ports we have been to. Unfortunately mostly older builds go to the ports we are interested in. Do you book based on ship or ports? I guess we will have to bite the bullet and get back to an old ship....all though its been awhile and Im hoping we don't get bored or turned off.

 

If your interest is in the ports, book based on itinerary. If you are traveling for the "cruise" experience then book based on ship. The third option is shopping for the best value, in which case the cruiseline, itinerary and/or ship is a secondary consideration :D

[Rhea98]

I love mega ships (newer), but unless the price is super low on mega ship with repetitious itinerary, I'd definitely choose itin regardless of the ship. Smaller ships (older) have advantages (on NCL it seems the rooms are a bit larger for one), and I don't mind them at all.

 

Sent from my Nexus 9 using Tapatalk

Edited July 25, 2016 by Rhea98

[Two Wheels Only]

We have little interest in the megaships of any cruiseline.

 

Today's "small" ships are yesterday's "megaships". :o

[SNJCruisers]

It all depends on what your number one priority is. Remember, you are on the ship for a much greater part of your trip than whichever new port you may explore. The newer ships usually have much more to offer entertainment and dining wise so only you can determine as to whether a few hours exploring 1 or 2 new ports is a higher priority than the rest of the day and night on a bigger vessel with better am entities.

[jamminlion]

Ports are always the priority for us. The mega ships do not attract me at all. BUT, if the itinerary were appealing, I'd try it out.

 

I view the older ships as more relaxing, with quiet areas to decompress. The mega ships to me seem to be too much glitz and glam, and must do all these activities before the end of the week kinds of ships. I tried that my first couple of cruises - doing everything, and rushing around not to miss the next activity. I also watched people incredulously relaxing and reading a book, and thought - what are they DOING? There are so many fun things to do here........and then I gave all that running around up, and enjoy watching the sea and the scenery, and relaxing. Now I am the one with a book or ipad reading and relaxing.

 

To each there own. We all vacation differently, for different reasons.

[craig-n-carol]

We've been on the Getaway, and Escape. While both are great with plenty to do, we went back to the Jewel class ships for itinerary and quiet. I was very worried about not sailing the larger ships. But the last cruise we went on in April was one of the best, and we never left the ship. I'll also echo the previous comment that older ships tend to have more room in the stateroom itself, and larger balconies if you sail in them. I also found the crew to be less overwhelmed, which led to better service. Our next 2 cruises are on the Jewel, January to PC, and Alaska in June. You can only do Western/ Eastern Caribbean so many times before you need new destinations. Megaships are the destination when sailing them IMHO.

[FranknBeans]

We have no interest in the NCL megaships, been on two and there just too crowded and now with the booze pkg too many obnoxious drunken people on board.

[Markanddonna]

You need to evaluate what you want on any cruise ship. If you really like those extra features on the new ships and are wiling to pay for them, maybe the megaships are for you. I like the mid size ships the best in any fleet. The oldest ships sometimes have some maintanence issues although the cruiselines tend to keep the ship up to standards as best they can.

 

The megaships aren't too big for us, they are too crowded. Consider that the passenger capacity is doubled yet the pool deck still includes: the pools and hot tubs, the fitness and spa areas AND the Windjammer/buffet areas AND the slides, etc. That often makes for a very cramped deck! The ship might add two more public area decks but these areas are often for specialty restaurants and bars.

[grouchomarx]

I book based on the ship as I like the newer, bigger, more exciting ships. Ports are secondary. There is only so much to do in the Caribbean ports once you've seen most of them so I am more interested in what the ship has to offer me. Night time entertainment is important. The older smaller ships just don't cut it when it comes to entertainment. I can't stand those old fashioned Broadway style generic shows. I guess I'm spoiled for new mega ships, my last three cruises were all on the newest ships of those cruise lines and I don't know I can go back to a little old ship unless the itinerary was really exciting. That being said this only applies to Caribbean sailing, Europe or Asia etc would be different as they would be ports I've never seen before.

[GLYNAGP]

To be fair in 20 plus cruises on various lines we have never been on a Mega ship, the largest has been RCI Independance of the Seas. However we really enjoy the smaller ships. We like quieter areas for a drink and conversation, pleasant dining conditions, entertainment is not top of our list . To be honest we are probably a bit boring really, but rock climbing walls, ice skating rinks and hydrolic arms that propel you hundred of feet into the sky above the ship just don't do it for us. We love Norwegian Spirit, been on her 3 times already , doing B2B from Barcelona this coming Christmas and have already booked on her again for Christmas 2017. But of course that is just us.

[megansdad1]

If I were advising a friend with the same question, I would say this. What do you look to get out of a cruise. IF you are the type that goes just to relax, then go based on ports you want to go to. If you are going to stay busy, engaged and do things, then go to a port you have been too(there is always new things to do most of the time) and pick the mega liner. This way you will not be bored. You will be on board more time than on the ship.

[zqvol]

We are interested in going to new ports but love the new builds and most of them are ports we have been to. Unfortunately mostly older builds go to the ports we are interested in. Do you book based on ship or ports? I guess we will have to bite the bullet and get back to an old ship....all though its been awhile and Im hoping we don't get bored or turned off.

 

We prefer the smaller ships. There is littl that interests us in the big ships that is not available on the small ones.

[AdoraBelle]

Tagging on with a question of my own. I'm a relatively new cruiser, and so far I definitely cruise for the ship. But that doesn't mean the ship has to be big. However, when I look at older/smaller ships, I'm usually put off by the decor (worn or outdated or garish or all three). Is there an older NCL ship people would recommend with updated interiors?

Edited July 25, 2016 by AdoraBelle

[Marine Mom]

We have little interest in the megaships of any cruiseline.

 

I'm with you!:):):)

[Nola26]

Tagging on with a question of my own. I'm a relatively new cruiser, and so far I definitely cruise for the ship. But that doesn't mean the ship has to be big. However, when I look at older/smaller ships, I'm usually put off by the decor (worn or outdated or garish or all three). Is there an older NCL ship people would recommend with updated interiors?

 

The Dawn has just been updated. I'll be on her for the first time in December. My first NCL cruise was the Sky in 2014 and while smaller, older and a little dated I had a wonderful time on my solo weekend cruise. Last summer the Getaway was awesome for my 3 generation family, something for all to love. We'll be on the Escape this summer visiting 3 new ports and I expect us to have a great experience.

[AdoraBelle]

The Dawn has just been updated. I'll be on her for the first time in December. My first NCL cruise was the Sky in 2014 and while smaller, older and a little dated I had a wonderful time on my solo weekend cruise. Last summer the Getaway was awesome for my 3 generation family, something for all to love. We'll be on the Escape this summer visiting 3 new ports and I expect us to have a great experience.

 

 

Thanks for the heads up on this. One of the winter cruises out of New Orleans is a real possibility for me.

[Marktini]

We've been on the Getaway, and Escape. While both are great with plenty to do, we went back to the Jewel class ships for itinerary and quiet. I was very worried about not sailing the larger ships. But the last cruise we went on in April was one of the best, and we never left the ship. I'll also echo the previous comment that older ships tend to have more room in the stateroom itself, and larger balconies if you sail in them. I also found the crew to be less overwhelmed, which led to better service. Our next 2 cruises are on the Jewel, January to PC, and Alaska in June. You can only do Western/ Eastern Caribbean so many times before you need new destinations. Megaships are the destination when sailing them IMHO.

 

I couldn't agree more. The Jewel was my first cruise ever, and I've been back to it twice in two years. To me it's the perfect size, with an excellent layout, friendly crew, and a good house band. I LOVE the dual pools together. I hate the tiny pool space on megaships, which seem even smaller with all the slides and zip lines and rock climbing walls and other stuff shoehorned in. My only gripe is that the Jewel still has Band on the Run, which has been running since the spring of 1872, but otherwise, it's a wonderful ship. I'm hoping to catch it for a Panama Canal cruise one day.

[Marktini]

Thanks for the heads up on this. One of the winter cruises out of New Orleans is a real possibility for me.

 

I did that cruise last February, and was very pleased with the Dawn. I had no complaints at all.

[bonvoyagie]

I am less about the ship and more about the itinerary. The ship is a floating hotel for me.

 

That said, I also like the smaller/older ships. My first cruise was on the Sky back in 02. We have since cruised her again in 03, POA in 06, Pearl 12 and now the Dawn in a couple of months.

 

We have been to AK 3times and HI once and now Canada and New England.

 

We really like the ships that are between 2 and 3k pax.

[GUT2407]

We have little interest in the megaships of any cruiseline.

 

Obviously a person after my own heart, unfortunately they are getting hard to avoid if you wish to keep cruising with any of the major lines.

[kathybelcher2433]

We cruise for the ports. We're the first ones off and the last ones back on. We wouldn't consider rushing back to the ship for lunch for example preferring to throw a little more money into the local economy. We also never even dipped a toe into the ships pool, zipped a zip line or slid down a slide.

 

They said, we ate at every speciality restaurant and went to every show and music venue offered on the ship. We frequented every bar and caught every lounge act.

 

It's already been stated a few times, but each person decides for themselves, or soon learns, what makes their cruise special.

[xriva]

I sail more for ports, so I'm not a fan of the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships. I asked about the challenge of finding ports as the ships grew larger at a Q&A on the Jade, and the Captain said it was a concern mainly because the larger ships really need to dock in order to unload in a timely manner - tendering thousands takes too long. So, in a few years, you're going to have huge ships that can all visit the same four ports. Sad, really.

 

I prefer the Jewel class - it's a good mix of function and flash, and there aren't as many people to contend with.

 

I wonder sometimes why the Breakaway class ships don't just do one foreign port to be legal, and have the rest of the week be sea days. Everyone that wants "new" or is sailing for the ship tends to prefer megaships, and they want to play on the ship.

 

Personally, I prefer Transatlantic cruises - less kids, more sea days, lots of down time, less time getting up at the crack of dawn for excursions. I'll take a week and a half to Europe anytime. We're doing our third crossing on the Epic next year - because my wife really loves that ship, I can tolerate it, even though it's big, and it's pretty cheap.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums mobile app

[ExpatBride]

It depends on what you like. We sailed the Star last June, it was our first with NCL and we loved it so much that we immediately booked a January cruise on the Epic.

 

We couldn't get off the Epic fast enough and it turned us off to NCL for the time being. I'm sailing on HAL in a couple of weeks and hope its more to our taste.

 

We cruise for the onboard experience, and we prefer the classics, a wraparound promenade deck is a big one for us, and we never use specialty restaurants and rarely go to the big shows. We like to eat in the MDR, go for a walk around the promenade deck, have a drink in an intimate corner, that sort of thing. We were hesitant to book HAL because their pax seem to be a lot older than us, but if we enjoy the ship, then we'll probably be back.

 

Itinerary isn't important to us because we live in Europe, cruise in Europe and have already been to most of the ports as standalone holidays.

Edited July 26, 2016 by ExpatBride