Just cruised NCL first time- Oh how I missed you Royal!!

[Aquahound]

Very common on ships!

 

Very common? 53 cruises and this was the one and only time I've ever seen it.

 

And no, it wasn't to stop creaking noises. I pulled some out to see why they were there and the ceiling fell about 3 inches.

[Aquahound]

Aquahound, was your cruise before or after the big refurb they did last year? I hope it was before. We are sailing NCL for the first time, hoping we get better than that cabin!

 

It was before. My cruise on Dawn was back in 2012. Hopefully things are a little better now.

[DonnaK]

Didn't know til we were actually on the cruise. I heard they were a much older crowd??

 

That was not our experience on 2 cruises on the Summit. The demographics have a lot to do with the time of year (school holidays). The entertainment (especially the quality and quantity of live entertainment all over the ship) was outstanding. The only area that we felt was subpar was the buffet.

[bigsky]

That was not our experience on 2 cruises on the Summit. The demographics have a lot to do with the time of year (school holidays). The entertainment (especially the quality and quantity of live entertainment all over the ship) was outstanding. The only area that we felt was subpar was the buffet.

 

 

 

I got slowed down by more scooters on this cruise than any other.

 

 

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[DonnaK]

I got slowed down by more scooters on this cruise than any other.

 

 

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That happened to us on Princess, but it was the first week of September. We went on the same ship the following year in July, and it was entirely different demographics. Summit from NJ for the summer season tends not to be a geriatric sailing.

[WeAllLove2Travel]

We found most people were from Boston. Much different feel than our normal cruises.

 

 

 

You may cover this later in the thread but I'm just now reading it so I apologize in advance if this question is a repeat..... can you explain how it had a different feel than the norm. Was it because of ship size (Oasis class RCL vs smaller NCL), onboard activities, ports, etc. Since you mentioned most people were from Boston did you sail from the Northeast and that was the difference?

 

I ask mainly because we've sailed Royal and liked them but my kids prefer Carnival to Royal due to the kids room and activities. We take our first NCL (NCL Pearl) later this year so just interested in differences. We've never sailed Oasis class ships on royal so won't have the big ships as a comparison. Just curious. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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[TexCruise371]

Thanks for your comparison.

 

I'll have to say we cruise NCL's Getaway in December and had a fabulous cruise. I thought the entertainment was as good as any ship we have been on. Specialty dining was outstanding and the buffet was better than any ship I have been on with many more choices and quality. The specialty restaurants all had outside seating and we really enjoyed that. Getaway also has a 24 hour venue with pub style food and a very good breakfast.

 

I will say that I much prefer Royal's decor as we felt like we were in a casino most of the time.

 

 

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[bigsky]

That happened to us on Princess, but it was the first week of September. We went on the same ship the following year in July, and it was entirely different demographics. Summit from NJ for the summer season tends not to be a geriatric sailing.

 

Went on two Princess cruises. As beautiful as the ships were, both had a much older crowd. Not as fun as the Royal ships I've been on. Some ships and lines tend to attract a different crowd.

[bigsky]

Thanks for your comparison.

 

I'll have to say we cruise NCL's Getaway in December and had a fabulous cruise. I thought the entertainment was as good as any ship we have been on. Specialty dining was outstanding and the buffet was better than any ship I have been on with many more choices and quality. The specialty restaurants all had outside seating and we really enjoyed that. Getaway also has a 24 hour venue with pub style food and a very good breakfast.

 

I will say that I much prefer Royal's decor as we felt like we were in a casino most of the time.

 

 

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I have found that each line will give you a different feel. I do like Royal's decor a lot.

[bigsky]

You may cover this later in the thread but I'm just now reading it so I apologize in advance if this question is a repeat..... can you explain how it had a different feel than the norm. Was it because of ship size (Oasis class RCL vs smaller NCL), onboard activities, ports, etc. Since you mentioned most people were from Boston did you sail from the Northeast and that was the difference?

 

I ask mainly because we've sailed Royal and liked them but my kids prefer Carnival to Royal due to the kids room and activities. We take our first NCL (NCL Pearl) later this year so just interested in differences. We've never sailed Oasis class ships on royal so won't have the big ships as a comparison. Just curious. Thanks in advance.

 

 

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For us, it was everything about it. We're just used to larger ships out of Florida. I'm not sure how the Pearl would compare to the Dawn. Looks to be about the same size. If you're used to smaller ships, this maybe fine. Since I haven't cruised the Pearl, I can't comment. Not sure how old your kids are either. If my kids were younger, this wouldn't be the ship I'd take them on. This is just ME though. Don't want to get flamed for the remark! : ) We've taken them on Disney, Carnival and Royal.

[WeAllLove2Travel]

For us, it was everything about it. We're just used to larger ships out of Florida. I'm not sure how the Pearl would compare to the Dawn. Looks to be about the same size. If you're used to smaller ships, this maybe fine. Since I haven't cruised the Pearl, I can't comment. Not sure how old your kids are either. If my kids were younger, this wouldn't be the ship I'd take them on. This is just ME though. Don't want to get flamed for the remark! : ) We've taken them on Disney, Carnival and Royal.

 

 

 

I wouldn't ever flame for an opinion but I know what you mean. [emoji51] Thank you for the feedback. My kids are 7 and 10. We've only cruised smaller ships with the kids though I'd love to cruise Oasis OTS. Thanks again. ☺

 

 

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