NCL for those that loved it years ago

[coaster]

Not sailed NCL for over 20 years. Our go to line in the 90's with the SS Norway, Sunward, Seaward, Majesty and Leeward . Traditional dining that NCL eliminated years ago with the Star Cruises takeover which were used to. Keeping an open mind, but go cart tracks and Haven cabins seem to take up lots of real estate on upper decks. Spirit seems like a good choice as it is a smaller ship with lots spent on her for renovation. Is Spirit a choice from Florida anymore in the future? 

Edited June 7 by coaster

[www3traveler]

NO  Just looked at NCL's website and it shows that the Spirit will be sailing out of Japan, Australia and New Zealand in 2024 and 2025.

 

Gives no indication when She would be sailing in US waters again.  My guess would be that if She returns to the US, it would be for Alaskan cruises and not out of Florida. 

[kjquilts]

In April / May we spent 16 days on the Spirit for the Honolulu to Vancouver BC cruise.  We are long time NCL cruisers and are disappointed with some of the entertainment and food cutbacks but still really enjoyed the ship and the cruise.  We would happily sail on her again.  
 

At our age Asia and Australia/New Zealand seem too far to travel so hope the Spirit does end up closer.

[dexddd]

Although oldest in fleet, Spirit is one of our faves. Reno even better.

 

Spirit has mostly been doing Asian cruises and or French Poly and future. 

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, coaster said:

Not sailed NCL for over 20 years. Our go to line in the 90's with the SS Norway, Sunward, Seaward, Majesty and Leeward . Traditional dining that NCL eliminated years ago with the Star Cruises takeover which were used to. Keeping an open mind, but go cart tracks and Haven cabins seem to take up lots of real estate on upper decks. Spirit seems like a good choice as it is a smaller ship with lots spent on her for renovation. Is Spirit a choice from Florida anymore in the future? 

Unfortunately everything has changed in the last 20 years. And, like the old tube TVs, there is no demand, at all, for cruising from 20 years ago. 

 

The Spirit is the smallest and oldest ship in the NCL fleet. NCL has made a decision, after a massive refirb to remove the Asian motif, to use it to sail Asia and the Australian/New Zealand market. While old, it has all of the contemporary features of NCL Freestyle cruising. 

 

[ryarger]

If you want the cruising experience of the ‘90s I think your best bet is to look upmarket. NCL’s sister brands Oceania and Regent are much closer to that classic cruising vibe.

 

They’re expensive, but so was NCL 30-40 years ago. Mass market cruising is much cheaper now than it has ever been. Adjusting for inflation, a luxury cruise now is in the same ballpark as a “regular” cruise back then.

[Crazy planning mom]

Try the Jade.  She is a renovated  classic ship without the bells and whistles.  I would recommend getting at least couple nights specialty dining.

[schmoopie17]

1 hour ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Try the Jade.  She is a renovated  classic ship without the bells and whistles.  I would recommend getting at least couple nights specialty dining.

Correct. The Jade was our overall best cruising experience. Food, service...pretty much everything was top-notch. It's just old enough (and funky enough) without being run down and musty. Lots of wood everywhere...even in the bathrooms (where they still have ashtrays right by the toilet...for your convenience). 

 

They even have signs that say "No smoking in bed". 

 

Like I said...funky.

[mking8288]

9 hours ago, coaster said:

Not sailed NCL for over 20 years. Our go to line in the 90's with the SS Norway, Sunward, Seaward, Majesty and Leeward . Traditional dining that NCL eliminated years ago with the Star Cruises takeover which were used to. Keeping an open mind, but go cart tracks and Haven cabins seem to take up lots of real estate on upper decks. Spirit seems like a good choice as it is a smaller ship with lots spent on her for renovation. Is Spirit a choice from Florida anymore in the future? 

 

FWIW, recent CC news article link is here ... on fleet deployment of the Spirit, Sky and Sun to Asia this Fall thru 2026, the oldest & smaller Norwegian ships moving (returning once again, post-Covid) with at least 1 of them being fully chartered with a regional travel partner & homeport out of Keelun, Taiwan (a coastal, sheltered harbor port in the NE) that's about 45 minutes +/- from Taipei, traffic permitting - with a variety of mostly shorter itineraries, intended not for the Americanized audience 😳  😬  🙄 

 

Sailing out of Florida & "smaller" ships, you are probably looking at the "newer" & "bigger" ones including the Dawn, Gem, Jade, Pearl & Jewel.  Not all the ships have go carts and water slides/tubes but Haven concept isn't going away.   All of them have had "recent" dry docked and updated furnishings, newer furniture & refreshed, aren't as old as the "age" would otherwise indicated.  The "funky" Epic isn't bad either ... our recent TA (2023) on her was fine, separate toilet & shower cubes didn't bother us.  Some of the older ships in the fleet have had engine/azipod issues as well as common maintenance "complaints" about clogged toilets (thanks to fellow cruisers that probably ignored cautions & improperly disposed objects by flushing) whereas the new ships aren't immune with squeaks, noises & rattles at sea either.  

 

Look closely at recent reviews & reports on ship(s) that you are interested in and available to sail ... the onboard experience these days - if it has been more than 15 to 20 years ago (it seemed so) since being onboard NCL, could be a shocking eye-opener with all the changes since then in numerous ways.  The grass isn't necessary greener on the competitions out there ...  Sailing out of Florida, unlike those of us from the Northeast (NY/NJ/CT region) wide choices, options, pricing and availability on a year round basis.  

 

Happy cruising and do more homework by "researching" before you pull the trigger.  Deals are out there for any budgets and it's a lot easier these days with all the online tools plus using services of a good TA, above & beyond NCL's "PCC"    Cheers ! 

 

 

 

[www3traveler]

Henry, when is your next NCL cruise adventure?

[Laszlo]

4 hours ago, Crazy planning mom said:

Try the Jade.  She is a renovated  classic ship without the bells and whistles.  I would recommend getting at least couple nights specialty dining.

Same with the Gem

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 hours ago, kjquilts said:

In April / May we spent 16 days on the Spirit for the Honolulu to Vancouver BC cruise.  We are long time NCL cruisers and are disappointed with some of the entertainment and food cutbacks but still really enjoyed the ship and the cruise.  

I was on that cruise.  I thought the entertainers were great.  Did you listen to that classical guitarist in the showroom?  He was some world class guy who did fantastic things.  He put on two different shows.  I always like elements.  There were four good "lounge acts," but the Spirit is very poorly designed for them.  The pub was crazy small.  Magnums overlooks the atrium, so only one act can be playing in either at the same time.  The social club (or whatever it was called), made a good venue but they only used it a couple of times.  I really liked the Seaside Duo.

[slidemaster5]

39 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Same with the Gem

 

Got off the Gem this morning. Pleasantly surprised how good she looked. The motif is the older wood finishes which gives a darker look, but I did not see any worn-out common areas.

 

 

 

[Laszlo]

22 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

Got off the Gem this morning. Pleasantly surprised how good she looked. The motif is the older wood finishes which gives a darker look, but I did not see any worn-out common areas.

 

 

 

Will be on her in three weeks. I hope she looked good they just did a refurbishment about two years ago. How was the food and shows? I've heard the shows are lacking

[slidemaster5]

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Will be on her in three weeks. I hope she looked good they just did a refurbishment about two years ago. How was the food and shows? I've heard the shows are lacking

 

Shows

Day 2 was Blazing Boots. My wife is into country and liked it. I am not into country so for me it was meh. 

 

Day 3 and Day 5 was Music and Comedy of Tom Franek. We missed Day 3. He does a few standup bits but mostly plays piano and sings with the band. Some songs are comical some are straight. He is classically trained so he can play. If you have ever seen Victor Borge (before my time but I have seen him on YouTube) he is similar. Enjoyed this show - especially when he took requests similar to "Whose Line is it Anyways" show.

 

Day 6 was Whitney Houston Everlasting. Brand new show on any ship (we were told). This is basically an avatar show with Whitney avatar singing actual vocals mixed with live singers and band. I was hesitant going in but actually enjoyed it. Weird seeing people giving a standing ovation to an avatar but the live singers and band made it feel "real" at times.

 

Day 7 was Get Down Tonight. I was looking forward to this show being familiar with 70s music and I thought it was bad. The issue I had was you don't have to imitate the original artist, but you need to emote the song. Most of the songs were like "Glee meets the 70s" - bland. A few singers can actually sing and emote; the other singers were ugh. The post show parade of crew members was better than the show, lol. 

 

For all shows I thought the Gem Orchestra was solid. We thought the house band "Upgrade" was ok. We mainly saw them at Sail Away.

 

 

Food

 

We were in the Haven so I will discuss Dinner. We did two meals in Cagney's and several in MDR, O'Sheehans,  and tried the buffet. Cagney's was a bit disappointing since they overcooked my steak on the first attempt. (I also wanted to eat fish, but the fish option is gone - see new thread on new menu). The sides we had were ok. The deserts were very good. MDR - I found to be a hit or miss. I recommend trying the daily specials as they seem to be better than the fixed menu. Buffet seemed average at best. We did go there once when they had rotisserie chicken special and that was very good. We occasionally did "run-ins" to grab something over the course of the day - especially sea days. O'Sheehans pub food was what I expected it to be, and we enjoyed it.

 

We found the actual service to be good and consistent between Haven meals in Moderno/Cagney's and MDR. We used Grand Pacific for all MDR.

 

 

Edited June 7 by slidemaster5

[Laszlo]

58 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

Shows

Day 2 was Blazing Boots. My wife is into country and liked it. I am not into country so for me it was meh. 

 

Day 3 and Day 5 was Music and Comedy of Tom Franek. We missed Day 3. He does a few standup bits but mostly plays piano and sings with the band. Some songs are comical some are straight. He is classically trained so he can play. If you have ever seen Victor Borge (before my time but I have seen him on YouTube) he is similar. Enjoyed this show - especially when he took requests similar to "Whose Line is it Anyways" show.

 

Day 6 was Whitney Houston Everlasting. Brand new show on any ship (we were told). This is basically an avatar show with Whitney avatar singing actual vocals mixed with live singers and band. I was hesitant going in but actually enjoyed it. Weird seeing people giving a standing ovation to an avatar but the live singers and band made it feel "real" at times.

 

Day 7 was Get Down Tonight. I was looking forward to this show being familiar with 70s music and I thought it was bad. The issue I had was you don't have to imitate the original artist, but you need to emote the song. Most of the songs were like "Glee meets the 70s" - bland. A few singers can actually sing and emote; the other singers were ugh. The post show parade of crew members was better than the show, lol. 

 

For all shows I thought the Gem Orchestra was solid. We thought the house band "Upgrade" was ok. We mainly saw them at Sail Away.

 

 

Food

 

We were in the Haven so I will discuss Dinner. We did two meals in Cagney's and several in MDR, O'Sheehans,  and tried the buffet. Cagney's was a bit disappointing since they overcooked my steak on the first attempt. (I also wanted to eat fish, but the fish option is gone - see new thread on new menu). The sides we had were ok. The deserts were very good. MDR - I found to be a hit or miss. I recommend trying the daily specials as they seem to be better than the fixed menu. Buffet seemed average at best. We did go there once when they had rotisserie chicken special and that was very good. We occasionally did "run-ins" to grab something over the course of the day - especially sea days. O'Sheehans pub food was what I expected it to be, and we enjoyed it.

 

We found the actual service to be good and consistent between Haven meals in Moderno/Cagney's and MDR. We used Grand Pacific for all MDR.

 

 

Thanks!

               We are in a forward suite, not Haven but that's OK since the Gem doesn't have a dedicated Haven restaurant. Never cruised out of Boston but I have heard the Haven / Suite area is very small?

[slidemaster5]

45 minutes ago, Laszlo said:

Thanks!

               We are in a forward suite, not Haven but that's OK since the Gem doesn't have a dedicated Haven restaurant. Never cruised out of Boston but I have heard the Haven / Suite area is very small?

 

If you are in a full suite then you will have the Moderno's for breakfast and Cagney's for lunch options along with priority embark/disembark. We enjoyed that and got to know other cruisers and the staff since it is a smaller group.

 

From a price standpoint I agree that on the jewel class ships the suite may be a better value. I disagree, however, with those that say it's no good because it's too small:

 

(1) The jewel class does not have a Haven dedicated restaurant, but we have the same menu in the private restaurants. Granted we lose the dinner option. I enjoyed the change of venue.

(2) Sure, the Haven pool and area is small but there are only 18 Haven suites. Also, the Haven sun deck has enough cabanas and loungers for a small army. That was one perk I didn't expect. We basically had the pool and whirlpool and cabanas to ourselves. To each their own. Once we go on a larger ship we can compare firsthand. 

[9876]

I love the Jade.  It is my favorite of the ‘small’ ships.

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 hours ago, slidemaster5 said:

Day 6 was Whitney Houston Everlasting. Brand new show on any ship (we were told). This is basically an avatar show with Whitney avatar singing actual vocals mixed with live singers and band. I was hesitant going in but actually enjoyed it. Weird seeing people giving a standing ovation to an avatar but the live singers and band made it feel "real" at times.

God help us all.😬

[Laszlo]

3 hours ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

If you are in a full suite then you will have the Moderno's for breakfast and Cagney's for lunch options along with priority embark/disembark. We enjoyed that and got to know other cruisers and the staff since it is a smaller group.

 

From a price standpoint I agree that on the jewel class ships the suite may be a better value. I disagree, however, with those that say it's no good because it's too small:

 

(1) The jewel class does not have a Haven dedicated restaurant, but we have the same menu in the private restaurants. Granted we lose the dinner option. I enjoyed the change of venue.

(2) Sure, the Haven pool and area is small but there are only 18 Haven suites. Also, the Haven sun deck has enough cabanas and loungers for a small army. That was one perk I didn't expect. We basically had the pool and whirlpool and cabanas to ourselves. To each their own. Once we go on a larger ship we can compare firsthand. 

I confused you sorry, when I said small area I meant the size of the Haven and Suite check in area at the pier in Boston, not the size of the Haven on the ship

 

On our cruise the cheapest Haven cabin was almost twice the price of the suite we have. Been in the Haven on the Escape and GA and really like them

Edited June 7 by Laszlo

[slidemaster5]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

God help us all.😬

 

Wait until NCL introduces service avatars and adds in the gratuity.....

[ChiefMateJRK]

38 minutes ago, slidemaster5 said:

 

Wait until NCL introduces service avatars and adds in the gratuity.....

lol. Actually, it was the Whitney Houston aspect that made me feel physical pain. 😱

[TheBeardedCruiser]

On 6/7/2024 at 1:21 AM, coaster said:

Not sailed NCL for over 20 years. Our go to line in the 90's with the SS Norway, Sunward, Seaward, Majesty and Leeward . Traditional dining that NCL eliminated years ago with the Star Cruises takeover which were used to. Keeping an open mind, but go cart tracks and Haven cabins seem to take up lots of real estate on upper decks. Spirit seems like a good choice as it is a smaller ship with lots spent on her for renovation. Is Spirit a choice from Florida anymore in the future? 

If you're willing to look outside of NCL, I highly recommend you checking out MSC Cruises. I recently got off the Meraviglia, and had a fabulous time. The cruise reminded me of my first cruise 20+ years ago. The ship was only ~ seven years old, but the set dinner time, copious entertainment and fun activities were closer to what I remember from a couple decades ago. MSC isn't for everyone, but my wife and I truly enjoyed our cruise!

Edited June 8 by TheBeardedCruiser

[BirdTravels]

On 6/7/2024 at 2:48 AM, kjquilts said:

In April / May we spent 16 days on the Spirit for the Honolulu to Vancouver BC cruise.  We are long time NCL cruisers and are disappointed with some of the entertainment and food cutbacks but still really enjoyed the ship and the cruise.  We would happily sail on her again.  
 

At our age Asia and Australia/New Zealand seem too far to travel so hope the Spirit does end up closer.

Not quite sure what you were expecting for entertainment. The Spirit and the other small ships are more old school production shows. On a longer cruise, there will be guest entertainers most nights. Don’t get me wrong, the Spirit has been one of our favorite ships (because it has been around for a while) but flights to its current location are too long for us now. 

[Menocchio]

11 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

lol. Actually, it was the Whitney Houston aspect that made me feel physical pain. 😱

Yeah, it’s fairly ghoulish.