Which ship would you pick

[ayeamcdn]

I wanted to pick the POH - What a deal - what a wonderful new ship - what an itinerary - what a great crew - what a HEY! everything was great, or was it that we had just spent a month in Asia & were just so glad to be "home" (we're Canadians) but it was our first trip to Hawaii & it could not have been better - getting to see all the main islands without unpacking. We then did the TransAtlantic aboard the Jade & she was the same great ship - but once in Spain the Casino was added, the laundry rooms were taken out? & of course the intinerary has changed (Hawaii has been left to PoA - & the price has gone up - but still a bargain). We're scheduled for Sep / Oct back-to-back aboard the Jade with her new crew & will have to hope they're as good as the PoH's crew. The Jade again has fabulous itineraries. The Jade has treated us well & I guess every day - cruising or at home is what you make of it. We try to make it the best day of our life - & wish you the same.

[NoPiratesPlease]

Surprising that many of the posts on the NCL boards claim NCL as one of the best values within the main-stream cruise lines. This is from Cruise Critics poll results from reviews for "Best Cruise Values" (not sure what criteria they used though).

 

BEST CRUISE VALUES

Carnival Imagination 4.8

Carnival Legend 4.8

RCL Independence of the Seas 4.8

Carnival Glory 4.7

Carnival Valor 4.7

Carnival Holiday 4.7

Carnival Triumph 4.7

Carnival Fascination 4.7

Carnival Freedom 4.6

RCL Majesty of the Seas 4.6

Carnival Inspiration 4.6

RCL Mariner of the Seas 4.6

Carnival Liberty 4.6

Carnival Miracle 4.6

Carnival Paradise 4.6

Carnival Destiny 4.6

RCL Freedom of the Seas 4.5

Carnival Fantasy 4.5

Carnival Elation 4.5

Carnival Victory 4.5

RCL Vision of the Seas 4.5

Carnival Conquest 4.5

RCL Radiance of the Seas 4.5

RCL Enchantment of the Seas 4.5

RCL Liberty of the Seas 4.5

Carnival Spirit 4.5

RCL Serenade of the Seas 4.4

RCL Jewel of the Seas 4.4

RCL Brilliance of the Seas 4.4

RCL Voyager of the Seas 4.4

RCL Sovereign of the Seas 4.4

Carnival Sensation 4.4

RCL Monarch of the Seas 4.4

Carnival Pride 4.4

Carnival Ecstasy 4.3

RCL Legend of the Seas 4.3

RCL Navigator of the Seas 4.3

Carnival Splendor 4.3

Norwegian Sun 4.3

Norwegian Pearl 4.2

Norwegian Gem 4.1

Norwegian Sky 4.1

Norwegian Jewel 4.1

Norwegian Star 4.1

Norwegian Dawn 4.0

RCL Rhapsody of the Seas 4.0

Norwegian Pride of America 4.0

RCL Splendour of the Seas 4.0

Norwegian Majesty 4.0

Norwegian Spirit 3.9

Norwegian Jade 3.9

 

So Carnival's cheap. What else is new? We were on the Victory once, almost 2 years ago, in one of the top cabins. After a cruise in an AC cabin on the Dawn you'd throw rocks at the Victory. And that's a LOW-LEVEL Concierge-service cabin.

 

Here's what was good about the Victory:

 

Coffee

Better Daily Planner--has a tear-off schedule.

Super smooth-sailing vessel

Always $5 BlackJack tables available.

Staff was always friendly (if not always competent)

Room service, while very limited, was pretty good--best food we had on-board.

 

That was about it. Lousy food, dirty, noisy cabins, over-crowded ship, mediocre service.

 

Sure, it's cheaper. And a Chrysler is less than a BMW.

[jocap]

I wanted to pick the POH - What a deal - what a wonderful new ship - what an itinerary - what a great crew - what a HEY! everything was great, or was it that we had just spent a month in Asia & were just so glad to be "home" (we're Canadians) but it was our first trip to Hawaii & it could not have been better - getting to see all the main islands without unpacking. We then did the TransAtlantic aboard the Jade & she was the same great ship - but once in Spain the Casino was added, the laundry rooms were taken out? & of course the intinerary has changed (Hawaii has been left to PoA - & the price has gone up - but still a bargain). We're scheduled for Sep / Oct back-to-back aboard the Jade with her new crew & will have to hope they're as good as the PoH's crew. The Jade again has fabulous itineraries. The Jade has treated us well & I guess every day - cruising or at home is what you make of it. We try to make it the best day of our life - & wish you the same.

We were on the "new" Jade last summer and the new crew were still arriving, port by port. So some things did not hang together, as the crew didn't know each other, or often what they were supposed to be doing. I think this is why the poor ship was so slated on UK review pages. However, we've just returned from her eastern Med cruise, and it was SO obvious that the crew had gelled. They were laughing and singing in the cabin corridors-teasing our hapless steward in the friendliest way and inviting us to join in; the staff in the buffet were joking as they cleared tables and smiling broadly when they passed by. The "crew show" was amazing, with the friendships standing out between them. A happy ship. Incidently, one morning the young women working in the buffet were so excited-because the ship was running them an all day shuttle bus to the Virgin Mary's house at Ephesus. Now that's the way to treat a happy crew! Enjoy!-jocap.