Does cruising on the newer NCL ships spoil you for cruising on the older ones?

We had a family meeting to determine what ships we would consider for our next cruise. The Sun cruises in Alaska and I've been on the Pearl and Jewel. When I showed them that ship, I got a blank stare from the boys and DH.

They wanted to know about entertainment, how are the water slides, what is there to do.

I know this is subjective and up to each individual's expectations but are they going to be disappointed on the older ships having sailed on the newer ones? DS is 12, DB (dear brother who I am not raising) is 15, and DH is well....about 10 years old.

It all depends on the expectations of the individual. I have sailed several NCL ships, and they all have things I like, so not a problem for me.

the older ships can hold less people making the ship feel less crowded. After being on the Breakaway, i prefer the Gem a lot better

Personally, sailing on the larger ships leaves me missing the older/smaller ships.

Have sailed BA and Jewel/Gem...we enjoy either but love the Gem. That said we do not utilize gym, pools, slides, rope courses......etc. The shows are equal for some(second city, comedian, magician) but older ships have theater staff productions(singing and dancing) vs ROA and Burn the Floor, Fat Cats.... I think the young adults would enjoy the BA more...more activities for them.

Safe sailing

Personally I prefer the smaller ships. Usually the cabins are larger and I have no need of water parks, rock climbs, and slides. In fact, on my Epic cruise, I mentioned to my wife how it seems all of the new ships take more and more real estate to build kiddie stuff.......It seems more like a Disney park than a cruise ship!

Instead of the ship being the destination this time around make the DESTINATIONS the destination. You mention Alaska....the excursions you pick will be the 'entertainment' for those that were questioning the lack of water parks. I think, for example, a helicopter ride to the glacier and looking at the wonder of the 'Last Wilderness' trumps standing in line to go down the plunge. :rolleyes:

I think you need to approach the cruise from a different angle, perhaps bring up other aspects and you'll bring them around. ;)

We had a family meeting to determine what ships we would consider for our next cruise. The Sun cruises in Alaska and I've been on the Pearl and Jewel. When I showed them that ship, I got a blank stare from the boys and DH.

 

They wanted to know about entertainment, how are the water slides, what is there to do.

 

I know this is subjective and up to each individual's expectations but are they going to be disappointed on the older ships having sailed on the newer ones? DS is 12, DB (dear brother who I am not raising) is 15, and DH is well....about 10 years old.

If you are taking kids, go with the new, big ships. If you want a peaceful and relaxing cruise for adults, go with the Sun, Dawn, Jewel class ships.

I feel exactly the opposite. Having done Breakaway and Gem -- and loved both trips -- I'm already booked to sail on the Gem again. I found the smaller, more intimate ship appealed to me far, far better.

Have been on Breakaway and smaller NCL ships over the years. Although the Breakaway is a lovely new ship and there's a lot to do on her--it just seemed too crowded wherever we went. And having to stress about making dinner/entertainment reservations was not my idea of relaxing. Prefer the larger theater and lounge venues on the older ships.

OTOH-The "kids" (including your hubby;)) would probably appreciate the water slides, climbing wall, etc.

We had a family meeting to determine what ships we would consider for our next cruise. The Sun cruises in Alaska and I've been on the Pearl and Jewel. When I showed them that ship, I got a blank stare from the boys and DH.

 

They wanted to know about entertainment, how are the water slides, what is there to do.

 

I know this is subjective and up to each individual's expectations but are they going to be disappointed on the older ships having sailed on the newer ones? DS is 12, DB (dear brother who I am not raising) is 15, and DH is well....about 10 years old.

If you are thinking about an Alaska cruise, only The Pearl, The Jewel and The Sun have Alaskan itineraries. The Jewel does around trip from Seattle, Washington Saturday- Saturday. The Pearl does a round trip Sunday-Sunday from Seattle. The Sun does ONE WAY cruise either from Vancouver, British Columbia Canada to Whittier, Alaska or Whittier to Vancouver and those are Monday-Monday.

The Sun is really not the ship for kids. We did have our kids on Sun and they had a great time but we were in Baltics on a port intensive trip and the weather is not that warm there. That being said and as others have said, going to Alaska is about the ports so I wouldn't worry too much about the ship like a warm weather trip. The Sun is a nice enough ship but the other thing on the Sun is a tiny buffet area although you do have a Great Outdoors.

As far as new vs. old, we were on the BA in March and our next NCL trip is on their oldest ship, the Spirit which we have been on before.

After our first cruise on one of the newest ships, the Epic, we felt that we should miss the Haven restaurant too much so our next cruise was on the Epic too and our cruise next year will be on the Breakaway.

I guess that can mean that we really prefer the newest ships but our best cruise so far was our first cruise on the Norwegian Wind!

The Majesty is still my all time favorite, it wasn't a big ship but was my first cruise, it was small but holds a place in my heart.

I love the BA and have another cruise on her in just under a month. With that being said I sailed BA in May and the Sky in August and although the Sky definitely shows her age, we still had an absolutely amazing cruise and I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the Sky again. As others have said it seems that the newer and larger ships become more of the destination than the ports itself which is obviously more ideal when there are several sea days. It seems like the cruises you are looking at are more port intensive in which the ships you mentioned would definitely be great for.

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We had a family meeting to determine what ships we would consider for our next cruise. The Sun cruises in Alaska and I've been on the Pearl and Jewel. When I showed them that ship, I got a blank stare from the boys and DH.

 

They wanted to know about entertainment, how are the water slides, what is there to do.

 

I know this is subjective and up to each individual's expectations but are they going to be disappointed on the older ships having sailed on the newer ones? DS is 12, DB (dear brother who I am not raising) is 15, and DH is well....about 10 years old.

I'd say from the standpoint of kids and DH seeking cool things to do, you're better off on the newer ships with the most bells and whistles to keep them busy.

The latest behemoths are essentially amusement parks that float.

For a relaxing adult cruise, I'd go with a smaller ship every time. Like others have said, I don't need or use the gimmicks. And I find people on smaller ships tend to be friendlier because the ambiance is more intimate. Big ships are like small cities where you may see people once, then never again.

To answer your original question, I would say yes, if you're looking for non-stop entertainment, big ships can spoil you for smaller, older ships.

We had a family meeting to determine what ships we would consider for our next cruise. The Sun cruises in Alaska and I've been on the Pearl and Jewel. When I showed them that ship, I got a blank stare from the boys and DH.

 

They wanted to know about entertainment, how are the water slides, what is there to do.

 

I know this is subjective and up to each individual's expectations but are they going to be disappointed on the older ships having sailed on the newer ones? DS is 12, DB (dear brother who I am not raising) is 15, and DH is well....about 10 years old.

Keep in mind that I haven't yet sailed NCL (just give me a few weeks! ;)), but I have done three Alaska cruises and my DD had been on each. We cruised Alaska when she was 6, 11, and 17. When she was 6, it was all about the ship and kids' club for her. By 11, it was about the ports and the scenery. We'd spend hours just sitting on our balcony looking at the scenery. I got her her own binoculars and made a bit of game out of spotting wildlife. On the last cruise, we went on an excursion before we even visited a port! We took a small-boat tour in Tracy Arm (amazing!). Alaska is a completely different kind of cruise than a Mexican Riviera or Caribbean cruise. When we cruise Alaska, it's a more relaxing kind of cruise for us, but I know my kid and that works for her/us--we really do enjoy just hanging out together (she's 19 now and not going on my Jade cruise with me--that's going to be odd :o). You know your kids (including your DH) and what they enjoy. Will they be okay with fewer amenities and can they shift their expectations?

I hope you enjoy Alaska as much as we do! It's our favorite cruise destination.

:D

Years ago we sailed to Alaska on the Sky, which hardly had any amenities. However, Alaska was the destination with so much to do and see. There was not much need for stuff on the ship.

Keep in mind though, the Pearl has a water slide and bowling ally.

We prefer the older, smaller ships, but we're not traveling with any children.

Regarding the Alaska cruise (departing Seattle, at any rate), there's only one true sea day on the 7 day run, and you'll be in a new port every day. Those days will probably be filled with activities off the ship, so the kids may feel the lack of the "big ship" amenities as much.

The Majesty is still my all time favorite, it wasn't a big ship but was my first cruise, it was small but holds a place in my heart.

For me as well. The Majesty was my first NCL Cruise, which was Boston to Bermuda. I absolutely loved it.

For this cruise I would think it is all about Alaska; ship is secondary.

I have done BA and Star and would go on Star again. Both sizes have pluses. More to do on larger but I felt like I got to connect with staff on smaller ships.

Personally, sailing on the larger ships leaves me missing the older/smaller ships.

Agree !!

Okay, I will tell them to suck it up. We will enjoy the ports and I really like the Jewel and Pearl. They will be fine. It's not like they were going to be frequenting water slides in Alaska anyway! lol

Thank you for your input. I appreciate it.

We did the Sun to Alaska last year with kids and, as others have said, Alaska IS the trip. With the Sun's itinerary, you see so much more of Alaska. We picked it because I couldn't imagine anything worse than 2 days at sea in the north Pacific heading back to Seattle after the beauty of Alaska and the inside passage. We did the Northbound route from Vancouver to Whittier and each day of the cruise just got better and better. The kids had plenty to do on the ship even without all the bells and whistles of the bigger ship. They made some friends since there were so many kids on the ship and never complained once that they were bored.

You will find my review for NCL Sun in Alaska (sailed 8/4/14) in my signature. I think it will be helpful to you in determining whether this ship and the cruise itself is "for you".

I have never been on the bigger, newer ships, but I admit that I am pretty impressed with all of their activities. I mean, a bowling alley on board?! Crazy. The Sun doesn't even have a real movie theater. You sit in a restaurant and watch movies on a portable screen, almost like you're at summer camp.

The pool scene on the Sun is poor, and the staff doesn't put on many activities for the passengers, for whatever reason.

I agree with the general sentiment that Alaska cruises are for the ports and the scenery from the ship, and not for onboard activities.

The sea days were kinda boring, though, so I'm not sure if your kids will like it.