Your Thoughts on Inaugural Cruises

I am really interested in doing a cruise on the Vista in Europe. My family has not traveled at all in Europe and I feel that a cruise would be our most stress free way to start to explore places that we know nothing about. My issue is the fact that the itinerary that appeals to me the most in the inaugural 13 day cruise on May 1, 2016. I like it for the ports and the fact that it has 3 sea days. I'm scared of it because its the very first sailing. There is the part of me that says that it would be neat to be one of the first to sail the ship, but there is also the part of me that is afraid of what might not be ready or ironed out.

So, can any of you share your experiences with inaugural cruises? Is there any possibility that the ship would not be ready to sail? I realize that there may be some cosmetic or minor things not finished, but my kids would be very upset if the water slides weren't open. I would be upset if any of the new, big attractions weren't ready. Is it worth the risk? I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions. Thank You.

I just booked it, but I am curious as well.

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Cruising in Europe is a great way to see Europe for the first time. It is all about the ports more than the ship though....I am so tempted by these sailings but what I know is that when cruising in Europe you are exhausted after every port day and just don't do a lot on the ship. As it should be...it is not cheap to fly across the pond and you want to see as much as possible! I've never sailed on an inaugural; that may make me nervous too.

I sailed on the Sunshine in 2013 on a 12-day Med cruise and it was amazing. It was so fun to see all those European ports and get to experience all of that culture and beauty. On the other hand, it was an extremely port-intensive cruise with very little time to explore the ship or relax. I don't think I really got a chance to take advantage of everything the Sunshine had to offer (but I guess that's just a good excuse to sail on her again!)

As for sailing an inaugural cruise, I've never done it before and I doubt I ever would. I agree that the Vista is offering a fantastic itinerary for that sailing, but it is very risky. We had a bunch of people on our Sunshine cruise (in September) who were originally scheduled on one of the first few Sunshine sailings, but their cruises were cancelled when it took longer than expected to finish the renovations. I'm not sure if it's any different when a ship is being refurbished vs. being built new, but it's still risky (especially with the cost of airfare which is often non-refundable). I also vaguely remember reading reviews from the inaugural sailings (I think it was from the Breeze, but some of this may be from the Sunshine) about people having complaints that there were a lot of kinks that needed to be worked out... showers that flooded because no one removed the plugs in the drains, staff that had no clue what they were doing because it was their first time learning the ship and the general procedures, and various parts of the ship that weren't 100% finished so there was still construction going on during those first few sailings.

In the end, you are the only one who can decide if it's a risk you want to take, but for me, it's a lot of money to spend for such a risk. I'd stick with the sailings a few months after the inauguration :)

I sailed on the Sunshine in 2013 on a 12-day Med cruise and it was amazing. It was so fun to see all those European ports and get to experience all of that culture and beauty. On the other hand, it was an extremely port-intensive cruise with very little time to explore the ship or relax. I don't think I really got a chance to take advantage of everything the Sunshine had to offer (but I guess that's just a good excuse to sail on her again!)

 

As for sailing an inaugural cruise, I've never done it before and I doubt I ever would. I agree that the Vista is offering a fantastic itinerary for that sailing, but it is very risky. We had a bunch of people on our Sunshine cruise (in September) who were originally scheduled on one of the first few Sunshine sailings, but their cruises were cancelled when it took longer than expected to finish the renovations. I'm not sure if it's any different when a ship is being refurbished vs. being built new, but it's still risky (especially with the cost of airfare which is often non-refundable). I also vaguely remember reading reviews from the inaugural sailings (I think it was from the Breeze, but some of this may be from the Sunshine) about people having complaints that there were a lot of kinks that needed to be worked out... showers that flooded because no one removed the plugs in the drains, staff that had no clue what they were doing because it was their first time learning the ship and the general procedures, and various parts of the ship that weren't 100% finished so there was still construction going on during those first few sailings.

 

In the end, you are the only one who can decide if it's a risk you want to take, but for me, it's a lot of money to spend for such a risk. I'd stick with the sailings a few months after the inauguration :)

I do remember about the issues with the Sunshine. I wonder if it was different because the renovations ended up being a much more difficult process than they were expecting. It is a gamble, but then I think that if I am going to spend all of that money on plane tickets to get there, then I want to see the most places that I can. We would definitely get insurance so if they cancelled completely we would be covered. I would also like to think that Carnival may have learned from their past mistakes and will try their best to make this launch successful.:rolleyes:

We were on the Maiden voyage of the Breeze, and are really thinking hard about the maiden voyage of the Vista. Unlike the Sunshine, the Breeze was a new build, and everything was in tip top shape when we arrived. There were many special gifts for us as first timers as well, and it was kind of cool to know that we were the first paying customers in our stateroom. I would not worry at all...it is a great way to see Europe stress free, but like some of the other posters stated...you will be tired at the end of each day.

DW and I were on the inaugural of the Breeze. There were only a couple of issues that I know about. First there were some computer issues in Venice that really slowed down priority boarding. No big deal. Then a couple of days they were having issues balancing the Air Conditioning. Just made a few rooms cold at times. Overall it was a fantastic cruise

I would not hesitate to book an inaugural. Matter of fact I did yesterday when it became available

Tom

I sailed on the Sunshine in 2013 on a 12-day Med cruise and it was amazing. It was so fun to see all those European ports and get to experience all of that culture and beauty. On the other hand, it was an extremely port-intensive cruise with very little time to explore the ship or relax. I don't think I really got a chance to take advantage of everything the Sunshine had to offer (but I guess that's just a good excuse to sail on her again!)

 

As for sailing an inaugural cruise, I've never done it before and I doubt I ever would. I agree that the Vista is offering a fantastic itinerary for that sailing, but it is very risky. We had a bunch of people on our Sunshine cruise (in September) who were originally scheduled on one of the first few Sunshine sailings, but their cruises were cancelled when it took longer than expected to finish the renovations. I'm not sure if it's any different when a ship is being refurbished vs. being built new, but it's still risky (especially with the cost of airfare which is often non-refundable). I also vaguely remember reading reviews from the inaugural sailings (I think it was from the Breeze, but some of this may be from the Sunshine) about people having complaints that there were a lot of kinks that needed to be worked out... showers that flooded because no one removed the plugs in the drains, staff that had no clue what they were doing because it was their first time learning the ship and the general procedures, and various parts of the ship that weren't 100% finished so there was still construction going on during those first few sailings.

 

In the end, you are the only one who can decide if it's a risk you want to take, but for me, it's a lot of money to spend for such a risk. I'd stick with the sailings a few months after the inauguration :)

The ship would have been finished on time if the contractors who were working to refurbish the Carnival Sunshine at the Fincantieri Shipyard in Monfalcone didn't intentionally spend their days vandalizing the ship.

Confirmations by Gerry Cahill:

http://www.travelweekly.com/Cruise-Travel/Carnival-Sunshine-was-set-back-by-vandalism-reveals-CEO/ [Carnival Sunshine was set back by vandalism, reveals CEO]

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5442 [Carnival CEO: 'Vandalism Cause of Damage to Cabins on Sunshine']

Report from Dry Dock Dave:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=38283914#post38283914

Always wanted to. I wonder if the cruise lines still give inaugural cruise guests commemorative swag?

i've done one final cruise on the carnival holiday and i liked it. i've never done a inaugural and i liked the final cruise so much i'm going to do those.

This is a destination ship....and the European itineraries are so port intensive....doesn't look like we'd have time to really enjoy Vista. Might wait until she comes to the Caribbean. Splurge on a Havana Cabana. :cool:

Ships are cranked out as fast as possible today using the Microsoft model: It does not matter if there are bugs or issues, just get it to market as fast as possible and sort it out later, give a little OBC to calm people down if it really goes sideways. The "gotta have it" consumers for the first trip of a new ship, especially an entirely new class of ship, will pay mighty heavy to essentially be test groups.

I'd personally not book an inaugural cruise on any ship or any line. Problems are inevitable and the staff and crew, even management, are going to be unfamiliar with the ship. I would expect contractors to still be on board working and I'd expect no more than 90% of venues and activities ready to go and functioning properly. Look at all the strongly negative reports from Quantum of the Seas or other ships where premium paying guests were essentially used to shake down the ship.

New ships are interesting and exciting, but I've got no desire to get on one less than 6 months from being put in service. Let someone else iron out the kinks.

I am really interested in doing a cruise on the Vista in Europe. My family has not traveled at all in Europe and I feel that a cruise would be our most stress free way to start to explore places that we know nothing about. My issue is the fact that the itinerary that appeals to me the most in the inaugural 13 day cruise on May 1, 2016. I like it for the ports and the fact that it has 3 sea days. I'm scared of it because its the very first sailing. There is the part of me that says that it would be neat to be one of the first to sail the ship, but there is also the part of me that is afraid of what might not be ready or ironed out.

 

So, can any of you share your experiences with inaugural cruises? Is there any possibility that the ship would not be ready to sail? I realize that there may be some cosmetic or minor things not finished, but my kids would be very upset if the water slides weren't open. I would be upset if any of the new, big attractions weren't ready. Is it worth the risk? I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions. Thank You.

I would never book the first cruise... It seems to me everyone of the ships coming our of drydock have more negative reviews the first few sailings then seem to get more positive later. The most recent was the pride, which had very poor reviews from a lot of people the first few sailings, but now seems to be better. I believe anyone taking a first cruise, should be prepared for issues.

First, the Sunshine was the old Destiny and was barely tolerable when I cruised three weeks before refitting. Needed lots of help and heard that the Sunshine inaugural cruise did not go well. As far as any inaugural, we were paid in full for the Thanksgiving cruise on the Rccl Anthem of the Seas. We cancelled this week to go on the NCCL Breakaway instead. Heard way too many problems on it's sister ship the Quantum, even a month after it arrived from England and we would have been on the first cruise in the states.

I would be leery of booking the first few cruises for some of the reasons you stated. I would want to have access to all the amenities. We did book one of the 10 night June sailings (the 6th). I hope any issues would be ironed out by then.

The only thing I am not thrilled about is the lack of 12 day itineraries (only 2 and both during US school times) and the single sea day. We are already talking about booking a Caribbean sailing just so we can take advantage of all the great things we saw and want to try out.

We were on the Maiden voyage of the Breeze, and are really thinking hard about the maiden voyage of the Vista. Unlike the Sunshine, the Breeze was a new build, and everything was in tip top shape when we arrived. There were many special gifts for us as first timers as well, and it was kind of cool to know that we were the first paying customers in our stateroom. I would not worry at all...it is a great way to see Europe stress free, but like some of the other posters stated...you will be tired at the end of each day.

Can you elaborate on the "special gifts". Just curious.

Can you elaborate on the "special gifts". Just curious.

Typically there are items such as a tote or combo cooler bad (on the Sunshine), Special pins and things of that nature. They will be labeled with ship name and inaugural cruise and date.

I do not see the maiden voyage on carnivals website..... Any suggestions?

Inaugural cruises always have glitches.

Read a while ago about one huge glitch..... Ship wasn't ready. They refunded all the fares and those who wanted to sail went to work setting up the passenger areas. Given hard hats and were told to bring work clothes.

Wish I could find it again it was a great read. Don't even remember which cruise line this happened on.

I have sort of the same question for the Vista transatlantic cruise in Oct. 2016. Is there a risk of that sailing getting delayed? Do they do anything special on these cruises when they are bringing them to the U.S. for the first time? This seems like a great way to experience the ship with only a few ports.

OK so I think we can all agree that sailing an inaugural is a gamble. I do wish that they offered the first itinerary again later, but they don't. My DH is very hesitant to get out of his comfort zone and has always said that he doesn't want to go to Europe. I know that my kids would love the history and I feel like a cruise is my best shot to get DH to go. He hates the thought of the air fare as we always drive to cruises.

So now let me explain why I like this itinerary. Again our choices are basically down to the inaugural and the 12 day in August. The May cruise has Athens, Turkey, and Malta that is not on the August offering. You also trade Crete for Corfu, and Palermo for Messina. You lose Naples and Sardinia in May, but gain the 3 I listed above.

I feel like this may be my only chance to go to Europe if DH decides that he doesn't like it. I hate giving up Athens especially if we don't do the inaugural. I know its ultimately our decision, but I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I would have been one of those who would have never considered doing an inaugural, but I can't get past the differences in the ports. Decisions, decisions...

OK so I think we can all agree that sailing an inaugural is a gamble. I do wish that they offered the first itinerary again later, but they don't. My DH is very hesitant to get out of his comfort zone and has always said that he doesn't want to go to Europe. I know that my kids would love the history and I feel like a cruise is my best shot to get DH to go. He hates the thought of the air fare as we always drive to cruises.

 

So now let me explain why I like this itinerary. Again our choices are basically down to the inaugural and the 12 day in August. The May cruise has Athens, Turkey, and Malta that is not on the August offering. You also trade Crete for Corfu, and Palermo for Messina. You lose Naples and Sardinia in May, but gain the 3 I listed above.

 

I feel like this may be my only chance to go to Europe if DH decides that he doesn't like it. I hate giving up Athens especially if we don't do the inaugural. I know its ultimately our decision, but I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I would have been one of those who would have never considered doing an inaugural, but I can't get past the differences in the ports. Decisions, decisions...

See what other ships offer itineraries you like. This won't be the only one. The risk of issues on am inaugural plus premium price would outweigh ports when I can get to those ports on other ships too

When deciding on a cruise on the Sunshine in Europe we decided on the third cruise, not wanting to put up with the workers finishing up punch list items. It seem to be (you can search for them) that the first couple of cruises there are things they have to finish. Well the third planned cruise turned out to be the "Inaugural". There were many items through out the ship that were not complete and a lot of work going on. So now with the Vista we chose a cruise on the 26th of August. We feel if any problems that may happen, they will have enough time to get them fixed. Can't wait to enjoy our Havana Cabana Suite it should be great.

OK so I think we can all agree that sailing an inaugural is a gamble. I do wish that they offered the first itinerary again later, but they don't. My DH is very hesitant to get out of his comfort zone and has always said that he doesn't want to go to Europe. I know that my kids would love the history and I feel like a cruise is my best shot to get DH to go. He hates the thought of the air fare as we always drive to cruises.

 

 

 

So now let me explain why I like this itinerary. Again our choices are basically down to the inaugural and the 12 day in August. The May cruise has Athens, Turkey, and Malta that is not on the August offering. You also trade Crete for Corfu, and Palermo for Messina. You lose Naples and Sardinia in May, but gain the 3 I listed above.

 

 

 

I feel like this may be my only chance to go to Europe if DH decides that he doesn't like it. I hate giving up Athens especially if we don't do the inaugural. I know its ultimately our decision, but I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I would have been one of those who would have never considered doing an inaugural, but I can't get past the differences in the ports. Decisions, decisions...

I have been surprised by ports I didn't think I'd care for in Europe and sometimes a little let down by ones I thought I'd love. If this is the way to get DH to Europe...Go! You won't notice minor work being done on the ship while you are busy at ports and if it's cancelled you will have bought insurance! But, look at the port of call boards as you research....they give you a good idea of what are good ports to see in a day. Haven't been to Athens but did go to Santorini and was totally surprised that I loved Kefelonia, Greece more than Santorini! So, you just never know.

So now let me explain why I like this itinerary. Again our choices are basically down to the inaugural and the 12 day in August. The May cruise has Athens, Turkey, and Malta that is not on the August offering. You also trade Crete for Corfu, and Palermo for Messina. You lose Naples and Sardinia in May, but gain the 3 I listed above.

 

I feel like this may be my only chance to go to Europe if DH decides that he doesn't like it. I hate giving up Athens especially if we don't do the inaugural. I know its ultimately our decision, but I appreciate hearing your thoughts. I would have been one of those who would have never considered doing an inaugural, but I can't get past the differences in the ports. Decisions, decisions...

Ephesus Turkey is an incredible destination. Valletta, Malta is the most impressive arrival/sail away harbor in the Med (except Venice) and a beautiful city to visit. Athens has the monuments and history of western civilization. Hard to pass up any of those.

Naples would be nice because of the opportunity to tour the Amalfi coast, but I'd trade it for those three. We've been to Heraklion, Crete. It was enjoyable but not anything special compared to a lot of med ports. We haven't been to Palermo, but we did like Messina a lot. So I agree with your assessment of the two itineraries.

You didn't mention Dubrovnik. Is it on both? Dubrovnik is a hidden gem on med cruises. Almost no one who hasn't been knows much about it. Everyone who has will tell you what a happy surprise it was to them.