Any Consensus

First cruised NCL a number of years ago on The Star. Fabulous itinerary, but tiny cabins and balcony, an actually unfriendly crew, two weeks of very mundane to poor food (yes subjective) and a very negative feeling about NCL when we left the ship. Figured we never cruise with NCL again.

More recently we figured we'd give NCL one more shot and cruised on The Sun. Lovely, well run ship, very friendly crew members and officers, really good food and service everywhere to ate and left the ship VERY impressed.

So which NCL ship might most NCL loyalist suggest we cruise on next if we go with NCL, that's as good and well run as The Sun? Just wondering if there might be a clear consensus out there. Size of ship and Caribbean itinerary is not really important to us either. Thanks. :)

Crews rotate in and out so service is variable. However after 32 cruises with NCL I have come to the conclusion some ships are better run than others. Perhaps ships gain a culture aboard from staff and management. NCL Sun has always in my opinion been an excellent ship in terms of service. NCL Dawn has always in my opinion been the worst in terms of service. I haven't been on the Star since they chopped up the top deck, but I always had a good opinion of the ship in general when we used to cruise her. I haven't been on any of the new Mega ships, as we have no interest in them.

At this point and time my favorite NCL ships are the NCL Sun and NCL Jewel. Both have exceeded our expectations each and every trip in recent years.

I've come to the conclusion you buy your ticket and you take your chances no matter the ship or line!

First cruised NCL a number of years ago on The Star. Fabulous itinerary, but tiny cabins and balcony, an actually unfriendly crew, two weeks of very mundane to poor food (yes subjective) and a very negative feeling about NCL when we left the ship. Figured we never cruise with NCL again.

 

More recently we figured we'd give NCL one more shot and cruised on The Sun. Lovely, well run ship, very friendly crew members and officers, really good food and service everywhere to ate and left the ship VERY impressed.

 

So which NCL ship might most NCL loyalist suggest we cruise on next if we go with NCL, that's as good and well run as The Sun? Just wondering if there might be a clear consensus out there. Size of ship and Caribbean itinerary is not really important to us either. Thanks. :)

The Jewel. It has The Great Outdoors like the Sun does.

Also, you might want to give the Star another try. We were on her for 26 days last October and it was a wonderful experience. Very friendly and helpful crew.

The Gem is my favorite... Just the right size and friendly professional crew from the officers down to the crew... I found they are always eager to make your cruise a pleasant one..previously cruised the Dawn and the Breakaway. The Breakaway was beautiful and great with up to date technology but did find it a bit too big and got that crowded feeling. Luckily we had the Haven so find a lounger was not a problem. Also, dont like that you need reservations for the shows. I prefer the jewel class for entertainment. You can decide last minute whether to go to the show. Also miss the spinnaker lounge on new ships. Trying to do some activities in the atrium, like the newlywed game and dancing with the stars, is crazy. Way too many people in too small an area.

First cruised NCL a number of years ago on The Star. Fabulous itinerary, but tiny cabins and balcony, an actually unfriendly crew, two weeks of very mundane to poor food (yes subjective) and a very negative feeling about NCL when we left the ship. Figured we never cruise with NCL again.

 

More recently we figured we'd give NCL one more shot and cruised on The Sun. Lovely, well run ship, very friendly crew members and officers, really good food and service everywhere to ate and left the ship VERY impressed.

 

So which NCL ship might most NCL loyalist suggest we cruise on next if we go with NCL, that's as good and well run as The Sun? Just wondering if there might be a clear consensus out there. Size of ship and Caribbean itinerary is not really important to us either. Thanks. :)

We actually felt the same way about our cruise on the Star. However, our favorites have been the Dawn and the Jewel. They were pretty much the opposite of the Star.

Having said that, we would still do the Star again if the itinerary was good.

The Pearl. But....actually, any of them.

The Pearl. But....actually, any of them.

Tell me about the Pearl! It doesn't seem to get much mention on this board and is what I've got booked next.

Tell me about the Pearl! It doesn't seem to get much mention on this board and is what I've got booked next.

She ranks high on the list of a favorite NCL ship. She is similar to the Jewel. She has a Spinnaker lounge and a Great Outdoors, both of which we really like. Her buffet is one of NCL's best. We've always loved the crew. She does have a rock climbing wall and bowling alleys, if so inclined. There is a bridge viewing room all the way forward on deck 11, port side. We've sailed her 5 or 6 times including two PC 14 day cruises. For us, she has a great balance of all we enjoy on cruises. The Pearl is being used now for music charter cruises. So she is out of scheduled service for several weeks a year now.

First cruised NCL a number of years ago on The Star. Fabulous itinerary, but tiny cabins and balcony, an actually unfriendly crew, two weeks of very mundane to poor food (yes subjective) and a very negative feeling about NCL when we left the ship. Figured we never cruise with NCL again.

 

More recently we figured we'd give NCL one more shot and cruised on The Sun. Lovely, well run ship, very friendly crew members and officers, really good food and service everywhere to ate and left the ship VERY impressed.

 

So which NCL ship might most NCL loyalist suggest we cruise on next if we go with NCL, that's as good and well run as The Sun? Just wondering if there might be a clear consensus out there. Size of ship and Caribbean itinerary is not really important to us either. Thanks. :)

We love the Sun also, but really have not yet found a NCL ship we dislike after 7 different ships. All pretty consistent as far as service. We have seen improvement in food as of late. Love the Waterfront concept and entertainment on the newest ships.

But, since you love the Sun so much, why don't you just follow her on one of her new itineraries? In 2015, she will be in both Western Caribbean and Alaska. We did Alaska on her and it was a great trip. She even does S. America beginning Nov 2015 and winter 2016.

She ranks high on the list of a favorite NCL ship. She is similar to the Jewel. She has a Spinnaker lounge and a Great Outdoors, both of which we really like. Her buffet is one of NCL's best. We've always loved the crew. She does have a rock climbing wall and bowling alleys, if so inclined. There is a bridge viewing room all the way forward on deck 11, port side. We've sailed her 5 or 6 times including two PC 14 day cruises. For us, she has a great balance of all we enjoy on cruises. The Pearl is being used now for music charter cruises. So she is out of scheduled service for several weeks a year now.

This sums up the Pearl well. Since the loss of the Majesty (our favorite) we fell in love with the Pearl last year. See my review. We have sailed on one mega (Epic) and decided the smaller ships are our personal favorites.

This sums up the Pearl well. Since the loss of the Majesty (our favorite) we fell in love with the Pearl last year. See my review. We have sailed on one mega (Epic) and decided the smaller ships are our personal favorites.

Thanks, I will look for your review!

She ranks high on the list of a favorite NCL ship. She is similar to the Jewel. She has a Spinnaker lounge and a Great Outdoors, both of which we really like. Her buffet is one of NCL's best. We've always loved the crew. She does have a rock climbing wall and bowling alleys, if so inclined. There is a bridge viewing room all the way forward on deck 11, port side. We've sailed her 5 or 6 times including two PC 14 day cruises. For us, she has a great balance of all we enjoy on cruises. The Pearl is being used now for music charter cruises. So she is out of scheduled service for several weeks a year now.

Thank you. After a 10 year hiatus, we're cruising the Pearl next fall in AK. I'm looking forward to it already!

Until very recently, I would have said either The Pearl or The Sun, now I would have to say The Getaway. The ship itself is an experience. I sail on her again in a heartbeat. I had the great privilege to have sailed from Southampton, United Kingdom to New York City in January and again out of Miami in June. Wonderful ship and wonderful staff.

Thanks for all the ideas. Think we'll give a look at The Jewel and The Pearl and yes, we would consider The Sun again but we're aiming for a different vessel on each cruise. Thanks again for your insight, and happy cruising too. :-)

Until very recently, I would have said either The Pearl or The Sun, now I would have to say The Getaway. The ship itself is an experience. I sail on her again in a heartbeat. I had the great privilege to have sailed from Southampton, United Kingdom to New York City in January and again out of Miami in June. Wonderful ship and wonderful staff.

I'll vouch for the Getaway too. She is indeed a beautiful ship, great crew, and lots to do on her. However, for us and what we like about cruising, the Getaway was overwhelming with a bit too much to do. I'd certainly cruise on her again, but I think we will generally stay with our favorites in the future, the smaller ships..specifically the Sun and Pearl.

I liked the Spirit best, but part of that was because the Grand Med in May out of Venice was the best itinerary I have seen. All the crews have been very friendly and helpful, the Spirit had a greater mixture in the crew, with more Europeans that other ships. Sitting out on the rear overlooking the children's pool while eating German food and listening to a traditional German band at lunch set a great mood for the 12 days.

I've cruised the Pearl twice, and think she has the best spa that I've seen yet!

The thelosotherapy is large, with different "stations" for getting massaged by water.

My first cruise was on the Sun, and am going to be back on her in 19 days (YEA!). The first thing I noticed when going into my balcony stateroom on the Pearl was the slightly small overall size, we were spoiled by the size of the Sun balcony.

Have a great cruise, and enjoy the Pearl.

Without a doubt the Pearl. We have sailed her 5 times with 2 more pending. It's a happy ship with a happy crew..at least that's been our experience. Next was the Norway and then Dawn. We have no interest in sailing on the mega ships like Getaway or Breakaway way too big for us!

If you liked the Sun, any of the other ships (except maybe the Epic) should work for you. We like the Sun least compared to the Jewel class ships, but will be back on her for 2 weeks in 2016 - we really love the NCL product.

And crews do change out, we have sailed with excellent crews and less than a year later, on the same ship, have found the crew not very responsive.

If you like the freestyle "product" then you should enjoy the other newer ships that have stepped up the concept.