Major Change of Plans - Advice Please.

For months now we have had our booking on the NCL Jewel for Alaska in July. My DH's conference dates have changed and now we need to change everything. July is no longer a go so we are seriously considering Canada/New England in October.

My hesitation....I have been looking/reading/researching everything Norwegian Cruise Line for months. They have the Gem that cruises this area in Oct. However there are many other cruise lines as well. (We didn't have as many options for Alaska so the choice was relatively simple) I really don't know what to do?? Just stick with what I know for NCL or start my crazy obsessing and begin to look at the other lines......ugh

I know NCL has Freestyle dining and formal nights are entirely optional. I don't know the exact style of dining on others. I am already familiar with NCLs cabins but it wouldn't be a big issue to research the others...

Did I mention this is our very first cruise EVER !?

We are a family of four with two kids who will be 10 this summer.

I guess what I am asking is "what would you do?|

Whatever you do, do it before you reach the point of losing your deposit/payments! This is usually much closer than you are, but don't let the obsessive search go on too long! ;)

We were on the Gem in the Mediterranean and thought it was a great ship. The staff was very attentive and visible and actually spent time visiting with passengers other than at the formal meet and greet session. A first for us! Loved the buffet area though it could get a little crowded at times.

Re-book your cruise to suit your dates and relax and enjoy your first cruise!

Just about all cruise lines now offer some open dining plan. They each have their own name, but basicly they work the same. You show up when you want. Have a choice of sharing or not. Get the next available table that fits with your request. Sometimes there is a wait, so you get a pager like many land restaurants use.

I dislike anytime dinning, most other lines give you a choice anytime dinning, 1st seating or second seating, 1st seating is approx 6pm and 2nd 8pm, I like having the same waiters which you get with fixed. There are normally 2 formal nights for each 7 day cruise, some people eat in lido to avoid dressing up, dress code is only for MDR. As suggested before make sure you know deadline date to cancel cruise without a penalty or just cancel cruise now.

With anytime dining on NCL, we found that there was generally a HUGE lineup to get in at the most popular times.

Take a look at what your budget is, take a look at itineray and then make your choice.

Personally, I would try another line.

This is why I like to ask for advice/comments..... i.e. people experiencing huge line ups to eat.

With the kids we like having the flexibility but we also will most likely want to eat at those most popular times.

We still have plenty of time before our final payment is due. My concern is just booking the next cruise so we can get a decent location with a balcony. (mid-ship) I have issues with vertigo now and then.

NCL is the most "casual" of cruise lines, followed by Carnival....as far as expected dress goes.

RCI, Princess, Celebrity and HAL all have "formal" nights....and while not every man will wear a tux, some do...others wear suits...gowns on women are not unheard of!

RCI has some of the smaller standard cabins...Carnival's standards are almost always the largest.

The cruise experience itself will really be more alike than different on all the lines, until you work your way into the "luxury" lines!

For months now we have had our booking on the NCL Jewel for Alaska in July. My DH's conference dates have changed and now we need to change everything. July is no longer a go so we are seriously considering Canada/New England in October.

 

My hesitation....I have been looking/reading/researching everything Norwegian Cruise Line for months. They have the Gem that cruises this area in Oct. However there are many other cruise lines as well. (We didn't have as many options for Alaska so the choice was relatively simple) I really don't know what to do?? Just stick with what I know for NCL or start my crazy obsessing and begin to look at the other lines......ugh

 

I know NCL has Freestyle dining and formal nights are entirely optional. I don't know the exact style of dining on others. I am already familiar with NCLs cabins but it wouldn't be a big issue to research the others...

 

Did I mention this is our very first cruise EVER !?

 

We are a family of four with two kids who will be 10 this summer.

 

I guess what I am asking is "what would you do?|

Not really enough information to provide a simple response. However, I'll try to cut a few corners and give you some information.

Cabins are cabins (unless you are booking a suite). I few square feet more or less is not really going to be that big of a deal. I've been on NCL, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess. They all have their pluses and minuses. You are not going to confuse a standard ship board cabin for a luxury hotel. I'll post some standard balcony cabins from the different lines so you can see the differences.

If I had a couple of ten year olds, I would go to the Caribbean. There are more kid friendly things to do in the Caribbean then there are in Alaska or Canada. However, you know your children better than I do and thus know their interests (and their parent's interest) better than I.

FYI, I have taken a five night cruise to Canada out of New York on Carnival and a two week cruise in Alaska with a cruise line that I don't believe exists any more. I've done several Mexican Riviera cruises and several Caribbean cruises (including one leaving out of New York and one leaving out of Baltimore) along with one leaving from Los Angeles and ending in Miami after going through the Panama Canal.

I've been on twenty cruises and my advise to you is, don't over think this. Make a decision and don't look back. Otherwise you are going to drive yourself crazy.

NCL is 100% Freestyle. Some like that concept - I don't. That said, Carnival, Royal Caribbean and Princess all offer a similar dining option, whether it is call Your Choice dining or My Time dining or Freestyle or eat when you want dining, all offer some sort of flexible dining option. I prefer the traditional set time and place dining.

NCL, Carnival and Royal Caribbean will have more kid friendly options on their ship than Princess. If you are considering a school time cruise to Canada/New England on Princess your ten year olds will not find my others there age on the ship. You will have better luck in that regard with NCL, Carnival or Royal Caribbean.

Yes, formal nights on NCL are optional. Formal nights on Carnival and Royal Caribbean are hardly "formal". You can get by with just nice clothes. Princess will be a little more formal on formal night. That said, you can remain casual by going to buffet on those nights.

And now for some cabin photographs ...

Carnival Freedom (Conquest class) balcony cabin ...

Carnival Miracle (Spirit class) balcony cabin ...

NCL Star balcony cabin ...

NCL Jade suite ...

Sapphire Princess balcony cabin ...

Caribbean Princess balcony cabin ...

You have to supply your own laptop computer.

Serenada of the Seas ocean view cabin (Radiance class) ...

Voyager of the Seas promenade view cabin (Voyager class) ...

Navigator of the Seas balcony cabin (Voyager class) ...

JMO -- I would not consider a Canada/New England cruise in October -- we did one once at that time of the year. Very cool and rain off and on.

Look for something in the Caribbean.

Also check to see if your TA is going to charge you a cancellation fee and if so, how much.

First off as others have said cancel as soon as you're sure that your first set of dates is not doable. Reason being if you did not opt for "any reason" cruise insurance you could lose any funds already applied to the vacation. Don't wait till you have alternative plans in place, deciding in haste you may wind-up on an itinerary or ship you may not be happy with. In fact you maybe pigeon holed into re-booking with NCL by some future date dependent on their refund policy, which could be in the form of a cruise credit.

Though I can't give any comparisons to Alaska (never been on a cruise there) I can tell you unless your family are history or nature buffs there a few excursions in Atlantic Canada worth doing. Though absolutely beautiful (especially for the fall foliage) there is little in the way of exciting tours, the "Duck" water/land tours in Boston and Halifax and the reversing falls jet boat tour is about your only choices for excitement on land. It's a very laid back take it all in type of destination. Now if there are Bermuda or Caribbean destinations available for your alternative travel dates even in the fall the water is still warm enough for swimming, and there is a larger variety of types of excursion choices available.

As for jumping cruise lines stick with the ones that have a good handle on their children's programs, like Royal, Carnival, Disney, and NCL. Over the years on various boards I heard many a story about a parent's cruise not living up to their expectations because a line's crew supervised kid activities were lacking to non-existent to the point that the children needed to stay (or requested to stay) side by side with mom or dad.

Your next concern about the dining styles is a valid point but again the 3 other above mentioned cruise line's all offer some version of the "freestyle" MDR arrangements that NCL has. I can tell you Royal's set-up is a little better than most others anytime dining because they will accept table reservations up to about 4 pm the same day that you will have little to no wait to get your time and table choice in the MDR. But Carnival does seem to win hands down for their room service in the fact that it's available 24 hours a day gratis. And from friends I've heard that Disney has the best children's menu choices at sea.

OMG! The NCL Jade decor is so tacky!!! :eek: I've never sailed on NCL, but that picture does not inspire me to do so!:)

 

I guess what I am asking is "what would you do?|

I would book Oasis or Allure.

There's a chance you might be over-thinking this! ;)

I would stick with NCL for your first cruise, since you've already researched that line and made a reservation (will you get a refund? If so, will it be cash or in the form of a credit?) Since you've never cruised before, why not try out NCL? You won't know the your personal preference until you've tried out a couple different lines to compare. As a new cruiser myself, a lot of the details that people discuss here don't really matter to me. I love reading reviews and discussions on CC, but my own experience is always different. You have to start somewhere, so unless you have a good reason for second-guessing your original intention of cruising with NCL, why switch?

We took our first cruise on NCL because the freestyle concept really appealed to us. I wouldn't be opposed to trying traditional dining if I was traveling with a group, but when traveling on our own, we really appreciate flexibility. We did not experience long waits for dinner at 'normal' times - the only night there was a wait was on formal night, and we were seated in less than five minutes (and given a free glass of champagne while we waited). I'm sure that varies on different ships, with different crowds of passengers, or perhaps for larger groups, but we only waited that one time for a table for two.

I'd say that the biggest negative about NCL was the food. I was not impressed with its quality or variety - but I admit that I'm a bit of a food snob. There were plenty of people on our cruise who raved about the food. One thing that I really liked about NCL is that they have numerous dining options - our ship had two MDRs, the buffet, a free 24-hour restaurant (this one had really good burgers and such), and 5 or 6 speciality restaurants (additional charge). Some people don't like paying extra to eat at speciality restaurants, but I liked having a variety of options and thought that the additional fee for each restaurant was reasonable and worth it.

Based on our first cruise experience, we realized that the destination is the highlight of the vacation for us, and the ship is just a perk. We like flexibility and variety - especially in dining options. We don't care much about onboard activities and entertainment, and prefer to relax on our own. We'd like to try out different cruise lines to compare, as well as some of the newer ships, which are more appealing to us. Next cruise will be on CCL with friends.

Would we cruise again on NCL? Yes, I think so. We had a blast, and we'd like to sail on the Epic or Breakaway. Whether we'll sail again on NCL next will depend on the itinerary and the deal available. There are other cruise lines and ships we want to try, as well as non-cruise vacations that are also calling our names! Maybe it'll be time to flip a multi-sided coin to decide!

OMG! The NCL Jade decor is so tacky!!! :eek: I've never sailed on NCL, but that picture does not inspire me to do so!:)

That picture was taken on the maiden voyage of the NCL Jade. It had just come from Hawaii and had not been converted to non-Hawaiian cruising yet (which occurred when it arrived in Europe in March 2008).

 

Based on our first cruise experience, we realized that the destination is the highlight of the vacation for us,

But ..... for many of us, the destination is the ship.

To me, the ship is everything.

Second ...... sun, sand, water, sailing, and beer, which I manage to find no matter what port I am in.

...... sun, sand, water, sailing, and beer, which I manage to find no matter what port I am in.

Even in Nome, Alaska? :confused:

Even in Nome, Alaska? :confused:

I only cruise in the Caribbean.

I agree with those who recommend the Caribbean with kids. We took our DS to Alaska at 13 & he was bored. To be fair, we took a Celebrity ship. IMO, Celebrity offers the best adult experience of the cruise lines I've tried. It's definitely not as kid friendly as some of the other lines though. He did enjoy some of the excursions, but the Caribbean would have been a better fit. He's now 20 & we've just talked him into cruising with us again by promising to go to the Caribbean. We haven't been to Canada/New England yet. It's on our list, but for DH & I only. I know our DS wouldn't enjoy that cruise. You know your kids best. Maybe, they will. I'd make sure I chose a ship with a lot for the kids to do, if I went that route.

One of the things that make the Caribbean a better fit for the younger crowd is that's where all the new, big ships go. I'd choose one of the bigger (not necessarily the biggest) Royal Caribbean ships first. If going to the Caribbean, my next choice would be NCL Epic for the kids. Third choice would be Carnival. These wouldn't be the choices DH & I would make for a couples cruise, but we'll choose one of these when we cruise with DS until he's much older. I'd suggest these same lines when cruising with kids to any itinerary really.

Of the cruise lines I've sailed (Celebrity, Princess, & NCL), NCL was my least favorite. The food was subpar & the dining room service didn't even approach what we've come to expect when cruising. With this being your first cruise, you wouldn't know the difference. That could play in your favor. The service on the rest of the ship was as good as the other lines. We would only sail on NCL again, if we got an incredible deal & dined in a specialty restaurant every evening. If food isn't an important part of your vacation, NCL is fine. As I noted above, we prefer Celebrity over the others, but that would not be my choice with small kids.

With this being your first cruise you can't really go wrong. You won't have anything to compare it to. I'd choose based on ship amenities, destination & price, with ship amenities for the kids taking precedent over the others.