If you had to pick one thing most important to you on a ship

I had lots of free time on my last cruise so spent quite a bit of it chatting with other passengers. For some reason the topic came up frequently about what it is that is most important to them if going on a cruise. For me the ship has to be clean and my cabin clean and in good repair. One person I met at a beach stop said his most important thing is speed of the bar service. Another person mentioned to me in the atrium the cost (I think this is true for most but for him nothing else was important). How about anyone else?

STAFF There are particular staff members on very specific ships (I will NOT name names) that i sail with when I can.

entertainment - theater shows, live music bands, etc

Cleanliness and upkeep is up there but for me it's great food with freestyle dining... a week of bad food and bad company would be miserable. This is of course the whole MO of NCL.

Food... I’m pretty picky about food so if there’s nothing I enjoy eating I’ll be stressed out my whole vacation

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Overall fun things to do, especially in the evening, whether fun bars, shows, live music, games, etc. I just like a lot of choices of stuff to do.

My one thing would be cleanliness of the ship. I would not enjoy my cruise if the ship and my cabin were dirty.

1) Cleanliness, I don't want to pay for a vacation and end up sick!

2) good food

3) good entertainment/ship staff

4) good itinerary

Hard to pin down one thing. Atmosphere? I want to feel relaxed on vacation. I don't want to feel crowded or hassled. Good food and drinks are part of that. Cleanliness is important, but I'm not a neat freak. Obviously if the ship was falling apart or filthy it would reflect poorly on the overall atmosphere. I could generally care less about the cabin. I'm only there to sleep. I'm a pretty laid back vacationer, it takes a lot to ruin a good time for me.

Less than 3000 passengers.

i feel like cleanliness is everyone's number 1.

assuming that, my personal number 1 is food, followed by service, followed by entertainment.

Casual vibe/dress code

Quality food, quality booze, quality entertainment and quality service!

It is not just one thing. Here is a list of the minimum requirements.

Cleanliness

Decent food variety and quality

Good service

Quality Entertainment.

The variety of things to do and see on the ship.

Relaxing atmosphere (we have done dozens of cruises with gowns and tuxes,,, and still do from time to time, but smart casual evenings when on vacation is our favorite aspect of NCL).

Not so much about the pristine upkeep. We are paying for an economical cruise, not a luxury cruise.

Life Boats.:cool:

Running with the current Theme, Cleanliness is important. I've been on ships that were in dire need of refurb with bad odors and just did not enjoy the trip as much as I could have. After that, for me its actually something I haven't seen mentioned, The Spa Facilities....I enjoy time out on deck, but also really enjoy spending time in the spa every day for relaxation. I have been on ships with fantastic Thermal Spa's and others with barely anything and found that it really played into my enjoyment. I will never say I've had a bad cruise, but definitely enjoyed myself more with the larger Spas with more Amenities.

Good food

Fairly close behind is good service/nice ship. I know I'm on Norwegian, but I'm going on the Bliss. A brand new ship better still be nice when I get on. I don't require a ship to be new, but I don't want to see rust or rotting parts on a ship or worn out carpet. I'm fully aware NCL and me are not a great fit normally and have adjusted my expectations regarding food and service accordingly.

Cleanliness should be everyone’s #1. I like a good balcony, so I don’t have to fight the chair hogs for space.

I'm surprised so many people mentioned cleanliness. I've never been on a cruise ship that wasn't extremely clean.

I'm surprised so many people mentioned cleanliness. I've never been on a cruise ship that wasn't extremely clean.

Maybe the ships are clean because lots of people think that's important?

Maybe the ships are clean because lots of people think that's important?

Sure, but I never consider it when booking, since it's an assumption. I mean, I don't say to myself, "Now, I wonder which of these ships will be the cleanest?" when trying to select a cruise. That surprises me in this post that so many people consider that above all else.

Sure, but I never consider it when booking, since it's an assumption. I mean, I don't say to myself, "Now, I wonder which of these ships will be the cleanest?" when trying to select a cruise. That surprises me in this post that so many people consider that above all else.

Well that's not quite how the question was worded... it says "most important thing on a ship" not ", "... when making a choice". So... I for one assume a ship will be clean and tidy per Oakman, but if it wasn't it would be the thing that would put me off the most.

...so it kinda depends on interpretation.

I don't know that I have anything super important on a ship. I've not had more than minor complaints on our cruises so far and we are pretty low maintenance people. The main factor for us is the cost/itinerary. At this point, the ships and amenities are a fun and easy way for us to get to visit some new places.

I agree that cleanliness should just be a given on any ship, at any price point and would be a major problem if a ship wasn't clean. However I haven't once come across a ship that hasn't been spotless.

Aside from that, for me, an important factor is up to date/ 'fresh' decor, especially in the cabin - I don't like dated, worn, old, furnishings or decor of any sort. Especially when several hundred thousand passengers a year pass through an individual ship - things wear out quickly. And especially when old/worn/dated ships charge a similar amount to a newer vessel.

Then next up is good quality food. I don't want to be eating school canteen food whilst paying thousands for a cruise.

Apart from that I am not too fussy... honest. ;p