Dawn/Pearl or Jade...which is better?

After sailing the Getaway and Escape I cruised the Jade and then the Pearl. Pearl had superior service when compared to the Jade but overall the same cruise experience. Is the Dawn any better than the Jade/Pearl in any categories? I read one review that stated the Dawn is the best ship in the NCL fleet.....could that be the reason her refurbishment was far greater than the Jade and Pearl?

Would appreciate comments and thoughts.

Thanks

Been on all three. I think they are way more similar than different. The crew will vary over time based on the current mix of staff and their mgmt. I think the general crew "feeling good" and therefore serving well may change over time based on their itinerary. Changing it up and longer cruises may help?

I also think the feeling or opinion that some may leave the ship with is impacted on the immediate crew they interact with. (rooms, dining, etc)

After sailing the Getaway and Escape I cruised the Jade and then the Pearl. Pearl had superior service when compared to the Jade but overall the same cruise experience. Is the Dawn any better than the Jade/Pearl in any categories? I read one review that stated the Dawn is the best ship in the NCL fleet.....could that be the reason her refurbishment was far greater than the Jade and Pearl?

 

Would appreciate comments and thoughts.

 

Thanks

I have been on all three and I think it comes down to the crew you happen to get. I have sailed on the Pearl 6 times and have always had a great time and have always been taken care of. I have cruises on the Jade twice and again had a great time and was taken care of well. I have cruised on the Dawn once and had a good time but felt the crew was not as of attentive as other crews. With that being said, I am sure that if I cruised on the Dawn again I would have a different experience with the crew.

I think your experience is what you make it. No matter which ship you choose, I think you will have a great time.

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Its funny how all of us have different opinions, or variations of...We've been on all 3 ships, enjoyed each one for the "personality" and or crew for everything they did...Out of all 3 we thought we got the least "service" from the crew of the Pearl (we had heard that the Pearl was the best ship with the best crew) who seemed tired and not happy with a lot...I am sure that "crews change often and we caught them at a bad time, not that anything was terrible, it was not, it was fine...The service and crew on the Jade was terrific and always asked to do more than we expected, such a happy crew...The Dawn was great as well, never an issue with anything...We're going out on the Pearl again and have no worries that things will be better and that we'll have a great cruise...

Rob

The only thing I can think of better on Dawn than Pearl or Jade would be the Garden Villas.

Its funny how all of us have different opinions, or variations of...We've been on all 3 ships, enjoyed each one for the "personality" and or crew for everything they did...Out of all 3 we thought we got the least "service" from the crew of the Pearl (we had heard that the Pearl was the best ship with the best crew) who seemed tired and not happy with a lot...I am sure that "crews change often and we caught them at a bad time, not that anything was terrible, it was not, it was fine...The service and crew on the Jade was terrific and always asked to do more than we expected, such a happy crew...The Dawn was great as well, never an issue with anything...We're going out on the Pearl again and have no worries that things will be better and that we'll have a great cruise...

Rob

Agree with this. We've been on Dawn and Jade (5th time upcoming)...and have to say it all depends on the hotel director. If the hotel director has good supervisory skills and good rapport with the staff, staff is happy and service is good. One of our best NCL cruises ever was on the Star (which at the time was not in the best of shape) because of Hotel Director Tony who made it so. We were on code red most of the cruise but he kept coming up with innovative ways to make things great for the guests, especially the Cruise Critic group. Second in line behind the hotel director is the cruise director. Two of our Jade cruises had a cruise director (Gary) who was literally the best in the business. Unfortunately he retired and our fourth time on the Jade was okay but not spectacular like it had been when that CD was onboard.

OP, Choose for the itinerary and price....we can't control who is onboard at the time we sail. Have done back to back on another line and saw things improve for the better when the new captain came onboard!

The only thing I can think of better on Dawn than Pearl or Jade would be the Garden Villas.

Yes, Dawn (and Star) are not as spacious in my opinion...less public space it seemed. That said I had a great time on both of them as well as the Jade (haven't sailed on the Pearl).

Jewel class much better than Dawn because of the Spinnaker lounge and Great Outdoors on them....my opinion.

Jewel class much better than Dawn because of the Spinnaker lounge and Great Outdoors on them....my opinion.

I agree wholeheartedly!!

I agree wholeheartedly!!

Same here!

Dawn is the worst design ship in the fleet after NCL removed the forward viewing area / bar. Combined with the lack of A Great Outdoor's . Pearl or Jade win.

Crew member's change ship's all the time ,so

Another vote of the Pearl and the Great Outdoors

Pearl and Jade are best for the Great Outdoors and the Spinnaker forward viewing. The Dawn has terrible public spaces with no place to eat outside that is not by the pool band. For years, the Dawn had a wonderful HD, but not sure if he is still there. We had Tony Rosa as the HD on the Pearl, he was wonderful, too. Not sure if he is still there. But the service honestly seems about the same on all three. And staff moves from ship to ship all the time. That said, we had a great time on all three!

Are the stateroom numbers exactly the same on Pearl and Jade?

Are the stateroom numbers exactly the same on Pearl and Jade?

I am thinking there are very close. They all some small variances. The Jade in particular was originally built without a casino. I was going to pull up their deck plans to compare, but have to run.