Poll: Breakaway, pearl, jewel, dawn....

[code_d]

What is your pick for best ship? Ok maybe not a real poll here, but we do need help deciding on a cruise. :)

 

We get to pick a free cruise we got from our Casino Rewards! We even had a deposit on a CCL cruise lined up for Feb. But hey I can still cancel it and take a free one. We have to pick from these ships and sale in Jan/Feb. I will say that we went on the Dawn back in 2007 and were not overly impressed. Our opinion is that the service on that cruise was hit or miss, the beds in the rooms were very uncomfortable, the layout not really user friendly with way to much space used on food areas, the lido area/pools were very small,and room service was lacking in quality. Though we really did love the Japanese Steakhouse, the 24 hour grill that had wings and stuff (best service we had was in this little grill- the cook even learned about grilled cheese when I asked if they had them, and he didn't know what they were. He ended up making me a double decker loaded with cheese to go with their Tomato soup!), and thought the look/feel of the decorations were nice, plus I loved they had a place to smoke cigars away from those that love to make remarks about the smoke, also Casino had nice layout and service here was good as well.

 

Breakaway sounds nice, but goes out of NY in middle of winter, and the itinerary is not as good as the other ships (with exception of Great Stirrup Cay), though we can drive there in under 8 hours.

 

We really like the itineraries of the others, but not excited about the N.O. departure port. Tampa port with great itinerary can still drive if we want to save $$, but it is the Dawn.

 

Love to hear some thoughts and opinions!

[pcreek]

I picked the Breakaway for these reasons:

I live in upstate NY - so we would drive to the port.

I have been on the other ships, but not the Breakaway.

 

The Dawn was a favorite, but we've really enjoyed the jewel class ships we have been on.

 

Let us know what you decide!

How bad can it be - for free??? LOL

[SeaShark]

When choosing a ship/itinerary, I always pick the one that best meets MY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

 

My suggestion to you would be to do the same. Don't make a choice because it is best for me, or because I liked it....make the choice over what best meets YOUR needs. Without knowing all of your likes/dislikes/wants/needs there is practically no way to tell which option is best for you.

[kcwingwalker]

What is your pick for best ship? Ok maybe not a real poll here, but we do need help deciding on a cruise. :)

 

We get to pick a free cruise we got from our Casino Rewards! We even had a deposit on a CCL cruise lined up for Feb. But hey I can still cancel it and take a free one. We have to pick from these ships and sale in Jan/Feb. I will say that we went on the Dawn back in 2007 and were not overly impressed. Our opinion is that the service on that cruise was hit or miss, the beds in the rooms were very uncomfortable, the layout not really user friendly with way to much space used on food areas, the lido area/pools were very small,and room service was lacking in quality. Though we really did love the Japanese Steakhouse, the 24 hour grill that had wings and stuff (best service we had was in this little grill- the cook even learned about grilled cheese when I asked if they had them, and he didn't know what they were. He ended up making me a double decker loaded with cheese to go with their Tomato soup!), and thought the look/feel of the decorations were nice, plus I loved they had a place to smoke cigars away from those that love to make remarks about the smoke, also Casino had nice layout and service here was good as well.

 

Breakaway sounds nice, but goes out of NY in middle of winter, and the itinerary is not as good as the other ships (with exception of Great Stirrup Cay), though we can drive there in under 8 hours.

 

We really like the itineraries of the others, but not excited about the N.O. departure port. Tampa port with great itinerary can still drive if we want to save $$, but it is the Dawn.

 

Love to hear some thoughts and opinions!

 

Had to vote for the Jewel because we are already booked!

 

NOLA is actually a great port in many ways. Spending a little time in the Big Easy is always fun. And, there is a Harrahs' http://www.harrahsneworleans.com/ very close to the port.

 

Cruising down the Mississippi is an adventure that I always look forward to.

[code_d]

Had to vote for the Jewel because we are already booked!

 

NOLA is actually a great port in many ways. Spending a little time in the Big Easy is always fun. And, there is a Harrahs' http://www.harrahsneworleans.com/ very close to the port.

 

Cruising down the Mississippi is an adventure that I always look forward to.

 

Forgot about the casino ......hmmmmmm

[code_d]

Surprised there have not been more polls or responses. I am used to the CCL forums with more activity I guess. Would love to hear any experiences about any of the ships lately. I noticed that the Jewel is winning so far yet I noticed that under the reviews it has very poor scores lately- could that be due to the Alaskan itinerary it came from and different expectations?

[Escaper4207]

We are booked on our first cruise heading out of NOLA 10/20 on the Jewel. I admit I've been wondering the same things on the recent reviews, but have also hoped that it might be more the itinerary/crowd expectations as well. Since we have no experience, we booked for the itinerary and are looking very forward to our trip... is there a reason you're not into NOLA port or just too

far? It's one of our favorite cities:) I will write a full review on the Jewel as soon as we get back!

 

Sent from my SGH-T999 using Forums mobile app

[FF Woman]

We sailed out of NOLA last year on a Carnival cruise and will be sailing from there again in February on NCL's Jewel. Unfortunately the day we left last year was when the Super Bowl was being held there and didn't really get to sightsee like we wanted. This year we plan to spend a couple of days there before the cruise since hotel rooms will be more available.

 

It was interesting cruising down the river instead of directly out to sea. I wish it would have still been light when we reached the end of the river though. The port itself was east to get into and out of though. We drove and didn't have any problems.

 

We were on the Jewel several years ago and thought she was a nice ship. I don't care to try the new mega ships, just a little too much for my taste. We've also been on the Pearl more recently which is the same class and really liked it. Like a previous poster said, it depends on what you like. We like some action but not huge crowds and don't need a ton of different restaurants or bars. The Pearl and Jewel had enough variety for us.

 

One side note about sailing out of NOLA, we are from the north and I don't think I've ever been on a cruise where I felt like the only person there without a southern accent. It was fun and we really enjoyed all the people we met.

[MIPensFan]

We chose the Jewel for our first NCL cruise. We will be going 2/2014.

 

Heard goods things about the Jewel-class ships and NOLA has a lot to offer as a departure point.

 

But the main reason we chose the Jewel out of NOLA was the itinerary. Can't wait to experience Roatan and Belize.

[code_d]

We sailed out of NOLA last year on a Carnival cruise and will be sailing from there again in February on NCL's Jewel. Unfortunately the day we left last year was when the Super Bowl was being held there and didn't really get to sightsee like we wanted. This year we plan to spend a couple of days there before the cruise since hotel rooms will be more available.

 

It was interesting cruising down the river instead of directly out to sea. I wish it would have still been light when we reached the end of the river though. The port itself was east to get into and out of though. We drove and didn't have any problems.

 

We were on the Jewel several years ago and thought she was a nice ship. I don't care to try the new mega ships, just a little too much for my taste. We've also been on the Pearl more recently which is the same class and really liked it. Like a previous poster said, it depends on what you like. We like some action but not huge crowds and don't need a ton of different restaurants or bars. The Pearl and Jewel had enough variety for us.

 

One side note about sailing out of NOLA, we are from the north and I don't think I've ever been on a cruise where I felt like the only person there without a southern accent. It was fun and we really enjoyed all the people we met.

 

Wife was of the thinking that it is too far. but after looking it seems we can drive to it faster than Tampa from where we live. Plus the time we went out of there on the Fantasy in Jan was cold until we got to Cozumel and very rough ride. But the itinerary looks great! We did that same one with exception of Roatan back in 2007. Right now leaning towards NOLA. Assuming we can get through to NCL! I have called 3 times in 2 days and have gotten the same message "we are experiencing high call volume due to our recent great sale, please wait"....well I can only wait so many hours! Still have yet to get through.

[TSUmom]

We would say either the Jewel or the Pearl - we love the Jewel class ships. To us the size is perfect, not too huge(although we enjoyed the Epic) and not too small.

 

We choose our cruise by where we want to go first, then the ship. Departure port is not a huge factor for us because being in Texas we have to fly to all of them except Houston and that is a limited itinerary, which we have done a few times already.

[1witchydiva]

When choosing a ship/itinerary, I always pick the one that best meets MY INDIVIDUAL NEEDS.

 

My suggestion to you would be to do the same. Don't make a choice because it is best for me, or because I liked it....make the choice over what best meets YOUR needs. Without knowing all of your likes/dislikes/wants/needs there is practically no way to tell which option is best for you.

 

I agree one hundred percent.

 

We just had our first suite on the Breakaway. Despite the suite perks and awesome room, plus water park etc, my son actually preferred the Jewel. Actually, the whole family did. So I really do believe it is up to us as individuals and what makes our vacation special.

 

Trust me, if I knew that my children and hubby would have preferred the Jewel, I would have saved a fortune. The Breakaway suite was not cheap. Lol :)

 

I know now, that the mega ships are not what my family enjoys the most. They had a great time on Breakaway, but prefer the jewel. :)

[coka]

Based upon your thoughts in post 1, I would recommend the jewel for you. You leave port within an hour but you are on the ship the entire week. best wishes on your decision!

 

coka