Why the same ships in the same home ports?

[New2cruise1483]

Same here! Love the gem but not florida/bahamas

 

I have to admit that I wouldn't be too crazy about that itinerary either! Lol. I'm so glad the Gem is doing a couple southern routes, so I get the opportunity to sail on her, and have a great itinerary to boot:)

[KanataKruiser]

Also, why don't they alternate the itineraries. I am doing back to back in August 2015 on the Getaway.... would be better if they alternated between Eastern and Western Carribean. Carnival used to do that but I've since moved to NCL for the FreeStyle dining: I'll wear dress pants and a shirt but when I am on vacation, don't make me wear a jacket and tie & I want to be with my family, not at "seatings" with a bunch of strangers.

[New2cruise1483]

I agree, alternating itineraries would be great!RCI does that with the Allure and the Oasis. One reason I haven't been putting too much thought into sailing a brand new ship is because the inaugural sailings have such a boring looking itinerary.

[Guindalf]

Bring ANY ship to home port in Charleston and I would be on it again and again and again...

 

We sailed the Majesty to Bermuda out of there a few years ago. At the time, it was a horrible port (lovely city, though).

 

They need to improve the facilities to make it worth while (unless CCL already has, but it means a Carnival ship - no thanks!).

[Demonyte]

Also, why don't they alternate the itineraries.

 

 

This. NCL has lost some of our future business to Celebrity because of this - we were really happy when NCL still offered alternating itineraries out from Miami in 2009 and 2011. We tried making our own in 2013 but that wasn't to our liking - too much hassle changing ships and staying in a Hotel overnight.

 

There is absolutely no reason why Epic/Getaway (and soon Getaway/Escape) couldn't do alternating Eastern/Western each week.

[hondorner]

I just read the entire thread and the overwhelming opinion is for NCL to change things up a little. Stay tuned -- the new CEO, Frank Del Rio, specifically mentioned the same old boring "milk runs" as something at which he will take a hard look.

[New2cruise1483]

I think he mentioned doing longer itineraries. I think it would be great, however, not everybody has the vacation time available due to work/finances. As long as they keep a good balance of what he was calling "milk runs" and longer itineraries, I think it would be a good idea. Hopefully he also shuffles the ship's around little more to give more options, rather than the same ships doing the same home ports over and over and over again.

[SeaShark]

I just read the entire thread and the overwhelming opinion is for NCL to change things up a little. Stay tuned -- the new CEO, Frank Del Rio, specifically mentioned the same old boring "milk runs" as something at which he will take a hard look.

 

At any given time, Norwegian has 30,000+ guests on their ships. I would hardly think that the majority opinion of 17 people on a message board counts as "overwhelming".

 

What's next? Should we move the Statue of Liberty to another US City so that other people can have a chance to see it? :rolleyes:

 

This. NCL has lost some of our future business to Celebrity because of this - we were really happy when NCL still offered alternating itineraries out from Miami in 2009 and 2011. We tried making our own in 2013 but that wasn't to our liking - too much hassle changing ships and staying in a Hotel overnight.

 

There is absolutely no reason why Epic/Getaway (and soon Getaway/Escape) couldn't do alternating Eastern/Western each week.

 

There certainly IS a reason. Ships doing East/West alternates don't perform at the same level as those doing only one...the pricing becomes very inconsistent. Notice that all of the new ships are used for the Eastern Runs...they are more in demand, and more profitable. People who want "new" ships have to deal with the itinerary selection that benefits the shareholders the most. The older ships are moved to do the Western Runs where the demand is lower.

[jerseyjjs]

Maybe since the Gem is going to be in San Juan for a little while maybe they'll put Bliss in New York when she debuts :D. Hard to say though, having two ships that size home porting there :eek::D

 

 

 

 

I did the Behind the Scenes tour on Breakaway a few weeks ago and asked about the possible homeport for Bliss to be Galveston since NCL doesn't have a ship home ported there. The reaction I got from our guide was a sly smile and a shrug. Kind of along the lines of "you hit the nail on the head" type of reaction. Who knows?

[Vacationdreamer<><]

At any given time, Norwegian has 30,000+ guests on their ships. I would hardly think that the majority opinion of 17 people on a message board counts as "overwhelming".

 

 

 

What's next? Should we move the Statue of Liberty to another US City so that other people can have a chance to see it? :rolleyes:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There certainly IS a reason. Ships doing East/West alternates don't perform at the same level as those doing only one...the pricing becomes very inconsistent. Notice that all of the new ships are used for the Eastern Runs...they are more in demand, and more profitable. People who want "new" ships have to deal with the itinerary selection that benefits the shareholders the most. The older ships are moved to do the Western Runs where the demand is lower.

 

 

Getaway is doing dedicated western and seems super new still...?

[New2cruise1483]

I did the Behind the Scenes tour on Breakaway a few weeks ago and asked about the possible homeport for Bliss to be Galveston since NCL doesn't have a ship home ported there. The reaction I got from our guide was a sly smile and a shrug. Kind of along the lines of "you hit the nail on the head" type of reaction. Who knows?

 

That would be an interesting turn of events. It will be fun to speculate where she might be home porting, and how it might shift the other ships around. Isn't the Jade suppose to be home porting there for a season this fall?

[New2cruise1483]

At any given time, Norwegian has 30,000+ guests on their ships. I would hardly think that the majority opinion of 17 people on a message board counts as "overwhelming".

 

What's next? Should we move the Statue of Liberty to another US City so that other people can have a chance to see it? :rolleyes:

 

 

 

There certainly IS a reason. Ships doing East/West alternates don't perform at the same level as those doing only one...the pricing becomes very inconsistent. Notice that all of the new ships are used for the Eastern Runs...they are more in demand, and more profitable. People who want "new" ships have to deal with the itinerary selection that benefits the shareholders the most. The older ships are moved to do the Western Runs where the demand is lower.

 

I think the reason they put the new ships in the more boring itineraries is because the ship is suppose to be the focus instead of the itinerary. More profitable because it is so expensive to sail on a ship during its inaugural season. A lot of people want to see and experience all the bells and whistles on a new ship, and are willing to pay a premium for it.

[SeaShark]

Getaway is doing dedicated western and seems super new still...?

 

Seems? :confused:

 

 

The Getaway IS doing dedicated Eastern and will not move to do Western until a newer ship comes along to do the Eastern....which is what I said in the first place.

 

Escape and Getaway in Miami...Escape is the newer of the two, and Getaway is the older of the two...Escape does Eastern, Getaway does Western. Pretty simple. :rolleyes:

[newmexicoNita]

I'd love to see Dawn homeport anyplace but Boston !!

Enough already change it Up .

 

They kept the old ( Cash Cow ) Majesty here for decades too !!

 

What a good question from the OP and yes, the Dawn has been in Boston long enough. If I think about it, I will ask the future cruise manager when we are on the Pearl in a few weeks. That is if he/she are nice enough to answer. We had a future cruise director on the Sun a few years ago that seemed to know very little and was a real jerk.

[New2cruise1483]

How bout we turn this into something just for fun? What ships would you like to see where?

[bangzoom6877]

It would be nice if they alternated itineraries more. When we went on the Norwegian Spirit in the summer of 2006, we went on an 8-night cruise that stopped in St. Thomas, Tortola, and Bermuda. The alternating itinerary was a 6-night cruise to the Bahamas, both out of NYC. the 6-night sailed Sunday through Saturday, alternating with the 8-night which sailed Saturday through the following Sunday. This worked very well for anyone who was only able to get one week off from work for vacation, no matter which of the two itineraries they chose. The second ncl ship in NYC, possibly still the Dawn at that time, either sailed to the Bahamas and Florida or to Bermuda for its summer itinerary, but I don't remember exactly which one. The 8-night cruise on the Spirit to the Caribbean and Bermuda was really fantastic, and I would love to do that itinerary again on NCL. We did an 8-night Eastern Caribbean itinerary on Carnival out of NYC in the summer of 2013 and it was a really wonderful cruise, but there are certain things I like better about NCL than Carnival, such as the layout of the ship, more dining options, and a better buffet layout with less waiting.

As far as longer cruises, we would love to cruise to the western Caribbean out of NYC on a longer sailing in the summer, when the kids are off from school and DH and I are off from work for long enough (we're teachers). Hey, a girl could dream! ;)

[New2cruise1483]

I would love to sail out of NYC someday, just because I would love to sail passed the Statue of Liberty lol. I would like to either go on the Breakaway to Bermuda, or maybe a longer caribbean itinerary with more interesting ports. I've also always wanted to sail the Spirit, she looks like such a beautiful ship!

[Barb Nahoumi]

[quote name='New2cruise1483']One thing I've been wondering is how come NCL puts the same ships in the same home ports instead of switching them up more often? For example, the Jewel and the Pearl always do the round trip Alaska route from Seattle. Why not put the Gem and the Jade there for a couple years, and put the Pearl and the Jewel where the Gem and the Jade were at? Or how the Dawn always goes the Boston to Bermuda route, why not put the Spirit there and maybe have the Dawn do a Mediterranean route? Just a thought. What are your thougts/ ideas? Any ship in particular you would like to see switched around?[/QUOTE]

We had the Spirit here in Boston a few years ago. I went to Bermuda on it, and enjoyed it very much. My OV cabin was tiny, but functional.

I would love to see the Pearl or Jewel home ported here for a while. I've sailed on both of them. As much as I've enjoyed the Dawn, it's time for a change.

[New2cruise1483]

It seems like this is the biggest change that people want is a different ship in Boston. I think a Jewel class ship ( like you mentioned), would do well there. I'm still fairly. New to the cruise world, so I'm wondering if a Jewel class ship has done the Boston route yet?

[buckirj1]

Okay, I'll play. NCL would make me very happy if they'd put the Spirit, Sun or Sky in Baltimore and offer 8- or 9-night Canada/New England itineraries starting in late October and running until mid-November. Actually I'd be very happy with those itineraries later in the year from anywhere. I'd rather not go to Canada while it's still hot. I want 40-50 degree weather during the day, not 60-70...or even worse!

[New2cruise1483]

That sounds like it would be lovely! The older ships certainly seem have a certain charm to them:)

[Barb Nahoumi]

NCL runs one way New England--Canadian trips on the Dawn from Boston in the fall, while RCI runs round-trip Canadian cruises.

I would like to see NCL convert the Canadian cruises to round trip. On a one-way cruise, one must spend extra for transportation home, by booking a B to B, or finding a flight or bus. This is inconvenient and expensive.

[Barb Nahoumi]

As I and others have stated before, It's time to bring one of the smaller ships to Charleston, S.C. This is a historical city that I would love to visit.

With newer ships coming on board for NCL, this would be a grand opportunity to do this.

For those of us who would like a longer cruise between Boston and Bermuda, Charleston would be a welcome additional port to be added on to some cruises. The rest would continue as traditional 7 day trips. I would opt for the longer trip. which could be about 9 days.

[buckirj1]

[quote name='Barb Nahoumi']NCL runs one way New England--Canadian trips on the Dawn from Boston in the fall, while RCI runs round-trip Canadian cruises.

I would like to see NCL convert the Canadian cruises to round trip. On a one-way cruise, one must spend extra for transportation home, by booking a B to B, or finding a flight or bus. This is inconvenient and expensive.[/quote]

I agree with this. There's a lot to like about the one-way trips, but inconvenient and expensive is putting it mildly. And two weeks for a round trip is about 3 days too long.

[ute_fan]

[quote name='jerseyjjs']I did the Behind the Scenes tour on Breakaway a few weeks ago and asked about the possible homeport for Bliss to be Galveston since NCL doesn't have a ship home ported there. The reaction I got from our guide was a sly smile and a shrug. Kind of along the lines of "you hit the nail on the head" type of reaction. Who knows?[/QUOTE]

If they were to put a new ship in the Texas area, I'd be surprised if they sailed from Galveston. There's a new cruise ship terminal in Houston, and NCL traditionally has sailed from Houston instead of Galveston. I love that they have a ship back there as it's easier for us to get to Houston than the east coast ports from Utah -- but my husband isn't thrilled about doing basically the same itinerary we've already done twice.