Worst Norwegian ship?

[KeithJenner]

10 hours ago, oteixeira said:

I have always wanted to ask this, I think this may be a good spot to do it.  For those talking about the inwardness of Epic, is it because you enjoy the couches and chairs on the breakaway class ships deck 8 area ?  I know lots of people love that area but I would much rather just chill out on my balcony then on the waterfront deck (although I know many folks do, and I often pass by people even napping out there).  So, maybe it is more something that would bother an inside/ocean view room passenger?

Just trying to understand it before I book and find out it would be a problem for me.

 

I know this has been answered already, but I’ll give my take.

 

Like many I have absolutely no problem with the cabin layout, and prefer it in many ways. My issue is that for me the Epic loses a lot of the things I love about the older ships but doesn’t quite get the improvements quite right. As a result it is a less enjoyable ship for me than those either before or after.

 

I don’t sit outside much at all, and would rather do that on my balcony anyway, but I do like to walk around. Both the promenade decks on older ships and the waterfront on the newer ones are excellent for this, the Epic has nothing comparable. I could never do a TA on the Epic.

 

The bars in the newer ships are generally busier, so it is harder to spend time chatting to the bar staff (not impossible, but certainly not the same experience), but as for activities there are only so many times you can go on the plunge (which I really enjoy). I know there is much relate about some of the newer activities, but a combination of the water slides, ropes courses and mini golf, as an example, on the Breakaway and Escape offer a lot more for me.

 

As a personal preference, some of the areas I like a lot are much improved for me

on the Breakaway. For example, I love Howl but hate the venue on the Epic, with pillars blocking the view and the bar hidden in the corner. On the Breakaway ships I love standing at the bar at Howl and the whole room just seems to fit the purpose better,

 

Of course there are others which seem to be better on the Epic, but I’m unlikely to ever be in the Haven and as we have always sailed with our son, we haven’t used Spice all that much (that will probably change next time as our son will be 18 and we are staying in an aft room).

[The Traveling Man]

Wow!  I didn’t mean to open a can of worms here.  I just reported the facts. The Star has had more days out of service and more missed ports due to propulsion problems than all the other NCL ships combined.  That’s a fact. I’m sure that each time an Azipod failed, NCL took the steps they thought were needed to fix the problem once and for all, but the Azipods have continued to fail.  Yes, it has been a couple of years since the last repair, but the Star hasn’t sailed much during that time.  It certainly is possible that it might sail another 20 years and never have another propulsion problem.  I’m just saying that history would indicate that the odds are against it.  For that reason I would recommend choosing a different ship if you can find one with an itinerary you like.

[complawyer]

i dont think you opened a can of worms at all!!. missing a port for whatever reason is an occupational hazard of sailing. it could be any number of reasons. we missed gsc (although i wasnt planning to get off the ship anyway) due to strong winds, rough seas and inability to dock. while on the star, i did miss not being able to  see hanoi and taiwan, while disappointing, it didnt ruin the cruise, and the financial reimbursement was more than adequate.

 

we were booked again on star mach 2020 from santiago (which was obviously cancelled) and i'm booked on the star nov 2022 transatlantic from lisbon to rio. as long as we're not stranded somewhere in the middle of the atlantic ocean, i'm good to go, and looking forward to sailing, even if it's on the star.

 

by the way, after reading your posts for at least the past 5-6 years, i value your comments, even though sometimes they have differed from my own

[The Traveling Man]

From a subjective standpoint, you will find some who love ship A and hate ship B, while others love B and hate A.  It’s all a matter of opinion based on what you think is important.  Personally, I like the design and features of just about every NCL ship.  For a long voyage over open water with a lot of sea days I prefer one of the big ships for it’s stability and variety of entertainment venues.  For a cruise with lots of port stops in small towns I think the smaller ships like the Jewel class or Dawn class are better.  With fewer passengers, it’s  easier to get on and off in the smaller ports.  The big ships have a greater variety of specialty dining options, but the food on the small ships is just as good and there are plenty of specialty options for a cruise of a week or so.  If you’re on a long cruise with lots of sea days in a cool climate, then a spa is a real treat.  That leaves out the Joy.  If your cruise takes you to a warm climate, then the Waterfront of the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships is great, especially for al fresco dining.  If you just absolutely have to have a casino on board, then skip Hawai’i on the Pride of America.  Hawai’ian law prohibits gambling, so there’s no need to have a casino on the ship.  Many ships are similar, but each is unique in some way or another.  There’s good to be said for all of them, so pick an itinerary that appeals to you and enjoy whatever  comes your way.  Bon voyage.

[bluesea777]

@The Traveling Man you are spot on!!

 

We have done several TAs and all of them (with an exception of one, which was on Jade) were on the mega ships - yes, more activities, entertainments, bars, dining venues. We much prefer mega ships for TAs with many sea days. 

 

Our last cruise was on the Spirit for 17 days and surprisingly the ship was great - she is the smallest of the fleet but has almost as many bars and dining venues as the mega ships and her casino is non-smoking (there is an enclosed casino upstairs for smokers).

 

When I learnt that Star was fully fixed during July 2020 dry dock (that video truly did us in!) we did not hesitate to book the July 2021 Iceland/Greenland cruise. Greenland is on our bucket list and if Star had not been fixed we would not go on her. 

 

[The Traveling Man]

3 hours ago, bluesea777 said:have done several TAs and all of them (with an exception of one, which was on Jade) were on the mega ships - yes, more activities, entertainments, bars, dining venues. We much prefer mega ships for TAs with many sea days. 

When I learnt that Star was fully fixed during July 2020 dry dock (that video truly did us in!) we did not hesitate to book the July 2021 Iceland/Greenland cruise. Greenland is on our bucket list and if Star had not been fixed we would not go on her. 

 

Do you have a link to that video?

[Jed12345]

I think this is it.

[bluesea777]

5 hours ago, The Traveling Man said:

Do you have a link to that video?

The link is in post #46 but it isn’t showing up on my iPhone. It shows up on PC and iPad.

 

 

[bluesea777]

4 hours ago, Jed12345 said:

I think this is it.

Thanks!

 

[HowardK]

I thought the Jewel sucked compared to the mega ships. I know I will get flack for saying so but I'd rather be not on a cruise than the jewel. 

[Oakman58]

For me the Epic is the worst of the NCL fleet.  The wave wall in the balcony cabins make the cabin feel much smaller than it really is.  Also the lack of views of the sea and it has a promenade deck that is the worst.  I could go on and on about the Epic.  However, even though I have no experience, it seems that those who book a cabin in the Haven love the ship.

[The Traveling Man]

13 hours ago, bluesea777 said:

The link is in post #46 but it isn’t showing up on my iPhone. It shows up on PC and iPad.

 

 

Thanks.  That was an interesting video.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t really address the elephant in the room.  My objection to traveling on the Star is due to the repeated failures of its Azipods.  When both screws failed in the Tasman Sea in February, 2017 the engines were still churning out power.  It’s just that the electric motors in the Azipods were having none of it.  The same was true every other time one of the propellers stopped turning.  Plenty of electrical power from the engines, just no go from one, or ultimately both, of the Azipods.  I’ll stand by my earlier assessment of the Star’s reliability.  You have about a 99 percent chance of everything going swimmingly on the Star, but that’s a vastly worse prospect of success than you’ll have with any other NCL ship.

[Jed12345]

I had read that after rebuilding both azipods, this main generator had failed causing them to cruise at reduced speed so they repeatedly missed ports for a couple months.

It will be interesting to see if this fixes the issues.

We have only been on the star once and it was fantastic. But it's hard not to be in the garden villa.

 

[phillygwm]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:23 PM, prov2727 said:

Poor Epic. Seems like it is either loved or hated. The only thing I didn't like was having to walk through a smoky casino to get to the main dining room level, but I don't have much to compare it to as it was only my second cruise and I'm still waiting on my third.

I've been on the Epic twice, including my first NCL cruise.  I chose it because of the studio cabins.  Second cruise one of the pools was closed and there were some maintenance issues, but those have presumably been resolved since.  Remember, there's only one Epic Class ship, perhaps for good reason 🙂

 

I think my least favorite was the Dawn but I didn't HATE it.  Not sure why.  Maybe because it just seemed "ordinary"

[Sailing12Away]

On 8/31/2021 at 2:46 PM, aubreyc1988 said:

the only "older" NCL ship I've been on is the Jewel, thought it was nice.  

 

My favorite ships are Bliss or Encore because of the observation lounge, and the non smoking casino. I also love the Getaway and Getaway may be my favorite if they ever convert the casinos to non smoking as well

 

the non smoking casino is a huge factor for these ships because even if you do not gamble, the casino is open to decks 6-7-8 on Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape which makes walking around the ship a smoke filled experience in this high traffic area. This problem was corrected on Bliss/Joy/Encore whenever they made the main casino non smoking and created an enclosed smoking casino room. 

It's funny you mention 'non-smoking casinos' as that was all I smelled on the Encore last week - smoke. Not sure what the deal was, but every time we walked near the casino areas that was all I could smell - had to start avoiding those areas completely. Maybe they kept the doors open in the smoking areas, or maybe people ignored the rules? But all I smelled when I was anywhere near a slot machine was smoke.

 

We like the Epic. First sailed in a mini suite (now club balcony) and it was odd, but fine. Second time on her was in the Haven which was unbelievable. Although the outdoor views are lacking, we liked the fact that we could walk front to back on nearly any floor very easily, wide open spaces indoors and plenty of spots on the top deck for the ocean views.

 

Didn't care for the Jade at all. Found it very confusing as some elevators only went up to certain decks. We were in the DOS on deck 15 and had to constantly go in and out of the ship to get from elevator bank to elevator bank to get from the back restaurant to our cabin up front. Couldn't walk back to front through the ship as there were restaurants in the way. Felt like we had to walk through the buffet to get from the front to the back of the ship.

To us, they're all just floating hotels to get us from port A to port B. We place more stock on the itinerary than anything else. Outdoor space is more important in warmer climates and if your personal cabin doesn't come with its own. Since we sail in balcony or higher rooms, the ship itself is less important to us.

[trex-de]

On 9/4/2021 at 5:17 PM, phillygwm said:

 

I think my least favorite was the Dawn but I didn't HATE it.  Not sure why.  Maybe because it just seemed "ordinary"

To each their own. Dawn is my favorite.  Perfect size for me. I hope to sail her again next year. 

[phillygwm]

2 minutes ago, trex-de said:

To each their own. Dawn is my favorite.  Perfect size for me. I hope to sail her again next year. 

Yep, it's almost all subjective, except for the Star issues listed earlier, but I've never been on the Star so can't speak to that one.  And my Dawn sailing was back in 2012 so maybe subsequent improvements etc. have been made...dunno.

[bostonphil]

Everyone will have a different opinion about best ship or worst ship. 

 

A lot is going to depend on what cabin you can afford. If you can afford The Haven or Balcony Spa, you are possibly going to have a different experience than someone who has an inside, ocean view or studio.

 

And similarly, your opinion will depend on your personal experience. Some guests have good experiences on one ship but poor ones on another. And it has nothing to do with the ship. Sometimes the problem is with crew and staff while other times, other guests can be a problem.

 

I am booked for my 7th cruise and I have had both good and bad experiences with every cruise I have taken. But I don't blame the ship.

 

There are large ships and small ships. There are some itineraries that offer several days at sea and others that offer a port every day, sometimes a different port.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[milolii]

2 hours ago, trex-de said:

To each their own. Dawn is my favorite.  Perfect size for me. I hope to sail her again next year. 

We hope to sail on the Dawn next year. Want makes her your favorite?   

[trex-de]

22 minutes ago, milolii said:

We hope to sail on the Dawn next year. Want makes her your favorite?   

Ok. You got me going. This was the cruise ship that got us to NCL in 2004. It is 93,000 ton. Really a mid size ship. Never feel crowded.  Has open areas and pools that are just right. No marketing things like cars or whatever that you cannot get on. O’Sheehans is the best. We love Los Lobos.  Oh, did I say we love Los Lobos?  I have to say, I preferred Lebistro when they had the paintings by Monet and other artists of distinction but that went away.   A true unfortunate “upgradre”

 

great promenade to walk.  Great memories.  We hit 27’ waves in April of 2005 then saw her on Network news the next week after a Rogue wave hit her.  Look it up on Google. 
 

spent my 50th birthday on her.  
 

Sometimes you have a connection.  I have really enjoyed cruising on the Dawn and hope to again in the future. 

[GeriatricNurse]

On 9/1/2021 at 12:31 PM, 4774Papa said:

The worst--Epic

The Star design was not so great, but it was OK

The Gem class is our favorite.

 

Actually, it is referred to as the 'Jewel' Class. 🙂

 

[HowardK]

On 9/4/2021 at 5:17 PM, phillygwm said:

I've been on the Epic twice, including my first NCL cruise.  I chose it because of the studio cabins.  Second cruise one of the pools was closed and there were some maintenance issues, but those have presumably been resolved since.  Remember, there's only one Epic Class ship, perhaps for good reason 🙂

 

I think my least favorite was the Dawn but I didn't HATE it.  Not sure why.  Maybe because it just seemed "ordinary"

I would think that's the reason I didn't like the Jewel- i did realize the Epic had some quirks but it was a game changer and took a lot of chances. the studios were great - this ship had the most at 128 . 

[GonzoWCS]

On 8/31/2021 at 8:07 PM, RaftingJeremy said:

There are bad ones?

This x 2

[The Traveling Man]

23 hours ago, trex-de said:

To each their own. Dawn is my favorite.  Perfect size for me. I hope to sail her again next year. 

The Dawn ranks high on my list, too.  In addition to the main atrium that's three stories tall, there's a second atrium surrounded by Le Bistro, La Cucina, the Champagne Bar, and the Bamboo Asian restaurant.  It's a great place to hang out, listen to live music performances, and enjoy great meals.  Maybe the best part of sailing on the Dawn, though, is that you have a better than even chance of sailing with GM Alain Magnier and CD Richard Matic.  They make it a real joy to sail with them.

[milolii]

@thetravelingmanand @trex-de appreciate the comments on the Dawn.