Virgin Norwegian Cruiser

[SireDoime]

Having never sailed Norwegian, I can say I'm a bit nervous. I only sailed the premium line Celebrity, and got used to their level of class and style.

I have read that NCL can be hit and miss. I've read all to casual posts about the relationship between the norovirus and NCL ships 😟.

 

SO, I hope this new ship, Bliss, is all hits come January when I finally see the Panama Canal! 🤞🏿

[Diver2014]

Don't go by anything anyone says because it's all subjective.  Go on your cruise, form your own opinions and have a great time! 

[KateQ22003]

Don't expect NCL to be like Celebrity; you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. Go into this knowing you will have a great time regardless, and how lucky you are to be at sea!

[AndyCapn]

You're on a two-week repositioning cruise in January, so the crowd is going to be older than the usual NCL passenger list. It will be closer to a Celebrity cruise than a Carnival cruise.

[oteixeira]

2 hours ago, SireDoime said:

Having never sailed Norwegian, I can say I'm a bit nervous. I only sailed the premium line Celebrity, and got used to their level of class and style.

I have read that NCL can be hit and miss. I've read all to casual posts about the relationship between the norovirus and NCL ships 😟.

 

SO, I hope this new ship, Bliss, is all hits come January when I finally see the Panama Canal! 🤞🏿

I think if you check the numbers, you will feel better.  In the last 3 years we have data, NCL had one outbreak, and they could not confirm it was noro.  Celebrity had two, and both were confirmed.  So, I think you are worried about something that hardly every happens when you think of the number of cruises that go out every year (across all lines), and also, has happened more on your go to line then the line you are asking about recently.

https://www.cdc.gov/nceh/vsp/surv/gilist.htm

As for the vibe of the line, go in with an open mind, I want to try Celebrity in the next year or so to try them out, but I plan to judge it on my likes of that line, rather then what I can get on NCL that is not there on Celebrity.

[SireDoime]

4 hours ago, KateQ22003 said:

Don't expect NCL to be like Celebrity; you will be setting yourself up for disappointment. Go into this knowing you will have a great time regardless, and how lucky you are to be at sea!

Oh I knew that going in. This cruise was just for the Itinerary, not the line per se.

[SireDoime]

3 hours ago, AndyCapn said:

You're on a two-week repositioning cruise in January, so the crowd is going to be older than the usual NCL passenger list. It will be closer to a Celebrity cruise than a Carnival cruise.

Okay, so I guess that I have won't have to fight for the cars or water slides. Nice!

[hallux]

MY subjective opinion on the Bliss is that's it's a great ship.  I liked it so much when I sailed the first time (also my NCL "virginity") that I went again 6 months later and brought some folks along. The second trip was just as good, though some of that comes down to the crew so that is a variable.

 

If you want, "preview" the ship by looking through some YouTube video tours.  If you don't want to be swayed by other's opinions, mute it.  Though you might risk seeing a place you want to check out and not knowing where it is, or seeing someplace you CAN'T go (The Haven or the Studio Lounge) and won't know if you don't hear the explanation.

[Travelicious]

I have found the lines have more similarities than differences.  Enjoy!

[phoenix1181]

I just cruised Celebrity for the first time a few weeks ago and loved it but I don't think the service was any better than NCL.  

 

 

 

[quercus alba]

Oh for the days when we only worried about noro...!

 

[Seany527]

It sounds like you are already setting yourself up for disappointment, by setting the tone that Celebrity is a “premium line.”

 

I’m a bit curious why you booked this cruise...

[Treasure Hunter]

Your itinerary will have very few drunken 20 year olds. If you want something that surpasses Celebrity ( we cruise both lines) upgrade yourself to the Haven. Give it a shot. NCL has better entertainment. The Bliss is gorgeous. We love that NCL cruises year round from New York. Both lines are generous to gamblers. The big plus for Celebrity is no smoking in the casino. Food is the same on both lines except for the Haven restaurant which is fantastic. Celebrity has more scooters and cranky people. NCL has more children , but not on the itinerary that you picked.

[SireDoime]

8 hours ago, Seany527 said:

1) Celebrity is a “premium line.”

2) I’m a bit curious why you booked this cruise...

1. Because, Celebrity is classified as a Premium line by the industry.

 

2. For the itinerary (mostly bucket list), and the fact it's a new ship on the carrier.

But, mostly, the itinerary - I have always wanted to experience a full transit of the Panama Canal. The Bliss was the only vessel sailing in January and was 14 days.

 

Assuming Cabo doesn't get cancelled, like it did with Disney; the ports are bucket list items - Cabo San Lucas, Parta Vallarta, and Costa Rica. Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Columbia are also on the itinerary.

 

It really had absolutely nothing to do with the ship. I just wanted an honest opinion on what to expect from NCL. I would have booked a similar itinerary on Regent's Splendor (https://www.rssc.com/cruises/SPL221213A/summary), but I would have to wait until next year; granted that cruise is 23 days versus the 14 days I'm doing now.

 

Peace

Edited October 13, 2021 by SireDoime

[SireDoime]

7 hours ago, Treasure Hunter said:

1) upgrade yourself to the Haven.

 

2) Celebrity has more scooters

 

1. I'm sure I'll fine with this "mini suite". After all Celebrity's Concierge and AquaClass cabins are similar in size; unless NCL offers me a discounted Haven upgrade, I'll stay in MA. I'm thinking that upgrade would likely cost me 9-10K$ , given what those suites cost now for the same itinerary.

 

2.  Heh eheh, on my first cruise with them in the summer of 2019, I was actually not surprised by the number of scooters I saw. The kids/teens, however, surprised me; I thought it would all adults.

Edited October 13, 2021 by SireDoime
stuff and cheese

[Treasure Hunter]

Sometimes you are offered an opportunity to put in an upgrade bid on the Haven. You don’t find out if you win until shortly before the cruise and there are no backsies. Lots of people get to move to the Haven  this way for a small price. 

[lixogab]

On 10/12/2021 at 8:04 AM, SireDoime said:

Having never sailed Norwegian, I can say I'm a bit nervous. I only sailed the premium line Celebrity, and got used to their level of class and style.

I have read that NCL can be hit and miss. I've read all to casual posts about the relationship between the norovirus and NCL ships 😟.

 

SO, I hope this new ship, Bliss, is all hits come January when I finally see the Panama Canal! 🤞🏿

I didn't sail Celebrity so I can't do a direct comparison, but I sailed RCCL, Princess and Carnival and, of course, NCL.

Let me share what I like and what I don't:

- Itineraries. In most cases I found NCL itineraries  more port intensive, more exotic places and more interesting in general. In fact, I remember that the first time I choose NCL was because they had one port more from Houston than the other guys from Galveston. There are some exceptions though. By some reason they have few cruises from San Juan, PR.

- Freestyle dining. Not only you can come at any time, but you can also request to share the table and meet new people. The caveat is that you have to wait at the table for other people to join you. Not sure if this working during the Covid time. (But I hope by January it will be mostly over!)

- "Free at sea" perks. Ok, they are not exactly free, but this is a way to get fairly cheap speciality restaurants  and booze package so you don't have to worry about overspending.

- Casual but not too "party" atmosphere.  No mandatory formal dress. A lot of people do dress up, but it's accepted both ways.

 

Things I don't like:

- "FREE" perks can end up pretty expensive. If you are fine with a randomly selected stateroom, you may want to book a "sailway" (IX,OX,BX,MX) room. But that reservation doesn't qualify for the "free at sea" so you have to add >$100/week to get a non sailaway  stateroom and on top of that pay around $156 /week "gratuities" on the beferage and dining package. So the actual cost of the perks is > $500 per couple for 1 week cruise. That's far from free.

 

- Growing tendency of  "private areas" and paid amenities: Heaven, Vibe, Thermal SPA, most restaurants are paid and the prices are higher than on most land restaurants.

 

- Overpriced excursions.  Even with the  $50  FAS discount they are considerably more expensive than local operators. To be honest this doesn't bother me too much because I'm a DIY traveler and rarely take an excursion. 

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

 

[hallux]

3 hours ago, SireDoime said:

and the fact it's a new ship on the carrier.

You've noted this twice now...  You do realize that by the time you sail the ship will be nearly 4 years old, right?  There's a newer ship already sailing (Encore) and another due to be complete next year (Prima).

 

I would look more for the itinerary than the ship (which it seems you've considered).  There are also features of the ship that drew me to it, and some of those features were because it was one of the newest (or THE newest at the time, with the Encore due to sail that same year) in the fleet, but the age of the ship on its own was not a reason for selecting the ship.

Edited October 14, 2021 by hallux

[SireDoime]

 

1 minute ago, hallux said:

but the age of the ship on its own was not a reason for selecting the ship.

 

I thought so too, until I first sailed Equinox and then Infinity.

 

LOL There was a difference, even though both ships were practically carbon copies,

the Infinity had the wear and tear of a (near) 20 year old ship, versus Equinox's 10.

But the Equinox had just gotten out of drydock for it's upgrade when I sailed in 2019.

 

So for me the Bliss is a new ship; likewise, a ship has to be sailing for at least 20 years for me to call it old; 10(meh 15) years is seasoned.

 

🙂

[All-ready2cruise]

On 10/12/2021 at 1:38 PM, SireDoime said:

Okay, so I guess that I have won't have to fight for the cars or water slides. Nice!

Maybe.... 😄

[Crazy For Cats]

Good Afternoon, we are newbies to NCL.  Our first sailing is the Dawn out of Tampa on 12/8.  We have only sailed with Holland America in the past.  We sailed as recently as 7/31 to Alaska, only requirement was to be vaccinated.  We both understand that this cruise will be different but that doesn’t mean we can’t have a good time.  If we like the NCL experience we will try them again in the spring. 
We would appreciate any pointers on what to do or what not to do while onboard. Thanks…