What's your favorite NCL ship (and/or class of ship)?

[nhtravels]

NCL cruisers,

 

What is your favorite class of ship and/or ship to sail on and why?  

 

We've only sailed on the Breakaway Plus ships (Escape, Encore and in 2 weeks, the Bliss) and a quick weekend on the Sky.  So I'd love to know thoughts, as we spend the weekend planning our fall 2022 and early 2023 travel schedule!

[Calvin]

We've been on the Breakaway Plus ships as well as the Star (Jewel class?).  Though I love the charm, elegance, and comfort of the older ships, I prefer the breakaway plus class simply because I think the more, the merrier.  I just came off the Bliss in the Haven, and couldn't have had a better time. My wife loves the exclusivity and service of the Haven, while I enjoyed all that comes with a megaship. So I never feel claustrophobic, can enjoy many entertainment options, food options,  relaxation options, etc.

This is one of those discussions that bring out the old saying "Both sides have merit."

[KeithJenner]

The Star isn’t Jewel class. It is a bit smaller than that class (which is the Jewel, Jade, Pearl and Gem).

[IrieBajan54]

When I am looking for a cruise, I check the itineraries for the 4 Jewel Class ships. That determines where I will cruise. Love the Great Outdoors, complimentary steam room, no reservations for the shows and the wrap around Promenade Deck. Plus they don't feel as crowded as the bigger ships.

 

Been on the Breakaway and the Epic. Don't like bigger!

[ECCruise]

 

Going forward,  all Jewel, Sun and Dawn class.  Have sailed each of those ships in those classes except Sky.  3 booked on Dawn, 1 on Sun.

 

Having sailed Epic and Getaway (Getaway at 50% and 60% capacity), we are done with the large ships.  Sick of reservations for everything, long lines, desirable venues (Canyon Club and Syd Normans, e.g.) with virtually no seating on ships with 2300 let alone 4000+ pax. 

[S&S Cruisers 1983]

We've been on Breakaway, Pride of America, Sun, Joy, Pearl, Jewel, Gem, Dawn, Star. The Joy is by far our favorite ship. It didn't feel as large as it, plus it felt like it had so many nice places to relax both inside and out. Breakaway and Gem were our least favorite.

[MBMGWM]

Each class has their charms, but my preference is for the Jewel class.  The Great Outdoors overlooking the wake makes the difference for me.  DH and I enjoy the variety of dining and entertainment venues on the larger ships, but the entertainment venues can be crowded. 

 

The only ships we would not go on again are the Dawn and the Star.  They took away the forward facing Spinnaker lounge many years ago and replaced it with suites.  We also missed them not having the Great Outdoors.  

[SplashOfWater]

Our favorite is the Jewel class. We love the size (not too big) and the public spaces like the Observation Lounge and Great Outdoors. 

[oteixeira]

The next one I am on?   LOL  Our favorite is the Escape.  It was the first of the NCL ships we tried, and it was basically new when we first went on her.  I would guess any of the away/away-plus ships would work for us, we love the extra restaurants and venues, and don't mind the size of the ship (a lot of people find it to be too large).  We also loved the noodle bar on the Getaway, wish that was kept all through the away class, but they switched it to Food Republic on the newer ones which we also enjoy.

[bluesea777]

We've been on all NCL ships except the Joy and Sky.

 

Each ship has its own pros and cons, and we have not had a bad cruise. Our least favourites would be the Dawn/Star but it was long ago and we're due back on Star in July for the Iceland/Greenland, so we shall see. We booked for the itinerary.

 

But we do have a new all-round favourite - it's the post dry-dock Spirit. We're due back on her for B2B Alaska cruises in May 2023 - we picked her over the other 4 NCL ships.

 

P.S. we prefer the largest ships for the TAs (yes, over the Jewel class ships) - more space, more activities, more dining venues, etc. And for the port intensive cruises we prefer Jewel class and down.

 

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by bluesea777

[Two Wheels Only]

For now, Bliss followed closely by Escape. 

 

The Observation Lounges and go-karts give Bliss the advantage over Escape but Escape has more deck space for all at no extra charge. I put Encore (ugly hull art) in 3rd with Joy in 4th. Encore loses points because of the lack of Spice H2O, oversized Laser tag, and oversized VIBE. Joy is 4th because of the lack of the Mandara Spa and potential for the most crowded Haven. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by Two Wheels Only

[casofilia]

The next one we manage to get on after all the shambles of the last 2 years!!!

[ClevelandCruisin]

My experiences will be different than others... but here's my list.

 

Getaway- my first cruise ever on her and another as well. 

 

Escape- This is my favorite! I had great experiences with staff and venues here. Plus it has everything. 

 

Encore- Just an all around great ship. But I went during covid and the ship was like 40% full. It was amazing in Alaska!

 

Dawn- Really elegant smaller ship. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is still fun.

 

Breakaway- It has everything,  just not my favorite.  Just personal preference. 

 

Sun- I believe that we were on her before the remodel. Loved the ship. It is smaller. No frills, just fun here. A good ship for first timers.

 

Sky- I'd recommend this for someone as their first cruise, kind of test the waters.

 

Pearl- While we had some fantastic moments on this ship. Just hated the one walkway from the theater through the casino to get anywhere. 

 

Epic-  My least favorite! The rooms are a challenge, getting to the atrium is awful, trying to get outside means everyone goes to the top deck, less restaurants than others in the fleet. Although I love the look of the ship.

 

[vacruizer]

I sailed to Cuba solo on the Sun in 2018 and loved that little ship. It’s old school, no frills cruising with plenty of entertainment, games, and passengers you got to know with the small ship size. 
 

The Epic was my first NCL cruise and I loved the atmosphere, food, and entertainment,  but really didn’t like the ship. It was crowded and lacked connection to the ocean with no exterior public space on the water outside of the pool decks.  I tend to cruise in winter for time outdoors near the ocean and the Epic lacked that. I did 20 cruises on Carnival prior to trying NCL and Epic and I immediately missed the outdoor space compared to those ships. 
 

I’m trying the Joy next week in the Haven for the first time and can’t wait to see what it’s like!

 

Edited January 21, 2022 by vacruizer

[vacruizer]

28 minutes ago, ClevelandCruisin said:

My experiences will be different than others... but here's my list.

 

Getaway- my first cruise ever on her and another as well. 

 

Escape- This is my favorite! I had great experiences with staff and venues here. Plus it has everything. 

 

Encore- Just an all around great ship. But I went during covid and the ship was like 40% full. It was amazing in Alaska!

 

Dawn- Really elegant smaller ship. Doesn't have all the bells and whistles, but it is still fun.

 

Breakaway- It has everything,  just not my favorite.  Just personal preference. 

 

Sun- I believe that we were on her before the remodel. Loved the ship. It is smaller. No frills, just fun here. A good ship for first timers.

 

Sky- I'd recommend this for someone as their first cruise, kind of test the waters.

 

Pearl- While we had some fantastic moments on this ship. Just hated the one walkway from the theater through the casino to get anywhere. 

 

Epic-  My least favorite! The rooms are a challenge, getting to the atrium is awful, trying to get outside means everyone goes to the top deck, less restaurants than others in the fleet. Although I love the look of the ship.

 

I’d forgotten about the weird Epic bathrooms. I was solo so didn’t affect me but could have been weird with others. NO privacy in those clear walled toilet pods. 

[trex-de]

Dawn

 

perfect size. Has Los Lobos. Been on her many times. Hope to again. 

[david_sobe]

Favorite is Breakaway-Plus

Jewel Class is terrific too

 

 

Least favorite is Breakaway class.  IMHO the ships lack character and so boring.  It was an over correction from the flack NCL got from Epic.  They were scared to be creative.  The Breakaway Plus did correct many flaws though.

 

I still love Epic and she is in a class of her own.  I am in the minority but Breakaway and Getaway are a step down and inferior ships to Epic. 

Edited January 21, 2022 by david_sobe

[AKR2011]

To be completely honest, I'm more concerned with price and itinerary. The Sun is my favorite, I love the Jewel Class, and The Escape was great too. But in the end, it all depends on where the ship is sailing and how much it will cost.

[complawyer]

simple response: getaway, wins hands down!!!!

[bonvoyagie]

Sailed on the Sky (very first cruise) since then we have fallen in love with the Jewel class ships as well as the Dawn. Although we have not been on any of the mega ships. We cruise for destination so being able to disembark easily at ports is important to us, we know how long it takes with around 2000 people and just can't imagine it with twice that many. Kind of glad to see the Prima class ships are going to be halfway between the two. 

[Quincella]

My favorite is, by far, the Epic. She’s the I my ship I’ve ever sailed more than once, and I’d do it again tomorrow.  I absolutely love the one-of-a-kind design, and the bathrooms don’t bother me at all. 
 

After that, I’d say the Breakaway-plus class is incredible. Of those, I’d put the Bliss at the top. 

 

My least favorite is the Dawn. And although I enjoyed the Jewel-class ships, I really prefer the larger, newer vessels. 

[Sailing12Away]

Itinerary and price come first, but if there were multiple ships with the same option we'd pick the bigger ships over the Jewel class, and we're in the minority as we do enjoy the Epic. 

 

It's all about the experience I suppose and not the ship itself. We had a bit of a bad experience on the Jade and didn't care for the layout of the ship. We were in the DOS and we had to take 2 different elevators plus the flight of stairs to get from the back of the ship back to our room. We just always felt so confused on that trip as it seemed some elevators only went up to some decks. We'd certainly sail on her again, but wouldn't be "ooooh, can't wait to be on that particular ship".

 

We've sailed on Epic twice and had great times both sailings. We like that you can see nearly from one end of the ship to the other. On the smaller ships I felt like we were constantly zig zagging in/out and around and through the buffet just to get from one end of the ship to the other. With the Epic you just walked, no road map or obstacle course needed.

 

We didn't use all the bonus stuff on the Encore (laser tag, go karts, etc), but it was nice to have them if we chose to use them. Being too busy or too enthralled with conversations with other guests/crew at the bars to find time to use those features is a sign of a good cruise to me. Whereas the smaller ships (not just NCL, but RCC too) we often felt a bit bored.

 

POA I honestly don't remember the ship at all other than my particular cabin - again, another sign of a good cruise to me. It should be about the overall experience and memories from the destinations, and not the ship itself. If it was about the ship then we'd just do a cruise to nowhere. The ship is just the magical floating hotel that brings me to a new land when I wake up in the morning.

[The Traveling Man]

We have sailed on each class of NCL ship at least once, including all of the mega-ships.  We only were on the Sun once, never the Sky.  The ship seemed oddly configured, so I doubt we'll take it again. We have sailed on the Dawn more than any other and love the intimate feel of it.  I'm not too thrilled with the decor decisions they made during the last major overhaul a few years back, but I still love the overall design.  We were on the Star during the infamous "World Tour" to Australia when the ship had all those propulsion problems.  Being adrift at sea for two days doesn't inspire me to ever want to get back on that ship, no matter where it's going.  The Jewel class ships make me feel right at home.  To echo the words of a previous contributor to this thread, I loved the Spirit both times we sailed on her and I'm anxious to see how the latest refurb turned out.  When it comes right down to it, though, my wife and I really prefer the big ships.  Almost any of the Breakaway or Breakaway Plus class ships are fine by me.  I can do without the go carts or the laser tag, but the variety of entertainment and dining venues are what win me over.  Making reservations can be a bit of a hassle, but since we've been Platinum Plus (now Diamond) since forever, we appreciate the special considerations that NCL gives us to "slip in the side door" at most locales.  As others have noted, it's more about the itinerary, availability, and cost, but I'll put up with a bit of a long line on the big ships to get the extra amenities that they offer.

[bluesea777]

9 minutes ago, The Traveling Man said:

To echo the words of a previous contributor to this thread, I loved the Spirit both times we sailed on her and I'm anxious to see how the latest refurb turned out.  

 

I'm not sure if you have seen this thread, but here it goes ....

 

 

 

[biker@sea]

 Spirit is still our favorite after 30 N.C.L. Cruises.