NCL Newbie

[hughdemand]

We are trying to book  a NCL cruise but have a few questions, the answers weren't obvious to me.

 

1. We previously sailed Celebrity exclusively, if we opt for the Free At Sea package I see the gratuities added for drinks and specialty dining, what about gtratuities for housekreeping and dining staff? Do I just give to the personnel directly or is added precruise or ??
2. This is all last minute planning, any special recommendations or thoughts about which ship to select, our options appear to be:

• Joy
• Encore
• Breakaway
• Escape 
• Epic

Please bear with me, I will continue my investigation but sincerely appreciate any thoughts or directions

Thanks

Hugh

[schmoopie17]

1). The DSC (Daily Service Charge...$20 per person, per day for most cabins) is added to your onboard account...or you can choose to pre-pay before the cruise.

 

2). I'm happy to see you didn't list the Dawn. All of the others are fine.

[cheersforbeers]

If your working with a NCL PCC tell them you want to pre pay the DSC. 
We like all the ships you listed, with Joy, Encore and Escape more recently built. 

[zqvol]

7 minutes ago, schmoopie17 said:

1). The DSC (Daily Service Charge...$20 per person, per day for most cabins) is added to your onboard account...or you can choose to pre-pay before the cruise.

 

2). I'm happy to see you didn't list the Dawn. All of the others are fine.

Have sailed the Dawn 4 times. I consider it the best ship in the fleet. 

[BirdTravels]

13 minutes ago, hughdemand said:

We are trying to book  a NCL cruise but have a few questions, the answers weren't obvious to me.

 

1. We previously sailed Celebrity exclusively, if we opt for the Free At Sea package I see the gratuities added for drinks and specialty dining, what about gtratuities for housekreeping and dining staff? Do I just give to the personnel directly or is added precruise or ??
2. This is all last minute planning, any special recommendations or thoughts about which ship to select, our options appear to be:

• Joy
• Encore
• Breakaway
• Escape 
• Epic

Please bear with me, I will continue my investigation but sincerely appreciate any thoughts or directions

Thanks

Hugh

Hugh

 

In addition to the grats on the beverage and dining package, there is a daily service charge. 
 

Encore, Escape and Joy are the biggest ships in the NCL fleet. The Joy is going into a major dry dock next week so will be new and fresh. 

[MCMC100]

IMO. Your best choices in order are Joy, Escape, Encore, Breakaway, an inflatable air mattress, leaky canoe, Epic. 
 

The Joy will be rehabbed in dry dock soon so should be very nice when she returns. The ships with observation lounges and Spice H2O (Encore and Joy) offer great indoor/ outdoor options. Escape was my first NCL ship and she was brand new so possibly my favorite, but I think Joy offers more for a first timer. Breakaway is nice, but lacks a District Brewhouse and Food Republic, which are two family favorites. If sailing with kids, the go karts and other amenities on Joy and Encore are worth a look. You really can’t go wrong with your options. They each offer a lot, some have this and some have that……

 

I am obviously being a little dramatic with my Epic ranking. Many people enjoy the ship, others agree with me and don’t like the layout. The cabins are, in my opinion, weirdly designed.  The ship has many nice features and you will have a very enjoyable cruise should you decide on the Epic, but in my opinion, the other ships are much nicer. 

[IAcruising]

1 hour ago, MCMC100 said:

IMO. Your best choices in order are Joy, Escape, Encore, Breakaway, an inflatable air mattress, leaky canoe, Epic. 
 

The Joy will be rehabbed in dry dock soon so should be very nice when she returns. The ships with observation lounges and Spice H2O (Encore and Joy)

 

The Joy will be losing 1/3 of her Observation Lounge and Galaxy Pavilion, if that matters to OP. Encore does not have Spice H2O.

 

That said, switch Joy and Encore and I completely agree with your ranking (including the mattress and canoe).

 

[MCMC100]

Thanks for correcting me about Spice H2O on Encore….. I’m constantly confusing Bliss/Encore in my mind. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

4 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

IMO. Your best choices in order are Joy, Escape, Encore, Breakaway, an inflatable air mattress, leaky canoe, Epic. 
 

Definitely avoid the Epic.  It forces you to attend to your bodily functions in front of a huge picture window overlooking the Atrium.

[IAcruising]

4 hours ago, MCMC100 said:

Thanks for correcting me about Spice H2O on Encore….. I’m constantly confusing Bliss/Encore in my mind. 

 

I want to try the Bliss, as it has both the OL and Spice like the Joy. Any reason Bliss didn't make your list? I'm thinking Alaska in 2025.

 

[MCMC100]

 

28 minutes ago, IAcruising said:

 

I want to try the Bliss, as it has both the OL and Spice like the Joy. Any reason Bliss didn't make your list? I'm thinking Alaska in 2025.

 

Only reason I didn’t list it was because it was not one OP was considering. The Bliss was very nice, did the Eastern Caribbean on her right before COVID shutdown. I prefer the Breakaway + class ships. They offer a lot.  I don’t think you can go wrong with any of them. 
 

Definitely go to Alaska. It’s truly spectacular. A very different vibe than the “go somewhere with warm water, get away from NY winter” cruises I normally do, but well worth it.  The observation lounge is a great place to sit and watch Alaska glide by.  We did Encore and loved it……

[IAcruising]

3 minutes ago, MCMC100 said:

Only reason I didn’t list it was because it was not one OP was considering.

 

Oh, I guess that makes sense. 😆