Maiden voyage question.

[RMS Olympic]

I believe the Prima was not fully operational on her maiden sailing….how was the Viva?

Im thinking of booking the 4th in the Leo series on her maiden/inaugural sailing depending upon her readiness. I’ll follow the Aqua, but wondered about the Viva….

I realize things aren’t polished upon start up….but if things are not ready as was the case of the Sun Princess ( a true mess) Id skip an inaugural.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

[BirdTravels]

True maiden voyages (versus inaugural voyages), voyage before and after dry docks are all crap shoots. The goal is to have the ship fully functional. But there will be installation leftovers. The ship will be nice since the very first cruises are non-revenue VIP/media/travel agent short cruises. You may get a crab legs night in the buffet. 

[Laszlo]

2 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

I believe the Prima was not fully operational on her maiden sailing….how was the Viva?

Im thinking of booking the 4th in the Leo series on her maiden/inaugural sailing depending upon her readiness. I’ll follow the Aqua, but wondered about the Viva….

I realize things aren’t polished upon start up….but if things are not ready as was the case of the Sun Princess ( a true mess) Id skip an inaugural.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

Personally like a lot of things I would let the work the bugs out

[RMS Olympic]

Montgomery county Pa…my old stomping grounds. Lived in Lansdale for 22 years….small world.

[CruiseMH]

I`d never book a maiden voyage. Even if the ship class itself is not new but there are always some issues and many processes still have some bugs.

 

[scooter6139]

I would never book a maiden or inaugural voyage, as they don't seem quite ready (based on the launches of many cruise line ships in the last few years). Also, those first voyages are usually super expensive compared to the same cruise a few months later.

 

Unless that doesn't bother you, then it might be a lot of fun being the first to do stuff on the ship!  Plus, you might get some excellent merchandise as a bonus!

[www3traveler]

I was on the Getaway's Maiden Voyage from Southampton, U.K. to New York City in mid January 2014.  Very unique ever and so much fun.  The cruise was supposed sail from Southampton to Miami.  However She got charted out to become a floating hotel for the Super Bowl in New Jersey.  As a result, many passengers canceled not wanting to go to NYC in mid January.  We had more crew  members onboard than passengers and was an all sea day adventure.  Would I do it again, in a HEARTBEAT!!!  I am booked on the Aqua from Southampton to Boston another all sea day adventure.  YEAH!!

[stinkyharriet]

21 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

 We had more crew  members onboard than passengers and was an all sea day adventure. 

Sounds like my ideal cruise!

[Laszlo]

5 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

Montgomery county Pa…my old stomping grounds. Lived in Lansdale for 22 years….small world.

I'm right down 309 in Wyndmoor

[Distinctive-Destinations]

Maiden voyages seem like very weird “bragging rights” to me. Pay more money for an untested ship and crew that almost assuredly has some unknown quirk(s)?

 

No thanks.

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

Maiden voyages seem like very weird “bragging rights” to me. Pay more money for an untested ship and crew that almost assuredly has some unknown quirk(s)?

 

No thanks.

Crew is very experienced , usually has done more than one Opening.  They arrive on board a new ship two to three months prior to the first sailing.  For example, The Aqua is scheduled to sail in late March 2025.  If things go according to past ships, crew will begin arriving within a few days of 1 January 2025.

[Distinctive-Destinations]

3 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

Crew is very experienced , usually has done more than one Opening.  They arrive on board a new ship two to three months prior to the first sailing.  For example, The Aqua is scheduled to sail in late March 2025.  If things go according to past ships, crew will begin arriving within a few days of 1 January 2025.

I’ll have to at least partially disagree. No one on a NEW ship has any experience with that ship with thousands of passengers. Yes, obviously you can train and I’m sure the staff is at least average, if not above average. But you simply cannot account for all variables with training. Stuff breaks, mistakes are made, etc.

 

It’s like the astronauts training to go to the moon the first time.

[NordicExpat]

18 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

I believe the Prima was not fully operational on her maiden sailing….how was the Viva?

Im thinking of booking the 4th in the Leo series on her maiden/inaugural sailing depending upon her readiness. I’ll follow the Aqua, but wondered about the Viva….

I realize things aren’t polished upon start up….but if things are not ready as was the case of the Sun Princess ( a true mess) Id skip an inaugural.

Thanks for any feedback.

 

We have sailed on 4 inaugural sailings with NCL. Three were transatlantics - the Escape, Encore, and Prima. We also sailed aboard the first Bliss Panama Canal transit. The Escape crossing had slight construction ongoing, and some supplies ran out quickly. I don't recall any issues with the Encore or Prima. However, the Prima did have a couple of cruises before the transatlantic. The Bliss also had a couple of cruises before we sailed, but again, I don't remember any issues. We also sailed the Joy transatlantic in February, the first out of dry dock. There were no issues except for the crew being a little underwhelming. We assumed they were newly aboard. All of these cruises were great, and we wouldn't think twice about booking another inaugural.

[RMS Olympic]

Thank you. Years ago I was an inaugural cruiser when a new ship was unique. Now new ships are a yearly routine….but a inaugural should it be a crossing would be something special for me.

Past inaugurals

Ncl Seaward

Ncl Dreamward

Costa Classica

Costa Romantica

Homelines Homeric

Soverign of the Seas

Royal Majesty

Windstar Breeze

Princess Royal Princess

Ncl Bliss first Alaska sailing

Ive been fortunate to say the least.

[david_sobe]

I think Maiden voyages appeal to people that love to be first to experience a new ship.  There are many dedicated cruisers that love to book Maiden voyages.  I think the cruise line gives everyone a memento about the trip and people collect these things.

For me and most of us we book cruises when the price is right and when we want to get away.

There is also many dedicated cruisers that do the first transatlantic on these ships too.  I love their vlogs because its a great way to learn and see these new ships. 

[CruiseMH]

10 hours ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

I’ll have to at least partially disagree. No one on a NEW ship has any experience with that ship with thousands of passengers. Yes, obviously you can train and I’m sure the staff is at least average, if not above average. But you simply cannot account for all variables with training. Stuff breaks, mistakes are made, etc.

 

It’s like the astronauts training to go to the moon the first time.

 

It depends on the ship class.

If it is completely new (e.g. the Breakaway) then of course nobody has any experience but if it is the second/third/fourth ship of the same class (e.g. the getaway) then there are people with experience.

As per my information cruise lines usually use the crew with the most experience regarding a specific ship class for the first cruises of each new ship of the same class.

E.g. for the first cruises on the getaway they would transfer as much crew as possible from the breakaway cause they already have experience with that ship class.

 

[schmoopie17]

16 hours ago, scooter6139 said:

 

Unless that doesn't bother you, then it might be a lot of fun being the first to do stuff on the ship! 

A new brewpub opened in our area a few months ago. Our group was the first to go inside and I was the first person to use the restroom. So I have that going for me...

[RMS Olympic]

Schmoopie17

oh my, as they say on NCL…..washy washy🤗

[TheBeardedCruiser]

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

A new brewpub opened in our area a few months ago. Our group was the first to go inside and I was the first person to use the restroom. So I have that going for me...

 

WOW!!! Can I get your autograph...

 

3 hours ago, RMS Olympic said:

Schmoopie17

oh my, as they say on NCL…..washy washy🤗

 

after you wash your hands? 😂🤣

[scorpioncrawl]

We are booked for the Aqua Maiden voyage in March.  First time for us to try. Any suggestions?  I

[DominicAUS]

On 7/13/2024 at 8:03 PM, NordicExpat said:

We have sailed on 4 inaugural sailings with NCL. Three were transatlantics - the Escape, Encore, and Prima. We also sailed aboard the first Bliss Panama Canal transit. The Escape crossing had slight construction ongoing, and some supplies ran out quickly. I don't recall any issues with the Encore or Prima. However, the Prima did have a couple of cruises before the transatlantic. The Bliss also had a couple of cruises before we sailed, but again, I don't remember any issues. We also sailed the Joy transatlantic in February, the first out of dry dock. There were no issues except for the crew being a little underwhelming. We assumed they were newly aboard. All of these cruises were great, and we wouldn't think twice about booking another inaugural.

We were on the Encore inaugural sailing, apart from the rough crossing which was fun, I know this was pre covid, but the ship was barely full and the crew were outstanding and food was off the chart. 
 

i didn’t book it because of the inaugural sailing, but the amazing deal. These sailings can be a steal and less passengers. There are the issues of chops not being ready on time etc but doing the Bliss from Southampton post dry dock, which is a lot less worrying than a brand new ship. 
 

id do an inaugural in a heartbeat, had the best time and crew who remembered us from other sails was the highlight. 

[Beer Belly]

We learned our lesson, give the new builds at least a year. Cruised on an 8 month old Prima on a 7 day Bermuda cruise......no pool till day 5, pool had cracks and was being repaired.....pool deck had terrible septic stench.....one elevator down, and the kicker, disembarked in Bermuda to see someone hanging off the side of the ship welding cracks in the hull with guy not far behind painting over the welds