Does NCL have a bad ship?

[Illustriouslaz]

I know some members have been here for a while so I'm sure you've read many reviews so I ask: Is there a NCL ship to avoid? Be it because of the age of the ship, service, lack of amenities, etc.

[mbisson]

IMO-there are no "bad" cruise ships. It's just that some are better than others. :)

[DAGVBSB]

Both the Majesty and the Dream were converted to Freestyle Cruising and do not have as many restaurants as the other ships. They also are smaller and so naturally there is less. Both the Majesty and the Dream will be leaving the NCL fleet in the next 18 months however.

 

The remainder of the NCL fleet was purposely built for Freestyle Cruising. Although the Sky and Sun are smaller, they are very nice as well.

 

The Dawn, Star, Jewel, Jade, Pearl, Gem and Pride of America are all about the same in amenities and choices offered. The POAm has been complained about due to service issues due to the all American crew. (the rest have International crews.)

 

My advice is to choose from the Star, Dawn, Jewel, Jade, Pearl or Gem (or even the Spirit) for the true NCL Freestyle Experience.

[alv0729]

I've been on the Majesty and The Dream. The dream may be bigger, but when they cut it in half and inserted a section to enlarge it, there seemed to be little regard to a new layout. It is choppy at best. The majesty is the nicer of the 2.

[Mr. S. Walker]

The Norwegian Sky is currently in wetdock in Freeport, Bahamas for 5 weeks. If you are looking for a ship to sail on this Summer out of Miami, then book the Sky! :D MR.S.W.

[unboringuy]

I was on the Dreamward twice in the early 90s before she was chopped in half and renamed. She was a wonderful ship then. I've heard that the slicing did make her a bit of a challenge to navigate.

[Suzila]

The Dawn, Star, Jewel, Jade, Pearl, Gem and Pride of America are all about the same in amenities and choices offered. The POAm has been complained about due to service issues due to the all American crew. (the rest have International crews.)

 

The Pride of America has had complaints because of the American crew, but we enjoyed it even more BECAUSE of the American crew. It's really nice to speak to crew members, ask them where they're from, talk about their area of OUR country, AND be able to understand what they are saying!

 

We had no problems with the service on POAm...the cruise was wonderful. So, listen to the opinions, but you need to decide for yourself.

[CRUZIN TOM]

The majesty is a nice small ship. But there are no balcony cabins on the ship.:)

[BigJohn84]

Is the Sunward II still around? I did several cruises on that one in the early 90's. Very small, but nice. It was older, to. And for some reason, I remember the captain's name was Tor Kavanvig!

 

John

[mbisson]

Is the Sunward II still around? I did several cruises on that one in the early 90's. Very small, but nice. It was older, to. And for some reason, I remember the captain's name was Tor Kavanvig!

 

John

 

You might find this interesting:

 

http://www.simplonpc.co.uk/NCL_Sunward_II_PCs.html#anchor1604334

[electricron]

That ship certainly has had a long life with many different cruise lines.

 

Royal Viking Sky - Royal Viking Line, 1972-1991

Sunward (2) - Norwegian Cruise Line, 1991-1993

Birka Queen (2) - Birka Line, 1992-1996

Golden Princess (1) - Princess Cruises, 1993-1996 (Charter)

Superstar Capricorn - Star Cruises, 1996-1998

Hyundai Keumgang - Hyundai Merchant Marine Co., Ltd 1998-2001 (Charter)

Superstar Capricorn - Star Cruises, 2001-2004

Grand Latino - Iberojet, 2004-2005

Boudicca - Fred. Olsen Cruises, 2006-

 

Here's what the Boudicca looks like today

 

Some stats on the Boudicca:

Tonnage 28,388 grt

Length 205.47 m

Beam (width) 25.20 m

Speed 20.0 knots

Refitted 2006

Passengers 839 standard occupancy (maximum 900)

 

Fred Olsen has even added a few balconies to the ship.

[ZoneHPH]

each ship has it's own "personality", if you don't mind the expression. re: the Dream...yes she was sliced in half with a new section inserted. it was also mentioned that it was hard to navigate...but not from the captain's perspective. just that access from deck to deck was not as "smooth" or logical as the newer ships. but still the Dream is the sister ship to the former Norwegian Wind...and i sailed on her pre- and post-stretch.

 

i'm not sure if prefer booking a cruise based on ship or itinerary. one will have to yield to the other sometimes.

 

but in my opinion: bigger is not always better. smaller is not always better. read all the information out there (outside of Cruise Critic)...then come back here to the boards and learn more. finally...take all the information that you have researched and obtained and hopefully you'll have a magnificent time like the majority of us.

[Stillfloatin']

I'm a big fan of NCL and have loved every cruise I've sailed on her ships. That said, I doubt if I would sail the Dream again due to more limited dining options, poor buffet area, few (and expensive) balcony cabins, and poor layout. No problems with the crew, they were terrific.

[electricron]

The biggest roadblock for pedestrian traffic fore and aft is the two deck high Stardust Lounge. It was located precisely in the same location before the stretch. The 30 meters pre-assembly was added immediately behind the Stardust Lounge, which included the Four Seasons, and new casino area, and just in front of the Dazzles. In fact, the Dazzles Disco area was the casino area before it was stretched. Just check where the stairways a located midship. The area between the stairways was what was added during the stretch.

So, the Stardust Lounge has been a roadblock forever, not just after the Dream was stretched.

 

[chrisbd1]

Some don't like the Majesty, but I've love to sail her. Alas, no balcony's.

I wouldn't mind trying to Dream. Alas, balcony's really expensive because there are so few of them.

 

Even with some of the issues some have had on with these ships, I'd love to give each of them a try.