I like the colour image if not the front superstructre!

[ 01-13-2009: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]

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Originally posted by LaLa:
it's def. goofy lookin..... but it's whats inside that counts...... right??

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Originally posted by LaLa:
it's def. goofy lookin..... but it's whats inside that counts...... right??

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LaLa's got it right. It is a Goofy lookin ship

[ 01-13-2009: Message edited by: GregD ]

(Well, they do say one can get used to anything - even hanging.)

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Originally posted by dougnewman:
Wayne, growing on you?! You should have your eyes checked!

(Well, they do say one can get used to anything - even hanging.)

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Originally posted by Waynaro:
"Growing on" may not be the most correct word to use, but I've accepted the fact this ugly ship will be built.

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Originally posted by dougnewman:
Then again I am struggling to think of a compelling reason to sail NCL altogether. If there was one I probably would have done so already.

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Here were my reasons:

1) They are the number three cruise line
2) They have impressive modern ships
3) They have more dining choices than just about any other line
4) They have some good fares (in the UK anyway)
5) To try 'Freestyle' (love it or hate it)

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Originally posted by dougnewman:
Ah, I see.

Well, to be fair, there are other ugly ships out there too. I'm not entirely sure I could really say this is uglier than e.g. VENTURA, and as I recently had a disturbingly good view of RUBY PRINCESS from my balcony on the (not ugly) MSC ORCHESTRA I can confirm that's pretty ugly too.

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Hear Hear! The Princess Grand class still tops my Ugly List. But it looks like they are about to be overtaken by the F3!

I wouldn't quite call the MSC ORCHESTRA a beauty either by the way, but at least she's not offensive looking like the Grands.

By the way, did anyone see the January issue of Ships Monthly? There is an article on the expansion of MSC cruises, with a sub-article on STX France and the F3 issue. But one of the pictures is wrongly captioned. It says that we are seeing the F3 in the building dock with MSC Splendida in the background, but that is wrong. The ship in the back is most likely MSC POESIA and the half-built ship in front is probably the SPLENDIDA. Will they ever learn?

Anyway. I am not a fan of the Grand class at all but have to admit there are already much more ugly ships in service than them. The curving front of the superstructure with the extended bridge wings is actually quite attractive, although I personally do not like it, I "get" what the designers were trying to achieve with the transom look stern. I quite like the swoop of the funnel structure, I do not like the wedding cake layers design of the balconies. Sure not the prettiest but not that bad - Ventura is however the worst of the bunch, the mesh over the funnel destroys the look and draws attention to some of the boxy structures around it.

Now for F3. If accurate these depictions are the cruise liner equivalent of a car carrier (my apologies to car carriers everywhere). It is as if someone took Norwegian Dawn (not nessersarily the best looking cruiseship ever but nicely disguised with a crazy paint scheme) and dumped a 60's style (of the worst type - the ones with rotting concrete ?) on top of the forward superstructure, it has without doubt the most unapologetically vertical stern I have ever seen - at least others have tried to give a small curve, detail or slight stagger at the top but no this is steeper than a George W "let me tell you a story about weapons of mass destruction".

There is nothing about this vessel that says there was a designer/architect involved in its creation (I will not refer to it as a design) - nothing that references its shape etc to its purpose or its environment, if the Soviet Union or North Korea at its most brutal designed a cruise ship it would look like this - that said some of their military ships actually look better.

Its only small grace is that it does have a funnel - well 2 and the only way you would know you are looking at a ship is the way she is portrayed as being at sea and she has a pointy end.

In case you had not realised I do not this at all.

However it does speak volumes about the corporate mentality of those who concieved this horror - it takes revenue earning to its extreme - every possible square inch of volume possible has been included to ensure that every possible fare paying person can be fitted in in the smallest possible space, thus sacrificing any semblence of a look or curve that might imply she is a ship as a result, it is obvious from prior press releases that the onboard spending opportunites will be unequalled in the industry. In other words it was concieved by accountants for the accountants and shareholders sole benefit in an extreme way - would I cruise on her - not bloody likely as you will be nickelled and dimed from the second you board in a way that has never yet happened. And if you ever do go ashore you will have to look at it as you draw return to the dock.

Compared to this the Grand Class is a triumph of naval design.

It is the Sangyong of cruise ships. Frankly the industry would be better off without it.

There is one blessing - there will be only one and if you plan your next cruise carefully you may never actually have to see it.

What the ship design looks like to me, is an older ship that at one time had a decent design, then over the years more and more decks were tacked on and the integrity of the original design was lost. Kind of like what has been done with the Vista's, Destiny's, and Grand's.

It's hard to believe this ship is designed from scratch to look this ugly!!!

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Originally posted by eroller:
It's hard to believe this ship is designed from scratch to look this ugly!!!

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Originally posted by NWLB:
So.....which end of that ship is the bow?

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Originally posted by viking109:
...but there has to be an acceptable limit to sheer ugliness.

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