IIRC, the boost is a percentage of your current turning speed. So for a cruiser, an extra 20% of diddly squat is still diddly squat. For escorts it becomes cannons-always-forward. I'd suggest saving the engineering slots for things that boost resistances or power levels.

Best Ody is the Operations then for an Engineer? Chevron sep looks useful. Well aware of the Ody being a space whale, that can still work for damage/support i think. excelsior don't know i care about transwarp, looks like a step down from the AC.

The Oddy will work well as a support/healboat. However, you shouldn't expect very much damage out of it.

The Excelsior, compared to the Regent, may not have as many Tactical boff slots, but the few extra points of turn rate are just enough to let it use single cannons in PvP, which will enable you to use CRF, which is one of, if not THE best damage-enhancing skill.

Also, damage and support tend to be mutually exclusive on most ships. If you want good levels of either, you have to sacrifice some of the other.

The console is useful, but as a ship itself the Ops version is probably the least desirable, hence people liking the 3-pack. The Tac version has the best energy bonuses for offense and a third tac console slot, but the Aquarius is the least useful special ability. The Science has the best healing and tanking because of the extra sci console, the Sensor Analysis gives it the best damage over long engagements with big targets, and the Worker Bee console is boring-but-effective, but can't put out the raw firepower of the Tac. Then the Ops version has no special features, but comes with the console that mitigates the Odyssey's turning problem (though at the cost of durability). Frankly, Cryptic cheated, and the best Odyssey requires parts from all 3, to make you buy the pack. They're evil that way.

As for the Excelsior, it has 2 big advantages. First it can turn, with just one better turn rate but also the improved momentum, its almost as nimble as a KDF battlecruiser. Secondly, a fleet version with 4(!) tac consoles is available with a T3 fleet shipyard, which lots of fleets have. Since the Excelsior is cheaper to begin with, that means for the same price as a basic Regent or single Odyssey, and cut a deal with a fleet, you get a cruiser that can move better than any other fed cruiser, shoot better than any other fed cruiser (except the Fleet Regent, which is Tier 5), and still tank hits that would one-shot many lesser ships.

I'm not saying one is better than the other. The Odyssey can do all cruiser tasks quite well, plus dabble in some other things besides. The Excelsior doesn't have the Odyssey's flexibility and isn't quite as durable (though still quite tough), but as an offensive weapon the only Federation ships nastier than the Excelsior mount dual heavy cannons. I own both, I use both, and I endorse both. Its just a question of deciding priorities in offense, defense, and versatility.

How does the Vesta class handle? is the 3 pack worth it for damage/support? to me the Vesta looks better for science but having a deflector phaser looks awesome as does a wing of runabouts. I run my ship with damage and support depending on the situation i either charge in or support the flotilla if they are already engaged.