BeachRum

Yes!! I booked this cruise with 836 days to go. (That's probably the most in advance I've booked a cruise.) But it is a positive sign, right?

And it gives us a lnice long time for our numbers here to grow, for us to post and chat and get excited about this amazing cruise on a spectacular ship!

I have already reached out to the proper authorities to begin planning a Meet & Greet. In the meantime, hello everyone! I hope that you are well and having good times. See you in 834 days! 

Anybody else think this boat is pitching and rolling way too much?

That's not the ship. It's my belt, pinching and rolling. The UDP doesn't help.

To my understanding, The UDP and SDP are identical in benefit, the only difference being that UDP is good for the entire cruise whereas the SDP is new name for a new arrangement by the number of days and not for the whole cruise.

Does anyone know if the Escape has or will have a live bridge cam? I can't find it on any of the traditional sites.

When does she leave? We are on the Pearl in May on the Pacific Coast

She's scheduled to set sail at 4:00pm.

Escape is leaving Miami now...

 

http://www.portmiamiwebcam.com

 

http://www.miamiandbeaches.com/see-miami

Next out of port will be the Norwegian Pearl.

I am on the phone right now with NCL about the pricing. I have just been told that Margaritaville is free and they serve breakfast and lunch...

This is what I was told today....could she be wrong...sure...could it change in a hour sure. But for now this is the info I received

This is the closest to any real facts that we've come so far, amidst the volley of hearsay and rumors. Thanks, CUontheC!

Far be it for me to defend any CEO, brush off a new charge or to resist jumping on any bandwagon, but I shall take a wait-and-see attitude. So far, all we've heard is hearsay and all we've read is (possibly justified) indignation.

Given Frank Del Rio's/NCL's declared marketing direction, this would have been the time to make such an announcement. Instead, Del Rio was quoted as saying "...for business and crowd-control reasons, that's always a possibility, but it's too early to tell." True, he didn't categorically deny it. Right now is the opportunity to strike while the honeymoon iron is hot and levy that "modest" Margaritaville charge. But, so far, he didn't.

... Neighbors who leave theirs on aren't a big deal although it's always nicer when everyone leaves the outside for nice, dark, peaceful moments. :p

On the Getaway, my neighbor's balcony light wasn't very bright, so that didn't bother me. More of an issue was, as a privacy issue, when he left it on, it suggested that there was someone there and I had to behave much more civilized on my own balcony! :)

If this board were a newspaper or TV show, the above threads would be condemned as nothing short of irresponsible yellow journalism. Until it's shown to be true, it's just hearsay and rumor.

Everyone has the right to express themselves. But to get all tied up in knots over a rumor is premature.

Let's wait for facts, shall we?

Just wondering for those of you who have cruised on the Escape are you able to get drinks from a venue that are not on the menu? For example could I go to Margaritaville and order a Long Island Ice Tea?

On the Getaway, I ordered and received Rusty Nails at Cagney's and Moderno. They were definitely not on the drinks menu. But the servers were happy to get 'em for me.

Not sure if this was already mentioned, as my wifi onboard is spotty, but the Platinum certificate for "Behind the Scenes Tour" says it's been stopped pending further notice from Miami. This is one ship I'd love to do the BTST on.

Have they stopped doing the tour altogether, or just giving it away for free to Platinums? Having done (and paid for) the tour on the Getaway, I can say that it was worth every penny.

There are many high rollers who enjoy smoking. Their potential loses will more that pay for the simple enclosure and ventilation.

That just doesn't apply. Firstly, "high rollers" are not more privileged than "normal folks", so they have to follow the same rules of courtesy, health, fire regs, etc. This is happening everywhere. That's just life. Moreover, history shows that while there may be a small drop-off in business at bars and restaurants very briefly at first (the same applies to casinos), smoking bans have absolutely no effect on business in the long run. That pendulum swings back naturally.

In a casino, high-rollers are gamblers first and smokers second. They will keep coming.

Margaritaville will no last too long. The grill area on the AWAY's is like others have said, buffet style. With Jimmy Buffet being a notorious hard ass to deal with. Quality control will be an issue, burgers, nachos and other staple dishes from the traditional MV. Menu can't be up to standards as his food is cooked to order.

 

Can you imagine how gross nachos sitting under warming lights will taste after a while. My guess like [emoji90]. If they cooked to order, in that type of venue. The wait would be long, not what folks want by the pool area.

 

What are your thoughts?

Flamingo Grill had a mix of buffet and cooked-to-order fare. I had some amazing Cuban sandwiches made for me on the spot. I imagine that the same can be said for Margaritaville. I think an empirical study is in order; you know, for quality assurance. Drinks there, too.

If you are a solo cruiser and are staying in a balcony or inside cabin you can get access to the studio lounge as well as all of the studio/solo activities. Go to the Solo's meeting the first night, location with be published, and they will activate your card for studio access. If you can't make it the first night go to the guest relations desk and they will connect you with Solo's coordinator for the cruise. I did it on the Getaway last October.

 

Enjoy your cruise.

Jacqueline,

This is brilliant! Thanks for the tip. I shall definitely take your advice.

This is fabulous!

I imagine that there will be two parallel wardrobes - the inaugural cruise set, and the inaugural SEASON set.

I'm looking forward to the latter, when I sail in January.

They are not very accurate at all in places. They tend to just have standard sizes, so any unusual cabins aren't accurate. I have also seen large balcony sizes given as the same as standards on other ships, where they are in fact more than double the size.

Based purely on visual impressions from the latest photographs (and entirely unscientific), it really looks like the B1 aft-facing balconies will be similar in size to those on the Getaway/Breakaway. They certainly look to be significantly bigger than the regular side balconies.

 

1. What is the supper club? Is this the same as Manhattan room on the other -away ships? I can't find anything about this on the NCL website. Could this be the private room at taste (which is reserved for special occasions or groups, correct?)

The Taste private room is on deck 5, below and adjacent to Taste on deck 6. It's not the Supper Club.

The Supper Club replaces the Illusionarium (Getaway) and Cirque Dreams (Breakaway) on deck 6 forward, just behind the theatre. The Escape will have its own Manhattan Room, astern on deck 7.

Mcamcat,

The family cabin will be bigger. Anything with "family" in its description is quite measurably larger than its non-family counterparts. Some family cabins sleep 5 people.

I'm really hoping that they'll also bring the Grammy Experience aboard. Sugar Blue made the cruise that much better on the Getaway last January.

I agree with SissasMomE. That, and respecting the peace and tranquility that others are enjoying, which could mean quickly removing a cranky could, who is clearly not enjoying being there in the first place. Parenting 101.

20th!

 

Hoping to see some pics of Escape from local German media and/or ship spotters like Andreas Depping! :D

I couldn't agree more! I'd love to see some hi-res shots of the aft without the scaffolds. That way, I might be able to get out the calipers and get a better estimate of the relative sizes of the balconies. That, and I'm going through withdrawal.

No, GSC is a foreign port. These are only cruises with no foreign port that are getting cancelled.

Wouldn't this put the kibosh on the Pride of America Hawaiian cruises which sail entirely within the USA?

Does anyone recall if the Epic, BA and GA prices went down as their inaugural seasons started?

In February 2014, I booked a January 2015 cruise on the Getaway (inaugural season). Prices fluctuated, of course. But by three to four weeks before sailing, prices were substantially lower. I was able to get an upgrade from BC balcony to aft-facing B1 three weeks before sailing.

There's no guarantee that that will happen. Prices will change according to what's sold out or not sold, and how close they are to having obsolete inventory on their hands.

The real issue is will they wire the internet better on the Escape so that it actually works ...

we (mini suite), nor our friends in the Haven, could use laptops in our rooms on either ship.

Ah! It's not that it didn't work in your cabins. It's that the system is smart, and deliberately prevented you from using your laptops. It was gently reminding you that you were on vacation! Laptops are the opposite of vacation.