DMParisHoneymoon

I ordered a PB & J drink - a shot of Skrewball along with a shot of Chambord. Get it on the rocks and it's actually quite good! Sweet...and you can really only have one but it was still worth it! 

Wine - was able to get Decoy which is quite good. DW also was able to get Iniskillin Ice Wine that she enjoyed thoroughly. 

3 hours ago, MiniJeffrey said:

Did you try champagne, was it also easily available in P+?

Veuve was only available at Le Bistro. I also had a bottle of Pommery in The Manhattan Room one night as well. We didn't try getting chamagne at any bars though so don't know what was avail elsewhere. With that said though we did have Iniskillin Vidal ice wine by the glass as well - it was avail at The Cellars, Observation Lounge and Atrium bars. 

On 7/16/2023 at 8:07 AM, JamesIowa said:

Champagne aside, does grey goose generally seem available at spice h20 and vibe?

Just had P+ on the Joy from July 1-9 (it was a great sailing!!) and Grey Goose was readily available at Spice and really any bar we went to. Vibe will always have the higher end bottles avail so you'll be fine. 

We were a bit disappointed though that BioSteel wasn't available anywhere. The only sub they had was Red Bull....which didn't quite meet the hydration needs (especially the next morning lol). 

Yeah I can confirm that unfortunately Makers Mark wasn't available. I did have a Woodford Reserve old fashioned though that was pretty good? 

6 hours ago, firstimer2009 said:

Thanks to the OP for this question since I will be going on Escape for the first time Sept 2024 on a 10 day round trip from Barcelona.  And thank you for this great info about the ship.  We have two specialty dining as part of the Free At Sea but was thinking of buying two more before we board.  I've only been on 2 NCL sailings but became sick on the last trip and missed eating at both La Cucina and Moderna.  Is it worth it to buy extra dining packages or just pay the cover price?  BTW, I love both beer and wine so I think I found my ship!  

We always buy the extra 2 specialty dining pre-cruise. It's cheaper than on board and definitely cheaper than paying a la carte, which seems the majority of NCLs specialty restaurants now. It does make laugh and semi feel good though to see the extra value signing off the zeroed out bill of what the price would've been. 

You'll have no probs getting your beer and wine fix in! We splurged for Premium Plus and it was well worth it especially for the bottles of wine we were able to order each dinner. 

We are fresh off the Joy (July 1-9 sailing) and previously was on the Escape on 3 separate occasions as our fave ship out there! Overall we were very pleasantly surprised with the Joy! Really the 2 ships have the same look and feel, just some differences that you and the other posters have indicated. 

I'd say that Spice H20 might be something to think about, and which water feature you prefer. Escape has the grotto which is great for when it's hot, whereas Joy has the large hot tub, which might be better for the itinerary and/or your personal choice. With that said when the hot tub was busy it was loud and packed - but just before dinner the crowds always thin out and before you knew it we were the only ones in the giant hot tub! 

We were also concerned about missing Moderno - but surprisingly found that Q was a great replacement for it!  The Pitmasters Platter will still give you the meat sweats like at Modernos....just the meat is smoked instead (so maybe smoked meat sweats instead? Lol). We also thought the use of the Q space was better utilized vs the sparsely used Dinner Club on the Escape. You could also go to the Q bar anytime to watch entertainment which was a nice plus. But there's no real replacement for Pinchos as another poster already mentioned. Also, we lovvveeeed eating at Le Bistro on the Waterfront. There's something about the wait staff removing the cloches to reveal your dinner with the sea breeze on your face that's hard to beat or replicate. But we love the look of Le Bistro on the Escape and missed that extra buzz of activity when going by 678. 

The only thing I could really feel different was that the Joy was more cut up with venues separated differently. For example poor Maltings Whiskey bar was all on its own in this separated room off the atrium on deck 6. We definitely much preferred the Tobacco Road location up on deck 8 on the Escape. However with that said, the cigarette smoke from the casino was better controlled on the Joy, and you didn't smell it anytime at 678. Sometimes on the Escape the smoke wouldn't find any escape. 

IMO, I think that the Joy is more of a 'fun different things to do' kind of ship with the race track, laser tag and galaxy pavilion. Whereas the Escape is more of a 'chill and relax in the sun' kind of ship with the extra deck space (for all), amazing spa, and the Guy Harvey channel (which we we actually missed on the Joy! Lol). 

Lastly, oddly enough we also actually prefered The Local vs O'Sheehans. The Local has more of a lighter white/cream colour scheme throughout vs the darker woodsy pub feel of O'Sheehans. We just thought the Local looked better for its location despite it being nearly identically laid out. Unfortunately the wings are still the disappointing oven baked type and not properly fried on either ship. But at least the rest of the food options are amazing! 

All this to say, you're really not going to go wrong on either ship. DW and I still felt like we were at home on the Joy - just found it to be a little different. But, we've agreed and realized that the Breakaway Plus class is our preferred ship class out there in any fleet. It just checks so many boxes for us (Waterfront, dining variety, overall ship layout, Spice H20, deck parties, District Brewhouse, The Cellars, waterslides, etc etc) that we'd be thrilled to find ourselves on either again (or the Bliss or Encore)! 

Cheers and have fun choosing 🙂

1 hour ago, JetJock_YHZ said:

I’m on Caribbean Princess now as well (2022-02-24). I’m Canadian and was planning on getting my PCR test to fly home upon disembarkation, as stated on Princess’ website:

 

https://www.princess.com/plan/cruise-with-confidence/cruise-health/frequently-asked-questions/us-cruises/

 

I decided to check with Guest Services today to see if I needed to book a testing time, or if it was walk-in. I was advised that Princess no longer provides COVID testing for Canadians (and most likely other non-US nationalities). The only solution provided was to “check at the airport”. I was told that this change in policy only occurred a few days ago - something about running out of test kits?

 

Fortunately, I purchased a few proctored PCR and Antigen tests before I left home, so I should be OK.

 

This is just a heads-up for the consideration of those following me who may be affected by this unpublished change to Princess’ policy.

 

Also, I would be glad to help answer any questions you might have about this ship and this sailing.

Ahh that's frustrating ! I'm sailing on the next sailing (Feb 27) and booked it with this as a big selling feature, so it was one less stress to worry about. But with that, we are staying in FLL one more night so I'm sure I'll find something...it helps it's only an antigen needed by then thankfully! 

Great back up in having the proctored tests in hand, but there's still no mention of this change on the Q&A. While I know they can change this at any moment, its tough when it's very evident that it should be covered at disembarkation. 

On 1/22/2022 at 3:24 PM, 14Canadian said:

It’s time for all of us to give our business to those cruise lines who appreciate us and are willing to make our travel a pleasure and not a painful experience by putting all these kind of conditions.

I couldn't agree more ! 

I was excited because I saw a great All in and Fly deal for a cruise from St Maarten on the Seaview for only $1300 pp. 

Until I saw that PCR is required for entry, the (somewhat silly) all inclusive insurance requirements, and then the PCR that you'll need to get onboard to return home - the costs suddenly increased to $2000 pp 

I get the safety measures but feel like it's taken to the extreme, especially considering MSC is doing jack squat to help. I will definitely be looking elsewhere to fulfill my cruising fix! 

On 12/21/2021 at 12:42 PM, sanger727 said:

 

First, as I read it, the Canadian government said that some people may be selected for a covid test upon arrival and would have to quarantine until the test results were known. Which, if you got rapid antigen, results could beat you home. I'm glad you got the cancellation you wanted, but it does sound like there is some wiggle room on this. I don't think you should be necessarily entitled to a refund simply because you may take a covid test when you get home which could require a short quarantine until you get test results. Especially considering you have to test before flying back to Canada anyway, so it seems quite unlikely you would test negative before your flight and then positive upon arrival. 

@sanger thanks for trying to understand, but unfortunately as already mentioned there are many hoops us Canadians have to jump through, and some that are evolving so quickly by our government that seem counterintuitive, but really is intended to curb international travel to make it more difficult to return home. 

All this to say, we were scheduled on Joy for Jan 8th sailing, and last week tried to cancel for FCC when advisory announced. Was also told no, not available since it's not a complete ban and would be at 100% penalty. After looking more closely at my trip cancellation insurance thru my credit card and calling, I find out Im covered since final payment was made after Oct 21 when the Cdn govt travel advisory was lifted. I just sent in the formal request now to cancel - we'll see what rigamaroll I'll end up going thru next ! 

I was looking forward to it because I was on Deck 8 forward with one of the angled and larger balconies - not only this but being just 50-100 steps away from The District Brewhouse was enticing (or dangerous lol). 

On 12/20/2021 at 1:35 PM, wendycook22 said:

Yes, I had read that thread as well.  We never removed our original certificates from our phones so hubby and I have both original certificates and the QR's uploaded on our phones. We were prepared just in case there was any question.  I often air on the side of having too much detail/information.  It is better to be overprepared and have more than we need than get caught falling short.  

I'm glad that my post had an impact - and I do agree that this HAS to be the exception and not the rule. But being prepared helps tremendously. 

But more importantly it looks like you had an amazing cruise @wendycook22!! The Millenium class is certainly on my bucket list - let alone with 500 passenger capacity ! 

The level of detail you provided was awesome and so helpful and felt the passion for planning, reporting and preparing for a cruise is just as exciting as the cruise itself - something that I hold near to me as well 😃

7 hours ago, Fouremco said:

OK, how about it's like finding out at the last minute that they've removed TV's from all of the cabins? 😇

@Fouremco - I appreciate both of your analogies 😃 But I also appreciate and relate to the points of view you've presented throughout not only this thread but all of the other Canadian Cruisers threads too! 

I am just grateful that we were able to squeeze our cruise in late Nov when we did and took full advantage of the complimentary PCR test. This truly was a really big selling feature and why I booked it on Oct 22nd - the day after our travel ban was quietly lifted. 

So sorry to those on sailings post early January. I would be just as infuriated because it adds so much stress to the travel experience to just try and return home. 

On 12/11/2021 at 9:14 AM, DHLuCruise said:

We are just calculating our trip home and timing given we have 72 hours from the time the test is taken. 

 

Given anthem is a 7 night / 8 day cruise when is the test done?

 

Thanks 

 

 

It was done on the last day prior to disembarkation, i.e. Saturday. We returned back late Monday evening (land crossing) with no problems, but the latest we could've stayed was Tuesday. 

It's a very well organized and quick process onboard in the medical centre. We were in and out in about 5 mins. There's a QR code in the Cruise Compass on Day 2 and beyond that brings you to the Eurofins website to register and schedule your PCR test. The site is free to access while onboard.

Results are provided online thru the Eurofins site and emailed to you as well. You can also go to Guest Services to request a printed copy. 

9 hours ago, AlbertaCruisers said:

 

That one you posted was not sufficient for Celebrity for our friends from Ontario as it doesn't show the information relating to the first dose.  They then downloaded the one that @Fouremco noted above and that was sufficient.

A rather interesting/annoying/funny experience regarding providing proof of vax at Cape Liberty port last week. 

We uploaded our passport version (like the one @Fouremco posted) on the Royal app ahead of the cruise, which was approved by Royal a week or so in advance. Naturally this was the main document we brought with us to show at port, but brought the original proof slips (as @ak1004 originally posted) just in case. 

It's cruise day, we are excited and we get to the check in desk after passing security and metal detectors. The port check in agent went through all of the normal check in items with us, and then it came time to show our proof of vaccination. The agent asks for our vaccination 'card' (aka American proof) and so we show our vaccine passport print out. She looks at it and was all like 'What is this?'. I explain that this is our Canadian proof of vaccination, and if you look at the bottom it shows the dates and vaccine types received. She then was like 'no, no, I need your card'. Once again I explain that this is our version of our card. She then explains if we received a card after we were vaccinated, and I explained yes and then showed our original vax slips. She said 'this is the proper proof I need'. I then showed how the slips contain the EXACT same information as show on the passport paper. She just said 'let me take this to my supervisor', and then brought both the passport and slips to her supervisor. After a few moments deliberation she comes back and says, 'I accept the slips for the ship, what you use as a passport is good for home' and then said to her neighbour agent - Canadians you need to see the original slips not this paper thing as though she was the authority of period of vaccinations.

I was HIGHLY annoyed and frustrated at this point with the lack of education and insistence of only 'accepting' the slips because it's what most resembled the cards (aka the American way) and thought to myself that I'd expect this in FL but not in NJ/NY being so close to Canada and such. BUT, this frustration quickly dissipated as she then gave us our bracelets and cleared us to board. And then, before you knew it we were making our way towards the ship and was onboard just a few moments later - and let me tell you there is no more exciting feeling in the world then crossing that gangway and taking your first steps onboard the ship!

In hindsight I realized after that this really wasn't worth me making a big deal about, and was glad that we at least brought our slips as back-up. All this to say - it doesn't hurt to bring both proofs with you, just in case you face a slightly ignorant Port check in agent like we did ! 

4 hours ago, Fouremco said:

Confirmed. See the ArriveCANApp thread.

Thanks for following along Fouremco ! Haha

But yes crossed by land - also listed Bahamas as additional country visited in the app, and (luckily) wasnt selected for the 'random' testing. 

7 hours ago, peacefrogdog said:

 

The ArriveCAN app asks to indicate what country you received the PCR test. As you got the test on the ship, what did you list as the country? 

Similar to previous post - having just disembarked Anthem this past Sunday, we used Royal's testing service.

When we received the PCR result paperwork it showed that it was administered by Eurofins and included a US based address (from MA), so while we were technically in international waters at the time of the test itself, for PCR test purposes we listed as though it was done in the US. CBSA accepted this when we crossed back to Canada late Monday. 

Also as another previous post said - for me while it was all a tad overwhelming, since I had all of my ducks in a row and research completed ahead of time, it totally made the experience of finally being on a cruise again and back at sea for the week that much more enjoyable! It was awesome sailing with a reduced capacity, while feeling safe with current restrictions in place. However with that said, this amount of adminstrative red tape may feel too much, and if so then perhaps it's not worth it to you and you may want to wait until restrictions loosen up a bit more. 

Hope this helps ! 

On 12/9/2021 at 8:42 AM, K_e_short said:

 

Oh thank you for that information.

 

I have one question though - the time you are crossing? How strict is that? Like I will probably come back around 10pm. Does it have to be the exact time?

Yes, similar to the experience from the other post - we were actually a little over one hour late due to DW Walmart USA enjoyment. CBSA still accepted it just fine. 

On 12/7/2021 at 7:54 PM, K_e_short said:

 

When I cross over into the U.S. by land or by airplane I turn my data off (airplane mode on) so that I am not charged $10 per 24 hours to access my data.

 

I go to the Awkasasne Casino alot (well before Covid) and  would turn off my data then access the wifi at the casino. Between the drive to the casino until I cross back into Canada I would have no data, no wifi, so I would assume that I would not have a working Arrive Can app to successfully enter Canada.

Hey k_e_short - we're in the same area as I live in the same community you leave/return from to go to Akwesasne, and have been to the casino myself many times ! 

I can confirm, we just returned from Anthem and drove home from NJ. At the hotel before leaving on wifi I uploaded all of the docs on the ArriveCan app. It then saves everything for you, as we then shopped at WalMart in Plattsburgh, and I picked up where I last left from while on Wifi, entered the approx time I'd be crossing and finished entering the rest of the details needed. I was then was given the QR code and number needed at the border. You also receive an email with the same info, so you can either take a screenshot of the email or just open the app and show the QR code at the border with no wifi/data needed. The border agent then just takes the code and it will pull up all the info that you had previously submitted. 

Hope this helps ! 

16 hours ago, Alberta Quilter said:

That's cool!  I'll watch for your appearance.  Just curious, when was the show filmed?

April 2019 (well before pandemic times) - the ship was just 4 months old at the time...it was neat because on embarkation day there was this giant poster at the back of Lido deck stating that the Mighty Cruise Ships was filming, as a disclaimer of sorts. We were excited bc we recognized the show and spoke with the crew...and a day or two later we did the interview and signed a waiver agreeing they could use our footage. It was really fun to see they actually used it in the episode ! 

Also - the ending is not the way our actual cruise ended! Before one of the last commercials they do a bit of a cliffhanger that the weather conditions may not be ideal to tender to Half Moon Cay. When the episode resumes they go on and state the weather conditions improved and they made the decision to go ahead with HMC. Sadly, this was not the case and it was actually cancelled due to poor weather for tendering (we were so upset!). I think they were on the ship before or after our sailing and used that footage instead. Oh well, just interesting to see the 'magic' of television haha! 

On 9/13/2021 at 12:59 AM, Sue from Canada said:

I can't wait to see this weeks show re:  Nieuw Statendam, as I'm suppose to sail on her next August.  I love this series.  

 

Alberta Quilter:  How was your train trip?

Fun fact: My wife and I make an appearance on the Nieuw Statendam episode ! When you watch look for the 5 sec interview raving about how new the ship is and that it even has that 'new ship smell' - that's us !

We just booked and have the Premium Plus beverage package too as a perk. Is there a way someone can confirm if Inniskillin Vidal Icewine is available by the glass on the Sky? It would be listed under Dessert Wines. It's available on the larger ships by the glass but I know that the Sky/Sun are kinda different due to the open bar concept. My wife is going to freak if she finds out that she can drink all the icewine she wants ! 

Extremely curious about this too! I literally did a double take when I saw this available on the Star and thought "this can't be right!" But this is a much better use of the space IMO - can't wait to see some proof of this!

Bong!!!! It's always so nice to see a familiar and friendly face - thanks for the pic and for the most amazing live review and coverage of the inaugural sailing to both you and Doug! #couplegoals

 

 

 

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These replies are just fantastic - thank you little britain for giving all of the choices available from the bar menu pics. This is going to go a long way in helping us decide !!

Does anyone know if the sparkling wine Asti is included in the Restaurant and Bar / Classic Drink package? Or would it be covered in the Premium package? My wife loves Asti ALOT and we just booked a Northern Europe cruise to Scotland, Amsterdam, etc. for Sept 2018.

Almost zero, but definitely zero if you don't pick up the phone and ask. Just don't expect positive results. Either way, you got a balcony for a great price!

Haha yes I picked up the phone, and you're right about zero chance, as I was told that I have to keep the room that's been assigned to me. Oh well, still a large Balcony room for a great price!!!