Niffernay

Meanwhile, on the Escape, we sat outside on the Waterfront with 50 of our newly made best drinking friends doing shots at 1AM at the 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar. :D

This made me LOL at work. I want to hang out with you on a cruise. (And your 50 new friends ;))

 

You can do both of these from your cabin on the tv or go to the box office when it opens, I recommend the tv.

Hi - do you know if you can book tenders on the iConcierge app? Thanks for all the information. :D

My favorite bar / bartenders were at Maltings Whiskey Bar on deck 7. Kym & Quimson make the best drinks on the ship...

Thanks for the info. Always looking for good bartenders! :p

I just booked a cruise for next December with the UBP and SDP and was charged $99.54 and $12.42, respectively, billed as Bev Srv Charge and Din Srv Charge.

STICK-ON EYES

I found, what me wife calls, "a stupid gift" for the steward on our upcoming cruise.

These are great. I'm stealing your idea if you don't mind. I'm always looking for things that are out of the ordinary to bring for the cruise staff. :D

Thanks so much for your detailed and entertaining review. We are on the December 9th Epic sailing this year and I was a bit apprehensive about the size of the ship as we have only ever been on the Gem and the Dawn prior to this but I'm over it :D Thanks for the info about the shuttle company; it was one of the ones I was looking at for us. Happy New Year!!

Put in a duplicate post. Sorry about that.

We loved Leo on the Gem on our 12/4/2016 cruise. We stalked him and went to see him every time we could. We would go back on the Gem just for him.

Here we are with him on the last night of the cruise:

 

Did breakfast in the Mdr so handsome hubby could get his salmon eggs benedict. He loves it. I had more traditional eggs and bacon and gave away my toast so I could indulge in a mid morning mudslide. Whenever I anticipate bad calorie decisions in my near future I justify them by limiting toast. Denial is an amazing thing.

. . .

 

I should mention that Service everywhere has been great! One thing I've learned to maximize enjoyment on the mega ships is to ying while everyone else is yanging, zig when they zag, ding when they dong. So far neither one of us have waited long at any bar (and we've tried one or twenty). Nor have we waited for dining service anywhere. It takes a bit of practice but we've turned avoiding the crowds on mega ships into an art form.

. . .

 

Speaking of service, my two cents on tipping. Disclaimer, I put myself through 12 years of college pouring drinks in a nightclub so I'm openly prejudice. It's hard work and I believe in tipping those who provide an extra touch of service (but don't tip extra than the dsc for marginal service). This year I wrapped a few dollars and tied them to candy canes with cute xmass ribbon. DH rolled his eyes too. Let me say they have been a huge hit!!! Maybe candy canes are harder to come by in other countries- but our servers light up when receiving. I wish I brought more (we travel with carry on only). I only have two dozen and I've already given out half.

 

An example of what I mean by an "extra touch" was the bartender who wrote my name In chocolate sauce on my morning mudslide. Bam- candy cane cash! Or the coffee refill lady at breakfast yesterday who offered to get me a coffee cup because I forgot mine. Life saver. IMO- rewarding exceptional service encourages more exceptional service :::::steps off soapbox::::::

 

Love your attitude about toast!! :)

A little more on the Yin/Yang, Zig/zag, Ding/Dong please? We are going on the Epic in December and we've only been on smaller ships (Gem and Dawn) so I'm a bit apprehensive about the "mega-ship" experience.

I couldn't agree with you more on the tipping. I always bring tons of singles, fives and tens for tipping. I just believe that good service deserves a reward. (I too was a bartender for many years, so my standards are high). I also believe that tipping gets their attention. Never waited for a drink on our last cruise; our guy would have new ones ready before the last ones were gone.

I love your candy cane idea. Our cruise is on 12/9, but I think that's close enough to Christmas. Did you have the regular size ones or the mini ones? Hubby is a beer salesman (Budweiser etc) so I'm making him collect some hats and other swag to give out too.

Thanks for your review!!

Thank you so much for your review. Just over nine days and we will be on the Gem!

I see on the Shaker Martini Bar that it says "20% discount for the Ultimate Beverage Package." Was that followed?

I have lots of turtles stuff all over my home, inside & out.

Me too! My husband tries to tell that every time I bring a new turtle object home, I have to get rid of one. Doesn't work so well for him. :p

Thank you for posting the pictures. You're making me thirsty. Looking forward to our cruise next week so I try them all. :D

I would just walk up to the bartender and tell her I wanted a Mr. Worldwide and my sister wants a Bahama Mama and after a while she started making the drinks before I even open my mouth.

The Mr. Worldwide sounds yummy!!

The NCL website still says $15.

https://www.ncl.com/onboard-packages/beverage-packages

Scared me for a minute :cool:

 

I have some of the pictures Fabian took here:

 

https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100014097828053&sk=photos&collection_token=100014097828053%3A2305272732%3A69&set=a.137264190086841.1073741829.100014097828053&type=3&uploaded=101

 

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These are great. We are doing a different turtle excursion and I'm so excited as I have a slight obsession with turtles. Thanks again for your review.

Day 5

 

So I look over and we've almost missed our lunch date because my hubby is drinking fireball and cider with a Scottish couple.

I love Fireball. Never had fireball and cider; sounds delicious. Great review!

Thank you so much. We are sailing on the Gem on 12/4 so I'm really enjoying reading your review and getting even more excited about our trip - if that's possible. I'm sure you will be going over this, but did you do any excursions?? Thanks!!! :D

I bring singles and fives when we cruise. I was in the service industry for many years and tend to "over-tip". Our last cruise I gave our server at the pool $10 and he was there every time we needed anything for the rest of the cruise. Not kidding - every time we needed something he was there. :) You are not required to tip by any means, and they are getting 18% but I feel tipping is a part of getting good service. Again, just MHO. I tip at meals as well, but not like I do for drinks. And we rarely use the steward, but when we do s/he gets tipped as well.

All this makes me realize I better start hoarding singles for my cruise in December. :p

We are on this cruise in December and I was just looking at excursions as well. I am obsessed with turtles, so swimming with turtles is a must, but we are pretty open otherwise. Does anyone have any experience with Bernard's St. Maarten Tours? I vacationed in St. Maarten years ago and enjoyed all the beaches; my husband wants to see the planes on Maho Beach (as do I). We'll probably just play it by ear in a couple ports. Anyone have any input about which ports might be better for "bar-hopping"? Thanks in advance!! :)

Thank you for the review. Looking forward to our cruise on the Gem in December. :D

Thanks everyone. The responses are much appreciated. We now have a loop thrown in as my alma mater (Michigan State) is playing in the Big Ten Title game on Saturday at 8:15. We are going to try to find a "sports" bar that may have the game on. Go Green!!

Thanks so much for the review. We leave on the Dawn from New Orleans in exactly a month from today! :D

We are taking a Norwegian cruise from Dec 6-13. We fly into New Orleans on the 5th, which is a Saturday; we arrive about 3 in the afternoon. I have never been to New Orleans and am looking for people's suggestions on what I shouldn't miss. My travelling companions and I enjoy nightlife (ok, drinking :D) and are pretty much up for anything. We were thinking we'd go out to dinner and find something fun to do afterwards. Your suggestions are much appreciated. Thanks all! :p