disneygirl10

I think just finding a lounger (and you can move it from sun to shade, if you want) is relaxing enough for me! There are so many nice places you can go, it's easy to find your "perfect spot" without paying for it!

Thanks!

The shade, and having a "home base" are the reasons why I'm considering it. A little bit shocked that they don't even come with a stocked refrigerator.lol

As long as there is plenty of shade that we could move into at some point..then we probably don't really need one.

I'm trying to find out more info on the pool cabanas but they don't seem to be showing as an option online. Can you only reserve these once you arrive?

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If not, any other recommendations for a relaxing day?

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Only available to book on the ship. I believe the day passes are limited to port days as well, but someone else might know better. $200 for the full week's access or something like $59 for a day pass on a port day. To be clear this is for use of the spa thermal suites. So the sauna, steam room, snow room, heated tile loungers, therapy pool, etc. It does not include any spa treatments.

Thank you. I did know that it didn't include any services. The heated chairs, hot tub, and sauna look heavenly though! I've watched a few videos on YouTube. Still not sold on the snow room..I hate cold!

A port day wouldn't work for me. I'd probably have to buy the week. Maybe if kiddo is in the kid's club one evening while I'm at a show, then I could go afterwards. Do you know how late it is open?

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Can anyone tell me if I can book a 1 day spa pass in advance, or do we do that on the ship?

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Quite few places you can get Bloody Mary.

5 O clock somewhere bar

Atruim Bar

Bar in Casino

I will be traveling with a 7 year old. Obviously not the casino, but is he allowed to walk in one of these other places with me, and I take the drink to go?

OP- thanks for asking this question. It's a very important one. :)

I'll add another.. Best place for mojitos?

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Thank you! This is reassuring!

 

 

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That sounds like it was an amazing trip!

 

I've heard good things about MSC. I originally had them booked for an Iceland itinerary before I received this offer from Norwegian. We will do that cruise in the next few years. It was $6k less than a 5A on DCL in a better cabin!

 

Oddly enough, apparently the Escape doesn't have midship elevators, I'm hoping the aft elevators are fine. If not- we're taking the stairs.

I am considering, loosely, doing Disney for a few days first. WDW in June doesn't thrill me though...but, I do have an annual pass..we'd like to see Pandora..and we'll be in Florida..so, maybe. Or, maybe not, and we'll just stay in SoFla...I'm leaning towards beach/ocean time.lol.

 

Was the size of the ship a bit overwhelming for you at first?

 

 

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Of the 40+ ships I have been on, the Pearl is at the very top of the list while the Escape and Getaway would be in the bottom 50%. Right now the Pearl is in dry dock in Freeport getting "The Edge" refurbishment and I am looking forward to my next cruise on her.

 

https://www.ncl.com/press-releases/norwegian-cruise-line-unveils-norwegian-edge

I knew that the Pearl was being refurbished, and I've heard from people who enjoyed her. I just think, for us, a ship like the Escape is a better fit at this time.

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Thank you! That's so good to hear!

Did you use the stairs at all, or were the elevators reasonable?

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Oh most definitely. There were always a bunch at the port at embarkation to take your non-carry on items to the ship for you. And then there's always the option to leave your luggage outside your stateroom the last night of the cruise to have your luggage brought to customs to claim once off the ship. I just prefer the walk-off method when possible.

 

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Whew! Ok. I was worried for a second.

I'm definitely planning on leaving our luggage to be picked up the night before..I plan on walking down the entire staircase when we disembark. Anticipating the elevators to be absolutely crazy both days.

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It won't be much fun at embarkation and disembarkation when EVERYONE wants an elevator, but since we're on Deck 9, I'll probably opt to haul our luggage up/down the stairs to the appropriate deck. In the not so distant past I worked for a major airline as a ground service coordinator (a pretty lofty term for a suitcase tosser :D), so I'm not averse to hauling luggage around. If you tip well enough I'll be happy to be your family's private porter. ;p

Ha ha! Hauling luggage is not an option for me. Please tell me that there will be plenty of porters around!

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Unfortunately you are correct. Just forward and aft elevators. There's the large atrium staircase on decks 6, 7, and 8 toward the center of the ship as well.

 

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That's scary.

I'm still debating if we are going to do a few days at Disney World first..at least we'll be used to walking a lot if we do.lol

I may just stay away from the crowds and do pre and post cruise stay in SoFla.. we'll see. Maybe once in my kid's life he'll have an unscheduled day during vacation. ;)

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Found this great picture of aft balcony cabin #12310. The person standing on the balcony should give you a better idea of the shear size of the aft facing balconies on Deck 12. You found yourself a good one DisneyGirl10, so breathe easy. :)

 

I'm in 12910..hopefully it's the same! Can't find photos of 15.

Am I looking at the deck plans correctly...only forward and aft elevators?

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The best advice I can give you; relax! IMO, you're overthinking and second guessing everything!

 

You have said balcony room is important and you've received solid advice. Forget what NCL says, in fact don't bother asking them. They most likely are reading an inaccurate diagram. Just to reiterate....regular balconies are really, really small. Stick with what you have.

 

The walking/taking stairs is something no one can really advise you on. You say you take stairs a lot so you likely will be fine. It's not a big deal to use flights of stairs several x a day if you're in shape. So, what's the worst that could happen? You use the elevators sometimes....... is that so bad?

 

Planning should be fun ......oh, and include a whole lot of flexibility.:) Enjoy!

I admit my character flaws..obsessing/over planning vacations is one of them ;)

I try to make things as convenient as possible when we travel.

Because I obsess over stuff like this as well, I had to look to see just how many steps it'll be for you to get up to Deck 16 where the buffet and pool deck are. From Deck 12 to Deck 16 you'll climb 64 steps. We'll have a bit more of a hike at 112 steps from deck 9 to deck 16. At least we'll burn some calories on the way to the buffet! :D

Ha. Ha. Another crazy person!! ;) ugh. These deck 12 balconies better be worth it!

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I chose deck 9 aft for 2 main reasons. Number one is the balconies are huge. Number two is it is only one flight of steps down to deck 8 and the waterfront where there are multiple bars. I think you, with kids especially, are going to be using the elevators quite a bit from deck 12. But I will still be using them a lot to get up to the pool deck and buffet. And for both of us anything in the front of the boat is going to be a hassle to get to most likely. This is my first NCL cruise coming up. I cant wait to experience the differences from the other lines I have been on.

I am driving myself crazy with this stupid balcony situation. We use the stairs a lot.. that was my main reason for booking deck 15 in the first place..the waterpark is more important for convenience than Deck 8 for me. I have been searching YouTube like a madwoman, and haven't found too much info on most of the aft balconies. NCL is no help, as their dimensions seem to be wrong.

I am excited as well though!

9732 is a standard balcony cabin on Escape. I hope they didnt sell it to you as an aft balcony?

Is it realistic for me to think that we can use the stairs for both the water park (deck 16 I think) and the dining on deck 8?

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I have to say NCL buffet is 100% times better. My kids love the movie theatre on DCL but it annoyed me I paid so much for a cruise for them to watch movies in a theatre or sit in the cabin to watch movies.

 

I did notice we had more "family" time on NCL vs DCL. Some people don't like being w their kids on a cruise but I did enjoy seeing them on the actual ship.

 

Disney's Castaway is the best. I have yet to experience either one of NCL islands.

 

I would like to experience another Disney cruise. Maybe when the new ships come out the older ships prices will go down.

This is absolutely fantastic to read! I am a bit nervous about NCL. We are booked on the Escape in June, from what I'm reading it looks like there is actually more for us to do TOGETHER, than on the Fantasy.

As far as pricing, there's a a lot of times during the year where DCL isn't too bad. I'm willing to spend up to $4500 for the Caribbean (we're a party of 2) in Fall/Winter, but I'm not willing to pay over $6k for the spring or summer. I'm definitely not willing to pay over $13k for their Iceland itinerary.

The pricing compared to other cruises lines is ridiculous, but the pricing compared to a WDW vacation.. DCL comes out ahead, for us anyway. It's easier to justify WDW prices than DCL prices though.lol

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What are you even talking about? There was ONE suitcase involved and has always been ONE suitcase. All of the eye glasses were separated and placed into plastic 'bags.' The eyeglasses were in fact stolen and accusing me or my family of wrong doing is seriously ridiculous. I pray you never have items taken from your suitcase and have people like yourself and balckburnrover trying to vilify you for simply speaking up. Shame on you! And by the way we do have pics of the 'bags' of eyeglasses before and after the theft occurs and it is clearly obvious that there are much less pairs of glasses in two of the 'bags.' I also wonder if you or blackburnrover actually work for NCL. Now that would make a lot of sense as to your demeanor towards me. Just so you know, not everyone is as cynical as you and there really are good people in this world, like our children, who actually try and make a difference in the lives of those who are less fortunate. Shame on you for questioning our integrity. And yes we did tell them we just wants the eyeglasses back and were not seeking monetary compensation and we also were not planning on putting in an insurance claim for the stolen items. These were all donations made by well meaning patients and colleagues. I'm signing off now for a not because we are at Cagney's and I would really like to enjoy my steak with my family. I would however, like to thank everyone who was actually helpful and kind with their comments. We certainly do appreciate them. PS here is a pic of our children at the Clinica Esperanza and some of the 'bags' of eyeglass donations. Tell me again how 'something doesn't seem right.'

 

 

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This is so neat! Bravo! I'm sure the clinic was thrilled. Sorry about the missing glasses. Try to put it out of your mind until you get home. Easier said than done, I know. I hope you still have a fabulous trip :)

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We used the kid's club on RCI and CCL -- our kids (ages 5 & 6 last summer) really enjoyed it. Hopefully they will like the one on NCL. We don't plan on dumping them there for the whole cruise, but if they are entertained for a bit and my wife and I can get some "quiet time" by the pool (quiet will be relative on the Escape), it's a win-win for everyone.

 

I know they are both going to want to do the ropes course and the water slides. RCI had a rock-climbing wall, and my 6 year old (at the time) son really liked that. There's a waterpark-like area on the Escape that they both are excited about. I highly doubt your 7 year old will be bored.

Knowing my kid, I envision us spending a TON of time on the waterslides.lol. I don't think he'll be bored, I'd like to do 2 of the evening shows and wasn't sure if he could join in for at least one.

I'm planning on looking at the Kid's Club schedule and letting him pick a few activities to attend.

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disneygirl, I am sure you know this from your research, but the layout alluded to with the open bathroom is on the Epic, not Escape. Now that that's out of the way, if I were you, I would look at switching to a large balcony room on deck 9. Most of the standard balconies are "not big" as in you don't have much room when you are sitting in a chair facing forward. On a large balcony, you usually have a lounger and a big table with two chairs you could eat at. Or if you really want to do it big, as JW suggests, book one of the mini-suites on deck 8 with the huge balconies. Some complain you are paying $500+ more on average for a big bathroom, but you are really paying for that huge balcony. If I had to do it over again on this next cruise, I would have booked one of those but they are all sold out for rooms that accommodate 4. Finally, we were port last time and will be that way this time. We liked it then as the ship pulled in facing forward to St. Thomas and gave great views of the harbor vs the hillside. And then backed into Tortola, giving great views and backed in to Nassau too if I remember correctly giving good views of the beach and main touristy area. But I'm sure the views were great on the other side of the ship in port and at sea too. You couldn't go wrong.

Thank you. I almost did a mini suite, the size of the cabin on the regular room frightens me, but I'm anticipating that we'll be on the balcony often, so I decided to save the money.

Haven't been to Harvest Caye yet, but did both Eastern and Western on the Getaway and I loved the Western .... Little French Key in Roatan and Blue Kay in Costa Maya were gorgeous and so much fun! In Cozumel, we did an NCL excursion and snorkeled with the Rays and my 7-yr old loved it! It was his best cruise yet and we've been on the Oasis of the Seas with him too. My three boys loved the slides and the kids club, the ropes course and mini golf -- they actually didn't even swim that much.

This is great to hear, thanks! Do you know if there is a age restriction on the plank? We were looking at it last night, kiddo is thrilled about that "activity" lol. Is the zip lining part of the ropes course, a 48" height requirement as well?

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Can anyone tell me if there are any appropriate evening shows for a 7 year old?

Also, I'm reading conflicting reports on the kid's club. Some things I've found say that only the Guppies have times where they hold family activities, other articles say it's for the next age group as well- i.e. Circus school where the parents and children interact together.

I don't plan on using the kid's club very much, looking to do as many activities together as possible.

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I have been to Bermuda. The best thing that I can say about the place is - boring - and that is being kind to the place. I would not go back there again if the cruise was free. On the other hand, I have been to AK 5 or 6 times and I love the place.

 

 

 

DON

Thank you. Alaska does look amazing.

As a retired teacher, thinking of your son, the sights in Alaska will last him a lifetime and he will also get some fascinating history and sociology lessons!

I agree with you, wholeheartedly. This trip was planned to be 2 nights Seattle, the cruise, and then 6 nights doing a road trip on the Olympic Peninsula. I've been researching like crazy.

The Pearl itself has me concerned, but even more so are the excursions that he would be limited on due to age, as well as hiking that I'm not sure if we'll be able to do alone.

I think this specific trip is better to hold off on until he is 9 or 10.

Kayaking in Orca Bay is a must do for us, I'm not quite sure that I'm comfortable with a just turned 7 year old on that kind of excursion. The recommendation is 2 adults with a child in the kayak, when he's a little older then it won't be as big of a deal.

Same with some of the trails in Olympic National Park.. there's an 11.5 mile one which looks incredible. I don't know how comfortable I am with that either. My plan was to practice hiking before we went, I don't think that will be enough though.

With all of those factors combined- I think that a ship like the Escape is a better fit this year.

Unfortunately, he's still limited on a few excursions on the Western, but it's an easy place to do again. Alaska is more of an "experience once" destination for me.

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I've got a calendar reminder on my phone set to tell me when the 90 day mark hits. But if you forget and the online bookings fill up, I did like one person's helpful tip. Download the NCL iConcierge App in advance. Once you're checked in at the port and are waiting to board, check for the ship's available WiFi and connect to it using the iConcierge app. This will allow you to book additional restaurant or show reservations before you even step onto the ship.

Are the restaurants able to be booked 90 days in advance as well? I know we'll do 3 "additional charge" restaurants, but 1 will be Margaritaville..which I don't think can be reserved anyway.

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Yes you will have an issue. Club won't open until 7 and then checkin takes 15-30 minutes depending where you are in line (check in process is very inefficient. And for some reasons the person who is the slowest writer on earth has to do it and she is the only one and she has to ask the same questions every time and oops she got distracted bc someone else didn't want to wait). If you can't tell, this was the one area of frustration for us. Kids can either go to 7 pm show with you (which I don't suggest with these as they are very much adult shows) or you go to the later show.

Are there any shows that are appropriate for a 7 year old?

Thank you to all who answered! I just switched to the Escape from my originally booked Pearl. I don't think that one required advance bookings.. I could be wrong though.

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