thatjoeguy

Yes, you can.

Yes. They pay the same cover charge. There are two different non-alcoholic drinks (they can have one of each).

Well, they don't have to have one of each. They can have two of one.

Last year when we were planning our cruise, we were excited to book on the Escape, but after looking at the deck plans we realized there was no Bliss dance club. Something even our PCC didn't know about. We passed and selected the Epic instead. We're planning our next cruise now, and would like to know if anyone who has sailed the Escape can offer some insight regarding what they do on board for dancing. We aren't really excited about dancing under the stars for an hour or so, back in Spice H2O, our real interest is in the night life on board. We usually go the club until they turn the lights on and start washing the floors.

The Skyline bar takes the place of Bliss for late night dancing. It's mostly roped off from the casino, rather than walled off like the -away ships, but a bit more lounge-y than Bliss, but still a lot of fun. The wrap-around bar set-up is better in Skyline too.

that the quality of drinks went off a cliff?

My gin martini tastes just as good as it always does.

Lobster and all those other "we used to have's" AGAIN, and without an "upcharge"

OR

Free Room Service

OR

Free Internet

Would you be more inclined to cruise with them?

Don't tell anybody "it isn't possible" because we all know that it is.

Which line is going to "break ranks" first?

I'm much happier with the dueling pianos and broadway show cruises I take now than I was with the "free" lobster and variety show cruises I took 20 years ago. I believe that they were also much more expensive back then, for worse entertainment.

Excellent thanks. Good to know. We are celebrating our 10 th wedding anniversary

Congrats on 10 years! DH and I are about to hit 5. We've sailed on NCL 5 times and have never had an issue, aside from a drunk guest who was a bit too interested in the two of us several years back.

:cool:i think cruise lines should offer new / different itineraries to Caribbean for winter vacations ,I would love more Southern Caribbean islands .ABC islands or others .I.m tired of same old same old eastern western routes ...done those many times ...Its time for a change ...plus longer cruises than 1 week ...12-14 days is best

The Escape is doing some different islands out of NYC in December/January. The 12 day December goes to Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, Dominica, Barbados, St. Lucia, and St. Kitts. The 14 day in late January does Puerto Rico, St. Maarten, Tortola, St. Thomas, Dominica, St. Lucia, Barbados, and St. Kitts.

Any suggestions of some drinks to try?

Mango Meltdown

Thanks for the responses so far!

I've factored in needing to pay for 1 UBP (mom doesn't drink) and 2 *3-meal specialty dining. I've also included buying 4 spa passes, so I can truly compare costs of this vs 2 Haven Spa Suites. Even with all the add-in's, the 2BR still comes in $1.6K less.

You probably won't be allowed to just buy the one UBP - when buying it ( instead of getting it free from the promo) I believe all passengers in the cabin must have it, so you'll be buying two.

I've been looking across the web and not finding a clear answer about the 2nd bedroom and bath on the Epic (H4).

Is the room big enough for 2 adults (my parents, 65 and 69)? Dad is about 5'10" 185lbs, Mom is 4'11" 160lbs.

 

I just want to be sure that when the 2nd bed is made up that it's big enough that they can sleep together and be pretty comfortable. They have a King bed at home but a Queen bed in their RV/caravan (which they share with a dog).

 

Would one be able to get out to use the bathroom if the other is in bed?

 

I realize it's not luxurious sized but would it be big enough? :cool: If I book this room it would save me about $1,300 compared to getting to Spa Suites (like-for-like all in.... including buying spa passes if we get the H4, etc)

 

I'd love to hear your experiences or at least get your response to the survey

If it's a factor, don't forget that the UBP and SDP are only for the first two people in the cabin, so the parents wouldn't get those if you went with the H4.

I've heard that also. Wish we could get an explanation.

I imagine that with all the included SDPs and UBPs, people are having a hard time justifying the cost of these dinners. Also, they haven't changed the menu of them since they started.

We did it before several years ago, and the meal was amazing, but we didn't do it again due to it being the same meal.

Hello,

 

I am travelling on the Escape 5/6-5/13/17. For Tortola, the excursion we chose was the Virgin Gorda and Baths.

 

The Baths look absolutely amazing, and we are not worried about the physicality of the excursion.

 

What is concerning to me, though, is the excessive amounts of reports of people getting seasick on the ferry ride. Now, I don't get seasick and neither does my girlfriend, but I am very emetophobic.

 

Does anyone know if all of this seasickness hoopla is as common as the reviews on NCL's website? Or is just a case of a very vocal minority? I'm completely understanding of the tendency of people being more likely to leave a review if something goes wrong than if everything went right.

 

I'd love to hear from people who have been on this excursion. Thank you!

We did the excursion (it was amazing) and didn't see anyone getting sea sick on our boat. However, I wouldn't be surprised if the combo of slightly choppy seas and the UBP may lead to a few people getting sick.

Me and 3 of my buddies (between the ages of 25-35) are going on the Breakaway in July to Bermuda for a week. We're looking to relax, party and basically have a good time with other girls around the same age. Will the Breakaway around that time be fun? Thanks!

On our last Breakaway Bermuda cruise (last spring) there were quite a few 20- and 30-something people aboard, with the (slight) majority being women. This was especially evident at the Spice and Bliss dance parties. I think you'll all have a great time!

Thanks for the help everyone! The photos are great!

Hi all! We sail fairly frequently on NCL (having just made gold) but we're thinking of upgrading to the Haven for the first time on our next cruise. Since several of the couples in our group including us now have young kids, we're planning to do the Escape next winter. I know the aft-facing penthouses are different from floor to floor (balcony size, bedroom/bathroom swap) but was wondering if there is any major difference in the forward-facing penthouses.

At this point, we're mainly looking for a separate bedroom and living room, and the 2-br suites are a bit pricey. How do people like the forward vs the aft penthouses? Any things to consider sailing with a ,2 year old we may not be thinking of for one room or the other? I'm a bit worried that once we said Haven, we won't be able to go back to normal! Thanks so much for all your help!

My mother and I have a 3 meal sdp on the Escape. We plan on going to La Cucina and Teppanyaki. We were trying to get Cagney's, but the only slots left were after the time we wanted to eat. We wanted to know if Margaritaville will accept the sdp.

 

Also, we're cruising with friends who have reservations at Teppanyaki for 15 minutes after us. Is there anyway we could be seated at the same table as them?

They only release some slots to prebook in advance, so you should be able to book your Cagney's slot when you get on board.

Please pardon me for being clueless.

I will taking a Norwegian Escape cruise in the near future.

I see comments about Vibe passes but I am clueless what that is all about.

What is vibe? how can I get a pass?

Is it for both myself and my wife?

I get the impression you have to get to the ship early to get one.

Passes are sold only onboard, first come first served. In the past, they have at times been sold out even before the first "normal" passenger is allowed on board. The area is a spot with REALLY comfortable loungers, day beds, several groups of club-style chairs, two hot tubs and a misting shower, as well as a bar area. We've had passes several times. Usually it's a pretty quiet, laid back spot, but that can change based on who else has booked it.

Think of it as a Haven sundeck for the steerage class. ;)

Two wheels only, Well then they just shouldn't be allowed to have both. What since does that make. More people will have a more enjoyable cruise than just the Haven guest.

Should the same apply to spa users? Should they not be allowed both?

You pay about $500 a week for daycare for 1 child?

We pay slightly under $2000 a month for one infant in drop off daycare. It's the most expensive in the area, but not by much.

I am a self-proclaimed cruise addict with over 25+ NCL cruises and a few others. While I have a few friends and relatives who really enjoy cruising most have never even tried it.

 

So I got to thinking - why do I choose cruising over other vacation alternatives?

 

I would say that to me a cruise is awesome (any cruise, anywhere) because it is a vacation where we can get away from it all, not have to worry about the cost of every meal, etc., see lots of different places and only have to unpack once).

 

What are your reasons?

I used to describe cruising to people I wanted to join as a floating hotel, so you only had to unpack once and the ship moved you place to place while you slept. The fact that it was doing this to me in January or February when I live in Michigan is a bonus. While I've been on some that are still like that recently (such as our Med cruise several years ago) with the proliferation of the mega-ships you really get a traveling resort, where you can have a great time without ever getting off the ship. I think, for the price, it's really hard to beat the value of a cruise over a hotel/food/entertainment stay on land, especially when you add in the Free at Sea promos that have been coming out the last few years.

While that is still, more or less, how I describe it (though with the added talking up of the Broadway-esque shows on the -away ships) one of the things I really love about them now is the connection that you can get when stuck on a ship with the same people for a week. I remember the final disembarkation from my first megaship (Epic back in early '14) accidentally running into several of the people who I'd seen over and over on the ship, talked with a lot, and would never see again. I think people let their guard down much more on a ship than they do at a land resort, so you get a quick sense of community that's hard to reproduce else where.

My husband also likes the fact that internet and phone calls are "prohibitively expensive" on a cruise, which is the only way that he ever unplugs from work. When we were first sailing on Princess, I noted that one of the higher tier reward benefits was some amount of free internet, so he said we could never hit that level. I"m not sure what we'll do now that it's an NCL feature as well! :eek:

Is it steep? Yes.

I don't know. $10/hr is a bit less than we pay for the kiddo's daycare, Quality care isn't cheap.

Heading out on Escape soon and I was just wondering people's thoughts on Vibe passes. We had them on Getaway last year, but it was so windy a couple days (sea days, of course) that they ended up closing it down.

 

Also, we had no trouble getting passes for Vibe on Getaway, it sounds from what I've read that Escape is harder to get? Any thoughts are appreciated!

We couldn't get Vibe passes on our Escape cruise (lots of people on the second leg of a B2B got them first) and we usually found places for all 7 of us to hang out together; it just took a bit longer than usual. That said, I'd still prefer to get the Vibe pass if I could - the usually empty bar and cushioned chairs are real nice.

We already sailed on the Breakaway and loved it. Thinking of going on the Escape this summer and wondered what differences there are.

Escape has the Brewhouse, Cellars (wine bar), Food Republic (best food I've eaten on a cruise) and Pincho Tapas Bar. Escape has Bayamo instead of Ocean Blue. Obviously different shows, slightly larger balconies on Escape, child care for 6 months to two years on Escape. What had been Bliss Nightclub on the Breakaway is now open to the casino, but still functions as a nightclub. The Spice area on Escape is (IMHO) nicer, with the grotto water feature. Escape is also an extra deck or two taller.

Have you missed the news that Platinums will now board first? It's no longer just a matter of get there early and give yourself an edge. Instead of the word "fair" insert equal opportunity. Unless NCL intends this to be a perk for Platinums they need to change their method of handing them out.

If a platinum member gets to port at two pm, they'll still board after a silver member who gets there at ten am.

Don't know why it has to be "fair". It should be first come, first serve. If we're really interested in "fair" then maybe you shouldn't be able to book a specific cabin, just indicate your interest when you make your reservation...then if more than one person wants that cabin, it should be awarded via lottery. :rolleyes:

 

Currently, Platinum members can arrive at the pier whenever they want. Unlike everyone else, they don't have to choose a check in time. Since all of the Platinums can arrive early, then all of the Vibe passes should go to Plaintums anyway, so what it the difference?

 

Just because Platinum members CAN show up early for priority boarding doesn't mean that they will.

As someone who just made gold and loves Vibe, I still think that the new system where platinum members (presumably) get first access to Vibe is fair. On our Escape cruise last winter, we couldn't get passes because they all want to B2B guests before "normal" passengers could board. This is no different, other than I think platinum members earned it more than the B2Bers.

If an exclusive area is important and you don't have high status, book Haven or sail off peak. Otherwise, think of it as a nice perk if you can still manage to grab a spot. We've had trips where passes were still available after sail away.