BeeeJay

Glad you had a fantastic cruise. My grandson also has peanut allergies. The Maitre ‘d and the Headwaiter handled all his dietary needs.

 

 

 

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Allergies are tough, especially with those $600 EpiPens, my son is especially difficult as he is allergic to:

peanuts

tree nuts

wheat

eggs

chicken

turkey

lamb

sesame

cranberry

He is 15 and has a big appetite now. He ate two NY Strips with two orders of fries for dinner every night of the cruise. We could order to any restaurant. We would go to buffet, sit down and order and play cards until they came with his food (usually 30 min), then get our food. It worked out great, he loved it, and no issues all week!

Fantastic week aboard the Escape on modified itin—Falmouth, Cayman, Cozumel, Great Stirrup Cay.

Weather started out rough, enjoyed the wavy seas but cost us a day or so if sun and port was closed in Falmouth.

Enjoyed a day at Royal Palms in Cayman. Did the cheaper non-inclusive NCL excursion to Playa Mia in Cozumel, it was just ok. Not awful, Beach not as nice as Cayman or Stirrup. Great Stirrup Cay was best day of cruise, great weather and family loved the beach and island.

First time traveling with teenage son with severe and numerous food allergies, packed an entire suitcase of snack for him just in case but NCL NAILED IT with the allergy food special meals and made it a fantastic cruise for us!!! Big thanks to buffet maitre d for taking great care of us!!

Made 4 trips to casino, each time I sat down at video poker bar, bartenders were beyond AWFUL, however it worked out as each time I got a nice quick four of a kind and bailed to another bar for a drink with my winnings.

Otherwise service was quite efficient and friendly. Cruise seemed a little less “full” than same ship last year, less crowds and quick service at bars outside the one casino video poker bar.

Ate mostly at buffet as kids required but one dinner at Carney’s, steak was tasty but very thin. Sides were small and/or cold. Baked potato soup and shrimp cocktail were stars of the show. Girls loved their creme brûlée.

Stayed in mini suite with large balcony for 3rd straight year and it was really great. Played a lot of mini golf and sports deck and enjoyed those. And basketball in O Sheehan’s.

Overall a fantastic cruise, and great value on Casino at Seas comp, albeit with some upgrade charges and fees. This was 4th year in a row cruising. May switch to an island visit next year instead to focus on more time at a better, less crowded beach. Casino service was a major turnoff. But really hard to beat the value for a family.

A couple pics....

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No drink limit unless it's new, I counted 97 drinks for the 7 days last cruise, about 14 per day, and I was the RESPONSIBLE ONE!!! ;)

There is a pretty wide variance in both size of person and tolerance for alcohol. On our last cruise for example, we had a 110 lb female friend who rarely drinks and was in worse shape after 3 Mai Tai's in an hour than out 240 lb friend who had 20 miller lights over a 15-hour period. Point being I wouldn't get too judgmental about anyone going over $170 or 15 drinks, everyone is different. Also some are on a buddies cruise and some with family. Everyone has a different vacation and I wouldn't begrudge anyone enjoying their trip as they see fit, given of course they are respectful and not impacting others with wild drunkenness.

NCL Drink package is a great deal as a freebie only and I've found the drinks to be quite strong. I suspect the increase in price and tip is somewhat related to the fact many aren't paying the full price. I am actually not getting the drink package this trip because I used my freebies on 3rd and 4th guests. Plus who needs that 5 lb weight gain? :)

My pre cruise tradition of laundry / packing / and adult beverages is underway...

 

 

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and sharpening arrowheads for "adult beverage hunting" in South Florida? ;)

As others have mentioned, there are a bunch of fast food places with WIFI as well as the public library within walking distance of the port in Grand Cayman.

 

I tend to "disconnect" on the Escape as the internet is painfully slow. I only connect here and there while on land to post a few "brag" photos on social media to let my family know I'm still alive :)

 

Pat

Yep,

Plan to post photos midway thru from Cozumel where my cell plan has free coverage.

Need to do one thing that must be from laptop in Cayman so will just pay the 99 cents per minute for a few minutes to take care of it. Thanks for the info all!

Thanks for the heads up guys, I need to send a doc from laptop so will just use the ships 99 cent option.

I will be sailing on the Dec 9th Escape sailing and will have one email I need to send about midway thru the cruise. Currently I only see options as follows

100 minutes $75

250 minutes $125

Unlimited $209

I really don't want to buy a package at all, not so much because of the money, but more because I would like to fully "disconnect" except for the one 5 min session where i will need internet.

It has to be done on the day with the stop in Cayman, so I won't be able to use my Mexico/Canada cell coverage to accomplish this task. I am wondering if I would be able to log on paying a per minute rate while aboard the ship, without having to purchase a larger plan.

AirBNB on someones couch is prob best bet for that price in Manhattan.

I don't think UBP covers coffee from the bars.

So to get their morning coffee they are gonna have to order a Bailey's and Coffee I guess :p:p:p

Our family friend is staying in the Studio Lounge on our upcoming NCL Escape cruise in December and is a big coffee drinker. They were dissatisfied with the buffet coffee and are wondering if the Studio Lounge will offer a better coffee option they can access at no additional charge rather than paying for Starbucks.

They also have the UBP, and are wondering if that includes coffee from the bars, and if that coffee is any better than the buffet coffee. I believe water, etc is NOT included in the UBP, do they have to order a Bailey's Coffee to get the free coffee?

Does the Studio Lounge have free bottled water or any other amenities?

How would you *know* they were non-Haven though? Do you get introduced to every Haven guest when you board? Do you get temporary tattoos? Secret handshake?

 

If a particular sun lounger in a particular spot that you particularly wanted was taken you would be peeved whoever’s sweaty body was in it.

 

 

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I'll bet he wouldn't if it were yours. ;)

I would have him buy his first beer each day and tip $10 on it using his card. Drink free beers off your card the rest of each day. This way you are paying about what you should be in tip on the Caps & Corks. I wouldn't raise any issue or get too down on NCL for having a corporate policy that is tough to avoid, but not enforced, especially if you are taking care of the service staff and reaching an equitable answer from a "karma" perspective.

Obviously the US Drinking age of 21 does not apply, and with signed waiver this kid is allowed to drink on the ship.

Perhaps the best and most entertaining trip report I've ever read in any forum. Thanks for taking the time and effort, this is FANTASTIC!

Yes, it is. The Haven is a reserved area of the ship. First Class is a reserved area of the plane. Just because there may be extra room doesn’t mean you can give access away. It’s like asking that your friends in coach be given First Class meals.

 

This should be a FAQ because people ask all the time, “Can my friends come into the Haven with me?” Yes, just have them book a Haven room.

 

 

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Mmmmmmm no, it really isn't comparable to asking for a first class seat or meal. It's more like a person in first class having a friend from coach come and stand and talk to them. And even that is a stretch because that person may be blocking someone's way to the lavatory or disturbing the quiet of someone sleeping.

I would say it is more akin to someone sneaking into the VIP check-in room at Bellagio or Aria, without having the penthouse suite reserved that allows such access. USUALLY there is plenty of space and no one really cares. Sometimes not. Should make a game time decision based on the situation at the time.

You can do credit line or front money same as land-based casinos:

https://www.ncl.com/credit

Cruised on both, would take Escape over Epic without any doubt.

We have a similar routing Falmouth-Cayman-Cozumel-Great Stirrup Cay.

I did considerable research on excursions. Ended up going with a 3rd party excursion via Resort for a Day to Hilton Rose Hall Jamaica because I️t included transportation and had reviews superior to others. I️t was pricey but all inclusive. We drink.

For Cayman we rented a cabana at Royal Palms Beach Club, arranging own transport.

For Cozumel we did the NCL Playa Mia non-VIP for $40/person.

Great Stirrup Cay is a freebie, NCL owned island.

I agree the offered excursions were lacking. I’m very happy with the mix we ended up with balancing price, quality, convenience, safety.

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Agreed.

In the past we didn’t want to take a stapler so did I️t before leaving home. This time we bought special tag holders so will wait to apply until boarding.

We leave a light on AND have a sweet security system. No burglars, except the permanent residents. [emoji6]

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Booked Mini Suite with Large Balcony for 3rd straight year, no other way to go!

Love that big balcony!

Buy a Pelligrino with first drink, they will have to ring that up separately, and give them a tip for the day, that's what I did.

I have put the tags on my checked luggage before leaving home every year for 5 straight years, never lost a tag during the air travel, never lost a bag.

See line item below for beverage service charge.

I believe when I first started buying these packages they were around $50/day. Now $80/day but has been offered as a "free offer" on the past 3-4 cruises i've done. Paying less than $100 for a week of drinking, including tips. That is an EPIC value (no pun intended). That will be less than $1 per drink for my crew! This is the best value since the $3 keg cup in college!

A couple additional comments:

--The drinks are strong, and of high quality.

--If you can tip a couple times early in the cruise, it will be helpful for the remainder. For example if you are in a port where they must give you a receipt to sign, you can tip. Service can get kind of spotty at the bars. I tipped the pool servers the first couple days and received OUTSTANDING service the remainder of the trip. (Specifically I gave $10 on first day, $5 a day thereafter, always on the first drink of the day). My cup was never empty. My champagne servings were a full 16oz cup vs the 4 oz flute.

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I love the fashion trend of ripped/torn jeans. I hate pants, including jeans in general and refuse to wear anything but shorts unless required. In the movie "Easy Money" starring Rodney Dangerfield, the main character came out with a "Regular Guy" line of clothing, including expandable waist bands for buffet dining.

The only thing I have against torn jeans is the lack of expandable waist band. Wear them, eat, drink, and enjoy!

We live in an age and society where assertiveness and self-reliance have become a bad thing.

11th Sign You Have Become A Dbag Tool:

11. Self-righteous generalizations about society.

Thanks for the update Nostradamus.

Easy fix NCL. RENT THE CHAIRS. NCL seems to think it is OK that someone with an Unlimited Beverage Plan should pay $3 for water or coffee. I believe NCL would really like the idea that pool chairs cost $3 per hour.

 

This is a FANTASTIC IDEA!!!

I hadn't even thought about this before, but it is surprising actually that it isn't implemented already. It is that rare instance when the public would actually be DESIRING to pay more. Really the pool chair issues on cruises are very similar to the pool chair issues at Vegas pools. And I have noted a very similar approach to both.

Each year on the cruise (NCL Getaway or Escape) I notice a pretty good number of people saving chairs around 630-7am while I am running on the track. Most of the first few rows of chairs near the pool and bar will be taken. Similar thing in Vegas. When Aria pool opened at 9am last month, there was a line of people waiting to get in, and that initial group staked out most of the chairs adjacent to the pools. In both cases the vast majority of these people did not stay. They went and got breakfast, but returned early.

I notice on both the really large masses arrive around 11ish, and that is when any good seat in the sun is hard to come by for even a group of 2. Unlike on the cruise ships, at Aria they have maybe 1/2 of the pool-side prime seating marked off with ropes and reserved signs. They are renting these regular chairs for $50+ per day, more for daybeds and cabanas.

The cruise line would be smart to do this as well. The worst offending chair hogs can pay $100+/day for 2 people to have prime chairs available all day for use at their leisure, minimizing the impact on pool attendees not saving chairs. Pool chair "savers" would be told they have the option of renting chairs if they wish to hold them while gone. This would allow the cruise line to implement a stricter standard on chair saving. It would create extra revenue and alleviate the issue of dealing with chair drama for NCL. It would create more chair space for people actually staying at the pool. It would give those wanting to save chairs the opportunity to clearly reserve prime spots by paying a premium.

Great idea Dave!