Sixtyonebluesman

I love these threads regarding soda, I find them highly amusing.

Soda drinkers are just like cheap beer drinkers. They typically can only tolerate one variety. That speaks volumes about soda and cheap beer...

"I ONLY drink poodle whiz. I hate that Labrador whiz, it tastes TERRIBLE!!!"

In the balcony rooms onboard Getaway there are 1/2 & 1/2 cups with the coffee maker. I assume mini-suites are identical in that regard.

Going on the Escape in 4 weeks. I know it has the new power saver room switches.

 

I have read mixed things. Will any all smooth card like a gas station rewards card keep things running?

 

 

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FYI, we were on the Escape a month ago and our stateroom attendant confiscated our old hotel key card which we were using to keep the power on when away. I've heard of this happening to others as well. Not sure if it's a ship-wide policy or just the attendants annoyed with the fact that they can no longer tell when you are in the room or away for cleaning purposes.

If they haven't nuked Flamingo Grill in favor of Jimmybuffetville by the time of your sailing, it's a great place for a quieter buffet-style breakfast.

Absolutely!!! I believe Margaritaville is scheduled to replace Flamingo on Sept 18, 2016. What a shame!

If you already have a long day of travel, option A will have you in your hotel that much sooner. Save your ride to the port of Miami until the following morning when you and your kids are rested.

As far as hotels go I use Trip Advisor to find hotels, the user ratings tend to be accurate. You can also find a suitable restaurant nearby with Trip Advisor.

For your ride from Ft. Lauderdale to the port of Miami I suggest Uber. They have different levels of service depending on number of people and luggage, it will be a private ride for the same or lower cost than many of the shared ride services which may stop at many destinations before reaching yours.

On sea days the lines are longer but not too bad usually. While the ship is in port the lines are very short to non-existent in our experience.

The breakfast/lunch at Moderno's on the 'Away class ships is just a buffet. Most/all of the food there is also at the main buffet.

I've been on Getaway 3 times and am not aware of breakfast or lunch at Moderno's. Can someone confirm this applies to Getaway or is it just Breakaway?

You have a couple options.

The iConcierge app on your smartphones (assuming everybody brings one) does not require the purchase of an internet plan however NCL charges $10 per person for the entire cruise for texting/calling to other iConcierge users on your cruise. I have had fair results with the app, others have mixed experiences with this method. The app seems to require frequent re-starts and msgs are often delayed but it was good enough in most cases for us.

2-way FRS radios are another option.

I guess it would make too much sense to actually ask NCL... From their website:

For U.S. Citizens:

Caribbean, Bahamas & Florida, Bermuda, Alaska, Mexican Riviera, Canada & New England, Pacific Coastal

You’re required to carry:

A Valid passport

For Cruises Leaving a Non-U.S. port (Europe, Asia, South America Australia itineraries)

You’re required to carry a valid passport, not expiring within six (6) months of the return of your cruise.

All Non-U.S. Citizen Guests Must Carry A Valid Passport, (Not Expiring within (6) Months of Return Of Your Cruise).

I have sailed on Getaway 3 times and just returned from my first cruise on Escape a few weeks ago. Here are my observations:

1) They're VERY similar in layout/deck plans/ restaurants and other features. Escape has a couple more decks and therefore a few hundred greater passengers max.

2) Getaway is my fav cruise ship, I've been on 4 cruise lines and 20 cruises.

3. I prefer Getaway to Escape. It's less crowded and I prefer the H2O water feature on Getaway to Escapes "Grotto" (kind of dark). In adding 300 more passengers without increasing public space Escape will be more crowded (assuming booked to capacity)

4) The single feature that made Escape better than Getaway was "The District" brew pub. Amazing beer selection!!!

5) Getaway (currently) has Flamingos which I LOVE! Escape has Margaritaville, a burger joint which is a la cart pricing. Flamingo is scheduled to be replace by Margaritaville on Getaway in Sept '16 (ughhh!)

Anybody know who is currently appearing at Fat Cat's on Getaway?

I just got off the Escape a couple weeks ago, Margaritaville was always dead. Why would anybody pay extra for a hamburger on a cruise when you can eat prime rib for free?

It's a shame Flamingo is going away on Getaway, I've been on Getaway 3 times in the past and Flamingo was always very popular at both breakfast and lunch. This plan is going to backfire on NCL, I hope they realize it soon.

After doing a bit of research regarding the planned internet upgrade it appears there are 2 parts to this. The first part is the implementation of a predicted pre-load of popular web sites (Facebook, etc) which should improve perceived load times of certain web sites. This may improve the overall user experience somewhat however not for all internet content. The second part to this is the upgrade of satellite receiver equipment (new dishes, etc). I assume this should have some performance improvements associated with it or NCL would not spend the money to do so otherwise. The bottom line though is that the new upgrades are STILL going to be satellite-based which means poor bandwidth as compared to cable or fiber based (as in your home/office) as well as greater latency (time to reach your destination and return). There is no way around that given the current satellite technology. In other words, their claim of "lighting fast" internet is probably more marketing hype than huge increases over the current level of service. I hope I'm wrong!

That beer list just sold me on the Premium Bev plan for my Constellation cruise next week. I assume those which are up to $13 are included in the plan, correct?

Please tell me Cellar Masters on Constellation has the same craft beer list... Mmmm