Escape From Miami - Kinda, Sorta "Live From" - October 7-14, 2017

Before I wrap this up, I have one last humorous anecdote to share. (It's either funny or sad, but I choose to think the former.)

 

On our last night on the Escape, I forgot my camera on the table in La Cucina. I didn't realize it until we got back to the room. The whole story is here in post #726. We rejoin our evening, already in progress at Tobacco Road, where Huskerchick, her brother, and I decided to grab a few last drinks before we called it a cruise. AlexandNessa was over in Headliners at "Howl at the Moon", <sarcasm>probably humming softly to Dido's "White Flag," or anything by Sarah McLachlan.</sarcasm>

 

A little after 12:30 AM*, we began noticing these little parades of tiny guests, led by a staff member. They would stop by the bar and the staff person would ask the children if the "see their parents in there."

 

For the most part, these "find mommy and daddy" scavenger hunts ended with the wee parade moving on. Occasionally, one of the kids would spot his or her parents. Without fail, the parent would order a "last round" or "how many can I have?"

 

Each time the parade would pass, there would be fewer and fewer participants in each "division."

 

DW and I found this fascinating. Is this a last night thing? Or, does it happen every night? We've never cruised on Disney, but this seemed about as anti-Disney as could be.

 

Eventually, we decided that the hard stop was fast approaching, and we knew that there were no children looking for us, so we called it a night. DBIL set out to find DSIL (for some quiet, contemplative, chamber music. Like Mozart's "Sweet Caroline" or J.S. Bach's "Louie Louie.")

 

 

*- Pretty sure it was twelve-thirty in the morning. Could have been earlier or later. We hadn't hit the hard stop yet.

Thank you for this extensive review!! It was a blast “cruising” with you during the whole adventure.

 

I feel I’ve gone into cruise withdrawal now as the review has ended. [emoji20]

 

 

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Great report ... thanks

 

 

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Thank you so mich for doing this. Juices are covered under the UBP? That's a surprise.

If you are cruising with a child try this method: Stack your Norwegian card, your partner's Norwegian card, your child's card and 3 American dollars. Hand them to a bartender, order your alcoholic beverage and your partner's alcoholic beverage and then point towards your child and say, "She thinks it is really special to get a fancy juice like Mom and Dad. Can you make her a (pick your child's favorite juice from standard bar juices - orange, pineapple, cranberry, grapefruit, tomato, etc.) and put some fruits and stuff on top?" I've had literally 100% success with this method.

 

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If you are cruising with a child try this method: Stack your Norwegian card, your partner's Norwegian card, your child's card and 3 American dollars. Hand them to a bartender, order your alcoholic beverage and your partner's alcoholic beverage and then point towards your child and say, "She thinks it is really special to get a fancy juice like Mom and Dad. Can you make her a (pick your child's favorite juice from standard bar juices - orange, pineapple, cranberry, grapefruit, tomato, etc.) and put some fruits and stuff on top?" I've had literally 100% success with this method.

 

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I thought I read somewhere that juices are covered by UBP in restaurants also.

I thought I read somewhere that juices are covered by UBP in restaurants also.

If you are talking about "bar juice," then yes. It's covered. If you are talking about cans of juice, or juice outside the context of a bar, then no.

If you are talking about "bar juice," then yes. It's covered. If you are talking about cans of juice, or juice outside the context of a bar, then no.

 

I'll see if I can find a price list for juice.

I'll see if I can find a price list for juice.

It was $2.95 a few weeks ago.

I was just going over the Wine Spectator Top 100 for 2017 and saw that the Matua Sauvignon Blanc was ranked #40. We had it on the Escape and I'm pretty sure it is on the standard NCL fleetwide list. They made over half a million cases and it had a release price of $12. It sells for $9.50 a glass, so it's UBP eligible.

 

Also realized that I never did a final post. This is more important though. ;)

Would it be possible to get a link to the whole notebook on Evernote so one doesn’t have to search through this thread for each category of menu?

 

If not, I enjoy a good scavenger hunt! Thanks again for all your information and help.

 

 

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Would it be possible to get a link to the whole notebook on Evernote so one doesn’t have to search through this thread for each category of menu?

 

If not, I enjoy a good scavenger hunt! Thanks again for all your information and help.

 

 

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Sure. I think it's going to be three links because they're different notebooks, but let me see if I can consolidate them.

Disembarkation

 

...

 

We walked to the forward elevator banks where we got to witness strife, conflict, and two women who nearly came to blows. (Mental note: Early self disembarkation is not for the faint of heart. I know that a lot of you swear by walk-off disembarkation, but there is no way we'd get involved in that sh1tsh0w. I can understand the people who travel with true carry-on, hand luggage. This, however, was a parade of big, honking, rolling bags.

 

If I were looking for a a way to completely undo my vacation relaxation, this would be it. I'd rather put juice boxes in my pants pockets and wear steel-tipped workboots to the TSA line at a major US airport that deal with this.

 

Although I'm sure it's lovely for some people.

 

 

 

 

We asked about Global Entry as did DSIL and DBIL. We were all told that GE is not an option in Miami. (This is why we love Port Everglades.)

 

 

Hello, again, from "The Acadamy...," reporting in after a second cruise this year on Escape with a few comments on Disembarkation, including Global Entry.

 

Your observations about "Walk-off" match my research findings from my April cruise. This process is certainly NOT one of the "Finer Things in Life," yet as a dedicated researcher, I ventured a go. Arriving 30 minutes prior to estimated port clearance, I had my small roller bag and a duffle bag strapped atop; both small enough to carry onboard an airplane and fit overhead, so no steamer-ship-trunk-on-wheels for me.

 

 

NCL has very thoughtfully included a last morning gym workout as part of the "Walk-off" Disembarkation Process. The weights for muscle-toning, of course, are your luggage. This is a walking course that stretches the ENTIRE legnth of the ship, snaking to the far end of the casino before it U-Turns to double back. That's the warm-up course before entering the terminal. It was also a great opportunity to remember my childhood school days of reciting and counting in my head numbers in Spanish, as I was learning a foreign language: "Uno, dos, tres..." Only instead of those childhood spanish lessons, I found it much more satisfying and appropriate in that start-and-stop line to play a word game in my head, where I remembered --and silently to myself-- recited as many four-letter words we really shouldn't say out loud: "..., ..., ..." um, well, no: I'll let you guess.

 

 

 

I will share an alternative more positive way to Walk-off, but first a few words on Global Entry.

 

First, there is nothing more thrilling during the disembarkation process in Port Everglades than extending my left arm out, slightly higher than shoulder height, as I hold my Global Entry Card in hand and swiftly walk along side an endless line of several hundred people in Terminal 2 who are waiting to enter the final snaking queues for a TSA agent to smile and welcome them home. It's a brisk pace I keep, too swift to hear: "Where does he think he's going?" "Hey, there's a line, buddy." or the like. So instead they stare and watch and wonder -- I'm sure hoping it will end badly for me-- until I get up to the queue where an employee sees the card, acknowledges it, opens the rope to allow me access as I continue right to the front of the line. Ahhhhh: Thank you TSA!

 

In Miami: not so much. You've noted what I add to the list as the third reason why not, along with the two I was fed on my two cruises this year:

 

-It's not an option in Miami (October 2017)

-There weren't enough agents to open the GE line (April 2017)

-There's no reason for it, since the customs forms have been eliminated. (November 2017)

 

Yet, if one looks closely, there ARE, in fact, Global Entry posters and logos. As an aside, and in all fairness, I should say that I "recognized" the Global Entry posters and logo from across the room. I actually DID NOT walk up to one and read the fine print. Perhaps if I did, I would have found they said something catchy like:

 

GLOBAL ENTRY: just not today

 

GLOBAL ENTRY: coming soon to a port near you

 

GLOBAL ENTRY: no way, jose

 

Understand that the port employees working those lines are contract workers hired by NCL, and may not be the most reliable source of information.

 

At the Acadamy we theorize that a direct correlation exists between the availability of Global Entry and the willingness of a cruise line (NCL in this case) to exhert their influence to request GE be made available.

 

Tabling the Global Entry topic for future discussion, allow me to circle back to a more refined "Walk-off Disembarkation" experience that truly rates high as one of The Finer Things In Life.... though perhaps a bit costly. And no, I'm not talking about splurging for The Haven.

 

Instead, as Primary Researcher at "The Acadamy of The Finer Things in Life" both cruises (April & Oct/Nov) on Escape included mandatory analysis of casino operations from the players point of view. The extensive time (and said with grumbles, money) spent in the casino did not go unnoticed by the fine staff of CAS Player's Club. Attaining Saphire Level, I received a letter in my room along with a meeting point where I could arrive "... as early as 7:30am." When I did arrive, I could see sparkling silver urns across the room, as beacons for continental breakfast laying in wait. However, as I began licking my chops, salivating at the thought of one last meal opportunity, I was approached by an officer in uniform that greated me by name (tentatively and assumptively, since we had never met.) When I acknowledged, she asked me to follow her. We strolled back-of-house to a bank of service elevators: no crowds, no luggage. As we emerged through a door from back-of-the-house, a few steps in front of me was a security staff member who scanned me off the ship, where I proceeded to the gangway. I had looked over my left shoulder to see "The Crowd" of walk-offs, roped off and held back, still not given the "okay" to disembark. Ahhh: Truely one of The Finer ways to Disembark.

 

Epilogue: Once clear of customs, I emerged to a sleepy port, just waking and bracing for a huge "turn" day with four ships in port that I could see.

 

My long, long ride to Hollywood did make me think of you, POA1, and your DW, who have to endure and even longer ride home to Harbor Beach!