Never sailed NCL...have questions!

[SportsMomof4]

We have never sailed Norwegian & are interested in going on the Escape in December. We have decided that we need to broaden our horizons lol. I was looking for a little help & have a couple of questions.

 

We like to be on lido deck in a balcony room. Is there a lido deck where food & pools are together? OR are these decks separate? There seems to be so many different room types & I am a bit overwhelmed.

 

Do they only offer freestyle dining?

 

Is there anything that a 1st timer on NCL should know?

 

Thanks for any help!!

[cliffd64]

We have never sailed Norwegian & are interested in going on the Escape in December. We have decided that we need to broaden our horizons lol. I was looking for a little help & have a couple of questions.

 

We like to be on lido deck in a balcony room. Is there a lido deck where food & pools are together? OR are these decks separate? There seems to be so many different room types & I am a bit overwhelmed.

 

Do they only offer freestyle dining?

 

Is there anything that a 1st timer on NCL should know?

 

Thanks for any help!!

 

Well, the pool decks on most Norwegian ships do not have cabins on them, but they do have the buffet. Your best bet would be to get the deck one or two below, in most cases.

 

Breakaway class have no cabins on the same deck as the pool and buffet. Escape will be like the Breakaway class.

 

Freestyle dining is basically the only thing you have to choose from. There are no assigned seatings, no assigned tables.

 

Hard to know what to give you as an answer for your last question. I suggest reading up on Breakaway and Getaway here in the NCL forum area and see what some of the tips are for those ships, as most of them will apply to Escape more than likely.

Edited January 21, 2015 by cliffd64

[mizLORInj]

ok my first cruises were Carnival too so I understand what you mean about cabins just outside the pool area on the Lido deck.

 

We weren't sure we'd like Freestyle dining, but we do. We don't mind fixed either though.

 

I'm glad I gave NCL a try in 2009; I've been back many times!

 

You may want to read reviews of Breakaway and Getaway since they are sisters of Escape.

 

ENJOY!!

[SportsMomof4]

Thank you.

 

More questions...

 

Is there a soda package as well as an alcohol package?

 

Are there 2 formal nights on a 7 day cruise?

 

Are the tips typically done the same way as other cruise lines & how much are they per day?

 

TY for any help!

[SportsMomof4]

ok my first cruises were Carnival too so I understand what you mean about cabins just outside the pool area on the Lido deck.

 

We weren't sure we'd like Freestyle dining, but we do. We don't mind fixed either though.

 

I'm glad I gave NCL a try in 2009; I've been back many times!

 

You may want to read reviews of Breakaway and Getaway since they are sisters of Escape.

 

ENJOY!!

 

Great! Will do....thanks!

[SportsMomof4]

Well, the pool decks on most Norwegian ships do not have cabins on them, but they do have the buffet. Your best bet would be to get the deck one or two below, in most cases.

 

Breakaway class have no cabins on the same deck as the pool and buffet. Escape will be like the Breakaway class.

 

Freestyle dining is basically the only thing you have to choose from. There are no assigned seatings, no assigned tables.

 

Hard to know what to give you as an answer for your last question. I suggest reading up on Breakaway and Getaway here in the NCL forum area and see what some of the tips are for those ships, as most of them will apply to Escape more than likely.

 

Thanks for your help.

[ColinIllinois]

Thank you.

 

More questions...

 

Is there a soda package as well as an alcohol package?

 

Are there 2 formal nights on a 7 day cruise?

 

Are the tips typically done the same way as other cruise lines & how much are they per day?

 

TY for any help!

 

Yes.

 

No official formal nights.

 

Service charge: http://www.ncl.com/faq#service-charge

 

NCL.com has a good FAQ section you might want to check out.

[AEckhardt]

Thank you.

 

 

 

More questions...

 

 

 

Is there a soda package as well as an alcohol package?

 

 

 

Are there 2 formal nights on a 7 day cruise?

 

 

 

Are the tips typically done the same way as other cruise lines & how much are they per day?

 

 

 

TY for any help!

 

 

There are soda packages and alcohol packages. Tips are included in these packages. Alcohol packages, if purchased, are required for all adults 21+ in your party, and soda packages for those under 21.

 

There are no formal nights, but there is a "Norwegian's Night Out" where they encourage you to dress up, take advantage of photo ops with the Captain, etc. It's up to you if you want to participate. It's not much different than any other night, as you will always see some people dressed nicely and others more casual.

 

There is a Daily Service Charge of $12 per person per night. That covers tips to the waitstaff and cabin stewards. You are free to tip more if you believe they deserve it.

 

Have fun :) The Escape will be quite a treat!

[minnesotamamafish]

If you book before Jan 31st, you can get the Freestyle Promotion. It's a really good deal! There are many threads discussing it.

http://www.ncl.com/promo/wave15

 

You can search this board for "Escape" for many threads. The main one is "Everything Escape."

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2016503

 

There is also a dedicated website that will give you all kinds of info.

http://www.escape.ncl.com

Edited January 21, 2015 by minnesotamamafish