Behind the scenes ship tours?

[CamaCama]

Does NCL do this? If so, what does it cost and how do you book? I was reading a carnival review recently and they did this for a fee and it took them around the parts of the ship you usually don't see including the bridge. Do you think they will offer it on the Escape?

[Laszlo]

Yes they do, I did it on the Gem and BA. I forget the cost $50-$75? You sign up when you board.

[Demonyte]

Behind the scenes tour is offered fleetwide, cost is currently $79pp and the tour length about 2,5 hours. Closed toed shoes are required and participants must be able to stand the whole time and use stairs during the tour.

 

The tour usually includes MDR galley, pantry and food processing areas, enviromental areas, laundry, theatre backstage and possibly a visit to the bridge (this depends completely on the captain, some do not allow visits and some do).

[dexddd]

Does NCL do this? If so, what does it cost and how do you book? I was reading a carnival review recently and they did this for a fee and it took them around the parts of the ship you usually don't see including the bridge. Do you think they will offer it on the Escape?

 

Others have got your answers but I see you are going in November. I also saw mention that Capt. Hoyt will be taking initial charge of the Escape so a bridge tour is not something I would count on if he is your captain.

 

On the BA they also had a powerpoint show the last sea day that covered many areas of the ship including the bridge with pictures. It was free to attend.

Edited September 21, 2015 by dexddd

[bsblindab]

Geesh..I can remember when I was aboard the Carnival Inspiration back in 2008 they did it for free :(

[BirdTravels]

Demonyte's description was on point. When we took the paid tour on the Getaway on it's inaugural voyage to the Caribbean last year, we were allowed onto the bridge. At that time, it included a free photo taken in the main galley. The paid tours are organized by the ShoreEx staff.

 

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If you are a Latitudes Platinum member, you get a free tour, but it is shorter, does not include the bridge, and is organized by the Cruise Consultant staff. We did this on the Jewel and since our group was small, our cruise consultant took us into some of the crew areas (crew mess, crew lounge) that would not be on a normal public tour.

 

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We were on the NCL Sky a couple of weeks ago in a suite, and the concierge arranged some behind the scenes visits for suite guests. The Chief Engineer personally took us into the engine control room (an area that you would never see on a public tour) and gave us a tour with extended Q&A. And the ship's captain personally gave us an hour-long tour of the bridge. While we were on the bridge, the other ship's officers secured from tendering operations at GSC, pulled the anchor, and got underway to Nassau. Really cool experience.