Reserving things ahead of time on the Escape

[robl45]

Hello,

 

I haven't cruised since 2014 on Royal Carribean and frankly it wasn't very enjoyable. Book everything before you get on the ship and if you are lucky you get it all right otherwise you don't get to do anything. I really enjoyed the years before when we went on cruises and got the sheet showing what was available the next day and that was that.

 

So what is it like on the Norwegian escape? Does everything have to be planned to the minute ahead of time?

[ColinIllinois]

It's recommended that you make reservations for shows that you don't want to miss. After all, there is only so many seats in the theater. Dinner reservations aren't required in the specialty restaurants if you eat early but are recommended for prime times.

[robl45]

So basically book ahead of time? Are there still any normal cruise lines that just hand out a paper in the stateroom? If I want to book the whole vacation ahead of time, i'll just go to disney.

[babynurse06]

Does everything have to be planned to the minute ahead of time?

 

Not everything, but some things. If there's a show that you want to see, you should book it. The venues aren't nearly large enough to accommodate the whole ship. If you want to take a chance, you can still probably get in if you want to stand in the standby line. If you want a specialty restaurant, particularly if you want a specific time, you should make a reservation. I've actually had pretty good luck walking in to specialties, but I tend to eat at off times, and I would never plan on being able to walk in to LeBistro or Cagney's. I definitely don't plan my vacation to the minute though.

Edited June 26, 2017 by babynurse06
Typo

[billfish]

There are limited reservations available prior to boarding the ships on NCL so if you you have a must do thing try to book early. We waited too late and had to juggle our reservations when we got on the ship.

[Warm Breezes]

So basically book ahead of time? Are there still any normal cruise lines that just hand out a paper in the stateroom? If I want to book the whole vacation ahead of time, i'll just go to disney.

 

I don't think it is so much the cruise line as it is the ship. We sailed on NCL Jewel 2x and while you should have reservations on that ship for specialty restaurants they are not taken for the shows and are not needed for the MDR. We had no reservations prior to sailing the first time and the second time we only had Moderno reserved for our 25th anniversary. I just hit 90 days out for our NCL Escape cruise yesterday and booked reservations for our 4 Specialty dinners from our promo and reserved seats at 2 of the shows that allow reservations. It's not like we had to plan out our whole trip. There is still a lot of flexibility in what we do just a few set times and places. Not a big deal IMHO. The mega ships require you to do a little more planning because of the larger volumes of passengers and smaller venues. The smaller ships do not.

[Hrhbob]

Warm Breezes.... What were the two shows you booked online? And what other entertainment is on board for your cruise that you know of?

[Warm Breezes]

Warm Breezes.... What were the two shows you booked online? And what other entertainment is on board for your cruise that you know of?

 

 

 

I was able to book After Midnight and Off the Record: Brat Pack (in the theater). You could also reserve The Supper Club or Wine Lovers The Musical, which we did not do. The Escape the Big Room and Levity Entertainment Group can be reserved upon boarding. There may be a few more shows requiring reservations when boarding. Howl at the Moon does not require reservations and I know there are usually a few more shows in the main theater that do not require reservations.

 

 

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[mystic330]

We were also a little turned off at having to plan everything before getting on the escape (especially with a party of 7!) - We have not experienced this in cruising the smaller ships - Star, Jewel, Sun, etc. - which seem more relaxed when you can just ask "hey, you wanna go see a show tonight" - instead of feeling like you HAVE to go see it on the reserved night or else you wont get to see it at all.

 

With having said that though, we did notice that most of the shows didn't seem full on our cruise and the standby lines always got in - but there's always that risk that you wont.

[mjkacmom]

If you don't want to reserve ahead of time, don't cruise on the mega ships. Sailed on the Gem last month with our family of 7, had no issue getting a table in the MDR and just walking into shows last minute.

[beerman2]

So basically book ahead of time? Are there still any normal cruise lines that just hand out a paper in the stateroom? If I want to book the whole vacation ahead of time, i'll just go to disney.[/quot

 

 

It's really not that bad and so much simpler before hand than it sounds.

 

If you like to eat at a specific time at Specialty Dining then it's well worth it. The popular times book fast.

 

A little planning before hand saves standing/waiting in lines and/or getting shutout at shows or Specialty Restaurants.

[tiger-91]

So basically book ahead of time? Are there still any normal cruise lines that just hand out a paper in the stateroom? If I want to book the whole vacation ahead of time, i'll just go to disney.

 

I just got off MSC cruislines. I don't recall prebooking a set time for anything other than excursions and requesting a particular dinner time in the MDR.

[eileeshb]

Having been on the Escape last month I'd say book your speciality dining but don't get overly worried about shows in the main theatre. There was heaps of spare seats at the two shows I went to, and I went with up to 10 others. What tends to happen is that people will book them in advance but because the two main shows are free people won't always show up.

 

The week I was on board the off the record show debuted a brand new cast so the first night of it was pretty full yet the solo coordinator had booked in all of the solos that wanted to go no problem. We wound up with the after midnight cast sitting right behind us during that debut show.

[LrgPizza]

We've done NCL both ways - booking everything in advance, and booking nothing. It's really your choice. On our Breakaway cruise earlier this month, we didn't book anything - no dinners, excursions, shows, etc. We winged it the entire cruise, and it was fabulous.

[MsJersey84]

So basically book ahead of time? Are there still any normal cruise lines that just hand out a paper in the stateroom? If I want to book the whole vacation ahead of time, i'll just go to disney.

 

Carnival still just hand out the paper and you show up.. I am use to carnival this booking ahead is for the birds..

[Sauer-kraut]

Carnival still just hand out the paper and you show up.. I am use to carnival this booking ahead is for the birds..

Everyone still gets a Daily ... how else are you going to know when Trivia is going on? :D

 

Pre-booking is ONLY for the mega ships. And since Carnival dosen't even have all dining venues and specialty restaurants that the NCL ships do, a little pre-planning is needed. A ship with 4000 passengers cannot fit all cruisers in a 1000 seat theater for 2 shows nightly......

[MsJersey84]

Everyone still gets a Daily ... how else are you going to know when Trivia is going on? :D

 

Pre-booking is ONLY for the mega ships. And since Carnival dosen't even have all dining venues and specialty restaurants that the NCL ships do, a little pre-planning is needed. A ship with 4000 passengers cannot fit all cruisers in a 1000 seat theater for 2 shows nightly......

 

I have never sailed NCL. This is my first time. Can you start pre booking as soon as you pay your deposit or do you have to wait until the cruises is like 90days out or something??

 

Any help is appreciated.. Thank you

[Sauer-kraut]

I have never sailed NCL. This is my first time. Can you start pre booking as soon as you pay your deposit or do you have to wait until the cruises is like 90days out or something??

 

Any help is appreciated.. Thank you

Yes, 90 days prior, or if you are in a suite you can start booking 100 days prior. This is only for the big ships (EPIC, Escape, Breakaway, Getaway)

[MsJersey84]

Yes, 90 days prior, or if you are in a suite you can start booking 100 days prior. This is only for the big ships (EPIC, Escape, Breakaway, Getaway)

 

Thank you. I guess I didn't realize the Escape was so big.

[TNcruising02]

As far as reservations, I have been on several Carnival cruises and never had to make reservations for entertainment. I just got off of the RCL Liberty of the Seas and didn't have to make reservations for entertainment. When I cruised on the NCL Getaway, I didn't realize until I was on board the ship that reservations were required for entertainment. I was still able to get them for the times we needed.

 

I am cruising on the Escape in September and have already made one show reservation online. I plan on making the ones that aren't available online as soon as I board the ship. I don't like making reservations for entertainment, but that's the way it goes with some ships.

[CruisinHarvey]

If you're booking dinner reservations at a specialty restaurant, you can do that when you board the ship. They have kiosks set up in Headliners, on the left hand side. We never book our reservations online. They only give out 35% of the available reservations online anyway. So, we go to Headliners( deck 6 midship) when we board. We make our dining reservations Then we go to lunch at Taste or Savor( both deck 6 aft), for a nice quiet relaxing meal.

 

For shows reservations you can also use any of the screens located by the stairs on most decks. You'll also find that a lot of people don't to pre-plan but do anyway. As a result. If you show for a theater show, 10 minutes before the show, without a reservations, there are usually a good number of seats still open. .