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My 1st time on ncl

Badgeaz

By Badgeaz,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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Badgeaz

Badgeaz

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I have am booked on the escape for a cruise in janurary. This will be my 2nd ever cruise. I went to alaska in 2016 with royal carribean. I'm worried that I've made the wrong call for the trip to the carribean. Part of me wants to stay with ncl. Part of me wants to book with royal carribean on the allure. I had a balcony cabin for alaska. I have a inside cabin on the escape . I have the dining package. This is a cruise for my 50th birthday. I need some advice from the veteran cruisers assuring me I've made the right call.

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nednrom

nednrom

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I also have my first NCL booked in November, previously mostly loyal to Royal. Allure is a unique ship with its neighborhoods and we have been on the Allure 3 times, but if we wanted to feel closer to the ocean and save some money this time. From the reviews and deck plan it appears that the Escape has the waterfront as well as the upper decks, the grotto that is more open and has ocean views. Allure is more internal and unless you're on the upper decks or in a balcony cabin you don't really see the ocean much. For example, if you go to a specialty restaurant on the Allure (steak/Italian), it looks out to Central Park which is a beautiful open area but there is not ocean view. Both have a lot of activities/entertainment to choose from. You won't regret either one.

We took advantage of the dinner and UBP package on NCL which saved us some us some money with NCL.

 

Go with your heart for the special celebration - you should be happy with either one - both will be unique and nice. I would recommend splurging to at least an ocean view or a balcony if you can though. It's just awesome to have a nightcap on the balcony watching the stars at night or watching a sunset/sunrise.

 

Have a great cruise!!

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nednrom

nednrom

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My concerns. Did I make the right call choosing dining package over beverage package. Will they change the stops because of storms between now and then. Will they send me an email for an upgrade .

 

Every cruise will change itineraries if there is a storm, that's for safety. NCL upgrades are bidding, Royal will send upgrade..it's really not a free upgrade at either case..you pay for it.

The packages was worth it for us. We took advantage of free at sea. You get two free options with a balcony. You do pay the taxes on it.

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BirdTravels "Live from...." Rare

BirdTravels

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My concerns. Did I make the right call choosing dining package over beverage package. Will they change the stops because of storms between now and then. Will they send me an email for an upgrade .

You made the right call. Welcome to Freestule cruising. The Escape is our favorite ship (and we cruise a lot).

 

No. It is unlikely that your ports will change.

 

Your choice on perks Depends on how much you want to drink on the cruise. Free drinks is very economical

If you want to constantly have a fruity umbrella drink in your hand.

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

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My concerns. Did I make the right call choosing dining package over beverage package.

That depends on you. The UBP promo will cost you $14.22 per day. If you think that you will have more than 1 drink per day, take the UBP.

 

 

As for the SDP promo, it does cost much less ($12.42 total) but if the buffet and MDRs (see THIS THREAD for some menus) are good enough and you have no interest in the Specialty restaurants, skip that promo. The SDP easily pays for itself based on the a la carte pricing of the Specialty restaurants.

 

 

Will they change the stops because of storms between now and then.

That can happen with ANY cruise. Weather cannot be guaranteed.

 

Will they send me an email for an upgrade .

It's possible. The best advice is to book what you want and are comfortable with paying. Sure, an upgrade or up-sell is nice but it shouldn't be "expected".

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poohdreaming

poohdreaming

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You should be happy either ways and shouldn't have too many concerns but happy that you would be going on a cruise soon.

 

To know if you make the right choice of choosing the dining package over the beverage package, you would need to ask yourself if you are a drinker and would the cost be worth it.

 

I will be going on a cruise with NCL soon and chosen the dining package. I did not pick the beverage package as I know I do not drink that much.

 

For the storm - no one knows when a hurricane comes or goes. You would still be on a cruise with new itinerary. Shore excursions booked would be refunded and you can make new shore excursions for the new ports.

 

If you are not satisfied with a inside cabin, you can call to make a change & pay more or wait for the NCL email with an offer to upgrade. The upgrade depends on if the cruise ship is totally booked or not. If you are able to bid an offer & they accepted, you would pay the new price. If NCL did not accept your offer, you would still be staying at your inside cabin.

 

Since you mention that you have some obc, then it would be fine for you to pick the dining package and then use some obc to pay for some drinks. Make sure to reserve in advance for some popular restaurants.

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garycarla

garycarla

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My concerns. Did I make the right call choosing dining package over beverage package. Will they change the stops because of storms between now and then. Will they send me an email for an upgrade .

 

Dining over beverage: Just a matter of preference and math. Either way works. And if you change to beverage, you can prepay for dining online.

 

Stops? As said, any ship could have that issue.

 

Upgrade? Maybe, but be realistic. They tend to sell out ships anyways, so the number of cabins even available is often slim. And, there could be hundreds also bidding.

 

As to cruiselines, both are great. We are longtime NCL folks, but did the Allure once and it was great. Actually, take the other concerns out of the picture. Not really a decision point. Question is - which ship would you rather sail?

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NellB

NellB

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My concerns. Did I make the right call choosing dining package over beverage package. Will they change the stops because of storms between now and then. Will they send me an email for an upgrade .

I will be going on my first cruise ever on the Epic in October. I received an email offering a bid on an upgrade from my inside to balcony or mini suite. I didn't respond and received a second email a couple of weeks later. We have decided to stay with our inside because we like the location of our assigned cabin. You are probably wise to stay with the dining package unless you and your room mate drink more than 8 alcoholic drinks per day. Canned soft drinks and bottled water are no included in the beverage package.

 

This my take on NCL. I can let you know more after our cruise in October. ;)

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CruisingUS

CruisingUS

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I will be going on my first cruise ever on the Epic in October. I received an email offering a bid on an upgrade from my inside to balcony or mini suite. I didn't respond and received a second email a couple of weeks later. We have decided to stay with our inside because we like the location of our assigned cabin. You are probably wise to stay with the dining package unless you and your room mate drink more than 8 alcoholic drinks per day. Canned soft drinks and bottled water are no included in the beverage package.

 

This my take on NCL. I can let you know more after our cruise in October. ;)

eh. to each his own.

 

 

Some people care about food more. others care more about drinks. others care more about the space they live in. it's all personal preference tbh.

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fshagan

fshagan

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And our inside cabin is on the 11th deck towards the back of the ship . But hey if we get to bid on an upgrade I will submit a price

 

I think you made the right decision. For all the fun in the islands in the Caribbean, the sea itself is pretty boring. It's rare that you see a lot of scenery or wildlife like you do on an Alaskan cruise. We like just looking at the ocean, but if there's one place in the world where I would say a balcony is certainly optional it is the Caribbean!

 

If your inside cabin was economical, and you're happy with the price, consider it a relatively inexpensive way to try out a new cruise line. We're trying a new line next week, and really looking forward to seeing what the good differences are (and really, short of a major problem on a cruise, even bad experiences on a cruise are better than a good experience at work!)

 

Of course, if you see an upgrade you would like, go for it! But don't feel bad about your choice so far ... you will be doing something your great grandparents could only dream of (unless your real name is Rockefeller or Carnegie!)

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candigirl41

candigirl41

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And our inside cabin is on the 11th deck towards the back of the ship . But hey if we get to bid on an upgrade I will submit a price

 

I was on deck 11 inside on Jewel which is smaller but loved the location. Only cruise insides due to costs. Have fun. I always get the beverage package and buy one or two speciality dinners. It really depends on how much you drink.

 

Candi

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mskaufman Great Review Rare

mskaufman

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We had previously done a dozen cruises on a number of lines. This spring we did our first NCL cruise. It was also the first time we had an inside cabin. No complaints at all. We would not have a problem using NCL again. There are more similarities than differences between the lines.

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lenquixote66

lenquixote66

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I have am booked on the escape for a cruise in janurary. This will be my 2nd ever cruise. I went to alaska in 2016 with royal carribean. I'm worried that I've made the wrong call for the trip to the carribean. Part of me wants to stay with ncl. Part of me wants to book with royal carribean on the allure. I had a balcony cabin for alaska. I have a inside cabin on the escape . I have the dining package. This is a cruise for my 50th birthday. I need some advice from the veteran cruisers assuring me I've made the right call.

I have been on 6 cruise lines .My first was a Cunard ship and I loved it .My next 4 were on HAL and I never wanted to cruise on another line but I decided to try.My overall favorite is Celebrity with RCI a close second.

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KarimaJ

KarimaJ

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If you have $300 OBC and aren't a big drinker then you probably made a good choice. BUT if you will have 2 drinks a day then switch to drink plan. We have always been satisfied with the regular dining room and buffet so we never get the specialty dining plan. We tried an inside room for the first time recently and it wasn't as bad as I thought. It's weird not knowing if it's daytime outside but I wasn't claustrophobic or anything.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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BaWBarmy

BaWBarmy

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Much though I love balcony cabins there are certain times when an inside cabin makes great sense. We are booked on a trans Atlantic crossing and thought nine days of gazing out at the Atlantic wasn't a good exchange for saving some money. A tip given to us by a captain on another line was to turn on your cabin TV and tune into the front of the ship show (CCTV) that way you can still see entrance to ports etc. and even wake up to a glorious sunrise.

 

As for the rest, as Europeans we now get the drinks package whether we like it or not (we do) and have to buy the SDP if we want it, to be honest we are always quite content with the MDR and occasional trips to the buffet. Can't really compare with RCI because we've never sailed with them.

 

For what its worth I think you've made the right choice and I hope you enjoy your cruise.

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