Help with reservations on the Escape

[smilesntravels]

Hello- We just booked our cruise aboard the Escape. It will be my first time making reservations online, ahead of the cruise and it might seem like a stupid question- how do we know what entertainment to choose, and what nights for the specialty restaurants? The reason I ask about the restaurants is because I read somewhere that if you make a reservation for one then want to change it, it will be cancelled. Just wondering about all of this because we don't know what other entertainment will be going on each evening, so I don't know when to book one of the shows. Also, on the NCL page for some things it says 'reservations not offered.' Can someone tell me if that means they're already booked up?

 

Thanks for any tips, suggestions! First time sailing on NCL :)

Edited February 10, 2018 by smilesntravels
one more question

[BirdTravels]

BOTH entertainment and specialty restaurant reservations open exactly 90 days before departure (100 days if you are in a suite).

 

Log on to your MyNCL exactly 90 days in advance of your cruise to see which night your entertainment is. This applies ONLY to the megaships. No reservations for small ships.

 

Then book your shows and dinners.

[smilesntravels]

Thank you. We're two and a half months away from the cruise, so less than 90 days (4/14/18.) I just don't know what to book and why some things say 'reservations not offered.'

Edited February 10, 2018 by smilesntravels
date

[KeithJenner]

In some places, such as Food Republic, literally “reservations are not offered”. This means that you can’t reserve these places. You just show up when you want.

 

As for other entertainment. You just have to go with it. A lot of thing, like Howl at the Moon, are on for many hours in total and you will be able to just show up during the cruise, regardless of what else you have booked.

 

If something does turn up that you really don’t want to miss and clashes with what you have booked then you may be able to rearrange what you booked. Otherwise that’s just bad luck I’m afraid.

 

In many cruises on these ships I have never had anything that I haven’t been able to make if I wanted to.

 

 

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[billx25]

As for entertainment you can only book the theater shows, After Midnight and for the record in advance . Other entertainment such as the Comedians and the supper club are booked once onboard, from the app or the touchscreens near the elevators or on the TV in the room. Escape the Big Top has to be booked at the theater box office. I booked mine the first day. Everything else is just show up. I believe the Not so newlywed game(funny) was on Sunday at nine.Some one has probably posted recent dailies somewhere to get an idea of what's going on. The dining reservations might be full for online booking at this point. You can make them as soon as you get on the ship at Headliners.

 

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[kcdancerkc]

Seems silly , how am I supposed to know what venue I want to eat from in 80 days on which nights?

 

We have the restaurants kinda narrowed down, but this seems weird. Chance of changing nights if we want on board

 

thanks. :cool:

[KeithJenner]

Seems silly , how am I supposed to know what venue I want to eat from in 80 days on which nights?

 

 

 

We have the restaurants kinda narrowed down, but this seems weird. Chance of changing nights if we want on board

 

 

 

thanks. :cool:

 

 

You certainly aren’t alone in asking that question.

 

Personally, I don’t get it. I never think “we’ll, I did want to eat at the steakhouse this week, but just don’t fancy it tonight, I wish I could go tomorrow instead”. As long as I get my choices during the cruise I really don’t care which nights.

 

So, prebooking 90 days out is absolutely fine for me. It sounds like it will be more of an issue for you, and there isn’t really an easy answer.

 

Yes, you can change nights onboard, but you may struggle to change them on the day, especially the popular places, so really the choices are to just go for it and book, hoping it’s ok or you can change, or to just wing it, decide what you want to do on the day and hope you get in. If you go for the latter then just be prepared to not necessarily get what you want.

 

It’s a bit like on land. You can choose what you want to eat tomorrow, but if what you choose is somewhere that requires reservations and is full then you will be out of luck. You will always find somewhere to eat though.

 

 

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[smilesntravels]

Thank you Bill and Keith for your responses! I've been looking at the online reservation thing, other posts, and watching the Olympics in between and it makes a little more sense. I still don't know exactly what time and what night I want to eat French food, or if we should see the after midnight show at 7:30 or 10:30 because I don't know if we'll want to get up early the next morning. I do see some restaurant reservations still available. I just have a terrible time making a decision. Glad to be cruising though and trying NCL. :)

[boatseller]

I don't worry about things like this anymore. My first Getaway cruise, me and friends made reservations for everything...then found out they either weren't necessary or ended up changing them because...well...you're right, how the heck am I supposed to know what I want to eat 90 days in advance.

 

Since then, I just go with it. If Cagney's is booked one night, it'll be open the next. I've always gotten in to the comedy shows on standby.

 

If there's a show you really want to see, make a res for that just to get good seats, otherwise, I would just show up.

 

If you absolutely have to eat French one night, just ask the hostess ahead of time when is good to show up. There's almost always a hostess in the atrium during the day who will help with any venue.

[smilesntravels]

I pretty much agree with you, boatseller. I won't worry about it too much! Yesterday, I kept reading how NCL is freestyle but was told by my travel agent and others to hurry up and book things...interesting. I did book a couple things though, will look again, then just wait and see!

[KeithJenner]

I pretty much agree with you, boatseller. I won't worry about it too much! Yesterday, I kept reading how NCL is freestyle but was told by my travel agent and others to hurry up and book things...interesting. I did book a couple things though, will look again, then just wait and see!

 

 

There is some confusion as to what freestyle actually is.

 

What it means is that where and when you eat, what entertainment you watch, and things like that is up to you. You don’t get told what you are eating at x time with these people.

 

However, it doesn’t mean that you are guaranteed to be able to do these things after deciding at the last minute. Capacity is limited. If you decide at 8pm that you fancy Cagneys today then you may not get in. If you really will be disappointed not to get into a particular place then it may be better to make a reservation.

 

You can certainly just decide at the time where you fancy going. You won’t go hungry. However just be aware that if you do that then your options may be limited or you may have a bit of a wait.

 

It’s just like on land, or in other holiday places. You can choose where you want to go, but popular places may not be available if you don’t have a reservation.

 

 

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[weltek]

I've sailed once with the "I'm not going to worry about reservations" mentality and waited until we boarded. I booked comedy shows late the first day, and had VERY few options. I also had no options for dining before 9:00 p.m. and gave up. It was slightly frustrating, but not a huge deal.

 

This last cruise, we had the free dining package plus two platinum meals, so I knew we had to plan ahead unless we wanted to waste the package/free meals. I didn't like it. I felt way too scheduled and locked in. There's not a great solution unless you are willing to eat really late.

 

You can NOT make reservations and just spend a lot of time checking in with hostesses at the last minute. Some people say they have a fair amount of luck with that. Not a guarantee, though. I've also seen scores of people waiting outside Le Bistro and Cagneys.