Recent Escape cruisers: does it have a Syd Normans?

[KKB]

When I do a Google search, it sends me to this forum & people have said it does in the past.

BUT when I go to NCL.com, it is not listed under the bars listing as it is on Breakaway, Getaway, Prima & Viva.

The deck plan says "The Pour House"

 

If anyone has been on the Escape recently, can you confirm whether they do the Syd Norman's show or not?

Thanks!

[stinkyharriet]

I was on the Escape in October and it does have Syd Norman’s.

Full name of the venue is Syd Norman’s Pour House.  They were doing the Fleetwood Mac Rumours show.

Edited December 30, 2023 by stinkyharriet

[KKB]

5 minutes ago, stinkyharriet said:

I was on the Escape in October and it does have Syd Norman’s.

Full name of the venue is Syd Norman’s Pour House.  They were doing the Fleetwood Mac Rumours show.

Thank you--I'm a bit of a Syd Norman's junkie...don't want to sail a ship w/o it!!!

 

[schmoopie17]

Yes.

[Stealthdog]

Yes - they have nightly shows (the big ones twice a night).  Getting in depends on your sailing.  On our first cruise of a B2B, people were waiting in line 1-2 hours before the doors opened.  On the second, we walked in 15 minutes before the show started and got good seats.  If you want to go regularly, keep an eye on how popular it is your sailing - you may have to wait in line to get seats.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Stealthdog

[BirdTravels]

3 hours ago, KKB said:

When I do a Google search, it sends me to this forum & people have said it does in the past.

BUT when I go to NCL.com, it is not listed under the bars listing as it is on Breakaway, Getaway, Prima & Viva.

The deck plan says "The Pour House"

 

If anyone has been on the Escape recently, can you confirm whether they do the Syd Norman's show or not?

Thanks!

It’s called Syd Norman’s Pour House 

 

 

[KKB]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

It’s called Syd Norman’s Pour House 

 

 

Yes, that’s why it was odd how they labeled it on the deck plan

[Two Wheels Only]

16 minutes ago, KKB said:

Yes, that’s why it was odd how they labeled it on the deck plan

 

When changes are made, the bare minimum is done as far as deck plan corrections. It used to be 5 O'clock Somewhere.

Edited December 30, 2023 by Two Wheels Only

[KKB]

22 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Yes - they have nightly shows (the big ones twice a night).  Getting in depends on your sailing.  On our first cruise of a B2B, people were waiting in line 1-2 hours before the doors opened.  On the second, we walked in 15 minutes before the show started and got good seats.  If you want to go regularly, keep an eye on how popular it is your sailing - you may have to wait in line to get seats.

Luckily we figured this out on our 1st NCL cruise w/ Syd's.

Now it is part of our evening...grab a drink nearby, watch for the line to start & jump in.

In 4 cruises, I don't think you could have gotten a good seat 15 min. prior at any show.

Unfortunately Prima appears to have a different set up...so we can't sit close & watch for the line to form. I'm sure we will figure it out. At least with 2 of us we have someone to chat with (and someone to go get another round if necessary!)

[KKB]

22 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It’s called Syd Norman’s Pour House 

 

 

Doesn't appear to have the booths like on the Getaway & Breakaway.

Too bad--fav spot is those high stools at the back of the booths. 

No chance of anyone standing in front of you like the high top tables at the back.

But I understand this is more practical for using the space at other times of the day.

[BirdTravels]

11 minutes ago, KKB said:

Doesn't appear to have the booths like on the Getaway & Breakaway.

Too bad--fav spot is those high stools at the back of the booths. 

No chance of anyone standing in front of you like the high top tables at the back.

But I understand this is more practical for using the space at other times of the day.

It’s kinda funny. We are the “never on time” people and usually stand against a wall somewhere. At the far side of the room in the bottom picture, you will see a black Syd Norman’s sign. Pre-show, they don’t want you standing in front of the sign and blocking it. Once the lights go down and the music starts, they can’t yell at you for blocking their sign any more. 

Edited December 31, 2023 by BirdTravels

[benel204]

On 12/30/2023 at 11:51 AM, Stealthdog said:

Yes - they have nightly shows (the big ones twice a night).  Getting in depends on your sailing.  On our first cruise of a B2B, people were waiting in line 1-2 hours before the doors opened.  On the second, we walked in 15 minutes before the show started and got good seats.  If you want to go regularly, keep an eye on how popular it is your sailing - you may have to wait in line to get seats.

 

What time are the shows at Syd Normans?  And are the shows just once a night? 

We are booked for the NCL Viva in May 2024 (our first NCL) and the #1 complaint that scares me about this ship is the lack of seating for what appears to be an enormously popular show.  Would the seating be any better on the NC Escape Syd Normans?  That is our other option for almost identical Med cruise itinerary. 

 

[wally4ever]

I got off the Escape yesterday and they had a Syd Normans.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any shows that I felt compelled to attend.

[Stealthdog]

13 hours ago, benel204 said:

 

What time are the shows at Syd Normans?  And are the shows just once a night? 

We are booked for the NCL Viva in May 2024 (our first NCL) and the #1 complaint that scares me about this ship is the lack of seating for what appears to be an enormously popular show.  Would the seating be any better on the NC Escape Syd Normans?  That is our other option for almost identical Med cruise itinerary. 

 

Here are the showtimes for the Dec 9th and Dec 16th sailings.  I can’t answer the question on seating on Viva vs Escape.  I can say my B2B taught me every cruise (even on the same ship) is different.  The first leg the Pour House was incredibly popular and it was always packed.  The second leg it wasn’t as popular and there were seats available even after the show started.  A med cruise is also going to be different than a Caribbean cruise (a lot more Europeans) so that could also affect how popular it is.  Pack earplugs if you see a show on there.  

[benel204]

3 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Here are the showtimes for the Dec 9th and Dec 16th sailings.  I can’t answer the question on seating on Viva vs Escape.  I can say my B2B taught me every cruise (even on the same ship) is different.  The first leg the Pour House was incredibly popular and it was always packed.  The second leg it wasn’t as popular and there were seats available even after the show started.  A med cruise is also going to be different than a Caribbean cruise (a lot more Europeans) so that could also affect how popular it is.  Pack earplugs if you see a show on there.  

Thanks! this is very helpful. And I appreciate your thoughts about Med cruise vs Caribbean.

[BirdTravels]

16 hours ago, benel204 said:

 

What time are the shows at Syd Normans?  And are the shows just once a night? 

We are booked for the NCL Viva in May 2024 (our first NCL) and the #1 complaint that scares me about this ship is the lack of seating for what appears to be an enormously popular show.  Would the seating be any better on the NC Escape Syd Normans?  That is our other option for almost identical Med cruise itinerary. 

People like to complain without true basis. Is Syd’s on the Escape bigger than the Viva? Yes. But the Escape has 4500 passengers compared to the Viva’s 3100 passengers. So you would expect the Escape’s venues to be 45% bigger. 
 

Syd’s on the Viva is “right sized” for that class of ship. 
 

The only “big” show that on the Viva was Rumours which is the sad, dark story of Fleetwood Mac.  It is worth waiting in line for. Other nights with themed music (e.g., Rock the pour house) it is just another bar. 
 

The biggest venue on the Viva is the theater that hold 600 passengers.  Putting Rumours in the theater really would not work. The biggest venue on the Escape is the theater that holds 800 passengers. 

[luv2kroooz]

20 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

People like to complain without true basis. Is Syd’s on the Escape bigger than the Viva? Yes. But the Escape has 4500 passengers compared to the Viva’s 3100 passengers. So you would expect the Escape’s venues to be 45% bigger. 
 

Syd’s on the Viva is “right sized” for that class of ship. 

 

What are you talking about? Here is a basis for comparison. Fair minded cruisers can decide....

 

Is Syd’s on the Viva bigger than lounges on the Jewel class ships, say Bliss Lounge? No. But the Viva has 3100 passengers compared to the Jewel class 2500 passengers. So you would expect the Viva's venues to be bigger. They aren't.

 

So the position presented doesn't hold water. Not every negative opinion presented is a complaint.

Edited January 1 by luv2kroooz

[benel204]

Thanks for your comments.  I am really torn now between NCL Escape 11-day Med cruise and Viva 10-day Med cruise---either ship would be a new experience for us. 

 

Because there will be a port stop every day, we won't have sea days or even much time to fully experience what each ship has to offer.  Our main experience is with Celebrity Solstice class, which we really liked.

 

Obviously I'm having second thoughts about jumping ship from Escape to Viva.  Ports of call difference is the Escape includes Cannes and Mallorca. Both itineraries include Italy, Croatia and Malta, which are priorities for us.

 

Any thoughts from experienced NCL cruisers? 

[luv2kroooz]

1 minute ago, benel204 said:

Any thoughts from experienced NCL cruisers? 

We would not sail Prima or Viva. Personal choice based on design flaws that have been acknowledged over and again by people in the cruising community that we trust. Escape is a great ship, but it is definitely big. Just be prepared for lines to get off and on the ship in the multiple ports. We prefer Jewel class when sailing port intensive cruises. We believe they handle the crowds better. Have a great cruise!!

[debenson0723]

9 minutes ago, luv2kroooz said:

 

What are you talking about? Here is a basis for comparison. Fair minded cruisers can decide....

 

Is Syd’s on the Viva bigger than lounges on the Jewel class ships, say Bliss? No. But the Viva has 4500 passengers compared to the Jewel class 2500 passengers. So you would expect the Viva's venues to be bigger. They aren't.

 

So the position presented doesn't hold water. Uh oh.

Viva's capacity is listed as 3099 on the NCL website. 

[luv2kroooz]

1 minute ago, debenson0723 said:

Viva's capacity is listed as 3099 on the NCL website. 

Oops. Agree. I fixed that. Thank you.

[KKB]

18 hours ago, benel204 said:

 

What time are the shows at Syd Normans?  And are the shows just once a night? 

We are booked for the NCL Viva in May 2024 (our first NCL) and the #1 complaint that scares me about this ship is the lack of seating for what appears to be an enormously popular show.  Would the seating be any better on the NC Escape Syd Normans?  That is our other option for almost identical Med cruise itinerary. 

Nothing to be scared about.

It is an intimate setting on every ship--a show meant to feel like the best cover band you have ever heard.

If you want to go, plan on getting in line 30-60 min prior to show time.

5 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

 Pack earplugs if you see a show on there.  

 

Huh? I have been to every Syds show on Getaway & Breakaway (20 shows total); never felt the need for earplugs.

 

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

 

The only “big” show that on the Viva was Rumours which is the sad, dark story of Fleetwood Mac.  It is worth waiting in line for. Other nights with themed music (e.g., Rock the pour house) it is just another bar. 

"just another bar" that is just as popular those nights as the Rumours night.

For those of us who grew up in the 70s/80s, this show hits the nail on the head.

Each of those 4 other shows is entirely different. (it is a show...they use the same shtick each time)

But the intention is to feel as if you are in a bar, listening to the hits you grew up with.

It's my fav "non-production" show at sea.

1 hour ago, benel204 said:

Thanks for your comments.  I am really torn now between NCL Escape 11-day Med cruise and Viva 10-day Med cruise---either ship would be a new experience for us. 

 

Because there will be a port stop every day, we won't have sea days or even much time to fully experience what each ship has to offer.  Our main experience is with Celebrity Solstice class, which we really liked.

 

Obviously I'm having second thoughts about jumping ship from Escape to Viva.  Ports of call difference is the Escape includes Cannes and Mallorca. Both itineraries include Italy, Croatia and Malta, which are priorities for us.

 

Any thoughts from experienced NCL cruisers? 

We are sailing Prima for the 1st time in a couple weeks.

My thoughts: if you really want to visit Cannes & Mallorca, sail Escape.

If you like new ships, sail Prima.

Prima--people seem to love it or hate it.

You won't go wrong either way.

 

Edited January 1 by KKB

[KKB]

15 hours ago, wally4ever said:

I got off the Escape yesterday and they had a Syd Normans.  Unfortunately, they didn't have any shows that I felt compelled to attend.

Fair.

I'm not a huge fan of Cavern Club on other Breakaway Class ships.

Beatles are good, but it's not "my" music like Syds.

The beauty of many different activities to appeal to a wide variety of tastes.

[Panhandle Couple]

11 hours ago, benel204 said:

Thanks for your comments.  I am really torn now between NCL Escape 11-day Med cruise and Viva 10-day Med cruise---either ship would be a new experience for us. 

 

Because there will be a port stop every day, we won't have sea days or even much time to fully experience what each ship has to offer.  Our main experience is with Celebrity Solstice class, which we really liked.

 

Obviously I'm having second thoughts about jumping ship from Escape to Viva.  Ports of call difference is the Escape includes Cannes and Mallorca. Both itineraries include Italy, Croatia and Malta, which are priorities for us.

 

Any thoughts from experienced NCL cruisers? 

We are going on the Escape Med cruise in late May 2024, from Barcelona.  This will be our first Euro cruise, but 2nd on the Escape, and 7th on BA/BA+ ships, which we really enjoy.  We haven't tried the Prima/Viva yet, but maybe later in 2024.

 

What we really enjoy is the outside space on deck 8 and the bars there, and Spice H2O on aft deck 16 or 17.   Relaxing after a long day of excursions (with drinks) while still seeing the port and surroundings (weather permitting) gives a better feeling of "being there".   

 

On either there are enough dining options for 11 days.  For a Euro trip, where you seem to get food at every port on excursion or on your own, we anticipate only quick breakfasts and dinners on board.

 

If there are any tender ports, then the smaller ship will empty faster than the BA/BA+.  On ours, there are none, so not an issue with larger ship.  

 

A Choir of Man is the main show on Escape, and we really liked it so much, we went twice.  Arrive early and sit in the first 8 rows, near the aisles.  

 

[benel204]

Thank you all for your insights and suggestions as we ponder these two options for our Med cruise. These are all very helpful.