Norwegian Escape - dining & entertainment questions ! (first time on NCL)

[sixstrings]

hi all.... we've been on 15 cruises, mostly Celebrity but also Princess & RCI.... this will be first time on Norwegian !   I'm trying to clarify the main dining and entertainment protocols....  although dining is "freestyle", (anytime ?), I've read it's highly recommended to make reservations ?  we like to share a table with others and prefer to have the same table / wait staff each evening....  is this correct ?   also, I recently read you need to reserve for entertainment ?  does that mean the main theatre shows ?   finally, how far in advance are you able to reserve this stuff ?  cheers

[cruiseny4life]

You should consider making specialty dining reservations. Since this is your first time on Norwegian, and you are probably not staying in a suite, you'll be able to make reservations at 120 days prior to your cruise (same day as final payment date). We often switch our specialty dining reservations throughout the cruise and have never had an issue. Some cruisers maintain reservations are extremely hard to come by, so take your pick. It seems that there are reservations held back for embarkation day, so you can find the restaurant reservation location onboard and make reservations for specialty dining.

 

If you are a group of less than 12, you will be unable to make reservations in the main dining room. Just go when you want, grab a pager, and wait for a table to become available. If you go at 6:30 PM, expect a long wait. If you go at 5:30, restaurant opening, probably a short wait.

 

You can let the host at the main dining room know you would like a shared table. You might get one. You might not. We Norwegian seamen do not always like sharing our table, so you may not have anyone else sitting with you. You can request the same server when you get to the dining room, but they may be off, on a break, in a different restaurant, etc. There will never be a guarantee you'll get the same server each evening. 

 

Some shows you are able to reserve 21 days in advance of your sailing. Other shows aren't able to be reserved until you get onboard. And, other shows don't take reservations at all. 

 

Have fun on your first Norwegian cruise!! 

[mjkacmom]

You really don’t need to reserve in the MDR’s, just specialty. It’s just like eating on land, ask for a table for your party. You will have different servers, and the vast majority don’t share tables with strangers.

[sixstrings]

10 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

You should consider making specialty dining reservations. Since this is your first time on Norwegian, and you are probably not staying in a suite, you'll be able to make reservations at 120 days prior to your cruise (same day as final payment date). We often switch our specialty dining reservations throughout the cruise and have never had an issue. Some cruisers maintain reservations are extremely hard to come by, so take your pick. It seems that there are reservations held back for embarkation day, so you can find the restaurant reservation location onboard and make reservations for specialty dining.

 

If you are a group of less than 12, you will be unable to make reservations in the main dining room. Just go when you want, grab a pager, and wait for a table to become available. If you go at 6:30 PM, expect a long wait. If you go at 5:30, restaurant opening, probably a short wait.

 

You can let the host at the main dining room know you would like a shared table. You might get one. You might not. We Norwegian seamen do not always like sharing our table, so you may not have anyone else sitting with you. You can request the same server when you get to the dining room, but they may be off, on a break, in a different restaurant, etc. There will never be a guarantee you'll get the same server each evening. 

 

Some shows you are able to reserve 21 days in advance of your sailing. Other shows aren't able to be reserved until you get onboard. And, other shows don't take reservations at all. 

 

Have fun on your first Norwegian cruise!! 

thanks...  we typically don't do the specialty restaurants anymore.....  I wonder why people don't like to share with strangers ?  we've found that the best part, meeting people from all over !

[ColeThornton]

2 minutes ago, sixstrings said:

thanks...  we typically don't do the specialty restaurants anymore.....  I wonder why people don't like to share with strangers ?  we've found that the best part, meeting people from all over !

 

 

I don't because it might be one of the people on this forum that I've put on my ignore list.  😉

[sixstrings]

3 minutes ago, ColeThornton said:

 

 

I don't because it might be one of the people on this forum that I've put on my ignore list.  😉

LOL, it would be an honour !   usually people meet me first before they dislike me !   

[cruiseny4life]

As a part of your booking, you probably (but not definitely) have at least one meal at a specialty restaurant included. If you accepted the Free at Sea offers, then you would. Take a look at your booking just to confirm.

 

You're Canadian. That means you're instantly likeable!

[SoloAlaska]

I travel solo and also a likeable Canadian 😉. The few times I didnt make dinner plans with fellow random cruisers I asked for a shared table and there would be 3-4 of us. It’s possible but not really the NCL style. If you have FAS I definitely recommend using those specialty dinning nights. The only time I had to wait 30 minutes for a table was the first night when a friend wanted to go to one specific MDR. There are screens all over the ship talking you which dinning rooms are busy/quiet so just pick accordingly and you shouldn’t need reservations. The part I don’t like about freestyle is not having a dedicated waiter.

[hallux]

I was on the Escape last year.  One of the shows you CAN'T make a reservation for (the Rumours show in The Pour House) is one of the best on the ship and if you want to see it you really need to be in line an hour or more before the show.

If you want to see the dueling pianos you either need to be early or show up later after people have left.

 

Both are popular shows but small venues.

[Travelling2Some]

58 minutes ago, hallux said:

I was on the Escape last year.  One of the shows you CAN'T make a reservation for (the Rumours show in The Pour House) is one of the best on the ship and if you want to see it you really need to be in line an hour or more before the show.

 

Well, I would not be very likeable after standing in a line for over an hour even if I was Canadian.

[sixstrings]

2 hours ago, SoloAlaska said:

I travel solo and also a likeable Canadian 😉. The few times I didnt make dinner plans with fellow random cruisers I asked for a shared table and there would be 3-4 of us. It’s possible but not really the NCL style. If you have FAS I definitely recommend using those specialty dinning nights. The only time I had to wait 30 minutes for a table was the first night when a friend wanted to go to one specific MDR. There are screens all over the ship talking you which dinning rooms are busy/quiet so just pick accordingly and you shouldn’t need reservations. The part I don’t like about freestyle is not having a dedicated waiter.

the only time we didn't like sharing a table was when they sat us with 6 other Canucks !   all from the same area !  LOL, 

[The Traveling Man]

13 minutes ago, sixstrings said:

the only time we didn't like sharing a table was when they sat us with 6 other Canucks !   all from the same area !  LOL, 

My wife and I usually prefer to dine together when we are on a cruise, without other guests at our table.  It gives us a chance to relax, enjoy our meal together, talk about our experiences after a day of exploring a port (or having a relaxing day on board), and discussing our plans for the coming day.  On the one or two days per cruise when we dine with officers, we know that we have to be on our toes, alert, observant, and ready with insightful conversation.  Kind of a downside, but far outweighed by the upside of getting to know some folks whose lives are vastly different from ours.  Once a week is about as often as we can get geared up for that, though.  The other nights, we just like to be left alone to enjoy dinner together. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.  YMMV.

[Panhandle Couple]

4 hours ago, sixstrings said:

hi all.... we've been on 15 cruises, mostly Celebrity but also Princess & RCI.... this will be first time on Norwegian !   I'm trying to clarify the main dining and entertainment protocols....  although dining is "freestyle", (anytime ?), I've read it's highly recommended to make reservations ?  we like to share a table with others and prefer to have the same table / wait staff each evening....  is this correct ?   also, I recently read you need to reserve for entertainment ?  does that mean the main theatre shows ?   finally, how far in advance are you able to reserve this stuff ?  cheers

When and what itinerary?

Europe will have different options than Caribbean.

Most performers are on 6 month contracts.

Other than Choir of Man and Syd Norman's band, and Howl At the Moon, other options will be similar, but different voices, music style and quality.

[sixstrings]

5 night Carrib cruise January 2025

[Panhandle Couple]

5 minutes ago, sixstrings said:

5 night Carrib cruise January 2025

There will be at least 1 comedian.

Syd Norman band will probably play 2 nights (rock show and Rumors) and maybe a third for Prom Night. (Early and late show for each)

Choir of Man may be offered twice, again early and late.

Howl At the Moon every night (we generally skip it, not our cup of tea)

One time for Wheel of Fortune and Deal no Deal.

Maybe a limited show of singers playing any style on a short term contract.

Probably a duet, a solo, and a "ship band" that will handle pool deck and some atrium performances.