BirdTravels

You would not notice that there are two ships there.

I would not waste my time at La Cucina. You can get spaghetti on land any time. You should try eating on shore on your two overnight calls. Luau. There isn’t a Le Bistro on POA.

For us it is.

Maybe a Diamond lounge and drinks like Royal?

We got off the ship as the OP boarded. Yeah,,, being down at Terminal E was bad, especially since a lot of our cruise had cars parked at Terminal B. But, NCL was unwilling to give up one week of Caribbean cruises at the end of spring break, so both the Encore and Escape were competing for the NCL terminal and the Encore lost. For us, we had a wonderful time engaging with the crew for our 1 week Eastern Caribbean adventure. They were all up beat and willing to spend a few minutes chatting. We were not in the Haven, down in steerage, but we were well treated and felt like the crew was working to make our cruise wonderful. We had many interactions with the crew and senior officers. We sail a lot on NCL and Royal and our cruise was one of the better ones recently. Kinky Boots,,, we saw it once in 2019 and that was more than enough. No need to see that again. From candid conversations we had with a few on the ship, the cast was very high maintenance and the show closing early was a good thing.

Discount is great. We have lived through cancelation after cancelation before, during, and after the pandemic with nothing more than a refund and explanation that “stuff happens”.

We cruise on both Royal and MCL multiple times a year. We greatly prefer NCL. But that is just us.

Not so new. And pretty worthless. You’ll burn through the 50 MB very quickly and it is a recurring $20 monthly charge. Just get an unlimited Voom account.

No. Currently online restaurant reservations open 120 days prior to departure. You need to book dinners exactly 120 days out if you want a popular restaurant (130 days for Haven and 125 days for club balconies and top tier latitudes). Entertainment reservations for Burn the Floor and Million Dollar Quartet open 25 days prior to departure (26 days for top tier latitudes).

We dropped our car at National Car Rental which shares a facility with Enterprise. There were restrooms and a seating area inside (I remember because we were there on May 7, 2019 during the Love Bug infestation,,, we hid inside until a shuttle arrived). They had multiple shuttles going to a specific ships. We picked up gas at a BP station before the last causeway. There are gas stations beyond the car rental facility also. Our PC cruise last year was cancelled when the Escape ran aground in the Dominican Republic. Thew crew were scraping and powerwashing bugs off the ship non-stop for 2 days after we left port.

Good luck. They still have the limitation that you can only book a restaurant once. If you want two dinners at Cagney’s, you need to call for the second reservation.

Why? The cruise line is doing exactly what US restaurant owners do. People in the US are oblivious to the fact that service workers can be paid a whole lot less than minimum wage. And gratuities are used to get them up to a minimum "contract value" (i.e., the minimum wage in their locality).

So, some people really don't understand how the world works. Around my home town in the good 'ole USA, minimum wage is $15/hour. If you are a service worker who receives tips, your employer can pay as little as $5/hour. This assumes that the first $10 per hour in tips goes to getting you up to minimum wage. And you need to earn a lot more tips to make a livable wage. That is hard at the local diner where people leave loose change or a buck as a tip on a $20 breakfast, after taking up a table and nursing a coffee for 3 hours. Same is true of crew where some of the gratuity is used to get them up to their minimum contract value before they really start earning "tips". And that doesn't even account for the fact that they work 7 days a week, 10+ hours a day for that minimum contact value.

Pretty much.

Only Haven guests have private security in the Haven check-in area in the Miami Terminal B. Everyone else goes through the same security line. Once you are beyond the security checkpoint, there will be a line for Priority Access (i.e., purchased priority service) which is usually combined with top-tier latitudes. Security in Miami Terminal B is relatively quick since they have the automated system to process all handcarry. All lines go to the same check-in counter. If you are in the Haven, the will escort you up a private elevator to the Haven check-in area

It is a private, adults only sun deck. If you sit in the sun from sunrise to sunset (and the weather is perfect), then it is nice. It has a private bar and private Jacuzzis and small infinity pools.

If the ship is sold out, it will disappear. If the last time you checked prices, there were classes sold out, the whole ship may be sold out. As long as you don't see "Default Itinerary" as the title of your cruise on MyNCL, you're fine.

We have never had bags delivered that late. Even since they have gone to once-a-day room cleaning where the stewards are delayed in their ability to shift luggage. After standing in the security line for half an hour, you need to get your the bags through x-ray machine. Otherwise, take them back outside and repeat the security line. Then you need to drag them around until the cabins are open at 2:30-3:00. Your fellow passengers would greatly prefer that you check your luggage with the porters. Embarkation day is busy, and you see people who are dragging luggage, bumping into people on the gangway, halls, elevators, restaurants, blocking passageways. You're dragging your bags to the bars and the pool. It is just a bad idea.

They normally open the bow and will provide direction on when it is open and how to get there (I think that access is via Deck 8, but it's been a while). You can request a bathrobe from your cabin steward. If available, they are complimentary. If you have a Thermal Suite pass, you can get robes in the Thermal Suite. Towel station on the pool deck will be open daily. You get check out beach towels and deck blankets. The blankets sometimes sell out because people check them out and keep them for the duration of the cruise. We normally sit out on our balcony nightly with our blankets (which is still daylight) and watch the sea for whales and other sea life (e.g., dolphins). Remember to bring your sports binoculars with you.

We have an Escape and Encore cruise schedule with $129 as the price. We have an Viva cruise schedule and it is not offered yet.

You get the credit onboard if you book onboard. And 100% of the people would use it to offset the cost of the tour charged to your room amount. If you book and pay in advance, the discount should be applied if applicable.

The difference is in the size of the bathroom. The room size is essentially the same. In the club balcony, you get a double sink (that only one person can stand in front of) and a full size shower versus transporter tube. For us, we always book club balconies on the bigger ships for the size of the shower. As we have gotten older and less mobile, the extra space in the shower is worth the price. For you, the extra cost may not be work the difference. The balconies on the Breakaway are very tiny. Exclusive Club Balcony Suite Amenities Distinctive Purple Keycard Pre-book onboard dining as early as 125 days prior to sailing Pre-book entertainment as early as 21 days prior to sailing 1 complimentary bag of laundry 1 bottle of sparkling wine upon embarkation Treats delivered to your stateroom twice per week. Bliss Collection by Norwegian™ featuring fine linens and pillows Lemongrass bathroom products

The Sapphire tour is run by Cruise Next. The paid tour is run by ShoreEx. The Sapphire tour is not the same as what you see online. The Sapphire tour is shorter and less involved than the paid tour - does not include provisioning, bridge, or engine control room. When you embark, head to CruiseNext desk on embarkation day to sign up for the free tour, dinner with officers, and wines around the world wine tasting. Both will sell out.

Kids cards used to be marked. It is a long time since we have sailed with kids, so I don't know if this is still the case.

This is an *example* from the Encore a couple of weeks ago. There is theater entertainment nightly. Guest entertainers sign short (month or less) contracts, so the entertainment is constantly changing. And the schedule of entertainment will change around the guest performers (e.g., with relaxation of COVID restrictions, entertainers can fly in, preform a night or two, and disembark).