barb65

Does Norwegian run any Black Friday specials (reduced pricing) on their dining packages? We went on a Royal Caribbean cruise a few years ago and they had a Black Friday special for their dining package and their drink/beverage package.

The first thing we do when we board is go immediately to the box office and book our shows for the week. Then we book our meals at the specialty restaurants and work our meal schedule around our entertainment schedule. Works best for us.

A lot of people, especially first-time cruisers, aren't even aware of Cruise Critic or its Roll Calls. That could be another factor.

Excellent review. Easy to read and very informative. Thanks for taking the time to post. Escape is our favorite NCL ship.

Thank you to everyone who replied to my post. After I asked this question, I noticed there was a separate topic specifically about the NCL credit card. Guess I should have paid more attention.

Can NCL Mastercard points be applied towards a cruise final payment?

Bushwacker and Mango Meltdown are two of my favorites along with the good old Pina Colada and Miami Vice.

Not Covid related, but enjoy your cruise. Escape is my favorite NCL ship. Great food, staff and entertainment!

The Mandara Spa on NCL is the deal breaker for me. Sailed on Symphony pre-Covid and their spa doesn't hold a candle to NCL's Mandara Spa. Entertainment on Symphony was top notch, but we found the size of the ship overwhelming. We kept comparing everything to NCL. Looking forward to our cruise we just booked on the new NCL Prima.

I use a site called Cruise Mapper. The deck plans for Prima are incomplete, but the cabin portion and some restaurants are included.

My favorite island to visit is St. Maarten. Loved going to Maho Beach and watching the planes land. Also, other southern Caribbean islands are beautiful.

Escape is my favorite NCL ship (so far). Sailed her three times. Great food, staff and entertainment. Be sure to get a thermal spa pass. Best part of the whole cruise. Since I'm not a pool person and prefer quiet and relaxation, I spent a lot of time on the Waterfront on Deck 8. You'll love it!

13 minutes ago, ggTexasGal said:

Honestly, quite a few factors could determine if you will enjoy GSC or not.  1) Does tendering bother you?  2) How long will your ship be at GSC?  3) Will sea/weather conditions allow the tenders to go to the island? 4 ) Are you looking for a laid-back beach vibe &/or, want some games to play?  Want to snorkel?  Want to just relax, enjoy beach, listen to some music (or not) and have all you can eat /drink (IF you have drink package)?

I have no experience with the spa. That aside, We have enjoyed GSC every time we have been there.  Sadly, it has been too long since we've had that pleasure!

Here is a nice thread that was started by FreestyleNovice:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/topic/2706578-everything-great-stirrup-cay-silver-cove-villas-lagoon-spa-etc/page/1/

 

Thank you. Most helpful!

On 5/9/2021 at 12:36 PM, Two Wheels Only said:

Does anyone else think that those large forward-facing staterooms will have Haven access?

Just booked the large forward facing suite w/large balcony on Prima Deck 9. It is not considered part of the Haven, but does offer a butler, concierge, etc. and other amenities similar to the Haven, but just not access to the Haven pool, sundeck, restaurant, etc. It is a category below the Haven, but above a Club Balcony suite (if that makes sense). The cabin/balcony is huge. Can't wait.

Duplicate post. Sorry.

Just booked a future cruise with NCL that includes Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas). Yay or Nay thoughts from anyone who has stopped here. One of the offers at GSC is if you get any of the spa services at Silver Cove on GSC, you are entitled to their upscale buffet and (hopefully) their beach.

Just booked a future cruise with NCL that includes Great Stirrup Cay (Bahamas). Yay or Nay thoughts from anyone who has stopped here. One of the offers at GSC is if you get any of the spa services at Silver Cove on GSC, you are entitled to their upscale buffet and (hopefully) their beach.

On 9/8/2021 at 1:00 PM, shof515 said:

I wonder what ship will be doing these Bermuda runs. Could this be another Bliss-Encore swap or will they keep the Joy in New York longer?

The new NCL Prima will be doing Bermuda out of NYC in April and early May 2023.

Also received the Bliss cancellation e-mail for our 2023 cruise to Bermuda. Looking at Prima cruises in 2023, not necessarily to Bermuda. Cabins are a little pricey, but pics of the cabins are beautiful. I like the fact that Prima is a much smaller ship (I believe a little over 3,700 pax).

Looking at Haven cabins 9106 or 9706 for either Escape, Bliss or Encore. They all look the same on the deck plans. Anyone stay in either of these cabins on any of the ships mentioned? Your thoughts? Thank you in advance for your input.

We always book dinner at the specialty restaurants for 6 p.m. and always have plenty of ime to make it to an early show.

You didn't mention what date you were cruising, but check out Southwest Airlines. They have flights from Atlanta to Montego Bay. We prefer Southwest when we fly because of their reasonable rates. Of course it also depends what days of the week you're flying.

We're booked for May 2023 on Bliss NYC to Bermuda. Hopefully by then no cancellations.

Everything at Teppanyaki (great food/great entertainment)i. Delicious fettucine at LaCucina. All desserts at the specialty restaurants.

10 minutes ago, ziggyuk said:

 

You are right, from this review:

 

Cabin:

We had cabin 8738. This is the typical mid-ship balcony cabin however it has a huge angled balcony, probably 4 times the normal size. We had space for 2 chairs, 2 lounge chairs, one large table and a side table and still had room to walk around comfortably.

 

https://www.cruisecritic.co.uk/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=624704

Just curious. What ship were you on?