rfkeith10

Thanks Ray, that makes me feel really good. And how in So.Ca. these days?

 

We are sailing on the Epic November 12th. Never thought we would do a mega ship, now we are getting really excited. Are you sailing in the near future?

 

It sounds like we will take this tour. Hubby has leg problems, and I do to a degree. We want to do something and this sounds like a good one for us. We don't do the private island because of walking in the sand and we have done St. Thomas so many times.

We sailed on the Oasis in Feb 2013 and loved the mega ship. We cruised on the Epic a year later and really didn't care for it. Maybe because the design of the Epic is so different from NCL's other ships, we sort of felt lost. It just didn't feel like NCL. We stayed in a DOS which was very nice. Bottom line, I don't think we would sail on the Epic again. Would love to hear your impressions of the ship after you return. We had a great time, but...

We are sailing on the Escape starting on October 15th. I know, another BIG ship. I have done so much research and looked at so many YouTube videos, I feel like I have already sailed. We have booked a nice Aft Penthouse (our first time at the aft of a ship) and looking forward to the large balcony.

Enjoy your trip...

Ray & Teresia

Getting on and off the boat was not a problem I believe there was a ramp. Getting in and out of the safari bus may be an issue. The step to the safari bus was small but with hand rail it is helpful. Maybe call the tour company and ask if they have an bus with easier access. We really enjoyed the tour when we went.

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond. I appreciate your comments. My issue is lack of balance once In awhile. I'm a bit wobbly stepping over uneven surfaces--like stepping from the dock onto the deck of the boat. As long as there is a hand railing, I think I will be fine.

Ray

we too would like to know as we have slight mobility problems.

Hi, Nita: It's always nice to see one of your posts. I have been a fan of your common sense approach to your CC postings for a number of years.

When are you sailing to Tortola?

Ray

We have this tour booked for next month. I have some mobility issues and was curious as to how easy it was to get on and off the tour boat.

Thank You

Sailed in 9918 in May. Its directly above Moderno (the back-left corner). The balcony is over a walk-way around the aft of the ship - hardly ever saw anyone down there. VERY quiet, never had any issues with the restaurant below as its not open until dinner time and is diner-free by 11 PM. I say stick with 9 - they're the largest of the balconies.

Thanks for your insight concerning 9918. We are in that penthouse in October. Have stayed in several suites but this will our first time in an Aft suite. Looking forward to the large balcony. The only drawback is the hike to the Haven!!

Ray

We had a Haven aft suite on deck 9 on the Escape in April, and loved it. The balcony was not only wide, but very deep. My hubby still raves about it as the best aft balcony we have ever had. We had a round eating table with two chairs, two regular chairs with a small round low table, and two loungers, and still had lots of space around us. It was also very private back there, was not bothered by the walkway below us on deck 8. I didn't see the other decks, so I can't tell you if they were larger, but we loved Deck 9.

We enjoyed your post and comments about your Deck 9 aft experiences. We are booked in 9918 for an October cruise. It's our first time staying in an Aft suite. The large balcony was the main selling point for me.

I was surprised to read that you had two loungers. From what I have read and pictures I have seen, I thought the Escape only had one lounger. Did you have to request the second one or was it just there? We also had some concern about the noise from the walkway on Deck 8. Glad to hear that was not an issue.

Ray

You could burn a DVD with your tracks and use the DVD player? :)

That would probably work. Thanks for the suggestion...

Ray

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I have never seen any ports that passengers can access on TVs or computers on any NCL ship, or in fact on any line. OP should assume that there are no ports available.

Thanks to all for their insights. I thought, perhaps, the NCL Haven suites that have TV and DVD players might have an available port. I guess I am wrong...

Ray

It might, if not firmware disabled or blocked - chances are you cannot edit or modify any kind of playlist - and over those lousy & tiny speakers :D

 

Pack a micro-sized Bluetooth portable speaker (JBL or equivalent are fine, no need to go Bose, but if you got the money to splurge, why not) & fired up the iPod or Android with a better player APP.

 

Now, this was excellent - just don't count on it while floating around

https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/64025118/Travel%20Gadgets/IMG150916_2251.jpg

Thanks for the information. I know the quality would be less than I would like, but would be acceptable. I'm just interested to know if the TV/DVR equipment has a port for me to insert a thumb drive device...

Ray

Bump

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We will be on the Escape in October. It is always nice to read the different impressions folks have regarding the ship and cruise experience. Looking forward to the rest of your review. Thank you....

Ray

Do the TVs in the Escape Haven/suites have a thumb drive port? I have one loaded with lots of my favorite songs and thought it would be enjoyable to play while onboard.

Thanks so much...

Ray

Thanks to everyone who has shared thoughts and suggestions about my unhappiness. I appreciate all of your efforts.

I understand that AA sometimes need to make unpopular decisions to remain competitive and make a profit. I'm just disappointed that I am most likely going to miss out on the flight experience that I had expected.

The flights are just a part of the entire vacation experience. The main event, the cruise, is still happening and that is the most important thing.

Thanks for your responses....

Ray

Received notice that AA has changed my roundtrip LAX to MIA flights from a B767 to a B737-800. The first class cabins are totally different from each other.

Does anyone know what version of the 737 is being used on that route. V2 apparently have individual IFE monitors while V1 only have overhead monitors.

I don't know when the change goes into effect but for sure in October. I'm really disappointed...

Ray

Great review. Well written and quite informative.

I will be on the Escape in October. I'm thinking about renting a mobility scooter for the first time. Would you please explain your comment about the inappropriate use of scooters? I fear I am going to need all the guidance I can get. I don't want to infringe on other passengers enjoyment of the cruise....

Ray

Some decks are too small to handle loungers. Aft 9th & 12th floor have the biggest balconies and have loungers. Avoid deck 13.

We have just booked 9918. The few pictures/videos I have seen show only one lounger. I'm hoping for two.

Ray

Was wondering how the wind effected the use of the balcony in a H7 penthouse?

Has there been a change to the policy of no bar setups on the POA. I know several years ago it was not allowed. Have things changed?

Thank you for all of your hard work setting up the M&G and slot pull. Teresia and I enjoyed the limited amount of time we spent with you and your mom. The picture of the M&G was less than flattering. :eek: No matter what folks might think, I was not asleep; just intently listening to what was being said without eye contact.

We are enjoying the review. It gives us a chance to relive our cruise..

Ray & Teresia

I hope we get Jennifer as our butler. Been use to having great concierges (Florentina, Anoop, Virginia....) Will be hard not to expect the kind of service they have provided. But it will take more than a less attentive concierge to ruin the cruise.

Again, Joaquin was not a poor Concierge. Just not that personal bond that we have had in the past. No way did he ruin our cruise....If you are fortunate enough to have Jennifer as your butler, tell her "hi" from Ray & Teresia.

Does anyone know who the concierge on the Jewel is? we are sailing in less than a month. Thanks

We just returned from the Jewel on 3/20. Our Concierge was Joaquin Dumipig. I realize that impressions of a concierge are subjective at best. We were not impressed at all with Joaquin. That is not to say he is ineffective; just not what we had become to expect. The only higher cabin category above ours was the Garden Villa. We saw Joaquin only 3 times during the cruise and one of those was when we attended our disembarkation briefing. He passed us several times during the cruise and never acknowledged us. He never addressed us by name and I doubt if he could place our names with our faces.

Enjoy your cruise. If by chance Jennifer is your butler, she will take very good care of you.

Are you sure you didn't receive free gratuities as part of a promotion when you booked? Check your documentation to be sure because that's exactly how the website behaves for reservations with the Free Gratuities promotion.

Thank you your reply. I booked the cruise back in September. Because we are staying in the Haven, we received all of the promotions that were available at the time. Just checked again and there is no indication that free gratuities was an option. It would be mice, but...

I'll contact my TA tomorrow and see what she can find out.

Thanks

I appreciate everyone's comments and suggestions. I have a TA so I think I will have her contact NCL and get the problem resolved. I just thought it would be easier to do it myself through their webpage---I guess I was wrong...

Thank you all very much.

We like to prepay our gratuities and have never had an issue in doing that in the past. We are booked on the Jewel for a cruise beginning on 3/13. When I access the NCL website I receive message stating that option is not available. Anyone else having issues with prepaying their gratuities?

Ray

I think it not only depends on your budget or what you plan but who you get. Off the jewel today and the concierge not only didnt know our names, he didn't even know we were haven guests. I spoke all of maybe two minutes the entire seven days to him and thats being generous. There was six of us and no way was I tipping 5pp/pd for someone who never asked us how things were. Our third time in suites and by far the least we ever heard from the concierge. On the otherhand the butler was fantastic and we gave her plenty to make sure she knew how much we loved everything she did for us. She would anticipate our needs perfectly.

Thank you for your comments. We sail in a haven owners suite four weeks from today. Glad you were happy with your butler. Can you share your suite number?