Libra_Critic

Escape 10/22 sailing

Original booking: BX $599 pp; Assigned Deck 9 balcony

Called upsell to ask them to send me e-mail

New Cabin: H3 (Owners Suite) additional $1150 pp

$2,250 pp savings from list price, but with no promos.

We originally booked a category BX balcony sailing this December 10, onboard the Escape.

I called the upsell department and requested to have them send the offer to me via email so I can submit bids for updgrade.

 

I was told that they do not send any emails manually and it was the "system" that automatically sends the emails out, therefore if I didn't receive an email there is nothing they can do...

 

hmmmm that doesn't sound like what I read on earlier posts? :confused:

 

I guess they don't want my extra $$..

I'm on the Escape 10/29 sailing.

I called 10/4, and they sent me the e-mail by the time I ended the telephone call.

6 weeks out might be a little early. I'd try calling them again about 3 weeks before your cruise,

I just redeemed 15000 points for 150 dollars onboard credit for my 10/29 Escape cruise. Redeemed less than a month ago.

Yes, NCL on-board credit is one cent per point.

I use my Sam's Club mastercard for 3% rewards on all travel, no foreign transaction fees either. Redemption for cash, so I don't have to wait for my next NCL cruise.

I previously had a Bank of America Travel Rewards card that gave 5% on travel, (special offer, grandfathered in about 8 years ago) but they changed rules two years ago, and I stopped using that card.

There are better cards than the NCL credit card.

 

The initial free 10,000 points is attractive, but that's all.

 

You earn 3x points but if you redeem it for cash/statement credit it is only worth less than one cent per point, under 25,000 points [edited to correct earlier statement]. (You don't find this out until you get the disclosures with the card.)

 

You only get 3 cents if you redeem for on-board credit or cruise fare on an NCL cruise. Why limit to one cruise line?

 

The Sam's Club Mastercard is a true 3% travel rewards card. There are others with higher rewards, but they have annual fees.

 

P.S. I had a hassle trying to redeem the initial rewards for $100 on-board credit because my official last name has a blank space in it, whereas the credit card lacked the blank space. So I redeemed the points for cash and then destroyed the card!

Not true. $10,000 points equals a $100 onboard credit. It also equals a $100 statement credit.

You must have made that redemption under older rules.

The current redemption rates for cash/statement credit are:

0 to 9,999 points - 0.5 cent per point

10,000 to 24,999 - 0.8 cent per point

> 25,000 points - 1.0 cent per point

There are better cards than the NCL credit card.

The initial free 10,000 points is attractive, but that's all.

You earn 3x points but if you redeem it for cash/statement credit it is only worth 1.5 cents per point. (You don't find this out until you get the disclosures with the card.)

You only get 3 cents if you redeem for on-board credit or cruise fare on an NCL cruise. Why limit to one cruise line?

The Sam's Club Mastercard is a true 3% travel rewards card. There are others with higher rewards, but they have annual fees.

P.S. I had a hassle trying to redeem the initial rewards for $100 on-board credit because my official last name has a blank space in it, whereas the credit card lacked the blank space. So I redeemed the points for cash and then destroyed the card!

Where is best place to get Conch Fritters in downtown Nassau?

Which is better? The Lobster Roll from Getaway's Ocean Blue or Escape's Food Republic.

Start with an inside guarantee (no promos)

Upgrade to a balcony guarantee when the price drops

Upsell to Haven 3 to 4 weeks before sailing.

With savings of more than $1,000 pp you can easily pay for the promos you want.

When you upsell, you do not get the additional perks. You only get the perks associated with your original booking.

When you upgrade, at full prices, you get the additional perks.

You should take this in consideration when you submit your bids to ensure that you get maximum value for your total price paid for the cruise.

The Haven benefits are the same, regardless if you upsell or paid full prices.

We are on the escape for 10/29. Got the email to bid on upgrades. We were in a mini suite and bid on several options. Ended up forward "penthouse " for 750 each. We put in a low bid to start then it ncreased it. Got notification the next day.

I'm on same cruise, booked guaranteed balcony for extremely attractive rate a few weeks ago. Assigned room on 9th deck.

 

Just bid $25 for mini suite, mainly for the thrill of the hunt. And hopefully bigger balcony.

I'm on the Escape 10/29/16 cruise too.

Originally booked BX for $599 pp

Did not get e-mail, initially. Called the upsell number last week and asked them to send me the e-mail.

Bid $1150 pp and scored the last available OS. :):):D:D Surprised my offer was accepted within 48 hours when they could have held out until 2 days before sailing.

I doubt that minimum bids are effective, unless it's a few days before sailing and there are cabins still available.

Your best chances are if your bid is just marginally above the lowest category on the bid scale.

Next time, I'm going to start with the minimum inside guarantee and upsell from there. It seems that the price of the initial booking has no impact on the bidding process. Only your "free" (not really free) perks are affected.

Hope this strategy helps someone to score an upsell. :):)

Sent from my SM-G920V using Forums mobile app

Keep it very, very simple.....

Base price, with no perks!

Beverage, Dining, Internet, Shore excursions & all other "plans"... price individually. Choice to take the ones you want and ignore the ones you don't want.

Do you get all five perks with the upsell?

On the Getaway there is a stairway directly from the Spa on Deck 15 to the cabins on Deck 14. It was only open during Spa hours. We used it as a shortcut, and bypassed the main stairways and front entrance.

Does anyone know if there is a similar stairway, on the Escape, from the Spa on Deck 16 directly to the cabins on Deck 15? If so, is it on the port or starboard side?

52marv Thanks.

Your situation sounds like our situation, but no kiddlets (was empty nest at 49, YEAH!!).

On RCCL, we get the beverage package anyway, Diamond+ gives us prefer show seating etc, etc.

What interests me on the HAVEN idea, is really about the "first class" amenities and service, along with likely more adult passengers. I am having a tough choice between the Courtyard and Haven Spa suite. Trying to figure out the spa benefits. Not the Jacuzzi in the room deal, but steam room, sauna, extras that come in the spa class room? Like Aqua Class on Celebrity? ON RCCL Freedom class ships, this is open to all as part of the fitness center, Oasis/Allure, it is a charge (daily or weekly) for those amenities.

The Haven Courtyard Suite and the Haven Spa Suite are essentially the same. The courtyard suite is closer to the Haven common area; the spa suite includes an in-room jacuzzi and the unlimited spa pass. (The value of a 7-day pass for two is abut $240 which makes the Spa suite a better value than the courtyard suite).

The Haven experience is the same for both. All perks are the same. The level of service and acknowledgement is far superior to RCL's treatment of suite guests. Where applicable (newer NCL ships) the private restaurant is a big difference.

The spa facilities on NCL is far superior to those on Oasis/Allure or the new Celebrity ships. The thalassotherapy (hydrotherapy) pool by itself is worth the unlimited access pass. Steam rooms, saunas, heated tile loungers are similar. NCL larger and better layout.

I'm just curious if most people on this board are die hard NCL travelers or do you flip flop/try other lines? And if you are a die hard, what has made you stick with NCL and have you tried other lines?

I don't have a favorite cruise line.

I choose cruises by selecting the ship. I favor the newest ships, which have the latest features and more variety. I'll also consider a recently refurbished ship.

Next, I choose an itinerary that is appealing. Visiting a port, that I have not been to before, is a big edge.

Finally I decide on price per day for equivalent cabins on comparable itineraries. If no significant difference, the port of call is the tie-breaker.

RCL, CCL and NCL are in a virtual dead heat for first place.

You would want to have a lot of confidence in your driver to rely on getting picked up at Baie Rouge - much better to rent a car for the day.

I'm considering the rental car, but DW is reluctant because the street signs are in French.

At Baie Rouge, is either Gus's Beach Bar or Chez Raymond open for business with some customers? Or is this an area with low activity?

Why the hesitancy with depending on calling a taxi to return to the ship? Wouldn't that be a attractive fare for the taxi driver? Won't they come to that location?

Have a cruise planned on the VOS in Feb 2015 out of Tampa. Can someone please verify if there is a Craps table in the casino on this ship? I remember reading somewhere that there was not and I am hoping that this isn't true. I LOVE to play while cruising and without it I would honestly considering cancelling this cruise. Can someone verify?

 

Thanks in advance!

Yes. There is a Craps table on the Vision.

... Every review isn't going to be, Wow, best cruise of my life...

LUSOCHIC,

Thanks for sharing your experience.

I was on the Vision for the 10-day cruise immediately before yours. I would normally do a review, but decided not to do one for this cruise, because there were too many negative experiences to report.

Regarding lunch in the Windjammer, the hot entrees were the worst I have ever encountered (25 cruises, 6 different cruise lines). The selections were limited (to four most days), of poor flavor/taste, and not appealing at all. Soups were disgusting. If not for salads, hamburgers and hotdogs, and desserts, I would not have eaten. The Vision set a new low standard for hot entrees in a buffet.

Dinner in the dining room was a better experience, but only due to friendly and very experienced waiter, who could recommend the better dishes and who knew how to select the dinners that were not dried out under the warmers. Main dishes were generally still mediocre, but desserts were very good to excellent.

For me, the WOW was definitely missing on the Vision. After sailing on the newer Allure and the Breeze, I wasn't expecting to be overwhelmed, and was content to make the best of a rather unexceptional cruise.

P.S. my wife was given a coffee cup with lipstick stains in the main dining room. Stuff happens.

I'm thrilled to be able to share my recent experience on Norwegian Getaway's 8/23 - 8/30 cruise. This is a full photo review, but I've done it a little differently: the review is posted day-by-day on a website I created in the interest of organization and readability. If you have any questions or just want to comment or discuss something, go ahead and post back on this thread.

 

This was a labor of love, and I certainly hope you enjoy it!

http://norwegiangetaway.weebly.com/

 

Again, I'd appreciate to hear any question or comments you may have! :)

Great job!

This is by far the best organized review that I have seen on Cruise Critic.

Your choice of a separate website is quite innovative, and I am fairly certain that your method of presentation will soon be copied by many others. (Imitation really is the sincerest form of flattery.)

I especially liked the way you showed the thumbnails, allowing the reader to select the pictures they were interested in viewing, rather than streaming all the pictures.

You have shown quite a bit of talent as a teenager! Good Luck with whatever field of occupation you choose to pursue. I'm sure that you will do very well.

Great itinerary to see a lot of Hawaii.

Note that there is no casino on this cruise.

Does anyone know the taxi fare from Marigot to Baie Rouge?

Also how easy is it to get a taxi around 4:00 p.m. at Baie Rouge to go back to the ship by 6:00 p.m.?

Would it be better (safer) to rent a car?

Was there a long line to ride the bus? Thanks.

I did not see a long line.

The bus has 40 to 50 seats (you had to sit, they would not let any tourist stand; on the regular #7 bus, you were allowed to stand if the bus was nearly full)

If you didn't get on the bus that was loading, you would get on the next, so there would be less than 80 waiting at any given time.

At Dockyard, I saw three buses arrive in a five minute span, shortly after the Norwegian ship docked, but I don't know if the interval increased as the demand lessened later. I also don't know what the wait time was like returning from Horseshoe Bay.

Hope this helps.

P.S. It is just as easy to take the regular #7 bus if the need arose.

The "Special" pink bus to Horseshoe Bay was back in service as of last Sunday.

I was on the Vision, but they were loading at five minute intervals shortly after the Norwegian Gem docked.

So what if you don't want a round trip ticket?

Going from Dockyard to Horseshoe Bay then continuing to Hamilton, or

Going to Hamilton by Ferry, bus to Horseshoe Bay, then return to Dockyard...

Does this mean you can't use the new shuttle service?

Is there a one-way ticket being sold at Horseshoe Bay?

Update....

For some unknown reason, the "print" button wasn't working properly.

I was able to manually do File; Print Preview, manually adjust the size, then print.