robmac330

I would think the beers would be nice for non-Floridians. As the Florida stuff is not all that widely distributed. I do agree that the menu was a typical "craft beer starter kit" and the Florida stuff is the volume brews you can get virtually anywhere down here. However, for a ship? I enjoyed it. I thought they did a great job and I would never expect them to stock great seasonals. It's a pretty darn solid selection all considered.

This is a fair assessment. If my sister hadn’t shown me around Wynwood the day before I got on the ship, being from CT I wouldn’t have heard of any of the Florida beers. But I suspect if the ship left out of New London and they had the commercially available Connecticut “craft” brews, I’d be a bit disappointed too

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I was on Escape 3/17-24 and can vouch for there being dozens of different beers at District. Can't confirm 74, as some taps ran out during the trip, but they had close to two dozen on tap and a much longer list in bottles and cans.

Greetings

 

Sorry, that is still a cruise not allowed by the act. Unless the law is repealed or changed then cruise lines will be hesitant to cruise such itineraries.

 

Good Sailing

Tom

Interesting, I knew most of the Caribbean didn't count as a foreign port except for the ABCs, but if Aruba is 1,129 miles point to point from Port of Miami, you'd think Bermuda (1,029 miles point to point from Port of Miami) would qualify as well.

You learn something new everyday, even on Sundays!

Even you have to realize that you are the exception for your generation. And don't get me wrong, your generation has some fantastic people in it, and some very hard workers, but in general a very "I deserve it and I deserve it now" attitude. But you also have a much better work life balance than prior generations. Have you seen the video for the song Millenials? Read the back story on it, very interesting. As for Gen Z, 50% more view financial success a sign of successful living at the same age. They also are more frugal in purchasing than Gen Y. Sadly, the same entitlement mentality created from CA's idea that everyone should get a trophy so no one has hurt feelings.

I could have a whole discussion on how every generation has their version of the squeaky wheel story like the Millennial's "I deserve it NOW" kids. I'm mostly jealous because the Boomers had the hippies, with their superior music and pot. But this is Cruise Critic, so I digress...

I think you hit the nail on the head though. My generation is currently entering the prime of their purchasing power, and the free market is adjusting to that. Some lines like Cunard, HAL and, to a degree, Celebrity know that they have enough market share to do things the old fashioned way and still fill their ships with Boomers and older Gen X'ers who are looking for relaxation and prime port selection. NCL seems to be positioning themselves for my generation, where people in their late 20s, 30s, and 40s who don't have families, either with them on the trip or at all, can go on a vacation where they know how much they're paying up front and they can let loose and just have fun for a week. We are more frugal so something like a cruise with a line that is attempting to cater more to our interests provides a great value!

I don't think the megaships will continue to be built exclusively because as the NCL Esses (Sky, Spirit, Star, and Sun) reach their true end-of-life, at least as Norwegian ships, your supply quickly outgrows the financially-willing demand if you continue to replace 2,000 passenger ships with those carrying 4,000.

nassau is not a distant foreign port. the only distant foreign port that count for these laws is the ABC islands.

I'm no expert on the law, clearly, but it's funny how Nassau (180 miles to Miami) doesn't qualify as a distant foreign port, yet the way cruise lines seem to get around this rule for Alaskan cruises is to stop in Victoria, BC (75 miles from Seattle).

Personally I agree that the crew deserves two days off, aside from cleaning and slightly more thorough maintenance, as I noticed a few things on Escape 2 weeks ago that could use it. But if the Revenue Management Department mandated they had to carry passengers, I gladly would have put off my vacation for a month to do an 8 day like this:

Saturday 4/14 - Embarkation

Sunday 4/15 - Nassau or GSC 8a-4p

Monday 4/16 - At Sea

Tuesday 4/17 - At Sea

Wednesday 4/18 - Arrive Royal Naval Dockyard, AM

Thursday 4/19 - Royal Naval Dockyard

Friday 4/20 - Depart Royal Naval Dockyard, PM

Saturday 4/21 - At Sea

Sunday 4/22 - Arrive NYC

This only works if they ever move out of their parent's homes.

 

Although Generation Z is much more frugal and less "gimme" than Gen Y from all studies so far.

Lucky for you, according to Pew Research, you'll soon have a new generational label on whom to blame society's problems. They're using the birth year 1996 as the last year of the millennial and they'll come up with a new definition for those born in 1997 or later.

And for the record, I was born smack-dab in the middle of the millennial generation. I was moved out of my parent's house with a full time job within 2 months of graduation and happily spend my disposable income, after that chunk is taken out to pay for what I assume is your retirement, on cruising. I think the Norwegian Edge concept has been great for the line, as it takes their existing inventory and does much needed upgrades. But even then, you can only keep applying lipstick to the pig for so long.

Just got off the Dawn...the next ships that will be built will be the size of the Dawn....the 2500 passenger range. This was talked about the last day with the Sr. Mgmt.

I really hope this is the case. I loved the Dawn, and on the Bermuda itinerary it was fantastic to have 3 At Sea days and 3 Port days, because it became just as important to sail for the ship as it did to sail for the port. You had your standard theater entertainment, but the addition of Second City on board gave me the type of shows I liked to see (their theater show, but also the NCLIS Murder Mystery Lunch). If NCL rolled out something in the 2500-3000 passenger range, especially with a pool deck setup like the Dawn had, with updated technology and amenities that we've seen from the newer ships, I'd be one of the first ones booked on her!

Ship - Escape

Deck - 12

Stateroom # - 12531

Stateroom Category – Studio

Starboard or Port Side - Interior Port

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Mostly quiet, however this room is next to a secondary exit to the studio area (the exit doors further from the stairs) so you occasionally heard that door banging a bit. But the bed is furthest away from that door so it wasn't bad

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? - No

Any specific problems with this cabin? - Toilet leaked on the first night, but it was taken care of and didn't pose an issue for the rest of the week

Any other comments? - N/A

Thanks for your review- 14 drinks in the taxable zone is impressive! I'll probably only get 4 in from NYC in May. I'm going on the Escape then and in September. I always enjoyed the studio lounge and gatherings. I always found on my 3 cruises (Epic and Breakaway 2x) that around 20% of the studios participated.

 

I was going to get a 4 meal SDP with some of my OBC but found in the past most people prefer as a group eating in the MDR- so I really only got a meal or two in tops at a specialty . However, I might just get the 3meal one and use it the last 3 nights

 

During breaks at the District did they play prerecorded music? I usually get up an play at Howl at The moon (and fat cats on the other ships) but was wondering if people played at the district as well.

I was a little surprised it was 14, but as I mentioned I was on board by 11:30a, so I had a solid 5-6 hours in the taxable zone.

I had received a 4 meal SDP as a gift, and in addition to the 3 restaurants I walked up to, I burned my last one on lunch at Margaritaville on the last day. A bit of a waste but better than not using it at all.

If District played prerecorded music no one heard it as during Beau's breaks everyone went back to talking and congratulating the winners of whatever "contest" Beau would run (dance contest, emoji contest, etc.)

This thread has extensive answers to that question:

https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2453189

I'm going solo on the 4/14 sailing of the Escape so I was glad to read your post. This will be my first solo cruise on NCL so I was wondering what happens at the Studio lounge meetings. I also didn't book any specialty restaurants as I hate to eat alone and I had heard that some of the solo cruisers would go to dinner together. Someone said that the coordinator could make reservations for the specialty restaurants. Did that happen on your sailing?

Yes, the cruise staff member assigned as solo host for the week can help you with dinner reservations, and also arranges an MDR table each night for any solos interested. I didn't partake after the first one, only because the meet and greet was at 5pm each day, which is a bit too early for me to eat dinner. The solo host can also help you reserve any shows you want to see.

Enjoy your solo trip, it is what you make it!

I never seen my room steward… This is so unusual. I havebeen on several cruises and they are always around. That being said… my roomwas kept in impeccable shape the entire cruise.

I never even met my steward, it seemed to be a theme among some of the solo cruisers at my end of the hallway. Our steward was Chang, and we would all be out of our rooms at different times but seemed to agree that Chang stood for Cleaning Happens After Noon, Guaranteed! He would do a great job, it just always seemed to be done later in the day.

Stick with a theme and go with the Bermuda Business Suit: Shirt and tie, blue blazer, brightly colored Bermuda shorts, and knee-high dress socks!

I really enjoyed Lukka Kairi, it's on the Woodes Rogers Walk (aka, the front street outside the cruise terminal) down at the end near Senor Frogs.

I have to ask... are you an engineer? :D

No, just a video editor. Same process-oriented sort of mind as an engineer, I suppose.

The Man

CruiseCritic Member RobMac330 - Male - 30 - Cruising Solo

The Mission

See if it is, in fact, possible to cruise "Freestyle" on Norwegian

The Methodology

• No reservations of any kind were made in advance of boarding
  
• No dining reservations were made until I decided where I wanted to have dinner that day
  
• If a reservation wasn't available at a time I was willing to eat, I would try the walk-up method. My logic was if they had a table for 1, that table could also be used for 2 (making this a lot more relevant to a lot of you)
  
• Show reservations were made on the big screens, otherwise I would do the standby line
  
• Watches are not allowed to be worn, Freestyle Daily back page is to be carried in your pocket
  

The Who, What, Where, When, and Why of Embarkation Day

Scheduled Arrival Time: 10-10:30am

Actual Arrival Time: 10:22am

Boarding Group Number: 4 (this would have been too late to get Vibe passes, had I been so inclined)

On-Board Time with Frosty Beverage in Hand: 11:36am

Drinks consumed while still in the taxable zone: 14 (according to my in-room statement)

What Worked

• Beau Tahana in the District Brewhouse; the guy had the entire crowd engaged and partying like no other musical act I've seen on a ship (including Howl at the Moon). He has the right combination of humor and sarcasm to accompany great talent on the piano that allowed his crowd to grow as the night went on, even as he took set breaks
  
• While I wasn't able to find dinner reservations to my liking, I was able to walk-up to Moderno (Day 3), Cagneys (Day 6), and La Cucina (Day 7) and get a table for dinner between 6pm and 8pm with no wait.
  
• I never had to wait for any of the main dining rooms or O'Sheehans, more than just waiting to get to the front of the (usually very short) line at the hostess stand.
  
• The shows I saw (Brat Pack, Scotty Cavanaugh: Comic Ball Tosser, and Company Men) were, for the most part, very good. I'd see both musical shows again, but would probably pass on Scotty.
  
• The nighttime crepe station at the Garden Cafe
  
• Bar staffs across the entire ship, always working hard with a smile on their face
  

What Kind of Worked

• The stand-by line for shows; I get the concept and never didn't get into a show but it feels like it would work better if they offered maybe 1/3 fewer advanced reservations which would make the stand-by line more "freestyle"
  
• The solo traveler meet and greets. There was almost a dozen of us at the first one, but apparently that dwindled off as the week went on. I heard from a back-to-back sailor that the prior week's host was far more engaged with a less enthusiastic group, while our host got a very outgoing group but didn't know what to do with us.
  
• Margaritaville; between an appetizer (conch fritters), entree (Cheeseburger in Paradise), and dessert (Key Lime Pie) I think it justifies the $14.95 cover charge, but as others have said it's not worth it if you just want something like an order of nachos. They would probably drive a bit more business if they made all menu items available ala carte with a prix fixe menu option of any one app, entree, and dessert for $14.95.
  
• Karaoke; The cruise staff worked through the list of people efficiently and there were good crowds, but for having such a massive song list it was missing some major karaoke staples. They would also have a bunch of lesser known songs from an artist but not have their biggest hits
  

What Didn't Work

• Having both top-deck outdoor bars allow smoking in the seating area. I get it, people need a place to smoke, but to have both outdoor spots (upstairs pool bar on 17 and Spice H2O by the bar) where you could actually grab a seat in the sun and people a bit watch allow smokers was a bit of a buzzkill. In fairness I met some interesting smokers, but my lungs are paying for it this week a bit.
  
• My plan to amass incredible wealth playing Craps in the Casino
  

Conclusion

Overall, YES, it is possible to cruise "Freestyle" and have a fantastic time. Would it be tougher with a family? Yes, but you have kids so your carefree and spontaneous days are far behind you, if I'm to believe television and the internet. In the future, I'll continue to book restaurants/shows/excursions that are must-do's ahead of time, but this was a fun experiment that still allowed me to shut my brain off and wear flip flops for the entire week, so it's all good in the end!

Inebriatedly Yours,

RobMac330

Written, but not proofread

1, just woke up to catch a flight to Miami, and I board Escape on Saturday!

My plan for the next cruise I take is to know the week that I have off, identify several cruises/ships that leave in the same Friday/Saturday/Sunday block that I'd be happy sailing on, and go ahead and book my flights to Florida when I find a good price. With my flights locked in, then I just have to price watch on those different cruises until supplements are lowered or they offer promos that start to justify a higher supplement.

Same physical space, different name "Skyline Bar". A 21+ venue at night.

Do they scan ship cards at the door? It was my one gripe about Bliss on the Dawn; they weren't at all strict about having people scan their cards so you ended up with about a dozen drunk teenagers doing the things that drunk teenagers do.

**starts writing petition to Cruise Critic hosting service to adopt a Sarcasm font modification**

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It is always worth checking with them. The worst that can happen is they say no. Just make sure you always get rated. I can't tell you how many times I didn't bother getting rated and then I get on a roll and wind up spending the better part of a sea day in the casino. Never again.

Is getting rated just making sure to give them your Player's Club card when you buy in?

Also, in a game with a low house edge like Craps (I play a Pass Line with max Odds and usually place the 6 and 8) going to yield a significantly lower rating if I'm only playing an hour or two a night?

Don't be so sensitive. I'm sure you will find him one day. Fate. ;p

Wish I had found him on the ship, we could have ripped some shots! :whiskey-glass:

Yea, I wouldn't be weird and give that to someone else. Kind of odd that so many months later you would post this. Also weird that you saved it.

It was more a joke about passing it on, meant to post it at the time but Cruise Critic kind of fades from my consciousness when I don't have a cruise visible on the horizon. Only posting it now because at the time we had a good laugh at it at the time, I threw the note in a side pocket of my suitcase along with reusable luggage tags and locks. Since I'm cruising again in a couple of weeks out came the suitcase and as I was taking everything out I found it again. Sorry to clutter up this otherwise immaculate forum with my little bit of nostalgic whimsy.

So, while cleaning out my suitcase and taking inventory before my cruise on Escape in a couple of weeks, I came upon a note my brother and I received in the “letter holder” outside our room when we were on the Dawn in August.

Seven months later I can’t tell if this “Keith” is being passive aggressive or just nice. Since I like to see the good as often as possible, I am tempted to do is to bring it with me on Escape and leave it at some random person’s door in two weeks...

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Just wondering where on my booking info would I find out how many latitudes rewards points we will receive on our upcoming cruise? TIA

Best I can tell, on the original cruise documents they send you at booking. in the top right corner one of the codes listed should be LATITUDE. I'm taking my first double points cruise in 2 weeks and I compared those docs to past non-double point cruises I've done.

It always cracks me up when someone shares that photo. It's apparent that this was taken during one of the contests that they do on the stage (which would be at the bottom of this photo, if it were a bigger photo.) You can tell by all the people standing, crowding around, and looking that direction. Sure, the pool area is always busy, but it does NOT always look like it does during the 30 minutes or so that a competition is taking place, like in this photo.

Ahh you beat me to it...