Vibe sells out on Escape before group 1 even boards?

[eroller]

So I just boarded the Escape. Rushed to the port at 8:30 AM and was first at the door. Got group 1 and waited until 12:15 before we were allowed to board. Went directly to guest services and was told by the young lady directing traffic that the Vibe was already sold out. "There are only 80 passes and there were already 400 people on board. They sure as hell aren't platinum because there was NO priority boarding for platinum. There weren't that many special needs passengers. Did they sell them all to Haven? Is that all that counts anymore? This is my first platinum cruise and the way I feel at this minute, it may be my last. I am NOT a happy camper!

 

 

I can certainly empathize with your frustration. I would be too, especially after getting to the terminal early to ensure early boarding. For those of us not in The Haven, Vibe is the next best thing. It's a slice of peaceful heaven on a ship that carries 4000+ pax. I know in my case it really helped make my GETAWAY cruise exceptional. Never having to worry about carrying towels or finding a deck chair made all the difference, especially for someone that enjoys the sun like me. The great bar staff and extra treats that were passed around were icing on the cake.

 

But all is not lost. ESCAPE does have a nice top deck area near Vibe with a couple hot tubs, and there is always Spice H20 but I have to admit that is usually packed. Anyway don't let it spoil your cruise, but do let your frustrations be known if you receive the NCL survey at the end of the cruise.

 

What is the fair way to sell Vibe passes? It's a good question and I'm not really sure. Probably online, available to deposited bookings, to whomever books and pays for it first. I would make it non-refundable unless you cancel the cruise so people don't hold space without really committing. In this example the early bird gets the worm, and it would be another advantage to booking early just like snagging the best cabins and supposedly the best pricing. The cruise lines are all trying to generate a higher percentage of early bookings, and this would be another way to encourage that.

[grammyfrimpy]

We are sailing 2/6 and we are in the Havens. We have NOT been offered the opportunity to pre-purchase Vibe passes. No special treatment has been afforded us at this point. I know everyone will have a great cruise!!! Sail away :)

[Boschmann]

I know how hypocritical this will seem after staying in the Haven, but I really don't like the idea of Vibe/Posh. I would much rather see better loungers, facilities and service on some public decks, not neccessarily right at the pool. I guess what I don't like is how NCL is pushing this exclusivity model, which evidentally is more profitable. I can't afford to sail in the Haven all the time, but don't like the crowds at the new ship's proportionally small pools, nor the non-existant bar service. That is a big reason we booked the Star rather than the Escape for our next cruise, everyone has the same chances on the public decks.

 

I think very few Haven guests buy Vibe passes. I wonder if they opened up Vibe as another Spice type option if it would still be so popular. I'm actually surprised NCL hasn't at least doubled the cost as a Margaritaville type thing.

[NMLady]

So I just boarded the Escape. Rushed to the port at 8:30 AM and was first at the door. Got group 1 and waited until 12:15 before we were allowed to board. Went directly to guest services and was told by the young lady directing traffic that the Vibe was already sold out. "There are only 80 passes and there were already 400 people on board. They sure as hell aren't platinum because there was NO priority boarding for platinum. There weren't that many special needs passengers. Did they sell them all to Haven? Is that all that counts anymore? This is my first platinum cruise and the way I feel at this minute, it may be my last. I am NOT a happy camper!

 

Were there b2b. Passengers that might have purchased them since In-Transit passengers can re-board before anyone else boards? Also, any suite passengers, not just haven, have priority boarding.

 

I know that doesn't help what you're feeling though.

[monkeybone]

[ATTACH]373793[/ATTACH]

 

 

Aft Balcony 12910. Bed is near the closet...

 

I would take that balcony over Vibe in a minute!

 

Enjoy the cruise :)

Edited January 17, 2016 by monkeybone

[andriamay]

This seals the deal were not going to try for vibe passes. I wouldn't want to start my vaca bummed about something that I can't control anyway. I hope you have a great cruise and enjoy that balcony. We just have a window but we'll be having a blast wherever we are on that beautiful ship :).

[Casino Comp Chick]

As someone who has done vibe and the Haven, both sun decks are boring as hell, I prefer the main pool and people.

[watchdiva]

Love the private sun decks in Haven...we like the quiet! Love being able to settle in, put on my headphones, grab my book and just chill. Never was into pool games, etc.

[DCT61]

The exact same thing happened to us on the GRAND PRINCESS. We were among the first group to board. Probably 10th and 11th in line. We rushed up to THE SANCTUARY (Princess's scaled down version of Vibe) to buy passes for the week. We were informed that the passes had been sold out. The culprit seems to have been back-to-back cruisers who were allowed to buy 2 week passes. Apparently this can be a cruise line wide problem. We still had a great cruise.

[NYcruzzer]

As someone who has done vibe and the Haven, both sun decks are boring as hell, I prefer the main pool and people.

 

While I tend to agree, the problem on the a-way class ships is that you got to get up at the crack of dawn to snag a lounger anywhere near the pool. They squeeze so many lounge chairs on the pool and decks above that they are all touching.

[garnet115]

I remembered this review that said the Haven concierge was able to get vibe passes for guests without them having to go down to guest services:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2260638&highlight=concierge+vibe

 

It stuck out in my mind because it always struck me as wrong that Haven guests were able to get passes this way. I get that Haven guests get priority for a lot of things on the ship - tenders, specialty reservations, theater seats, etc. - but given that they have access to the Haven area, it seems wrong that they could grab up vibe passes in this way.

 

In any event, the review gives a nice description of why a passenger might want access to both areas (and the thermal suite, too).

[Askmelanie]

Just returned from the Escape yesterday.

 

We got to the terminal at 9:30m, our designated time at terminal B. Got boarding group 1, but we are casino guests so we get a special line there to check into. We stood at the front of the boarding area and maybe 5 people in front of us. As they got closer to letting people on the ship, people with various other boarding groups tried to cut in line, but the gate keeper only let 1's in. We ran to guest services and my husband and I were #60+61.

 

We found out that passengers in terminal C were let on the ship before us, as well as the back to back guests, and haven.

 

If you are lucky enough to get the passes, the vibe is worth it, and if not it is still an amazing ship.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

I must be in the minority but we had posh passes on the Epic and found it to be pretty dull up there. We need a little more stimulation than posh offered. :rolleyes:

 

You're not in the minority. Given that they sell so few Vibe passes relative to the total number of passengers indicates that the vast majority of passengers don't see it as a priority. And given that many passengers report that Vibe is often empty, NCL could likely sell double the amount and still have plenty of space.

 

Hubby and I are going on the 10/22/16 Escape sailing and we won't be part of the "competition" for space in Vibe. We were on the Getaway about a year ago and we were perfectly happy using the steerage class pool(just a joke) I remember reading a review from someone who paid for vibe and they said they ended up not using it that much because they enjoyed all the activity at the main pools and missed the people watching. Anyways there is so much to do on these ships you may not spend as much time at the pool as you would imagine.

 

I'm with you. I like the vibe at Spice H20 a lot better. It's free, the view is spectacular, and there's lots of people watching, etc. And Spice H2O on Epic has a bar and grill, so no need to go elsewhere in sea days.

[epaul78]

FWIW, I think they should sell Vibe passes for a day at a time and do it the same way as they do Teppanyaki - some are available for pre-sell reservations with a percentage held back for booking on the ship, perhaps with sales opening at a set time the day before.

 

In my "perfect world fantasy land" the way this would work is you could reserve one pass for one day in advance of your cruise, then they would open sales every evening or afternoon at a certain time for the next day. This way there isn't the mad rush at embarkation and it gives more people the opportunity to use the space and not have a bunch of empty chairs permanently reserved.

 

Also if you know you're going to be busy in port all day, then you aren't paying for something you won't be using.

[Rob0519]

Over 4,000 passengers and only 80 passes is simply ridiculous. I don't know why NCL even bothers to sell so few. Oh wait, just another way to make money. We sailed on the Escape inaugural in November and have another cruise booked on the Getaway in September. No change of Vibe passes on the Escape and we probably won't even try on the Getaway.

[Jeremiah1212]

And given that many passengers report that Vibe is often empty, NCL could likely sell double the amount and still have plenty of space.

 

I can't recall a single report about Vibe being anywhere close to full or 'busy'. Most pictures I've seen only have a handful of people in there, even on a sea day. With NCL's quest to grab every last dollar, I'm really surprised they don't sell at least 50% more passes than they do now.

[Loonbeam]

They sell 80, because there are 80 loungers. As far as overselling, we were on the breakaway when they sold far more thermal passes than they should and the place was a Zoo (getaway cruise in Feb, pools were NOT an option). The pool was people stew. If you are paying for access to an area, you want access.

 

BTW, except on one or two ships, the Princess Sanctuary is not a scaled down version of Vibe. On Princess you get a reserved lounger that is all yours (if you book length of cruise, they offer day passes as well at times, same day purchase), there is waiter service for food and beverage, complimentary afternoon tea, MP3 players for rent, and on 2 ships a private pool. What they don't have that NCL does on some ships is hot tubs in that area.

[Tjkamm]

Is Vibe a different place than Spice H20? Where is it on the boat?

[Golfin55]

As Admiral Akbar said "IT'S A TRAP"

[hansolosmom]

As Admiral Akbar said "IT'S A TRAP"

 

Love it! :)

[eroller]

With NCL's quest to grab every last dollar, I'm really surprised they don't sell at least 50% more passes than they do now.

 

 

I would be really pissed if they oversold Vibe. The whole intent is a quiet, tranquil space where you are assured a great lounger and some breathing room.

 

If anything, the popularity of Vibe indicates that a larger space is needed, but it's hard to do that without carving out a disproportionate amount of space from the rest of the passengers.

[Sotermarler]

I can't recall a single report about Vibe being anywhere close to full or 'busy'. Most pictures I've seen only have a handful of people in there, even on a sea day. With NCL's quest to grab every last dollar, I'm really surprised they don't sell at least 50% more passes than they do now.

 

On our ES inaugural, on the busiest day In The Vibe I counted 25 people. There were probably 70-80 chairs. They could totally sell more passes and still have availability.

Edited January 17, 2016 by Sotermarler

[Donnaluv2cruise]

So I'm new to NCL. We've always sailed Celebrity & RCCL. Looking at booking a suite. Why would someone that has access to The Haven buy a Vibe pass?

[GrabMyWrist]

So I'm new to NCL. We've always sailed Celebrity & RCCL. Looking at booking a suite. Why would someone that has access to The Haven buy a Vibe pass?

 

Probably to escape the screaming children in The Haven. Vibe is adult only. That said, some adults scream too. Our Getaway Vibe experience was almost ruined by a few of them.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Is Vibe a different place than Spice H20? Where is it on the boat?

 

Vibe is a for-fee beach club at the top of Epic and -Away ships. (On Epic it is called POSH.) 80 passes are sold per cruise. Spice H2O is a deck below and far aft. It is free, has two hot tubs, a water feature of some kind, and a bar and nearby grill.