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JW and Jerome's Adventure on The Norwegian Escape

cruiseguys2009

By cruiseguys2009,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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NMLady

NMLady

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Hi JW

I reread the recipe again and I could not find you letting us know how much your jackpot was?. As a gambler on cruises I love to hear winners stories.

 

Several of us would love to know that -- or if he really did win a jackpot. If you read the post about his dream that caused a doubt as to whether there really was a jackpot or if it was just part of the dream.

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bam1957

bam1957

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Thanks JW for your reviews. They are so entertaining. It definitely makes for good read when I'm having a boring day at work.

 

Sailing December 3rd on the Escape for the second time this year. First was interrupted with very sad news so this one is our do over. We are definitely looking forward to going but I'm praying that the crazies from this cruise of yours stay home and leave their cousins as well.

 

Can't wait to read the rest.

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Dayana

Dayana

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Cruiseguys2009:

 

Interested in a cruise on a the breakaway 9/17/2017 out of NYC???

 

I have read each and every one of your posts. I so regret not having had a chance to meet you and your partner Jerome.

 

I am planing a family and friend and cruise in the date stated.

 

Let me know if you are interested. Please pm me. Thanks.

 

Dayana

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

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cruiseguys2009

cruiseguys2009

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"We are baaaaaack!!"

 

Yes, it is true. JW and Jerome are back and going on the Third Adventure of The Norwegian Escape on March 25th, 2017.

 

We are also sailing with some NCL Escape (1st Adventure) friends and we hope you are looking forward to the final chapters and additions to "The Adventures".

 

It's a Trilogy!

 

A word of note as to our absence. When we returned from The Second Adventure sailing on The Escape this past August, 2016, the experience we had on the second sailing was nothing remotely like what we had just six weeks earlier on the same ship. Six weeks earlier, Jerome and I had, what quite literally was, the Best Cruise Ever out of our 45+ sailings together. On the second journey, though each and every cruise is different, I truly felt that I could not write about it fairly and in my unique style, as it would not be appreciated as such and I did not want it to ever be misinterpreted as a negative review. Consistency is what is important. Every life experience is always new, sometimes good and then other times not so good. The second sailing experience for me, simply put, was difficult to write about and it took me some time to come around, as I just wanted to be left alone for a while to process the benign experience.

 

That August sailing on the Escape was truly a Murphy's Law Theory put into practice, as what can go wrong did, from the very first minute we stepped on board the ship, and you know me, Trouble follows me everywhere. There were so many troubling situations we encountered, that frankly, none were directly the fault of Norwegian, the Crew or the ship, it was just that the passengers were completely off the chain, and, I might say, it was a "Perfect Storm" of constant passenger misbehaving issues. "Wild" is too nice a word to use for this cruise.

 

I will note that there was a combination of a completely new Senior Officer Crew (as the senior crew just went on vacation) on their first sailing together on The Escape, a whole host of new procedures that were not properly rolled out or communicated, new crew members bumping into each other (a lot of new mid-level Chiefs getting to know their new duties) and add a thorough tossed salad of weirdness and violence in passengers that we have never experienced in our 45+ sailings, (it was like a full moon every night) and then throw "me" into it all and literally all heck breaks loose.

 

One such event, you heard me allude to in previous posts, was our last night's dinner at Teppanaki. On the first Escape Sailing, we had dinner in Teppanaki (also on the last night) and it was a "less than stellar" (and Auntie JW is being kind here) experience. You know me, if there is a challenge, then speak up and let the company provide TRUE "Customer Service" and a chance to recover. Norwegian, knowing that we would be sailing again in 6 weeks, offered us a chance to re-experience Teppanaki the way it was supposed to be on the second sailing, and to be completely fair, It was an awesome experience. The Show, the Presentation, the Food, the Lobster, the Service. All were exceptional. It was a big WOW. All the more reason to feel positive and uplifted on our very last night, of what had been a very weird, passenger-horrific, cruise. It seems that Jerome and I would have these awesome experiences each day and night, then have our incredible feelings ruined by strange and nasty occurrences with wild and unruly passengers.

 

Jerome and I spent our last night, instead of enjoying our final moments of vacation at the bar, with Security. All because a deranged passenger came into Teppanaki just as everyone at our performance table were finishing a perfectly marvelous meal and experience. Then, all of the sudden, this crazed woman starts picking up dishes that are preset at the tables in front of us and, at random, begins hurling dishes across the room directly at us and most of which went crashing behind Jerome's head on the wall. I screamed, as saw the first one coming in, yelling at the table "Incoming! "Everyone, Everyone Duck" Crash! Then another, Crash! Another, Crash! We all hovered below the table. Then a barrage of F* Bombs as the passenger got closer to the table, seemingly her yelling was directed at all of us as to why we did not wait for her to have dinner? (Mind you, we were there for about 2 hours already and were finishing up our desserts and conversations). She proceeded to target one person at our table and grabbing a filled beverage glass, she spilled the drink all over this woman. She was then surrounded by the quick thinking restaurant staff until Security arrived moments later. "OK Jerome, here we go again", I said, "On our last night, Security!"

 

Apparently, her dining partner, a woman who was by herself at our table of 10, was the one who had not waited for this outraged passenger to go to dinner with her. I could not make heads or tails of what exactly she was saying but it seemed to me that this crazy woman had too much to drink and passed out in their cabin and so the other woman, well, she decided to dine alone. Oh well, that started the fire storm which led to dishes flying and Jerome and I with security for an "Interview" and forms to be filled out on our last night of the sailing. Once Security arrived, the woman who was screaming and yelling spilled out into the central atrium and further interrupted folks having, perhaps what was once a few minutes earlier, a lovely dinner at Le Bistro Al Fresco dining. Security dealt with the issue right there in the atrium, in front of everyone, so it was embarrassing as folks thought that we were somehow involved when it was Jerome who had narrowly missed incoming fine china missiles at dinner. So we had to fill out these forms and be "Interviewed" right there, all on our last night aboard, and then having to go to bed feeling completely worn and stressed out. I realize that it could have been worse. We could have been in the Infirmary getting stitches from broken glass, or who knows from this random kooky person going nuts. But this was literally the icing on the cake from a week's worth of many passengers misbehaving badly and violent incidents that, though I was not involved with, "Trouble" just happened to be around and witnessed the incidents when they occurred, causing me to be "Interviewed" by Security more than once. At that time, I could not wait to get off the ship and the last thing I wanted to do was write about the experiences. I can just imagine what they are saying now. "Oh Crapola, JW'S COMING BACK, BATTON DOWN THE HATCHES!!!!" "Oy!"

 

So, on this next sailing, once I am home, when I write the conclusion, we are going to average in all the restaurants experiences - times 3, all the on-board experiences - times 3, all the bar experiences - times 3, all the staff accolades - times 3 and I will be leaving out all the Non-NCL issues (unless they are funny and embarrassingly happen to me) and provide a fun filled, thorough accounting of a Martini laced, "District's 85 Beer" different beer sampling, Cappuccino with Baileys Adventure like you all are used too. It's a Trilogy! I Love it!

 

Until then, Auntie JW says "Have a Martini or Seven, Every Night when on a Cruise!" (or when you're not on a cruise, that is perfectly fine too, as long as you don't drink and drive)

 

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Edited by cruiseguys2009
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cruiseguys2009

cruiseguys2009

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So oooooo glad you are back, as I am waiting to hear if you really won the jackpot in the casino or not. Very naughty of you to leave us all hanging...

 

Sent from my SM-N915V using Tapatalk

 

 

Did I? Or was it all a dream? Hmmm, some folks really know the truth and were actually there. So perhaps we did win after all. Which machine could it have been? Hmmm. The tax man cometh with the I-9 verification so I must have actually won. ;)

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cruiseguys2009

cruiseguys2009

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Have fun, we went on the Escape in November, beautiful ship but SO glad we got Vibe passes! Without that area I think we would have gone nuts, we are Platinum but we won't be doing another NCL anytime soon...

 

 

I know what you mean, there are certain times a year that I will not sail. Did you go at Thanksgiving in November?

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baryton

baryton

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"We are baaaaaack!!"

 

Yes, it is true. JW and Jerome are back and going on the Third Adventure of The Norwegian Escape on March 25th, 2017.

 

I can just imagine what they are saying now. "Oh Crapola, JW'S COMING BACK, BATTON DOWN THE HATCHES!!!!" "Oy!"

 

 

So True----The adventure continues. Should be exciting :p

 

Rusty/Baryton

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cruiseguys2009

cruiseguys2009

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Have fun, we went on the Escape in November, beautiful ship but SO glad we got Vibe passes! Without that area I think we would have gone nuts, we are Platinum but we won't be doing another NCL anytime soon...

 

I read your very detailed review, and I too agree, the central pool is "People Soup" and thankfully we too had been able to secure VIBE tickets and enjoyed the sailing so much more.

 

Now that you are Platinum, you will most likely have no issues obtaining VIBE or POSH (EPIC) tickets for any of the sailings, because of the new Boarding Priorities, Latitudes Platinum and Platinum Plus will be boarding way ahead of everyone else, more so than before, so VIBE and POSH will be a more exclusive Platinum/Haven Members Only club.

 

If I were in the Haven, I would certainly not waste the $99 per person entry fee into VIBE, as on The Escape, just on the other side of VIBE, is the Haven's own VIBE, for free. It is exactly like VIBE without the bar, but the VIBE Bartenders service the Haven side as well, so it is exactly the same, without the lively bar crowd, and I think even more "Haven-ly" secluded.

 

There are usually 70-80 VIBE passes held for each sailing. The Haven and Back to Back sailing Guests get first dibs on them, that is why on our sailings we have asked upon arrival to the Headliners Club to secure our spots, "How many VIBE tickets are available?" Answer has varied between 54 to 61.

 

Before, up until about a month ago, to get VIBE passes, it was how early one got to the port to secure a "Boarding Priority" Number, and we were always group 1 or 2. We made our mad dash to Headliners to get in to the line for the privilege to buy our passes. Now, there is Boarding Priority according to Latitudes Ranking. Ambassador and Haven will be group 1 now, then Platinum Plus and Platinum. No real changes here. However, Next, has been CAS (Casinos At Sea Invited Comp Guests), then Gold, Silver and Bronze. Then the rest of the Passengers according to time of arrival to the boarding area.

 

I do know that just last week, a couple were in Boarding Group 16, regular passengers, and they were able to secure the last two spots in VIBE, so it can be done, if there are folks in front of you that are not willing to shell out another $100 bucks a piece for the week to gain access to a walled in seating area with a bar.

 

That being said, VIBE for us, is a truly unique experience and once inside, we forgot that we were on a mega liner packed to the rim with folks. Even on Port days, most of the VIBE guests were as "Port Experienced" as we were and opted to stay on board and enjoy the VIBE experience instead of venturing off to the tourist destinations. There is nothing like Shot O'Clock each day, though. And with the UBP, yeah baby! I like it like that!

 

The other crazy fun bar we enjoy is Clarence's bar on deck 8. Known as "It's 5 O'Clock Somewhere" Bar which is located just outside it's namesake on the terrace, Clarence will also participate in Shot O'Clock daily. And the most fun to be there is on the last day sail-a-way from Nassau. Oh My Goodness, Clarence does go into "Rare Form Performance Mode" for the other ships docked across the way.

 

Norwegian Escape has so much to offer, but again, if you are a family on vacation during the High Holidays (Spring, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Mid-Summer) I know you will love it and so will your kids. Adults only traveling at these times, take it from our personal experience, could possibly have challenging times with the varied crowds.

 

Everyone loves the Ultimate Beverage Package!

 

265748_251485028196356_3774419_o.jpg?oh=2213a3ef20de26a82636a98efde3015c&oe=59443E31

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Coastalbreezes

Coastalbreezes

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Welcome back, JW!! It was a pleasure meeting you and Jerome on that cruise and I have to thank you again for all the laughs in the casino as we"touched the babies". LOL.

 

There were definitely some "characters" -- ok crazy people -- on that cruise!

 

Looking forward to the next installment.

 

Tracy

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skipper3

skipper3

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What a treat to have you back,JW! My only disappointment is that you guys won't be on our cruise March 4th!!! Your wonderful review is what cinched this cruise for us. Always sailed RC before. We won't be getting Vibe, but are excited about the other venues and bars,esp.the District and five o'clock somewhere!!! I see myself hanging out at the Waterfront and Spice H2O.We have a fun group of 12 who are all looking forward to a great time! Thanks again for all your input and great advice!!!

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