New to NCL, info needed

[loudoncruiser]

We cruise mostly on Celebrity but just booked the Escape to Bermuda.   We booked an accessible forward penthouse cabin.  If anyone has been in this cabin or similar in this location can you tell me if there's a lot of movement sailing to Bermuda.  How does this cabin compare to a sky suite  on Celebrity?   Is the Haven as nice as the suite only areas on the revolutionized ships?  How is the Haven restaurant and when can you book the specialty restaurants?   Is the ship handicapped friendly?   Any other helpful info appreciated! 

[bmwman]

Depends on the weather but it will move if the wind is up 

 

Been on Escape twice and Haven is lovely but what is a revolutionilized ship!! I have said i do not think it worth the money but others disagree personal choice. The restaurant is good but boring food wise and you do not need to  worry about speciality restaurants the Concierge will get you whatever you want.

 

We loved NCL but expect to savour the delights of HAL from now on. A

 

It is handicap friendly but just do not expect UK standards of mobility help.

Edited September 2, 2019 by bmwman

[BirdTravels]

Not sure exactly what cabin class you are describing. This was our Haven Courtyard Penthouse (H5) accessible room on the Escape. With regard to the movement, it will all depend on the weather. You are high up on the front of the ship, so there will be a little movement, even in slight seas. 

 

 

Edited September 2, 2019 by BirdTravels

[aero777]

46 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Not sure exactly what cabin class you are describing. This was our Haven Courtyard Penthouse (H5) accessible room on the Escape. With regard to the movement, it will all depend on the weather. You are high up on the front of the ship, so there will be a little movement, even in slight seas. 

 

 

I think they’re talking about the accessible H7 on deck 13.

Edited September 2, 2019 by aero777

[loudoncruiser]

2 hours ago, bmwman said:

Depends on the weather but it will move if the wind is up 

 

Been on Escape twice and Haven is lovely but what is a revolutionilized ship!! I have said i do not think it worth the money but others disagree personal choice. The restaurant is good but boring food wise and you do not need to  worry about speciality restaurants the Concierge will get you whatever you want.

 

We loved NCL but expect to savour the delights of HAL from now on. A

 

It is handicap friendly but just do not expect UK standards of mobility help.

What do you mean about the concierge will get you whatever you want?   Does that mean items from the specialty restaurants can be ordered in the Haven restaurant? 

[loudoncruiser]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Not sure exactly what cabin class you are describing. This was our Haven Courtyard Penthouse (H5) accessible room on the Escape. With regard to the movement, it will all depend on the weather. You are high up on the front of the ship, so there will be a little movement, even in slight seas. 

 

 

Love the pictures but ours is an H7 so I'm sure not as nice.

[loudoncruiser]

Is it necessary to reserve seats for shows instead of just showing up?  If just show uo how early do you need to be?

[Harratine]

2 minutes ago, loudoncruiser said:

Love the pictures but ours is an H7 so I'm sure not as nice.

This is pretty typical of the level of finish for the Haven, layout will probably be different though.  Enjoy your cruise and the H7 canin

[4774Papa]

We have never done a suite on NCL, usually do a balcony.  We did one Celebrity cruise in a Skysuite (upgraded).

 

We prefer Celebrity because its dining and service is superior.

NCL has great entertainment.

 

We like the Elite benefits which include a free happy hour in the late afternoon.  Platinum benefits on NCL don't include that but do include two specialty dining (free meals) with a bottle of wine in one.

 

We don't like drink packages and don't like NCL's 20% gratuity on the ridiculous value of $99 pp (when  you select the drink package as a perk).  On NCL, we don't pick the drink package, but bring our own wine and pay the $15 per bottle corkage.

[HuliHuli]

35 minutes ago, loudoncruiser said:

Is it necessary to reserve seats for shows instead of just showing up?  If just show uo how early do you need to be?

The Concierge in The Haven will be happy to book your shows.

[bmwman]

40 minutes ago, loudoncruiser said:

What do you mean about the concierge will get you whatever you want?   Does that mean items from the specialty restaurants can be ordered in the Haven restaurant? 

Not really it just depends on the crew.

 

We have had over the years one extreme to the other. However the generality is no you can not get from other restaurants

[bmwman]

2 minutes ago, HuliHuli said:

The Concierge in The Haven will be happy to book your shows.

That's what I said?

[dporter]

We were just in a suite on revolutionized Celebrity Millennium in June 2019 and we have done 2 Haven trips with NCL.  

 

Your experience will likely depend on the other passengers also onboard.  We found the service on both ships to be fantastic.

 

These things are more similar than different from my point of view, however our Haven experience was on a Jewel class ship which is smaller than the Escape and had less people that could take advantage of the Haven areas.  Onboard both the Millennium and the Jade, we often found enjoying the suite/Haven areas, we were often by ourselves; it was almost like having a private retreat.  All employees were friendly and very accommodating to any requests that we had on both ships.

 

One difference that we noticed with Celebrity was the visibility of the officers onboard and that they pitched in wherever needed.  They also were genuinely interested in hearing your opinions on what they are doing well and how they can improve, we appreciated the pride that they showed!

 

On NCL we were able to book speciality restaurants around 60 days from sailing.  We didn't eat in speciality restaurants on Celebrity.

 

9 hours ago, loudoncruiser said:

We cruise mostly on Celebrity but just booked the Escape to Bermuda.   We booked an accessible forward penthouse cabin.  If anyone has been in this cabin or similar in this location can you tell me if there's a lot of movement sailing to Bermuda.  How does this cabin compare to a sky suite  on Celebrity?   Is the Haven as nice as the suite only areas on the revolutionized ships?  How is the Haven restaurant and when can you book the specialty restaurants?   Is the ship handicapped friendly?   Any other helpful info appreciated! 

 

[saretaj]

Just off the Gem last week - we were in a penthouse suite right at the front of the ship (NOT Haven).  You can definitely feel every movement - my 6 year old slept better than at home!  But I woke up multiple times at night.  I / we never got sick but it was a weird feeling, and some days hard to keep your balance in the shower!  Here's a pic from our balcony:

[loudoncruiser]

Thanks for all the information.   Sounds like something for motion sickness may be needed.  Saretaj, that balcony is amazing.   From what I can tell ours will be very tiny.

[davy jones]

We have sailed from NYC to Bermuda many times and have encountered every condition from smooth as glass to sailing through a hurricane.  Bermuda cruises are typically from May to October and can be impacted by tropical systems that come up the east coast.  

 

We avoid forward cabins because we seem to feel more ship motion in forward cabins than aft or mid ship cabins.   

[loudoncruiser]

34 minutes ago, davy jones said:

We have sailed from NYC to Bermuda many Mtimes and have encountered every condition from smooth as glass to sailing through a hurricane.  Bermuda cruises are typically from May to October and can be impacted by tropical systems that come up the east coast.  

 

We avoid forward cabins because we seem to feel more ship motion in forward cabins than aft or mid ship cabins.   

I usually avoid them too but  needed it for the handicapped accessible Haven cabin.  I was afraid the crowds in the rest of the ship would be a problem on a mobility scooter and the Haven area sounded like a better option. 

[BirdTravels]

17 hours ago, loudoncruiser said:

Love the pictures but ours is an H7 so I'm sure not as nice.

The H7s are usually [a lot] larger rooms than the H5s. We have sailed in H7s a couple of times, but not in an accessible room. The actual interior furnishing will be very similar. 

 

You can order food from any restaurant on the ship and have it served in your stateroom by your butler. You still either use your Specialty Dining Package or pay a la carte. On port days, we order breakfast in our state room. There are breakfast cards with check boxes. Ignore the check boxes and order whatever you want from the Haven or main dining rooms (fried eggs, omelets, filet steak, bacon, ham, sausage, fresh fruit, breads, hash browns, breakfast potatoes, juice and a Diet Pepsi on a white table cloth. 

 

Your butler brings snacks every afternoon. Ask if there is something special you want. We always have bows of gummy bears, M&Ms and bar mix out. Even us “big kids” will ask for a PB&J sandwich snack once and awhile (before it was kid’s food,,, now it is more decadent since it breaks all of the doctor’s rules) 🙂.  

 

You still need reservations for shows and specialty dining. The concierge desk is staffed during the day to assist you. Book early, once a restaurant is totally sold out, even the concierge can’t get you a table. 

 

We we have not sailed in a sky suite on Celebrity. We were in a Grand Suite on the RCCL Harmony a few months ago. We preferred the room on the Harmony (NCL rooms are a bit small) but greatly prefer the service on NCL. 

 

We have been in a H7 during bad weather and there was movement. What we noticed more, was the sound of waves crashing on the bow. Not loud, but noticeable. We had no problem with it. 

 

 

Edited September 3, 2019 by BirdTravels

[loudoncruiser]

Will the specialty restaurants and shows still have availability w9hen we board or is there a way to do it now.  Our sail date is Oct 20.  Love those food pictures! 

[BirdTravels]

12 minutes ago, loudoncruiser said:

Will the specialty restaurants and shows still have availability w9hen we board or is there a way to do it now.  Our sail date is Oct 20.  Love those food pictures! 

You can try logging on to your MyNCL account and book online. Reservations opened 130 days prior to departure, so some times will be sold out. 

 

50 days prior to departure, you will get a snail mail letter and luggage tags the letter has the phone number for the pre-cruise concierge. Some folks have good luck with them. We just prefer to build a rapport with our real concierge and butler when we board. 

 

On embarkation day, you will be escorted to the Havens lounge for a orientation by the Concierge. There is a Concierge desk that can help you with all reservations. But do it on embarkation day. 

 

Things to reserve are the two main theater shows (Choir of Man and After Midnight), comedy shows (early shows are family oriented, late shows are 18+), Escape Rooms (puzzle solving), Canvas by U (pairing class, extra charge), dinner shows in the Supper Club (most complimentary, one extra charge), Wine Lovers the Musical (comedy lunch with a wine tasting, extra charge). 

 

Btw: since the Haven Restaurant menu does not change, we go there once or twice for dinner. And spend the rest of the meals exploring different restaurants on the ship. 

 

The following link is to my Escape live post from April with more pictures. Note that restaurant menus have been updated fleetwide since this cruise. 

 

[prwardii]

11 minutes ago, loudoncruiser said:

Will the specialty restaurants and shows still have availability w9hen we board or is there a way to do it now.  Our sail date is Oct 20.  Love those food pictures! 

 

The online booking for the specialty restaurants and shows are most likely sold out at this point. But, you shouldn't have any problems booking what you want - I would do it in the Haven as soon as you can (first afternoon).

 

The online booking process doesn't book 100% of availability - there is always room to book on the ship... but those dates and times will sell out quick.

 

Have a great cruise! The Haven is wonderful!

[loudoncruiser]

Great news.  I'll book as soon as we board.  Thanks! 

[margoula]

19 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Not sure exactly what cabin class you are describing. This was our Haven Courtyard Penthouse (H5) accessible room on the Escape. With regard to the movement, it will all depend on the weather. You are high up on the front of the ship, so there will be a little movement, even in slight seas. 

 

 

Can you tell me what cabin number this was. Thank you.

[billslowsky]

9 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Things to reserve are the two main theater shows (Choir of Man and After Midnight), comedy shows (early shows are family oriented, late shows are 18+), Escape Rooms (puzzle solving), Canvas by U (pairing class, extra charge), dinner shows in the Supper Club (most complimentary, one extra charge), Wine Lovers the Musical (comedy lunch with a wine tasting, extra charge). 

 

On my July trip, shows in the main theater took walk-ups and were not filled to capacity.  Arrive early to Choir of Man to get onstage and get free beer.  Escape room games are filled completely and prepare to value teenagers; they tend to think way outside the box which is very helpful (none of the ten teams in my game were successful).  Comedy shows fill up and early ones have a lot of kids.  Sometimes the late ones too.  

[saretaj]

14 hours ago, loudoncruiser said:

Thanks for all the information.   Sounds like something for motion sickness may be needed.  Saretaj, that balcony is amazing.   From what I can tell ours will be very tiny.

Yes it was amazing and HUGE!  What I didn't know before sailing is that we could only access it (the balcony) during port days.  They have some kind of steel barricade with multiple locks that they secure during sailing.  It is obvious, looking back, we wouldn't be able to sit there while the ship was sailing but I wish I knew it beforehand.  Still had a great time!