skeeter195

1- If you have a specific villa number that you want, go to the shore excursion desk or ask your concierge to arrange it for you as soon as you board. We have done this twice with no issues. 3- As far as service goes it could be hit or miss. Our lagoon experience was bad, while our 2 oceanside villas were great. We kept a standing order with the server after our first not so good experience. We asked that every 1/2 hour he bring us 4 new drinks(there were 4 of us). This worked out well for us and him as he did not have to worry about finding us and asking us if we wanted something. The one time we were in the water he brought them down to us. The $100 tip we gave him for the day was well worth it and he his appreciation made it even better. 8- In our 3 experiences there, the water in the lagoon was almost stagnant both with higher and lower water levels. The Ocean villas always had a current running through it even with the smaller opening leading to the ocean.

Thanks again for of the insight. SWF is 3 miles from my house. I will either stay over and fly out on the 14th or take a later flight on the 13th from Heathrow.

Thank you for all of the information so far. Here are the details Departing from STN-London Stansted airport @ 1135am Going to SWF-Newburgh NY This is the only flight leaving to SWF daily We will be on NCL and priority disembarkation Thanks again all

We are doing a NYC-London cruise next year. We are American citizens. Do you think an 11:35am flight from London to NY is doable with customs, driving and airport security? The ship has a 5am scheduled docking time. The flight is the only one that day going to our hometown airport. Thanks in advance

My favorites are: Apps Ocean Blue- scallop and pork belly Onda- grilled octopus Mains Le Bistro- duck Haven- pork chop La Cucina- Osso Bucco Desserts Haven- banana bonnoffee Cagneys- creme brulee Also, our last 2 cruises(Encore and Escape) the french onion soup in Le Bistro has been very disappointing. It was always a go to for us. Not anymore though. Extremely salty with very little onion and a raw wine taste both times.

There is a 3% fee unless you are at the 4th tier level or higher.

The NCL is very vague with this. I believe the JOY is the only bigger ship with these type of suites.

What are the differences in service and perks between the two of these? I know the penthouse is bigger with a bigger balcony in general. Room service, daily treats, first on and off the ship, etc? Thanks in advance

I just got off the Escape on Saturday and in some areas it in pretty rough shape. The dining room tables and chairs were in the worst shape. 3 out of 4 chairs needed replacement. Hallway rugs both in the passenger hallways and public spaces were in need of some serious cleaning. Our stateroom was actually in pretty good shape aside from a 2 inch chip taken out of the main shelf above the refrigerator and the bathroom seat needing replacement. The overall feel of the ship was average at best. The Escape had been our favorite NCL up until last week.

A couple of nerdy things about chocolate covered strawberries. 1) Once the stem is pulled or a cut is made it will leak out its juice making it a sticky mess to eat. 2) You cannot put them into the frig, the same thing will happen, it will leak juices. Once they are made they are intended to be eaten within a day.

Open for lunch on sea days then.

I would have double checked with the concierge on this, then would have gone over his head. I love kids and the things they do but the Haven sun deck is the only spot that is kid free. Sometimes I want a kid free place to have a drink and relax. There is no way that kids would have been up there if I were on the ship without showing me a change in policy.

We were on the Breakaway in the fall and in the raw bar yes it was 4 items. One item of oysters was considered 6. Same with clams. Shrimp, I am not sure how many.

Because asking an officer is not much better than asking a customer service rep or PCC. They are going to tell you what they are told to tell you, truth or not, or worse a personal opinion.

I cannot believe how many people are commenting on bringing ziplock bags to put food into for use later on. I get the frustration over no late night grab and go options but I just can't bring myself to take food away from a place in a ziplock bag. To me it would feel cheap. Yes NCL is depleting their brand quite a bit lately with these little things but we all are still paying a lot of money to go on a cruise and want a nice experience. Taking food away in a ziplock is just lowering yourself down to NCL's level, IMO. Some may disagree but I think it looks cheesy.

I carried my soft club bag on and it went through the scanners. I also checked my rigid club case with no problems at all on a different cruise. Mine was hard plastic on all sides so I felt comfortable with checking it. The soft side I was worried about a shaft snapping so that's why I carried it on.

True, but when ordering just a soda at a bar rarely does the bartender ask for your room key. I am not one to cheat the system normally but $3+ for a 8oz soda with ice is insulting to put it nicely.

The couch opens up into a double bed. We are usually 4 adults and 2 adults have never had a problem with the couch opened. We are larger than average also. Just ask the room steward to put and extra mattress or at least a double egg crate topper and she will be fine.

No problem and no fees are incurred(here in the USA anyway). I switched 2 of the 4 in our cabin in both October 2021 and December 2022. The one last month was actually 5 days before sailing.

When we travel, I am in charge of all the getting there and returning from details, no questions asked. I am a planner and my wife or travelling companions have little say. With that being said and reading this thread I am now going to write up a contract stating that if I EVER tried to fly in day of and land in the afternoon that I will be immediately removed from my planning duties. I know things are not cheap anymore flying in the day before but make the best of it and just think of it as extending the vacation.

Blackjack is OK as long as you play at tables that pay 3:2 odds for a Blackjack. The lower denomination tables will have a 6:5 payout and that just increases the house edge dramatically and will make you lose your money quicker. The best games for a beginner are baccarat and pai gow poker. Both games have small house edges and you actually hold the cards when playing which makes it fun. pai gow may seem difficult to learn but it is not. Even if you are unsure as to what to do, you can just choose your cards to be set up the house way(the dealer will set your cards according to a chart). The best thing about pai gow is that you must win both of your hands to win or lose both of your hands to lose. Most hands are win one, lose one making the game a push and you keep your bet. Your money can last for hours as it is very hard to lose 5 or more hands in a row like you can at blackjack

The day after we get home I put together a meal with the best app, entree and dessert we had on the cruise. I was a chef and enjoy trying to recreate the dishes from memory and taste(no recipes).

Is there a dinner show on the Encore? Last November the Breakaway had an 80's type dinner theatre show that was pretty good. Anything like that? Thanks

Speculation?, no. I am 99.99% positive that the Captain and crew knew what the tides would have been.

I keep hearing this tide issue. Of course the captain and crew knew exactly how high and low the tides were going to be. I think the problem here was that there was inaccurate information as to what the height of the pavement actually was from the water at the different tides. The Encore pulls in for the first time and the crew realizes there is going to be a problem but the higher ups made the call to use the bad gangway. Will this fall on the shoulders of the Captain?, probably. He may have been put into a bad situation by the NCL higher ups to use the bad gangway. Tough spot, do what your told or lose your job. The Captain does not make all of the decisions for the ship like most people think. In emergencies with time constraint, yes. Unfortunately though if a situation is going to cost a cruiseline money then that call most certainly comes from headquarters.