TonyFred

Cagney's for 2 dinners and Teppanyaki for 1. Cagneys is my favorite restaurant of all the ships I have been on.

Be wary of the aft balconies directly under Spice H2O. You wont be sleeping much.

Thanks for the heads up, this would be my first Norwegian cruise so I am trying to get all of my questions out of the way early.

 

Thanks!

Even though a lot of folks fuss about the 18% add-on, I think it is still a great deal. I drink moderately and get my money's worth. I have friends I go with who make out like a bandit. Morning, noon and night.

But the deal is attractive enough that this will be my 3rd NCL cruise in a row. It swayed me away from RCCL. The UDP is also a factor as I could eat in Cagneys every night.

Oh, and it is so nice to not have to sign a piece of paper for every darn drink!

They do offer samplers but they are not covered under the UBP. They run about 8 bucks or so for 6 samples. Individual brews are covered though.

Out of all the places I have been while cruising, Jost Van Dyke is my favorite spot. So very beautiful and unspoiled. I have been twice and would jump to go again.

No real problem getting off the Rebel Yell as others have said. The crew will make sure you get safely onshore.

Best excursion ever! Enjoy!

The internet on NCL is still not up to par. I would not want to count on it if there are time sensitive matters involved. My experience on the Getaway in 2015 was not great internet wise. There were times you could get a decent signal and other times that you couldnt connect at all. We departed on a Saturday and I dont believe anyone could connect until later on Sunday...afternoon time. They did deduct a day's charge from my bill.

Good luck.

I vote Escape. Wonderful ship and itinerary. Got her booked again.

Thanks for a balanced account of the situation. Glad to hear that the folks on the ship tried to make it right.

As you can see from all of the replies, noone really knows what the heck is going on. I just buy a few bottles of water and sodas out of the machine at the port (Miami), pop em in my carry on and wa-la, I have what I need. You dont go through any other security checks at that point.

Of course distilled water for medical reasons is another thing.

Sorry for your frustration at the port. I can sure understand.

I'm in the early planning stages of deciding which restaurants and entertainment to book when I get to the 90-day mark for our Breakaway cruise. On one night, we are going to try to do specialty dining and a show. Which would be the shortest dining option (time-wise), Cagney's or Moderno?

I think they would be close to the same time wise. I was very happy with the serving time in Cagneys last month. We went twice and it never took more than maybe an hour. Having said that, we are pretty quick eaters and I think the servers adjust to your style.

For me, I want off the ship early. I tried to hang around a time or two on the last day, but it is very depressing to just sit in a public area and watch the crowd slowly dwindle. There really isnt anything else to do. Personally I would rather people watch at the airport than watch the crew vacuuming and scrambling to get the ship ready for the next group of passengers.

But again that is just me.

Great reviews. I got off the Escape in November and immediately booked again for next October, right down to the same cabin. We had a fantastic time and your reviews are bringing a lot of it back to me. I sprang for the Spa pass (first time) and absolutely loved it. Used a LOT more than I ever thought I would. Such great views!!!

I know you are going to hate walking off of her Saturday.

I love the Escape!

Alaska is everything that it is cracked up to be. Most spectacular scenery I have ever had the pleasure to view. Been twice, will go again.

ENJOY!

The Intercontinental Hotel has a very nice restaurant on the water called Oceanwater. Very good food and service and not formal at all. We really liked it. You can see the ships while you eat.

Over 1500 Spirit reviews here

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=299

I travel with my best buddy. Normally when we board we have to ask for the beds to be separated. Last month on the Escape they were separated when we arrived.

Beer, Crown Royal and an occasional Painkiller here. On a good night throw in a couple of Takillya shots.

I thought the Painkillers were good on the Escape even though they were premade.

The more I look at the O'Sheehan's menu, and the fact that it's 24 hours, the more I'm excited about the late night (or even anytime) food options on the Escape. That menu has stuff that everyone in our group of 7 would easily enjoy anytime.

 

How crowded does O'Sheehan's get for lunch or say, after 9pm in the evening? How do you order the food (do they have waiters at the tables or do you need to order at the bar?) and how long does it take to get the food?

 

Thanks.

 

Dan

There is a check in stand there. You can then tell them where you want to sit. There are a couple of bars, regular tables and the Atrium overlook area. They will give you menus and give you a minute to decide. Once they took the order it was pretty quick for the food to arrive. It is quite busy in the evenings as there is a lot going on in that area. But we never once had to wait to be seated. It is a central gathering place so even though it is busy, there is a very good vibe going on. I think you will really enjoy it.

Been on both, really liked both. The Escape won as she has the District Brew House and Food Republic. Booked her again right after we got home.

The Star and the Getaway had the casino snacks in the past year. I think they do it all the time.

Probably so. Either I happened to miss them on the Escape or I hit a week that they decided to tighten the purse strings a bit.

I just looked at the O'Sheehan's menu and Wow, yeah, that is a great menu. Right up my alley!

 

It still only leaves the buffet and O'Sheehans though.

 

Dan

True but I didnt find it a big problem and I am a late eater. Although there is a charge for room service, the menu is better than most lines offer. However to be honest the actual food you get is so so at best.

OSheehans worked great for my needs. Central location right by the casino, quite a varied menu. I found the darn wings addictive! Very good and crispy! After about 11 the crowd dies down and it was quick and easy to grab something. You can also sit overlooking the atrium while eating. I really liked that too. Probably the best late night food I have had on 13 cruises. Desserts there are nice too but I only tried a couple of things. I was usually trying to soak up some of the alcohol. The UBP is GREAT! No signing, no receipt. Quick and simple like it should be.

Thank you.

 

So am I correct that the only casual complimentary late night food options (besides room service) around the ship are the buffet and O'Sheehan's?

 

Dang, and I thought Royal was limited.

 

Does the buffet close? How late is the dining room open?

 

Dan

Have to disagree. I love Royal Ships but the Promenade Cafe and Sorrentos Pizza just cant compare to OSheehans in my opinion. Much better selection there. Not sure how late the dining rooms are open. But the buffet has late night snacks until much later than the buffet serves on Royal. I walked through once around 11 pm and there was quite a nice selection.

One option for small snacks is the casino. They will set up a snack station at night. When we were on the Escape in February, it was on the starboard side in a corner near the chandelier. They usually had veggies and dip, cheese and one hot thing (wings or the like). There is no place to sit, but if you want to grab somethings quick and small, this is an option.

 

I'm not sure what time they set up, but we would usually be in that area sometime between 10:30 and 1:00.

Never saw this happen on our Escape cruise last month. I know where you are talking about and I was in the casino pretty late every night. Never saw anything set up there. Probably another cutback.

Luckily the wings at OSheehans made up for it! YUM!

The Australian double cut pork chop in Cagneys was amazing. Full of flavor yet very tender. The shrimp cocktail there is one of my favorite things ever!

In agreement with others, the SPA is well worth it on the Escape. I will definitely book it again next year. I used it a lot more than I expected to and it made the whole cruise a much better experience.

I would bring my nice clothes etc and leave them in the locker. Afterwards, I would use the showers in the locker room, They are huge and wonderful and have shampoo and gel. I would get dressed for the evening there, drop my bag back off at the room and be ready to go. Loved it!