JandC_Cruising

We've enjoyed each of our cruises on the Escape. The lack of an OL is not really a big deal in warm weather, "non-scenic" cruises, in our opinion. Additionally, compared to the Joy, it has a Thermal Spa. For us, that is a great trade. We love the thermal spas and will spend time there every day, while the OL is only a couple of visits per cruise (again if "non-scenic" cruise) The Escape has one of our favorite quick-bite specialty restaurants "Pinchos", which is only on that ship. Another favorite of ours on every ship is Le Bistro, and honestly, I like the location and feel of that venue on the Escape. It is down on deck 6 and actually looks and feels like a real Bistro. The Encore and Joy venues don't have that character. On the downside (i guess) is that we also get Vibe passes and the Escape Vibe area is 1/2 the size of the Joy and the Encore Vibe is even bigger. It is only on one side and if that is the windy side, you are out of luck. That said, smaller venue=fewer passes, so it may be a wash.

The Cap'n was on the Joy last month...."Morgan", not "Crunch"

The "Specialty Dining Upgrade" is only to add 2 more meals to passengers 1&2. You sister would need to purchase a 2-meal package for herself. We've done this when our kids were traveling with us in the same cabin. Teppanyaki and Moderno are both "fixed price" meals. ($59 for each - I think) You may use a specialty credit or pay the flat fee (plus 20% gratuity) for either. La Cucina and Cagney's are both A la Carte (if not using a specialty credit).

I've seen that before and I've also seen a "spa" sticker on the back of some.

If you "buy" a pass (as opposed to getting a spa grade stateroom) they will put a sticker on your key-card. I think even if you pre-pay, you still need to get that sticker the first time you go to the spa. If you have spa stateroom, it will already say it on your key-card. Each time you go to the spa, you will check-in with the front desk. They will ask you if you need a locker or not and then take your key-card. They keep that at the front desk while you are at the spa. They will let you into the Thermal Suite area and you are then free to enjoy the spa! Just don't forget to pick-up your key-card before heading back to your stateroom. We've been so relaxed after some visits, we've forgotten 😆

Bird, thanks for the great review as always...Glad you had a wonderful cruise. We've not been lucky enough to cruise during one of these "meet the winemaker" cruises, but it looks great. Was this a separate cover? Could you use a specialty dining credit? Or perhaps was it discounted 20% or 40% depending upon bev package? Thx!

Totally Agree....If memory serves (been 4 yrs since in the Escape Thermal Spa) the Encore is bigger and has more loungers (both heated and cushioned). I try the heated one's ever time and I guess my 56yo body doesn't bend the way those are designed, so I'm always uncomfortable. But I love the cushioned ones along the starboard of the Encore. Great views and quiet! Perfect way to relax and read out of the sun each day.

Yes! We prefer the one on the Encore over the Escape in the Aft, but both have big picture windows to see the scenes passing by.

Both ships are wonderful, in our opinion. And, they are very similar in the basics. Here are some differences that could move you to decide one vs. the other. 1. The Encore's main "attraction" is the speedway while the Escape's is a Ropes Course. Both are fun but the speedway is more enjoyable (although comes with a cost) 2. The Encore has a "Galaxy Pavilion" for VR games, Escape does not. 3. Encore has an Observation Lounge, Escape does not 4. Slight differences in Food options; Escape has "Pinchos Tapas", Encore has "Los Lobos Mexican" 5. Both have a Thermal Suite (which are great); Encore's in Aft, Escape is Forward. 6. Escape has Spice H2O in aft (18yo+); Encore does not have this 7. Both have a Vibe Beach Club (18+); Encore's is more than 2x the size of Escape's. 8. Encore has a Cavern Club (Showing Beatles Cover Band); Escape does not have this 9. Escape has "Howl at the Moon" Dueling piano shows; Encore does not have this

Glasses of wine (and other beverages) over the $15 limit are charged the difference, plus 20% gratuity. So...a $20 glass of wine will cost you $6 ($5 overage + $1 Gratuity). With the Premium Plus Package, that $20 glass is free.

Ugh....That is not fun. here is the flight assistance hotline information.

On the Encore in January and the Joy in March we had identical experiences with P+ uprade 1. We could get a bottle of wine (1 per person with the P+ package) at dinner. However, our selections were limited to those wines that were already offered by the glass...If the the bottle was not sold by the glass the bottle was 40% discount. (Last year, there were at least a dozen varied bottles that were available on P+ package that were not served by the glass) 2. We had full choice of most all spirits at the bars we frequented. Most often Maltings where we drink our fair share of Whistle Pig, Macallens, and other premium bourbons, rye's and whiskies...Bartenders at Maltings on Joy a few weeks ago would surprise us with Old Fashions using a variety of bourbons and ryes....never charged a bit. 3. Bottles of Vueve at Ocean Blue and Le Bistro...Interesting story was that we went to Le Bistro the last night on the Joy and they "claimed" they were out of Vueve..I asked for Moet instead and they said it would be charged at 40% off, but I could get a bottle of Prosecco for free (Yuk) So, I very nicely stated that the comparable replacement (Moet) should be provided for free. 5 minutes later, the wine steward appeared with an elusive bottle of Vueve! The red I selected for dinner that night was also out, but that time the steward came back with three different reds (all at least $90 on the menu and not avail by glass) for us to choose from for free! Lesson: Be polite and respectful and generally all will work out very well 🍾 Like most we also could not bring "unfinished bottles" back to the cabin. They would gladly pour the remaining into a glass for you, but you could not walk away with the bottle. They do let you walk away with the bottles of Aqua Pana ... in fact, most of our servers would bring an extra bottle toward the end of dinner for us knowing that we would like to leave with it...

Found this photo on my phone...From Pinchos back in December 2021. Meats and cheese plates....

Just off the Joy in a standard Balcony cabin: 1. There are US and European outlets by the desk/vanity in the room. Lamps on both sides of the bed have USB ports to charge....don't recall the bathroom. 2. No bar soap...liquid soap dispenser by the sinks and Body Wash, Shampoo, and Conditioner dispensers in the shower. 3. Cigar lounge on Deck 8 Port side.

Pinchos Tapas Bar on the Escape....it is one of our favorites and love having lunch there on sea days!

We just booked this itinerary for the Prima in July 2025 and decided to pick a Spa Cabin specifically for access. Like mentioned above, even on port intensive cruises, we also always find 2 hrs or so to enjoy the spa...It is a great place to decompress after an excursion day. Also note that depending upon which inner Fjord towns the ship visits, the spa is a great place to sit on a lounger and watch the scenery pass by. Enjoy!

The $50 Shore Excursion Credit is only for passenger 1 on your booking. It is valid for every excursion passenger 1 is signed up for. So, your kids (since they are likely not passenger 1 on your booking) do not get $50 discount. Only one person gets the discount. However, you can do multiple excursions in a day and get $50 off each. Since you are there multiple days, you can do that each day your are there.

If you pre-book your excursions, your cc will be charged immediately. I don't think you can "reserve" an excursion spot without pre-paying any longer. Pre-pandemic you could by calling NCL rather than booking online, but no longer (please correct me if I'm wrong). When you pre-book and pay, they will apply any Shore Excursion credits and Lattitude discounts to reduce the overall cost.

The "actual" charge will not post to your credit card until disembarkation day. Very similar to a hotel on check-out day. For OBC's, the value will get auto applied as you accrue charges, as long as the OBC may be used for that charge. For example, if you have $100 OBC and you get a $150 spa service on day 1, you on-board account will show the spa service charges less the OBC. You really don't "choose" what charge this OBC gets applied to.

I can only tell you my experience and we were successful in only upgrading two of us. We travelled on the Joy in June of last year. We had our two adult children and one of their girlfriends in a 2BR.. All are over 21 yo and when we booked, we all had the standard drink package with the Free at Sea. Several weeks prior to the cruise I called NCL and successfully upgraded DW and myself. The adult children did not have to upgrade. When we dined together, we all shared the bottles of wine and bottles of Aqua Pana at each meal. My advise is to call and ask for just you and husband to be upgraded.

Time Change notices have been indicated on our Dailies for every cruise we've been on with a change.

We had this exact thing happen before....I made a call to NCL and they "reset" something so that the correct information was then transferred to Plus Grade (the company that runs the upgrade system). Either later that day or the next, we had a new upgrade screen with the revised cabin number.

The Encore has 4 cabanas on the port side, and I recall those being 2-person padded loungers....There is also 1 covered cushioned love-seat on starboard side.

This is probably my only complaint from the Encore Vibe. I will admit they were not as uncomfortable as I expected, but the padded loungers in the other Vibe's are superior. One thing to note though, is that the Encore Vibe has a second level with several two person day bed loungers that are padded.

LOL! @BirdTravels is a much faster typist than I am! I was about to respond with virtually the same email and link 🤣