MMOMOM

oops meant to say 'be rude' too!;)

I love the way people see a book and can't figure out a way to overcome it. If the seat is so important to you, I'd be willing to bet that book doesn't weigh 3 tons.

That's true LrgPizza, but we also don't want to rude too! ;p

We sailed 4/1 through 4/8 and got in late last night. We drove from GA to Miami and the drive down went better than the one back, but we made it! We mostly cruise RCCI and this is only the second time we've been on NCL. Last time was the Epic and although we had a nice cruise, we weren't crazy about the ship. Very different on the Escape. She's an amazing ship. Getting on and off went smoothly and quickly. Cabins ready by about 1:30 and although we are used to something larger, it was quite comfortable. We had a mini suite mid ship. Our Cabin Attendant kept everything clean and made great towel animals. We thought the entertainment was top notch and thoroughly enjoyed everything. We saw Brat Pack and After Midnight and thought they were both excellent. We saw the Levity Comedy shows and some of the other musicians in the Headlines ... all good. Loved Andre the Cruise Director, he was hysterical. Also Jackie (can't remember his last name), but he did a lot of the shows and games in the Atrium and he was so funny as well. Great entertainment going on all the time in the Atrium too which was nice. All the Staff were helpful, friendly, professional and just generally great. We thought the food was great. We ate Breakfast and Snack/Lunch in the Buffet and dinner in the Manhattan Room and Taste. Also saw a show and had dinner in the Supper Club one night. Show was good and dinner okay, but liked the dining rooms better. We're not much for hanging out at the pool, so were a little disappointed when we thought we'd sit for a while on the really comfy looking couches for a while on the Waterfront .... people are saving those now with books, towels, etc.! So we never did get to enjoy that. My husband did the slides and said it was great. We did our own excursions and made it to the Baths in Tortola ... great time, but pretty crowded and the short time the ship was in Port really wasn't long enough to not feel rushed getting back. But, we still had a good time. Although we like a slightly more port intensive cruise with less sea days, we booked this as the deal and timing was good and we just enjoyed everything we did. All in all, it was a wonderful week ... weather was great and we both ate entirely way too much! Awesome ship and cruise.

Either way Sanger727 and Blue Water, I'm sure we'll do fine. Thanx for all your help!

Thanx Blue Water! Someone else said there was no senior discount. Good point on the cash/credit card thing, we will come prepared. We're an 'active' senior couple, do a lot of walking and hiking, etc. ... just slow getting going in the morning, but we'll try and make the 7:45a.m. for sure. Ship docks at 7 and leaves at 3 so that 12:40 ferry back is a must. Still hope to have a little time to poke around in the Village before boarding the ship tho! :)

Great video! We leave on Friday for next Saturday's sailing .... looking forward to it!

Great, thanx Sanger727! Appreciate all the help. Looking forward to this, sounds like a fun time and an amazing ship!

Thanx Sanger727 and Blue Water, appreciate the info. We don't care about the lunch and will certainly do our best on that 7:45a.m. ferry! Also, is this all cash or does Speedy take credit cards .... wondering what to take. Thanx!

NCL has their own boat... they do not use Speedy's ferry. By the way Speedy's fare includes the taxi transportation in Virgin Gorda.... just like NCL. Speedy has a senior discount for 65 and over.

 

 

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Hi Cruising ... our happy place! Gonna try this again, was unable to quote or post yesterday on this thread. I'm looking for info on this. Online has info, but dated. I read Speedy's round trip pp was $30 and cab roughly $4 pp each way. We are seniors so interested in discount and also a combo fare to include cab, if there is one. Is all this cash only or does Speedy's take credit cards? Also read to catch 7:45a.m. ferry and 12:40p.m. back. If we miss 7:45 and catch the next one, how often do they run and will we still have time to enjoy the Baths and get back in time for the 12:40? Thanx .. hope this posts!

Kaultra, thank you! I won't bother with it then, I'll just get the wifi at Port .... someone said Tortola at the Baths works and I think St. Thomas? Any other ports?

Cruise Critics 3/5/17 (you need to pay for streaming service):

 

(4:20 a.m. EST) -- Passengers sailing on Norwegian Escape and Norwegian Getaway now have the option to purchase internet based on how they use it versus prepaid minutes.

Norwegian Cruise Line is testing a new internet pricing model that could be rolled out fleetwide by this summer. Dubbed "Freestyle Choice Plans," the options include Social Chat ($35 for seven days), Basic ($189 for seven days) and Premium ($245 for seven days).

Social Chat provides unlimited access to social media channels such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat; it also allows for sending and receiving messages. Basic offers unlimited Internet access as well as messaging and email, and supports file attachments. Premium includes everything in Basic, plus streaming capabilities and VPN access.

The line has previously offered more traditional internet plans ranging from $29 per day to 250 minutes for $125, on weeklong cruises. Last summer, however, Norwegian Cruise Line Holdings Ltd. sealed a deal with Global Eagle Entertainment (formerly Emerging Markets Communications) to quadruple bandwidth across its brands for stronger Wi-Fi onboard.

Norwegian's new test follows a trend of cruise lines switching to Internet plans that are more tailored toward how passengers surf the web at sea. Carnival Cruise Line recently adopted a similar model that includes a social media-only plan for $5 per day.

Thanx for info. Interested in the Social Chat to post pics on FB and texting for $35 for 7 days. Would this be available on Escape sailing 4/1? If so, do you get it ahead or onboard?

I've been having a terrible time trying to post so this is my last attempt ... think it might be the 'preview' which only shows half the post, so I'm just going to post this. Here goes. My husband and I will be on the Escape first week in April and want to do the Baths on our own. I've read all the posts here and it sounds amazing. But, I also like to confirm things. I've looked online and although there is a lot of information, it's pretty dated. So, I've read to catch the 7:45 a.m. Ferry (Speedy's) and the walk to there from the ship is about 10

Speedy's ferry is the only ferry that will work for your time in port. If you take just a moment to read a few of the other threads just below yours you'll find tons of details on this. Just walk 15 min to the ferry terminal in time for the 7:45 ferry. 30 minute ferry to Virgin Gorda marina near Spanishtown, taxis are lined up for the 5

No, I can't think of anything that I am missing from when I started taking cruises 20 years ago.

 

When was internet ever free on a ship? One of the best things about a cruise is that my work email doesn't come through on my phone. Being able to completely disconnect is priceless.

 

Room Service breakfast is still free, which is enough for me. A simple tag on the door at night ensures I have coffee, fruit, and pastries in bed or on the balcony each morning.

 

Lobster isn't anything I would purchase in a restaurant and I don't expect it on a cruise ship. It is much cheaper and easier to steam up some lobster at home.

I agree with you. Only once on RCI after boarding when they offered a great deal combined with our Diamond sailing status did we take them up on the internet. It was nice because we were in the Mediterranean and I could post some neat things, but otherwise, who needs it? Our favorite thing is coffee, fruit and maybe some pastry/muffin/toast etc. out on the balcony in the morning before we shower and head out, so we've got that. And, never really liked Caribbean Lobster anyway! So, we're good with what we have.

We also book mostly based on price and destinations. But, we've also noticed that since all these 'free' drink, dining, gratuity and internet included deals, that the overall prices of the cruise seems to have risen some .... just not that many really good deals out there. You can find them, but not as plentiful, IMO .... this next cruise was one of those good ones thought, and we'll get the breakfast room service, do without internet and be perfectly fine eating in the dining room and buffet! You're on a cruise .... what can be bad?!! LOL!!;)

Nope .... just tried again thinking 3rd time the charm, but nothing. Oh, well, can't be bothered again .... it's a quiet roll call anyway. Thanx for all the input though everyone.

It happens periodically, happened to me last week after the switch to the new system, just use the persons name/ID and make your post without the quote.

thanx, I'll try it.

Someone had the same problem a day or two ago. Seems like it just took a while to post. You may want to report the issue to the Mods.[/quot

e]

 

Thanx, just hoping it doesn't come out as a duplicate.

On the Escape in April. Just posted and quoted previous question and nothing happened. Tried again and still nothing .... anyone else having that problem?

We've been to St. Thomas and St. John a few times on cruises, but not for a few years. We LOVE St. John!! Yes, you have to take the cab to Red Hook for the Ferry and another cab to the beach, but it is SO worth it!! Plus .... it's all 'part of the journey'. We go to Cinnamon Beach ... it's so beautiful! We're sailing the Escape in April and that's our plan for the stop in St. Thomas and can't wait! Highly recommend giving it a try. Enjoy! ;)

Thanx John! I just went to Google and looks like it is one of those numbers. While the comments don't say officially if it's a scam or not, it's one of those they suggest 'just don't answer'. We usually don't anyway, figure if it's important they will leave a message. It's just the first time it's been called on the home land line and immediately called again to my cell. Pretty annoying! But, I'm happy .... got my Cabin Assignment and Documents printed. Upgrades are nice (I guess, never got one!) but I'm very satisfied with Deck 9 Mid Ship Mini Suite! :) Sounds like an amazing ship and we are really looking forward to it! :)

Very happy to see that Documents appeared this morning on website and also our Cabin Assignment! On Deck 9, mid ship mini-suite. So, again 'no upgrade' for GTY .... but we're happy! Maybe one day, LOL!! I did get a call yesterday afternoon from an 888 number and after the house phone, they called my cell. We get so many sales calls, we don't answer and no message was left. What is the area code if they call? Course even if it was from Norwegian, I'm sure it was for an 'upsell' and the name of this Cruise is 'keep the cost down'!! LOL!! Really looking forward to this trip! :)

Thanx NancyW12 and happyscmom! Appreciate the replies. So happyscmom got a spa suite, huh?!! Good for you ... never had one of those, how was it? I'm not too concerned as I've heard that sometimes you don't get assigned till really late. Just so happens that the times I have booked a GTY I did get assigned pretty soon after I booked. Someone told me the later the better for a chance at an upgrade. Never got an upgrade, just the JS on RCI and a Regular Suite on the others .... so who knows, maybe this is our lucky time!! LOL! ;) Doesn't matter as long as we get assigned a Mini Suite. Before I booked I did an online chat with ncl asking about gtys and obstructed views, but she told me there are none, so I went ahead, took her word for it and did it. Here's hoping she was right! We are excited about this trip and getting as much done as we can as soon as we can! Thanx again for your response. BTW, people here on the Norwegian Board are very nice! :)

Thanx CarolSS! On the second link you posted, I scrolled down and there are a couple there very reasonably priced that will fit Iphone6 plus, credit card, cash and passport that can be strapped across the chest or wherever. Think that will work. Appreciate your feedback and will be ordering later today! :)

Nancy is right. I was a bit nervous as well, and at the 30 mark the "e-docs" tab appeared.

You will have an awesome cruise. NCL does a great job!👍

Thanx Nancy! Have you cruised NCL a lot? We have cruised many other lines, but only once before on NCL and we didn't do a GTY that time, plus it was further out. I don't remember when we got the docs available. That was on the Epic. We weren't crazy about the ship, but other than that had a very nice time ... no complaints on NCL. So, I think I'm pretty much all set ... paid in full, gratuity also paid, online check in done and booked a couple of shows. Just have to wait for cabin assignment and docs. We passed on the drink package and figure we'll play Specialty dining by ear. We've always been fine with the Complimentary dining. Someone in one thread did say that sometimes there is a complimentary show at the Supper Club, but have to wait till boarding to book, so I'll be aware of that and check on it when we board. I've heard so many great things about the Escape and we're really looking forward to this trip! Appreciate your response ... thanx again! :)

no e-docs until 30 days before departure. Then the button will appear.

Thanx for the response ... okay, that makes sense. The ncl site was a little 'touchy' so just wanted to make sure. Thanx again!