cruiseguys2009

Our First Night "On The Town", in this case, The Casino!

So here Jerome and I were, stuffed from the marvelous first dinner we truly enjoyed at Taste, (could not believe it was actually complimentary as the food was awesome!) so we moseyed up to The Casino and boy was it packed. Wall to wall ladies everywhere! The sounds........."Ding!" "Ding!" "Ding!" of the machines paying out. The lights! The machines! "Oh Look Jerome!" I exclaimed, "The Wizard of Oz!" "OH and Lookie!" I continued, just about to Tinkle "Willie Wonka, (not the Johnny Depp Willie Wonka, but the original Gene Wilder Willie Wonka). What I am saying......"I can't wait!" "This is sooooooo exciting!" Jerome is thinking "Oh great, I can't wait to part with all my money!" I say to the Casino God's with my arms outstretched: "Take me, Oh Gawd of the Magnificent Electronic Jungle of Fabulous Machines, I am Yours!" Jerome just shakes his head saying "Oh Lord".

Over on the tables, we see a whole group of Japanese players, and "They Play", it's scary. The amount of money those guys lose in a round is mind boggling. They just smile when they lose and say "Sankuberrymush" to the dealer, then place another whopping bet. Whew! Watching them is exhausting and I feel like I am in church near their table as no one utters a word while the cards are being dealt. Just a couple of Japanese phrases and laughs here and there. These guys are serious.

Then there are the Craps tables. "Hooray!", "Yeah!", Yes!", then the occasional "Shyte!" (It's a G rated review, can't say it) and a whole lot of other "Forbidden Four Letter Words". When they win they all shout, when they lose they shout louder. Craps, to me, is scarier than the Japanese Card Men. It's even scarier with a die hard Gal, or Gals, up there with all the Men's! I call that a Potty Mouth Delight!

Well, I guess I am a little different when it comes to Slot Machines. My formula is simple. I sit at a machine, I put my Casino Card in the slot, I put money in, I order a drink from Jazz, I lose my money, I take my card out of the machine, I go to the next machine and repeat. It's simple.

If I win, I usually don't draw attention to myself. I try not to let on if I am winning, up or down. On the occasion that I have hit a jackpot, I try to be as inconspicuous as possible (and that is very hard for me as you can well imagine)as the Casino has to pay you at the machine for any jackpot win over $1,200. When that has happened to me, I try to be discreet, just like in Vegas, the less attention the better for safety reasons. I don't want to be mugged going to my room you know. So when I win, it really is the only time that I don't "Queen Out" and get all "Mad White Woman on a Red Ant Hill", it does not always work, as you will see, but I really do try, as I am in my own little world. Only avid slot players will understand, so I will leave it at that.

So Jerome knows the drill, once I get into the casino and start scoping it out, I kinda lose all sense of time and he is on his own (isn't the casino lucky? Heck, isn't Jerome lucky? Never mind that, I have been known to be very lucky, that is why Jerome does not get upset). I wander around getting a feel for the place. Jerome plays the slots, but not like I do. He likes this time while I am gaming to explore, to see the live bands and to see the ship, things like that.

Oh, but wait! We have to see Christina Bica, the Casino Manager. "Jerome", I say, "Let's go find Christina!" Off we go, trotting over to the Casino Players Club booth. At this time, I was not aware that the other, former "Kooky" Casino Manager I did not like was not with Norwegian any longer and I had heard from others she was on this ship. I was afraid, very afraid. If I ran into that kook, I would have probably tinkled right there, maybe even buick'ed dinner on her because she was so awful to me on The Norwegian Epic.

First I want to say congratulations on your wedding and I'm so glad to hear that you have recovered from your accident. I've been a fan of the two of you since you started with your reviews on the Celebrity board. So thank you for doing this review! I'm reading everything I can about the Escape in preparation of booking a last minute cruise sometime this fall once I figure out when we can get the time off.

 

Secondly, I have a few questions about the food you just posted about if you don't mind.

 

Do you have a picture of the charcuterie platter from Pinchos? One thing I'm often disappointed about on NCL is the food and I'd hate to pay extra for something and then be disappointed. I do love charcoots (as I fondly call them) so that is something I would definitely want to try when I go on Escape.

 

And, do they announce the seafood buffet in the daily? Or how do you find out about it?

 

Thanks.

No, we usually don't do food porn pics, however, if I recommend something then you can count on it to be fabulous and well worth it.

There are six different hand sliced cheeses to choose from, six different meats to choose from or mix and match. I did the meats plus the olive assortment, for the Martini's of course.

The Seafood Buffet on the seven night sailing was on Night Two, which is also Dress Up or Not Night, and that would be the reason that most folks would be in the MDR's or other restaurants for Formal Night and would not attend the Seafood Buffet. Jerome and I were dressed up and yet we ended up being so amazed at the presentation that we took off our jackets, rolled up our sleeves and dug in, still, I enjoyed getting cocktail sauce all over my shirt.....Oh and Butter too!

Welcome back, JW. So we don't make other reservations on seafood night, which night was it? We'll be on the August 20 cruise with you. Can't wait to say hello!

I have no idea what night on the August 20th sailing the seafood buffet will be on, as this is the special 8 night sailing....................could be night two, perhaps not.

That being said, it was on Night Two, and yes it is in the Daily.

Not to be confused with the All-You-Can-Eat Seafood Basket presented the same night at O'sheehan's as well.

I'm curious to see if crab legs are present at "seafood" night at the garden cafe during your return trip. I've seen the occasional mention (you might be #2 or 3), but it seems to be the exception rather than the norm.

 

Unless things are changing in a favorable direction? That would be nice.

How interesting..........perhaps seasonal? I definitely will be checking out The Seafood Buffet again for sure. I will inform you of my findings in a couple of weeks.

I know that the size must vary according to "The Catch", but was amazed at the awesome size of the crab legs. Thank you so much for bringing this point up, I too am curious, and in a month I will be back to answer that question!

Okay, We are back.

My plans are to bring the "Adventure" all the way to our August 20th sailing and then continue with all the areas that we missed on this journey. Having a six week interval between sailings on the same ship is certainly interesting, but just gives more umph to the new personalities I will encounter to write about.

Before I drop another chapter, I wanted to include this tid bit:

A couple of our observations on Tasty Snicky Snacks while our Adventure.......

Bayamo was never crowded on our sailing. We had friends who tried it on the first night (who were from Miami and Cuban food aficionados) and they were not totally disappointed, but not totally pleased either. There were several items that they liked and several that they thought were just meh. That being said, the restaurant, though very small inside, has a large seating area outside on The Waterfront, so tables seemed to be available.

The Very Best Mojitos are from The Sugarcane Bar, where handcrafted creative concoctions are presented masterfully by very happy and well trained Bar Professionals.

Food Republic, though absolutely fabulous, was always busy and since our cabin was so close to the restaurant (Yeah, just down the hall!), Jerome went often to put a sushi order in and would bring it back to the cabin so he could enjoy it on our huge balcony. The restaurant has Awesome views, prompt, quick service, wonderful food and charming atmosphere all coming together for a truly enjoyable, unexpected experience. We will be doing the same thing on our August 20th cruise.

I fancied going to Pincho Tapas Bar nightly for my Happy Hour appetizers and usually got the ala carte Charcuterie Platter with three meats and three cheeses with fresh sliced breads and crackers. Perfect with my Martini from Tobacco Road at Happy Hour. We opted one afternoon to enjoy The Waterfront with our cocktails and hor d'ourves (Jerome picking his sushi from Food Republic and mine from Pincho with our cocktails from Tobacco Road) in a beautiful public access seating area located just outside Tobacco Road, with overstuffed sofas and chairs, cocktail tables and fabulous breezes while overlooking the ocean...............priceless.

We went to Margaritaville on the first day at sea, it was only open on sea days, by the way (:() but after my first experience, I don't think I will be returning. It is completely outdoors, though mostly covered overhead. There is a hostess to seat us. I was not really of fan of the Margaritaville concept to begin with, but thought, what the heck, I will try it. I don't get "paying" for food there, though, when similar fare is available elsewhere on the ship complimentary.

My take on it is this. The location was hot, sticky, loud, service was extremely slow, and the food was limp, soggy and icky. The ice in the cocktails and soft drinks melted almost immediately, creating a gusher of condensation on the table that formed a steady stream that eventually found it's way onto my lap without me knowing.

It appeared like I wee wee'd myself after I got up from the table. Not that I noticed, but one of our dear friends kindly pointed it out to me as I walked by their table. "Uh, JW" I turned and said, "Oh Hi, I did not see you!" (Yes I did, I just didn't want to talk to them, bad JW) "Uh JW"...."Did you Tinkle Yourself?" (All the while that anyone knows JW knows that I "Tinkle" at the sound of the ship's horn blast, not really, just an endearing quote "It makes me Tinkle"), she was pointing to my Netherland area and I looked down, and by golly Miss Molly, this tired old Queen let out a scream that stopped Jerome in his tracks already 20 feet in front of me! "Oh" "My" GAWD"!!!!!!!!! Jerome comes rushing over to the table, greets our friends, and now that everyone seated around us is also completely paying attention to The White Tornado, Queen of The Escape (Another self imposed title) shifting from one foot to the other trying to figure out what is wrong, me screaming like a mad woman on a fire ant hill.....Jerome looks at me and down "there" and says "JW, I really think it's time for Depends for you!" "Again with the Depends?......Dangit Jerome!", I said and continued, as I snatched the napkin out of my friends lap (I know, How Rude!) "Give me that!". I tucked her napkin in my waistband and then proceeded to say my Goodbye's and gracefully waltzed out the door into the elevator lobby, into the elevator, then proceeding right to our cabin, which by the way, when I got there, my pants were completely dry.

But such is life on a cruise while eating outdoors in the hot weather with JW.

The Seafood Buffet is a Must Do. Most everyone on board, thankfully, did not attend, however, it was off the chain. Three Foot Long Crab Legs, Lobster, Prawns the length of my arm, more shrimp cocktail than I could have ever imagined, "Mounds of Shrimp" to be exact. There were so many types of fish, broiled, grilled, baked, it is amazing. The Seafood Buffet runs half the length of the ship and truly was the best buffet I have ever seen in 40 years of cruising. I have become so disillusioned with ship buffets that Jerome and I stopped going to them years ago, I mean we have Golden Corral at home (and we don't even go there!). But, we were told if we were to see just one buffet, we must see the Norwegian Escape Special Seafood Buffet. Yep, they were right. We had planned to just go for a look-see, and continue on to Savor for dinner, but we ended up with piles of shrimp, crab, and all sorts of sea treats that we just could not help ourselves. Yummy for my tummy, and of course cocktail sauce all over my white shirt.

Oh my gosh, did I just admit to eating at The Buffet?

Is there any shade on the boat? We have a couple of folks in our group who have sun issues so before I email Simplicty thought I would get a customer's opinion....TIA

Yes, the whole rear of the yacht is under cover and very comfortable. The picture of Jerome, myself and Hinckley is taken under the cover.

Can I ask a quickie? My kids want to do Paradise Point in St. Thomas - we're doing some sort of beach in the morning and I HAVE to stop at Da Lime in Da Coconut in Yacht Haven Grande for some Cruzan Rum - how long is the actual skyride to the top, have a drink and back. Will an hour cut it or do I have to budget in more time?

 

Thanks! See ya onboard in August!

If you get to the sky ride right when it is coming down, and are able to get on the gondolas at that time (depending on the time, there sometimes is a long line like at Disney), the ride takes about 8 minutes to ride up to the top or to return down. The time spent up at Paradise Point is entirely up to you. Photographs, a peek in the expansive restaurant, and then get on the next gondola group down? 30 minutes tops.

To relax at a table, get a Bushwacker, enjoy the view and really, really take in the ultimate in sights? Then that could be an hour to an hour and a half, unless you order food, then it could take all day. There is plenty of time if you do the beach until say 2PM, and get back to the port to ride the gondolas up.

Our ship on the 24th of August, departs St Thomas at 6PM, so we have to be back on board no later than 5:30pm. Plenty of time to enjoy the late afternoon up on the mountainside, and probably less crowded, too.

It is spectacular, a big wow!, and we have done this about a dozen times, taking many newbees up, over the last 5 or 6 years.

Because of your review we have booked Simplicity for next June. We are looking forward to spending our 10 year anniversary with them! :)

You are going to love it! Congratulations. Captain Charlie and 1st Mate Josh are amazing hosts, plus, the best part about the cruise is Admiral Hinckley. Enjoy! Enjoy!. If you are traveling with others, great, if not, and you are just a couple, then reach out on your roll call to sell the boat out for 6 people. That way, it's a whole group going and you are all on the ship.

Sailing on the Simplicity is a very exciting adventure! Very laid back. Just cocktails, sailing, sunshine, cocktails, snorkeling, cocktails, sunshine, beach, swimming, cocktails, sailing and more cocktails. Oh, did I mention cocktails? Anything goes. It is your boat for the day. Anything goes.

Oh, If you like red wine, please consider something else to drink as red wine and sailing yachts really don't mesh well together. Permanent stains.

You are going to have the time of your life and say to yourself, the entire day at sea, "Oh My Gawd, Auntie JW was right, this IS amazing!"

Hey JW - - My husband has the exact same swimsuit as you!

I hope his is much thinner than I am. I am a big ol' Queen of The Walrus! :D

St Maarten, St Thomas, Tortola and Nassau, a short run down of some fun things to do.

In St Maarten, we usually just walk to town from the ship, it will be scathingly hot in the summer months of June, July and August, and once in town (15 minute walk), we do our traditional shopping at Lipstick for Men's Fragrance (Absolutely the best prices for over 20 years). There are other fragrance shops, but Lipstick we highly recommend. After doing the boardwalk, stopping for a Bloody Mary and free wifi at the Holland House Hotel (right on Grand Bay overlooking the ships) we will then head over via taxi, to Maho Beach and the Sunset Bar and Grill to watch the jets come in. This bores Jerome to no end, as he has flown into Princess Juliana International dozens and dozens of times, but I still enjoy watching. We will have a great burger and libations there and return back to Phillipsburg (town).

Once back in town we will then head over to the famous Blue Bitch Bar on the boardwalk, and get "Bitch-Slapped" (their lethal concoction of a shot) but mindful to only have one, as two will be scary. Remember I told you that with one tequila I am fine, two I am naked? Well a couple of years ago, after three, I mooned the entire restaurant as we left, right on the Boardwalk.

If you are looking for a quick, close to the ship, beach escape on your own, then take the special water taxi from the port to town, (or just walk to town) and on the boardwalk at Grand Bay, you will find a plethora of vendors that offer a variety of deals for beach access. $20 for two usually is the going rate, and gets a bucket of select beverages (beer and sodas), two chaise loungers, an umbrella and a bathroom pass. (Bathrooms are for restaurant/hotel patrons only and are monitored, public bathrooms charge for use) It's weird. However, we have found that the chaise loungers at The Holland House are the best (you can't miss the hotel, it is located right next to the Catholic Church on the boardwalk), a bit more expensive, but they have cocktail and lunch service on the beach, the chaise loungers are padded, are larger and more comfortable plus there is free wifi. The bathroom is very nice as well. It's lovely. Plus all the shops are right there too.

The water taxi has been a low of $8 to a high of $12 (depending on season? No rhyme or reason for the variance) per person, offers round trip service to and from the port, and lands directly in the middle of town.

In St Thomas, our best excursion ever is The Simplicity Private Sailing Yacht, simplicity charters, but because of Hurricane season, she is not in the waters of St Thomas in July thru October. If you go to St Thomas in Season (Nov-June), keep this in mind. The yacht only takes 6 passengers, and for $150 per person plus 20% gratuity, there is an open bar all day (all I can drink!), a wonderful prepared bar-b-cued luncheon and a sail/snorkel to St John, far away from the "Cattle-Morons" packed with 180 folks each. There is nothing like sailing to a private beach for a couple of hours, then enjoy a special snorkel to a reef or two, then have a tasty home style lunch and drink, drink, drink all the way back to port. A 15 minute Taxi ride to Red Hook, where the yacht sails from, is only $10 per person on one of the open air jitney transports located at the port and the Simplicity will arrange a taxi back to the ship. The Simplicity sailing yacht charter books up to a year in advance, so make reservations early. We are booked on it again in November. I truly Love this excursion and on our recommendation, hundreds have made her one of the Top 5 Excursions in St Thomas on Tripadvisor. Trust Auntie JW. We were on her six years ago and have tried and tried and tried to rebook and it was always sold out. We were fortunate, at the last minute, to have been able to get on the last sailing of the season! Love the Simplicity!

JW and Jerome on The Simplicity Sailing Yacht baking in the wonderful Caribbean sun off the coast of St John.

Jerome with Admiral Hinckley, our ship's mascot. Overlooking St John.

JW and Jerome with Admiral Hinckley.

"Is there any food left for me?", says Admiral Hinckley

Looking straight ahead, is our private, white sand, beach. We stayed there for a couple of hours and had the best, most relaxing time ever!

Also in St Thomas:

We have been on the sky ride to Paradise Point, and once up there, everyone must try their famous cocktail The Bushwacker (I call it The Tallywacker because Auntie JW doesn't do no Bush). The Bushwacker was invented here. One of those and you will want another. It's like a chocolate milkshake made with 9 different alcohols and as it's a frozen drink, really refreshingly yummy on a hot August day on the top of a mountainside.

The restaurant and food is awful, the service is too, except at the bar, but the view is magnificent. You can purchase your tickets thru the ship excursion desk and I think can still save a dollar or two over the regular walk-up admission. The entrance is a short walk from the port and is visible from the ship. The photographs taken from up there are amazing. The vantage point, looking down at St Thomas and the ships, is a truly awesome experience. Once again, the food, yuck. Cocktails are fantastic. Service, slow as molasses. View, priceless. The sky ride is scary as hell going up, but fun and easy going down, due to all the Bushwackers consumed.

We usually make our pilgrimage to Hooters, also located right at the port and next to the entrance of the sky ride, as there is free wifi there. I can enjoy some early morning libations with big tatas while we check up on email, etc. Norwegian still has not gotten with the internet program as it is the last of the cruise lines that still charge an arm and a leg for internet. We do bring our tablets, our phones, and/or laptop to the port with us as there is free wifi virtually everywhere at every port of call, usually just for the price of a cocktail.

After Hooters, we would head into town, where it is really just one Jewelry store after another. There is a really cool Pirate store and a tee shirt/handcraft outdoor pavilion that I like to go to. It is about a 25 minute walk from the port, and in the summer heat, fogetaboutit! Taxi to and from the port, about $8 each way per person.

In town, there is a wonderful outdoor bar located smack in the middle of an alleyway, and for the life of me I forgot it's name. It's a girls name. Great libations. Wonderful Bloody Marys. However, too many of them and all those jewelry stores, watch out.

Havensight, where the ship docks, has two shopping centers. One is right off your ship at the port, where the taxi's and shore excursions meet, with smaller versions of the larger stores in town, row upon row upon row of shops and boutiques. Then, off to the left, there is the new Havensight where high end stores like Gucci, Cartier and Tumi are located along with some interesting restaurants overlooking the harbor. From July through October most of the larger yachts will not be in port as it is Hurricane season. And it will be HOT. But still, plenty of restrooms, and air conditioned stores.

We had done the revived Kon Tiki excursion recently and it is not the same as it used to be for us cruise veterans that remember Kon Tiki from years ago(or perhaps had so much rum that they don't remember)and the very wild times. It is a similar multi deck party boat with glass bottom viewing and it still rolls right up to the beach to drop off passengers, but gone is the fun, the rum punch, the revelry, the full calypso band (only have a steel drum and electronic background percussion now with one person playing) and it is actually boring. For $90, in our opinion, it was not worth it, as everything else, Beach Chair, Umbrella, Food, Beverages, Rum Punch (weak) was ala carte.

St Thomas still is our favorite port to sail into, so either be on your balcony, on deck or in Taste having breakfast when the ship is arriving. It is beautiful and fascinating.

In Tortola, there are excursions from NCL that look fun, particularly the boat to the beach and back. It's an early day, only 7am-3pm and it was scorching hot when we were just there a few weeks ago. One of our options in Tortola has always been to walk into town. One stop always is Pusser's Rum, Store and Restaurant, (10 minute walk from the port) where you can get the famous Pusser's Original Rum (The first dark rum ever, over 200 years old) browse the store and perhaps have their famous Stacked Potato Chip Christmas Tree appetizer.

We also recommend stopping at Spice Caribee Hand Made Spice Shop, located very near Pusser's (and on the way there) where they still make amazing spices by hand, and where McCormick buys their spices from for their Spice Island brand. I bought their new Curry just a couple of weeks ago and it has not been introduced by Spice Islands yet in the States. Wonderful.

At the Port of Tortola, there are brand new shops and interesting little bars, it is still under construction and all of it is not finished yet. If you have been to Grand Turk, Mahogany Bay, Amber Cove, and other Corporate Inspired ports, then you will find Tortola is fast becoming one of these "Concrete" kinds of ports of call. Fortunately, all the ship excursions leave pretty much right from the docks located here at the port, or the taxi buses located a short walk from the ship.

In Nassau, been there done that, it's just like sections of Miami that we would never get out of our car at. If you are on a Pricey excursion to Atlantis, most feel that they get their money's worth. There are quite a lot of renovations going on in town as Nassau has been told by enough well traveled cruise passengers and consumers, to spruce up or we are staying on the ship!

The shopping in Nassau is like a going to a typical Marshall's (prices compatible) perhaps with a Caribbean flair.

The Royal Bahamian Hilton, a popular hotel within walking distance from the port, is undergoing a complete renovation and reconstruction with many large additions to the property, making way for the new Hilton Vacation Club addition. So my advice is, because of the construction, don't waste the money on the formerly popular day-beach pass ($60-$90) (which was once a fun and recommended thing to do but, with the construction, many folks have been very disappointed).

The walk to historic Junkanoo Beach is also restricted due to this construction project and the public beach is a bit smaller now due to the Hilton expansion taking over parts of it, both for new building and parking for all the construction vehicles. Many of the original Junkanoo Beach bars, like Fat Tuesdays, are no longer there either. Senor Frogs is still the Jumping Bean of cocktails for the day, so if you like to get imbibed, it is always happening and located right next to the Straw Market at the port.

We love the NCL drink package and planned to stay on the ship, loading up on Shot O'clock in VIBE all day, and had the ship, slides and ropes course to ourselves with no lines. Sometimes though, they keep the rope course and slides closed in port depending on weather, wind etc. But not on our sailing. Faaabulous!

Thank you for making it so entertaining to read. I love the cube idea for storage.

 

I am going to be on the same ship end of this year with my boys and love the cube idea in the closet. Can you tell me how big they are? It will be our first cruise as the family together.

With regards to the cubes:

Ours were purchased a couple of years ago at Target, and they were about $8.00 a pair at that time. The cubes are 12 x 12, and we also have an 8 x 8 that we each keep on our respective nightstands. The shoe rack was also around $10 and collapses down.

Now, this past weekend, Jerome and I were in Family Dollar and I found cubes, 12 x 12 in packs of 3 for only $6.00. Really neat, and less weight than my originals (for those of you concerned about flying and suitcase weight).

The cubes make a wonderful organizational addition to a room with no drawers and virtually no storage.

Our friends also take these cool things that organize in their suitcase called packing cubes, and they sit on the shelves of the closet. They just pull them out of their suitcase already packed and clothes separated, and place them on the shelf for instant organization and space saving. Ingenious!

Here is the link to the packing cubes, they are expensive to me, but still really neat.

http://www.ebags.com/product/ebags/ultralight-packing-cubes-super-packer-5pc-set/309406?productid=10408193&CAWELAID=120011660001618503&sourceid=MSNKPRODLU&couponid=94790994&utm_source=bing&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=Shopping%20-%20Travel%20Accessories%20-%20Adaptive

Jerome and I deeply apologize for the delay in posting. With the horrific and confusing world events this past week overshadowing virtually all of our lives, it has been difficult to write and be funny. Forgive us for taking a break, but I will return today, with my Casino adventure. I just need a couple of martini's to motivate me, should have those under my belt by 11 am this morning :D

We are on your same cruise with friends and everyone is taking costumes. Our friends have sailed with Princess on Halloween before and loved it.

Fantastic. Now I am looking forward to sailing. Jerome is going as A Pope (Not THE Pope, but a satire of one), I am a Drag Grandma in Formal Gown and Patent Red Leather Stiletto Heels (Wig and make up, of course, will be done in the salon!) and our friends will be The Evil W(B)itch from The Wizard of Oz (He will be in really scary drag) and His friend will be something like a Hunky Police Officer/Male Stripper who wants to arrest everyone(or send them into cardiac arrest, at least). Should be fun, fun, fun.

I'm a little worried about JW. It's been 5 days since he posted.

 

Please come back JW! We need more! :)

Four, actually, but July 4th got in the way. I am composing as I write here. Patience. Tomorrow will be a Casino Day!

A Disclaimer, because Jerome and I, being so well known around the globe for many reasons, we need to explain.

We were to be married in May, 2016, at Walt Disney World, in a big splashy incredible wedding that was ten years in the making. The wedding ceremony was to take place on the roof top of The Contemporary Hotel during the fireworks display, with a Todd English reception to follow. Everything was paid for and prepared.

Then we were to be married again, as a surprise on the High Seas, On The Harmony Of The Seas, just a purely ceremonial event, but to be gorgeous with all our friends from around the world attending. Didn't happen, unfortunately.

Jerome's father passed away suddenly earlier in the year, and then me, getting into a horrific car accident to which I was hospitalized for a month, it became impossible to have our newly "Legal" wedding ceremony take place as planned. I ultimately had two spinal surgeries and was told that I would never walk again.

Just so you all know, with God's help, I did fine. I was able to walk and sit, with some restrictions, not that anyone would know. I could walk again, that was important, thank you God, very much.

Don't ever tell JW that I can't do something, ever. I will prove anyone wrong. God takes care of me, no matter what. I believe in GOD, therefore I will.

Miracles do happen and I am a living Miracle.

This young girl was texting in her Daddy's Cadillac, and I was at a dead stop, up ahead of her, with my turn signal on. I was preparing to turn left, when suddenly and without warning, (at was a documented speed of at least 55 mph), this young lady, all the while texting, rear ended me and careened my car into someone's front yard, ultimately pinning me in my vehicle.

Those incredibly gorgeous Firemen Rescue Guys, these real Yummy Calendar Men, (Oh Grow Up! As Joan Rivers would have said) had to use their hot tools to extricate me from my car. Can you say "Happy New Year?" All I can remember was that I already died and went to Chippendale's Firemen Heaven. God Bless our Firefighter Calendars!

I was so delirious in pain and happy to be so Man-Handled...........(Oh come on, so would most of you!) that I have little recollection of the actual horrible accident, other than the pictures. Many of the Firefighters came to visit me at the hospital and told me that I was one of the "lucky 10 percent", as the accident could have gone so the other way, with me not surviving.:eek: They called me "The Miracle". Personally I dubbed myself "The Miracle Queen", just sayin' Mr Fireman, "Now please take your shirt off!". Who needs pain killers when you have six, seven and eight packs? Yes Jerome, you can call me "Slut" now.

I had not intended to mention this, or how important this cruise really was to me, but since it was brought up, and why we did not sail on the supposed Greatest and Largest Ship ever built in a day (The Harmony of The Seas Inaugural) for our wedding cruise, I guess that you all needed to know why we didn't, straight from me.

Karma is most certainly a Bische and I am grateful that she is. Thank you God and His Universe for all your blessings.

Jerome and JW,

Missed you on the Harmony, June 7. Was not able to meet up with anyone on the Role Call. Glad to see you are back on the high seas...What about the wedding? Recovered from the accident?

Look forward to meeting you somewhere on a future sailing.

Paul and William

Jerome took me to recover on The Escape and I still was so upset, that even though we were assigned The Harmony, our accident prevented us from going on the Largest Ship in the world. I underwent back surgery and was thankfully able to overcome obstacles. Everyone who we knew on The Harmony ship's Inaugural, for our wedding, was sooooo happy we did not sail on her, so was Royal Caribbean. For example, our cabin would not have been ready for our sailing, and there were so many issues unresolved regarding our friend's cabins that Auntie JW would have lambasted the ship, it's services and participated in the American TV News of "Mutany Aboard the Seas". The press of the ship was unrelenting and the ship, should never have sailed. Our friends from London received an entire refund due to there was no mattress in their room, their toilet overflowed from the first moment they flushed poopy before embarkation and they had to be disembarked in Rome, after sleeping in crew quarters for the first two nights. I am soooo glad "The Mouth of The South" was not on that ship. Sorry, by the way, that the weather in Rome was so awful.

But yes, we were finally married in a subtle and very private ceremony, just us, prior to sailing on The Norwegian Escape. We lost our month long honeymoon and all the deposits for the wedding. Que-sera-serah!

Maybe this is why I stay at Marriott properties a lot.:) Actually staying at Miami Biscayne Bay Friday evening with a side jaunt to Smith & Wollensky ! Regards Gerry

Thank you Gerry. That means a whole lot to us who work with Marriott. We are now over One Million Hotel Rooms Strong, Worldwide (Without the Starwood merger) and whether it be Marriott Corporate Hotel or a Franchise Property we all must abide by the JW Marriott Standards and Rules of Management:

This is a real treat for me to post as I live, breathe and BELIEVE in these Standards every day.

1. Challenge your team to do better and do it often.
   
2. Take good care of your associates, and they’ll take good care of your customers, and they’ll come back.
   
3. Celebrate your peoples’ success, not your own.
   
4. Know what you’re good at and keep improving.
   
5. Do it and do it now. Err on the side of taking action.
   
6. Communicate by listening to your customers, associates and competitors.
   
7. See and be seen. Get out of your office, walk the talk, make yourself visible and accessible.
   
8. Success is always in the details.
   
9. It’s more important to hire people with the right qualities than with specific experience.
   
10. Customer needs may vary, but their bias for quality never does.
    
11. Always hire people who are smarter than you are.
    
12. View every problem as an opportunity to grow.
    

I saw a crumb scraper on Escape! Just one night our server in the Manhattan Room had one. I was delighted. (I actually have one at home that a server on DCL gave me, after seeing me the entire cruise light up at it's use!) Maybe some of the servers simply have their own? I don't know. Like you, we never saw one at any other meal, just that one time.

They used them multiple times at our dinner in Cagney's, Maybe we're just messy????

See, so I wasn't crazy. I knew that, most likely, just as I have the non usage issue at my properties, the use of a Crumb Scraper somehow becomes an "Option" to the server rather than the "Requirement". Sometimes, we folk in the F&B industry need to place more emphasis on, and be reminded that, it's the Little Things that add up to the big picture. Again, not a deal breaker, but really, really, really nice to have this service performed. I would not have mentioned anything had I seen a server crumb another Guest's table, but nope.

Taste

Our first night's dinner, we reserved Taste 8:30PM.

Because we booked 11 days out from sailing and confirmed 4 days out, there were no dining reservations in specialty restaurants available online, however, I was able to book reservations for Le Bistro, La Cuchina and Moderno that first day, as I wrote earlier, while waiting in line for our VIBE tickets.

I was pleasantly surprised at the level of service, the casual elegant ambiance, the quality of the food and the menu selection of Taste on the first night. Yes, I know that gone is Lobster, Filet Mignon, etc, but the menu's in these alternate complimentary dining rooms were perfectly acceptable and all the dishes we had were wonderful.

We greeted the Hostess, and she swiped our card and turned us over to someone else to seat us. We were given a wonderful table by the window, however, all seats in Taste or Savor are good seats. A window is nice at night but not necessary, as there is really nothing to see out there. Taste was not crowded, but remember, Norwegian Escape does an excellent job of filtering folks to venues all over the ship. Tonight, though, O'Sheehan's was the place to be and was completely packed, (more like overrun) with a huge line, for the advertised All-You-Can-Eat (More like devour) Prime Rib. Oh my Gawd. It's like these folks were scared they were going to miss out. Yikes.

So Jerome and I were seated, they exchanged our white linen napkins for black linen, as we were wearing black pants, which is a very and nice old fashioned touch of changing out to black so not to get any white lint from the white linen on my pants. Classic.

Since several of us were seated all at once in our area, our Head Waiter and Alternate were busy greeting, servicing and also were at various stages and levels of service. Our congenial bus person poured our water, also offering bottled water as well. We still love a (usually Indonesian) Crew member's sincere vocalization of singing in the American way "Thank you!" or "You're Welcome!" The Head Waiter arrived, greeted us and we ordered cocktails and also I ordered a glass of wine for dinner.

The menu, as I said, was very good. Great selections and also, at first glance, I thought for a minute that I was in the wrong place and this was a "Pay" restaurant, because when I opened the menu, my eyes automatically looked on the right side and that is where was listed all the "Specialty Selections" for $$$. So actually it was not necessary to eat IN Cagney's, because the main selections were available daily at Taste, Savor or Manhattan for a'la carte pricing.

It is a little confusing, but I understood it after a couple of seconds. However, that being said, the gentleman and lady who were seated next to us certainly did not. The man was fast becoming incensed, he was huffing and puffing, having only glanced at the menu, not understanding that the pay items were optional, and was starting to get up to leave.

Our Alternate server, Rica from Grenada, sprang into action, calming the gentleman down, reassuring the lady he was with, that "This is my home." "Please let me explain the menu to you." To which Rica began to explain, line by line, each item that was available and what her suggestions were and asked what their likes and dislikes were. She went on to explain the "For Pay" Specialty Selections. I watched with utter glee and fascination that this Crew Member "Gets" it. I was completely impressed that Norwegian felt wise to empower it's crew to go above and beyond for each Guest in each situation. Rica truly cared about her Guest and the cruise. She was well informed and educated on the menu presentation. She was certainly a caring professional. The Guest, being "Wow'd" was very happy, and had not Rica been in-tuned to her Guest's emotions and surroundings, this would most definitely escalated probably to Guest Relations and The F&B Director, something in our business we all try to avoid, if at all possible.

Quality performance by a Crew member is obviously a goal which also is a number one priority on this cruise. I witnessed so much genuine caring for the Guest and also for each other Crew member. This was the beginning of watching dozens of Crew members go above and beyond for their Guest. Taking ownership of their respective Guest's satisfaction. Plus, the "working together as a Team" was obvious, and the constant communication between the Staff, Supervisors, Hosts, Management and The Guest was extraordinary.

This, I am sure, comes from the top. Sean, the Hotel Manager as well as Martin, the F&B Manager are well seasoned Officers, who have the task of training the Crew in an exceptional manner, insuring the culture of Norwegian's Guest Relations is met 100% of the time. It was not met at all for us on The EPIC, again for sure, but I was fast becoming reassured that this ship is different. We were in a whole new kind of energetic service ambiance that was unfamiliar to me, ever, on our past Norwegian sailings, except our previous experiences in The Haven.

Our dinner was superb. Our Service exceptional and exceeded our standards. The food was hot, presented well, and portioned correctly. Every first night's dinner on a ship, regardless of which venue we eat at, sets the tone for the whole cruise. So, tonight, I felt that in Taste, at what I thought was one of the best experiences we have ever had at dinner on Norwegian, I said to Jerome, "Okay NCL, top that!" I fully expected the experiences yet to come, either to meet what we just had, or go completely downhill like on previous sailings. "We'll see" said Jerome, "We'll see, we have been down this road before."

One thing I do miss, though, are the Table Crumber's (or scrapers) that the servers would carry and manicure/clean up the table after each course, removing salt, pepper, bread crumbs from the tablecloth. I would suspect that they may no longer be issued Crumber's as part of their Uniform, because in no Tableclothed restaurant we dined in, even the Specialty Le Bistro, were they ever utilized at our table. But then I could be incorrect, perhaps they have been eliminated as an old fashioned "Step of Service" now discarded. Or perhaps our service staff forgot to use them. I still use Crumber's in my Hotels. To me, it just is another "Dot" that connects and raises the level of service one more notch. One of those little unconscious surprises to a Guest, that perhaps is not necessary, but creates a truly fabulous elevated dining experience. It is not a deal breaker for me that they were not used, but disappointed that this tradition had perhaps gone by the wayside.

Excellent Service costs absolutely nothing to a company, except an ounce of good corporate cultural training and the true desire by an individual to care about a Guest and their satisfaction. Providing a Consistent Genuine Experience, one well recognized as unique, as perfect as possible, and caring, is where putting People ahead of Profits certainly makes for incredible corporate revenue generation. It is after all, why folks continue to come back, time and time again to various Restaurants, Hotels, Cruise Lines, Car Dealerships, Airlines and anything else we spend our hard earned money on, that would give me a valuable, memorable and remarkable experience.

Our continued Guest Service on the Norwegian Escape was no fluke, as it became more and more evident each passing day, not only to us, but as we observed emphatically happening to others.

Now, I have had my Cappuccino with Baileys, it's time to hit the Casino for the first night. I can't wait to see the Casino Host, Christina Bica. I hope she remembers me and I remember what she looks like! :o

My apologies. Tonight's episode or chapter will be slightly delayed. I had several meetings at work that ran late and I was unable to complete it. I will have it published in time for lunch break at your office tomorrow morning.

I have been thoroughly enjoying your witty and insightful review, JW. Have been waiting to book Escape for the Aug 20 sailing, today was the day! Great Promos, Pre-Paid gratuities and the prospect of sailing with you clinched it for us. Please keep telling us your fabulous story.

Yay! Love it.

Are there any larger balconies you know of that aren't mini suites?

 

 

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The largest balconies of all, on the Norwegian Escape are the Aft Cabin Extra Large Balcony (Every deck) and the two special Mini Suites (Only 2 located on Deck 10). To give you an example, yesterday these Aft Mini Suites were not sold out, but today they are. When I checked yesterday, they were $3,100 per person including two promo packages. That is a hefty price to pay when a Haven Penthouse is about $200 more per day and comes with a Butler. However, real estate costs.

There are Mini-Suites on Deck 9 forward that have larger balconies and come with a full size table, two chairs and one chaise lounger. These are located just above the Secret Mini's on Deck 8, like the one we had on this review (8120) or on our recap August 20th (8122). Otherwise, the balcony sizes will pretty much be the same.

The only cabins I personally do not care for, are those balcony cabins and Mini Suites on Deck 15. The entire deck is located under an overhang and it is very dark all day, and there is some resonate noise coming from above (pool deck chairs, cleaning etc) in certain cabins that I have read about on here. Although, some folks love these because they are out of the sun, but as you can see, we want the full sun experience with our Mini Suites on Deck 8.

Yeah, completely untrue. He said they even used security video and were able to identify her, but he insisted that he didn't want the ship to take action against the passenger. He said, "She must have felt that for some reason she needed my hat more than I did." He's a bigger person than I am. I'd have thrown the dumb bitch overboard.

 

My husband corrected me on a couple details of the story. She had grabbed it off his head and put it on hers. He asked for it back, and she refused, so another member of her party took it from her and set it on the bar. Clarence was mixing a drink at the time, and the same woman then grabbed it off the bar and ran with it. That was the last he saw it.

WOW, just wow.

We're going to be on the 8/20 Escape cruise as well and getting married onboard as well, do you think if we get to port at 9:30am we'll have a good chance on securing vibe passes? Your description has sold me on them! I hope we cross paths, you guys are hysterical!

 

 

 

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We too will be there at 9:30, that is if I can get out of the house on time this next trip and don't delay us because I have to Tinkle!

You should have no issues getting VIBE passes if you are at the terminal by 10AM and in one of the first groups. Not everyone is into spending an extra hundred bucks a person for VIBE. But if you have the drink package and enjoy a private atmosphere where you could curl up with a cocktail and a good book or perhaps enjoy other's company at the bar, VIBE is perfect!

By the way, congratulations on your wedding. Is it going to be a boy-girl, boy-boy, or girl-girl wedding? Pick one! We know of a boy-boy wedding on our cruise as well, just wondering if it was you two.

Looking forward to meeting you, and be prepared as we can get into some antics in VIBE.

Ooh ooh! I know what "bless.your heart" means! I have a southern friend who explained it to me :)

 

This is great fun. Keep it coming!

 

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And I hope you "Use" the phrase often!