cruiseguys2009

Question:

Late last year we met Mr. Kivanc Ucar - the F&B Director on the Escape. Kivanc was working closely with Martin I. since he was a new hire to NCL. Since we are cruising on the Escape again on 4/01 I was wondering if he was still on board. Any input is greatly appreciated. Thank you...

Kivanc is an amazing Officer and we too met him on The Escape. I know Juno will be on board Escape for our March sailing, and I was hoping Kivanc was to be as well. We had the good fortune of meeting his absolutely gorgeous wife while we sailed and truly enjoyed his professionalism and hospitality.

Hope our group touches them fist! Ha

By the way, there is a difference in "Touching" The Babies and "Knocking Them Out".......see mis-spelling above in your post and laugh.

Hope our group touches them fist! Ha

Here they are, but they won't giggle if you touch them now, you have to wait to touch them in person!

OK, since JW invited me to "chime in", we had 47 on the slot pull. We did Wheel of Fortune at $15 each. Everyone got 5 spins (Max $3). We went through twice each, by that time we had spent just over an hour. We did get a couple $400 hits. By agreement we stopped with $470 cash out, and everyone got $10 back. It was enjoyable and lots of drinks and socializing.

 

I am sure touching the babies will be even more fun. We will have to wait and see.

 

Rusty/Baryton

:p:p:p:p:p

Rusty...............................psst..................43 days till we get to TOUCH THE BABIES AGAIN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I guess I need to change my named to "DumpedByAFairy" :p

Very Funny!

I've been on this board for a long time....Like maybe 10 plus years. Back then you didn't call the upsell desk. In fact, no one knew the number for the upsell desk. You waited for the upsell desk to call you! This was common knowledge on this board.

 

I remember early on when the phone number did get out, early on people would call to request an upsell and got told specifically....."You don't call us.....we call you"

 

So yes, I think it has to do with too much attention to the upsell desk. If they can fill those rooms online with bidding and avoid people calling and calling and calling, they will do that.

 

It also makes it fair. It voids the guy out who's willing to call daily and pester the upsell desk. It voids the salesman guy who can manage to sweet talk an upgrade.

You are soooo right. I remember those days. Our first true Up Sell was 8 years ago from Aft Suite to the Owners Suite on The Norwegian Dawn, three days before the cruise and "They" called us. The price was silly reasonable, and we nabbed it as we most likely, at that time, thought that we would never be in an Owners Suite again. And that would be correct, we have never sailed in an Owners Suite ever again.

I wanted also to say that over your ten years on Cruise Critic, you only chime in when you feel it will be an important contribution, and that is impressive, and I so appreciate you posting on this thread. That you posted here, really and truly makes me feel valued and a worthwhile contributor to this board. Thank you very much.

JW, is the Babies machine a dollar machine , like the Wheel of Fortune? The one organizing our Slot pull said last time the CC group barely broke even on that one. Thanks for your help

The Slot Pull is a conversation mixer and usually never wins, I say that because I have more fun drinking and socializing with new found friends that all of the pulls have been a whole lot of fun and I have come away from them with literally life long friends and remember the experiences well.

Having said that, yes, the Wheel Of Fortune is a dollar machine and it is a convenient amount say $15 buy in per person, Max Bet is $3, so five spins per person, and I actually wonder how many Cruise Critic "Slot Pulls" have ever won on them. It's a hungry money-in not money-out machine. Oh yes, I have seen folks win a grand or two here and there, but not on a slot pull.

On the Babies machine, the bets are an odd (Asian inspired by perceived "Lucky" numbers) amount per spin. From 40 cents to $8.88 per spin. Now, I seem to recall that there are like twelve bet buttons including a $2.68 and $3.88 spin bet button, which would work out okay, as if we spin 5 times per person and they put in $15 @$2.68 then we would have a little extra and could play that to the end and may end up getting a bonus too boot. Same with the $3.88 on a $20 buy in.

I think the whole point would be for me, that it would be fun getting everyone to shout out "JW says touch the babies for good luck" and have the babies giggle and giggle and giggle and drive everyone nuts in the Casino during the slot pull! I will tell you what. The Casino would love it with all the action and laughter it would bring on the first afternoon.

Trust Auntie JW. I know how to have a riotous time. How do you think I got the name "HOT Sir Lady Lose A Lot Queen of The Slots?"

Funny thread. We've never gotten a call or email. I did call on last trip and the upsell price was too high.

 

I'm sure they'll catch some folks on the bid process where the top range of the bid is higher than the running category difference.

I created this thread sort of tongue in cheek, because for years I would post the Fairy Pic (though not in his fairy forest) as the Upgrade/Up Sell Fairy and now it seems that he won't matter much anymore with the new pre-selected eSway bidding process.

Curiously, I got an upsell offer today. Instructions were to call the old upsell number. So its not shut down yet.

Hoooray! Perhaps the Up Sell Fairy has not yet departed. Do tell, what ship are you sailing on?

All 34 stated that they were interested. Sorry did not mean to high-jack this great thread.

We can go back to our Roll Call

Thanks for the Meet & Greet Advice. I have never done a Meet & Greet (Volunteered because no one stepped forward). I have coordinated 3 slot-pulls with about 50 players each time. Seems as if this Meet & Greet is really slow gaining attendees. We only have 34 so far. Thanks for the reminder on posting the time and place again (11 at Cagney's). I am an event planner for a non-profit organization and am currently working on the last conference before my retirement (March 8-10). That is keeping me hopping. I would love to step back and have someone else coordinate the slot-pull and then I could concentrate on the Meet & Greet. Thank you again for the advice.

How many do you have for the slot pull thus far?

JW - What time do you recommend the March 25 do the Slot-Pull. The babies machine might be good for that. You can touch the babies for luck to get it all started. :)

When I was a Roll Call Leader and coordinated the Slot Pulls (18 of them) I would hold the Slot Pull immediately following the Meet and Greet, usually that takes place at 10 or 11 am (can't think if you posted that yet) and on The Escape, the M&G is usually in Cagney's.

I would let everyone know to gather in the Sky Line (so we can take advantage of our UBP) after the M&G and then we would go to the pre-selected machine. The evening prior, I had already introduced myself to the Casino Host and she suggested the most popular machine (Wheel of Fortune) and most choose that. But, I do know that for giggles, the Babies Slot Machine (Touch the Babies) seems to be the one getting the slot pull action these days because of my reviews and everyone wanting to "Touch The Babies". The Casino Host also had prizes for us, bottles of champagne, tee shirts, key chains etc for us as well, to give to the person who had the highest win on their spin or who got a bonus.

Rusty (Baryton), who is on our roll call here, on our last Escape sailing coordinated the roll call and the slot pull and did an awesome job, considering that we had over 100 folks on the roll call. Although, and he can chime in here anytime, he said it's a whole lot of work.

Jerome and I will be at the Meet and Greet.

Brenda Braxton or something like that, perhaps?

I don't recall, could be? It was August, it was a weird sailing, I was imbibed and loved every minute of the show.

The Upgrade/Up Sell Fairy would like to extend his heartfelt wishes to all as he departs for the final journey across the sea to the Magical Fairyland Forest. He says that it has been a pleasure after all these years to Upgrade the few, Up Sell the many and now must sadly leave us all to prosper in the bidding war known to us now, as what we fondly call, eSway.

Wave goodbye folks, as he casts his spell one last time upon you!

Thank you JW! I knew you'd come through. Yes, we too had a Great time late night in the Skyline and How at the Moon as well. Agree about the main production shows,might not go this time around but we'll see. Who was the Cabaret act you saw? I've often wondered if we might enjoy the Wine Musical, but have a hard time drinking vino earlier in the day, too many other choices.

 

We'll shout out JW says to touch the Babies for good luck. I'm not arranging the machine with the Casino mgr. someone else is. But I'm trying to steer him into this direction after hearing all the fun times. Will come back and let you know after our return. Thanks for the meet up location info, I thought I remembered right after last time. Things get to blending in after a while with the UBP

For the life of me I cannot remember her name, and I don't have the Daily's anymore. Dang. She has been in several Broadway musicals and on television comedy shows. So familiar enough, and the show was not sold out, which was a shame as she was terrific. Her show was on the second sea day. Absolutely wonderful, had brunch, wine and was literally take away and forgot it was the middle of the afternoon. Needless to say, we ended up in the Casino afterwards and lost and lost and lost some more, it was all that wine!

Also, you sail March 4th, we sail the 25th, just two weeks later so the Casino staff will know who you are shouting about, as they already know that JW, the Hot Sir Lady Lose A Lot Queen of The Slots is coming back on!

Thanks for all the FUN info on the Escape. Sailing on March 4th and heading up the M&G. We're trying to decide a machine for our Slot Pull and am thinking what fun the Babies might be with the 40 or so of us to play. What do you think? Also, where is this machine located? We're thinking of meeting up near the Skyline bar on deck 7. Is it near there by any chance? This will be our 2nd time on Escape and can't wait. Thanks!

The Babies Machine is located directly next to The Casino Host's office to the left if you are looking at it. The Casino Host will try to steer you to the Wheel of Fortune Machine, because of all the open space around those machines. I think that you would have a blast at the Slot Pull with the Babies Machine. Wonder Woman is next to the Babies, and there are two Wonder Woman and Two Babies. Make sure you yell out "JW says to Touch The Babies" for good luck!

The Skyline Bar is a perfect meeting place and is kind of smack in the Casino off to one side. I like it at night as it reminds me of playing in the casinos in Vegas while a great live show is going on. The Cover Bands that have been on the Escape are truly awesome and the shows each night are fantastic. This is where I feel Norwegian Escape excels, with their smaller venue entertainment offerings. Howl at the Moon, The Headliners Comedy Club, Sky Line Bar, The District all these venues have incredible high energy performances. The larger stage shows, well my take is menz a menz. I am a spoiled "Old" Norwegian as I miss the grand Jean Anne Ryan stage productions they used to have and would have been flawlessly perfect for these large theaters at sea. The talent in the shows is very good, the premise is just..............in my opinion......... whatever, it's something to do.

The big surprise for us was the Cabaret Star they brought on for our sailing that performed one sea day afternoon in the Super Club Cabaret. Definitely go see this if it is offered. It is usually in one of the afternoons at sea and it a welcome surprise and lots of wine, so you can't loose. Also Wine Lovers The Musical is wonderful as well, and is a welcome change for something fun, unique, and different to do on a ship not offered anywhere else. (No UBP here, it is a ticket cost)-

Here are some pics of Shot O'Clock at VIBE that is happened today, but on The Norwegian Getaway:

A friend is on The Getaway right now, today, 2/8/2017, and they said that this is the reinvented Party VIBE on the Getaway but were told is not going to be on The Escape (They also just sailed the Escape and loved the service in VIBE but said it was booooring and totally different experience that what they are getting on the Getaway). I told her what you said calling it a Library with a bar and hot tub and she said, "Yep" "On the Escape, Yes, not on the Getaway" and she said that VIBE is not sold out. Good to know.

SHOT O'CLOCK!

Thank you for posting your reviews. They are informative and very very funny. So happy you use your writing talent on this board!

 

Can't wait to hear about your March trip. We leave on the Escape on 4/15. Since our kids are still in school, we are stuck traveling during school holidays (as you call them "High Holidays"). Our last cruise - on the awesome Carnival Breeze - was without the "rest" in R&R due to the nightly teenager traveling parties that carnival wasn't able to shut down. Crossing our fingers that this cruise will be better (we spent the extra $ to get a suite that has Haven access and picked a cabin in a less crowded hallway).

 

We will be anxiously anticipating your review from March to hear how your spring break cruise goes. It will help us prepare for our adventure in April.

 

 

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I referenced, above in red, the smartest thing I believe you did. You have the best of all the Escape will have to offer, including the Haven and it's private Restaurant with Filet Mignon every morning for breakfast. Yes I said for breakfast. But, you are "Outside" the Haven Complex, so you will not be subjected to the multitude of Spring Breakers in the Haven Family Suites up in the Haven carousing the halls. The Haven Spa Suites have the Spa Access, which is truly Heavenly!!!! And The Haven Aft Penthouse Suites are absolutely amazing with their wrap around views.

Did you spend much time in H20? I can't remember what I read the daytime atmosphere was like there? I was never there during the day, just in the evenings for some of the parties.

Spice H2O is in the back of the boat and every night has some kind of themed event going on. The GLOW Party is what used to be known as The White Hot Party, and they morphed that into the 21st Century with Complimentary Glow Sticks, High Velocity Beat Music and Videos pumping on the screen. Bring white outfits if you are plan on attending the party.

If you have ever been on The EPIC's SPICE H2O, they have a pool on the exact spot where this is a stage on The Escape. Everyone wishes that there was a pool in Spice H2O on the Escape also, it is sorely needed and cannot figure out why they took it out of the design. There is a Water Feature, called The Grotto............that many an adult has been caught "doing the naughty" in it at night time, but, during the day, it is kind of like a water-fall foot-bath kinda "Kiss Me In The Rain" sort of place. You'll see. But the music during the day, along with the bar, along with the fun food that is put out for "Big Kids", well, it is really what VIBE should actually be but isn't. There is a huge smoking area here as well.

I posted this on our up coming March 25, 2017 sailing Roll Call and wanted to share this here as well. I can't begin to tell you that as of today, 44 Days To Go and I am definitely going to TINKLE!:

___________________________________________________

Thank you, thank you all for the kind words and accolades. Jerome and I are happy to be sailing for the third time in 9 months on what has become our favorite ship (just NOT the last cruise, that was truly bizarre).

I know that this is the cusp of Spring Break as the majority of the country will be on break starting April 1st, according to the National numbers, however, there are still 1/8th of the country on break during our week, so I am expecting lots of children, as well as college dudes and dudettes, to fill the ranks on the ship. When we have kids on a sailing (so many folks say Yikes!), we have, believe it or not, sanity. Or what I call "Responsible Parents" that party moderately, and with The Escape costing a bit more money than Carnival and RCCL, so with the collegiate Spring Break gang, well in our experience, they are more well behaved "Party Packs, more like fun drunks than off the chain obnoxious. It has a lot to do with the amount of younger children on board as well. All bets are off though, on the April 1 thru April 22nd sailings. Jerome and I would NEVER EVER travel those periods, anywhere. Those cruises are Pure Insanity and more energy that I could ever bring to a cruise! Spring Break!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our sailing will be fun and we look forward to meeting everyone! I would recommend enjoying everything that The Escape has to offer, though the only thing we are not 100% keen on is Margaritaville, only because there are better burgers, IMHO, elsewhere on the ship for free, and in most cases, with much better service as well.

Don't believe the negative reviews either. The Nambypambees that write some negative things, unfortunately took their less than positive experience home with them, instead of having the where-with-all of addressing their concerns and challenges with the Officers. Every single Officer is in the public eye on the ship, almost every waking hour of the day. Talk to them if there is an issue NO MATTER HOW SMALL ("small" turns into HUUUUUUGE once the vacation is over and it's given time to fester when nothing can be done about it after the fact. I know, I am in the Guest Relations business) and give them an opportunity to satisfy you, and don't take any issue home with you without it being resolved. The Officers are there for our comfort, our enjoyment, our experience, our information, our resolutions and our safety.

There is not a thing we have not done or experienced on The Escape and we are somewhat into a "Routine" on this third sailing, knowing exactly what we like to do from sun up to sundown, which usually means me (and Rusty) in the Casino until the wee hours then me getting to the cabin and into bed just before the early risers with Jerome saying to me in the dark room as I stumble in, "Well, how much did you lose?". Not this time! JW is going to win! Oh heck, I am on The Escape, I have already won!

Maybe that's where I went wrong and didn't come back for the party folks! Doesn't Vibe close down early-ish?

On several days we stayed until about 6-7 ish then went down to get changed for dinner and had cocktails later at the District or with Clarence at the 5 o'clock Somewhere Bar outside on the Waterfront.

Thanks, it's not the atmosphere I'm looking for. I've decided to not get the passes. :)

The more I think of it the more it is true what you said. It's an outdoor Library with a Bar and Hot Tub. The action only starts later in the day after the bookworms have adjourned for their really early dinner reservations and us party folks can enjoy and fizzle to the mizzle at Shot O'Clock once they have left.

Thanks. Looking forward to it. Twice we ran into the same two women fighting. Wonder if they were your Tappanaki adversaries ? P.S. Did you get the cooler ? Regards, Gerry.

Oh my goodness! THE COOLER!!!! Yes, it was so strange because we did not know who it came from. First, the package was "Undeliverable" (we got a note on our door) for some odd reason, as we have daily UPS/Fed Ex deliveries and it was strange that they did not ring the doorbell. So after a period of three days, this package supposedly ended up at the main UPS facility (apparently they had trouble re-delivering it?) Even though we were getting regular delivery of other packages from UPS, it made no sense. I kept thinking we won The Publishers Clearing House sweepstakes or something. So we drove out to the facility with the package number and paperwork they left for me to retrieve it. When we got there, they could not find it and and was told that it was to be delivered to one of their UPS storefront retail establishments and we needed to go to that place. I had no idea what it was or who it was from, so I was intrigued. Finally, we got to the UPS retail establishment and the package had not yet been delivered there, but would be sometime that day. The next day, we went back to the retail establishment and the package had been opened, and the item was out of the original box and just sitting on the counter. When I got to the store, I remarked to Jerome, oh look, that has our name on it! The clerk was relieved that he was talking to JW and Jerome as he barely had any paperwork only to be told that the package was part of a UPS accident (no details at what point of delivery) and the box was completely damaged and he did not know if there was anything else in the package, blah, blah, blah. So we had this cooler monogrammed with our names on it and had no idea where it came from! Now we know. Thank gosh! Jerome was looking at me sternly and said "JW" "I know you bought it, don't lie" I said "Honestly Jerome, I have never seen it before" There was no card, no identification, no return address, but it is faaaaabulous! Thank you! To you both! Now it makes sense! Thank you both for such a wonderful surprise and as usual, comes with a fabulous story!!!!! It will be with us on every cruise for years. It's Just Wonderful! Gerry and Pam! How amazing for you to remember us!

We just talked to him a couple of weeks ago. We were in Jan Juan, on the Jade. He calls, out of the blue, to tell us he was on vacation. He's not going to the Joy now. Great news! He is staying on the Escape for his next contract. He'll be back in March. Not sure of the exact date. 2018 is too far away to know anything about that. He's really good guy.

Which means that Jerome and I will get to see Clarence on our March 25th sailing! Yay!