cruiseguys2009

Wow thanks for the great explanation of the future cruise certificates. We sailed on Getaway in May for the first time and had already booked a Sky cruise for december and our upcoming Escape in September. I did not push my hubby on the purchase bc he is pretty loyal to Royal.I was told at the desk that they were no good on the bookings I already had. But it seems like a pretty low risk 250 gamble to assume I will not cruise NCL again.

 

Anyway, my question is how do you know which cruises allow you to use 2 certificates at once? And how long do they last? And if refundable, why do they expire? And they are good through TA and NCL?

 

Oh and I might be the one tying up the slot machine you want with my minimum bids of pennies:o

Sorry I just saw this question and was not ignoring you.

The CruiseNext certificates can be used on any future cruise I think 6 nights or longer. They can be transferred to friends sailing with you and can be combined with virtually every discount or promotion as a deposit. On certain sailings, they accept several certificates as payment, but that you have to find out from Norwegian directly as to what promotions are available. The CruiseNext personnel can let you know, at the time of purchase, which cruises are available and what dates are under promotion, that is how we knew about this next sailing August 20th.

The certificates are good for four years from date of purchase and are refundable only for a short time after purchase.

Cruise guys.

 

Did you happen to take pics of the cruise dailies? If so could you please post pics?

 

Trying to plan our entertainment/dining plans for our upcoming December '16 Eastern Caribbean sailing.

They are already on the boards from the first week of August's Escape sailing.

Love your review. Could you let me know when the seafood buffet is. We are on the escape on November 12 and can't wait 91 days to go

 

 

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The Seafood Buffet is on night two, Dress Up night for certain restaurants.

The Escape Casino, The Final Chapter of The Beginning.

Jerome and I, after having easily won on the ATM machine, decided to play, side by side, on The Wizard of Oz machines. They are graphically exciting, bonus rich and along with The Flintstones machines on the Left and Willy Wonka's on the Right, you can pretty much guarantee that the median age for these machines will be mid 50's. Hey, all they need is to add The Brady Bunch and The Munsters and my childhood will be complete! Hi graphics, low paying, but fun slot machines.

So Jerome and I sit down, and magically Jazz, our wonderful Cocktail Server appears. I order a Coffee with Bailey's with a Grey Goose Shot on the side. Hey, I am Livin' La Vida Loca...............okay?

I put my Casino Card into the machine and I get a, "Welcome JW" "You have Zero Points" Like Duh, wait until later in the week.................tonight is the first night. Nice to rub it in fuzz ball, but just you wait.

Now, it goes without saying that I saw a YouTube Video of The Norwegian Escape Casino that highlighted the Wizard of Oz machines, and I guess I had too many martini's that night, because I then had a dream that Jerome and I were playing these machines next to each other and he got a Bonus and, Bazinga! (Sorry borrowed that from my favorite show BBT) we were rich!

Well, not so fast. Bonus yes, just like the dream. Rich? Well no. It's a penny machine, in reality, on this machine a payout of "Rich" is only about a couple of thousand if we were that lucky. And at that very moment, Jazz had returned with my Coffee with Bailey's with my shot of Grey Goose, and as he proceeded to give it to me, I was paying attention to the Bonus Jerome got on his machine and wham, without me knowing, I was spilling coffee all over me....................on my gorgeous, Tommy Bahama white shirt no less..............in my excitement, the drink dribbled all over me while watching Jerome's bonus.

"Oh Jerome!" I exclaimed "Oh, I had a dream about you winning on the Wizard of Oz machine, and you getting a bonus and we were rich!" "Rich, Rich, Rich" "Yippee!" Mind you, coffee all the while is drip, drip, dripping all over my Tommy Bahama shirt embroidered with Martini glasses. Drip, drip, drip. The bonus goes on and on and on. I am Tinkling in my pants. Coffee dripping everywhere.

The bonus was a lot of noise and excitement, the payout was $6.40. Yay, we are rich, rich, rich I tell you, RICH! Six dollars for all that noise? You have got to be kidding.

Jerome looks over at me and I have the Bailey's and Coffee in one hand and I am pressing the (Max Bet) buttons of the machine I am playing with the other and he is just shaking his head. He says "Oh Lordie". I turn to him briefly, not wanting to take my eyes off my Wizard of Oz machine lest I win something, and he says "Uh, JW, What the heck is wrong with you?" I shoot him the "eyes", you know, "Those Eyes". "Wrong with me?" "What is wrong with me?" My fingers are now rapidly pressing the buttons on the machine as if I am in a slot tournament not caring about the eventual outcome, "Wrong?" I am getting a bit peeved. "Now what's the matter?" "Now what did I do?" (And I know I did something, you don't spend decades with someone and not know I did something wrong, as usual, Trouble is in Trouble).

"JW, look what you did to your brand new Tommy Bahama shirt!" Jerome had stopped playing his machine and he was sympathetically looking at me knowing that at any moment the sounds of devastation would erupt out of me and everyone in the casino would think I was going berserk. He had fully turned towards me, as if he were a Psychiatrist waiting to console and comfort the crazy patient before the patient goes berserk. Berserk!

Berserk is, well, just imagine, (go ask your gay friends), what would happen if I discovered I had spilled coffee all over a brand new, very expensive, Tommy Bahama shirt with Martini Glasses embroidered all over it and I was sitting there not knowing what I had done? In a very public place where hundreds of folks would see me and what a boob I was?...........Oh sure. I could maybe get away with "Oh it was the ship rocking" NOT! Not on The Escape! The dang ship never moved once. (We were just transported from port to port by alien spaceships, now that could be the Tequila talking!)

You wanna know how awesome Jerome was? He went back to the room with my shirt, (I took it off at the machine, you didn't think that I was going to leave the Casino did you? That would be nuts) and I sat there, playing out my money on The Wiz machine, with a coffee stained-thru undershirt on, bink, bink, bink, constantly pushing the max-bet button shouting "Come On Wicked Witch!" "I am NOT in Kansas Anymore!" "And Toto too!" Yes, I know that I am a mess, I know what you are thinking.

Jerome returned with a clean shirt for me (Thank Gawd I always pack "JW's been a boob" emergency clothes) and he let me know that he was going to go and check out The Skyline Bar, located by the Casino, where they actually had an incredible live cover band, and would he hang out there for a while. I said my tootles and began my "Quest" for the hunt of the machine that pays off on the first night. Never really ever finding it on any other cruise, but as elusive as it is, there is always that one machine that creates the "folk lore" for the entire rest of the sailing, a big jackpot on the first night, to capture the attention of all the folks just dying for it to happen to them..........the elusive jackpot was just waiting to be won.

And I just happened to sit down at that one machine this night.

As many of you know, Jerome and I will be sailing on The Norwegian Escape, Saturday the 20th of August, 2016, and as of this writing....................SIX DAYS TO GO!

There are many experiences that I will write about that compare the two sailings, and the most important comparison will be the consistency of the Food and Beverage, the Level of Service and The Entertainment. I have withheld certain experiences to give you a side by side comparison as we continue the Adventures!

Of course, Jerome and I don't ever have a sailing without all the kooky, outrageous and unique experiences that follow us everywhere, so I will write about those too.

But since I learned one important factor regarding our upcoming sailing, most of the Senior Management Staff will be off the ship on vacation. This will include Sean (Who Rocks as The Hotel Director!), Martin (The finest Food and Beverage Manager we have ever met!) Adrian (Singularly the most outstanding Concierge in the Norwegian fleet. Anoop and Virginia take close runner-ups, but Adrian is the best!) and many, many others. I am extremely interested in how my experiences, and those of the passengers I observe, will be similar, consistent, better or heaven forbid, less than stellar. Trust me, when I come back from this sailing, it will be "Our Little Secret"!

Nonetheless, you most certainly can look forward to reading all about it here. It will be all fun and dandy, and sugar coated with the most colorful pictures I can paint using literary composition as my canvas.

My most important comparison will be the Food and Service throughout the ship. The In-Room Dining. Often overlooked. The Seafood Buffet, for instance. Was it just crab in season that provided 3 foot crab legs on our June, 2016 sailing or is that the norm? Can I report back to you that the mounds of Shrimp Cocktail really do exist, or was it a fluke? Have obvious changes (good or not so good) been made in a span of six weeks or will we be surprised with new areas of excitement? And of course, as we were already on The EPIC with a "vacation replacement" Crew and have a vivid predisposition of a less than a positive experience on that sailing, are these unknown shadow Officers up to the task of an explosion of pleasure or an implosion of dissatisfaction.

It is with great anticipation that Jerome and I look forward to sailing, yet again, on The Norwegian Escape. (Pronounce it with your pinky up holding a Martini, The Es-Cah-Pey)

Loved your review!!!!! My husband and I read it together. We are sailing on the Epic for the first time in late October and you've sold us on the Escape - so we have decided to sail her next year along with the Harmony of the Seas; it will be a new ship exploration for us.

 

I think you missed 2 types of people for the casino. ;)

 

Wanna Be Mathematician: This is the person that walks up to the roulette table and starts asking you why and how you are betting and wants to discuss the odds with you! They are annoying as hell, never place a bet and don't stop pestering those playing the game.

 

Wanna be Winners who Judge: Almost like the stalkers, these are the people that criticize you after having won jackpot bingo on gambling in the casino (even though you've been there all week). They just can't stand that someone won that wasn't themselves and when they see you in the casino they make statements about you wasting your winnings in the casino.

Yes, those two are definitely additions to the Casino listing. Love it. I am dropping in the final Casino Chapter shortly. Stay tuned.

Yes, as the VIBE passes are charged to your OBC.

Vibe is charged to the on board account the day you arrive. The Charges and OBC from the CruiseNext deposit is also credited to your account. In a sense, the OBC would take care of the Vibe Passes, as it all comes down to what is charged and what is credited on the last day's final bill.

THANK YOU! I was thinking the same thing, I LOVE to cruise so this would be a GREAT way to plan our next one, also taking your advice to book or put down the $250 PP for a future cruise. That is really a great idea! Thank you for all the little tidbits! We are sailing on the Gem Aug. 20th, we also bought the cubes!!!

Looking forward to more of your Adventure fun!

To really make the CruiseNext deposit work for you in your favor, purchase at least two $250 certificates ($500). Then you will be receive an On Board Credit for $250 to spend (In the casino of course) on the cruise you are currently sailing on. Kind of like getting 50% returned to you but you only can use it for excursions, casino play, premium restaurants, jewelry, fragrance, booze in the gift shop on the sailing that you are on with no refunds.

Buy it early on the sailing, like the first night, or second day, so you can use the OBC for an upcoming NCL excursion.

During the year, NCL has several promotions, once you have the CruiseNext certificates in hand, to where you can combine the certificates and use more than one as a deposit. So, since we have our August 20th cruise as a Casino Comp, we still would had to pay the taxes, port fees and gratuities. Our certificates could be combined and allowed us to pay all the expenses and also, because we booked in a special promotional window that allowed us to use more than one certificate, we used both of the certificates that we purchased six weeks ago on The Adventure sailing of the Escape and not paying anything additional. That was cool, plus I got an extra $250 to spend on our last sailing. Kind of like paying $500 and getting $750.

We plan on purchasing 4 $250 CruiseNext certificates on our upcoming cruise ($1,000) which gives us a $500 On Board Credit and will use them to book our future cruises, perhaps during a new promotional window. If I wanted to use them for friends, I could. I can use them for every kind of promotional discounted fare and for Casino rates too. Much better than the older Future Cruise Certificates.

If I pay $1,000, I would get $1,500. I like an extra $500, kind of like getting a jackpot in the Casino.

So enjoying all the insight. I do have a question though as I do dabble in the Casino, I will be cruising for my 5th time on the Lovely Norwegian Gem.

Just love the ship, hoping to also like the refurbishment it has gone through also.

 

We have a first time couple coming with us and they are young but old souls and looking forward to seeing them enjoy everything a cruise has to offer.

 

In regards to the Casino, We usually go there each night sometimes during the afternoon on Sea Days. Is it worth it to get the card you speak of from the Casino Host? I do enjoy cruising and a little gambling thrown in for fun is totally worth it.

 

I do apologize if you did go over these details already, as I am enjoying all of it.

Thank you for taking the time and I look forward to more of your fabulous Vacation!

Always always always use your card inserted into the machine to track your play. You can also use your Sign and Sail cabin key card, but I prefer signing up with The Players Club and use their Casino Club card, then they get a chance to know me personally. If you spend "sit" time in the casino (for example, throughout this past Escape cruise I spent 34 hours "sitting" at one machine or another, playing over seven days) it gives the Players Club a chance to monitor your play and who knows, perhaps they like it and will send you a future offer! Sometimes, the offers are not a "Complimentary" cabin, but could be a percentage off or a flat "Casino" rate, which would be considerably lower or a savings off a normal cruise cabin, but still comes with all the promotional perks!

"Sit" time is just as valuable as monetary play when it comes to slots. I know plenty of avid slot players that only play minimum bet (like 40 cents a spin) and sit for hours and hours, more sit time than me, and get complimentary cruises in Inside cabins.

Look at is as you are investing in your next cruise and paying for it early, that is what I talk myself into!

So go for it. Always join the Club. Plus, another fun thing to do, is to join all the Slot Tournaments and other casino activities nightly. Not only do you have an equal chance to win, it's anybody's game, but there are some great give-a-ways just for joining. There is a nominal cost to join, but that too, goes towards your "Play" time in the casino, and sometimes, just by joining the Players Club, there are discounts too for these events.

And don't forget about complimentary cocktails while gaming! Once a player reaches a certain point level requirement, and if you don't have the Ultimate drink package, as long as you are playing at a machine or table, cocktails are on the house! Another great reason to join the Players Club.

On The Norwegian Escape, the person to fill you in the best, on all the perks, promos and prizes of the Players Club benefits, would be Christina Bica, the Executive Casino Manager. Or the Executive Casino Manager on any of the other Norwegian Ships as well. She is fabulous and runs one a heck of a wonderful Casino and her staff is totally awesome. Christina goes out of her way to accommodate a Casino Guest and will happily answer any questions you have. I love Christina Bica.

I thought it had always been allowed, as long as you aren't linking to the crappy groups you've mentioned.

 

Sorry, I didn't see your post until my window to edit had expired. If I get deleted (like 5 of my posts do daily anyway), I'll repost. :D

You are so funny and I enjoy your humor daily! You and I would get into so much trouble on a ship and I would love to travel with you someday.

Wow! That sucks!

 

People need to be sure their security settings on Facebook don't allow strangers to access their friends lists. That's another step that can help.

 

 

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Do me a quick favor, go back in and delete the "Company" name so the post will be allowed. If anyone should respond to my post in this issue, please do not use other platform company names. That is not allowed on Cruise Critic.

Real Warning about joining "OTHER" On-Line Groups

Okay, here is a real warning about what has happened to both Jerome and myself as well as others recently when we were on The Escape because we were part of another roll call group on the "Other" site not mentioned for good reasons.

Even though it was "A Closed Group" and one must be approved to join, on the initial page itself, it lists all the people in the closed group. Any hacker can assume a false identity of any of those persons listed. It happened to me and others on our journey.

Jerome and I were on our second day out at sea and I had my cell phone on airplane mode so I had no internet data connection.

Apparently, someone took my photos from my main page, both the inset pic and the main photo and duplicated it, slightly changing the way my name was spelled, putting a space between the J and W of my name and creating a new page.

Then, from my real page, and I have almost 500 friends, contacted every single friend to "Re-Friend" them, as if I had mistakenly deleted them.

Over 60 of my friends did respond, and before they knew it, had an flash instant message from supposedly "Me" and the Ghost page telling them that I had an emergency on board the Norwegian Escape and Jerome and I needed money to be evacuated from the ship as we had no funds. The message went on that we supposedly needed $10,000 to be Medivac'd by helicopter off the ship. They instructed our friends to call a specific phone number, The "NCL Emergency Line" and give their credit cards over the phone. When they called (What turned out to be a throwaway cell phone number) they answered very professionally NCL, etc.

Two people fell for the scam and actually gave credit card numbers and were consequently defrauded and one other was instructed to go and get a Green Dot prepaid Visa from Walmart and call that card number in.

All the while, Jerome and I were safe, drinking Martini's and having a blast. When we got to St Thomas the next morning and I turned my cell phone back on to normal, as we are technically in the USA again so normal cell phone usage can continue, my phone blew up with over a hundred worried and frantic calls, text messages and emails. Our families were distraught thinking the worst.

On our "Real" page were messages of panic and despair. It was a nightmare to say the least, when we should have been enjoying our vacation, we had to spend time resolving this issue.

I actually did see the Ghost Page that was recreated on me and the funny thing, it would have fooled me at first, but after further investigation, I would have found it odd that someone would re-friend me, but when I looked at the timeline, there was no posts, no pics and no friends. Big red flag.

That is why overall, Cruise Critic is beyond safe and secure, and no one can take my identity and try to extort funds in creative ways. The beauty of Cruise Critic is that "We" are all like-minded individuals, just anticipating our wonderful upcoming cruise adventures. We are also interested in making a few new, life long friends, once on-board the ship, without the guise of giving all our personal information away to the Universe (well everyone but me, I am too well known!).

So please be careful on those other sites and use your noggin! If it's going to happen, trust me, it will happen to me ("Trouble") first!

Just a point of clarification Cagney's does not require the more formal dress, as Le Bistro, and on the Escape, Bayamo. I've been in my shorts and sandals in Cagney's the past 3 times we've been on the Escape.

 

Both my DW and I worked for a Ross Perot organization for a number years. At one point they revised the dress code to allow tassels on your dress shoes. I pay no attention to what someone wears. Dress codes are subject change.

 

That's the beauty of NCL. You can wear what you want. One of the primary reasons we cruise them. If I wanted to be more dressy, just about every other line is more formal than NCL in the dining venues.

How nice and refreshing for you.

I am so sorry, but my experience at Bayamo, because you brought it up, it is a restaurant completely out in the open, in a very public space, with an active Mojito Bar right in the middle of it. The restaurant is considerably more than casual. Most of the Guests sat outside on The Waterfront in the very same outfits they wore to the beach earlier in the day, with the interior space being uncomfortable, dark and almost empty.

On our Escape experience, we dress how we want to dress, and that apparently goes for you too. We certainly did see the degree of casualness you speak of. Good for you for changing attitudes on what your proper respectful attire is. I simply have a different, more discerning attitude and this is my story, not yours. I enjoy dressing for dinner, apparently you do not. Good for you and there are plenty of options for you on NCL.

On our sailing, Cagney's was exclusively nice and most folks acted as if they were at a Country Club, making it a special evening dining out and did dress appropriately despite what your opinion of appropriate is. I am truly sorry that a special evening to you is, as you say, shorts and sandals (glorified flip flops), not wanting to take the time to be romantic and feel special for a shining moment, but just to eat a steak and be done with it. Thank you for your magnanimous and invaluable insight to your opinion of what you wear on your cruise. My valuable insight is very different and despite what you think Ross Perot might say, he is categorically correct in my opinion, just like the company I have dedicated my life too, consistency and class is known only by substance, presentation and manners.

I am so excited to go on this cruise now. I have a couple of questions for you! BTW, celebrating 25 years of marriage in Dec and considering the cruise you are in for NYE because I think I could just watch you and be entertained all week! ��

1. Attire- how casual is ok at night. We are new to NCL

2. On a Harrah's certificate, I have been told you get upgraded and I have been told you don't. Both by CAS employees. Do you know?

At night on NCL, Jerome and I wear long pants and Tommy Bahama shirts, comfortable dress shoes with, of course, matching colorful socks. On the one or two dressier evening occasions, we usually wear very dressy long sleeve shirts and sometimes ties, jackets, as requested, in La Cuchina especially. However we have seen shorts, flip flops and plenty of toe nail fungus at these restaurants too.

IN OUR OPINON, JEROME AND I, We are part of the long held "Country Club" belief that a True Gentleman always has a pair of Chinos, collared shirt and dress shoes in his locker at the Golf Club so as to gain Proper Admittance with the utmost respect into the dining room after 6 PM. No shorts for us after 6, my mother taught me well. My Gawd, my Mother would roll over in her grave if I were caught in any dining room with Shorts and Flip Flops On! Aghast, I would Tinkle right there! Yet, I truly get disappointed seeing what should be respectable men and women wearing Flip Flops (sadly needing Jublia to cure their nasty toe nail fungus) and see-through shorts showing all their business and polka dot undies at dinner in a what is supposed to be, a formal restaurant. There are "Proper Dress" recommendations for Le Bistro and Cagney's.

So, what ever floats your boat is acceptable at dinner, you are at a resort like a Marriott, what are they gonna do? Throw you overboard? I should say not. However, that being said, I did notice that the properly dressed people got much better "Seat" locations in and around the restaurants, verses the un-dressed folks. It is painfully obvious that the shorts and flip flop group are seated outside the restaurant, paying the full price but getting a very, how can I say, "Public experience" or admonition, which I "gayly" laugh at. Once you are on board, you will see for yourself.

I really could care less what the person next to me has on, because I am not interested in them at all, just interested in my life partner Jerome. We are dressed accordingly and properly and that is all that matters. Funny thing though. We always seem to have so much attention paid to us because we are dressed. Just sayin'.

Jerome and I respect "Proper Dress" requests from the various restaurants at home. We have a succinct un-entitled feeling while on a ship and we really, really like to bathe again before dinner, rather than to be in the same beach attire as we were at 2 o'clock that very afternoon smelling of Gawd knows what tropical fragrance we picked up along the way before we go logrolling off to dinner with our pit hairs hanging out. Oh was I too graphic? Truthful? Every hostess at the restaurants know this to be true. So sorry, must be the Martini-Truth Serium. "Being Comfortable" has it's limits at times.

2. Harrah's Certificates, everyone starts at an Inside Cabin to begin with, regardless, because your land play vs. sea play is so differently accumulated. However, that being said, if your land play is equal to a "Lucky" Sea Player, then you would receive an Outside Cabin. If you have received a Balcony, good for you. You get the perks that come along with that Balcony. CAS would upgrade you prior to embarkation only if there are available cabins, based on expected play. Now, one other thing. You can call the NCL Upsell Department and request an upgrade to a higher level, but you will pay for it, accordingly.

I would keep the complimentary cabin I received what ever the location, and use the money saved from upgrading to put in the slot machines or use on excursions. The trick is to go from "Lucky" to "Hot" to "Golden", and the expiration is March 31, 2017 to do it in.

Have fun and see you on the ship!

JW

I've finished scanning and uploading the Freestyle Dailies for last week's cruise on Norwegian Escape. This was her first 8-night itinerary (with stops in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Tortola, and Nassau).

 

I hope that others find this useful.

 

You can find them here on Google Drive.

Great job and perfectly flawless. Just what I needed for our upcoming 8 nighter August 20th!

Can't wait for your next Casino installment!

 

I have the same reaction to Stalkers, be they on land or at sea. One of the advantages on land is in most Atlantic City casinos, if you are a rated player, you can have the machine shut down for a specific time period while you go to dinner, etc. I'm sure you can imagine the stalkers reactions - I've actually come back from dinner or a show and found them sitting at the machine waiting for "time to be up" so they can "have their machine back."

 

The others that drive me to a headache are the Rookies, they play minimum as a group, usually on the penny machines, and shriek like they won the Mega Millions jackpot whenever they hit 5 cents.

 

Curious - were you always known as JW, or did that come with your Marriott career?

I have always been known, since a kid, as JW, and all of my family's first names begin with the letter "J". It was a coincidence that I went to work for Marriott, and even though "JW" is now a trademarked Brand for Marriott I have express permission "from the top" to use my initials professionally at work.

I won a National Presidential Award for Guest Service a decade ago, and since then, I am the only person in Marriott, approved personally by a letter from Bill Marriott, stating that I can use my initials and be known by "JW", Professionally at Marriott International. So everywhere I go, whether at work or on a cruise, and I introduce myself as "JW", inadvertently, the remark will almost always be "As in Marriott?" And I can, with great esteem, I can honestly say, "Yes, Yes it is!"

And the Best Looking President and Chief Operating Officer of any Cruise Line is Andy Stewart, Norwegian Cruise Lines.............

 

Yes he is..............see....................

 

 

See if this picture works,

And the Best Looking President and Chief Operating Officer of any Cruise Line is Andy Stewart, Norwegian Cruise Lines.............

Yes he is..............see....................

And.....................Congratulations Frank Del Rio on becoming CEO of Norwegian Cruise Lines.

.

and so it continues..........................did ya'all Tinkle yet..................please do...............it's gonna slay you when I drop the next chapter. I still Tee Tee when I read it over and over again..................:D

such a fun read. Can't wait to see you in the M6 secret hallway :)

Oh that's right, you are on our August 20th sailing, part 2 of The JW and Jerome Adventures, 6 weeks apart!

Casino Continued, Part 2 of 3

After all these years of gambling and playing the slots, on land or at sea, I have come to know that there are several distinct personalities that, no matter where I am, yep, these folks are there too. See if you may fit into one of these categories:

The First Timer: These are those wonderful newlyweds "Oh Honey, lets just put $20 in a machine, we might win?" Yeah, and you know what? They usually do, and then Hubby becomes addicted to gambling. "I can do it again!" He thinks. If New Mrs is smart, she cashes out and off to shopping she goes, leaving the Hubby dutifully following behind like a little puppy dog. (Especially if they are a little Ginger Furry Puppy Dog like a couple I recently met.) Or, the Hubby starts trolling a Craps Table or a Roulette Table, observing the action, all the while thinking to himself, "I can play this!" "I'll be rich!" "Oh Geez, look at that!" "If I had been playing right now, I woulda won!" Yep, The First Timer.

The Die Hard: This is the gal with the perfectly coiffed Blue, Various Shade of Blonde, or Lucy Red, Marge Simpson hair, seated at a machine, with a cigarette hanging out of her mouth, Long Island Iced Tea in her hand, playing minimum bet, over and over and over again, and racks up points for sitting, and dagnabit, wouldn't you know it, gets bonus after bonus after bonus on minimum bets and walks away an hour later from the machine with $400 on a $10 buy in.

The Fixture: Much like the Die Hard, but more severe. The hair is not done up, they are a chain smoker, but not a big drinker. They have planted themselves, at what is to become, "Their Machine" (and don't you dare be caught playing it because they will haunt you, yell at you or intimidate you until you move yo' ass! Gawd Help You!). These gals sit on their same machine for hours and hours and hours, every single day and a whole bunch of the time, have the patience to wait it out and usually win a nice jackpot, or at least their money back and walk away Even-Steven. These are the steady point builders the Casino counts on, Very low maintenance but high sit time and medium high play. Move yo' ass!

The Early Bird: Just like the folks who line up at restaurant for the Senior Special at 5:30 pm, these are the same folks you'll see as you pass by the Casino on your way to breakfast in the morning. You will usually also hear the "Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding" of a slot machine paying out. I always think to myself "What the heck are these folks doing at 7:30 in the morning?" But, then again, what do I know? All the lost winnings from the night before may be ripe for the picking early in the day.

The Lucky Mary: These gals are the never ending constant in a Casino. These are also known as The Slot Biddies. They have Gold Fingers. It never ceases to amaze me, and on every ship, and in every land Casino, there is always one to go around. And the worst part is, all they do is let everyone know how much they won out of this machine, or how much they took out of that machine. "Blah, Blah Blah" "I won a thousand on this machine your playing just an hour ago!" And they win, and win, and win some more. I say, what Luck! I have watched them sit down at a machine and two seconds later, "Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing, Bing" another $1,000 bucks. Geez. "Get the heck out of here!"

The Stalker: This is kind of like Lucky Mary, but more intense. The Stalker has usually been lucky on a certain machine, and for whatever reason, they had to go Tinkle, or they had to eat dinner, or they were playing another machine, but nonetheless, I have sat down and started playing the machine they used to be on and called it their own because they once spent time on it, Geez, like a bad recurring dream. Then out of the corner of my eye I notice them going back and forth, back and forth, pacing furiously, staring at me, then getting antsy that I am playing "their" machine and I may hit a jackpot and it's "Their" money. Heaven forbid that I win on "Their" machine. They stand behind me, huffing and puffing with gigantic sighs. It behooves me to try to understand why they hover behind me, thinking that as soon as I lose all my money, I will get up. But no. Auntie JW is a crazy Queen. Just to piss them off, I put in more money, and more money. This just happened on The Escape and I loved every minute of it. I tortured the couple way past midnight and would simply not get up from the machine. It was fun, fun, fun and I am a big stinker. Oh, and I won $300 too.

The Drunkie: That would be me. More often than not, at 1 o'clock in the morning, I have imbibed my fair share of Grey Goose Martini's, for the very fact that I forget them as I leave one machine and go to another. Jazz simply brings me a new one, which I end up also leaving behind unfinished as I continue my Slot Journey of Exploration. On the last sailing, it was so funny, they almost ran out of Martini glasses. I just said, they are all over the place, and yep, they were. So The Drunkie (ME) puts money in, presses the button, usually not knowing or understanding what I may be betting........and I am mesmerized and just enjoying the bright lights of the intoxicating slot machine.............whoops there's a bonus..........now what do I do?

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This scenario happened to me on The Norwegian Dawn in 2009, at 3 o'clock in the morning, when I had no idea that I had won a substantial jackpot because I was completely imbibed. The machine had just mysteriously shut down and I thought I had broken it. I was furiously pushing the buttons over and over. Tap, tap, tap. Then all of the sudden one of the nice Indonesian Bar Servers appeared saying "Oh Misser YayWubbleYou, You win Yakpot" he was so excited. He could not pronounce the "J" or "D" in JayDoubleYou with his accent, and it came out YayWubbleYou, loved it! They had to wake the Casino Manager for my IRS forms to be filled out correctly and for me to be "Officially" paid out, because it was THAT large. I had to call Jerome, waking him up, so he could bring me my Drivers License to complete the transaction. I was sooooo imbibed, really, really imbibed. When the phone rang in the cabin, and I told Jerome, I am sure slurring every word, that I needed him to come to the Casino immediately with my Drivers License, with his response to me being, in no uncertain terms, screaming at me, was"JW WHAT THE F*** DID YOU DO?" No faith. No faith in me at all. Just because I am called Trouble, Jerome has no faith in me. Needless to say, he came down with my drivers license and figured out that I won a huuuuge jackpot and then had the nerve to take all the money from me except a measly $200 and go back to the room locking everything in the safe. I was not allowed to touch any of it for the rest of the cruise. Meany. Oh, I did stay in the casino a little while longer, or at least until my $200 held out.

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To continue with the definition: While the ship is barely moving, The Drunkie is the one swaying. Don't believe me? Come sit by me sometime early in the morning while everyone else is sleeping and help me to press the buttons. It used to be a joke, but seriously, I once wore a card around my neck placed in my lanyard that said "If found Swaying, Slurring, Babbling, Drooling or Incoherent, Please return to Cabin such-n-such." It came in handy only once. That is another story.

The Tour Guide: This is the gal, what I would normally call a Busy Body, or some others would say a noseysominabisch. This is the person that counts a person's winnings, then tells everyone what Me, in particular, has won, so it gets all over the ship, and she ends up giving tours in the Casino to anonymous bystanders, pointing out me, The Lucky Lucy. Because of her, I was constantly mobbed and had inquiring minds and some folks just wanted to touch me. Well that part wasn't so bad, if the Hubby was kind of cute, touch away! But I digress. (Oh here we go, Jerome is going to now go and call me a slut again). I learned about The Tour Guide, first hand, on The Escape. I will refer to her as BBTG for Busy Body Tour Guide upcoming in my conclusion of "The Casino".

and finally.....

One Lucky Lucy Sominabisch: Or in my case, One lucky Queenomabisch! This is the, once or twice a cruise, a real Jackpot winner. There are the $1,000, $2,000, $2,500 winners, lots of them on every sailing. But the big boys, the progressive jackpots, the big bonus. They come around once in a while. Yep, I was a Lucky Lucy Queenomabisch. More on that later.

What??????????? Come On JW.......................................!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

While in St Thomas, another option is to go to St John on your own.

Once the ship docks in St Thomas, the "Well Traveled, Repeat Cruiser Set" make their way to the Transportation Supervisor at the dock, you will see her, she is the real "mean" one screaming at all the drivers and directing all the folks to different Jitney's. When you get off the ship, go see her and tell her you want to go to the Ferry at Red Hook. She will say, and trust me on this, "Get on that bus over there" and will point once. Thing is, there are 20 different buses. She is a no nonsense "Ain't Got Time For That", kinda rude, kind of person. She has been there for perhaps 15, maybe 20 years now and she doesn't take crap or questions from anyone. You'll see. If you see me later, you will say, "Oh JW you were so right, that lady is so Mean!"

Then as you make your way over to the line of jitney open air buses, several drivers will accost you and inquire where you are going. Tell them Red Hook to the St John Ferry, then they too will direct you to the right bus. They want to fill their bus up and all have different destinations assigned to them. Once on the bus, enjoy the show from the Supervisor yelling at all the drivers. They hate her, and are so scared of her, and it's funny to see the one's she actually likes vs the one's she doesn't.

The Jitney should be stopping at Coki Beach first, then onto Red Hook. There should be other folks going on the Ferry to St John, so you won't be alone. The Taxi fare $10 per person paid to the driver once at Red Hook, and a couple of dollars extra, for gratuity if you care to tip.

Once at Red Hook, the Ferry has a schedule to and from St John. It is not a long journey over, and sometimes its more fun to explore on your own once you are there. The cost for the Ferry is $7.00 each way. Plenty of Guides with information and help will be available once you arrive in Cruz Bay, if you have questions. I like some of the shops over there better than in St Thomas, more fun, unique and authentic.

There are several beaches to go to and just be mindful of the return Ferry to St Thomas. To reassure yourself, ask when purchasing your R/T Ferry Tickets at Red Hook what time you should take the Ferry back, to make sure you get to your ship on time, they will gladly tell you. I think the 3PM return Ferry, if I remember for a 6PM sailing. Others will take the 4PM Ferry, but personally, I don't care to cut it that close. The taxi should take about 20 minutes back to the ship.

Here is the schedule:

Per person, each way $7.00 adult, $1.00 child (2-11), luggage $4 per piece

15 to 20 minute ride Daily Leaving Red Hook 6:30AM, 7:30AM then

Every hour, on the hour, 8AM-Midnight Leaving Cruz Bay Every hour, on the hour, 6AM-11PM

There usually are taxi's waiting at the Red Hook Ferry dock and you just might meet up with others who are also on the ships in port, that you can share a taxi back to the port with. It doesn't matter as the Taxi fare each way is the same, $10.00 per person (plus gratuity, of course).

The one excursion that I usually don't participate in, is taking one of the "Cattle Morons" (Catamarans) excursions that will run about $100 per person and are packed to the rafters with upwards of 80-100 people. It's just me, I am not into that kind of day with so many other personalities. I like the freedom of smaller excursions or what personal explorations give me. But that is not to say that others will certainly disagree and enjoy those experiences.

If you are off the boat no later than 8:30, on your way to the Ferry by 9ish, you will make the 10:00 Ferry over (only about 15 minute ride to St John). Plenty of time to enjoy St John.

Some of the fun places within walking distance in town are The Beach Bar, that is to the right, getting off the Ferry, along with Gallows Point Resort, located right there on the bay, and then the Sip n' Chill, a real charmer.

To the left of the Ferry dock and a couple of blocks over is Cruz Bay Visitors Center, where you can get some local information, Uncle Joe's Barbecue, yummy and other beaches close by.

If you want, there are colorful taxi's available to take you on a tour of the island, or down to the Westin Resort, which is also an option. I just go to drink, shop and relax. You know what? We were going to go in town as we have not been in ages, but after writing all this, I may just talk myself into going over on the ferry to St John too! We shall see.

One other thing. There is a Ferry from town (Charlotte Amalie) to St John, leaving from across the bay from where we dock. It costs $13 and is a 45 minute to an hour boat ride over. The only Ferry over in the morning is at 10am and the only time that the Ferry returns, leaves St John at 3:45pm. But, it has been many folks experience that this Ferry is not as reliable as Red Hook, and the one thing is, I would not want to chance it, getting to port after 5PM. It has happened. But fortunately we leave at 6pm, so this is an option if you miss the 3PM Ferry to Red Hook.

I would only do this Ferry if we docked in Crown Bay, which is across from the normal terminals folks who have been to St Thomas usually know, Havensight/West Indian Port. (Crown Bay is where The Oasis/Allure of The Seas and Disney ships Dock)

Enjoy St John, it's Charming!

Amazing review!!! So glad you are back. Can't wait to read about the rest of your adventures.

 

Will you be writing a review for your upcoming cruise? Are you still planning on doing Vibe again? I would love to hear about how this cruise and your upcoming cruise were same/different and what new things your discover.

Hi! Yes, this Adventure will continue with the August 20th sailing and I will be comparing both sailings and service. I expect that our next sailing will be similar, but different (only 6 weeks apart), because all the major Officers will be off the ship on vacation, which is precisely what happened to us on The Epic (everyone was on vacation), which was our worst cruise ever. So I really want to see if it's true "While The Cat's Away, The Mice Will Play" kind of thing happens, or Consistency is the driving force behind the New Norwegian and we have an equally phenomenal time. My money is on the latter as no matter what, we always find something hysterically funny on every cruise vacation we are on.

YASSSS! So glad you are back! I sail Sunday. I really wish this was finished before I left because I am hanging onto every word of yours and feel like we and kindred spirits. If you want to give me a quick "must do" list I would LOVE that. I am a SOLO so while I am excited I am a bit nervous... Now just ONE more day of the CA Bar Exam and then I can officially be in vacation mode!!!

I am continuing the Adventure all the way thru our next Escape sailing on August 20th. I am sooooo excited for you to be sailing tomorrow. I can't wait for you to come back and chime in here to tell us all about the things you did.

JW and Jerome's Recommended Norwegian Escape Must sees:

Clarence with the Hat, Bartender at the 5 O'clock Somewhere "Outside" Bar, Deck 8 On the Waterfront, hysterical

The Water Slides, just do it!

VIBE! Get there at the port by 10am so you can to be in one of the first 10 boarding groups. Then once on board The Escape, high tail it to Headliner's (one deck down from boarding) to get in line to snag a VIBE pass for the week ($100 per person). You will be glad you did as you are traveling solo and this is a wonderful place to meet new friends for your journey. Plus it's the only place to get Shot O'clock every day at 4pm!

If you are traveling in one of the Solo Cabins, they are amazing and the camaraderie your Solo Host ensures, will make it easier to meet new friends. They can pair you with a group for dinner, social activities, shore excursions, and there is a really neat social center just for solo cruisers.

Have fun in the Casino, and don't forget to say hello to the Casino Host Christina Bica, tell her that you read "ALL ABOUT HER" on JW and Jerome's Cruise Critic adventure.

Definitely see the comedy shows in Headliners. Depending on which comedian is on board, the shows are usually always fun. Go to the late show, it's really naughty and dirty, just how I like it!

Also, don't miss "Howl At The Moon" dueling pianos. That is an awesome treat. Plus you just might be called up on stage to be part of the show.

Drink! If you have the UDP, then use it for goodness sake. Try everything! If you don't like a drink, just get something else, it's included!

Have Breakfast every day in Taste or Savor. It is a civilized experience like being at a resort or country club each morning and it starts the day out in a way that you will always remember.

Grab a piece of Homemade Fudge or an outrageous cupcake at The Bake Shop. A lot of folks forget about this little Gem. It's on The Waterfront.

Buy a stogie at Tobacco Road and go into the Cigar Lounge and puff away like Puff the Magic Dragon and feel like The Great Gatsby. Hey, girls can do that too you know. It is not just a boy thing.

The Ropes Course is awesome. It is an exhilarating journey literally above and beyond the ship. Not for the faint of heart or the fearful of heights.

You are going to love it so much that I know you will want to come back on Norwegian, so down at the Guest Services area, Deck 6, is the CruiseNext Certificate Desk. Buy two, $250.00 each, future cruise certificates, pay $500, then get an OBC of $250 back on the sailing you are on. Great deal. Plus, on selected sailings, both certificates can be used together as a form of payment. JW likes this investment lots!

Join in and try to participate in Cruise Director Tyler's "The Escape Celebrity Dance Off" Show. It is hilarious and even more fun if you are a participant. One of the best passenger participatory shows ever, located in the expansive Central Atrium.

By the way, every time you see The Cruise Director Tyler, give him a High Five.

All you can eat Prime Rib at O'Sheehan's. It is a madhouse but it is offered twice on your sailing. The first night (Oh My Gawd, it is packed) and then later on in the cruise. If you are a carnivore, you'll love it.

3AM Buffalo Chicken Wings at O'Sheehan's. Nothing is better at 3 O'clock in the morning, as I am drunk off my ass, (did I say that, nooooo, not JW!) is to eat deliciously greasy, traditional Buffalo Chicken Wings at O'Sheehan's. Funny thing is, it's packed with like minded individuals all chowing down on wings. One of the most memorable experiences that I frequently repeated.

Food Republic, if you love Asian Infused and Inspired cuisine, this wonderful place is a must visit on a daily basis. Deck 8.

The District Brew House is the most underrated place on the ship, Deck 8. It's literally a secret. They have a truly amazing selection of almost 100 beers, but the best part is the entertainment. It's for Adults Only, and on our sailing, this charming, young, talented lady, who was a dynamic musician with the biggest Potty Mouth in town played to a riotous crowd as if we were in a secret club. As word of mouth spread, the crowds got bigger and bigger and bigger each night, until the final night and The District was busting at the seams. It is a must see, and one of those secrets, until the word gets out. Plus if you love beer, this is the place.

On the second to the last night, to replace the White Hot Party, is the Glow Party up on deck. It is high energy, loads of fun, and even though the famous NCL Angel Wings are gone, the party is very South Beach in feel and lights up the night. Still bring something all white to wear, as that tradition still stands. With their special lighting, everyone Glows to the music under the stars.

These are just a few of the highlights we recommend and had a blast enjoying on the first adventure. There is no way anyone could really do everything this ship has to offer in one week. That is why we are sailing The Escape again in just 22 days! We have to do the "Other" half of the ship on this next Adventure.

Have a blast. Oh, congratulations up front for passing the CA Bar (I could never pass a Bar in my life without going in and having a Martini!) and just a reminder..............You're going on a cruise tomorrow!

JW