KansasTexan

So...if one (an adult) REALLY wanted beef, I guess one could ask for a hamburger?

The Casino on deck 7 might be a good place to meet. I'm pretty sure it will be closed while in port and there are plenty of chairs there. It's more-or-less midship so your group could proceed to whichever end of the ship is being used for disembarking at the port.

I sailed on the Escape in October, 2023. A friend of mine is vegan and she received wonderful attention from the manager/waitstaff of the Savor restaurant. From what I understand, she spoke with the manager (Julie) at lunch on embarkation day and ate in Savor for almost all of her meals. I was mega-impressed by the consideration she was given and she said the food was excellent.

haha. I feel like I must have been asleep when I typed this. No, I didn't see any Beatles show on the Escape. And debarkation was at NYC, not Seattle. I'll do better next time. :)

oh! you may be right. I was on the encore a year earlier. Must have been where I saw that.

I was on the Escape for a NE/Canada cruise in October of 2023. I sailed as a solo but met up with a group of other solo cruisers and had an excellent time. The ship, itself, was in great shape - clean and well maintained. I can't speak to the pools and hot tubs because I didn't use them. I ate at one Specialty Restaurant (Bayamo) and the food was outstanding although the service was a little spotty. The service and food in Taste and Savor was very good. I would have preferred more live, musical entertainment (not a gameshow fan) but Choir of Man and the one Beatles show I saw were super. My only real complaint was with the debarkation process - both at ports and at final debarkation in Seattle. It felt disorganized and (at times) chaotic. The crew didn't seem to take command of what felt like a very pushy and impatient crowd of passengers and it was much less than pleasant or smooth.

I'd LOVE to have dinner with the art auction manager. But I'm an art collector who *might* just ask some pointed questions about the sales tactics and the art available on the ship. I can guarantee it would be an interesting dinner. :)

At 63 years old, I participate in CrossFit classes 4X/week. The classes combine endurance/interval work and weightlifting. Weightlifting is my favorite thing to do and I've never had an issue with my suitcases. (If I pack it, I carry it.) I walk my dog at least 30 minutes daily and try to make walking or hiking part of every vacation. This summer, I drove from Louisiana to Washington state and back to Kansas and hiked in some amazing places. Looking forward to my Alaska cruise in October. I've booked a climbing/rappelling excursion.

I'm surprised Le Bistro served a classic Italian soup.

Thanks for the detailed review and lovely pics! I was on this cruise September of 2022 and loved it. Loved it so much I'm booked for Sept '24. My absolute favorite part of the ship is the Waterfront. Spent most of my waking hours there (oh, and at Maltings). Glacier Bay day, there was coffee, hot chocolate, adult add-ins, and chowder. For me, it was a trip of a lifetime. Or at least I thought it was. :)

I’m getting excited now, for sure!!! Doing one last load of laundry before I finish packing tomorrow or Friday. I’ll be at the ICT airport bright and early Saturday morning. See you on board!

I board Sunday. Thanks for this.

So if we want to get dessert and coffee, we can do only that at a specialty restaurant?

I just cancelled my P+ for the Oct 1 Escape sailing. For me, it's not worth the hassle of finding out which bar sells what brand at any given time. I cruise to (first and foremost) relax. If given the opportunity, I'll likely pay the upcharge for a glass of the Pommery Rosé (so I can see if I like it) but I'm more of a martini or sipping whiskey person, anyway. I think I'll be able to find more than adequate selection on the Free at Sea package.

My favorite drink is a Sazarac. Not sure if there is Absinthe available on board, though. Second to that: Rusty Nail. I tend to not drink much during the day and like darker, sipping drinks after dinner. Looking forward to checking out the whiskey/bourbon offerings on the Escape in October. I enjoyed Maltings very much on the Encore.

It was close for me to make an 11:35 flight last September. The problem wasn't on NCL's end, it was that SEA-TAC was packed and the lines to get through TSA were so very, very long. If I had it to do again, I'd have pre-check. I didn't at the time and it was stress-inducing. (Getting off the ship and onto the shuttle which left quickly for the airport presented no problems.)

I'm looking forward to trying it. :)

um, yuck?!? No matter how careful you claim to be, if I see you filling your water bottle directly from the common spout, I'll find another place to get my own beverage. How difficult is it to just grab a clean glass and do things the way the cruise line asks you to do?

Does pre-booking allow one to reserve more than one showing? I've wondered about this. Are some people able to see a certain show multiple times (or at least fill up the reservations multiple times) and that leaves some people not able to see at all? I get that it's a great show! I saw it on the Encore last September.

I made an 11:35 am flight last September - but just barely. I wonder if it depends on how many ships are debarking on any one given morning.

Apart from thinking about the convenience of a pill organizer (I use one but not for cruising. For that I take meds in original bottles), consider how long it might take to identify your meds if you're in a medical emergency. Speaking as an experienced healthcare provider, nothing is as frustrating as trying to deal with emergent patient care AND figure out what meds they're on. It can make a huge difference in outcome. Just food for thought.

I'm following along. Your writing is impeccable and a joy to read. Thank you.

I saw three (3!) people using the pool on the Encore last September. It was bundle up and layer weather out on deck our entire cruise.

Both the Maine ports are still showing up on my Escape Oct 1, '23 itinerary. Thanks for posting this. If the ports are dropped, I'm likely to cancel my cruise. Sad if that's the case.

Just read through this entire thread and I'm blown away. And hungry! I'm also kind of kicking myself for booking a cruise and not just figuring out a way to stay at least a week in Italy. Florence (Livorno) will be a 2 day stop so I think that gives me the best opportunity to enjoy local food. I'm hoping to be able to book an excursion with just a few people to experience cooking/wine. Not always easy to find a ticket for 1 but I'm going to try. Thanks for all the info!