ellenw

See you on the April 7 Getaway!

If you have the time to do it, do the B2B! Stay on in Quebec City, and add the 7 day back to Baltimore! We did this from NY last year and it was terrific.

Your review is doubly welcome. First because your reviews are a treat. Second because I am cruising on Breakaway out of NY in Sept with my sister and two nieces. Really enjoying following along. FYI - they better still be giving treats during the Behind the Scenes when I do it! Never had that before.

What a great memory you just gave me of our time in Sydney! Love Fortune of War. "Education is important. But beer is importanter". Cheers!

We will take of her for you!

What date? We are on the April 7 sailing on Getaway.

My other big advice to new NCL cruisers is that there will be a dining room open on embarkation day. So much better than going to the buffet. Go there for lunch.

Food Republic! It is so good. Use one dining credit, and share. Then you can go another day and use the other credit.

Great review. Thanks! We spent 27 days on the Escape in Oct/Nov 2022. First leg a fabulous Mediterranean cruise followed by a TA to New York. And I will say that 27 days days is not too much! Food Republic and Pincho's were our favorite places to eat. We also enjoyed Le Bistro, Cagneys and La Cucina. But Food Republic and Pincho's were different and great. We would use one dining credit between and two of us for a great meal. So got to go several times. I think that Pincho's is the best kept secret on the ship. That staff was so happy when we told them how much we liked everything. And they were glad to see us when we went back! My sister has just told me that she booked on Celebrity Beyond. Timing of her trip isn't great for us, but will definitely look into that ship.

Glad you had fun, but I'll take the boring Joy mini golf! Got creative on some of the holes.

I have sailed on both Escape and Joy that have Food Republic. Making reservations on board is not a problem. Plus, there are always many empty tables. I'm sure that you can be seated as a walk up. One of my favorite dining options. And, get to Pinchos. Best kept secret on the shipt. Yum.

Just an FYI in case this applies to anyone. We had a B2B cruise booked. We moved up to Platinum after the first cruise. We were able to go to Cruise Next and they made the adjustment manually so we got the extra perks on the second cruise. Enjoy your new perks!

We went to Q on the Joy in September. The portions are huge!. My husband and I used one specialty credit and split the meal. If you use 2 credits, it will most likely be more than enough for the 3 of you. Especially since you will only eat the sides.

Pincho's and Food Republic were our favorites on the Escape! When we talked to other passengers about Pincho's, no one was familiar with it. Best kept secret on the ship! Wish it was on more NCL ships. And using one dining credit at each is plenty for two people. I know that some cruisers were told that you couldn't share. We did not run into that. Food Republic on Joy was just as good as on Escape.

Good on you for trying to get the "saved" loungers cleared! Rules are rules! Food Republic is one of my favs. Have done it on Escape and Joy. And one dining credit is definitely enough food for two. It's all sooooo good.

At both Food Republic and Q, we used one dining voucher and shared. Plenty of food! There has been some discussion that this isn't allowed, but we had no problem doing it on each of our B2B cruises on Joy in September. That will spread out your vouchers.

Spent 27 days on the Escape last year and enjoyed every one of them. It is especially good for warm weather sailing due to all of the outdoor bars and seating areas. My two food recommendations are Food Republic and Pinchos Tapas. Both are totaling underrated. We went to both a couple of times. I wish Pinchos was on all of NCL ships! The other food options are good as well. I feel like these are the "off the radar" spots. Go and enjoy yourself!

i say it is all from lack of soap. Wash your hands!

Oh, those markets in Europe! Love them. Makes me wish I was staying somewhere with a kitchen that I could cook. Well, almost....

Wow! How well informed your are for this being your first cruise! I look back and feel like I knew nothing on my first cruise! I hope you have a wonderful time, and are taking the first of many future cruises. I think many of us remember cruising when there were no drink packages. Yikes! Who knew what your bill would be? It was so easy to lose track of what you were spending.

We were in Oslo last summer, at a bar in the train station. We asked for ice water (in addition to our beers), and got a glass of cold water, no ice. When asking for lots of ice in the water, the bartender said "oh, you want American ice water". It was a fun exchange. I've asked for American ice water in several cities overseas.

I always mention this to first time NCL cruisers. On embarkation day, NCL will have a dining room available! Possibly two. It is so enjoyable to have a nice sit down lunch rather than dealing with the insanity of the buffet that day.

On a recent NCL cruise, I was at the "cold" bar in the buffet for breakfast. I see capers, onions, cream cheese and tomatoes. Can't wait to see the salmon! Next up - pickled herring. Well, I do like pickled herring, but it doesn't go with any of those salmon fixings!

Was B2B on the Joy for the two cruises before yours. First time on this ship, and really like her. Food Republic may be my favorite dining on the ship. Have always loved sharing food. And such a variety. Four menu options per person is a ton of food! Didn't see Footloose, but agree that Elements is great. Glad you had a great cruise.

Enjoy! Never been to any of those ports. Sounds like an adventure.