Everything.. ESCAPE (live 29 Oct 2015!)

[craig-n-carol]

we were in an aft balcony cabin 9324.

 

 

Did you take a picture of your balcony that you could share here?

[Jeff&Pam]

I noticed Sunday morning in the video of the Escape coming into the port. It was completely dark from maybe deck 8 to 15 or 16. I would have thought someone would have left a light. Now I know why they didn't. I guess if you're on your balcony at night, you need to keep your curtains open to be able to see out there. Unless, of course, the moon is as bright as we like it to be when we're cruising.

 

I like to read on the balcony at night. It is one of my favorite things to do...really? No lights? Sigh. It is super relaxing, and atmospheric to sit on the balcony and read a mystery, with only the sounds of the ship moving in the darkness...

[sweetpee_1993]

I like to read on the balcony at night. It is one of my favorite things to do...really? No lights? Sigh. It is super relaxing, and atmospheric to sit on the balcony and read a mystery, with only the sounds of the ship moving in the darkness...

 

Christmas is coming! Maybe get one of those mini clamp-on book lights. Could make it even spookier.... :)

[happy cruzin]

Sounds like Margaritaville is changing on the first 7 day voyage - to having a cover charge!! [emoji15]

 

IF this turns out to be true - that it quite disappointing since its been advertised as "include" from the very beginning. [emoji20]. Will be following this to see what happens....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2278539

[FreestyleNovice]

Sounds like Margaritaville is changing on the first 7 day voyage - to having a cover charge!! [emoji15]

 

IF this turns out to be true - that it quite disappointing since its been advertised as "include" from the very beginning. [emoji20]. Will be following this to see what happens....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2278539

 

I might pay a small fee for MV but not sure about the some 12ish incl 18% USD for a lunch for two which could be kinda the same for free at the Garden Café below.

[FreestyleNovice]

I'd like to see the NON-Haven Deck 19(?) forward facing exterior deck area.

 

All the way fwd, looking towards the Haven sundeck partition.

 

No hammocks like BA, just beds, windscreen, a shower around the corner and of course the large sideways hot tub (big plus). There is also a water mist feature back, next to the entrance to Vibe (and bar).

[FreestyleNovice]

Anyone else already found out when ES meets another NCL ship? Would be interested in pics to see how ES dwarfs them. ;)

[big al]

Nice. I would love to see a picture of that.

 

You can see it- go to PortFever.com & click on "Nassau" ( at the top), and in 4-5 seconds , you will see all the ships docked at that pier...you can also see many others ( just look at the top for what ports are available) and click...I'm on there almost daily, especially now that it's "the season"...on Sat & Sun, you can see 4-8 cruise ships leave out of Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Tampa, etc...they start around 4 pm & go till 6 or 7 PM...great site..BTW, below the screen of the ships, you will find a sort of Google map with colored dots, some are blue- put your cursor on the shape, and you will see what ship is there...midweek you will see many ships on the St. Maarten, Nassau, Aruba, & Key West cams...any questions , let me know..this site is the 3rd best option to being on a cruise ( 1st best, ON the cruise, 2nd best, watching the ships leave in Miami, Port Everglades, etc..3rd best, PORT FEVER..)...I will be watching Thursday....

 

Big Al

 

P.S. Put your speakers on, you sometimes will hear talking between the ships & harbor patrol...also put screen on FULL screen ( at the bottom left of the picture)- much better..

[henndawg]

November 25 Escape and Spirit in Tortola, November 27 Escape and Anthem in Nassau, December 8 Escape+Spirit and Gem in St Thomas, Another really cool one is December 30 Escape and QM2 in Tortola. There ya go...thats all I got for now.

[Lily815]

What would be the best deck for sailaway? I want to be in the front of the ship when we start moving. We sail tomorrow!

[FreestyleNovice]

What would be the best deck for sailaway? I want to be in the front of the ship when we start moving. We sail tomorrow!

 

Deck 19 fwd, all the way up. Get your drinks at the Vibe bar (public part) and best views are standing on the sideways hot tub, forward port side. You will see SoBe from there. Enjoy your sailing!

[momckb]

Sounds like Margaritaville is changing on the first 7 day voyage - to having a cover charge!! [emoji15]

 

IF this turns out to be true - that it quite disappointing since its been advertised as "include" from the very beginning. [emoji20]. Will be following this to see what happens....

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2278539

 

Cross-posting my response from above thread:

 

As others have said, we really don't know if this is true. But...I will be on the Nov. 14th sailing and, when I booked, it was listed as "Complimentary." I just checked again, and it is listed as" Complimentary." In any world-- charging a cover charge is not "complimentary" I have been looking forward to going there and, will do so on my long awaited cruise this Saturday. If they try to charge a cover, I will pleasantly discuss my concerns. If they insist, I will go and dine (afterall, we all know that the poor schmucks working there aren't at fault) then, I plan to dispute the charge once home. Is this a lot of effort over $10 (for 2)...absolutely! Will I do it...absolutely!! It is the principle. It would be a bait and switch and, we shouldn't just accept it. Just as with the food takeout issue....we do have a voice and need to use it.

 

For what it is worth...that is my opinion.....but, let's just hope it is a false rumor.

__________________

[Lily815]

Deck 19 fwd, all the way up. Get your drinks at the Vibe bar (public part) and best views are standing on the sideways hot tub, forward port side. You will see SoBe from there. Enjoy your sailing!

 

Thank you!

[tjt87]

Deck 19 fwd, all the way up. Get your drinks at the Vibe bar (public part) and best views are standing on the sideways hot tub, forward port side. You will see SoBe from there. Enjoy your sailing!

 

Have I got this wrong, I thought SoBe was starboard (Right Side facing forward) at sail away?:confused:

[LrgPizza]

Have I got this wrong, I thought SoBe was starboard (Right Side facing forward) at sail away?:confused:

Yes, you have that wrong. Downtown Miami is starboard, and South Beach is port.

[LMaxwell]

Have I got this wrong, I thought SoBe was starboard (Right Side facing forward) at sail away?:confused:

 

South Beach is port (north) of the inlet.

 

The starboard side will have Fisher Island and Biscayne Bay

 

Here is south beach

 

[Yorkvillain]

You can see it- go to PortFever.com & click on "Nassau" ( at the top), and in 4-5 seconds , you will see all the ships docked at that pier...you can also see many others ( just look at the top for what ports are available) and click...I'm on there almost daily, especially now that it's "the season"...on Sat & Sun, you can see 4-8 cruise ships leave out of Miami, Port Everglades, Port Canaveral, Tampa, etc...they start around 4 pm & go till 6 or 7 PM...great site..BTW, below the screen of the ships, you will find a sort of Google map with colored dots, some are blue- put your cursor on the shape, and you will see what ship is there...midweek you will see many ships on the St. Maarten, Nassau, Aruba, & Key West cams...any questions , let me know..this site is the 3rd best option to being on a cruise ( 1st best, ON the cruise, 2nd best, watching the ships leave in Miami, Port Everglades, etc..3rd best, PORT FEVER..)...I will be watching Thursday....

 

Big Al

 

P.S. Put your speakers on, you sometimes will hear talking between the ships & harbor patrol...also put screen on FULL screen ( at the bottom left of the picture)- much better..

 

Good thinking Al. Thanks! I can't believe I didn't think of that.

 

I agree, port fever is a great website.

[sea wanderer]

The Escape and Breakaway will be together this Thursday Nov. 12th in Nassau. They arrive approximately 1 hour apart from each other. Nassau has a nice webcam to view the rendezvous.

[Zena2005]

I like to read on the balcony at night. It is one of my favorite things to do...really? No lights? Sigh. It is super relaxing, and atmospheric to sit on the balcony and read a mystery, with only the sounds of the ship moving in the darkness...

 

I agree with you on this. My wife tends to do the same thing when we return to our stateroom in the evening. No to mention I like to sit out on the balcony with her and have a night cap. Omitting balcony lights doesn't make much sense.

[klepton]

I agree with you on this. My wife tends to do the same thing when we return to our stateroom in the evening. No to mention I like to sit out on the balcony with her and have a night cap. Omitting balcony lights doesn't make much sense.

 

Amazon must have paid NCL to do it, now everyone needs a backlit Kindle. :D FDR is great at finding those new revenue streams!

 

I do frequently hear complaints about neighbors leaving their lights on all night. It did bother me on my last cruise. I like to keep the curtains open to get the sunlight early in morning, but our neighbor never turned the balcony light off so it made the room too bright at night. I'm not saying NCL should have denied everyone else lights just to accommodate my routine, but feedback may have been a factor.

 

I think more likely when you add up the cost of lights, installation, and electricity to power those lights the decision to omit them was pretty easy. It was just an easy line-item to cut off the build specs.

[LrgPizza]

I agree with you on this. My wife tends to do the same thing when we return to our stateroom in the evening. No to mention I like to sit out on the balcony with her and have a night cap. Omitting balcony lights doesn't make much sense.

It's good for those of us who like to sit outside and watch the stars or the ocean. When others forget to turn off their balcony lights (which happens all the time), it's nearly impossible to see. Personally, I am glad for this change. I can use a book light if I want to read, just like I do in bed.

[DachshundsRule]

I'm thrilled about no balcony lights, was always annoyed by the "light pollution" from neighboring balconies because I love to sit out there in the dark when I can't sleep. I think you will have enough ambient light from your cabin to see what is going on out there - we have similar setup with our Florida balcony. But a clip on nightlight will be necessary for reading.

[LrgPizza]

Another random observation I had about the Escape...

 

For those who have visited Margaritavilles on land, we know that a huge portion of these properties are dedicated to merchandise sales. They all feature a large gift shop with Margaritaville-themed everything. I was extremely surprised that there was absolutely no Margaritaville merchandise to be found anywhere on the Escape. (I was kind of hoping for a Margaritaville at Sea t-shirt.) Couple this with the fact that the entire 10 day cruise, I never saw a single person in the Caroline Herrera store despite walking past it at least 100 times, and it doesn't make much sense to me. I understand that NCL might be trying to be upscale with it's shopping offerings, but I guarantee that if that space was used for a Margaritaville shop, half the tourists sailing the Caribbean itineraries would take home a logo'd item, and NCL would make a lot more money than they will on the very tiny amount of purses, shoes, etc. that might be sold in the Herrera store. Just my 2 cents.

[FreestyleNovice]

I agree with you on this. My wife tends to do the same thing when we return to our stateroom in the evening. No to mention I like to sit out on the balcony with her and have a night cap. Omitting balcony lights doesn't make much sense.

 

See it as freestyle, you can bring your own and even better light now. ;)

 

Just kidding, consider bringing a small LED camping light for on the footstool or hang it on the inside of the railing. Just a few bucks and small in size.

[FreestyleNovice]

LP, but did you get the plastic blender souvenir cup at 5'O Clock? :P