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Live from the Escape - 3/12/2016

CinAndTheCity

By CinAndTheCity,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Hi everyone! I’ve been debating (with myself mostly) for a while about whether or not to pay for an unlimited internet package and do a live posting from the Escape. I’ve never used internet on a cruise ship before, and it’s very expensive and the quality isn’t that great on the Escape from what I’ve heard. However, I very much enjoyed reading the last 2 live postings (shout out to TheDougOut and Yorkvillain- fair warning, though, I am not nearly as funny or entertaining as they are) and I think it would be great fun. I also have a few stock market option transactions expiring next Friday that I’d like to keep an eye on, so having internet will be useful for that too. With that said, I’ve finally convinced myself to do it :)

 

Here’s a brief introduction: I am Cindy from Brooklyn, NY. Accompanying me on the Escape are my boyfriend Chair (yes, we actually call him that in real life) and 2 of our friends, Tom and Nancy. We are in our 30s and have cruised before. We were all on the Breakaway to Bermuda in 2014 and had a blast.

 

I am pretty loyal to NCL at the moment, although I could certainly be convinced to try a different cruise line if the circumstances were right. Chair and I were very excited when we first heard about the Escape because we really like beer. You can call us beer snobs. We even use an app to track and rate all the beers we’ve had. Needless to say, we were super excited about The District Brewhouse because there wasn’t much good beer (in our opinions) on the other NCL ships. Anyway, when we decided it was time to plan the next cruise, the freestyle choice promo had been going on for a while, and we knew we would choose the Ultimate Beverage Package. We’d never had it before because it just seemed like too much to pay for booze. We debated sailing out of NY since it is so much easier, but The District Brewhouse and UBP kept calling to us. I can honestly say that a good part of the reason why we ultimately chose to sail on the Escape this time is because of those 2 things. It might sound silly, but that’s how it goes!

 

We ended up making the final decision and booking at the end of January when there was a pick 2 promo going on. We chose the UBP and Specialty Dining Package. There was also a special promo for 50 free photos for sailings in March or April. I usually only buy like 1 photo on a cruise, so I am pretty excited to have this promo too, and we’ll be sure to stop and have our pictures taken whenever we can.

 

We're flying to Fort Lauderdale tomorrow evening after a day of "working" from home and staying at a hotel in Miami. Also I'm planning to try to pack all of my stuff in a carryon sized bag, so that might be a fun story.

 

I'll be posting photos and answering questions about the ship, so stay tuned, and I hope you enjoy!

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TheDougOut

TheDougOut

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...but The District Brewhouse and UBP kept calling to us. I can honestly say that a good part of the reason why we ultimately chose to sail on the Escape this time is because of those 2 things. It might sound silly, but that’s how it goes!

 

Sounds perfectly logical to me!

 

I gotta say, I'm so jealous that you're about to embark on this great ship, especially considering your potential fondness of the DBH. Have a wonderful trip... and safe travels!! :)

Edited by TheDougOut
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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Thanks for the words of encouragement so far! I'm thinking the live posting is also a good idea because I always intend to write reviews of the cruises I take and then I get lazy and end up not doing it. This will make me feel somewhat accountable.

 

Here are some more possibly interesting tidbits about us and our plans for this cruise:

  • We have not made reservations for anything yet! We were going to make some dinner reservations but our friends never committed to whether they wanted to eat in any of the specialty restaurants with us (they don't have the SDP), and then all of the pre-cruise reservations were pretty much full. I know this would scare a lot of people, but it only worries me a little. You can follow along as we learn if this ends up being a huge mistake or not.
  • We love trivia. And by "we" I especially mean Chair. We made a spreadsheet schedule that lists most of the events we are interested in (based on copies of Freestyle Dailies from previous sailings) and a lot of them are trivia. We found 4 or more trivia events available on many days. We are actually not that good at trivia by ourselves so hopefully we can find some people to team up with.
  • I like the casino. Craps is my game of choice lately along with some blackjack and a few bucks here and there tossed away in some slots.
  • I am normally a night-owl, but since I started hanging out with Chair I tend to adhere to a more normal sleep schedule. I do love to sleep though. One of my goals is to make it to as many morning trivias as possible, and to have breakfast at one of the main dining rooms at least once.
  • We are not that big into hanging out at the pool and laying in the sun, although we love water slides, shuffleboard, and other outside-deck activities. Therefore you will probably not catch me complaining too much about the supposed lack of deck chairs by the pool.
  • Speaking of outdoor activities, I wussed out on the ropes course when we were on the Breakaway. I got my harness on, clipped into the course, and got through the first 2 or 3 obstacles before I got scared and had to turn back. :( I plan to do better this time. And we will use our GoPro to take video up there if they let us.

 

I will post more tidbits as I think of them.

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sbt518

sbt518

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Here’s a brief introduction: I am Cindy from Brooklyn, NY. ....

 

Chair and I were very excited when we first heard about the Escape because we really like beer. You can call us beer snobs. We even use an app to track and rate all the beers we’ve had. Needless to say, we were super excited about The District Brewhouse because there wasn’t much good beer (in our opinions) on the other NCL ships. ... We debated sailing out of NY since it is so much easier, but The District Brewhouse and UBP kept calling to us. I can honestly say that a good part of the reason why we ultimately chose to sail on the Escape this time is because of those 2 things. It might sound silly, but that’s how it goes!

 

All this EXACTLY! My name isn't Cindy and I wish I were in my 30s but we're from Brooklyn and my husband and I are also beer snobs and probably use the same app and also considering the Escape for this very reason!

 

I'll be following along to see how you like the beer (and the Escape in general, but really the beer.)

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Yorkvillain

Yorkvillain

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Have fun Cin. I will be following along.

 

Oh I forgot to mention that when we got off the ship on February 27th, they said they were closing the Brewhouse for 4 weeks for renovations. Hopefully that doesn't alter your plans at all. :)

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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Have fun Cin. I will be following along.

 

Oh I forgot to mention that when we got off the ship on February 27th, they said they were closing the Brewhouse for 4 weeks for renovations. Hopefully that doesn't alter your plans at all. :)

 

Well I guess I might as well cancel this thread! [emoji13] Fortunately I also like fruity drinks with umbrellas. Thanks for a laugh already, Yorkvillain!

 

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Edited by CinAndTheCity
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Speasda

Speasda

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Have fun Cin. I will be following along.

 

Oh I forgot to mention that when we got off the ship on February 27th, they said they were closing the Brewhouse for 4 weeks for renovations. Hopefully that doesn't alter your plans at all. :)

 

Not funny, not funny at all. If you said 3 weeks, that would have been funny as we sail 3/19.:)

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dales wife

dales wife

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Also I'm planning to try to pack all of my stuff in a carryon sized bag, so that might be a fun story.

 

Cin, how's the packing going? I too am going to pack everything in a carryon sized bag (SpiritAir's "free personal item" size carryon)! I did this last year for our Oasis cruise and it worked out fine - I didn't even wear everything I brought! In March, Spirit is changing the dimensions of their free carryon bag, so I will be packing an even smaller bag for our May Escape cruise! Hubby just laughs when I talk about it. :rolleyes:

Edited by dales wife
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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Enjoy your trip!!!!! Don't forget to check out the "hallowed" ground like the live trip reporters did before you and pay tribute to the DUDE. :)

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Tapatalk

 

I saw this in one of those threads and I had no idea what they were talking about. I guess it's time to figure that out.

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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Good afternoon, almost done packing! Before I leave New York, have a look at the Empire State Building as seen from my bedroom window (with zoom, of course).

 

7fd38364e9472760204a3b6a87369795.jpg

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

Edited by CinAndTheCity
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CinAndTheCity

CinAndTheCity

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Cin;

 

If you plan on exploiting the UBP, don't leave without printing and bringing the lastest copy of the UBP FAV DRINKS list that I've provided :D (print in landscape mode)

 

Cheers!

 

I had been lurking in that thread for the past couple of months and we have the list, thanks! On our way to the airport now.

 

Sent from my Nexus 5X using Tapatalk

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