Just Off Norwegian Escape -- I'll Take an Obnoxious Cruise Director for $1000, Alex

[coach jim]

Thanks very much for your informative and well balanced review. We sail on the Escape in February and we are really looking forward to it.

 

Safe travels,

 

Coach Jim

[dacsmom]

Thanks for the review, I hope your in-laws had an enjoyable first cruise.

[Mellylucy]

O.P. Thanks for taking time to write a review.

Looking forward for our upcoming cruise in 2 weeks.

[Caribbean Drifters]

It does not matter if the bottles of water were opened or factory sealed. They cannot be brought onto the ship. Even water that was purchased onboard cannot be brought back onto the ship. That is what the policy is and has been for over a year.

 

Are you really that dense? YOU just posted the policy saying OPENED BEVERAGES must be discarded. This is one of the only policies in question that is actually clear. The policy does not say factory sealed bottle must be discarded, as you indicate, and some guy on the internet doesn't get to change the policy because he has a different opinion. I've seen you post so much misinformation, stop it, you are confusing people who just take your word for it.

Edited August 30, 2017 by Caribbean Drifters

[Caribbean Drifters]

Saurt-kraut gave advise ("you probably could have saved the hassle if you had it packed in your carry on bag so you could have paid it when embarking the ship") as to where the wine should be carried while boarding the ship. Putting it in a carry-on and paying the corkage fee is easier than putting it in a suitcase, having it removed from the suitcase, being called down to retrieve it, and paying the corkage fee. The policy is very vague, it doesn't say where wine should be stored, again people are assuming that NCL wants you to put wine in your carry on even though the policy does not say that. if that is advise it sure sounds like bad advise. no where does it say that if stowed in the carryon would anything be handled differently. Going along with my theme of NCL has arcane beverage policies, most every other line has these details lined out clearly.

 

What part is vague? The amounts per volume of wine are clearly stated.

 

 

Can I still bring wine on board?

Yes, guests may bring sealed bottles of wine on board for personal consumption. They will be checked prior to embarkation and a corkage fee applied at that time of $15.00 USD for a 750 ml Bottle or $30.00 USD for a 1,500 ml Magnum bottle. Box wines are not allowed on board. If guests do not wish to pay the corkage fee, the wine will be held onboard and returned to the guests at the end of the cruise. - FAQ

 

They indicate that they will hold your wine until you pay the fee.

The OP never balked at paying the fee, they were upset, with good reason IMHO, that their wine was confiscated. Per the policy, wine will be help if the guest does not wish to pay the corkage fee, NOT if the guest packs wine in their checked luggage. THIS is where the policy is extremely VAGUE; no one ever brought up the the price per volume.

[LincolnLog]

We are taking our first NCL cruise in October so I haven't experienced any of these people yet. But from what I've read, I feel like I'm going to hate the "washy washy" guy wayyy more than I will hate Tyler the cruise director. I'm surprised that people either love or hate Tyler but everyone seems to love the "washy washy" guy. Every time I see those words on here it makes my skin crawl! :')

[Two Wheels Only]

The policy is very vague, it doesn't say where wine should be stored, again people are assuming that NCL wants you to put wine in your carry on even though the policy does not say that. if that is advise it sure sounds like bad advise. no where does it say that if stowed in the carryon would anything be handled differently. Going along with my theme of NCL has arcane beverage policies, most every other line has these details lined out clearly.

The advise was that if a wine bottle is in the carry-on, it would be inspected and the corkage fee would be paid there. What the OP went through (having the wine removed from a suitcase and having to go and retrieve it) is more inconvenient than having everything taken care of during boarding.

 

Are you really that dense? YOU just posted the policy saying OPENED BEVERAGES must be discarded. This is one of the only policies in question that is actually clear. The policy does not say factory sealed bottle must be discarded, as you indicate, and some guy on the internet doesn't get to change the policy because he has a different opinion. I've seen you post so much misinformation, stop it, you are confusing people who just take your word for it.

Here (again) is the policy....

Effective for sailings July 15, 2016 and beyond, guests are prohibited from bringing any beverages -- including liquor, beer and non-alcoholic drinks such as water, soda and juices -- on board either as carry-on or checked luggage, with the exception of purified or distilled water in factory-sealed containers for use in conjunction with medical devices or for the reconstitution of infant formula; and fully sealed and/or corked wine bottles for personal consumption onboard that is subject to screening and a corkage fee (for guests 21 years of age or older). Open beverages of any kind must be consumed or discarded at the security check-point, on embarkation day and at any port of call. This revised policy brings the company in line with other best practice travel security protocols and reduces the need for individual time consuming screening and package inspection of large volumes of beverages.

When the OP posted...

3. We thought it was rude for the cruise staff to berate us for bringing the bottles of Aquafina water back on board the ship after we had PURCHASED them on board but did not finish them when we went off the ship in St. Maarten. It's water that we paid for!

...I posted that open beverages must be discarded. Sealed beverages are already not allowed. Why would the OP mentioned that they did not finish them?

What misinformation have I posted? Go ahead, I'll wait......

Should I just waste people's time by telling them about Carnival's policies?

[blackwing]

Are you really that dense? YOU just posted the policy saying OPENED BEVERAGES must be discarded. This is one of the only policies in question that is actually clear. The policy does not say factory sealed bottle must be discarded, as you indicate, and some guy on the internet doesn't get to change the policy because he has a different opinion. I've seen you post so much misinformation, stop it, you are confusing people who just take your word for it.

 

Might I ask, are you new to NCL? While the previous poster might have made it seem like only opened bottles must be discarded, it's very clear that NCL doesn't allow any liquids of any kind, sealed or opened, with the exception of water for infant formula and other situations like that. This is why so many of the posts on this board always talk about how they cannot bring a sealed case of water onboard at embarkation. The policy has been around for a while. Ask anybody who has been on NCL recently and I thought someone said there are signs or it is printed in the dailies that you cannot bring water or liquids back onboard from port. It's not just "some guy on the internet". It's what people are reporting.

 

The OP never balked at paying the fee, they were upset, with good reason IMHO, that their wine was confiscated. Per the policy, wine will be help if the guest does not wish to pay the corkage fee, NOT if the guest packs wine in their checked luggage. THIS is where the policy is extremely VAGUE; no one ever brought up the the price per volume.

 

It seemed to me that the OP was upset at having to pay the corkage fee. They said we brought a $100 bottle of wine with us and didn't get it back until we paid the corkage fee. Seemed to me kind of like a "heads up, they make you pay $15 to drink your own wine" warning. Which again, is a policy that is clearly stated. All wine brought on board is subject to a $15 per bottle charge. Putting it in your checked luggage isn't going to help you avoid the fee. When you embark, once you get past security, there is a very clearly identified table for you to declare your wine and pay the fee. I'm not sure what's vague about the policy.

 

OP put wine in the checked luggage. They were called to the naughty room to retrieve the wine, and assessed the fee.

[Smacciemac]

I have a question.. since I've never cruised before.. When we get to a port.. what if I wanted to buy local rum to bring home? Does it have to be bought at a duty free shop or can I just turn it into the ship until we get home? I really don't know how that works

 

 

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[kbalthaser66]

Handicapped cabin question. Did you in-laws cabin have a sofa in their room or was it a table and chairs? I am disabled and sailing on an AFT balcony and I am very curious about the inside cabin itself.

 

Thank you so much for posting a great review - much appreciated.

[Two Wheels Only]

I have a question.. since I've never cruised before.. When we get to a port.. what if I wanted to buy local rum to bring home? Does it have to be bought at a duty free shop or can I just turn it into the ship until we get home? I really don't know how that works

If you purchase any alcohol at one of our ports-of-call or in our onboard shops, we will safely store your purchase and either on the final night of the cruise or the morning of debarkation it will be available for pick up in a designated area. - NCL policy.

I'm not just making that up.;)

[BruinsFan77]

I have a question.. since I've never cruised before.. When we get to a port.. what if I wanted to buy local rum to bring home? Does it have to be bought at a duty free shop or can I just turn it into the ship until we get home? I really don't know how that works

 

 

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I've bought rum before and you just turn it over to the ship when you board and they will return it to you on the last night of sailing.

[AndyCapn]

When we get to a port.. what if I wanted to buy local rum to bring home? Does it have to be bought at a duty free shop or can I just turn it into the ship until we get home?

 

I've bought rum before and you just turn it over to the ship when you board and they will return it to you on the last night of sailing.

 

For that matter, even if you buy liquor in the ship's duty-free store, you will not receive it until the night prior to disembarkment.

[Love my butler]

No need to bribe the room steward for a robe. They are available for the asking no what cabin you booked.

[NYcruzzer]

No need to bribe the room steward for a robe. They are available for the asking no what cabin you booked.

 

are you referring to OP Tip #1 ?

1. A little extra tip for the stateroom attendant goes a long way. We gave $20 to our stateroom attendant in advance, and she gave us robes and extra special attention.

 

 

Since when did tipping become a bribe ? Do you bribe your server at your favorite restaurant ?

[Smacciemac]

Thank you :)

 

 

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[purpletequila]

I could not stand Tyler.

He was obnoxious all week and ruined the Glow Party. After his 8000th "Make! Some!! Noiseeeeeeeee!!" people began to leave. I asked our waitress when or if he ever shut the hell up. She laughed, said they get complaints at every Glow Party and that he would shut up in about 10 minutes which he did.

I have never felt so strongly about a cruise director but with this guy, his assignment literally decided between the 2 cruises I was looking into and I went with the one he was not scheduled to be on. So incredibly obnoxious.

[cruzqueen518]

Hi mmmmbacon. Thanks for the review. Can you tell me more about transfers to the Fort Lauderdale airport?

Hi jcollin, we always use SAS Transportation, you can look them up online, very reasonable, I think $15pp to and from Ft Lauderdale airport and the port. Hope that helps.

[Tiggertastic]

Thank you op for a balanced review and your tips. We board next week and your review was useful. I suppose Tyler is a love him it hate him kind and m soon going to find out

 

 

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[cmurchake]

We were originally scheduled to enjoy a Western Caribbean cruise (Cozumel, Belize, Roatan) but because of Hurricane Harvey, we were rerouted to St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and Nassau. You could hear a collective sigh of disappointment from the Garden Cafe since most people had already traveled to those ports and were looking for something different (including me), but it was an enjoyable cruise -- with perfect weather -- nonetheless.

 

Did passengers not find out about the itinerary change until they had boarded?

[jcollin]

Hi jcollin, we always use SAS Transportation, you can look them up online, very reasonable, I think $15pp to and from Ft Lauderdale airport and the port. Hope that helps.

 

Thanks cruzqueen518, it does help. I've seen them listed elsewhere as well.

[alreadypacked]

mmmmbacon, thanks for the review!

 

The Westin and Dawn Beach looks really nice!

 

Question: About how long was the taxi ride to Dawn Beach? Any problem getting a taxi on the return trip?

[Darcy03231]

Did passengers not find out about the itinerary change until they had boarded?

 

We were on this cruise and found out when we got into the terminal.

[cmurchake]

We were on this cruise and found out when we got into the terminal.

 

Oh man....late notice. But, what are you gonna do

[Darcy03231]

Oh man....late notice. But, what are you gonna do

 

We just made the best of it. We were just so glad to be on the ship! We got caught up in the east coast cancelled flights mess and really didn't think that our whole party (there were 10 of us) would even get there in time for the ship to sail. Our oldest son and his fiancé had three flights cancelled on them (one Southwest and two American). Luckily I was able to get them on my flight and we all made it.