Escape New England-Canada Sept 10-17, 2023 updating Semi Live rev 3.0

[momtodani]

Hello. Following along as I board as you depart. First time cruising using wheelchair assistance. Can you tell me how it went and where do I find the assistance?  Is it at check in or a separate location?  Thank you in advance. Enjoy your cruise

[mking8288]

Since we are on the move, comments & replies later when I can. 

 

5G T-mobile signal is solid & strong here on the waterfront. 

 

 

 

 

[mking8288]

Rain poncho, weatherproof hoodies & umbrella day. Most of the walk path is covered but ...

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Maine narrow gauge railroad mini-tour, booked ours online w eTix, senior discounts at only $15 p/p

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

More pix from the narrow gauge railroad - good backup plan for us as the rain has stopped for now

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[Steelers0854]

2 hours ago, Ellis1138 said:

 

I can tell you. It's Mount Desert Island Ice Cream. Best tasting in Bar Harbor and they take credit cards. https://www.fearlessflavor.com/

they were closed today 😳😔

[mking8288]

Tour buses lines up outside the pier, back already and or going out for the afternoon 😁 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[www3traveler]

Did you hear the New York Jets news this morning?

[Ellis1138]

1 hour ago, Steelers0854 said:

they were closed today 😳😔

Oh no. Sorry 😞

[cyntil8ing]

Hello again. I lost track of this thread because we have just been so busy. Finally getting some down time to relax and catch up.

 

Our Amtrak train was on time and a quick taxi from Penn Station to our hotel, Holiday Inn Express Midtown was quick and easy, costing less than $25 including tip. We did lots of walking Saturday evening and ended up with a great dinner at Five Napkin Burgers. 
 

Sunday morning, we waited out the rain since we were walking to the port. It was less than two blocks. So easy! Made a note to pack garbage bags for the luggage in case we get caught in the rain again. Anyway, there were no lines to speak of around noon. Walked right on board, checked in for the safety drill and went to Savor for lunch. 
 

This is our first Norwegian cruise and we are loving it so far. It feels so retro, from getting keys in the terminal, to the printed daily newsletter complete with art and shopping ads, to sharing tables for lunch, to printed menus in the dining rooms with a separate dessert menu. I hate having to order dessert with my meal! We had lunch with a lovely couple from Texas, Beth and Jack. 
 

That night, we got tender tickets for Newport and went standby for the comedy show. I was a little disappointed that we couldn’t find anything to do afterwards. It was probably just because it was embarkation day so everyone was expected to be wiped out. Lay night was much more fun and active.

 

Yesterday in Newport, we walked nearly six miles, including parts of Cliff Walk including Forty Steps. It was unexpectedly hot and sunny and my daughter got a little sunburned. For dinner, we went to the Supper Club for Uptown Boys. It was fun. Neither the show nor the dinner was amazing, but it was a nice new experience. I doubt we will do it again. After dinner we went up to the District Brew House to watch MNF. We joined the crowd and became temporary Bills fans. Sorry guys! We will be back on Thursday to root for the Eagles.

 

Today, my goal was lobster, so we slept in late, until 10:30-ish, then left the ship and wandered into Gilbert’s Chowder House just down the street. Good,

if expensive, food.

 

One thing I love about this ship is the Waterfront. I’ve been relaxing here watching the harbor action for quite some time. We have a balcony two decks up, but the seating is more comfortable, not to mention there is a bar a few steps away. On many other ships, any comfortable outdoor seating is in or near a smoking area, so this is wonderful!

 

Anyway, I didn’t start this to be a complete trip report, but here we are, all caught up. Tonight is Bayamo for us. Here are just a few photos so far. 

[Steelers0854]

Here are the Freestyles from yesterday and today. 

Day 2.pdf Day 3.pdf

[mking8288]

Chair hogs, not a problem today, at least but the atrium lobby is another story, packed full & busy, dawn to dust. 

 

American Diner on Deck 17 looks empty when we walked by yesterday, burgers in O'Sheehan's are just as good & juicy. 

 

Opinions on food are subjective, personal & always biased, FWIW, dessert in the buffet was good as the gang didn't want to eat at OSH again. Let's just say, nothing worth posting or writing about, the usual and starboard side was closed after 1:30 PM, good walk to go around to port side, beef noodles soup cook to order was worth standing in line to wait, while the junior chef was chatting with a supervisor in white uniform. 

 

 

 

 

 

Thank you to this semi-live report's contributing writers that supplement mine, provide that richness in content, variety & points of view ... from steerage 😄😁😀🫢😲  

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[Steelers0854]

Day 3 Portland, Maine (10:00 - 19:00)

 

 

We leisurely got up and headed to breakfast in the MDR. DW had preorder the night before and so they had her muesli, bacon, and tofu scramble ready to go for her. The addition of berries to the muesli and even including julienned apples into it was fantastic. I don’t think they know how to do a tofu scramble to substitute for eggs, which is fine we know now for the next order but we appreciate the effort. Thus far we believe NCL has had the best MDR food on a cruise line, especially for her allergies. I was still full from dinner last night so skipped breakfast but the pretzel roll breakfast sandwich looked amazing!

 

 

 

After breakfast we headed up to the top deck to get in a run before we arrived in port. We don’t have an excursion today so my only goal is getting a lobster roll.

 

It basically alternated between misting and a steady drizzle most of the day and it was fairly cool, could easily get away with pants and a long sleeved shirt but DW and I were perfectly content in shorts and a t-shirt as well.

 

I did a little research beforehand and found Eventide Oyster Co a short walk from the dock. We got there right at 11am and there were about 10 people in front of us. We had no issue getting a seat. By the time we left at 11:45 the entire place was packed and a line had formed.

 

 

 

DW isn’t a seafood eater, by choice, that’s also why she got breakfast this morning but she got the shishito peppers which were delicious and the homemade potato chips. She couldn’t eat the homemade tartar sauce, but I could and it was out of this world. Give give me a cupful of that stuff!

 

 

 

I got the Tuna Crudo and it was excellent. Chilled fresh tuna and a salty ginger flavor bomb of a sauce. Perfect start. Of course got the lobster roll. I included the fork in the photo for scale. It’s deceiving because it doesn’t look like much but that little roll was PACKED!  Lobster was perfectly cooked and coated in delicious butter. That roll though. Oh my. It doesn’t look like much but it was the softest, butteryiest wonderful compliment to the lobster. It was the best lobster roll I’ve had, full stop. The staff there were amazing as well.

 

 

 

Props to Ellis1138 for recommending Mount Desert Island Ice Cream, we walked over but they were unfortunately closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. But there is one in Bar Harbor so it’s on the list for tomorrow!

 

We walked around town for a bit and bought some odds and ends. They have a lot of really cool local shops.  But the weather was a real pain so we came back to the ship a little earlier than we would have liked.

 

 

 

DW needed a snack to hold over until dinner. The buffet was a real struggle for her today. Most everything had butter in it including the white rice. She was able to grab some chicken and French fries, which was fine as she didn’t want much, but all in all not a great option for today had she not had breakfast.

 

We grabbed coffees and headed down to the waterfront and relaxed and read as the fog came and went.

[Steelers0854]

17 hours ago, sunshine4me2 said:

We'll be on the Escape next month.  Guess what, I booked us in #9788 - based on proximately to stairs/elevators!  Think I need to double check WHAT is on the decks above and below, the next time we cruise!  Thanks for the heads up.

I think* you’ll be fine. You’re about a dozen cabins away from us, also it may only be certain nights and it appears it’s just from 9-10. They did it last night but tonight it’s scheduled for Karaoke so we will see. Other than when the live band plays it’s dead quiet in the room. I’ll keep you posted though. 

[AmyJA]

1 hour ago, mking8288 said:

Thank you to this semi-live report's contributing writers that supplement mine, provide that richness in content, variety & points of view ... from steerage 😄😁😀🫢😲  

Agree 100%. Thanks to all of you wonderful people taking some time out of your vacation!

[mking8288]

Perspectives on housekeeping:

our "gang" has 3 cabins, 2 balconies - Deck 15 and Deck 12, plus our relatively large 22 Family Oceanview on Deck 5 (comparable/larger than the Club Family Balcony (mini) Suite without the outside balcony.  Aside from embarkation or turnaround day, it appeared that despite the heavier workload given to the room stewards, 22 cabins with once a day cleaning vs. 15 cabins with 2x daily service ... the results and customer experience is a mixed bag.  Hallways & corridors are mostly clear, done and the service carts gone by 4 to 5 pm ... today, they're done in our section of Deck 5 by 3 pm.  

 

We asked for coffee maker (creamer & sugar plus extra coffee pods minus the decaf) & mini-refrigerator to be cleared of liquors & sodas, done - had extra clean towels in our bathroom, which we didn't asked for - nice touch.  This morning, we left for breakfast at 9:30 and by the time we got back at 10:30, cabin was fully serviced - an extra box of tissues on the table, next to the coffee/tea-maker ... going above & beyond.  

 

Maybe, it's the case of YMMV - our steward has been responsive thus far and we can usually find him either up or down the corridor or hallway that he's responsible for.  Our best friends said they seldom see the steward around and needed to try hard to find him (didn't know that he can call him via housekeeping extension) whereas BIL/SIL has no issues for/against or dissatisfied with services.  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

@The P - Hi, Sharon ... Susan said hi and being a good girl, she did shopping yesterday in Newport - just 1 small bag, fit in my small day pack just fine, no shoes ... wait till we get to Spain (again) for that, LOL (an extra, empty carry-on ??) 

 

Ship is full but haven't gotten a # on headcounts, didn't seem too bad compared to the Joy last September or this January's Getaway ... the Epic was worst than this, for reasons that I can't explain or yet explain.  Perhaps, the crew on the Escape are doing better as a team and on the whole, managing well the surge in crowds.   CAS players apparently well represented what I've heard & seen, and they are more seasoned and too busy on Deck 7 playing ... couldn't walk thru that area at times (looking down in the mid-ship atrium from Deck 8 when we came out of Bayamo)  

 

Apparently, just a dozen or so Insides remaining within 3 days of embarkation, Solo cabins sold out.  A # of folks with airlines booked had flight issues coming in a day or even two early, more flights delayed & cancelled even on the day of (Sunday) and resorted to renting or jumping into their cars to drive non-stop to get to Pier 88 last minute, worried about booking parking on the roof-top (would've told them not to worry, plenty of empty spaces at Pier 90 to handle overflow)  I heard chats about some needing to make their way to Newport yesterday to embark instead - hopefully, they all made it safely & just fine. Travel, trip & medical/accident insurance are offered and sold for these reasons vs. going "self" insured & taking 200% of the risk & losses.  

 

Elevators aren't skipping floors and/or going on bypass in "concierge" mode for Haven most of the time, and that's a good thing - easy to get into one that isn't already packed full like sardines -unlike the Epic's TA in April.  Since we are hiding in steerage on Deck 5, easy to walk up & down to 6-7-8 as we avoid the buffet as much as we can.  The new brand of choice, "Good Gold" Columbian coffee is very good, makes a nice 6 oz cup in the cabin (like it strong) and a happy old man, don't need that Starbuck stuff, not at all. 

 

[mking8288]

Extra info - details on the Upgrade Advantage bids - which I embargoed until we sailed to avoid disrupting the bidding strategies & amounts submitted are as followed:

 

CAS player bidded just $150 p/p x 2 to upgrade from Inside (sleep 3 or 4) to Balcony (BA category) on Deck 15 Mid/Aft, won & awarded - credit card charged over 50 days out, more than 7 weeks prior to sailing.  Platinum status and used 2 CruiseNext deposits as partial payment, and triple points being earned.  

 

Non-CAS guests, Platinum & used 2 CruiseNext deposits to reserve or book, triple points earned - final bid (increased by $50 p/p x 2) was $250 x 2 to successfully win their bid from Inside to Balcony (BB) on Deck 12 Mid, won/awarded & c.c. charged at 5 days out only.  Their initial and overall costs or price paid - much, much higher & more than the other one, subsidized by CAS. 

 

Generally, everyone bidding nowadays are spending & paying more up-front for their cabin.  That magical formula remained a mystery. 

[John E. Canuck]

Thanks for all contributions to this thread. We did a last minute cruise (same itinerary) Sept 3-10. Drove to NYC from Toronto (8 hrs driving time, a bit more with stops). Parked at the Manhattan Cruise Terminal onsite ($320 US for those wondering). Tried parking nearby first, in private car elevator spaces....they wanted $270 and it was a distance to walk with luggage. 

 

Calm waters, so the tender stops were seamless. 

 

I will say that the most disappointing shore excursion (ever ! any cruise line) was the NCL HALX1411 'Views of Halifax' bus tour. Ticket said meet onshore at 2 pm. We arrived a few minutes before that. Long hot lines in the sun. We boarded at 2:45 pm. The bus (Tidal Bay Express, bus 1152) was not air conditioned on a brutally hot day. Many people advised the tour operator they were 'done' at the first stop, Victorian Garden. The poor tour guide was taking their names, while those who wished to continue stood idly by. Waste of time. More left later. Sounds like a first world problem, no AC. And it is, for the $129 or so spent by each of us. But the galling part was that the bus driver knew, played with buttons, all he got was air. We registered displeasure with NCL onboard, were reassured they'd get back to us (how, I asked. Voicmail in stateroom. Didn't happen). Want to warn others to stay away from this red bus in Halifax, Nova Scotia. 

 

Really not fussy or picky eaters. Buffet upstairs met our needs. Savor one night was great. Steak supplier has changed, gone are the thin, but 'tough' steaks. Replaced by the current thicker product. 

 

It was a last minute trip for us (gap in work schedule). 'NCL assigned the room, only inside left' - fine with us. 

 

The good: 

Clean ship. Seemingly happy employees (always a hello, always lookng to imporve our day and we, if we could, theirs - big believer in regular, daily tipping ). Two comedians (Frank Townsend, from memory, seen him before..always good); Motown; Dining.

 

The bad:

NCL shore excursion. 

 

__

 

Glad to be travelling again. We'll be back aboard NCL and wish all bon voyage.

 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by John E. Canuck

[mking8288]

Tomorrow is Bar Harbor, Maine - a tender port & we have our priority tickets to go ashore, all set - our stop to get some great lobsters and/or lobster rolls, walking distance from the tender pier.  

 

Thursday is the ultra-early pre-dawn arrival into Saint John, Bay of Fundy - around 2:30 AM, departing at 2:15 PM (early afternoon) due to tidal tables.  Friday is scheduled for Halifax, 8 AM to 8 PM.  

 

But, looking at the latest 5 p.m. NHC forecast details & charts - isn't bad but doesn't look too pretty, although we are seasoned cruisers thru storms & nasty weather, rough waves & sea swell. 

 

 

Checking Halifax's latest predictions:

Posted Sep 12, 2023, 4:39PM ADT.

A tropical cyclone information statement has been issued for the Halifax area and other parts of Nova Scotia as Hurricane Lee is expected to impact the region this weekend.

The Canadian Hurricane Centre says Lee is expected to begin a march to the north on Wednesday, and will be transitioning to a post-tropical system as it reaches Atlantic Canada.

The latest track indicates the storm’s centre could still track anywhere from Maine to Cape Breton.

“Since it will be a rather broad system, the rain, wind, waves, etc would affect most of the Maritime provinces and neighboring waters to varying extent,” the statement reads.

Forecasters say recent trends are showing a faster arrival time for the storm, and say that could mean stronger winds making it further inland.

“As of now, western Nova Scotia has the higher possibility of impacts which is worth noting since that region wasn’t impacted by recent storms like Dorian and Fiona.”

Building surf conditions and rip currents are expected along the Atlantic coast of Nova Scotia over the coming days, particularly on Friday.

 

But, you know what ... we booked to cruise during the peak hurricane season, it is what is is - go with the flow.  Stay tuned as soon as we find out & learn more of NCL's decision to stay with the schedule and or make changes, etc. 

 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[mking8288]

Tonight, we set at 7 PM, all abroad is 6:30 PM - "postponed" dinner time too for 6 of us at Taste, returning to the MDR again.  Let's see how things go.  Thus far, lines aren't too bad for Taste & what we can see with Savor, the 2 smaller MDR.  Buffet is said to be often crowded & not easy at times to find tables - staff reported to be friendly & helpful, assisting those with special needs carrying their plate of food back to their tables.  

 

Blasting out interim details on my Lenovo Chromebook, faster & easier vs. those fat fingers on a smartphone, even when the screen is 6.7" "big" tethering over T-Mo's 5G signal, with the Google Pixel 4a 5G by our OV picture window - just luck 50:50 that we are docked starboard side, no issues with cellular reception whatsoever.  Got plenty of fast data to use.  AT&T's signal actually appeared to be worst here, as shown on my iPhone SE 2022 with dual e/Sim - which I'm surprised ... hence, we always travel with more than 1 backup option. 

 

Ship's WiFi, sorry to report, appeared less than good - long lines during iCafe manager's office hours, friends purchased the voice calling & message options for $20 to cover 2 devices, having issues connecting - can't call or going to VoiceMail instead, texting seemed more reliable.  Going to look into this issue further for them, maybe ask for a full refund - don' think the trouble is with their pair of Samsung Galaxy S21+

 

Ship's WiFi upgrade option with the free 150 minutes x2 (FAS promo) discounts remained at $109 if we switch to the unlimited basic plan for the balance of the week, whether it's at Day 6 and now Day 5 ... and, we really don't see the need to "spend" some of our non-refundable OBC credit on it.  Basically, still has all 300 minutes unused now and if we are disciplined & careful, can use a little each day while at sea, read only and post mainly when we are in range of land signals as we have 100% coverage in Canada too, at no extra costs or charges. Can retain 150+ minutes to use for "emergencies" while out of range over ship's satellite signal.  That is our plan at this moment - so, this will probably stay at Semi-Live and not full Live ... perhaps, our "contributing" writers can fill in while I'm offline - should be able to read CC posts but maybe not post.  

 

Tonight, we move the clock 1 hour forward, change to ADT as we sail into Bar Harbor (just 132 nm in distance from here) & Canada for the next 3 days ... later on, return to EDT.  

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288

[shof515]

being 1 hour ahead in bar harbor is going to be confusing for lots of people as bar harbor is on eastern time zone

[Steelers0854]

Just got the bad news we have all been dreading. Due to the hurricane we are skipping Bar Harbor and going directly to St John tomorrow. From there it’s direct back to New York skipping Halifax. We cannot get a pier so we will sit in the inlet until likely Sunday morning. Too bad but completely understandable. Safety First!

[shof515]

I was wondering why the ship AIS had SJB as the next port of call. It now makes sense why the clocks is going ahead to match local st john time

 

[mking8288]

Additional update: new scheduled for arrival into Saint John is 10 AM tomorrow for an extended stay until  9 PM, before setting sail back direct to NY to seek safe harbor against Lee, arriving in area sometime on Friday ... cruise terminal not expected to be available until later or next day.

 

Shorex booked thru NCL are being cancelled & refunded automatically for the 3 original port's scheduled ones.

 

Further details to follow. 

Edited September 12, 2023 by mking8288