How often are changes made on a ship

[dltvermont]

We are booked on the Escape in April 2025 so quite a wait. I was wondering when it would be safe to start researching things on board, entertainment, excursions etc. I dont want to start now and have everything change before the cruise!

[DuckTollerFans]

The entertainment for shows etc ... too early to know. There's been a lot of changes recently and who knows what more will happen.

 

But the excursions are fairly consistent and can help you know how to budget your time and money.  It also gives you time to research the ports to see if you'd rather venture on your own. 

 

Be like the rest of us -- start obsessing early! 🙂 

[JandC_Cruising]

5 minutes ago, dltvermont said:

We are booked on the Escape in April 2025 so quite a wait. I was wondering when it would be safe to start researching things on board, entertainment, excursions etc. I dont want to start now and have everything change before the cruise!

Start researching now.  For the most part, unless the ship is scheduled for a dry-dock, the restaurants, entertainment venues, and basic features of the ship will not change.  

Excursions are port specific, so as soon as you see them posted as bookable, expect those to be firm.  It may take time for more excursions to appear, but some will book up and then disappear.

Entertainment is more of a mystery.  You will not know until cruise time who the various bands, singers, comedians, magicians, etc. will be as those contracts are relatively short,   

However, you can expect in the Escape that there will be comedy and "Howl at the Moon" in Headliners, an assortment of bands in Syd Normans, singers and such all around the ship.

We've been on the Escape a number of times since 2019 and will be on her again in December.  "Choir of Man"  has been on ship for years.  Seen it ever time on board..

The ship is one of our favorites.

 

[julig22]

Anything can change anytime. Or nothing changes at all. Politics, environmental concerns can be a big factor in where ships can go these days.  Wars/political unrest will cancel ports of call. Ports sometimes decide they want to limit the # of cruise ships, may or may not honor prior commitments. Too much/too little rainfall can affect where a ship can go. 

 

 

So plan as best you can, if you are booking private excursions, choose ones that can be cancelled.

[cruiseny4life]

If you go "dark" and don't look at anything NCL-related, be sure to start looking again between December and February. @laudergayle taught me that NCL makes most significant changes in January/February. We saw that last year and we saw it again this year. A few popped up in November/December, but most began in 2024. 

[laudergayle]

12 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

If you go "dark" and don't look at anything NCL-related, be sure to start looking again between December and February. @laudergayle taught me that NCL makes most significant changes in January/February. We saw that last year and we saw it again this year. A few popped up in November/December, but most began in 2024. 

Your mention makes me chuckle.  I’m sure we’ll get feedback about “how would I know!”  But it is true that in many companies the planning and budgeting process happens late Summer to mid-December with implementation happening in the new year.  

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, dltvermont said:

We are booked on the Escape in April 2025 so quite a wait. I was wondering when it would be safe to start researching things on board, entertainment, excursions etc. I dont want to start now and have everything change before the cruise!

Entertainment involves guest performers who have contracts of one week to a couple of months. And entertainment schedules are adjusted around their schedule. So entertainment schedules can change weekly. 
 

ShoreEx gets posted when contracts are signed with vendors (NCL does not actually run any shore excursions other than on board behind the scenes tours). The tricky thing about shore ex is that if a tour is popular or capacity controlled, it can sell out fast. And once gone, it is gone. (Yeah, you can sit hoping that someone cancels, but that is a very low probability). 

[Panhandle Couple]

We have found going to Tripadvisor (related to CC) for each port and searching on day trips or best things to do will give you a feeling for where to go and what is available.

Sometimes a listed tour matches NCL very closely, sometimes NCL doesn't offer what seems to be a popular spot, or includes things not listed as popular. 

When NCL starts listing excursions, you will be one step ahead. 

[cruiser2015]

On 3/22/2024 at 3:20 PM, dltvermont said:

We are booked on the Escape in April 2025 so quite a wait. I was wondering when it would be safe to start researching things on board, entertainment, excursions etc. I dont want to start now and have everything change before the cruise!

As to entertainment, I would not give that much thought for now. First of all, the shows that will be there, will be there. Knowing early on might be something to simply be curious about - unless they are so important to you that you would cancel the cruise for lack of interest. Second, there are, typically, only 2 shows that you can make advance reservations for (in the main theater). That will be at 120 days pre-sail; or 125/130 for certain cabins or latitude levels.

 

As to excursions, the actual ones available will show up from a couple of months before to a year before - and not all at once.

For research purposes, use the explore tab on the NCL site to search excursions by port . Not all of these may be offered for your cruise, but many will and will give you a feel for what will likely be offered.

[dltvermont]

Thanks all for the reponses.I am a "planner" so Im always trying to stay a step ahead on things so there are no, or at least few, surprises come sail time.

[ontheweb]

11 minutes ago, dltvermont said:

Thanks all for the reponses.I am a "planner" so Im always trying to stay a step ahead on things so there are no, or at least few, surprises come sail time.

That is good, and planning is important, but you also have to be able to adjust and go with the flow.

[Laszlo]

14 cruises on NCL and 4 have had itinerary changes. Our 14 day had major changes done within 30 days of the cruise. Our 12 day had minor changes. Two others were due to weather (hurricanes)