Considering NCL- a few questions

[kelkel2]

My boyfriend and I are considering doing a 5 night cruise for his birthday in January. We’re liking the cruise deals that offer the WiFi, specialty dining and drink package.

The drink package- is it truly unlimited? I know carnival maxes alcohol at 15 a day. What else is included? Celsius? Soda? water? Gatorade?

Also what’s the nightlife like? Is there a nightclub? We’re looking at the Escape. We're in our mid 30’s but the bar/club scene is important to us. We don’t want to be on a cruise that goes to bed by 11. 
 

What kind of specialty dining is there? 
Feel free to throw any other info at me. 
tips, cabins or decks to avoid, general tips etc. 

This will be a kid free cruise so we plan to live it up! 

[kelkel2]

Oh also what’s the difference between a balcony and a club balcony suite? Is it a bigger room? Better location? Other perks? 

[mskaufman]

Club Balcony is slightly larger.  Remember that you are still charged gratuities on specialty dinning and the drink package.

[cruiselover19811981]

The Escape was a fun vibe ship when we first did it in 2016, when the ship came out. We are headed back onto it this summer in the Mediterranean. Very cool bars, including the Sky Bar and a glow party. 

 

Specialty dining includes a Tapas Bar type restaurant, a French cuisine restaurant, Food Republic which is a fusion of foods, a Steakhouse, a Brazilian grill type restaurant and Teppanyaki. I know I'm missing some. 

 

I'm not sure on a maximum # of beverages per day, but the drink list of what's included is attached below. 

790164-BEV_Package_Flyer_UOBP_PPBP Update_V7_no_crops.pdf

[Liljo22]

The FAS drink package includes alcoholic drinks up to $15 with no max like Carnival.  That covers most of your drinks but if something is over $15, you just pay the difference plus 20% gratuity on the difference.  It includes soda but does not include energy drinks, water or specialty coffees.  If you want those and you also like whiskey/scotch and wine, you might want to upgrade to the Premium Plus.  
 

Nothing to worry about in terms of nightlife.  There will be plenty to do after hours and plenty of people joining you.  
 

 

[grouchomarx]

19 minutes ago, kelkel2 said:

Oh also what’s the difference between a balcony and a club balcony suite? Is it a bigger room? Better location? Other perks? 

I called NCL to ask this very question and the guy really couldn’t tell me.  He said you get some extra amenities but could not specify what they are.  I read somewhere there is a tub in the bathroom and the room can sleep 4 rather than two.  And that you get canapés or some kind of snack and a bottle of sparkling wine.  But NCL gave me no info and I decided it was not worth a dollar more than I spent for a regular balcony given all the other perks I have.

[Liljo22]

The bathroom is bigger and these are the perks:

 

Exclusive Club Balcony Suite Amenities

• Distinctive Purple Keycard
• Pre-book onboard dining as early as 125 days prior to sailing
• Pre-book entertainment as early as 21 days prior to sailing
• 1 complimentary valet laundry
• 1 bottle of sparkling wine upon embarkation
• Treats delivered to your stateroom twice per voyage.
• Bliss Collection by Norwegian™ featuring fine linens and pillows
• Lemongrass bathroom product
• Coffee maker & ice bucket available upon request

Edited May 14 by Liljo22

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

We don’t want to be on a cruise that goes to bed by 11. 

On most cruises I've been on, there are usually one or two bars with live music until midnight.  After that, the ship is pretty quiet.  I'm usually in bed by midnight and up at 6:00 to get my Bloody Mary with Breakfast at 7:00.  That's when a couple bars will open.  It's also when an MDR opens up, which is where we tend to enjoy breakfast. 

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

The drink package- is it truly unlimited? I know carnival maxes alcohol at 15 a day.

 

No numerical limit. If you appear to be wasted, the bartenders will cut you off but if you can handle 20...30...48 drinks per day, go for it. 

 

 

[kelkel2]

34 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

On most cruises I've been on, there are usually one or two bars with live music until midnight.  After that, the ship is pretty quiet.  I'm usually in bed by midnight and up at 6:00 to get my Bloody Mary with Breakfast at 7:00.  That's when a couple bars will open.  It's also when an MDR opens up, which is where we tend to enjoy breakfast. 

We were more thinking bars that close around 2-3am…

[ChiefMateJRK]

9 minutes ago, kelkel2 said:

We were more thinking bars that close around 2-3am…

The dailies from my most recent cruise don't specify a time that several bars close.  They just state "until close."  Since the Local generally has food 24/7, the bar may remain mostly open.  Somebody else may have better info for you.  Since the party starts at around 7:00 am, this old guy is usually ready for bed when the music stops.  You could always stockpile a few drinks for another hour or two.  Most of the ship never really closes.

 

Pro-tip: Last week, the night before the cruise ended, we ordered a few double-vodka neat's before the bar closed and had our screwdrivers at breakfast without relying on NCL's cooperation.

[Hot Stop]

1 hour ago, kelkel2 said:

We were more thinking bars that close around 2-3am…

O’Sheehans is open 24-7, but I couldn’t say how many people will be there at 2 am

[BirdTravels]

4 hours ago, kelkel2 said:

My boyfriend and I are considering doing a 5 night cruise for his birthday in January. We’re liking the cruise deals that offer the WiFi, specialty dining and drink package.

The drink package- is it truly unlimited? I know carnival maxes alcohol at 15 a day. What else is included? Celsius? Soda? water? Gatorade?

Also what’s the nightlife like? Is there a nightclub? We’re looking at the Escape. We're in our mid 30’s but the bar/club scene is important to us. We don’t want to be on a cruise that goes to bed by 11. 
 

What kind of specialty dining is there? 
Feel free to throw any other info at me. 
tips, cabins or decks to avoid, general tips etc. 

This will be a kid free cruise so we plan to live it up! 

We’re currently on the Escape’s sister, the Joy. Late night club dancing starts at midnight. Those who are in bed by then would not know about it. 
 

You can get wine and whiskey within the included beverage package. Just not top shelf stuff. To us, we can very easily live within the included package. No need to waste money on an upgrade. 

[PartyPlannerLady]

First off welcome to NCL!  We absolutely sailing with them.  Check out https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/escape for an overview of the ship.  I am sure yiou will have a great time and I hope that you make a lot of fantastic memories!  Enjoy.

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

1 hour ago, BirdTravels said:

Late night club dancing starts at midnight.

Interesting.  Which venue?

[kelkel2]

7 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

We’re currently on the Escape’s sister, the Joy. Late night club dancing starts at midnight. Those who are in bed by then would not know about it. 
 

You can get wine and whiskey within the included beverage package. Just not top shelf stuff. To us, we can very easily live within the included package. No need to waste money on an upgrade. 

So when you say late night dancing… what we’re looking for is a venue with music and dancing until like 2-3 am. Not just somewhere you can hop in and get a drink. Like we want a dance club type venue. 

[ggTexasGal]

17 minutes ago, kelkel2 said:

So when you say late night dancing… what we’re looking for is a venue with music and dancing until like 2-3 am. Not just somewhere you can hop in and get a drink. Like we want a dance club type venue. 

On a 5 day cruise (in January), depending on the dates and the demographics, that might happen!

[Liljo22]

8 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

Interesting.  Which venue?

A DJ plays nightly in the Skyline.