Shari2

Loving hearing about this Jan.  That Seawalk does sound a bit scary to me.

She wasn't or I would have turned around for that...she was just trying to chit-chat...LOL  Wasn't in the mood for that...LOL

Yes, Jan... I couldn't believe it, but I had a hero that day...the  nice man who moved over for me...and it couldn't have been easy for him...he was quite a large man...always in my prayers.  Haven't had to fly for awhile but next time I have to fly Delta I will probably be grinding my teeth...LOL
To take this story a little further...when we were in the Flamingo casino in Vegas...someone walked up behind me when I was playing at a slot machine and started saying something.  Guess who it was?  The lovely stewardess who refused to give me my own seat.  I don't even know what she said...I just ignored her...otherwise I probably would have said something not very nice...LOL

Never had any real problems on any airlines I have taken, except one for an emergency late night flight to get home from a ship that had pod problems, and they did the best they could to get thousands home at the last minute.  I did have a bad time once on Delta.  My  husband wanted us to go to Las Vegas, and I had a blood clot in my leg so didn't think I could go.  My hubby already had his ticket and was ready to go...of course I told him to go, and then my doctor said I could go if I wore the medical stockings and got up and walked around in the plane.  It was a superficial clot and not in the deep vein.  So I booked at the last minute and had to book 1st class and sit up there alone.  Hubby was in the back of the plane.  When we boarded the plane we separated and went to our seats.  I had also paid for a aisle seat to be able to walk around a bit.  I looked for my seat and there were two men sitting in there, and they were talking to the stewardess.  I mentioned to the stewardess that the aisle seat was mine.  She just said these men wanted to sit together.  I showed her my seat number and all, and she just ignored me.  Then she just said again that they wanted to sit together.  I told her that my doctor wanted me to be able to get up and walk when I could and I had a clot and I had paid for this seat...she still  ignored me...I really didn't know what to do, and I'm not one to  make an issue of things, especially on a plane.  A man across from me heard what was going on and offered me his aisle seat. I said I shouldn't be taking his seat but he insisted that I do, so that's what I did.  He moved in to the window seat.  I had never had something like this happen before and I was not happy about it.  I had to pay a lot of money for 1st class because everything else was full because I had to get my ticket at the last minute.  I should have written to Delta, I know now, but, I always said that I would never fly Delta again...of course I may have to since it is the major airlines out of Minneapolis.  Have never heard any problems with their flights and timing and all, but, they sure need to train their stewardess' that if someone pays for their seat they should be able to get it.

Thank you, Shari!? Seawalk, fortunately, had enough solid floor surrounding the glass to make it less obvious that there was nothing between us and the ocean.?

Shari  - that’s awful, and there is no excuse for the crew’s behavior, especially since you had an assigned seat. Thankfully, the other guy was a gentleman and moved over for you. What a terrible way to treat their customers!?

Great article Jan!

Always wanted to try a repositioning cruise.  Think it would be really nice with the money saved and more time onboard, and still seeing nice ports.  Thanks Jan!

Forgot to say WELCOME Joe...love your blog and the great pictures! We were on the "Holiday" back in the '80s and it was pretty bad, but decided to go with a group of friends on the "Liberty" in 2009.  I was amazed at how much better the ships looked, and the food and entertainment was very good.  Although I would love to try other ships, I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the newer Carnival ships again.  Loved the melting chocolate cake with a little ice cream on top.  Had that almost every night, even though the crème Brule is usually my favorite.

Hi @Jason
These were all things I was concerned about as well and did not understand until I was onboard. So the Carnival Horizon is roughly 133,500 GRT and the Oasis Class of ships range from 225,000 to 230,000 GRT. The horizon has a passenger capacity of 5,056 and the Oasis class ships hold up to 6,900. So even though there is only a 1,800 passenger difference I still understand the concern.
So how do they manage this?
Royal Caribbean's Oasis-class gives you all the amenities of a "Super-Ship" with the capability of having every public space half full because there is such a large variety of them. Now on Carnival, there are enough public spaces for each of them to be about 95% full at most times, even with this you will not feel "crowded" but you definitely be in an elevator with 3 or 4 other passengers whereas on Oasis I was on the elevator by myself almost always. So it seems to me Carnival was able to fit that amount of people by having fewer public spaces or at least smaller spaces and having more cabins. To put this into perspective the older Carnival ships such as the  Triumph class have large atrium areas that span the entire height of the ship where the newer ships have an atrium that spans three decks. If Royal Caribbean did something similar to this I would image they could fit upwards of 8,000 passengers onboard. 
The smokehouse is an additional fee restaurant. I am not too sure about the price I think it might be al la carte pricing and of course, the drinks do cost extra and they cost anywhere from $10-  $14 but if you do have the cheers package those drinks are included with those packages. 
So the food onboard was just perfect. Over the last few years since specialty restaurants have become a very common thing onboard, I have noticed a steep decline in the main dining room food. I noticed this onboard Harmony of the Seas in 2017 when, for the first time, I decided to forgo dinner after getting my dinner and it being horrible enough to the point that I did not want anything else.  Now onboard the Horizon I was able to sample the food at multiple specialty restaurants and then had a full dinner in the main dining room and I did not notice any differences in the quality, presentation or flavor. The main dining room was perfect from the atmosphere to the Kale salad, Lobster, and Shimp, to the GLUTEN FREE, melting chocolate cake. For those who need approval that I know good food, I live in Providence, Rhode Island which is home to some of the best and most award-winning restaurants in the country. Needless to say, I know good food. 
 
I hope this sufficiently answers your questions! 
-Joe 

Good ideas, Jan.  I rarely use the straws, but on a cruise ship with a cold pina colada it's a must.  I wouldn't mind washing my own straw or reusable water bottle.  Turning off the lights and closing the balcony door seem to be common sense... shouldn't be hard to remember.

I did spend a little too much on souvenirs in the past.  Had to pay more for my luggage on the plane on the way home.  And except for my shot glasses to show in the case,  I rarely used anything.  Did buy the T-shirts for the kids& grandkids.
Did leave behind, once on the ship, a jacket that I really liked and had just bought. 
The worst I can remember was not getting a flu shot.  Everyone at work was sick and I was about to cruise on my vacation to Hawaii.  I had dreamed of going to Hawaii all my life.  So the very first day we board the ship, after spending two days in Oahu, I start coughing so bad that I thought I had pneumonia...sure enough it was the flu...stayed in my room for a couple of days to not spread it around, but when the coughing quit we did take some tours and I took medicine and tried hard to not get too close to anyone...didn't want to spoil their time in Hawaii.  We had two days back in Oahu when we got off the ship...I was better by then, raring to go, but then Marc got sick and spent those two days in bed at the hotel...after that I always got the flu shot.

Thank you Shari. I hope it brought a smile to your face! 

Thanks, @Shari2 I am happy you enjoyed the post. NCL is definitely worth trying again! The service was quite fantastic and the new ships are something to see! Let me know if you need help choosing an NCL cruise, here to help! 

Hi Joe...what a wonderful blog, and review of "The Norwegian Escape."  It sounds like a wonderful ship.  Love the pictures!  I have only been on Norwegian once, and that was a few years back.  I was on the older ship, "The Norway."  I believe it used to be "The France."  It was a very interesting ship. I really liked it.  The entertainment was excellent, but we seemed to be on it at the wrong time.  Some protesting with the help and all caused Norwegian to hire some new help.  We did still really enjoy it.  Would love to try the newer Norwegian ships, especially now after seeing your review.  Thanks for the great post, great review, and great pictures!  So glad that you, and family, had a great time...except for the Disembarkation.

Hi Joe...what a wonderful blog, and review of "The Norwegian Escape."  It sounds like a wonderful ship.  Love the pictures!  I have only been on Norwegian once, and that was a few years back.  I was on the older ship, "The Norway."  I believe it used to be "The France."  It was a very interesting ship. I really liked it.  The entertainment was excellent, but we seemed to be on it at the wrong time.  Some protesting with the help and all caused Norwegian to hire some new help.  We did still really enjoy it.  Would love to try the newer Norwegian ships, especially now after seeing your review.  Thanks for the great post, great review, and great pictures!  So glad that you, and family, had a great time...except for the Disembarkation.

This reminded me, when we were brand new cruisers our table mates turned us on to this dining "option".  It really elevated our dining experience.  Now we have 15+ cruises under our belts and share with other newbies, that we happen to be sitting with, that it's OK to order an extra appetizer or share an extra main course.  On one trip our new friends took to this quite well.  Each couple ordered an extra entree and we all shared them around the table.  The plates were flying all over the place.  It looked like a crazy family at Thanksgiving.  We all stay in touch after several years.

Never would have thought about leaving the glove box open .. Awesome!  Thanks @Jan115 ?

Great ideas, Jan!

Forgot to say WELCOME Joe...love your blog and the great pictures! We were on the "Holiday" back in the '80s and it was pretty bad, but decided to go with a group of friends on the "Liberty" in 2009.  I was amazed at how much better the ships looked, and the food and entertainment was very good.  Although I would love to try other ships, I wouldn't hesitate to sail on the newer Carnival ships again.  Loved the melting chocolate cake with a little ice cream on top.  Had that almost every night, even though the crème Brule is usually my favorite.

@Shari2 I could not agree more Carnival has come a very long way in a short amount of time! If you enjoyed the Carnival Liberty you would definitely enjoy the Horizon! 

Looks like a beautiful ship!  Carnival has come a long ways from years back.   My last cruise on Carnival was in 2009 on the "Liberty." Although Celebrity is my favorite, I really enjoyed the Carnival Liberty.

Cruise more; cruise more; cruise more. Love it!  Always enjoy your blogs and information Jan...have a wonderful time on the Epic and come back and tell us more.

Looks like a beautiful ship!  Carnival has come a long ways from years back.   My last cruise on Carnival was in 2009 on the "Liberty." Although Celebrity is my favorite, I really enjoyed the Carnival Liberty.

Awesome post and video Danny!  How many sailings have you cruised so far?  And your passport must be stamps galore - Have you needed to get the second booklet to make room for stamps yet??