Awesome Trip on the Escape

My family and I had an awesome trip on the Escape during the week of July 16-23. I was traveling with my husband (51), daughter (12), son (11), mother (81), sister (52) and brother-in law (54). We were able to find something for everyone to do on the ship and had a great experience. We did participate in the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet which was held in Cagney’s Steakhouse on Sunday. This gave us an opportunity to meet a few people and we saw several of them throughout the cruise.

Embarkation

We live in Central Florida so we chose to drive down to South Florida the night before the cruise. On Saturday, we made the quick drive to the Miami port and were able to quickly find a parking spot in the garage. We had arrived around 10:30 and our official check-in time on our edocs was 12:00. As soon as we left the garage and went across the street, a porter took our luggage, so we did not need to bring it into the terminal. Terminal B was listed on our edocs so we made a quick walk over to the terminal and went through security. We had cruised with NCL twice about 13 years ago so we were able to use the Latitudes check-in line which had no wait time. We were given a boarding pass for group 5. We were then directed to waiting area on the next floor. It looked like there were still some passengers and crew leaving the ship. In the waiting area, there was orange juice, water, and hot tea available. We were able to download the NLC app while in the terminal. We boarded the ship when our number was called and headed to Savor on deck six for lunch as the rooms were not ready yet. I found the check-in process to be much quicker and the waiting area to be a little nicer than our most recent cruise out of Fort Lauderdale with Celebrity.

Cabin

We had a family balcony on deck 9 (9220). The bed was located by the balcony. The couch made into a bed and there was another bed above the couch that pulled down from the ceiling. My daughter was able to stay with my mother in her cabin so we did not use the pull down bed. There was a closet with shelves, hangers, and a safe by the bed. There were also two small cabinets located next to the desk that could be used for storage. There were several shelves in which you store things in the bathroom. There were liquid soap and shampoo/conditioner dispensers in the shower and another soap dispenser by the sink. The bathroom is small but did not seem as confined as ones on other cruise lines. Our luggage fit under the beds so we did not have to have them out taking up space in the room. The balcony had two chairs and a small table. The bed and pillows were comfortable. The sofa bed seemed to be a little hard, but my son did not complain about it. We rarely saw our cabin steward but the room was always made up twice a day and supplied with fresh towels. There was always a towel animal on the bed each evening. Overall, the cabin was comfortable and had ample storage for three people. I’m not sure we would have had enough storage for four people. The mini-bar takes up a lot of space. If this were eliminated from the rooms, there would be ample storage for four people.

We did receive champagne and chocolate covered strawberries in our room, compliments of the hotel director, on Sunday. We received the strawberries again on Monday and truffles on Friday. This was a very nice touch that we really appreciated.

Complimentary Dining

We found the food to be very good on the Escape. My husband is a chef so dining is the area that is the most important to him.

Buffet: We rarely went to the buffet as we prefer to have a sit down meal with service when we are on a cruise. However, we did go to the buffet for lunch on two of the port days. There was a wide variety of food (cheese, bread, burger bar, Asian, pizza/pasta, salads, sandwiches, and deserts which included both hard and soft ice cream. The food was good for a buffet, but the crowds of people often made it difficult to find a table and navigate through the various food stations. We always tried to go towards the back of the buffet dining area.

O’Sheehan’s – this is a complimentary restaurant located on deck seven. O’Sheehan’s opens earlier than Taste and Savor. We had early excursions on the days we were in port in St. Thomas and Tortola, so O’Sheehan’s fit our schedule perfectly. We were able to enjoy breakfast without fighting the crowds at the buffet. They serve eggs cooked to order, omelets, French toast, etc. The food was good and the service was fairly quick. We also went to O’Sheehan’s for lunch on two days. My husband and son enjoyed the wings and sandwiches. My daughter ordered the Caesar salad with salmon on both days. The first time I went for lunch I tried the nachos. They had melted cheese, bacon, and a small amount of cilantro. I think I would have enjoyed them more if they had some tomatoes, onion, and sour cream or guacamole with them. I had the open face turkey sandwich one day which was very good. The ice cream items on the desert menu are an upcharge.

Taste and Savor: These are complimentary main dining rooms. We usually had breakfast and lunch in one of these dining rooms. We were usually able to get a table for all seven of us rather quickly for breakfast. Our table was usually located near a window. There are several items on the menu that are on there every day while there are few items that are changed each day. Service was excellent in both of these rooms during lunch and breakfast. I cannot speak about the service or food at dinner as we did not eat dinner in either of these rooms.

Manhattan Dining Room: We ate dinner here on two evenings and it was our favorite dining experience. There is a band that plays music throughout the evening which provides a different atmosphere from the other dining rooms. There is also a small dance floor in front of the band. The first time we ate in this room, we were seated in the back near windows. Our wine steward, Mirasol, made the evening very special for us. My husband and I enjoy a glass of wine with dinner but my sister and her husband do not usually like wine. Mirasol offered to pair each of our individual courses with wine/drinks. She started each of us with a Bellini and then asked what we had ordered for each course. For each course, she brought glasses of wine that were paired to what we had ordered. All of us felt the flavor of the food and the wine were enhanced with this individualized pairing. Mirasol ended the meal with a special coffee drink. For our children, she provided a non-alcoholic drink that looked similar to a mud slide. We enjoyed this so much we went back later in the week and were able to request Mirasol as our wine steward again. She offered the same great individualized service.

Specialty Dining

We purchased the specialty dining for five nights as it did not come with our promotions. We made reservations online because we had read in many reviews that many of these restaurants fill up quickly. My sister booked hers online for the same time as ours. Guest services told us to go to each restaurant at the reserved time, explain we were traveling together, and ask to be seated together. This system worked very well for us.

Teppanaki: We chose to dine at Teppanyaki on the first night of the cruise. This is almost like having a show with your food. Our table chef was great. I had the shrimp and scallops and they were excellent. You definitely need to be hungry when you go to this restaurant because there is a lot of food.

Moderno: We ate at Moderno on the third night. There is a huge salad bar with a wide variety of selections. If you have someone in your party who does not eat a lot of meat, they will be able to find plenty on the salad bar. Each table also receives a basket of cheese bread which was delicious. Don’t fill up on these items though because the servers quickly come around with a variety of meats which are sliced at your table. Use the green/red card to indicate if you want to have a serving of the meat.

LeBistro: My husband and I were celebrating our 25th anniversary on this cruise so we chose to go the LeBistro without the rest of our family. We were seated in the outside area (atrium). There was some noise from Teppanyaki which is located next door. My sister ate there several nights later and was seated inside LeBistro and found it to be noisy inside as well. There was a slight smell of smoke drifting down from the casino on deck seven (as reported on many reviews), but it was not enough to bother us. I ordered the French onion soup, scallops, and dessert. My husband had the lobster. The food was excellent.

Cagney’s Steakhouse: We enjoyed sitting by the aft windows in this restaurant. I had a filet mignon which was cooked perfectly as ordered. My husband had the prime rib, but thought it had too much gristle. Deserts were very good and the service was good.

LaCucina: I was pleasantly surprised by this restaurant as many of the reviews were not good. This restaurant serves a five course meal. The soup, gnocchi, shrimp, and Crème Brule were very good. My daughter is a pasta lover and she thoroughly enjoyed her pasta dish. Service was very good at this restaurant.

Beverages

We had the UBP and most of the drinks we wanted were covered. Our kids had the soda package. We did purchase six bottles of water when we boarded and an additional six midway through the cruise. We used this when in our cabin and for taking medicine. Aquafina is not our preferred choice for drinking water but it all that was available for purchase. (We prefer spring water). It also seems strange that a $12-15 dollar drink is covered by the beverage package but a $4 bottle of water is not. When we were on a Celebrity cruise in 2014, a variety of water choices was included with the beverage package. While I understand NCL’s policy of not bringing water on board, I wish they had more options available. Glasses of drinking water are available in all of the restaurants and in the buffet.

Bars

We enjoyed The Cellars Wine Bar quite a bit. We participated in the chocolate wine pairing and the Reidel Glass wine tastings. These were $19 a piece, but we were given a 20% discount for having the UBP. My husband also enjoyed trying the different types of mojitos at the Mojito Bar.

Waterfront

This was of my favorite areas on the ship. My daughter and I would walk around the waterfront each morning for exercise. The waterfront provided a much longer distance for walking and was less crowded than the jogging track on the upper decks. There are also couches and chairs where you can sit and relax throughout the day without being out in the sun. In the morning, you will find self-serve coffee, tea, and pastries outside the 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar and outside of The Cellars Wine Bar. At night, this is a nice place to enjoy a drink and conversation with family and friends. There is also restaurant seating for the specialty restaurants on the waterfront.

Thermal Spa

This was another favorite area of mine. We are from Florida and are able to be in the sun and water all the time, so laying out on the sun decks was not a priority of ours. My husband and I purchased the thermal spa passes online for $199 for the week. They are about $20 more if purchased on the ship. They did have some day passes available for $54. This area is a wonderful place to relax. The heated loungers are very nice but are often difficult to access because many people put their towels and other stuff on them while they use the therapy pool and saunas. Because there are a limited number of these heated loungers, I do not think people should be able to reserve these when they are not using them. The best days to enjoy the heated loungers were on port days as there were less people in the spa. My favorite areas in the spa were the therapy pool, tropical rain shower, salt room, and the sauna. Water, fruit infused water, and hot tea are available in the spa. Our best day in the spa was when we returned from our excursion on St. Thomas. There were very few people in the spa so it was very quiet and we had great views of St. Thomas.

Activities

There are two pools on the upper decks. These do get very crowded due to the number of people on board. My husband and children enjoyed the slides and ropes course more than the pools. Both of my children walked the plank on the ropes course. You can have your picture taken when you walk the plank. My daughter used her GoPro to take a video while doing the ropes course. My husband was able to use the GoPro to video his ride down one of the slides. There is a nice grotto area in Spice H2O. It is great way to cool off but does not seem to be used very much.

There are activities throughout the day and evening in the atrium on deck six. In the evening, there is not enough seating for the amount of people who tend to come to these games/shows. The crew will put out folding chairs in the evenings to help with the seating. There is also some seating on deck seven in O’Sheehan’s that overlooks the atrium, but these seats fill up quickly.

Shows

We went to the Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons Tribute on the first night in the Supper Club. These four guys were very good and we really enjoyed this show. We tried the After Midnight show but it did not appeal to us; however, there were many people on the ship who did enjoy this show. We also went to For the Record: Brat Pack. Although I am not a big fan of the 80’s movies that are showcased, the performers did a fantastic job. One of the girls stepped in at the last minute to replace a cast member who was ill. They said she had never performed the show in front of an audience with all of the lights; however, she did a wonderful job and we would never have known she was filling in for someone. One of our favorite shows was Howl at the Moon in the evenings in Headliners. There are three guys who sing and play the piano and drums. One night, Tyler, the cruise director was playing the drums. These guys can play almost anything that is requested. The first couple of nights it was hard to find seats in there. Later in the week it is much easier to get a seat.

Splash Academy

My son who is eleven thoroughly enjoyed the Splash Academy. He was able to check himself in and out and usually stayed in there the full time in the evenings. He did not enjoy it on the afternoons of port days as there were a small number of children and they did separate the age groups on those days. My daughter is twelve and did not like the Splash Academy. We told her she had to try it two times which she did. She did not enjoy the activities and felt there were not enough kids her age there.

Ports of Call

We have been to St. Thomas several times so we chose to do the St. John’s Island Tour as it was something that my mother could do with us. We were one of the first excursion groups off the ship. The first part of the excursion was a boat trip over to St. John’s Island. The boat crew pointed out interesting places on St. Thomas as we traveled across the water. We sat inside the boat and could easily see from both sides of the windows. Many people chose to sit outside along the sides of the boat. If you do not like to get wet, do not choose to sit outside. The tour continued on St. John’s Island in a safari bus. We saw several beautiful beaches, views from overlooks, and the ruins of a sugar mill. St. John’s Island has beautiful beaches. There is a restroom stop halfway through the tour at a campground. When we returned to the marina, there was about 30 minutes for to go to the shops on the island. After the boat took us back to St. Thomas, we went through the shops in the port area. This area was not too crowded as there was only one other ship in port that day.

Tortola was a new port for us. We went on the Tortola by Land and Sea Tour. We met our tour guides at the end of the pier and boarded a boat that took us for a tour around the Tortola and the neighboring islands. We enjoyed this part of the tour, but it was raining which limited the visibility. The boat took us to the other side of the island where we walked through some small shops and were able to get some water. The land part of the trip was on open safari buses. We went up some very steep and narrow roads on this tour. There seemed to be quite a bit of traffic on these roads. At one point, a truck came down in the other lane and there was only about few inches between our vehicles. There is a stop at the top of the mountain for a refreshment and restroom break. We were brought back to the pier and walked through some of the shops along the pier before going back on the ship. Tortola was interesting to see, but we did not enjoy it as much as St. John’s Island. It seems to be a little dirtier than St. Thomas.

We have been to Nassau many times and it is not our favorite port. I opted to stay on the ship with my son and mother. My husband took my daughter on the Discover Scuba excursion. They had a great time and it was an opportunity for my daughter to see if she would like to learn how to scuba dive. This excursion was about five hours so they did not return to the ship until about a half hour before final boarding.

NCL App

This app has a lot of potential but is a work in progress. We were able to keep track of our on-board account and found it to be pretty accurate. Sending messages to each other was often difficult. Sometimes the app worked and sometimes it didn’t depending on your location. The app worked best in the cabin when we were near the balcony. Sometimes it would take more than an hour for a message to be received. With a little tweaking, this technology could be a great way for people to communicate while on board.

Disembarkation

We opted for one of the later times to disembark. We ate a leisurely breakfast in Savor and then sat in the atrium until our color was called. We found this process to be very quick and smooth. We quickly found our luggage and a porter. Tipping the porter was well worth the money. The porter took us to the front of the line and we moved quickly through customs and were soon on our way to the parking garage.

We had a wonderful week on the Escape and would definitely cruise on this ship a

Thanks for taking the time to share your review with us.

Thanks so much for your review! It is good to know that a chef thought the food was good :)

Excellent Review! I hope they keep the same group in the Supper Club for our October cruise. Thanks for sharing with us:D

Thanks for the excellent and very helpful review. We are sailing on the Escape on August 6th and have a few questions:

1) What is the length of the After Midnight and For the Record shows? In other words, we have signed up to see these shows at 7:00 pm and want to make sure our dinner reservations will work.

2) I believe that After Midnight is an adult themed show. We have twins that are just about 4. They enjoy seeing the shows (for example we took them in March on the Allure to see Mama Mia and they loved it). Do you think For the Record is ok for them?

3) To see the Rat Pack in the Super Club, do you have to have dinner? We would prefer to just see the show. If we can just see the show, on your cruise, when was this offered?

4) What time did disembarkation start?

Thanks so much for all your help.

The shows were about an hour long maybe an hour and a half at the most. We saw the Brat Pack in the Escape Theatre so we did not experience dinner with it. We took our 12 year old and 11 year old to it. My 11 year old did not really catch onto the sexual references. I did see younger children in the theatre.

Disembarkation started around 8 or 8:30. If you don't want to have the ship handle your luggage, you can be the first ones off but will have to carry everything yourself.

I love reading from others who enjoyed the ship I love the most!

Great review! Glad you had a nice time with your family.