Our Fabulous "Escape" review w/lots of pics, information & dailies 12/12/15

[VegasChic]

Just returned from a phenomenal week on the shiny new Escape. This was my 21st cruise and 2nd ship review. My husband saw me drooling over this ship for months now so one day he asked me if I still wanted a Gopro for Christmas or a to go on the Escape. Um gee let me think about it for a minute..... and within an hour it was booked (two weeks prior to sailing). We live in Miami, FL so it's easy to just wake up one morning and decide to book a last minute cruise. However, booking last minute also comes with disadvantages which I will get into!! I sailed with my hubby and daughter (9) she said it was one of her favorite cruises:).

 

I will be reviewing the following:

 

Overall Ship Design and Public Spaces, Christmas Decorations, Activities, Spa, Splash Academy, latitudes rewards and Service

 

Cabin: 9150 (Balcony Gty)

Amenities: Dining & Beverage Package! The dining package was very confusing for many - there are so many changes with the specialty restaurants - I will go over this!!

 

Ports:

St. Thomas - Coki Beach

Tortola: Cane Garden Bay Beach (Beautiful!!!!)

Nassau: Shopping - Plus new security policies (beware!!) Had a hard time getting back on the ship b/c I didn't bring my daughters passport when I got off

 

Restaurants:

Cagney's, Food Republic, Margaritaville, Teppenyaki, Moderno, Pincho, O'Sheehans, Savor

 

Shows: For The Record, Million Dollar Quartet, After Midnight and Comedy

 

There is so much information and so much to do that the week totally flew by!!

 

I have all the dailies, menus and all the Splash Academy agenda's that I will gladly share.

 

Once I figure out how to post pictures again I will get started!

[Cruzinbabe06]

Yayyy! Another Escape review.:)

[Sand and Seas]

Can't wait to read more about your cruise! We will be going on our 20th NCL but first ESCAPE cruise next month. We haven't been to Cane Garden bay for about 15 years so nice to hear that you enjoyed it. :D

[buckeye rob]

Looking forward to your review. Will be on Escape in August. We were on Oasis last August and presently I am reading your review of Allure. If Allure is anything like Oasis, I agree with so many of your Allure comments. I remember the Promenade was always so full of activities you would have to sneak through Sorrentos just to get from one end to another:) Gerry

Edited December 21, 2015 by buckeye rob

[brookie848]

Looking forward to your review!

[jimbri]

Looking forward to your review and photos.

[akbrown1972]

Looking forward to reading it all....

[VegasChic]

Cruise Day Arrived and I woke up at 6am to finish some work and last minute packing. It was a very stressful morning! I was running around the neighborhood in Pjs trying to catch my escaped schnauzer I was so humiliated as my neighbor was having a garage sale and here I was looking crazy! After that adventure, I was ready to go!

 

We called a cab and 10 minutes later at approx. 1:30m we were at the port and ready to board. Upon arrival, I realized I left my luggage tags at home (no big deal) the porter had some generic tags he wrote our names and cabin number and placed them on our luggage. I tipped him $15 and told him nicely to make sure my luggage gets on the ship! BTW, he also had a passenger list with names and cabin numbers just in case.

 

Walked in the terminal, went through security and then to the latitudes gold/platinum line to check in, there was no one in line and we were on the ship in a few minutes. We were given this handy cheat sheet which I never looked at till at got home, lol!!

 

 

 

I believe we boarded on deck 8 which was awesome! There was a 3 person band playing live music as people walk onto the ship, they were in a tiny corner which was a little odd. We took one flight of stairs up and were in our cabin on deck 9 portside fwd (great location). We had originally booked a balcony guarantee and were assigned cabin 9150.

 

 

 

I was having issues uploading to flickr so I used photobucket. Are the pictures too big??

 

Be back soon!

[Cruzinbabe06]

No. The pictures are perfect.

 

Thanks for sharing.:)

[OurDogCisco]

Picture looks perfect on my iPad. I can't wait to read more

[VegasChic]

Our cabin was exactly as expected. We had the bed near the closet and that was a nightmare there is a tiny gap inbetween the bed and closet made it difficult to get to. However, I enjoyed having the sitting area near the balcony as I would always have the balcony open when getting ready or having my morning coffee. Thankfully, all our clothes and things fit perfectly. My issue with these cabins are that there are no drawers not even one and no amenities in the bathroom which is not really an issue for me as I always bring my own regardless.

 

On the desk were some goodies from NCl and from a friend:

A latitudes letter, inviting us to the Wine and Cheese Social on Monday 7:00pm (only for latitudes members). Also, 25% off of laundry service (does not include dry cleaning) and priority disembarkation with two yellow luggage tags. Lastly, there were some delicious Godiva Chocolates from NCL and a bottle of wine from my friend with an NCL branded bottle opener.

 

 

Later, they delivered chocolate covered strawberries from my friend.

 

 

View of the entire room from the balcony, my hubby in the background putting a generic card in the power outlet.

 

 

 

 

The hair dryer worked well no need to bring one. The sitting stool served as a table as well just remove the wood top when sitting.

 

[VegasChic]

Storage space underneath the television. I used this for small items, there is another storage next to this which is much bigger (2 shelves) and I used it to store my daughters folded clothes.

 

 

Closet with safe and shelves, the other side not pictured) is for hanged clothes (there were plenty of hangers for us)....

 

 

Bathroom....

 

 

Shower complete with conditioning shampoo and shower gel (never used so cannot speak to the quality)...

 

 

Some things I cannot travel without: Bose portable speaker, portable device charger (charges my cell phone 4x and can charge two devices at the same time), camera, memory cards, waterproof cell phone case, over the door organizer for brushes, hair accessories, chargers, headphones, sunglasses, etc., Also very important LYSOL Disinfectant spray and lysol wipes. The closet had a funky odor to it which spead onto my clothes. The closet and shelves need to be properly cleaned I forgot my lysol wipes this time so I couldn't clean everything.

 

[VegasChic]

Balcony....

 

 

 

View of Miami......

 

 

 

View below:

 

 

We met our room steward I think his name was Anthony (cannot remember) I gave him $20 upfront. I was starving it was 2pm and all I had since 6am was coffee :eek: so off to lunch we went!!

[VegasChic]

We headed to Savor but were denied entry as they just closed at 2pm. So we headed to O'sheehans which according to the freestyle daily also closed at 2pm but they seated us! First order of business.... drinks!!!

 

 

 

 

 

[VegasChic]

My husband ordered the The Reuben on Rye and Nachos, I ordered the soup of the day "corn chowder" and the chicken fajitas. My daughter had a Nathans hot dog with fries. Everything was good except for the corn chowder. My husband and daughter finished eating and they still hadn't brought my fajitas.

 

While I waited I took the opportunity to activiate my iconcierge app $7.95 each and it worked wonderfully! I was able to text and call my hubby throughout the cruise as well as see what was going on all day. I also, told the splash academy staff I had it so that they can call me when needed. I also purchased the 250 minute internet package $125 plus $3.95 internet fee. I wished they had a social media plan like carnival has for $5 per day but no. The internet worked fastest from deck 6-8 and slowest on deck 16.

 

 

 

 

 

The fajitas were surprisingly good!

 

[VegasChic]

Can't wait to read more about your cruise! We will be going on our 20th NCL but first ESCAPE cruise next month. We haven't been to Cane Garden bay for about 15 years so nice to hear that you enjoyed it. :D

 

Oh you will love it!! We had such a wonderful cruise & weather!!! I loved Tortola such a beautiful island and Cane Garden Bay was lovely! Thanks for reading!!

[VegasChic]

Looking forward to your review. Will be on Escape in August. We were on Oasis last August and presently I am reading your review of Allure. If Allure is anything like Oasis, I agree with so many of your Allure comments. I remember the Promenade was always so full of activities you would have to sneak through Sorrentos just to get from one end to another:) Gerry

 

Awe thanks for reading this and my Allure review! The Allure was a great time, awesome memories! The Escape is a beautiful ship with great staff, entertainment and food! I'm sure you will have a fabulous time!!

[VegasChic]

No. The pictures are perfect.

 

Thanks for sharing.:)

 

Thank you couldn't tell from my laptop, they look huge! Thanks for reading:)

[VegasChic]

After lunch, I started wondering....

 

Adults Only pool, this is where all the activities took place. It got very crowded (definitely not a clever design imo) I prefer an open floor plan, getting by or even trying to get upstairs was a hassle. IMO this was the worst part of the ship. The family pool started at 5ft and no there is no toddler pool either your children better know how to swim or be at least 5.5 or you get in with them and hold them. The family pool was never full most kids were in the small water park area or the slides. It was nice to see a lifeguard on duty at the adult and family pool, they wore yellow shirts. Another thing, there is nowhere to sit to watch your kids if you want to watch them at the family pool. One day, I was sitting on the side of the pool trying to relax but it was impossible I was constantly getting splashed by kids running by. Either get in the pool, leave your kid alone or stand by and watch (terrible)!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Family pool right next to mini water park....

 

 

Mini water park...

 

[calgaryhhr]

After lunch, I started wondering....

 

Adults Only pool, this is where all the activities took place. It got very crowded (definitely not a clever design imo) I prefer an open floor plan, getting by or even trying to get upstairs was a hassle. IMO this was the worst part of the ship. The family pool started at 5ft and no there is no toddler pool either your children better know how to swim or be at least 5.5 or you get in with them and hold them. The family pool was never full most kids were in the small water park area or the slides. It was nice to see a lifeguard on duty at the adult and family pool, they wore yellow shirts. Another thing, there is nowhere to sit to watch your kids if you want to watch them at the family pool. One day, I was sitting on the side of the pool trying to relax but it was impossible I was constantly getting splashed by kids running by. Either get in the pool, leave your kid alone or stand by and watch (terrible)!!!

 

I agree with you regarding the kids pool. The shallow deck part was nice but the pool should have had a sloping bottom from 2 feet to 4 or 5 feet instead of being 5 feet all the way. The wooden ledges where the glass walls are installed should have been a foot wider so that it would be easier to sit around the pool and watch the kids. I tried to sit along the glass wall but I could only get about half my butt on the ledge.

 

The hot tubs were also woefully small especially the one that allowed kids. It was common to have 12 to 15 people crammed into that kids hot tub with the kids splashing around in the middle.

[CruisinHarvey]

We were on the same cruise, and had a great time. I'm curious about the Iconcierge app. I've tried to use it on other ships, and I could never connect with anyone directly. Always had to leave a message. I'd read, on other threads, it was the same on the Escape, so didn't even try it. So your experience was that it worked around the ship to call someone? We're on the this ship again in February. with a relative that's new to cruising. Be nice to be able to contact them while on board, if needed.

[trvlqueen]

Thanks for posting your review! We board in 10 days, so really excited to see all your photos/hear your thoughts. While we have been somewhat - ok, very - disappointed by early reviews and frustrated by a lot of the changes made, we are still really pumped for this trip. A cruise is what you make it - and I'm looking forward to hearing and finding the good!!

[VegasChic]

I agree with you regarding the kids pool. The shallow deck part was nice but the pool should have had a sloping bottom from 2 feet to 4 or 5 feet instead of being 5 feet all the way. The wooden ledges where the glass walls are installed should have been a foot wider so that it would be easier to sit around the pool and watch the kids. I tried to sit along the glass wall but I could only get about half my butt on the ledge.

 

The hot tubs were also woefully small especially the one that allowed kids. It was common to have 12 to 15 people crammed into that kids hot tub with the kids splashing around in the middle.

 

I didn't realize there was a kid friendly hot tub, hoping that their future ship is more kid friendly in regards to the pool area. The adults have the main pool, vibe and spice h20 then they cram everything into a tiny area for families! Just my little rant!!

[VegasChic]

We were on the same cruise, and had a great time. I'm curious about the Iconcierge app. I've tried to use it on other ships, and I could never connect with anyone directly. Always had to leave a message. I'd read, on other threads, it was the same on the Escape, so didn't even try it. So your experience was that it worked around the ship to call someone? We're on the this ship again in February. with a relative that's new to cruising. Be nice to be able to contact them while on board, if needed.

 

Wow you get to go back in February??? So lucky!! Yes I downloaded iconcierge before we boarded my husband downloaded it while on board in Miami. Make sure you download it before the ship leaves Miami from the app store or if you have android from the google store or else you will need wifi. Everyone has to pay the $7.95 fee to be able to communicate with each other. Both my hubby and I paid the fee. Then, go to your contacts in the iconcierge app and people that are in your cabin and paid the fee will be listed there. You can add anyone else from another cabin. When you are ready to call or text them you must do it from the app itself and only to people on the ship. When you open the app there is a chat bubble on the top right click on that and it will give you the option to message or call. It worked really well for us. If you do not pay the fee than you will still be able to use the other features but will not be able to make/receive messages or calls. I hope this helps, if you have an issue just go to guest relations!

[VegasChic]

Thanks for posting your review! We board in 10 days, so really excited to see all your photos/hear your thoughts. While we have been somewhat - ok, very - disappointed by early reviews and frustrated by a lot of the changes made, we are still really pumped for this trip. A cruise is what you make it - and I'm looking forward to hearing and finding the good!!

 

How exciting for you, do not get discouraged by negativity! The Escape is awesome!! The ship is absolutely beautiful there is so much to do, it's impossible to fit it all in and the food was really good with the exception of one place. I loved Tortola (gorgeous island). The three shows I saw were all phenomenal!! Yes, there are some things I was not happy about some changes I don't agree with but that did not in the least ruin or make an impact whatsoever in my vacation. You will have an amazing trip and thank you for following along!!