A HAVENly week on Escape - January 16 - 23, 2016

[jmele999]

Prior to the show, we met up with David in the Haven lounge at 7:45 pm. David informed us that the usual show had been canceled for that night because one of the lead cast members had re-injured her ankle during the 5:30 show. However, given that the show had been cancelled earlier in the week, the cast decided to have an unplugged version of the show so that we could at least enjoy their performances.

 

 

Pre-dinner drinks. They also try to not serve drinks during the show so your glass of wine will be served before dinner.

 

Fresh mozzarella perline, jumbo crab cake, and salmon pastrami profiterole

 

Braised short ribs and jumbo prawns. Excellent dish. 5/5

 

Chocolate s'mores bar and pavlova with berries and cream.

 

We enjoyed the performance of the cast members, but were very disappointed that we did not get to see the original show or that they did not perform any of the songs from the show.

[jmele999]

After the show we went to the glow party in Spice H20. We had never been to a glow party before so it was interesting to see how much work NCL puts into this party. People were dancing everywhere and having a good time. Here are some pictures.

 

 

 

 

We only stayed at the party for a few minutes and then went up to the Haven bar for our nightly drink. On the way to the Haven I snapped one of my favorite pictures of the cruise. Love all the colors around the pool area.

 

 

 

End of Day 6.

[jmele999]

Day 7 - Nassau

 

 

 

[jmele999]

Since we were not scheduled to arrive in Nassau until noon, we slept in a little bit later than usual. Breakfast was at the Haven Restaurant

 

 

We spent the morning in the spa and also secured reservations for the Elemis pro-collagen grooming treatment with shave at 11:15 am. As Platinum Latitudes members, we received a 25% discount because it was considered a port day. The treatment was great and lasted 55 minutes. After the treatment our faces were very soft. We are definitely doing that treatment again on a future NCL cruise.

 

After the spa treatment it was time to eat again.

 

Mixed berries chilled soup.

 

Linguine with clams. DP said that it was very tasty. 4.5/5

 

Double cut pork chop. It was excellent and one of the best dishes I had all week. I was concerned that it might be undercooked, but it was very tasty and moist. 5/5

 

[janiss815]

This was a great review. I learned so much from your descriptions and pictures. We will be doing the Baths ourselves as well. So it was helpful to follow your experience. One question which I am still confused after reading so many "Baths self tours" - what's the difference between the Devils Bay path and the Baths path?

[jmele999]

After enjoying a great lunch we decided to get off the ship and explore some of the historical places around Nassau. We have previously visited Nassau so this was going to be a quick trip to some of the historical places that we had never visited before.

 

You can easily walk (15 minutes) to these historical places

 

Queen's staircase

 

Nassau water tower

 

Fort Fincastle

 

The visit to the fort was very disappointing, but there is a great view of the ships in port.

 

 

[jmele999]

This was a great review. I learned so much from your descriptions and pictures. We will be doing the Baths ourselves as well. So it was helpful to follow your experience. One question which I am still confused after reading so many "Baths self tours" - what's the difference between the Devils Bay path and the Baths path?

 

Thanks for the compliment. The difference is the level of difficulty. The Devils Bay path was a hiking path that involved a little incline from the beach and was totally dry. The Baths path involved climbing between the rocks, caves, and ocean until you reached the beach. The most fun is the Baths path where you can climb through the rocks and see the formations.

[jmele999]

We returned to the ship around 3:45 pm and stopped by the 5 o'clock somewhere bar on the waterfront for a drink.

 

 

 

I don't know the names of the drinks as DP asked the bartender to make us drinks that were only served at that bar. Both drinks were very good. Since we were in port that day, the bar did not open until 4:00 pm and within a couple of minutes the bar was full.

 

After the drink we went to the atrium cafe to get some cupcakes.

 

 

Chocolate pistachio and cookies and cream (oreo).

[jmele999]

It has become our tradition to go to Le Bistro for our last dinner onboard. On other ships we typically visit Le Bistro twice during a seven day cruise, but with some many dinning options on Escape we were only able to go to Le Bistro on the last night.

 

Here is the complete wine menu.

 

 

 

 

[jmele999]

 

 

 

[jmele999]

We were seated inside, but had a nice view of Ocean Place.

 

 

For starters, DP had the escargot and I had the mussels, and we shared the mushroom soup. The mushroom soup is one of my favorite item on the menu and it was, as always, delicious and rich.

 

 

 

 

For entrees, we had the bouillabaisse and the lobster tail. I was a little bit disappointed with the lobster tail as it had too much sauce.

 

 

[jmele999]

Profiteroles for dessert.

 

Overall dinner at Le Bistro was good, but not the best meal we had during the week. The restaurant felt crowded and the service was, at times, slow.

 

After Le Bistro we stopped by the Mixxx bar for a drink.

 

 

 

Our last stop was the Haven bar to say good-bye to some friends and to thank Marc and Pranko for their service.

 

 

[jmele999]

Final thoughts

 

Escape, is without a doubt, a great ship with something for everyone. Here are some of our favorite places.

 

The Haven including the restaurant, the bar and the courtyard. The Haven is a great way to experience a megaship and we highly recommend it.

 

Bayamo and the Pincho Tapas Bar were great and worth the additional cost.

 

St. Thomas and Tortola are great ports, but if possible try to visit some of the other islands (St. John or Virgin Gorda)

 

Overall, we had a great cruise and we look forward to our next adventure in June as we sail to the Baltics aboard the NCL Star.

 

 

Thanks for following our review of the NCL Escape.

Johan and Brian

[SuiteTraveler]

"For entrees, we both ordered the beef tenderloin, but it was not very good (sorry no pictures). DP thinks that it was overcooked because we ordered the tenderloin medium well, but I think that it also had something to do with the quality of the beef."

 

The reason you keep getting overcooked and not very good steak is because you are ordering it Medium Well. It is best to ALWAYS order your steak Medium Rare. The reason for this is because Medium Rare is the peak temperature at which to enjoy steak (120F - 130F) because this is the temperature at which the fat veining through the steak has melted and the steak is at it's optimal in terms of juiciness, tenderness and overall flavor. Any cooking beyond that point ruins the flavor and succulency of the steak and makes it chewy and coarse. It also creates carcinogens. So what chef's do, is if they cook a steak and it gets past Medium Rare, they put it in a "re-use" pile and then when someone orders a steak that is Medium through Well Done, they take a steak from the "re-use" pile and put it back on the grill and reheat it. Of course, sitting in the "re-use" pile does nothing good for the steak. It continues to cook from the heat of being cooked prior and the heat of the other "re-use" steaks. Of course, the juices run out while it's sitting in the "re-use" pile and there's no way to put them back into the steaks. Once a steak is cooked to medium, it is starting to be dehydrated and turn grey and much of the flavor has been destroyed as the juices from the fat veining have flowed out of the steak. Medium well, the steak becomes almost completely gray and it's very, very dehydrated and lacking flavor. Well Done and the steak is almost completely flavorless. What chefs are taught is that people who eat Medium - Medium Well steaks never really taste what a good steak is like, so they won't know the difference - that they are eating re-heated steak - and for the most part that seems to be true. You can actually see the dehydration process in this chart which shows the degree of doneness of steak:

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_MudSeDub_3k/TAEMNLHmniI/AAAAAAAAAmo/aAig0Q364nU/s1600/steakchart.gif

 

Here is a discussion about this:

http://culinaryarts.about.com/od/beefporkothermeats/a/Medium-Rare-Steaks.htm

 

The tenderloin is actually a small internal muscle that cattle never use. It has the least amount of fat marbling in it and consequently, can become overcooked and dried out, very, very quickly. It has a melt in your mouth tenderness when cooked Medium Rare.

 

NCL gets their beef from the US and the US meat supply is overall very, very safe, so there is no health reason to cook steak longer than Medium Rare. I realize it can be an adjustment. You might want to make the adjustment slowly or just dive in and start ordering Medium Rare always. For my husband, it was a bit of an adjustment, but once he saw nearly everyone we know ordering their steaks Medium Rare and had tasted the difference, it was easier for him to make the change. The other thing to be aware of is the 3 grades of Beef: Choice, Select and Prime. If one of you cooks, it is fun to get the same cut of beef in all 3 grades and then cook them to the same temperature and then try each grade to learn the differences.

 

http://www.cookingforengineers.com/article/30/USDA-Beef-Quality-Grades

 

In addition, NCL tends to use Black Angus beef in their steakhouse which is either the top 2 grades of Choice or Prime. From the website, NCL is actually advertising Choice cuts of Black Angus:

https://www.ncl.com/why-cruise-norwegian/cruise-dining/cagneys

 

Black Angus is known for having the best flavor of all types of beef and commands a higher price than regular Choice or Prime beef which is why NCL makes a big deal of serving this. The only thing, to be certified Angus, the steer must have a black coat - which indicates Angus genes - not that it is a pure angus steer.

http://amazingribs.com/recipes/beef/zen_of_beef_grades.html

 

Anyway, I'm a chef and just wanted to let you know what you are actually ordering when you order a Medium to Well Done steak. I think it is important for all consumers to know the truth about this so they can make an informed decision as to what to order in a restaurant.

 

I'm really enjoying your review! You've done an awesome job on it!

[mimi'sgirl]

Wonderful review..thank you! Do you plan on doing a review of your Baltics cruise? Would love to hear about the ports. Happy cruising!

[SuiteTraveler]

Wonderful review..thank you! Do you plan on doing a review of your Baltics cruise? Would love to hear about the ports. Happy cruising!

 

I would love it if you did a review of your Baltics cruise as well, as this is on my list of vacations I want to do very soon!

[jmele999]

I would love it if you did a review of your Baltics cruise as well, as this is on my list of vacations I want to do very soon!

 

Thanks for you comments. Yes, there is going to be a review of the Baltics.

[dodgeenterprises]

Great review!

[darn88]

Great review guys!! Really enjoyed it!! I think we will have to redo this cruise sometime in the future (considering the circumstances...). We loved the ship and really want to return. You showed us parts of the ship we never got to enjoy because we just didn't feel up to it. Thanks so much for the awesome job!!

 

Best Regards

Ria and Arnie

"Your Leesburg Friends"

[zdcatc12]

 

Best Regards

Ria and Arnie

"Your Leesburg Friends"

 

Virginia or Florida? I lived in Leesburg, VA for 10 years back in the late 90's.

[darn88]

Virginia or Florida? I lived in Leesburg, VA for 10 years back in the late 90's.

 

It would be Leesburg, VA!!

[zdcatc12]

It would be Leesburg, VA!!

 

I lived in Greenway Farms and worked at the FAA center there. My son graduated from LCHS in '06. Small world!!

[darn88]

I lived in Greenway Farms and worked at the FAA center there. My son graduated from LCHS in '06. Small world!!

 

I'll make it an even smaller world...I used to live in Woodlea Manor..we lived next door to each other for awhile!! LOL!!

[CRAustin]

Great review!

[Jenjer]

I have loved your review and all the details. Thank You so much for taking your time do share your trip with us.