First Time NCLer on 3/26 Escape Sailing

[LakeWobegon]

Background:

 

Just got back from a wonderful cruise on the Escape this past week and thought I would post a review. As noted, this was our first NCL cruise and we planned it last January when we were sick of the Minnesota cold but not yet ready to go anywhere on such short notice. The wait was worth it. I am a planner and was reading up on the ship and cruising in general as the last one was the RCCL Explorer of the Seas my wife and I took on our honeymoon when that ship was also brand new (dating myself).

 

We picked NCL because of the ship and its amenities and also the price seemed right, even with all the nickel and diming I read about. I do get why people feel that way, but in the end, it was much less expensive than a Disney cruise or RCCL. Cost wasn't the primary concern. But I manage risk (and a department budget) at work so I do consider it. I'm always doing scenario analysis as I tell the kids. We considered the RCCL mega ships too, but as my wife said, I want it to be hot outside from day one. No sailings from the Northeast. lol.

 

So, enough of that background. What we really liked:

 

The waterpark -- The slides, especially the big blue one you ride in tubes is honestly the deciding factor in us wanting to rebook an Escape cruise next year. Sounds silly but the kids (8 and 11) love it. The lines were not bad except for the first day (leaving Miami), which is when everyone wanted to try it. After that, the lines for any of the slides were a very short wait the rest of the cruise any time we went. I saw a dad and his family of four get excited that there were 12 people in line and they decided it was too much for them. This was on the last day of the cruise. Wow. The kids looked dejected as they walked away with him.

 

The ropes course was fun. For younger kids and frightened middle age people (ha), I would recommend doing it while in port. Less crowded and ship is obviously not moving.

 

The sea days -- On our RCCL honeymoon cruise, it seemed like more stops and time in port because of the Western route, and I was originally thinking, only three ports on this one? And Nassau seems like a quick pit stop on paper. But the first two sea days give you lots of time to explore all there is to do on this ship. And enjoy the drink package. We are not big drinkers but enjoyed trying all the different drinks on an excel spreadsheet someone else posted on these boards. Thanks for that.

 

The ports -- We had fun on the power cat snorkeling and beach day excursion in St. Thomas but it wasn't very relaxing. The crew on the Virgin Breeze were great but be warned you are going to get wet on the ride over to the snorkeling area. Like soaked. Again, very well run and friendly crew, though. Next time, would maybe try the more relaxing pirate themed sailboat run by the same company I believe.

 

We did Virgin Gorda and the Baths in Tortola. Loved it. Beautiful and great snorkeling. Not too hard to get around the paths or baths, but I could see how you would have trouble if you had mobility issues. Next time, we'll do this on our own as it would be easy enough and cheaper than the ship offers. We ran into a tour operator by the way, who was leading a group through the caves and cutting in front of people, saying they wanted to keep their group together. Another tourist (not with their group) asked if they knew the path back up to where the taxis get you and the "guide" honestly said "are you with a cruise ship? Then I don't know. If you're with a cruise ship, I wish you the best of luck." Wow. The company/boat was Kitty something or something to do with cats I think.

 

Nassau was better than expected. We stayed to the touristy areas and never did I feel unsecure. We took a taxi - $32 - roundtrip for 4 people (before tipping) to the beach. Cabbage beach, I believe. Probably got that wrong. But near Atlantis. We had a good time just swimming and hanging out and it gave us time to get back so my daughter could get her whole head braided ($80, is that a good deal? The lady originally wanted $120).

 

 

The restaurants - We ate in two specialties for dinner. Teppenyaki and Moderno. Kids really liked both and both had very good food.

 

We ate in the Manhattan Room every other night for dinner. Enjoyed the food and entertainment. Service was good, except for two nights where it was exceptional. More to come on that shortly. Ate in Taste and Savor for breakfast and room service on the balcony every port day. All were very good.

 

Ate in O'Sheehan's almost every day for lunch as the kids loved the wings (as did I) and the buffet a few times when we didn't want to leave the pool. Lots to choose from at the buffet but took longer than O'Sheehan's to eat and we're not really buffet people. To each their own though!

 

The rooms - We booked two large balconies that connected. This was more than enough room for the four of us and it was nice to have 2 bathrooms. But I think we could do one easily next time with some strategy and save a few thousand $. Large balconies were definitely nice. Blase, our steward was great.

 

The staff -- Maybe it's because I didn't have kids nearly 15 years ago on my first cruise, but I do notice the staff on this ship go out of their way to make sure kids have a great experience. And they're nice to the parents too!

 

We decided to play Bingo at the last minute. The staff made it extremely entertaining and my daughter won $425. They made a really big deal out of it for her and it was the highlight of her cruise. Or the biggest.

 

The staff around the pool are really engaging, remembering kids names even, and asking them all sorts of questions and sharing jokes (appropriate ones - ha).

 

In the Manhattan room, one night we got Ricky as our waiter and his assistant waiter Alma. They made the kids enjoy dinner, making napkin animals, giving our kids nicknames - "Mr. Sauce" for my son who can't handle any sauce on his food - and so on. We asked for him again the next night and they squeezed us into his station. The next night they were just too busy. That is the one down side I felt with freestyle dining as the other nights the service was good in the MDR but nowhere as good or speedy as with Ricky and Alma. If we go back and they are there, we are going to try and plan dinner with reservations around their availability. My daughter made them a card (and we gave an extra tip) which they seemed to think was great.

 

 

The welcoming back to the ship when in port was great too. It's not a huge deal, but when you come back to the ship from a hot day in port, and friendly staff are there serving you cold drinks and ice cold towels to wipe down with, it makes a difference. I noticed the other ships weren't doing that. Nor were their cruise director and assistant cruise director standing on stilts, dressed up in outrageous outfits, dancing like crazy as part of the celebration.

 

Finally, leaving was well organized. They get you out of there quickly which we appreciated.

 

In summary, we loved it and are seriously considering re-booking for the same week next year as our kid's and my wife's (teacher) spring break fall on the same week. What we'll do differently is make a single large balcony work, saving some $$$ and then trying different excursions (on our own) in port. The friendly staff, price and waterslide (big blue one) is what will bring us back to this ship vs others. Checked out the Getaway and I don't think it has this same slide? Thanks for reading. As Abe Lincoln once said, if I had more time, I would have written a shorter Cruise Critic post.

Edited April 3, 2016 by LakeWobegon

[NLH Arizona]

Thanks so much for your review. Glad you enjoyed your cruise and how great the staff was.

[sbsco]

Thanks for the great review! What balcony rooms did you have?

[LakeWobegon]

Thanks and thanks! We were in 9126 and 9128. These were close to the forward elevator and I liked that if you went down one floor, you could head over to the District Brewhouse on one side or the 5 O Clock Somewhere Bar on the other. Made for easy drinks on the balcony! Plus convenient to be so close to all the dining options. We didn't mind the hike up the stairs to the pool decks.

[Clarea]

Nicely written review, thanks!

[LakeWobegon]

Thanks Clarea. Also, I would strongly consider RCCL again and was looking for a ship with lots of family activities so any recommendations would be welcome. That said, we may book the Escape again tonight after we get the kids to bed.

[Jim The Lizard]

Great review!. We did exactly what you're considering;. We booked the same ship, at the same time, next year. We even booked the same room because the balcony in room 12304 is extended, about double the length of other balconies. We watched the Super Bowl on the big screen in Spice H2O. We'll be doing the same thing Super Bowl 2017!. I also watch prices and feel confident the NCL experience matches up well to competitive lines in its class.

[iceman2a]

Thanks for posting your review and I am happy

you had a great cruise!

[jljlinda]

We will be sailing the Escape soon and we have the UBP. Do you know if the bars on board will serve a "double pour" when ordering a glass of wine? We recently sailed on the Getaway with the UBP and had no problem at all getting "two glasses in one." We love our red wines and almost always order a second glass anyway. Thanks in advance.

[LakeWobegon]

I'm not sure. I don't think there will be a problem with that. I did see one guy getting a double pour of Dewar's in one glass but he was using his wife's card and his at the same time. I know at dinner some nights, the waiter would come buy and pour a second carafe of merlot in my glass before I was barely done with the first. I think he knew it was going to get busy and he might not have a chance to refill for awhile!

[Sand and Seas]

Great Review! We loved the Escape too and booked it again as soon as we got back. Aqua Racer was a favorite with us too! Getaway has good slides but nothing like that. Epic has a tube slide, but all in all Escape was our favorite. Thanks for sharing your thoughts!

[LakeWobegon]

Thanks. Yes. We did detailed analysis of the Getaway and Epic slides and it came back down to the Escape and we booked the kid's room from this year to all stay in next year last night. Whoo-hoo! Funny, but all things even and that one slide makes a difference.

 

Again, we'll save quite a bit that way and I found I spent most of my time exploring the ship, on the balcony, or in bed sleeping. We also know we can pack quite a bit less this time - clothes, toiletries and other supplies.

 

Besides my dress shirts and two pairs khakis for dinner, I spent most of my time in swimsuits and Columbia beach shirts. Both of which are hand washable. Ha.

 

My MIL commented yesterday what a "trip of a lifetime we took" when we talked to her yesterday. And how she bets we are glad we got to do that once. I almost feel guilty to tell her we booked again. I instructed the kids not to say anything to anyone. lol. I don't feel guilty though. We work hard and we don't buy lots of material things. I'd rather pay for experiences like this than say a new snowmobile every couple of years.