Norwegian Escape Review 7/16/16 to 7/23/16

[TenForward]

Don't let these things give you a bad impression--as the cruise goes on, people usually spread out and it becomes much more relaxed. You might run into a crowd during one of the shopping-district sales, and I'm sure you've picked up by now that the pool deck is a madhouse on sea days, but it's usually possible to zig when the crowds zag.

 

Thanks for the tips! I have been reading every review I can get my hands on. There are so many fabulous ones - Gambee's Ultimate Escape Review being just one of them. This board has been so helpful to me...I hope to do the same for others after my trip.

 

 

Skip the buffet for lunch on embarkation day. Go to one of the dining rooms (Savor or Taste). You'll have a relaxing meal with hardly any one around. Choose the dining room that has the best view (they are across from each other) and ask for a window seat.

 

Thanks hawkman. Savor (or Taste, depending on view) is definitely our plan for embarkation day. I think having a nice lunch will really kick-off our vacation right and set that "WE'RE ON A CRUISE" feel from the start. :)

[brookmill18]

Thank you for this great review! We have only sailed on Oasis and Allure but are thinking about doing Escape partly as a change and partly for the cost savings. We travel with 2 sets of grandparents and our young teens.

 

Your comment about the main pool does concern me. At 12 and 15 I'm not sure the kids could go into the quieter adults only pool, and they are too old to want to go into a more "family pool"--especially if it's in the middle of the kids splash area. For instance, we never use the family pool on Oasis class bc of the craziness--primarily use sports or main pool.

 

Is the feeling that the vibe around the main pool is pretty inappropriate? I'm surprised at the question of whether or not it would be adults only--it is the main pool, correct? Am I not thinking of this correctly or would we need to worry that we don't really have a pool option with young teens?

 

Thank you!

[AdoraBelle]

There is an adults-only pool, yes. I don't know how strictly its enforced, but it seemed to be enforced on the GA in June. Ideally people don't put the crew members in the position of having to intervene.

 

These generally aren't good ships if you cruise to swim.

[brookmill18]

Sorry--I meant an adults only pool in the main area of the ship--not in the "quiet" or adult only section. I would assume those would be no kids. I was wondering about the one named "Main Pool". We're not looking to swim but the review made it sound like the vibe at the Main Pool wasn't family friendly---that's what I'm really trying to get a sense of.

Thanks!

[AdoraBelle]

Sorry--I meant an adults only pool in the main area of the ship--not in the "quiet" or adult only section. I would assume those would be no kids. I was wondering about the one named "Main Pool". We're not looking to swim but the review made it sound like the vibe at the Main Pool wasn't family friendly---that's what I'm really trying to get a sense of.

 

Thanks!

 

 

I might be wrong about the Escape, but I thought it followed the same layout as the other -aways:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2027339

[TenForward]

Haven't been yet but read tons of reviews. My understanding is there is an Adult Pool (18+), a Family Pool (all ages), and a 'splash area' water park for the younger kids. The 'quiet' areas Spice H20 (or Vibe if you pay) have no pools, hot tubs only.

Edited August 4, 2016 by TenForward

[AdoraBelle]

Haven't been yet but read tons of reviews. My understanding is there is an Adult Pool (18+), a Family Pool (all ages), and a 'splash area' water park for the younger kids. The 'quiet' areas Spice H20 (or Vibe if you pay) have no pools, hot tubs only.

 

 

I believe Spice H20 also has a rock grotto/cave sort of water feature.

 

(We keep ending up on the same threads, shame we're not quite on the same sailing.)

[Lake-Cruiser]

My wife and I, including 2 of our college friends, just disembarked from the Escape yesterday, and I thought I would try out a hopefully brief review of our time on the ship the past week.

 

Before I do, I would invite all of you to please ask any questions you have about the ship...the trip is still fresh, so hopefully I can answer your questions well! If I don't know the answer, I will be honest and invite anyone else with more info to chip in.

 

Backstory to the trip...I have been on 4 cruise lines (NCL, Royal Caribbean, Carnival, Celebrity), but the 2 most recent have been on Royal's bigger ships, and my wife and I have grown a little partial to them. However, when planning for this trip, I came across some reviews about the Escape which piqued my interest, and the ball got rolling. On top of that, we were able to score the Ultimate Beverage Package and a 4-meal Dining plan in promos for less money than the Oasis of the Seas cruise was 2 years ago, so that pretty much sealed the deal for us. I'll discuss all of those things in posts to come.

 

The trip itself started a few days before the cruise. The 4 of us flew to Orlando to spend 3 full days at Disney World. My wife and I had never been, and we were trying to find the right time to get there for a little taste of the magic. I won't go into detail about that part of the trip, but it was AMAZING. It takes quite a bit for me to be convinced of "the magic," but Disney World got me hook, line, and sinker. The attention to detail is astounding...it is truly a must-see for all ages, especially the shows at night.

 

We then hopped in a rental car at Disney and drove down to the Miami airport the day of Embarkation. For anyone interested, Alamo does still offer a complimentary shuttle from their rental place to the Port of Miami. I tried finding a current update on if that service still existed on CC, but couldn't find anything more recent that last summer. So, yes, it does exist. However, you must present your Alamo receipt in order to utilize the service.

 

We then got on the ship and the rest will be in the posts that follow.

 

I'm going to break down the trip into categories, with rankings, and if I can figure out how to insert a few pictures, I will do that as well (no promises!).

 

Until then, I will continue to gather my thoughts, and I invite all questions! Not to ruin the end result, I will say that we had a wonderful time, and we will be talking about this trip for a long time!

 

How did the Ultimate Beverage Package work for you? Did you get unlimited drinks? Were you limited on what you could order?

[easyboy]

Thanks for the review

[tinkr2]

Ok I am super excited with this review bc you covered something that never gets covered, Bayamo! I made all my reservations in advance and booked Bayamo for our anniversary. We have Cagney's and Le Bisro And La Cucina also. I chose Bayamo bc it was one we had had before on Getaway and had a dress up code. But threads I have seen said it is super casual and food was meh. I am kinda a foodie and was wondering if I had messed up. You made food sound good but hows the mood for a 29th anniversary dinner?

[tinkr2]

Not sure if this was already mentioned, but there are a few food options at the District, which I believe are right from Food Republic...

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

 

You are my hero! This is the first time I have seen this menu. I am a craft cocktail person and I am ready to try each and every one of those cocktails:D And to be able to eat a lobster roll at the same time with entertainment.. Woo Hoo!!!!

[tinkr2]

ENTERTAINMENT

This category is a pretty broad stroke, so I'll do my best. We tried our best to get to as many shows as we could, but we're only human :)

 

After Midnight

We had booked this show for Sunday night in advance as a trial run, but the reservation got kicked to Monday night for some reason. Either way, the show itself is very good. The theme of the show, as I'm sure many of you already know, is Brooklyn in the 1920's. I'm not sure if there was a storyline that threaded through the show, for if there was, I wasn't able to follow it. However, the performers are excellent! Tap dance is a lost art, and it was refreshing to be able to experience it up-close. The singers were incredible. Our favorite act was the "Don't Advertise Your Man" piece. Hilarious!

 

Magic and Comedy with Harry Maurer

I mistakenly said earlier that we never went to the Supper Club, but looking back, I believe this show was in there. We actually double-booked Monday night with shows, so this one was the prequel to After Midnight. The guy puts on a good show. Some jokes are cheesy, but others are very funny. The tricks are pretty spectacular...how the heck does he do that wedding ring trick??

 

The Brat Pack

Okay, we are very partial to this show. One of our friends from college (Go Hokies!) is in this show as the bass player, so we knew it was going to be good. This show is hands down the best on the ship. We are motivated to watch all of the 80s movies showcased in this one. A word of advice...get there early and get a seat 2 or 3 rows from the mini stage they have built in the audience. Best seats in the house! We were able to chat with a few performers from the show later in the week, and we enjoyed hearing about their lives onboard. Apparently it's not uncommon for guests to give critical feedback after the shows are over....really?! Don't be those people. Truthfully, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. I remember back in 2011 when I took a cruise on Carnival that the shows were really good. This one beats them all. Do yourself a favor and book this immediately. Also, I recommend the 10pm show...our friend says the actors and musicians are more warmed up for those. Oh, and cheer on our friend! He's on the Escape until October!

 

Comedians

Honestly, there's no use reviewing the specific comedians because they change so frequently. But Andy had me crying in laughter...it's hard to make me do that these days!

 

80's Dance Party

Being on a strict sleeping cycle throughout the school year has its advantages, but the biggest disadvantage comes when you try to stay awake later. This dance party, along with the GLOW party the following night, start at 10:30 in the H2O Spice area. We actually made it to the 80s Dance Party at 10:30, but it took so long for the dancing to crank up that we left and went to bed. From what I hear, it was fun! It was a kid-friendly party for sure, unless that changes later on after it gets going.

 

GLOW Party

I actually planned to make it to this one before the trip even started. Well, it didn't happen. I can't even tell you much about it...no one really talked about it the next day (although the fact that we were in Nassau that day probably didn't help).

 

Miscellaneous

Tyler, Cruise Director: He's one of the youngest in the fleet, but he is not short on energy. He did a great job keeping people engaged throughout the week. My one complaint (and if you have him, you'll notice it quickly)...he asks people to "Make some noise!" way too often. At the Newlywed Not-So Newlywed Game Show, he asked the audience to "MAKE SOME NOISE!" after every response. Maybe a little much...

 

Game Shows: We didn't see many in person, but watched a few on the TV throughout the week. They were good, but some of the contestants didn't appear to be totally into it. Also, Tyler seemed to be forcing the energy onto people with the constant requests.

 

Trivia: Very fun! Most were done in the Atrium for large crowds, but we attended one in the 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar while in port (which we won!). The best trivia contest is the Harry Potter one. It's very popular and very difficult. We wound up grading the winning team's ticket...a 39/40! Unbelievable. The one they missed was missed by the entire room.

 

Washy-Washy: The guy loves his job. If you don't know now, you will.

 

SCORE: 9.5 out of 10

I struggled a bit with this score. Honestly, the entertainment is so outstanding, but there's something holding me back from an outright 10. I never met Tyler personally, but he seemed like he was trying to force things a bit. And when the CD is a little off, the entertainment can seem a bit awry, especially with game shows. But the Brat Pack alone would make this score a 15...

 

Hahaha this made me laugh so hard that you gave up on 80s party bc it was too late and just did not make it to glow. My hubby gets up at the crack of dawn to work out for hours and just falls asleep after 11. I was so psyched for the glow party on Getaway. Bought a white dress, big stacks of glow sticks and after dinner my hubby fell asleep . I should have gone by myself but I was too busy pouting lol

[TenForward]

I believe Spice H20 also has a rock grotto/cave sort of water feature.

 

(We keep ending up on the same threads, shame we're not quite on the same sailing.)

 

The grotto, how could I forget? I'm looking forward to trying that out!

 

Haha, yeah we do ... I think you're the week after me. We'll just miss each other. Hope you have a great cruise :)

[Mandy412]

ENTERTAINMENT

This category is a pretty broad stroke, so I'll do my best. We tried our best to get to as many shows as we could, but we're only human :)

 

After Midnight

We had booked this show for Sunday night in advance as a trial run, but the reservation got kicked to Monday night for some reason. Either way, the show itself is very good. The theme of the show, as I'm sure many of you already know, is Brooklyn in the 1920's. I'm not sure if there was a storyline that threaded through the show, for if there was, I wasn't able to follow it. However, the performers are excellent! Tap dance is a lost art, and it was refreshing to be able to experience it up-close. The singers were incredible. Our favorite act was the "Don't Advertise Your Man" piece. Hilarious!

 

Magic and Comedy with Harry Maurer

I mistakenly said earlier that we never went to the Supper Club, but looking back, I believe this show was in there. We actually double-booked Monday night with shows, so this one was the prequel to After Midnight. The guy puts on a good show. Some jokes are cheesy, but others are very funny. The tricks are pretty spectacular...how the heck does he do that wedding ring trick??

 

The Brat Pack

Okay, we are very partial to this show. One of our friends from college (Go Hokies!) is in this show as the bass player, so we knew it was going to be good. This show is hands down the best on the ship. We are motivated to watch all of the 80s movies showcased in this one. A word of advice...get there early and get a seat 2 or 3 rows from the mini stage they have built in the audience. Best seats in the house! We were able to chat with a few performers from the show later in the week, and we enjoyed hearing about their lives onboard. Apparently it's not uncommon for guests to give critical feedback after the shows are over....really?! Don't be those people. Truthfully, it's one of the best shows I've ever seen. I remember back in 2011 when I took a cruise on Carnival that the shows were really good. This one beats them all. Do yourself a favor and book this immediately. Also, I recommend the 10pm show...our friend says the actors and musicians are more warmed up for those. Oh, and cheer on our friend! He's on the Escape until October!

 

Comedians

Honestly, there's no use reviewing the specific comedians because they change so frequently. But Andy had me crying in laughter...it's hard to make me do that these days!

 

80's Dance Party

Being on a strict sleeping cycle throughout the school year has its advantages, but the biggest disadvantage comes when you try to stay awake later. This dance party, along with the GLOW party the following night, start at 10:30 in the H2O Spice area. We actually made it to the 80s Dance Party at 10:30, but it took so long for the dancing to crank up that we left and went to bed. From what I hear, it was fun! It was a kid-friendly party for sure, unless that changes later on after it gets going.

 

GLOW Party

I actually planned to make it to this one before the trip even started. Well, it didn't happen. I can't even tell you much about it...no one really talked about it the next day (although the fact that we were in Nassau that day probably didn't help).

 

Miscellaneous

Tyler, Cruise Director: He's one of the youngest in the fleet, but he is not short on energy. He did a great job keeping people engaged throughout the week. My one complaint (and if you have him, you'll notice it quickly)...he asks people to "Make some noise!" way too often. At the Newlywed Not-So Newlywed Game Show, he asked the audience to "MAKE SOME NOISE!" after every response. Maybe a little much...

 

Game Shows: We didn't see many in person, but watched a few on the TV throughout the week. They were good, but some of the contestants didn't appear to be totally into it. Also, Tyler seemed to be forcing the energy onto people with the constant requests.

 

Trivia: Very fun! Most were done in the Atrium for large crowds, but we attended one in the 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar while in port (which we won!). The best trivia contest is the Harry Potter one. It's very popular and very difficult. We wound up grading the winning team's ticket...a 39/40! Unbelievable. The one they missed was missed by the entire room.

 

Washy-Washy: The guy loves his job. If you don't know now, you will.

 

SCORE: 9.5 out of 10

I struggled a bit with this score. Honestly, the entertainment is so outstanding, but there's something holding me back from an outright 10. I never met Tyler personally, but he seemed like he was trying to force things a bit. And when the CD is a little off, the entertainment can seem a bit awry, especially with game shows. But the Brat Pack alone would make this score a 15...

 

 

We loved Tyler and didn't feel like he forced the crowd. He was also really nice one on one.

[Mandy412]

Unique Feature

Every ship or class of ship has its unique feature. On the Freedom and Oasis class ships, it's the Royal Promenade or Aqua Theater, while the Quantum class has its 270 lounge. The Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships have the Waterfront. Folks, this feature is a game-changer.

 

I read a review last night that someone did when the ship first sailed from Southampton. The reviewer praised the Waterfront, rightly saying that it's a step in the right direction in getting these mega-cruisers to get people to connect with the sea again. My biggest complaint of most cruise ships now is that you lose the feeling of being on the water. You can get the exact same experience if you just went to a resort somewhere on land and probably save yourself money. I just don't understand why you'd create a ship that routinely sails beautiful Caribbean waters and not give people every opportunity to SEE the water!

 

Well, NCL has hit a grand slam home run with the Waterfront. In that same review I read last night, the reviewer feared that because the Waterfront is so awesome, it would likely be jam-packed with people in the warmer climates, and it would lose its enjoyability. I can say with absolute certainty that it is the best place to be on the Escape. It was rarely crowded!! Every morning after breakfast, we would make our way to the Waterfront, and we always found a comfortable couch to read and enjoy the view. For how awful the pool area is on the ship, the Waterfront more than makes up for it.

 

Most of the deck is covered, mercifully. It was a very hot and humid trip, so to be in the shade was a blessing. Also, it poured rain all day in Nassau, but we were still able to enjoy the outdoors on the Waterfront. The Waterfront wraps around the back of the ship, so you can get a nice view of the ship's wake.

 

Many of you know that the restaurants on Deck 8 have outside seating on the Waterfront. We ate one meal outside, but it was very uncommon for tables to be filled outside. So, if you don't mind the humidity, you can request those tables, even if you didn't make a reservation. Cagney's offered us a table outside, but there was no airflow on that side that night, so we refused.

 

To make the Waterfront even better, there are a couple of bars in the middle of the deck. The 5 o'Clock Somewhere bar has a nice wraparound bar outside, including a few TVs. The wine bar also opens at night with a bar outside, but we didn't utilize that one.

 

I can't speak for the smaller ships in the NCL fleet, but the Waterfront alone has made us reconsider our future plans. I also loved Food Republic and the District so much that I would have a very tough time without them on the Breakaway and Getaway.

 

If I was going to plan a cruise ship, something like the Waterfront would HAVE to be there!

 

My favorite place to be!

 

Sailaway from the Waterfront!

 

A peaceful evening's hangout.

 

 

 

 

SCORE: 10+ out of 10

 

 

We loved the Waterfront too and there's nothing better than sail away with a cool adult beverage sitting out there.

[Yorkvillain]

Finally all caught up. Great review!

[RedRover96]

This review needs to be "bumped up" for the newbies like me to the Escape, found it on the "last" page. GREAT JOB panthers_4890!!!

[jfancy]

Hi,

 

My parents booked this cruise and was put on Deck 5 inside cabin 5415 forward. I didn't want their first cruise to be a bad experience so I suggested they get an upgrade to Deck 10. I chose Deck 10 because I thought there were only cabins on deck 9 and deck 11 so the noise level would be ok. I also suggested they go with cabin 10824 because it's a balcony and midship.

 

Can someone tell me if there is a pool deck on Deck 11? I was told there is, but want to make sure before I suggest a cabin midship on Deck 11.

 

Thanks.

Joanne

[RedRover96]

Pool deck is 16, I suggest you visit NCL's website and find deck plans for the Escape to better familiarize yourself with the decks and layout or cruisedeckplans. We're on 10 for a cruise in July, like it as you said 1st floor sandwiched between cabins and just 2 flights of stairs down to deck 8.

 

RedRover96

[AIH2017]

Thanks so much for this great review!!! Super helpful!!

[Sherry84]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review, I thoroughly enjoyed it. We are sailing on the Escape in 9 days and can not wait. :D