Sailing on the Escape with a family -- a review.

[Mandylouwho]

This is not my first cruise, I had only been on 2 others, but this is the first with kids. We sailed last week and I have to admit, I'm going through some withdrawal. It's nice having thousands of employees picking up your crap, offering assistance and feeding you 24/7. Let me break it down.

 

The room-- We had a family ocean view state room. There was ample room for 5 of us, two 12-year-olds, a 9-year-old and 2 adults. We had plenty of space for clothes (one closet was strictly for dirty clothes) and storage of suitcases. I cannot comment on it with regards to babies and things they carry, although there were plenty of strollers in the hallways, so I assume that is where you store them. I was quite impressed with the bathroom size, with an ample tub, trough-like sink with 2 faucets, and cabinet storage. Like most have done, we bought a shoe, over the door type organizer. really awesome....do that. I got it at Wal-Mart for like, 5 bucks. If you are tall, however, you will have to crouch a little. I'm 5'6, so, I'm thinking a 6-foot ceiling.

 

There are 2 tvs, although, the one by the main bed is oddly placed and I never used it. The bed was large, us having a queen at home, this is a king. Comfortable, for sure. The kids had a full-size bed and a pull-down bunk. The window was large enough to sit in it, and sit they did.

 

The Pool-- I am torn on this, because, I am not a huge sun goddess. We sat in the shade most days and out of the way. I don't need to be in the middle of things. That being said, the slides didn't have more than a 10-minute wait on busy days, and the kids pool and aqua park were never crowded. The main adult pool was always crowded. I do think it's too small for the amount of people on board. The bar at the pool, Waves, was efficient. I always got served regardless. There is plenty of room for sunbathing all over the ship though, so if you want to just lay in the sun, that's not an issue.

 

Sports Complex -- Was fabulous. When the ropes course was open (it was windy A LOT), my boys did this and loved it. They had a large chess board, Bocce Ball, mini golf, and the huge basketball court. Always fun. My boys spend a lot of time up here.

 

Splash Academy -- Wow, and OMG. My kids had so much fun doing this program, and it lent for us to have some time alone, see shows and eat when we wanted. I have a son with anxiety issues, and they gave us a pager, which made me and him feel better. They are great with children, and my boys made a ton of friends. They do all kinds of things with them, from Survivor night, Pirate nights, Glow parties, and Pajamas. The last day at sea, they even do a circus show at the main stage.

 

Shows -- Amazing talent. We saw the magic show, a comedy show, After Midnight, and For the Record, The Brat Pack. The former being my fav. I saw it twice. Shows you can get into easy, comedy, not so much. The talent is insane. All over, from the little bands at the pool, to Howl at the Moon, dueling pianos. (please, please, please, go to this...they take requests, it's hilarious).

 

Food -- I'm not much of a foodie, so we ate at the basic places. The Garden cafe is a lifesaver with kids...food whenever, and you are connected to the main pool, so you can bring the food out. My kids were old enough to go in and get food alone, which is wonderful. Taste was great as well. O'Sheehans was our favorite though. Breakfast here is awesome. I hear Cagney's was awesome, but I never got there.

 

Booze -- Get the UBP if you are a drinker. Top notch service and beer/liquor. Get the Rebellious Fish, and The Bushwacker. You are welcome. The brewhouse is an awesome place to hang out. FYI.

 

 

Spa -- If you have the 199, go to the thermal suite. Just....omg. I relaxed for at least an hour a day alone. Big pools of warm water, several therapy rooms, from salt rooms, to snow rooms, etc. Heated loungers with a great view. Great work out area too, if that's your thing.

 

Ports of call were nice, although, I think they need to get rid of Nassau. My kids loved the beach there, we just went public. They romped in the sand...had a great time at little cost. (Cabbage beach). We headed to St. John to snorkel at Trunk Bay. This beach was on my bucket list. Go see it...please. Tortola we shopped and generally walked around.

 

We simply cannot wait to book another cruise with NCL. The staff was amazing, embarkation and debarkation super easy and organized.

 

We had Tyler as a cruise director, and he was cool, just a little over the top....I kind of wanted to turn down his "Are you having fun?" button.

 

Motion was a little rough, like others say. We needed Dramamine the first night. I've been off for 2 days and I still feel it....for reals.

 

Kids are welcome, revered and treated with the same respect as adults, much to the dismay of some grumps. :) My kids cried when we left. Great time!!

 

FYI-- I tried to add more photos on the attachment area, but it would not let me...

Edited February 13, 2017 by Mandylouwho
it posted before it was done.

[cincicruisers]

More please...

[Mandylouwho]

More please...

 

I hit send too early....added more :)

[js]

Thanks for your review! My dh and I are sailing Escape next July for my 50th birthday and our anniversary and leaving our kids (23 and 19) at home...Yikes [emoji33]

 

Where did you and your dh relax at night? Did you have a favorite bar? Did you see any comedians or shows?

 

What time was your flight back home and if early did you have time to spare?

 

Thanks.

 

 

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[Mandylouwho]

Thanks for your review! My dh and I are sailing Escape next July for my 50th birthday and our anniversary and leaving our kids (23 and 19) at home...Yikes [emoji33]

 

Where did you and your dh relax at night? Did you have a favorite bar? Did you see any comedians or shows?

 

What time was your flight back home and if early did you have time to spare?

 

Thanks.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

Hello!

 

The waterfront area is very relaxing on deck 8, especially at night. We loved walking around the ship on this deck any time of day, though. They had ample seating, views, and a wine bar as well as a bakery with coffee too. We loved this deck for when we left ports...the views were incredible. Specifically from the Virgin Islands.

 

We did see one comedy show, and a magic show, both were good. After Midnight was great. It was about music from 1940's harlem. The Brat Pack show was our fav, and highly recommended as well as Howl at the Moon at Headliners.

 

We flew into FLL so we had to take a cab back, which was cheaper than NCL's busses. Don't book your flight any earlier than 1 just in case, but we were off the ship by 8. We flew in a day early, btw, and it was a big help not having to rush to the port. We rented a car for 70 bucks and stayed in the Homewood suites in Miami. Easy drop off at Hertz and free shuttle. I hope this helps.

 

You will have a great time. :)

[irishcruisinfamily]

Thank you so much for your review! We leave in less than 3 weeks on the Escape and are traveling with our 2 boys-12(turning 13 on the cruise) and 14. Hoping they enjoy Entourage! Many reviews mention the ropes course being closed due to wind. Did you feel the kids had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the ropes course? Any other advice for a great family cruise? Thinking about spa pass, but if our boys don't like hanging out in the Entourage teen club, not sure we would use the pass very much.

Did your kids go to Howl at the Moon with you? Really looking forward to that and the District!

[Carolina Girl 99]

Hello!

We flew into FLL so we had to take a cab back, which was cheaper than NCL's busses. Don't book your flight any earlier than 1 just in case, but we were off the ship by 8. We flew in a day early, btw, and it was a big help not having to rush to the port. We rented a car for 70 bucks and stayed in the Homewood suites in Miami. Easy drop off at Hertz and free shuttle. I hope this helps.

 

You will have a great time. :)

 

My son and I are going on our 3rd NCL cruise this September and are flying in the day before instead of driving. Been thinking about booking the Homewood Suites this time. Did you stay at the one downtown (Brickell area) or by the airport? If Brickell, how did you like it?

[easyboy]

Thank you for your review.

[Kfamilycruise]

Thanks for the great review!

[Mandylouwho]

Thank you so much for your review! We leave in less than 3 weeks on the Escape and are traveling with our 2 boys-12(turning 13 on the cruise) and 14. Hoping they enjoy Entourage! Many reviews mention the ropes course being closed due to wind. Did you feel the kids had plenty of opportunities to enjoy the ropes course? Any other advice for a great family cruise? Thinking about spa pass, but if our boys don't like hanging out in the Entourage teen club, not sure we would use the pass very much.

Did your kids go to Howl at the Moon with you? Really looking forward to that and the District!

 

Entourage has both wii and Xbox, plus air hockey and foosball for free, our 11 year olds got to use the room for two hours one day as part of the splash academy program and they had a great time. I did notice one night entourage group had an organized dodgeball game and there was 20+ kids playing. Although the ropes course was closed for wind several times, our kids got on it more than enough times. The best time is during port days usually no lines. My wife used the Spa pass ever day and said it was worth it. We did not bring our kids to Howl at the Moon as they always wanted to go to the splash academy. However, we did see kids at Howl at the moon, after 11:00pm the show changes to an adult show. The District is awesome, I highly recommended spending time on the waterfront on deck 8, it is usually really quiet with plenty of seating. I recommend going there when leaving all the ports, great view plus it is close to the district. Our favorite show was the Brat Pack because we grew up watching all those movies.

[Mandylouwho]

My son and I are going on our 3rd NCL cruise this September and are flying in the day before instead of driving. Been thinking about booking the Homewood Suites this time. Did you stay at the one downtown (Brickell area) or by the airport? If Brickell, how did you like it?

We did not stay at the one in Brickell, we stayed at the one across from the Dolphin Mall, we thought it was perfect for a family.

[irishcruisinfamily]

Entourage has both wii and Xbox, plus air hockey and foosball for free, our 11 year olds got to use the room for two hours one day as part of the splash academy program and they had a great time. I did notice one night entourage group had an organized dodgeball game and there was 20+ kids playing. Although the ropes course was closed for wind several times, our kids got on it more than enough times. The best time is during port days usually no lines. My wife used the Spa pass ever day and said it was worth it. We did not bring our kids to Howl at the Moon as they always wanted to go to the splash academy. However, we did see kids at Howl at the moon, after 11:00pm the show changes to an adult show. The District is awesome, I highly recommended spending time on the waterfront on deck 8, it is usually really quiet with plenty of seating. I recommend going there when leaving all the ports, great view plus it is close to the district. Our favorite show was the Brat Pack because we grew up watching all those movies.

 

Thank you so much for the info! It sounds like the whole family will have a great time!

[claireruth]

This was so great to read! We have two boys, ages 8 and 11, and leave for our cruise in three weeks. I'm glad to hear your kids liked Splash Academy because we're hoping our kids love it so we get to hang out just the two of us, lol!

[Natmom]

We were on the same cruise as you and we also had a great time! Staff was wonderful. Out kids also loved the ropes course and sports complex. DH and I have gone to trunk bay on a previous cruise...we still dream about it.

[jennycap220]

Hello!

 

The waterfront area is very relaxing on deck 8, especially at night. We loved walking around the ship on this deck any time of day, though. They had ample seating, views, and a wine bar as well as a bakery with coffee too. We loved this deck for when we left ports...the views were incredible. Specifically from the Virgin Islands.

 

We did see one comedy show, and a magic show, both were good. After Midnight was great. It was about music from 1940's harlem. The Brat Pack show was our fav, and highly recommended as well as Howl at the Moon at Headliners.

 

We flew into FLL so we had to take a cab back, which was cheaper than NCL's busses. Don't book your flight any earlier than 1 just in case, but we were off the ship by 8. We flew in a day early, btw, and it was a big help not having to rush to the port. We rented a car for 70 bucks and stayed in the Homewood suites in Miami. Easy drop off at Hertz and free shuttle. I hope this helps.

 

You will have a great time. :)

 

 

So helpful - we fly into FLL the FRIDAY night before - so Saturday morning we should just take a cab to the PORT?

[Kfamilycruise]

So helpful - we fly into FLL the FRIDAY night before - so Saturday morning we should just take a cab to the PORT?

 

 

It is cheaper to take an Uber

 

 

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