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Royal cruiser sales the Escape (1st time on NCL!) - Western Caribbean Oct 14-21 2017

moops

By moops,
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moops

moops

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Hi everyone! Thought I’d add my review of our experience on the Escape as I’ve lurked and gleaned so much great info over the years from these boards.

 

As background, I’m early 40s, have only been on four (incl. this one) cruises in the past twelve years ….my preferred travel style is land-based vacations as Iike to immerse myself in the city or country I’m in. However, I’ve also enjoyed the cruises I’ve been on, which have been multi-generational family affairs (adults, no kids) – perfect way to spend time together with something for everyone. This time I was cruising with my Mom (60s), my birthday present to her! J We have cruised before, always with Royal and prefer mega ships as we like to have a lot of places to explore, and options of things to keep us entertained.

 

Overall, we had a really good time – there were definitely pros and cons versus our previous cruises on Royal. For us, we give the edge to Royal (don’t hate me, I know this is the NCL board!), but wouldn’t hesitate to recommend the Escape as it definitely is a great ship. I think it’s just a matter of what kind of cruise experience you’re looking for, and for us Royal has a slight lead for our needs. But you certainly can’t go wrong with the Escape – it was a fun week, and certainly what works for us, may not for others – but I thought it might be helpful to offer our perspective! Here we go, it’s a long one…

 

Pre-cruise:

Thanks to CC reco’s, we stayed Friday night at the Hampton Inn Airport Blue Lagoon. A solid choice, good value (free airport shuttle and breakfast), with an excellent location that is perfect for last-minute shopping. Convenient port shuttle ($10 per person).

 

Embarkation & settling in:

A long line to check-in but the wait wasn’t bad (~30 mins), smooth overall. We arrived at 12:30pm, on-board by 1:00pm. Cabins ready by 2:00pm, luggage 3:00pm. Muster was 3:30pm – efficient, crowded, no big deal (our station was in the theatre, so pretty organized, and we could sit!). We went to the 4:15pm sail away party on the pool deck -- fun, high energy, exciting to cruise past all the other ships waiting their turn to head out to sea.

 

We also went to the 2:00pm “ship tour” – which was one of the staff simply showing us around decks 6-7-8, pointing out restaurants and amenities (I think everyone assumed it would be a more comprehensive tour). Terry was the guide, an adorable member of the Cruise Director’s team, and it was only the poor guy’s second week on the ship so it was funny that the crowd had to correct him on some points. Truth be told, the tour wasn’t useful, no fault of Terry’s (and he was great the rest of the cruise).

 

The cabin:

Family balcony (category B3) cabin 8746. Spacious layout, lots of storage. Bathroom is big (outfitted with soap, shower wash gel, moisturizer, shampoo…but no conditioner). Thanks CC for the tip on bringing magnets as the walls are all magnetized so great to post up info as needed. Our loveseat was by the balcony, and from what I could see, cabins alternated ‘bed vs. loveseat by the balcony’ configuration. We loved being on deck 8 since we spent so much time in the Atrium and dined mostly in the MDRs. And the Waterfront is a lovely oasis. Cabin was on starboard side -- for this cruise, we only faced port once (Cozumel), so choose port side on this itinerary if that's important to you.

 

BUT….this cabin location was *terrible* for noise, avoid it at all costs! It’s directly over the theatre, likely above the stage. Booming sound, music, vibrations whenever there were shows, and some off-hours when they were rehearsing. Most nights done by 11:15pm, but Tues night it went on until 12:30am! We also overlooked a shuffle board court so there was occasional clinking and talking below, not a huge issue for us. The problem really was the theatre noise. I had anticipated this would be a problem once our cabin was assigned and I saw the location, so in a way, we were prepared. Unfortunately, we couldn’t move as the ship was fully booked. Not all deck 8 cabins will have this problem -- the more forward cabins are clear of the theatre, just be sure to check the deck plans ahead of time. We didn’t see our cabin steward, Wilfredo, much – but he did a nice job every day, no complaints.

 

Food & beverage:

Food is one area where NCL has a leg up over Royal Caribbean – and we didn’t even dine in any specialty restaurants! When we booked, there was a “Canada at par” promotion which saved us nearly $600, but meant we had to forego all promotions, so no specialty dining or Ultimate Beverage Package -- shocker! honestly, I think we were, like, two of ten people on the entire ship who weren’t drinking for ‘free’! but I found the costs for wine and cocktails very reasonable to ‘pay as we went.' And I actually benefited from the generosity of some wait staff a couple of times as they took pity on my UBP-less self, scoring free pop and a couple of glasses of Prosecco without even asking (well played on their part to earn some extra tips!).

 

Food was very good, better than expected – O’Sheehan’s 24/7 pub food is a great idea; MDRs surprisingly high quality – actual clams in shells for the pasta (vs. canned), smoked duck salad, roast lamb, prime rib, etc. Even the buffet was decent – liked that they had so many ‘build your own’ stations (salad, tacos, pasta, hot dogs, burgers, crepes, omelettes). We dined there at least once for breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and it was always a good experience; no over-reliance on fried foods. It was busy, but we always headed to the back which was a little less chaotic.

 

For MDRs, we preferred the Manhattan room – nice atmosphere with live music and dancefloor; despite it being their more formal dining room, it felt very intimate (unlike on Royal where I found the tone more stuffy). Ask for a table by the stage, otherwise it’s hard to hear the music from the back. One night we watched a Motown singing performance which was fun. For any MDR we never had to wait more than 5 minutes. This is where we really appreciated the idea of Freestyle cruising -- eat when we want, wear what we want, no need to haul cocktail dresses and heels on vacation (though I do get the appeal of dressing up, for me, I'd rather have a lighter suitcase!).

 

One disappointment was there were no places to just grab coffee or snacks to go. For coffee you had to buy at the Atrium Café, or hoof it up to the buffet, but even there you couldn’t take your coffee with you as they don’t provide to-go cups. Same for snacks – either the buffet, pay at the Atrium café, bake shop, or gelato place. On Royal, there were so many places to grab a snack or coffee – the Promenade pizza place and café, Central Park, Boardwalk, etc. We did notice some coffee stations on the Waterfront some mornings, but they were always empty and/or cold, and it’s not like we were up late – so we weren’t sure if they were just ‘leftovers’ from the night before!

 

The ship layout:

I was rather disappointed with the ship’s layout. It felt like in an effort to be an ultimate all-inclusive at sea, they used every bit of spare space to fit in another money-making restaurant, bar, or ‘exclusive area’ (Vibe beach club, Haven, etc.), at the sacrifice of having larger gathering spaces available to everyone. This was a key difference between the Escape and Royal ships – and one of the reasons we feel we prefer Royal.

 

The Atrium is a great concept – I like the casualness of having a public space where games and entertainment happen, inviting anyone strolling by to participate. But the layout is terrible, packed, not enough chairs (even with extra folding chairs). Sometimes we just parked upstairs at O’Sheehan’s to watch the shows. There really didn’t feel like there were many inviting spaces to just sit, gather, and people-watch unless you were at a bar, the congested Atrium, or the Waterfront (which was lovely). Also, some of the floorplans were rather odd – like having to walk through the buffet to get to the pool after exiting the aft elevators. Flow overall just seemed a bit chopped up and divided.

 

Pools and gym:

We aren’t huge sun-worshippers or swimmers, so didn’t mind that the pool was crowded, as others might. When we wanted to just park ourselves on the upper decks to sunbathe, there was no problem finding loungers as location wasn’t important to us. The Aqua Loop was really fun – never had to wait more than 5-10mins. Ropes course was also great – waited 30 mins on the first sea day – disappointingly,the upper ropes course was closed for “maintenance” (though never saw anything being ‘maintained’!); don’t forget closed-toe/-back shoes, no jewelry, shirt with sleeves, nothing in pockets. We didn’t hang out in Spice H2O as we prefer shade and there wasn’t a lot on offer there save for a few umbrellas which were taken. The gym wasn’t huge, but never full, decent equipment.

 

The activities:

I think what really ‘made’ the cruise for us was the fun atmosphere which was set by the Cruise Director, Andre, and his team. I thought the staff were excellent and really created the right tone – good honest fun, witty, not overly cheesy or annoying. (I mean, as a geek at heart, he had me with his Harry Potter trivia, robe and all!). The team really made the week memorable – I can’t remember any CDs from my past sailings, but will definitely remember Andre (and Terry, and Brenda, and the rest of the gang). We spent a lot of time in the Atrium where they held most of the games and trivia. So many laughs – Newlywed game, Celebrity dance-off, Battle of the sexes, salsa lessons, and on and on.

 

Live music was also very good – loved the Golden Octaves, listened to them all over the ship. Latin Duo were also good. Howl at the Moon was fun. Didn’t go to the Spice H2O parties, though checked out Glow night briefly (a lot of techno if that’s your thing!).

 

Didn’t see After Midnight, but watched the Brat Pack, and it was (sorry to say) terrible. If you aren’t familiar with John Hughes movies, avoid this, it does nothing to explain the characters or plots. I grew up with the movies, love the music – but this felt like a high-end high school musical. The theatre was a third full at best, so perhaps this show is on its last legs. Since the Mersey Boys sold out their Supper Club appearances, they added them as a walk-in performance for Friday night in the theatre. We had actually booked to see them in the Supper Club, but after watching their preview performance during the Variety Show, decided it looked terrible and didn’t go (having seen them, they’re actually not bad!).

 

The Decks and Engines Q&A with the Captain and Chief Engineer was really interesting.

 

Ports:

Roatan – Zip-N-Dip with Bodden tours. Pretty fun, not necessarily scenic ziplines and it poured rain at the beach, alas!

 

Harvest Caye – As you’ve read, really just a beach and pool day. Pool was jam-packed, sand was rough. But we did see a boa constrictor being captured! (luckily it was small, not like in the movies)

 

Costa Maya – Chacchoben tour with Native Choice. Our guide was very good, knew his stuff. If you tour with Native Choice, give yourself at least 45 mins to get to their office. The walk down the pier is long (we took the shuttle), then you need to navigate the port plaza, then find your way through the local streets to their office (when they say “four blocks”, it is waaaaayyy longer than that!). We cabbed from the plaza ($2 pp), since we were running behind. Bring mosquito repellant or you will be eaten alive!

 

Cozumel – Visited before, skipped Paradise Beach and went souvenir shopping instead!

 

Tech stuff:

Liked the concept of the iConcierge app -- it was super helpful for checking daily charges, a good thing since there were two errors. Once, charged for two extra glasses of wine in the MDR; another time, $21 charge for the mini bar which we didn't use (which was reversed before I caught the mistake, thankfully). For the MDR error, guest services requested the restaurant void the charge, which was done within 24 hours. I did notice that sometimes the app didn't fully list all the activities in the Freestyle Daily, so I stlil relied on the print-out as my 'guide' for the day. I thought the multiple touchscreens through the ship were a great idea -- we booked entertainment a couple of times this way (which you can also do from your TV or app).

In Summary….we had a great vacation (I mean, it was a week in the sunshine on a giant cruise ship!). We’re glad to have sailed with Norwegian, though likely we will cruise Royal again. I can definitely understand the appeal of the Escape – an impressive ship with good food and a fun atmosphere. If I was cruising with friends, it would be great to bar and show hop, so much to see (and drink!). Overall, a fun and memorable vacation. Hope this review was helpful, thanks for having us!

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SquishTheWhale

SquishTheWhale

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Thanks for the review! We were on the same cruise and although our port experience was totally different (because we did different things), I can very much agree on most of your points, like the food being great and Andre being a fantastic cruise director (and he's from the UK, yay!). Also this quote:

 

'Also, some of the floorplans were rather odd – like having to walk through the buffet to get to the pool after exiting the aft elevators. Flow overall just seemed a bit chopped up and divided.'

 

Was my biggest issue (which saying that isn't a big issue, we did love her) with the Escape. If you have an aft cabin and use the aft stairs you come up on deck 16 and must walk through the buffet to reach the pool etc. Which is a total pain because it's either really busy and difficult to get through, or one of you isn't wearing the correct clothing (my husband was often shirtless as we were heading to the pool) so you can't cut through at all. We ended up with the habit of taking the stairs by Margaritaville to 17 and then walking along 17 and taking the stairs back down to 16. The Epic pool deck is laid out so much better and doesn't feel as chopped up.

 

The one thing where we have to disagree is the Brat Pack, we thought it was absoutley fantastic (and I haven't seen any of the movies). We must have been to different showings as the one we went to was packed. But you know, we all like different things! I've heard After Midnight raved about but I thought it was a tad dull. We never made it to the Mersey Boys despite wanting to as I found the 6pm showtime awkward, and when the moved it to the theatre for the last show it clashed with a dining reservation.

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SquishTheWhale

SquishTheWhale

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On Escape, the Manhattan Room is no more formal than Taste/Savor. Maybe, that's why it didn't feel "stuffy".

 

Not sure I agree with that- it's a lot grander and has live music/dancing. We also saw many people dressed up in long gowns and suits in the Manhattan. I liked the decor in Taste and Savour but they were certainly less formal.

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

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Not sure I agree with that- it's a lot grander and has live music/dancing. We also saw many people dressed up in long gowns and suits in the Manhattan. I liked the decor in Taste and Savour but they were certainly less formal.
I was referring to the actual dress code on Escape. On some ships the Manhattan Room has a more formal "smart casual" dress code but on Escape, the Manhattan Room is "cruise casual".
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mugtech

mugtech

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How would you compare Escape to a RCCL Quantum class ship like the Anthem of the Seas? I ask because I am much more likely to sail Anthem again rather than the only large NCL ship I have been on, the Breakaway. I expect to take the Escape out of NYC in the future, would like a comparison if possible. Thank you OP for an informative review.

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moops

moops

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How would you compare Escape to a RCCL Quantum class ship like the Anthem of the Seas? I ask because I am much more likely to sail Anthem again rather than the only large NCL ship I have been on, the Breakaway. I expect to take the Escape out of NYC in the future, would like a comparison if possible. Thank you OP for an informative review.

 

Unfortunately I can't provide an informed answer as I have yet to sail Quantum Class (that's next on the list!). The largest I've sailed on Royal is Oasis class, and I preferred that general ship experience more than the Escape. Personal preference, but for me it just felt like there was more consideration put into what the general experience would be for the folks who weren't necessarily paying more -- larger, open gathering spaces that everyone could enjoy; more spacious layout with better flow; easier access to complimentary food and beverage, etc. Again, this is only my perspective, and I can understand why people love the Escape!

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moops

moops

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What types of shops are on escape. Just trying to decide what to buy and where.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

I would say the usual ship fare -- a 'general' store with souvenirs, booze, sundries, etc; high end jewelry; watches; some branded stores (Carolina Herrera and Lacoste -- never saw anyone shopping in those); makeup & perfume. If you go on the Norwegian site and search the Escape, it lists the stores (I tried to include a link but it didn't work!).

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newmexicoNita

newmexicoNita

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Just spoke with a friend who is an RCI cruiser and just did the Jade for the first time. She thinks the 2 lines are so similar you can hardly tell the difference. She said the food on RCI was a tad bit better but being she came down with some type of chest problem she didn't eat much and mostly in the buffet. She didn't want to sit in a dining room coughing for an hour or more. She gave the entertainment to NCL hands down and the service equal. There were some little things she loved about the Jade, the decor being one of them. I thought it was interesting hearing her comparison as she is a very fair and open minded person.

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klfhngr

klfhngr

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Really appreciated your post! We've never cruised NCL, and after a not so great cruise a couple of weeks ago on Princess, have decided to give NCL a try for a Canadian cruise! You're review seems to address some of our boredom issues along with the food questions that we had. Thanks again!!!!

 

PS. We've cruise on Royal also, as you can see in our signature. Thought about the Anthem, but they're not sailing when we planned on going. Plus i'm upset at Royal for leaving me behind in Nassau! ;)

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moops

moops

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Really appreciated your post! We've never cruised NCL, and after a not so great cruise a couple of weeks ago on Princess, have decided to give NCL a try for a Canadian cruise! You're review seems to address some of our boredom issues along with the food questions that we had. Thanks again!!!!

 

PS. We've cruise on Royal also, as you can see in our signature. Thought about the Anthem, but they're not sailing when we planned on going. Plus i'm upset at Royal for leaving me behind in Nassau! ;)

 

OMG, funnily enough, I stumbled across the post last night that summarized your unfortunate Nassau experience -- it was a terrifying read; how traumatic, but good to see it hasn't turned you off cruising!

 

If someone asked me to describe Escape in one word, it would be 'fun' -- and by that I don't mean it's an obnoxious spring break party atmosphere, more that there's something for everyone, the atmosphere is really high energy, and it's easy to stumble across activities and fun stuff no matter where you go. I still prefer my Royal experiences for various reasons, but wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Escape!

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klfhngr

klfhngr

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OMG, funnily enough, I stumbled across the post last night that summarized your unfortunate Nassau experience -- it was a terrifying read; how traumatic, but good to see it hasn't turned you off cruising!

 

If someone asked me to describe Escape in one word, it would be 'fun' -- and by that I don't mean it's an obnoxious spring break party atmosphere, more that there's something for everyone, the atmosphere is really high energy, and it's easy to stumble across activities and fun stuff no matter where you go. I still prefer my Royal experiences for various reasons, but wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Escape!

 

Lol, hope it was good reading, ha!!!! Not turned off to cruising yet!

 

That sounds like what we might be looking for.... I like Royal too, my favorite ship of all time is the Mariner!

Thanks again for your review!

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