Escape NYC to Bermuda 5/13 Trip Report

[Indykitten]

Day 1.

We had flown in the day before and spent all day in Manhattan. We stayed across the river at the Hyatt Place in Secaucus. It was perfect for us. There’s a bus stop right across the street from the hotel that dropped us off at the Port Authority bus terminal and then it was a short walk to the pier. We dropped our bags off early and went and walked around for a bit in Central Park. Back at the pier and checked in. It was really starting to get busy and I think we got boarding group 17. But once boarding actually started it went pretty quickly.

 

On the ship and up to the District Brew House. We ordered our first (of many pints) and signed up for the leaderboard or “the contest” as the bartenders called it. There are now limited spots, they will only take the first 10 people who sign up. We were numbers 1 and 2, positions we would retain throughout the week. I don’t know who Kevin was, but I can tell you he only ever drank that first beer and never returned. Typical Kevin.

 

So the Brewhouse was primarily the reason I booked the Escape, that and the experience of sailing out of NY harbor past the Statue of Liberty. The husband and I are heavily into craft beer and I’ll say the District was a big draw. I knew I wanted to go to Bermuda and had seriously considered the Celebrity Summit as it was a bit cheaper and I wasn’t against trying something new.

 

After a few pints we dropped down to O’Sheehan’s for some lunch but it was crazy busy. We ended up going up to the Garden Cafe (also crazy busy, mistake) because at this point I just wanted some food. I had thought that so early in May that most schools would still be in session and there wouldn’t be so many kids. True, but I did not account for the number of pre-school aged kids. Strollers everywhere. EVERYWHERE.

 

We went up to Deck 19 forward for sailaway to get a good view of everything. It was more crowded than I expected - the weather was not fantastic for the first 2 days of the cruise. However we had a great view of the Statue of Liberty and going under the Verrazano-Narrows bridge, which from our perspective seemed very, very close.

 

Cabins were ready at this point so we went down to our deck 11 balcony room, unpacked a bit and got ready for dinner. I had booked the free magic show in the Supper Club as soon as we got on board. Dinner consisted of salad (meh), salmon (delicious) with quinoa and some kind of chocolate tart for dessert that the husband and I both agreed was fantastic. The dinner show was entertaining if not earth shattering. I’d have loved to go back for Company Men but we just didn’t get around to it this week.

 

I’m pretty sure I forgot to log a few bar stops in there because at this point I felt like I’d gone a bit too hard the first day so it was back to the cabin for a little siesta. There were some chocolate covered strawberries in our room from a booking promo and we demolished those. I think we woke up at about 10pm. Well, we’re up. O’Sheehan’s? O’Sheehan’s it was. Bit of a snack and a walk and then we were in for the night.

I'll be back tomorrow with Day 2 and hopefully pics, if I can figure out pics.

[poohdreaming]

following...nice review so far

[jjjct]

looking forward to more on the Escape. Will be sailing in 7 weeks.

[Indykitten]

Test pic. The view from our balcony (oops, cabin was definitely ready before sailaway because we are obviously still at the port.) View of the pier, the lovely parking garage, and the Intrepid as well as a grey midtown skyline. Some of our balcony neighbors were out enjoying some more exotic island-type offerings out on their balcony, if you get my drift.

I believe I took this at about 4:10, right before I said, "we're not moving yet" just as the horn blew and we started to pull away. We practically ran up to deck 19 forward for sailaway.

 

 

Edit. Grr. Will work on pics not showing.

Edited May 28, 2018 by Indykitten

[Shynook11]

following

[Sand and Seas]

Following! Enjoying your writing style:D

 

 

 

Escape has been our favorite ship to date so looking forward to reading your experience on her.

[NJcruisemom]

Following and looking forward to hearing more. We'll be on in August.:D :D

[psac]

Typical Kevin. :'):cool:

[Pete's Girl]

following

[Indykitten]

Beautiful lady on a grey day.

Bridge coming up.

Oh, this is close.

[Indykitten]

Day 2. Sea Day.

We are fairly early risers, even on vacation. I just don’t think I can sleep in anymore. So up to the Garden Cafe for some breakfast. Had a bloody mary and a nip of Baileys in my coffee. I needed some hair of the dog to get started this morning. As I was getting dressed for breakfast I had thought, “I should start packing a breakfast outfit. Something casual I can just throw on to go to breakfast and then I can go back and change for the day”. Then I saw a woman in the buffet wearing a full set of pajamas. Well then. That was not an option I had considered. Actually, I saw some really weird crap on this cruise. I saw a grown man wearing a rainbow poncho and a unicorn mask one day. Strangely, only the one day, as I feel like this isn’t something you only wear once. Maybe he brought some other fabulous outfits with him and I just missed them? There were some other incidents of crazy that I witnessed this week that I’m not even going to address.

 

We took our books/Kindle down to the waterfront and sat and read for a bit. The weather was grey but the sea was smooth as glass. I hardly ever felt the ship move the entire week. CC Meet and mingle was today and the District was a great venue for it. I did feel a bit weird about being served beer by the officers but they seemed to be alright with it. I get forced to do PR events at work that I don’t always enjoy, so I’m a bit sensitive to others having to do dog and pony shows. The only problem (for me) was that I sampled so many beers and none of them counted toward my pint totals for the contest! #CruiseProblems. We wandered around the waterfront for a bit more and the weather was still cool, overcast and grey. Then decided we needed some more food in our bellies if we were going to make a dent in all those beers. A quick bite in the Garden Cafe and then back to our barstools. You really gotta put in the time, contests don’t win themselves. There was only one female’s name on the all time leaderboard. Connie W. Connie, you are a beast and I would love to meet you and have a beer with you. I don’t know why (I know why) but I like to think you’re from Wisconsin, or maybe Michigan or Oregon. I’d like to think that there are now two female names on that all-time leaderboard.

 

It was Dress Up or Not night and I do enjoy getting dressed up. Not formal formal, but dressier than my everyday, which is wearing a uniform. I like that it’s optional and that you can always always do something else if you’re not feeling it. So we got cleaned up and dressed up and walked around the ship a bit. Down by the glass staircase people were lined up to have their pictures taken with the captain. I saw one woman nicely dressed, hair and makeup done. The man standing next to her and the captain was wearing gym shorts and a wifebeater. I looked my husband dead in the eye, “I would murder you.” We had reservations tonight for Bayamo at 8 (I’d tried to get 7 or 7:30 but it was full), I had a comedy reservation at 9 and then After Midnight at 10. I really try not to overbook like this, but it’s hard when I have lots of things to fit in and a short time in which to actually do them. Generally I don’t like to book a specialty restaurant and a show the same evening. But I also knew that those 3 upcoming port days in Bermuda were going to be busy and potentially exhausting.

 

There had been a voicemail left in our cabin earlier reminding us of our Bayamo reservation and that it was for one appetizer, one entree and one dessert per person. Take that for what you will. I didn’t challenge it with the waitress because we really weren’t that hungry, however there was a second appetizer I would have liked to try if given the opportunity. Stopped at Sugarcane and grabbed a mojito prior to dinner. We got to Bayamo a bit earlier than our reservation and it was not busy at all. I wonder where all the people who had reservations for 6:30, 7 and 7:30 were? We sat out on the waterfront which was lovely. The bread (which I never eat at home) was delicious. I ordered the crab claws and the husband ordered Oysters Rockefeller as our apps and we shared. We both got the surf and turf as our entree. Both fillets were cooked perfectly although I think my lobster was just a teeny bit over done, still very good though. We ended up skipping dessert to attempt to get to our comedy show. Honestly? I didn’t think Bayamo (even with the new Ocean Blue menu) was worth the $15 upcharge plus the dining credit. Maybe if we’d stayed for dessert it would have wowed us. Maybe? Service was a bit slow, which I expect somewhat in the specialty restaurants. While I did enjoy being able to sit outside, it was a bit more, er, interactive with people walking along than I had anticipated. Sure, I got all dressed up for a fancy romantic seafood dinner with my husband, but by all means, let’s chat about your, oh never mind.

 

We got to Headliners just before 9 but it was too late and there were no seats left. I didn’t want to stand in my foo foo dress and shoes so we left to get another drink and make it to After Midnight on time. Shoes. So totally not related to the ship but last time on Epic my feet swelled up terribly and I could longer shove them into my pretty, strappy sandals. So at some point last year I bought some new dressy casual sandals where the straps are much more elastic and stretchy. I’ve been trying them out all over the Caribbean and Costa Rica and now the Escape and yes, this is the answer to me not having to wear flip flips to dinner by mid cruise.

 

After Midnight turned out to be fabulous. I like jazz well enough but I don’t necessarily love it, but I did love this performance. The cast was incredibly talented and I enjoyed it thoroughly. One thing I do love about NCL is the high level of entertainment they provide. I love the Broadway style shows. Off to bed, this Cinderella wasn’t going to make it after midnight.

[Pete's Girl]

Love this!! Keep going!!

[jdvmd]

Keep it coming!

[Indykitten]

Day 3. Another Sea Day.

We were having breakfast up in Margaritaville at this point, which was much less chaotic than the Garden Cafe and I was already at the point where I needed to eat….less. Let’s just say less. So I admit that we ate at the buffet way more than on our previous cruise. Why? I love the dining rooms but they are a huge time suck. Even battling the insane crowds and strollers and pajama-wearing women and unicorns we could get a plate of food and then move on to another event. But when I type it out like that, yeah, maybe we should have went to the dining room more...

 

We read for a bit again this morning out on the waterfront and then went down to the atrium for the How to Run a Floating Hotel Q&A. The husband and I are always fascinated by how things run so we grabbed a seat at the bar, listened to the end of the port talk (fortunately I’d already done a TON of research about Bermuda. I am a chronic over-planner) and settled in with a drink for the Q&A. I don’t generally ask questions but I do enjoy the answers. The cruise director was Alvin. We saw and heard him all over the ship. I believe he is new and not sure what ship he came from. I learned that we had over 5,000 passengers on board this week. And honestly, I felt it. The Escape seemed really crowded. Everything was booked up super fast, we never were able to attend any of the comedy shows in Headliners which was a bit disappointing.

 

Quick bite at O’Sheehan’s and then it was time to put in some pints at the District. Afternoons were generally lovely and quiet there, which is our preferred spot. I have no desire to fight over a chair on the pool deck. To each their own. I believe the leaderboard had been updated at this point, Ravi said they usually updated it every other night or so, and we were maintaining a narrow lead.

We took a break to wander around the ship some more and ended up back up on deck 19 forward for a little R&R. The weather was starting to improve a bit but it was still not sunny and hot. Good for me because I am pale, blonde and blue eyed and turn positively scarlet in the sun. We were right next to the wall that separates the sun deck from Vibe and from what I could hear Vibe seemed MUCH busier than our free sun deck. The husband went to get us a cocktail and I dozed off for a bit (*cough*pints*cough*). It seemed like it took him forever to return and when he got back he said that he had to go down to Waves to get a drink. He said that the deck 19 bar was very crowded and “based on the comments of the other passengers waiting there, it appeared the other side got priority”. So pluses and minuses for you Vibe pass purchasers.

 

On our way back to the room the sun deck bar had quieted down so we stopped for a walk-tail. We may have also stopped by the Chill bar for another walk-tail. Hey, it’s a long walk back to the cabin, mmkay?

 

A quick dinner at the buffet (I mentioned we overused it, no?) because I had the Brat Pack booked for 7:30 and I didn’t know how I was going to squeeze in dining otherwise. I thought this would be the show I loved the most - I’m a child of the 80’s and wax sentimental over the movies and music. While I thought it was good, I didn’t love it. I thought the story was too disjointed. Although the cast did an excellent job and of course I loved the music.

 

Back to the Brewhouse to listen to Beau on the piano and get a couple more pints in for the daily total. Lovely venue for live music. I’ll sing along to Sweet Caroline every time. Every. Time.

Views from our deck 11 balcony

[klfhngr]

Following closely! I also plan on entering the 'beer challenge'.. I'm a brew snob that loves visiting breweries and also happen to be a home brewer! Can't wait!

[dcipjr]

Great thread! Keep it coming; we were on the Escape 2 weeks before you, and it's nice to re-live it. I wish we were still there!

[niebel]

Love these - thank you!

[Indykitten]

Following closely! I also plan on entering the 'beer challenge'.. I'm a brew snob that loves visiting breweries and also happen to be a home brewer! Can't wait!

The tap and bottle list has not changed from Florida and they said they currently have no plans to change it. So any pics of the menu you see online from here or on google image search is pretty accurate. If you like Belgians there are three different large bottles of Chimay that are excellent. There's a $5 upcharge from the UBP but definitely worth it and you get two servings.

[Beano1217]

We can't wait to go to the Brew House!!!

[HeyYouKidsGetOffMyLawn]

We can't wait to go to the Brew House!!!

 

It's really a wonderful space and a great beer selection. The couches are great, there are windows to the sea, the ceiling is also heavily tinted glass, so you can look up and see clouds...

 

Panorama from Cruise Critic: https://www.cruisecritic.com/photos/ships/norwegian-escape-691/the-district-brew-house-208690/the-district-brew-house--v82967/

 

I was on the Getaway a few short weeks ago and I think it's the single thing I missed the most between the Escape and Getaway.

Edited May 30, 2018 by HeyYouKidsGetOffMyLawn
added photo

[Indykitten]

I was on the Getaway a few short weeks ago and I think it's the single thing I missed the most between the Escape and Getaway.

I can understand that. We're on Breakaway next and I'm already missing the District!

[aubreyc1988]

I can understand that. We're on Breakaway next and I'm already missing the District!

 

 

 

I’ve been on the getaway 2x and escape once...and I think I like the getaway better because of their outdoor mojito bar area! Weird how such little things sway me! I am thinking about booking escape to Bermuda - I originally vowed to never sail escape or getaway again because of the casino smoke leaking out everywhere, but I am reconsidering now! how would you say the availability of deck chairs on the pool deck and waterfront seating? I don’t really want to have to run to get vibe passes.

 

 

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[Indykitten]

I’ve been on the getaway 2x and escape once...and I think I like the getaway better because of their outdoor mojito bar area! Weird how such little things sway me! I am thinking about booking escape to Bermuda - I originally vowed to never sail escape or getaway again because of the casino smoke leaking out everywhere, but I am reconsidering now! how would you say the availability of deck chairs on the pool deck and waterfront seating? I don’t really want to have to run to get vibe passes.

The Waterfront was completely deserted the first 2 or 3 days of the cruise, then people started to discover it. Still empty in the mornings but would fill up in the afternoons. Never packed or loud, though.

 

I'm not a pool deck person (I burn, not tan) so I didn't spend much time there. If you don't want a lounger right by the pool I'd say you'd be ok, but it was definitely crowded. We hung out on deck 19 in the public area next to (but not in) Vibe and it was much more relaxed and not busy! If you are a sun worshipper I bet the top-most sundeck on Deck 20 is even less crowded. (Although after Epic my husband refers to this as the "Naked German guy deck". YMMV.

 

Breakaway doesn't have a Sugarcane mojito bar, either. :loudcry:Where will I drink?????

[aubreyc1988]

The Waterfront was completely deserted the first 2 or 3 days of the cruise, then people started to discover it. Still empty in the mornings but would fill up in the afternoons. Never packed or loud, though.

 

 

 

I'm not a pool deck person (I burn, not tan) so I didn't spend much time there. If you don't want a lounger right by the pool I'd say you'd be ok, but it was definitely crowded. We hung out on deck 19 in the public area next to (but not in) Vibe and it was much more relaxed and not busy! If you are a sun worshipper I bet the top-most sundeck on Deck 20 is even less crowded. (Although after Epic my husband refers to this as the "Naked German guy deck". YMMV.

 

 

 

Breakaway doesn't have a Sugarcane mojito bar, either. :loudcry:Where will I drink?????

 

 

 

Did escape take theirs away?!? I know they had a main one, just not the extension getaway mojito bar has

 

 

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[Indykitten]

Did escape take theirs away?!? I know they had a main one, just not the extension getaway has

Nope, Escape has it. Just inside Bayamo and across from Pinchos. Just no outdoor space. We stopped there a few times. Great drinks.