Review NCL Escape 6/10-17, 2018, NYC/Bermuda

[DaisyL]

Teppanyaki (Not exact menu)

 

We had the Filet Mignon and Shrimp and Scallops. We have gone to this style of dining at home and land vacations and found Teppanyaki very similar and very good, and the portions were large. Since we were only a couple, we were seated at a grill with a group of 6, which was fine.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Let Bistro (not exact menu)

 

We enjoyed the Escargot, onion soup, salad, Lamb Loin and Beef Tenderloin which were all very good. Also got a free bottle of wine with the Platinum promo. This restaurant requires long pants for men.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Moderno -Brazilian Steakhouse

 

This is one of our favorite restaurants both on the ship and at home (Texas de Brazil). Not really for vegetarians but carnivores will love it. I’m not a big meat eater but enjoyed the salad bar, and small portions of meat -Filet Mignon, flank steak and Signature Sirloin (called C-steak at home for the shape), a few thin slices of sausage in a cheese roll. My husband loves meat and tried everything except chicken, especially the small lamb chops (that my grandson calls lamb ‘lollipops’).

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Cagney’s

 

We enjoyed the Shrimp Cocktail, Crab Cake, Lobster bisque, salad, Rib Eye, and sides - potatoes au gratin, roasted Brussels sprouts, sautéed spinach.

 

 

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[GA Dave]

Thanks so much for the menus! Hoping they are the same on the Getaway! YUM!

[DaisyL]

O’Sheehan’s

 

Had lunch here one day and thought it was really good but had too much to order dessert. We shared the wings, Reuben, Coney Island hot dog and their delicious fries...yum.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

We dined one night in a MDR Savor, going about 7 pm and after waiting 5 minutes, seated by a window at a table for 2. The meal and service were very good.

 

We also enjoyed the desserts after dinner in all restaurants...our favorites were chocolate lava cake with vanilla ice cream, tiramisu, Italian cheesecake, flan with caramel sauce, raspberry Creme brûlée, chocolate layer cake....

 

Didn’t like the dessert in Teppanyaki plus the one bite of ice cream caused an allergic reaction in my mouth....not anyone’s fault but I should have asked for the ingredients the next day. On the other hand, I didn’t want to cause a fuss knowing it’s not dangerous or life threatening, just curious if it’s a fruit I’m not aware of. I avoid bananas, melons and raw tomatoes for the same reason.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Thanks so much for the menus! Hoping they are the same on the Getaway! YUM!

 

Your welcome...I imagine they should be similar, if not the same. It’s a pain preplanning dinner reservations and coordinating showtimes but the work is worth it. We loved them all!

 

Funny thing is, we prebooked 2 complimentary shows but ended up skipping them because we enjoyed the District Brewhouse entertainment, Beau, instead...lol.

 

 

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[watertraveler]

Daisy ~ This will be our first trip out of New York. You mentioned in an earlier post that you waited by the elevators while your husband parked the car. Can you describe the area a little bit? Is the garage right off the highway? Is it easy to find? From there, do you have to take your luggage into to the port area or are there porters available close by?

 

Thank you for any tips you can share!

Nancy

[DaisyL]

Nice shot and beautiful weather in Bermuda. Not as hot as we’ve had in the past...perfect.

 

The first sea day was very rough, affecting my husband in the morning. Funny thing is this is the first time he got sea sick after our first cruise and 25+ cruises since. We’ve certainly had rougher seas over the years without problems but I picked up complimentary Bonine at Guest services and he slept the rest of the day.

 

Just as well, because I don’t think he was too excited to go to the Cruise Critic Meet & Greet anyway. The meet was in the District and got to talk to a lot of fun people. The cruise director introduced some officers but no Q&A this time. NCL provided free appetizers and mini size beers.

 

A small group participated in a gift exchange then ~25 people participated in a Slot Pull in the Casino. Never did this before but loads of fun...especially when others thought we were breaking the bank with all our cheering. Each person contributed $20 and got 4 pulls on the dollar slots ($5/pull). We each got $28 at the end but more important meeting other Cruise Critic members. All were so nice!

 

 

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[DaisyL]

We always look for Faithful while in Bermuda and glad to see her nearby as we left Bermuda.

 

 

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[vettprincess]

Example of Upgrade Bid

 

 

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Very interesting. Have never been offered an upgrade after 52 of cruises. Would faint if we ever got call from the "upgrade fairy".

When I book I make sure that is the cabin we want and will be satisfied . I do get happy for people that do get an upgrade and can enjoy their cruise even more.

[DaisyL]

Very interesting. Have never been offered an upgrade after 52 of cruises. Would faint if we ever got call from the "upgrade fairy".

 

When I book I make sure that is the cabin we want and will be satisfied . I do get happy for people that do get an upgrade and can enjoy their cruise even more.

 

In the past, we never received a call for an upgrade. Our friends were ‘upgraded’ from balcony to mini suite a few years ago on the Breakaway. The cabin was over a lounge with music, hence they hated it (early bedtimes) and complained. They ended up getting a very good NCC (plus benefits on the ‘noisy’ cruise because they couldn’t be relocated).

 

I’m sure there were many like them but the process is different now. Some passengers receive emails 80 days before their booked cruise, for an offer to bid on cabins up to 2 categories above their booked cabin. Note, this is after final payment and NCL has a mechanism for deciding on who gets the ‘offer’ depending on what you paid and if you have a cabin they can resell or refill.

 

I had read about this on CC prior to our email offer. There’s a set of ‘rules’ in place but explained thoroughly in the email and corresponding links. Having a balcony already, we could bid on the available categories listed for us: mini suite, and 5 categories of Haven.

 

In a nutshell: Minimum and maximum bids for each are listed on the bid page and you can choose to bid (or not) on any category listed. Having had a mini suite in the past we passed on this (I have seen bids for $25 pp accepted) but I submitted bids slightly above the minimum of $400 pp for the 3 lowest Haven categories. You submit your charge card information and if accepted you will be automatically upgraded to a cabin and charged, up to 48 hours before the cruise. We received an email for each at the 48 hr timeframe that our bids were not accepted. BTW, spoke to our PCC and she said they are not involved in this ‘bid to upgrade’ process.

 

It was fun trying, but would have been very surprised to get an upgrade to Haven but you never know. Loved the location of our originally booked balcony (11300) so we weren’t disappointed at all. Would love to try a Haven cabin at some point but not willing to pay full price....I could go on 2 cruises in a balcony for that...lol.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

I forgot to mention the weather:

Embark: 1st day cloudy in NYC,

1st sea day rainy, cold and rocky,

2nd sea day nice but windy,

Beautiful moderate temperature and not humid in Bermuda, perfect for activities and walking, spent the last ‘half day’ in Bermuda onboard by the pool- a few showers early but beautiful and very crowded, went to the Waterfront at 3:30 for some calmness,

Last sea day windy and cold -tried sitting outside wrapped in towels but didn’t last long.

 

There you go....weather and cruising out of NY very unpredictable. We’ve had every combination of conditions on our cruises to Bermuda - May, June, July, August, Sept., and Oct. over the years. Smooth, rough, very rough, hot, cold, humid, dry, rain showers, monsoon (once) but no hurricanes or snow (different time of year Dawn 10 night NY/ S. Car in Feb)!!

Sorry for the odd hairstyle but wanted to show the wind on the 2nd sea day, sitting near the pool but in the shade by the windows...[emoji57]

 

 

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[Kitten112]

I forgot to mention the weather:

Embark: 1st day cloudy in NYC,

1st sea day rainy, cold and rocky,

2nd sea day nice but windy,

Beautiful moderate temperature and not humid in Bermuda, perfect for activities and walking, spent the last ‘half day’ in Bermuda onboard by the pool- a few showers early but beautiful and very crowded, went to the Waterfront at 3:30 for some calmness,

Last sea day windy and cold -tried sitting outside wrapped in towels but didn’t last long.

 

There you go....weather and cruising out of NY very unpredictable. We’ve had every combination of conditions on our cruises to Bermuda - May, June, July, August, Sept., and Oct. over the years. Smooth, rough, very rough, hot, cold, humid, dry, rain showers, monsoon (once) but no hurricanes or snow (different time of year Dawn 10 night NY/ S. Car in Feb)!!

Sorry for the odd hairstyle but wanted to show the wind on the 2nd sea day, sitting near the pool but in the shade by the windows...[emoji57]

 

 

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Awesome review thank you!!! I am going on the Escape in October and can’t wait!!

 

 

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[vacation44]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading your experience.

[DaisyL]

Awesome review thank you!!! I am going on the Escape in October and can’t wait!!

 

Thank you! We love Bermuda in October...you’ll have a great time!

 

Be sure to post back...love to read your thoughts.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review. I enjoyed reading your experience.

 

 

Thank you for reading it. I apologize for my wordiness and lack of pix...I’ll do better next time.

 

Still to discuss debark experience and conclusion. I really prefer writing a live review with interaction from you all....sorry.

 

 

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[DaisyL]

Daisy ~ This will be our first trip out of New York. You mentioned in an earlier post that you waited by the elevators while your husband parked the car. Can you describe the area a little bit? Is the garage right off the highway? Is it easy to find? From there, do you have to take your luggage into to the port area or are there porters available close by?

 

 

 

Thank you for any tips you can share!

 

Nancy

 

Sorry Nancy, I think I missed your question. I assume you’re driving? There is one entrance to the ship terminal, whether coming from the north or south. The entrance divides for, parking level (3), drop off/pick up and taxi level (2), and bus level (1- ground).

 

In our case we drove ourselves and guided to pay fee, $40 /day with cash or credit card, then to the appropriate pier for parking. At the pier entrance, security with K9 will inspect the car, just beyond we unloaded our luggage to the curb and I stayed with it while hubby parked, near the rear of the lot.

 

As I said earlier, there are no porters on this level and you must bring your luggage down to the second level by elevator -be forewarned, and immediately drop off with porters there before proceeding through several guided lines..

 

There happened to be a porter bringing luggage down from the parking deck but when questioned said they don’t routinely do this, only bring luggage up after debark...hmmm.

 

It really is easy and no problems following posted directions and port employees. But I’m not sure for the process for the handicapped or those needing help.

 

They have improved this process greatly over the years for this very old, very small, decrepit port, built for the Titanic I think (joke) that NY refuses to improve...but that’s another matter and no reflection of NCL, but my criticism of NY politics. I’m a native NYer ,that likes to cruise, so this is a major complaint of many cruisers too.

 

I’ll be back later to continue....gotta go.

 

 

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[April42749]

Thank you! We love Bermuda in October...you’ll have a great time!

 

Be sure to post back...love to read your thoughts.

 

 

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Is it still beach weather in Oct? I'm thinking "no".

 

TIA

[DaisyL]

Is it still beach weather in Oct? I'm thinking "no".

 

Yes it is very nice for the beach in October. Not as humid and the water is still warm from the summer heat.

 

It tends to be windy in Bermuda, any time of year and about half the times we went to Horseshoe Bay Beach they wouldn’t rent the umbrellas because of the wind.

 

 

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[psac]

Thanks for taking us along! A lot of good info. :)

[DaisyL]

Thanks for taking us along! A lot of good info. :)

 

 

Thank you!

 

 

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[kroozbuddy]

Wait wait wait... Lobster is back at Teppanyaki and Cagney's?!?!

[DaisyL]

A day before debark a notice was left in the cabin describing the process. You pick up luggage labels for the time you want to leave. Given are times for self-assist, priority, buses, and tours, as well as those driving themselves. With approximate times between 7:30 to 10:15 am.

 

You must be out of your cabins by 9 am but most are out before that. Breakfast is offered in several venues. We chose 9:20 am disembark and left our cabin about 8 am for breakfast in the buffet. All the ‘crazies’ were elsewhere and we had a nice relaxing breakfast waiting.

 

Our ticket was called a little after 9 am, made our way down the elevator with our carryons, on a line off the ship, allowing elevators for those needing it, or escalator with a moderator spacing usage, down to the lowest level of the terminal to retrieve your luggage. It’s separated by color then you can try to get a porter or take your own. You are directed to go through customs in an orderly fashion, then all the way forward to the street.

 

We were guided to an elevator to go to the third level (parking). Those taking buses stayed on the ground level and those needing taxis were directed to the 2nd level. Keep in mind, it’s a mess with people coming, going, porters with carts and many not knowing what to do. Just ask a porter or longshoremen... no problem. For us, the best ever out of NY....lol.

 

We left the buffet at 9:10 and the car was packed, and on the road by 10:30 and home by 11:30... we were very happy!

View from Escape buffet windows in NYC

 

 

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