Escape minireview from a nonHaven point of view

[myra711]

We are: My husband (62), myself (62) and my son (25) sharing a balcony cabin.

 

Pros: 1) Lots of choices of activities! We didn't get to do so many things I would have liked to try, but we liked all the things we did! We went to the CC Meet and Greet, and enjoyed meeting people who we kept seeing in other places on the ship. We went to kareoke. We went to Howl at the Moon a couple of times. Saw the stand-up comics a couple of times. Gambled (I kept to the nonsmoking areas of the casino, and smoke wasn't too bad). Watched some of the games in the atrium. Enjoyed the UBP. Did the "Behind the Scenes" tour. Tube slides! DS participated in many of the games and activities.

2) Service was wonderful everywhere, and I was stopped at least twice daily by officers checking in with me to make sure that all was well. I received unexpected treats to the cabin 4 times after chatting with officers. FYI, one ShoreEx staff member told us that when the Escape launched, it achieved the highest ranking of the fleet in service or customer satisfaction or something along those lines, and that the crew is determined to stay in first place.

3) Destination! Bermuda was wonderful. It was our first visit there, and I barely skimmed the surface on activities there as well. On Day 1 we went to Warwick Beach and snorkeled, walking and swimming at the various beaches along the way to Horseshoe Beach. We took a cab there and back ($7/person), even though we had a 2-day transportation pass. In the evening we went to Hamilton for dinner (eh; we went to a place recommended by a cab driver, and it was very underwhelming) and to see the parade; Ferry both ways. On Day 2 we rented a Boston Whaler, and that was the highlight of the trip. Once we mastered the arts of motoring the boat and anchoring the boat, we had a blast, jumping off to snorkel among the reefs in the "sea gardens" in the ocean, and at the shipwreck, and in an area of sea turtles. It was wonderful! Did it through Somerset Water Sports. On Day 3we took it easy and stayed onboard.

4) Spa! We stayed in a spa balcony (15156) and had access to the spa. I would have used it more if the weather was poor; I wanted to be outside more than inside, but we did use the spa most days and enjoyed it as much as we had hoped. FYI, I was informed that they only have 120 passes to the spa, and so it is "the most exclusive area on the ship".

5) Solo travelers activities DS met up with a bunch of solo travelers, and it seemed like there were a whole mix of people of different ages/ethnicities all enjoying one another's company. I would definitely take advantage of this if I were traveling solo. He was welcomed as a solo person, even though he was not in the solo cabins.

[myra711]

Cons: 1) Crowds! This ship felt more crowded than either of the other two cruises I've been on: Gem and Breakaway. Even when no one was around, seeing the array of lounge chairs abutting one another as far as the eye could see, made it feel a bit claustrophobic. the one day that I went on the regular decks to lay out there, even the higher sun decks were almost all full. After that, the times I sunned I went to Spice H2O. I found it also crowded, but since it is a smaller space and also more of a "nook and cranny" space (vs a field of lounges in rows) it felt much less crowded. Loved the grotto, and it was a pleasant and very effective way to cool off. I never even attempted to use the pool on the main deck; I know that DS enjoyed the hot tubs.

But other than the outside decks, I didn't feel too crowded. I never had to wait anywhere for food, whether it was a complimentary restaurant or specialty restaurant - there were a couple of instances where we just walked up and were seated (La Cucina and Le Bistro, both around 6PM).

2) Food. Particularly the main dining rooms. the specialties were good (we ate at Pinchos, in addition to the above mentioned), as were O'Sheehan's and the buffet. In comparison to my earlier cruises (about 2011 and 2014) the main dining rooms were nothing to get excited about. And one particular breakfast food was inedible (spinach and dill pancakes with smoked salmon. The pancakes were sweet, like regular pancakes, and not savory as I would have expected. I'm just warning you!).

 

One odd and end: Some people recommended using the over the door shoe hanger; others were concerned about destroying the bathroom door. I put gaffer's tape over the hooks to protect the door; since we were three to the cabin, we found it useful. There was shelf space in the bathroom, but I only kept the everyday essentials on those shelves.

In general, we had enough room for all our stuff, amazingly! No problems there.

Also: if you have someone sleeping on the couch, get the foam pad!!!

 

If I think of anything else (+ or -), I'll add.

I did forget to mention that I just got off the ship this morning. We sailed 8/12 - 8/19.

I hope this helps someone. I got a lot of help from this board prior to our trip!

[T1130]

Thank you for you review. How did you find the air condition at night on the ship? Trying to pack for next week.

 

 

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[myra711]

There were a few areas that seemed cooler than others. I brought a light sweater, but rarely used it. It seemed that the Supper Club (Choir of Man) was one of the cooler places.

[Rich_NY]

We just got off too...ac was good. Don't mean to hijack.

[geenafeena]

is the "grotto" part of the spa or is it for anyone?

 

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[myra711]

is the "grotto" part of the spa or is it for anyone?

 

Sent from my SM-G928V using Forums mobile app

 

The grotto is part of Spice H2O, open to anyone over the age of 18, I believe. It's nice to have a quieter area than the pool area. In addition to the Grotto, there are a couple of hot tubs and a bar.

[myra711]

We just got off too...ac was good. Don't mean to hijack.

 

No worries! Yes, I agree, the a/c was fine.

[vacation44]

Thank I for taking the time to post your comments.

[WendyCity11]

We are: My husband (62), myself (62) and my son (25) sharing a balcony cabin.

 

Pros: 1) Lots of choices of activities! We didn't get to do so many things I would have liked to try, but we liked all the things we did! We went to the CC Meet and Greet, and enjoyed meeting people who we kept seeing in other places on the ship. We went to kareoke. We went to Howl at the Moon a couple of times. Saw the stand-up comics a couple of times. Gambled (I kept to the nonsmoking areas of the casino, and smoke wasn't too bad). Watched some of the games in the atrium. Enjoyed the UBP. Did the "Behind the Scenes" tour. Tube slides! DS participated in many of the games and activities.

2) Service was wonderful everywhere, and I was stopped at least twice daily by officers checking in with me to make sure that all was well. I received unexpected treats to the cabin 4 times after chatting with officers. FYI, one ShoreEx staff member told us that when the Escape launched, it achieved the highest ranking of the fleet in service or customer satisfaction or something along those lines, and that the crew is determined to stay in first place.

3) Destination! Bermuda was wonderful. It was our first visit there, and I barely skimmed the surface on activities there as well. On Day 1 we went to Warwick Beach and snorkeled, walking and swimming at the various beaches along the way to Horseshoe Beach. We took a cab there and back ($7/person), even though we had a 2-day transportation pass. In the evening we went to Hamilton for dinner (eh; we went to a place recommended by a cab driver, and it was very underwhelming) and to see the parade; Ferry both ways. On Day 2 we rented a Boston Whaler, and that was the highlight of the trip. Once we mastered the arts of motoring the boat and anchoring the boat, we had a blast, jumping off to snorkel among the reefs in the "sea gardens" in the ocean, and at the shipwreck, and in an area of sea turtles. It was wonderful! Did it through Somerset Water Sports. On Day 3we took it easy and stayed onboard.

4) Spa! We stayed in a spa balcony (15156) and had access to the spa. I would have used it more if the weather was poor; I wanted to be outside more than inside, but we did use the spa most days and enjoyed it as much as we had hoped. FYI, I was informed that they only have 120 passes to the spa, and so it is "the most exclusive area on the ship".

5) Solo travelers activities DS met up with a bunch of solo travelers, and it seemed like there were a whole mix of people of different ages/ethnicities all enjoying one another's company. I would definitely take advantage of this if I were traveling solo. He was welcomed as a solo person, even though he was not in the solo cabins.

 

Thank you for your review. How long did it take you from Warwick to Horseshoe Beach? I am planning to snorkel/swim as well, and wondering if it took up the whole day or just a few hours? Thank you!

[myra711]

We moseyed along, stopping at each beach to sun/swim/snorkel. I was told that the walk takes about 20 -30 minutes, but we did it in snatches so it is hard to say. We spent a bunch of hours, I would guess about 4, including travel, and got back in time to shower and change for the Hamilton ferry that left around 6 PM.

[WendyCity11]

Sounds wonderful! Thank you for your reply.