Last minute 6/23 Escape to Bermuda

[graphicguy]

Cabin....pretty standard fare for NCL. Plenty of room for two (absolutely spacious for one...might be crowded for 3+).  Shower had plenty of hot water.  I travel as lite as I can so the extra bar soaps and shampoos were greatly appreciated meaning I didn’t have to pack any.

 

Also, I like the levers on the inside of the cabin to tell the steward whether you want your room made up or to leave you alone without him/her knocking on your door.

 

Had a little coffeemaker in the cabin, which I only used to make hot water as I always bring my own Starbucks packets.  

 

Bed was comfy.  And, the entire reason I like cabins with balconies would be waking to these views while drinking my coffee.....

 

 

 

 

[graphicguy]

My cabin steward introduced himself the first day, but for the most part, was “stealth” in his duties of taking care of me and my cabin.  I appreciated that.  Every day, he would take the mess I made of my cabin, throwing my dirty clothes around and leave them in a nice pile for me.

[graphicguy]

My steward also delivered the treats sent to me, as well as the clean laundry.  Special mention about the laundry....I stuffed a bag with my dirty laundry on Thursday a.m. and left it on my couch for the steward to find.  The instructions said to given them at least 36 hours to return your clean laundry to you.  

 

I disembarked to spend time in Bermuda.  When I returned in the late afternoon, it was already done and sitting neatly on my bed......GREAT SERVICE!

[graphicguy]

Some of the venues I frequented while on board......I must say, as a “mega ship” and 5K passengers aboard, I never found any venue crowded.  That said, I’m not a “hang out by the pool and bake” kind of person, either.  So, not sure about how the pools were populated.

 

 

[graphicguy]

[graphicguy]

Had a routine going most every day.  I woke up.  Made coffee in the cabin.  Sat on the balcony surveying the beautiful setting I was fortunate to be a part of.  Washed my face, brushed my teeth.  Then, I headed to the Thermal Spa to hang out.....

 

Loved sitting in the steam room and overlook the water while sweating out the night before.  Then, I would head into the “snow room”....finish up laying on a heated lounger overlooking the water.  Fantastic!  That set the tone for the day.

Edited July 2, 2019 by graphicguy

[snorklinbarb]

20 hours ago, graphicguy said:

ENTERTAINMENT.....

 

I had seen CHOIR OF MAN on my Feb cruise.  It was OUTSTANDING when I saw it again last week.

 

Spoke about Melinda Doolittle’s show.  She was simply awesome.  It’s a shame she was only performing a limited engagement.  I would see her 10 more times if given the chance.

 

Wasn’t a fan of AFTER MIDNIGHT, but spoke to quite a few on board who really enjoyed it.  So, I’ll chalk that up to my personal tastes not aligned to that show.

 

This link is from last summer's announcement so has no current rotation dates past early 2019.  But the idea was to get some "star" entertainment to not only perform in "After Midnight" but offer their own private Supper Club shows.  Seems Melinda Doolittle has rotated in a couple of times now so hopefully will continue.  No clue about the other 2 entertainers as really haven't read any reviews with that kind of detail.

https://www.ncl.com/press-releases/norwegian-escape-lights-stage-broadway-star-power

[graphicguy]

2 minutes ago, snorklinbarb said:

This link is from last summer's announcement so has no current rotation dates past early 2019.  But the idea was to get some "star" entertainment to not only perform in "After Midnight" but offer their own private Supper Club shows.  Seems Melinda Doolittle has rotated in a couple of times now so hopefully will continue.  No clue about the other 2 entertainers as really haven't read any reviews with that kind of detail.

https://www.ncl.com/press-releases/norwegian-escape-lights-stage-broadway-star-power

Thanks for posting that.

 

I may have “mis-heard” Melinda during her show, but I seem to remember her casually mentioning that her contract was up and she was leaving the ship.  What I’m not sure about is if she meant her contract was up “right now” or somewhere in the near future.

 

Either way, I hope NCL will find a way to either extend her stay or to “re-sign” her.  She’s truly an awesome talent.

[graphicguy]

This ship’s signature chandelier.  I always liked watching it change colors every time I passed it....

 

 

[GA Dave]

28 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Thanks for posting that.

 

I may have “mis-heard” Melinda during her show, but I seem to remember her casually mentioning that her contract was up and she was leaving the ship.  What I’m not sure about is if she meant her contract was up “right now” or somewhere in the near future.

 

Either way, I hope NCL will find a way to either extend her stay or to “re-sign” her.  She’s truly an awesome talent.

Melba Moore is incredible too.

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for taking us along and sharing all of these great pictures with us!

Escape's chandelier is my favorite of them all😎

[graphicguy]

Other places to hang out (including 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar which is where I was for most sunsets).  I’m not much of an indoor person on a cruise, so although I was at most of the inside places the ship offered, I usually didn’t stay long.

[graphicguy]

SMOKING....I know smoking is a “thing” for some. I don’t smoke.  I’m don’t go crazy if someone is smoking around me, as long as they don’t blow it in my face.

 

Frankly, I didn’t see many smokers on this cruise.  They did tend to hang out in the Cigar Lounge, and at the outdoor bar that allowed smoking (don’t recall the name of it).  Then there was the casino smoking area.  But, some table games they didn’t allow smoking (appreciated that).  I know one of the dealers wouldn’t allow smoking at the Texas Hold’em Cash Game.

 

No matter where you come down on the smoking issue, it’s clear to me that NCL is restricting the smoking areas, and previously liberal smoking rules are now being tightened.

[graphicguy]

Haven’t spoken too much about Bermuda.  I LOVE BERMUDA.  It’s clean.  It’s beautiful.  You aren’t being hounded by vendors every time you turn around.  The people who live there are welcoming to tourists.  It’s just my ideal place to go for sun and fun....crystal blue waters, white and pink sand.  Our Weather was just about perfect.  Yeah, it was a bit humid but mostly it was 80º-85ºF every day.  We did hit a brief shower on the ferry coming from St Georges.  But, it was brief.  And, I was already in my trunks, so it was quite refreshing.

 

So, the really nice thing about a Bermuda Cruise, you spend 3 nights docked, using the ship as your hotel/restaurant/bar area.  And lounge and tour the beautiful Hamilton and St Georges during the day.

[graphicguy]

HAMILTON....first night we docked the city of Hamilton shuts down the main drag and throw a party with food and crafts vendors.  Plus, the restaurants along the main drag, overlooking the water, are open.

 

 

[graphicguy]

A word about pricing in Bermuda.  They have their own currency that maps 1:1 with U.S. currency.  But, they readily and easily take U.S. currency in all stores.  It’s EXPENSIVE compared to what you might be used to in the U.S., Caribbean or Mexico.  As an example, the receipt below was for a fish sandwich (grouper, I think) which was about the size of a McDonalds Filet ‘O Fish, with fries and a Pepsi.

 

So, $40 for essentially a $4 McDonalds fish sandwich.

 

NOTE....all gratuities are added to your bill automatically.  No removing them.

[graphicguy]

There real deal is to get a 2 day pass on the water ferry and busses for around $30.  I know NCL had their own ferry from St Georges to the pier, but I tend to want to go to the more out of the way places, and the busses allowed for that.  Super convenient and perfect if you aren’t in a hurry (I wasn’t) as they stop frequently.  They were unlimited use age for those two days, too.  That’s how I got to the beaches for the most part.

 

I did ride the NCL free water ferry.  It’s a very nice one, but preferred taking the Bermuda ferry and busses as they went more places.

 

Bermuda is SUPER CLEAN, too.  If there are slums there, I never saw them, and I went all over the place.

 

 

[graphicguy]

Being able to use the ship as my hotel made things super simple.  

 

I’d get up in the a.m., grab coffee and a danish.  I’d then head to the water ferry or bus stop.  Go to the beaches, another part of the area, or just walk around the Hamilton area (probably a ¼-½ mile walk from the ship).  At lunch, if I didn’t feel like eating at one of the local restaurants, I’d head back to the ship to have lunch.  At night, I’d walk back to the ship after the day’s activities and grab dinner.  I’d also hang out on one of the outside decks to enjoy spectacular sunsets while sipping on a delicious cocktail.

 

That’s a pretty good way to take a cruise and enjoy the area where the ship is docked without worrying about what time you had to be on or off the ship.

[Burrata]

thanks for posting all those great photos! Bermuda is great!

 

"or just walk around the Hamilton area (probably a ¼-½ mile walk from the ship)" Do you mean the Dockyard area?

 

thanks again for posting!!

[threetocruise]

Holy moly!  $41.00 for a fish sandwich?  😮  I hope it was the best fish sandwich you have ever eaten, lol. 

[graphicguy]

2 hours ago, Burrata said:

thanks for posting all those great photos! Bermuda is great!

 

"or just walk around the Hamilton area (probably a ¼-½ mile walk from the ship)" Do you mean the Dockyard area?

 

thanks again for posting!!

Glad you like them.

 

Referring to the area with the little shops and the fort/museum area just outside where the Escape docked.  You can see the fort across the way where the dock is.

That’s an interesting area to explore, which includes the old governor’s mansion.

 

I’ve got some pictures I’ll post later. 

[iaswam]

On 7/1/2019 at 10:02 AM, graphicguy said:

 

ENTERTAINMENT.....

 

I had seen CHOIR OF MAN on my Feb cruise.  It was OUTSTANDING when I saw it again last week.

We are cruising on the Encore in January and I noticed there is an extra charge to see Choir of Man. Why is that? are drinks and or food provided?

Edited July 3, 2019 by iaswam

[JandC_Cruising]

9 minutes ago, iaswam said:

We are cruising on the Encore in January and I noticed there is an extra charge to see Choir of Man. Why is that? are drinks and or food provided?

I bet on Encore, they plan on performing Choir of Man in their "Supper Club" rather than the main stage.  This is how they used to be on the Escape before they moved it to the main theater where it is performed now.

Any performance in the supper club venue is accompanied by a full dinner, and they charge for that.  However, you may be able to use a specialty dinning credit for the meal - others may be able to confirm that, as I'm not 100% .

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, iaswam said:

We are cruising on the Encore in January and I noticed there is an extra charge to see Choir of Man. Why is that? are drinks and or food provided?

No idea.  I would contact your TA or Cruise Consultant and have them check into it for you.

[MJSailors]

2 hours ago, graphicguy said:

Glad you like them.

 

Referring to the area with the little shops and the fort/museum area just outside where the Escape docked.  You can see the fort across the way where the dock is.

That’s an interesting area to explore, which includes the old governor’s mansion.

 

I’ve got some pictures I’ll post later. 

The area with the fort,museum,shops,beach and mini golf is the Dockyard.

It is at the west end of Bermuda.

This area is a short walk or tram ride from where the ship is docked.

Hamilton is the capital city of Bermuda. It is not within walking distance of the cruise ship port.It can be reached by ferry, public bus or taxi.