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Escape to Bermuda - Onboard now


happyscmom
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Good morning! I’m onboard the Escape right now. I’ll do a full review after the cruise, but I thought that I would post a few details as we go. 

 

Im sailing with my husband, only. We left the kids with grand parents! The cruise left Sunday, July 30, and it is now Tuesday morning. Here are a few details, thus far. 

 

Embarkation - We reached port about 9:00 am. We were put in line and let into the terminal at 10:30. It was very organized, and check in was a breeze. We were in boarding group 7, which made me nervous since I was going for Vibe. Boarding started at 11:15. They let on 1-5 together and then opened to 1-7. We ran right to headliners and got the number for Vibe. The worker had PLENTY of tickets left, which really surprised me. Overall, embarkation was a breeze. 

 

We went to lunch at Savor. That’s always better than the crazy Buffet! Very good. Cabins were ready at 1:30. We didn’t head down until about 2:30, and our suitcases were already waiting. That was great! The safety drill was at 3:30, and it was over very quickly. Great job with that! 

 

We had dinner night one at Bayamo. It was amazing! I had crab cake, salmon with potatoes and spinach, and cheese cake in a jar. Amazing! 

 

After dinner we went to Howl at the Moon. It was a little slow to start, but ok. One of the performers is pretty bad. We plan to go back, so hopefully he will get better! 

 

Monday was an at sea day. I started the day with the Ryde class (spin).  It is a great class the class costs $20, but you can get an “all class” pass for $79. Keep in mind, though, that they add 18% gratuity. I was shocked to see $93 charged instead of $79. After Class, shower, etc we went to early lunch at 11. O’Sheehan’s closes from 11-12, so we had to go to the buffet. It was crazy and packed already. I wanted to get a Diet Coke from the bar, and that was nearly impossible. Frustrating. 

 

After lunch we had the CC Meet and Greet. It was awesome. We had a big crowd. NCL does a great job. Beer, food, etc were provided in District Brew. After Meet and Greet some of us did a slot pull and pub crawl. It was a great way to meet cool people. We didn’t finish until 5! I went to Vibe for an hour after that and then headed to change for dinner. 

 

Dinner was at Le Bistro. This was a major disappointment. The restaurant was so loud that I could barely hear my husband. The waitress was pretty terrible. She didn’t give us a wine menu, and seemed annoyed when I asked for one after about 10 minutes. The food was very mediocre. The crab salad had brown lettuce and the scallops was over cooked. The food was beautiful, however. 

 

More to come later! 

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Crab cake at Bayamo - one bite in!

B19950C0-CD66-4FF0-A515-92DB2D6A6E49.thumb.jpeg.40e17e4786a0451d45abcb3250865591.jpeg

 

Some of the best salmon ever at Bayamo

1EAF1743-D390-4E9F-9780-1208955F60E5.thumb.jpeg.037067915a5653b4d0cca33272cfaee4.jpeg

 

Cheesecake in a jar. 

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Apple tart0DCCC7F9-4B58-4EFB-BE90-64FD1F1E50C1.thumb.jpeg.320ff328daeeaff4a52994f7ac053731.jpeg

 

brown lettuce at Le Bistro. (Yuck)

B0C80BB1-ED49-436F-8064-94D5141B566A.thumb.jpeg.990a79ac06d5f64762c917cd9d6d6890.jpeg

 

beautiful but mediocre scallops

 

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chocolate dessert at Le Bisto. (Ok, but so pretty)

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2 minutes ago, dexddd said:

Have a great time.  We'll be watching which direction docking is tomorrow.  Missed last week as on cruise.

We have a medical emergency on board today so we are hitting Bermuda early, but they are keeping us off shore until 8 am tomorrow. I’ll update on docking! 

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1 hour ago, happyscmom said:

 It is a great class the class costs $20, but you can get an “all class” pass for $79. Keep in mind, though, that they add 18% gratuity. I was shocked to see $93 charged instead of $79.

Gratuity on a spin class?? Is that in any way normal? 

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7 hours ago, Wedgie23 said:

Gratuity on a spin class?? Is that in any way normal? 

 

I've seen this on all major cruise ships - all gym classes have an additional gratuity. I've found that with the exception of Flywheel at Sea (Allure of the Seas back in 2014), I haven't found them worth the cost. 

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It’s been a couple of years since we’ve cruised the Escape and the first time we’re flying in so I’m having to pack lighter. Couple of questions, I’m hoping you can answer.

  Are there hairdryers in the room? What are the soap and shampoo like? Any other tips to help me lighten up on my typical two suitcase packing?

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F.Y.I.....there are hairdryers in the room and they work well.  The shampoo and conditioner are combined in the same dispenser, but I brought a small bottle of my own.  The liquid body wash is in a dispenser in the shower as well and there is bar soap and body lotion (lemongrass) at the sink.  

If you have any other questions, just ask.

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Hope you're having a great time. I've been eyeing this cruise; so far have only sailed Royal. Is there a cafe to get coffee super early in the morning? Also, please report on the buffet if you go. (On RC, I didn't care for the dining room food) And is Norwegian the line that has their own ferry to St George? 

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1 hour ago, 1bets1 said:

Hope you're having a great time. I've been eyeing this cruise; so far have only sailed Royal. Is there a cafe to get coffee super early in the morning? Also, please report on the buffet if you go. (On RC, I didn't care for the dining room food) And is Norwegian the line that has their own ferry to St George? 

I was on Escape to Bermuda exactly one year ago today.

I've got much more experience on RC than NCL and I felt the food was pretty comparable. Meaning some good and some not as good. I think I'd give the edge to NCL in the main dining rooms and probably say that the buffets were very equal.

I always go to the gym super early on my cruises and then find coffee before I even shower (pretty gross actually, lmao).

I was very happy to find coffee and pastry stations set up along the Waterfront and there was coffee outside at Margaritaville too. There's a place in the Atrium too. I don't remember the name but as you can see there are options.

And yes there is an NCL ferry available. I didn't use it so I don't have any details.

The Escape is a great ship and because of it, we're booked on Encore coming up in January.

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15 hours ago, flarad said:

It’s been a couple of years since we’ve cruised the Escape and the first time we’re flying in so I’m having to pack lighter. Couple of questions, I’m hoping you can answer.

  Are there hairdryers in the room? What are the soap and shampoo like? Any other tips to help me lighten up on my typical two suitcase packing?

We packed in two carry-on bags, so I feel you! There is a hairdryer, and it’s very good. We have little shampoo/conditioner bottles. I packed my own mini ones, so I haven’t used them. For my space-saving, I just packed by rolling clothes, brought only a few dressy things that I could mix and match, and tried to go minimal. It’s been good so far! 

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2 hours ago, 1bets1 said:

Hope you're having a great time. I've been eyeing this cruise; so far have only sailed Royal. Is there a cafe to get coffee super early in the morning? Also, please report on the buffet if you go. (On RC, I didn't care for the dining room food) And is Norwegian the line that has their own ferry to St George? 

We have had coffee delivered to the room each morning. There is a coffee shop (fee), if you are up early. The buffet has coffee. 

The buffet was a zoo at lunch yesterday, but this ship is packed. The food is good, for buffet. Yesterday at lunch we had typical stuff (pizza, salad, sandwich, pasta).  

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Report of day 2 at sea

 

We spent most of the day in Vibe (after morning workout, etc). I couldn’t be more thrilled to have Vibe. The pool area is a zoo. Really...this is my 3rd time on Escape, and this is the worst pool situation that I’ve ever seen. There at people every inch along the way. Nuts. Vibe was quiet and glorious. The only complaint is that the misting thing wasn’t working so it got pretty hot since we were barely moving (circling due to the medical emergency). 

 

For dinner we did Savor. It was much better than Le Bistro the night before, but it was slow. They seem to be struggling with the large crowd this week. I had almond encrusted trout. Really nice. 

91351035-AE25-4364-A92E-8266C76F2982.thumb.jpeg.801f7dd8e010443e6ccb3300aee752e8.jpeg

 

We are now in Bermuda and about to hop off to explore. We are booked with Restless Native this afternoon for snorkeling.

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54 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

I was on Escape to Bermuda exactly one year ago today.

I've got much more experience on RC than NCL and I felt the food was pretty comparable. Meaning some good and some not as good. I think I'd give the edge to NCL in the main dining rooms and probably say that the buffets were very equal.

I always go to the gym super early on my cruises and then find coffee before I even shower (pretty gross actually, lmao).

I was very happy to find coffee and pastry stations set up along the Waterfront and there was coffee outside at Margaritaville too. There's a place in the Atrium too. I don't remember the name but as you can see there are options.

And yes there is an NCL ferry available. I didn't use it so I don't have any details.

The Escape is a great ship and because of it, we're booked on Encore coming up in January.

You just made my day! Thank you. I like to find coffee before the gym. :) On RC, I always ran down to café promenade. This sounds perfect.

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4 minutes ago, 1bets1 said:

You just made my day! Thank you. I like to find coffee before the gym. 🙂 On RC, I always ran down to café promenade. This sounds perfect.

My favorite spot for that first cup of coffee was outside on the Waterfront.

They had at least 2 stations set up out there. I always went to the one at the 5 O'clock Somewhere bar and sat on one of the comfy chairs or couches looking out at the sea. Very peaceful.

My cousin, who's a little more picky than I am, didn't love the coffee but I thought it was adequate and enjoyed it thoroughly.

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53 minutes ago, bkrickles1 said:

My favorite spot for that first cup of coffee was outside on the Waterfront.

They had at least 2 stations set up out there. I always went to the one at the 5 O'clock Somewhere bar and sat on one of the comfy chairs or couches looking out at the sea. Very peaceful.

My cousin, who's a little more picky than I am, didn't love the coffee but I thought it was adequate and enjoyed it thoroughly.

What is the Waterfront? And are you familiar with Vibe that the OP is talking about? I'm assuming adult pool area? Is there an extra fee?

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9 hours ago, happyscmom said:

We are now in Bermuda and about to hop off to explore. We are booked with Restless Native this afternoon for snorkeling.

 

Would love to hear how this works out for you -- We've booked Restless Native for our trip in October.  I love the Escape, she's a great ship.  Thanks so much for posting your review.

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7 hours ago, 1bets1 said:

What is the Waterfront? And are you familiar with Vibe that the OP is talking about? I'm assuming adult pool area? Is there an extra fee?

 

The waterfront is deck 8 area of restaurants and bars that are along... the waterfront 😊   Lots of big couches, chairs and tables to make for a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere.  It's the #1 reason I picked NCL breakaway class the first time and each time since.  Vibe is a private area with its own bar, hot tub & misting station -- no pool.  Very attentive staff will bring you drinks, fruit skewers, cold cloths, ice cream... and when we were there, "Shot o'clock" everyday at 4:00.  They have about 70 loungers and only sell 70 passes so you're guaranteed a space.  I think the price has gone up to around $200/pp for the week but I'm not sure.

 

Last cruise on the Breakaway we did not buy Vibe passes but instead opted for Spice H2O which is also adults only and was nice as well.  Not too crowded at that time in October.

 

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3 minutes ago, TenForward said:

 

The waterfront is deck 8 area of restaurants and bars that are along... the waterfront 😊   Lots of big couches, chairs and tables to make for a comfortable, relaxing atmosphere.  It's the #1 reason I picked NCL breakaway class the first time and each time since.  Vibe is a private area with its own bar, hot tub & misting station -- no pool.  Very attentive staff will bring you drinks, fruit skewers, cold cloths, ice cream... and when we were there, "Shot o'clock" everyday at 4:00.  They have about 70 loungers and only sell 70 passes so you're guaranteed a space.  I think the price has gone up to around $200/pp for the week but I'm not sure.

 

Last cruise on the Breakaway we did not buy Vibe passes but instead opted for Spice H2O which is also adults only and was nice as well.  Not too crowded at that time in October.

 

That sounds so nice. So Escape does not have a free adult area pool, just Vibe?

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56 minutes ago, 1bets1 said:

That sounds so nice. So Escape does not have a free adult area pool, just Vibe?

H2O is adult, both don’t have pools. Vibe passes are hard to get, need to be in the first boarding groups.

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