Non NCL Loyalist Review of The Escape and NCL

[tap_out]

So just a little bit of background my wife and I are in our mid 30s. We have 12 cruises each under our belts 2 ncl 5rc and 5 carnival. I am not a loyalist to any brand but will say that I prefer to cruise Carnival. This was our second NCL Cruise it left out of NY 8/4 and we sailed in a Spa Balcony which we one on upgrade. I wont do a traditional review but just hit on some highs and lows. 

 

Food- For the most part we ate every meal in the Manhattan room. I thought the service was always good. We never had to wait for a table and I always asked to be seated on the dance floor. This really is a beautiful dining room. I thought the menu choices, food and service were all above average. I would rate it a B. My wife really disagreed with me here and was really disappointed. For the most part breakfast was in taste or savor. The food was always good. I could have used a little more variety but service was average to very slow. It took the 2 of us over an hour to eat breakfast. Lunch was usually in the pub. Food and service was good and I was surprised because I was not impressed with the pub on the getaway a few years ago. 

 

Little rant. I think the prices for the specialty restaurants is absolutely insane. We decided it was just not worth it to us. However towards the end of the cruise we didnt spend that much money so we splurged on the steakhouse. It was a mistake and not worth the money. Not some of the horror stories that I have read on the boards but not worth the $107 we spent. 

 

Its nice that the pub is open 24/7 but at 2am after a night of drinking I dont want to sit down for a meal. I want something to grab and go. NCL doesn't have this option. The buffet was open till 11:30 with late night options but the timing is wrong. It seemed like we always missed it because a comedy show or another activity was just ending 

 

Entertainment-  NCL really came through here. Quire of man was amazing we saw it twice and my wife was called on stage both times. We really lucked out and ended up with a great group of comedians and an awesome magician. We always had something to do and were always entertained. The stuff the put on in the atrium was always very entertaining but the limit seating kept us from seeing as much as we would have liked. Surprisingly we spent almost no time at howl at the moon. The young girl was very good but the two older gentlemen were not, so it kept us out of there. While I'm sure some people enjoy After midnight we only lasted about 20 mins and then had to leave. Its hard to sit through a show when you cant relate to the music. 

 

Staff- I had heard great things about the staff and while everybody was okay, thats all they were , just okay. Numerous time we tried to spark of conversations with waiters, bartenders with no luck. I dont really hold this against NCL maybe they were just a little over worked or tired. 

 

Drinks/Bar Staff-  My wife and I were very disappointed to see that almost every drink made was on tap or pre made. Even the mojito bar that we loved on the getaway  was now all pre made. There was no creativity left for the bartenders. We ask several times for things to be changed up or mixed up to try new things and they always refused to stray away from the pre made drinks. Forget about getting a drink by the pool during the day. There were times were we stood up to the bar for 20+ minutes. Very few if any waiters coming around taking drink orders. We did manage to flag one down one day in spice and my wife waited for close to an hour for him to return from the bar. We did spend at least an hour or so in the district every night and it was really a nice place to get away. I am a true beer snob and was a little disappointed with there selection. What was even worse is they kicked over half of there kegs mid way through the cruise. Again I blame this on the drink package and bar tenders just being over worked because almost everybody on the ship can drink for free. We were seriously spoiled with Cheers and the Alchemy bar on Carnival. 

 

Pool Deck -  I new it was going to be bad coming in but had no idea it would be this bad. We thought saving grace would be spice but we were wrong. It was almost impossible to find a place for 2. We are not chair hogs but I came really close to setting my alarm and going out on the pool deck. I dont think I have ever witnessed hogging this bad. At 11am I would say less then half of the chairs were occupied. Thank god for the SPA

 

Spa- This really was our saving grace. We enjoyed the spa and all the thermal amenities. We spent at least 3 hours here each day and it was so nice to get away from the crowds. We have only ever stayed in a spa room on Carnivals Dream and this blew it out of the water. 

 

Ship- As expected. NCL has some of the most beautiful well decorated ships at sea and the Escape did not disappoint. The lay out was great. If you stayed off the pool deck the ship never felt crowded. Really love the layout of 678 ocean plaza and the waterfront. 

 

So to wrap it up. I was on vacation and still had a blast even though it might seem I was little nit picky. We will probably take a break from NCL for awhile. It has been so nice to travel out of NY and not have to travel to FL. So that kind of limits us on what we can do. Oasis is set from a 150+ million upgrade and will be sailing out of NY next year so might be time to give RC a try again. Let me know if you guys have any questions. 

[newmexicoNita]

10 hours ago, tap_out said:

So just a little bit of background my wife and I are in our mid 30s. We have 12 cruises each under our belts 2 ncl 5rc and 5 carnival. I am not a loyalist to any brand but will say that I prefer to cruise Carnival. This was our second NCL Cruise it left out of NY 8/4 and we sailed in a Spa Balcony which we one on upgrade. I wont do a traditional review but just hit on some highs and lows. 

 

Food- For the most part we ate every meal in the Manhattan room. I thought the service was always good. We never had to wait for a table and I always asked to be seated on the dance floor. This really is a beautiful dining room. I thought the menu choices, food and service were all above average. I would rate it a B. My wife really disagreed with me here and was really disappointed. For the most part breakfast was in taste or savor. The food was always good. I could have used a little more variety but service was average to very slow. It took the 2 of us over an hour to eat breakfast. Lunch was usually in the pub. Food and service was good and I was surprised because I was not impressed with the pub on the getaway a few years ago. 

 

Little rant. I think the prices for the specialty restaurants is absolutely insane. We decided it was just not worth it to us. However towards the end of the cruise we didnt spend that much money so we splurged on the steakhouse. It was a mistake and not worth the money. Not some of the horror stories that I have read on the boards but not worth the $107 we spent. 

 

Its nice that the pub is open 24/7 but at 2am after a night of drinking I dont want to sit down for a meal. I want something to grab and go. NCL doesn't have this option. The buffet was open till 11:30 with late night options but the timing is wrong. It seemed like we always missed it because a comedy show or another activity was just ending 

 

Entertainment-  NCL really came through here. Quire of man was amazing we saw it twice and my wife was called on stage both times. We really lucked out and ended up with a great group of comedians and an awesome magician. We always had something to do and were always entertained. The stuff the put on in the atrium was always very entertaining but the limit seating kept us from seeing as much as we would have liked. Surprisingly we spent almost no time at howl at the moon. The young girl was very good but the two older gentlemen were not, so it kept us out of there. While I'm sure some people enjoy After midnight we only lasted about 20 mins and then had to leave. Its hard to sit through a show when you cant relate to the music. 

 

Staff- I had heard great things about the staff and while everybody was okay, thats all they were , just okay. Numerous time we tried to spark of conversations with waiters, bartenders with no luck. I dont really hold this against NCL maybe they were just a little over worked or tired. 

 

Drinks/Bar Staff-  My wife and I were very disappointed to see that almost every drink made was on tap or pre made. Even the mojito bar that we loved on the getaway  was now all pre made. There was no creativity left for the bartenders. We ask several times for things to be changed up or mixed up to try new things and they always refused to stray away from the pre made drinks. Forget about getting a drink by the pool during the day. There were times were we stood up to the bar for 20+ minutes. Very few if any waiters coming around taking drink orders. We did manage to flag one down one day in spice and my wife waited for close to an hour for him to return from the bar. We did spend at least an hour or so in the district every night and it was really a nice place to get away. I am a true beer snob and was a little disappointed with there selection. What was even worse is they kicked over half of there kegs mid way through the cruise. Again I blame this on the drink package and bar tenders just being over worked because almost everybody on the ship can drink for free. We were seriously spoiled with Cheers and the Alchemy bar on Carnival. 

 

Pool Deck -  I new it was going to be bad coming in but had no idea it would be this bad. We thought saving grace would be spice but we were wrong. It was almost impossible to find a place for 2. We are not chair hogs but I came really close to setting my alarm and going out on the pool deck. I dont think I have ever witnessed hogging this bad. At 11am I would say less then half of the chairs were occupied. Thank god for the SPA

 

Spa- This really was our saving grace. We enjoyed the spa and all the thermal amenities. We spent at least 3 hours here each day and it was so nice to get away from the crowds. We have only ever stayed in a spa room on Carnivals Dream and this blew it out of the water. 

 

Ship- As expected. NCL has some of the most beautiful well decorated ships at sea and the Escape did not disappoint. The lay out was great. If you stayed off the pool deck the ship never felt crowded. Really love the layout of 678 ocean plaza and the waterfront. 

 

So to wrap it up. I was on vacation and still had a blast even though it might seem I was little nit picky. We will probably take a break from NCL for awhile. It has been so nice to travel out of NY and not have to travel to FL. So that kind of limits us on what we can do. Oasis is set from a 150+ million upgrade and will be sailing out of NY next year so might be time to give RC a try again. Let me know if you guys have any questions. 

A very good and not too long a review. This is the type I like to read, but we are all different Thanks for you honest opinion. I have to smile when I read something about finding something to eat at 2am. Holy Cow I can barely remember the days we stayed up til 2am. I guess that is why the song says: "Those were the days, my friend, we thought they would never end". Glad you had a good vacation and I do not think you are nit picky at all. This is how you saw your vacation. 

[Stealthdog]

What are your thoughts of sailing out of NY and the embarkation and disembarkation process there?  We are going to do our first out of NY next December.

 

Agree completely with your wife about the food.  I find the main dining really lacking on NCL.  And i wouldn’t splurge on the specialty dining either. But with the free at sea (and status perks) most have at least a few nights at them.

 

Did you check out the casino at all?  If so, how would you compare it to Carnival and Royal?

[graphicguy]

1 hour ago, Stealthdog said:

What are your thoughts of sailing out of NY and the embarkation and disembarkation process there?  We are going to do our first out of NY next December.

 

Agree completely with your wife about the food.  I find the main dining really lacking on NCL.  And i wouldn’t splurge on the specialty dining either. But with the free at sea (and status perks) most have at least a few nights at them.

 

Did you check out the casino at all?  If so, how would you compare it to Carnival and Royal?

While I don’t live in NY (actually in OH), I have sailed out of NYC 3 or 4 times the last few years.  I’ve never had any issues with embarkation.  But, because of flying in the same day, or just out of habit, I never try to get into the port before noon to embark...usually closer to 1:00 p.m.  Embarkation is easy-peasy doing it that way.  The previous passengers are mostly all gone by that time and the initial push to be the “first to board” is finished.  All you have to do at that point is just check in and walk on.

 

Disembarkation is hit and miss.  It really depends on immigration.  They either have enough manning the immigration desks, or they don’t.  If they don’t, you’re in for long lines and a long wait.

 

The way I alleviate that is to have a porter grab your luggage for you, and he will escort you to the front of the line.  Or, my personal favorite, take your luggage with you (don’t check it the night before) when you disembarks and leave as soon as the ship is cleared.

 

I’ve found that the food has improved over the last couple of years....in the MDRs and the Specialty Dining places.  The only caveat would be the Shanghai Noodle Bar.  It really has disappointed me on the ships that have that venue.  Even the Garden Cafe has become really good (I really like seafood night and prime rib night).

 

To me, casinos on cruise ships are all about the same.  They have a few table games, roulette, craps, but mostly they have slots.  I’m not a slot guy.  I was in the black jack tournament on my last cruise and made it to the final table.  I didn’t win.  And, the winner had a choice of envelopes he could choose which had different amounts for him to win.  He ended up picking the one with $50.  Not worth the effort to me.  But, I did have fun.  Probably won’t enter it again.

 

I do know the guy who won the Texas Hold’em Tournament.  I think he actually won $1,500.  That’s more like it.

 

Have fun.  I do like sailing out of NY.  But, December weather in the Atlantic?  Waters are likely to be a bit rough until you get down around FL.

 

Have fun!

[Pandot]

Thanks very much for your review.  We are sailing on the Escape to Bermuda in 6 weeks.

 

Really appreciate you input and perspective.

 

Glad you had a good time!

[ThxMomnDad]

Thanks for what seems to be a very fair and balanced review. My wife and I will be sailing on the Escape in October. I've only been on 5 cruises and all were on Carnival. While we don't usually stay up until 2am anymore, I did always like being able to grab a slice of pizza or a burger at midnight or 1am on Carnival. I will definitely miss that on the Escape.

[beerman2]

40 minutes ago, ThxMomnDad said:

Thanks for what seems to be a very fair and balanced review. My wife and I will be sailing on the Escape in October. I've only been on 5 cruises and all were on Carnival. While we don't usually stay up until 2am anymore, I did always like being able to grab a slice of pizza or a burger at midnight or 1am on Carnival. I will definitely miss that on the Escape.

The pub is 24/7 with a limited menu, however what they serve will fill the void.

 

Waterfront is great place plan on spending a few hours there. I wish we would have spent more time there.

Edited August 16, 2019 by beerman2

[bkrickles1]

39 minutes ago, ThxMomnDad said:

Thanks for what seems to be a very fair and balanced review. My wife and I will be sailing on the Escape in October. I've only been on 5 cruises and all were on Carnival. While we don't usually stay up until 2am anymore, I did always like being able to grab a slice of pizza or a burger at midnight or 1am on Carnival. I will definitely miss that on the Escape.

You can still get plenty of food on the Escape at that time, but you have to go to O'Sheehans to get it.

An while it is a sit down establishment, there are plenty of snacks, burgers, etc on the menu.

It's just not a grab and go place.

[bkrickles1]

1 minute ago, beerman2 said:

The pub is 24/7 with a limited menu, however what they serve will fill the void.

 

Waterfront is great place plan on spending a few hours there. I wish we would have spent more time there.

Exactly, you beat me to it. Lol!

I did spend time at the Waterfront on Escape and it was really pleasant.

I'm looking forward to doing the same on Encore in January and I'm really interested in the Observation Lounge too.

[LaCal]

Thanks for your review....We’re on the Escape next year....Didn’t you have any of the Free perks like the drink package or specialty restaurants when you booked?? 

 

I know NCL was running get all 5 perks when booking a balcony and above for a long time 

 

We have the Free drink pkg, 3 Free specialty restaurants, Free WiFi, $50 excursion credit per port and Free friends and family for our next 3 booked cruises 😜

 

We’re long time Carnival cruisers and NCL and I jumped ship back to NCL because of all the great perks and they have a much better casino Dept w comps....Best decision I made in a long time 😜🍹🍹

[ThxMomnDad]

Beerman2 & bkrickles1........Looks like we'll be hitting up O'Sheehans on more than a few nights. Thanks for the info! And everyone does seem to love the waterfront. Can't wait to sit at the 5'Oclock Somewhere bar on the waterfront!

[kenlyn]

I have always been able to get late night snacks in the casino on the Dawn and the Getaway. I'm on the Escape in January  so I appreciate your thoughts and imput.

[aubreyc1988]

4 hours ago, bkrickles1 said:

Exactly, you beat me to it. Lol!

I did spend time at the Waterfront on Escape and it was really pleasant.

I'm looking forward to doing the same on Encore in January and I'm really interested in the Observation Lounge too.

The waterfront is the best part of an NCL cruise...that and the mojito bar. 

[1bets1]

Is there anywhere to get coffee at 5 AM? I'm an early riser. 

[1bets1]

Just now, 1bets1 said:

Is there anywhere to get coffee at 5 AM? I'm an early riser. 

And I'd like to be able to put it in my travel mug and go back to my cabin. Thanks!

[ShelleyQT]

As a platinum member on Carnival, we switched to NCL for our last several cruises.  We felt that Carnival had cut back on so many things, that we wanted to try something else.  At the time, Carnival had cut back on service so much that dinner took up to 2 hours.  And the entertainment had been cut back too, so that we'd be bored on 3 or more nights of a 7-night cruise.

 

We're getting a little bored now with NCL's ports and are starting to look at Carnival again.  If we went back to Carnival, would we regret it?  Have they improved their service and/or entertainment?

[tap_out]

On 8/16/2019 at 7:30 AM, Stealthdog said:

What are your thoughts of sailing out of NY and the embarkation and disembarkation process there?  We are going to do our first out of NY next December.

 

Agree completely with your wife about the food.  I find the main dining really lacking on NCL.  And i wouldn’t splurge on the specialty dining either. But with the free at sea (and status perks) most have at least a few nights at them.

 

Did you check out the casino at all?  If so, how would you compare it to Carnival and Royal?

 

 

NYC embarkation and debarkation was the best we have had in 12 cruises. 

 

We dont spend hardly anytime in the casino sorry, 

On 8/16/2019 at 11:35 AM, LaCal said:

Thanks for your review....We’re on the Escape next year....Didn’t you have any of the Free perks like the drink package or specialty restaurants when you booked?? 

 

I know NCL was running get all 5 perks when booking a balcony and above for a long time 

 

We have the Free drink pkg, 3 Free specialty restaurants, Free WiFi, $50 excursion credit per port and Free friends and family for our next 3 booked cruises 😜

 

We’re long time Carnival cruisers and NCL and I jumped ship back to NCL because of all the great perks and they have a much better casino Dept w comps....Best decision I made in a long time 😜🍹🍹

 

We had the drink perk which its really a wash. Comparable carnival cruises are about the same price once you pay for the cheers package. 

On 8/18/2019 at 6:53 PM, ShelleyQT said:

As a platinum member on Carnival, we switched to NCL for our last several cruises.  We felt that Carnival had cut back on so many things, that we wanted to try something else.  At the time, Carnival had cut back on service so much that dinner took up to 2 hours.  And the entertainment had been cut back too, so that we'd be bored on 3 or more nights of a 7-night cruise.

 

We're getting a little bored now with NCL's ports and are starting to look at Carnival again.  If we went back to Carnival, would we regret it?  Have they improved their service and/or entertainment?

 

We had an awesome cruise on Horizon in 2018, I would say are best to date. We were in the Havana area. Entertainment on that ship was top notch. While the theater design sucks the shows themselves were very good. I did notice that they cut back on the amount of different comedians. As far as other cut backs we didnt notice 

[FitchburgWIFamily]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:36 AM, 1bets1 said:

Is there anywhere to get coffee at 5 AM? I'm an early riser. 

They have coffee (and tea) stands out on the waterfront on both sides of the ship.   I don't know if they are our there 5:00am early...but they are there when I take what I used to think was early 6:00am stroll.

[2bthere]

Doesn't O'Sheehan's have a coffee side bar open earlier than 6:00 am? 

[ColeThornton]

On 8/17/2019 at 6:37 AM, 1bets1 said:

And I'd like to be able to put it in my travel mug and go back to my cabin. Thanks!

Room service straight to your cabin.  No charge for coffee and continental breakfast.

[summercruiser20]

On 8/15/2019 at 8:50 PM, tap_out said:

So just a little bit of background my wife and I are in our mid 30s. We have 12 cruises each under our belts 2 ncl 5rc and 5 carnival. I am not a loyalist to any brand but will say that I prefer to cruise Carnival. This was our second NCL Cruise it left out of NY 8/4 and we sailed in a Spa Balcony which we one on upgrade. I wont do a traditional review but just hit on some highs and lows. 

 

Food- For the most part we ate every meal in the Manhattan room. I thought the service was always good. We never had to wait for a table and I always asked to be seated on the dance floor. This really is a beautiful dining room. I thought the menu choices, food and service were all above average. I would rate it a B. My wife really disagreed with me here and was really disappointed. For the most part breakfast was in taste or savor. The food was always good. I could have used a little more variety but service was average to very slow. It took the 2 of us over an hour to eat breakfast. Lunch was usually in the pub. Food and service was good and I was surprised because I was not impressed with the pub on the getaway a few years ago. 

 

Little rant. I think the prices for the specialty restaurants is absolutely insane. We decided it was just not worth it to us. However towards the end of the cruise we didnt spend that much money so we splurged on the steakhouse. It was a mistake and not worth the money. Not some of the horror stories that I have read on the boards but not worth the $107 we spent. 

 

Its nice that the pub is open 24/7 but at 2am after a night of drinking I dont want to sit down for a meal. I want something to grab and go. NCL doesn't have this option. The buffet was open till 11:30 with late night options but the timing is wrong. It seemed like we always missed it because a comedy show or another activity was just ending 

 

Entertainment-  NCL really came through here. Quire of man was amazing we saw it twice and my wife was called on stage both times. We really lucked out and ended up with a great group of comedians and an awesome magician. We always had something to do and were always entertained. The stuff the put on in the atrium was always very entertaining but the limit seating kept us from seeing as much as we would have liked. Surprisingly we spent almost no time at howl at the moon. The young girl was very good but the two older gentlemen were not, so it kept us out of there. While I'm sure some people enjoy After midnight we only lasted about 20 mins and then had to leave. Its hard to sit through a show when you cant relate to the music. 

 

Staff- I had heard great things about the staff and while everybody was okay, thats all they were , just okay. Numerous time we tried to spark of conversations with waiters, bartenders with no luck. I dont really hold this against NCL maybe they were just a little over worked or tired. 

 

Drinks/Bar Staff-  My wife and I were very disappointed to see that almost every drink made was on tap or pre made. Even the mojito bar that we loved on the getaway  was now all pre made. There was no creativity left for the bartenders. We ask several times for things to be changed up or mixed up to try new things and they always refused to stray away from the pre made drinks. Forget about getting a drink by the pool during the day. There were times were we stood up to the bar for 20+ minutes. Very few if any waiters coming around taking drink orders. We did manage to flag one down one day in spice and my wife waited for close to an hour for him to return from the bar. We did spend at least an hour or so in the district every night and it was really a nice place to get away. I am a true beer snob and was a little disappointed with there selection. What was even worse is they kicked over half of there kegs mid way through the cruise. Again I blame this on the drink package and bar tenders just being over worked because almost everybody on the ship can drink for free. We were seriously spoiled with Cheers and the Alchemy bar on Carnival. 

 

Pool Deck -  I new it was going to be bad coming in but had no idea it would be this bad. We thought saving grace would be spice but we were wrong. It was almost impossible to find a place for 2. We are not chair hogs but I came really close to setting my alarm and going out on the pool deck. I dont think I have ever witnessed hogging this bad. At 11am I would say less then half of the chairs were occupied. Thank god for the SPA

 

Spa- This really was our saving grace. We enjoyed the spa and all the thermal amenities. We spent at least 3 hours here each day and it was so nice to get away from the crowds. We have only ever stayed in a spa room on Carnivals Dream and this blew it out of the water. 

 

Ship- As expected. NCL has some of the most beautiful well decorated ships at sea and the Escape did not disappoint. The lay out was great. If you stayed off the pool deck the ship never felt crowded. Really love the layout of 678 ocean plaza and the waterfront. 

 

So to wrap it up. I was on vacation and still had a blast even though it might seem I was little nit picky. We will probably take a break from NCL for awhile. It has been so nice to travel out of NY and not have to travel to FL. So that kind of limits us on what we can do. Oasis is set from a 150+ million upgrade and will be sailing out of NY next year so might be time to give RC a try again. Let me know if you guys have any questions. 

Just curious how much did you bid to win the upgrade for the spa balcony?

[summercruiser20]

Just curious how much did you bid to win the upgrade for the spa balcony?

[1bets1]

8 hours ago, ColeThornton said:

Room service straight to your cabin.  No charge for coffee and continental breakfast.

Room service starts at 6 or 6:30. 

[tap_out]

6 hours ago, summercruiser20 said:

Just curious how much did you bid to win the upgrade for the spa balcony?

 

We got a spa balcony for $250pp which was low fair range. 

[newmexicoNita]

On 8/16/2019 at 6:30 AM, Stealthdog said:

What are your thoughts of sailing out of NY and the embarkation and disembarkation process there?  We are going to do our first out of NY next December.

 

Agree completely with your wife about the food.  I find the main dining really lacking on NCL.  And i wouldn’t splurge on the specialty dining either. But with the free at sea (and status perks) most have at least a few nights at them.

 

Did you check out the casino at all?  If so, how would you compare it to Carnival and Royal?

Only sailed out of NYC once. Embarkation was a breeze and the scenery as you are leaving port is fantastic, but debarkation because of immigration was a total nightmare. Not only did it take forever, the walk went on and on and on and on!! Oh, I take that back we have disembarked in NY a couple other times on repo cruises. It has been a bit slow the other times as well. Let's just say, thank God for a 2 or 3 pm flight and not a noon one.