Mitsugirly needed to ESCAPE from the cold weather

[friskat]

I have to also comment as I have been enjoying your reviews for a long time. I have to say that even while you were having complication after complication you took them better than I ever would have!! I am so glad that you were able to cruise again while recovering. I can't wait to see what new adventures this cruise has brought you. Especially in light of your mobility issues (my nephew is in a wheelchair and I've seen how thoughtful and not thoughtful 🙄 people can be.). I hope you enjoyed Christmas and have a happy new year (including the entire family who we who read your reviews have come to know!).

Edited December 27, 2019 by friskat
bad wording

[Laszlo]

Great review Kim, Really glad your healed up!!

[mitsugirly]

After dinner, Sakari wanted to have a little hot tub time.  She's in the left hand upper corner just chillin and people watching as they walk by. lol

 

 

 

 

 

 

We kinda hung out for awhile and then Sakari wanted to head back to the room. She was tired and wanted to work on some of her drawings.

 

We decided it was time for a little action...wasn't sure if it was going to be positive or negative action but we were gonna try. I decided I wanted to try to walk in my boot instead of taking my wheelchair. I figured it would be pretty hard to maneuver in a crowded casino.

 

Off to the casino we went...armed with $100 each.

 

I was off to a good start...

 

 

 

I absolutely love the Black Widow game. I seem to have luck at any casino I go to when I play this either on a cruise ship or at home. It will keep me busy for awhile.

 

 

 

Of course I don't play with big money or high bets, but it's really fun to be able to keep going and play for awhile.

 

 

I played for quite some time. The hubby got on the card table and his $100 was gone within the hour.

 

He was forced to stand around and watch the big dog players play until I was ready to go. LOL

 

 

 

 

 

So, I came armed with $100 to donate to NCL. I left, after about 2 hours later, cashing out with $86 still. I had a lot of fun and didn't donate but $14. Not a win but not bad for having some fun. 😆

 

We returned to the room and my foot was paying the price for being up on it for awhile today...a tad bit swollen and reddened. 

 

 

 

 

We watched a little tv and off to bed we went. Sakari was already sleeping. All that stair climbing for the water rides must have worn her out. 😂

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

So time for my cabin review/picture portion.

 

We were in 9140 balcony toward the front of the ship. As I mentioned in the beginning of the review, this would be the first time I tried out the "guarantee room" and let NCL pick it for me. I honestly didn't care where I was put at that point and had planned on being in my wheelchair when needed.

 

 

It seemed to be a 4 person room. There was the regular bed, the sofa bed and a pull down bed as well.

 

 

 

 

 

 

The bathroom

 

 

 

 

 

We discovered, on the last day of the cruise, there is a drawer located under the sofa with extra towels and sheets. Good to know if you ever need more towels or anything prior to the room steward coming.

 

 

 

Now there are 2 control switches in the room: Make Up Room, which will display a green light letting the room steward know that you want your room made up and Do Not Disturb, which will display a red light if you don't want them to come in.

 

HOWEVER...there's another white light that says "At Home". I seriously want to know how it knows if you are "home"???? I figure it has something to do with the usage of your keycard, but what if a family comes home, then a few leave? How does it know that someone is still there? Because I can assure you that we'd come home and the hubby and I would leave but it would still say Sakari is home. Hmmm....weird how it knows these things.

 

 

 

 

Now...here was a bit of an irritating issue with this room (or any rooms on that end of the ship)...

 

You would hear people clanging the pucks together all the time and it was LOUD for some reason. Like super annoying if you tried to sit out on the balcony. It's all you ever heard.

 

 

Our free bottles of water and wine with our platinum status.

 

 

 

 

Everyone on the boards always inquire about the hair dryers in the staterooms. Well, here it is...

 

 

 

This dryer was just as powerful as the one I have at home and did a good job of drying both mine and Sakari's hair. 1500-1800W

 

 

 

So that is the room picture review.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

2 hours ago, KelSny1011 said:

You are seriously a rock star!  I'm so sorry to read about your accident back in August, but man..you truly let NOTHING get you down.  

 

Thanks and it's hard to keep me down for sure. lol

 

 

1 hour ago, friskat said:

I have to also comment as I have been enjoying your reviews for a long time. I have to say that even while you were having complication after complication you took them better than I ever would have!! I am so glad that you were able to cruise again while recovering. I can't wait to see what new adventures this cruise has brought you. Especially in light of your mobility issues (my nephew is in a wheelchair and I've seen how thoughtful and not thoughtful 🙄 people can be.). I hope you enjoyed Christmas and have a happy new year (including the entire family who we who read your reviews have come to know!).

 

Aww thanks so much for enjoying all of my reviews for years. I appreciate it.

 

Trust me, I had my moments were all I would do is sit and cry and get in my head that I'll never walk again and things will never be the same. It was rough. It's not easy bringing your entire bedroom down to the living room because you can't really move due to the pain and all you have to do is stare at 4 walls, a tv, or the back of your eyelids. It's depressing. The hubby and Sakari was so helpful and encouraging throughout it all and continues to help so much, which keeps my spirits up.

 

Mobility issues "ain't no joke!" You really do take things for granted. I will say that I have encountered more thoughtful people than not thoughtful people since I've been up and about. More than what I expected because let's be honest, we live in a society that it's all about me, me, me and no one else. 😞 

 

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well.

 

1 hour ago, Laszlo said:

Great review Kim, Really glad your healed up!!

 

Thanks so much. Not healed up at all though. I still have that last area from the second surgery trying to close the rest of the way and my leg/ankle and so on is still actually broke. My last ortho appointment xrays showed everythings coming together but it's still broken. They estimate it will be about 9 months before it should be healed all the way...however, I'm one of those that just doesn't heal quickly...so it will be about 9 years for me. 😂

[mitsugirly]

On to the ship pictures.....

We will start at the top, since that's the most happening and funnest part of the ship.  😂

 

DECK 18:

 

ROPES COURSE

 

 

PUTT PUTT

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Anyone for a game of golf plinko?

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

DECK 17:

 

Jimmy Buffett's Margaritaville:

 

This is an extra paid venue with Jimmy Buffett signature items like Cheeseburger in Paradise, Who's to Blame Margarita and so on. The charge is $14.95.

 

HOWEVER, remember that this place also offers a FREE buffet breakfast in the mornings. Both hot and cold items and coffee. This place will NOT be crowded if you are looking for a good place to eat breakfast instead of the fast and busy crowded place at the buffet.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited December 27, 2019 by mitsugirly

[mitsugirly]

We will just do all the water slides in this part.

 

You have the Aqua Racer, Family Slide and the Free fall slides.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the slide that you use the tube in and it has the lights and other interesting things in it.

 

 

 

These "carvings" in the tube is where they have the paint missing in the shapes of animals and when the sun is shinning, it shows when you're inside. (At least this is what Sakari told me).

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

VIDEO ARCADE

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

SPICE H20:

 

This is an adult-only retreat area during the day. There are lounge chairs and hot tubs along with a nice waterfall grotto to cool off in. There is a bar there and a smoking area around the bar.

 

At night, they hold dance parties here including the GloParty. There's also a huge video screen and they host movies there in the evenings.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

WAVES POOL BAR

This bar is located in the middle and overlooks the adult pool and tv screens and the back side you can see the kiddie waterpark, family pool and slides. It is a smoking area in front and down the sides of the bar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

DECK 16:

 

Main Pool, which is the "family" pool. Notice they have a red dot over the "No" in lifeguard on Duty. They have lifeguards. After all the drownings and problems with kids over the last several years, I believe NCL, RC and Carnival all have them now.

 

 

 

They had a small area in the back of the pool with a waterfall and this area is very shallow and not for swimming.

 

 

The towel "exchange" area is right across from the family pool and the kiddie water park. Although it says "exchange only" on it, they would also take your room number (given to them verbally and not with a key card) and write down on a paper how many towels you checked out. HOWEVER, this system is flawed if they are trying to keep track of the towels. For one, they don't verify your room number or if you even gave them the right number. Another thing is, when you turn in the towels, they never checked your name off. Yet another thing, when you are coming back from port, they have an area before you get on the ship that you can offload your wet towels (not get new ones) and then go back up and get dry ones from the pool area. There's no way for anyone to know how many you have out or in. Kinda weird if you ask me.

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Kiddie Waterpark

 

They stepped up their game from all of the other ships I have been on. It's still not as extensive as Carnival's waterpark on a lot of their ships, but it's better than NCL's previous areas for the kids.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Market Place

 

This area, which runs between the kids area and the adult pool area, is used during certain days of the cruise and has pool and beach items like sunscreen, beach toys, sunglasses, and so on. However, I did not see it open one day during our cruise. (It does get pretty windy in that area because it sometimes works as a breezeway when the ship is moving). 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Adult Only Pool and chairs

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

There is a stage by the pool and live bands will play here.

 

 

 

There's also 2 hot tubs in this area. I believe they are adult and children because every time I looked, I always seen kids in them. If you want an adult only hot tub, you can go to the back in H20.

 

 

 

There are ping pong tables in this area as well.

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Pool Bar by the adult pool area

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Garden Cafe

 

I apologize in advance, I didn't manage to get any pictures of the actual seating area in the buffet. There always seemed to be people there and at other times, I just plain forgot. Oops. Mitsugirly failure.

 

 

 

They do have several actual hand washing stations when you enter the dining area

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Pulse Fitness Center

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

The Barber Shop:

 

Full service beauty salon and barber shop.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Cool looking picture that was 3D

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Mandara Spa

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

They had the prettiest looking jellyfish ornament on their Christmas tree.

 

 

 

 

 

[reeinaz]

What is the room in Spice H2O with the chairs facing each other?

[mitsugirly]

DECK 8

 

5 O'Clock Somewhere Bar

 

Live musical performances are here in the evenings and this is the first of a kind place on NCL Escape.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Bayamo by Ocean Blue

 

You will find fresh seafood dishes, which also has waterfront seating.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Cagneys Steakhouse

 

American Steakhouse with premium cut Angus Beef.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Outside Dining

 

 

 

 

 

 

[mitsugirly]

Moderno Churrascaria

 

Authentic Brazilian Churrascaria with a 43-item salad bar. 12 slow-roasted meats are carved tableside.

 

This place is located on the opposite side of Cagneys.