Thoughts on the Escape?

[Susandt]

What did you not like

[lexxfield]

The Escape is my favorite of all the ships I have sailed either in the Royal Caribbean or NCL fleet.  If the Escape had The Cavern and a Beatles tribute band, she would be perfection.

[eileeshb]

I’ve just been on Epic having previously been on Escape, Breakaway and Getaway. Escape was my first and still my favourite of those 4 ships. The negatives on the Epic for me were the lack of sockets in the cabin and the  lack of the waterfront area.  I travel solo so the bathroom setup on Epic didn’t bother me at all. 
The lack of guests on Epic made things very easy for getting service at the bars, but the social distancing requirements meant the theatre was at max capacity very quickly. As they had almost half the seats marked off. 

[WillWorkToCruise]

On 10/26/2021 at 9:52 AM, oteixeira said:

They normally have left hand milk stout on Nitro (if its not sold out), that is what I start every cruise with if I am on the Escape.  I agree that it (and most others) are more macro-brew then micro, but it's still WAY better then the selection on most ships.  For that reason, I love it.

We are IPA drinkers and the District is the only place at sea that we have ever found decent selections.  Look for cruises specifically on Breakaway Plus ships just for that reason alone.

 

[GALSews]

Our last cruise was on the Escape in 2019. We lucked into a special cruise. Because of hurricanes in the Caribbean that year, our cruise to Canada had Guy Harvey and some of his research colleagues on it. They'd been scheduled for a Caribbean sailing. (Guy Harvey is the oceanographic biologist and artist who designed the ship's hull paintings.) We attended almost every event with Dr. Harvey, learning a lot about sharks, enough to win t-shirts which Dr. Harvey signed,

 

Looking forward to being back on the Escape in December.

[oteixeira]

1 hour ago, GALSews said:

Our last cruise was on the Escape in 2019. We lucked into a special cruise. Because of hurricanes in the Caribbean that year, our cruise to Canada had Guy Harvey and some of his research colleagues on it. They'd been scheduled for a Caribbean sailing. (Guy Harvey is the oceanographic biologist and artist who designed the ship's hull paintings.) We attended almost every event with Dr. Harvey, learning a lot about sharks, enough to win t-shirts which Dr. Harvey signed,

 

Looking forward to being back on the Escape in December.

He was onboard in 2016 on one of our sailings as well.  He was just outside the Bistro area painting large canvases.  

[deliver42]

We were on the Escape a couple of years ago and loved it. Plenty of deck space, very good food, both in the MDR and specialties. Great shows. For my money, except for possibly the Bliss, which we haven't been on, but have seen the tours of her, the Escape wopuld be out go to NCL ship.

[GALSews]

14 hours ago, oteixeira said:

He was onboard in 2016 on one of our sailings as well.  He was just outside the Bistro area painting large canvases.  

Apparently, they've had him a number of times. He also did a painting during our voyage. He's definitely earning more as a painter than an oceanographer.

[CookieShip]

Sailed on Escape twice the year before covid, would surely said on her again if I had the opportunity. 

[SliderNc]

On 10/24/2021 at 8:25 PM, JamieLogical said:

I haven't been on the Epic... have avoided it because of it's wonky bathroom layout and it's lack of outdoor views/spaces. I love the Escape, though! It has the Waterfront, which is the best feature of the Breakaway and Breakaway Plus class ships. I like that it has District Brew House as well. Really missed that on the Breakaway sailing I just came back from. The most underrated feature of the Escape, in my opinion, is Pincho Tappas.

I'll second you on Pincho Tappas.  Escape was the last cruise we took in 2017 and that was one of our favorite places to eat.  I've never been on Epic though, so I can't compare, but Escape was my favorite cruise because of the crew.  They were amazing.  The ship is really nice as well and I thought that they learned a lot from the previous builds to make it a good ship.

[kylenyc]

On 10/24/2021 at 5:53 PM, CruizinKittie40 said:

Got off the Epic earlier today and was not impressed.  This was our first cruise with NCL and would never book Epic again.  We have a sailing with the Escape in December and am thinking about giving NCL one more shot.  Can you tell me what you love/hate about the Escape and compare it to Epic if possible?

 

Thanks!

The Escape is a lovely ship. Hope you enjoy.

 

Epic is unique in the fleet because it was built by ?French? shipyard ?STX France? Apparently important design changes were made during a contract dispute. That  combined with an attempt to give Epic a modern design backfired as suggested by others in this thread - In the design of open bathroom concept, round beds, wavy cabin shape, location of elevators and attractions, fewer of outdoor spaces. These are not elements present on other NCL ships. Not a fan of Epic but I won't complain if the price is right.

 

Edited November 2, 2021 by kylenyc

[firstimecruiseronncl]

On 10/24/2021 at 10:17 PM, gmbhardy said:

I’ve been on both ships multiple times. Although the Epic is not as bad as some people make out, the Escape is much better. The Escape is newer than the Epic and has more dining, drinking and waterfront amenities. I concur that if you enjoy a good pint of beer the District Brew Houde on the Escape is a great hangout. The Escape would be the perfect ship if it had an observation lounge like the Bliss, Joy and Encore. I would give it a try.  It might change you mind about NCL.

I so agree. The Escape was my favorite ship until I went on the Bliss which has the observation lounge. I loved that observation lounge. The didn't care for the Vibe on the Bliss. The bar was shorter and it wasn't a great Vibe experience. The service was lacking. I also love the wine bar on both ships.