Escape out of Port Canaveral or Encore out of Miami in March?

[Mamatothree]

Hello again,

We are navigating the tough choice between these two ships with the same itineraries (opposite one another but stopping at all the same ports). We've been to both Miami and Orlando and have even cruised out of Miami in the past- do not plan to spend any real time in the departure port other than an overnight stay the evening before. We are very active early 50's with a 16 year old son along. Will book balcony room. Encore is approx $300 more than Escape.

Any advice? TIA!

[dbrown84]

WOW.  I'm making the exact decision for the last week in March.  Encore looks good because the DR stop is later (11-6 vs 9-4), but it doesn't have Spice H20 or moderno.  Really, I think I'm most interested in it because it's a little newer ship.  On the other hand, Escape is a Sat-Sat cruise, so I'd have a rest day before returning to work.and the flights are cheaper from DC to Orlando vs Miami.  I've never been on either ship, so that's a toss up.  I'm really leaning towards Escape, but I'll be following this thread 

[Cruising Lynne]

I like the Spice H2O on Escape so that, plus a rest day after travelling, would push me towards Escape. I have been on Escape and really like that ship, but have not been on Encore. Unless the teen really wants to do go-karts, I vote for Escape. 

[enyliram]

lack of sports court on encore makes escape a better choice.

[Suna]

I agree about the sports court … my teen boys love the basketball aspect on Escape. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

I realize that this is a warm weather cruise, but I still enjoy a nice observation lounge to chill in.  That makes Encore the winner.

[BirdTravels]

Encore and the observation lounge. Our sport court days are long past. And I truly hate sailing out of PC. 

[hallux]

I'm actually booked on the Escape for the 2nd-to-last week of March!  I've been on the Bliss and Joy, and while the Escape is technically the same ship class (Breakaway-Plus), it's quite a bit different, and the lack of Spice H20 is not made up for with the OL for me on a warm weather cruise.

[Tplanav1]

We are on the escape for the week of the 18th of March. First NCL cruise, but having cruised out of both ports with RCL, we prefer Orlando. Mostly because it’s a more feasible drive from where we are in SC and a whole lot less busy since it houses less ships.

[hallux]

10 hours ago, Tplanav1 said:

We are on the escape for the week of the 18th of March

That's the one I'm booked on!

[david_sobe]

A 16 year old boy will love the race track, huge Laser tag course,  and Galaxy Pavilion.  You can play hoops anywhere.  That's not a fair comparison at all.

 

Encore has more bells and whistles.  People tend to rationalize and justify their choices instead of being objective.  Clearly you can have a blast on either ship and without a 16 year old boy I may lean Escape for a more traditional ship.  But a teen boy is who the Encore was built for.

Edited October 28, 2022 by david_sobe

[Cruising Lynne]

1 hour ago, david_sobe said:

A 16 year old boy will love the race track, huge Laser tag course,  and Galaxy Pavilion.  You can play hoops anywhere.  That's not a fair comparison at all.

 

Encore has more bells and whistles.  People tend to rationalize and justify their choices instead of being objective.  Clearly you can have a blast on either ship and without a 16 year old boy I may lean Escape for a more traditional ship.  But a teen boy is who the Encore was built for.

Good points. I forgot about laser tag and Galaxy Pavilion.

 

We were just on the Prima which also does not have a basketball court. They have an outdoor space with several free games such as ping pong, sub-soccer, and pickleball. I saw a lot more people of all ages enjoying that space than I have ever seen at the basketball court on other ships. 

 

I guess it is good that different ships have different features so that people can choose the ship that works best for them. 

 

[jcollin]

3 hours ago, hallux said:

That's the one I'm booked on!

Us 2, or us 4 I guess, we have 2 spa balcony rooms booked

[weltek]

When we had to make that choice for our December cruise, we ended up with the Encore...but we don't have kids.

The Escape was a tiny bit cheaper, and we've been on her multiple times and loved it. Pincho Tapas is only available on that ship and is a fun casual pre-dinner outing. Love Spice H20 for my daytime lounging. Enjoyed the ropes course even as a 40something.

BUT, we ended up booking the Encore because Miami is easier to fly into and get to port, plus it lets us try another ship (that's a tad newer). Onda looks great. I'll miss Spice H20, but if the weather is bad, we'll definitely appreciate the Observation Lounge.

So, check out the situation with sailing out of Port Canaveral and see if that influences your choice either way. If the Escape and Encore were both sailing out of Miami, we'd have probably stuck with the Escape, personally.

[detroitlions]

17 hours ago, enyliram said:

lack of sports court on encore makes escape a better choice.

Yes this was a issue when my son was around 16 or 17 he is very active and when he went on the Bliss he said this ship is horrible there is nothing to do no basket ball no this no that and the carts and laser tag he said is fun 1 or 2 times but what about the rest of the week. I had the same decision between these two ships upcoming Dec, I chose the Escape been on it before and it was my favorite NCL ship I did want to check out the Encore but the young adults that are going I know would be bummed out.

[detroitlions]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Encore and the observation lounge. Our sport court days are long past. And I truly hate sailing out of PC. 

I have to ask why do you hate PC? I am currious cause I have been out of many ports most of them Florida but never PC and I am going out of PC in Dec.

[FlGoodShips]

If port stops are the same, but Escape is $300 less...I pick Escape.

Been on both. Love Escape and plenty to do for a 16 yr old. He will probably be with other teens on the ship, so he'll have plenty of fun.

Enjoy.

[PTC DAWG]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Encore and the observation lounge. Our sport court days are long past. And I truly hate sailing out of PC. 

Curious as to your issue with PC…easy to get to, rarely any traffic, plenty of parking..affordable hotels nearby..

 

To answer OP..I like the Escape…

 

 

Edited October 28, 2022 by PTC DAWG

[mcmomny]

5 hours ago, hallux said:

That's the one I'm booked on!

Us too!

[CruizinSusan70]

The Escape has Howl at the Moon, but it also has a casino that has bad ventilation and the cigarette smoke permeates upwards from deck 6.  The Encore has a glass enclosed casino for the smokers, had the Cavern Club with the Beatles tribute band and of course the aforementioned Observation lounge.

[FLcruisergrl]

15 hours ago, detroitlions said:

I have to ask why do you hate PC? I am currious cause I have been out of many ports most of them Florida but never PC and I am going out of PC in Dec.

Not who the question is directed to, but we sail out of PC and love it. It’s an easy, same day drive from our home in NE Florida and have always found it very organized and easy to navigate. Now Tampa-that’s a clustf*&k!

Edited October 29, 2022 by FLcruisergrl

[ggTexasGal]

Part of the reason many people prefer to NOT sail from Port Canaveral is the "longish" drive from Orlando after (perhaps multi-stop) flights from other states.

Just as I would imagine MANY people, who would need to fly into HOU/IAH, might feel the same way about the ports in Galveston!

[Karaboudjan]

3 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

Part of the reason many people prefer to NOT sail from Port Canaveral is the "longish" drive from Orlando after (perhaps multi-stop) flights from other states.

Just as I would imagine MANY people, who would need to fly into HOU/IAH, might feel the same way about the ports in Galveston!

 

It is about the easiest 40 mile trip you could ask for.  Per Google it is 39 minutes from MCO to PC as of now (8:45am on a Saturday) and 15 minutes from MIA to the cruise terminal.  It's hard to believe that an extra 25 minutes would be a deciding factor for most people.  As it is only one person voiced the opinion that they don't like PC and gave no reasons, but several have said they like it.

[CruizinSusan70]

4 hours ago, ggTexasGal said:

Part of the reason many people prefer to NOT sail from Port Canaveral is the "longish" drive from Orlando after (perhaps multi-stop) flights from other states.

Just as I would imagine MANY people, who would need to fly into HOU/IAH, might feel the same way about the ports in Galveston!

 

1 hour ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

It is about the easiest 40 mile trip you could ask for.  Per Google it is 39 minutes from MCO to PC as of now (8:45am on a Saturday) and 15 minutes from MIA to the cruise terminal.  It's hard to believe that an extra 25 minutes would be a deciding factor for most people.  As it is only one person voiced the opinion that they don't like PC and gave no reasons, but several have said they like it.

Have to say that the longer the commute from the airport to the cruise port, the more of a PITA it is.  When embarking from MIA or FLL, the commute is fairly easy and if needed you have the option of flying into either airport to get to either cruise port.   When going out of PC, there is the higher cost of getting from MCO to PC, as well as the slightly longer commute, which is not a deal breaker, just an inconvenience.  But, the deal breaker is the commute from IAH to Galveston, which is 75-90 minutes depending upon traffic.  We will put up with it on Monday for our repositioning cruise on the Prima, but it'll be a one and done for us ever embarking from Galveston again.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, Karaboudjan said:

 

It is about the easiest 40 mile trip you could ask for.  Per Google it is 39 minutes from MCO to PC as of now (8:45am on a Saturday) and 15 minutes from MIA to the cruise terminal.  It's hard to believe that an extra 25 minutes would be a deciding factor for most people.  As it is only one person voiced the opinion that they don't like PC and gave no reasons, but several have said they like it.

It's also the difference between a $27 taxi ride from MIA to PortMiami versus an $85 UberXL+road tolls from MCO to PC (at 10:30 on a Saturday). 

Edited October 29, 2022 by BirdTravels