Does anyone love the Escape?

[craig01020]

Starting to have second thoughts about my 10-day Europe cruise booked on the Escape. I've read many bad reviews citing the crowds and inability to get into shows or even elevators. Certainly there has to be some Encore lovers out there. If so, please tell me why you're a fan.

 

Thanks.

[www3traveler]

What you are reading about The Escape seems to be true with all the ships in the system.  All of the ships are running at 100% capacity right now. Even the transatlantic and Panama Canal cruises are sailing at or near capacity.  For some reason, some passengers are really rude.

 

I would not worry about your particular cruise.  A 10 day cruise with family and friends or even by yourself is reason enough to celebrate.  Relax and enjoy.

[mcmomny]

We were on The Escape during March Spring break, not by our choosing as we don't travel with kids we just didn't pay attention to the dates!

 

Our sailing was 100% including 1500 kids and this did not stop us from having a good cruise and enjoying the ship. Yes the pool and buffet were always crowded but we never had trouble getting into shows or making dinner reservations.

 

Plenty of nice, quiet spots on the ship. The Water front and out doors bars were our go too spot.  Deck 19 next to Vibe was a quiet sun spot with a bar and bathroom! District Brew House always had room for us to play cards and enjoy a drink or two.

 

I think because everyone gets Free at Seas now it is harder to get specialty dinning reservations 125 days out but on ship we had no trouble making them and changing them.

 

The MDR's were never crowded and service was outstanding!

 

I was super stressed about our cruise once I realized that we booked during Spring Break but we had a great time and enjoyed ourselves, the ports of call and the ship so relax and enjoy!

 

 

[dexddd]

Escape or Encore??

 

We loved Escape 2018 to Bermuda. Now if you asked about BA or GA, no way.

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, craig01020 said:

Starting to have second thoughts about my 10-day Europe cruise booked on the Escape. I've read many bad reviews citing the crowds and inability to get into shows or even elevators. Certainly there has to be some Encore lovers out there. If so, please tell me why you're a fan.

 

Thanks.

Don’t believe everything you read on the internet. It is all Fake News. People like to complain anonymously because it makes them feel empowered. 
 

We have sailed on the Escape 5 times and have another cruise on the Escape scheduled soon. We were on the Encore last month and it sailed over 120% capacity. After 2 years, it felt like cruising is getting back to “normal”. And we had a great time. 
 

Do you have to wait for an elevator from time to time,,, sure. That is “normal” cruising on any cruise line. Did we try to get into every show,,, no, but that, too, is normal,,, you need to plan and can’t just walk at show time. 
 

Go on your cruise. Enjoy your cruise. We will soon!  

[wolft927]

I agree, We are booked on the Escape for January, just got back from the Joy during Spring break time in April. Was the Ship busy, sure!!! Pools were crowded on sea days but we never had any issues really. I think alot of people would like to see the occupancy levels like they were during the restart after Covid but thats just not going to Happen. 

 

If you dont like the crowds, stay away from the Main Pool deck during sea days, find a quiet place. Spice H20 on the Joy was great, never insanely packed and was never to long a line to get a drink. 

[craig01020]

10 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

I agree, We are booked on the Escape for January, just got back from the Joy during Spring break time in April. Was the Ship busy, sure!!! Pools were crowded on sea days but we never had any issues really. I think alot of people would like to see the occupancy levels like they were during the restart after Covid but thats just not going to Happen. 

 

If you dont like the crowds, stay away from the Main Pool deck during sea days, find a quiet place. Spice H20 on the Joy was great, never insanely packed and was never to long a line to get a drink. 

Not a worry. My future Escape cruise has zero sea days! 😂

Edited May 4, 2023 by craig01020

[plainsstormchaser]

8 minutes ago, wolft927 said:

I agree, We are booked on the Escape for January, just got back from the Joy during Spring break time in April. Was the Ship busy, sure!!! Pools were crowded on sea days but we never had any issues really. I think alot of people would like to see the occupancy levels like they were during the restart after Covid but thats just not going to Happen. 

 

If you dont like the crowds, stay away from the Main Pool deck during sea days, find a quiet place. Spice H20 on the Joy was great, never insanely packed and was never to long a line to get a drink. 

We were on Encore last fall, and were told at the time they were running 65-75% occupancy. NCL's latest quarterly report indicated they are now up to an average at or above 100%.

[hallux]

For a sun worshipper the Escape is a great ship!  LOTS of free-to-access deck space (if you don't mind not being near the pool all the time).

 

Yes, getting into shows in Headliners and Syd Norman's required advance planning and some extra time spent (I was about 25-30 people deep in a line at 8:15 for a 9:30 show in Syd Norman's), but the shows were generally worth the time.

 

I really liked the Bliss and Joy for having the Observation Lounge, but in general I really like this class of ship.

[plainsstormchaser]

3 minutes ago, hallux said:

For a sun worshipper the Escape is a great ship!  LOTS of free-to-access deck space (if you don't mind not being near the pool all the time).

 

Yes, getting into shows in Headliners and Syd Norman's required advance planning and some extra time spent (I was about 25-30 people deep in a line at 8:15 for a 9:30 show in Syd Norman's), but the shows were generally worth the time.

 

I really liked the Bliss and Joy for having the Observation Lounge, but in general I really like this class of ship.

I believe I will also miss the Observation Lounge when we're on Escape and Getaway. Having only sailed Alaska itineraries to this point, the Observation Lounge has been a big part of my experience. We'll probably do a Vibe pass on our Transatlantic next fall, just to know we have a quiet space somewhere on the ship. Does anyone know whether the Europe to US TA itineraries tend to be pretty full or on the lighter side?

Edited May 4, 2023 by plainsstormchaser

[hallux]

1 minute ago, plainsstormchaser said:

I believe I will also miss the Observation Lounge on Escape and Getaway

I thought I'd miss it (my previous 3 cruises had one) but I really didn't miss it much, I found plenty of other places to spend some time.

[wolft927]

We were on the Joy Aft Haven Suite and never spent any time in the Observation lounges. Escape in January and know we wont miss it. 

[plainsstormchaser]

2 hours ago, dexddd said:

Escape or Encore??

 

We loved Escape 2018 to Bermuda. Now if you asked about BA or GA, no way.

Why the BA+ ships but not the BA-class?

[jcollin]

2 hours ago, mcmomny said:

We were on The Escape during March Spring break, not by our choosing as we don't travel with kids we just didn't pay attention to the dates!

 

Our sailing was 100% including 1500 kids and this did not stop us from having a good cruise and enjoying the ship. Yes the pool and buffet were always crowded but we never had trouble getting into shows or making dinner reservations.

 

Plenty of nice, quiet spots on the ship. The Water front and out doors bars were our go too spot.  Deck 19 next to Vibe was a quiet sun spot with a bar and bathroom! District Brew House always had room for us to play cards and enjoy a drink or two.

 

I think because everyone gets Free at Seas now it is harder to get specialty dinning reservations 125 days out but on ship we had no trouble making them and changing them.

 

The MDR's were never crowded and service was outstanding!

 

I was super stressed about our cruise once I realized that we booked during Spring Break but we had a great time and enjoyed ourselves, the ports of call and the ship so relax and enjoy!

 

 

Well said, we were on in March as well and yes it was crowded but we had a fabulous time.  Don't forget the Spa.  Not too crowded and worth the price of entry.

[All-ready2cruise]

I'm afraid I'm a bit different, I haven't found a ship I don't like. I will say, the Joy with the OL, loved it.  My cabin was on deck 15 so easy peasy stroll down the hallway. As for the others,  does it float? Good enough. 

[mcmomny]

We are booked for The Jade in Greece this summer and there is nothing but bad reviews on this ship but we are planning on having a great time and ignoring the bad reviews!

 

I don't care about turn down service or some things changing with the beverage package, I care about the destination and spending quality time with my husband on our dream cruise!

[craig01020]

3 minutes ago, mcmomny said:

We are booked for The Jade in Greece this summer and there is nothing but bad reviews on this ship but we are planning on having a great time and ignoring the bad reviews!

 

I don't care about turn down service or some things changing with the beverage package, I care about the destination and spending quality time with my husband on our dream cruise!

I agree. I haven't been on the Jade yet; I was on the Gem (which is similar) and really enjoyed it.

[JandC_Cruising]

We've enjoyed each of our cruises on the Escape.

The lack of an OL is not really a big deal in warm weather, "non-scenic" cruises, in our opinion.  Additionally, compared to the Joy, it has a Thermal Spa.  For us, that is a great trade.  We love the thermal spas and will spend time there every day, while the OL is only a couple of visits per cruise (again if "non-scenic" cruise)

The Escape has one of our favorite quick-bite specialty restaurants "Pinchos", which is only on that ship.

Another favorite of ours on every ship is Le Bistro, and honestly, I like the location and feel of that venue on the Escape.  It is down on deck 6 and actually looks and feels like a real Bistro.  The Encore and Joy venues don't have that character.

On the downside (i guess) is that we also get Vibe passes and the Escape Vibe area is 1/2 the size of the Joy and the Encore Vibe is even bigger.  It is only on one side and if that is the windy side, you are out of luck.   That said, smaller venue=fewer passes, so it may be a wash. 

 

[www3traveler]

1 hour ago, plainsstormchaser said:

I believe I will also miss the Observation Lounge when we're on Escape and Getaway. Having only sailed Alaska itineraries to this point, the Observation Lounge has been a big part of my experience. We'll probably do a Vibe pass on our Transatlantic next fall, just to know we have a quiet space somewhere on the ship. Does anyone know whether the Europe to US TA itineraries tend to be pretty full or on the lighter side?

According to someone currently doing a "Live" report from the Epic (arriving in Barcelona, Spain on this Sunday), She is near 100%.

[wolft927]

22 minutes ago, mcmomny said:

We are booked for The Jade in Greece this summer and there is nothing but bad reviews on this ship but we are planning on having a great time and ignoring the bad reviews!

 

I don't care about turn down service or some things changing with the beverage package, I care about the destination and spending quality time with my husband on our dream cruise!

Most reviews i see that are bad about the Pearl Class and the Dawn Class are people who cruise the BRekaway and Breakaway Plus class ships first. I for one, Have sailed on the Star and Dawn before...loved them, but since sailing on the BReakaway several times and the Joy and our next on the escape will only sail ships that were built with the Haven 

[graphicguy]

Love the Escape and her sisters.  Some of the nicest ships at sea.

 

Not sure which reviews you're referring to, though!

[schmoopie17]

The Escape is our second favorite NCL ship (after the Bliss). Our November TA was only about 55% full, so it was even better.

[snorklinbarb]

53 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Love the Escape and her sisters.  Some of the nicest ships at sea.

 

Not sure which reviews you're referring to, though!

Probably new one posted where family had not cruised in a few years and did no advance bookings for shows or restaurants so had a difficult time with that.  5200 guests onboard.  Still what OP needs to keep in mind is they also highly complimented crew and service and said they had an "amazing" time.

 

GG, enjoying Bliss review!

[eileeshb]

My very first cruise was on Escape and I had such a good time I'd booked my next within a week of getting home. The waterfront is a nice relaxed outdoor area and the bars there are non-smoking unlike Spice. However the cooling grotto in Spice on Escape is a nice spot on a hot day.

[wolft927]

8 minutes ago, eileeshb said:

My very first cruise was on Escape and I had such a good time I'd booked my next within a week of getting home. The waterfront is a nice relaxed outdoor area and the bars there are non-smoking unlike Spice. However the cooling grotto in Spice on Escape is a nice spot on a hot day.

We are looking forward to the Grotto on the escape in January. Joy doesnt have one they have an enourmas hot tub