Another Great Escape- first time in Europe! Thank you to all!

[RIvacationgirl]

I just returned from our 10 day Mediterranean Cruise on the Escape. It was myself, my husband, and our two best friends. I will give you some brief highlights. However, I wanted to first thank all who helped me with my questions as I planned over the past year, your tips made things much easier! I am going to try and pay it forward!

We took the NCL  Air,Transfer and Hotel package. It was extremely hot- almost 100 degrees and high humidity each day- so plan accordingly!

Air: We flew on Iberia Airlines, which is part of British Airways. On time, service was good, the plane was a bit warm though.

Transfer: Here we had some problems with the transportation. When we landed in Barcelona, there was an over hour line with only 2-3 agents working. It was very slow going, so go to the rest room prior if necessary. It is also quite warm in the terminal, we saw one girl who looked like she was ready to faint being escorted out. When we finally got through, we picked up our luggage, and proceeded down to find our NCL transportation to the hotel. It was a bit difficult with the language barrier, but we finally found them, and the person with the NCL sign said they had no driver for us. It was about 2:30 pm. We asked how to proceed, as we had paid for this and he highly suggested to get a taxi. He told us he was still trying to find someone for us... after about an hour he found a driver, and he arrived within 30 minutes. We were a bit disappointed with this service FROM the airport.

Hotel: We stayed at the Gran Havana Hotel Barcelona for 2 nights, nice clean room, rooftop restaurant was very good, rooftop pool. The breakfast buffet was included each day, and it was better than the one on the ship in our opinion. (Hint: Coffee Shop right on the same street where the hotel restaurant is, very short walk- wonderful.) When you check in, you will get a Welcome Letter which tells you when the NCL Transportation will arrive on the day of embarkation. You can rent a European Plug connection for 10 Euros, and get the Euros back when you return it upon check-out. A representative from NCL was in the lobby on embarkation day, which was surprising to us, and was also comforting after the glitch at the airport. She checked us in for the transportation and a large bus arrived on time and took all of the NCL passengers to the port. There was just about a full bus of NCL people at our hotel.

Here is a Thank You! We took a private tour with just the four of us in an air-conditioned vehicle with Barcelona Day Tours- which was highly recommended from CC. We had Joau, and he showed us around Barcelona, and brought us to La Sagrada Familia- which we already had purchased tickets through them, and prior to our arrival, had requested to let him know if there were any special places we wanted to see. He was funny and we could ask him many questions, and he suggested going to El Nacional Barcelona, which was a beautiful collection of restaurants inside and air conditioned. He also suggested an area not far from the hotel for the evening, Las Ramblas which was filled with many shops and dining options which was only a few blocks away.

Embarkation: A bit of confusion on which line to go to, but we eventually got into the terminal and since we are Platinum, were immediately able to go into a separate line with no waiting. We were on the ship by 11:00 am! Our friends are Silver, and they did not wait for any significant time to check-in.

Ship: The Escape is as wonderful as ever, and the crew was top notch, even more stellar than last summer. I do not think this was a completely filled ship, we never felt like it was too busy. We were in Cabin 14840 and Marvin was our Cabin Steward. We left a note that we needed 4 washcloths and 4 bath towels each day, as with the heat there were multiple showers each day, and he accommodated us everyday. Jack is the Cruise Director, as he was last year- outstanding.

Food: We ate at Manhattan Room twice, Taste and Savor many times as we tend to go to the smaller complimentary venues. We also enjoyed O'Sheehans, and ate at Bayamo, Le Bistro, Cagney's and Moderno- all very good. Buffet has more than enough choices to find something you like, and was never crazy busy. We were disappointed about the buffet not being open after 9:30 pm, we all agreed that is a bit too early, especially if you are enjoying entertainment and would like to go eat afterwards. I knew this going onto the ship form the CC Board, and we did go to O'Sheehan's twice after 9:30 pm, but we still think there should be a bit of options at the buffet at that time. 

Entertainment: We had reservations for Choir of Men, and it was sold out- no fee, just completely filled. Fantastic show!, Magician was okay. Howl at the Moon was fun, and we were invited up to have a dance to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary- so fun!

Excursions: We had never been to any of the cities on the itinerary, we enjoyed all excursions except for our excursion Rome and the Vatican, the tour guide was not interested in being with us at all. Very little information, and we stopped at the Colosseum on the way back from the Vatican and asked if anyone wanted to go and see it. About seven people said okay, as the heat from the day and the Vatican had everyone pretty fatigued. We all had to sign a paper, saying who did not want to see the Colosseum, and she said to those who did to make sure they took their Whispers(communication device for information with earbud gadget) with them, my husband got off the bus with them, she proceeded to walk them to it, sit by a tree and go on her phone and told them to go, and the Colosseum was closed! I can honestly say, I truly believe No One would have gotten off of the bus again in the sweltering heat to see the outside wall of the site that we had already driven by in the morning! We feel this excursion should be called Lunch and The Vatican, as we saw very little and learned very little about Rome. We had lunch and spent the majority of the time on the bus(Over 4 hours, as we were on the bus for 2 hours at the port before we left) about 2 hours at the Vatican. Highly recommend Pisa and a Taste of Tuscany, Pompeii and Enchanting Sorrento, Folklore, and Tastes and Sights of Cagliari. Moderately recommend: Palma, Tapas and Flamenco Show, and Easy Florence. We went out on our own in Messina and Malta and you can walk around very easily off of the ship to find some things to see and do.

Safety: One thing that was made very clear by all guides was to be careful of pickpockets and Gypsies. They told us to put our belongings into bags/backpacks on our chest, and do not put things in your pockets. They said don't talk to them, and they can pose as fellow tourists. They shared some horror stories with past tourists on their excursions, so everyone was very vigilant with following the directives.

Disembark Last Day: There was an option of you had a late flight and had NCL Transfer to the Airport, you could opt for late disembarkation at 2pm. We paid about $50 each to stay in the room until 8:30 am, then you go and report to a rep., and we handed in our key cards, checked our carry-ons, and received a Guest ID. This gives you the ability to stay on the ship and have buffet lunch, and beverages in the buffet. YOU STILL NEED TO PUT YOUR BIG LUGGAGE OUT THE NIGHT BEFORE. There were about 30 of us, at 1:30 pm, you report back, pick up your carry-ons and they guide you off the ship, to your luggage and onto the bus to the airport. We would definitely do this again.

Overall Takeaways: The Escape provided us with a wonderful experience again. It was a dream come true to experience so many different cultures. Be prepared for the heat- Hot Hot Hot! 

READY TO PLAN FOR OUR NEXT ADVENTURE!!!

[Two Wheels Only]

3 minutes ago, RIvacationgirl said:

We were in Cabin 14840 

 

Was the bed near the balcony or near the closet?

[RIvacationgirl]

Near the balcony. Our friend were next door in 14842, and theirs was near the balcony as well.

[Two Wheels Only]

2 minutes ago, RIvacationgirl said:

Near the balcony. Our friend were next door in 14842, and theirs was near the balcony as well.

 

Thanks.

The deck plan doesn't indicate the bed location for those 2 staterooms.  

Edited August 7 by Two Wheels Only

[schmoopie17]

We'll be doing this trip on the Escape in September. Were you able to reserve Choir of Man at 26 days?

[RIvacationgirl]

I am not sure how many days, but we were able to reserve well before our sailing

[BeachBum92]

Hello I’m glad you enjoyed your cruise, thank you for posting. I have a few general questions if you don’t mind answering them. We will be a few rooms down the hall next summer (not a European cruise so no real cruise specific questions ).
Did you feel any extra movement on deck 14, or any excessive noises etc (mechanical or housekeeping etc, or maybe pool deck/ bars) ? We picked.     #14 hoping it would be quiet based on the deck plans (of course it will vary by your neighbors). 
Any issues/obstructions with the balcony view?

Thank you.

[RIvacationgirl]

I always get two floors down from the Buffet/Pool area, to have easy access, but also to have a buffer floor between that active Pool Area. So, the 14th floor midship was very quiet, with no noise coming from above. We could faintly (VERY FAINTLY) hear the music from the pool area if on the balcony.

There was very little motion that we could sense, and last year we were in the Caribbean, and it was also very smooth sailing- we had the same room!

We had no obstructions on our balcony.

Hope this helps!

[BeachBum92]

Yes it does, thank you for the response and information. 

[seemoreroyals]

Thanks for the helpful info on the Escape.  It was nice to hear good things about a ship we will be experiencing for the first time.  We will be boarding the Escape in December.

 

Looking at the website and reading reviews there is a lot of  things to do.  Going to definitely try to get in to see Choir of Man.  Howl at the moon sounds fun as well.  Also looking to set aside one night to do the Supper Club.   

 

We have four SD's and have decided on Cagneys, Bayamo, Moderno, and are leaning towards Food Republic for number four.  If they are open for lunch were planning on doing a split between two lunches there.  So much food seems we would waste if we used both on the same lunch or dinner there.

 

Glad to hear your rooms on the 14th deck provided a great base of operation.  As it turns out we will be in the same room but on the port side of ship (14242) as your friends.  We like to be closer to the back elevators.  They don't seem as  busy.

 

Thanks again for your review.   Congrats on your 40th wedding anniversary.

[bostonphil]

Very helpful review. I am still deciding on my excursion for Cagliari.  

[Outta My Street Clothes]

Thankx for Great Helpful Review! We are on Escape in 29 days (who's counting), Can you tell me details about getting Tender in cannes? THANKx in advance!

 

[SNMK]

Thank you for your insight - very helpful!

I am signed up for the Palma, Tapas and Flamenco Show excursion.  Why did you "moderately recommend" this excursion?  Is there another excursion you would have selected or perhaps visited the port as "diy"?  Thank you!

[RIvacationgirl]

On 8/12/2024 at 9:37 AM, Outta My Street Clothes said:

Thankx for Great Helpful Review! We are on Escape in 29 days (who's counting), Can you tell me details about getting Tender in cannes? THANKx in advance!

 

If you have booked an excursion, you will get a yellow ticket in an envelope outside your room upon embarkation (With all of your excursions if multiple), and it will tell you where to report to and what time to be there. When you report to the place, they will be calling out your ticket number, and then you will be directed to your tender boat.

[RIvacationgirl]

On 8/13/2024 at 2:59 PM, SNMK said:

Thank you for your insight - very helpful!

I am signed up for the Palma, Tapas and Flamenco Show excursion.  Why did you "moderately recommend" this excursion?  Is there another excursion you would have selected or perhaps visited the port as "diy"?  Thank you!

The reasons were that the show was just "okay", three ladies and a man playing guitar. We also thought there should have been at least one man to dance with one of the women. The tapas tray did not have enough of each sample for everyone at the table, even though each person at our table just took one, and not two or three. There should have been enough of each type for everyone to be able to sample. The bathrooms were not clean at all, and that was when we had just arrived. 

We had just come from the Folklore, Tastes and Sights in Cagliari the day before, which was outstanding the day before, which did not compare at all to this experience.

[SNMK]

Thank you!!

[TJF1]

What was just okay about "Easy Florence"? Any tips?

[RIvacationgirl]

17 hours ago, TJF1 said:

What was just okay about "Easy Florence"? Any tips?

Basically they just drove us to the shops area and you were on your own. We really did not have much time to explore. We had just enough time to find a restaurant to eat, and shop for about an hour. We had to walk quite a bit to get to the shopping area and then back to the bus as well. We would skip this one, and recommend to explore a different excursion. 

[TJF1]

6 minutes ago, RIvacationgirl said:

Basically they just drove us to the shops area and you were on your own. We really did not have much time to explore. We had just enough time to find a restaurant to eat, and shop for about an hour. We had to walk quite a bit to get to the shopping area and then back to the bus as well. We would skip this one, and recommend to explore a different excursion. 

That's kind of what I thought it might be. It says 90 minutes on your own, which is not a lot of time to explore, especially with the walk back to the coach parking. Thank you for the insight.

[Outta My Street Clothes]

Thankx RI... but this is a private excursion. So anyone have any insite on how to get on the 1st tender. We are platinum, so sez we get priority... but not sure what that means. Know that we need to look to get a tender ticket as soon as we board ship...