Seas2mountains

Daily - Day 4

Daily - Day 3

The ship is really crowded especially in the main pool area and in the atrium. We liked the entertainment in the District Brewhouse the last two evenings and had no problem getting drinks. It’s also not too crowded there, yet, as I think many people don’t know it’s there. When the bartenders noticed my tip money at the pool bar, I got served quickly. But now we are in the atrium at peak times 7-9pm and there are many people in line for drinks and a few servers in the area. The atrium is packed. I just flagged down a server and we will be sure to tip him so he will come back. My husband keeps saying that he can’t wait to get on a smaller ship with few crowds. We had another great day despite the crowds on a sea day. People seem really happy and the crew is working hard to provide excellent service in all restaurants and bars. The internet is too slow to upload photos and the daily so I will try tomorrow.

We had a wonderful day at Great Stirrup Cay. One man asked us how many ships were there today. He almost didn’t believe us when we said everyone on the island was from the Escape. He pointed to the RC ship at Coco Cay and didn’t realize it was a different island and cruise line.

He is an excellent bartender. I’m not sure if we should be embarrassed or flattered that he remembered us and our names. 🫢😬

Here is the updated itinerary.

We thought so, too. The driver showed us he had a third row but that row was folded down to fit our bags.

Our granddaughter loved her short experience at Splash Academy. She said we picked her up too early and asked to return for longer times today. I’ll try to get a count of passengers and kids later this cruise. We see kids but not too many kids. We enjoyed the talented musician in the District Brewhouse and listened to the band playing in the atrium while we got a snack before bed at O’Sheehan’s.

I don’t remember all the actual dessert names but all were delicious. Our granddaughter was a big helper for this course as she gets credit for helping three of us finish our desserts plus her own. One was a strawberry sorbet, an apple dessert, key lime pie, and a chocolate mousse cake like the one in Le Bistro. I didn’t get a photo of the basil sorbet. She was telling us the gentle rocking of the ship was making her feel tired during dinner. She was not tired after dessert and was ready for the kid’s club aka Splash Academy.

Cioppino

Entrees were Seafood Linguine, Grilled Fisherman’s Platter, Salmon, and Cioppino. Everyone reported excellent food and a lot of food was shared. Sides shown are steamed vegetables and au gratin potatoes.

Dinner at Bayamo last night was delicious and it was a great option for our companions to experience specialty dining. Our son and his fiancée wanted to eat outside and I’ll admit I was a bit reluctant thinking it was going to be too windy or too hot but it was actually a perfect evening for the weather. Appetizers/Salads. Shrimp Trio, Blazing Shrimp - my husband’s favorite, Tuna, Beets and Goat Cheese, Crab cake and Wedge Salad -thankfully served cut up for our grand daughter, Scallops.

We can report that the amazing Haven bartender, Made, from the Getaway is now on the Escape until October. We ran into him on deck 6 as we were ending our evening. We really wanted to book the Haven for this cruise as the prices were somewhat reasonable for us for one cabin but not for both cabins. Plus, we wanted to be close to our family members.

We booked the cruise in December when the water promotion was in effect. We received all 12 waters in both rooms and in our room we had some extra ones for our Latitudes status.

Check-in was really easy. While the terminal area outside was crowded and traffic was backed up, we arrived a bit after 10am but had almost no wait for security and had our key cards in less than 10 minutes. Boarding for those who needed assistance started at 11am even though we saw people getting off the ship at 10:45am. We were on the ship a few minutes after 11am but it took some time to adjust our restaurant reservations and go to the box office for tickets. Next it was time to change into bathing suits and get in the hot tub and pool. I have not seen a shrimp option in the buffet in years. First drinks were Long Island Iced Tea and Rebellious Fish.

Good morning from Great Stirrup Cay! This was scheduled for Saturday, June 3rd, but we have some itinerary changes. We actually love this change as it’s fun to start out the cruise by going to the beach on the first full day. Our family members are reporting that yesterday was a 10 out of 10 or even 11 out of 10 so that’s my excuse for failing to give updates yesterday. I’ll go back to report on the embarkation and first day. We didn’t get our granddaughter to bed until after 11pm but she is still adjusting from Mountain time zone so that’s not too late for her.

We requested an Uber XL but the vehicle would only hold three of us and our luggage so we had our son and his fiancée take a second Uber to the cruise port B.

It’s a beautiful morning in Miami. And it’s cruise day! The Escape is down there at the end, I believe.

After the pool closed at 8pm, we showered and changed clothes. Note to self- even if the shower curtain is in place when the kid gets in the shower, check it frequently when they are singing and playing as it can become out of place quickly with water all over the floor. Our granddaughter asked what we were having for dinner. The adults could have skipped it since we had a hearty late lunch but we know kids can’t. We figured we better get used to eating every few hours again since we will soon be on a cruise. The hotel has a restaurant but we went to the bar lounge which served a variety of appetizers and entrees. She liked the Korean BBQ pork ribs and some chips and guacamole. She tried to stay awake to watch an NHL hockey game since she is a proud hockey player but the Zzzz monster got to her and she’s been sleeping well all night.

As it was after 4pm now and we had breakfast many hours ago, a few in our group were getting hangry so we walked to a restaurant we tried in the past and liked with great views of the river, Casablanca. This is close to the Marriott and Doubletree. https://www.casablancaseafood.com/restaurant/ But unfortunately, they didn’t open until 5:30pm. My husband remembered another restaurant in the area from a past work trip, Mike’s, so we walked there. While the service was a bit slow as seems to happen these days, the food was excellent and was hot. The prices were really reasonable. While they had outside seating, the views didn’t exist due to construction and we thought it was too hot to eat outside anyway. Mike’s is on the 9th floor of a condo building called the Venetian. https://mikesmiami.com/miami-mike-s-at-venetia-food-menu We walked along the waterfront to the Publix to find a few last minute items and some snacks - okay truthfully for cheese. I don’t think my husband has survived too many days in his life without cheese preferably Tillamook cheddar. We have even visited the Tillamook cheese factory in Oregon about two years ago. Publix is located about two blocks from the hotel. Next, it was time for our granddaughter to get time in the pool. She quickly made a friend who was in her same grade and said she was 8 years old. Kids are so funny sometimes. Our granddaughter told her new friend that “technically” she was 8 years old. Well, she does have a birthday in about a week but we all smiled trying to figure out how she “technically” was 8 years old. Lol.

We arrived at the Miami airport a few minutes earlier than scheduled and retrieved all five suitcases from baggage claim without any issues. We saw the amount quoted in Uber for an XL was about $33 to our hotel. My husband noticed several mini van taxis in line immediately after we got our bags so we decided to take one instead of waiting for an Uber. When we got to the hotel, Hilton Miami Downtown on Biscayne Blvd., the taxi rate was $37. We could have paid by credit card but paid with cash. As it was after 3pm, we had no wait to collect our room cards for a high floor with views of the cruise port. Here is a photo of the ships in port yesterday as viewed from our room. Being able to see the ships made our granddaughter super excited to know we will soon start our vacation.

It’s travel day! We have all 5 of us and our bags loaded and we are on our way to the airport. It’s a bit more fun with the excited family members asking questions and talking about what they are excited to do on the ship or at a beach.