RushFan

We have been on Escape, Epic and Getaway. On Bliss in two weeks. We always do Haven family villa, costs the same as RCL but get so much more.  I have been deck 18 and 17 twice.  I did notice the deck chairs on deck 18, not on 17.  I had read that it was excessive but honestly it’s was very minor to be honest.   The crew knows they are over Haven and they are certainly not slamming them around.   We are on Bliss deck 17  and will see how bad the chairs get.  I would suggest 17 if you can get it but I would take deck 18 if that is all that’s left and not worry about the noise.  If you are light sleeper then just mention it to the staff and they will accommodate.   Bliss deck 17 has a larger balcony for the family villas so we chose 17 because of it.   I will get some pics up once we get sailing!  

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I switched to the full face mask a year ago and love mine. Got it on Amazon about $50. Does not work with my glasses, I just wear daily contacts with mine. Nice having the snorkel tube centered as well and very wide view

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Deck 19 is not very crowded either. Not much shade.

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I booked 3 ocean balcony cabins. Not heaven. Can you tell me how many hot tubs are available for the general people? Any that are on the sides of ship looking out at sea?

We had three hot tubs. Vibe has one and there is a couple near each pool. My guess is 4 but I never went to count to be honest.

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thanks for the great info.

 

 

 

We have a group going out on the Escape February 4th.

 

 

 

As I start to plan our Group Itinerary two pieces of info would be helpful.

 

 

 

1) if I'm reading the small print on the ngith 2 Freestyle Daily, "Dress up or Not" niight is the 2nd evening - after the first full sea day - correct?

 

 

 

2) Do you recall what night they held the fireworks?

 

 

 

Thanks!

Yes dress up was second night but we really did not pay attention.

I am not sure I ever saw or heard fireworks... There was a glow party and an 80s party but no fireworks for those....

Maybe our fireworks were cancelled due to wind or weather...

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Thank you very much for your review! Looking forward to our trip next Saturday!

Enjoy Ron! We are thinking about doing escape again next summer when it goes western Carribean!! Hope they have the new wifi by then!!

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Perchance, did you happen to recall who the casino manager was. Any pictures of the casino as well.

Unfortunately I did not take any of the casino. It really is pretty spread out. We won a free bottle of champagne in the quarter machine. Other than that we really did not gamble. There was so much to do we never really wanted to do much at the casino. Now if they put slot machines in the Haven then.... :)

I have heard that the casino manager is the Haven concierge Adrian's sister. Not sure tho..

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^^. Cabana is really just an oversize lounge chair. It's first come first seat.

There are two of them. I am in one here and if you zoom across you can see the other one on the other side with a canopy . I used the term cabana a bit inaccurately...

But two people can lounge in them quite comfortably.

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Summarizing specialty dining that we tried.

First off - waterfront if you can. Temperatures at sea are nice and it is just a perfect way to dine... And yes no smoke smell...

Teppanyaki - food is typical, not bad but lacks real seasoning. It all depends on the chef, just ask for the guy who sings Journey songs and you have it made...

Moderno- Excellent.. If you don't like or eat meat I would skip it. Carnivores delight... Flank steak surprisingly had the best flavor... Even better than fillet and I can't find many that don't love roasted cinnamon pineapple...

Desert was so good had to post it twice..

LaCucina- Good Italian food and a nice break from the buffets. Birthdays always make it special...

Food Republic- This is the best on the ship. Tons to try and something for everyone. Don't miss this one...

We just went during lunch (twice) and tried a bit of everything. One dish to maybe skip was the scallops as it was just ok but the sushi, Korean tacos, wings, dumplings, steak kabob thingys were all incredibly flavorful.

We did not eat in taste, savor or Manhattan on our trip so can't be much help there but I heard a lot of good things about the food being excellent as well.

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But the best fun by far is the ropes course.. Nothing says being alive like dangling from a rope on a plank on a moving ship..

It can get a little crowded , go early if you can. Wait is never that bad but it's nice to just cruise through it. Third level is open on port days . There are three zip line areas but most days only two are open. Don't have anything in pockets and closed toes and HEELs. They check this pretty seriously.

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Here is the Aqua racer backwards..

https://vimeo.com/169448508

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Activities- Mini golf is mini golf but it's falling apart already. I think the contractor will be doing some warranty work soon as it was not designed for such rugged play...

The water slides are a blast. Even the one that people get stuck in..

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The open atrium and smoke...

We are non smokers and we did notice smoke smell around the casino. It was not overwhelming and it would not stop us from dining but I can't say you did not know the casino was near.

There is a rooftop bar that has smoking section.

But don't worry the smoke drifts down into the children's play area . Kidding.. I am sure it blows away but the children's area is right below.. Nice design work NCL....

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The deck/ pool area- there are so many chairs that I can't see anyone not finding one.. It just may not be near the small pool.

The upper decks are plenty of sun and they have a wonderful mist area to go cool off..

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The Mandara spa- this was another really nice area..

We only used it three times so I am not sure we got our money's worth. If we did not have the Haven we would have been there more. I say if you aren't Haven then do the spa. Never crowded and beautiful area..

Just remember Haven has its own sauna so it's view and the snow room that make Mandara stand out.

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Haven Summary-

It's beautiful and they spoil you, upgrade if you get the chance. Our butler was awesome, Arnie went out of the way to make sure everything was perfect. He kept the coffee machine stocked and crazy snacks on the ready. Gave us tips that made the whole trip a breeze.

Michael was the room steward and was excellent and I still can believe he spent so much time on my daughters pool towel birthday cake.

Adrian was the concierge and we just did not use him much. It seems he spends more time with the upper

Guests but I can't complain as we just did not need him much.

Karen was the assistant concierge and she made dinner reservations appear out of no where. She also put us in the trash elevator to get us off ship with no lines.

Great job on her part.

We loved the Haven pool area and it just was wonderful to "escape" the crowds.

Haven Restaurant was top quality. I just can't believe they can't change the menu a little bit each day. That was real disappointment. Just throw a couple of different items with the standard surf and turf etc...

Breakfast lunch and dinner were all the same items.

Worst thing about the escape is the elevators. Being on floor 18 it took forever. We normally are stair people but with most action on deck 5-8 we were not up for that many stairs. We were good with 5 flights or so but 12 plus was more like the scene from Ghostbusters with Bill Murray about to keel over...

Now if they converted one of those trash elevators for Haven it would have sealed the Haven deal.

Since that was really the only downside I have to say we are hooked on Haven at this point. We will try Epic next....

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^^ my bad. Too much free alcohol..

42" for racer..

https://www.ncl.com/faq%2523are-there-size-and-weight-requirements-water-slides-rope-courses-and-rock-climbing-walls

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Now that we are off the ship our room was 18110 so I don't have to worry about them kicking us out anymore...

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Thank you for posting this awesome review and all your beautiful pictures.

Thanks for the kind words. I have a few more catchup items and hope I answered everybody's questions.

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I forgot to post on the glow party.

https://vimeo.com/169391696

You must get there early as it is packed as the video shows. The area is nice but cannot hold that many people. We stayed for a few songs but decided it was not worth fighting through a sea of people. But if you like to jump around in glow attire to extremely loud music then get their early..

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Does anyone know the height requirement for the aqua racer for the double tube? I want to take my 4 year old but I am thinking he might be too small, and too young.

48" and must be 100lbs. Otherwise they don't make it up the hill..

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http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2361220

I posted some pictures here...

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Just got off Escape.. Did Virgin Gorda Salt baths in Tortola.. Snorkeling was awesome and the baths were pretty amazing. Escape is awesome have a great time...

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Anyway back to debarkation.

Asked to leave at 8:40. Waited 5 min for guests going on excursions then they shuttled us to our private elevator...

Taking out the trash.

Joined the other 4000 trying to get off. Our bags were waiting and we went right through customs and were loaded up at 9:10.

Next to Port Canaveral this was the fastest we have ever disembarked. All in all piece of cake....

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