quagmire0

Just a follow up for anyone thinking about going on the Escape and might be swayed by the negative reviews: don't. I actually left a positive review a week or two ago and it's yet to be posted. Whether it's a conspiracy or not, I don't know. 😄 We had a great time, and any problems we encountered were ones that could be encountered on any line on any ship. Many of the negative reviews I see seem to be more related to people who aren't used to cruising, and thus are surprised by things that are pretty commonly known.

Deck 8 is, by far, the best place on the ship most of the day. I don't think it was ever that crowded and it was usually a nice, quiet place to relax. Only downside is that it won't be a loop (unless you cut through) - you'll be swinging back and forth in a U pattern.

The drink package calculation is pretty straight forward. If you're a drinker, it'll be worth paying the gratuity on the package. If not, you're probably better off waving it and paying a la carte. As far as specialty dining is concerned, having just gotten off our first NCL cruise, it was a mixed bag. Teppanyaki (hibatchi) was a good deal for our first included specialty dining. Younger kids can eat off the kids menu, so you can avoid the cost on those. However, when it came to the other restaurants, we found that our older kids, especially, didn't eat enough to justify buying additional specialty meal credits. I bought an extra 2 meals ahead of time(4 total - my wife and I and the two older kids), because I saw a few restaurants that I knew I'd want to try out. Knowing what I know now, I would have only bought additional specialty credits for my wife and I, and we'd send all the kids to the Garden buffet - which they preferred anyway. 😄 Having said all that, at least on the Escape, I found the main dining room and other complimentary dining (aside from O'Sheehan's, which had issues) just fine.

I would think that, in that situation, they would do all they can (beyond turning the ship around) to accommodate you.

Ok, another thought, last one: The music at the pool and at Spice H2O parties was obnoxiously loud. I don't consider myself old yet, but it was just ridiculous. They could easily turn it down a few notches and it would still be plenty loud enough for people to hear and maybe be able to have a conversation with the person right next to them. 😄 Inside volume wasn't too bad - even with the live bands, although we did have a hilarious moment when our elevator opened up at the precise moment that an entertainer in the Atrium was belting out 'AND IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII WILL ALWAYS LOVE YOUUUUUUUUUUU'. The sound travelled pretty well.

One more thought on the Escape: I noticed a lot of side to side movement on this ship, which I didn't recall happening on past cruises. Since we were Forward, I expected that up and down movement, especially at high speeds. But there were many times where the ship seemed to be shifting left and right, almost like there was some kind of stabilization issue. I'm not sure if it was related, but we did have a delay leaving Miami due to some debris they were removing and needing divers to remove it.

I honestly didn't realize that was a rule. If it was, we didn't get in trouble for it. 😄 I thought I saw others on our deck that decorated their doors as well. Can't recall if it was magnets or just paper decorations, though. I also just used some decorative, small, magnets with different designs on them to make the door stick out a little, not the bigger sail/beach-themed magnets that some people do. Not sure if linking is allowed on here, but you can just search for 'MORCART 30Pcs Colorful Texture Refrigerator and Locker Magnets' on Amazon to find what we used.

Now that I've had some sleep and some coffee, an additional thought: The kids program was pretty good. Even our daughter, who was ranting about not wanting to go to it pre-cruise, ended up loving it. Was a great opportunity for the older kids to explore the ship, younger kids to have supervised fun, and parents to go do their own thing.

Yeah, it was so often that there were very few to no people on the waterfront that it was like getting a cabin view for free. Ended up being a little more popular as time went on, but we could always find a pretty unoccupied spot. Seemed to only get relatively busy right around meal time, as some people would be dining al fresco or just be sprawled out on the couches digesting their meals. 😄

Just returned from our first NCL cruise and first cruise in about 16 years. We'd previously cruised with RCCL and Carnival. I'll just run through some various thoughts off the top of my head. The Ship Overall impression: I loved the ship, overall. It had plenty for the kids to do, it was pretty easy to get from one end of the ship to another. Pros: - Not a huge ship, IMO. It was fairly easy to get from one end to the other and there was good signage throughout. - The interior staterooms we had were in good shape and served their purpose. Beds were comfortable enough and there wasn't a lot of noise around us (we were on Deck 13). - Spice H2O, Taste, and Savor were all nice alternatives to have. We usually didn't have a problem with overcrowding (with the exception of the late night parties in Spice), and they were a nice getaway from the crowds in the Garden Cafe or the main pool deck. - Even though said pool deck was busy often, we were still able to scrounge a couple deck chairs up top, even after getting a late start. - The waterfront on deck 8 has to be one of the best ideas in cruising ever. It was always a great respite from the crowds, plenty of places to sit, and a few outdoor bars as well. Why more ships don't have something like this on them is beyond me. - Large selection of bars and restaurants. - Nice kids water area that kept the kids busy. - Manhattan Room is a beautiful venue, especially when the band is playing. Cons: - Main pool deck is woefully small and overcrowded most of the time. The pool is kind of a sad excuse for a pool as well. Kind of forces more adults to hang out in the kids' pool, which is also small. - I found a few of the public restrooms to really have a strong odor. It was kind of odd, because some would be perfectly fine and some would almost be hard to be in. - American Diner is a waste of space, imo. Should probably be repurposed ASAP. - Elevators are a little odd in how there are two sets. They should probably all work together for less confusion/better service. The Food Overall impression: Food was good overall, with some disappointments. Pros: - We had some pretty consistently good meals in the Manhattan Room and Taste/Savor. Some things were 'okay', but a few things knocked it out of the park. - Had excellent experiences with Teppanyaki (man, that was so much food!) and Bayamo. - Garden Cafe did have a good selection. Cons: - Was disappointed with Moderno, both the service (kind of felt rushed) and quality for what you are paying. Some of the salad bar stuff was good, but most of the meat was just 'ok'. - Based on reviews I had watched/read, I expected more out of O'Sheehan's. Service was slow and impersonal, no matter the time of day. It also seemed like they couldn't serve food at a consistent temperature. The appetizers, especially, would come out cold or partially cold. This one got a lot of rave reviews, so I can only assume that people were either eating it after a long day of drinking, or maybe the quality has gone downhill. - The Garden Cafe also had a consistent temperature issue when it came to food. The Drinks - With so many bars, there were definitely a plethora of options here. Many of the drinks were tasty, but I'm not sure they were very potent. That may be a plus for some and a minus for others. To give you an idea, on our last day, I ended up ordering two drinks: a Bushwacker, and a straight dark rum. Ended up pouring that rum in to give the drink a bit more oomph. 😄 If you're someone who wants a little bit more punch, there's your lifehack - you can get straight alcohol as a drink and it will usually (depending on brand) count as part of your beverage package. My favorite drink ended up being 'Cool As A Cucumber', which I discovered at The District Brewhouse. Also discovered a bartender there named Sydney (sp?), who was hilarious. The drink was a refreshing counter to all the fruity drinks we were having on the pool deck. The Service Overall, most staff were very friendly - particularly the room stewards who we'd pass by in the halls. Speaking of room stewards, I would say one con was that we never really got officially introduced and there wasn't that relationship as I remember in past cruises. IIRC, they'd usually do things like leaving your steward's name in the room so you know who to call and all that. It was a small thing, but something I did miss. Part of that was probably on us, because our first encounter was kind of hectic, so we didn't have that proper introduction. On the con side, there were definitely some workers who were clearly going through the motions. Maybe I caught them on a bad day, but I know some had a similar attitude all week. Again, didn't ruin the cruise by any means, I'm being nitpicky. The cruise director, Jack, was definitely charming and a good emcee. His support staff that did the game shows and bingo games kept things entertaining as well. Special shout out to our favorite staff member, the cellar master, who was very fun and cool, even though we really disappointed him at the blind wine taste test. 😄 The Entertainment - Choir Of Man was as advertised and maybe better. Such a great show that my kids ended up waiting in Standby on a later day to watch it again. Hopefully they hang onto this show. They did mention that they'd be performing the show in Tampa in the future. Not sure if that means it won't be on the Escape anymore. I hope that's not the case. - Howl At The Moon was excellent. They have 3 really talented musicians running the thing. I also liked that this iteration of HATM wasn't as money-grubbing as some (i.e. constantly playing games to get people to throw more money in). Here, their primary focus is to entertain the crowd and tips are secondary (but definitely welcome and deserved). - Comedians/magic acts. Very solid, but not spectacular. I honestly thought Brett and Sarah was a better show than how the crowd reacted. I think some of the humor goes over people's heads. - Music acts. Pretty good. Really enjoyed the performances at the Supper Club. Never had a chance to check out a Syd Norman's show, unfortunately. The Stops - Great Stirrup Cay is a great place. You definitely get some envy when you look over at RCCL's island, but GSC has a lot going for it. I'd say the only downsides are probably the cost of the ziplines and the fact that the bars can have VERY long lines. Otherwise, we enjoyed our stay. - St. Thomas was probably our least favorite stop. It has some of the most beautiful beaches, but the cost of transportation has gone up, making what was once a pretty affordable taxi ride less affordable. Liked Magen's Bay, but it was busy. Did the sky tram and drank a Bushwacker (best one on the trip by far). Overall though, the island seems more run down than it was in the past. - Tortola, I thought, was a much more organized and pretty version of St. Thomas. We ended up snagging a decent tour and the ride up the mountain was a white-knuckle ride, but we got plenty of good views and stopped at a few of the local places. Beach we ended up at wasn't as beautiful as Magen's Bay, but it had better amenities, I thought, and things for the kids to do. - Puerto Plata, DR - our favorite stop by a country mile. Taino Bay has a great resort and shopping. Got to hang out with monkeys at Monkey Island. They also had a variety of last minute tours we could choose from. While I thought the tour we chose was a little rushed (we could have spent a lot more time in that downtown area, for example), it included some beach time and we felt like Puerto Plata was a far more authentic experience (complete with street vendors/entertainers/etc). Random Thoughts/Tips: - Don't stress out too much about getting dining and show reservations. Most shows repeat, and we didn't have any issues getting in via standby. For those shows (i.e. Howl At The Moon) that didn't have reservations, we found we were able to stand near the back and eventually a few people would move along and vacate seats. If you have a specific meal that needs to happen on a specific day, then you should definitely book that ASAP. Otherwise, chances are you'll find an opportunity during the week to make those reservations. - We kind of accidentally took the fast pass lane during disembarkation. We had chosen to be one of the last groups off, because of our later flight, but at some point they basically shoo you away from the restaurants to clean up, so we decided to hop in the giant line, thinking that our color would probably be called while were were waiting there. However, they ended up redirecting us to a newly opened lane and the next thing we knew, we were whisked through customs and into the luggage area where all the luggage color groups were sorted and available. Grabbed our stuff and off we went. - Not sure how other ships are, but this one was pretty aggressive with their bingo sales. They often cross-promoted and gave out raffle tickets to get you to attend another game. On the last game, they ended up creating a new promotion mid-game to get people to buy off the pull tabs and extra bingo cards. - My wife and I split up on embarkation - I went to do reservations, she went to sign the kids up for the kids' programs. Unfortunately, the kids coerced her into taking them to the Garden Cafe to eat right away - which I had read was a big no-no on embarkation day. It was. A total madhouse. Such a stressful way to start your cruise. Avoid it at all costs, like so many people have said before. - Some bars end up getting hammered. Look around, there's usually another bar within 60 seconds of walking, if that. Sometimes a bar on top of a bar, like on the pool deck. 😄 - Spend a lot of time on the waterfront (deck 8). It's seriously an oasis. I only wished we had frequented it more. - Don't sleep on the complimentary dining (with the exception of O'Sheehan's, imo) and go too Specialty-dining heavy. - When the chairs on the main pool deck are taken, look up. We found many of the walkway chairs available. These were kind of nice, especially if you have kids. Lets you monitor them in the water area, while also people-watching the adult pool area. 🙂 - Taxis are pretty plentiful at Miami airport, and there are vans available right outside the NCL cruise terminal (we had some people waving us down) that will get you back to the airport for a very reasonable rate. Beats having to wait for the NCL shuttle, and it's much cheaper. - Don't be afraid to do local tours in these stops. You'll end up saving a lot of money vs. the ship excursions, and usually get a similar (or better) experience. Alright, I'm tired. If anyone is cruising on Escape soon and has questions, let me know.

It's Hawaii. The cruise ship could be a tugboat and you'd still have a great time. 😁

Going to be on the Escape next week. Interested in what you've noticed regarding the crowd level - especially in the public areas outside Haven (since we aren't in a Haven room).

The title of this post should have been 'Prim-meh'. But I digress. I did find it interesting discovering today that the Escape has the highest capacity and biggest water park, despite it being the 5th oldest, though. I just thought they would have gotten 'bigger and better'. I actually kind of like the fact that NCL reigned things in a bit, while RCCL keeps pushing the envelope. 😄

That too, but I hardly think it has to do with interference with the ship's radios. It's kind of like how every airplane manages to take off even when half the plane forget to put their phone in airplane mode.

I'm an easy date. As long as it isn't well/bottom shelf, I'm fine. 😂