wally4ever

The food was pretty good. You'll get better barbecue on shore, but I wasn't disappointed. I also went on my first night on board, and my previous two meals had been overpriced slop from the airport, so my judgement could definitely be cloudy. My favorite part was the music. I'm not really a country music fan, but I'm a total mark for live music in general.

I got off the Escape yesterday and they had a Syd Normans. Unfortunately, they didn't have any shows that I felt compelled to attend.

I got off the Escape yesterday. While onboard, I purchased four Cruise Next certificates and immediately applied those four certificates to a cruise leaving December 2024 and another leaving December 2025.

Cagney's: I've had all the appetizers. All have been tasty. My go-to meal is the Porterhouse. Bring your appetite. If you aren't up for that monster, I have to imagine the filet on its own would be well worth it. I order the lobster bisque every time, and every time I end up getting disappointed because I forgot how mediocre it was. Hoping I remember to try something different next time I go. My wife reports that the surf is turf is really good. Le Bistro: I've had the lobster thermidor and the filet with foie gras. I've never actually had foie gras before, but it was really good. The lobster thermidor is amazing, but does come up with $25 upcharge. Moderno: I usually try to taste all the meats, but you will want to request the grilled pineapple. That may well be the best item available on the ship. Beyond those restaurants, some other great meals: -Any of the featured entrees at breakfast. The pretzel roll sandwich is always yummy. The English breakfast at O'Sheahan's is worth a taste as well. -The Monte Cristo. It should be on the lunch menu for the first sea day, and I legitimately spend half the year looking forward to it. If I could get the NCL Monte Cristo at a restaurant near my house, I'd be too poor to go on cruises and too chunky to fit in the door in the first place. -I was on the Escape until yesterday, and the main dining rooms always had four Cagney options for a $25 upcharge. I'm not sure if that is a regular thing now, but if it is, you may find it worth using a SDP meal at a different restaurant and just grabbing a Cagney steak from the main dining room.

I've never been a Haven guest, but I always go to the specialty dining rooms... it would never occur to me to consider ordering a main dining room appetizer or dessert in the specialty DR, but I've definitely visited the main dining room earlier to grab a tasty-sounding appetizer before my reservations.

I'm a huge football fan, and spend a few hundred bucks on NFL Sunday Ticket. But... my cruise this year will result in me being at Great Stirrup Cay on Sunday, and... well, life goes on!

As a Northern Virginian, I'd love to see more cruises leave from Baltimore. A nice Christmas cruise from Baltimore to Bermuda or just down the East Coast would be lovely.

I'm sad that this cruise is ending and I'm not even there! Thank you for sharing it with us.

I liked the Joy but it was too people-y for me. I loved the Dawn. It didn't have the fancy bells and whistles, but I don't need water slides and a go-kart track, I need good food, some trivia, fun ports, some night music, and enough booze to kill a full-grown bull elephant.

Both times I've gone, I've gotten the Marquise. Next time, I may go for the Assiette de Fromage for something completely different; I always get a dessert but really I prefer savory to sweet.

I love those bay scallops, and I especially love the (bowls? modified plates?) they come in. Glad I don't have to clean them, though!

Most folks have answered these, but just to add for what I see for number 3... you won't have to tip normally, but if you upcharge anything (e.g. order a drink more expensive than your drink package) you will be charged a gratuity.

I'm a big scotch drinker, and I've never had trouble finding the good stuff even without a whiskey bar. My go-to is Macallan Quest, and it's always in the venue bars.

It's very much person-specific. I'd recommend sitting down and doing the math. Would you take advantage of the upgraded wifi? Would you use the $50 excursion for second passenger (and if so, how many times)? Would you be likely to upgrade the meal package if you didn't get the FAS+? How much would you expect to spend on drinks without the upgrade? For my next seven day cruise, it was a no-brainer to do it for the $686... my wife will take advantage of the $50 off excursions at each port (there's $200), we would have needed to upgrade to unlimited wifi and add a second device anyway (there's another $209 for the second device, plus whatever the upgrade cost would have been) and we typically do six specialty meals (so there's another $80 per person). As long as my wife and I drink $100 worth of upgraded drinks, we save money overall, no matter what the wifi upgrade amount would have been. If all goes to plan, I'll drink that much in whiskey before we get to the first port. I'd sit down and run the numbers to decide what's worth it to you. EDIT: Just saw you're cruising solo so the shore excursion won't apply, but everything else is still relevant.

The main dining rooms are perfectly tasty. The dinners aren't AS good as the specialty restaurants, but they are perfectly acceptable. Like... if you went to a lower-end chain steakhouse and were served a meal from the main dining rooms, you'd be satisfied. Similarly, the buffet is perfectly acceptable. Like, if you've ever been to a Golden Corral, the buffet is a clear set up from that. And O'Sheehan's is a pretty good complimentary pub (and some wings at midnight when you're three sheets to the wind is always welcome) I personally usually dine in a specialty restaurant, but that's because I like the finer things in life 🙂

Based on reputation, the Star seems to have problems that aren't present on other NCL ships. Which stinks because I'd love to do a South American cruise.

Adding on to this rather than asking a new question... My wife and I did a cruise last winter with 1 wifi device, and basically, we just kicked the other one off if we wanted to use the wifi. We found that worked for us. This year, we're bringing our 11 year old with us. We have the free at sea+. My wife and I can share the wifi again, but we want our daughter to just have her own. Is there any easy way to make sure it's always my wife and I swapping back and forth, and leaving my daughter's wifi alone?

I'm sorry but I just have to laugh at that. Like... how? How does that happen? How does somebody think that's okay to serve? How does a waiter not go, "Uh... this ain't right?" I'm not one to complain about food, but oh my goodness, the absolute least... LITERALLY the absolute least... you can do is make sure a sandwich is a sandwich.

It wouldn't break my heart if prices dropped some, but alas, it is what it is.

I think they usually try to do the big shows on Sea Days.

Thanks for the review! I'll be on the Escape for the first time this December and I love hearing good experiences. As far as O'Sheehan's... I've always loved it, but I'm usually three sheets to the wind when I'm there, so it doesn't take much to impress me.

When I've canceled excursions on board, it has been applied as OBC. I have never canceled an excursion before boarding, but when I had NCL cancel an excursion, they gave it as a straight refund.

I've always erred on the side of over-reserving. If I make a reservation I don't use, somebody on the wait list will take it. If I don't make a reservation and decide I want to do something, I have to hope some joker like me skips out 🙂

Is Pincho open for lunch on sea days? I have Bayamo, Cagney's, Moderno, Le Bistro, and Teppanyaki as my must-attends for every cruise that has them, and then it would either be La Cucina or Pincho for the other one (the day in St. Thomas, I don't anticipate wanting anything other than a quick snack at O'Sheehan's). But if Pincho is open for lunch I don't need to choose!

Thanks for this, Bird! I'll be on the Escape for the first time this December for a week.