dolita22

Now that they are charging for it I am hoping they will be a much higher quality then what they were serving in the MDR's. I wasn't sure if I was eating a small prawn instead of a lobster tail when it was inclusive. :p;)

My friend ordered the lobster last week in the MDR on the Escape and thoroughly enjoyed it. They were celebrating their anniversary that night, so we were not with them, but she said it was an entire lobster, very tasty, and well worth the $20 upcharge.

We were also on this cruise and had a great time. Thanks for your review!

We sailed the Escape in November on a 3 day to check it out and saw Million Dollar Quartet then. We enjoyed it so much we saw it again on this cruise. It was excellent both times!

Regarding NCL people walking around and asking if you wanted to order beverages while on deck, that seems to have declined greatly with the UBP offering. I think the bartenders are just too busy and overwhelmed, and bars often seemed a bit understaffed on both of our Escape cruises (especially the one last November, but it was was the first public US sailing and 3 days, so people were fully using the UBP!). There were a couple NCL guys walking around in Spice H20 asking if people wanted drinks, and when we were back there, they were prompt with them. On other decks, we rarely saw anyone.

Glad you had a fun time!

I was on the ship with you last week, and I have to say the motion was about the same as any other ship I have been on.

Not to hijak your thread, OP, but I also wanted to comment on the movement, since we were also on last week's Escape sailing.

I agree with the quoted statement regarding motion of the ship. There was a thread on here the week before we left about how much the ship moved, which worried me, since we were traveling with friends who have cruised only once before, and the seas were really calm on that cruise. I wasn't sure how they would do if the seas were rougher. In the end, they were completely fine, despite the seas not being as calm as our previous cruise. The ship moved no more than any other cruise ship I've sailed on, and only the first night did we see people weaving about when walking due to ship movement (or perhaps it was the UBP!).

We were in an angled balcony on deck 14 (14176) and our friends were down the hall in 14156, and neither had issues with movement. Some creaking, but otherwise, all good for us! We didn't hear anyone we talked with mention movement at all during the week either.

Thanks for the review, OP! Glad you had as good of a cruise as we did! :)

dolita,

 

Curious, where is your stateroom? Also, if you remember, please report back when you return from your trip. We too did the similar itinerary on the Epic at had no issues.

On Saturday's sailing, we're in a mid-ship balcony on deck 14. I will try to remember to report back when we return! :)

Gah! We sail the Escape this Saturday! My DH and I sailed on the 3-day in November and had a super smooth sailing. But that cruise was just to the Bahamas. We've sailed a similar itinerary as next week, but on the Epic, and had no issues with seasickness, so I'm crossing my fingers we'll be good to go. It's only the second cruise for our friends who are traveling with us, so they have stocked up on Bonine. Hoping for smooth sailing!

We're paying about $800 more for our Escape cruise this Saturday than we paid for our Epic cruise last January. It's a new ship, so we're paying new-ship prices, but it's a big difference from this year to last.

Thanks for the update! Will be sailing with 10 first-time cruisers on the Sky in June and was hoping for a smooth process as far as drinks go.

We sailed the 3-day Escape in November and will be sailing on a 7-day next weekend. We've also sailed on the Epic and Sky. In those cruises, we've enjoyed the MDR food enough that we've never felt the need to eat in a specialty dining venue. We've considered trying a specialty venue, but just never have because the MDR food has been fine for us. We are not foodies, though, and tend to find something we like each night.

At night, we enjoy sitting on our balcony with a glass of champagne listening to music. We bring along a small, portable speaker (like this one: http://www.amazon.com/AYL-Guarantee-Rechargeable-Expandable-Smartphones/dp/B007OYAVLI/ref=sr_1_4?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1452098926&sr=1-4&keywords=portable+speakers) and attach it to my iPod. We've got cruise playlist that we play quietly (so we don't disturb the neighbors) and enjoy our champagne. Super relaxing!

We sail the Escape on 1/23, right after you disembark. Enjoy your cruise and your balcony!

We were in a midship balcony on the Escape in November and felt zero movement. You could barely tell we were moving most of the time! BUT we were on the cruise to the Bahamas and had beautiful weather the entire time, and we weren't going fast at all. Could be different on longer cruises where you're more in open waters or weather is different.

I've read some of the reviews, but not the most recent ones. As most recommend, take what you read in those with a grain of salt. You can also take what I'll say with a grain of salt, because everyone is different and likes different things. :)

We sailed the Escape in November on a 3-day sampler from Miami and will be sailing again in January the 7 day. We very much enjoyed the Escape and are looking forward to sailing on her again in less than 30 days. It's a big ship, yes, and it felt crowded at times (embarkation, muster drill, in the immediate pool vicinity), but there's so much to see and do. We were never bored on the 3 day and don't intend to be on the 7 day.

Service was a bit of an issue on our November 3-day...but it was the first U.S. public sailing, having just come over from Europe 3 days prior, so we didn't expect perfection. Many seemed to have the beverage package, and on our second day - a sea day - the bars were out of many of the mixes. However, bartenders were quick to recommend drinks based on what they did have. We tried new things we didn't think we'd enjoy because of it. We're counting down the days now until our January cruise!

Since you've said you know you'll enjoy yourself, I wouldn't worry much about the reviews. Have a great time!

I am on your sailing, too, and have been watching prices since we're about 30 days from sailing. We're in a BA balcony on deck 14, but I wouldn't mind upgrading to a mini-suite (I know there are no perks) or spa balcony if the price is right. For a cruise in the middle/end of January, I'm surprised there are still so many cabins left on this sailing! Then again, it is a new ship and prices are running higher than what we've paid for past cruises at the same time of year.

Sorry...that got rambly. I'll cross my fingers you get your cabin assignment soon!

Not sure if you visited the main dining rooms, Savor and Taste - but - if you did, what's the difference in the two? Thank you!!

I'm not the OP, but sailed the Escape in November on the 3-day (and will be sailing again in January!). I can answer your question, since besides Margaritaville, we only ate in the MDRs on the 3-day.

There is no difference in the menus between Taste, Savor and the Manhattan room. The only difference we noticed was size of the rooms - Manhattan is the largest and busiest, while Taste and Savor are smaller and quieter, which we enjoyed. There is also a live band that plays in the Manhattan room, but not one in Taste or Savor. That was all we noticed as far as differences.

Hope that helps! Now, back to the OP's review.

- By any chance does Norwegian sell ornaments in the shape of the ship?

This one does not appear to have been answered, but yes, NCL does sell ornaments in the shape of the ship. We have them from the Sky, Epic and Escape. :)

Thanks for your review! Your pictures are awesome!

Have only gotten to page 3, but noticed you were in stateroom 14176. We're in that room on our January Escape cruise! Thanks for the pics. :) Exact same layout as the angled balcony room we had on the Escape for the 3-day US cruise last month. Can't wait to go back!

When we were on the Escape a few weeks ago, Silver, Gold and Platinum Latitudes members were in a separate line from Bronze and new-to-NCL cruisers. That was sailing out of Miami. Not sure if it's a different setup when sailing from other ports.

Sitting on the balcony and enjoying breakfast is one of our favorite things about cruising. We were on the 3-day Escape in mid-November and I have a picture of the menu that eroller posted and another poster confirmed. So, triple confirmed. :) I ordered yogurt, chocolate croissants, and coffee, and my DH ran up to the buffet and grabbed what he wanted and brought it back to the room so we could enjoy our food on the balcony.

Rather than including cards for complimentary room service in rooms like has been done in the past, you just have to call. They were about a half hour early on our deliveries and didn't call beforehand, but we were awake so it didn't bother us that they were early. Just a heads up in case you're expecting a phone call as your wakeup call.

After final payment, you technically are not entitled to anything on NCL. Some have reported getting OBC, some have gotten room upgrades, and some have gotten nothing. Sorry. Do you have a PCC? If so, you could try him/her, but I wouldn't expect anything. Perhaps you'll be pleasantly surprised. Good luck!

... Except I guess whoever thought putting the bathroom light on the outside of the bathroom didn't have young kids... it went pitch black a few times on me.. and my mom and Len. haha

...or didn't marry my husband! He'd shut the light off on me every so often, too! Sheesh! :)

Thanks for your review and pictures! We were on the 3-day from Miami in mid-November and are sailing with friends on a 7-day in January. The 3-day was definitely a party cruise, so we're interested to see how it compares to the 7-day.

Even though we've already sailed on the Escape, I'm looking forward to more of your review! Anticipation for January and all that. :)

When we docked in the Bahamas right next to us I think was the breakaway and on the other side of the breakaway was a Carnival ship and I do not know what the name of the ship was. Anyways the escape was bigger than the breakaway but they escape and the breakaway dwarfed the mini carnival boat. The very last morning as we were docking back in Miami we passed a few other cruise ships from other lines I don't remember specifically that I think if I'm right one was Royal Caribbean but the escape dwarfed every ship we passed. Me and this other guy I met on the ship we're yelling out things to the other boats like hey why did you pick the tiny boat your cruise boats not even worthy of being called a ship its a boat lol.

The Carnival ship docked next to the Breakaway that day was the Pride. I was on the 3-day sailing as well and just looked back at my pictures to confirm.

The other two Carnival ships docked with us in Miami on 11/14 were the Glory and the Victory, I believe. We picked up people from both on our shuttle on the way to the airport.

Congrats! Which deck? If it helps, we were on the Escape 3-day in a balcony near the aft - 12272. It had a bed by the balcony. If you're on deck 12, perhaps that will help you determine the bed-by-door-or-be-by-balcony question. :)

We noticed the wait for drinks on the 3-day Escape sailing a few weeks ago...but it was 3-day cruise and many seemed to have the UBP, so were taking full advantage. The pool bars and the bar in Spice even ran out of some of the more popular mixings - Baileys, pina colada mix - couldn't make some drinks. But again, 3-day cruise where many were enjoying!

We are expecting it to be less of a booze cruise on our 7-day sailing on the Escape in January.

I believe you can do a name change on your passport for free if it is in a certain timeframe. I did it and it was quite easy.

If you have renewed a passport within the past year, a name change can be done for free. If the passport was renewed more than one year ago, you have to pay the renewal fee for the name change. I checked on that last year, because I was recently married and wanted a passport in my married name, even though my passport was recently renewed in the last couple years.

Super easy to renew passports!

All-inclusive on the Sky next year just means all-inclusive on the beverages. Alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are included, but not specialty dining. That is still extra, though MDRs are still complimentary.

Enjoy the Sky if you choose to sail! I'm sailing again on her next June with 11 first-time cruisers. :)