Just Off the Escape...LOVED it!!

[HarpHarp]

Any decent snorkeling?

 

f you want snorkeling head to Brewer's bay or take a snorkel & sail excursion to the baths.

[kitafraya]

Book your dinner reservations as soon as you can! Most people i met onboard who had waited until we left to book ended up getting very late seating or not at all.

 

 

Thanks!! [emoji41]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[NPowell]

Free or complementary food areas are Taste ,Savor ,Manhattan Dining Room a Osheehans and the Buffet.

 

Yes book all the shows ahead of time ,Howl at the Moon,Headliners(comedy) and the shows After Midnight,Million Dollar Quartet and the Tenors of Rock,preferably before you cruise reserve.

 

Brat Pack diner show a must worth the cost.

 

Are you able to book Howl at the Moon, Comedy shows and Tenors of Rock in advance? The only things I am able to prebook on myncl so far is the Supper Club, Million Dollar Quartet and After Midnight. I'm cruising January 23rd. Thanks!

[bt0510]

See inline.

 

Canuckgal33 thank you for your review. We (me, husband, daughter, son) are first time cruisers and we are going on the Escape in July 2016. We have so many questions.

How much clothes to pack? (don't want to overpack)

We had trouble with this too, as the only laundry is paid and takes a few days. We packed enough for each day.

Should we pack a travel cup with straw? Read that you should.

We saw a lot of people do this, and it seemed to work well. We did get a cup with our soda package, but it has a hole in the top.

Do we need to pack beach towels? No, they provide.

When to book excursions? As soon as you know what you want to do.

Do you need to book an excursion to just go to a beach?No. We took taxi's to Secret Harbour in St Thomas and Brewers Bay in Tortola. We rented in St Thomas and it was fine. I would not have rented at the place in Tortola. But that beach was fantastic.

When to book for restaurants and shows?As soon as you know what you want to do. We had issues because of the required duration of each dinner in the NCL system, so we had to book on the ship, which was fine on the first night.

I know we will have more questions we are just very overwhelmed. Any help would be great.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[duchesslt]

Hi! I'm a planner myself so I thought I'd chime in.

Canuckgal33 thank you for your review. We (me, husband, daughter, son) are first time cruisers and we are going on the Escape in July 2016. We have so many questions.

 

How much clothes to pack? (don't want to overpack)

This is so personal. But rule of thumb says 2 jeans/pants/skirt with 5 tops, 2 dresses, 2 swimsuits/cover up, 3 shoes: pool, indoor, athletic. I travel frequently so I pack light.

 

Should we pack a travel cup with straw? Read that you should.

A thermal mug helps fill coffee although not hygenic - at least use buffet small cups to fill larger thermal mug.

 

Do we need to pack beach towels?

The cruiseline provides them

When to book excursions?

I booked 90 days out to make sure I got the Tortola radical rides for my son.

Do you need to book an excursion to just go to a beach?

No - at port there will be taxis to just go to a beach. However, make sure you ask about where to get return transportation. Only cruiseline reserved excursions guarantee the boat won't depart without you.

When to book for restaurants and shows?

I booked 90 days out

I know we will have more questions we are just very overwhelmed. Any help would be great.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[motleyfan]

We just got off the Escape...we did the Thanksgiving cruise. I thought I'd share how it went for us.

 

We (husband) and I are in our mid-40's, daughter (14) and my parents (they actually surprised us by just showing up while we were eating lunch on the ship). I'd been pestering them for months to join us...lol. Best surprise ever. It was our 4th NCL cruise...we'd been on the Pearl and the Epic before.

 

FOOD/DRINKS

We had the UBP...I'm not a huge drinker, but I certainly put it to good use on the cruise. Drank a lot of these Toasted Almonds...lol

 

Only time we had to wait for a while to get a drink was at the sail-away party...we went down to the 5 o'clock Somewhere Bar and it was packed. But everywhere else was fine. The fastest place to get drinks seemed to be the Atrium Bar.

 

We ate mostly at the buffet. No complaints...could always find something good there. We had lunch at O'Sheehans once (delicious fish and chips) and dinner at The Manhattan Room (it was just ok...nothing super special). We were seated right beside the band that was playing and it was waaaaay too loud...like we couldn't carry on a conversation with each other. Tried twice to get into Margaritaville for lunch, but the wait was over 1 hour, so we decided not to.

 

 

We did try to book a few dinners at the specialty restaurants while on the cruise...but they were full, so we didn't get a chance to try any of those.

 

ENTERTAINMENT:

Loved Million Dollar Quartet (had some sound issues...couldn't hear the actors during speaking parts at all). After Midnight was just ok for me. My husband loved it and my daughter hated it. The actors in both shows were very talented....great singers and the dancing in After Midnight was amazing.

 

Saw Howl at the Moon often...always great. Also really liked Tenors of Rock. Didn't know about that show until we were on the ship.

 

Played lots of Bingo and Deal or No Deal (we actually won $200 on our card when it was in the theatre...so that was super exciting). Hated when Deal or No Deal was in the atrium. Too small...hard to see. Actually didn't like anything when it was in the atrium and we did lots of games/trivia. It's small and if you are sitting far back, you can't see because of the overhang (floor of O'Sheehans). The staff actually brought in folding chairs so people could watch some of the shows. There was a dancing competition at the beginning of the cruise (can't remember the name)...but it was hilarious. My daughter thought it was the highlight of the cruise.

 

Daughter loved the ropes course...went at least 3 times. She was scared to try the drop slides...she saw someone have to use the trap door....thought it was mortifying for them. lol. I tried the slide with the one with the inner tube...it was fun. Never seemed to be long waits for the ropes course (she got on right when it opened). It sometimes got backed up for people walking the plank. All the outdoor areas are amazing. It really was a beautiful ship.

 

PORTS:

 

We usually schedule something in every port....some type of excursion. This time I just wanted to take it easy. If we wanted to stay up late and sleep in, that was ok. I didn't want to have to be up at a specific time to do an excursion...so we decided to get up and make our way to a beach. Seemed like a good idea with a teenager (they can be FOUL when they don't get enough sleep...lol). It worked well for us.

 

St. Thomas...we went to Coki Beach. We'd been to Megan's Bay before, so we wanted to try something different. It was PACKED. Like 4 chairs deep packed. Hated how busy it was. Couldn't even walk down to the water because there were so many people. But, the water was amazing, great place to snorkel. We only spent about 3 hours there and went back, shopped a bit and ate a late lunch on the boat.

 

Tortola...went to Cane Garden Bay....AMAZING!!!!!! It was also crowded but we weren't packed in like sardines. Beautiful beach, great food. One of my favourite beaches by far.

 

Nassau...just got off and shopped.

 

SPA:

Splurged and got the spa pass with my mom. It was just ok...I think they are still working out the kinks. lol. The whirlpool was cold. It was closed several times when we were there. The loungers weren't super warm at the start of the cruise...but they must have fixed that because they were warm the last two days. There was also a lot of hammering from either above or below by the loungers. Lots of saving of the loungers....I was there for about 2 hours one day, and saw 3 loungers that had a towel on them and no-one used them. Loved the salt and steam room. The snow room was super cool....except the one time we went in there and someone had PEED ON THE FLOOR. No idea what would possess someone to pee there.

 

ROOMS:

We were in 13880 and my parents 13726. Rooms were great. Lots of storage. Comfortable beds. Loved the USB ports by the beds. Seemed warm at night, even though we had the temperature all the way down, but then when we woke up in the am, it was FREEZING. We like it really cold when we sleep, so it might not be a problem. Loved the Do Not Disturb and Make up Room lights.

 

STAFF:

Great staff. Very friendly and very funny (loved Joey and Paquito...they were hilarious). Room steward was amazing...man they work hard. Atrium bartenders greeted me by name (that's scary...lol...I must have drank way more than I thought I did...lol).

 

Overall it was a fantastic cruise. We are fairly laid-back people...so we mostly go with the flow....there was some mix-up with the shows...the order was changed or the days were switched or something. And then they had technical problems one day so the show was late starting. I heard a lot of people complaining about stuff like that on the ship....but it didn't bother us. Probably the complainers are the ones that wrote their name in pee in the snow room. HAHAHA! KIDDING!! Since it's a new ship and has only been out a few times, we were prepared for some issues...so we were pleasantly surprised how smoothly everything went.

 

I'm happy to answer any specific questions!

 

Glad you had fun, the escape is my favorite ship so far lol. I didn’t get to see after midnight ( canceled a reservation to see the brat pack for a second time ) though I heard after midnight was really good.

[kitafraya]

Thank you so much!!

We are a family of planners and this is perfect!!

Thank you again, ALL OF YOU!!

 

I hope you don't mind if I have more questions as our cruise gets closer. [emoji41][emoji568][emoji267]

 

Hi! I'm a planner myself so I thought I'd chime in.

 

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

 

They offered prime rib in O'Sheehan's on the first night.

[WhenIsOurNextCruise]

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

 

I am pretty sure they offered all-u-can-eat prime rib in O'Sheehan's on the first night.

[kitafraya]

What kind of outlets does the Escape have?

Do I need a converter for our electronic items?

Do we need an extension cord?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[motleyfan]

What kind of outlets does the Escape have?

Do I need a converter for our electronic items?

Do we need an extension cord?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

It's a regular American outlet, some of these questions make me laugh lol.

[GoAndHaveFun]

What kind of outlets does the Escape have?

Do I need a converter for our electronic items?

Do we need an extension cord?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I remember the stateroom phone uses the Schuko outlet while the other plugs in the room are NEMA 5 110 V outlets. If you are using Schuko or another outlet now, I would recommend bringing converters for the NEMA outlets. I do recommend bringing a powerstrip as outlets can be scarce in staterooms.

 

It's a regular American outlet, some of these questions make me laugh lol.

 

It was actually a legitimate question though, especially for people who have traveled overseas as power outlets aren't the same throughout the world. For example, in an Italian hotel, they got their own plugs that's unlike the Schuko nor NEMA plugs that we Americans are used to. Because of that, we will need adapters when we travel to Italy. Likewise, in Brazil, they also have different outlets so we will also need an adapter when staying at a Brazilian hotel.

Edited December 1, 2015 by GoAndHaveFun

[kitafraya]

It's a regular American outlet, some of these questions make me laugh lol.

 

 

Hello, I am glad you are getting a giggle with my questions. [emoji3] I ask questions because I don't know. I have never been on a cruise or traveled overseas so how would I know what to expect. I just want to be prepared so my family can enjoy our cruise. I am sure I will have more silly questions.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[kitafraya]

I remember the stateroom phone uses the Schuko outlet while the other plugs in the room are NEMA 5 110 V outlets. If you are using Schuko or another outlet now, I would recommend bringing converters for the NEMA outlets. I do recommend bringing a powerstrip as outlets can be scarce in staterooms.

 

 

 

It was actually a legitimate question though, especially for people who have traveled overseas as power outlets aren't the same throughout the world. For example, in an Italian hotel, they got their own plugs that's unlike the Schuko nor NEMA plugs that we Americans are used to. Because of that, we will need adapters when we travel to Italy. Likewise, in Brazil, they also have different outlets so we will also need an adapter when staying at a Brazilian hotel.

 

 

Thank you!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[hpecorari]

Hello, I am glad you are getting a giggle with my questions. [emoji3] I ask questions because I don't know. I have never been on a cruise or traveled overseas so how would I know what to expect. I just want to be prepared so my family can enjoy our cruise. I am sure I will have more silly questions.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

The only silly questions is the one not asked. Ask away. That's what we're here for.

 

FYI, the outlet in the bathroom is only for shavers.

 

Harriet

[BBBJ1998]

A question please

Does the Escape have a special laundry deal - usually Thursday eve - all you can put in a bag is one flat fee?

[tjt87]

What kind of outlets does the Escape have?

Do I need a converter for our electronic items?

Do we need an extension cord?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

There are also USB points at the bedside for phones etc, which we found helpful

[kitafraya]

There are also USB points at the bedside for phones etc, which we found helpful

 

 

COOL!!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[bt0510]

A question please

Does the Escape have a special laundry deal - usually Thursday eve - all you can put in a bag is one flat fee?

 

We received this offer on Tuesday and the clothes were returned on Thursday. It was $19-20 for the bag. I don't remember exact price.

[SNOWDOG]

Glad you enjoyed the ship. We will be in #13890 tomorrow and will also go with the flow.

[punkincc]

Are you able to book Howl at the Moon, Comedy shows and Tenors of Rock in advance? The only things I am able to prebook on myncl so far is the Supper Club, Million Dollar Quartet and After Midnight. I'm cruising January 23rd. Thanks!

 

We are on your cruise as well. Come on over to our Roll Call and sign in if you haven't already. We will have a meet and mingle attended by the ship's senior staff on the first sea day and a couple of other activities scheduled if you have any interest.

 

Yes, those three are the only shows available to book pre cruise. For Howl, no reservations accepted, you can just walk in or out whenever you like. The Headliners comedy shows can be booked on board. I believe there may be a couple more shows available on board for booking as well, the Brenda Braxton dinner show ( same fee as For the Record ) is one.

[punkincc]

Question for canuckgal re the beach picture. I assume it is Cane Garden Bay in Tortola and not Coki Beach in St Thomas. Looks nice, we might give it a try. Are there restaurants, beach chair rentals?

[blueclawfan]

so how do you sign up. im on that cruise in january also

[sms2435]

Thanks for the balanced review. We are crusing on the Escape next week over Christmas and booked in room 13880 - your exact room! Did you think he spa pass was worth it despite the troubles? I'm also crusing with extended family - my Mom and sisters as well.

[NYNJCRUISER]

Free or complementary food areas are Taste ,Savor ,Manhattan Dining Room a Osheehans and the Buffet.

 

Yes book all the shows ahead of time ,Howl at the Moon,Headliners(comedy) and the shows After Midnight,Million Dollar Quartet and the Tenors of Rock,preferably before you cruise reserve.

 

Brat Pack diner show a must worth the cost.

 

We're sailing on Dec 26. Only entertainment options online are For the Record, After Midnight and Million Dollar Quartet. Were you able to book Howl at the Moon and the comedy shows before you sailed?