Escape December 5th-12th sailing mini review. Haven etc.

[amscene1]

This is a mini review, observations and comparisons to getaway. My wife and I (30 years old) have sailed frequently (many lines) in the past 4 years.

 

Embarkation: it was my first time doing the haven on Ncl, embarkation was pretty smooth. Arrived at port at 11:00 and was onboard at 11:30. Went to the haven waiting room got my cards in 5 minutes and away I went. General security line is much better at this large 2 terminal Ncl pier. Our friends waited about 25 minutes in the non-Lattitudes line and boarded soon after.

 

Ship overall: I was very familiar with the ship having sailed getaway twice. The ship did not feel much larger than getaway with the exception of the addition of district brewhouse and food republic.

 

Haven: we were sailing with some friends so we did not make much use of the Haven as we would have liked. We had a Haven Courtyard suite, room 17728. This room is on the end which is good because you get a double balcony and bad because people are often looking on to your balcony during port maneuvers. A couple in their late 50s were smoking nonstop on their balcony the whole time so I did not get to use my balcony as much as I would've liked too. The haven bartenders are the best crew in the haven along with the server on the top deck. My room attendant was pretty good although never replaced my shampoo bottles, I had to ask everyday. This is strictly MHO, I would not do haven again, a balcony and vibe pass is all I need to make me happy. I would only do a haven 2 bedroom if I went with my parents which I may do on the getaway because they would love it. The one cool part about the haven is you can order food from anywhere and get it. The haven restaurant was great! Best French dip I ever had surprisingly and the chicken tenders were great as well! I also recommend the Cobb salad!

 

Butler: I ordered dinner in my suite from Cagney's one night when I called the Butler to order it, it seemed like he was doing me a big favor and that this was a big hassle for him. Needless to say I felt very uncomfortable asking for things for the duration of the cruise. Usually the best butlers are assigned to the higher suites so this may have been the issue.

 

District brew house: I love this space everything was great except they put the same entertainer in there every night which got old because on nights six and seven the place was dead. Don't get me wrong I really loved the entertainer but so many nights in a row got old, fast! Beer selection is the best I've seen on a ship.

 

Food republic: I want my noodle bar back!!! I tried this 3 times to see what all the hype was about, nothing really blew me away I probably tried 80% of the menu in there between me and my wife and the only thing that stood out was the brussels sprouts other than that this venue is nothing special IMHO.

 

Casino: I thought the slots paid out pretty well on the cruise I was on I won couple hundred. I saw A lady get 750 free spins on a penny machine which I didn't think was possible. She had to baby sit the machine for four hours, she finally cashed out 3500 bucks.

 

Skyline bar: I think they were better off with the nightclub and the noodle bar. There was late night activity here but it is what it sounds like, a smokey casino bar.

 

Internet : I purchased the unlimited package for $209. I felt it was worth it for me because I do work a lot and have to have my emails. The service was faster than I expected because of all the negative reviews on the forums. The service is noticeably faster in port because they are probably hooked up to fiber.

 

St. Thomas: rented a jeep and went to coral world, beach, lunch and back to shopping. I looked in Little Switzerland for a Watch I wanted. The sales lady was very pushy. She became nasty when I declined to purchase the watch.

 

Tortola: nice island but 7-2:30 is not a fun day, especially since I like to sleep in on a cruise so I only walked the port shops that were open. Only 6-8 of them I believe, this will be a nice area when they're all done.

 

Nassau: what can I say I've been here 1 million times Nassau is Nassau. Although it looks like they're redoing their whole terminal to make it nicer because all of the shops were relocated to huts outside.

 

Specialty restaurants: service was pretty slow at all the dining venues. Went to cagneys / le bistro / la cucina.

Food at la cucina was the best followed by cagneys then le bistro. My friend asked for a medium rare steak in cagneys and it came out rare. I asked for a medium steak and it came out medium rare which I didn't mind. Call me crazy but I still think Carnival has the best steakhouse.

 

Haven Debarkation: walk off meets in haven lounge by 7:30

We took the crew elevators to deck seven where we walked the plank. Literally walked off the ship no lines.

[Demonyte]

Thanks for your observations, I have couple of questions/comments though:

 

A couple in their late 50s were smoking nonstop on their balcony the whole time so I did not get to use my balcony as much as I would've liked too.

 

Since smoking on balconies is strictly prohibited on all balconies since over a year ago, didn't the ship's personnel address your concerns when you contacted them?

 

I'm genuinely worried if they didn't.

 

 

Usually the best butlers are assigned to the higher suites so this may have been the issue.

 

 

This has not been true on all NCL ships we've sailed with the exception of one (Dawn) - on all the others the butlers have rotated constantly (for example every two cruises) so there is no such differentiation between suite levels, everybody should be able to get the same level of service when paying extra for a suite.

 

Unfortunately there are average butlers and really great butlers, it's a luck of the draw who you happen to get.

[amscene1]

Thanks for your observations, I have couple of questions/comments though:

 

 

 

Since smoking on balconies is strictly prohibited on all balconies since over a year ago, didn't the ship's personnel address your concerns when you contacted them?

 

I'm genuinely worried if they didn't.

 

 

 

 

 

This has not been true on all NCL ships we've sailed with the exception of one (Dawn) - on all the others the butlers have rotated constantly (for example every two cruises) so there is no such differentiation between suite levels, everybody should be able to get the same level of service when paying extra for a suite.

 

Unfortunately there are average butlers and really great butlers, it's a luck of the draw who you happen to get.

 

 

For the smoking, ultimately there is nothing anyone can do. If the couple chooses to smoke and acknowledges it, they are charged $250.00 smoke/deep cleaning fee. But there is no one to police the problem.

 

As for the butlers, I'm sure there are many great butlers that service h5 cabins. My opinion comes from my parents Who sail frequently in suites on celebrity. This has been true with them.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the great review. Was it a penthouse suite you were staying in? I never heard of a double balcony on Escape before.

I am always surprised to hear butler stories like yours. They are very common. Luckily I never experienced anything like that. You would think serving a big dinner like that would increase their tips and they would be happy to serve you. My theory is the butlers have way too many duties and suites to care of. Many times they always sent someone else because our butler was too busy.

[SeaWatcher65]

Specialty restaurants: service was pretty slow at all the dining venues. Went to cagneys / le bistro / la cucina.

Food at la cucina was the best followed by cagneys then le bistro. My friend asked for a medium rare steak in cagneys and it came out rare. I asked for a medium steak and it came out medium rare which I didn't mind. Call me crazy but I still think Carnival has the best steakhouse.

 

Can you tell us what you liked or did not like at LaCucina and LeBistro? On the Getaway, we did not eat at LaCucina because reviews were not great. At LeBistro, we enjoyed the mushroom soup, swordfish, rack of lamb, and the filet.

 

You have a great cruise log!

[jeloshot21]

Great review...I have read lots of threads that say that there is a lot of movement on this ship compared to others. What did you think?

[Fyruf]

I to just got off the Escape and agree with this review unlike some that I had read before. My wife and two other lady guest had a two bedroom suite in the haven and we where very pleased with the whole experience. We have been in the haven on the Getaway and the Pearl and Star and this was just as nice as any. We got first class treatment from the staff especially from Ana in the restaurant. We had the ultimate dining package and boy did that worked out fine. Ate at all the main ones even MV and no charge,the food was good I think as I've never ate in MDR on six sailings now always speciality. Getting on and off was a breeze.

[Fyruf]

Oh I didn't notice much movement in the ship and we were on the 18th deck front 18118. When a ship is on the water don't care how big it is it can move,take it from an old sailor but this trip it didn't.

[Keith1010]

Thanks for our review/report.

Keith

[Fyruf]

My wife didn't like the food at the dinner show but brat pack was good. The Million dollar Quartet was really good piano player was great. Must see

[rg24601]

The butler's we have had, have been a mixed bag.

 

The Getaways was ok but seemed bothered to be asked.

Same with the Dawn's.

 

The pearls was awesome as was the Breakaways.

 

So it does matter who you get.

[zlacruising]

Thank you for your review. I'm sailing day after Christmas!

[amscene1]

Thanks for the great review. Was it a penthouse suite you were staying in? I never heard of a double balcony on Escape before.

 

I am always surprised to hear butler stories like yours. They are very common. Luckily I never experienced anything like that. You would think serving a big dinner like that would increase their tips and they would be happy to serve you. My theory is the butlers have way too many duties and suites to care of. Many times they always sent someone else because our butler was too busy.

 

 

I was in a courtyard penthouse h5, it's the ones on the end closest to the elevators. It was also nice to have the haven entrance door right by our room.

[amscene1]

Great review...I have read lots of threads that say that there is a lot of movement on this ship compared to others. What did you think?

 

 

It's funny you mention this because this cruise was smoother then both getaway cruises. The most movement I had on any ship was on the Disney fantasy going from castaway cay to port canaveral.

 

It all depends on the time of year and weather conditions. Some get lucky and some don't.

[amscene1]

Can you tell us what you liked or did not like at LaCucina and LeBistro? On the Getaway, we did not eat at LaCucina because reviews were not great. At LeBistro, we enjoyed the mushroom soup, swordfish, rack of lamb, and the filet.

 

 

 

You have a great cruise log!

 

 

This was my second time dining at la cucina (first was on getaway) and I thought the food (again) was excellent, we had 6 in our party and no one could not say a bad thing about it, it surprises me as well because of the negativity out there with this restaurant.

 

One friend had the filet at le bistro and the other had the bone in (ribeye) I believe. The ribeye had much more intense flavor, I loved it. The deserts were nothing special. The apple crisp was gross! The creme brûlée was bland and the chocolate fondue was so-so.

 

At cagneys, they had a difficult time preparing the meat at our desired tempature, perhaps it's because 3 of us ordered the 32oz porterhouse. Parts of mine were undercooked and some parts were perfect. The 7 layer chocolate cake was my favorite desert of the cruise.

[asubaru]

Thanks for conveying your thoughts/experiences.

 

Who was your butler? It's too bad you didn't have a "good" one. I am envious of those who report that they had a wonderful butler; I'm hoping I get lucky next cruise!

 

It's nice to read good things about the Haven, especially the restaurant.

 

 

 

 

 

This is a mini review, observations and comparisons to getaway. My wife and I (30 years old) have sailed frequently (many lines) in the past 4 years.

 

Embarkation: it was my first time doing the haven on Ncl, embarkation was pretty smooth. Arrived at port at 11:00 and was onboard at 11:30. Went to the haven waiting room got my cards in 5 minutes and away I went. General security line is much better at this large 2 terminal Ncl pier. Our friends waited about 25 minutes in the non-Lattitudes line and boarded soon after.

 

Ship overall: I was very familiar with the ship having sailed getaway twice. The ship did not feel much larger than getaway with the exception of the addition of district brewhouse and food republic.

 

Haven: we were sailing with some friends so we did not make much use of the Haven as we would have liked. We had a Haven Courtyard suite, room 17728. This room is on the end which is good because you get a double balcony and bad because people are often looking on to your balcony during port maneuvers. A couple in their late 50s were smoking nonstop on their balcony the whole time so I did not get to use my balcony as much as I would've liked too. The haven bartenders are the best crew in the haven along with the server on the top deck. My room attendant was pretty good although never replaced my shampoo bottles, I had to ask everyday. This is strictly MHO, I would not do haven again, a balcony and vibe pass is all I need to make me happy. I would only do a haven 2 bedroom if I went with my parents which I may do on the getaway because they would love it. The one cool part about the haven is you can order food from anywhere and get it. The haven restaurant was great! Best French dip I ever had surprisingly and the chicken tenders were great as well! I also recommend the Cobb salad!

 

Butler: I ordered dinner in my suite from Cagney's one night when I called the Butler to order it, it seemed like he was doing me a big favor and that this was a big hassle for him. Needless to say I felt very uncomfortable asking for things for the duration of the cruise. Usually the best butlers are assigned to the higher suites so this may have been the issue.

 

District brew house: I love this space everything was great except they put the same entertainer in there every night which got old because on nights six and seven the place was dead. Don't get me wrong I really loved the entertainer but so many nights in a row got old, fast! Beer selection is the best I've seen on a ship.

 

Food republic: I want my noodle bar back!!! I tried this 3 times to see what all the hype was about, nothing really blew me away I probably tried 80% of the menu in there between me and my wife and the only thing that stood out was the brussels sprouts other than that this venue is nothing special IMHO.

 

Casino: I thought the slots paid out pretty well on the cruise I was on I won couple hundred. I saw A lady get 750 free spins on a penny machine which I didn't think was possible. She had to baby sit the machine for four hours, she finally cashed out 3500 bucks.

 

Skyline bar: I think they were better off with the nightclub and the noodle bar. There was late night activity here but it is what it sounds like, a smokey casino bar.

 

Internet : I purchased the unlimited package for $209. I felt it was worth it for me because I do work a lot and have to have my emails. The service was faster than I expected because of all the negative reviews on the forums. The service is noticeably faster in port because they are probably hooked up to fiber.

 

St. Thomas: rented a jeep and went to coral world, beach, lunch and back to shopping. I looked in Little Switzerland for a Watch I wanted. The sales lady was very pushy. She became nasty when I declined to purchase the watch.

 

Tortola: nice island but 7-2:30 is not a fun day, especially since I like to sleep in on a cruise so I only walked the port shops that were open. Only 6-8 of them I believe, this will be a nice area when they're all done.

 

Nassau: what can I say I've been here 1 million times Nassau is Nassau. Although it looks like they're redoing their whole terminal to make it nicer because all of the shops were relocated to huts outside.

 

Specialty restaurants: service was pretty slow at all the dining venues. Went to cagneys / le bistro / la cucina.

Food at la cucina was the best followed by cagneys then le bistro. My friend asked for a medium rare steak in cagneys and it came out rare. I asked for a medium steak and it came out medium rare which I didn't mind. Call me crazy but I still think Carnival has the best steakhouse.

 

Haven Debarkation: walk off meets in haven lounge by 7:30

We took the crew elevators to deck seven where we walked the plank. Literally walked off the ship no lines.

[zlacruising]

I have a question. I just read on another thread that the casino would be smoke free. It wasn't? ?

[zlacruising]

Y'all just ignore prior post. Just saw where it will be longer than they thought before no smoking.

Edited December 14, 2015 by zlacruising

[amscene1]

Thanks for conveying your thoughts/experiences.

 

 

 

Who was your butler? It's too bad you didn't have a "good" one. I am envious of those who report that they had a wonderful butler; I'm hoping I get lucky next cruise!

 

 

 

It's nice to read good things about the Haven, especially the restaurant.

 

 

Butlers name was naveen, I kept thinking to myself maybe the service was lacking because we are younger than most haven sailors. I only knew to ask about having one of my udps served in the stateroom on this forum. Also when my mother cruises celebrity, she hands the butler a 2 page hand written list of requests and they always do a perfect job, I'm beginning to think maybe NCLs butlers don't stack up.

[Demonyte]

Butlers name was naveen, I kept thinking to myself maybe the service was lacking because we are younger than most haven sailors. I only knew to ask about having one of my udps served in the stateroom on this forum. Also when my mother cruises celebrity, she hands the butler a 2 page hand written list of requests and they always do a perfect job, I'm beginning to think maybe NCLs butlers don't stack up.

 

You just can't compare butlers between different cruise lines based on one poor experience. We too are young (had our first suite in our late 20's) and have had excellent, good (most of them), mediocre and really poor (luckily only once) butlers onboard NCL ships.

 

Just like with other service industries, people providing the services are individuals and no matter what qualifications and diplomas one might have, their personality might not just add up to what is needed to provide the great service - people are mostly hired based on their qualifications, not every day actions which are usually not visible for the recruiters, so a butler with poor personality can just as well be hired by Celebrity as they can by NCL.

 

(And do not get me wrong, I do prefer Celebrity over NCL nowadays, it's just hasty generalizations and incorrect assumptions in forum discussions that I am against. :))

Edited December 15, 2015 by Demonyte

[Imasima752]

You just can't compare butlers between different cruise lines based on one poor experience. We too are young (had our first suite in our late 20's) and have had excellent, good (most of them), mediocre and really poor (luckily only once) butlers onboard NCL ships.

 

Just like with other service industries, people providing the services are individuals and no matter what qualifications and diplomas one might have, their personality might not just add up to what is needed to provide the great service - people are mostly hired based on their qualifications, not every day actions which are usually not visible for the recruiters, so a butler with poor personality can just as well be hired by Celebrity as they can by NCL.

 

(And do not get me wrong, I do prefer Celebrity over NCL nowadays, it's just hasty generalizations and incorrect assumptions in forum discussions that I am against. :))

 

 

Well said, Demonyte.

[cmdchiefthom]

Succinct and to the point. I really enjoyed the review. Thanks for posting!:)