Review of the Escape - March 19-26 Sailing

[HeatherMac246]

I sailed on the Escape March 19-26. I was in room 16126, which is Haven Spa Suite with Balcony.

Boarding: We arrived at port around 10:30 am. Being in a Haven suite, we went through the security line in no time and was escorted into the little waiting room for the Haven guests. Check in was easy and quick. The room is a bit small when you have more than just a few people in there. It got crowded pretty quickly when a couple families arrived with 5+ in each party. We stayed in this room for about 30 minutes and then were escorted up to the priority boarding area, which was already completely full. There was a wedding that was going to take place before we left port, so the whole boarding process was a cluster. You had people that told the Haven guests they were to board with the wedding party and others that said we had to wait. There was an irate lady that was in the Haven yelling at the staff that she should not have to wait after all the money she spent to be in the Haven. It was really rude and it made the wedding party feel bad. We boarded the ship around 12-12:30. I guess there was an issue with guests getting off the ship from the previous cruise, so we had a wait longer than they anticipated before we were able to get on the ship. Once on board, they brought us to the Haven area, which was awesome. The first thing we did once in there was stop at the concierge desk and buy our Vibe passes. For those of you in the Haven, you DO NOT need to go to Headliners to get your passes. They have them in the Haven. And for those who are contemplating Vibe, do it. Some of the best money spent all week.

Room: 16126. TONS of storage. We were not used to having so much room on a cruise ship. The bed was super comfy and soft. Linens were great. Loved the lighting in the whole room, very serene. The bathroom was large, and the shower was large enough for two people in it. Balcony was good sized, not huge, but large enough for a lounger if you really wanted one. There was one complaint about this room. Being in the Haven, there is a separate elevator that does NOT go to floor 16. You will need to leave the Haven to get to your room. But you are on the same floor as the Spa. Which is very nice. It was really close to the door to get into the hallway. But, it was very noisy on the balcony since it was so close to the main pool/sundeck area. If you enjoy quiet on your balcony, this is not the room for you. I would pick one more forward if you want to be able to sit on your balcony and read.

Restaurants: The Haven restaurant is amazing. Lilibeth & Jason will take care of you there. The food is very, very good. We also ate at Cagney’s and Bayambo. Both were very disappointing. Bayambo had very small portions and the food is very different. I’m not sure what we were expecting but for the additional charge, I would not go back. Use your money on Food Republic for the sushi. Cagney’s was even more disappointing than Bayambo. SO loud in the restaurant, there’s not a quiet spot inside this place. The steaks were bland. We got out apps and there was a lack of flavor so we asked our waiter to tell the chef’s to season the steaks heavily, and he said that all they use are salt and pepper and told us he would bring out sauces. Very disappointing. I LOVE their raspberry crème brulee from other ships, so I was very excited to try it on the Escape. I was disappointed when it came out without a good crust, or one at all! The waiter apologized, but how hard is it to caramelize sugar on a dessert? My suggestion, if you have the dining package included, give the places a try. If you are on the fence about paying for it, it is not worth it if you are in the Haven. Friends of ours from the Haven went to Le Bistro and waited over for 30 minutes for their drinks, so they walked out and came up to the Haven restaurant. We didn’t give it a try because of their experience. But after Bayambo and Cagney’s, we were going to stick with eating in the Haven for dinner for the rest of the trip.

Shows: DO NOT MISS THE BRAT PACK! This was the best show on board. We did not eat the food in the show, but the show itself was AWESOME. Just note, it’s not for kids. We really, really enjoyed this show. Vocal Overdrive was just Ok. The beat boxer is incredible and his part of the show was awesome. After Midnight was good, but not amazing, and not exactly a G rated show either. There’s an F-bomb dropped in the one song and a lot of sex referred to in the show. Make sure to go to the adult showing at Headliners for Mark Kline. It was so funny our cheeks hurt from laughing so hard!!!

Vibe: The best $198 spent onboard all week. Ariel and Romel were AWESOME. Our cruise had 5200 people onboard and almost 2000 of them were children!! So having a place to be able to escape from the madness was very nice. We enjoyed this more than the Haven areas because of the kids everywhere. Adrian was trying to steer Haven guests away from the Vibe, but after a few days on our sailing, he realized that those of us in the Vibe were lucky J

Overall, we had a great time! But, I do not think we’ll sail again on this boat. We did the Sun last year and that was much more enjoyable. The Haven and Vibe were worth every penny! If we try out this boat again, it will NOT be for spring break. Too many kids and people. We enjoy the smaller boats and the Haven & Vibe gave us that experience. But, we can get the same “feeling” on a smaller boat for less money.

If you have any questions about the ship, ask away!!!

[Sissaaaaaa]

Glad you had a nice trip!

[Clarea]

Thanks for the feedback.

[Keith1010]

Even though you don't plan to sail on the ship again, glad you had a nice time and thank you for taking the time to write and share this review.

 

Keith

[spielbank]

Thanks for the review. I do have a question, were you one of the first Haven groups allowed to board? We are in the Haven and I wondered how it would work for Vibe passes.

[markf]

Are you saying due to the large # of kids, that Vibe is the place to be.

I would think that during an average week, the Haven has its own private sundeck which would be similar to the Vibe..and there would be no need to pay the Vibe fee

Am I correct??

[Trumpster]

So the Haven and Vibe?

[HeatherMac246]

We were. I think we were the first people to stop by the desk to change reservations and to get Vibe passes. We just happened to move to the front of the line prior to boarding because when we got moved up to the floor where you board, the priority area was completely full. But, there were other guests that got there after us, by probably an hour, that still were able to book the Vibe. Adrian was trying to tell others to not book it, but it was worth every penny.

 

Honestly, whether there were 2 kids of 20, I would still book the Vibe. Reason being, the area where the pool is in the Haven is a giant sound trap. Even adults laughing echos in the area with the roof closed. It just gets really loud in there pretty quickly.

 

As for the sun deck, there seemed to always be A LOT more wind on the Haven side than the Vibe side. And the Vibe had umbrellas and a bar right there. Haven still has a hot tub and waiters that come around occasionally, but it's nothing like the Vibe. It was just nice to be able to go to a place that was quiet and bar service was amazing. Romel & Ariel knew us by name and would hold whatever chairs we wanted every day. You don't get that in the Haven!

 

All in all, we wouldn't have had such a great trip if it wasn't for both!

[markf]

It would seem to me that the amount one pays for the Haven, they can reasonably expect to receive a Vibe type of atmosphere on the Haven sun deck--

I remember on the Epic I thought the atmosphere was similar, but I also remember there were no kids at all , we went early March..

[Dayna912]

That's a great review. Question for you...we sail this Saturday. One of the 18 year old's that is coming with us (daughter's friend) does not have a passport. We have his birth certificate and he will have his driver's license which I know is all we need to board the ship. Did you need passports in any of the ports? Norweigan is telling us we don't but I am reading conflicting reports on when you get back on the ship in Nassau. Did you need your passports anywhere in ports? Thank you so much!!

[buckeye rob]

I sailed on the Escape March 19-26. I was in room 16126, which is Haven Spa Suite with Balcony.

Boarding: We arrived at port around 10:30 am. Being in a Haven suite, we went through the security line in no time and was escorted into the little waiting room for the Haven guests. Check in was easy and quick. The room is a bit small when you have more than just a few people in there. It got crowded pretty quickly when a couple families arrived with 5+ in each party. We stayed in this room for about 30 minutes and then were escorted up to the priority boarding area, which was already completely full. There was a wedding that was going to take place before we left port, so the whole boarding process was a cluster. You had people that told the Haven guests they were to board with the wedding party and others that said we had to wait. There was an irate lady that was in the Haven yelling at the staff that she should not have to wait after all the money she spent to be in the Haven. It was really rude and it made the wedding party feel bad. We boarded the ship around 12-12:30. I guess there was an issue with guests getting off the ship from the previous cruise, so we had a wait longer than they anticipated before we were able to get on the ship. Once on board, they brought us to the Haven area, which was awesome. The first thing we did once in there was stop at the concierge desk and buy our Vibe passes. For those of you in the Haven, you DO NOT need to go to Headliners to get your passes. They have them in the Haven. And for those who are contemplating Vibe, do it. Some of the best money spent all week.

 

Vibe: The best $198 spent onboard all week. Ariel and Romel were AWESOME. Our cruise had 5200 people onboard and almost 2000 of them were children!! So having a place to be able to escape from the madness was very nice. We enjoyed this more than the Haven areas because of the kids everywhere. Adrian was trying to steer Haven guests away from the Vibe, but after a few days on our sailing, he realized that those of us in the Vibe were lucky J

Overall, we had a great time! But, I do not think we’ll sail again on this boat. We did the Sun last year and that was much more enjoyable. The Haven and Vibe were worth every penny! If we try out this boat again, it will NOT be for spring break. Too many kids and people. We enjoy the smaller boats and the Haven & Vibe gave us that experience. But, we can get the same “feeling” on a smaller boat for less money.

If you have any questions about the ship, ask away!!!

 

Thanks for the info Heather. Going during Spring Break I can see where the Vibe passes were almost necessary. We're not going until late August feeling many kids will be headed back to school. We will be in an Aft Penthouse and wondering about the separation from the Haven. Seems like the place to hang out. I don't want to be greedy and secure a Vibe pass unnecessarily but don't want to regret not having them 2-3 days into the cruise. I have heard the Concierge (Adrian) had in other posts tried to dissuade Haven guests from purchasing Vibe passes. Any idea ? Do you think he thinks its an honest waste of money or NCL trying to keep the limited Vibe passes more available ? Guess it doesn't really matter. Glad you had a great time. Knew you were stressing about the Vibe passes. Would you do Escape again sans Spring Break ? Thanks Gerry

Edited March 28, 2016 by buckeye rob

[HeatherMac246]

The only thing that you needed to get back onboard in St. Thomas & Nassau was your ship card and a photo ID of some sort. So if he has his driver's license that matches the name on his ship card, you should be fine! We took our passports with us, but that's because I've recently had a name change and my license has a different last name than my passport.

 

That's a great review. Question for you...we sail this Saturday. One of the 18 year old's that is coming with us (daughter's friend) does not have a passport. We have his birth certificate and he will have his driver's license which I know is all we need to board the ship. Did you need passports in any of the ports? Norweigan is telling us we don't but I am reading conflicting reports on when you get back on the ship in Nassau. Did you need your passports anywhere in ports? Thank you so much!!

[HeatherMac246]

Yes, Adrian was trying to get Haven guests to not buy the Vibe. But, once another couple went up to the Vibe and came back down, they were sold. He can question you as to why you want the Vibe, but he can't prevent you from purchasing. Rasheeda is also up there when you board, and she was the one that did our passes for us with no questions. Adrian wasn't rude about it, but just questioned others as to why they need Vibe if they have Haven. Even if it wasn't spring break, I still would buy the Vibe passes. You never know how many kids will be in the Haven and their parents are on vacation too....just keep that in mind :D

 

I don't think we will go back on the Escape. To us, it was more of a "family" boat with the water slides and ropes course. The food was average at best in the normal areas of the ship. And they over book the specialty restaurants. Cagney's alone serves over 300 guests per evening. That is why I think the quality goes down the drain, too many people eating and the atmosphere really sucks in the restaurant, if you want my honest opinion.

[buckeye rob]

Yes, Adrian was trying to get Haven guests to not buy the Vibe. But, once another couple went up to the Vibe and came back down, they were sold. He can question you as to why you want the Vibe, but he can't prevent you from purchasing. Rasheeda is also up there when you board, and she was the one that did our passes for us with no questions. Adrian wasn't rude about it, but just questioned others as to why they need Vibe if they have Haven. Even if it wasn't spring break, I still would buy the Vibe passes. You never know how many kids will be in the Haven and their parents are on vacation too....just keep that in mind :D

 

I don't think we will go back on the Escape. To us, it was more of a "family" boat with the water slides and ropes course. The food was average at best in the normal areas of the ship. And they over book the specialty restaurants. Cagney's alone serves over 300 guests per evening. That is why I think the quality goes down the drain, too many people eating and the atmosphere really sucks in the restaurant, if you want my honest opinion.

 

Thanks Heather. Haven't heard anything but good about Food Republic. Concur ? Gerry.

Edited March 28, 2016 by buckeye rob

[HeatherMac246]

Yes! Food Republic was great! And reasonable. That's the only place I would go to outside of the Haven. But I did hear really good things about the Tapas place too, just never had a chance to go there.

[kayleighbayleigh]

Bayambo

 

Man, I don't know what it is with NCL's passengers but I've seen people butchering Bayamo in all sorts of ways today :confused:

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for the great review! We loved Food Republic too. Had this great Cinnamon Banana Bun dessert...hard to describe but delicious:D We had missed the Brat Pack (due to actor's injury) so very excited for our next Escape cruise to see that show.