Escape Review May 7 - 14 - Meh (But Maybe That's Our Fault.)

[JFontaine]

Thanks for taking the time. I'm sorry the cruise wasn't everything you wanted. I hope you always remember your mom with a drink in her hand or in the blue water, and forget the less fun parts. Hope you get to do this again with her.

[HowardK]

Funny you mentioned Olympic Training. Because DH and I have been training for our cruise. We don't usually drink much at all and go weeks with no alcohol. My 21-30 YO self would be so disappointed.

 

We have been trying to have a few drinks a week to train for our cruise. That's what we call it. We look at each other and say "I'm Training"

 

 

DD who trains for water polo just rolls her eyes. Its not called working out its called "training".

 

 

I am looking forward to experiencing the mixologists. When we booked I was trying to decide between a aft or 2 bed and the bar was one thing that swung me to being in the Haven. To grab a drink easily before heading out or back to our room.

 

I had started training in January as well for this December! I normally don't drink much but having the UBP it will be nice not cringing when ordering a drink and paying $10.

 

I thought this was one of the 3 best reviews I read along with Gambees, and Dougouts. This review has the human element in the sense that it is extremely honest and genuine.

 

Reading about the food does make me a little nervous, but I have SDP for 4 meals.

[Hockey19]

What a wonderful recap of a journey. What comes through is what a cruise should be- a joyous time with those you love doing things you might not normally do with a full understanding of how special those moments will and can be. Your approach and attitude towards the Haven life (having I guess replaced the now rudimentary suite life) shows a true appreciation for rewards hard earned and obviously deferred over time. You have a sense of respect and admiration (and patience) with those making your experience truly special and your sense of humor and perspective is wonderful to share in. Thanks for including us in this experience.

[Rosy1013]

Found your review highly interesting!

[dogboy]

I've never had Muesli, don't know what it is, not going to look up recipe; but I know that when I try Muesli next week on The Escape I will Love It.

Thanks for a honest, well written, and interesting review.

[rmmom1962]

I want to finish this up, since I noticed that I am waxing longer than long, and I've been home over a week. I'm going to highlight the ports we visited, sum up my thoughts, and answer a very insightful question from Gambee.

 

ST. THOMAS, or, "Godfrey owes me 20 bucks": After careful consideration, we have decided St. Thomas is not for us. On our last cruise, we ended up spending the day at Senor Frogs, and so didn't experience the island at all. This time, I booked Godfrey's Tours at the last minute, because none of the ship's tours did what I wanted and because Sunny Liston's tours were reviewed as being rather raucous and Godfrey's were calmer. I wanted a bit of shopping for Mom, an island tour, and a beach, and Godfrey's tour looked like it hit the high points. Unfortunately, while I received a receipt from Paypal for my deposit, I did NOT receive an email from Godfrey. I should have called or emailed, but the bottom line was that Godfrey got my money but never showed up at the port for us. Mom was disgusted and refused to leave the ship; Sunny Liston's tours kindly put us on a bus and took us shopping. I have yet to send Godfrey a nasty note asking for my money back, but the bottom line is always to make sure you get a confirmation email! Sunny Liston's tour was pretty ok; I hate shopping, but DH and I wandered the shops of St. Thomas for about 45 minutes before getting sandwiched into a tour bus and going up and down the hills of St. Thomas at breakneck speed. Mountain Top did indeed have delicious banana daquiris and an amazing view of Megan's Bay, but we didn't enjoy it because we spent so much time standing in line for the daquiri. Not Sunny's fault. For the beach, we chose Coki, but it started raining and I wasn't impressed with the beach - I'm not sure if it's because of where we got dropped off, or that I was hot, tired, disgusted with Godfrey and unimpressed with St. Thomas. WE should have tried Magen's Bay, maybe, but the beach was for Mom and without her, I saw no reason to torture DH unless the beach was as stellar as the one we visited on St. Maarten. (DH hates water - I think he was a cat in a past life.) We ditched Coki Beach and went back to the ship early - along the way, we got a completely extraneous tour of the other side of the island.

 

Important to remember for later: when we walked back onto the ship, looking for Mom, we found her at the Haven courtyard. She had spent the last 6 hours sitting poolside, drinking daquiris and getting some sun. Without sunscreen, but it didn't look very sunny in the courtyard - not blistering, like the usual Caribbean sun. Her little legs looked a little burnt, but not too bad - she browns up very quickly (unlike me - I glow in the dark, I'm so pale), so I wasn't worried. She'd have hated the tour, so I'm kind of glad she didn't go. Next time (if there is one), I will book the St. John's champagne snorkel. We hadn't eaten since breakfast, so the three of us went to the buffet, but didn't find anything exciting. I thought about O'Sheehan's, but it was slammed, so we made do with the buffet and spent the evening at the Haven bar (since nobody but me was excited about the comedy show.)

 

Tortola/Jost Van Dyke, or, Rum Punch, Crown and Painkillers in Paradise: If you go to Tortola, you must, must, must go to Jost Van Dyke. It is the stereotypical Caribbean beach you see in the movies - white sand beach, bathtub-clear waters, gentle waves, beachside bars, and a bay full of catamarans and small boats. It was the best day of the cruise, all things told, and everything that my mom wanted for her YOLO trip. We were picked up at the pier in a catamaran called the Rebel Yell, exactly as the video on YouTube shows - we had heard that a lot of folks have had to swim in when the catamaran drops you off, but all we had to do was wade through calf-high water. The ride to Jost Van Dyke is about 45 minutes each way, but there is a lot to look at and the ship's crew is informative and friendly. The Soggy Dollar Bar is famous (or, infamous, depending on who you talk to) but we spent our day in front of a brand new place called Hendo's Hideaway. Mom never got out of the water, DH never left the bar, and I and my never-empty Painkiller went between DH and Mom, in and out of the waves and up on thee never-crowded beach. It was a delightful day, if it was a little bit short - we were tthere for about 4 hours, but I could have stayed longer. My skin, not so much - despite being slathered in SPF 70, reapplied at 30 minute intervals, I came back with tan lines. Mom got burned.

 

DH, who never left the bar, put a serious dent in Hendo's Crown Royal supply. On the catamaran back to the Escape, the crew liberally serves a wicked rum punch. DH got a little too in love with it, and had about 7 little cups of it. By the time we poured him into the cabin, he was content to sit on the floor and watch me get ready for dinner. By the time I was dressed, he was asleep in the bed. He didn't get up for 16 hours, and didn't drink another alcoholic beverage for the rest of the cruise. Jost Van Dyke = Waterloo for DH.

 

Mom and I ate at La Cucina, and back to the cabin for some rest. I enjoyed reading my Nook on the balcony, listening to the waves rush by. Tortola waits for another trip - Jost Van Dyke was a perfect day.

 

Unfortunately, Jost Van Dyke was Mom's Sun Waterloo. She started complaining of sharp, stabbing pain in her legs at dinner; I had her call the medical center, but when she heard that they would charge her $184 just to see her, she decided to tough it out. The next day, DH and I decided that she had a terrible sunburn and bought the blue goo with the lidocaine in it. She slathered it on and turned her bedding smurf blue. Nassau morning, we met for breakfast in the Haven restaurant, but she had an upset stomach and couldn't wear shoes; she reluctantly agreed that she wouldn't be getting off the ship, and went back to bed.

 

Nassau, or, "Never Again": The whole point of this trip was Nassau, because Mom wanted to go to Atlantis and I talked her into cruising rather than flying over and staying in the hotel. Her goal was to ride the lazy river at the water park (which I wouldn't have allowed, because she has grown weak over the year and while she is a solid dog-paddler, she's wobbly and has no stamina.) I reluctantly agreed to pay the $189/each for ship's tours to Atlantis, even though I didn't like paying that kind of money for 4 hours at the park. I waited to book it, because I knew it wouldn't sell out and I hoped to entice her into a dolphin encounter instead. While I deeply, deeply regretted that she woke up sick with lobster-red legs, I wasn't sad to be missing Atlantis. DH and I walked around Nassau for a few hours, then went back to check on Mom.

 

Mom was in bad shape, and I insisted that she go to the med bay, where we met the delightful Dr. Farah and Mom got an IV. Three hours and $679 later, Mom sprang magically back to life (nothing like reading your Nook for 3 hours in a hospital room). We ate at the buffet (more soup) and . . . went back to bed. I sat out on the balcony and tried to catch a sliver of a sunset.

 

Miami, or, Going Home: After seeing Mom being wheeled to the Medical Center in a wheelchair (she couldn't walk), Adrian very kindly advised me he would get a wheelchair for disembarkation. I told him that our car was meeting us at 9:30 and after a brief mental calculation, he said to be downstairs at 8:30 for the chair. I probably should have told him that DH and I planned to carry the luggage, because the Haven disembarkation is beyond swift - we met in the lobby at 8:30, went straight to the staff elevators in the Haven, down to deck 7, through a kiosk manned by Adrian himself, past the Crew Farewell gauntlet (I almost rolled over the Captain's foot with my luggage), through customs and poof - we were off the ship and at the curb by 9. Larry's driver found us with some difficulty, but we coordinated by phone and were at the airport getting yet another chair by 9:30. Poor Mom, struggling again with nausea, embarrassment and general misery, got pulled by the TSA and wanded, but she handled it like a former beauty queen - kept her big sunglasses on and her lace-edged hanky firmly over her nose. The kind staff member pushing the chair took us straight to the gate, where we hung out for 2 hours; back onto Delta first class (I love first class), another chair at Hartsfield, into a car and home, sweet home.

 

Hindsight is 20/20, OR, Gambee's Question: I can't say we enjoyed our cruise. I can't say it's all our fault - but certainly is our fault in part.

 

• The Haven: The Haven was an oasis of peace and comfort on the ship. I never felt "pampered", exactly, but we weren't very demanding passengers (outside of Mom's breakfasts.) I felt like I was in a different world from the rest of the ship - it is very possible to spend an entire cruise without leaving the Haven, and never regretting it. For us, leaving the peace and spaciousness of the Haven felt jarring, because in comparison the other parts of the ship were busy, crowded and chaotic. Ordinarily, I love that busy, crazy, crowded atmosphere, especially because as the week goes by it calms down and folks find their "spots." I love the hustle and bustle and constant go-go-go. I notice the crowds, but they don't bother me because everybody is having a good time. Being in the Haven made me notice the crowds, made me notice the frenetic atmosphere, and made me glad that I had a place to go to away from all that. It also made it easy to skip the shows - I frequently lost track of time and since I was the only one in my group interested in shows, it was easy to let them drift by. Gambee's question was very insightful - paradoxically, being in the Haven is one of the things that led me not to enjoy this cruise as much as others.
  
• The Haven was beautiful, but I probably wouldn't book it again. Aside from avoiding the every-increasing price point, I can get what I want from a cruise with a balcony room and a spa pass - or maybe a spa balcony for the bathtub and shower and peace of the thermal suite. I think I would have felt more a part of the ship's atmosphere if I had been less isolated. If, however, you are a cruiser who prefers that peace and isolation, then the Haven is a marvelous, peaceful place.
  
• You cannot beat the Haven for speed and ease of embarkation and disembarkation. Period.
  
• Food: I have never, in 5 cruises, been so disappointed in the food on a ship as on Escape. I am shocked that we only really enjoyed 1 good meal (from start to finish - Food Republic), and that my favorite meal of the trip involved nachos and fish tacos at a floating burger joint. My beloved muesli remained a high point, and I will remember the yakisoba from FR forever, but when you can't find anything reliable at a buffet besides cold bran/oatmeal cereal and cream soups, something is very, very, very wrong. I don't understand it, because I believe that the recipes are fleet wide and the menus are likely planned fleet wide, but something is missing in the kitchens on the Escape.
  
• Service: The oddest combination of good and bad service ever. When the service on Escape is good, it is unforgettable - which is why two weeks later, I'm writing about folks by name and feeling guilty about ragging on anybody. When it's bad, however, it's abysmal. Ignoring passengers in the bars is bad. Failing to look (much less smile) at passengers as you slam silverware into the bin on the buffet table while they are mid-meal is rude. Complaining to passengers about the level of drunkenness of the other passengers is funny, but inappropriate. Shouting at drunken passengers at a boat drill, while understandable as an urge, is unprofessional in a crew member. Slow service in the most expensive restaurant on the ship and in the least expensive restaurant on the ship is untenable. I don't if they are understaffed, under trained, or under incentivized, but something is wrong with the crew on the Escape. The crew members are some of the hardest working folks I have ever met, and compared to my standard of living, they are working for peanuts - I hate complaining about any one of them. But, that said. . . as Mama repeated to me today, "This ship was bad."
  

Would I sail Norwegian again? We put down 2 CruiseNext Deposits, so yes. Will I sail Escape again? No. She was not impressive, even with the caveat that I did not take full advantage of everything she had to offer - the things that were vital to me were not strengths of this ship. Will I take another cruise where I agree not to go to shows? Absolutely not!

 

 

 

Thank you for putting up with my long-winded posts! I hope that there has been some useful nugget of information here, and if not, I appreciate the chance to put up a travel journal. Until the next sailing. . . au'voir!

 

 

[postSCRIPT: I should point out that my problems with Nassau are absolutely personal. 2 years ago on Getaway, my dad had a heart attack on the ship while it was pulling into Nassau. He received excellent care from Getaway's medical staff and was sent to the hospital on Nassau overnight and then medevaced home to Atlanta. Mom stayed with Dad to coordinate his care, while DH and I sailed away to coordinate getting our belongings packed up, off the ship and driven back home. Nassau will never be my favorite port. Sadly, Dad passed away last May; we booked this trip to distract Mom from the first anniversary of his death. I found it supremely ironic that on the anniversary day itself, in Nassau, I was in a medical bay again, this time with Mom. If I can manage it, we're never going to Nassau again.]

 

 

 

Love your review!!! Can you please tell me how you go to Josh Van Dyke? Trying to figure out the best way to get there on our July 2nd cruise. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Renee'

[rmmom1962]

Love your review!!! Can you please tell me how you go to Josh Van Dyke? Trying to figure out the best way to get there on our July 2nd cruise. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Renee'

[CruzinMel]

Love your review!!! Can you please tell me how you go to Josh Van Dyke? Trying to figure out the best way to get there on our July 2nd cruise. Any help you can give will be greatly appreciated. Renee'

 

Hi Renee - thanks! I booked Jost Van Dyke through NCL - it was perfect. If i remember righr, the reservations open up 90 days before your cruise departs and this trip sells out fast - if you can, I'd book it now. It seems like it's a short day, but we thought the timing was just right. Hope this helps.

[CruzinMel]

Great review. Your thoughts about the Haven are interesting. I told my husband that I want to go on the Escape again outside the Haven to compare. While I loved every moment in the Haven, I feel like I missed out on many experiences by being in there. It was definitely a different type of cruise. I wouldn't trade our Haven time (and honestly, with another upsell I'd do it again in an instant) but it definitely made it a different trip!

 

I'm so sorry to read about your father. The anniversary must have been a hard day made even more difficult with your mom's health concerns. I hope your mom felt better quickly - and hoping you all have some special YOLO moments.

 

My big question is.....did you do the drop slide? Or did my review scare you away from it? :)

 

LJ - sorry it took me so long to respond - we never did the drop slides or the rope course or even putt putt! I did warn one of my bar friends, though, that she needed to hold on to her tankini, so you may have saved someone else from, un, putting on a show. :)

[CruzinMel]

Thank you, fellow cruisers, for reading and for your kind words!

[ljrfrm]

LJ - sorry it took me so long to respond - we never did the drop slides or the rope course or even putt putt! I did warn one of my bar friends, though, that she needed to hold on to her tankini, so you may have saved someone else from, un, putting on a show. :)

 

We will be in the Getaway (not for another year) and I'm already bound and determined to get to the end of it! There may be a bit of panicking at the top though. I may still be traumatized, LOL!! I may have to do a live report before/after my sliding........

[CruzinMel]

With pics! !

[ljrfrm]

With pics! !

 

Deal!! Hopefully it will be a victory photo and not another walk of shame!

[Bizylizy1123]

CruzinMel - thank you for your thoughtful review. Your writing style is better than the book I'm currently reading. As someone else mentioned, as time goes by I hope it is the happy moments (and it seemed like there were many) that you remember most vividly.

 

And never going to Nassau again is probably an excellent idea.

[HowardK]

Hi Renee - thanks! I booked Jost Van Dyke through NCL - it was perfect. If i remember righr, the reservations open up 90 days before your cruise departs and this trip sells out fast - if you can, I'd book it now. It seems like it's a short day, but we thought the timing was just right. Hope this helps.

 

 

Hi I am trying to remember- can I make my final payment and then add the excursion on? Or should I wait until it is available and then make my final payment, Joost Van Dyke, and St Thomas excursion in one shot?

 

I can't remember if in 2011 when I did the Epic if I did the final payment and then added on the excursions later. I am at the 5 1/2 month mark right now.

[aamiee]

We were on the same cruise and we also booked the tour with Godfrey. He called me that morning said that he has an emergency and won't be able to pick us up and had Brenda and Franko's tour picked us up instead. Maybe he can't get a hold of you that morning but he should refund you the deposit :(

 

 

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[CruzinMel]

Hi I am trying to remember- can I make my final payment and then add the excursion on? Or should I wait until it is available and then make my final payment, Joost Van Dyke, and St Thomas excursion in one shot?

 

I can't remember if in 2011 when I did the Epic if I did the final payment and then added on the excursions later. I am at the 5 1/2 month mark right now.

 

Hi Howard - We had already made our final payment before I booked anything for excursions, so you would be ok. It will show up as a separate charge on your credit card, and the tickets will be in your cabin when you arrive.

[CruzinMel]

We were on the same cruise and we also booked the tour with Godfrey. He called me that morning said that he has an emergency and won't be able to pick us up and had Brenda and Franko's tour picked us up instead. Maybe he can't get a hold of you that morning but he should refund you the deposit :(

 

 

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Aamiee - I'm sorry it happened, hut thst made me feel better - I had put DH's phone number on the form and he keeps it off when we cruise, so thst makes sense. Thanks!

[Nator72]

Hi. I'm following your review and loving it. I'm sailing June 18. I've never had Muesli, but I'm going to give it a try because you make it sound so good.

 

I had the muesli and LOVED it. I ordered once in the MDR, but it didn't taste as good as the buffet. Thank you for mentioning it in your post. I must now search for the perfect NCL copy-cat recipe.

[mafig]

Thank you. Enjoyed reading your review very much.

 

You stated that the Haven pool was more crowded than you liked. Did it remain so throughout your cruise? Did you ever go in the pool?

 

Did you ever go to the Haven Restaurant for Breakfast or Lunch?

[boopsahoy]

Thank you. Enjoyed reading your review very much.

 

You stated that the Haven pool was more crowded than you liked. Did it remain so throughout your cruise? Did you ever go in the pool?

 

Did you ever go to the Haven Restaurant for Breakfast or Lunch?

 

That's my fear-that if I spend all that money to have a nice calm pool experience and then its crowded...:eek:

[wwwfla]

I love your storytelling style.

 

My first thought! Fiction or non?

[cincicruisers]

Thanks for sharing your review with us.

[AdoraBelle]

Not sure if you're still around, but I found your review while looking for Escape reviews. I just wanted to say I applaud you for writing such a painfully honest review--I think we've all been there, or at least I have; the vacation that just refuses to be a vacation. A lot of times it does come down to the actual physical stress of travel (even in folks younger than your Mom). And jeez, I could really sympathize with your desire to get out and do SOMETHING, and I felt bad that you didn't feel comfortable going to see the shows on your own.

 

I also appreciate your perspective on the Haven.

 

It sounds like your cruise was just one of those trips that wasn't going to work out, or at least never really achieve "liftoff". The stress of travel + unfamiliar environment + elevated expectations + lingering "real life" concerns (in your case, your father's passing) can tank the best of trips. (If there are folks out there who have never had one of these, I envy them.)

 

(This is by no means meant to negate your concerns about the service and food problems you mentioned. I just know exactly what you were feeling as you described it, because I've had trips like that--and I also partially blamed myself and did the woulda shoulda coulda after the fact. My heart goes out to you.)

[Jana60]

Thanks for your review. You might want to try escape again and actually go to the shows because we went to all the shows and we had a great time on Escape in July. We also had upgraded to The Haven and it was great. My sister and I frequently went to soak in the hot tub and lounge in the Sun on those terry cloth covered loungers. We didn't have any trouble with the Wind on our trip. If I were younger and without Mobility impairment I would have liked to try out those three story high slides and the ropes course with zip line. Don't totally exclude the Escape in the future but rather book it and actually go to all the shows and the entertainment by the Cruise director in the atrium. We had a blast at some of their games.

 

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Edited September 26, 2016 by Jana60