NCL Escape Review - 8-Night Sailing - Aug 20-28

[Thrilled2012]

We all had the dining package for 4 specialty restaurants. I made all of our reservations in advance using myNCL. Of course this was only for the four of us and not for my parents since I didn't know they were going to surprise us. When we boarded we visited Headliners where you can look at all the menus and make dining reservations, show reservations, as well as purchase any other special packages (soda, water, wine, etc...). Although we had to adjust some of the times, we were able to change all of our reservations from 4 to 6 people. Easy.

 

Tonight we were dining at Teppanyaki. We've all been to Beni-Hana and other teppanyaki style restaurants a number of times before so we all know what to expect. As usual they put on a fun show. The restaurant has a number of teppanyaki tables & grills in two dining rooms. I think I counted 6 in each. Because there are so many, the restaurant gets very loud. And each chef seemed to be putting on the same show and telling the same jokes. I would have liked to see a bit more individuality and uniqueness, otherwise there really isn't a reason to return.

 

 

 

Sorry for the bad focus. I didn't realize it until it was too late.

 

I was able to create my own combo with filet mignon, chicken and shrimp. No issues or extra cost. Just ask.

One thing you'll notice on the menu is that lobster is still included. There were many posts before our cruise talking about lobster being removed from the menus.

My daughter had the lobster tail with scallops and calamari.

 

 

 

As you can see you only get half a lobster tail, and from a small lobster. I think there were 3 or 4 pieces of meat once it was cooked and put back into the shell. The scallops weren't seared that well.

 

The food was good but just okay, nothing more. Of the specialty dining we tried, we all agreed this was our least favourite. And we all love Japanese food.

 

I know dining is subjective but we felt the same way about Teppanyaki. Although my kids are little so they enjoy the entertainment aspect, and they love the green tea cake. But have definitely been to better hibachi restaurants. Food was good though...just not worth paying extra for it IMHO. We loved Moderno (which many on CC post negative reviews about) and only some of our party have had good meals at Cagneys (which people seem to rave about). On our upcoming Nov sailing we opted to skip SDP and just pay to go to Moderno one night and do the MDRs the others.

 

Loving the review! Looking forward to the next installment

[Shawnkat]

I know dining is subjective but we felt the same way about Teppanyaki. Although my kids are little so they enjoy the entertainment aspect, and they love the green tea cake. But have definitely been to better hibachi restaurants. Food was good though...just not worth paying extra for it IMHO. We loved Moderno (which many on CC post negative reviews about) and only some of our party have had good meals at Cagneys (which people seem to rave about). On our upcoming Nov sailing we opted to skip SDP and just pay to go to Moderno one night and do the MDRs the others.

 

Loving the review! Looking forward to the next installment

 

I agree that dining is very subjective. For that reason I never take the opinion of others as gospel, just as guidance. Sometimes a restaurant has an off night. The brilliance of one server or the incompetence of another doesn't necessarily reflect the restaurant as a whole. But then again, sometimes it does.

 

We also really liked Moderno.

 

Thanks for following.

[Shawnkat]

After dinner we walked around the ship some more. Checking out the shops and enjoying the ambience of the open decks at night.

 

Some kids enjoying a late night swim in the main pool which is open to everyone after 5:00 PM. I really liked the nighttime lighting on the open decks.

 

 

 

Here's another shot showing how the kids/family pool is sandwiched between the water slides.

 

 

 

Back inside we watched the Newlywed Not So Newlywed game show. As usual it was good for some laughs. It's always very embarrassing for the newlywed couple and the middle couple. The older couple always seems to know all (or most) when it comes to their partner. Good fun.

 

After a few more bar visits we returned to our cabin and relaxed on the balcony. I love the nighttime air on a cruise ship! We were greeted in our room by this guy.

 

[Shawnkat]

Day 3 was another sea day. Basically a rinse and repeat of Day 2.

Everyone slept late so I met my parents at Taste (or was it Savor?) for breakfast. I arrived at the tail end of breakfast time which is 9:30 AM in the MDR. I was there closer to 10:00 AM. Consequently, I wasn't able to order anything off the menu. Our server and head waiter were nice enough to bring a continental breakfast basket which included some croissants, muffins and danish. They were also able to bring a cheese plate that I asked for. It was a perfect late breakfast.

 

One of many cheese plates we enjoyed.

 

The other times we ate in the MDR for breakfast were very good. A relaxed atmosphere unlike the chaos of the buffet and a good variety of made to order menu items.

 

Once the rest of the family was up and ready we headed back to the pool. No chairs available close by so we headed up a deck and found a spot.

 

My son wanted to do the water slides with me so off we went. First we went on the Aqua Racer which can be considered the main slide. You enter at the bottom and collect your inner tube for the ride, then head up the stairs to the top. My son and I each had our own tube but we were able to go on the slide at the same time, together. I don't have a GoPro so I wasn't able to take any pictures or video. This slide is a lot of fun and very colourful.

 

Next we headed for the drop slides.

Note that you need to be between 100 lbs and 300 lbs for this slide. Check.

You can't bring anything with you. No jewellery, no cameras, no glasses, no lanyards with key cards. In fact, they even suggest not keeping the card in your pocket (if you have). Check.

Just like the ropes course, we left everything with my wife. The drop slide was awesome! However, since I was wearing contact lenses my eyes were closed the entire time as you do get quite a lot of water splashing your face. It only lasts a few seconds so for anyone thinking they are too afraid, just go for it. You'll love it.

[scopewest]

Enjoying your review. Thanks for taking the time to do this!

[Thrilled2012]

Loving your review. Still following....

[MandyMommyof2]

I am enjoying your review! We are booked on the Escape in July. So our countdown is on :) Your pictures are great!

[Shawnkat]

For a family of 4, having connection cabins had it's advantages. The inside doors between the cabins stayed open for most of the cruise. Effectively this doubled our floor space and made it feel like a much larger cabin, similar to a suite. We had lots of space for all clothing and double the power and USB outlets so everyone can charge their devices at the same time without any arguments. Without a doubt the best benefit has to be two bathrooms and two showers. On past cruises when we were all in one room I remember being thankful that there were public restrooms fairly close to our cabin location. :eek:

 

For any family contemplating one cabin or two, I strongly recommend going with two. Yes, there are 3rd and 4th passenger 50% off or free promotions from time to time, but if your budget can handle it, I think the benefits of the second cabin are worth the added cost. IMO

 

We had the divider between our balconies opened up so the space felt much larger. The regular balconies on the Escape are rather small. There is barely room for two chairs and a small table. Opening the space and doubling the width made a big difference.

 

Further forward on the ship and one deck below, you can see the deck 8 "secret" mini-suite extra-long balconies that JW refers to in his review. I think I saw JW or Jerome a couple of times from above. :cool:

 

 

 

After spending time at the pool and on the slides, we went back to the rooms to shower, change and relax on our extra-wide balcony. When we arrived back at our cabins we found a nice surprise.

 

 

There were two plates in our cabin and two plates in our kids' cabin. There was a note "compliments of Jovo, Hotel Director". My parents had two plates in their cabin as well. We received it again one or two more times later in the cruise as well. I don't know if this was a result of signing in at the CC meet & greet or if every passenger received it. Who cares. They were yummy! :D

[Shawnkat]

Dinner tonight was at the Manhattan Room which is the third MDR. It shares the same menu as Taste and Savor. But unlike Taste and Savor, this MDR has great atmosphere and live music. It is located at the very aft of deck 7 and we did feel more motion of the ocean in this location. It wasn't bad but my son did need to put on his Sea Bands.

 

 

 

 

Tonight was the only night that I ordered two main courses. Well, not actually. I ordered the pecan-crusted chicken breast. There was also a lemon pepper shrimp entreé with orzo and snow peas that sounded interesting. So I asked if they can add some of the shrimp to the chicken. I'm sure you can guess what happened, I received both complete main courses. And I'm glad I did. The chicken was good and moist and the shrimp were tasty. But I couldn't get enough of the orzo. It was fantastic!

 

 

 

Other dishes sampled included lump crab cakes, tilapia and rack of lamb. We all agreed that this was by far the best MDR meal we had during the cruise.

Edited September 11, 2016 by Shawnkat

[Shawnkat]

After dinner we discovered another guest in our room.

 

[Shawnkat]

I decided to check out the casino for bit but ended up leaving rather quickly. :mad:

I then made my way downstairs to Headliners to catch Howl at the Moon. I've been to several duelling pianos type bars before and they are a lot of fun, especially when the crowd gets into it. I have to say that Howl at the Moon takes this to another level and should not be missed. For Kat and I, this was the best entertainment on the ship.

 

 

Most duelling pianos venues that I've seen consist of exactly that, two pianos and two pianists. If you want them to play your song, fill out a request sheet and bring it up. A few bucks doesn't hurt either. Now Howl at the Moon had not two, but three musicians. Why three you ask? Simple, they also had more instruments in addition to the two pianos. There were drums, guitar, bass, even a saxophone. Even more impressive was that each musician would move around and they each played every instrument! No matter your taste or how bizarre your song request might be, they seemed to know everything.

 

The show appeared on several nights of the cruise and it usually ran from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. At 11:00 PM they give you a warning that content (i.e. language and humour) is going to shift from PG to R so parents with any kids present might want to think about whether to stay or go. We were there one night with our 13 year old and some of the jokes made her blush or go "eww" a few times, but truthfully it was no different than what she hears at school or in the movies these days. Lots of fun. GO!

[Thrilled2012]

 

The show appeared on several nights of the cruise and it usually ran from 9:00 PM to 1:00 AM. At 11:00 PM they give you a warning that content (i.e. language and humour) is going to shift from PG to R so parents with any kids present might want to think about whether to stay or go. We were there one night with our 13 year old and some of the jokes made her blush or go "eww" a few times, but truthfully it was no different than what she hears at school or in the movies these days. Lots of fun. GO!

 

Oh thank you for this information. I really want to go to the show but I wasn't sure if I'd be able to bring my daughter. This is very helpful

[Shawnkat]

Today we arrived at our first port, St. Maarten.

 

We had an excursion scheduled for today so an early start to the day was in order. I promised my family this would be the last time during the cruise that I would force them out of bed early. I knew there would be no chance of us going for breakfast before leaving the ship so I filled out the breakfast card in our cabins the night before.

 

About 5 minutes before my requested delivery time, we received a phone call to let us know it was on the way. The hidden intent of this phone call is to ensure that you are in the room and awake. :confused:

 

I ordered basic continental with some fruit, juice and coffee. It was all we needed to start the day.

 

 

 

 

Looking forward to a great day in St. Maarten! :cool:

[Shawnkat]

We've been to St. Maarten once before when the kids were younger. It was tough trying to decide what to do at this port. Do we just walk to the beach? Should we go to Holland House? Should we tour the island or do something else? One thing I knew for sure is that I didn't want to book any of the NCL excursions as I found them ridiculously expensive.

 

On other cruises we've had good luck with private excursions, thanks primarily to the forums here on CC as well as on some other sites. So that's what we did. We reserved the Splash 3 Island excursion from Blue Safaris. This was a full day, 6+ hour adventure around the island. But rather than your traditional island tour by car or van or bus, this was by boat. So it was literally "around" the island!

 

[deliver42]

Great revue and pics. Looking forward to the rest.

[easyboy]

Enjoying following your review.

[Shawnkat]

Whenever we leave a ship in port, I'm always amazed at the sheer size of these mammoth vessels. Even though I understand the science, I find that I still ask myself how is it possible that they float? Similarly, I also ask myself how planes stay in the air, and I'm a frequent flyer. It's quite amazing.

 

 

 

 

We made out way over to Bobby's Marina which was a short 10-15 minute walk from the ship. There we met Kirstine from Blue Safaris and reviewed all the details of our excursion.

 

While waiting for others to arrive, we noticed a dog running loose close to his owner. The man was getting his boat ready and you could tell the dog was anxious to go for a ride. I was waiting for the dog to jump off the dock and into the boat but he was very well trained and it didn't happen. At least not while I was watching. I don't think my dog would have been able to wait so patiently.

 

 

 

We met our host for the day, Captain Josh, native to St. Maarten. And then we met our ride, Calico Jack, a 36 ft speedboat powered by twin 300hp Mercury engines. Max occupancy: 12. This was quite a change having just come off the Escape at 1,069 ft long and with about 6,600 people on board.

 

 

 

Josh reviewed our itinerary for the day, boat safety and showed us where all the drinks are stored. Water, soda, beer and rum punch. It's going to be a great day.

 

[Shawnkat]

We started by touring around the island from the Dutch side and crossed through the lagoon onto the French side. On the way we saw a number of beaches as well the numerous resorts, luxury homes and yachts. We also saw the boat pictured below. Something wasn't right. We had to ask ourselves what country we were in. LOL

 

 

 

Thinking about the landscape, topography and potential weather, I don't find myself saying "this would be the perfect spot to build a house". :p

 

 

 

First stop was Ile Tintamarre for some snorkelling. This small island is off the northeastern tip of Saint Martin. You have to cross through open water on the was to the island. It was very bumpy and a lot of fun, although I don't think DW would agree.

Supposedly there are sea turtles that frequent this area. Apparently, while we were on our vacation, so were they! Saw some nice fish though.

 

Next stop was Pinel Island for a beach break. There are lots of iguanas on the island and they are waiting for you hoping for a snack. Fortunately Captain Josh came prepared with lettuce for everyone. After some swimming and a visit to the gift shop, it was time to move on.

 

[Shawnkat]

From Pinel Island, we headed back west around the whole of Saint Martin rather than cutting through the lagoon. It was now lunch time so we stopped at the Rainbow Café on Grand Case beach. Lunch was included in the price of the excursion. After lunch we had time to check out the beach, relax and swim some more.

 

After lunch we headed out for more snorkelling at Creole Rock on the west side. There is a nice reef with tropical fish and many sea urchins. I couldn't keep from thinking 'mmmm, sushi'. :p

 

 

 

After touring around the island our last stop was Maho Beach. It was later in the afternoon at this point so most of the large aircraft had already come and gone. We did see one plane on the horizon so Captain Josh was racing to get to Maho in time to watch it land. We made it! We watched a couple of large planes take off and were waiting for the last flight of the day to arrive. Unfortunately it was running late and we couldn't wait any longer. :( Either way, it was pretty cool.

 

Instead of bringing us back to Bobby's Marina, Captain Josh brought us back right to the Escape. Well not right there but as close as possible without being inside the security zone. All we had to do was cross through a small gated entry.

 

I can see the ship!

 

 

We arrived back at the ship well in time for All Aboard. No mad dash for us!

Overall a great day and a fantastic excursion. I would highly recommend it, especially if you've already been to St. Maarten and have toured it on land.

[Thrilled2012]

Ahhh, my former home. That island will always hold a special place in my heart. Beautiful pictures!

Edited September 13, 2016 by Thrilled2012

[SenatorsFan]

That St. Maarten excursion looks like a lot of fun. Former Montrealer here enjoying your review, humour and pictures and hoping to sail on Escape someday soon. :)

Heather

[easyboy]

Nice photos. I like that dog!

Thanks.

[SMSACE6]

This is a great review! I hope there is more to come:)

[jelomu]

Really enjoying your review!!

 

Hoping to book the Escape for Spring 2017, and I wondered when the CDN promotion was advertised?

 

I am in Ontario, and with the exchange this will be an expensive trip! So if Ivan grab a similar deal Id love it!!

[Shawnkat]

This is a great review! I hope there is more to come:)

 

 

Yes, there is more to come. Just need to manage the challenge of life back to reality. Thanks for following.