Norwegian Escape Dec 17-24th Review

[fsuwx]

Disclaimer: I've been on RCL Oasis twice and the Allure once. All out of Ft Lauderdale.

 

If I can help it, I will never leave out of Miami again, but if I have to, I will pay the $20 per day to park at the pier. We used ParkSafe and it took an hour to get to the port and another hour to get back to our car. They just can't handle all the people. Using Park N Go in Ft Lauderdale has spoiled me. Once at the port, we were on the ship in 10 minutes.

Disembarking was also smooth, since we carried our own luggage off and were off the ship by 0800.

 

For such a large ship, the Escape felt very compact. There is no grand atrium compared to most ships. There is only 1 pool and it's usually chock-full of kids.

 

Norwegian's food beat RCL, IMO. We only ate at the complimentary restaurants and I never had anything that I didn't like. Taste/Savor/Manhattan Room all have the same menu. We like the Manhattan Room b/c it's the most-open dining room and they have live music. The buffet was one of the best I've ever had at sea, but like most, you really need to be aware of people who have no sense of direction. The key to this buffet is quality, not quantity. O'Sheehan's had great wings and was a hot-spot in the evenings.

 

The entertainment was good, not great. "After Midnight" was only an hour. "For the Record" was enjoyable, especially if you grew up in the 80s. There were a few F-bombs that were forced, which didn't bother me, but the folks who brought their kids were miffed. The comedians really deserved a larger venue. Book your comedy shows as soon as you get on-board; would've been nice to be able to do this prior to the cruise. The Magician was one of the better shows, but like the others, felt short. "Wine Lovers" was ok, but the meal was mediocre. There were no "wow" performances, compared to RCL.

 

Trivia was better on this ship and was reflected in the attendance. There's a genre for almost everybody.

 

The water slides were a blast and the Escape opened them early on port days, so if you wanted to stay on the ship, you could take advantage of the lack of kids. The Ropes Course was awesome, but be prepared to wait in line, unless you get there 30min b/f it opens. The mini golf was one of the better ones I've played on and actually use real golf balls, not sponges.

 

The Casino seemed to be the centerpiece of the ship and the smoke is unavoidable.

 

The things NCL does better than RCL: 1. Food 2. Dining options 3. Not overselling upgrades 4. Activities on port days

[helen haywood]

We prefer to sail out of FLL over MIA as well. However, when we do cruise out of POM, what we do is stay the night before at a hotel in FLL that lets us leave our car for the duration of the cruise and take Uber to the POM and back. It costs roughly $34 dollars for the two of us, one way. Cheaper than parking at POM and no crazy south Floridian traffic either!

Edited December 28, 2016 by helen haywood

[bunzini]

I will be in the shop next month. One of the things you can reserve is the dinner theater, but all it says about the show is that it is a Cabaret. Did you see the show? Wondered if it was worth the money.

 

 

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[Clarea]

Appreciate the feedback.

[Two Wheels Only]

There is only 1 pool and it's usually chock-full of kids.

 

By "1 pool" do you mean the pool that is flanked by hot-tubs or the other pool that is flanked by the yellow slide and the kids' splash area?

 

 

 

I understand if you ignore the wading pool that's mainly for infants....

 

[cml4958]

There is only 1 pool and it's usually chock-full of kids.

 

 

Huh?

 

By "1 pool" do you mean the pool that is flanked by hot-tubs or the other pool that is flanked by the yellow slide and the kids' splash area?

 

 

 

I understand if you ignore the wading pool that's mainly for infants....

 

Exactly! The first picture is adults only until 5 pm. Not sure about the hot tubs but I would imagine you could go to Spice H20 for a hot tub, or Vibe if purchased.

[DipBrat]

I was on the same cruise which was my first mega ship cruise and mostly agree with your review. As others stated there are two pools. The kids pool was actually 5 feet deep and there was mostly room to swim. I thought the entertainment was very good. I went to the early showing of Brat Pack and it was full of kids. Agree the F bombs were mostly gratuitous, but didn't see any kids leaving.

 

 

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Edited December 29, 2016 by DipBrat

[Capitan52]

Did your cruise stop at Nassau??? Was wondering if the propulsion problem on the escape was fixed.

[DipBrat]

Yes it stopped in Nassau. (Dec 23)

 

 

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[easyboy]

Thanks for your review.