Escape Review - Haven and Western Itinerary Cruise - Aug 5-12, 2017

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for sharing! Enjoyable to read and loved the pictures.

[Brookefairway]

Can you please tell me about the motion you felt the last few days? WAs it rocking?? I am very sensitive to movement and did similar itinerary and on last sea day we had 10 foot seas..horrbile feeling.. wasn't sure what summer waves were l like.

[firstmickey]

Can you please tell me about the motion you felt the last few days? WAs it rocking?? I am very sensitive to movement and did similar itinerary and on last sea day we had 10 foot seas..horrbile feeling.. wasn't sure what summer waves were l like.

 

 

 

I get very seasick and I can tell you that I didn't feel anything on this ship like I have on previous smaller ships. You could feel it slightly but for the most part we were unaware of the movement. I wore a motion patch (with herbs - not scopolamine) and would take ginger pills if I started to feel movement and I never had a problem.

 

 

 

 

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[oncruisecontrol]

 

What: my birthday vacation. A little background - last year....we went to Aruba to celebrate my 50th birthday with extended family. The short version is...it was a disaster. We got robbed, had to move the places we stayed three times and I spent my birthday on a pullout couch. :) I wanted a do-over! Kevin found this cruise and I was a little skeptical of a big ship with a ton of people so Dan said we could splurge and book the Haven. We had started looking at Disney cruises also but the Haven cruise on the Escape was a little less than a verandah cabin on Disney. We booked an aft penthouse room 12306 with huge balcony and got all 4 upgrades (UPB, 3 Dining, Wifi, and off shore excursions). Seemed like a good deal to us.

I'm curious about the trouble you had in Aruba, as we've been considering doing a vacation at a land-based all-inclusive resort in Aruba. Was your room robbed by someone off the street or beach or was a hotel staff member suspected? Did the hotel(s) assist you in any way during this ordeal?

[firstmickey]

I'm curious about the trouble you had in Aruba, as we've been considering doing a vacation at a land-based all-inclusive resort in Aruba. Was your room robbed by someone off the street or beach or was a hotel staff member suspected? Did the hotel(s) assist you in any way during this ordeal?

 

 

 

We were in a private house and not a hotel. We actually had lawyers involved at one point and I'm not permitted to say the location. All I can tell you is that the police told us that the private homes are frequently robbed. Apparently people know when guests move in and when they leave to go to dinner or something, they break in. While we were there, there were three other robberies reported in the paper. Once we moved to a resort, we felt perfectly safe.

 

 

 

 

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[Mandy412]

I'm so here for Franco's ass and the Steerler fans there! I may try this in December. Also you are crazy about the snow you; its fab and I live in town. It's freshening after the heat!

 

 

 

 

Even a Steelers boat!

 

 

 

 

[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[marmirdc]

Great review thanks for sharing. It was great to relive the trip again, and wonderful meeting you and your family. Maybe we will run into each other on our next cruise adventure on the escape.

[Journey11]

Great review and beautiful pictures. I made notes for our upcoming cruise. Thank you for taking the time to share your experience.

I am glad you had such a wonderful cruise.

[Mandy412]

Final Cruise Thoughts....(*all just my opinions)

• We loved NCL and the freestyle dining. We put a deposit down for the next cruise. (Wooo hoo).
  
• Loved the Haven - especially the restaurant and the getting off the ship perks. I could live without access to the Haven pool and sun deck. I liked the activity of the main pool but we really only spent one whole day there so maybe it was more crowded earlier in the cruise. The space in the Haven aft penthouse cabin was outstanding.
  
• I was worried about being seasick especially in an aft cabin but I felt very little ship movement except for a few days at the end. I wore a motion patch with herbs and took ginger pills a few times but don't think I really needed them.
  
• The Escape is a beautiful ship and it's impossible to do everything. (good thing we booked again).
  
• Loved all of our excursions. Go early to Harvest Caye!
  
• If you stay in the Haven, call the butler down to meet you to see what he could do for you and tell him what you want. That's why you have a butler. We got lots of food - some of it went to waste (I hate that) because it wasn't something we liked. Also, order coffee to be delivered to your room. Since we were aft, we ran up to Garden Cafe and would bring it back down. (Two Wheels is probably shaking his head at me...lol).
  
• Look on trip adviser and the port of call boards for trip excursions and reviews.
  
• The three of us all think this was our best vacation. We made a pact at the beginning to go with the flow if things went wrong and literally - nothing went wrong until travel home day.
  
• Be nice to the staff. I can't believe anyone has to say that out loud but I witnessed all kinds of stuff. They work so hard and their every moment is about making it a dream vacation for you. I thought the whole ship service was outstanding!
  

Hope you enjoyed traveling with us....I had fun writing and reliving it all.

 

 

See us Pittsburghers appreciate good service and Franco's bum. I met him in Philly and told him we have the same last name and my mom is Italian and my dad is black. He said we must be cousins. I said I must stop palming your butt at the airport! Thanks for a great report!

[ChristieR]

Great review thanks for posting. I have a bid in for a Haven Spa suite for my upcoming dec3rd cruise and now hope it gets accepted even more !!

[deliver42]

Thanks for the great review. I, too have a bid in for the Haven Spa suite, but I doubt I'll get it.

[penwah2002]

Probably the best review I've ever read. Everything wasn't perfect but no big deal. We sail in the Haven on the Escape, June 2018. I'm wondering if you will ever sail anywhere but the Haven? We always sail in the Haven and will never go back, I'm a lucky girl.

[janina]

Thank you, what a wonderful job you did with your review. The pics were fantastic especially for this first timer on NCL. :)

[tumblew467]

Mama brought Kevin more hot fresh tortillas and the two of them were talking away. lol

For dessert, homemade flan (best I've ever had) plus fresh fruit..

 

Mama and her daughters..

 

 

 

They had a few handsewn souvenirs and some painted bowls...I got a small bowl as a keepsake.

 

 

An amazing experience and I'm so glad we did it. I highly recommend as an excursion.

 

Van ride back and they drop you off right at the port so you don't have that long walk. We were so hot and sweaty, I couldn't wait to get back and shower or hit the pool.

 

Shower and nap won! lol

 

How long was the ride to the ruins? we are on this itinerary in November. THanks

[firstmickey]

How long was the ride to the ruins? we are on this itinerary in November. THanks

 

 

 

I think it was about 90 minutes.

 

 

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[riclop]

Thanks for the review.

[tumblew467]

I think it was about 90 minutes.

 

 

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thank you for the info

[jcCruiserNYC]

Because I learned so much from reading other reviews, I thought I'd also try writing one. Plus our trip was so amazing, that I don't want it to be over!

 

Thanks for sharing your Escape experience (I will be on her in 88 days ... woo hoo! :cool:) Well-written and pictures are of excellent quality ... and great photo choices too. Was actually slightly sad that I had come to the bottom of page 6.

[jcCruiserNYC]

We were in a private house and not a hotel. We actually had lawyers involved at one point and I'm not permitted to say the location. All I can tell you is that the police told us that the private homes are frequently robbed. Apparently people know when guests move in and when they leave to go to dinner or something, they break in. While we were there, there were three other robberies reported in the paper. Once we moved to a resort, we felt perfectly safe.

 

Hmmmm, not saying you did, but for those of us who look for our vacation lodgings on Airbnb, we really have to exercise extreme caution. Very often, we don't know the area or neighborhood in these foreign places we travel to. There are even local laws and regulations (in terms of short term rental) that we, as tourists, are not privy to, so we can possibly get screwed really good. I have witnessed it (tourists getting screwed) in my town ... The Big Apple!