Escape Review 2/26/22

[Trish Traveler]

Our return to cruising was a "last minute" (10 day out) booking on the NCL Escape, February 26-March 5, 2022, Eastern Caribbean out of Port Canaveral. This was our first balcony ever! This is also the largest ship we’ve sailed as we usually prefer mid-size.  The price was great with the four perks included. The cruise was wonderful!  We also learned there was only about 1800 passengers onboard a ship that has a capacity of 4266!  So the passenger to crew ratio was great and most areas never seemed crowded, except for the pool area and sundecks on sea days.  We know that this is an experience that we will probably never have again, so we really relished that.  But we also know that it is not cost effective for the cruiseline, so we wish them well on a safe, swift return to full capacity cruising.  We were also really lucky to be the only ship scheduled in each of our ports this cruise!  And we had perfect weather all week with mostly sunny skies in the 70’s and low 80’s, with low humidity.  I only remember two quick rain showers on the ship all week. This is our 19^th cruise over many years, including 8^th on NCL, Princess, Celebrity, Carnival and Royal Caribbean. This will not be a total photo review, just random photos along the way.

 

This cruise was one of the last for NCL to offer the required covid testing at the port for all passengers, as the requirement would change on cruises after March 1 (then pax need to do their own tests prior to cruising and present results).  Masking was also required on the cruise unless outside, or eating or drinking. Although this also changed in the middle of our cruise on March 1 when masks became optional and most people stopped wearing them.  All crew continued to wear their masks. I hope soon, they will also be able to go maskless. 

 

This was also our first time sailing out of Port Canaveral.  As we booked last minute, many area hotels were sold out or too expensive, but we found the brand new Avid Hotel in Melbourne/Viera only about 30 minutes away for a reasonable rate. Very nice hotel, with a basic breakfast included.  Some nice seating area outside.  A small pool, but it gets afternoon shade, so not really well located, and it was cold to the touch.  Also, a good BBQ restaurant Sonny’s walking distance across the parking lot.  We enjoyed carry-outs.

 

Embarkation:  We had gotten a 12:00 clock check in time, due to the late booking.  But we decided to head over early to park as we were not familiar with the port.  I squealed in delight as we crossed the bridge and had the first view of the cruise ships!  Easy drive over arriving about 10am.  We were able to drop off our luggage with the porters to be checked before parking in the garage, $17/day payable when you depart after your cruise (be sure to put your ticket in a safe spot that you will remember).  We were prepared to wait if they weren’t allowing an early check in.  A short walk with our carry-ons to begin our journey in the tents.  Tent 1 to check your covid vax cards.  Tent 2 for quick nasal self-swab test.  Tent 3 to sit and wait for results… YAY negative!

 

Then across the street to enter the terminal for the standard cruise check in with edocs.  It was very empty, but we did have about a half hour delay at the counter due to an annoying computer glitch with my husband’s online check in.  Boring story, but it all began because when I booked online, it showed my Latitude status correct as Gold, but his showed new to cruising, and they assigned him a new number, even though he is also gold.  We did our online check in and printed edocs.  Then, I called NCL customer service because we were still waiting to check in for our covid tests, which apparently took 48 hours from initial booking.  I asked about the latitudes and the agent said that always happens when you book online, that I should call in to book next time and that he couldn’t change it.  A call the next day and an agent was able to change it, but we needed to check in again for my husband.  Now some items wouldn’t check off, but she said it was fine as long as we had edocs.  Next day we got another email saying to check in.  An online chat said it was fine as long as we had edocs.  So, apparently it caused this long delay upon check in where a manager finally checked him in, etc.  This still caused problems as his card stopped working a day in and guest relations had to fill out a form to link him back to our credit card. And then we didn’t get our free carton of water perk (I know it’s pretty minor).  Another trip to guest relations who sent us to cruise consultant.  A couple days later we received only one. Apparently, he is still a Latitudes newbie.  Pretty funny at this point. In the scope of things, it was not a big deal, just a bit stressful preparing to cruise.  Near the end of the cruise, we got a letter saying that we would need to check in with immigration upon disembarkation for passengers without passports ?? Wrong, we both checked in with our US passports.  Another trip down to guest relations where that was quickly cleared up and he said to disregard.  Like I said boring story, but since they said it “always happens” it could be useful info for other passengers. 

 

Very excited to step aboard the beautiful Escape after three years of not cruising.  They now use facial recognition rather than the swipe of your cruise card.  Everything looked beautiful.  We were directed to check in at our muster station.  We had already watched the required safety video online (and along with everyone else, continued to get daily email video reminders the week prior to cruising)  I hope all cruiselines continue to have this easier version of muster. 

 

We explored a little before heading up to the Garden Café to check out the buffet.  They have hand washing stations and gel pump, and encouraged hand washing.  It was pretty empty, which is quite unusual for Embarkation Day.  Our most recent last cruises were on Celebrity, which has a large open buffet area with various stations.  This just took some getting used to because it is a rectangle with the enclosed kitchen on the inside and the buffet offerings on the outside.  For the most part the items are duplicated on each side, but a few things are only once, such as the crepe station.  And sometimes only one side is open, again probably due to the small pax count.  We did a lot of walking around that rectangle during the week so as not to miss anything.  It was back to self-serve.  There are quite a few beverage stations around also, which are self-serve.  In addition, the staff also came around to ask about needed beverages.  In addition there is a bar located by the main entrance to the buffet for adult beverages.  We were greeted with large prawns on ice!  So many delicious choices awaited us.  Maybe because I cooked so much through pandemic, it was even more wonderful to experience new dining options.  I love trying new dishes, including new ethnic cuisines on cruises.  Love the variety.

In general the buffet will always have something special featured as you walk into the buffet left or right.  Further along here is always a carving station with a meat such as prime rib, whole succulent pig, brisket, meat loaf, rotisserie chicken, etc.  Lots of hot items like stews, 2 soup of the day choices, various potatoes, fish, mac & cheese, tacos, various pastas, ribs, pork, lamb, many chicken varieties, much to my husband’s delight.  And of course, hamburgers, hot dogs (with sauerkraut if you desire) fries, chips, and usually 3 varieties of pizza.  I like the unusual flavors like nacho or BBQ chicken pizza!  A sandwich making area has varieties of breads and buns, with lunch meat and cheese choices.  Often ready-made sandwiches are available like caprese, and paninis. A nice fresh salad bar with the usual salad fixings and a few special items like hearts of palm. I especially liked many of the ready-made salads they offered daily.  An Asian section with noodles with veggies, Pad Thai, Kung Pao Chicken, sweet and sour, fried rice, and more.  And a separate Noodle Bar- Tom Yum, which I never tried but looked quite fresh.  The Indian food is equally delicious with various rice dishes, salads, dal, curries, samosas, hummus, tandoori chicken as an example of rotating daily dishes.  On to the desserts – nice presentation of usually about 6 different cakes, mousses, pies, cookies etc.  Plus puddings and jello.  Another area had a feature of the day, which on the first day was some amazing chocolate bark, peanut brittle and chocolate dipped biscotti. You also have the crepe station for a special treat!  And last, but certainly not least… the ice cream and sorbet scooped choices, in a cone or bowl.  With toppings if you want to make a sundae.  I tried and instantly loved the green tea ice cream all week long.  And my DH is always up for the twirl soft serve out of the machine.

 

After lunch we headed to our balcony cabin midship on deck 10, 10852.  So excited to open the door and see sunlight and the view of the ocean from our first ever balcony!  The cabin was very nice, but slightly narrow.  I was so excited I forgot to take a first picture of the cabin! 🤗 But you can find those easily online.  The path past the bed towards couch and balcony was curved and narrow, but not a problem for us. Below you will see a picture of that (taken later in the week, our bed was neatly tucked when we arrived) Plenty of storage for us. Bathroom was roomy with a glass door shower.  Our room steward Medard took great care of us all week with twice daily service. 

 

We left our carry-on bags and headed out for our first drink. We chose Mixx Bar for the Rebellious Fish and Mr. Worldwide.

We knew we needed to make reservations for some shows and for our two included specialty restaurants.  We tried the kiosks on the ship, but it was slow and people were in line behind us so we headed back to the cabin to do it there, which was much easier.  The cabin tv knows who you are and you can take the time to decide on show times to correspond with port times and dinner times.  It did take a while to do all this, but at least you know you will get a spot for dinner and shows.  I type out an itinerary before I leave home with spaces in between each day, to add tours, reservations etc.  I then use magnets to put this on the wall, so we can always see at a glance what we are doing each day.  I also use a highlighter on my Freestyle Daily to indicate at a glance the events we are interested in.  I did not download the NCL app.  I did use a bit of the included wifi perk.  But I did have trouble logging on.  A trip to the internet cafe’ a day later cleared that up.  I had too much browsing history on my phone that had to be cleared out.  They handled that for me.  Be sure to log out after each session or it will eat up all your minutes!  We had a couple of time changes on the cruise, which is the norm.  But remember that if you are not using cell service on your phone (like me and many others) and have turned on airplane mode, the time on your cell phone will not adjust to local ship time.  Always defer to ships time and check the landline phone in your cabin which will list the correct current time.

 

Grabbed some mojitos at the Sugar Cane Mojito Bar to go up and watch sailaway.  Although, you can get mojitos at most bars on the ship, I think they were better and had the best presentation at Sugar Cane Bar.  We wandered around all the upper decks for views of the beautiful sailaway.  A Disney and Carnival ship were in PC near us.  Very exciting to hear the ships horn once again.  Ahh, music to our ears.  We enjoyed sunset from our balcony while unpacking our luggage.  In the evening, we returned to the buffet for more amazing tasty choices. Tonight’s special was prime rib.  And we enjoyed the the comedy show in the Headliners Bar featuring Orlando Baxter and Allison Weber.  So nice to sit and laugh after the stressful lead up to actual cruising as the pandemic winds down.

To be continued...

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[TSUmom]

Thank you for taking the time to share....I look forward to hearing more and seeing photos

[CaptainBazz]

Thanks for the great review...we were on the Escape last December...definitely a great ship.

[Trish Traveler]

Day 2 Sea Day 

We began our day with breakfast in the buffet. I was thrilled to find the chocolate croissants that I love to indulge in on cruises.  These are about two bites in size…perfect pillows of deliciousness!  Here are just some of the offerings in the buffet for breakfast:  Made to order omelets and fried eggs, bacon, sausage, ham, corn beef hash, cold cuts, hash brown rounds, country style potatoes, waffles and pancakes with lots of toppings including delicious caramel bananas that taste like bananas foster minus the alcohol, oatmeal, grits, muesli, cold cereal with toppings like dried fruit and nuts, cut fresh fruit, mixed fruit, varieties of yogurt, various breads and bagels to toast or not, and assorted pastries.      

First Sea Day was very leisurely for us enjoying our balcony.  We also headed to the atrium to partake in some Trivia which we always enjoy.  There are lots of various games going on in here all day long, and sometimes live musical entertainment.  Quite the large gathering place because it also contains guest services, shore excursions, atrium bar, internet café and coffee café.  We saw some of the few children onboard later in the week when they offered a cute balloon animal making event. 

 

In the afternoon, we alternated between sun and shade, while also using the very empty water slides.  Great exercise climbing all those stairs up, and a fantastic view from way up there!  I really had fun on the inner tube slide.  My husband really liked the more daring slides that put you in a capsule to begin and the floor drops out!  The pool area on this ship seems rather small to me and was fairly full considering we only had about 40% capacity.  There are more deck chairs on deck 17 and 18, so we certainly were able to find a spot, above the actual pool deck.  The other area on the pool deck has another “family pool”, along with the kids Aqua Park and slide.  That pool seems to get a lot of shade though, which can be good or bad depending on your preference.  They do have life jackets available for the kids.  There is a towel check out area near here also.  These pool photos are from early morning.  There were definitely many people around later in the day.

 

We also discovered the District Brew House, which is a great out of the way indoor bar on Deck 8 featuring a huge variety of tap and bottled beers. They also have some of their own signature cocktails.  The Cool as a Cucumber was so refreshing and one of my favorites through the week!  It often doesn’t get discovered because of the location.  Nice chill place with ocean views, that sometimes has live music in the evening.  Check them out for sure.

 

In the evening we enjoyed the singing group The Company Men, 4 talented guys who sang a variety of music.  Dinner was in either Savor or Taste which have identical MDR menus and are opposite each other on deck 6.  Excellent service and food. I had spring rolls and the broiled hake which was all terrific.  The other main dining room is the larger, more elegant Manhattan Room, with the same menu.  We were able to be seated immediately anytime we went to eat at any of them, due to low capacity. 

 

Day 3 Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic at the new Tiano Bay port   9am-4pm                                  It was beautiful watching the sail-in to mountainous DR as we had morning coffee on the balcony.  We decided to use our sale perk to receive one $50 discount on a NCL tour, Discover Puerto Plata.  We don’t generally use ship tours often, but I hadn’t had time to research independent tours so chose this easy option.  The only downside is the large group size on full size buses which takes long to load and unload at each site. The buses were modern and clean with good A/C.  We had several stops on the 4 hour tour beginning with the Macorix Rum Factory Tour, including tastings.  A little early for those, but oh well, it’s five o’clock somewhere. We toured a historic general’s home, a city square which was still decorated from Carnival and had some live dancers, beautiful San Felipe Cathedral, the amber museum, an amber & larimar gift shop, and a too quick stop at the fort for great views, but no time to tour there.  I also especially loved seeing the delightfully colorful and whimsical Umbrella Street and Pink Street.  Nice overview of the city with good, professional tour guides on the bus (Rambo) and at each stop.   It was a nice overview of the city.

 

This also left us some time to explore the new Tiano Bay port, which reminds me a bit of Costa Maya.  It has several shops, a swimming pool with swim-up bar, a restaurant, a couple of bars, comfy places for relaxing and sunning on a sandy area overlooking the bay/ship.  No access to the water for ocean swimming here though.  It was quite empty when we returned from our tour.  We strolled a bit and stopped for pictures, and bought some Rum.  Yo-Ho-Ho  They offer free rides on tuk-tuks back to the ship.  Very pretty port area.

 

We ate in the Manhattan Room for dinner and savored the Shrimp Fettucine, while my husband had either fish or chicken, which was equally delicious!  The show for us that evening was Legends, featuring a very talented vocalist/guitarist Jumari who sang music from many old favs.. Johnny Cash, Freddy Mercury, Elvis and more.  Quaint setting in the Supper Club.  But some seats are blocked by pillars.  No problem for us as we arrived early.

 

[Trish Traveler]

Day 4 Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas- Havensight Dock     11am-7pm                        

Since we were having a late arrival, we started our day early in the hot tub, open at 7am.  We love the peacefulness of an early morning soak.  We chose the adults only H2O Spice area on Deck 17.  This area is a nice fairly quiet spot with a bar, 2 hot tubs, a walk thru cave with waterfall, and deck chairs facing a video screen or views of the ocean.  They did offer movies out here at night sometimes, but it is still adult only.  Just be careful sitting back here as my husband ruined a pair of khaki shorts with some soot residue.  It’s not that the area appears sooty, but depending on the wind, it can leave little particles behind.  Use a towel.

 

We also decided we had time for a sit down breakfast in either Taste or Savor.  The service was great with lots of cheery Good Mornings. It’s always special to start the day with a Mimosa!  The yogurt parfaits are perfect.  I went with my cruise go to of Eggs Benedict and country potatoes.  Delish.

 

We have been to St. Thomas many times, so we decided not to take a NCL tour here.  We browsed the shops at Havensight and bought a few souvenirs.  Then we hopped on an open air bus for Megan’s Bay Beach, enjoying all the views along the way on the hilly roads.  Such a lovely white sand beach with easy entry.  Great for families also.   We headed to the far end away from the more crowded area.   With only one ship in port, it wasn’t too bad.  But the lines for drinks at the bar was long.  My DH later ordered a beer from a gal strolling the beach, but it took a half hour for her to return, as she fills a huge tray with drinks and it takes a while.  There was a nice pavilion with picnic tables at this end where we could settle in the shade.  I primarily spent my time snorkeling in the grass beds in search of turtles… which I found, three at one time!  There really aren’t any coral reefs here so you don’t get many tropical fish at all.  But it’s worth it to enjoy the turtles.  I bring my own snorkeling gear.  We thoroughly enjoyed the beautiful views on this pristine beach for a couple of hours before heading back to the ship.

 

After cleaning up, we were very hungry, so we decided to try O’Sheehans Bar & Grill on Deck 7 which is open 24 hours!  It’s open air to the atrium below, so it can get really loud at times.  We asked to be seated in the back L area to diffuse the noise.  Had to try the fish & chips which were average good, don’t forget to ask for malt vinegar.  DH also had the wings which were good and come in I believe 3 flavor choices.  Ended the meal with Irish Coffee!  More ship exploring and relaxing before we headed to the buffet to put together a charcuterie plate to bring back to our balcony along with glasses of wine.  I highly recommend doing this.  You have choices of meat, cheese, hummus, cracker, nuts, dates, fruit dried apricots, etc; and they even had sushi this day.  The Garden Café closes lunch down and offers snacks between 3:30-5:00pm.  Many savory and sweet offerings available including items that would be considered “Tea Time” … scones and cream – delish. 

 

Our reserved show for the evening, After Midnight, had been cancelled for some unknown reason. They offered another show by the Company Men.  But we were wilting anyway, so we enjoyed the nighttime sailaway from St. Thomas as the city lights twinkled behind us.  We put our completed continental breakfast card on the outside doorknob.  CB is complimentary in the morning, but all other room service has a flat fee of $9.95, so we chose not to order any other time. Each night after it got really dark, we would go on the balcony to view the stars.  Of course there is still ambient light from the ship, but it also helps to darken your cabin.  Peaceful way to thank God for the beauty of our universe before turning in for the night.

 

[agrimm01]

Great review.  Thanks.

[Trish Traveler]

Day 5 Road Town, Tortola, BVI   6am-2pm  

Not thrilled with the port times here, so we once again chose a NCL shore excursion to ensure we will be back before the ship sails.  But first… room service -continental breakfast delivered promptly at 7am.  What a delight to be pampered with this simple pleasure enjoying the view of sleepy Tortola awakening while we dine on the balcony!  This is the cruising life. 

 

We had only been to Tortola once before when we took the NCL tour to the Virgin Gorda Baths which was amazing.  This time we wanted to see a little more of Tortola, but with limited time, chose one of the many beach tours offered.  We departed the ship a little early to take some photos and explore the small cruise port area.  Our tour went to the Long Bay Beach on Beef Island.  Surprisingly, there are two Long Bay Beaches on Tortola, one west, one east.  Ours was east over a short bridge.  The airport is near here also, but you couldn’t see it, just occasionally hear some planes.  This is another hilly, curvy ride in an open air bus for a 30 minute ride.  The last couple of blocks is dirt road and bumpy, but they are not allowed to pave the road for some environmental reason.  Beautiful, quiet, simple beach.  You can rent 2 chairs and 1 umbrella for $25.  Beer $4  There are about 3 small beach bars, bathrooms, 1 vendor and that’s about it for this idyllic location.  I already knew the snorkeling was not great here, but the bartender advised to check out each side of the bay for the possibility of seeing sealife.  Left side, not so much.  All the way to the right, I found some rocky white coral with limited fish, but did see a beautiful blue fish, along with other tropicals, sea urchins, and sea fans.  The main beach area itself is mostly sandy with some minor rocks/coral, but it does have some quick drop-offs so it can be challenging to enter and especially to exit the water.  Other than that, it was a delightful beer commercial setting.

 

Back at the port we strolled and saw an area that has several lovely bars along the water, but it was quite empty and most were not open.  I think with only one ship in port, with most people having the drink package and the early departure, these were not going to be utilized today.  Another tasty buffet lunch.  Relaxed on deck with a Painkiller cocktail (famous from Tortola) as we sailed away from the many pretty islands of BVI.  We had a conundrum as we had reservations for Cagney’s tonight, but saw that the dinner theme in the Buffet was Caribbean.  We knew there would be jerk chicken, one of our favorites.  So my husband popped down when they started dinner at 5pm for some amazing jerk chicken and delicious mango salad.  I wish they had this on the buffet everyday!  He said there were a lot of good choices.  Ugh.  So we enjoyed this as our "appetizer" on our balcony.

 

 

We did keep our Cagney’s reservation for two hours later.  We chose to eat outside on the Waterfront.  It was perfect timing for the amazing sunset.  And the weather was delightful.  So happy we ate outside.  Very romantic.  Had a nice Cab in ginormous wineglasses.  I chose the Shrimp cocktail appetizer,  8 oz. Filet Mignon was soooo tender and delicious, with truffle mashed potatoes and sautéed garlic mushrooms.  Squeezed in the raspberry crème brule, which I was skeptical about as I love my standard crème brule, but it was also delicious.  Great service, great food, and great experience courtesy of the perks sale we booked our cruise with.

 

We passed the color changing chandelier, so I snapped a picture.  The casino is also in this area.  It is really spread out from a large room, down a hallway, to this atrium area.  There is a bar in there and a stage for live music at night.  Next on the agenda was the main show in the Escape Theatre, which was Attraction, Shadow and Black Light, winners of Britain’s Got Talent.  We really loved this performance.  We have seen similar on AGT, but it’s even so much better in person.  There are a lot of other events and live music around the ship at night, including many themed parties at 10pm like Glow Party, 80’s, 90’s, Karaoke etc.  But we generally don’t attend much of the late night events anymore.  Another fantastic long day.

[Trish Traveler]

Day 6 Sea Day                                                                                                                                              

Another early morning in the hot tub, this time on the main pool deck area.  And another leisurely breakfast at Savor or Taste for a tasty omelet.  We also enjoyed the gals who travel with a pastry of the day and literally sing its praises, through the dining rooms and the buffet.  So cute. “Just for today, different tomorrow”  Another morning trivia in the Atrium was enjoyed.  We took time to stroll the ship and relaxed on The Waterfront on Deck 8.  This area is such a lovely retreat.  It runs pretty much the length of each side of the ship, but not all the way around the front and back.  It passes by all the restaurants that offer outdoor seating in the evening.  There are two quaint bars.  And many super comfortable sofas and chairs in the shade.  Great place for reading or ocean gazing or sipping or napping.  For walkers, there is the standard circular path on one of the upper decks.  But if you want less crowds you can walk here or even one deck below which has a promenade even with the lifeboats.  This one also does not go all the way around.

 

After lunch, we decided to get a little sun, enjoy some live poolside music, and redo the water slides.  Later when the ropes course opened DH enjoyed that fun challenge.  You must wear closed shoes and long shorts or pants (I saw many women sent away to change their shorts) – this is because of the safety harness they put you in.  You are attached the whole time with your harness that you maneuver around in.  You can even walk the plank over the ocean.  There are two zip lines with an attendant to assist you.  And about 3 different levels you can use.  It’s not one set course. You decide where you want to go.  DH said it was very windy up there, but with great views.  There is also a young kids version in this area. 

 

The mini-golf is near here, but I never saw that open all week.  Bocce ball was well used up here.  As well as the basketball courts and the large chess set.   In our wanderings we also saw ping pong and shuffleboard.  Shortly after DH completed the course, a rain shower came upon the ship.  It was very cool to see that.  It was short lived, but drenched everything briefly.  We spent some time in the cabin packing one of our suitcases because tomorrow would be a full day in GSC.

 

 

The evening for us began with another entertaining show by  Jumari – this time featuring an Eagles and CCR tribute.  Loved the show!  Onward to our reservations at Teppanyaki for dinner.  It’s always a fun time at this type of Japanese restaurant.  Mainly I was going for the scallops which didn’t disappoint.  We started with some themed cocktails, edamame and soup.  The chef takes your orders and begins his grilling show.  DH had the filet/shrimp combo and I had the shrimp/scallop (marshmallows of the sea).  All the ingredients looked super fresh and of good quality.  The fried rice and vegetables were all abundant and delicious flavors.  My only criticism is that it was all a bit over salted for our tastes.  We chose a colorful sashimi of fruit to share as our dessert. 

[Robkat]

Hey Trish T!

thoroughly enjoying your review, as we were on this cruise with you, AND on the Escape 2 weeks before that, but doing the western Caribbean that time.

We agree with you that it was a fantastic cruise!  And we're loving your wonderful photos, that are bringing all great  memories back. We probably crossed paths with you a couple of times during the week!

Wasn't the sail away from Tortola amazing and gorgeous.  We don't love the early departure, but it's so rare to get such good views with a daytime sail away.

 

We were also blown away by the Sound and Black Light show ... I kept hoping that people were appreciating it as much as we were.  We've also seen similar acts on AGT, and you're absolutely right, it was so special seeing it live.

Hope you got to see Choir of Man ... we had seen it on our previous cruise two weeks ago, and loved it so much, we came close to going again on this cruise, but something else came up.  My husband was born and raised in Glasgow, so seeing all those U.K. entertainers was a hoot for us, plus the show itself is terrific.

Thanks again for this great review ... you're describing it wonderfully.

[Trish Traveler]

Day 7 Great Stirrup Cay 10am-6pm CANCELLED turned into another Sea Day                                         

We were up early to prepare for a full day in Great Stirrup Cay.  We had made reservations for Tender #1 earlier in the week.  We had our breakfast buffet, packed our snorkeling gear, slathered up the sunscreen in anticipation.  Our ship approached the island early and we could see a RCCL ship docked at their adjacent Coco Cay.  But sadly the Captain came on the PA to announce that the wave conditions were too dangerous for tendering and that the report was for worsening conditions through the day.  He was concerned that even if we could tender to the island, we might not be able to tender back and we would become castaways.  It is disappointing but we absolutely understand the need for safety first in tenders. We knew that’s always a possibility of cancellation. It’s a shame they can’t build a pier at GSC.  I had really been looking forward to snorkeling and exploring the island that we haven’t visited in many years. 

 

It was sad sailing away.  But they quickly distributed a new revised Freestyle Daily (obviously they are used to this happening).  We shifted our mindset to enjoy another leisurely day at sea and headed down for trivia.  And decided to make our second cuppa an Irish Coffee from the O’Sheehan’s Bar right above us.  We were shocked that we 3-way tied for winners in trivia.  No prize, just the shared honor.  Not far from the Atrium down a little hallway is a library.  We popped in to check it out.  Had a nice, little variety, but very limited hours.  But I know the avid readers will seek it out.  We really enjoyed the Guy Harvey ship hull art and some pieces offered in the art gallery.  But we were really impressed when early in the week we discovered the Guy Harvey TV station on the cabin TV where we learned what an impressive lifelong sea conservationist and supporter his is of all things to save the oceans and sea creatures.

 

Last day to enjoy the buffet, more waterslides, live music poolside and even an afternoon nap after finishing up most of the packing.  The evening included a buffet dinner with a Grill Theme.  I think it is the first time I ever had wine with my dinner in the buffet. Thank you drink package.  Tonight’s highlight was the main theatre show Choir of Men.  Arrive early as they offer fresh tapped beer to the audience.  Very entertaining all male cast in a setting of a British Pub.  Great fun and music!  Great finale for our cruise!!  Tip:  Just so you know the drink holders built into the chairs only hold standard glasses, no stemmed glasses like wine or martinis, so you need to hold your glass through the entire one hour show if you choose those. 

 

Back to the room for final packing.  If you are in any of the early departures, you need to go to Guest Services and ask for luggage tags.  Walk off with all your luggage requires no tags.  We qualified for yellow which is right after walk off, so that’s what we got at guest services.  The later tags they have out for you to grab yourself.  Keep in mind these times may be different for your cruise.  We needed to have our large luggage outside the room by 11pm, but we put it out earlier.  Be sure to keep all your important documents, meds, clothes for the next day and other valuable carryon items with you in the cabin.  Goodnight. 😴

 

Day 8 Port Canaveral Disembarkation                                                                                                                  We were already docked super early when we woke in PC.  One last buffet breakfast, one last amazing chocolate croissant.  They called the walk offs just shortly after 7am.  They ask that you vacate your cabin by 8:30am.  We went down to one of the waiting areas and were called shortly before our 8am time.  Easy off, easy to claim luggage, short line for customs.  Easy peasy and on to the parking garage.  Of course, the low occupancy rate certainly made this easier.  Easy out and on the road home.  So long beautiful Escape… thank you for the amazing escape from the pandemic. 

 

Recap:  Wonderful return to cruising.  Of course the low occupancy certainly enhanced our experience.  But still the quality of NCL was terrific and the crew was absolutely amazing!!!  The ship was in great shape, very clean, very modern with muted tones.  NCL did a fantastic job with pandemic protocols from our experience and we felt very safe onboard. Can’t wait to get out on the sea again.  I am not real active on CC unless I am planning a cruise, but I am a longtime member and always totally appreciate all the great advice I always receive on these boards.  Thank you dedicated members so willing to answer all my questions with your experience and knowledge.  I hope that my review can be of help to other cruisers.  Bon Voyage for now…

 

 

[Twocoasts]

Thank you for this review. I am thinking of booking this cruise over the holidays so wonderful to read such a detailed report!

[Trish Traveler]

44 minutes ago, Robkat said:

Hey Trish T!

thoroughly enjoying your review, as we were on this cruise with you, AND on the Escape 2 weeks before that, but doing the western Caribbean that time.

We agree with you that it was a fantastic cruise!  And we're loving your wonderful photos, that are bringing all great  memories back. We probably crossed paths with you a couple of times during the week!

Wasn't the sail away from Tortola amazing and gorgeous.  We don't love the early departure, but it's so rare to get such good views with a daytime sail away.

 

We were also blown away by the Sound and Black Light show ... I kept hoping that people were appreciating it as much as we were.  We've also seen similar acts on AGT, and you're absolutely right, it was so special seeing it live.

Hope you got to see Choir of Man ... we had seen it on our previous cruise two weeks ago, and loved it so much, we came close to going again on this cruise, but something else came up.  My husband was born and raised in Glasgow, so seeing all those U.K. entertainers was a hoot for us, plus the show itself is terrific.

Thanks again for this great review ... you're describing it wonderfully.

Glad you enjoyed the cruise also!!  I'm sure we crossed paths...we are on the move a lot when cruising!

So many great views.  Yes we loved the light show and yes, also loved the Choir of Men.  I visited Glasgow on a CIE land tour a few years ago.  Only for a day, but I loved it there!  I like writing a review because it also serves as my personal memoir of every cruise! Glad you're enjoying/reliving it!

[Trish Traveler]

1 minute ago, Twocoasts said:

Thank you for this review. I am thinking of booking this cruise over the holidays so wonderful to read such a detailed report!

Happy to be helpful in your planning! 

[Scubaqn]

Thank you for such a thorough review. Answered a few of my questions I didn't know I had haha. Going on Escape on Saturday so it was a nice preview for me. 

[Trish Traveler]

49 minutes ago, Scubaqn said:

Thank you for such a thorough review. Answered a few of my questions I didn't know I had haha. Going on Escape on Saturday so it was a nice preview for me. 

Fantastic! Bon Voyage, have a great cruise!

[Booboochase]

Beautiful pictures, and what a wonderfully written review! So positive and really makes me more excited for my upcoming cruise.  😊 Cheers!

[dmms]

Really enjoyed your pictures and narrative - they were so much fun to see/read! LOVED the sand drawings!! 

We sail on the Escape same itinerary on March 26 - now even more excited!!

We have been on the Escape fall 2018 to Canada/Maine/NY so will be awesome to do a tropical cruise and take advantage of all the warm weather activities!

So  looking forward to the sunsets & cocktails!

Thanks for sharing - you gave me some new ideas to try😎🏝

 

[Trish Traveler]

14 hours ago, Booboochase said:

Beautiful pictures, and what a wonderfully written review! So positive and really makes me more excited for my upcoming cruise.  😊 Cheers!

Thank you.  It was so great to be back on a ship. Have a great cruise!

[Trish Traveler]

13 hours ago, dmms said:

Really enjoyed your pictures and narrative - they were so much fun to see/read! LOVED the sand drawings!! 

We sail on the Escape same itinerary on March 26 - now even more excited!!

We have been on the Escape fall 2018 to Canada/Maine/NY so will be awesome to do a tropical cruise and take advantage of all the warm weather activities!

So  looking forward to the sunsets & cocktails!

Thanks for sharing - you gave me some new ideas to try😎🏝

 

Thanks.  Glad I could help build your cruise excitement!  Enjoy the tropical weather!  Bon Voyage!

[cruisekitty22]

Thank you  for this spot on review of the Escape and cruise.  We were on the Escape before Covid and had the same experiences.   Glad to hear Choir of Man show is still on the ship. Best show at Sea!

[Trish Traveler]

9 hours ago, cruisekitty22 said:

Thank you  for this spot on review of the Escape and cruise.  We were on the Escape before Covid and had the same experiences.   Glad to hear Choir of Man show is still on the ship. Best show at Sea!

Thanks!  Glad you enjoyed my review and the Escape.  Choir of Men was great fun and a good finale show for us on the last night of the cruise.

[roboref]

Thank you for the excellent review! We are on the March 26 sailing.

[kdmbluerzr]

Great review and photos!  Thank you for taking the time to share!  We have the Escape booked for next winter, looks like the same itinerary.  So this was a great pre-view.  Cheers  🥂

[AKR2011]

Thanks for the awesome review!  I love The Escape but it's been a few years since I've sailed her. So nice to see her looking great ❤⚓

[Gazenystagmus]

Thank you so much for the terrific review. Really enjoyed reading and the pictures are great. We sail sail on April 16th. Can't wait!