The Great Escape - From Way Before the Beginning Until The End

[CruzinMel]

20 hours ago, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

I am really enjoying this! Did I miss the "Dining Debacle" or is there more coming.

 

Side note: I'm really worry your mom didn't make it. I know the crowding would have been terrible, but what a shame to lose that trip together. I hope she had a good time running the house at home!

Dining is up next....I went down a book wormhole this weekend (its Prince Harry's fault, so blame him).  Our dinner at Le Bistro was...Bananas.  

 

Thank you for your thoughts for Mom.  She made it through the week in good shape, thanks to her wonderful caregiver.  Upon our return, she presented me with a table full of Christmas decorations that I missed putting away before I left, which made her happy.  She likes to delegate.

[zzdoug]

1 hour ago, CruzinMel said:

Our dinner at Le Bistro was...Bananas.  

Unless all you ate was bananas foster, this is an (lowercase e) epic tease.

Edited January 16, 2023 by zzdoug

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

6 hours ago, CruzinMel said:

Dining is up next....I went down a book wormhole this weekend (its Prince Harry's fault, so blame him).  Our dinner at Le Bistro was...Bananas.  

 

Thank you for your thoughts for Mom.  She made it through the week in good shape, thanks to her wonderful caregiver.  Upon our return, she presented me with a table full of Christmas decorations that I missed putting away before I left, which made her happy.  She likes to delegate.

I'm blaming every thing on Prince Harry this week, so you are good to go. Next week I'll blame whomever it is that I am hearing way more than I want to about! 🙂

[CruzinMel]

Next:  Ports - We Made 'Em All!!

 

(Sorry for the delay - Prince Harry made me read his book this weekend.  Blame it on the aristocracy.)

 

One of the things I'm noticing on NCL overall and this itinerary specifically is that not every cruise is making every stop as scheduled.  Whether it's skipping Puerta Plata (which looks to be related to scheduling and space at Amber Cove, because Escape hasn't been back to Taino Bay since it grounded) or not tendering at Great Stirrup Key, if you get irritated when your itinerary gets changed on the fly, this is likely not the cruise for you.  If you don't mind an extra sea day or a quick change - go for it!

 

That factored into my excursion bookings, after I got past the initial difficulty of planning excursions for folks with mobility challenges.  My hat is off to those who do - we saw some motorized scooters in port, but few wheelchairs and not many rollators.  The struggle is real.  
 

 

Puerta Plata - Amber Cove:  Viator excursion with Alfredo's Tours

Puerta Plata was a challenge, from the beginning.  Since we booked after final payment but before 120 days, I was within the Haven booking time slot and I booked excursions through NCL: the Damajagua Waterfalls tour for the kids and an Explore Puerta Plata/Beach day for DH and myself.  When I rearranged the pax on my booking a week or two later (and after the 120 day window opened), one person fell off of each set of excursions, and the Waterfalls tour sold out before I realized I only had 1 ticket.  On the advice of our PCC, I randomly checked the website, but never could squeeze in.  Then Drumboy wasn't interested in that tour anyway, so we let it go and got a refund back on my credit card.  I kept the Explore tour, which had booked up in the interim, so I kept checking the website, hoping to score at least 1 more spot.  Never happened - everything on NCL's site booked up well before the cruise date and nothing was available until we got on the ship.  I never knew why.  Bottom line:  tours sell out FAST, you can only cancel by calling the excursions desk, and you better be careful when you make your reservation because if you change things after your tours are booked, you could get messed up.

I had explored the web enough to decide that whether it was Amber Cove or Taino Bay, DH and Mom and I would have a port day at the pool and bar, and we'd send the kids off.  After Mom canceled, I booked a Puerta Plata tour for the 4 of us with Viator, whom I'd used on a couple of other trips and trusted.  I received very communicative emails from the tour vendor, saying that since it was a very busy day in port he was pretty booked, but he'd find us a driver if we could meet them outside the port area.  No big!  We can walk!  I didn't cancel my remaining ticket until we got on board, and Magical Marvelous Charry took care of it for us.  I had worried because free cancellation required 48 hours notice - I got my refund, though.

Escape arrived at Amber Cove a lovely, hot morning.  It was sunny and beautiful, and DH and I enjoyed breakfast while watching repairs or renovation on the pool deck of the Niew Amsterdam, which arrived before us.  The kids had partied too heartily the night before, so they ditched us (this tour was $50/person, which I could have canceled but I had to eat, thanks, kiddos.)  Then it was my favorite time - off the ship!  The music, the sun, the two ships together, the water. . . cruise heaven.  And bike taxis.  Bike taxis coming really close to the ship.  Huh.  Haven't seen that before in the mornings, although I've seen it in the afternoons.  Bit odd.

 

Hello, gorgeous!

 

See the elderly gentleman, next to the bike taxi already up to the Escape?  (Also, ain't the fishie cute?!)  That gentleman didn't need any bike taxi!  He kicked our butts!!!

Beautiful DR . . . but no sailboats in the bay, which was a little odd.

So, we walked.  We tried to keep up with the Elder, who was booking it.  And we walked.  I thought Cozumel had the longest dock, but Amber Cove has them beat.  We walked down one side of the dock, hooked a right, walked the longest dock ever, then navigated through the duty free and the shops and restaurants, then through the terminal where all the LUCKY PEOPLE were hopping on their buses. . . 

 

...and we walked past them, past security, across a bridge, through a FARM with smelly but happy cows. . . (I'm not kidding - they were on the other side of that fence, but this picture was prettier).

 

. . .up a hill, around a corner, then down a four-lane divided highway full of tour groups meeting up and tour operators trying to sell tours - this is looking back at the entrance to the port . . . 

 

(see DH looking over his shoulder?  He is not a fan of long walks - he says he walked enough in the Marines and then walked more in the Army National Guard, and walking is not his idea of a vacation activity, but he is a good sport.)

 

And finally, a lovely man named Andres was holding a sign with our name on it, so we stopped walking and hopped in his air-conditioned Kia, which he retrieved from its parking spot another half mile down the road.  Only one problem:  Andres' English was as good as my Spanish, which is enough to ask about bathrooms and beer.  My Spanish improved after we did 9 shots of rum at our first stop, and Andres was a good sport, who played cool music once he realized I like salsa, took us all over the town, and took 47 pictures of us in different spots.  (I counted.  It was 47.)  It was a hot, lovely day - we skipped the beach, but I'd definitely go back.  The DR has the best roads we've encountered in the Caribbean, sandwiched between beautiful countryside.  The duty-free shops had no Crown Royal, but lots of rum.  Once we got through the shopping area, DH did his favorite thing:  hopped in a bike taxi, and way overtipped the driver for hauling our big booties back to the ship.  We never did see the pool/bar area, but Drumboy was going out as we went in, and pronounced it fun.
*Mobility note:  A scooter could have done the sidewalks and port area here, and we saw several, but holy cow, you'd have needed an extra battery if you didn't do a ship's tour.

St Thomas - Havensight - NCL tour to Magen's Bay, Paradise Point, and Shopping (which we did not do, because I hate shopping)
Our arrival time was changed from 11 am to 12 noon - I never knew why and we didn't get an extra hour to compensate, so I guess I could have gotten angry about it?  I was able to book this tour online on the app after we boarded, which surprised me.  We've been to St Thomas 3 times now, and and it has rained every time - we must be a jinx.

Drumboy joined me for first breakfast outside at the Haven restaurant, where we were rewarded with A View.  It appears there may be a pot o' gold somewhere on the hull.

DH joined us later and we watched docking - the pilot BACKED Escape into the berth, and some suicidal dude in a catamaran tempted death by getting too close, so they HONKED THE HORN at him.  Once ashore, the children proceeded to warm the cockles of my heart by immediately slathering each other in sunscreen (I'm not kidding - we are pale, pale people), and off we went in the usual open-air people-mover which cheated death and ground gears as we went over the mountain to Magens Bay, which was beautiful, expensive, and after the arrival of the folks from Wonder of the Seas, crowded.  Also, the water was FREEZING, but after the first Painkiller, I didn't care.  The water was fortunately warmer than the torrential rainstorm that came down on our heads - well, fortunately for me and Drumboy, because we stayed in the water while DH and Indy got soaked and frozen.  DH had Crown at Magens, which probably saved him from having a heart attack when the kids and I went shopping for some dry things to wear at Paradise Point.  Drumboy got a fabulous hat and enlarged his Hawaiian shirt collection.  It was a basic day - beautiful, but I think I am done with St Thomas.  The late departure meant we saw something unique:  St Thomas from the sea at night, which is absolutely beautiful.

*Mobility note:  lots of standing in line, lots of crowds, not a long walk from the ship into the port area, but there is no way anybody with a scooter, wheelchair or rollator could have crammed into our people carrier.  

 

Tortola - who knows?  The day in port was so early and so short, and the Jost Van Dyke excursion sold out so fast, that we didn't plan any tours.  (Unless you count looking for Crown Royal, which sadly, was fruitless.)  DH, Indy and I walked off the ship, which was amazingly close to the port/shopping area; we searched for booze and jewelry for Mom, who had informed us in St Thomas that she wanted an emerald bracelet for no more than $400.  (Yes.  Four Hundred dollars.  Emeralds.  Didn't happen.)  Thwarted, we had daquiris and did some people watching, and had a surprisingly enjoyable time.  Tortola looked pretty - maybe we'll go back one day.

*Mobility note - shortest pier, with some cobblestones to negotiate in the shopping area before you got to smooth sidewalks and taxis fairly close by - I can't say much else, though.

 

I had some pics of Tortola, but this is the best one - you really get a feeling for the shortness of the walk to the shopping area.  We are standing at a plaza right outside the restaurant where we had daquiris.  It's basically the length of the ship, which is not bad.

 

Great Stirrup Cay - our favorite day.  I get why folks are upset when they can't make it, because it was truly beautiful and fun.  I didn't eat anything, so I can't speak to the food, but whooooooo-eee, the drinks are plentiful and strong.  DH was sucked into competing to be Mr. Bicep, and came in 3rd after doing 20 pushups with all the dudes half his age.  (And weight.  My man is luscious.)  The seas were beautifully flat when we arrived; the 4 of us had a leisurely morning and took a tender at noon.

 

A tender and a cup of tea. . . 

 

The water was even more frigid than St Thomas, but after the second daquiri, I did not care, and all the sober people and their kids cared less than that.

 

White sands, blue water, beautiful.  We tried to talk our way into Silver Cove, but unless you book a massage at the spa, it is off limits to those without Villas, and there are guards at the gates who will cheerfully but firmly tell you "No" even if you offer them your daquiri as collateral.

 

DH made me leave the water sometime around 4 or 5 - I have no idea, really - and we joined the long, long line for the tenders.  Norwegian gives you subtle hints - they shut down the buffet at 2 pm, for example, leaving you with only pound cake and cookies for sustenance, but the bars stay open.  Luckily for us, folks from the Haven roam the tender lines - Marvelous Charry snatched us out of line, and tucked us onto a tender before other folks who probably wanted to smack us.  I was properly sozzled, but not enough to notice that we spent quite a while bobbing away next to Escape rather than getting off; in the afternoon, the waves had picked up enough that tendering got dicey.  Drumboy had ditched us to go ziplining at the last minute; he got plucked out of the line and placed on a tender, but his ended up bobbing around for about 45 minutes before anybody could get off.

 

*Mobility note:  the tendering process is not for the slow, the faint of heart, or the mobility impaired, no matter what they tell you.  In calm seas, I had to time the bobbing of the ship and the tender, and the gangplank moves - there is no way on this planet we'd have gotten my mom on that morning tender, short of picking her up and carrying her.  Once the tender gets to the island, there is a short walk involving a hill, before you can get to the beach wheelchairs (readily available.)  Once on the island, there is plenty of that blue sand carpeting stuff that makes it easy to move about, and everything is ADA compliant - but you have to get there, first.  Mom would probably be living at Silver Cove today, because we'd never have gotten her back on the ship.

And that, friends, is ports!  I've tried to stick to ship/mobility/access issues, but if you want to know more, let me know and I'll put something on the ports of call page.

 

Edited January 17, 2023 by CruzinMel

[CruzinMel]

10 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Unless all you ate was bananas foster, this is an (lowercase e) epic tease.

I realize it might make you want to fling things at the screen, but I delayed dining...I was watching Dallas and wondering if they had to take their kicker for counseling.  

[alrose251]

CruzinMel,  I really your posting!  Thank you for taking the time and effort!

 

Is the Choir of Man performed more than one night?  I am trying to make dinner reservations for my May cruise and want don't want to miss it!

[SeekingKillerWhales!]

Now I know how people felt in Victorian times when they had to wait for their weekly installment of a Dickens story!

 

Please Sir, more. (Errr, Ma'am.)

Edited January 19, 2023 by SeekingKillerWhales!
Added wit. Not really, but tried.

[CruzinMel]

On 1/18/2023 at 6:02 PM, alrose251 said:

CruzinMel,  I really your posting!  Thank you for taking the time and effort!

 

Is the Choir of Man performed more than one night?  I am trying to make dinner reservations for my May cruise and want don't want to miss it!

HI Rose!  Yes - Choir of Man is on more than one night, and at more than one time.  On our cruise, Malevo was the first sea day, then Choir of Man the next night, and then that was repeated in reverse on the last 2 nights.

The Choir of Man and Pour Band performers were the only ones we saw out on the ship - we ran into some of the Choir coming out of Food Republic one night, and sat next to some of the Pour House players at O'Sheehan's another night.  

[CruzinMel]

On 1/19/2023 at 3:05 PM, SeekingKillerWhales! said:

Now I know how people felt in Victorian times when they had to wait for their weekly installment of a Dickens story!

 

Please Sir, more. (Errr, Ma'am.)

My deepest apologies, esteemed Seeker - your humble correspondent is back at it!  🙂

[alrose251]

2 hours ago, CruzinMel said:

HI Rose!  Yes - Choir of Man is on more than one night, and at more than one time.  On our cruise, Malevo was the first sea day, then Choir of Man the next night, and then that was repeated in reverse on the last 2 nights.

The Choir of Man and Pour Band performers were the only ones we saw out on the ship - we ran into some of the Choir coming out of Food Republic one night, and sat next to some of the Pour House players at O'Sheehan's another night.  

Thanks so much!!!

[CruzinMel]

Up Now:  Food and Drink

 

I'm back!  Man, this "working every day" stuff is for the birds. . . I need another cruise!

 

So, let's talk about my favorite part:  Food, in order from best to least good.  I say least good because even the dining experiences we didn't enjoy had at least one thing going for them.  There are not a lot of food pics, because for myself (and just myself - this is not a knock on anybody) I think it's rude to take a pic during service.  So I have pics of breakfast, and one or two other things, but that is all.  (Which makes me sad, because I love other folks' food pics.  Incongruous, but true.)

 

Before we talk Food, let's talk Special Needs:
I have a food allergy - I have celiac disease, which means that (for want of a quick explanation), I'm allergic to wheat, barley and rye, and that allergy occurs not just if I eat bread or pasta, but if I eat something that is prepared on the same surface as bread or pasta.  This means, for example, that at home, I have my own toaster; if I toast my GF waffles in Mom's regular toaster, the little bits of toast that get stuck to the burners could end up in my body, and make me sick.  (There's more to it - celiac is complex - but that's the highlights.  Celiac sensitivity runs the gamut from mild reactions to one friend who is sensitive to flour particles in the air.)

 

What does a gluten reaction look like?  initially, my celiac was "silent" - I ate bread, pasta and the like for the first 50 years of my life and didn't know that I was allergic - I didn't have any gastro issues (from, ahem, upstairs or downstairs), but I had vitamin deficiencies, insanely low hemoglobin, and constant seasonal allergies and rashes.  The inflammation from the gluten allergy was damaging my digestive system, but not manifesting in a traditional way.  I was diagnosed accidentally, and I've been gluten-free for 2 years.  Everything has improved - but now, if I eat anything wheat-related, I have a reaction that ranges from irritating rashes, fatigue, and a stomach-ache (like, say, if I eat Chinese or Japanese food made with regular soy sauce, because most soy sauce has wheat in it) to severe food poisoning upstairs and downstairs (like, say, if I wolf down a Mexican Pizza from Taco Bell, not realizing it's made with a flour tortilla rather than corn, and the beef probably uses regular taco seasoning, which has flour in it).  These things are not fun.  I spend a LOT of time reading food labels and weighing the safety of everything I put in my mouth if I don't make it myself.

 

That was a novel, but I wanted to explain the food thing.  I love food.  I don't love anything about getting glutened, and it is NOT anything I wanted to experience on vacation, whether on the ship or in port.  My husband would have insisted on staying wherever I was, so if I got sick, I'd ruin my day as well as his.  I resolved to eat nothing in port - which meant no long tours that involved a meal.  Missing the ship because I was stuck in a Dominican bathroom, for example, was not an option.  If you complete a Guest Special Needs form to document your food allergy, NCL will allow you to bring on board individual portions of pre-packaged foods suitable to your allergy.  I brought on 2 boxes of Kind Bars (my emergency belly-filler, to be taken whenever we left the ship.)

 

NCL has food allergies HANDLED.  I was instructed in writing before we boarded, when we checked in at the port, and when we got to the Haven, to reach out to the dining manager and discuss my needs.  Marvelous, Magical Charry reached out to him on my behalf, and when I didn't find him on the first day, Siva called me in the room.  I also got really good advice about pre-ordering specialty restaurant meals from other posters on Cruise Critic.  On the ship, each time we ate at a specialty restaurant, our server asked if anyone had a food allergy and upon hearing I had a gluten allergy, the server would tell me which options were suitable for me.  If I ordered ahead, I could have pretty much anything I wanted.  The buffet was a little more dicey (more on that later), but the buffet officers were always about, the servers on the line either knew what was GF or would find out for me, and that was enough. Everything I ate for the entire week was safe, tasted amazing, and made me very, very happy.  As long as you communicate, you should eat well.

 

On to DINING!!

Where did we NOT EAT? 

• The MDRs.  I had planned to take the kids to the Manhattan Room, so they could get the MDR experience but also have the Manhattan's vibe (there is live music and a dance floor, if you time it right.)  That one never happened.  I told them that if you took the Haven Restaurant and made it larger, a little more chaotic and a little less amazing, the experience was comparable.
• Food Republic.  We TRIED to eat at Food Republic, twice, but the hours that it is open are not well advertised unless you look in the Daily - there's no "open" or "closed" sign, for example, so if you are wandering the ship and see people inside, you may or may not be able to eat.  I had saved some specialty dining credits for this restaurant and lost out because I expected it to be open when it wasn't.
• Pinchos Tapas Bar.  Same - I walked past it a bunch, and never saw it open.  One assumes it was.
• The Supper Club.   I hadn't heard really good things about that meal anyway, so I was not sad.
• Teppanyaki.  I can have hibachi at home, and we don't like the performance aspect of the meal - it's too loud and if you've seen one flaming onion, you've seen them all.
• Bayamo.  We didn't have time or inclination.
• Cagney's.  We didn't need Cagney's, because we went to . . . 

 

The Haven Restaurant, aka Restaurant Heaven

If nothing else, the Haven is worth it because of the restaurant.  The restaurant is open for every meal, including lunch on embarkation day and breakfast on disembarkation day.  On Escape there is inside and outside seating.  It is beautifully appointed in shades of blue and cream and silver, and I loved almost every meal I ate there.  (Everybody and their grandmother eats dinner in the Haven restaurant on the last night, and they all show up at pretty much the same time and they all order lobster.  That meal, I probably would eat outside the Haven.)

 

View coming into St Thomas from outside at the Haven Restaurant - notice the tables and the canvas providing shade.  You can also go out there when it is not in service, which is what we were doing at this moment.

 

On Escape, the other reason the Haven Restaurant is amazing is because of Assistant Maitre'D, Siva.  (I cannot find where I saved his picture so I wouldn't mangle his last name, and he is too wonderful for a name mangling.)  Siva reached out to me by phone on Sea Day 1 because I hadn't come to find him; after that, he personally made sure that my every seated meal, whether in the Haven or outside it, was pre-ordered, delicious, and safe.  It's not too much to say that Siva made my cruise.

 

Siva is almost always in the Haven restaurant, and when he is not, the other staff and managers are likewise disciplined, efficient, and professional. We were present one morning when another passenger was irate about. . . well, something - she stood up in the middle of the restaurant, annoying all the other guests and Making a Scene about poached eggs until the staff ushered her to the outside seating and fixed whatever was wrong.  (We always asked to be seated away from her, because her habit was to order for her entire table by standing up and shouting at the server as she moved from seat to seat.  It annoyed.)

 

And the food. . . did I mention I love muesli?  En cruise, I eat Norwegian's Bircher muesli at the buffet for every first breakfast.  I was dismayed on the first day to find that the muesli in the buffet is not gluten free.  Resigned to disappointment, I made do with grits* until Siva announced that he would have muesli for me EVERY DAY.  And he did.  And it was good.  (And pretty!)

 

Best Second Breakfast ever - Muesli and Jasmine Tea

 

*Note on grits: no matter where you eat, the grits will always need salt, pepper, butter and probably some cheese or bacon bits.  It is what it is.

 

The menu is a set menu - it does not rotate each night, as it would in the MDR.  That said, we never made our way through the whole thing, for any meal.  I never felt a lack.  We didn't need Cagney's because the steak in the Haven Restaurant is better.  Their lamb was so good that I tried to make an excuse to take the bones back to my room so I could gnaw on them like a feral critter - I mentioned this to someone we befriended on the cruise, and she said that her husband and sons ordered extras as room service after the meal and did just that.  Siva made me gluten free CRAB CAKES - it has been over 2 years since I've had crab cakes, and these were so good I almost cried.  The Pork Belly appetizer is one my favorite things ever, and Indiana had 2 different tartare type apps that she pronounced divine.  DH specialized in ordering things that weren't on the menu, and got them anyway.  Every day, Siva personally took my order for dinner, even if we were eating in a specialty restaurant that night.  If I had a question about what to order, he told me, resulting in Lambapalooza at Le Bistro. I had one non-muesli breakfast, and I could have had Shrimp Toast every day of my life after that. 

Shrimp Toast, Gluten Free

 

It is possible to order from other restaurants on the ship and have that served in the Haven restaurant.  We met a lady named Stacy who was on her 34th cruise in the Escape Haven, and observed her eating solo one evening.  She had a never-empty glass of red wine, which she sipped on while she read a book until a HUGE bowl of Asian noodles was delivered to her table.  I wanted those noodles. 

The children enjoyed ordering breakfast along with the buffet breakfast options - basically, continental breakfast for those who wanted to snack or not have a full breakfast.  I thought they'd have indulged in the pastries (including the famous almond croissants), but instead they feasted on salmon with capers.  

 

 

The first sign that Drumboy was having the Best Cruise Ever was our first family meal at the Haven Restaurant - apparently, he'd eaten like a king at a solo meal, because he was greeted by name, taken to his favorite spot (towing us along), and offered the wine list immediately, where he selected his favorite white.  He left us early at one meal, because he had an appointment at the Haven Bar.  Shah was going to make him a Smoked Manhattan - the Smoked Old Fashioned required at least 3 people to order it, but the Smoked Manhattan went a step beyond because it required special equipment.  I tasted it - it was a work of art.  The rest of us didn't spend much time at the Haven Bar because No Crown, but Drumboy knew everyone by name and pronounced it good.

 

MODERNO:  YES, PLEASE.  Green Card.

Folks have different feelings about Moderno; my feeling on Escape is a resounding YES.  Moderno is really rather difficult to eat at because the Brazilian steakhouse concept offers an extensive pre-meal buffet with such diverse and delicious offerings that you could eat that buffet and be satisfied.  Foolishly, I loaded up my plate thinking my dining partners might like to taste things, and they did not, so I ate it all.  (Except the soups.  I avoid buffet soups because you just never know.)  And then, our awesome server brought The Bread.  I already knew about The Bread.  The Bread at Moderno is a Brazilian cheese bread made with tapioca flour - which means it is always gluten free.  I buy it at the Publix whenever I see it, because it is delicious.  So there I was with my asparagus spears and shaved parmesan and manchego and beefsteak tomato and The Bread, and then. . . the gauchos came out, with their spears full of deliciousness.  Picanha.  Filet.  Bacon wrapped chicken breasts.  Chicken drumsticks.  Roasted pork.  Sausages.  Some other kind of steak.  Rack of lamb and loin of lamb.  ROASTED PINEAPPLE.  And then, the sides - yuca and mashed potato and rice and black beans.  And then they offered us DESSERT.  (Rice pudding - gluten free, but not delicious.  Get the creme brulee.  Or order ice cream and then get the roasted pineapple on top of it.)

 

Drumboy got the Meat Sweats halfway through the meal and went to take a nap.  We and the table next to us roared with stuffed, happy laughter.

 

La Cucina:  Ocean Olive Garden with Great Service

 

En cruise, I have Osso Bucco at La Cucina.  It is the only time and place I eat veal, because making veal is mean to baby cows.  DH has their filet, because it's one of the best on the ship.  I also have Pannacotta for dessert, because it is delicious and I am too lazy to make it at home.  These things are known.  This cruise, my Osso Bucco was the only thing I pre-ordered before Siva took me in hand, but the Maitre D' at La Cucina is a dream - my meal was mostly perfect.  My forebears were Italian, and I am a sauce snob - I usually do not order pasta at an Italian restaurant because I usually can make better myself.  In this case, I was correct - marinara at La Cucina tasted like Chef Boyardee (but their GF noodles actually tasted good - at home, I've taken to eating my sauce without noodles because GF noodles suck.)  At La Cucina, instead of GF bread (which was routinely two slices of toasted sandwich bread), I asked for The Bread from Moderno, which I received hot and fresh from the kitchen.  Our meal at La Cucina coincided with Drumboy taking a dejected DH in hand and introducing him to the Only Bottle of Crown Royal on the ship, which was reduced to half a bottle by the time we got to dinner.  A happy DH is a loud DH; when La Cucina's Maitre D' asked us where we'd like to sit (we were there early at 5:30), I said sotto voce, "Where do you put the drunk people?" and he tucked us away outside, where we enjoyed our meal as the sun set.  The food was in the middle - tasty enough - but the service and seating were exactly right.

 

No food pics, but you can't beat that view at dinner.

 

O'Sheehan's:  I think it was good?

We only ate at O'Sheehan's once, for a snack after Le Bistro and gambling, and I had consumed copious amounts of wine, so all I ate was french fries.  DH had a burger, and pronounced it good, and Indiana loved the wings.  Our server was a doll.  There was always a dinner special at O'Sheehan's, different from whatever was going on in the buffet, so check the Daily for that.  I know one night was prime rib.

Apparently at O'Sheehan's, you get a number on your table.  Also yes - that there is a canned Coke.  I was two-handing my wine in true redneck fashion (Indiana didn't like hers, so I had to help her out, and it needed to be cold!).  Since we had Premium Plus, that carton of Flow water was included.  Yes, DH is a Dallas fan.  Go Cowboys!

 

American Diner:  I wouldn't have paid for it

That sounds really cold, because we had a great meal, but on a ship full of equal or better offerings, I wouldn't have paid for it.  American Diner was free to Haven passengers on embarkation day, so we took advantage of it.  (I have just realized we did not eat lunch in the Haven restaurant one single time.  Huh.)  Anyway, it was our first meal on the ship; food was good, service was great, all in all good, but not a specialty.  And we never got a milkshake.  Also, there was only one GF option there, and I would not have wanted to eat spinach salad again.  It was DH's favorite burger, though.

 

The Buffet:  So.  Many.  People.  

DH is a huge buffet fan, and I used to be.  I like buffets for the selection, and NCL's buffets never fail to offer a wide range of meal choices.  Breakfast can be grits, eggs, omelettes, muesli, oatmeal, continental, full English, Indian, or a sandwich.  Lunch and dinner include the ubiquitous pizza (which my people pronounced good) and always offer a rotating selection of Indian food (Indiana's favorite), Asian food, sandwiches, American comfort food, and whatever theme they are doing at night.  (Seafood, steamship, Caribbean, etc.)  Desserts are adquate, and ice cream by the scoop is available.  On Escape, everything we tried was hot and tasty, refreshed frequently, and generally good.  DH remarked that it got to be monotonous after a while, but that's because despite what he thinks, he's not a fan of a wide-ranging variety of foods.  A buffet is only as diverse as what you put on your plate.

 

At standard meal times, Escape's buffet is a madhouse of roaming, meandering, stopping, starting, randomly-turning-around, lane-blocking, and occasionally rude passengers.  Add to this occasionally screaming children and constantly roaming crew, replenishing silverware and removing plates and cups within 30 seconds of hitting the table, and it's not a happy place to eat.  Indiana hated it, and after our first breakfast I refused to go there except at odd times.  Plus, for me, I rarely felt comfortable eating in the buffet.  The crew cooking the food was great, but I knew that at any time I could be glutened if a fellow diner used the same set of tongs to grab bread and anything else that I then ate.  (Some folks do not have home training.)  I wasn't worried about the french fries, because I already knew they were fried in dedicated grease, but if we'd eaten lunch and dinner at the buffet, I'd have lived on french fries, sandwich meat and Indian food.

 

First breakfast was my go-to buffet meal, but only because I was usually alone and most of the passengers were asleep - I try to catch as many sunrises as I can on a cruise.  On Escape, the buffet is on Deck 16 (I think - could be 17?), but a less-known secret is that (at least for breakfast), the American Diner one deck away (I can't remember if it's above or below) has a limited breakfast buffet and seating.  I ran through the main buffet for eggs and bacon, grabbed grits and juice in American Diner, and did my first breakfasts there.

Small breakfast buffet at American Diner - grits, oatmeal and cream of wheat are at the end

 

Grits and Eggs and Bacon and Tortola after sunrise

 

Last, and Least:  Le Bistro, aka The Dining Debacle, aka Lambapalooza, aka Bananaland

We don't usually eat at Le Bistro.  DH doesn't like to dress up if he doesn't have to and in true American style, we don't like an overly-long dinner service.  (Well, we don't think we do.  I think we might, with the right company.)  Plus, on Escape, Le Bistro is below the casino, and all the smoke floats downward; I have always been concerned that the smell of the smoke will interfere with dinner, or that we will be seated outside and . . .no.

 

But since this was the kids' first cruise and an opportunity to show them fine dining, I insisted.  We dressed up (or as much as DH would - slacks and his Dallas polo were as far as he would go.  I talked Indiana out of wearing what I refer to as her Cow Pants, at least.  Drumboy got the message - blazer, slacks, button down.)  We appeared for our reservation at 5:45, and I was worried that we'd be late for the Haven escort to Malevo that night - the Haven concierge escorts guests to theater shows 45 minutes before they start, and you don't have to sit in the Haven section - so Drumboy (who knows acoustics) tells us where to sit and we have a great show.  I figured even with a slow meal, 5:45 would be enough for us to get there 15 minutes before showtime - an hour and a half should be sufficient, right?

 

Nope.  Maybe for a normal meal, but definitely not when the entirety of Le Bistro at 5:45 was taken up by two four-tops and three huge tables with about 15 guests at each.  The minute we were seated, I started to leave because I knew we were not going to make our show time and I worried that we would not have a good meal.  There's no staff in the world that could have managed that.

 

So I have to give big props to the staff at Le Bistro, because while our meal was slow, and caused us to miss Malevo, they did a good job considering the challenge.  The children did not experience fine dining that night, but they did get to learn about what a sommelier does, we tried a variety of wines, and I think their food was ok. 

Wine our sommelier recommended since we were having a variety of dinner choices; it smelled to me like a wet dog, but tasted wonderful.  Indiana said my nose was bonkers, because it smelled good, too.  Having the Premium Plus Beverage Package helps at Le Bistro - I probably should have had more Veuve.

 

For my appetizer, I had the scallops with cauliflower veloute and I wanted to lick the bowl or order another serving of the veloute.  The scallops, despite being tiny, had a very strong taste, so the veloute balanced them out.  On Siva's advice, I pre-ordered the lamb and received a huge portion - and I ate it all.  (Me:  "Siva, do you think they could do the lobster?"  Siva:  "I can do lobster any time you want.  You should try their lamb."  And he was right.)  Indy had the duck and pronounced it unremarkable; DH had a filet, which was ok; Drumboy had the seafood which was good.  My meal was really the best.  Desserts were likewise unmemorable, except that I had flourless chocolate cake that was so heavy I couldn't eat more than a bite.  I should have gotten the cheese or the sorbet.  It was our least favorite meal, despite the efforts of the staff.  I couldn't help wondering what it might have been like if the seating had been less challenging.

 

What Le Bistro lacked in ambiance and taste, it exceeded in entertainment.  Aside from the showmanship at the delivery of the entrees (each entree comes out with a cover, which is removed with great fanfare), the people-watching through the windows is the best.  This was a photo night, so various groups of nicely-dressed families and friends were gathering at the foot of the central staircase for photos.  One assumes that this particular group was friendly?

With apologies to my fellow diner - I cut off as much of him as I could:

 

I'd heard of Furries, but this was new.  I'm guessing the monkey was in charge.

 

You have to imagine that you are drinking copious amounts of wine while trying to convince yourself you are enjoying a chaotic, noisy, loud, subpar dinner, and then you see THAT out of the corner of your eye, and think, "I MUST be drunk."  They were lining up on the stairs for their group picture as we left Le Bistro - there had to be at least 20 of them, all bananas except for the one monkey and Carmen Miranda up there.  But they were having fun, and isn't that the point?  DH prevented me from introducing myself.  🙂

And that, friends, is the novel about Dining.  I hope it helps!  I'm going to finish up with a final post about on board activities and embarkation, and then my trip diary will be complete.  Since this is already horribly long, I will leave you with some sunrises (which look suspiciously like sunsets, so you will have to take my word for it.)

Not a sunrise, but the morning view from breakfast at the Haven Restaurant:

 

Greeting the sun and Tortola from the sports court above Spice H20:

 

The view from a hot tub at Spice H20 on the last sea day - the sun is getting ready to peek over the horizon:

And Good Morning!

 

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by CruzinMel

[Wedgie Wedgie]

I feel like this was written by the top banana. Bravo!

 

We hop the Escape next week and you have enhanced the pregame hype!

[FLcruisergrl]

Siva is the be all and end all of Maitre'ds. They need to triple his salary! And that flourless chocolate coke, oh my! He would make sure my daughter had it every night (even if she didn’t order it) and brought her 2 on the last night!! He was determined to fatten her up! 😂 We soooo miss that man!

[Monica887]

Thank you so much for this! A fun read and had me excited for my first Haven experience coming up on the Escape. I'm a vegetarian, and while accidently eating chicken broth won't land me in the bathroom, I do my best to avoid. So I'm glad to hear your were well taken care of, and I'll be sure to plan ahead 

 

After my Christmas week cruise on another cruise line turned into a covid-fest pity party for me, on a ship I hated....I'm more than ready!

[CruzinMel]

2 hours ago, FLcruisergrl said:

Siva is the be all and end all of Maitre'ds. They need to triple his salary! And that flourless chocolate coke, oh my! He would make sure my daughter had it every night (even if she didn’t order it) and brought her 2 on the last night!! He was determined to fatten her up! 😂 We soooo miss that man!

You can say that again and twice on Sunday.  Siva is just the best. 

 

I forgot to mention that he brought me The Best Dessert I Have Ever Had - a Coconut Flan.  I wanted it every day for the rest of my life.  I can't believe I forgot it until just now.

[CruzinMel]

2 hours ago, Wedgie Wedgie said:

I feel like this was written by the top banana. Bravo!

 

We hop the Escape next week and you have enhanced the pregame hype!

Thank you, thank you - I will hurry up and finish up the onboard activities bit before you depart!  You will have a great time!!!  🍌 

Edited January 22, 2023 by CruzinMel

[CruzinMel]

43 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

Thank you so much for this! A fun read and had me excited for my first Haven experience coming up on the Escape. I'm a vegetarian, and while accidently eating chicken broth won't land me in the bathroom, I do my best to avoid. So I'm glad to hear your were well taken care of, and I'll be sure to plan ahead 

 

After my Christmas week cruise on another cruise line turned into a covid-fest pity party for me, on a ship I hated....I'm more than ready!

Oh, no - that sounds awful!!!  I'm so sorry - getting sick was the thing I worried about the most.  I made all my people get the bivalent Covid vaccine before we left and my workplace requires me to get the flu vaccine yearly, but I figured there wasn't much more I could do.  You can only manage germs and viruses to a point.  DH came home with some sinus thing which he refused to get treated for, but Indy, Drumboy and I made it through unscathed and we didn't communicate anything to Mom or her caregiver (I mini-quarantined DH once he got snoddy.)   Someone Who Shall Not Be Named and his girlfriend came home with the flu, though.

 

Did you get quarantined on board?  Ugh.  

 

The menus in the dining areas that we visited were clearly marked with vegetarian items.  If being around meat at a meal is ok for you, you could totally do Moderno if you wanted.  The buffet has tons of vegetarian items, and the sides and pineapple 🍍 would be satisfying and tasty.  It's important to enjoy your food and trust its preparation.

[Monica887]

12 minutes ago, CruzinMel said:

Oh, no - that sounds awful!!!  I'm so sorry - getting sick was the thing I worried about the most.  I made all my people get the bivalent Covid vaccine before we left and my workplace requires me to get the flu vaccine yearly, but I figured there wasn't much more I could do.  You can only manage germs and viruses to a point.  DH came home with some sinus thing which he refused to get treated for, but Indy, Drumboy and I made it through unscathed and we didn't communicate anything to Mom or her caregiver (I mini-quarantined DH once he got snoddy.)   Someone Who Shall Not Be Named and his girlfriend came home with the flu, though.

 

Did you get quarantined on board?  Ugh.  

 

The menus in the dining areas that we visited were clearly marked with vegetarian items.  If being around meat at a meal is ok for you, you could totally do Moderno if you wanted.  The buffet has tons of vegetarian items, and the sides and pineapple 🍍 would be satisfying and tasty.  It's important to enjoy your food and trust its preparation.

I'm fully vaxed! And I mask at work (I work with high risk kids). And I masked in the plane and bus...sigh. So I guess while eating on the plane or something I got lax, and I hadn't had it before so I was getting a litte over confident. I got sick on day 2 so I didn't even get to relax. 

 

No official quarantine - I didn't want them to lock up the whole family, including my young kids in a windowless room. So I masked. I ate alone outside. I didn't linger in crowded indoor places. I slept for 2 or 3 days and didn't move, and had never been more thankful for my balcony. 

 

I'm glad things are labeled. That's one other thing the other cruise line didn't do. And they were poorly informed when I asked questions. I've always wanted to try Moderno but don't want to pay for piles of meat when I'm just eating salad. I'm even happy in Cagney's with a good baked potato and sides. 

[CruzinMel]

11 minutes ago, Monica887 said:

I'm fully vaxed! And I mask at work (I work with high risk kids). And I masked in the plane and bus...sigh. So I guess while eating on the plane or something I got lax, and I hadn't had it before so I was getting a litte over confident. I got sick on day 2 so I didn't even get to relax. 

 

No official quarantine - I didn't want them to lock up the whole family, including my young kids in a windowless room. So I masked. I ate alone outside. I didn't linger in crowded indoor places. I slept for 2 or 3 days and didn't move, and had never been more thankful for my balcony. 

 

I'm glad things are labeled. That's one other thing the other cruise line didn't do. And they were poorly informed when I asked questions. I've always wanted to try Moderno but don't want to pay for piles of meat when I'm just eating salad. I'm even happy in Cagney's with a good baked potato and sides. 

Aw, man....that's miserable, but I feel you.  I have a ton of friends who missed it during the early period, were vaxxed and masked and careful, and still got it in the last six months or so.  

 

If I had the free at sea specialty dining and didn't want the meat, I would still go to Moderno.  I'm trying to remember everything on the buffet- there was salad, of course, but fresh veggies,  cheeses, breads galore - you wouldn't leave hungry.  But yeah - I wouldn't pay for it.  There's no buffet worth 58 bucks, unless The Rock is bringing me my plate that he made with his own hands.  And maybe not then.  

[CruzinMel]

Wrapping Up - What Did I Forget?

 

Alcohol, and other Beverages - Premium Plus vs Free at Sea?

 

Free at Sea would have been sufficient for us normally, even with NCL moving Crown Royal to $16/drink rather than $15 - I joked with DH that as long as he had fewer than 129 beverages during the week, we'd still save money.  But. . . the kids wanted Premium Plus, DH was a fan, and I thought, why not?  So Premium Plus was the first thing that Magical, Marvelous Charry got for us at embarkation.

 

It was worth it. We discovered that Drumboy has expensive taste in whisky.  I never saw that young man without a sipping glass of something that smelled like heaven and tasted like fire.  (He worked at a craft brewery during his undergrad and was a bartender working his way through grad school, so I should have realized.)  We ordered whatever we wanted, and I never once worried about how much it cost - one day, I drank nothing but Veuve (except in the bars where it wasn't served).  We took our bottles of wine when we left the restaurants.  I had Starbucks every day after I found out that Atrium Cafe = Starbucks, and we drank liters and liters of Flow water.  I got rotten at one point and just ordered "the best thing you can give me that my Premium Plus will cover."  (A very nice Riesling, as it turns out.)  It was worth it not to have to worry.

 

Mid-cruise, my habit is to chase the sunrise, have first breakfast, and then go to Guest Services and get a copy of the bill*.  (Nobody is ever at Guest Services at 8 am.  No lines.  Highly recommend.)  So on Day 4, there I was. . . looking at an itemized statement for over $3,700.  Although we had the Premium Plus package, a glitch occurred which caused it not to link to our cards, and we'd been getting charged for everything outside of Free at Sea.  (There was one charge for $269 - I'm thinking that was a bottle of something.)  After a short wait, I was handed a new statement - $1,355, of which $974 was for Premium Plus and I knew what the rest was (shopping mostly).  So, do the math - in 3 days on the ship (taking a day off for port activities), 4 carefree adults drank over $2,000 of alcohol.  Had we not had Premium Plus, we'd have been more careful, but somewhere down the line, we'd have messed up.  So, that's something to think about.  I don't want to worry about anything on vacation - do you?

(*Along those lines, if you do nothing else, always check your bill, mid-cruise and on the last day.  Mid-cruise corrections are sometimes needed, and on the last day, if you have any refundable OBC, that's the day to get it.  I got pulled out of the disembarkation line to do something with the bill on our first cruise, and that is an unnerving experience.)

 

Selection and Availability:

 

 

If you had told me that this lone bottle of Crown Royal would be one of TWO on the ENTIRE ship, I'd have laughed my crown off.  Yes, Crown is not a well brand, but it's not THAT special. . . except it is, apparently.  So be aware that not every brand of alcohol is available, and brands that are available are not at every bar, whether by design or by circumstance, and you won't know until you get on board.  For example, Crown only existing at the Atrium Bar and Spice H20 was circumstance.  (It was not at Tobacco Road, which might have made more sense.  And yes, we asked at every non-specific bar we visited.)  By design, some drinks are only at specific venues.  The specialty mojitos at Sugarcane are only available there, although any bartender can make you a basic mojito.  At Syd's Pour House, I fell in love with an Ambrose (a wine concoction).  You can't get one anywhere else, even if you run into the Pour House bartender on Great Stirrup Cay and try to woo her into making you one.  A Haven bartender could make you something similar or better, but otherwise, you're outta luck.

 

Shopping*

The selection of alcohol and liquor in the gift shop has narrowed, whether based on supply issues or something else.  Unlike in past cruises, there was no Crown Royal for onboard purchase, and we searched in vain at all the duty free shops in port for Crown Royal or Peach Schnapps (Mom likes Peach Schnapps.)  Lots of rum in ports, but hey, you're in Rum Central in the Caribbean.

 

General shopping on board seemed more limited, as well.  We searched for something for Mom in the gift shops because nothing on the islands appealed and her request for an emerald bracelet for $400 was laughable (best one we found was on board for $4k.  It's still there.)  We got her a tote bag with cute dogs on it.  I've been on Escape before where there were t shirt sales, hats, flip flops, photo albums. . . not this time.  There were doodads and clothes in the gift shop, and the usual in the jewelry store, makeup and perfume store, some lower priced jewelry and sunglasses, overpriced NCL branded clothing, models of the ship, lanyards and photo frames, watches and chains for jewelry. . . but it just is not what it used to be.  I found a selection of toiletries and first aid items, but nothing like my personal stash of pain relievers, sunscreen, and allergy meds. 

*Disclaimer:  I hate shopping.  I am not the best person to review shopping.

 

Activities:

The Atrium is still The Place to Be, whether it's for games (Deal or No Deal), trivia, cake making, fruit carving, or general mayhem courtesy of the Cruise Director.  For the first time ever, we played Bingo - the early bingo games are inexpensive but they get more expensive as the jackpots go up, and end up in a Grand Finale with a raffle for a cruise for 2.  We attended because Drumboy and DH won raffle tickets playing Deal or No Deal, which must be standard practice because the Theater was full.  Our number did not hit.

Oh, look - someone standing!  Boooooo!

 

Not being sun chasers or enjoying being crammed on the pool deck, we avoided that area but it was always hopping and the chair hogs were active as early as 6:30 in the morning.  Indiana and I tried to spend time on the Haven Sun Deck, but it was SUNNY - the shady areas there are few and always occupied (although the bar service is very nice.)  It's too windy for umbrellas when the ship is moving, unfortunately.  I never visited the pool in the Haven or the hot tubs, but Indy visited the hot tubs nightly with great enjoyment, and spent an afternoon at the Haven pool peacefully reading and drinking.  Little kids' squeals of glee echo resoundingly there, but it's a joyful noise.  Occasionally, they leave toys in the pool, and it's cute.

 

Spice H20 is another hub.  During the day, it is sunny and full, and the smoke from the smoking side will occasionally waft around but it's ok.  The grotto is a great place to cool off; the hot tubs are almost always full, and the umbrella space is highly prized.  For the most part, it is kid-free, although we saw a couple from time to time; early one evening a family came with a toddler, which they set free to run in circles like a demented bee.  Another night, a very attractive woman tried to read my future at the bar, and another time a young Canadian man flattered this old lady by offering to buy me a drink.  Since I had Premium Plus, I bought his instead and introduced him to my kids.  The nighttime dance parties are big fun according to the kids, and they have the pictures to back it up.

 

Drumboy pronounced the comedians lackluster, and he never mentioned Howl at the Moon, which means either he didn't go, or it wasn't fun.  Despite liking beer, he didn't say anything about the District, but I heard the music and it sounded fun.  DH enjoyed craps in the casino, where he won for once, and Indiana tried her hand at roulette and slots, where she also won.  Yours truly spent $130 on that STUPID machine where you feed coins in a slot, hoping to pile up enough to fall down. . . dumb.  Addictive.  Don't do it.

 

While we saw photography sessions happening about the ship, and the studio was available for scheduled photos, one thing I did not see was the photographers who would roam the restaurants snapping pics as you dined.  I missed that.  I also didn't see the photographers set up to take pics with props as you exited the ship on port days.  We only bought one picture.

 

I scored passes to the Thermal Suite, but that was the day DH met his Bottle so it ended up just being me and Indiana (Drumboy went solo in the evening.)  The Thermal Suite on Escape is in the back of the spa area, which you will find at the end of the hallway going down the fitness center.  (The fitness center is likewise large, with treadmills, ellipticals, free weights, etc.)  The barber, stylists and mani/pedis are around the lobby area, and there is a large desk at which you check in and surrender your key card.  It is not possible to sneak into the Suite, in case anybody is thinking of it - that entrance is secure.
 

The suite is at the end of a long hallway, in which you will pass the entrances to the men's and women's locker rooms (get a robe out of the locker room if you'd like - they're nice to soak up water or cover up with for a nap.)  Once in the suite itself, you have so many choices - sauna (two types - wet and dry), rainshower, salt room, snow room (brrr!), thalassotherapy pool (my FAVORITE), a hot tub, and something else I forgot.  (The thalassotherapy pool, btw, has a chair for assisted entry.  This confuses folks because you think that is the entry to the pool, but it isn't - entry is next to the hot tub.)

 

The location is at the very front of the ship, with windows on all sides and to my mind, has the absolute best view.  There are ample padded recliners with views at every window, perfect for naps, reading and resting; there are also 2 round daybed-type things, too.  But the heated tile loungers. . . oh, those are heaven, and they are right up against the windows looking at the forward view.  Take towels to those - one to lie on, and one to roll up under your head.  The tile loungers appear immune to chair hogs, probably because they are in high demand; if you're not in the lounger, someone else is.  Indiana and I spent a good 5 hours in the thermal suite, including our own stint in the tile loungers - they get hot after a while, for me.  There was never an issue with availability, as long as one was patient.  The day we were there, flavored water, hot tea and oranges were available for refreshment.

 

Other stuff? Bocce and Putt Putt, plus the slides, the rope walk, the sports court (my people visited none of these areas); lots of trivia in many places; cigars in the cigar bar; wine and whiskey tastings (we wanted to go, but I kept missing the Cellar Master to sign up - probably could have asked Charry for help, but she'd helped me with so many other things!).  Bamboozled was available, too.  On Escape, there is so much to do that one literally cannot do it all.

 

From my morning ramble on Tortola day:

The rules and the pitch:

But contrary to some reports, Putt Putt is still a thing:

And is free:

Morning and the slides and sun worshippers - this was coming into St Thomas.  Usually by about 10 am, every one of those chairs is occupied and walking through it is a madhouse of thumping music and dodging passengers.  My favorite spot, actually, was all the way under the Haven restaurant (underneath where I was standing when I took this pic, actually) - it is a shaded area where you access the forward lobby, and several times I thought about getting a towel, a book, and a lounger and camping out there (the towel was to cover up with if I got chilly from the wind.)

 

And I think - I think! - that is it.  I'm sure I'm missing something.  This cruise was a perfect blend of busy and idle; we did as much as we wanted to do, together and separately.  I must tell you - Drumboy methodically roamed the entire ship, from the highest deck (19) as far down as he could get (5), forward to aft; he even made a list.  I'm surprised he didn't get into the crew areas, but I don't think he did.  He found conference rooms, and the library, which Indy would have liked, except that the last night of the cruise when a bunch of kids hotboxed it.  Not cool.  He found secret entrances into and out of the Haven (key cards work, but they're not really visible.)  She's a big, beautiful girl, the Escape!

[CruzinMel]

Saying Goodbye. . . 

 

Just like that - we were off the tender from GSC and upstairs cleaning up.  The amount of sand I brought back from the island. . . ugh.  

 

 

After we cleaned up, we packed up.  DH and I stayed relatively tidy, but the kids had exploded into their respective spots and it took a minute.  (Drumboy spent some time talking to our steward; Freddie told him that we were actually one of his tidier rooms, so I felt better about that.)  We decided to roll off our own luggage rather than check it, so after everybody was 90% packed up, we went to dinner.  

I had reservations at Cagneys originally, but decided to go to the Haven restaurant instead.  Probably not the best choice - it was a madhouse, and the staff was clearly stretched to their limits.  We still had a marvelous meal, which was finished early enough that we had plenty of time to roam one last evening, and then. . . it was time for bed.  (Well, time for bed for the old folks.  Drumboy didn't come in until after 4 - evening hijinks occurred.)

 

We were relatively leisurely about getting up and getting to breakfast; the nets on the pools and hot tubs were just another reminder that it was time to go.  Cape Canaveral was glowing in the morning sun, and the morning walkoffs were already off at 8:00 am.  We took a few minutes to make sure we visited everyone who had been so good to us, to express our appreciation.

See them?  They're down there.  Me?  I was refusing to leave my balcony, but DH made me.

 

We heard muffled announcements that it was time for walkoffs, so we eased down to the Haven lobby, which was rather packed.

This pic also is the only one I have of our marvelous Concierge, David Trumbull, standing behind his desk.

 

About 5 minutes after I took this pic, the starting gun went off and David started escorting people to the crew elevator.  We zipped down the elevator, walked through this hallway, said a sad goodbye to Magical Charry, scanned our cards for one last time, and walked down the gangplank.

DH and his hat, scanning for the door.

The saddest thing I saw that morning - in a couple of hours, this place would be full of excited, happy people.  The time stamp on my phone?  8:29 AM.

We rolled our suitcases to the truck, loaded up, and started the drive.  

Drumboy, sleeping the boneless sleep of the truly exhausted vacationer.

The worst Second Breakfast ever.

 

And that brings the trip diary to an end!  Thank you for coming along for the ride.  It was not what I planned, but it was a marvelous vacation nonetheless.  

 

Next up:  Alaska in September on the Jewel!!!  I have 8 months for planning and plotting, and it will be easier because it will be just DH and myself.  Until then, I hope all of your cruises are wonderful.

 

Edited January 22, 2023 by CruzinMel

[bluetardis]

@CruzinMelamazing review! Thank you so very much. I’m just waiting on my cruise, I leave the end of March. But your wonderful review will tide me over until my turn comes. Thank you again 😄

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, CruzinMel said:

Mid-cruise, my habit is to chase the sunrise, have first breakfast, and then go to Guest Services and get a copy of the bill*.  (Nobody is ever at Guest Services at 8 am.  No lines.  Highly recommend.)  So on Day 4, there I was. . . looking at an itemized statement for over $3,700. 

 

First, thank you! What a phenomenal review. Really, your writing style and voice is great! I felt like I was almost there experiencing the cruise with you. I hope you'll consider a live, a review, a whatever for your September cruise to Alaska.

 

Anyway, my question - on Escape are you not able to have the Concierge take care of any issues on your bill? On Getaway, we (actually, my husband) always went to straighten any inaccuracies out with the Concierge. I thought this was a perk fleet wide of the Haven, but would love to know if that's not the case. Thanks!

[Wedgie Wedgie]

I will always use, "where do you seat the drunk people?"

[CruzinMel]

16 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

 

First, thank you! What a phenomenal review. Really, your writing style and voice is great! I felt like I was almost there experiencing the cruise with you. I hope you'll consider a live, a review, a whatever for your September cruise to Alaska.

 

Anyway, my question - on Escape are you not able to have the Concierge take care of any issues on your bill? On Getaway, we (actually, my husband) always went to straighten any inaccuracies out with the Concierge. I thought this was a perk fleet wide of the Haven, but would love to know if that's not the case. Thanks!

Aw, thank you!!!  You are very kind - I ramble, so you should see what I cut!!  😀

 

It never occurred to me to ask David or Charry for help, although I'm certain they would have.  They have access to everything, after all.  I was rambling the ship on my own, in the quiet of the morning, and reverted to habit.