Semi-live from the Escape | NYC to Bermuda and back again | October 29-November 5, 2023

[OrcaGirl]

Hey everyone,

Sitting in the airport lounge in Vancouver, ready to fly to NYC (well, Toronto, and then Newark) ahead of this Sunday’s cruise. We’ll be boarding the Norwegian Escape for a 7-day sailing from New York City to Bermuda and back again.

This is a birthday trip, belatedly celebrating my husband’s birthday two weeks ago and I’ll be celebrating mine onboard. Plus this is the first time we’ll be on a cruise over Halloween! Super excited about my costume, and hope lots of other people dress up too.

This will be our first time on the Escape, first time sailing out of NYC, and first time sailing to Bermuda (although we enjoyed a quick land-based vacation there several years ago). And it’s also my first cruise as Platinum! (The husband is still a lowly Gold… 🤣)

As always, I’ll try to post a few times each day with what we’re up to, with a particular focus on food, cocktails, onboard entertainment and excursions. I’ll also be posting lots of photos over on Instagram Stories; look for erin_braincandy if you just want all the photos and none of the commentary. 😉

 

But first, we’ve got 2 days in NYC!

[ggTexasGal]

7 hours ago, OrcaGirl said:

Hey everyone,

Sitting in the airport lounge in Vancouver, ready to fly to NYC (well, Toronto, and then Newark) ahead of this Sunday’s cruise. We’ll be boarding the Norwegian Escape for a 7-day sailing from New York City to Bermuda and back again.

This is a birthday trip, belatedly celebrating my husband’s birthday two weeks ago and I’ll be celebrating mine onboard. Plus this is the first time we’ll be on a cruise over Halloween! Super excited about my costume, and hope lots of other people dress up too.

This will be our first time on the Escape, first time sailing out of NYC, and first time sailing to Bermuda (although we enjoyed a quick land-based vacation there several years ago). And it’s also my first cruise as Platinum! (The husband is still a lowly Gold… 🤣)

As always, I’ll try to post a few times each day with what we’re up to, with a particular focus on food, cocktails, onboard entertainment and excursions. I’ll also be posting lots of photos over on Instagram Stories; look for erin_braincandy if you just want all the photos and none of the commentary. 😉

 

But first, we’ve got 2 days in NYC!

Wishing you both safe travels and a wonderful cruise!

[OrcaGirl]

Made it safely to Toronto, albeit a bit late due to frost on the wings in Vancouver, and will make our connecting flight with 15 minutes to spare by the grace of NEXUS. 

Will our luggage make the connection? Guess we’ll find out in a couple of hours.
 

Those business class lie-flat seats? Amazing. Actually wish it was a longer flight for once.

 

There were some minor shenanigans during boarding around someone’s upgrade being in error and a debate over whether a person’s spouse’s airline loyalty status should be applied if the spouse isn’t travelling and a little ‘I want speak to the manager’ action. Actually reminded me a bit of some CC threads. 🤣

 

Off to Newark!

[cat shepard]

Have a wonderful trip. I will be following closely, since I have my first NCL cruise coming up on the Escape in February. 

[debenson0723]

Always love your reviews.  Looking forward to this one as Bermuda is on my radar for next year. Sailing out of NYC is amazing...hope you have great weather!

[cruisekitty22]

Great review so far.   We love NCL and we have never been to Bermuda so your review is refreshing!  Looking forward to more!

[JGmf]

@OrcaGirl I'll be passing you guys when I embark on November 5. I'm looking forward to your review so I can extra-excited about my own cruise. 

 

Make sure you catch the sunset sailing of NYC if the timing works right!  Regardless, IMHO, sail-away out of NYC is unparalleled. Starboard side for Statute of Liberty.

 

Also, heads up, the NYC marathon is happening on your disembarkation day.  Glad you are flying out of Newark, as the west side of the City should be OK.

 

Have a great cruise!  .

[OrcaGirl]

1 hour ago, JGmf said:

 

Also, heads up, the NYC marathon is happening on your disembarkation day.  Glad you are flying out of Newark, as the west side of the City should be OK.

Yes, we’re actually planning to spend a few hours between disembarkation and heading back to the airport cheering on the runners. We were in town during the Marathon in 2016 and had a blast cheering runners coming off the Queensboro Bridge. I even had a custom sign made which raised a few eyebrows but also got a lot of laughs from the runners. But it’s probably inappropriate to post it here. 😹

[OrcaGirl]

And we’re officially in NYC. The flight from Toronto to Newark is so quick, I think we spent more time taxing on the tarmac at either end then actually in the air.

 

 

 

Landed at Newark’s “new” terminal A and it is lovely. And has a Shake Shack!

 

 

 

Since we cleared US Customs at Pearson, we headed straight to baggage claim. My AirTag confirmed that my checked bag was also in New Jersey, so I didn’t have to stress during the wait. 
 

I had planned to take the train to Penn Station like we normally would, but perhaps business class spoiled me ‘cause I ended up opening the Lyft app while waiting for our luggage ‘just to see’ and the prices seemed reasonable for New York so we decided to splurge. Fares were starting at $54USD and we ended up getting a Lyft XL for $65USD plus tip.

The ride to our hotel took about 40 min, with just the last few blocks being at a snail’s pace. 🐌

 

We checked in around 11am and the very kind front desk dude found us a room that was ready right away and waived the early check-in fee.

 

We’re staying at the Ink48 hotel, very near the cruise terminal. I caught a glimpse of a cruise ship as we rounded the corner.

 

 

The room is a decent size for NYC, though I expect it will be loud tonight as we’re facing 11th Avenue.

 

The husband is taking a short cat nap before we head out in search of lunch. 

 

[vacation44]

I really enjoy your live reviews and am looking forward to this one.   Have an wonderful time on the Escape and in Bermuda.

[cruiseny4life]

Unless you want absolute luxury, Ink48 is a great hotel. I found our room to be quite spacious, but am sure they just put you in a room that could be available now. That's awesome they let you check in so early! Ink48 has a nightclub, so be prepared for a busy lobby tonight...but we heard nothing when facing 11th Avenue. It was a really quiet room - hoping yours is, as well!

 

Tomorrow morning, if you're looking for a yummy bakery, stop by Sullivan St. Bakery over on 47th between 10th and 11th Avenue. For tonight, I enjoy wandering the streets of Hell's Kitchen. It's a nice little adventure for this country bumpkin from Central New York. 

 

Enjoy!!

[OrcaGirl]

After a nap, we headed out in search of lunch. And ended up at Shake Shack. We just love it soooo much and can’t wait until it comes to Canada (still a couple of years away).

 

 

After that we wandered around the Times Square area, grabbed some coffee, and popped into Target (another thing we don’t have in Canada) to buy my mom some GrapeNuts (yet another thing we don’t have in Canada).

 

 

 

We headed back towards the hotel via the waterfront, and confirmed where we’d need to go on Sunday for embarkation.

 

 

After another nap, we headed out to a hole-in-the-wall ramen joint for dinner.

 

 

 

 

 

For our evening entertainment, we went to see Sweeney Todd: The Demon Barber of Fleet Street.

 

 

 

Absolutely loved it. Josh Groban was fantastic but Annaleigh Ashford stole the show. So funny. But oh my god people, turn off your cell phones and don’t check text messages during the show.

 

The husband was feeling peckish so we grabbed a slice of pizza and headed back to the hotel while checking out all of the Friday-night-before-Halloween costumes in Hell’s Kitchen.

 

Edited October 28, 2023 by OrcaGirl
Typos

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Looking forward to your posts.  Glad you are enjoying NY!  Shake Shack is great. I remember the first location in Madison Square Park when it opened years ago.  Have been blessed to visit Bermuda by air and sea since the 1970s and am sure you will enjoy. Years ago the ships would dock in Hamilton for four days and the shops were busy with great deal but that has since passed. Hope you have good weather as the official season has ended but lately ships have been sailing almost year round so I am looking forward to your thoughts and opinion. Have a phenomenal time and as I always say please keep the food pictures coming.  Oh…in Bermuda they have a great fish chowder with a special vinegar malt they add which I buy now on line. If you have the opportunity to try it please do as it is most delicious.

[AKR2011]

Happy sails! The Escape is a beauty and so is Bermuda.  I look forward to following along ❤️⚓️

[OrcaGirl]

Slept in late, only getting up around 10am when my stomach started grumbling. The husband preferred to snooze a bit longer so I ducked out for Starbucks and some bagels.

 

 

 

By the time he roused himself, it was already in the mid-20s Celsius out (too damn hot for late October), so we revised our plans to a simple bike ride along the waterfront to Little Island.

 

 

Little Island is a beautifully designed park on the former location of Pier 54, home of the Cunard and White Star lines, and where the Titanic would have docked.

 

 

 

 

After that we cut inland to explore Chelsea Market but it was too crowded for my tastes. Damn tourists. 🤣

 

We biked up 8th Avenue and headed back to the hotel for a cold shower and another cat nap in the A/C.

 

I do love the CitiBikes but dang they’re expensive and heavy. But I’m very impressed by how many more bike lanes there are in the city now even compared to five years ago.

 

[LouChamp]

Aloha. Glad you are enjoying the City and I thank you for the picture of the Grape Nut Flakes which I am sure your mother will enjoy. I thank you because occasionally it is difficult to find in some of our local supermarkets but I never checked target. So a giant Mahalo to you as the Mrs was thrilled when I shared your finding with her.😊

[laudergayle]

I bet the parks have beautiful color right now.  We love cruising out of NYC…wish NCL had more options.  Wishing you a fabulous cruise.  Happy Birthday to both of you.

[OrcaGirl]

Our original plan for tonight was to hit up the TKTS booth in Times Square and go see The Shark is Broken. But on a whim we decided to check out the standby line for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. And we got in! It meant getting signed up and then spending 45 min killing time at a nearby Starbucks and then another hour waiting back at the CBS studio, but it was totally worth it.

 

 

After the taping, we walked over

to Broadway for a 99-cent slice of  pizza. So good.

 

Popped over to the Nintendo Store but alas it was disappointingly small and full of nerds. 🤓 Like us.

 

Stopped into the McNally Jackson bookstore next door and picked up a few books for the cruise.

 

 

Finally we cut through Times Square (bad idea on the Saturday night before Halloween, it was as packed as I’ve ever seen it) and got in line for Los Tacos No. 1. I ate here several times last time I was in NYC and wanted to introduce my husband to it. He whole-heartedly approved of both the tacos and the horchata.

 

 

 

We headed back to the hotel, amid many people headed to various Halloween frivolities. Lots of Wednesday Addamses, Cruella de Vils, sexy angels, etc.

 

Now in bed watching Beetlejuice. Catherine O’Hara is a national treasure. 
 

[laudergayle]

Our son raves about Los Tacos #1..lyay you introduced your DH.  We saw Beetlejuice debut in April 2019 and totally enjoyed. Hope to see it on the Viva soon.

Edited October 29, 2023 by laudergayle

[OrcaGirl]

It’s embarkation day!

 

But first, breakfast. We woke up around 8:30am and headed up to 8th Avenue to the Times Eatery for breakfast bagels and ham and cheese croissant thingies.

 

 

Then to Schmakary’s for coffee and fancy cookies. 

 

 

The weather had turned drizzly overnight, and the temperature dropped enough that I actually wore my hoodie for our walkabout.

 

Back to the hotel to repack and checkout. We walked over to the cruise terminal, and quickly found the luggage drop. 

 

 

Going through security took a few minutes longer than it should have due to some folks in our line apparently not understanding how “take everything out of your pockets” works.

 

 

The terminal proper was fairly packed. We followed the signs to Platinum check-in and bypassed most of the lines, but we could see that the regular seats and the priority seating areas were already full.

 

Check-in took a bit longer than expected due to a weird snafu. The desk agent initially brought us the wrong keycards. (I hope Nicole and Ian got their cards eventually.) And then when we pointed that out, the agent started to walk away and say “oh I’ve got to go to this other counter for your Vibe passes”… except I didn’t purchase Vibe passes, and I let her know that. Long story short (too late) she ended up eventually coming back having just reprinted our actual cards with our actual names.

 

And by the time that all got sorted, they were calling for Platinum guests to board, so we headed straight to the gate. A few minutes later and we were onboard.

 

 

 

A perfunctory stop at our muster station and then we headed to Teppanyaki to get our dining reservations sorted out. I’d only been able to book one reso pre-cruise because we’d booked so late. Once onboard, I was able to get additional reservations at Cagneys and Bayamo, although not on the specific dates I’d wanted.

 

And then it was time to start the drinking. We headed to the Atrium and found some comfy seats for people-watching. 
 

 

I also popped over to the CruiseNext desk to sign up for the ship tour and the wine tasting, both taking place tomorrow. I didn’t need the pins, but the CruiseNext dude gave them to me anyways.

 

 

The ship wifi wasn’t working when we boarded, and a young man at the Internet Cafe said they were still resetting it between cruises and to try again around 1pm.

 

 

Random observations:

 

The husband is incredibly excited that NCL switched over to Coke products. 

 

He’s also already tired of me flaunting my Platinum status. 🤣

 

And punishing me with jokes like…

 

“If I lose you on the way to mustard, don’t worry. I’ll ketchup.”

[glare]

“You relish my jokes, don’t you…”

He also thinks the ship feels smaller, eg the doorways and elevators are lower than on the Bliss or Encore. I reminded him of how many times he’s bonked his head on those ships too, but… 🤷‍♀️ 

 

[OrcaGirl]

Huh, it took an hour for that to post. 🤷‍♀️ 

 

But the wifi is working now.

 

[OrcaGirl]

We headed to the buffet for lunch, which was fairly busy but empty tables were available at the far aft section. 
 

 

I still prefer the buffet area on the Bliss and Encore; this one feels cramped and the layout isn’t intuitive.

 

Just as we tucked into desserts, the husband realized that he left his carry-on shoulder bag in the Atrium so I scarfed down my bread pudding (really good) and we hustled back downstairs to find it. Success! It was still sitting right where he left it.

 

 

After that excitement, we decided to head up to the thermal spa to ensure that our names were on the list (after the Vibe pass confusion early I was a little worried). But my worries were unfounded, and we got the check-in procedures spiel and went on a little DIY tour. I’m very excited about the double loungers, which I don’t recall from the Bliss or Encore.

 

 

 

 

 

Rooms are expected to be ready around 3pm so we headed back down to Sugarcane on deck 8 and are happily sipping on mojitos and people-watching.

 

 

Random observations:

 

Haven’t heard anything yet about whether the tropical storm / hurricane will affect our sailing, as it has so many other ships and sailings. But it’s definitely getting rainier out already. I don’t think the sailaway pool party will be well attended.

 

 

There’s some D&D event happening on board. If anyone knows the name of the organizing group, can you let me know?

Edited October 29, 2023 by OrcaGirl
Line breaks

[Panhandle Couple]

Thanks Orcagirl.

I enjoy your reports and the sly humor involved. I will follow along.

Have a good cruise!

[OrcaGirl]

Around 2:20pm they announced that cabins were ready on a few decks, including ours. By the time we headed to the elevators, realized we were at the wrong end of the ship, backtracked, got impatient waiting for a non-full elevator and decided just to climb the stairs, they were announcing that all cabins were now ready. 

 

Got to our cabin and immediately collapsed on the bed for a nap. The husband likes his naps.

 

 

While laying here (I don’t actually nap), there’s been one in-room PA announcement with a reminder to visit your muster station, and a couple of announcements out in the hall that I couldn’t quite catch but I did hear them saying code Alpha so I assume that was for crew.

 

Our cabin is a typical NCL cabin, but we’ve got one of the angled balconies which is nice. If the sun comes back out at some point, I hope to spend some time out there…

 

 

[OrcaGirl]

Day 1 Freestyle Daily

 

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