Escape, Escape - Two Times the Escape. Live Review B2B NCL Escape, Dec 9-16 & Dec 16-23

[APDMOM]

7 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Disappointed again.  I was ready to sprint down the pier with my arms flailing like Phoebe from Friends, but there were no watchers.  Turns out the time in port was extended from 130 to a later time.  Great for us - more time.  Sad I had no audience to run for. 😂

We will try to accommodate you with an audience from our balcony next week, provided we dock starboard side in one of the “pier runner” ports…and you are a pier runner 😂  (lots of if’s there, but we try to please)

[APDMOM]

7 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

It turns out, Great Stirrup Cay is already canceled on Friday, so they extended our time in Tortola until 430.  We haven’t been to Great Stirrup Cay yet, so that’s a bummer.  Hopefully next week. 

We hope so too!  Especially to get the ship quiet… From our experience, the water at Great Stirrup Cay is quite chilly this time of year, though the island is lovely - probably much better even than our previous visit in 2018.

[APDMOM]

PS: Can Eric be on my team next week for the trivia? 😁

[Stealthdog]

9 hours ago, APDMOM said:

PS: Can Eric be on my team next week for the trivia? 😁

When we play trivia, I usually provide 1-2 answers and he handles the rest. 😂

[Stealthdog]

Day 4 we went to see the comedians John Wessling and David Graham in the theater.  No photos are allowed, so no pics.  For a cruise ship, they were ok.  It was the 18+ show and humor.  We have seen far worse on ships.  The theater was only about 1/4 - 1/3 full, so it doesn’t seem like the comedy shows are of interest to many on the ship (they are probably standing in line for hours for the pour house), so you can get great seats.  Don’t sit in the first 3 rows if you don’t want to be called on.  The ship seems to have comedy shows most nights, so we will try to go to a different one in the next couple days or next week.

 

We also stopped by the Howl at the Moon again for a few minutes.  It was busy again, but there were empty seats scattered throughout the place.  If you want to see Howl at the Moon, the trick may be catch the second half of the show to get seats (they go for 4 hours I think).

[Stealthdog]

We did our only NCL tour in Tortola - Punta Gorda and Baths.  It was awesome!  This was our first time to Tortola and we usually will do a cruise line tour at a new port because of our unfamiliarity.  
 

Warning - do not do this tour if you have mobility issues.  The warning listed on the description is real this time. 

Mein Schiff 4 was in port with us - looks like a very pretty ship.
 

We started at a meeting point at the end of the pier off the ship.  The pier is short, so the meeting point only takes a minute to get to once you are off the ship.  And in typical cruise line fashion, the meeting time is more like a suggested meeting time.  They didn’t start rounding us up until about 15 minutes after our specified time.

 

We loaded up on a ferry to take us to Punta Gordon - about a 45 minute ferry ride.  There is both upstairs open air seating and first deck inside seating.  If it looks like it might rain or you don’t want climb stairs, inside might get better.  We sat upstairs and had great views of the port.

 

After arriving at the island, we had about a 10-15 minute bus shuttle to the park site. 
 

(will chop this review in pieces so it doesn’t get too long for one post).

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

The Tour is located at a National Park site.  There are restrooms at the top where the busses drop you off.  You won’t have access until near the end, so use it there if you need to.  There are a few gift shops and a restaurant at the top as well.  The tour itself is self guided, but the guides accompany along the way to make sure we get where we need to go, monitor the time, and help answer any questions you have.

 

its one big loop.  So you will hike down to a beach area (not too difficult), have some beach time, complete a caves hike in water (difficult and people with mobility issues may not be able to do this), end in a second beach area, and finish with a short 10 minute hike back up to the bus area (also not difficult).

 

On the way down, you will see a lot of rock formations, cactus and other local plants, and hundreds of white butterflies.  At one area it was like a butterfly garden - they were everywhere!  Because it is self guided, you can go as fast or slow as you want to take pictures and look at things.  There were a few scenic spots in particular that had views of the Tortola main island and a few of the smaller ones.

 

Once you get to the bottom you end a beach area.  It’s completely sandy with no rocks on the beach.  Inside the water there were large rocks you could stand on.  The current was fairly strong so be careful.  There are no official bathrooms at the beach in this part of the tour.

 

The guide will give you a recommended time to leave and do the caves portion of the tour.  We left about 10 minutes early. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

The caves portion was challenging.  You will go up and down a series of ladders, with the use of ropes to hold on to, and climb/squeeze through some areas to progress through. Inside some of cave areas, the rock ceiling is really low, so I was kind of duck walking a little.  For much of the tour, you will be walking in knee high water.  It is definitely worth doing if you don’t have any physical conditions that limit your ability to squat, climb, etc. After you get through the caves, you enter a second beach area that has food, shops, and bathrooms. 
 

I put the phone away during parts of the caves because I needed both hands to get through the areas, so I don’t have pictures of the more difficult areas. 

[Stealthdog]

It’s only a 10 minute hike back up to the top, where you may have some free time to looks in the shops, get something to eat, or use the facilities.  It looked like there were great views from the restaurant, but they guard the entrance carefully and don’t let non restaurant patrons access those views.  
 

After the time at the park, you will get loaded back up in a shuttle bus, and take the ferry back towards the main island and cruise ship pier.  We were a little late - about 20 minutes beyond original all aboard.  We found out at the pier that the time on port was extended 3 hours.  We did not know Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled until we were back on board and heard the announcement. 
 

Again - if you haven’t done this tour and can handle the caves portion of the tour, I highly recommend it.  It was worth the cost and physical effort to do it!

[Stealthdog]

Last night we ate at La Cucina.  We have a new 2nd favorite restaurant, bumping Bayamo to 3rd place.  Cucina did a good job challenging Le Bistro for 1st place, but I give a slight nod to Le Bistro. 
 

We ate inside and not the waterfront - it was too windy outside.  The experience started off great for us - Cucina is the first restaurant we had on board where the bread comes out warm.  We prefer that over cold bread.
 

Eric and I both got the Caprese salad - that is typically my go to - at Italian restaurants.  The tomatoes and cheese were good quality.  The salad comes out very clean.  If you like it with more oil and vinegar, they are on the table and you can add as necessary.

 

We got the carbonara and fettuccine as small plates.  Both were fantastic!  The sauces are a little rich, so if you don’t like rich, creamy foods - you may want to get something different. 
 

The Osso Bucco and tenderloin were also both very good and we recommend both for those who prefer land meat (lamb and beef) over seafood. 
 

The desert was the only disappointment of the meal.  The lemon cheesecake was really boring in presentation and taste.  I should have gone with the tiramisu or panna cotta instead.  The cannolis were pretty good, but not as good as the deserts we have had at some of the other restaurants. 
 

There are more things on the menu like pizza that we didn’t want use a dining package on, but they are available.  We highly recommend Cucina as a great option for anyone who has a dining package and are unsure of which restaurant to go to.  Service was great, food was great.  Only negative was underwhelming deserts. 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

Day 5 we went to the theater to see the Sea Sons.  It’s the same 4 guys from the Supper Club and they do a Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons act.  This is the best Frankie Valli act we have seen on a cruise ship.  I usually get bored with Frankie Valli and Rat Pack acts.  All 4 are great vocalists.  They added a handful of modern songs into their act, which was fun.  The theater was packed, so this may be one of the more popular shows on board.  We highly recommend this show. 
 

After the Sea Sons, we checked out the karaoke.  Family karaoke was ending and adult karaoke was starting.  It was a fun time - everyone was enjoying it.  Eric may make a surprise appearance on the stage for the next karaoke night - we will see. 😁

[Stealthdog]

I think I am caught up through this morning (Day 6).  We have 2 sea days now until we return to Port Canaveral.  I plan to go out early tomorrow to take all the holiday decoration photos.  We saw the chefs overseeing the building of tables last night - so the gingerbread is probably coming out soon.

 

if anyone has any remaining questions, feel free ask away.  We aren’t going anywhere for 2 days, so I have the time now 😂

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[vacation44]

On 12/12/2023 at 4:51 PM, Stealthdog said:

Earlier today Eric represented in the speed trivia completion.  We like to participate in some of these games and trivia.  People had to answer as many trivia questions in 30 seconds as they could to accumulate points.  All questions were multiple choice and contestants had to hit one of 4 buttons that matched the right answer.  If they got one wrong, their game ended.  Eric brought me home the coveted Norwegian playing deck of cards for his 4th place, so we got off to a good start today! 

Wondering if there is a cost to play?

[vacation44]

54 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

Last night we ate at La Cucina.  We have a new 2nd favorite restaurant, bumping Bayamo to 3rd place.  Cucina did a good job challenging Le Bistro for 1st place, but I give a slight nod to Le Bistro. 
 

We ate inside and not the waterfront - it was too windy outside.  The experience started off great for us - Cucina is the first restaurant we had on board where the bread comes out warm.  We prefer that over cold bread.
 

Eric and I both got the Caprese salad - that is typically my go to - at Italian restaurants.  The tomatoes and cheese were good quality.  The salad comes out very clean.  If you like it with more oil and vinegar, they are on the table and you can add as necessary.

 

We got the carbonara and fettuccine as small plates.  Both were fantastic!  The sauces are a little rich, so if you don’t like rich, creamy foods - you may want to get something different. 
 

The Osso Bucco and tenderloin were also both very good and we recommend both for those who prefer land meat (lamb and beef) over seafood. 
 

The desert was the only disappointment of the meal.  The lemon cheesecake was really boring in presentation and taste.  I should have gone with the tiramisu or panna cotta instead.  The cannolis were pretty good, but not as good as the deserts we have had at some of the other restaurants. 
 

There are more things on the menu like pizza that we didn’t want use a dining package on, but they are available.  We highly recommend Cucina as a great option for anyone who has a dining package and are unsure of which restaurant to go to.  Service was great, food was great.  Only negative was underwhelming deserts. 

La Cucina is my favorite and my husband's 2nd favorite speciality restaurant so it is nice to see a favorable review.     The tiramisu is delicious, give it a try if you go back next week.

 

Again, really enjoying this live thread.   Thank you!

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, Stealthdog said:

It’s only a 10 minute hike back up to the top, where you may have some free time to looks in the shops, get something to eat, or use the facilities.  It looked like there were great views from the restaurant, but they guard the entrance carefully and don’t let non restaurant patrons access those views.  
 

After the time at the park, you will get loaded back up in a shuttle bus, and take the ferry back towards the main island and cruise ship pier.  We were a little late - about 20 minutes beyond original all aboard.  We found out at the pier that the time on port was extended 3 hours.  We did not know Great Stirrup Cay was cancelled until we were back on board and heard the announcement. 
 

Again - if you haven’t done this tour and can handle the caves portion of the tour, I highly recommend it.  It was worth the cost and physical effort to do it!

I appreciate all your photos and the description of your tour. It sounds perfect to me and is definitely being added to my list of excursions if we ever sail to Tortola. Probably not "ever," but when...you get the idea. It's called "Punta Gorda and Baths?" Just want to be sure I have the right name. 

 

Last month we took an excursion that was a bus trip with walking over the flat streets of Murcia, Spain. I was bored out of my mind and really needed something to expend the energy I had. Never really found it on that cruise. But this, this one looks ideal! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your upcoming sea days and the spa! 

[vacation44]

1 minute ago, cruiseny4life said:

I appreciate all your photos and the description of your tour. It sounds perfect to me and is definitely being added to my list of excursions if we ever sail to Tortola. Probably not "ever," but when...you get the idea. It's called "Punta Gorda and Baths?" Just want to be sure I have the right name. 

 

 

We did the Baths a few years back and it is really a great excursion.   Out of all of the tours/excursions we have done over the years, this one is the only one my young adult children would like to do again in the future so their significant others can experience the Baths.    We hired a private charter to take us there since there were nine of us, but all of the NCL excursion reviews have been very positive.  

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

I appreciate all your photos and the description of your tour. It sounds perfect to me and is definitely being added to my list of excursions if we ever sail to Tortola. Probably not "ever," but when...you get the idea. It's called "Punta Gorda and Baths?" Just want to be sure I have the right name. 

 

Last month we took an excursion that was a bus trip with walking over the flat streets of Murcia, Spain. I was bored out of my mind and really needed something to expend the energy I had. Never really found it on that cruise. But this, this one looks ideal! Thanks for sharing! Enjoy your upcoming sea days and the spa! 

My mistake - it’s called Virgin Gorda & The Baths.  TOVX112.  Excursion ticket attached.  Sorry for the confusion. 
 

I hear you with boring excursions.  We tend to want more active ones.  We did a volcano hike on the of the Caribbean islands several years ago.  We came back to pier looking like swamp people.  😂

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

Wondering if there is a cost to play?

Free.  Most of the activities in the atrium are free.  The only exceptions I have seen are deal or no deal. 
 

For these types of games you put your name in a bucket and they draw names for people to play.  In the speed trivia game, about 15-20 people had their name drawn.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Stealthdog

[schmoopie17]

2 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Day 5 we went to the theater to see the Sea Sons.  It’s the same 4 guys from the Supper Club and they do a Frankie Valli and the 4 Seasons act.  This is the best Frankie Valli act we have seen on a cruise ship.  I usually get bored with Frankie Valli and Rat Pack acts.  All 4 are great vocalists.  They added a handful of modern songs into their act, which was fun.  The theater was packed, so this may be one of the more popular shows on board.  We highly recommend this show. 

 

Never heard anyone mention this show before. I hope it's new and will be around for a while, as we're on the Escape next fall. We've seen "Jersey Boys" several times and earlier this year saw Frankie Valli in concert on his 89th birthday...still going strong and sounding great.

[cruiseny4life]

1 hour ago, vacation44 said:

We did the Baths a few years back and it is really a great excursion.   Out of all of the tours/excursions we have done over the years, this one is the only one my young adult children would like to do again in the future so their significant others can experience the Baths.    We hired a private charter to take us there since there were nine of us, but all of the NCL excursion reviews have been very positive.  

Thanks! This is definitely on the list...I know I'm a few years older than your children, but gosh they sound like my kind of people. My husband is just older than them (he's still under 30 - I'm decidedly not - try 40....)

10 minutes ago, Stealthdog said:

My mistake - it’s called Virgin Gorda & The Baths.  TOVX112.  Excursion ticket attached.  Sorry for the confusion. 
 

I hear you with boring excursions.  We tend to want more active ones.  We did a volcano hike on the of the Caribbean islands several years ago.  We came back to pier looking like swamp people.  😂

Appreciate you posting the ticket and the name! Swamp people! Hahaha, ok I'm all for that!! 

[Stealthdog]

Day 6 Daily.  Sea day.  Today we did loyalty  wine tasting event, MDR for lunch, Food Republic for dinner, Choir of Man, a few trivia, and probably going to end the night with karaoke.

[Stealthdog]

10 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

Never heard anyone mention this show before. I hope it's new and will be around for a while, as we're on the Escape next fall. We've seen "Jersey Boys" several times and earlier this year saw Frankie Valli in concert on his 89th birthday...still going strong and sounding great.

We saw Jersey Boys three straight cruises. One of them I fell asleep and dropped a wine glass.  It shattered and could be heard across the theater. Since then, Eric uses the wine glass test as the determination of how good and how is.  Every older show runs the risk of a good shattering. 😂

[Stealthdog]

On 12/4/2023 at 4:44 PM, prov2727 said:

I am doing this, only the other way around (east Caribbean then west Caribbean). I will be interested to see if they let you stay on the ship or if you have to get off and go back through the check in process.

 

My TA thought they put me in the same room both cruises but did not (across the hall) so I know I have to completely depart the room, but wonder if I'll have to get off, go through customs, just to get back in line to get back on.

 

Really hoping to get to see Choir of Man. Maybe twice!

 

I want to know what shore excursions you have booked.

 

HAVE FUN!!
 

We got our B2B instructions today (Day 6).  We do have to leave the ship and will be boarded once the ship is cleared by the port.  We went to guest services a couple days ago and they were able to give us a new key already that is good through the end of cruise 2.

[Stealthdog]

On 12/12/2023 at 1:34 PM, cat shepard said:

 

Did you happen to notice any rowing machines?

Already answered by @wilmingtech, but here is a little more detail. When you enter the gym go to the right towards the cardio machines.  It’s all the way at the far right.  The brand they use is called concept 2. 

[Stealthdog]

As promised, some holiday pictures.  Decks 6, 7, 8 are the most decorated, especially the areas that have multi level views (atrium, near Le Bistro).  All the restaurants have trees, all the bars have holly.  It looks like more things are getting added to the gingerbread house next to Bistro about every hour, including a “display only” sign which means people have probably been breaking pieces off to eat.  There is a menorah at guest services.