Just Off the Escape...LOVED it!!

We just got off the Escape...we did the Thanksgiving cruise. I thought I'd share how it went for us.

We (husband) and I are in our mid-40's, daughter (14) and my parents (they actually surprised us by just showing up while we were eating lunch on the ship). I'd been pestering them for months to join us...lol. Best surprise ever. It was our 4th NCL cruise...we'd been on the Pearl and the Epic before.

FOOD/DRINKS

We had the UBP...I'm not a huge drinker, but I certainly put it to good use on the cruise. Drank a lot of these Toasted Almonds...lol

Only time we had to wait for a while to get a drink was at the sail-away party...we went down to the 5 o'clock Somewhere Bar and it was packed. But everywhere else was fine. The fastest place to get drinks seemed to be the Atrium Bar.

We ate mostly at the buffet. No complaints...could always find something good there. We had lunch at O'Sheehans once (delicious fish and chips) and dinner at The Manhattan Room (it was just ok...nothing super special). We were seated right beside the band that was playing and it was waaaaay too loud...like we couldn't carry on a conversation with each other. Tried twice to get into Margaritaville for lunch, but the wait was over 1 hour, so we decided not to.

We did try to book a few dinners at the specialty restaurants while on the cruise...but they were full, so we didn't get a chance to try any of those.

ENTERTAINMENT:

Loved Million Dollar Quartet (had some sound issues...couldn't hear the actors during speaking parts at all). After Midnight was just ok for me. My husband loved it and my daughter hated it. The actors in both shows were very talented....great singers and the dancing in After Midnight was amazing.

Saw Howl at the Moon often...always great. Also really liked Tenors of Rock. Didn't know about that show until we were on the ship.

Played lots of Bingo and Deal or No Deal (we actually won $200 on our card when it was in the theatre...so that was super exciting). Hated when Deal or No Deal was in the atrium. Too small...hard to see. Actually didn't like anything when it was in the atrium and we did lots of games/trivia. It's small and if you are sitting far back, you can't see because of the overhang (floor of O'Sheehans). The staff actually brought in folding chairs so people could watch some of the shows. There was a dancing competition at the beginning of the cruise (can't remember the name)...but it was hilarious. My daughter thought it was the highlight of the cruise.

Daughter loved the ropes course...went at least 3 times. She was scared to try the drop slides...she saw someone have to use the trap door....thought it was mortifying for them. lol. I tried the slide with the one with the inner tube...it was fun. Never seemed to be long waits for the ropes course (she got on right when it opened). It sometimes got backed up for people walking the plank. All the outdoor areas are amazing. It really was a beautiful ship.

PORTS:

We usually schedule something in every port....some type of excursion. This time I just wanted to take it easy. If we wanted to stay up late and sleep in, that was ok. I didn't want to have to be up at a specific time to do an excursion...so we decided to get up and make our way to a beach. Seemed like a good idea with a teenager (they can be FOUL when they don't get enough sleep...lol). It worked well for us.

St. Thomas...we went to Coki Beach. We'd been to Megan's Bay before, so we wanted to try something different. It was PACKED. Like 4 chairs deep packed. Hated how busy it was. Couldn't even walk down to the water because there were so many people. But, the water was amazing, great place to snorkel. We only spent about 3 hours there and went back, shopped a bit and ate a late lunch on the boat.

Tortola...went to Cane Garden Bay....AMAZING!!!!!! It was also crowded but we weren't packed in like sardines. Beautiful beach, great food. One of my favourite beaches by far.

Nassau...just got off and shopped.

SPA:

Splurged and got the spa pass with my mom. It was just ok...I think they are still working out the kinks. lol. The whirlpool was cold. It was closed several times when we were there. The loungers weren't super warm at the start of the cruise...but they must have fixed that because they were warm the last two days. There was also a lot of hammering from either above or below by the loungers. Lots of saving of the loungers....I was there for about 2 hours one day, and saw 3 loungers that had a towel on them and no-one used them. Loved the salt and steam room. The snow room was super cool....except the one time we went in there and someone had PEED ON THE FLOOR. No idea what would possess someone to pee there.

ROOMS:

We were in 13880 and my parents 13726. Rooms were great. Lots of storage. Comfortable beds. Loved the USB ports by the beds. Seemed warm at night, even though we had the temperature all the way down, but then when we woke up in the am, it was FREEZING. We like it really cold when we sleep, so it might not be a problem. Loved the Do Not Disturb and Make up Room lights.

STAFF:

Great staff. Very friendly and very funny (loved Joey and Paquito...they were hilarious). Room steward was amazing...man they work hard. Atrium bartenders greeted me by name (that's scary...lol...I must have drank way more than I thought I did...lol).

Overall it was a fantastic cruise. We are fairly laid-back people...so we mostly go with the flow....there was some mix-up with the shows...the order was changed or the days were switched or something. And then they had technical problems one day so the show was late starting. I heard a lot of people complaining about stuff like that on the ship....but it didn't bother us. Probably the complainers are the ones that wrote their name in pee in the snow room. HAHAHA! KIDDING!! Since it's a new ship and has only been out a few times, we were prepared for some issues...so we were pleasantly surprised how smoothly everything went.

I'm happy to answer any specific questions!

Glad you had a great time! I'm excited about my next cruise on her.

In order to answer this question that comes up EVERY year. What was the Thanksgiving dinner menu like??

In order to answer this question that comes up EVERY year. What was the Thanksgiving dinner menu like??

Well my husband had pizza, rice and pasta and my daughter had a hamburger and fries...so they wouldn't be able to answer that question..lol. But luckily...I had the traditional Thanksgiving meal and it was good. I had turkey, stuffing (they were these little round balls with raisins), mashed potatoes, brussel sprouts and 2 pretzel balls (not traditional, but I have to eat one or two at every meal).

There was some sort of pumpkin dessert, but I didn't eat it...too full. lol

We were on the Escape with you and we also loved it! However, my husband and I were both terribly seasick on Thursday so we didn't even leave the room that day:-) I'm glad to see someone else had a great time...it seemed odd to me to read so many complaints.

Thank you for the review! Looking forward to more comments and maybe pictures. Were you in a Balcony cabin or a Mini-Suite?

We were on the Escape with you and we also loved it! However, my husband and I were both terribly seasick on Thursday so we didn't even leave the room that day:-) I'm glad to see someone else had a great time...it seemed odd to me to read so many complaints.

We're sailing next week with similar winds predicted - may I ask if you took anything like Bonine, how quickly you felt better, etc.? I am prone to motion sickness and on a high deck!

What a nice surprise! Your parents joining you like that.

There are tried & true tricks for motion sickness:

- Green Apples

- Ginger

- Stare at the horizon. Much motion sickness is due to a disconnect between your inner ear's balance sensors, and what your eye is seeing. For example, if you are inside, everything around you is moving in concert with all the other things (the tables are in place, so everything LOOKS stable, but you sense movement).

Go look at the horizon, you'll interpret the movement, and your inner ear will say to your brain..see, I told you things were moving! And you won't be sick.

Also, the pressure-point bracelets (Sea Bands) work within 5 minutes not just for sea-sickness, but they're good for calming even on flights.

Stephen

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Were you guys able to make use of UBP in District Brewery and The Cellars A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar ? I was on the Gateway in May and from what I remember the UBP covered drinks up to 11.50 just curious if NCl is trying to eliminate these 2 places from UBP

Thanks for your review. It was refreshing to read a well balanced review; things happen and not everything is perfect, but you didn't let it affect your cruise. Thanks for putting a smile on my face this afternoon.

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

You mentioned Bingo Do you remember how many sessions and what the costs were ? Thanks

are reservations needed ahead of time for the show as they are needed on other big ships?

Free style dining, can reservations be made? we are going with 17 people and want to eat at the same time in the same areas.

where can I get a list of what restaurants are free and which ones you need to pay for?

thanks, John

Was on ship same week....also had a great time.

O'Sheehans and the buffet had a seafood,prime rib and all you can eat rib nights.

Not enough staff in many venues to handle the amount of cruiser's.....that is why many specialty dining venus had empty tables.

I use Bonine and ginger ale for the wavy days,but Thursday did get very wavy.

Nassua was one big construction zone and very busy,Should be real nice when all is completed.

Reminder after 1130 pm for nite people only food is either room service or O'Sheehans.

Free or complementary food areas are Taste ,Savor ,Manhattan Dining Room a Osheehans and the Buffet.

Yes book all the shows ahead of time ,Howl at the Moon,Headliners(comedy) and the shows After Midnight,Million Dollar Quartet and the Tenors of Rock,preferably before you cruise reserve.

Brat Pack diner show a must worth the cost.

Loving that beach photo!

We are going in February-can't wait! My 14 year old son asked me a question about the ship...does it have a poolside grill? On our previous Norweigan cruises he spent a lot of time getting cheeseburgers from there?

Priorities!

Do you know if the Prime Rib in O'Sheehan's was still being offered?:)

Yes, the prime rib was offered in both O'Sheehan's and the buffet early in the cruise.

Thank you for sharing your experience. We're being adventurous and trying a new line. We've sailed Celebrity Reflection shortly after it's first sail and everything went well. We've chosen the Escape and I'm nervous reading the reviews. I've pre booked everything, so I am going to go with the flow...

How did you get the beach in Tortola? We were looking for a laid back experience. Any other you can share would be appreciated.

Were you guys able to make use of UBP in District Brewery and The Cellars A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar ? I was on the Gateway in May and from what I remember the UBP covered drinks up to 11.50 just curious if NCl is trying to eliminate these 2 places from UBP

We walked by the wine bar many, many times and there was rarely anyone there. The District also did not seem very busy except on Thanksgiving when all the games were on. Now I was not there late in the evening and it may have been busier. It could be a very loud place, however it was a great place to watch the sail away. It would seem strange to think they would charge for places that are not in high demand. If a family came in because the parents wanted a beer they were told very quickly that no one under a certain age was allowed to stay.

Free or complementary food areas are Taste ,Savor ,Manhattan Dining Room a Osheehans and the Buffet.

 

Yes book all the shows ahead of time ,Howl at the Moon,Headliners(comedy) and the shows After Midnight,Million Dollar Quartet and the Tenors of Rock,preferably before you cruise reserve.

 

Brat Pack diner show a must worth the cost.

Howl at the Moon is open seating, no ability to book.

Canuckgal33 thank you for your review. We (me, husband, daughter, son) are first time cruisers and we are going on the Escape in July 2016. We have so many questions.

How much clothes to pack? (don't want to overpack)

Should we pack a travel cup with straw? Read that you should.

Do we need to pack beach towels?

When to book excursions?

Do you need to book an excursion to just go to a beach?

When to book for restaurants and shows?

I know we will have more questions we are just very overwhelmed. Any help would be great.

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Tortola...went to Cane Garden Bay....AMAZING!!!!!! It was also crowded but we weren't packed in like sardines. Beautiful beach, great food. One of my favourite beaches by far.

Any decent snorkeling?

Book your dinner reservations as soon as you can! Most people i met onboard who had waited until we left to book ended up getting very late seating or not at all.