NCL Escape Review 1/2/16-1/9/16 with Pictures

I figured I would take advantage of the down time while the blizzard rages outside to post a review of our recent cruise on the Escape.

It feels even more appropriate as I was looking at Jim Zim's review of the Haven, the week after ours) that I post my review of steerage...LOL.

About us: This cruise was Me (Dave), my beautiful wife Patsy and our boys, Dan and Kevin. This is our 11th cruise together. Patsy and I have done 2 other NCL cruises without the boys. Our last cruise was in October 2015 without the boys on the Breakaway to Bermuda. Great cruise that I never got around to reviewing (maybe tomorrow).

We really had no plans to cruise this year because both boys are in college and their breaks don't really matchup. But things changed in November when we realized that Kevin didn't have to return to Maritime College until 1/10/16. Because we booked so late, balconies were ridiculously expensive, but insides were ridiculously cheap. After having a balcony the last 4 cruises, we were curious how much we would miss it. Only one way to find out...

Let's see if this picture upload works:

Nope... sigh. I'll figure it out.

Waaay too big.

OK! Finally Figured it out!

So on with the review...

We left Long Island on New Year's Day on a 7:40 a.m. flight to FLL on JetBlue. Did the same thing last January for our Breeze cruise and took SAS Transportation. Service was great until the driver left my bag at the NCL Pearl... never again. This time private car with GoShuttle. What a pleasure.

Because of the late booking and that it was New Year's, hotels were hard to find. We ended up getting a room at the Colony Hotel right on Ocean Drive in South Beach. We had never stayed in South Beach and wanted to experience the nightlife...boy did we...

Here is the hotel:

And at night:

We got there before noon so our room wasn't ready, but they held our bags so we could explore and get lunch. The Colony is a bit run down. The elevator didn't work, water dripping from the AC vents in the lobby, bar area kind of dirty. Can't wait to see our room...

We went to lunch at our favorite Cuban restaurant, Larrios by the Beach. The food was great as always:

First drinks of the cruise:

Empanadas:

Our 20 year old got this salad? I don't see no lettuce. LOL. He loved it.

The rest of us got the Cubano which never disappoints:

It was beautiful out. Hot and humid. Much better than NY.

We have been to South Beach a few times before and I don't remember being approached at every restaurant by a steerer. They are very aggressive and kind of annoying, but we just politely said "No thanks" and kept walking. Must have been because it was New Year's weekend. Actually Ocean Drive was completely closed through Saturday.

Also, because there is so much competition, several of the restaurants and bars have resorted to gimmicks to get patrons to stop. With a 20 and 18 year old in the group, this gimmick work like a charm, so we stopped for a drink there:

A word on the drinks. Very expensive. Like NYC expensive. But we are on vacation and I know that for the next 7 days my drinks will be free! Thank you UBP!

This place looked like a lot of fun, the singers would start inside and then come outside.

Our room was finally ready, the boys wanted to go for a swim, so we let them go by themselves while the wife and I had a little nap. Stayed up later than we should have for New Year's Eve the night before. It was pretty cool watching Pitbull's NYE celebration from South Beach, knowing we were going to be there the next day. Plus Pitbull is the Godfather of the Escape. It all seemed right... I love Pitbull, but how would it be after 7 days of hearing his music....

We went to find the boys on the beach and they were just leaving. So we all went back to the hotel, showered and got ready for a fun night in South Beach.

It was like a huge street party. The only place I have been that compares to the atmosphere here is Bourbon Street New Orleans. Different vibe, but packed with people, something going on everywhere. Music blasting from all over. Pitbull every other song! Yay....

Here we are at our first stop for a few drinks:

We couldn't decide on dinner, so many choices. We ended up eating at the restaurant in the Colony. Lol. A lot of walking to just eat downstairs. It was called the Columbus Restaurant. The food was great. They had a DJ playing Pitbull every other song (seeing a theme here?), and a video screen. I couldn't get a picture of the weird woman who was standing on the street singing and dancing along to the music within a few feet of people trying to enjoy their meal. But it did provide some entertainment. Love people watching, but we felt bad for the couple who were subjected to her.

Bolognese was terrific:

My wife had the chicken Marsala and said it was delicious:

We walked around again after dinner. We went to Collins Ave. to stop at a CVS for some cruise essentials. This is where we realized that there are many cool places just one block away and waaaay cheaper. What tourists we are. Next time we will hit Collins Ave. for cheaper food and drinks.

Now my wife really wanted to see a drag show. We love the movie Birdcage and wanted to experience it for real. Unfortunately we could find a club like that, until we were walking back to the hotel and saw this:

Happy wife....

Sounds like a great start to your trip. Thanks for posting all the pictures! Looking forward to the rest.

So excited for this review! I am in my late twenties and y'all seem to be the sort of people I would love to meet on the cruise. I will be on the Escape in August solo!

By 11 pm we decided to call it a night. After all, we had to get up early and get to the ship to be in the first groups to board so we could get a Vibe pass...

Back in the room, my son says, "hey there's a bug over near the luggage." Yup, a roach. I kill it but where there's one there's many. OK, luggage up high! I'm actually shocked at how well my wife took it. We got a decent night's sleep, the AC was loud, beds squeaky, but hey we are cruising tomorrow...

I woke up at about 7 am went out to get coffee and something to eat. If anyone wanted to make a ton of money, open a Dunkin Donuts on or near Ocean Ave. Nothing around. Ended up going to a 24 hour diner one block over. 4 coffees and 4 muffins = $35.00.

at About 8:30 a.m., we walked to Collins Ave and there is Suburban Taxi dropping people off. We hop right in and are on the way to the Escape! So far luck is in our favor!

There she is!

Check in is a breeze. We are in Group 2! Looking good for Vibe....

Waiting in the terminal for our Group to be called.

At about 11:30 people start lining up. There were no announcements. So I said we need to get in line. People start boarding, no announcements. This is not good. A woman next to us is group 13. They let her on ahead of us. Very not good.

Nevertheless, we are on the ship in 10 minutes and head straight to guest services for out Vibe pass! Before we even get on line, an NCL employee asks us what we want and I say "Vibe." He almost giggles and says, "Vibe already sold out." Huh? in 10 minutes? 70 passes in 10 minutes? how could they even process that many in 10 minutes? Very, very disappointed.

We decide to let it go and make the best of it. Maybe we will enjoy the rest of what the ship has to offer. Still sucked.

The "VIBE" thing sucks.

How is that possible?

Oh well gotta get over the bitter disappointment of no Vibe. On all our NCL cruises we enjoyed the private area, Posh on Epic twice and Vibe on Breakaway. To me the best part about Vibe and Posh was the availability of a lounge chair at all times, the private bar, and the likelihood of meeting people. On Breakaway we met two amazing couples who we still communicate with.

So, time for a drink. Let the fun begin!

I was a little disappointed the bar didn't have any Red Stripe as it is my usual first drink on a cruise. Corona will do. Grabbed a quick bite at the buffet. Very good. Found a couple loungers right next to the upper Waves bar. Great spot except it is the smoking area so if that bothers you go elsewhere. Doesn't bother us. This is where I met our favorite bartender, Melvin. He remembered my name after the first round. Impressive. Now, I have heard many complaints about how long it takes to get a drink. And they are true. The longest I have ever waited. But find yourself a bartender, tip him or her, you will have no problem. Even when it was busy, Melvin would see me and make my usual and my wife's usual.

Another surprise was no more signing when you have the UBP! This is very convenient. However, on Breakaway I would add a little extra for great service. No opportunity to do that. So I had to bring cash. Probably better for the bartenders because it goes right into their pockets. Just something to keep in mind.

It's a great spot because it overlooks the pool/band area where all the action is.

They have an auxiliary bar right next to the upper Waves bar that serves beer and a few hard liquors.

Our room in "steerage" is ready so we head down to check it out. Actually it's located on deck 11 aft and is in a great location thank to our amazing travel agent!

3 outlets! Nice!

Actually, a very nice room. But absolutely no storage! Worst of any ship we have been on. We made the best of it. Only us, the boys had their own inside across the hall. If you had 4 people in an inside, it would be impossible.

Thanks for the review!

By 11 pm we decided to call it a night. After all, we had to get up early and get to the ship to be in the first groups to board so we could get a Vibe pass...

 

Back in the room, my son says, "hey there's a bug over near the luggage." Yup, a roach. I kill it but where there's one there's many. OK, luggage up high! I'm actually shocked at how well my wife took it. We got a decent night's sleep, the AC was loud, beds squeaky, but hey we are cruising tomorrow...

 

I woke up at about 7 am went out to get coffee and something to eat. If anyone wanted to make a ton of money, open a Dunkin Donuts on or near Ocean Ave. Nothing around. Ended up going to a 24 hour diner one block over. 4 coffees and 4 muffins = $35.00.

 

at About 8:30 a.m., we walked to Collins Ave and there is Suburban Taxi dropping people off. We hop right in and are on the way to the Escape! So far luck is in our favor!

 

There she is!

 

 

Check in is a breeze. We are in Group 2! Looking good for Vibe....

 

 

Waiting in the terminal for our Group to be called.

 

 

At about 11:30 people start lining up. There were no announcements. So I said we need to get in line. People start boarding, no announcements. This is not good. A woman next to us is group 13. They let her on ahead of us. Very not good.

 

Nevertheless, we are on the ship in 10 minutes and head straight to guest services for out Vibe pass! Before we even get on line, an NCL employee asks us what we want and I say "Vibe." He almost giggles and says, "Vibe already sold out." Huh? in 10 minutes? 70 passes in 10 minutes? how could they even process that many in 10 minutes? Very, very disappointed.

 

We decide to let it go and make the best of it. Maybe we will enjoy the rest of what the ship has to offer. Still sucked.

The way to get Vibe passes does stink !! But my self and another guy that I meet in line where at the terminal and the first two people in line, in group 1. After we dinged our cards we had to run up the gangway and run over some of the wheel chair people and we were still #66 in line!

The vibe was awesome !!!

The cabin looks really nice. I've only sailed NCL once (But have a cruise booked on the Escape in 322 days) back in 2011, and my one complaint was the cabin. Ours was an interior and like you I thought no way could 4 people stay in a cabin that small, and with so little storage.

Sorry about the Vibe passes. That sucks (Just like this blizzard. 40" of snow and climbing).

Looking forward to reading and viewing more.

If that's the cruise I have been reading about on FB, almost all of the vibe passes were gone before boarding even started due to a large amount of B2Bs for a wedding or something?

Do you happen to know ho strict they are with your check in times? We just went to do our check in today and the first 2 groups were already full (9:30-10 and 10-10:30). so we are they 10:30-11 group, would they make us wait fi we got there closer to 10?

Following along

Do you happen to know ho strict they are with your check in times? We just went to do our check in today and the first 2 groups were already full (9:30-10 and 10-10:30). so we are they 10:30-11 group, would they make us wait fi we got there closer to 10?

It's interesting because we didn't have a check in time. We just showed up no questions asked. So, I don't think they are very strict.

Loving your review! And I love your avatar also.

The muster.... What a joke. Poorly organized and people showing up sooo late. I'm adult and I hate being shushed. We are all standing in the Manhattan dining room waiting for the stragglers and ... shusssshhhhh. Wow. Couldn't wait for this part of our cruise to be over. I know it's necessary, but there has to be a better way.

Time for sail away! Our favorite! Went back to the upper Waves bar. Great spot to watch sail away.

My wife and kids know that I love my sunset pics. Particularly proud of this one...

We went to Manhattan Dining room first night as is our habit. We love the idea of some entertainment during dinner and maybe even some dancing...

Spent the rest of the night exploring the ship: