lilmac0168

We were on the Escape in October. We had a 10:00 am disembark time and it took us about 20 minutes to get our bags and clear customs. We had planned on getting a taxi but ended up taking the shuttle to the airport. They needed to fill seats and were giving discounts - there was 3 of us (2 adults and a child) and it cost us $20 total. There were plenty of taxis lined up as well.

We had ours punched at guest services

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Thanks for an interesting review, how was the weather during the daytime

Weather was pretty good I thought. We had a few showers throughout the cruise during the day and the captain was very good as you could watch us going around storms. I didn't mind the rain as it doesn't last long about twenty minutes max and it was warm. That might be because I'm from the Pacific Northwest where we are so used to rain that lasts for hours at a time. The staff did say it was one of the worst trips for rain in awhile.

Natmom - make sure that you contact the access desk before your trip. Their email is accessdesk@ncl.com. Have a great trip.

We went to Howl at the Moon two different nights - so much fun, dropped in on one comedy show - sorry can't remember his name but he was funny. Didn't get to see any shows due to dinner reservations and picking up our son. Did go to the Glow party and went to some of the events in the Atrium on different nights. On other nights we just went to different bars and listened to music.

We rented a car from Alamo October 15 in Orlando returned it to Miami airport and got their free shuttle to the port. Just had to show receipt from rental return

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I really enjoyed the food in Taste/Savor. Just remember that the menus are the same for both. Service was just as quick as in the specialty dining rooms not overly long waiting for anything. The slowest service that we experienced was in O'Sheehan's and in Cagney's.

Yes the oceanview cabin was forward facing 14702. I would say the bathroom was the same size as my parents who had a mid-ship balcony 14214. I was amazed at storage. We had shelves in closet, shelves under the desk, cupboards under and above the tv and in the window seat.

I'm hoping to do a fairly small review to thank everyone who helped us plan this vacation of a lifetime. Cruise critic was the biggest help for someone who had never been on a cruise before.

This was a 3 generation trip with my parents (70's), brother (46), myself (48) husband (44) and son (10). We had 3 cabins 1 mid-ship balcony and 2 oceanview all on deck 14. Loved our oceanview the only drawback was all the walking to the elevators. There was plenty of storage, and room enough for the my husband and myself.

We had an easy process getting on board as we arrived around 2 and were able to go straight to the rooms. I was very impressed that when we arrived in the room there had been a letter concerning my food allergies waiting for me and instructing me who to talk to about any concerns that we had. We had a little problem registering my son for Splash Academy due to internal computer problems but got to do a tour and found out that there were over 700 kids on board so check-in during the week would be in different places on board.

Muster drill was not as quick as some people on these boards had experienced. They didn't start until everyone was quiet and paying attention. We sat down at 4:15 for the 4:30 drill. It finally started around 4:50 and lasted about 15 mins.

We explored the ship and got our son registered for the kids program, and ended up having dinner at O'Sheehans which was great and my first experience on how allergies are handled. When my card was scanned it showed that there were food allergies so the hostess asked what it was, handed the wait staff a sheet who verified what my allergy was. After we ordered they came back and told me that what I ordered had something I couldn't have with suggestions for a substitution. This happened at most places on board including the bars. I was amazed at the attention to this detail especially with so many people on board.

Meals on board were fantastic for the most part. We ate most mornings in the buffet and for two days Margarittaville, lunches were also the buffet. We had 4 SPD and used them at Teppanyaki, Cagney's, Moderno and La Cuciana. All were great except Cagney's which was hit and miss. For the MDR we ate in Taste which was great and Savor for breakfast on the last morning. We also had the UDP and used it everywhere on board. Ended up enjoying Spice H2O the most and ended most nights at Sugarcane or the Skyline bar by the casino.

Things talked most about on CC pool and casino smoke. Yes the pool area is crowded but I had no trouble finding loungers and yes the pool is deep but nice. The kids splash area was great and I was able to find a nice lounger and keep an eye on my child at the same time. Smoke in the casino and 678 could be smelt some days more than others. There are parts of the casino that there isn't supposed to be smokers but they are there as well. I don't smoke but my mother does so I tended to meet her at areas that had cigarette smoke. Some places were waves bar on the upper deck, Spice H2O and the casino.

We tried to do everything we could on the ship but I think you would need to have 2 weeks for that or a week at sea. Didn't get to do the ropes course even though wanted to - everytime I tried they either closed it for rain, lightning or the line was too long. Did mini golf though and that was fun. A lot of our activities were kid friendly so lots of time at the pool and video arcade. Watched one movie at Spice, went to howl at the moon twice, dropped in on the comedy one night. Didn't get to the shows due to dinner reservations etc.

For excursions we did a couple. In St. Thomas we took the Screaming Eagle Jet Boat - well worth it. Lots of fun and you get soaked. Later we took a taxi to the shopping area then the tram up to Paradise Point.

In Tortola we took a taxi to Cane Garden Beach and enjoyed it so much and I'm so glad we did it. It was relaxing and beautiful. There was an undertow warning so we didn't try snorkeling but had fun. In Nassau we did the Blue Lagoon Sea Lion Experience and had a blast. When it was over got to explore the lagoon and loved it.

For Splash Academy I have nothing but compliments. My son WANTED to go almost every time he could. The only day he didn't want to be there was when they were doing final practice for the circus show which he didn't want to participate in. So our days were scheduled around him 9-12, 2-5 and 7-10:30. There were so many kids that they had them going to many places around the ship. He was a Dolphin (10-12) so in the mornings they got to go spend time in the teen club, in the afternoon they met on the sports courts and did games etc there. In the evenings they were on the sports courts as well. I was really impressed on how well they handled all the kids and check-in and check-outs went great and fast. Even on nights when the weather didn't cooperate they had fun. They use Margaritaville as a backup for Splash Academy. It's quite a sight to see the kids playing floor hockey in the restaurant.

IConcierge was on all our phones and for the most parts worked great. Only one morning we had problems. So this made it easy for 5 adults to coordinate meals etc. This was also great for Splash Academy as they had it on file and could always get ahold of us if there was a problem.

Norovirus. I want to thank all the staff on board for how it was handled from my perspective. The Captain announced when we were heading into Tortola that there was confirmed cases and from that point on key words were Washy Washy. We did not get sick and I think it could have been worse if it wasn't handled like it was. Main changes that happened were in the buffet - you were handed plates and the staff served you. Margaritaville's continental breakfast disappeared as well as the coffee and juice that was available. Coffee stations in the casino also disappeared. More sanitizing stations appeared and the staff was constantly cleaning everything in sight: railings, elevators, hand rails on the stairs. Public bathroom doors were now open at all times. In room service you could still get ice but most times you had to ask. Our room steward was excellent (Sebastian) and was really helpful when he saw me going back and forth from our cabin to our son's.

Disembarkment went smoothly as well and was very organized. I think from the time they called our color till we were off the ship and through customs was about 45 minutes. We had picked the last time to get off as our flight wasn't till 2:30. We didn't book a transfer and was going to take a taxi but they wanted to fill the buses to the airport so we were offered $20 for the three of us.

All in all this was a trip of a lifetime that I am hoping in the future to repeat. I would repeat going on the Escape tomorrow if I could.

I've only been on the Escape but my son 10 loved Splash. Mornings were challenges in the teen club ie: air hockey, trivia, xbox. Afternoons they were in the sports complex lots of games soccer, basketball, a version of dodgeball. Evenings in the sports complex again and lots of group activities, and sports. I do know that the 10-12 year olds had different activities then the younger kids that were down in Splash. The younger kids had different theme nights.

There was the circus they had for the kids as well but my son decided not to participate in this so I don't have much info on this but according to my son they did a lot of training in the free play times. All I know is that he was one of the kids that loved going. We would be at dinner and almost done he would notice the time and try to get dinner done faster so that he could go to Splash. Hope this helps a little

There were movies shown in the evenings 7/7:30 a few nights in Spice on the big screen. This is just after it becomes open to everyone. Some of the movies that were on our cruise (Oct 15-22) were Batman VS Superman, Original Ghostbusters and Captain America if I remember right.

Ship -Escape

Deck - 14

Stateroom # - 14702

Stateroom Category – OA - Oceanview with Large Picture Window

Starboard or Port Side - Starboard

Quiet Stateroom? (With comments on problems) – Very quiet,some creaking from overhead bridge. You could hear beeps and alarms early morning coming from bridge in the bathroom.

Was stateroom a connecting stateroom? -No

Balcony View - N/A

DSCN5480 by smilinglady, on Flickr

Balcony Size? Normal or oversized for class? -N/A

Was wind a problem? -N/A

If an aft cabin, was soot a problem? -N/A

Any specific problems with this cabin? -no problems

Any other comments? - Cabin has great bench seat that if you wanted you could sit and watch from with throw pillows.

AdoraBelle I hope that you are felling better. I was on this cruise and I'm pretty sure that the next sailing will have the cleanest ship to sail on. I was impressed at how quickly things changed when the Captain announced that there were at least 20 confirmed cases on board. To answer the question on the key cards - they were sanitizing the card before they handed it back to you - and the cleaning solution sometimes made the cards not work. The amount of gel that came out of the hand sanitizers increased as well. Buffet was changed - you didn't touch food or drinks they handed you everything. The only disappointing change in the routine was MargarittaVille and the morning buffet/coffee drink station disappeared after Wednesday. I felt bad for the crew and all the extra cleaning that was being done but it was necessary.

Sorry I wasn't able to get any photos but the drawing that Freestyle Novice did was exactly what I saw. The only time that I was able to get a glace was the one time I didn't have my camera sorry.

Just back from the Escape last night and your sons shouldn't have any problems having other kids to play with. Our cruise had according to the staff at Splash Academy 700 kids on board that were of the ages that they cover. This made it slightly different for the older kids as they use alternate locations through the day for activities. An example my son 10 would be in the teen club in the mornings and then the sports court in the afternoon and evenings (weather permitting). The 6-9 year olds were in the sports court in the mornings then down in Splash Academy. The teens had there club back in the afternoon till late evenings.

Just got off the Escape yesterday and I think I have the answer. They are starting to do limited buffet selections there on most mornings. Basic cold selections and an omelette station. The buffet manager was explaining it was to help cut down lines in the Garden Cafe. It was a great place to get free drinks throughout the day - coffee and juice (this did change on our sailing a bit due to Norovirus).

In the evenings this isn't used as after cleanup it is used as an alternative sight for Splash Academy. On our sailing is was for the Dolphins (10-12). When the weather wasn't cooperating as in the evenings they were scheduled for the sports court, tables would be moved and they would do their programs there. My son ended up there I believe 3 nights at least.

We are on the Oct 15th (yeah only 5 more days) cruise and I know from our roll call our 10 year old won't be the only one on board. We are taking him out of school due to my DH and my jobs don't allow us time off in the summer.

Just rented a car from Alamo as we are going to Disney world for a few days before our escape. Full size car as there are 3 adults/1 child was 63$. Pick up Disney to MIA

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I am booked into 14702 on Oct 15/16. Don't know if it will be possible or not but I'll try to take some photos for you if I get the chance.

Loving the review so far. I just have a quick question about how long did it take to drive from Disney World - we are doing the same thing in October and can't wait.

When I looked on the dailies muster drill has been at 4:30 for 7:00 sail away. If our group is in different areas it might be harder to meet up for 5:30 dinner reservations as we are thinking Cagneys or Moderno

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We just thought if we were in the same muster drill area it would make it easier to get early dinner reservations as those areas are going to be very congested at that time

I have searched the forums but haven't really come across the answer I need. Is there any way to find out where your Assembly Drill location is going to be. I know that there are 6 locations i.e. Manhattan Room,Taste/Savor, Casino, Atrium,O'Sheehans and the Theater. We are in cabins 14702,14102 and 14214 - would we be in the same locations? We are about to hit 90 day mark and are thinking of dinner reservations for that night. Any help would be appreciated. Thanks in advance.

Following along - a great review so far. We aren't travelling till October and can't wait. Also can't wait to hear about the splash academy as we will have our DS 10 with us.

Loving your review. I have a question in the last few weeks I've noticed in the reviews people talking about how loud music in different venues such as Manhattan Room and Spice H2O has been. How did you find it?