CruzinMel

Ok, now I have to do that one! Thanks°°

I wonder. . . sea grass comes to mind. I was doing some continuing education about environmental offsets for corporations, and it suggested that the Bahamas (being the major owner of most of the sea grass areas) was selling the rights to their sea grass. Bahamas got a revenue boost, and corporations got credits to offset against their carbon footprints, happy happy happy, and maintaining the sea grass meant that the corps had to look out for sea turtles, too, because the sea grass was their main diet and they were vital to the food chain, etc. SO - that said - perhaps NCL is offsetting somewhere/something else for any damage they might do to reefs to build the dock?

I forgot to mention. . . . . . one thing that I won't do again is the Wine tasting that you pay for. (Thanks to very good planning and a little luck, we got triple Latitudes points on this one and made Platinum, so Wines Around the World, here we come!) I've been wanting to do one of the wine tastings (I don't like whisky enough for those), and for some reason, I never could figure out HOW. Well, here's how: make the reservation in Headliners when you go to get your dining sorted out. There was a crew member with a table at the back of Headliners, where you could reserve a spot at the experiences. There is a small chance that you can show up and get in, but at the one we attended, no luck - it was full. We did wine and cheese, and . . . meh. Our card wasn't charged until we actually got there, so that was good. The Cellar was packed full, and each setting had 4 glasses with maybe a swallow or two of wine, and 4 tiny bites of cheese. Now, I'm here to tell you, a Pouilly-Fuisse with a bite of Gruyere was indeed a revelation, and unlike some of the other folks, I enjoyed the Ice wine (they thought it was like drinking sugar.) An actual sommelier led the experience, and he started out a wee bit snooty but warmed up as it went on. . . but it was over in 20 minutes. Maybe it lasted 22 minutes, so we paid $1 a minute for 4 swallows of wine and 2 bites of cheese. For me, not worth it. YMMV. What was big fun was my first ever Bachata dance lesson. Yeah, I looked stupid, and no, DH refused to participate, so I ended up partnered with a truly lovely lady (really - she had the most gorgeous blue eyes and white hair, and a sweet spirit to match.) But it was fun (if hot) and I would totally do it again. I just wish I'd looked like the couple next to me, who were clearly born to bachata. I also forgot to tell you about Disembarkation. After surviving the gauntlet of the parking deck in our very large truck, DH was determined that we would get out early. How early? HE WOKE ME UP AT 5 AM. We were in the buffet when it opened at 6 (limited menu, but the omelet/egg station is hopping), and back in the room by 7, rolling our suitcases out to O'Sheehan's on Deck 7, where all the tables had been pushed back against the walls and rope lines set up for the exit. Honestly? It was as easy as a Haven exit - we were on the interstate at 7:45, headed back to Georgia, and we were home by 2. Folks I spoke with who left later got stuck in traffic jams getting out of the parking deck/terminal area, so despite it being a Very Long Day, DH made a good choice.

We did, and thank you!! I'm looking forward to learning a new ship - I love Escape, but I think 3 trips on her are enough. She really has the best crew, though.

A few pics, and then I'm done!

One of the other posters told us - it was probably from a crew lounge at the forward part of the ship. It was never terrible - I just noticed it.

That was my original plan for the cruise I just got back from (myself and DH in the big bed, DD22 on the couch.) The sleeping arrangements would have been fine, and I think clothes storage would have worked as well - we'd have had the balcony to spread out on if we were all in the room at the same time, so I think it'd be ok. We are not skinny people, either. Once through the bottleneck of the door, the cabin felt spacious with DH and myself, and I don't think the 3rd person would have compromised that. I did have some misgivings, though, about the bathroom, and everybody's "stuff". This cabin had a little less in terms of storage than I'm used to, and if we'd been navigating around each others' stuff, that would have started to feel cramped. For a week on a ship, though, with an adult child who likely would have found things to do without us, and a port-intensive itinerary, I'd have done it. Going from the Club Balcony to a Haven 2 BR suite would have been a rather large chunk of money.

I just got home from a week in a Club Balcony - yes, this is correct. I have a dietary issue (gluten allergy) so our snacks were mixed fruit on 2 separate days, and I totally took advantage of the free bag of laundry.

I'm hesitant about this, because 600 days is a long wait and things change, BUT the Haven experience at the terminal has been the same for the last 2 years, so here goes: There isn't anything particular for Haven parking or porters (except your luggage tags, which are mailed to you after you check in). Whether you drop off luggage first, or park and drop off, it's all the same. Where the difference comes in is that Haven guests need to locate the tent outside the terminal to begin their process. (It is at the far right, if you are facing the terminal, but before the escalators.) The tent has a tiny sign to indicate it is for Haven; a representative will check your name off their list, and then direct you to go up the escalator to security. Haven guests have a separate security line; show your passports et al, then go through the metal detector. Once past the detector, you will be at the entrance to the terminal. If you are lucky, a Haven representative will pick you up and escort you to the Haven waiting area; if not, you will walk the entire length of the terminal, all the way down as far as you can go to the opposite end (it's easier to stick to the left side of the chairs lined up in the terminal.) Halfway down, you will see a gold "Haven" sign - keep going. The Haven waiting area will be on the left, at the end of the terminal, and by the time you get there, you should have an escort. Once there, it's all smooth sailing - you will check in at the desk, and then while you wait there is tea and coffee and juices, and danishes if I remember correctly. You have a separate waiting area, and will be escorted on first, through your muster station and straight to the Haven lobby itself. After a short wait, the concierge will make introductions, and then you are free to explore the Haven and the ship, and grab some lunch. You can drop off your bags in the room if you like, and wait in line for a concierge to assist you with reservations, etc. Enjoy!

Excursions, or, Things We Did: As I said before, I was very, very lazy with my excursions. Usually I've scrounged through the Dailies and reviews, and I know what I want to do down to the minute. I could not be bothered this time; life was hard enough without overplanning (for once. I usually love overplanning.) Cozumel: Well. . . this is an important tip that in 8-odd cruises, I never got. LOOK AT THE MEETING TIME ON YOUR TICKETS. Don't look in the app, and don't "eyeball" it. Otherwise, you too will wake up the day after NYE, expecting to go cook and eat fun food, and show up 30 minutes late for your excursion and MISS IT ENTIRELY. (This is after, mind you, I groveled for it on embarkation day.) I was stupid. The app said the meeting time was 9:30; the tickets said 9:15. We showed up at 9:45. Also, remember that it takes a while to get off the ship and walk down most piers. I forgot that Cozumel has a long pier, and since I partied a little too hearty the night before, I could not bestir myself to leave earlier or walk faster. I was very disappointed, but it was my own dang fault and there was no one else to blame. Important note on money: We didn't get a refund, and we couldn't just go to the resort and join the excursion (I asked) because they did the head count on the bus, and we weren't on it, so we didn't get counted for the tour. I asked if we could get a refund, and the tour manager told me it depended on what he ended up having to pay the tour operator at the end of the day - ? Whatevs. I paid about $179 for both of us, and we got a $100 credit back, and that was that. We ended up ahead because we got a $60/each credit when the ship missed GSC, but such was the peril of missing the excursion. Norwegian generally says that you need to cancel excursions 24 hours before departure to get a refund, so I was happy with my credit. Cayman Islands: Well, after *that* debacle, DH took over our time management. We did "Discover Cayman", and it was a very enjoyable trip. GeorgeTown is a tender port, and one of the reasons I wanted to book an excursion was to avoid struggling for a tender time. This excursion is one of the shortest, at 2.5 hours, which I felt left plenty of time to explore or Uber over to 7 Mile Beach if we wanted to afterward. Our ticket time had us down in the Manhattan Room with a bunch of other passengers waiting for excursion tenders; they called us by groups, we loaded up, and marched out. (They call tour #'s based on the last couple of digits printed on your ticket; this wasn't obvious to me at first.) There was LOTS of marching, once off the tenders, which surprised me, but the port area is rather large and we had to get out to a parking lot where we boarded very comfortable, air-conditioned buses (none of St Thomas' open-air jalopies here.) Our driver, Blake, was a charming, well-informed and personable gentleman - we enjoyed chatting with him. He took us for a 15 minute stop in Hell, where I mailed postcards back home ("How the hell are ya? Oh, you need postage? Where the hell are you mailing this?") Then there was a 15 minute stop at (gasp!) a rum distillery with a rocky beach and surf spray behind it - beautiful! - and then a good 45 minutes at the Turtle Farm, which was just enough if you didn't lallygag. The rest was a driving tour around the 7 Mile Road, with narration - it was a nice taste of the island. Back at the port, Someone didn't want to chance missing the tenders back to the ship, so we were back early and spent the last couple of hours sitting out on the Waterfront, enjoying the views and (me) reading. Ocho Rios, Jamaica: GSC is always a crap shoot, although it's a fantastic beach day if you make it. Escape had not made it to GSC since Thanksgiving, and I was taking no chances on missing a beach day, so I booked Bamboo Beach VIP for this port. The tour is advertised as a 45 minute bus ride, then rum drinks, shots, and food served to you on a comfy lounger on a beach, with entertainment and music. The bus ride there was more like an hour, but the seats were comfortable and our guide, Kerian, kept us amused with information about Jamaica. The beach was short, but long and lovely - it's protected by a reef (with lifeguards to protect the reef from the visitors) and has really soft sand, but I enjoyed it. Some of us walked on the rocks in the water, but I really think this beach needs water shoes. The VIP guests get fed, although other guests do not, and the food is appetizers (fried shrimp, mahi mahi) and a Jamaican barbeque (jerk chicken, fried fish, rice, beets, cole slaw, fritter). My favorite part is that before we arrived, Kerian asked everybody about dietary issues, and my meal was adjusted so that I got nothing fried or cooked with flour. I'm told I missed out on some really good fish and bread pudding for dessert, but frankly, I was stuffed. I never left my chair - Kerian or one of the other servers brought everything to us and cleaned up afterward. I skipped the shot making, although it sounded fun, and the dancing reminded me of being at the Texas Roadhouse (the servers all lined up and danced to 3 or 4 songs), but we would do this one again. On the way back, the trip was much longer - Jamaican traffic is no joke - and much funnier (see: rum drinks). We stopped at a shopping area, and then got back to the port. (That part is blurry, because: rum drinks.) Once on board, our balcony neighbor told us he was on the same tour, but his bus got stuck in traffic so bad that they ended up with a police escort back to the pier - Escape did, indeed, leave a little bit late but it was all eirie. Great Stirrup Cay: at 7 am, our formerly unused in-room speakers came on so that the Captain could apologize because the operations folks would not let us go to GSC. Those rats! It would be a sea day instead and we'd all be getting new Dailies. We ended up getting a credit as well. I wasn't surprised, exactly, but a little bummed, and there's nothing like being awoken by an authoritative and pleasant Nordic accent booming out just above your right ear. By that point, DH had exhausted his enthusiasm for Crown Royal (shocking!) and I had exhausted my enthusiasm for crowds, so we spent the day on the balcony and I finished book #2. We packed up, bought our photos, picked up a new t shirt for me because I under packed (who DOES that?), and rested up for the sad ride home. Activities? Well, . . . I love Choir of Man. The end. Magician TJ Tana was enjoyable, although we only caught 1 show. The Levity comedians were big fun and we laughed like loons (although there was a Code Alpha called in the middle of it, which was a first - the performer initially didn't know what to do, and then wove it into his act, so we laughed about it while feeling guilty because someone was hurt, but he was funny. . . well, comedy.) Supper Club - I kept forgetting, and our meals were booked. You don't have to eat the meal to see the show, though. Although I promised myself we'd do Howl and play game shows and Bamboozled, and I'd drag DH to the Prom (no need to do the Rumours show, because we saw that last year and I'm not THAT much into Fleetwood Mac). . . except for NYE we could not keep our eyes open much past 9:30 and we missed most of the late night fun. Sigh. Football watching and Hockey watching at the bar outside O'Sheehan's is fun. Gambling - DH never felt drawn much to the tables, but I blew $40 on that dang thing you put the coins in and try to get other coins to fall out of so you have more coins. . . after losing $100 in 25 seconds to a slot machine, I am no longer allowed to gamble with real money and I am ok with that. Trivia - I suck at trivia, and it's still fun. There's also sudoku in the mornings, which I also suck at. I apologize to the ladies I met aft and convinced that the Movie Trivia on the last night was the funniest thing they would ever see - it was funny, but not that funny, and I can only claim I was hammered last year and that made it funnier. This was also Assistant Cruise Director Jeff's last one, because he's getting his own ship, but he does the best striptease ever. A cruise is what you make it, y'all. I'm not quite sure why two sets of random strangers chose to tell us how horrible their cruise was, how cold the food was, how terrible Norwegian was, etc. That wasn't our experience, and I can't wait to do it again!! Fair seas and safe winds to you all!

You know, I have no clue on this one - but keep looking on CC - other folks have cracked the code. Sorry!

NYE was BIG FUN. There are parties in the different venues, with music - we hung out in the Atrium all night, but each of the gathering places had their own thing going on (Skyliners, Spice H2O, etc). With your Daily, you will get an extra piece of paper that will tell you what parties are going on, where, and which musical act is playing at them. We scored hats and noisemakers, too - as the day went on, you saw more and more ladies in little play tiaras and men in plastic top hats. Free champagne for toasting, but no balloon drop. We dressed up a little bit - I had a sparkly top and I made DH wear khakis - but we saw everything from shorts to evening wear. There is a countdown in the venues, and I think my favorite part was seeing the crew enjoy it as well. After the countdown, we went up to Spice H2O for dancing, and pictures! 🙂 Jack (our cruise director) had the MOST AMAZING SUIT. I wished I had taken a picture, because it was fabulous! Last year, we missed all of it because we watched UGA play football on Spice H2O's big screen, and then got too cold so we went to the room. I'm glad we were out and about this year.

I forgot the name of the excursion, but I'm not surprised that you don't see it - it pre-books fast. It is NOT Salsa and Salsa - that was my second choice. This is something like "Mexican Cuisine Workshop" or something similar - you go to a resort, drink margaritas and cook a meal with a hilarious chef to guide you, then you eat the meal with the group and have free time at the resort afterward. It's a reasonably short bus ride away from the port, and it's well worth it.

Hey there - yes. I went first to Headliners, and the line was out the door, so I went back to Guest Services to book my excursion and that let the Headliners lines abate a bit. I didn't quite get my first choice of dining time for Cagney's - for some reason, everybody on this cruise wanted to go there - but I was able to make a reservation. I think you will probably be ok. Another thing, too, is that people like me make reservations for Cagney's, and then decide to eat elsewhere on the spur of the moment, and forget to cancel their reservation. So if you don't get a reservation, check the kiosk on the day, or just go to the restaurant - they'll work you in, if you don't mind a wee wait.

Kitty, I'm glad I could help! I want to be you when I grow up!!! The overhang is there, but it is beyond tiny - maybe 2 ft, 18 inches tops, or so tiny as to be negligible. By the time my lush self was out the sliding door, I missed the overhang entirely. I don't think it would be enough to hide the chairs, but then. . . thinking about the angle, maybe so, but you would be RIGHT up against the glass. In bad weather, the chairs do move a bit (DH said he heard them hitting the glass on our last, bumpier night), so be sure to push them back when you come in, lest they annoy. We chatted with our neighbors on either side, although the only way we could see them was to go right to the rail for conversation. The Deck 9 neighbors and above, though, might as well have been on the balcony WITH me. After I got used to the concept, though, it didn't bother me - how exciting is it to watch a middle-aged mama read a book? I was Very Boring, and it was one time I didn't mind being an invisible 50-year-old woman.

Ok. that makes sense! Thanks!

Yes - I mean the parking deck (or garage) itself - I saw one very small, fenced parking lot to the right of the ticket machines, that was mainly used for campers and vehicles too large to fit into a parking deck, but nothing else. The only parking I saw was the parking deck. Now I'm wondering if the construction area I saw was an old parking lot? There was no structure or concrete on it - it was level sand.

A couple of pics - traffic in the deck, a shot of the balcony, a table in the buffet that always was saved but never had people, the best omelet ever, and a NYE decoration.

Hi - absolutely. Getting into the terminal area at Port Canaveral isn't hard exactly - Escape was at Terminal 10 and the signage is good. What happens, though, is that there are 2 lanes as you approach Terminal 10 - on the right, the lane goes to the parking deck, and on the left, the lane *says* it goes to dropoff/pickup. And it does - the Uber drivers and buses and such use it to get passengers. On it, you drive one side down the length of the terminal, dodging people wheeling luggage to and from the deck on crosswalks, then loop around and drive back up, dodging people at crosswalks and car drivers ducking in and out of traffic, and it's a nightmare. The other problem (here's the loop) is that the signage isn't really great when you finish that circle - we went the wrong way and got stuck making that whole circle again, ducking and dodging and praying we didn't hit anybody. There's also not a dedicated stopping place for unloading/loading, so it's very stressful. We went straight to the deck this year, which was its own level of stress, but I saw passengers stopping to load and unload luggage outside it and that seemed to work better.

Dining, or, Things We Ate: Norwegian does an amazing job for folks with celiac/gluten issues. My card was already flagged because I did the Guest Special Needs form pre-cruise, but I was asked at every meal and the dining manager left me a message on embarkation day. It's not their fault I got spoiled by Siva in the Haven last time and couldn't be bothered to reach out to him. I visited the specialty restaurants and Manhattan room the night before we were to eat there, and I pre-ordered my meals. (Siva did all that for me last year. . . sigh.) I think I glutened myself once in the buffet, but that was my fault for eating breakfast sausage - everything I ate was great and I didn't have any issues. (I had no muesli this trip - sigh. I love muesli. Siva made me GF muesli last year, because the buffet muesli isn't GF. . . probably if I had eaten breakfast in Taste/Savor, I could have gotten it, but I was too lazy.) We tend to have breakfast/lunch in the buffet unless I insist, and I wasn't in the mood to insist. If we were on a longer cruise, I'd have gotten bored by the buffet eventually, but everything I had was tasty. The cream of cauliflower soup is an amazing, rich, velvety thing, and it's gluten free - I asked. 🙂 The breakfast omelet line: ugh. That said, those are some good omelets! DH ate a hamburger patty at almost every meal. The fries were always hot and tasty. Norwegian always has an offering of Indian food at varying temperature levels, along with Chinese, sandwich makings, cheeses and fruits. The breakfast potatoes are delish. There is prime rib in the buffet on embarkation night. Coffee in the buffet is VERY STRONG and very hot. There is a dedicated gluten free toaster on one side, toward the back (I never remember port and starboard, but if you ask the crew they'll tell you.) They have GF bread, english muffins and bagels. For the love of all that's holy, people, USE THE TONGS. I saw one man nearly burn off his fingerprints by putting his toast in the toaster with his hands. He thought it was funny. It made me glad they keep the GF toaster behind the counter. Dinners are usually in the specialty restaurants, unless we are in the Haven because that's the best specialty of all. I like the MDRs fine, though - I've never had a bad meal on a cruise ship. We never go to Teppanyaki - we can have that at home any time we like, and we don't like the noise at the chef's tables anyway. So I can't tell you anything about Teppanyaki! Same with Le Bistro - we've just never had stellar experiences there, probably because DH just orders steak everywhere he goes, and I'd already decided where we'd eat based on things we loved and things we'd never done. They do amazing lamb, though, and I love their scallops in cauliflower veloute. Moderno - we love Moderno. We think Moderno does a better job than Fogo de Chao, the Brazilian steakhouse chain near where we live. The salad bar was huge and varied, the meat was flavorful and not overly salted, and Lord knows there was plenty of it. I particularly was grateful for the gaucho who told me that the sausage is not GF, because I was about to chow down, and that made me quit eating sausage in the buffet, which made my stomach happier. Similarly, our server made sure I knew which items on the buffet were not GF, so I could be safe. We skipped dessert and had extra pineapple. Bayamo - we had never eaten at Bayamo before, so I booked that for NYE and I didn't pre-order because I already knew I wanted sea bass and the preparation didn't involve a sauce. Sadly, it was our least favorite meal. For apps, we had shrimp cocktail and delicious scallops on pork belly (I forgot to ask if the sauce was GF, so I stepped out in faith on that one and nothing happened.) We skipped the salad/soup course. My sea bass was the most perfect, delicious, tasty piece of fish I've had in my entire life. I think DH had a filet? The sides were unremarkable, except that the carrots were waved in the direction of the stove but spent no time on it. We skipped dessert and had some cheese in the buffet, and that's all we will say about Bayamo. La Cucina - I pre-ordered this one, and had pasta e fagioli soup, and fettucine (or, GF spaghetti) alfredo con funghi (mushrooms) and my favorite simple dessert of all time, pannacotta. DH had a filet and cheesecake. I used to joke that La Cucina is Olive Garden at sea, but I'm wrong - it's delicious and was one of our favorite meals. DH regretted not ordering a pizza. Tip - last year, I asked if I could have the cheese bread from Moderno rather than the standard GF toast we get every time for meals. I forgot to do that this year, but it's a good idea. Cagney's - we skipped it this time, because we were going to eat at the Manhattan Room and DH would order a Cagney's steak there, and also because I was determined to use our dining credit at. . . Food Republic - holy cow. If you use your specialty dining credit there, each diner can order 4 items. We only managed 7 between us, and were so stuffed that we couldn't finish all of those, either. Plentiful, tasty, delicious food, and not crowded either. There's sushi, but we aren't sushi lovers, so we stuck with meat on sticks (beef, chicken) and lamb lollipops (DH didn't like, I loved), then shrimp pad thai (gently spiced), a salad with ramen and steak (DH devoured), chicken in lettuce cups, and . . . I forgot the 7th, because it was something I couldn't eat. Oops. (OH - shrimp firecracker rolls - fried and wrapped in egg roll skins, so not for me.) We skipped dessert because we were too full! Each entree ranges from $15 to $21, so if we hadn't had the dining package it would have been a splurge. Manhattan Room - better than Bayamo, but probably because we had such good service. Rather than pre-order, I stuck to the items marked GF on the menu, so I had a salad and pork loin on top of sweet potato mash with 3 asparagus spears. It was ok - I make a mean pork loin myself, so I should have done something else. There's no sense in eating things on vacation that you can do just as well at home - why go on vacation, otherwise? DH had a ribeye from Cagney's with (of all things) fries, so steak frites? The only MDR GF dessert was sorbet, which was good but not exciting. I enjoyed dinner with music - that is a very nice touch. O'Sheehan's - we had O'Sheehan's twice, actually - once while watching football at the bar, we ordered apps, and then ate there the last night because I was camped out in the Atrium. DH had a burger with fries (duh) and I had the Cuban pork bowl (their GF offering), and then the most marvelous dining manager ever, Siva Kamatchi, remembered us from last year and sent us a flourless chocolate cake to share for dessert. (He is managing there - I didn't get a chance to ask why, but he is just as amazing as ever.) Thanks to Norwegian, I gained 5 pounds, and DH gained 7. I regret nothing.

Picking up where I left off - here's every possible detail about the cabin: #8720, Club Balcony Suite, Deck 8 Forward. Location: With one small caveat, I LOVED the location of this cabin. (I might try to get a little less foward, just for a slightly shorter walk when one is unbalanced from seas or cocktails.) This was our first time on deck 8 - usually I try to get on the highest deck possible. From the forward elevator lobby, facing the stairs, Food Republic is on the right and the District Brew Pub is on the left. If you walk toward the District, there is a hallway next to the stairs that leads to the room (note - there is a small ramp up). It's a walk - you basically circle around the stairwell, to a large hallway that holds the BACK entrances to Food Republic and the District, then down the actual hallway to the room. This hallway is also some sort of crew tunnel - the cabins were on the right, and various crew-only doors were on the left, and at the very forward end of the hall there was a crew-only door that always had someone coming in or out (all types of crew and officers, not just housekeeping staff). If you have mobility issues or are a person of size, you might not like this location. DH and I are. . . well, full-figured, and he's got the beginnings of arthritis in one knee; it worked for us, even if we were constantly dodging carts or people in the hallways. The lens I view such things through is that of my elderly mom, who uses a rollator and can't walk distances; this would not have been a good location for her. I LOVED being on Deck 8. Loved it. All the specialty dining and the shopping is on Deck 8, along with the Pour House, Tobacco Road, and the entrances to the Waterfront. The access was easy - La Cucina is the closest specialty dining. It was nothing to hop down the stairs to Deck 7 or Deck 6, and since that's where we spent the majority of our time, we couldn't have been in a better spot. Elevators were never a long wait, and frequently were empty. DH hates sit-down breakfast and lunch - he's firmly in the buffet camp, and I don't much care as long as I know what the GF options are, so we were always going up to or down from Deck 16 on elevators and it wasn't bad at all. The room itself: except for the balcony and bathroom, it was a standard balcony cabin with a king size bed (next to the balcony, if you prefer that) and a couch and pulldown bed that would help the room accommodate 4. The bathroom was larger than the usual, with a step-in shower and double sink, both of which I appreciated. The bathroom had a step up to get in, which annoyed me a bit (I was worried I'd stump my toe in the dark or fall out of it if we hit a swell, but there are grab bars to help.) The balcony was huge - it easily fit 2 loungers and a side table, then two chairs and a table. Very, very nice - I spent quite a bit of time out there. If you prefer privacy, though, forget it - everybody above you can see your whole balcony, and the rooms on Deck 9 above you will feel like your closest neighbors when you are all out there. We were blessed with good neighbors. Escape is showing her age a bit, and on the balcony it was noticeable. Someone touched up paint someplace and it dripped on the loungers - I mistook it for bird droppings at first, but it is dried paint. The weather-stripping is worn off the outside of the balcony doors, so you will notice it, but we never had trouble with noise. It just looks a little worn outside, but I will take that over being home any day. There is a smoking area somewhere near this balcony. I despise the smell of cigarette smoke, and periodically when we were sitting or standing near the rail, I would get a whiff of it. It wasn't all the time, and I didn't notice it when I sat in the lounger closer to the doors, so I almost never sat at the table. Not a deal breaker - just something to work around, if smelling cigarettes every now and then is an issue for you. It didn't bother DH, and he doesn't like the smell either, so that could be an area I'm picky about. Club Balcony Suite perks: we got a free bag of laundry, and on two days we got snacks. Given my dietary needs, they were 2 small bowls of mixed fruit. I probably could have asked for nuts. Steward: Our steward was a love - Mandy kept us in good shape throughout, even when the television quit working. We tried to be good cruisers by turning on the "make up room" light when we were out - he has 22 rooms, 6 on our side and the others across the ship, but he always had ours done in the morning except for GSC day. TBH, I didn't miss the twice-a-day service as much as I expected. Mandy was a great communicator and we were lucky to have him. Odds and ends: If a comfy bed matters to you - go ahead and request a mattress topper NOW, because that bed is as hard as a rock. My sleep # is a 75, and the bed was hard to me. The pillows were a nice mix of extremely firm and extremely mushy, which worked for us. We struggled with cooling the room - DH prefers to sleep in the equivalent of a refrigerator, but we both woke periodically having hot spells. The hot water in the bathroom sink was impossible to figure out - I quit using the sink to wash my face after the 3rd day, because I could never get the water to stop being burning hot. Seriously - I washed my face in the shower, which was easier to control. I LOVED the shower heads - it's this fancy mix of one main standard showerhead, that didn't have a ton of pressure but was decently high for a tall person (and adjustable and removable for a short person), and 6 jets that had lots of pressure and came on in different combinations depending on what you dialed up. Noise and the motion of the ocean: We spent more time in the room on this cruise than we ever have, and we did not notice a ton of noise. There were cabins above and below, and except for what sounded like occasional running, a suitcase dropping, or a screeching, happy kid, there was nothing of note. At night, though. . . DH tells me we had rough seas, and those woke us up at night - whenever a large wave smacked into the ship, we heard it and felt it. We joked that the Captain must have run over Shamu. The waves were a gentle rocking, and there was the usual vibration when the engines were turned on, but all in all, it was not terrible. So, this is probably more than you ever wanted to know about Cabin 8720, but I expect it's pretty standard stuff for almost any of the forward balconies and Club Balconies.

I was really, really grateful for suitcases with good wheels. . . we're in our mid-50's and as long as the luggage rolls, I'm good. I would not have wanted to try the luggage haul with kids or if my elderly Mom had accompanied us, so we'd have figured out the drop off. DH prefers to get to the port as early as possible, which puts us smack in the middle of embarking and disembarking traffic - it is MUCH calmer for a later arrival, and I think it would be easier to navigate a luggage drop off before parking (although then you have to fight for parking, but everything's a choice.) I don't know what they are building, but the port folks have cleared the lot to the side of the existing deck - we are hoping it is another deck.

Hey there - I *started* to bring them home, but forgot to tell DH, who chucked them when I wasn't looking. So sorry!! There are groups on that other facial site that are dedicated to posting the dailies - you can search for them with success (that's what I did). So sorry! I must say - with the reduced production/entertainment offerings, we planned a lot less. Choir of Man was the only show that we had to make a reservation for - everything else was first come, first served and for the shows we attended, seats were easy to grab for a group of 2 or 4, as close as 15 minutes before the show started. A larger group could get seats if they were maybe 30 minutes early, but if we grabbed an early enough dinner, we were good to go. We didn't do any of the shows in the Supper Club, but that never looked full either.

Hi all - we are just back today from our 3rd time on Escape and our 2nd New Year's Eve cruise on her, and this was the best one yet. We called it the "Something Different" cruise, because this time we tried to do things that we've not done on her before. Usually, I write long reviews, so I will try to keep this one short. Our last 2 cruises were in the Haven with family members; this time, we traveled alone (just DH and myself) in a Club Balcony Suite on Deck 8 forward. I was trying to bridge the gap between Haven and non-Haven, plus we booked one of the extra-large balconies (big enough to fit 2 loungers, 2 chairs and a table.) Goals for the trip? NONE - I almost didn't book any excursions, because I just didn't want to worry about ANYTHING, but the closer we got, the more I realized that visiting Great Stirrup Cay was iffy given the weather, and I really wanted at least 1 guaranteed beach day. Here we go - if I thought something might be a helpful tip, I'm going to color and italicize. Pre-cruise: I tried to score Vibe passes, but that was one area where not having the Haven early booking window really hurt. Vibe was sold out from the minute I booked the cruise. I read other posts that suggested there might be some availability on embarkation day, but I didn't try. Maybe next time. . . I have celiac disease and always submit a Guest Special Needs form so my gluten-free diet is easier to accommodate. This year, I also had to request a sharps container for an injectable medication. I was able to do both on one form, and had no issues. We are stockholders, and the shareholder benefit request process was simple. Or it would have been - my email app on the computer upgraded to something that I was less familiar with, and I didn't attach the scan of the form. The rep from Norwegian who worked on the request spent most of a Saturday morning emailing back and forth with me, until I managed to get the attachment to load. After that, the credit was applied within 24 hours, so I really appreciate their diligence! I dithered on excursions endlessly, and didn't book any until a week before embarkation. By that point, everything I wanted in Cozumel was gone, but I booked Discover Cayman and Bamboo Beach VIP in Jamaica. Discover Cayman was the shortest excursion, actually - I wanted it partly because it would guarantee us an early tender. That tour visited Hell and the Turtle Farm but ended early enough that if we wanted to take an Uber to 7 Mile Beach, we could. Bamboo Beach was my guaranteed beach day, just in case GSC didn't work out, and who could pass up rum drinks and a barbeque lunch? Not this girl! Specialty dining is another area where I really missed those extra Haven booking days. Cagneys and Bayamo were not available to book before embarkation, but I scored La Cucina and Moderno fairly easily. (I added 2 extra specialty meals to our booking, because we like the different restaurants.) We loved Choir of Man last year, and I was glad to book it - I grabbed the 9:30 show on New Year's Eve. I noticed that entertainment seems to be changing - Choir was the only Broadway-type show on Escape this year, and the rest of the shows were comedy, magic, or music. We have enjoyed the big productions over the last several years, so that was unfortunate. So, Pre-Cruise reservations were a mixed bag - I got some, I missed others, and that extra chunk of days you get with a Haven booking may have made a difference. Everything except Vibe was still possible, though, if I hustled on Embarkation Day! Embarkation Day: We like to stay at the Cape Crossing Marina and Resort, and for the second year in a row breakfast was at the Causeway Diner right down the road. It isn't fancy, by any means, but it's fast, friendly, and DELICIOUS. Usually, diners in strip malls are a little scary, but do yourself a favor and eat there. After breakfast, we were 5 minutes away from the port, but holy cow. . . Port Parking and Traffic were NUTS. NUTS. We learned last year that trying to drop the bags and then park the car puts you into an infinity loop, and opted to park first and tote later. Either the parking machines don't start working until a particular time or the machines know the # of cars going in and out - we were in standstill traffic for a good 15 minutes. Also, and apologies if I'm wrong, but this year the machines let you specify your ship and then automatically charge you in advance for the amount of parking you'd pay. This slowed down admission to the parking deck, so that could have been it as well. Once in the deck. . . ugh. We were in a big truck, and dodging disembarking, bag-hauling passengers while weaving around cars pulling out and in was a nightmare. Becoming one of the folks walking with bags was hair-raising. I recommend you park as close to the elevators as you can manage and walk as little in the deck as you can manage. There is *something* under construction, but I have no idea what. I forgot to print out luggage tags (the Haven has ruined me.) At the port, if you go all the way to the far right side - past the Haven checkin, all the way to the escalators - there is a porter staging area that has pre-printed luggage tags with spots for you to add your name and cabin #. (Tip the porter anyway, even if he didn't hoist your bags out of your car. . . ) Once that is handled, the escalator ride upstairs dumps you out right at security, so it's actually faster and easier. At 10:30, the terminal was FULL. Lines really didn't take that long, though, and soon enough we were getting our key cards. Our edocs handled all the details - they used the pictures from my pre-cruise check in, and I didn't have to swipe my credit card, either. The health questionnaire was verbal, and then poof - we had Group 37, and went to go take pictures. Before we finished, the all-call was issued, and all groups were free to board (I think 26 was the last group called). It wasn't Haven check-in - there was no time for juice or coffee, and we weren't the FIRST folks on board, but it was plenty fast for me. We were on board shortly after 11. Kiosks and app - those were not working for me at all. I saw a sign that said there was a baggage dropoff location in the casino, but I had planned ahead and only had a purse to manage. (Haven would have allowed us to drop off bags no matter what stage of prep they were in, but I knew that wouldn't be an option otherwise.) I dumped the purse and the husband at a table in the Atrium and found the lines to book an excursion in Cozumel (Atrium, fast, and I got the one I wanted - Mexican Cuisine Cooking, or something like that, although I failed to notice that I didn't get the $50/excursion discount) and specialty dining for 2 nights (Headliners across from Le Bistro, slow line, and we got Bayamo for NYE and Cagney's for Day 4.) Once there, I signed up for the Wine and Cheese tasting on Day 6. In the Haven, I'd have stood in one line for this and the Concierge would have handled it all, but it was ok doing it for myself - I met some nice folks in line! So, all in all, Embarkation Day involved more lines and a little bit longer wait times, but it mattered not one tiny bit - we were on the ship in good time, and ready to go! Now that we're on the ship: next up - a look at the cabin, food and fun (but probably tomorrow, because our 5 am wakeup is catching up to me).

Question for you - maybe better answered when you finish this leg- did you have a preference between the 2 different itineraries? We did the St Thomas leg last year, and are doing the Cozumel leg in 10 days (!!!), so I wondered. Thanks for the awesome reviews!