NCL Escape 12/23/17 semi live Christmas cruise

First night’s dinner was at Bayamo:

Cold lobster salad:

2 types of ceviche, tuna (which was really spicy) and shrimp ceviche:

Then I had mustard encrusted Salmon, Mike had sea bass:

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Next was desert and coffee:

Sorry to say, but the best part of this meal was the cappuccino. We didn’t care for the service or the food that much, and we are big seafood eaters.

There is another restaurant in Las Vegas that has a similar concept: Samba sushi, at the Venetian, that is to die for.

Hope you enjoy this restaurant more than we did.

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Now off to sugarcane bar for some mojitos:

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Sorry about the double picture.

Now for Mikes first lucky night. You know how the Dougout’s home is the District brew house? My home is the skyline bar! Love this place! They have video poker, music and dancing! Wow, perfect!

Just FYI, we play a lot of video poker and other games and this is the reason that we get invited on NCL cruises through CAS, casinos at sea. First time in Haven and over the holidays! So awesome! We feel totally lucky to be invited on this cruise in this category!

Anyway here are some pics of skyline bar and Mikes win:

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More:

Freaking awesome:

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So that 4deuces was on $2 machine= $2000! Mike went and payed off all shore excursions and other misc. room charges at guest services the next day.

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Ok so far the bartenders now know us by name all over the ship, the crew is awesome and so attentive to our every need or wish! Man I love this ship!!!

Next day dinner at Modernos.

Waitress accidentally knocked my wine into my salad and on me. No big deal, but they acted like it was a terrible incident, moved our table, offered to dry clean my dress etc. I said no problem. And continued our meal. Mike was too full from lunch to enjoy it, but my meal was pretty tasty and enjoyable.https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20171226/1eef600c47a670807141820e2fedb5ff.jpg

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Enjoying following along.

Please post more pics of NON-seafood meals. Lol... too much fish all around...but it looks good quality.

Thanks for posting; we sailed Escape in October with our kids and nanny; we'll head there again in two months just myself, my daughter, and mom.

I was reading the casino letter you took pictures of; I don't know very much about casinos. I spent $19 in one in Canada one time and that's really ever been it. I don't know how to play table games, I don't like noise, bright lights, or smoke... But am I reading correctly that to even be able to get the lowest level of redemption of a "gift" you need to spend $25,000 on video poker? (Not judging, really just asking if I am reading that right, naive but curious.) How long would that sort of expenditure take and what type of gift can you get for 2500 points?

following thank you

Hi The dylaness, I was going to try to explain the gambling thing, but it’s all kind of complicated, we started playing video poker in the 90’s based on a book called “The Frugal Gambler” from an author named Jean Scott, “the coupon queen”. Back in the day, the travel channel did a lot of features on Las Vegas.

We practiced a lot (hours and hours) on the computer for free, at different pay tables, until we memorized the “math” for each hand.

The first week on real playing for money, I hit a Royal Flush and I was hooked! ( A Royal Flush only happens 1 in 80,000 hands so I was extremely lucky that first week. (Took years to get another one at minimal play time).

So as you can see, we have learned how to maximize our opportunities, but you are better of NOT gambling at all!

We just enjoy playing, so it’s our entertainment too. Hope that helps a little.

Hi. I’ll continue the review when I have internet.

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I forgot to post mikes dessert at Moderno

End of day 2:

Christmas Eve night:

Skyline bar:

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Sorry that last pic was Beau at District, it’s hard to see the pic selection on this little phone.

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Great pictures! Can you tell me the names of the CAS Exec host or other hosts on board? Will be on the Escape again next month and your review is helping us wait that long:D

Following your review. Are the beers in the Brew House included in beverage plan?

I forgot to post mikes dessert at Moderno

End of day 2:

Christmas Eve night:

Skyline bar:

 

 

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Do you remember the name of that dessert? It looks delicious!!

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Sorry everyone one for the delay but I just haven’t had good internet and/or time to continue with this review. After the cruise, we didn’t go straight home to California, oh no, we are crazy and decided a few months ago to spend New Years Weekend in Las Vegas baby!

So on with the review!

Christmas Day sunrise from our balcony:

Time for a jacuzzi in our room (with Lavazzo coffee):

Santa Claus arrives in the Haven:

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We had cold breakfast room service delivered to our room. Cereal and pastries, cereal and juices and coffee and bananas. The pastries were unappetizing. Other stuff was edible. Glad I had the bananas. (BTW we hadn’t discovered the Haven restaurant yet, big mistake)!

We are in Jamaica for Christmas day.

Our NCL excursion this day was Jamaican bobsled and Dunn’s river falls.

(We did all of our excursions through NCL since we had the shore excursions credit as one of our “free at sea” offers, which we got due to booking so far in advance. So the shore excursion credit is pretty lame in my opinion. You get $50 off per cabin (not per person). You can reserve ahead through shore excursion office telephone number. You can also book onboard. If you don’t use it, you lose it.

We met our guide and got on a nice size (the size of a party bus van) bus/van. Our guide was pretty informative and interesting.

These pictures are of the biggest hotel in Jamaica, sorry I don’t recall the name. Pretty grounds:

We get to Mystic mountain, an area in a rain forest.

You can buy water shoes here for later at Dunn’s river falls, $10, you keep them.

Then they put you on a chair lift, nice 20 minute ride through the jungle.

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More views from chairlift

Really pretty at the top. Shopping available and a beautiful restaurant and bar to get lunch here after your bobsled ride.

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I have some pics of the bobsled track taken after our ride from restaurant. The bobsled ride was fun, but I’m a chicken and Mike put me in charge of the brakes, so I didn’t go as fast as we could have/should have, but it was still fun.

Here is a pic of pool and slide that we didn’t have time to try:

Restaurant

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Jamaican dancers:

Coming back down on chairlift:

At Dunn’s river falls. Very touristy with lots of people, done with guides some without. The falls are absolutely beautiful!

Mike managed to get that last shot and the next one without people. (He chose not to climb the falls because he hurt his knee dancing the night of his big win).

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So I’m thinking to myself, I really don’t want to climb these falls in just my bathing suit, maybe I can just leave my coverup/ dress on. Jeez I was stupid not to have board shorts and a rash guard type shirt on. I’m always wearing the wrong thing. Even though I over pack. I’m such a dweeb.

Our climbing guide was great and took me under his wing since I was alone. (Mike took photos).

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Anyway the falls were great, I’m glad I did it. Would I do it again? Probably not. Go before your 60s if you can, ha ha.

Yeah Mon!

Back to ship:

Christmas dinner at ale Bistro. Yum. More on the dinner later.

Time to party more in Las Vegas!

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