Norwegian Escape, Sept1..Oct7 NYC-Bermuda Observations/Comments

So, just got back from our Norwegian Escape 7-day cruise from NYC to Bermuda and just wanted to share experiences for others, particularly about things I wasn't able to find out or found inconclusive in my searches...

First: cruise was awesome, had a great time! highly recomend to all!!

But you hear the good all the time, so here is some of the not-so-good :D ...

As you might have heard, the (included in the plan) food is quite a mixed bag! Had a minestrone soup that would have to be a contender for the single worst soup I've ever had (think: salt water with some pasta, beans & veggies... yuck!) (most soups on the cruise really sucked, but strangely, the bouillabaisse didn't .. wasn't awesome, but was not horrible either! who knew?) ... but also a (very) few really good things: crepes & omelets to order in Garden Cafe, nicely done Lamb Shank in Manhattan Room. Eggs Benedict in Garden Cafe is blech! But in Taste / Savor, not too bad!

Over-all, however, the "complimentary" dining options usually suck really bad or are mediocre at best.

Resolution? Order or take much more food in a large variety then you can actually eat ... then only eat that which doesn't suck :)

Enough about food .. When the ship get's into the Wharf, the lines for the ferries to Hamilton & St. Georges will be crazy!! So will the line to rent a scooter at Oleander's ... and that line will move MUCH slower (even if you have a reservation it seemed to us, but maybe we came the wrong time?) Solution? Get in the Hamilton (or perhaps St. Georges) line... when the ferry comes in, it will load quickly ... MUCH more quickly than the Oleander's rental line .. and rent at that destination .. Oleander has rental locations all over the island. We did this (after standing in line in Oleander Wharf place for 15min that just didn't move) and had no line at all in Hamilton.

And, while you're in Hamilton visit the Rock Island Cafe ... such an awesome little cafe!

See https://www.thebermudian.com/awards/best-of-bermuda-awards/ to find all the best spots.. this is a particularly awesome website!!!

Woody's has the very best fish sandwich! Swizzle has the best .. wait ... can you guess??? ... Swizzle!!! (ummm, so good :) (they invented it and they own it!)

Tip: Don't bother ordering a Swizzle nor a Dark N' Stormy on board ... ALL mixed drinks suck on board, and those they do particularly badly. I got a Dark N'Stormy on the first day ... YUCK!!! 4 lime slices just totally killed it :( What were they thinking??? I tried ordering a straight Manhattan with just a splash of Cointreau, but it still came out so sweet I thought my teeth would fall out :D

And all of the other mixed drinks we tried were worse ... A Sugarcane Raspberry Mohito sounded nice, but it wasn't.

Good Stuff: In Bermuda, there are a few foods you MUST try, and, if so, these are the best (check the "best of bermuda awards" (above) for a full list:

(the new) Woody's has the single most AWESOME Fish Sandwich you'll every eat!! So good!!

https://www.facebook.com/pages/category/Bar/The-New-Woodys-Sports-Bar-165237370231046/

Swizzle Inn invented the Sizzle cocktail and it is better than any other I've tried by far! ... not to mention many others and I hear the food is amazing too ... 2 locations, both great:

http://www.swizzleinn.com/locations.php

I didn't get to the Lobster Pot ... so sad!! I hear the Bermuda Fish Chowder beats all others there ... next trip for sure:

http://www.lobsterpot.bm/

BTW, they sell Gosling's rums on sale last day of cruise, they DON'T have Gosling's Ginger Beer (the best!!!!!) ... buy on shore and bring aboard!! Wish I had realized this. (the premixed swizzle & dark'n'stormy packs, which they do have, suck.)

Scooters: Bermudians are crazy. Really crazy. If you are going 55kpm in a 35kpm zone they will still pass you like you are standing still. Around tight corners. It's nuts.

We saw 2 bad scooter accidents in the 2 days we were on the island. Heard sirens that I assume were at least two more. BE CAREFUL!! Scooter really is the best way to get around, but you must be very aware of all around you at all times.

They also rent electric cars, but finding a charging station is a problem and parking them is also. And they're more expensive. I like the scooters, but you really have to be on guard at all times.

DISEMBARKATION: Getting off the ship at the end of the cruise is particularly annoying. We decided to wait until as close to the end of the process as possible ... and still had some lines to deal with. But, not so bad. But we hung-out in our cabin / balcony and watched the lines (our balcony was just above the aft gangways), and from what we saw I recommend:

1. get off as early as possible, or,

2. wait to the last possible min

.. otherwise, expect horribly long and slow moving lines.

That's all I have for now. Any questions, I'll answer if I can :)

Enjoy your cruise!

Had a minestrone soup that would have to be a contender for the single worst soup I've ever had (think: salt water with some pasta, beans & veggies... yuck!) (most soups on the cruise really sucked, but strangely, the bouillabaisse didn't .. wasn't awesome, but was not horrible either! who knew?)

I got off a more recent Escape cruise, and I 100% agree with you, soups suck, badly. Dinning room and buffet. The buffet had a whole total of two soups per meal, and they were often not labeled. On look and I lost my appetite. They had New England Clam Chowder one day, how could they screw that up. THEY DID.

My guess is the Asian staff was never correctly taught how to make American soups.

I went the week before and had the opposite experience with drinks and complementary food... I loved them all (I only had the french onion soup which was fine) i likes the raspberry mojito... guess some of it is personal taste. My main problem with the buffet was how crowded it was. I didn’t like eggs benedict in taste it was either overdone or cold, but the buffet one was perfect. I didn’t enjoy steaks in Cagney as much as the steak in the MDR. Just shows everyone can have a different experience.

For disembarking I got off around 8.30 and no queues. I imagine as it got later there would be queues.

There were still less good points, like unpolished glasses in MDr, servers not filling water glasses up etc so I wouldn’t say it was a perfect cruise.

Sent from my iPad using Forums

Thank you for taking the time to post your quick review. Glad you had a great time.

My guess is the Asian staff was never correctly taught how to make American soups.

But,,, it is not an American ship. You’re not in Arizona anymore Toto. And maybe the soups are being prepared like most of the rest of the world expects them (purée of something),,, which they are.

OP: thank you for sharing your Bermuda’s experience with us.

Thanks for your comments!