CamaCama's Family Vacation on the Escape 11/21/2015 (Detailed PICTURE Review!!!!!!)

[CamaCama]

 

 

 

 

 

[CamaCama]

We had to walk across a street and through a gate to get to the shopping area.

 

 

Starbucks! Of course we got iced coffees...

 

 

 

The girls got little straw purses for $8 each

 

 

 

Edited December 17, 2015 by CamaCama

[CamaCama]

After about an hour we walked back to the ship... we had a 5:30 dinner reservation at La Cucina that we wanted to make and we still had to shower.

 

 

 

Baby hand got in the way

 

 

 

NCL does a great job welcoming you back to the ship... so fun!

 

CLICK: WELCOME BACK TO ESCAPE VIDEO - NASSAU

 

[CamaCama]

Will finish up tomorrow, have to go pick up my kids!

[Loucat]

What a wonderful review! I have read your new additions every day.

Your daughters are beautiful with the cutest smiles!!

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with all of us.

Love your pics, perspective and great information.

I took a deep breath when I saw Anthem of the Seas and that scary raised object so high above the ship. I would pass out cold if I were up there!

Thanks again and looking forward to your next entries.

[CamaCama]

What a wonderful review! I have read your new additions every day.

Your daughters are beautiful with the cutest smiles!!

Thanks so much for sharing your cruise with all of us.

Love your pics, perspective and great information.

I took a deep breath when I saw Anthem of the Seas and that scary raised object so high above the ship. I would pass out cold if I were up there!

Thanks again and looking forward to your next entries.

 

Thank you so much and glad you're following along!

[CamaCama]

We all showered and got ready for La Cucina. It was the only night we had specialty dining reservations and it was our last night on the ship :( so we were looking forward to a nice meal.

 

The girls could see a Disney movie playing on the Disney ship outdoor movie screen next to us from the balcony window so they stood there and watched for a while.

 

 

 

We showed up at 5:30 for our reservation...

 

 

[CamaCama]

 

 

 

The bread was warm and delicious and they gave you oil with a bit of balsamic vinegar to dip... in my family we always say you can tell a restaurant is going to be good by the bread!

 

 

 

Insalata Mista to start (I actually didn't like this, the lettuce had too strong of a taste/bitter, I like plain lettuce but everyone else liked it)

 

[CamaCama]

The girls had rigatoni with marinara sauce and a side of steamed broccoli

 

 

Capellini

 

 

Linguini Cioppino

 

 

We all loved the main courses and they made sure to have us out of there before 7pm so my mom and in-laws could go see Million Dollar Quartet (which they said was awesome).

 

 

 

[CamaCama]

 

We walked around after and found the only spot where there was a photographer was by the main staircase. We waited on a bit of a line but got some cute pictures (didn't buy any, I think $25 for one 8x10 picture is a bit much but I got some with my camera)...

 

 

 

It was pajama night at Splash Academy so we quickly changed Sienna and dropped her off at 7:30.

 

 

 

Then we found this when we got back to the room to put Mila to sleep...

 

 

I went to guest services to get a gray ticket (9am departure) to put on our luggage. We hung out in the room for a while and packed up everything, keeping out our clothes for tomorrow morning. I went to pick up Sienna at 10:00, put her to bed and told Len I was going to the casino. It was the last night and I LOVE gambling on cruise ships (it's the only time I gamble) and I had only been there twice before for a very short time so I was going!! I ended up staying until 2am! Just about broke even but got to play for a few hours at the slots and had a great time at the blackjack table at the end.

[LMaxwell]

Don't know how I missed this, but have started browsing and it's a great review. The kids program information is particularly helpful for us.

[CamaCama]

DAY 8 - Miami/Disembarkation

 

We all got up around 7am so we had 2 hours before they were going to kick us off... we had Gray (9am).

 

 

 

We were back in Miami and it was a gorgeous morning as usual. We were so lucky with the weather on this cruise (during the day anyway lol).

 

 

We packed up the last of our stuff and headed to the Garden Café for our final breakfast on Escape. I'm going to miss those croissants!!!

 

 

 

[CamaCama]

We headed to the atrium around 9am and after waiting on a short line we were off the ship about 10 minutes later. Sienna saw that penny machine while we were heading off and I quickly swiped my card and got her one...

 

 

The girls were sad to leave.

 

 

 

 

 

Bye Escape... until next time!!!

 

[duchesslt]

Great review! You made me so nostalgic for little kids again! My boys are 14 and 12 and consider it a major imposition to even stand for a camera - enjoy these years while they last :)

 

I appreciate all your pictures and the time you took to put this together.

[CamaCama]

FINAL THOUGHTS

 

It was our first 7-night cruise and with a 2.5 year old it seemed just a day or two too long. My 6 year old is at the perfect age to cruise so we're thinking in a few years when both girls are older it will be MUCH easier and a little more relaxing for us. But we had an amazing time, the ship is incredible and we were very happy with the Norwegian experience overall.

 

SPLASH ACADEMY - A++++

What a great program! Sienna (6-9 group - Seals) begged to go to every session. She had the best time and made some great friends, plus the circus performance they put on at the end is such a treat for the kids and for us, they all seemed to look forward to that. Guppies seemed great too, but it should be 6 months to 2 years old (not 3 years old), the 2-3 year olds seemed much too big for that small space.

 

FOOD - A

We aren't picky and if I don't have to cook it, it's good to me! But seriously, the food in the dining rooms was great, there was good variety and the menus changed daily. The Garden Café buffet we ate at every single day for breakfast and most lunches, some dinners for the girls. We have no complaints and comparing to RCI we all agreed they might be a tiny step above but not by much. The drinks were GREAT, the beer was cold and the mixed drinks were strong, no complaints there!

 

SERVICE (food/drinks) - B

Our tables were never cleared wherever we ate, our drinks were hardly ever refilled and the drink service at the pool was inconsistent. The main dining rooms the first two night, service was very slow but after that it was fine. O'sheehans service was very slow also and we even asked the waitress "where's the busboy"? She said "I'm the busboy"... so it seems they have cut back on the busboys and extra hands to clear tables, refill drinks, etc.

 

ROOM ATTENDANT - A++++

Mike was awesome, our room was spotless and he was just so nice. Can't rave about him enough.

 

ACTIVITIES - A+

There was so much to do, we didn't even get to do it all... we didn't get to play mini golf or bowling, bingo, etc. The slides were a hit with Sienna, I don't think we could go on another cruise without slides!!! The aqua park was also so much fun for the girls and even though Sienna was too short to do the big ropes course, it was nice that they had a smaller kids version so she could do that. She loved the arcade too, it's pretty easy to win a lot of tickets and the prizes were pretty cool.

 

iCONCIERGE APP - A

Easy to use, it was free on our sailing for texting (normally 7.95 per week per phone) it worked well to keep in touch with family around the ship.

 

ROOM - A+

We just loved our balcony room, the décor and colors were great, tons of storage in the bathroom, huge shower, balcony was the perfect size, beds were super comfy!

 

SHIP DESIGN/LAYOUT - B

It's hard to believe what the people building these ships don't think about (especially when there are ships before her that have the same issues). The pool area is way too small for 4k+ people and there is no stage or open area for pool activities/contests. The atrium where the chandelier is always smelled like smoke, even when the casino wasn't open. A casino should always be enclosed, people who gamble will find it, it doesn't need to be out in the open like that stinking up that entire area and the elevators. And no, I don't think it should be non-smoking (I am not and never will be a smoker but I do think for a lot of people smoking and gambling go hand in hand and I think the casino would lose money if they did that). Other than that the ship is gorgeous, the décor is beautiful and it's pretty easy to find your way around by the 2nd day.

 

ENTERTAINMENT - A+

I only got to see one show... Brat Pack (extra charge) but it was phenomenal! So much talent, very entertaining, food was good, 100% worth the cost! My mom/in-laws saw Million Dollar Quartet and the Dueling Piano show and said both were amazing. There are also tons of bars open at night and the Skyline bar next to the casino had dancing until afte 2am... so there is always something to do.

 

PORTS/ITINERARY - A

St. Thomas and Tortola were new ports for most of us so it was fun spending those days on the local beaches. NCL should definitely add a few extra hours on Tortola, 3pm sailaway is just way too early... it's such a beautiful island we would have loved to experience more of it. We also all agreed we would have liked a sea day for the last day so a flipped itinerary would have been better, Nassau as the first stop for a few hours.

 

If I forgot something just ASK, I'll be happy to answer any questions! Overall we'd definitely recommend the Escape!

[CamaCama]

Don't know how I missed this, but have started browsing and it's a great review. The kids program information is particularly helpful for us.

 

Thanks and glad I could help!

[CamaCama]

Great review! You made me so nostalgic for little kids again! My boys are 14 and 12 and consider it a major imposition to even stand for a camera - enjoy these years while they last :)

 

I appreciate all your pictures and the time you took to put this together.

 

Thanks, I'm hoping that training them young to pose for the camera sticks with them through their teen years! :D:D

[Yorkvillain]

Wow, amazing review Jess. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

[CamaCama]

Wow, amazing review Jess. Thank you for taking the time to do this.

 

Thanks! I was always looking for reviews with young kids so hoping this can help some families thinking of cruising soon..

[Yorkvillain]

Thanks! I was always looking for reviews with young kids so hoping this can help some families thinking of cruising soon..

 

I think you set the bar high now for future cruise reviews with young kids!

 

How did you like the Escape itself compared to the Liberty of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas?

Edited December 18, 2015 by Yorkvillain

[CamaCama]

I think you set the bar high now for future cruise reviews with young kids!

 

How did you like the Escape itself compared to the Liberty of the Seas or Navigator of the Seas?

 

Thanks!

 

We all agreed that we liked the promenade on Liberty, we missed that actually. The atrium on Escape is gorgeous but it's tall, not long, so you have to go between 3 decks and the smell of smoke was always there. But the slides and aqua park were a huge hit with the kids on Escape. The Liberty had a big splash park but it wasn't that interesting and no slides. The main pool layout was better on Liberty though. Hard to compare I guess lol I think we liked both equally when you weigh the pros and cons of each for us and our family. We aren't loyal to one cruise line so we'd like to try one of RCI's newer ships (oasis/allure) next.

[Yorkvillain]

Thanks!

 

We all agreed that we liked the promenade on Liberty, we missed that actually. The atrium on Escape is gorgeous but it's tall, not long, so you have to go between 3 decks and the smell of smoke was always there. But the slides and aqua park were a huge hit with the kids on Escape. The Liberty had a big splash park but it wasn't that interesting and no slides. The main pool layout was better on Liberty though. Hard to compare I guess lol I think we liked both equally when you weigh the pros and cons of each for us and our family. We aren't loyal to one cruise line so we'd like to try one of RCI's newer ships (oasis/allure) next.

 

Great points.

 

Your girls will LOVE the Oasis or Allure. Actually the new Oasis class ship coming out in 2016 (Harmony of the Seas) might be better for you since it will have water slides.

 

The Oasis and Allure will have water slides added to them as well but I'm not sure when.

Edited December 18, 2015 by Yorkvillain

[CamaCama]

Great points.

 

Your girls will LOVE the Oasis or Allure. Actually the new Oasis class ship coming out in 2016 (Harmony of the Seas) might be better for you since it will have water slides.

 

The Oasis and Allure will have water slides added to them as well but I'm not sure when.

 

I saw that on Harmony, looks incredible but prices are too high for us right now, especially at the times we can sail. That's good to know that slides will be added to oasis/allure!! Everyone enjoys them!

[300dtc]

Thank you for a great review! Your girls are adorable and remind me of my 2 girls back when...:(

 

We are going on the Escape in April, and now i really can't wait!

[CamaCama]

Thank you for a great review! Your girls are adorable and remind me of my 2 girls back when...:(

 

We are going on the Escape in April, and now i really can't wait!

 

Thanks! Enjoy your cruise, you'll be sailing during my birthday too! 4/17 :)

Edited December 18, 2015 by CamaCama