Our Amazing ESCAPE on the NORWEGIAN ESCAPE!

[aquarianne11]

Hi everyone!

 

We had an amazing experience on the Norwegian Escape last December, and it is my pleasure to share with you our cruise review with photos and videos.

 

 

Our small family included myself and my husband and our 8 year old daughter. This was our 8th cruise and our 5th time with Norwegian. We love cruising but we also spend a lot of time using our timeshare for vacations.

 

We are big Disney fans and we go to Disney World almost every year. Like we did last year, we decided to combine a cruise with our Orlando vacation. After our 7-night cruise on the Escape, we spent the rest of our Christmas holiday in Orlando and Disney World.

 

Before I continue, I want to give you a little overview. Here are some photos and videos from our cruise.

 

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[aubreyc1988]

Happy to see another good review!

 

Do you have a photo or know the spa treatment specials???

[aquarianne11]

This was an AMAZING cruise and truly our most favorite cruise so far. The Escape is a beautiful ship with lots to offer. The week flew by so fast (way too fast!) and we were so sad to leave.

 

We loved our Breakaway cruise a lot. After our Breakaway cruise, we realized that we definitely prefer the larger ships compared to the smaller ones. There is so much more happening, more activities (especially for kids), more slides, and more places to explore.

 

I have to say that in my opinion, the ESCAPE is so much better than the Breakaway. We love the new slide called Aqua Racer. I love the glass part above the ocean! My daughter calls it the "THE PARTY SLIDE"! So much fun!

 

Here is a short video:

 

[YOUTUBE]wdkaFPPlGbI[/YOUTUBE]

[aquarianne11]

Happy to see another good review!

 

Do you have a photo or know the spa treatment specials???

 

Hi! Thanks!

 

We spent a lot of time in the Spa/Thermal Suite but I did not try the spa specials or the massage specials. One gentleman we met at the Salt room was very happy about the Full body massage that he got. He said it was a massage special for $159.

 

Looking at the dailies, they have Massage Specials for $159 for 75 minutes.

 

MASSAGE SPECIAL $159

Full body Hot Stone or Bamboo Massage

Foot and Ankle Massage

Scalp Massage

Refreshing Spa Facial

75 minutes - $159

[aquarianne11]

As a whole, it was a fantastic family trip! The ship is not perfect but the imperfections did not really bother us that much.

 

Now for the details, let me mention the negatives first as there are only a few:

 

1. I think the pool area in the Escape is a big improvement compare to the Breakaway. But the pools are still small (compared to the number of passengers) and can become overcrowded.

 

This photo of the FAMILY POOL was taken around 10:15AM as we were climbing up to use the slides. As you can see, the pool was not yet crowded.

 

 

This may not be a big problem for most people, but being a short person, Family Pool is too deep for me! It starts at FIVE FEET!

 

 

2. The Atrium is too small for the shows they do in this bar/eatery area. It is hard to find a place to sit down and watch. I had the same complaint about the Breakaway.

 

 

3. LESS FREESTYLE. This may be a negative for some people but I think pre-booking shows and dinner reservations can really help a lot.

 

For specialty restaurant reservations, I think they hold more reservations after the initial pre-cruise reservation spots are gone. Just do it immediately once you board the ship especially for bigger parties or very popular restaurants.

 

We have the UDP (Ultimate Dining Package) so we made our dining reservations in advance to avoid disappointments. We booked our dinners between 6:00-6:30PM.

 

On some days, my daughter wanted to eat early so she can go to the Splash Academy soon after they open for the night at 7PM. We would go to the specialty restaurant around 30 minutes or more ahead of our reservations and they have always accommodated us and never asked us to wait.

[hpecorari]

 

 

2. The Atrium is too small for the shows they do in this bar/eatery area. It is hard to find a place to sit down and watch. I had the same complaint about the Breakaway.

 

This has been a complaint of mine on the Epic, Breakaway and the Getaway. It will be my complaint on the Escape as well. In addition to having to get there an hour early for a seat of end of standing.....you really can't see either. It's just not the same 'feeling' as being in it's own room like on the other ships. Not to mention walking through the Atrium is a pain or needing to go to guest services you can't hear them and they can't hear you.

 

Did you by chance go to the Meet and Greet and get one of the Officer Cards? If you did, could you be kind enough to post who they were for your sailing?

 

Thanks!

 

Harriet

[aquarianne11]

This has been a complaint of mine on the Epic, Breakaway and the Getaway. It will be my complaint on the Escape as well. In addition to having to get there an hour early for a seat of end of standing.....you really can't see either. It's just not the same 'feeling' as being in it's own room like on the other ships. Not to mention walking through the Atrium is a pain or needing to go to guest services you can't hear them and they can't hear you.

 

Did you by chance go to the Meet and Greet and get one of the Officer Cards? If you did, could you be kind enough to post who they were for your sailing?

 

Thanks!

 

Harriet

 

 

I agree, the Atrium was always crowded. I wish they would do some of the events somewhere else like on the other ships.

 

I'm sorry, I totally missed the Meet and Greet. Ours was scheduled on the first sea day and my daughter refused to leave the kid's aqua park.

[aubreyc1988]

Hi! Thanks!

 

 

 

We spent a lot of time in the Spa/Thermal Suite but I did not try the spa specials or the massage specials. One gentleman we met at the Salt room was very happy about the Full body massage that he got. He said it was a massage special for $159.

 

 

 

Looking at the dailies, they have Massage Specials for $159 for 75 minutes.

 

 

 

MASSAGE SPECIAL $159

 

Full body Hot Stone or Bamboo Massage

 

Foot and Ankle Massage

 

Scalp Massage

 

Refreshing Spa Facial

 

75 minutes - $159

 

 

Thanks so much! That's such a good price, my husband is excited for that next week!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[aquarianne11]

Thanks so much! That's such a good price, my husband is excited for that next week!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

Welcome! Have a great cruise! :)

[aquarianne11]

EMBARKATION

 

This was just our second time at the Port of Miami and we like how the port is very organized and so close to the airport.

 

We planned on picking up the car rental after the cruise but as the trip became closer, the price for the MIA-MCO car rental from Dec 11-27 became more reasonable. We also have a lot of Disney stuff that we don’t want to take to the cruise with us so it was easier to leave those things in the car.

 

We parked in the port like we did last year. Very easy process of dropping off luggage with a porter, then parking. Our 7 night cruise cost $140 for parking, totally worth the convenience.

 

Checking in was very organized. We arrived around 10AM and we were on the ship eating lunch by 11:30AM.

 

Garden Café on the Norwegian Escape

 

[aquarianne11]

Our Cabin - BALCONY ROOM 10114 - Sofa by the Balcony.

 

 

We stayed in cabin 10114. We booked a BX - Balcony Guaranty. We were assigned cabin 10014 about six months before the cruise. We love our room but just wish there was more space between the bed and closet!

 

On the Breakaway, we had the bed by the balcony and I felt like it was easier to access the closet.

 

The location is a little far from the elevators but not a problem for us. The balcony is a lot bigger than our balcony on the Breakaway. Two huge bags were able to fit under the bed. A lot of storage space for 2 adults and child.

 

 

 

 

 

I took this video to show the size of the balcony. We can see the B6 (deck 9) and M6 (deck 8) below us. That did not bother us at all. We really love our balcony since it was so much bigger than the one we had on the Breakaway.

 

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[aquarianne11]

More photos of Stateroom 10114

 

Our stateroom steward set up the bed on the sofa for the first night and left it this way the entire cruise.

 

 

 

[Leighglo]

Really enjoyed your vid - thank you. Cruising in the Escape in July and so looking forward to it.

[aquarianne11]

THE SPA

 

We pre-booked our Spa Passes before our cruise and received a little discount. You can now buy the Spa Pass online 90 days before the cruise. I believe that it is 100 days for those in the suites.

 

We paid $199 for each pass and we purchased two passes for $398. The Snow Room was out of order until we got to St. Thomas so they gave us a refundable onboard credit of $100 ($50 for each pass). I think the credit of $100 was very generous, to be honest.

 

The spa was wonderful with plenty of lounge chairs. We spent a lot of time relaxing here. The best part of the Thermal Suite is the Thalassotherapy Pool. It is very similar to the one they have on the Breakaway.

 

The Thermal Suite on the Escape has more heated tile loungers (these are very popular) and very comfy soft padded loungers.

 

There are a very limited number of those heated tile loungers. I never got to use them during the daytime since they are always occupied. But fortunately, I have seen the staff removing towels from unoccupied tile loungers. So that's pretty good.

 

I saw a lot soft padded loungers available even during the sea days.

 

 

 

 

Salt Room

They recommend that you spend about 20 minutes in the salt room. We tried it out and found it to be a comfortable place to relax and cool down after spending some time in the sauna and Thalassotherapy Pool. We also talked to a lot of nice people in the Salt Room.

 

 

 

The very cool (and cold!) Snow Room.They recommend that you spend about 2 minutes in the salt room. Wear your slippers so you can last 2 minutes. The floor is freezing and also very slippery.

 

[aquarianne11]

 

The Thermal Suite on the NORWEGIAN ESCAPE

 

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Edited January 8, 2016 by aquarianne11

[aquarianne11]

As you can see, the Spa is so peaceful and almost empty during the night. They are open from 8AM-10PM except on the last day of the cruise. They close at 8PM during the last day of the cruise.

 

 

 

 

The Thalassotherapy Pool has a very powerful waterfall feature in the center.

 

 

 

Mandara Spa and Salon Hours

8AM-10PM

Barber Shop Hours

8AM-10PM

Fitness Center Hours

6AM-11PM

 

Last day of the cruise - Spa, Salon, and Barber Shop

hours are 8AM - 8PM.

 

[aquarianne11]

Really enjoyed your vid - thank you. Cruising in the Escape in July and so looking forward to it.

 

 

Thanks for watching the videos! I'm glad you enjoyed them. We had so much fun on the Escape. I hope that you will have a great time as well. :)

[aquarianne11]

The Fitness Center

 

On the Breakaway, the fitness center is very narrow and is divided into two rooms, one room for the cardio equipment and the other room for the weights.

 

They have made some improvement on the Escape with the more spacious and open design. Fitness Center Hours is from 6AM to 11PM. As always, it was a little crowded during sea days.

 

[aquarianne11]

Spice H20

 

Spice H20 is an adult-only retreat. Since we spent most of our time in the Spa and the Thermal Suite, we did not really spend a lot of time here. The waterfall grotto feature looks really pretty and cool!

 

They also have parties here at night.

 

 



 



 



 

[aquarianne11]

Spice H20 at Night

 

 

[aquarianne11]

Splash Academy

 

Our 8-year-old loved the Splash Academy so much and begged to go every day and as often as possible. She met a lot of friends and they performed a circus show during the last sea day of the cruise. SUPER FUN!

 

They had pillow fights, face painting, fashion show, pirate parade, treasure hunt and so much more.

 

These photos were taken during the open house (embarkation day). You can go in with your kids during the open house. This is very helpful especially if you have younger kids who are hesitant to try Splash Academy.

 

 

 

 

 

 

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for sharing :)

[JerseyMouseCruises]

Great video and commentary. I especially appreciate your comparisons to the Breakaway.

[aquarianne11]

Thanks for sharing :)

 

Thank you for reading along! Enjoy your upcoming cruises! :)

[aquarianne11]

Great video and commentary. I especially appreciate your comparisons to the Breakaway.

 

Thank you for the kind words! We really love the Breakaway and we are glad that we enjoyed the Escape even more. :)