Our Amazing ESCAPE on the NORWEGIAN ESCAPE!

[Ctrinh225]

Thank you so much for the review and excellent pictures. Your daughter is adorable and BRAVE (doing the rope course). If she can do it then I'll try on my Escape next few months. And those pics of the Aquaracer looks like FUN.....can't wait for my turn!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[aquarianne11]

Thank you so much for the review and excellent pictures. Your daughter is adorable and BRAVE (doing the rope course). If she can do it then I'll try on my Escape next few months. And those pics of the Aquaracer looks like FUN.....can't wait for my turn!

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

 

Thank you so much for the compliments! She was really looking forward to the ropes course since she missed her chance (by 2 inches) on the Breakaway.

 

Yes, Aqua Racer was so much fun! We went again and again until we got tired of climbing. Enjoy your cruise! :)

[aquarianne11]

The Kids Aqua Park opens earlier than the Aqua Park slides so we would spend some time here as we wait for the Aqua Racer slide to open.

 

The Kids Aqua Park includes a two-story climbing structure with water cannons and buckets. The kids would use cannons and buckets on ANYONE, so don't stay here if you want to stay dry!

 

My daughter enjoyed exploring the tower and the rope bridge. She would sometimes meet some of the Splash Academy friends and they would play and slide together. The RED SLIDE is also very fun and very FAST! Even the bigger kids actually like that slide.

 

Speaking of the bigger kids, watch out for them especially if you have little ones. They can play rough sometimes, unmindful of the smaller kids around them.

 

 

 



 



 



 



 

Edited January 12, 2016 by aquarianne11

[aquarianne11]

THE POOLS

 

As I mentioned in the beginning of this review, the pools are small and can become overcrowded during peak hours. I knew that going in so I was not really surprised.

 

The pools open early, around 7AM or 8AM. So if you are an early riser, you can definitely enjoy an uncrowded pool. We actually had the same experience on the Breakaway.

 

We would be in the pool and Aqua Park around 9AM and we would be done around lunchtime to avoid the crowd.

 

 

Around 9:30AM (sea day) at the Family Pool. Still pretty quiet!

 

 

 

Walk through the outdoor marketplace and you get to the adults only pool.

 

Very very quiet around 8AM!

 

 

 

 

 

 

This photo was taken around noon on a sea day. The place had so much energy! They have games and live music here. So if you like to be near the action, this is your place. Unfortunately, the pool area is too small for the number of people on board. I have to admit we really did not spend time here at all.

 

Around 11:30AM (sea day) at the Family Pool

Edited January 12, 2016 by aquarianne11

[dng6325]

Loving your review so far! We'll be on the Escape next December and have a son your daughter's age. It's great to read a review geared toward what a kid his age would enjoy!

[cruiselife4me]

Fantastic review so far! Your daughter IS adorable. Great insight, can't wait for more.

Mary

[aquarianne11]

Loving your review so far! We'll be on the Escape next December and have a son your daughter's age. It's great to read a review geared toward what a kid his age would enjoy!

 

 

Thank you so much for the compliments! I think the Escape is such a great ship for kids and the whole family. There's so much to do!

[aquarianne11]

Fantastic review so far! Your daughter IS adorable. Great insight, can't wait for more.

Mary

 

Thank you so much for the compliments. Thanks for following!

Edited January 12, 2016 by aquarianne11

[aquarianne11]

More Activities

 

I just realized that I don't have photos of those, but the Escape also features a full-size basketball court, table tennis, and shuffle board.

 

This is called Bocce Ball. I have no idea what they were doing!

 

BOCCE BALL

 

 

 

 

Theater and Shows

 

The Escape Theater is a two-deck venue located at the front of the ship. Sorry, I was not able to take pictures before the shows started.

 

"After Midnight" is a jazz themed show that celebrates The Cotton Club, through song and dance. The performers are very talented and I really enjoyed the show! The show started at 10PM (late show) so my daughter slept halfway through. In her defense, it was way past her bedtime.

 

We missed our reservation for the "Million Dollar Quartet", (totally my fault) so I can't say anything about it.

 

We also took our daughter to the "Levity Comedy Show" (7 PM - early show). The show was very family friendly. The comedian, Mark Klein, was very funny. He had jokes about their dogs that my daughter loved. My family enjoyed the show. We saw the show at the Headliners but they sometimes have comedy show at the Theater as well.

 

 

Edited January 13, 2016 by aquarianne11

[aquarianne11]

DINING

 

Everyone's taste in food is different so having so many places to choose from is a big plus for the Norwegian Escape.

 

 

Garden Café

We're fans of Norwegian’s buffets, in general, and the Escape’s did not disappoint. The buffet restaurant is called the Garden Café, it is good with a lot of selections; we ate a lot of breakfasts and lunches here.

 

The buffet is in a very large area. We never had a problem finding a table. There are several beverage stations, carving stations, several dessert areas and ice cream machines, which repeat throughout. Because of the stations, lines are seldom long.

 

I really like the design and the layout of the Garden Café. The space is bright and has a lot of natural light from the huge windows. There are a lot of tables near the window if you want to enjoy the view while eating.

 

 

 

 

We like the carving stations, Asian favorites and pasta station during lunch. They also have pizza, burgers, sandwiches, soups, salads and so much more. They have a lot of variety so there is something for everyone.

 

This is just my opinion but I did not like the cakes and pastries in the buffet.

Never tasted anything that I really like so I always end up having ice cream and fruits for dessert. It was a surprise since the cakes and pastries in the MDR are really good.

 

They have soft serve ice cream and about 8-10 different flavors of ice cream available. Just point the flavor that you want, the server will scoop the ice cream for you.

 

 

Taste and Savor

We also went to Taste (once) and Savor (once) for breakfast. Although we prefer the Garden Café because we like to eat breakfast quickly so we can hit the pool and slides early, we enjoyed our meals there.

 

The menus are basically the same, but the décor color is a little different. Savor has blue tones while Savor has cream and yellow tones.

 

Breakfast at Taste



 



 



 



 

 

Edited January 13, 2016 by aquarianne11

[aquarianne11]

For lunch we also tried Savor once, the food and service was good. The desserts are so much better than what they serve in the buffet.

 

Lunch at Savor



 



 



 



 

Edited January 13, 2016 by aquarianne11

[samandfaye]

Great Review and Photographs. We are sailing on 20th February and we are also heading to Orlando after the cruise to visit Universal. Just a few questions:

 

1. How long did the drive take from the cruise terminal in Miami to get by Disney/Universal?

 

2. A few early reviews mentioned that the stabilizers on the ship were faulty and you could really feel the motion on sea days. How did you find this?

 

3. What would you say is more desirable in your opinion. Spa Pass or Vibe pass?

 

Thanks in advance!

[aquarianne11]

 

Lunch at Savor.

We loved the Peanut Butter Cup Cheesecake and the Creme Caramel!

 



 

[aquarianne11]

Great Review and Photographs. We are sailing on 20th February and we are also heading to Orlando after the cruise to visit Universal. Just a few questions:

 

1. How long did the drive take from the cruise terminal in Miami to get by Disney/Universal?

 

2. A few early reviews mentioned that the stabilizers on the ship were faulty and you could really feel the motion on sea days. How did you find this?

 

3. What would you say is more desirable in your opinion. Spa Pass or Vibe pass?

 

Thanks in advance!

 

 

Thanks for the kind words. :)

Wow, that is such a great trip! I'm sure that's going to be an amazing vacation!

 

1. It took us about 5 hrs. Maybe 4 hrs without the stops.

 

We did not encounter any traffic since it was a Saturday but we had to take 2 stops. We had a quick lunch halfway and closer to Disney we stopped by Publix to buy groceries since we are staying in a timeshare with a kitchen.

 

2. We can feel the motion but never felt seasick. I think the location of the room helps. Our room was on Deck 10.

 

My daughter and I are prone to motion sickness/sea sickness. We came prepared with Dramamine and Sea bands (for my daughter). I never took the medicine and I was fine.

 

My daughter actually got very seasick during out ferry ride to The Baths (from Tortola). She needed the barf bag! She never got sick on the ship.

 

3. I think that depends on your preference. We spent a lot of time in the Spa, they have a huge thermal pool inside and is very relaxing. The spa pass was really worth it for us.

 

We never went to Vibe so we don't know what is they have in there, but I don't think they have a pool. The Escape also has Spice H20 with hot tubs and waterfall grotto (also adults only like the Vibe and it is free).

Edited January 13, 2016 by aquarianne11

[samandfaye]

Thanks for the kind words. :)

Wow, that is such a great trip! I'm sure that's going to be an amazing vacation!

 

1. It took us about 5 hrs. Maybe 4 hrs without the stops.

 

We did not encounter any traffic since it was a Saturday but we had to take 2 stops. We had a quick lunch halfway and closer to Disney we stopped by Publix to buy groceries since we are staying in a timeshare with a kitchen.

 

2. We can feel the motion but never felt seasick. I think the location of the room helps. Our room was on Deck 10.

 

My daughter and I are prone to motion sickness/sea sickness. We came prepared with Dramamine and Sea bands (for my daughter). I never took the medicine and I was fine.

 

My daughter actually got very seasick during out ferry ride to The Baths (from Tortola). She needed the barf bag! She never got sick on the ship.

 

3. I think that depends on your preference. We spent a lot of time in the Spa, they have a huge thermal pool inside and is very relaxing. The spa pass was really worth it for us.

 

We never went to Vibe so we don't know what is they have in there, but I don't think they have a pool. The Escape also has Spice H20 with hot tubs and waterfall grotto (also adults only like the Vibe and it is free).

 

Thanks! Very useful info.

[aquarianne11]

Thanks! Very useful info.

 

I'm glad I can help.

[aquarianne11]

SPECIALTY DINING

 

I have to admit that the food was not the highlight of our trip during our cruise on the Breakaway. We always found something we liked but I really missed the menu items that were available on our previous cruise on the Gem.

 

The opportunity of eating at a specialty restaurant each night was probably what made us decide to book the Escape last February.

 

We picked the Ultimate Dining Package (UDP) as our choice promotion and we dined at Moderno Churrascaria, Cagney’s, Le Bisto (2x), Teppanyaki (2x), and La Cucina for dinner. We received great food and service every time.

 

As a bonus, we also found out (from reading Cruise Critic) that we can eat at Margaritaville for free using our UDP. We went to eat here twice and loved the food.

 

Live Music



 

Margaritaville at Sea Menu

 



 



 

Margaritaville

[aquarianne11]

Margaritaville At Sea - Here are some of what we ordered:

Conch Fritters and Chips, Queso & Salsa



 

Hot Pretzel Sticks



 

Volcano Nachos (Huge!!!)

[aquarianne11]

Margaritaville At Sea - Here are some of what we ordered:

 

Volcano Burger

 

Cheeseburger in Paradise and Fish Tacos



 

Fish and Chips



 

Key West Fish Sandwich (Grilled Fish)



 

Key Lime Pie for Dessert

[Juliayn]

I did not know you could eat at Margaritaville for free with UDP. Thanks for the tip. Any other UDP tips or perks?

 

Love your fantastic review and pictures!!

[msdurk]

Wonderful review--beautiful pictures.

Could you please give more details about the Thermal Spa, for instance, how deep are the pools and is it difficult to get a heated lounger. We purchased the one week Spa.

Thanks for any help or tips you can provide us.

[JillK]

Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review and post the fabulous pictures from your cruise.

 

I had a question about Splash Academy I was hoping you could answer, if you don't mind.

 

A few years ago we took our daughters on the Epic and although they should have been in two different groups, they were together for the most part, as the Splash Academy area was open and there weren't a lot of kids on our particular cruise.

 

We are going on the Escape in December with our sons, who will be 5 and 6 and I see from your pictures that they will be in two "different" age groups. Did you notice if the age groups were segregated or was it more open? I'm hoping they will be able to spend some time together.

 

Thanks and looking forward to the rest of your review!

 

Jill

[grossnmoe]

We bought a 3 day meal plan can u eat free at jimmy buffets with that or do u have to have udp?

 

Love the review!!

Edited January 13, 2016 by grossnmoe

[aquarianne11]

I did not know you could eat at Margaritaville for free with UDP. Thanks for the tip. Any other UDP tips or perks?

 

Love your fantastic review and pictures!!

 

Thank you so much for reading.

 

I only learned that here from reading the boards, I'm happy to pass the info. I was disappointed to find out that Margaritaville became an a la carte restaurant but fortunately, someone reported that they were able to use UDP so it was free for them.

 

Using our UDP, we dined at Moderno Churrascaria, Cagney’s, Le Bisto, Teppanyaki, and La Cucina for dinner.

 

Cagney’s, Le Bisto, and La Cucina are a la carte restaurants on the Escape (going ala carte fleetwide soon) but UDP is still valid so we paid zero. Limit to 1 main to course but you can order several appetizers, side dishes, and desserts.

 

I hope this helps.

[aquarianne11]

Wonderful review--beautiful pictures.

Could you please give more details about the Thermal Spa, for instance, how deep are the pools and is it difficult to get a heated lounger. We purchased the one week Spa.

Thanks for any help or tips you can provide us.

 

Thank you so much for the compliments! We are really happy that we pre-purchased our spa passes. The thermal suite really enhanced our enjoyment of the cruise.

 

The Thalasso Therapy Pool is about 4 feet. They have 15-20 heated loungers, I did not really count but they are very popular.

 

If you can't find a heated lounger and some are empty but occupied by a towel you can inform one of the staff. Someone told me that they saw the staff removing towels from the heated loungers so people can actually use them.

 

I hope this helps.