Norwegian Escape 4/23 - 4/30

[ts2wart]

Hi Folks, my first cruise on the Escape was everything I had hoped and MORE! Everything you all discussed was right on target. I travelled with my sister and her boyfriend. They had a balcony room and I had a studio room. I really like it, it was roomy, plenty of space, the set up was thought out and appropriate and just enough for as little as I was there. The studio lounge was quite nice and the pastries in the morning and cookies and cake in the afternoon were a nice touch.

 

Restaurants: we only at at the buffet twice. It was good. It's quite large so I didn't feel like we were waiting to get to anything for very long. The Manhattan Room was our favorite. The food was amazing and changed every day. The menu is the same here as it is at Taste and Savor so don't feel like you are missing out on anything. Really, I can't say enough about how good the food was. And I can be picky. Great seafood selections and on the last night I had lobster and filet (at an upcharge) and it was fantastic.

 

Motion: as a first time cruiser I was afraid of getting seasick. I brought Dramamine, patches and Seabands. Didn't need any of that. We had an evening or two where there was slight motion but nothing that made any of us ill. It was very subtle.

 

Pool: very small for the overall size of the ship. Too crowded for us so we spent our days at the SpiceH2O area which was quieter. It had hot tubs and the grotto that you could cool off in so I really didn't miss the pool. The pool was a circus every day so if you aren't up for a crowd and a lot of noise, avoid it. You'll be glad you did.

 

Casino: I noticed a fair amount of smoke but this has been the case in every casino I have ever been in. Others have indicated the smoke smell was overwhelming, I did not find this to be the case. I did win a little bit of money so it was worth checking out in my opinion.

 

Shows: we didn't catch any of the shows as we were there with a group following a band who were also on board. As such, we watched them perform most times. Those that I spoke to though said they thought they were decent.

 

Cabin Stewards: mine was Shenel, she was excellent. She kept my room in perfect order. Always left me a towel animal in the evening and a mint. She was very sweet and personable. The last night she left me a tray with small pastries and treats which I thought was going the extra mile. I tipped her additional as a result because I thought her service was top of the line.

 

Bartenders: so much fun! Some were not as outgoing but most were really cheerful and happy and would engage in conversation. Clarence at the Five O'Clock Somewhere bar was a hoot! The bartenders at Sugarcane were fun also and made excellent flavored mojitos. You must try the drink of the day, every day, you won't be disappointed! The Miami Vice was my favorite. A coconutty frozen concoction that was so refreshing in that hot sun! The mango meltdown was also a fave! Try them all!

 

Cruise Director: Silas Cook. Wow, what a nice guy! Always updating on the day's happenings, important information, and where and what was going on. Super friendly! I can't say enough about the entire cruise staff....it can't be an easy job being on that boat for months at a time. Regardless of the pay, that's a tough job!

 

Days at Port: St. Thomas, we got a cab to Hull Bay Hideaway to see the band we followed. They beach was nice, not great, but nice. Was a good day overall. In Tortola we went to the Virgin Gorda Baths. It was really interesting and beautiful. Navigating through the rock formations was fun and we thought it was something different than just a day at the beach. It is mid level intensity as far as physically demanding so if you have difficulty walking or maneuvering through small spaces, this may not be the trip for you. But they also had a pool, restaurant and gift shops if you wanted to go with others but didn't want to do the hard stuff. In Nassau, we did the Seahorse Snorkel trip. A catamaran picked a bunch of us up and took us about 20 minutes out, dropped anchor and told us to get snorkeling. It was amazing! We saw some beautiful fish and coral formations and I got to use my new underwater camera which came in handy. We stayed out about an hour and then headed back to the port. The captain pointed out houses along the way that belonged to famous people and different points of interests while we had rum punch. It was an inexpensive half a day trip which I do recommend. All the port days, we did half day excursions so we would have time for shopping and exploring in each town either before or after. This worked out well and we got some t shirts, hats, and other souvenirs. In Tortola, I do suggest going to Sunny Caribee, the spice shop, they have some wonderful and different things such as hot sauces, jerk seasonings, and hibiscus tea leaves.

 

Embarkation/Disembarkation: lots of people but it is organized well for the number of folks. Be patient, wait your turn and you will be fine. No one is leaving without you and everyone is going the same direction so just follow instructions and you'll get where you're going.

 

All in all, I truly enjoyed our cruise...everything about it was 5 star! I was ready for a vacation and it didn't disappoint! A vacation is what you make of it and you always hear different views but we really enjoyed the Escape and would definately go on another cruise with them.

 

If you are due to travel on the Escape in the coming months, I hope you enjoy it as much as we did!!!

[Clarea]

Well-written report, thank-you.

[vicocala]

Thanks for your review. I'm looking forward to trying the Escape for the first time in December. I'm glad you enjoyed your vacation!

[Ladzen]

Nice review. I will be sailing on the Escape this coming Halloween in a studio room. Since you were there with others you may not be able to answer my question but here goes. Did the solo coordinator plan a meal and a show for the singles as a group on a daily basis?

[ts2wart]

The solo host scheduled meetings every day at 6 pm. Passing by I would see them and hear them talking about where they would like to go eat, things they did during the day, and figuring out who to go on excursions with and where. It's an excellent service for single cruisers and in the future if I cruise solo, I would definately take advantage of this. There was a white board in the lounge you could leave messages for others on if you wanted company for dinner or had a question or were looking for someone to hang out with. It's really nice and the Escape has put a lot of thought into making their solo travellers feel included.

[2ManyCruises]

I enjoyed reading your review. And agree a vacation is what you make of it. We've never had a bad cruise. The Escape is a wonderful ship. Can't wait to sail her again in a few weeks.

[Cruzinbabe06]

Thank you for taking the time to post your review.:)

[Sand and Seas]

Thank you for the great review! I love that you mentioned the Sunny Caribbee Spice shop. We had first visited Tortola about 20 years ago and loved that shop then. There's also a great pub you can visit called Pusser's. First place we tried conch fritters. So glad that NCL is now making regular visits to this beautiful island. Can't wait to visit it again:D

[Mistizoom]

Thanks for your review!

[Nator72]

Thank you. We are new cruisers sailing on the Escape in June. We booked the Baths in Tortola and your review was helpful. I'm also worried about motion sickness - thank you for your thoughts on that as well. Sound like you had a fabulous time.