My Quick Review Of Escape 5/14/2016 (With A Few Pics)

[Two Wheels Only]

Prologue

 

This is my first review so feel free to ask any questions that you might have. I'm sure I will leave out some details. After reading some other reviews of Escape, I'm starting to wonder if I was on the same ship that those other people were on.

 

 

The Beginning - Boarding The Ship

 

On this cruise, my family of 4 (myself, wife and 2 daughters) were traveling with my younger sister and our mother. For my mother and sister, this was their first cruise. I wanted to give them a special cruise but didn't want to overwhelm them. The first step was to get them on-board.

 

I drove us all to the POM (Port of Miami) and dropped them and our luggage while I parked the SUV. They waited for my return and we entered the terminal.

 

My family was traveling in a Haven suite (12306) but my mother and sister were in a standard balcony (12304) right next door. I had made arrangements with the concierge desk for all of us to board together. We walked into the Haven guest area...

 

 

 

...and were treated to refreshments. The area was completely empty (a sign of things to come?) and after a quick check-in, the 6 of us were escorted onto the ship. The lines weren't bad but we were glad to pass right by them.

 

Once on-board, a second escort brought us to the elevators that were reserved (velvet rope) for Haven guests. There was a small crowd waiting by the other elevators and most of them didn't seem to be upset as we disappeared into the Escape. After an express ride to deck 17, we entered the Haven and met out concierge, Adrian. He not only greeted my family by name but he greeted my mother and sister as well even though they were not Haven guests. Yes, he even knew their stateroom number and wasn't cross in any way towards them. He was willing to show them around the Haven courtyard but I didn't want to make them feel like they were missing something by not being Haven guests. We decided to head right to our staterooms.

 

 

Our Staterooms (12304 and 12306)

 

 

Our first stop was 12304. I did all of the research on this stateroom (thanks, CC members) and decided that it would be a great 1st experience for my mother and sister. I had it set up as 2 separate beds which were by the balcony...

 

 

and then there is the balcony. I knew what my balcony would be like and I didn't want my mother and sister to feel less than adequate. I had first considered an angle-balcony for the slightly larger size. Once the ship was built and I saw more photos, I decided on 12304 for them because...

 

 

...this balcony is about twice as wide as a standard balcony. They were more than happy. The only downside was that their neighbor to the right looked over a few times on the first day in amazement (?) at the size. Upon request, a lounger can be brought onto the balcony.

 

---to be continued---

[Two Wheels Only]

Once they were settled in, my family went right next door to our stateroom, 12306...

 

 

... which is a H6 category room. It is a Haven class stateroom with all of the Haven amenities even though it isn't located within the Haven complex. The interior is beautiful...

 

 



 



 

...

 

---to be continued---

[Two Wheels Only]

......and even after over a year of research from the time I booked (long before the ship was completed) to seeing it in the flesh, I was extremely pleased with the stateroom interior. The main attraction (and a surprise for my wife) was the balcony. My wife is a balcony fanatic. We've never cruised without a balcony. She was thrilled to see...

 

 

(difficult to see but there are 2 loungers - 1 padded and 1 standard pool deck lounger)

 

...but enough with the pictures, it's time for some words.

 

The sofa can be configured as a single bed (parallel to the TV) or as a double bed (perpendicular to the TV) depending on what you ask the room steward. In my case, our steward (Harvey) would set it as a single for my older daughter while our younger daughter slept with mom and dad in the king-sized bed.

 

The smaller bathroom features a stand-up shower, sink, and toilet. This was to be my bathroom while the 3 females shared the other/larger bathroom.

 

There was a ton of storage space in both rooms.

 

---to be continued---

Edited May 23, 2016 by Two Wheels Only

[Cruzinbabe06]

Wow!

 

I'm following.:)

 

Thanks for taking the time to post your review.

[CruzinMel]

That balcony is to die for!!!

[Two Wheels Only]

That balcony is to die for!!!

 

The pictures don't really do it justice. I didn't want to fall off the ship trying to get everything in frame.

 

 

...if anyone has questions about the interior, please ask. The lights were easy (for me) to figure out but my wife never got the hang of them. Controlling the blue mood lights beside the bed remained a mystery to her.

 

The next parts will consist of...

 

The Staff

The Crowds

The Food

The Ship

 

Overall grade

 

Ports are difficult to review since excursions (or lack thereof) are more of an individual choice not dependent upon the ship.

[Sand and Seas]

Thanks for your review! Can't wait to read more. And very nice seeing those balconies so we can all dream a little :D

[Clarea]

Excellent start, looking forward to this.

[Yorkvillain]

Great review so far Two Wheels. Thanks.

[jimbri]

Looking forward to the rest of your review, especially the photos!

[wildtky101]

Looking forward to hearing more [emoji5]

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Two Wheels Only]

The Staff

 

From the first day to the last, the staff was exceptional (in a good way). Simple things like "Hello, how are you today?" go a long way with me. I'm not a needy person who expects the staff to bend over backwards for me so maybe I'm easily impressed. Some of the staff (not sure of all of the names) deserve a special mention:

 

Adrian (Concierge) and his assistant(s) - My family had the UDP and my mother/sister had the 4SDP. I had made reservations for the entire trip for us so that the 6 of us could try the specialty restaurants together and the 4 of my family could try a few more specialty restaurants and the Haven restaurant without my mom and sister. Shortly before the trip, I found out that my sister is now vegan and my mother no longer eats red meat. I had to cancel/reschedule most of my reservations on-board. Even though every restaurant was booked, Adrian was able to get a reservation for us every night that I asked for one. I would either speak to him in person in the Haven or call him on the phone. He would either work his magic immediately or call me back in a few minutes with my reservation time. Sometimes, his assistant would call just to make sure that the reservation worked for us (if we had shows scheduled, for example). A+ job by the concierge and staff. They received a nice gratuity from us.

 

Richard (our butler) - With 2 young/often exhausted kids, there were a few times that meals had to be delivered to our suite. ANYTHING that we wanted from multiple restaurants was delivered without a problem. The only hiccup was that because of the terms of the UBP, drinks delivered via butler would incur a charge. Richard reminded us of this so that we wouldn't be charged. I just went downstairs, got a few drinks, and my wife and I would drink while waiting for our meal. Everything was exactly as ordered and Richard would set everything up either in room or on the balcony. In addition to what we ordered, Richard would come by (sometimes twice a day) to deliver treats such as mini-sandwiches, caviar, sweets, banana bread, fruits, you name it. When a 2 year-old starts to ask for "Richard" when she wants something, the butler has made a positive lasting impression. Richard was taken care of gratuity wise.

 

Harvey (room steward) - Wonderful job of taking care of my suite. Kids can be messy, I know. Towels can end up everywhere including outside of the room. Harvey always kept our suite in top shape. If we left the room, we would come back to find everything in order. Every night we were surprised with a towel animal that my kids loved...

 

 

...so we kept the entire family and didn't use those towels.

 

I had pre-ordered a few special pillows (memory foam, temperature control, etc.) and not only were those there, there were extra pillows hidden in storage throughout the room. I think I counted 12 or 14 pillows for sleeping plus the pillows for decoration. Toiletries (Bvlgari) were well stocked and replenished even when not needed. Metal garbage cans are hidden in the bathrooms, btw. It took a day to find them in both bathrooms. Harvey didn't miss a thing and would offer us more when we saw him in the evenings. We gave an additional gratuity.

 

Ruth (?) - I'm not completely sure of her name but we saw her multiple times throughout the ship. She worked in the Haven restaurant but we also saw her working in The Manhattan Room and Taste/Savor (I couldn't tell them apart even though the decor is different). Every time we saw her, whether she was assigned to us or not, she would come over and say "Hi" to us and our kids. She knew us by name which makes me feel even worse for not remembering hers.

 

There were others who seemed to go out of their way to make us feel special (even though I know that we are just one family among thousands of guests). The bartenders were great (never a wait) and even made virgin drinks for the kids without asking. The Haven bartenders were great/friendly, also. Even the water-slide attendants (boring job, for sure) were friendly. No complaints about any of the staff....except maybe for the photographers at dinner. They were polite but several flashes throughout the restaurant can annoy after a while.

 

Overall, an A for the staff.

[j603]

Sounds like the Haven staff were unbeatable!

[Two Wheels Only]

The Crowds

 

To start, I'm a New Yorker, born and raised. Lived in a city of millions, commuted on a subway system with millions, and attended a High School that had more students than the Escape has guests. Crowds don't bother me for the most part.

 

The crowds weren't a problem at all. OBVIOUSLY, the Haven areas are less crowded than the rest of the ship but even the common areas weren't crowded, imo. I was actually surprised that there were so many empty areas on the ship and therein lies the problem. It isn't the number of people that is a problem. It is that guests aren't using the areas "correctly".

 

Some cruisers want a nice quiet area to sit and read/drink/sunbathe. There's no reason for these people to sit by the pool when there are areas above the pool level that are practically empty. There is sun and shade up there, too. Deck 19 is empty more or less. Even the hot-tub up there was empty more than half of the time.

 

For those who want "action", there is plenty to be had. The waits for the water-slides were not very long even on sea days. I must confess/apologize for the following...

 

 

...My older daughter was a little apprehensive when it came to the "blue slide". She managed the smaller red and yellow slides before but the blue slide took some convincing. How it works is....you wait on one line to get your tube (yellow towards the right in the picture), then you take your tube upstairs and wait on a second line and slide when it's your turn. I took her upstairs to see how everything works. While standing there (in front of the line) the attendant said "Sure, she's tall enough..." and handed us a tube for her and one for me and sent us upstairs completely bypassing the first line of people waiting for a tube. I don't know why he did this but the second attendant upstairs recognized us from the Haven and spoke to us while waiting for our turn. Long story short, my daughter loved the water-slide (she went solo) and continued to slide (blue and yellow) for the rest of the cruise. We waited our turn for the rest of the cruise which wasn't a long wait at all.

 

As for the Haven....

 

 

 

...the pool area looked like this most of the time. There were sometimes bathers/readers on the loungers but EVERY TIME we went to the pool area, there was always at least 1 empty hot-tub and NEVER more than 3 other people in the pool. We had a great time there and never had trouble getting a spot for the 4 of us. Even those couch-looking things with shade were available.

 

As for the upper level of the Haven Courtyard....

 

---continued---

[Two Wheels Only]

...it looked like this most of the time...

 

 

^ the very front/top of the ship with great views. Smoking is allowed there but never a problem.

 

 

^ these blue double lounger things were mostly empty but the ones on the corners were the most popular.

 

 

^ the Haven sundeck hot-tub. Great place to take pictures without disturbing anyone...since it was empty most of the time. I liked it up there and so did the kids.

 

 

^ the upper level of the Courtyard under the retractable roof. Wonderful place to nap/read.

 

All of these areas are serviced by staff who will take drink orders and bring snacks. Truly, a wonderful place.

[Jenjer]

You are making me so happy I can not wait for more.

 

Please some on the Haven food anything you loved or didn't.

 

Did you order any specialty meals to be delivered in your room?

[Criscomia]

What time were you allowed to board?

[Two Wheels Only]

A final few words on the crowds. I didn't feel that the ship was crowded but I felt that the passengers weren't "exploring" what the ship had to offer. The Waterfront was a great place to hang out in peace but few people went there.

 

The only part of the Waterfront that had people was the aft (we could see from the balcony) but the outside dining areas/bars along the sides of the ship were there for the taking. We saw a couple from the Haven reading a book while sitting on the Waterfront. It was that kind of quiet.

[Two Wheels Only]

Please some on the Haven food anything you loved or didn't.

I'll cover the restaurants (Haven was the best, btw) soon.

 

Did you order any specialty meals to be delivered in your room?

 

Yes. My wife loved the dessert from La Cucina,...

 

 

the burgers from Margaritaville, the wings from O'Sheehan's (not specialty) and I loved the carrot cake from the Haven....all delivered by Richard.

[RushFan]

Great Review and photos !! Can't wait for our turn!! If you had to do it over again would you skip the specialty restaraunts and just do Haven?

 

Keep it coming!!

[Two Wheels Only]

The Food

 

Overall, I was impressed by the food. My top 3 were The Haven, Food Republic, and Teppanyaki.

 

The Haven restaurant was our "go to" spot for several reasons. The food was great, there was never a wait EVER, the staff was phenomenal (bringing pillows for a sleepy child, for ex.), and eating outdoors...

 

 

...looked like this. The shade kept us cool but there was one morning when it was a little too hot out there so we moved indoors half-way through the meal. No problem. The menu didn't change but there was variety. I liked the lunch menu the most followed by the dinner menu. The breakfast menu was good and the small snack items that were available "buffet style" were top notch.

 

Food Republic was great, fast, and the restaurant was beautiful. It was a bit more crowded than I expected because I thought that the à la carte pricing would turn people off. Not the case. There was a good mix of people there of all ages. I even saw a group where some less adventurous eaters brought food from the Garden Cafe and ate in FR while the rest of the group ordered sushi...weird but "freestyle", I guess.

 

Teppanyaki (thanks to Adrian for getting 6 of us there on short notice) was very good but a bit salty. I had the "Asuka" (filet mignon and lobster tail) but couldn't finish it. I loved it but there was SO MUCH of it. I was stuffed. The drinks, apps, and dessert were good but my wife wasn't crazy about the Green Tea Cake. She also wasn't thrilled that the beef was cooked on the grill before the chicken (she doesn't eat beef for religious reasons). My vegan sister had decided that she was on vacation so she ate whatever she wanted, animal and all.

 

We also enjoyed Margaritaville (when the music/singing wasn't too loud), Cagney's (I easily finished the 20 oz porterhouse) the Manhattan Room, Taste, Savor, O'Sheehan's (Christian was very nice), and even the Garden Cafe.

 

La Cucina was just ok. Nothing special other than the decor. Also, the wait from seating to meal being delivered was unacceptable. The family of 4 that was seated a minute before us was finishing dessert before we received our meal. Long wait plus average food equals a "C" grade for La Cucina.

 

Side note, 4 meals a day (sometimes 5 :o ) became the norm for us. That doesn't include the snacks from Richard or the late snacks from O'Sheehan's. Since the UDP is gone, I was going to make the most of it. My only regret was not trying Bayamo. I was out voted for there and it isn't open for lunch for me to try on my own (like sneaking into Food Republic without the family). I'll try Pinchos next time (solo). I'm more adventurous when it comes to eating than my family is.

 

About the Garden Cafe....it can be a madhouse. Swarms of people coming to eat but that is to be expected at a buffet.

Note to future cruisers....the food isn't going away. No need to rush up there to be first in line. They have plenty of everything.

[libbyuga]

Exciting review! What terminal did you go to for embarkation? Our boarding docs say B but I've heard Haven should go to C. Or is it both?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[Two Wheels Only]

Exciting review! What terminal did you go to for embarkation? Our boarding docs say B but I've heard Haven should go to C. Or is it both?

 

We went to C. The Haven area is the first door on the left. The escort "with the sign-on-a-stick" will lead you past the crowds to the ship.

[Two Wheels Only]

If you had to do it over again would you skip the specialty restaraunts and just do Haven?

 

No, simply because I wanted to try different things for every meal. My wife could have easily had 21 Haven meals!

 

Now that I have experienced most of the specialty restaurants on the ship, We'll probably do the Haven restaurant more next time, though. We went 6 times, iirc.

 

Plus, with the UDP, there was nothing stopping us from doing the Haven for early dinner and somewhere else for late dinner.....yeah, we did that a couple of times.

Edited May 23, 2016 by Two Wheels Only

[Two Wheels Only]

The Ship

 

For a full pictorial of the Escape, I HIGHLY recommend

Gambee's Review and Pictorial Guide.

 

It should be a "sticky"...it is that good and comprehensive. :cool:

 

I'll just give my opinion. It is a wonderful ship. I just wish that people (who probably aren't CC members) would learn the layout of the ship in advance. When people only congregate in a few areas, the ship can seem crowded but there is so much more to see and places to be.

 

Why aren't more adults here?.....

 

 

 

...instead of huddled around the pool area? There are so many places that guests aren't seeing. Did anyone else go to the library? Did people enjoy those red loungers on the Waterfront? I just wandered around and saw places that I had never seen before and I've seen a ton of photos of this ship over the last few months. Something as simple as a hallway can lead to an "unknown" area.

 

Some people will never be on this ship again. Why not try and see everything?

 

 

Final Grade

 

A strong A or A+.

 

My experience may have been unique since it wasn't crowded as others have mentioned, there were hardly any kids (or adults?) in the Haven, the staff was great to us, and truth be told, we got an excellent price.

 

We will sail Escape again next year BUT the promos are nowhere near as good. We had UDP, UBP, waived DSC, OBC, and the kids sailed free.

 

Now, they are offering...

 

UBP vs UBP (same)

3SDP vs UDP

Shore Excursion credit vs OBC

Wifi vs No DSC

3rd and 4th free vs 3-6 free (same in our case but our next cruise will include a larger family who could have used 5th and 6th free)

 

As much as I love the Haven (suite, areas, restaurant), I would have had a great time without it. My mother and sister had a great time. HOWEVER, my next cruise on the Escape will also be Haven and will also be in the same stateroom. My mother and sister will probably go Haven or as I recommended, Spa Haven. Deluxe Spa Haven is already booked by someone else but there's always next next time for them to get that one.

 

Heck, I may even get a Spa Pass just to experience it....I'm not exactly a "Spa person" but it's something new and I don't shy away from new adventures.

 

Feel free to ask any questions. :)