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Norwegian Escape Review 1/28/17-2/4/17

new2cruising26

By new2cruising26,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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new2cruising26

new2cruising26

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Hey All! Yesterday, we arrived home from our Norwegian Escape vacation and I figured that since I stalked this thread prior to our departure, it was only fair to write a review upon return. Long story short, we had a wonderful time and I would recommend to anyone! I was so nervous going into this trip because of the negative reviews, but if you are in that same position, do not worry. This was a great ship.

 

A little about us: we are a couple in our late twenties. I had never cruised before, but my boyfriend had been on a few with his family in the past (RCCL). I was against cruising, but he talked me into this and I am glad that he did. With our stateroom, we opted for the UBP and UDP

 

Embarkation: Easy! We arrived to port around 10:30am and through security and check in in 20 minutes. We arrived upstairs to the holding area and got boarding group 18. Our boarding group was called by 11:45. This whole process was much smoother than anticipated.

 

Stateroom: We had an AFT balcony on the 11th floor. We loved this location...felt very centralized. Our room steward was great. We didn't see him much, but our room was always clean and had a bucket of ice waiting for us.

 

VIBE: I had read about VIBE a few months prior to cruising and from the time I did, I had my hopes up of getting passes. I knew it would be difficult because we were flying from Boston that morning and as stated above, we were group 18 when boarding. We went straight to Headliners once on board but were sad to learn that they were already sold out. We were asked if we wanted to join a waiting list, and we figured why not. Sure enough, when we arrived back to our room from dinner that night, we had a message letting us know that we had gotten the passes and to pick them up a Guest Services. Long story short, best $99 spent for those passes. The whole atmosphere was relaxing yet up beat all at once. It was great seeing the same people everyday and getting to know them. I also can not say enough about the two bartenders in VIBE, Rommel and Michael were fantastic. They knew us by name by the end of day 1 and treated every person up there like friends. Can't say enough about them. I highly recommend VIBE if you want an escape from the masses.

 

Pool Area: I can't speak much about this because we only spent a little time there on day 1 and while docked in Nassau but it did seem very crowded, but not sure what else anyone would expect with 4000 people on board. I will say that the bar and waitstaff always seemed friendly.

 

Dining: We had the 3 pack of specialty dining and chose: Moderno, Tappenyaki and Cagneys.

*Moderno: Was good but I am not sure we would dine there again. Not for any particular reason, but just was not our style.

*Tappenyaki: Awesome and would go back in a heart beat. We do habatchi every once in a while at home, and we both agreed this was the best one we have been to.

*Cagneys: Lives up to the hype! Would definitely go back.

 

MDR's: We did one dinner in Savor, and two in Manhattan room. If I had to do it again, all would be in Manhattan room. Same food, but better atmosphere with the live music. Overall, food was average in MDR. I think if we cruise Norwegian again we would opt for a 4 or 5 pack of specialty dining. Not because the MDR's were bad, but just because specialty was that much better.

 

Margaritaville: Tried the nachos for lunch one day---Awesome

 

Buffet: We ate in the buffet for most breakfast and lunch. Plenty of options, but tend to get old after day 3 or 4.

 

St. Thomas: We did the Jeep Safari and Beach. Would recommend. The jeep tour was great and you get to learn a lot about the island. We traveled up a mountainside and stopped to take amazing pictures. We ended up a Brewers Beach which was just okay IMO.

 

Tortola: We did Escape to Jost Van Dyke and I can not rave enough about it. This was probably our best day. The beach is absolutely pristine and the catamaran ride was a blast. We met great people on this excursion and drank our fair share of painkillers as well as endless rum punch on the way back. if you are looking for an excursion on Tortola, DO THIS!

 

Nassau: Pretty much used this as an extra boat day. Got off and walked around for about an hour and a half late in the afternoon and regretted it. The vendors are extremely pushy and the port area is dirty. If we go again we will not get off the boat.

 

Entertainment:

*Bratpack: Fun! Would recommend

*After Midnight: Not for us. In my opinion, too long. The music was good, but there was no story. We left after about an hour. Others on the ship raved about it though, so keep that in mind.

*Oh What a Night: We only stayed for about half due to dining reservations but liked what we saw.

*Dueling Pianos: Very fun

*Comedians: Hit or miss. Depended on the night and who was the act

*Spice H20: Awesome to people watch

 

Service: From our experience, the service was excellent. 90% of the staff that we interacted with were friendly, helpful and trying to make our vacation that much better. Did we run into some staff where this wasn't the case? Of course, it's bound to happen once or twice. But for everyone that runs into one staff member that does not have a smile on their face, and like to immediately complain (trust me, I saw a lot of other cruisers do this) remember that these staff members work 7 days a week, 12+ hour days, eight months at a time trying to make your vacation excellent. They are bound the have a rough day here or there. Cut them some slack. Now if it gets repetitive, that's kind of a different story. Only place I ever noticed was a O'Sheehans bar. Went there the first few days for a pre dinner drink and the barstaff seemed miserable every time. So we just moved on to a different bar later in the week.

 

Disembarkation: A breeze. We started at 9:15am and were in an uber by 9:40.

 

Overall: Would do this trip again in a heartbeat.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and I can try and tell you my perspective while it is still fresh in my mind!

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brookie848

brookie848

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Thank you for your review. We are going March 4. Who did you book the Tortola excursion through? We are thinking of going to the Bath's but your review may change my mind.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

 

I'm not the original poster, but have been on that excursion. It is a Norwegian excursion (the only one we have ever done). Check online, but it may already be sold out since it is very popular.

 

We're sailing on the Escape again next year and I've been stalking NCL so I can book this excursion again as soon as it opens up.

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pdz

pdz

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Was there a 'formal night' in main dining room ie Manhatten room on any night? A night with lobster tails?

What is VIBE? I'm booked for March 4th cruise on Escape

Also, tried for dining reservations. Couldn't get other than 9:30. Do some open up if try to book on cruise?

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gl339

gl339

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Stateroom: We had an AFT balcony on the 11th floor. We loved this location...felt very centralized. Our room steward was great. We didn't see him much, but our room was always clean and had a bucket of ice waiting for us.

 

I will be in an Aft balcony on the 11th floor for my upcoming cruise. Were there loungers on the balcony?

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new2cruising26

new2cruising26

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Thank you for your review. We are going March 4. Who did you book the Tortola excursion through? We are thinking of going to the Bath's but your review may change my mind.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

We booked directly with NCL. Fills up fast! We did hear from others that the Baths were great but that timing was tight on that excursion

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new2cruising26

new2cruising26

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Was there a 'formal night' in main dining room ie Manhatten room on any night? A night with lobster tails?

What is VIBE? I'm booked for March 4th cruise on Escape

Also, tried for dining reservations. Couldn't get other than 9:30. Do some open up if try to book on cruise?

 

There is an optional formal night which falls on the second night of the cruise. Seemed to us that about 50% of the ship decided to dress up (Suits for men, formal dresses for ladies) We did not eat in the main dining room that night so I am not sure about the Lobster Tails.

 

VIBE is a private sun deck which you buy a pass for. $99 pp for the week. Adults only. There is a very limited number of passes sold (somewhere between 65-80) and they are sold on first come basis. This area has padded loungers, it's own bar, misters, own hot tub, bathrooms, shower. Also added perks like cold towels passed out, fruit and cookies passed throughout the day)

 

We had reservations for all nights, but on the night we were eating in Cagney's we wanted to push it later. Went the night before and said there was no availability. Went the next afternoon and there were some cancellations so we were able to move it. Also heard that they only do a certain number of reservations before the cruise and reserve the rest for making reservations on board the ship...not sure if this is true or not.

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Gimmiethebeach

Gimmiethebeach

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Also, tried for dining reservations. Couldn't get other than 9:30. Do some open up if try to book on cruise?

 

 

Was on the Escape last March and found the same thing prior to the cruise. Once we started to board I opened the iConcierge app that I had downloaded on my phone and was able to book any time and restaurant I wanted. [emoji4]

 

 

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kmb388

kmb388

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Hi new2cruising26 and CrusieCritic family! We (my husband, David, and I) were on this cruise, too! We're from suburban Chicago and this was our third cruise and third time sailing with NCL.

 

Little late to the post-cruise party as getting back into the swing of things at work was more challenging than expected (many of the people I work with are sick now or were sick last week; I said I should take another cruise to stay away from the germs ... washy washy!). :)

 

CruiseCritic was also very valuable to us in preparing for our cruises, so I'd like to return the favor and figured this would be a good spot since we were on the same trip.

 

Casinos at Sea booking

We received emails from Casinos at Sea in Fall 2016 regarding a free cruise offer. We spent some time in the casinos during our previous two cruises, but we weren't and aren't "big" gamblers, so we didn't see how it was possible that we would have been selected for this offer. Our skepticism got the best of us, though, and we called in. Ultimately we booked a forward oceanview cabin on deck 9 with the Ultimate Beverage Package (as this was technically an inside booking that was upgraded, we only received one Free at Sea offer, though we added on the three meal Ultimate Dining Package on board).

 

Perhaps this is common knowledge for frequent CAS guests, but as it was new to us, I'll share a few more details. The value of an inside cabin is comped, so in addition to the admin fee and tax/port fees, we elected to pay an additional charge for the oceanview upgrade. Our beverage service fee was also paid at this time of booking (mid-November, after final payment due).

 

NCL Upgrade Bidding

I've explained elsewhere that we did also bid on an upgraded cabin. Ended up in an aft-facing balcony, deck 15. A little concerning on our first night with noise from Spice H20 and morning chair noise from the Garden Cafe, but we adapted. Just remember if your bid is accepted, you do not get to select the specific cabin where you will be assigned.

 

Embarkation & Sail Away

This process at the port was a breeze. We arrived at the port at about 10:15 AM and were on board just before noon. Lunch at Taste felt slow, but we chalked it up to the first day and everyone boarding and eating at the same time. I should note at this time that we also traveled with my aunt. She also had a balcony, but did meet up with the solo crusiers group on embarkation day. She didn't really participate in any of the other solo events, but really appreciated that activities were planned. Though she wasn't in a studio, she was invited to the studio lounge and felt very welcome. Kudos to NCL, on her behalf, for providing this welcoming atmosphere for solo cruisers.

 

Shows

We saw After Midnight, Brat Pack, and Oh What a Night and liked them best to least, in that order. People around us loved/hated each show; there's no pleasing everyone! A CruiseCritic friend we met at the Meet & Greet encouraged us to go to one of the shows even though we didn't have reservations ... walked in without issue!

 

Food

The food, as always, was delicious. We used our UDP for Teppanyaki, Moderno, and Le Bistro. Like new2cruising26, I love hibachi at home, so Teppanyaki is always a must for me. My husband really likes Le Bistro, but I think we both agree that we can pass on Moderno in the future. Food is great, but you need to have a serious appetite! Our other dinners were in the Manhattan Room; loved the ambiance.

 

Many on these boards have asked about making reservations -- while more times/dates are opened when on board, I'd recommend making reservations as early as possible to get what you really want. We purchased the UDP at Headliners after the muster drill, and the staff member was a little hesitant to sell the package to us unless we made reservations right at that moment (so we would actually secure restaurants/dates/times that we preferred since they were booking quickly).

 

We had lunch in Margaritaville twice, but never tackled the famous nachos. The bartender in Margaritaville, Yum, has received so much praise on the boards, and it's well deserved. My aunt has an agave allergy (funny to go to Margaritaville, right?!) but Yum delivered with a delicious drink that she greatly enjoyed.

 

We also enjoyed cupcakes from The Bake Shop (it was my aunt's birthday) and gelato (why not?). Definitely a nice treat!

 

Phone service

While docked in USVI we had cell service. I'm assuming it was AT&T or an affiliate network as that is my provider at home and I was not charged roaming. The network in BVI was Flow (roaming for me) and I didn't have any coverage in the Bahamas.

 

Staff drill

We left the ship at about 10:30 Tuesday morning (USVI) as the staff was beginning a safety drill. Ample warnings were given that a drill would be conducted, though warnings weren't given that elevator use would be suspended for a few minutes. Didn't impact us ... just FYI. It may have been a complete coincidence, or perhaps part of the drill, but there was very limited use of public restrooms at this time, too.

Escape amenities

Our previous experiences have been on smaller ships, and I think that may be our preference. The Escape certainly offered many amenities to keep us entertained, but even on our last day, we still took a wrong turn or two trying to navigate the ship! We enjoyed playing mini golf and I had fun on the ropes course.

 

I do agree with others, though, who aren't thrilled with the casino location. Though I mentioned we do gamble, we don't smoke ... and that smell does carry through to other areas mid-ship because of the openness of decks 6, 7, and 8.

 

We brought a power strip with us on this cruise as it was recommended to us prior to our first cruise, and came in handy. Never used it in our cabin on the Escape, though (did come in handy at FLL airport :) ). Our bedside lamps had USB charging plugs, which was great for our phones. I've seen others on here ask about TV jacks, if you were to bring a portable DVD player, for example. There is an HDMI port ... I have a picture of the side of the TV if anyone is actually interested.

 

Thanks to another recommendation from CC, we brought lanyards for our room key. Remembered to pack it in our carry on, too! Went straight to Guest Services when we boarded to have our keys hole punched.

 

Disembarkation

My aunt flew out of Miami and opted to catch a cab to the airport upon disembarkation. There is absolutely no shortage of cabs available at the port. We flew out of Ft. Lauderdale and opted to purchase the bus transfer through NCL thinking it would be a well-oiled machine. I understand that any number of things can disrupt a timetable on disembarkation (clearing customs, earlier groups disembarking, etc.), but when we got off the boat slightly before 10 AM (last group) it seemed as if nearly every other passenger needing a bus to FLL was still waiting at the port for the shuttle. This was complete chaos - when two buses finally arrived, everyone swarmed the door. As best as I could tell, tickets weren't checked/there was no sort of passenger list. It was just a free-for-all. A third bus eventually arrived (and we had a late flight so we weren't in a terrible rush), but this really wasn't organized. Should we cruise out of FL again, we'll look at different shuttle options, or taxi to MIA.

 

I could go on and on about this trip ... was exactly what we wanted: warmth and relaxation. I hope this is as helpful to others as CruiseCritic has been for me! Please let me know if you have other questions!

Edited by kmb388
Noting aft-facing blacony. Sorry!
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kmb388

kmb388

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Posted (edited)
We did not have loungers on the balcony, only two chairs and a little table. Not sure if others had loungers though

 

We had an aft-facing balcony on deck 15 with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. The balcony was pretty deep -- I wonder if the aft sizes are different because of how the decks are tiered?

Edited by kmb388
Noting aft-facing
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kmb388

kmb388

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Posted
Was there a 'formal night' in main dining room ie Manhatten room on any night? A night with lobster tails?

What is VIBE? I'm booked for March 4th cruise on Escape

Also, tried for dining reservations. Couldn't get other than 9:30. Do some open up if try to book on cruise?

 

I heard from someone else that lobster tails are no more. Not a replacement, but there are prime rib and short rib nights ... :)

 

We didn't purchase the UDP until we got on board, so while more reservation times were available, it seemed they were getting booked up quickly. We just made all of our reservations that first night on board to ensure we got what we wanted, though like the OP said, things can change throughout the cruise!

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

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We had an aft balcony on deck 15 with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. The balcony was pretty deep -- I wonder if the aft sizes are different because of how the decks are tiered?

 

There may be some confusion between "aft balcony" and "aft-facing balcony".

 

The aft-facing balconies are different depths depending on deck. An aft-facing balcony on deck 11 will have 2 loungers.

 

Certain side balconies are large enough for a lounger and some are not. On deck 11, most side balconies will not have room for a lounger. Some exceptions are the angled balconies such as 11182/11782, 11296/11896, etc. and the aft-most balconies (11310/11910).

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

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We had an aft balcony on deck 15 with two loungers, two chairs, and a small table. The balcony was pretty deep -- I wonder if the aft sizes are different because of how the decks are tiered?

 

There may be some confusion between "aft balcony" and "aft-facing balcony".

 

The aft-facing balconies are different depths depending on deck. An aft-facing balcony on deck 11 will have 2 loungers. Deck 15 is about mid-way between the most and least deep aft-facing balconies.

 

Certain side balconies are large enough for a lounger and some are not. On deck 11, most side balconies will not have room for a lounger. Some exceptions are the angled balconies such as 11182/11782, 11296/11896, etc. and the aft-most balconies (11310/11910).

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kmb388

kmb388

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There may be some confusion between "aft balcony" and "aft-facing balcony".

 

The aft-facing balconies are different depths depending on deck. An aft-facing balcony on deck 11 will have 2 loungers.

 

Certain side balconies are large enough for a lounger and some are not. On deck 11, most side balconies will not have room for a lounger. Some exceptions are the angled balconies such as 11182/11782, 11296/11896, etc. and the aft-most balconies (11310/11910).

Thank you for clarifying, Two Wheels Only! Yes, we were in an aft-facing balcony on deck 15. Sorry for unnecessary confusion!

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tripleboom Great Review Rare

tripleboom

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We didn't purchase the UDP until we got on board, so while more reservation times were available, it seemed they were getting booked up quickly. We just made all of our reservations that first night on board to ensure we got what we wanted, though like the OP said, things can change throughout the cruise!

 

We too were contemplating buying the UDP once onboard so we could use our On Board Credit toward the specialty dining. Do you recall how much it cost per person for the 3-pack?

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Two Wheels Only

Two Wheels Only

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We too were contemplating buying the UDP once onboard so we could use our On Board Credit toward the specialty dining. Do you recall how much it cost per person for the 3-pack?

 

It isn't the UDP, it's the SDP.

 

NCL still uses the letters "UDP" but that was for unlimited number of uses. If buying 3, it will be called "3UDP" on the item sheet but it is actually the 3SDP (3-Meal Specialty Dining Package) and it will be $79 + 18% ( $93.22) when purchased onboard. It is $69 + 18% ( $81.42) when purchased online before boarding.

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