tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 #1 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Hi Everyone! Thanks for checking out my trip report of our recent cruise! I had a lot of fun writing my first trip report about our cruise to Alaska last summer (which you can read about here), and I'm excited share this vacation with all of you. A little bit about us - my name is Jessica and my wife is Justine. I work in higher ed, and my wife works in accounting. We’re both 30 and live just outside of Boston with our two kitties. We've done four cruises so far, all on NCL. We decided on this cruise for a couple of reasons. The main one was that we wanted to relax. Our last vacation was in Alaska, which was incredible, but so exhausting. We had already been to Bermuda on the Dawn a couple years ago, so we felt like we could have a slower paced visit to the island. We also really wanted to cruise on a large ship. We’ve only been on smaller ships, so we were excited to check out what the Escape had to offer. And what sealed the deal? The District Brew House :beer-toast: Our itinerary: June 16th - Amtrak from Boston to NYC June 17th - Board the Escape June 18th - Day at Sea June 19th - Day at Sea June 20th - Arrive in Bermuda June 21st - Full day in Bermuda June 22nd - Depart Bermuda June 23rd - Day at Sea June 24th - Disembark in NYC / Bus home I love doing research and planning vacations, and I always have everything set in advance. This would be the first time where I had to rearrange everything in the middle of the trip, but it all worked out - you’ll just have to read on to see what happened! Format wise, I’m going to do the trip report first with all of the photos and then post the menus and dailies that I have at the end. I'll have to post this in installments as I organize and upload the photos, but my hope is to have this done within a week or two. Please feel free to jump in and ask questions and I’ll do my best to answer them! Now, let’s get to the fun stuff! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kmermaid Posted June 25, 2018 #2 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to this to compare it with our trip the week before. Crew was saying your cruise was going to have twice the amount of kids ours did. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #3 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Saturday, June 16th: Travel to NYC & Sightseeing It was finally time for vacation! We were up early to catch the 6:30am Amtrak Regional Train from Back Bay Station in Boston. The train was right on time, and it was a little tough to lift our bags to the overhead bins but we managed. We weren’t able to get seats together when we first boarded since there is no assigned seating. It wasn’t a big deal for us but it is something to keep in mind, especially if you’re travelling with children or a big group. Somewhere in Connecticut, we were able to move seats and sit together. Our first official vacation photo on the train! Some photos from the train as we approached the city We arrived at Penn Station around 11:00am and requested an Uber to take us to our hotel. It was a was little chaotic once we exited the station but eventually we found him and we were on our way to the Iroqouis Hotel, which is in midtown Manhattan. We were really early, but they were able to let us check-in to our room and leave our bags. Our room was on the 12th floor and had a queen size bed. It was actually a decent size, especially for NYC. We freshened up a bit and then headed out to explore! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #4 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to this to compare it with our trip the week before. Crew was saying your cruise was going to have twice the amount of kids ours did. That's interesting! There was quite a variety in the passengers, everyone from babies to older individuals. I didn't notice a lot of kids, but I also probably wasn't paying that much attention to them (lol). I'm sure now that most schools are out for summer vacation, especially in the northeast, there will be a lot more families with children on board in the upcoming weeks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Laszlo Posted June 25, 2018 #5 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Your review on Alaska was Excellent, looking forward to your Bermuda review! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #6 Share Posted June 25, 2018 The first stop was lunch. My boss used to live in Manhattan, and she always talks about how much better pizza is in New York than in Boston. So of course, we had pizza for lunch. Around the corner from our hotel was Little Italy Pizza. It’s this little pizza shop that had a handful of tables. They had a bunch of pizzas made, and you could order a slice from a variety of toppings. They also had subs, which looked delicious. We each ordered a slice of the sausage and pepperoni pizza, and it was amazing. The crust was crispy and the cheese was perfectly melted, and now I have to tell my boss that she’s right haha. After lunch, we walked around to take in the sights and popped into some stores as we made our way into the heart of Times Square. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #7 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Your review on Alaska was Excellent, looking forward to your Bermuda review! Thanks so much! :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #8 Share Posted June 25, 2018 We got to Times Square, and it was packed! It was a gorgeous day and everyone was out and about. After a little while, we decided to take a break since it was hot and we were tired. A quick google search of “outdoor bars in NYC” led us to the Perfect Pint, which had a rooftop bar. We decided to go there and check it out. There’s two floors of dining and then the rooftop bar. There was a ton of stairs, but we made it to the top and were able to get seats at bar and watch the soccer game for a bit. After a couple of beers, we decided to go back to the hotel to change since we had a dinner reservation and show that evening. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2Oldpeopleinlove Posted June 25, 2018 #9 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Following because we're on the Dawn to Bermuda in September. Thanks! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #10 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Following because we're on the Dawn to Bermuda in September. Thanks! That was our first cruise a few years ago and we loved it! The Dawn is a great ship and Bermuda is a beautiful island! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #11 Share Posted June 25, 2018 After a quick nap and a costume change, we were back out. We dinner reservations at Havana Central in Times Square, which serves Cuban cuisine. We started with mojitos, an empanada, and plantain chips with avocado salsa. Entrees were braised beef with peppers and onions and skirt steak with chimichurri. Dessert was churros. Everything was delicious and we had a wonderful service. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted June 25, 2018 #12 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to this to compare it with our trip the week before. Crew was saying your cruise was going to have twice the amount of kids ours did. No cruise could have anymore kids than we had on the Breakaway a year plus ago. We had a total off 2254 according to the crew. Many had the same numbers or pretty close. That was about 1/2 the number of passengers the ship holds. I will say, some of the kids were polite and respectful, but to my shock, most were down right rude with little or no discipline. To top it off we hit really bad weather, requiring many of us to stay inside for about of the 7 days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #13 Share Posted June 25, 2018 For the evening, we had tickets to see The Play That Goes Wrong. We really enjoy seeing Broadway shows - we’ve seen a couple in NYC and a few others in Boston when they go on tour. We headed over to the Lyceum Theatre after dinner. Our seats were way up in the balcony, but the theatre is small enough that we still had a great view. We really enjoyed the show! It was funny and a little silly, but we had a great time. After the show, we headed back to our hotel, and Times Square was all lit up. It always amazes me how much energy there is. We got back to the hotel and called it a night. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seadog67 Posted June 25, 2018 #14 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Great start to the report! Thank you for the effort to be so detailed it is really appreciated! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ParrotheadKev Posted June 25, 2018 #15 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I cant wait for the rest of this trio report. Bermuda is our favorite cruise we have ever done. Thanks for posting Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Geauxboy Posted June 25, 2018 #16 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to more of the story! Love NYC, and there is not much better than a cold pint in Bryant Park in the summer! Sent from my iPhone using Forums Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #17 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Great start to the report! Thank you for the effort to be so detailed it is really appreciated! Thanks so much :D Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #18 Share Posted June 25, 2018 I cant wait for the rest of this trio report. Bermuda is our favorite cruise we have ever done. Thanks for posting Thanks! I should be able to get to day two done tomorrow with our first day on the Escape! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #19 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to more of the story! Love NYC, and there is not much better than a cold pint in Bryant Park in the summer! Sent from my iPhone using Forums We had a great afternoon in NYC, and being able to relax with some beers on the rooftop was amazing. I wish we had been able to get a full day or even two in, but work schedules wouldn't allow for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tatibus0913 Posted June 25, 2018 Author #20 Share Posted June 25, 2018 No cruise could have anymore kids than we had on the Breakaway a year plus ago. We had a total off 2254 according to the crew. Many had the same numbers or pretty close. That was about 1/2 the number of passengers the ship holds. I will say, some of the kids were polite and respectful, but to my shock, most were down right rude with little or no discipline. To top it off we hit really bad weather, requiring many of us to stay inside for about of the 7 days. Wow, that's a lot of kids! That was definitely not our experience this past week but I wouldn't be surprised if there were more families with kids on the cruises in July and the beginning of August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
poohdreaming Posted June 25, 2018 #21 Share Posted June 25, 2018 following...so interesting. Thanks for sharing. :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sand and Seas Posted June 25, 2018 #22 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Great start, can't wait to read more! Love all the pictures:cool: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CazV Posted June 25, 2018 #23 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Looking forward to reading about your trip... I'll be in NYC for 3 nights before boarding the Escape in a few weeks time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vacation44 Posted June 25, 2018 #24 Share Posted June 25, 2018 Enjoying reading your review so far and looking forward to the rest. Thank you for taking the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
riclop Posted June 26, 2018 #25 Share Posted June 26, 2018 Thanks for the report. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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