Just of the Escape yesterday 3/17/19

[Paphillyguy]

I am just of the Escape yesterday and had a great cruise.  I will eventually write a full review but wanted to throw out some general thoughts and answer any burning Escape questions anyone had.

 

I loved the Ship.  We were in the Haven in a Spa suite.  16118

 

The Choir of Man gets it own shout out.  This was by far the best thing I have ever seen on a ship.  It is not to be missed.  We loved it so much we saw it twice.  It was so much fun.  The guys in the cast are so incredibly talented and friendly.  

 

1- The best room steward I have ever had - Roberto.  He was on the ball, friendly and was always there to check in.  He should be promoted to Butler.  He was that good.

2- Worst Butler I have ever had - Ahmad.  He did the basics but was not present like other butlers we have had.  He never checked in only the first day and never saw him again until Thursday he passed us in the hall.   We did have snacks delivered everyday but other than that he never stopped to see how things were.  Everything else Roberto did for us.  He got the lounger for the balcony that we asked for the butler for.  

3-Absolutely loved the Thermal Suite in the Spa.  It was busy but even on a colder sea day it was not overly crowded.

4-Drink and food service in the Haven pool and outdoor area was excellent.

5-Service in the Haven restaurant was ok to slow.  We even had at times a server ask us if we were in a hurry because she had a lot of tables.  

6-Haven Food was good not as great as it has been in the past but still good.

7-We ate at Cagney's (yes there is Ribeye still), Moderno, and Bayamo.  The first two were good but again not as good as in the past.  Bayamo in my opinion is not worth the upgrade.  If you are on the dining plan you are limited to either a salad OR a soup OR one appetizer.  You go one entree and only 2 sides.  Anything else you must pay for a la carte.  When we asked the manager why is there a limit and you could not get one soup and one appetizer, he stated we do not get paid enough from the dining plan so we have to limit.  we did order the soup and appetizer and were not charged for the extra soup.   I was not that impressed with my food.  We would not eat there again.

8-Haven pool area.  Never overly crowded but there were a lot of kids in the pool and the parents did not really care they were running around.  The upper area and the sun deck were kid free and nice.  Only one day was the sun deck crowded. 

9-There was a fire one day on the ship but we had been on a tour that day off the ship.  I heard from our concierge that a machine in the kitchen in Bayamo had caught fire.  The alarm was sounded but they did not evacuate the ship.  The restaurant was closed for a bit that day.   

10-We learned quickly with the elevators if there was room in one get on whether it was going up or down.

11-Loved The District.  However, the one beer I wanted on tap was not available the entire cruise.  They did have most of the others. 

12-The line at Embarcation in NYC was huge luckily we were in the Haven and we did not have to wait in the line.  

13-Casino - Didn't do that bad and found the dealers to be mostly friendly and the drink service to be excellent.  The smoke wasn't too bad but was noticeable at times.  

14-Escape the Big Top was a lot of fun and fairly challenging. 

  

 

As we found a while ago, The Haven is a great thing to be in on a ship this size but it does spoil you for future cruises because it is not cheap. If you have any questions I will try to answer.

 

[DJHamma514]

For my own curiosity, what beer was not available on tap?

[Jenner9]

Looking forward to your review!

[Paphillyguy]

The Left Hand Milk Stout.  I really wanted to taste it.  I had the Maduro Brown Ale instead and it was really good.  

[Laszlo]

Are the Haven Spa suite balcony large enough to fit a lounger? We had a Mini Spa Suite right next to a Haven Spa suite on the Escape and I could have sworn the balcony size was the same

Edited March 18, 2019 by Laszlo

[Paphillyguy]

Yes, it fit the lounger with no issue and still had the original 2 chairs and table with room to move.  

[AdoraBelle]

Thanks for the quickie review. Sorry to hear about the food decline. 

[Escaping2016]

Who was the Cruise Director?  Were they any good and do you know if they will still be on next month?

 

 

[Paphillyguy]

The cruise director was Dan Dan.  I do not know how long he is on.  I thought he was a good cruise director.  

[Paphillyguy]

I did feel there is a slight decline in the Haven food compared to my last trip on the Breakaway. 

[JustAllie]

3 hours ago, Paphillyguy said:

 

7-We ate at Cagney's (yes there is Ribeye still), Moderno, and Bayamo.  The first two were good but again not as good as in the past.  Bayamo in my opinion is not worth the upgrade.  If you are on the dining plan you are limited to either a salad OR a soup OR one appetizer.  You go one entree and only 2 sides.  Anything else you must pay for a la carte.  When we asked the manager why is there a limit and you could not get one soup and one appetizer, he stated we do not get paid enough from the dining plan so we have to limit.  we did order the soup and appetizer and were not charged for the extra soup.   I was not that impressed with my food.  We would not eat there again.

 

That's sad to hear -- I have been looking forward to dining in Bayamo.  It's weird that the limit you on the appetizers and sides -- that's not in the promotional terms & conditions anywhere.  The version of the T&C for the Free At Sea option that I saved back in January only says this about limits:

 

Specialty Dining Package
Sail Length - # Of Dining Package Meals - Retail Value - 20% Gratuities
3­4 Nights 1 $25 per person $5.00 per package
5­6 Nights 2 $69 per person $13.80 per package
7­8 Nights 3 $79 per person $15.80 per package
9­10 Nights 4 $94 per person $18.80 per package
11+ Nights 5 $109 per person $21.80 per package
Package prices are subject to change.
Guest is responsible for 20% gratuities on the retail value of the Specialty Dining Package prior to cruise.
Packages are based on a per meal basis.
Applicable to guests 1­2 on the reservation.
Dining package is applicable to guest ages 2 and older.
Any Harvest Caye bars, restaurants, or venues, Food Republic, The Bake Shop, Ice Cream Bar, Gelato, specialty items in the Asian restaurant, Special Occasion/Holiday menus (New
Year's, Christmas, etc.), Jazz Brunch, Wine Lovers and Murder Mystery lunches, and beverages are not included as part of the Specialty Dining Packages.
You may choose to dine in the following venues as part of your Specialty Dining Package for the corresponding upcharges: Cabaret ($15 USD), For the Record ($15 USD), Ocean Blue ($10
USD), Bayamo ($10 USD), Cirque Dreams ($10 USD regular seats/$15 USD premium seats/$35 USD VIP seating on Breakaway), Sushi Bar ($7 USD), Pincho Tapas Bar ($7 USD), and
Raw Bar ($7 USD).
Specialty Dining Packages include one main course per person at Cagney's and Le Bistro restaurants. Additional main courses will be charged at the a la carte price listed on the menu.
There is no minimum or maximum to the number of meals that can be redeemed in a day, however each meal is counted towards the package.

 

So I guess this limit was decided on by that particular restaurant manager.  

[Paphillyguy]

I said to the manager that no where did it state that you were limited on the salad/soup/appetizer and side dishes.  We received a call the night before stating that you had to wear long pants and if using the dining plan there was an up charge of $12.   He said they did not get enough money from the meal plan and that is why they had to put in place the limited.  The funny thing when we checked in the woman at the desk said are you using the dining plan and I said yes.  She said ok you are limited to 4 courses.   When explained by the waiter it is a one from the list of salads soups and appetizers.  One entre, 2 sides and one dessert.  We joked the check in person counts the sides as a course.  After that, my partner for the first time in all our cruising said this cruise NCL really does seem like they are nickel and diming you and it is  time to try another cruise line.  We have been very loyal NCL people but the money grab really seems to have gotten worse.  

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review.  I cant comment on your butler experience since I was not there.  I will state that once a butler told me that butlers were forbidden to swap out chairs for loungers.  It was a house keeping issue.  Your butler can notify someone or you can call but this is one instance where maybe your butler did not fail you.  They can get in trouble for doing so.  IMHO staying outside the Haven complex does impact the butler experience.

Glad you had a great time and cant wait for more.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Sorry to hear about the crappy butler ... yes, there are some duds.  They can make a mediocre cruise great with a smile and attentiveness.  Next time, tell the concierge immediately.

[Von & John]

Thanks for the mini review...

Looking forward to the full review...

We are looking @ future Breakaway Cruises.

[Sand and Seas]

We agree with you about Bayamo.  Used to be good, but has gone down hill.  Very strange about the limitations they told you!   It's supposed to be upscale and you pay the upcharge.   We will not be booking it in the future without hearing they have changed.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts with us!

[Paphillyguy]

Our butler told us the lounger was no problem and that he would get it for us on Monday.   I do not think it is that we were one floor under the Haven. On the Breakaway, we were on the same floor and our butler was amazing.  I just think if he was more present and just checked in once in awhile it would have been a bit different.  I had talked to a few other on our floor and they all said the same thing. Roberto was great and Ahmad was non existent.  We also had Lyster as our concierge since the regular concierge was on training.   Lyster was great.  He checked in a few times during the week.  One night he found us at our dinner outside the Haven just to check in and make sure there wasn’t anything we needed.  I did use them several times to change reservations and to book a few things and there was never an issue and everything was handled quickly with out any issues.  He and his team were excellent.    

[barb65]

We are booked at Bayamo for our upcoming cruise and already paid the $12 per person upcharge in advance. I noticed on their menu that they have Surf and Turf for a main course at the price of $39. Will this be covered in our upcharge? We dined at Bayamo two years ago on the Escape and really enjoyed the experience and felt the upcharge was still worth the price for fine dining. Hope we aren't disappointed this time like you were.

[Sand and Seas]

Does anyone remember when the menu changed at Bayamo?   We were on the Escape four times and loved Bayamo for our first three cruises.     Our fourth Escape cruise was one of the last cruises Escape made from Miami.  On that cruise Bayamo was a huge disappointment.  New menu, and perhaps it was too new for the chef.  Even the salad was bland. 

However, we still loved Pincho Tapas .

[barb65]

21 minutes ago, barb65 said:

We are booked at Bayamo for our upcoming cruise and already paid the $12 per person upcharge in advance. I noticed on their menu that they have Surf and Turf for a main course at the price of $39. Will this be covered in our upcharge? We dined at Bayamo two years ago on the Escape and really enjoyed the experience and felt the upcharge was still worth the price for fine dining. Hope we aren't disappointed this time like you were.

 

Whoops! The Bayamo menu lists their Surf and Turf at $29.99 and the Fisherman's Platter at $39.99. I gave a wrong price for the Surf and Turf.

[Paphillyguy]

The surf and turf had an additional $9.99 up charge in addition to the $12 charge.  The shrimp cocktail had a $4.99 upcharge as well. 

[tomservo]

You didn't happen to grab a pic of the Bayamo menu, did you?

[brookie848]

11 hours ago, Sand and Seas said:

Does anyone remember when the menu changed at Bayamo?   We were on the Escape four times and loved Bayamo for our first three cruises.     Our fourth Escape cruise was one of the last cruises Escape made from Miami.  On that cruise Bayamo was a huge disappointment.  New menu, and perhaps it was too new for the chef.  Even the salad was bland. 

However, we still loved Pincho Tapas .

We were on the Escape at the end of February of 2018 and it was one of the first weeks with the new Bayamo menu (maybe the second or third). I had read about it right before we left that they had changed to the Ocean Blue menu. 

[barb65]

3 hours ago, tomservo said:

You didn't happen to grab a pic of the Bayamo menu, did you?

 

If you go online, in your search type in NCL Escape Bayamo menu and it will show you the 2019 menu for Bayamo and all the other specialty restaurants on the Escape.

 

[RedwingHockeyFan]

On ‎3‎/‎18‎/‎2019 at 1:15 PM, Paphillyguy said:

 

The Choir of Man gets it own shout out.  This was by far the best thing I have ever seen on a ship.  It is not to be missed.  We loved it so much we saw it twice.  It was so much fun.  The guys in the cast are so incredibly talented and friendly.  

 

 

Back when the epic was brand new they had the Blue Man Group and it was fantastic.  I was severely disappointed when I booked my 2018 Epic cruise and they no longer had it.