Escape November 1st TA - Short review of the good, the bad and the ugly

[schmoopie17]

We had never done a transatlantic before but have always thought about it. We figured, in the immortal words of Elvis, "it's now or never"...despite reading about the questionable conditions many cruisers have experienced on November TA cruises. Surprisingly, we only had a few issues when crossing the Atlantic. Other than having to skip one port in the Azores due to near-100 MPH winds, the rest of the cruise was surprisingly smooth (at least to us. We heard others say it seemed rocky. Like they say, YMMV.)

 

We spent three days in Rome pre-cruise and bought two bottles of Lemoncello for gifts to take home. We fully expected to have to fork over the bottles at embarkation to be delivered at the end of the cruise. But to our surprise, they were not x-raying carry-on stuff at the embarkation port (even though they did it at every other stop along the way). Also of note, when "checking" vaccination cards, our woman glanced at them for maybe one second before waving us through. My card could have had the name Mickey Mouse and my vaccinations could have been for polio from 1960 and she wouldn't have noticed (or cared).

 

I won't get into excursion or port details...these comments are mainly about the ship. Here goes:

 

THE GOOD:

The Escape is in remarkably good condition. Everything seemed to be nicely polished and spiffy.

Our cabin steward, Ryan, was extremely efficient, always smiling. Requests for coffee supplies, ice, etc., were met quickly and cheerfully.

Staff and crew were, almost without exception, friendly and well-mannered.

The captain had a sense of humor, as well as a sense of dedication, when he decided to cancel one port stop for everyone's safety.

Bayamo, Cagney's and Le Bistro were excellent. We asked for the recipe for the spicy Bayamo shrimp appetizer and the next day it magically appeared in our cabin.

The lava cake in the dining room was fantastic. (The only memorable dining room item). Again, we requested the recipe and it appeared the next day. 

The theater shows were good. We saw the comedy magician, the Shadow and Light (very different) and Choir of Man (very talented group of young men).

The ship was only half-full, which made it easy to get drinks and cut down on the crowds at elevators, shows, restaurants, etc.

The weather was great considering it was November. Temps in the 70's were common most days.

 

THE BAD (or at least not as good as the good)

Six sea days in a row got a bit repetitious, but we knew what we signed up for. (An extra sea day was added when Bermuda was dropped pre-cruise).

We had looked forward to the mini-golf and bocce, but almost every day was so windy we decided to skip the top deck activities.

The internet is a joke. At least we didn't pay for the "upgraded" plan, so my aggravation at trying to get on-line didn't cost anything extra.

They say Cruise Critic is free, Good luck getting onto it. In 16 days I wasn't able to log on even one time.

The guy at the internet "service" desk is grumpy. Probably with the never-ending line of people complaining about the connection issues.

Smoke in the casino is bad...very bad.

We ate in the dining rooms at least 10 times for dinner and four times for breakfast. The food was so mediocre and unmemorable that I can't remember what I had. :

My wife made the mistake of ordering the steak twice (you'd think once would be enough) and both were practically inedible.

Her eggs benedict was overcooked badly (I don't eat eggs, so I have to take her word for it...but she couldn't finish it. 

The atrium games and shows were typical cruiseline fare. The ones we saw were while sitting above in O'Sheahan's in the semi-circle overlooking the atrium area.

Speaking of O'Sheahan's it was hit and miss. Burger and nachos were decent but wings were soggy (twice) and the beer selection was bad.

Speaking of beer, at sailaway, the District Brewhouse was already out of four beers. Not a good look on Day 1, especially to beer lovers such as us.

The Buffet, while not bad, was pretty mediocre (like most cruise ships). Speaking of the Buffet...

 

THE UGLY:

Whoever though having two guys singing "Washy-Washy" songs in the buffet every morning was a good idea? It was cute the first day, but it got really annoying after.

We will never sign up for NCL airport transfers again. Standing for an hour in freezing cold, being shifted from one line to another. It was a cluster you-know-what.

 

Overall, the Escape pretty much lived up to our expectations. Having only two items in the "Ugly" category (although both were really ugly) is a good sign.

We signed up for the two-for-one Cruise Next certificates which we will be utilizing next year (but not on another Transatlantic). Been there, done that.

[RumRunner2021]

3 minutes ago, CptAleSpill said:

Really annoying?  Really???

Yeah, I'm not buying it.  If somebody is that easily annoyed, they might as well just stay home.

[schmoopie17]

@RumRunner2021I'm sorry. I meant to say really, really annoying. Better?

Singing the same inane songs over and over, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY is annoying. Sorry you disagree. You must be easily entertained.

Edited November 18, 2022 by schmoopie17

[Two Wheels Only]

I appreciate the review as I've never done a Transatlantic, either. I don't really use the internet when on a cruise but with so many sea days, I can see how the problems can get magnified. I've only eaten in Escape's MDR a couple of times but I didn't have any complaints. O'Sheehan's wings weren't great but they weren't horrible. 

 

The washy-washy people (girls in my cases) didn't bother me at all. It's just one of those things that the cruise line does like the dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't enjoy it but I don't hate it enough to think about it. 

 

3 hours ago, schmoopie17 said:

We signed up for the two-for-one Cruise Next certificates which we will be utilizing next year (but not on another Transatlantic).

 

I'm glad that you enjoyed NCL enough to want to sail again. Things like weather can't be controlled and missing port stops because of the weather can happen. Any other comments or review about the stateroom (type, location, etc.)?

[schmoopie17]

13 minutes ago, Two Wheels Only said:

.

The washy-washy people (girls in my cases) didn't bother me at all. It's just one of those things that the cruise line does like the dancing waiters on Carnival. I don't enjoy it but I don't hate it enough to think about it. 

 

 

On previous cruises, there were people holding hand sanitizer when you walked into the Buffet, saying, "Washy Washy". Honestly, I thought that was cute. In this case, these guys stood right by the elevator entrance to the buffet ALL DAY, (for 16 days)...singing the same inane five Washy Washy songs. Not only are they lame songs, but they get stuck in your head all day. Trust me...we weren't the only ones who were annoyed.

Edited November 18, 2022 by schmoopie17

[RumRunner2021]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

@RumRunner2021I'm sorry. I meant to say really, really annoying. Better?

Singing the same inane songs over and over, ALL DAY, EVERY DAY is annoying. Sorry you disagree. You must be easily entertained.

People who are easily entertained are much happier and have a LOT more fun than those who are easily annoyed (by singing crew members?!).  Think about that for a bit "schmoopie". 🤣

[RD64]

12 minutes ago, RumRunner2021 said:

People who are easily entertained are much happier and have a LOT more fun than those who are easily annoyed (by singing crew members?!).  Think about that for a bit "schmoopie". 🤣

Is this the same things as adults that are ecstatic  / entertained at the thought of finding a plastic duck or - sadly - the new trend I am seeing - a painted friendship rock?

[GregCousins]

I think that the singing washy-washy crew are spectacular.  They are all such nice people bringing smiles to everybody's faces. 

[New2cruise2022]

I think the wishy washy song very well may be something I might find to be something I’m not thrilled about. But I’ve read enough reviews to know it’s a thing and I will expect it. Certainly not going to detract from my enjoyment of the experience. If it was something they sang while they sang outside of my cabin at 6 AM, then it makes it on the ugly list. 

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, schmoopie17 said:

On previous cruises, there were people holding hand sanitizer when you walked into the Buffet, saying, "Washy Washy". Honestly, I thought that was cute.

 

That was my experience, too. I didn't hear the "songs" version but I can imagine it being annoying. 

[Cruising Lynne]

The songs definitely can get stuck in your head. Washy washy good for you, good for me... etc.

 

What is worse is when there is no one there encouraging people to use the sinks or at least the sanitizer. I was disappointed with the washy area on Prima last month. Hardly anyone washing their hands, and I almost didn't notice the hand sanitizer dispenser on the wall.

 

I commend the crew for always seeming so cheerful when they sing though! Tough job and I am glad they do it.

[Sailing12Away]

19 hours ago, CptAleSpill said:

Sure.   Why not?  I don't do that duck thing, but if others have fun with it, knock yourselves out!  This is starting to remind me of that thread where somebody wanted to have some fun by taking bubbles to their balcony (the soapy water, not the girl from the show).  I was greatly amused by the very creative and talented washy-washy singers on my last cruise.  If only one was performing, that was the entrance we headed to (i.e. the sunny side of the street where people are there only to have fun, not to complain about everything)

I forgot about the bubbles! I was supposed to be blowing bubbles while sipping bubbles and surrounded by bubbles in my hot tub on the Spain trip in May. Completely forgot about that.... I've let you down.

 

Remind me when September comes around... I've got the fancy owner's suite with hot tub booked for Prima so I'll do the bubbles 3 ways in Iceland with the northern lights as my backdrop.

[Pieson]

Ahhh glad to have found the Washy Washy thread

 def delivers