Escape Review -- Dec 10th Sailing

[coldflame]

Hey folks,

 

Just off the Escape this AM after a fantastic week. This was our 15th cruise in the last 10 years, 2nd in NCL. First and foremost, I'm stunned how many people were in the ship this time of year. Normally, this past week is the lowest-demand week of fall-winter season as kids are still in school and folks are still not on vacation. Other cruises we've taken this time of the year are like half-empty. Not so this year. It was PACKED TO THE BRIM with people. I don't thing I've ever sailed with so many people in the same ship. Really crazy how the slingshot effect of 2 years w/o cruising is having on demand.

 

Stateroom service: I don't think people give enough credit or importance at having a good stateroom steward. Our was amazing. Always courteous, prompt and knew all of our names since day one. Unlike many of our past cruises including 9 on Disney, she seemed actually genuine and always happy to be of help. Our rom was kept impeccable. Without question she was our "Vacation Hero".

 

Stateroom: Forward balcony. For the price was good. Fit 4 of us and our luggage without problems -- although we are notoriously light-packers. The noise insulation, however, left a lot to be desired. We could literally hear our neighbors to either side talk, sigh, etc. Not a deal breaker, but definitely deserves note especially since I'm a ridiculously light sleeper so got woken up when one of our neighbors would go to their bathroom at night.

 

Ship condition: Ship was mostly kept clean. There were a few areas, especially the Waterfront where you could always find drinks/food that had been sitting there for a a while. To be clear, nothing gross, but just stuff we noticed.

 

Complimentary food: great. Good selection, very good quality --- not quite Disney, but close and much better IMO than Royal's.

 

Paid food: We tried Le Bistro and La Cucina. Le Bistro was the gastronomic highlight of our trip. In fact, I'd say it was the gastronomic highlight of the last 5 years. I've had the privilege to eat at several Michelin-rated restaurants in Copenhagen, Bilbao and Lyon and I would say my meal at Le Bistro was within spittin' distance of those. So damn good. I can still taste the dark chocolate dessert in my mind. La Cucina was good. Nothing spectacular, but good choice for the dining plans.

 

Overall service: the service throughout the ship was really good. Savor/Taste service was always prompt and attentive. The few times I needed someone at service desk, were  very quick and easy going.

 

Great Sh***up Cay: I would say if there's any derogatory remarks to say about our trip is the absolute SH*TSHOW that is the tendering "process". Incredibly frustrating and puzzling why would NCL ever screw this opportunity so badly. We've done half dozen tenders in DCL Fantasy and Oasis of the Seas (which is a bigger and more pax capacity that the Escape). It has always been a non-issue. Super simple, no "tendering groups", no massive tenders, really quick. In NCL the process felt like agony at times -- WHY?! It's hard to comprehend how they've shot themselves in the foot so badly. And GSC is an absolute delight. Gorgeous beaches, the zip-line was SUUUUPER fun, great food and yet the tendering process left a bad taste in our mouths and very unlikely we will try sailing on an itinerary with tendering involved on NCL.

 

Drinks: we don't partake. So no comment.

 

Internet: speed varied from slow as molasses to 'decent'. Never felt there was a time in the whole trip when I felt the connection was worth the cost, frankly, but YMMV.

[mafig]

Thanks for your review.  I enjoyed reading it.

 

Since when does Oasis of the Seas tender?  I always thought Oasis-class ships never tender.🤔

[coldflame]

37 minutes ago, mafig said:

Thanks for your review.  I enjoyed reading it.

 

Since when does Oasis of the Seas tender?  I always thought Oasis-class ships never tender.🤔

 

One of the Huricane years, we did an unscheduled stop in Grand Cayman. There's no pier to dock there. But you are correct, normally oasis class never tender.

[zzdoug]

Thanks for posting this on-point and succinct review!

 

Do you happen to have any dailies you could share?

 

What are your thoughts on the entertainment?

[coldflame]

29 minutes ago, zzdoug said:

Thanks for posting this on-point and succinct review!

 

Do you happen to have any dailies you could share?

 

What are your thoughts on the entertainment?

 

Thanks. No photos of dailies -- never crossed my mind.

 

Entertainment: Norwegian decided to go for variety-style novelty theater shows, rather than Broadway or big productions like Disney or Royal have. For our sailing they had Choir of Man, Malevo and Light and Shadow. Choir of Man didn't do much for us -- felt a bit trite and cliche. Malevo is spectacular with so much energy. Light and Shadow is visually stunning and mentally teasing. They host once or twice daily participatory shows in deck 6 and at least in my sailing, it was always JAM PACKED and a mad house. That not being our thing, we didn't partake but I'd say it was a success judging by attendance and engagement.

[Portia!]

Hi. I was on this cruise as well. We all have our own tastes for what is entertaining, so a bit more detail:

Choir of Man is a show that originated on the West End in London - it's a tribute to Pub life. Most popular show on the ship.

Barricade Boys - also from the West End - sort of a boy band of performers from various productions of Les Misérables in West End, Broadway and the film. Great voices and a variety of music including some of the best songs from Les Mis.

Malevo is an Argentinian malambo folk dance group - Very intense and fascinating/exhausting to watch. Participated in America's Got Talent a few years back.

There were also shows in the Supper Club (all free, some with dinner included) - including Barricade Boys performing a more relaxed set with pop music and banter. Also an excellent solo classical violinist from Ukraine (who joins Choir of Man for their theatre shows).

Have fun!

[zzdoug]

Hi, another question: I see you tried the various included main dining rooms.  Are there any differences among them or reason to choose one over another?    What about the supper club?  Thanks!

[Portia!]

Savor, Taste and Main dining rooms have the same dinner menu. Savor and Taste are smaller and feel more like a specialty restaurant - maybe a little faster service. Main dining room feels like traditional cruise ship dining and has entertainment some evenings - more elegant. Good variety of food choices, well-prepared, terrific staff in all venues. Savor/Taste also available for breakfast daily and lunches on sea days.

Supper Club - I was on a back2back. First week dinner was salad, steak/veggies, chocolate cake. I believe the steak was a NY strip. Steak was tough, the rest was OK. Second week was Chicken Parmesan, the rest was the same as the steak dinner. Chicken was better than the steak, in my opinion. Menu of the day along with show details are posted near the Supper Club. I believe there is a vegetarian menu available on request. It is also possible to skip the dinner, sit in the back and just enjoy the show. Or try the dinner and consider a trip to the buffet after the show.

[cruiseny4life]

On 12/17/2022 at 5:08 PM, coldflame said:

Great Sh***up Cay: I would say if there's any derogatory remarks to say about our trip is the absolute SH*TSHOW that is the tendering "process". Incredibly frustrating and puzzling why would NCL ever screw this opportunity so badly. We've done half dozen tenders in DCL Fantasy and Oasis of the Seas (which is a bigger and more pax capacity that the Escape). It has always been a non-issue. Super simple, no "tendering groups", no massive tenders, really quick. In NCL the process felt like agony at times -- WHY?! It's hard to comprehend how they've shot themselves in the foot so badly. And GSC is an absolute delight. Gorgeous beaches, the zip-line was SUUUUPER fun, great food and yet the tendering process left a bad taste in our mouths and very unlikely we will try sailing on an itinerary with tendering involved on NCL.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Great Stirrup Cay. I had a lovely time when I was there too! I don't really recall any issue with tendering. I was in one of the first groups over to the island, so maybe I missed the experience later on. Headed back to the ship, we did have to wait about five minutes on the tender before we started our journey back. 

I'm interested, what caused your issues? Did you just not like that the boats were double decker? Did you get a high group number? Not enough seats on the tender? I'd love to be prepared in the future for a not as smooth experience as I had. We'll be headed back there in a couple weeks. Thanks!

[jcollin]

Refresh my memory, how does the tendering for GSC work again?  Do you need to signup for a specific time and if so when / where can you do that?  Thanks

[MsTabbyKats]

1 hour ago, cruiseny4life said:

Thanks for sharing your thoughts on Great Stirrup Cay. I had a lovely time when I was there too! I don't really recall any issue with tendering. I was in one of the first groups over to the island, so maybe I missed the experience later on. Headed back to the ship, we did have to wait about five minutes on the tender before we started our journey back. 

I'm interested, what caused your issues? Did you just not like that the boats were double decker? Did you get a high group number? Not enough seats on the tender? I'd love to be prepared in the future for a not as smooth experience as I had. We'll be headed back there in a couple weeks. Thanks!

"Been there, done that"....we consider GSC a "stay on the ship" day.

To avoid the long lines for the tender, we'd wait...but by that time it was hard to find lounge chairs.  And then a long line for the food.  Since most people do get off, we decided it was more fun to be on an almost empty ship.  The tender itself is crowded and can be rocky.

[eileeshb]

GSC tendering is a mess on tr breakaway /+ ships. I had booked a ticket for the first tender after the vips and excursion folks and it was 1.30pm before I made it to the island. A bunch of people that were supposed to be on morning excursions missed them because of the tender management fiasco. The crew don’t manage the queuing system at all well. A lot of people start queuing up before their ticket group is called which leaves people with called tickets buried way down the queue because they don’t realise how many of their fellow cruisers are impatient idiots.  
I will never ever book a cruise with GSC on the itinerary again. 

[Lefteyephoto]

First time on NCL in a number of years - we are trying the cruises out of Port Canaveral since it is a short drive.

• The boarding process was long - we arrived at our assigned time and waited an hour outside to check in.  Once checked in we boarded without waiting since our number was already called.
• Food in the MDRs was just OK - often just warm. Prime Rib was a chunk of fat and the Burbon Chicken Breast tasted like bad fast-food takeout.
• Le Bistro was great, food and service excelled.
• Our 11th floor Balcony sounded like the ship had structural problems. The walls creaked whenever the shipped rolled - kept us up at night.
• The tender was as coldflame described, trip back to the ship was easier than getting there.
• My biggest issue is with traffic in the port and getting out of the parking lot. Over an hour to get onto 528 after leaving the ship.  A harsh return to reality after a fun week.

 

[WexIrl]

We were on the the Escape in June this year and I echo your comments on the tendering procedure.

It was a $h1t $h0w for us, a family of 4 with 'paid for priority tendering' to be in group 1, to be told when we arrived at group 1, no you are not, go talk to guest services...(yeah that makes sense, by time we talk to them and they agree we had paid for that access, the paid for access will have passed and we will have missed the tender...)

Apart from that, great ship, great service, and a fantastic cruise. 

[disneylover89]

Can someone explain the process of tendering for the Escape please?  How do you get a tendering number?

[resetjet]

On 12/22/2022 at 9:42 AM, disneylover89 said:

Can someone explain the process of tendering for the Escape please?  How do you get a tendering number?

You sign up for a tender in order of operation.  1,2,3 etc.  usually 1 is 9 am.  You go to theater and wait.  They call your tender and you go. Getting back on you just go and wait.  Dont wait til last unless you enjoy horrible longs lines in the heat.  Leave early.  GSC was cancelled this week due to 5 foot

seas.  

[resetjet]

Dec 17.  Ship sold out.  Food was good,  buffet lousy as usual.  Malevo and internet get a zero.  Speaking of zero there is no covid protocol at all.  I got a cold as usual.  Choir of men was good.  Rock the pour house was outstanding. Ropes course was scary as hell.  We stayed in haven,  lots of kids which is fine with us.  I was able to get in a hot tub for first time on a cruise in 20

years as they drain the hot tubs nightly.  Ships has an odd shudder every once in awhile as if an engine blew up. Overall an average cruise.  Haven made it much better with some escape from the overly crowded main pool.  

[Booboochase]

We are on the Escape for first time late Jan.  Odd shudder sounds slightly unappealing haha. We are also on deck 11(aft) like Lefteyephoto,  I'm nervous for weird noises 🙄

[resetjet]

3 hours ago, Booboochase said:

We are on the Escape for first time late Jan.  Odd shudder sounds slightly unappealing haha. We are also on deck 11(aft) like Lefteyephoto,  I'm nervous for weird noises 🙄

They are obviously not dangerous. Just odd.  So now you will not be alarmed.  Its a good ship. Now the ropes course for us over 50,  that is something to be afraid of!!!!

[zzdoug]

Most if not all ships have mechanical and ambient noises from things like wind, the engines, anchor drop, kitchen prep activity, neighbors engaging in whatever, etc. It's a resort on a boat and some things just can't happen in complete silence. It's not very bothersome but some rooms are more prone to noise than others. My understanding is that the quietest rooms are mid and forward interiors, probably on a level not adjacent to public areas. But you can hear the anchor almost everywhere and it's loud and often drops very early in the morning. But it only lasts about 5 to 10 seconds. 

Edited December 25, 2022 by zzdoug

[resetjet]

3 hours ago, zzdoug said:

Most if not all ships have mechanical and ambient noises from things like wind, the engines, anchor drop, kitchen prep activity, neighbors engaging in whatever, etc. It's a resort on a boat and some things just can't happen in complete silence. It's not very bothersome but some rooms are more prone to noise than others. My understanding is that the quietest rooms are mid and forward interiors, probably on a level not adjacent to public areas. But you can hear the anchor almost everywhere and it's loud and often drops very early in the morning. But it only lasts about 5 to 10 seconds. 

Been on alot of ships.  They all have a little shudder from time to time.  This one is like they hit something or the engine blew up.  It happens often too.

[dpepper64]

8 hours ago, Booboochase said:

We are on the Escape for first time late Jan.  Odd shudder sounds slightly unappealing haha. We are also on deck 11(aft) like Lefteyephoto,  I'm nervous for weird noises 🙄

 

[dpepper64]

Boo,  We are on the Escape late Jan as well.   Where you guys from,  Are you going to the meet and great.  Wife and I are from Va.   Booked this cruise last min so looking to relax

[Booboochase]

Thank you all for the reassurances! dpepper64, not sure about the meet and greet, but maybe we will.  We are from western NY, we just booked this about a month ago - looking to relax also! And visit the many bars 🙂 

[PATRLR]

On 12/21/2022 at 10:22 AM, MsTabbyKats said:

but by that time it was hard to find lounge chairs. 

In November on Encore, we went ashore a couple hours after arrival and there were hundreds of loungers available.  Unless they have multiple ships stopping on the same day I can't imagine there ever not being available loungers.