NCL ESCAPE - FEBRUARY 11-18 - LIVE REVIEW

[devinelaw]

Dinner:  Had our Anniversary (of my proposal 35 years ago) dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse.  The meal was AMAZING!!  Very good meal, great attention by the waitstaff and the Wine Steward, Mqinisi was beyond fantastic!!  He started us off with Champagne, then a  Cabernet Sauvignon and finished up with a nice dessert wine.  We dined outside at the waterfront seating and enjoyed the view and gentle Caribbean breeze!  It was truly perfect!

[cruisinpips]

A few questions.

 Is it “normal” for rooms not to be ready until after 4pm?  If anyone else has recent experience we would be interested to hear. Was there any explanation? What is the norm on NCL, we are on Escape in April, (2nd time) our most recent cruises have been on Carnival and rooms are ready by 1:30. 
 We also have purchased Vibe passes and would like to enjoy on embarkation day, any advice/experience would be great. What is the process for identifying those with Vibe passes currently? Are they on your cards?
 We have a couple in our group that do not have Vibe passes, but they were told they will be selling them onboard, but on Cruisecritic and FB the consensus is they are only online now and the phone reps are wrong…can you confirm? 
 What is the process for getting your cards, at check in, or in your room? How do you use the drink package upon embarkation? 
Thanks for your review and information. 
 

[devinelaw]

34 minutes ago, cruisinpips said:

A few questions.

 Is it “normal” for rooms not to be ready until after 4pm?  If anyone else has recent experience we would be interested to hear. Was there any explanation? What is the norm on NCL, we are on Escape in April, (2nd time) our most recent cruises have been on Carnival and rooms are ready by 1:30. 
 We also have purchased Vibe passes and would like to enjoy on embarkation day, any advice/experience would be great. What is the process for identifying those with Vibe passes currently? Are they on your cards?
 We have a couple in our group that do not have Vibe passes, but they were told they will be selling them onboard, but on Cruisecritic and FB the consensus is they are only online now and the phone reps are wrong…can you confirm? 
 What is the process for getting your cards, at check in, or in your room? How do you use the drink package upon embarkation? 
Thanks for your review and information. 
 

No, that has not been our experience in the past. There was nothing said as to why taking so long, hopefully it was just a one off.  Our experience in all of our 11 prior cruises, including two prior NCL cruises was staterooms are usually ready close to 1-1:30ish.  
As to the VBC access, we had always purchased in person, this is the first time we booked that online was allowed.  It is coded into your card and you get a bracelet to identify you.  Someone posted that we could’ve gained access Saturday just with the card.  That may have been the case but we weren’t aware.  Good to know for you and us going forward.  As to purchasing onboard I’m not sure, I’ve seen the same you’ve seen.  May want to reach out to NCL corporate and see what they say.  I just know the VBC was available online then it wasn’t and we didn’t come across anywhere onboard that we saw selling them.  Doesn’t mean they don’t but we didn’t see it.

You get your key cards at check in in the port.  You can purchase drinks once onboard.

[cruisinpips]

@devinelaw, thanks for the response. Hope you have a blast on the rest of your cruise! Also, Happy Anniversary! 

Edited February 14, 2023 by cruisinpips

[egurbi]

4 hours ago, coscab said:

 

Do you remember if you boarded on the deck with the guest services desk in Port Canaveral on Saturday?  Thanks for the review, looking forward to our March cruise on the Escape.

Unless they have changed it recently, embarkation and disembarkation in Port Canaveral occurs on Deck 7 on the Escape. Just take the stairs or elevator one flight down to make dinner reservations (typically in Le Bistro or Teppanyaki) and show reservations (they have recently moved this to the supper club on 6).

[devinelaw]

Tuesday, St. Thomas, U.S.V.I., Day Four:

 

Happy Valentine’s Day

 

Just got up and enjoying the view from the aft balcony after a late night last night.  Plans for today….VBC this morning, shopping in St. Thomas, Champagne Harbor Cruise, dinner at Moderno and catch the Comedy show in the Theater.

 

Breakfast:  skipping out on breakfast this morning.  We are both still full from Cagney’s Steakhouse dinner last night.  

 

Follow up from Last Night:

 

Comedy Show at Headliners:  Took in the comedy show with Andy Beningo.  He was funny at times, other times it was a little slow with the laughs, overall we liked him.  Note sure about some others as several left during the show, which didn’t happen on the show Saturday night.  Anxious to see tonight’s show with both comedians.

 

Met NCL Officers:  We also had a visit to our table last night at dinner by the General Manager Secretary Rechaleen who stopped by to say hello and let us know the General Manager was coming to meet us since we weren’t able to make it by the VIP reception Sunday evening.  She was a very nice young lady.  Shortly thereafter Kivanc Ucar, the GM stopped at the table and asked how our cruise was going and let us know if we needed anything to let him know.  I did mention the difficulty of getting the wine charge from Saturday removed from our account as we have the premium package and he said he’d have it taken care of.  Looked a bit later and it was corrected.  

 

Vibe Beach Club:  VBC has a nice breeze this morning, sun shining.  Not going to feel as hot as it was yesterday sitting in port.  Update too, had earlier thought the hot tub might be broken because the jet button didn’t work.  It’s set up that way.  See pic.  We’re just passing Puerto Rico off in the distance.

 

Dailies for today attached……. Tune in later for more

[zzdoug]

On 2/7/2023 at 10:32 AM, devinelaw said:

UPDATE:  If your in Port Canaveral the night before embarkation, a rocket launch was just announced for early on the 11th.  We saw last nights launch from our home in South Florida.  Excited to see one so close up!!

For those interested, here's a link to the stream of the launch the other night. The payload was 56 Starlink satellites, the ones that cruises are beginning to use for internet service.  The stream around T minus 30 minutes has some photos of how the small satellites are all stacked flat to fit into the second stage rocket that separates from the reusable first stage section. The first stage is the part that returns to earth and lands upright on a drone ship. They are launching these every few days so hopefully we will be able to see the arcs from cruises throughout the year. 

 

[zzdoug]

Charades at 3:15 in the atrium!!!! Always fun. 

[sns1009]

Just wondering, how long do the shows in the theater typically last?

[Hmmcminn]

Sounds like you’re having a great time.

 

I’ll be interested to hear your review of the Champagne Harbor Cruise in St. Thomas.  We’ll be doing that same excursion next week from the Encore!

[devinelaw]

27 minutes ago, sns1009 said:

Just wondering, how long do the shows in the theater typically last?

Usually around 45 minutes

[cruiseny4life]

13 hours ago, devinelaw said:

Dinner:  Had our Anniversary (of my proposal 35 years ago) dinner at Cagney’s Steakhouse.  The meal was AMAZING!!  Very good meal, great attention by the waitstaff and the Wine Steward, Mqinisi was beyond fantastic!!  He started us off with Champagne, then a  Cabernet Sauvignon and finished up with a nice dessert wine.  We dined outside at the waterfront seating and enjoyed the view and gentle Caribbean breeze!  It was truly perfect!

So glad you had a lovely dinner at Cagney's! Happy anniversary, happy Valentine's Day!

 

And thank you, for taking time out to share your cruise experience with us. We so need these to get through our work days. Thank you!

[zqvol]

14 hours ago, cruisinpips said:

A few questions.

 Is it “normal” for rooms not to be ready until after 4pm?  If anyone else has recent experience we would be interested to hear. Was there any explanation? What is the norm on NCL, we are on Escape in April, (2nd time) our most recent cruises have been on Carnival and rooms are ready by 1:30. 
 We also have purchased Vibe passes and would like to enjoy on embarkation day, any advice/experience would be great. What is the process for identifying those with Vibe passes currently? Are they on your cards?
 We have a couple in our group that do not have Vibe passes, but they were told they will be selling them onboard, but on Cruisecritic and FB the consensus is they are only online now and the phone reps are wrong…can you confirm? 
 What is the process for getting your cards, at check in, or in your room? How do you use the drink package upon embarkation? 
Thanks for your review and information. 
 

The week prior the rooms were ready around 3. I feel like this is going to be the new normal because of the change to once a day room cleaning with fewer stewards, it simply takes them longer to get the rooms ready. 

[SunshineGal2022]

I love all your pictures and tips!

 

How was the champagne cruise? 
 

I was wondering about the spa prices on GSC.  Do they have a price list for the items offered at the ship’s spa or Guest Services?  How do you book spa treatments on the island?

[devinelaw]

 

Dailies for Day Five posted….

 

Day Four follow up…….

 

St. Thomas:  Arrived a little earlier than planned, and the ship was cleared to let passengers off around 11:30am.  We spent some time doing some shopping at Havensight Mall at the dock buying up souvenirs for family and friends.  Once done we got back onboard and spent time back up at the VBC until our allotted time for the Champagne Harbor Cruise.

 

Champagne Sunset Harbor Cruise:  The catamaran was running a little behind schedule due to other tires from the day.  We left the dock about 15ish minutes later than advertised.  Once on the catamaran we sailed out the Harbor and around the island next to the harbor slowly circling then back into the harbor by the ship.  We’ve docked back up approximately 6pm our a few minutes before.  The sun was going down but hadn’t fully set, so it’s technically not a sunset cruise watching the sun set as much as a catamaran cruise right before sunset.  Nevertheless it was fun and got some great photos.  Champagne was served as well as rum punch.  

Dinner:  We had Valentine’s dinner at Moderno, great food and great service by our waiter George.  He was extremely attentive and made sure our every need was taken care of.  

Starbucks:  By the time dinner was over and before the comedy show it was getting more difficult to stay awake, so we stopped for our evening SB fix.  The Baristas at SB are fantastic and very enthusiastic.  Honestly, my order of my SB drink has always been perfect and HOT every single time.  They actually have been better than our local SB back home!!

 

Comedy Show:  Went to the comedy show in the theater.  It was really funny.  Both comedians did an excellent job making us laugh.

Wi-Fi:  Just a comment, the Wi-Fi on the ship has been fantastic.  Very little issues in posting and connecting.  In addition my international call and data with T-Mobile on the islands have been fantastic, 5G almost everywhere.

 

Day Five Tortola, B.V.I.

 

Tortola:  Up at 6am for a 6:30am meet to take the Rebel Yell Catamaran over to Jost Van Dyke.  Excellent excursion we had a blast.  Got two Adirondack chairs at Soggy Dollar Beach Bar and enjoyed the sun, sand & water until our cruise back to the ship.

 

Lunch in Garden Café and then up to VBC for more sun……

 

Tonight LeBistro dinner and relaxing.

[sns1009]

Beautiful pictures! I can't wait for our Rebel Yell excursion.

[catgags]

Thanks for all the beautiful photos! Looks like you are having a fantastic time!! The weather looks amazing! 

I'll be getting on the Escape Saturday!! First stop will be Vibe!! 

Cheers

Cat

[devinelaw]

5 hours ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

I love all your pictures and tips!

 

How was the champagne cruise? 
 

I was wondering about the spa prices on GSC.  Do they have a price list for the items offered at the ship’s spa or Guest Services?  How do you book spa treatments on the island?

 

5 hours ago, SunshineGal2022 said:

I love all your pictures and tips!

 

How was the champagne cruise? 
 

I was wondering about the spa prices on GSC.  Do they have a price list for the items offered at the ship’s spa or Guest Services?  How do you book spa treatments on the island?

The Champagne cruise was nice.  Wasn’t sailing during all of the sunset but posted pics today.  I’ll watch for info on spa at GSC

[INKY19]

The times you have used the thermal spa has it been crowded???

[devinelaw]

8 hours ago, INKY19 said:

The times you have used the thermal spa has it been crowded???

It has not.  We usually go after our time up at the Vibe Beach Club.  I have to admit at first we were unsure it was worth the $600, but it is starting to grow on us.  It’s really nice after a day in the sun or out on an excursion coming back and relaxing with the therapy pool, snow room and loungers with that view!

[devinelaw]

Wednesday Evening:

 

Cellars:  Our dinner reservation wasn’t until 8:45 so after checking out Decks 6, 7 and 8 and seeing what all was going on we decided to stop by Cellars and do some wine exploration.  We really aren’t wine connoisseurs or drink all that much normally so the upgraded premium beverage was done to explore and have fun tasting and learning about the different wines.  It has more than paid for itself and it’s nice having access to pretty much anything with the constant costs as it’s included in the package.  With wine, champagne, mixed drinks, cokes and Starbucks, we’ve had fun.  The staff at Cellars taught us a lot in our time there and I think had fun picking various wines for us to sample and seeing what we liked.  We learned my wife favors the more bold wines and I’m more inclined for the subtle ones.

 

Dinner:  Le Bistro was an awesome specialty dining selection.  We both had the Petoncles Dubarry, Huile de Truffe, or scallops with cauliflower and truffle oil,     Soupe à l’Oignon Gratinée or French onion soup, the Salade d’Endive and Filet de Boeuf Rossini, the beef tenderloin with foie gras and for dessert the Marquise au Chocolat, 70% Dark Chocolate Cremeux, Rice Crunch, Chambord Raspberry Sauce and the  Île Flottante Airy, a Meringue Pillow Floating in Vanilla Crème Anglaise, Raspberry Coulis.  We enjoyed this with bottled water, Veuve Clicquot BRUT “Yellow Label”.

 

Thursday, after breakfast in the Garden Cafe and picking up our luggage tags for Saturday 😢, we are up at the VBC enjoying our sea day.

[devinelaw]

 

Midday update!!

 

This afternoon at VBC has been so relaxing!!  Grabbed a quick lunch at the Garden Cafe.  After time in the sun went down to the Thermal Suite to relax in the therapy pool, steam room, snow room and loungers.  I must say we were unsure of the value of the Thermal Spa, first time we did this, but our routine of time in the sun then relaxing in the spa is really growing on us.

Back in the cabin, we were surprised to see priority tender info for GSC and priority disembarkation info left for us!    We’re excited to try these and see how they work!!

 

This afternoon and evening planning on some mini golf, maybe bowling, some casino time, dinner in the MDR, our Starbucks fix and some shopping.

[devinelaw]

Thursday, Sea Day, Day Six, part three:

 

Dinner:    We had dinner in The Manhattan Room, one of the MDR’s and the largest.  We did not have reservations as we wanted to try and experience the freestyle dining that NCL advertises.  As we want to do other activities this evening we decided to go try dinner at 5pm when they opened and see what happens.  

At 5pm TMR opened and when we got up to the check in desk we were immediately seated with a very nice ocean view table.  We were at TMR for approximately 1 hour 45 minutes.  The food was good, the view fantastic.  The service and overall atmosphere we noticed was a little off and hectic.  We dined at TMR on our last Escape cruise February 2020.  We recall sitting near the dance floor, music playing, a relaxed atmosphere.  
 

This time, while it was relaxing where we were seated ocean view, around us into the room felt hectic as it was crowded and staff seemed somewhat hurried.  We ordered the bottled water, but once we ran out it took the wait staff awhile to come over so we could request more and then they brought water in a pitcher rather than the bottled requested.  At this point with the main course having been delivered we didn’t say anything as we figured we’d be done with dinner before the bottle arrived.  My wife also noticed that other tables she could see were getting shredded Parmesan cheese on their ravioli, we were not offered any by our waiter, nor was coffee offered at dessert time.  The wine steward also at first was confused that bottles of wine at dinner was included in the premium package and once wine was delivered he didn’t come back by until dessert time to ask if we wanted anything more.  

 

Savor another MDR didn’t feel this hectic Saturday night, likely due to size of crowd, Taste or Savor likely a better MDR atmosphere and experience because of that.

That being said, the food was great and the view fantastic!  

 

Fun Activities:  After dinner we played mini-golf up on the sports deck with an ocean view, lost $20 in the casino (always our limit and tradition on all our cruises, except the one where our first .25 cents won $750), did some shopping in the shops, competed against each other in Mario Kart, Space Invaders and Skee-ball (my sweetheart won all 3).  Skee-ball gives you tickets to exchange in the arcade, so we found two boys playing games and gave them the tickets we won.

 

Back in the room chocolate covered pineapple slices had been delivered!

Tomorrow tendering to GSC and checking out the island before heading back for VBC and Thermal Suite at the Spa.  Next dinner up…..La Cucina on the Waterfront!

[devinelaw]

More pics…..

[sns1009]

Looks like a wonderful night!