Escape, Escape - Two Times the Escape. Live Review B2B NCL Escape, Dec 9-16 & Dec 16-23

[APDMOM]

13 hours ago, Stealthdog said:

Later last night we watched a little bit of the Howl at the Moon.  It was only about 1/4 full - most people were probably packing to get their suitcases out or having an early evening.  We moved towards the Atrium and realized we missed probably one of the funniest shows on the ship - the Movie Sketch Comedy Game Show in the atrium.  We passed through at the very end, while they were giving the answers to questions 16-20.  It was hilarious - the entertainment team does an outstanding job.  If you are all packed, already had dinner, and looking for one thing to do the last night - go see this Movie Sketch Comedy Game Show.  You won't regret it - we regret we missed almost all of it.  Its probably worth getting to the atrium a little early to get a good seat on the 7th deck overlooking the atrium.

Yes, the Movie Sketch Comedy Game Show was the BEST!  I will remember that for years - we were in stitches the whole time.  Such an excellent entertainment team! 🙂

[D41]

Thank you for allowing us to join you for Trivia and other events.  It was wonderful to meet you both and I appreciate your review of your B2B.

[cruiseny4life]

On 12/22/2023 at 6:03 PM, 4Collinson said:

Hi. I'm on the Escape in a few weeks and was wondering if they are serving hash browns?  I can't eat eggs and don't like the breakfast potatoes.

It seems there are no longer hash browns across the entire fleet. I'm very sad to provide this update to you. I feel a funeral dirge is necessary. No more Mele Kalikimaka for us! We're going to Danny Boy, but replace Danny Boy with Hash Browns!

[Stealthdog]

All the laundry is done, the holidays are over, and I'll close out this review with the end of cruise thoughts.  The goal is to complete this by the New Year.

 

Remember, that these are only the thoughts of one person, and my experiences or likes/dislikes can be much different than others.  And the uniqueness of doing a Back-to-Back gave me the perspective that experiences can even differ from cruise to cruise on the same ship.  I did not realize how much the other passengers impacted the feel of a ship until the 2nd leg of this B2B.

Edited December 28, 2023 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

The Escape Casino is one of the better casinos we have seen on a cruise ship.  It is also one of the larger Casinos we have seen on other ships/cruise lines.  Its location (center, Deck 7) is the perfect spot to get to the Casino from all the dining and entertainment (non-pool deck) on the ship.  Over the two weeks, Eric played craps a little, but the majority of our time in the Casino was with the slot machines.  The table games looked like they got busy mid-late evening.  

 

There was a very wide range of slots and poker machines available on board.  Some of the more popular slots were often occupied, so you could tell which machines people like the most.  We didn't see any slot poll groups on either cruise, which is usually fun to watch.  The bar in the Casino is fairly large but got a little crowded later in the evening when the area turned into 18+ only and live music was being played.  It was nice hearing live music while in the casino (I'll discuss the entertainment on a separate post).  Servers were constantly available throughout the casino to get drink orders if you didn't want to go to the bar.

 

It looked like there were sections of the casino that was non-smoking (many of the slots had non-smoking signs on it), but I'm not sure that was followed.  We have been in casinos that were so overwhelming with smoke that we didn't spend any time during peak times - I wear contacts and large amounts of cigarette smoke can dry my eyes really quickly.  That was never the case on the Escape.  The amount of smoking/smoke in the casino was much greater in the first cruise than the second cruise, but never got to the point that we needed to go.  I still prefer a non-smoking casino, but it was well in the manageable range during our two weeks.  

 

You can print out slot slips or leave them on a digital account on your room card that you can access at any slot machine.  I liked that they gave both options - we are more old school and I like to print out my slip every time I leave a slot machine.  There were a few times that I swiped my card to sign off the slot and the balance was applied to the digital account.  One precaution is to make sure you don't leave the ship with a slot balance on your room card - we checked on the last day and printed up the balance on a slip to cash out with the cashier.  

 

The casino had the normal activities you will see in most cruise lines - slot and card tournaments, lottery, scratch cards, and NFL games where you guess the score each team has by quarter.  The slot tournament was the only one we participated in - Eric did it the first week.  There were multiple rounds and some of the highest scorers from each round qualified for the finals (they capped the # qualifying for the finals and the winner of every round didn't qualify).  It seemed to be a very lengthy process and we prefer these types of things to be immediate, so we didn't try it again. 

 

The staff in the casino was fantastic - the players club booth and the cashier.  Both were very quick in service.  Eric ended up qualifying for Pearl Status in the casino on got free water cartons in the casino on the second cruise - which seemed to be the biggest perk to us.  They did give him $100 OBC on the second cruise and comped some of his spa/shop purchases.  Note - do not use your points to gamble with.  Eric didn't realize it and used his first couple of hundreds of points on the slot machines.  

 

Compared to other ship casinos, I'd give it an A-.   From service to game variety, its a great casino.  

 

 

 

[Stealthdog]

On 12/24/2023 at 1:26 PM, D41 said:

Thank you for allowing us to join you for Trivia and other events.  It was wonderful to meet you both and I appreciate your review of your B2B.

 

Thanks for joining us!  Between you and Eric, you were good for at least 16/20 in just about every trivia....and Eric didn't need to look at me at all because what he didn't know, you knew!  🙂 

 

Hope to see you two in a future cruise!

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Internet/App

 

Overall the Internet service and app on board the Escape was fairly mediocre compared to other cruise lines/ships we have been on the last couple of years.   
 

The internet was serviceable if you are just looking to surf the internet and check emails.  The speed varied between the two cruises and that probably had to do with demographic differences.  The speed was quicker the first cruise, and noticeably slower the second cruise - there were a lot more kids on the second cruise and many always seemed to have a device in their hands.  The biggest pain was I was constantly getting booted from the ship Wi-Fi, and had to keep logging in.  if you need more reliable service or faster speeds to do work or stream without interruptions, you will probably be unhappy with the internet on the Escape.  For us, it was good enough….but frustrating. 
 

The App needs a complete revamp.  It’s just as bad as the app we used on Princess - get a test group and figure it out.  We are in the 2020s……  There really wasn’t anything on the app that I used regularly….and that may be partly because I kept getting booted from the ship Wi-Fi, which you need to be logged in to use the app.  
 

The best part of internet and data services on the B2B was T-Mobile users have free data service seemingly at every port in the Caribbean.   In Mexico, we even had free call service.  So every day in port, we turned off the NCL WiFi, took the phones off airplane mode, and had much better service.  Other providers (beside TMobile) probably have similar service.   Check with your mobile provider to see what is included in travel locations.  If you are on a port intensive cruise, I would probably skip buying an upgrade of the Internet on the Escape completely.  If it has a lot of sea days, we are 50-50 on whether we would buy an upgrade or just make that call while on board. 
 

Combined id give the Internet/App on the Escape a C-.  Both are behind most of its peers, particularly on newer classes of ships. 

 

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Evening Entertainment.

 

There is a really solid range of entertainment on the Escape, and how the ship is designed helps distribute people to those locations.

 

The star of the ship was obviously Choir of Man.  Its one of the couple Broadway/Off-Broadway quality shows I have seen on a cruise ship (the other was on Disney).  Its phenomenal.  This is something everyone should make an effort to see.  There is no traditional "production" style show with dancers (with multiple costume changes) and 4-6 singers.  I was perfectly fine with that, but if people are expecting more traditional cruise entertainment, it isn't there.  Choir of Man is the closest it gets.  

 

I loved the Supper Club concept on the Escape - it gives a great lounge feeling and all the seats are great to see.  The execution needs help.  The first show we ate the dinner.  The food was mediocre and because the show is only 45 minutes, it was also rushed.  We had just finished our main meal when the show ended.  People were streaming out of the venue while the servers were still bringing deserts, which was awkward. The support seems to be missing for the singers as well.  The last show was just a female vocalist singing with recorded music.  There are so many things NCL could do better to make the Supper Club experience better.  Put a piano on the stage and have lounge music before and after the main entertainer starts and finishes and extend the dinner portion from 45 minutes to 1 hour, 15 minutes, so you dont need to rush the food as fast.  Give the singers a live band so they aren't signing to pre-recorded music.  Make the food better in quality - after the first show, we didn't bother eating at the Supper Club the 2nd and 3rd times because the food just wasn't good.  

 

Howl at the Moon.  This was one of my favorites on board and we went a couple of times.  If you go more than once, there is a good chance you will be hearing the same songs again.  But, its a fun time where you can just sit back and listen to a few singers perform alot of song favorites.  

 

Pour House.  For the first leg, it seemed the venue wasn't large enough for demand.  But the second leg, it was easy getting in, so its probably the right size.  Eric loved the rock music concept and show we saw.  I don't know if it was an Escape venue thing, was just a one-night thing, or was a just me (and Eric) thing, but the band was too loud.  There were several songs we couldn't hear the singers because of the band.  A couple of guests in front of us wore earplugs, which made us realize that we need to have earplugs on our permanent cruise packing list (they don't take up much space and we may never use them, but we will bring them on all future cruises).  It took a couple hours after the show for my hearing to readjust back to normal.  Like the Supper Club, I love the concept and it gives alternative entertainment options on a large ship, which is great.  

 

Comedians and other Theater Singers.  There are several opportunities to see comedians in the theater (and other smaller venues) over the course of the cruise.  We saw one show and it was ok.  It was better than some comedians on other sailings, but not as good as others.  Comedy will probably change cruise to cruise as the comedians come and go.  The Supper Club performers also did shows other nights in the Theater.  The Other Guys (who left the ship when we did) were outstanding.  The other performances were ok.....more like filler if you didn't have any other plans and wanted to a sit down show.

 

Other music.  With the exception of the pianist who performed in the Brewhouse, we found the other bands/entertainers on board average or below average.  There was entertainment at times in the atrium and in the casino bar.  It was standard cruise ship activity and nothing that made me think that we had to go see them again at their next show because they were good.  NCL puts its entertainment money on the theater shows, supper club shows, and pour house, and that is perfectly fine.  

 

Overall, I'd give the evening entertainment a B on the Escape.  One thing the Escape is really lacking compared to some of the other cruise lines and newer class ships is technological innovation and even more outside the box entertainment.  I liked the variety on the Escape, and Choir of Man was one of the best shows I've seen on a ship, but I think NCL should push the boundaries more.  

[412cruiser]

On 12/28/2023 at 12:20 PM, Stealthdog said:

“And the uniqueness of doing a Back-to-Back gave me the perspective that experiences can even differ from cruise to cruise on the same ship.  I did not realize how much the other passengers impacted the feel of a ship until the 2nd leg of this B2B.”

Thanks so much @Stealthdog for sharing! Were doing our first B2B on the Escape Jan 27-Feb 10, so this is very timely! 

[Stealthdog]

Food.  Overall the food on board was really good quality.

 

Specialty Restaurants - we prefer to have dinner almost always in the specialty restaurants so we don't get disappointed.  For us, the food is the most important part of a ship.  Going on board, my favorites from previous NCL sailings were Le Bistro and Cagneys.  My least favorites were Moderno and Teppanyaki.  Cagneys was our only disappointment with the 14 trips we had....though we probably should have given them a second chance.  Teppanyaki is an incomplete because we never went.  If we were with a large group we may have considered, but we just skipped it completely.  Rankings for the Specialty Restaurants (just my opinion and some we only went to once):

 

1) Le Bistro.  Best specialty restaurant on board the ship.  Everything was great.  They had inside seating and outside seating.  We sat inside every time because it was a busy area where people are always walking by and gawking at the gingerbread house.  Everything in Bistro was outstanding and you can't go wrong with any choice.  I did the standard escargot and onion soup almost every time.  The most interesting decision was the way they present the endive salad (looks like a particular sex toy).  Every main was outstanding, as were the deserts.  

 

2) La Cucina.  I don't think I have ever rated an Italian restaurant near the top on a cruise ship.  Everything about it was outstanding.  It had the best service from any of the specialty restaurants and I loved being able to sit out on the waterfront to eat.  The food was a little better in Le Bistro, which places La Cucina in a close second place.  I don't think you can go wrong with either.  The appetizers aren't that exciting, but the pastas were outstanding and the main entrees were all very good.  I think my favorite was the Osso Bucco.  If we were going back on the Escape and only had 2 Free at Sea Dinners, we would choose le Bistro and La Cucina.

 

3) Moderno.  Like La Cucina, I was surprised to put Moderno this high up a ranking.  The quality and temperature of the meats were the best I have ever had at a Brazilian Steakhouse.  Awesome job!  There was very little salt (which is often a problem at these types of restaurants) and they bring you exactly what you ask for.  The salad bar is still limited (compared to land restaurants) and the service was noticeably slower the second time we went (the restaurant was full), but the experience on the Escape changed my perception of Brazilian Steakhouses on a cruise ship.  I would go again without hesitation.

 

4) Bayamo, Ocean Blue.  There was absolutely nothing wrong with Ocean Blue, its just Bisto, Cucina, and Moderno were all awesome.  We would have no problem going to Ocean Blue every night if the other three above were not there.  I'm not a huge seafood lover, but there was plenty of options for me to choose from.  The appetizers and soups/salads were all outstanding.  The only meal Eric didn't like was the Cioppino (soupy meal with 5-6 different seafood meats in it).  

 

5) Food Republic.  Tough call between Food Republic and Pinchos, but the ambience and location for Food Republic makes it better in my opinion.  Food Republic is ALOT of food, so go hungry.  Its tapas style ordering but many of the dishes are much larger than tapas style servings.  We enjoyed most things on the menu and were really tempted to go back a second time, but we just liked the Top 3 too much.

 

6) Pinchos Tapas.  Pinchos is a very solid choice from a food perspective.  It was equivalent to some Tapas restaurants we have been to before on land.  We were the only ones eating there (it was during a lunch), and that may have biased my perception on its ambiance.  Everything we ordered we really enjoyed.  For a restaurant this low on the rankings to have really good food is a reflection on the restaurant team on board.  

 

7) Cagneys.  Sadly, one of the favorites from other ships ended up at the bottom of my list.  We only gave it the once chance because there was such a variety of options on board and several of the restaurants were so much better, that we were happy skipping it.  The appetizers were ok (eric didn't like the salad because it had too much dressing), but the entrees were the disappointment.  Cagneys was the only time on board my filet came out overcooked.  Id assume they use the same kitchen as Moderno, so its a little surprising and maybe an outlier.  If we went a second time, I would have gotten the Porterhouse.....but a couple next to us got that and it looked like it was really fatty and a poor quality of cut.  So, that was really the driving force behind not going back a second time.  

 

Inc) Teppanyaki.  To us, its more about the experience and not the food, so we decided to skip it.

 

I'd give a collective A- to the specialty restaurants on the Escape.  There is so much variety to choose from and almost everything was worth the price.  My favorite individual specialty restaurant remains 150 Central Park on the Symphony of the Seas.  

[Stealthdog]

The rest of our food experiences on board the Escape was ok.  I'm not going to grade them because we really didn't spend much time there.  I'll just highlight some things:

 

O'Sheehans.  It you like a sit down breakfast and don't want to go to the MDR, they have a decent breakfast menu.  Yes, their chicken wings aren't that good anymore.  But, for a free restaurant that is always open, its a nice place to go for breakfast-lunch or a snack.  On previous cruises, its always been a must-go late night to get wings.  I skipped those trips this time.  

 

MDR.  There are three MDR restaurants.  We only tried Taste and Savor for breakfast and one lunch.  Service isn't the fastest, so if you are in a rush, don't go there.  The menu for all three are always the same and it looked like there was a good variety on their dinner menus.  The third MDR restaurant had a piano in it that looked interesting.  The food was also decent, so no complaints.

 

Buffet.  We really didn't go very often.  The one thing we did love was a pizza in the buffet.  They do a really good job with thin crust pizzas....except the last day where they had tuna and onion pizzas which looked disgusting.  🤣  The American diner had a much more restrictive buffet style breakfast, but the place was always empty and its outside.  So, if you don't like the amount of people in the buffet, you get your food at the Buffet and head out to the American Diner, or just get your food there.  The Diner is now going to be complimentary for lunch and dinners, so that will be another option for dining on board.

 

One thing we didn't see is a typical "grill" cafe/restaurant.  Typically there is something like this near the pool deck, and maybe that is what they will be turning the American Diner into.  

 

 

[Stealthdog]

Itinerary.  Our favorite Caribbean itineraries are normally the Southern ones that do variations of Aruba, Bonnaire, Curacao (ABC), Barbados, and Cartagena.  We chose this B2B because it did the East-West and had a few stops that we haven't been to.  Because there were three cancelled port stops over the two weeks (Grand Cayman and the Private Island twice), we missed out experiencing some new stops for us.  But, this experience has pushed me towards not booking another cruise with tender ports.  

 

East Itinerary:  Puerto Plata, St Thomas, and Tortola.  This was our first time at Tortola and we were pleasantly surprised.  We had a blast and loved our excursion.  Overall, the East Itinerary felt safe and without the hordes of aggressive vendors.  NCL docks at the better dock in St Thomas closer to the downtown area (which is walkable from the ship).  Taino Bay is also really nice in Puerto Plata and you can leave the ship and have plenty to do without doing an excursion.  

 

West Itinerary:  Cozumel, Grand Cayman (cancelled), Ocho Rios, Nassau (added for GSC being cancelled).  Grand Cayman was our only new stop we haven't been to.  Cozumel is a very common port in Caribbean cruises.  The little mini-mall at the port was new to us and it gives people the option to get off the ship and window shop a little if they want.  In Ocho Rios we left the ship and were going to walk to the beachy areas until we reached the gauntlet of aggressive vendors, and decided to turn around and go back to the ship.  Nassau is Nassau....and because it was such a late add and limited time in port, we didn't leave the ship.  We love Atlantis on Paradise Island (been twice on 5-day stays) and would go there on a day pass, but there just wasn't enough time.

 

Overall, I'd say I like the feeling of an East Itinerary better than a West Itinerary.  It feels safer, quieter, and less stressful.  If I had to pick between an East or West cruise and the ship/price were all the same, I'd go East.  

[Stealthdog]

Service.  The service overall on board was outstanding.  There were a handful of memorable staff members who really made a difference in our cruise.  The service in the specialty dining was generally better and faster than the MDR, which is expected.  After the initial communication issue with the cabin, cabin and hotel service was outstanding.  Bar service is bar service.  It can be quick or you may have a line.  There are enough bars on board that if service is slow, I just go to a different one.  

 

Entertainment Team.  The Entertainment team on the Escape is among the best teams I have seen on a cruise ship.  Starting from Jack, all the way to all the staff members on the team.  Their activities were fun, they were always engaging, and they have slips where you get signatures for each activity you participate in (trivia, competitions, games, etc).  At the end of the cruise, you turn your slip in at the library for NCL swag.  We got a key chain and wine koozie thing.  There were also T-shirts, bags, and a number of other items to choose from.  Jack should be very proud of his entertainment team. 

 

Officers.  Without hesitation, I will say that collectively, this is probably the best group of officers I have seen on a cruise ship.  Captain Kate (Celebrity) is still my favorite captain, but everything was running smoothly:   the food was great, the service was great, the activities were fun, guest services was always responsive, and that is reflective on the leadership.  I wish I had the same Officers from the Escape on every ship I go in the future.  They have a leadership challenge to figure out how to deal with balcony smokers (cigarettes and marijuana), which seemed to be a problem on both cruises. 

Edited January 4 by Stealthdog

[ch175]

Thanks for taking time to put this together! I especially appreciate the food summary, and your East vs West thoughts. Those pretty much answered any questions I had bouncing around in my head.

[Stealthdog]

The overall ship.  I love the overall ship design, deck plans, and layout of the Escape.  Everything (with one small exception) just made sense.  

 

One concern I always have with the bigger ships is that it will feel like it had 6,000 people on it (Pax + crew).  It never felt overcrowded on board (the pool area always looked packed though) and that is because of the ship's design.  There are several areas outside the theater that hold 60-200 people which greatly helps in distributing people across the ship, particularly at night.  The way Decks 6, 7, and 8 are designed is great - multiple bars, restaurants, and entertainment venues helped manage the flow of people.  The only location (outside the Pour House the first cruise), where the space didn't seem big enough was the Atrium.  Having the overlook from the 7th deck into the atrium was nice, but for some of the popular events held in the atrium, the space in Deck 6 and Deck 7 above seemed too small for the number of passengers on board. 

 

I'm a big fan of the Waterfront concept.  Typically on cruise ships, the only access outside the ship like that is the pool deck(s) and the track.  Its nice having an outside space that wraps around the whole ship where people can sit and enjoy cruising, especially for people in interior or oceanview cabins.  There was always space available and it was a nice quiet area.  This is a feature that future cruise ships to look to integrate.

 

The one exception to the flow of the ship I didn't like was the Garden Cafe on Deck 16.  The problem with the Garden Cafe is the stairs/elevators in the aft of the ship takes you into the Garden Cafe on Deck 16, and to get to the pool area, spa, or gym you have to walk through the cafe from that end.  That made no sense to me and I didn't like having to walk through there every time I took the aft stairs.  It also adds more people into an already busy area that leads to congestion.

 

Overall, the Escape is my 3rd favorite ship I have been on after 1) RCL Symphony of the Seas and 2) Celebrity Beyond.  Its a great ship and recommend it to anyone looking for a cruise.

Edited January 4 by Stealthdog

[Stealthdog]

22 minutes ago, ch175 said:

Thanks for taking time to put this together! I especially appreciate the food summary, and your East vs West thoughts. Those pretty much answered any questions I had bouncing around in my head.

 

Glad this was helpful.  If you have any other questions, don't hesitate to reach out. 

[Stealthdog]

This is the end of my review.  It took a little longer than I expected to get the post cruise part complete and am sorry it wasn’t more timely.  If anyone has further questions, keep asking! 
 

One thing I wanted to highlight for any NCL cruise you go on (other lines have similar cards) is make sure you fill out these “Vacation Hero” cards to recognize staff members who did an outstanding job.  It doesn’t cost anything to do and takes 5-10 minutes to fill out and drop off at guest services.  These cards make a huge impact on staff - not only recognition for their services, but also reportedly leads to bonuses, time off at ports, and other perks to the staff.  
 

Our next planned cruise is the MSC Seashore in March for a quick 3 night cruise with a group of about 100.  We are planning our summer trip to Europe and are leaning towards a free Princess casino cruise to the Baltic, but also considering Celebrity, NCL, or a River Cruise. 
 

We did pick up 2 more cruise next certificates on board, so will be on another NCL cruise soon.  
 

Thanks to everyone who joined us virtually (and in person).  I hope this was useful or fun information for people who haven’t been on the Escape and are considering or planning a cruise. This cruise critic community is awesome.  Until March!!!!!

[cat shepard]

I really appreciate the thought you put into this entire thread. You were clear as to what was fact, and what was your opinion. It will help me & my gang immensely when we go next month. 
 

Thank you!

[ellenw]

Great review. Thanks!

 

We spent 27 days on the Escape in Oct/Nov 2022. First leg a fabulous Mediterranean cruise followed by a TA to New York. And I will say that 27 days days is not too much!

 

Food Republic and Pincho's were our favorite places to eat. We also enjoyed Le Bistro, Cagneys and La Cucina. But Food Republic and Pincho's were different and great. We would use one dining credit between and two of us for a great meal. So got to go several times. I think that Pincho's is the best kept secret on the ship. That staff was so happy when we told them how much we liked everything. And they were glad to see us when we went back!

 

My sister has just told me that she booked on Celebrity Beyond. Timing of her trip isn't great for us, but will definitely look into that ship. 

 

[HoosierShipmate]

On 12/12/2023 at 12:34 PM, cat shepard said:

 

Did you happen to notice any rowing machines?

@cat shepardI can’t comment specifically on this ship, but the Breakaway had a Concept 2. I see what I think is the same in one pic. My daughter is a university rower and she was delighted as she needed to spend time on the erg daily LOL

Edited January 5 by HoosierShipmate

[cat shepard]

11 hours ago, HoosierShipmate said:

@cat shepardI can’t comment specifically on this ship, but the Breakaway had a Concept 2. I see what I think is the same in one pic. My daughter is a university rower and she was delighted as she needed to spend time on the erg daily LOL

 

Thank you. They are Concept 2. My gym has a much older version of these machines, so I am excited to try them. 

[zazou]

Thank you for this detailed review. We are going on the Escape for the first time in less than 2 months and I learn a lot reading it.