My View: Escape 'The Storm' with us! (Semi-Live)

[APDMOM]

Lunch at Garden Cafe:

I had one of the best desserts yet on a cruise  - Mexican Chocolate Cake

 

 

[APDMOM]

TIP:

Garden cafe has an interesting layout.  When you take the aft stairs, you enter the middle of the cafe.  Most people just stay to that part of the cafe.  The aft is often empty - I noticed many officers dine there.  As a bonus, you get to have an aft view - so make sure you walk to the aft for good seating.

 

Another tip - walk all the way around the Garden Cafe.  There is a station that offers Indian food in only one location.  The crêpe station is also only in one spot toward the aft.  Familiarize yourself with the layout so that you don't miss out on the few unique offerings. 

[APDMOM]

My View from the Balcony:

 

Ship-spotting...

Mariner of the Seas chasing a rainbow:

 

Mariner of the Seas

 

Disney Dream:

 

...and the occasional container ship:

 

[justhappy]

20 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle:

We appreciate that NCL still puts on the Cruise Critic Meet and Mingle.  It was a great opportunity to meet some of the officers.  They spent almost 30 minutes talking to everyone and making sure we are enjoying our cruise.

 

 

Is the GM Kivanc Ucar who I think I see there? I hope he’s still onboard at the end of January, he’s really personable and kind.

 

 

[APDMOM]

5 minutes ago, justhappy said:

Is the GM Kivanc Ucar who I think I see there? I hope he’s still onboard at the end of January, he’s really personable and kind.

 

 

Yes, it is.  I agree!  I have noticed the crew and staff on the ship are exceptionally friendly and seem very happy to work here.  I believe most of that has to do with a caring management team. 🙂

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 hours ago, APDMOM said:

My View: End of Day 1 - Port Canaveral

 

Since I cannot offer you a view of a sunset, here is one to wish you "Welcome Aboard!" (And not on the train)

 

 

 

@The Traveling Manand I are going to need a better look at that train.😎

[APDMOM]

Dinner at O'Sheehans:

 

The Menu (They no longer have the Shepherd's pie, which was one of my favorites, but it was always hit or miss whether it was prepared well):

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Our Dinner Choices:

Pretzel bites (great - so good they did not make it to the pictures)

Soup (Daily soup is the same as the one in the Garden Cafe - this was clam chowder):

 

BBQ Wings:

 

Spinach and Artichoke dip with chips:

 

Rueben Sandwich:

 

Cuban Roast Pork:

 

Dress up or not: 

Since it was dress up or not night, we decided "to not to" (Who knows the movie this comes from? 😄)  It seems a vast majority of passengers shared that idea - saw maybe only 5% of people sort of dressed up.

[APDMOM]

I will finish up today's views later - time to catch some zzzz's. See you in Cozumel 🙂

 

[The Traveling Man]

1 hour ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

@The Traveling Manand I are going to need a better look at that train.😎

That's a Lionel O Gauge Polar Express set, Lionel item #2123130, suggested list price $479.99, plus about $100.00 worth of additional track to make a larger display.

[ShannonSC2]

We just got off the Epic yesterday.  Once all the ships left port we were able to dock for the night.  I was wondering how it was going out of port on Saturday.  I know when we came into port it was rough.  A few wine glasses falling off people's table at dinner.  

 

Also will be on the Escape in March.  I haven't sailed on her yet.  Looking forward to seeing more of your review.  

 

Your pictures are beautiful.  

[APDMOM]

2 minutes ago, ShannonSC2 said:

We just got off the Epic yesterday.  Once all the ships left port we were able to dock for the night.  I was wondering how it was going out of port on Saturday.  I know when we came into port it was rough.  A few wine glasses falling off people's table at dinner.  

 

Also will be on the Escape in March.  I haven't sailed on her yet.  Looking forward to seeing more of your review.  

 

Your pictures are beautiful.  

Hope you enjoyed your cruise despite the rough seas.  Thankfully, we did not see any glass shattering.  Only a cart shifting back and forth in the Garden Cafe.  No fun videos to say "I survived this" - but thankful at the same time for the crew who did not have to clean up a mess 😄

 

[APDMOM]

Choir of Man:

 

We had 9:30 reservations for the show, but decided to go to the 7:00 standby line since we were getting tired.  They immediately let us in at 6:48 PM - there was plenty of great seating left. 

 

At first, I did not think much of the show - the first song was not that great.  It just kept getting better and better!  The "a capella' songs were not that good, but most of the show was excellent.  It is absolutely worth it!  There is humor embedded throughout and perfect timing for beermug tap song.  You have to experience it to appreciate it.  

 

TIP: Before the show, they let passengers sit on the set and interact with the singers.  If you sit in the front or at an aisle seat closer to the front half, you may just be called on stage. 

 

Pictures cannot do the show justice.

 

Before the show entertainment:

 

 

The show - this lady (a passenger) was so funny & cute!  She really made the show even better! I hope she sees this 🙂

 

 

 

The Beer Mug Taps were incredibly well coordinated!  These guys have perfect rhythm.

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

My View: End of day 2 - At Sea

 

[APDMOM]

The Freestyle Daily - Day 2 

 

TIP:  I find that pictures lose a lot of definition in Cruise Critic posts, so the pdf version of the daily is the best option.  

 

Click to download:

Day 2.pdf

 

[APDMOM]

We had such a fun-filled day - I am just too tired to post anything meaningful tonight.  I will catch up tomorrow, since we have the 'unplanned' sea day with Grand Cayman being cancelled.  Thanks for all the 'likes' and for following along.  

🙂

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 3 - Cozumel, Mexico

 

[APDMOM]

Thankful for beautiful weater to capture my first sunrise on this cruise:

 

[APDMOM]

Good morning, Norwegian Escape!

[APDMOM]

Minigolf:

 

With this day of beautiful weather, slow cruising in more calm seas, and low wind, we wasted no time to grab an early Garden Cafe breakfast and head over to the minigolf.  This is one ship update that is a bit disappointing.  I loved the old minigolf course with all the obstacles.  This was still a fun family adventure.  For once, all of us ended under par - that should tell you that it is an EASY course!  Both DH and I got a hole-in-one.  We usually celebrate when we get a 'hole in-two'. LOL! 

 

 The new course:

 

 

 

[Moonglo]

40 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

Thankful for beautiful weater to capture my first sunrise on this cruise:

 

Thats a great picture......Enjoy your day.

[APDMOM]

Ropes Course:

 

TIP: You are required to wear closed toe shoes and longer shorts or pants to do the ropes course. Shorts have to reach about to your knees.  Minimum height for the higher ropes course is 48 inches.  There is a small kids ropes course for those shorter than 48 inches.  

 

They did not give very good instruction on using the ropes course.  We did not know, in order to get to the highest level you were only allowed to go up the stairs on the minigolf side, and down the stairs on the other side.  They should do a better job of explaining the rules for us newbies.  

 

TIP: There is a zipline over American Cafe soon after you start the ropes course.  If you don't want to do the zipline, they will open a different route on the course for you to cross over (speaking from personal experience 😬 ). 

 

It is a GREAT experience!  I highly recommend it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Random Internet TIP: When you type loginnow.com into your browser, you can switch devices if you forgot to sign out of another device.  Just tap/click "Go Online", then tap/click "Disconnect Devices".

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Arrival in Cozumel:

 

One good thing about the itinerary change is that we were switched to Punta Langosta, rather than International Pier.  We love Punta Langosta, because it is right downtown - no need to take a taxi.  

 

Ships in Port: Celebrity Summit & Enchantment of the Seas:

[APDMOM]

Avoiding the Crowds:

 

After the ship was cleared, we took some time to enjoy the sun and catch some Vitamin D on deck 19, where it was VERY quiet - only 4 other people around.  We like to avoid the crowds by waiting an hour or two before leaving the ship.  We did not have an excursion booked, as this cruise was mostly for 'the ship' experience.  

 

TIP:  For those who are planning a Cozumel trip, our absolute favorite memory in this port was with Trikes Cozumel.  If you want details about that, look up my Harmony 2019 review in the link in my signature.

 

Deck 19 - so much space, we could angle our loungers 😄