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

[vacation44]

On 12/17/2023 at 8:22 AM, APDMOM said:

Good Morning from NCL Escape!

 

Starting this one a bit later than usual, as day 1 has come and gone!  

 

For those who are new to my reviews - I will post TIPS in red so that skim-readers can just get the nitty gritty tips for their cruise planning.

 

We are a family of 3 in an oceanview balcony.  Our pitiful upgrade bid to Haven was declined (no surprise, as we are too frugal 🤣).  The ship is also sold out, so that may have something to do with it...

 

This is our second experience on Escape - the first was in July 2016.  I will post updates during the week of what may be different.

 

Come enjoy a week of Escape from this "winter storm" with us, even if only virtually.  

 

Our Itinerary:

 

 Our Beautiful Ship (From our previous cruise):

I love your reviews!      Have a great cruise and thank you for taking the time to post a live review.  

 

[cat shepard]

Thank you for the pics & review of the ropes course! I am looking forward to trying it on my cruise! 

[wolft927]

We are on the escape January 6th. 1st time on the escape but have cruised the Joy and the Breakaway several times. Looks like the ropes course on the Escape is larger then the one on the Breakaway!. Loving your review!

[APDMOM]

Action from the Balcony:

 

 

[APDMOM]

Time to go have some fun in the sun - thank you for the kind words and for cruising along 🙂

 

If anyone has a request for pictures or info, feel free to post.  Sea days are great for hunting down information.

[thistimeplease]

Enjoying your review and when I ready about your family doing Trikes Cozumel I had to chime in.  My husband and I did this excursion and absolutely loved it.  This is probably my favorite excursion I've done and wish we had done it again this last May when we were in Cozumel then.  Enjoy your cruise!😊

[PegNRay]

On 12/17/2023 at 9:39 AM, APDMOM said:

Luggage:

For the first time in all our cruises, we decided to carry our luggage on.  We read on another cruiseline, at another port, that luggage got soaking wet due to rain.  Since this was such a stormy day and we were early, we felt we would not hold up the security lines if we took our luggage through.  

 

TIP: When you get onto the ship, you can go straight to the casino to drop off your luggage.  They have security and give you a claim ticket.  You can leave carry on luggage here with peace of mind. 

 

TIP:  If you want to make reservations for shows, Supper Club, and tendering, go straight to the Box office on deck 7 Forward - to the right (Starboard) of the ship.  The boarding (gangway) took us straight onto deck 7, so just head forward from there.  You can also make reservations at the touch screens or in the app, but this one stop was quick and easy for us.

 

We booked our tender tickets and supper club for one night.  We already had a reservation for "The Choir of Man", which we booked a few weeks ago on the app.

 

 

My understanding is that you don’t need tender tickets if going on a shre excursion. Do you know if that is correct? Thanks!

[wolft927]

1 minute ago, PegNRay said:

My understanding is that you don’t need tender tickets if going on a shre excursion. Do you know if that is correct? Thanks!

Correct, your shorex ticket with the meeting time and location is your tender ticket. 

[APDMOM]

Views on Our Walk - Downtown Cozumel:

 

You go up an escalator to get into downtown from the pier.  Punta Langosta is right downtown, so there is plenty to do and see.

 

TIP: Don't take the free samples they give away - they will waste your vacation time.  One time, we took a sample.  They dragged us into the shop and told us how 'young' this will make you look.  They put some of the lotion on my face and told me how the deal expires when I leave.  Not being gullable, I left.  Within 20 minutes the lotion had turned into a yellow powdery mess.  Don't waste your money.

 

Also be careful about buying meds in Mexico - they could be laced with fentanyl.  

 

 

 

TIP: At Punta Langosta, you will find this sign of Cozumel - you can get up close and personal pictures.  This is a poor rendition since I just snapped a shot as we walked by.  It was a bit busy, and we already have plenty of selfies with this, so I just snapped this for reference.

 

 

A new addition to Senor Frogs

 

This new restaurant (new since last year) had a lot of fun activities - looked like everyone had a blast with a conga line dance.

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

We find that the crew really appreciate chips!  We started asking what they would like from the grocery store when we get off, and most ask for chips.  So, we make it a habit to buy our room steward something if we know of a grocery store.

 

TIP: MEGA is kind of like WalMart.  If you stop at Punta Langosta, this is a great place to buy necessities or chips for your room steward.  We bought three large bags of chips for $9.   To get there, turn right (southwest) when facing land.  It is only about 2 blocks down the street. It also passes a local straw market.

 

TIP: Across from MEGA is the Barracuda Hotel.  This is a great spot for a margarita and a ship view.  We did not go this time, but it is worth the stop if you are in the mood for a quick drink and photo of the ship. This picture is from our June 2019 Seaside cruise with the view from the Barracuda Hotel bar:

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

Ship view from land:

Those are warter drops from a wave spashing - not a dirty lens/sensor! 😄

 

[APDMOM]

Some Turtle Views:

We love sea turtles - DH got to see one swimming while kayaking once.  I hope to get my turn too!

 

 

The BEST!  Seeing a sea turtle right off the pier:

TIP: Spend some time watching the water on the pier as you walk to or from the ship.  We have seen plenty of sealife here in the years past.  This was my favorite sighting while walking back to the ship!

 

 

[APDMOM]

Evening views of Cozumel before leaving:

 

 

 

 

You can see MEGA from the ship too:

[APDMOM]

To wait or not to wait:

They did the all call for 2 people around "all aboard" time... I am sure this is a PR high-stress time for the captain and staff.  I am a stickler for personal responsibility, so I would leave if they were not on a ship excursion.  I would never do well in PR management 😄

[APDMOM]

Dinner at Savor:

I had one of my favorite meals tonight - the barramundi.  I remember it from previous NCL cruises and was happy that it is still on the menu. All of us loved our meals, including the roasted beets, cheese and potato soup, flounder, and barbecue mixed grill.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Flounder:

 

Barramundi:

 

BBQ:

 

Edited December 19, 2023 by APDMOM
typo

[APDMOM]

Evening Entertainment:

We decided to go to the Rachel Dudt show since this is what we have booked later this week for the Supper Club.  She is an excellent singer, but I don't know if her show is the kind that works on a cruise ship (one person show).  Time will tell.  I enjoyed the show for a one time experience,  but we don't think we will enjoy it as a Supper Club experience.  The group we saw in 2016 at the Supper Club set the bar so high that I think we should just keep that memory and cancel our dinner this time.

 

Would love to hear Rachel sing some REBA!  🙂 She has the voice and the red hair for it!

 

 

[APDMOM]

My View: End of Day 3 - Cozumel, Mexico

From a beautiful sunrise to a breathtaking sunset, it was a memorable day in Cozumel.

 

[slavetoabunny]

43 minutes ago, APDMOM said:

To wait or not to wait:

They did the all call for 2 people around "all aboard" time... I am sure this is a PR high-stress time for the captain and staff.  I am a stickler for personal responsibility, so I would leave if they were not on a ship excursion.  I would never do well in PR management 😄

We ran into the two people they were calling in the elevator a bit before 7:00.  They said they were just coming from the hospital.  

 

[APDMOM]

4 hours ago, slavetoabunny said:

We ran into the two people they were calling in the elevator a bit before 7:00.  They said they were just coming from the hospital.  

 

 Glad to hear they are okay, since they made it back. 

 

This is a good reminder to:

 

TIP:

1. Take a screenshot or photo of the emergency contact phone number in each port, as I am sure the ship is more likely to accommodate real emergencies vs getting drunk and losing track of time.

 

2. Get travel insurance or check with your health insurance and credit card company whether you have appropriate coverage for international travel. 

[APDMOM]

My View: Day 4 - At Sea (What should have been Grand Cayman)

 

I love seeing the promise of another beautiful day from our balcony:

[APDMOM]

Sunrise, the view aft from our balcony, and those 'white caps; in the wind turning pink in the sunrise:

 

 

[APDMOM]

After more mini golf fun and some time in the sun on deck 19, we enjoyed lunch at O'Sheehan's again.  While waiting to be seated, we were able to enjoy some of the towel folding demo fun in the atrium.

 

TIP: Always check your hard copy or pdf version of the Freestyle daily.  The app is not always up to date with the 'what is happening'.  I find NCL has some work to do on the app in the areas of user friendliness and accuracy.  It is helpful, but you may miss out on some fun activities that don't show up in the app.

 

Another Sea Turtle 🙂 

 

[APDMOM]

O'Sheehan's lunch:

 

Pretzel bites, sweet chili wings, the Wrangler Burger and the Coney Island Hot Dog.  The Wrangler Burger was our favorite.  I also enjoyed the Passion Fruite Lime Cooler - refreshing and not too strong.

 

TIP: Ask for extra BBQ sauce on the side for the Wrangler Burger.  The BBQ sauce on this cruise has been really good.

 

 

 

 

[APDMOM]

I will catch up on the rest of our sea day tomorrow.  Glad you are cruising along!  🙂

[slavetoabunny]

10 hours ago, APDMOM said:

 Glad to hear they are okay, since they made it back. 

 

This is a good reminder to:

 

TIP:

1. Take a screenshot or photo of the emergency contact phone number in each port, as I am sure the ship is more likely to accommodate real emergencies vs getting drunk and losing track of time.

 

2. Get travel insurance or check with your health insurance and credit card company whether you have appropriate coverage for international travel. 

If you travel a lot, look into an annual policy. We got an annual policy with Alliance for not much more than an individual trip policy.