NCL’s Newest Baby
The Norwegian Escape
By Lynn Salazar
I love sailing on NCL. Their “freestyle” cruising fits me to a T. I can eat when I want and where I want. I can pretty much do what I want when I want and with no formal nights or even semi formal nights I can pack a lot less. I am never at a loss for something to do and can find plenty of places for just some quiet time. Recently I sailing on the Norwegian Escape, NCL’s newest ship which set sail in Oct. 2015.
At just under 165,000 tons, she holds a maximum of 4,248 passengers with a crew of 1,731 folks to serve your every need. Sailing year round from Miami for 7 nights to the Caribbean and the Bahamas.
Get ready to chase sunsets on The Waterfront. Explore a world of exotic flavors with two new restaurants from Iron Chef Jose Garces. Get closer to paradise with two quintessential Jimmy Buffett venues: Margaritaville at Sea and the 5 O’clock Somewhere Bar. Sip on some of Napa’s best blends at The cellars, A Michael Mondavi Family Wine Bar. Be dazzled by Broadway hits like After Midnight and Million Dollar Quartet. Discover a new world of Freestyle Cruising on Norwegian Escape.
Here is my take on the brand new Norwegian Escape!
Day 1 – Boarding and Setting Sail
They have this down to a science. From when we arrived at the pier to when we were in our cabin was less than 45 minutes and no we did not arrive late. They processed people thru like lightening.
A tip before you cruise is you are a big internet user like me. WAIT to get your internet package till you get on the ship! Once you board you will have the opportunity to get the Unlimited Internet Package for $209! Well worth it for a 7 day cruise and yes I did say “unlimited!!” You or your kids can be on the internet, forget to log off, etc and you don’t get charged! Once you board head down to the internet café where you can purchase this package.
Once we got to our cabin, we dropped off our carry on luggage and looked around the cabin. Then it was off to the Garden Café to have some lunch. I love the Garden Café as the food is fresh, drinks are abound and the mango iced tea is wonderfully refreshing. Then we went over to Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville for, what else, a Margarita!
With our Margarita in hand we then went to explore the public areas of the ship and stop by to make dining reservations.
Of course we had the muster drill but once it was over we ended up spending majority of the rest of our day going poolside for the sail away party, hitting the casino, eating dinner at O’Sheehans and just having fun!
Day 2 – A Day at Sea
Up early for breakfast out on the Lido deck. Nothing like a warm breakfast, fruit and a cup of coffee while enjoying the sights of the sea and the smell of fresh ocean air to get your day going.
Mid morning we headed to the Port Shopping Presentation in the Escape Theater. Again, this is something you must go to and don’t want to miss. Lots of bargains, important port information, and shopping tips for the different ports of call. You even get to win some prizes and free gifts!
Afterwards we stopped in to check out the Live Auction for the Art on board was being presented at Headliners. Now I am not into buying $500 pieces of art but the free champagne and watching was worth it.
Then we were off to the Atrium for the game show Deal or No Deal and of course, we decided to join in and get a quick bite at O’Sheehans. Since the game show was being presented at the Atrium and O’Sheehans overlooks the Atrium, we were able to do both!
After that, we went to The Cellar’s for the Wine & Chocolate Perfect Pairing event. This is a MUST! It was well worth the $23.95 per person charge and came with 5 ¼ glasses of wine with chocolate and a great lesson in wine drinking, pairing, and learning about the different wines. You also got to leave with a “Wine Tasting Tool” chart to take home with you so that you don’t forget what you learned.
From there, we went back to our room to relax and change our outfits and then off to the Captain’s cocktail party…. (seeing a pattern here?)
Dinner that night was at La Cucina for some excellent Italian food and then off to bed and get ready for another day at sea….. And some people say these days at sea are boring….
Day 3 – A Day at Sea
This day we have an hour time change as we moved east so we ended up getting a late start on the day.
After a late and light breakfast we headed to the Wine Lover’s Musical at the Supper Club. As we got there, it was almost the same set up as the Wine & Chocolate Perfect Pairing at The Cellars the previous day, however, it comes with lunch, wine and the show. Remember, that the wine is only 5 – ¼ glasses of wine. Frankly if I had to do it over again, I would skip this. The wine and chocolate event we went to the previous day was much better and a better value.
The rest of the day was spent pool side becoming one with the sun.
Later in the afternoon we headed to 5’oclock Somewhere Bar to catch up on the latest Diamond & Gemstone Seminar. This is an informative get together to educate yourself on how to buy a diamond or gemstone you are looking for. But the real bargain here are the coupons you can use to buy the pieces you really want and of course, tax and duty free!
Dinner was at O’Sheehans where the salad is a must! Then we got ourselves over to Tobacco Road where we got us a good signature cocktail in a tiki glass and then off to the casino! We made a little mad money at the casino but did not stay long as we were due into St. Thomas the next day and knew it would be a long busy day.
Day 4 – St. Thomas
We arrive at 8AM and we were ready to get off the ship and hit the town. It is a short ride on a taxi ($4 a person) to the downtown area where there is plenty of walking and shopping to do. We had mapped out what stores we wanted to go to and had no plans to go on a tour. However, as we were walking to the downtown area where the taxi dropped us off, there were some local vendors selling their services to do a 2 hour tour of the island for $20. Not a bad deal. We signed up to meet them later at 1:00PM and headed to the stores. The top two on our list were:
Del Sol, where everything they have turns colors in the sunlight. A little overrated and pricy but some things might be worth it, but it depends on your taste and what you like.
Cariloha. This is one of my favorite places in the market. All of their products are made from Bamboo and extremely soft. While not cheap the products here are top notch.
Then of course we had to check out a couple of the liquor stores and jewelry shops, after all I am a woman and what woman just walks past a jewelry shop. The problem is in St. Thomas is if you stop in every jewelry shop you will be there 3 days and miss your ship!
Now it was time for our island tour. First stop was Beacon Point for a flavorful and famous drink, the Banana Rum Runner! You are able to pour as much Rum as you wanted into your frozen Banana runner, so trust me, it can get pretty strong! Next, off driving up the mountain to get a good view of St. Thomas and enjoy a Carib beer, the official beer of St. Thomas, and tasty too!
Last stop of the tour was at the Cruzan Beach Club at Sunset Grille at Secret Harbor Beach where you can enjoy the beach for ½ hour and a Mango Sunrise drink! Not taking the tour? Then if you wanted to just go here and spend the day, or you can go to Coco beach. I have been to both and they are not crowded, clean, and pleasant people. Then it is back to the ship.
Remember you need to be onboard by 5:30PM, but, make sure you get back at least ½ hour PRIOR to what the cruise line is telling you when to get back on board. If you miss the boat, you are responsible to get yourself to the next destination to catch the ship!
Day 5 – Tortola, British Virgin Islands
Frankly, while a beautiful island, there is not much to do in Tortola. We got off the ship and took a 10 minute walk to the to the little market in town. Not much to buy there. If you are into snorkeling or walking then by all means enjoy.
After our tour of the market it was back to the ship and enjoy some pool time and get a massage. You can normally get a deal on spa treatments on the days the ship is in port and we did just that.
Dinner that evening was at Teppanyaki where we sat around a shared table with 4 other passengers as a skillful chef sliced, chopped and grilled our steak, seafood and chicken on a large steel grill right before our eyes. The chilled, sake-infused Wasabi Cocktail will open your sinus so don’t say I didn’t warn you.
To the casino for a bit and then we were off to bed for the night.
While we are not big on the Broadway shows on any cruise ship, the passengers we talked with were very impressed with several of the shows they had attended on the Norwegian Escape. So if that is your thing, then it just might be worth the time to take in a show or two on the cruise.
Day 6 – At Sea
Another day at sea and lots of activities on board! This is the day for all the specials on photos, gifts, and bargains to get for family, friends, colleagues back home. We headed out to the Marketplace on poolside to see what the T-shirt sale was all about. The t-shirts were your standard NCL logo stuff but reasonably priced. 2 for $20 and come in all sizes and colors, BUT you have to get their early as the place was mobbed! Everyone wants a good bargain so you have to search the piles of t-shirts and hold onto the shirts you want.
Then over to Central Retail (the gift shop) for the bargains on watches, scarves, and jewelry. Mind you, this is not your upscale jewelry and if you know your pricing you can get these items at any store in the USA. However, the Bell & Rose Box Jewelry which comes with a watch and some extra items is definitely worth the money. It would cost you about $20 per box on the cruise and it’s a definite steal! Since Central Retail is near the photo gallery and the fine jewelry, this is a good time to see if they have any sales going on.
Then it was off to poolside to get a drink and see the ice carving demonstration! It’s great to watch how they can carve away at a block of ice to create a masterpiece. Then it was back to our cabin for some R&R and then back out! Dinner that night was in the main restaurant. A quick stop in the casino and off to our cabin for good nights sleep.
Day 7 – Nassau
Today was jam packed. It is the one day you really have to know what you are doing, where you are going, and how much time you have to do it in. Even though we were arrived in Nassau, Bahamas at 12pm, again, there were lots of sales going on at Central Retail on the ship. They had the Bell & Rose Box Jewelry on sale and another presentation about Nassau going on, plus this was a good opportunity to do your last minute shopping on your photos before heading ashore.
Off the ship we go to do some last minute shopping and hopefully get some good bargains on jewelry and gifts. We spent about 2 ½ hours in different stores, especially Diamonds International where they had the last Parazul bags. The sale they had going was buy one, get one free! They run about $395, but you get two for the price of one!
Then we headed over by water taxi to see Atlantis which is about a 10 minute ride. A short time there, not really enough to see all that Atlantis has to offer we headed back to our ship.
To our cabin and time to finalize our onboard account, get some last minute deals on gifts, and take care of our photos. Remember that you won’t have time to do this the next morning as it is quite busy and the elevators are packed with people disembarking the ship.
We made a final visit to the District Brew House for a last minute beer. There were not many people there but we were at least able to enjoy a frosty cold one! One thing to remember about the Brew House is that they have over 50 beers, but most you can enjoy in your state. Not much different or exotic as I thought but it does beat your average Coors Light or Bud Platinum!
Well, off to the cabin to get some sleep as we have to be up at 6AM to get some breakfast and grab our stuff before disembarking the ship.
Day 8 – Off the ship and our final thoughts.
Morning comes way to early on your final day. It is also the saddest day of a cruise as you know your cruise has come to an end. Getting off was easy enough once customs cleared the ship. We made a mad dash for a cab so we could beat as much of the cruise crowd as we could to the airport. Thru TSA and to our gate, we were actually able to catch an earlier flight and thanks to some cruise passengers getting to the airport late, seats were open.
That is key when you fly home from Miami/Ft Lauderdale on a cruise day. Get to the airport as soon as you can or wait till later in the day to go. One or the other, there is no in between if you hope to find an open seat.
As for our thoughts on the Norwegian Escape. Well it did not disappoint. Wish I had more time to spend in the spa as they had some new areas I had not seen before like the salt room. Dining was excellent and wish we could afford to have eaten in the specialty restaurants every night. If you love dining, then check out the NCL specialty dining packages they offer. Well worth the money, buy the specialty dining package when you book!
If you enjoy a fine cold mixed beverage then the drink packages are something you should look into and purchase before you board!
The staff we stupendous, doing everything they could to make sure our cruise experience was exceptional. I wish the cabins were larger but in the end we did not spend much time in them anyway except to slee
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As for price, much to my surprise, NCL had interline rates open on almost every sailing of the Escape. We booked thru Interline Travel Agency and avoided the silly booking fees a couple of the other large interline agencies charge. I see no reason to pay an extra $50 if I don’t need to.
As I write this you can find interline rates on the Norwegian Escape into late Spring. So check them out and if you can, and get a balcony!
Maybe we will run into you on our next cruise on NCL. You can also call the Interline Travel Agency at 800 766-2911 to book your Norwegian Escape cruise!