This was our second time on the Escape in the past two years. Our cruise last may was stellar but this one was even better.
Notes: We booked our Oct 7th cruise over a year ago and expected to go back to the Eastern Caribbean. However, after Irma and Maria those ports were no longer capable of taking cruise guest so we were rerouted to Roatan, Harvest Caye, Costa Maya, and Cozumel in the Western Caribbean. This was our sixth cruise we have sailed on Carnival twice, Royal Caribbean twice, and NCL twice.
Miami: We booked the La Quinta airport East since it offered free shuttle service to the port. The place was a dump! Old, worn out, and Moist! Yes, moist; the entire hotel was musty and water damage was clearly evident in our room on the second floor. The hotel was so humid that the air conditioner leaked all over the floor. The beds were hard, the bathroom was not clean, and the morning breakfast left much to be desired. The only redeeming quality was the shuttle service which was fast and efficient!
Embarkation: We arrived at the port around 10:30 am and quickly went through security. My father broke his leg and required a wheelchair to get onto the ship. A port attendant organized a group of about 20 handicap passengers in an area around the customs attendants and told us to wait for wheelchair assistance. Mind you this was at around 10:30 am! Two hours later all of us were still waiting for wheelchair assistance to board the ship. I angrily asked the attendant why it was taking so long. She kept making excuses that it took a long time for attendants to bring wheelchairs on an off the ship. After another 30 mins my dad and our family had finally had enough. I asked the attendant one last time when the wheelchair would arrive. She very rudely said that “one probably wasn’t coming and it would be quicker for us to help my dad up the gangway ourselves”. Good thing my father had his knee scooter of who knows what would have happened. Around 1:30pm we made it on the ship and to our utter disbelief there were dozens of attendants with wheelchairs shuffling people around the ship. However, we quickly put our frustration behind us and began our much needed vacation. Our room was ready by the time we boarded the ship and our room steward was incredible for the week. The muster drill on this ship is terrible be prepared to have crowded areas and irritated passengers.
Cabin- Had a MiniSuite! Great room, larger shower, good balcony views!
Food: Where to begin? The Escape is a foodies paradise!
Garden Cafe- Best buffet at sea! Hands down no question. Layout, food quality, and variety absolutely curb stomp the Windjammer on Royal and the Lido on Carnival! Some of the carved meats and pasta they served in the Garden Cafe could have easily been served in a five star restaurant! Overall: 4.6/5
Cagney’s Steakhouse- We had the 3 day dining package and went to Cagney’s the first night. My 8oz filet was perfection! One of the best steaks I have ever eaten “which is a lot”. The baked potato soup and the pork belly were also fantastic. The raspberry creme brûlée was incredible; so good you almost forget about the rest of your meal. Overall 4.8/5
Teppanyaki- Loved our chef! The cuisine is simple yet so tasty. The garlic fried rice and the filet and chicken are melt in your mouth goodness. Dessert not so much! Green tea is not meant for desserts NCL! Overall: 4.6/5
Le Bistro- Last Cruise Le Bistro was my favorite specialty dining venue. This year it did not live up to expectations. The French onion soup is still the best soup onboard it’s hot and packed with flavor. My problem with Le Bistro this year is that they removed all the lobster from their menu and the 32oz ribeye steak. These two items really made this restaurant special and with them gone the menu was lacking in my opinion. I got the filet and it was good but not great. My profiteroles and creme brûlée for desert were awesome though.
Overall: 4.2/5
MDR- Last year the MDR was good but nothing was really special. This year I had four really good and quality meals in the MDR. Some of the food I had this year such as the Beef Lasagna, Clam Chowder, Cut Serloin, and Sweet and Sour pork were not only good but great; better than some of the specialty restaurant food I ate. Overall: 4.5/5
O Sheehan’s- This place was a huge surprise this year! The wings, Nachos, open faced turkey club, prime rib, pound cake, and brownie cheesecake are so good you’ll forget your eating at a free restaurant! Yes! This place is free with your cruise fare and it’s open 24/7! Go there at least once and be hungry! Overall 4.9/5
Overall Food: 4.6/5
Ports: Awesome ports!
Roatan: Did the Zip and Dip through Bodden tours! Incredible experience, great tour guide, and well worth the money. The zip line course is long and fast and when you’re done you can tour and experience their animal park. We got to hold sloths, Caputchan monkeys, Macau’s, and Lemers! After that they took us to the West end beach which was stunning! Highly recommend Bodden tours on Roatan! Great day!
Harvest Caye: NCL’s new private island in Belize. The pool and the setup on the island is stunning. Everything looks new and beautiful. However, there really isn’t any excursions outside of the island, prices in the shops were high, we couldn’t use our drink package on the island, and the beach and it’s water was disgusting. I get they needed another stop in Belize because of the country’s troubles but this port felt way too controlled and manufactured.
Costa Maya- What a hidden gem! Costa Maya is beautiful! Lots of shopping, cheap transportation, and a ton to see! We took a $3 per person shuttle to the Yaya beach club in Mahahual which is only a five minute shuttle ride from the port. We booked 1hr massages through the club for $25 a piece! They were heavenly! A friend of ours had one done on the ship and at Yaya and she said the massage at Yaya was better than the massage on the ship. The massage on the ship cost $175! So a word of advice; get your massage done on a beautiful beach by awesome locals not on the Steiner run cruise ship. We had bad weather later in the day and we were nearly struck by lightning “bolt struck within 10-20 yards of us” but overall our day was awesome.
Cozumel- Got up early and got a shuttle to Playa Mia! Great resort/club! Water was warm and the floating playground was awesome and the water was so clear! Took a snorkeling tour through Playa Mia and had a great time. Got back to the port area and did some shopping; I ended up getting some great handmade work from the locals for a great price. Word of advice is to negotiate with all the vendors in Mexico many sell the same items and almost all are willing to come down in price!
Ship/Crew: The Escape is well maintained and one for the most beautiful ships afloat. The crew is even better! All were friendly and the service from our stateroom, dining experiences, casino, and bars were all friendly and memorable!
Royal Caribbean Issue!!!!!
The day we were in Costa Maya we were parked next to the brand new Harmony of the Seas which is a beautiful ship! We have been on the Allure and Oasis so we know a thing or two about this class of ship. After getting back onto the Escape for the day I was sitting on my balcony when I noticed that the Harmony of the Seas cruise director was having a private party for VIP guests on the ships helicopter pad. We were so close it was easy to hear exactly what he was saying to the guest on Harmony. The Harmony cruise director was incredibly insulting towards us passengers on the Escape and openly criticized our ship, the Escape staff, and the passengers on it. These are some of the things he said.....
“All of the people on that ship right behind me wish they could be on the Harmony, but frankly most of them can not afford it”
“Harmony of the Seas has the best crew on the Seas, no other ship even comes close”
“To all the passengers on the Escape who are not having a good time don’t worry our newest ship Symphony of the Seas comes out next year.”
“You are standing on a helicopter pad at sea; the ship behind me doesn’t have one meaning if something happens your screwed”
“To all the drunks on the ship behind me; our spa offers the best detox program at sea”
The cruise director on Harmony was so out of line and insulting I will never and mean NEVER cruise on Royal Caribbean or it’s sister lines EVER again! If Royal Caribbean wants to act like a bunch of snobbish pricks then be my guest. However, you forever lost me as a customer.
When we got back on the ship in Costa Maya the NCL crew greeted us with cold lavender towels, popsicles, cold water, and towel exchanges for our dirty beach towels. Harmony of the Seas had nothing set up for their returning guests. And as a matter of fact many of the guests on Harmony looked incredibly jealous that Escape passengers were treated like royalty and they had nothing waiting for them when they got back. I will be contacting Royal Caribbean about this incident because that cruise director is a terrible representative of their brand.
Shows- The Brat Pack is the best show at sea! The vocal talent is absolutely stunning! It’s also a fun show if you love the 80s and John Hughes Movies!
The Mersey Boys are crazy talented go see them!
Overall, NCL proved once again they have a winning product and because of that we will definitely be back in the near future. Thank you again for such a great vacation NCL keep treating your customers right and more will come to you.
