My lengthy review. Please excuse grammar mistakes and formatting. I wrote it in WORD and the paste does not seem to have fully worked (words joining together). We just got home this evening, and I wanted to get it posted.
This was my first sailing aboard an NCL ship. We selected the Escape nearly two years ago when it was first put on sale, and opted for it as a multi-generational vesselwith outstanding entertainment. I wasputting together our semi-annual family and friends trip, and those who booked early with us were able to take advantage of super low rates, the ultimatebeverage package with zero gratuities, 3/4/5 guests were free and with freesoda packages, all this plus the group amenity room credit made it a realbargain. Our group grew over the nearly 2 years of planning to be 61 people ranging from 2 to 78. There were many first time cruisers alongwith seasoned veterans. This is myexperience from start to finish, working as both an agent booking all 20 rooms (and many who had to drop out), as well as father taking his kids (D4, S7) on their first cruise.
We started out a week before sailing visiting with family in Florida. The ride to Miami was uneventful. As people were flying infrom all over, or driving in from the southern states, I was able to reach outto a hotel that would provide us shuttles from MIA, to and from the cruiseport, an included breakfast, walking distance to a restaurant and convenientstore, and allow us to leave our vehicles in the parking lot for the week. The Comfort Suites Miami Airport North was able to accomplish all of this at the best rate. It was easy to find, easy parking, very niceinside, good food. The front desk staff,especially Farrah, was exceptional in handling all our needs. The shuttle to the cruise port was a cinch,and unloading was typical.
Checking in at the Pier– we left the luggage with the curb porter and jumped in line at terminal B. Our check in time was 930-1000, and it was right around that time. About 15 minutes after standing in line, it began to move. This was an easy process, right through security, and then into the check in lines. It would have benefited them to hand out thehealth form in the self-download boarding documents, but to easy to fill it outin line. Maybe 10 minutes standing in line, and we had our cards, and were on to the waiting area with boarding zone3 cards. The waiting area had plenty ofroom, free refreshments of OJ and water and was a standard waiting area. A short time later, they were boarding byzone. Very quickly, we were on our waythrough the zone calling and on board. Itsnice that they board from both Forward and Aft. Ship was Starboard side to pier.
IMMEDIATE IMPRESSION, the ship was very nice, and very clean. We sailed the Carnival Sunshine a few months back (2nd time on that ship), and noticed how that onehad a lot of dirty areas – not so with this ship, it still felt somewhat new,and clean in public areas. Weimmediately went down to deck 5 to the kids club to check in, having heard howit can be backed up. We were 3rdin line, checked in, loaded the $9.99 iConsierge app upgrade (DOWNLOAD THIS APP BEFORE YOU GET ON BOARD!) and kids were ready for their fun. Elevators were impossible to use. Be prepared for long waits or stairs. Next, up to the crammed Garden Buffet. Avoid this at all costs on the firstday. We know to avoid it but for somereason, self inflicted the pain. Thelayout of the food is difficult as it is just a long buffet line with varioussections, broken up by drink stations. Ithink I like the “in the round” format better. As you stand in line, you get the typical person just cutting in frontof you oblivious to the 5 people they just stepped in front of. “I just want a piece of this”.. yeah lady, sodo I, that’s why I was reaching or the tongues. So goes the buffet lines. Findinga table in here was like winning the lottery. It gets better during off hours, or later on, but during this initial blitz,it is hard. Take food, and takeoff. Go sit outside, upstairs, etc. As the week went on, it got much better.
Watching my room account on the app, I began to notice thatI was being charged small fees for drinks. When questioning this, I was informed that we had to pay sales tax onthe free beverages while we were in US waters. I had never seen nor heard of this before. Several drinks (those before 830pm it seems)appeared to have these fees totaling a few dollars). Wasn’t much, but a fewdollars and lots of confusion. Over thecourse of the week, I did not see one erroneous charge – I think this is afirst in all my years of cruising. Perhaps because the drinks were free and the waiters didn’t accidentlycharge someone else’s drinks to our room. Props to NCL.
THE LAYOUT OF THE SHIP worked well for me. Almost all decks (not decks 17+) you can getfrom front to back without having to go up and over something. The 6/7/8 was great, with lots ofoptions. The Waterfront was always veryquiet. The casino, as noted by everyonewho has ever written a post about the Escape/Breakaway/Getaway, is horrific asis has been reported. I was ecstaticwhen it was originally reported the Escape would have a smoke free casino, andwould eventually build a smoke capsule to allow it. This information was put out at pressconferences and online webinars for agents. It lasted a few cruises and then they caved in. They also have removed all notes of buildingthe smoke rooms, and when I recently inquired at a NCL webinar, was informed that the process was to expensive to retrofit the ships, and they haveabandoned that concept. It will nothappen on the existing ships (physically separate room). The smoke spews down into the other decks asbad as everyone says it does. Having totake the kids thru it to get to the other side is teetering on neglect. My 7 year old picked up on it and wascommenting on how it smelled disgusting, and my 4 year old, trying to play withanything that lights up and looks like a game, would try to touch the slotmachines as we trucked thru. Company places high value on conservation of the environment, but not on the body. Bottom line – the smell is horrible in the6/7/8 area and spews throughout. It alsomade eating at the Tappas restaurant, Mondavi Wine Bar, and a few other placesless then desirable. Enough on that topic.
OUR ROOM – I opted for a family ocean view on deck 5, asclose to the elevators / hallway turn as I could. Room 5144 was excellent choice. Our group had a half dozen rooms all near oneanother and everyone was happy with their selection. The room size, being a “Family” ocean view,was exceptional. It appeared in sizeabout that of a mini suite, less the balcony. The kids loved the oversize window. The room was semi-divided with a curtain, letting us block off the kidsfrom our bed. Bathroom was large, andhad the full bathtub. In my opinion,this was the best possible selection for a family based on the location, size,and layout. I could have had a balconyor mini-suite for nearly the same price, and rightfully choose not toupgrade. Ample closet space with thethree closets and several draws and other shelves; , The bottom bunk in my roomwas set up for one person, but in the room next door, set up for 2 people –with plenty of walking room around the beds. There were also 2 televisions in this room, but the one for the main bedwas in a very strange place, situated in the walkway and making watching itodd. None-the-less, room was great. I loved the concept of the electronic DO NOT DISTURB, MAKE UP ROOM, ROOM OCCUPIED lights. you can use any card (AAA, library, etc) in the light switch. Location was perfect because it was as close to the hallway entrance as you could get without being next door to the room steward closets – making getting to the stairs and the kids club very easy. The layout of deck 5 is such that there is only one public access to the hallways withrooms. We made note though, someone wasdefinitely smoking right near/in the room stewards closets – not sure if it wasa staff smoking area or guest smoking in room 4152/or nearby HA rooms – but it was often, and obvious. I asked a staffmember and they responded they smelled it too, and didn’t know why.
Our room attendant, unlike on other lines, was not around the first day. We found her on the second day. By the second night, a new worker was near our room and told us our attendant was not feeling well so they had been covering for her. Come to find out,lots of people on this sailing ended up with a 24HR stomach “bug” that apparently went around. We know a bunchof people who came with us who caught it. Would last 24HRS, then groggy for a few, and then fine. So much so to the point they wrote in a Daily that if you had the symptoms to call and have yourroom disinfected.) The room attendantswere all very friendly. If you needthem, you may need to go looking for them, usually one was in the hall area asthe staff closets were all right there outside our room. One basic towel animal, nothing special,nothing fun for the kids, just basic cleaning of the rooms, and when I saybasic, I mean basic. Bottom line – onday 7, I could still feel sand on the floor from the beaches, the glasses werenever switched out until I asked for new ones, I found the previous tenants bagof snacks, lotions, and sun screens, etc. Perhaps it was due to her not feeling well the first day or so. She was extremely helpful when I asked forher assistance when my son didn’t feel so well. Overall, she was a very nice, but it did not match that of past ships,lines, etc. Lets attribute it to her notfeeling so well and hope that is the reason.
KIDS CLUB:
My kids were in the same room, but different areas of theroom (ages 4 and 7). Sign up on thefirst day, early. Line gets longer andsaves you time. But the iConsierge appfor $10 and they can message / call you if needed (though I do not think itworks when phone is on vibrate, and the app has to be open for it to ring aswell.) Kids loved the activities; my 7year old did not waste away in front of video games but was actuallyentertained. My 4 year old came homewith different projects every day. Paythe fee to keep them late night if needed. Hours of the club for 3-12 year old were as follow: Embarkation Dayafter 8PM
Sea Days: 9-12, 2-5, 7-1030. On some days, we were there a few minutes early and they would takethem, at other sessions they would not take them until the exact minute. It was hit or miss. NOTE!!! We had 6 kids in here from us and twoother families. We went to register themall together. 1 of the kids is 2 weeksshy of his 3rd birthday (turns 3 the week we get home.) He is a boy that plays with older boys, andis toilet trained. They would NOT allowhim to go into the other kids play area and the family was told they had ZEROWAIVER policy to this. The problem: Thefamily had to pay $20 per 2HR session to drop off their youngest son. We had been told that the staff would have discretionand were fully expecting them to say okay, he could go in with his brother andsister as well as a handful of neighborhood friends, but NCL would NOT waiveron this when we were actually on board. Kids get a color-coded bracelet. If it falls off or is taken off, there is a fee to replace it. If it is falling off, you can have themreplace it for free. Don’t let it falloff until you go there or you will pay the fee. Over the course of the week, there were many great activities, a kids“circus”, late night movies, a pajama party on the last night, etc. We went thinking we may drop the kids offhere once or twice, but ended up using it once or twice a day – the kids lovedit, and we appreciated the time to ourselves.
Bottom line on kids club – take advantage of it, kids lovedit and all the activities and my son was sad one night when he didn’t get togo. The staff is amazing. 2 times we were called to grab the kids – onetime son wanted to go to bed, and the other time my daughter wanted to leave togo to bed (actually, she wanted ice cream and to go dancing! She is 4 mindyou.) $10 App worked great and we couldalso message and all everyone in our group who also bought it – madecommunication very easy!
Dinner the first night was in the Manhattan room. Now, I know NCL says “Freestyle” and says thewhat-ever attitude, and I see this in many planning aspects. But on some pages of NCL.COM, there ismention that adult males should wear pants and polos in the main dining rooms. Then on other tabs, it showed theany-way-you-want attitude. It confusedsome in our group. Bottom line – wearshorts if you want. The service in theManhattan room the first night was poor – and I heard this from several people. Forgetting items, took forever to get, kidsfood came right out and then they had nothing to do while we ate, drinks tooknearly the entire dinner to get, it was just poor. My in-laws did not get menus, they did notget bread, and then when ordering wine, were given large glasses and charged(got that fixed). We ate at Taste andSavor on other nights, and enjoyed them all. The 2 nights in Manhattan room we took the kids – they love to dance andwe really enjoyed the music played during dinner. Staff was excellent on the second night here,especially the matra de. We also had thePrivate Room at Taste reserved for an evening and my group got to eathere. This was great to bring everyonetogether, but was confusing. A fewfamilies stood in the long line, the downstairs entrance was locked so peoplewho went to that door had to then go back upstairs, and courses were served atvarious times. I wish I had moreinsight, but now I know. Tell the gueststo avoid the line, walk in and down the staircase. DINING NOTES TO SELF. In the future, take the kids to the buffet at5pm, and then to the kids club for 7pm, then go to dinner without them on a fewnights. Or, Take them and run them todinner, get them food quickly, and then I will run them to the kids club atopening and return to eat, although getting my 4 year old daughter off the dancefloor will be a challenge.
Pools. The next stop was the pool deck. All the slides were open, though I couldn’tget the kids to go down them – they just wanted to swim and splash. Slides had some height requirements (40/48in)and there were other restrictions on the racer slides, like don’t wear anythingbut a bathing suit to include jewelry, watches, etc. The pool deck is not as slippery as othercruise lines, the pools were mobbed, but not uncontrollable; in the splash parkkids were wearing Swimmy diapers although the sign says not to. The “kids” pool goes from 5ft to 5’7”. Not very kid friendly in my opinion, as kidscannot touch the bottom. Main pool deckalways had activities going on, and it was loud. Like all ships, chairs were a hit or miss. I never had a problem, but I only tried toactually get a chair once or twice. Theadults area, I only went out here on one sea day, got a seat, was in and out ofif for about 2 hours, going to the bar and the grotto. I loved the water feature and favor it oversome tiny pool many cruise ships put in the adults area – was perfect – shaded,seats, cooling, social – I liked this concept and so did the others I hung outwith. Best of all, NO BLASTING MUSICHERE on the adults pool deck!
OTHERE ACTIVITIES: Never did the ROPES COURSE, which I wouldloved to have done. My kids are to smallfor it and there was just no time to go do it. Next time! THE SPA was amazing –we did a couples message – I had a stone message, and the wife opted forSwedish. Very relaxing, we enjoythis. Usually we would get the spapackage @$200pp for the spa access for the week – but didn’t because the kidswere with us. It would have been worthit and I would recommend it for anyone looking for a quiet getaway while on thevacation. It is worth the $ to buy it ifyou like that stuff. Can purchase onlineahead of time, so no longer the first day rush on the spa to buy it. Not sure if day passes are available, I hearthey are, but I did not inquire. The daywe went in for a treatment, as we left, we made our way around and looked (wasthe Nassau port day, in the AM). Placewas all but empty. SPORTS DECK wasactive, and the kids club got to go up a lot at night – dodge ball, basketball,etc. Mini Golf lost its lust with theabsence of the Ninja Turtles. A lack ofputters and balls kept the crowd small. Its putt-putt, but living near and often visiting Myrtle Beach(Putt-Putt mecca), my little guys were done after 3 holes and wanted to movealong. BOWLING – kids would stay here aslong as I pumped $5/game into the system. Short lanes, lots of entertainment, kids loved it and wanted toreturn. ARCADE – 1000 tickets gets you amatchbox car - you do the math. Gamesare $1-$5. Fun for $10 and then stayaway to save on the wallet.
ULTIMATE DRINK PACKAGE – seems like everyone on the ship hasit, and if they don’t, they just stand next to someone who does. I would easily order a drink for me and wifeand they would just take my card to swipe. Bar tenders worked their butts off, in contrast to earlier reports thatthey were extremely slow. Never had towait any unnecessary length of time. Almost everything I wanted was included in the package, only thing notwas the “ultra premium” Gentleman Jack and Woodford Reserve. Not worth paying the extra $3=$4, so wouldsettle for Jamesons. Loved the fact thatI could just order freely and not be concerned about a bill at the end. There were the previously mentioned taxeswhile ship was in US waters. BOTTOM LINEON THE UBP – Worked perfect, relieved stress of worrying about bar bill (and Ido not drink often, there were days I did not even get more then a soda). If you drink one drink a day, it is worth it as a FREE AT SEA perk.
ULTIMATE DINING PACKAGE – Friends had it, but they reportedgreat success with it. TIP – go to theTappas bar, which has a $7 add on – and order as many as you can. We ended up joining some friends, who were onthe UDP after we had just one $3 item, and they kept ordering and we kepteating with them. Ended up getting to trymany kinds without breaking our bank.
CASINO – never really crowded, except every now and then onthe sole roulette table that was open (last night a second one was opened), andone hot craps table drew a crowd. Asidefrom that, never really that busy; horrible smell; some cool slot machinesincluding the Wheel of Fortune 3D. It’sa casino – they are everywhere these days and the lust is not what it was 20-30years ago. I heard there was poker, didnot seek it out on this trip.
NEXT CRUISE CERTIFICATES – they are back – buy 1,2,3, or 4 @$250 each, get room credit on this cruise. Best value was 4 for $1000, and getting $500 OBC on this currentcruise. They are good for 4 years andtransferrable. Can only apply 1 perfuture reservation. I did not buybecause I already have enough future cruise credits/options/etc. and don’t needany more at this point.
LAUNDRY – we used it on this sailing as we were on the tailend of a long trip. Went out and cameback quickly. Cost was $20/bag, though Ithink I waited for a special or some lower price option.
STORES – typical cruise ship stuff. I asked the jewelry store employee when thelast time a particular item was not 50% off as was marked in this “specialsale.” His reply was classic – “never –it is always 50% off”. We laughed.
Bars.
I printed up a list of every bar on board and tried to hitevery one. Some, we hit more theothers.
Deck 6: Atrium Bar: Bar was always active and had a goodflow. Staff was great. Bar is always active especially withactivities in the Atrium.
Deck 6: The Mixx Bar: Not always opened; we had it as a stopon the pub crawl I put together for our group, and had to skip it. Very active at dinner time, and an excellentpiano player there
Deck 6: Headliners Comedy Club: The place is laid out prettywell, lots of seats but get there early, very early, so you can get a good seat(not behind pole). Comedy shows, piano shows, etc. were all excellent with thedueling pianos being a very hot ticket.
Deck 7: O’Sheehans: This is the go-to bar for 24/7 (well,almost 24) food and drinks as well as entertainment (darts, pool, bowling,skeeball, MarioCart, etc.) The bestseats are along the glass looking down into the atrium during the evenets –grab food and drinks, and watch all the shows (newlywed, millionaire, battle ofsexes, etc.)
Deck 7: Skyline Bar: Best place for whiskey. Putridsmell of the casino. LED pictures on thewalls change scenes, but many are focused on the bar-placed slot machines. Went in only to check it off the bucket liston the pub-crawl.
Deck 7 Café: I saw it all week, and we never walked over toit – thankfully! We tried it the lastnight, and the cupcakes were amazing!!! Had we known how good they were on dayone, my room tab would have been much higher and waist much larger.
Deck 8 – the Waterfront. This was an excellent idea, and hit or miss on finding a seat. Could go out and no one out there, or everyseat taken. Relaxing, outdoors, funplace to just relax and have a drink, play a game, read a book. The bake shop and the gelato shop are secondthoughts that many in my group did not know existed and were never opened.
Deck 8: Prime Meridian Bar: Never went.
Deck 8: Sugarecane Mojito Bar: Raspberry Mojito was excellent! Tried to sit outside on the waterfront, butall the seats were full. Smell fromcasino would spill into it.
Deck 8: 5 O’clock Somewhere Bar: A classic example of wasting away on Escape –was not opened often, and when it was, I did not see many in here. I had high hopes of this place, and wasdisappointed big time. I don’t know whatthey are thinking – but the Jimmy Buffet themed places are not utilized in aneffective way – they are never opened and empty when they are. They did karayoke in here late night I amtold, and would get people in, but even on sea days, it was closed.
Deck 8: The Cellars Wine Bar: Not what I envisioned. The whole thing is open to public space nearthe junk shops. I envisioned a more intimateatmosphere. Below is open atrium to thecasino.
Deck 8: District Brew House: Had Redbridge Gluten Free Beer (Anheiser Busch product), as well as atap beer that is gluten removed. Verycomfortable chairs and couches, glass wall / ceiling made for a nice afternoondrink. Good bar staff. Kind of place I would go back home.
Deck 8: Tobacco Road: Small place, near the cigar lounge that allowed cigarette smoking. Cigar smokers hated that they allowedcigarette smokers in here. I did not gointo it.
Deck 16: Waves Pool Bar: busy when the pool is busy
Deck 16: Garden Café Bar: Novel concept, a bar inside thebuffet area!
Deck 17: Spice H20: Very active on sea days. Better to go get it then wait for a waiter tobring to your seat.
Deck 17: Chill Bar at Margaritaville: This bar has gone into a wasteland. Go for the free breakfast. NCL ruined this place when they made it anickel and dime, errrr, a la carte restaurant. How can Carnival put a Guys Burger Joint (best free food at sea!) atevery pool in the fleet, provide quality items, but this place not get itright.
Deck 19: Sundeck Bar: Bar.
Deck 19: Vibe Beach Club: I am not paying extra to sit in abeach chair with water and fruit. I maysit in one for 1 hour over the course of a week with no kids – with kids, maybea total of 5 minutes.
BOTTOM LINE ON BARS: Drink wait times were short, bartenders were friendly and you could get two drinks without issue with the UBPstamp on your card. Margarittaville and5 Oclock were a huge disappointment.
Shows:
Dueling Pianos: Great show. Got to the bar early to get great seats. The performers were very entertaining. Three guys, one would rotate in on the other two giving them all a breakat some point and the audience a different combination of performers. Bring cash tips if you want your song to beplayed. Went a few times throughout theweek.
Deal or No Deal:
Best seat is along the bannister of O’Sheehans – that wayyou get food and drinks while watching the show. This is pretty much the standard for any showin the atrium. Get tickets, try to winyour entry into the show, pick and reveal briefcases, you know the deal. As entertaining as you think the TV show is, withless money involved.
Not so Newly Wed Game:
Cruise Director was awesome in this rendition of the cruiseindustry favorite. It was played outbetter here then the same thing on other lines (Carnival, Princess, Royal,etc.) and a lot of that was the CD andhow he performed.
After Midnight – Amazing show headlined by Brandy Braxton. Had reservations (enter on the left side),though plenty of open seats were there for stand by, and there were rows emptyfor this sold out show.
For the Record: The Brat Pack – Awesome show, and the onethat I was most excited about. Growing upa John Hughes fan, the songs, references, and dialog were perfect. The subtle jokes may have gone over manyheads, but fans of the films will appreciate how the director tied in all themovies. Had reservations, and I sawempty seats for this sold out show.
Four Seasons – missed it, unfortunately.
Kids Circus: My kidsloved being in this show, and the staff did a great job putting ittogether. Basic, short, but the smilesand memories will be there forever.
8PM Family Glow Party – Kids loved it, fun in Spice H2O withglow in the dark stuff –wear white / neon. Some games with hula-hoops, dancing, etc. Missed the late night adult one.
Many other events and activities I am missing – so manyperformers, I cant remember all of them. Never went to the dinner theater, but there were a few different eventsin there, including one with Brenda Braxton. There was ALWAYS liveentertainment, activities, etc. Frommorning till long after I went to bed, the ship was alive and festive.
BOTTOM LINE ON ENTERTAINMENT: The best shows I have seen atsea since CHICAGO on Allure, and overall the best entertainment on any ship Ihave sailed – Was my style of entertainment, but multi-generational. The cruise director, Andy, was outstanding,and everyone noted how he was always there, and just an all around great cruisedirector.
ISLANDS:
ST THOMAS – been here a few times. Got in a cab, went to Megans Bay, enjoyed thebeach before the crowd got here ($8pp each way, $5? Fee for adults to get thrugate). Were there an hour or so beforethe masses showed up. Stayed about 2hours, headed back to the other side, took tram up the mountain for theobligatory photos. Two ships in porttoday, we docked port side to pier. Walked around town a bit, grabbed a bite to eat, and then returned tothe ship. Easy port, my son loved theidea of being in a different country for the first time.
TORTULA – When we originally booked this cruise, this portwas for many more hours then it ended up being on this sailing. A year ago or so, they shortened it, to sixhours. Six hours is not enough time todo much… unless you take an excursion over to the Virgin Gorda, there is almostnothing to do on your own – walk around, see a few of the traditional cruiseship port stores, and get back on the ship. My recommendation, if you are not going on a ship excursion, stay onboard and take advantage of a port day spa service, pool deck, ropes course,etc.
NASSAU – Hired Jermaine Taxi (#622) after finding him onTrip Advisor and arranging to have him pick up my family and anotherfamily. Got off the ship just after the1200 pull in time (late enough pull in time?) as we were the 5thship to pull in – including the MSC Devina, 2 Carnival and a Disney ship – theport had a lot of people in it. I liketo find guides this way, and have them take us around – has always worked wellfor me. He took us to hisair-conditioned van stocked with cold soda and waters, and gave a great historytour as we drove the island. We visitedsome forts, the stairs, and many other interesting sites. I got a newappreciation for the island I did not want to visit, got to see a differentaspect of it, visited some cool sites, then headed over to the beach for anhour or so (dropped off way at the end of Paradise Island, away from thecrowd). Jermaine then picked us back up,and took us to the fish shacks located under the bridges to Paradise Island tograb some fresh grouper and Mahi-Mahi meals – we love fish, local foods, etc.and this was the best. You see them offto the sides as you make your way over to the island, and may shake your headwhile looking at them. Those are theplaces we seek out, and I always recommend getting a local guide, and requestto go to where they eat, away from the tourist traps. The locals were all friendly, my daughter gotto talk to one of the kids who waited for her mom to finish up her shift; thecook at the shack we ate at gave us samples of some of the things we watchedhim prepare (never had conck!) and the other patrons were all asking us how weenjoyed it, with smiles on their faces and appreciation in their voices. We really enjoyed this aspect. On several occasions during this port, whileout with Jermaine, locals would say with a smile, “Thank you for visiting ourisland” and wished us well. If you havebeen to Nassau and don’t like it because you don’t like walking around, or havenever been here and are apprehensive, find Jermaine on Trip Advisor / YouTube,contact him, and set up a tour – you will not be disappointed and perhaps gaina new appreciation for the island. Iknow my family did. We ended up likingthis stop as our trip favorite this go around because of Jermaine and what hebrought.
DISEMBARKATION: You can pick the time you want to get offbased on your travel needs. I always optto walk off carrying my own bags, and this time was no different. I was up at 7, ran up to deck 7, thruO’Sheehans to see how backed up the lines were (not to bad), and then up to thephoto gallery to pick up my thumb drive of photos we purchased ($25/photo, $149for 10, scam – but the kids first cruise, and many pics were great). Then ran to the buffet and grabbed some foodfor the kids, ran back down, fed the kids, grabbed our bags and when theycalled for the self walk offs, we left. Wife took the kids up to deck 7 via stairs, I jumped in the elevatorwith the three bags. Walked off theelevator, thru the zig zag, Binged off the boat, down the gangways, thru thebuilding, down the escalator, thru zig zag, 30 second chat with customs, andwas on the curb – just that quickly. Myshuttle was off to the left of our terminal B, loaded and within 20? Minutes,was dropping people off at MIA and then at our hotel – where we loaded the car,enjoyed a breakfast inside, and then headed home. Shuttle service was great – organized thruthe hotel.
The Hits:
1. Embarkation / Debarkation Process
2. Family Ocean View staterooms (O1) layout andsize
3. Ultimate Beverage Package. Drinks were easy to get, and strong. Ordered multiple drinks without an issue andonly had to give my card
4. Smoothest sailing I have had since the Allure ofthe Seas. Water was like glass most ofthe time, and the ship sailed very nice. Even during larger waves, you could barely feel a thing (in terms ofbeing on a boat).
5. I liked the layout of the bars around ship, andthe way everything flowed outside. Lovethat they bring you outside, and incorporate the ocean views.
6. O’Sheehans was a good meeting point, 24HR eateryplace, etc.
7. Entertainment was excellent all week – greatshows, bands, comedy, cruise director, never a dull moment.
8. Food was excellent all week, even the MarketPlace Buffet; menus identify the gluten free / allergen items as well as otherallergen items in the restaurants.
9. Waterslides and ropes course – short wait times,and usually opened. Top area of ropescourse closed while sailing – it is windy up there!
1. KidsClub – my kids loved going here.
1. NextCruise vouchers are back
1. Room Service. Worth the small fee, ordered afew nights, kids loved it
1. SHIP ENVY! When docked in Nassau, next to Disney, Carnival, and MSC – this ship wasthe happening place – party on the pier, all the amenities on the upper deck, thisship looked like a party!
1. Theapp. Make sure to download it before youget to the ship! It is well worth the$10.
The Misses:
1. This is the first ship I have ever sailed onthat changed clocks! So much for shiptime vs. island time, we just have confused time as everyone wondered what timeit really was.
2. The Casino placement and the smoking from it permeatingthroughout the 6/7/8 central areas of the ship, and making it so families haveto walk their kids through it.
3. Buffet layout. One long buffet with drink stations in between different foods justdidn’t flow well. You had to walk the lengthto get a salad, and people cutting in and out as the line did not go in onedirection.
4. Margaritaville at Sea. Should go back to being a free place andmaybe someone will eat there. At leasthave Jimmy’s music playing, or some island atmosphere. I go to a lot of these on land – this isnothing like it. It is bland, boring,and uneventful –don’t be fooled into thinking this is anything other than amarketing ploy to put up a sign and charge for a cheeseburger. Go to O’Sheehans and save your money(everyone else does too.)
5. Kids pool depth – 5ft low end for a kid’s pool!
6. No clocks, anywhere.
7. Kids Club not wavering on a child who was 2weeks from the age group cutoff so that the one child could be with 5 siblingsand friends while forcing the family to pay $10/hr. when he was dropped off (w/a 2hr limit).
8. All cruise lines need to abandon the salespitches and junk sales. How is it peoplestill fall for this crap? Examples,shopping in XYZ seminar, identify the diamond, healthy body seminars, art auctions,etc.
9. $50 OBC from group amenity points cannot be usedtowards gratuities.
1. Payingtaxes on free drinks while sailing in US waters? This too is a first.
1. Roomcleanliness. Perhaps it was a one-off,but it was basic at best. They were verynice though!
1. Callingthe box office an hour before a show and they are closed? Lots of empty seatsfor “sold out” shows. Not sure if allthe standbys were allowed in, as we always had reservations.
1. Pricefor a case of water.
OVERALL – My family of 4 loved the ship, the food, thestaff, and the entertainment to include the kids club. Every ship has its hits and misses, but theHITS definitely outweighed the MISSES in our opinion. In talking to our group, the biggestcomplaints I heard were: The pools are too small; Not enough pools; to manypeople on the ship. I will agree, thepools were tight, but they are manageable. In the adult’s area, the grotto was excellent. As for crowds – it did feel somewhat crowdedat times – but I attribute that to me being at the more popular events andvenues at the most popular times. Personally, I never went without a table or seat at any show, dinner, activity,venue, pool deck, etc. that I attended all week outside of the boarding dayMarket Place rush. I would not hesitateto book this ship again, and will recommend it to others. Sailing out of Miami – not a fan of it andwill only do if I have to.