There was a group of 5 of us - my husband, his sister and her husband and a friend. Age range is 37 - 45. My husband and I have been on 8 Carnival cruises including older and new ships. We wanted to try something new as we have heard from friends that other lines such as RC and NCL were so much nicer. We booked the Escape when there were only a few reviews out and as more came in I started to get pretty nervous. I have never wrote a review but found the others provided some "good to know" tips.
First - the good: embankment took 15 minutes from the time we got out of the cab until we were in our room dropping off our bags. We did get there a little later (about 1:15). We had a balcony room on the Spa level which granted us access to the Spa (or you can pay for it). Your room key goes in the slot to activate the lights (tip - you can use any card...we used a gift card). If you don't have a card the outlets don't work so you can't chanrge things. The card also lets your housekeeper know you are in the room. The room was average size but really nice.
The Spa was awesome but my husband and I were the only ones to get it so we only used it 3 times. The Fitness center is really nice and has a room where they do classes (like yoga) but there is an additional fee for the class. Overall the ship is beautiful and unique. Even on Carnival's newest ship the layout is pretty much the same as all the others. On the Escape there was lots of food and entertainment options on multiple floors. I really like the bar that served food that was included (O'Sheeans). It made you feel like you were at a bar with your friends and not on a crowded ship.
Typical room size - very nice.
Shipwreck snorkeling. It was a beautiful day. The snorkeling was just ok. Didn't really see much.
We got off the boat and were asked right away if we wanted to go to the beach. They gave us two options - one that has water sports and Wifi and one that was quieter. She had us at Wifi as we all wanted to connect with the family. The right there was so scary I almost didn't get in the car on the way back. I opted for a few beers on the most beautiful beach I have ever seen and the ride back actually seemed better. :o). The taxi was $8 each way per person. The Wifi barely worked but I wasn't at least able to reach out to the family quick. They rented jet skis, paddle boards and kayaks.
*I only rated this very good and not excellent because of the ride there and back.