My wife and I have done 20 cruises in the last 5 years, and in many ways the Escape was the best boat we have been on. It isn't perfect - no boat is - but it gets most of the important things right. We spent the next week on the Getaway - a very similar boat - and the comparison was interesting.

Our cabin, an ordinary guaranteed balcony, was the best we've ever had. In comparison to the Getaway we did a week later, we determined it was about one foot wider. That extra foot went into a longer bed but, most importantly, it also went into an additional foot of room between the couch and the counter. That additional foot meant that we could pass each other while getting ready for the day or for dinner without any gymnastics. It may not sound like much, but it made all the difference for us, and we are ordinary sized people.

Almost all of the dining and entertaining options are on the 6th, 7th, and 8th floors, between the aft and forward elevators. There is a WIDE central corridor, with everything laid out very efficiently to either side - you will have no problem finding exactly the place you are looking for. The specialty restaurants are elegant, and even the ones we didn't go into, like La Cucina, were very attractive to walk by. Nearly all the specialty restaurants have additional outdoor seating which is also very attractive, if a bit too cool at night to be really useful. Read more