I read the reviews prior to sailing last week and frankly I was very concerned that I had made a mistake going so early on the Escape. A combination of the low percentage that folks said they had a good trip and the harsh comments really had me going prior to getting on board. So for those having a great deal of concerns let me share the following. I am going to mix the pros and cons here...so bear with me.

1. New Ship - What I mean by this is that these early trips are going to be a fairly full ship. This means longer lines and more of the ship is going to be utilized. Plan ahead if you can. Book your restaurants, entertainment, and excursions in as much advance as you can. The NCL application up to 2 days prior to sailing does a great job of this. The ship itself is beautiful and excellent (Bristol) condition.

With the introduction of the unlimited food plans you will find very early in the cruise that many of the premium restaurants say they are booked. This is true the second and third days, but as the week goes people forget their reservation and I found that restaurants that said they had no vacancy did indeed have openings if you just approached them. Ex. My parents and I walked right into La Cucina who said they had no openings, but was probably only 25% full at 6:30 pm. We got right in. I found Food Republic to be a great add and I never saw Margharitaville all that crowded. I think the ala carte of both these restaurants had kept some folks from frequenting these, but both are good options if you are willing to pay a little. All food was as good as I have experienced. Entertainment was also very good. I believe the Excursions where average for the ports visited. Read more