We just returned from a cruise on the NCL Escape. We visited St. Thomas and Tortola in the Virgin Islands, and Nassau in the Bahamas. While we’ve cruised often, this was our first “winter cruise.” Our criteria for selecting a ship/itinerary was simple: we wanted great food, lots of things to do and see on board, and warm weather. We didn’t really care where we went (other than someplace warm) because our goals for the trip were to get lots of rest, relax, and eat well.

We couldn’t have chosen better. The Escape was awesome and had everything we wanted. While we were a little concerned about it being so big (and much bigger than any ship we’ve ever been on before; heck, the last cruise we went on was a Viking River Cruise in Europe so this was quite a difference!) but except for breakfast and lunch in the buffet, we never noticed the larger number of people. After the second day of eating in the chaos of the Buffet, we decided to go to other smaller places that also offered complimentary meals and never saw the “hordes” again. The ship is so big, with so much to do for passengers of all ages and interests that nowhere else did it ever get too crowded.

We were surprised by the number of children on board since school was back in session after the Christmas break. We were so surprised that we asked a few parents who all said the same thing. They thought it was an important enough experience for their kids that they took them out of school for the week. The children weren’t a problem or nuisance, just a surprise. Read more