Norwegian Escape Review
Rating by category
Additional details
This was our second time sailing the Escape. We had a revised itinerary, which both bummed me out (because we missed my favorite waters of Tortola), but afforded us two new ports we hadn't been to and a visit to Great Stirrup Cay (which was cancelled...more later on that).
Food & Drink
We had the Ultimate Beverage Package and Ultimate Dining Package (3 meal) as free perks. It was my first time with the beverage package and I think I actually drank less…weird. It was still financially worth it to us. I enjoyed cava and prosecco, decent red wines, mojitos, black Russians, craft cocktails, and a variety of draft and bottled beer. BIL bought a bottle of Chimay for us to share and it was just the $5 upcharge beyond the beverage package max of $15. We also got a discount on the wine classes in The Cellars. There were multiple every sea day. I attended a “black glass” tasting (blind tasting) and it was really educational and fun. I’d recommend this for any fan of wine.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Large Balcony
We had a M6 mini suite on deck 8. This has the extra large balcony. There is a great video review of the extra large mini suites on You Tube. We found it to be roomy and loved the extra space in the shower. The multi head shower was also fun. Nice to have two of us in the bathroom without banging in to things. The balcony itself was very comfortable with a table and two chairs, two loungers and a side table. We enjoyed our time out there, though had a cigarette dropped on a lounge chair and a cup of coffee purposely poured on us. Someone from above thought they’d dump their half drank coffee overboard, and it fell squarely on our guests sitting on the lounge chairs. The location of these cabins near the District Brew House was ideal for us. Easy to walk to all our dining options, too.
I’d absolutely book this again if I were a big balcony lounger. It was good for this cruise because we had adjoining rooms with family and played cards a few times on the balcony at the end of port days. For next time, I rather enjoy being out on the upper decks, so don’t know if it’s worth it to me. Felt the balcony went to waste other than our morning coffee and a few spells of reading. FYI-We did see a regular mini-suite set up for 4 people during our cabin crawl, and it looked comfortable (and they said it worked great).
Port Reviews
Nassau
Water is beautiful, but the port is such a crowded spot crammed with shopping. We hit a brewery, Junkanooo Beach, and the Fish Fry. Based on three trips, food at the Fish Fry isn't that great. I recommend the more casual food carts/stalls right before you hit the buildings.
Miami
We find Miami to be a fairly easy to sail port. Hotels are always expensive, but it is what it is. We used points to stay at the Marriott Biscayne Bay, which is convenient to port and had great service. Ate at Casablanca, which was good. Grabbed a quick breakfast at the grocery store near the hotel (empanadas & guava pastry) because we had to buy some cold meds. Not many breakfast options near that Marriott.