Having cruised the NYC route to Bermuda before on the Breakaway, we got addicted to the combination of relaxing sea days and plenty of island time that comes with this itinerary. When we saw that the route was now being covered by the Escape, we were excited to give a new ship a try! The Escape is a "Breakaway plus" class ship, which means that it felt almost like being back on the Breakaway, and it was very easy to navigate. However, there were a few additional venues, and we also enjoyed the new shows.

Embarkation on this sailing was really awful. However, it was the first sailing of the Escape out of NYC, so hopefully they will get the process figured out. As it was, the ship arrived late, the service agents did not know how to use the computers/software, and we waited in a huge crush of people for hours. Not a relaxing way to start off! However, once we got on board the ship, the service was impeccable and all of the stress quickly melted away. In general, the staff seemed happy, and everyone was very friendly and accommodating.

We went to three specialty restaurants as part of the included specialty dining package, and chose Moderno, La Cucina, and Teppanyaki. All 3 were fantastic. We went to Moderno the first night, and dining while watching the sail away from the aft of the ship was so peaceful. My husband's favorite dessert on the ship is the banana tart from Moderno, so make sure to save some room for that! The service in La Cucina was fantastic, but we thought the food was not quite as good as some of the other specialty restaurants. Teppanyaki was a lot of fun, and the steak is incredible. We also enjoyed the food at the main dining rooms (Taste/Savor), O'Sheehan's, and the Garden Cafe buffet. In general, food seems to be a strength for NCL. Read more