Overall the cruise was a great experience. I will comment on the highest highs and the lows to keep it relatively short. The lows were not major problems just annoyances. Embarkation was going well until the Coast Guard called a crew training exercise before allowing anyone to board. This held up everything about an hour. The problem was in the Manhattan terminal the people setting towards the front kept getting announcements about the delay and to please keep the aisles clear. I noticed some crowd movement and some seating clearing out as we could see people boarding through the glass. Most people in that area guessed it was the Haven patrons boarding. This continued for 30 minutes or so before I walked backed and found that the back half of the building had been boarding for 45 minutes and were up to card #13. None of the people in the front were aware boarding had begun. It was very disorganized but I blame that mostly on the Coast Guard drill that threw everyone off of their game. The only other thing was an odd occurrence was on Monday or Tuesday when NCL decided to go more green by discontinuing the use of straws at the bar. No warning just sorry we have no straws to give you. That makes drinking a frozen cocktail with a float on top interesting to drink. No real problem just kind of weird.

The highs were the much more plentiful. The Escape is in great shape and is very clean. The food on board was some of the best cruise food I have had since starting to cruise in the mid 80's. Difficult dishes were prepared properly and always served hot in the the three main dining rooms. The dinner and show by the chef at the Teppanyaki upgrade restaurant was excellent. Also Cagneys Steakhouse was definitely a cut above and gave the impression of a high end steakhouse both with their food and service! The crew always seemed to go above and beyond with their service and assistance with anything we needed anywhere on board!

We opted for the Thermal Spa Package and were glad we did. The spa area is very open and is a real treat to come to if you want some peace and quiet while totally relaxing with all of the spa amenities. The two saunas, salt room, and snow room were always clean and working properly which made for many relaxing hours there. Our trip to Bermuda was chilly and windy Sunday and Monday. Not a lot of people around the pool areas or outside those days so it was crowded inside but never totally packed anywhere aboard. Read more