We like to sail out of NYC so we don't have to fly anywhere. We previously sailed on NCL Dawn twice and the Breakaway 3-4 times. We were excited to get the Escape with new entertainment and a bigger and better thermal spa and casino. Unfortunately, we found the crew to be friendlier and more efficient on the Breakaway, the specialty restaurant Ocean Blue on the Breakaway to be far superior to the Bayamo (seafood restaurant on the Escape), and the overall experience to be better on the Breakaway. We like to stay in the Haven, most recently in the spa Haven room with includes access to the wonderful thermal spa and has a whirlpool tub in the cabin itself. The spa on the Escape had many more lounge chairs, more saunas, but the water temperature in the thermal spa was uncomfortably warm, making it impossible to stay in it more than 15 minutes or so at a time. The water temperature on the Breakaway was cooler than the water temperature in the the jacuzzi, which is how it is suppose to be. The Haven restaurant, while it still has the best food on the ship, was not as good on the Escape as on the Breakaway. The entertainment on the Escape was also not as good as the Breakaway. The Escape has the Broadway show After Midnight, featuring 1920's Cotton Club type of music. The singers and the dancers themselves were excellent, but at times the music was so slow it was hard to stay awake. The free juggler/comedian show on the Escape was excellent, the paid Choir of Man show was fun (but not worth repeating), but the acoustics of the music of the Brat Pack in the main theater was so bad that you could not understand the singers. We miss the acrobatic show and the Burn the Floor ballroom dance show on the Breakaway. The food in the asian fusion restaurant on the Escape was literally horrible, the sauces overly sweet and the tastes not asian at all. The food at Cagney's and La Cucina was also subpar on the Escape. While we enjoyed seeing different entertainment on the Escape, overall we enjoyed the Breakaway experience more. They were able to accommodate a gluten free diet with ease in the Haven restaurant on both ships (morning french toast and gluten free english muffins for hamburger buns was great), they had gluten free pizza, bread and pasta available in the italian restaurant and at the buffet. The teppanyki restaurant also did a great job using gluten free soy sauce. The casino experience was less smokey on the Escape than on the Breakaway, but was hampered by the fact that they were hosting a poker tournament which often took up half of the casino, making it impossible to find open gaming tables for non-tournament participants. The roulette spinners were totally erratic with their spins, and several people complained they were forced to leave the tables when they started winning a lot. Service was fine overall, but it took 3 days and leaving a detailed note to get things fixed in our cabin (such as the sink drain being broken). The majority filipino staff was friendly, but often had the feeling they were extra friendly when it was time for the additional tips. Perhaps the staff is overworked and overwhelmed by the large number of passengers on the boat. That being said, the staff on NCL is much friendlier than the eastern european staff we had on our last Princess cruise. Love the casual nature of the dining and clothing requirements. Make sure to make show and dinner reservations early in the trip or you may find it difficult to get reservations unless you have access to the Haven concierge. Embarkation and debarkation was very smooth. Love that they have 30 relatively current film choices to stream for free in the Haven cabins.