Almost 20 years ago we went on our first and only cruise until now, a Norwegian ship out of NYC. The ships were smaller then than they are today and we were much younger than the average guest. It was okay, our young daughter loved it, but we were mostly bored and had no interest in cruising again until recently.

Now, empty-nesters in our early 50s/late 40s, we began looking at cruising again as a way to see more of the world. We first booked a very port-intensive European cruise with NCL that is still 2 months in the future as I write this. We were telling our friends about this and on a whim the 4 of us decided to book a cruise on the Escape just a few weeks before sailing. The port in NY is very convenient for us to drive to, so it is perfect for a quick getaway. We booked side-by-side spa balcony rooms on the 15th floor. We all loved our rooms and our balconies, and the location was perfect!

Overall, we really enjoyed the cruise and wouldn’t hesitate to book it again. It was a great way to get away to warm sunshine from the cold New England weather! The food was excellent! We made reservations for 3 specialty restaurants (Tepanyaki, Bayamo, Cagneys). Loved them all but the food in the complimentary restaurants was just as good. We never made reservations for these and were always seated immediately. The only restaurant we didn’t care for was O’Sheehans. We had lunch there twice. The food was just so-so and the service was terribly slow. We ate breakfast in the buffet a couple of times, and went there for snacks in between meals. The food was good, but it was always crowded and noisy so we preferred the other restaurants . Read more