Checking in after 9 months and an NCL cruise

[Sunshine2U]

Hi everyone! It's been over 9 months since I checked in here and I'm just back for a minute to let you know while we had a great cruise on NCL Escape I found my heart still belongs to DCL! I wrote a review on another popular cruise forum under the same user name if you're interested, but I'll be happy to answer questions if there are any left. I know a lot of people have compared the two cruises. Here are my thoughts.

Young children? Hands down DCL. Was there any doubt? But it's more than just the characters and clubs. Escape does not have more than a handful of chairs next to the kids pool. And the pool is bracketed by heavy traffic areas. There's no deck food - whether you like or hate the hamburgers, chicken strips, etc. it's convenient - especially with the beverage station on deck. The clubs are only open certain hours. None of the entertainment was really suitable for children.

Food - NCL edges DCL out on quality of food. The freestyle concept was fantastic and is one reason I would go back. We loved that - and of course, the unlimited beverage package NCL threw in!

Price - NCL, hands down. This is the reason we switched. Oh, and did I mention the unlimited beverage package? We were sailing without children and could not justify sailing with DCL for the price difference.

Magic? DCL all the way! I love the decor, special touches and atmosphere of the Disney ships. From a lackluster embarkation, to stale smoke in areas adjacent to the casino, to a crowded decks, I couldn't help but compare to Disney - especially when we docked next to the Magic in Tortola! I missed the Disney ships and the happy people who work on them!

Adult cruising? NCL - there are over 20 bars on Escape. They are carved out of public spaces and tucked away in corners and on the deck 8 outdoor waterfront. The restaurants are grown up themed. The entertainment was only so-so, but it was made to appeal to adults, so I have to give that to NCL.

I'll be back on a Disney ship our grandson on a cruise in about two years. In the meantime, I'm going to check out the MSC ships for DH and me as we explore the world of cruising without children.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Oh - most important! I missed the really nice people right here! The people where I went to learn about cruising with NCL are pretty snarky! Thank you for being NICE people!

 

[darnheather]

Thank you so much for this review. How did you get the unlimited beverage package? What stateroom type did you have and how did it compare to your typical stateroom on DCL? Was it hard to figure out what cost extra and what didn't?

 

[Sunshine2U]

Thank you so much for this review. How did you get the unlimited beverage package? What stateroom type did you have and how did it compare to your typical stateroom on DCL? Was it hard to figure out what cost extra and what didn't?

The free UBP was offered as a perk for booking. It was so much fun to try out SO MANY different cocktails. I think the current offers include choosing one or more from unlimited beverage, specialty dining, internet, 3/4 sail free packages - depending on cabin type.

We had a balcony room. I don't think I would do a megaship with less as I value my down-time on a vacation. If you get energy from being hip to hip with other people then you could go for an inside room. There were a lot of interior spaces where we did not feel crowded, but the upper decks were very crowded. We booked 3x "large balcony" cabins in a row. The balcony dividers open so we had a really nice outdoor space. The cabins would be small for a family of four. The bathrooms and shower are a gernerous size but again, the smaller split baths are better for families. Overall the sq. ft. is smaller on NCL.

A lot of people complain about NCL nickel and diming. We looked at it as an opportunity to choose where to spend money. We were fine with MDR food and free cocktails. So we spent hardly any money. If you want extras like room service, fine dining, drink packages for your children, you pay for it. The cost of our balcony was $1600 less than the same week on DCL so I chuckled when I saw people complaining about $8 service fees on room service.

 

[darnheather]

Thanks. I might try it by myself or with the kids when they are out of the clubs.

 

[Sunshine2U]

Thanks. I might try it by myself or with the kids when they are out of the clubs.

If you will be truly by yourself, NCL has Studio cabins designed and priced for singles. Hint - when looking at prices be sure to change to "1" person first or the Studios are not available. Escape really is a good ship for adults!

 

[TestingH2O]

I actually read your CC review before you posted here. Nice summary.

Between you and Gambee I have definitely been rethinking NCL until my daughter is older or I can go on an adult trip.

 

[deanimal]

Glad you had such a great trip. We tried out the Breakaway recently and had an awesome time. We missed a few things about Disney, but overall found it to be a great value.

 

[Flossbolna]

Thanks for posting! I really want to try some other cruise lines as well and NCL is high on the list for me.

 

[BigredNole]

We haven't cruised yet, but the price difference between DCL and others is vast. For the difference, I can take the most expensive port excursions, eat at the most expensive of all restaurants, drink to our hearts content, and still come in under DCL. DCL is a hard pill to swallow.

 

[ivanp91]

Thanks for the post - we are currently in the midst of deciding over a cruise on the Escape so it's nice to see you enjoyed it

 

[PixieLily]

I wrote on my blog about the NCL western caribbean cruise on the Escape. Hope this helps!


The last time we went on a cruise was over 30 years ago. It was one of those weekend trips to Nassau and it was a nightmare. It felt overcrowded and we could not wait to get back home. We thought we would never go on a cruise again. However, we are retiring and knew we needed to find more places to go in addition to Walt Disney World.

Being a bit of a nerd; I quickly went into research mode and opted for NCL. The Norwegian Escape ship is the newest of the ships and seemed to be the best contender. It is a state-of-the-art vessel. Watching on Youtube, I also liked the cool way the doors open, sort of like a Star Trek starfleet.

The ship lives up to its hype. It's gorgeous. We had a balcony suite and it was spacious, and very clean. It was cleaned twice a day and the staff was very gracious.

The first place we went once we got settled in was the pool area. I have to say we were not impressed. There are two pools side by side. The kid's and the adult, which is small for such a large ship. The kid's pool does have huge cool slides.

The music was not our favorite. It felt like the repetitive thump - thump did not reflect my romantic notion of a caribbean cruise. We were looking for more of an island, reggae type vibe I guess. But there were plenty of benches and the bar was very lively.

However, we were not giving up. We ventured to the rest of the ship, which is about 17 floors..excuse me, decks.( I am still learning the lingo).

One of the places was the Margaritaville restaurant just above. The vibe was more our style and we sat nearby.

One of our worries about going on a cruise was cleanliness. But I just don't know how NCL can do more. There are places all over to wash your hands and the staff stands by in the buffet area always reminding the guests. The wishy-washy boys were hilarious.

There is a tiny library. It's almost an afterthought, for such a huge ship, but quite pretty. I saw families playing monopoly or reading. The book collection is decidedly limited, so instead of my usual sci-fi, I went for a fantasy children's book. "The land of Stories," by Chris Colfer. Highly recommend it. One of the characters has a magic potion that turns every book into a portal to other worlds, and .. well never mind..

Since we were not going near the pool we decided to try the spa. I was turned off by the heavy selling. We were never told that there was a possibility of booking for just one day. However, I had researched it and knew t was possible to get a spot on an excursion day.

Once we paid, no one walked us in, or explained a thing. We had to ask a staff that was cleaning were to get our robes. The good part is that the thermal suite spa has tile lounges that are heated and the view is to die for!

My thrifty husband had needed some convincing for this splurge... However, as he melted into the warm tile he muttered, "I could get used to this.."


The rooms were cleaned twice a day and the staff was very gracious.
We only chose one excursion which was the Teppanyaki snorkeling beach trip in Roatan, Honduras. The water was beautiful, and simple food for lunch was available, ( burgers, etc.,) and belongings were secure. We even had a Caribbean band while soaking the sun!

There were small touches all over the ship that made it special. For example, each seat in the Escape theater has a little air conditioning vent. The shows were first class and After Midnight Show is a must see. The cruise director, Tyler Gray was really fantastic.

Having nightmares of the old Carnival trip; I was worried about departure, but it went very smoothly. It went so smoothly that we caught ourselves thinking of taking another trip. We would go on another cruise with NCL, but would also like to explore Royal Caribbean next time.

 

[ImprovGal]

If you will be truly by yourself, NCL has Studio cabins designed and priced for singles. Hint - when looking at prices be sure to change to "1" person first or the Studios are not available. Escape really is a good ship for adults!

I'm currently onboard Epic staying in a Studio cabin. I liked reading your ncl vs dcl comparison and will be posting my own as well after this cruise.

 

[cruiser21]

I've cruised NCL twice and enjoyed both cruises. Their next new ship the Bliss will be in Alaska for the Summers starting 2018. I'm definitely planning Alaska on the Bliss. It's nice somebody's finally putting a new ship up there.

 

[Dug720]

Thanks for the report! Glad you had a good time!!

I would say IMHO "20 plus bars could be a plus OR a minus. For me, it's a minus. I'm not anti-alcohol, but sparingly. For me, hanging out in a bar and drinking is not fun (or hanging out in a bar and NOT drinking is even not fun).

So thanks for confirming NCL is not a line for me!

 

[cruiser21]

I've never been on a ship that didn't have quite a few bars. 20 doesn't seem that out of the ordinary. DCL has no shortage of bars or people drinking. I'm not a big drinker, but the number of bars certainly don't affect my enjoyment on a cruise.

 

[Kenzientysmom]

I've cruised NCL twice and enjoyed both cruises. Their next new ship the Bliss will be in Alaska for the Summers starting 2018. I'm definitely planning Alaska on the Bliss. It's nice somebody's finally putting a new ship up there.

We are booked on the Bliss August 2018. Can't wait!

 

[cruiser21]

We are booked on the Bliss August 2018. Can't wait!

Cool. I didn't even know it was open for booking. I'll have to check out the prices.

 

[disneydreamer781]

Bliss to Alaska did I hear? I was thinking the Wonder but this may be another option now particularly at those Disney prices. What are the odds of actually seeing Sawyer Glacier in September though? That's when I want to go but have always held back because of the weather in Sept and the probability of getting to see those glaciers.

 

[mevelandry]

Thanks for those info! I really appreciate it and read comparisons between the two cruiselines.

DH and I were actually talking about our cruising choices in the future and we realized that while we love DCL, we think that after our next cruise on the Wonder, we will go explore other cruiselines for a while. Not only because we think the other cruiselines gives you more bang for your bucks (My DH did not even want to cruise with DCL in April 2017, he said yes just because I insisted) when you cruise elsewhere than the Bahamas but also because we feel like we've "been there, done that" with what DCL offers.

We've tried Carnival, it wasn't Fun 2.0 and we loved it. I heard good things about Royal Caribbean and Norwegian Cruiselines... I'd definitely interested in trying them in the future.