Great cruise, ship, music, shows; lucky weather

My wife and I are retired and now cruise 2-3 times a year. We often cruise with friends, but went on this 14 day cruise by ourselves. It was our "bonus" cruise with a good price for balcony cabin and 8 warm-weather Caribbean ports. Weather: Fall cruises in the Caribbean can be risky. We got out of NY City just before the big coastal storm, which we headed right into, so day one at sea was rough, and day 2 warm but windy. Then we were good for the final 11 days, warm and fairly calm. As we ended Hurricane Melissa was getting started, so we were very lucky. Hope Jamacia and Cuba do ok. Food: Good to excellent in all regards. Wide selection, generally fast service, though we know to schedule specialty dining for "slow" nights. Or go to the show first with a later reservation. We like Cagney's and the Italian restaurants, good but not great food, but consistently satisfying, provided you show up hungry. (Don't eat a huge lunch before you go to these restaurants!). The big surprise for us has been Food Republic. We aren't particularly adventurous eaters, but the waiters helped us make selections and customize (not spicy please) and so we went twice. We loved the hamburgers at American Diner and O'Sheans. Breakfasts at Taste or Savor can be very healthy. We both are low carb/high protein and there were lots of options. One issue is that they are set up well to bring your coffee quickly, but we generally have tea for breakfast, and that can take time. Weird considering that there were lots of people from the UK on the ship. Maybe the Brits had all the teapots? Cruisers and Staff: The most impressive collection of fun, lovely, caring people you can ever hope for. Almost everyone was smiling constantly, laughing, sharing stories. A few grumpy faces, but we find that if you try talking to the frowners they often light up too. Ports: Due to the storms they cancelled Puerto Rico and Grand Cayman. Oh well. They added a new one in the Dominican Republic called Cabo Rojo. This is going to be an excellent, low key port when it is finished. The artificial resort just off the ship had lots going on, and people said it was fun. We did an excursion with NCL, speed boat to see the National Park, snorkeling, and swimming. Great fun, but the roads are stull under construction and very rough and slow. So we were a bit late coming back and didn't have time to see the port-site resort. The DR has big plans for this area, with resorts and even a new airport under construction. We also stopped in Puerto Plata, which also has a portside resort and a real local small city nearby. But the best part of the Dominican Republic, every time, is the people. They are just wonderful, friendly, happy, proud of their country and just so much fun to meet. NCL seems to be doing more stops in the DR and I think that is a good decision. Aruba: took a cab to Palm Beach. It was Sunday morning so not busy. Water was great. Curacao: Walked around, it was hot. Found a "beach" near town: no chairs, no shade, no facilities, few people... I loved it! There was sand, warm water, an "L" shaped fishing dock, and space for a long swim, all within sight of the cruise ship (barely). Look for the new construction, find the signs, walk past the rubble, and enjoy a nearly private beach for swimming. Nothing special about the other ports, other than ease of finding a beach. Except St. Thomas: the cost to go to Megan's Bay has doubled over the last year, so we skipped it and stayed on the Escape; it was good. Escape: NCL's largest ship (4,200+ passengers) it mostly works well, not too crowded. Except the main pool area from mid-morning to late afternoon. People are still hogging chairs in the best locations all day, but we always found someplace to sit. Sometimes in the pool. It was fun, and the poolside bar was convenient and fast. Also there were plenty of waiters walking around. We always give a small tip for every drink, so we never had to do more than wave and smile at a passing server and a drink was soon provided! Entertainment: Choir of Mann!!! two times! Enough said. But all of the musicians performing in various locations throughout the ship were good; Francis Larson in particular as well as One4One. We don't do game or quiz or trivia shows, but there were lots of them and the people doing that were clearly having a great time. The cruise director has so much energy and talent, so of course everyone was having fun!

NCL Escape experience

Stepped up in class and went the The Haven 2-bedroom suite and no regrets at all, as they say you get what you pay for, and it was fantastic. The service, the food, the suite everything to do with the Haven. The ease of checking in, boarding, your own separate dining room, pool, lounge, sun deck on and on. One slight complaint 2nd bedroom a little smaller than I thought. And due to technical issues on the return from Bermuda we were 7 hours late into New York so had to scramble to make changes getting home. The food was great, service was excellent, especially hostess Diane she was great very professional. made you feel right at home. 24/7 butler service just blew me away, took care of every need you had. Ventured to other decks and wow what a difference so much noise and loads of people everywhere. As for entertainment did really enjoy "rumors" the performance was very good. never a dull moment on the cruise. Would go right now if I could again. will hopefully go again next year.

Escape to Bermuda is an awesome cruise

Over 20 cruises, this was the best ship yet. Great entertainment. Syd Norman’s is a great Rock show. Choir of Man is fast paced and fun. Many audience members got to go on stage and share a beer with the crew. The Supper Club was a new experience for us. Surprisingly good food and great entertainment from the Golden Octaves. Specialty restaurant food was very good. Main complimentary food, just average. Club balcony suite has a great shower and seemed much larger than regular balcony rooms. Service was good everywhere. Leo in Mixx bar was our favorite but that entire bar staff is awesome. Skyline bar always had incredible entertainment. Bermuda was beautiful. Glass bottom boat tour was inexpensive and fun. Lots of information about the island history and why the houses are all pink with white roofs. Embarkation and demarcation were easy and fast. Can’t say enough good things about this cruise. NCL is our favorite.