7 Nights Caribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic Cruise

The Haven & NCL Escape

This was our second experience on Escape, and it's still my favorite of this class of ships (Bliss/Encore/Escape.) We typically stay in a balcony room, but upgraded to The Haven this time around. Service in The Haven was above and beyond our expectations. After one day, somehow ALL of the staff knew the passengers. It was truly special and impressive how well the staff cared for us. Embarkation was less than 15 minutes. Our room on the 16th floor was available within the first couple of hours of being onboard. Luggage was available after 4:30 pm. The 16th floor Haven rooms are ideal. It was very private and exclusive, as opposed to the 17th and 18th floor rooms. It also featured a short walk across the pool deck to the pool, the buffet, or the spa/gym, with only one flight of stairs to The Haven lounge. Our cabin was a Spa Suite that included a full shower and dual sinks in the bathroom, a king-sized bed, a large balcony, and a bath/hot tub in the room. For seating, there were two plush chairs and a small dining table. The cabin provided Occitaine hand soap, liquid soap, shower gel, shampoo, conditioner, and lotion. Our room steward worked like a magical elf. We never saw him, but our room was always immaculate. We did not make use of our butler, but he did leave us treats and snacks every day. The Haven restaurant served us for the most part. Note that the menus do not change, but you can pretty much ask for anything your own way, ex. gluten-free noodles or a different dressing/sauce. If you're looking for solace, go to the 19th floor and hide out on one of the cozy lounge chairs located inside and outside. Both areas are private to Haven guests and provide ultimate peace and quiet to read, sleep, or get some sun. (There's also a hot tub outside.) Activities on our cruise kept us as busy as we wanted to be. Our Cruise Director, Jack, was engaging, articulate, and helpful. Negatives about the ship/cabin: In a 16th-floor Haven cabin, there are no outlets in the bathroom. There was one US and one EURO outlet available on the vanity, and only one US outlet was on one side of the bed. No USB ports were available. Ship: The pool deck is always busy, so take advantage of port days to bask in the sun and be close to the pool. The Atrium gets JAMMED during popular activities, so be sure to get there early to secure a seat. Port days also jam the 6th-floor Atrium, so avoid it if you don't plan to leave the ship. Dislike cigarette smoke? FYI- The H2O bar area on 17 is a popular place for smokers because it's outdoors. Specialty Restaurants: Food Republic is quirky because you have to order from an iPad. The service level was pedestrian at best. The food experience felt casual and disjointed because food would arrive whenever anything was ready to be delivered. Cagney's was positive, as expected. Many passengers I spoke with did not have a pleasant experience at the Brazilian steakhouse. In our experience, the Haven restaurant was better equipped to accommodate a passenger with a dietary restriction or request.

Excellent food, entertainment, and service!

1. Embarkation went very smoothly! As a Sapphire loyalty cruiser I was able to board by a little after 11 am, and I was able to take care of the muster drill, Cruise Next reservations, and get the entertainment schedule very quickly. 2. As a solo cruiser, I am appreciative of everything NCL does for us. I had a very nice Solo Inside Cabin, more spacious than the studio cabin, but which still gave me access to the Studio Lounge. The solo lounge has comfortable seating, snacks all day long, and the best coffee machine! Even more important is the Solo Host, who did an amazing job for us! Theo made each of us feel welcome, like a friend and treasured guest. He made dinner and show reservations for us, found fun activities for us in our evening meetings, including a dance lesson which was so much fun! Theo was a truly fabulous host, the best I have encountered on NCL so far! He worked hard to give us a superlative experience. 3. Every officer I encountered was warm, welcoming and almost every one offered me their card and said if I needed anything to call them. And I could tell they meant it! The crew were equally friendly and helpful. My cabin steward took great care of my cabin, brought me everything I asked for, and even decorated my cabin for my birthday! I didn't encounter a single unpleasant crew member and in fact, they all seemed happy and that makes me happy as a guest. 4. The food and beverage service was excellent! The food and service in the specialty dining and main dining room in particular were top notch. My favorites were the Tiramisu in La Cucina, the lamb and the grilled pineapple in Moderno, and waffles and crispy bacon at breakfast in the main dining room. I loved that I was able to use my More at Sea dining credit to get a Cagney's entree in the main dining room, because Cagney's reservations can be so hard to get! I also loved the American Diner! The chicken pot pie, the meatloaf, and the bread pudding with caramel sauce were delicious. 5. I always found plenty of things to do on the ship and I feel the entertainment was excellent. I enjoyed several trivia sessions, loved the new show ICONS, and I especially enjoyed the Movie Sketch show the last night! It was hilarious and so much fun! 6. I did a couple of NCL excursions. The Sun, Sand and Shopping excursion was great. We got to see the Pink Street, the Umbrella Street, the Amber Museum, and got to see how they make chocolate. Be careful about buying jewelry at the first jewelry store though. The prices were lower at the last store we visited. We also got to spend some time at the beach, and umbrella rental was very affordable. I also did the Coral World excursion. I got to see the beautiful Lorikeets, the sea turtles, some small sharks, the underwater viewing station, and I visited the Cokie Beach next door too. 7. I signed up for a disembarkation excursion which included an airboat ride in the Everglades and a reptile show. dropped me off at the Fort Lauderdale airport. It dropped us off at the Fort Lauderdale airport. I had a great cruise, met many wonderful people, and I can highly recommend this itinerary and this cruise ship!

NCL Escape inside cabin connecting room

Great weather. Great stops in Western Caribbean. Costs Maya: don’t stop at booths in port. Go straight thru tourist area. Taxis are lined up to take you beach in Mahahual. Lots of places let you use lounge chairs/tables/umbrellas if you purchase food or drink. Tacos will cost $20 each way. Cabin was interior; connecting rooms for 3 adults and 2 kids (10 and 17). Definitely cozy but doable. We packed in cubes and everyone had their area to work from. It was nice having 2 bathrooms Ate at leBistro. Food outstanding. We had drink package. $15 up charge for Veuve Cliquot (used to be included). Friends had a suboptimal experience at spa with massages. Save your money and get a 30 minute massage on the beach in Costa Maya for $10-20. Pool deck gets crowded on non port days. We would only swim for a bit and spent more time on waterfront where is was quiet and relaxing.