7 Nights Caribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Harvest Caye Cruise

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.

Good cruise on the Escape

Very friendly, hard-working crew. Bar staff at Tobacco Road were incredible, especially Erika, Roby and Freddie. Entertainment was excellent. Choir of Man is a must-see, simply amazing show. The band in Syd Norman's Pour House was incredible! The two comedians were very funny. Food was fine. Nothing that wowed us but all good. We ate at two specialty restaurants, Cagney's and the Italian restaurant. Both were good. Ship was completely sold out but the crew handled it well. Sea days featured bad weather so we were all inside all four sea days. Cabin was comfortable and our steward Jose kept it clean and tidy. The service in the main dining room and specialties was impeccable. Enjoyed O'Sheehans for a casual change of pace. Our bus tour in Nassau was good but the walk to get from the ship to the bus was long and not suited for folks with mobility issues. The tour was ranked as "easy" but getting to the tour bus was not. They should warn people about that.