The Great Escape

Seven Night Western Caribbean Cruise 

9/16/17 Thur 9/23/17 

        

Norwegian Escape

        This cruise marks me and my first mate Freckles' sixth cruise together! So, Freckles treated it as an "Anniversary  Cruise" (Awe). She had the cabin decorated with balloons and had an anniversary banner which draped merrily above our cabin's balcony door. And what is an anniversary without cake? I love cake! It was a strawberry cake with rich whip cream frosting. Not to mention, white and dark chocolate edible decorative squares which surrounded the outside of the cake like a football team in a huddle. Yummy! This was the beginning of a beautiful vacation. For we have escaped the daily routine of our "hustle and bustle" work week. And traded it in for a week on board the Norwegian Escape.   

CABIN LIFE:   

      The Cabin was very modern.  Enriched with the lasted fixtures of technology. We love that Norwegian Cruise Line  was very environmentally friendly. They have put in place an energy effective system. This system allows cruiser's Freestyle cards to operate the cabin's electricity. You simply place your Freestyle card into a card lot outside on the bathroom in order to turn on the cabin lights and T.V. And trust, you need your Freestyle card for just about everything about the deck plates. So, once you take your card out of the card lot in the cabin. Lights out! It definitely is an advance way to conserve electrical energy while out to sea. Our mini-suite also was equipped with an advance way of signal our cabin steward, Kutel that we needed our cabin service, or if we didn't want to be disturbed. All it took was a flip of a switch. No need to hang outside our door the " Crusin' or Snoozin' " sign i.e. Carnival Pride:). This feature was very convenient and cool.  

Mini Suite With Extend Balcony

     Our cabin quarters had an extended balcony. This I totally recommend. It makes up for the cabin space or the lack thereof.  The bathroom was gorgeous. It had an vertical and horizontal adjustable shower head.  It had six streaming jets and was very spacious for the most enjoyable showers ever!  The location of our cabin was perfect. Our cabin was on the 8th deck (8732). Foot steps from the Food Republic and the District Brew House restaurant. The floral scent of the passageway was pleasant to my nostrils and there was always up beat music playing, which put my body in a good mood for a grand old time on board or ashore.     

                                        

CUSTOMER SERVICE:

     The customer service on board was friendly and inviting. There was a gentlemen from South Africa by the name of Slade Ryan, who Freckles and I grew fond of over the course of our time on board. Slade, first of all has the coolest first name ever! He was part of the photography staff on board. We truly appreciate him taking his time and skill during me and Freckles formal night photo shot. So, the beautiful pictures that we took with the palm trees in the midst of a sunset as our backdrop. Is all due to Slade Ryan. Thanks my friend!

Another portion of the customer service we enjoyed involved a less personable option.But, never the less, technology can make life much easier on board a ship, if executed well. 
    A photo Kiosk allowed us to arrange our digital photos that were taken by the various photography staff members with just a couple of  touches of the screen.  After arranging the photos to our liking. We were able to place them digitally into a Norwegian photo album  and then order it. Very user friendly. Norwegian also provided cruisers with a daily electronic kiosk, which was mounded on the bulkheads of certain passage ways on each deck. This daily kiosk offered information on where thing were on the ship, when and where events were taking place, and you could book events on it as well.  It was a convenient and self-efficient way to enjoy ship life.  


CHOW:

   The food on board Norwegian was incredible! Though, towards the end of the cruise ( day 5), room service started to lack its culinary enthusiasm.  The specialty restaurant were exquisite. We both enjoyed Le Bristro, which is on the 7 Deck Mid-ship. The Sea Bass was delicious. It was very tender and seasoned properly. It was a great choice for dinner. And I got this conformation from a our cheerful waitress Venus, who was a delight! I also had the pleasure of dining at the Latin restaurant, Bayamo located on the 8 Deck Mid-ship. This modern flavor of Latin food was surprising to the taste buds. I had to try the Ensalada  Verde, which consist of Avocado, Asparagus, Frisee, smothered in  a Sherry shallot vinaigrette. Definitely a great choice for an appetizer.  For the main course, I selected the Roasted Cod. This fish was served with a Chorizo Croquette, and Saffron Espuma. The meal was seasoned well and the portion size was perfect. I was satisfied. Our over-all experience was amazing at Bayamo. 
    Now, I can't forget the elegant atmosphere of the Manhattan's dinning room, located on the 7 Deck Aft. This dinning room had a stellar environment, with a large two deck high center section, a bandstand and large dance floor.

The Manhattan Room

The Manhattan is the largest and most spectacular in comparison to the other two dinning rooms on boards: Taste and Savor. I enjoyed the Vegetable Lasagna at this glamorous restaurant. The meal was fulfilling and scrumptious!  

Cruisers Beware: 

• Norwegian Escape double dips for tips.  Our credit card was initial charged before the cruise for gratuities. And then, we were charged an 18% gratuity for specialty restaurants, specialty shops, and room service. 
• Television channels are few. And movies are $9.99 each. So, on sea days. If you're  "Cabin Bums" like Freckles and I. Make sure you bring a laptop or portable DVD player with your favorite movies. 

OVERALL EVALUATION (RATED IN KNOTS: 1 THROUGH 10. 1 BEING THE LOWEST):

                                     8 knots
    
     

On the Love Boat

March 11th-19th
8 night South Caribbean
Aruba, Bonaire, and Curacao

CABIN LIFE:  Upon our arrival on board the Caribbean Princess, first mate Laura Anne and I were hit with a blast from the past. The atmosphere inside our mini suite mirrored every bit of the 70’s hit TV show “The Love Boat”. Now, I’m not trying to be picky. But, the whole entire cabin is dated! There is an old and frumpy green couch that just slouches in the corner of the cabin. The carpet totally screams indoor/outdoor 70's bungalow style. Sadly, the bathroom favored a cheap motel that you rent by the hour: from the bath fixture to the floor tile. Not to mention, the stench of urine crowding the toilet with every use. The tub’s tile grout was blackened a bit with a hint of mildew. Which caused an unpleasant shower experience.

      Furthermore, our mattress was as stiff as a board and as embracing as a cactus. In addition to my snoring and the condition of our mattress. Laura Anne's quality of sleep was as they say in the Papimento dialect “ Sushi”. To our surprise, the bed comforter had a corner that was torn in what seemed to be in a chewing manner. And in hopes that all the comforters on board hadn't been attacked. I asked our cabin steward, Cosme from the Philippines for an extra one. When he returned, I saw draping from his arms like a wet noddle: Linus Van Pelt's security blanket. I believe this was not his fault, but maybe the custom of the service taught on board. At this point, Laura was sold that we wouldn't be making another run on board the Love Boat.

     CUSTOMER SERVICE: Laura and I were very impressed with the energetic customer service, not just by our cabin steward. But, from Aft to Forward... From Port to Starboard. All the staff on board Caribbean Princess were fabulous! Especially, at the Palm Dinning room. Our dining room service was evenly match with the superb quality of food served every night Laura Anne & I attended. Every night we felt welcomed and were embraced by the friendly conversation of our dining room attendants Meg and Radesh from India. And I can't forget Marta from Hungary, who met our every need at the authentic Italian restaurant Sabatini's. I also was impressed with the unhosted Bible Study on the 16th deck. Though I didn't attend, it was comforting to know that Christians were given the opportunity to fellowship on board to study the word of God. Now, that is awesome customer service! Laura and I did experience a little pushiness with the photo packages that were presented to her when it came time to purchase our cruise photos. I get it, the photographer staff member Lili from China was just doing her job. But, when you say no three times to the same offer (just worded differently). It's time to stop with the pressuring sale tactics. Please:)

        CHOW: As mentioned earlier, the food on board the Caribbean Princess was phenomenal. In the Palm Dinning room my heart and stomach was won by the Pad Thai. And for dessert, the traditional Cheese Cake would make Puff Daddy get the stepping across the George Washington bridge for it. I also had a great time with Princess' exclusive dessert the "Chocolate Journey", which consists of a chocolate pistachio dome with almond and pistachio nougatine. Once you get to the last bite, you'll stare at it. Dreading the journey coming to the end. Laura and I enjoyed our night at the specialty restaurant, Sabatini's. We savored the Italian flavor of their food. Laura enjoyed the Manicotti alla Sorrentia, consisting od spinach, ricotta & frontina chesse roulade on tomato coulis was delicious. Not to mention, the Petto di Pollo con Asiago e Pomodorini Salsa al Marsala, which is chicken supreme stuffed with eggplant, asiago and sun-dried tomatoes, marsala sauce. As for the buffet eating. the food was cold in temperature  
and sadly boring in selection.

 CRUISER BEWARE:  

• Over priced cruise, didn't get a bang for our buck.
• Research how far the beach is from the ship. It might be cheaper to take a cab than a tour through Princess i.e., in Bonaire Spice Beach Tour was $140/ couple. For a cab to the same beach $20
• Bring portable DVD player or lab top. Because Princess has three movie channels and each channel is played on a loop for 24 hours. And these three channels change their movie selections. Still looping the next selection of movies for 24 hours. Also, there is a loop with the network shows.
• The hand towels and bath towels are very rough. While using the towels to wipe sweat from my face. I ended up rubbing skin off the bridge of my nose., which left open scraps.

Cruise Score: 7 KNOTS out of 10 KNOTS

As you were...