We read reviews and watched dozens of YouTube videos trying to decide the who, what, when, where and why of cruising. We chose NCL Escape...boy did we make the right choice!!

The ship and service....it's very big, very clean, very modern and stunning. Everywhere you look -- restaurants, bars, shops, an art gallery (yeah, an art gallery) and entertainment. The crew was friendly and helpful. We did not encounter a single crew member who didn't great us with a smile. They all work very hard to make sure the passengers are enjoying themselves. Senior staff everywhere introducing themselves and asking if you need anything. We hit the ropes course, the water slides, the mini golf and the pool - all fun. The shops were a favorite destination for wife and daughter - although I may have made a minor purchase of two. Casino is in the middle of the ship and seemed busy when at sea. I noticed lots of comments about smoke in other reviews. It seems way overblown...you can smoke if you are playing in the casino - some people did. When you walk through you can pick up a mild smell of smoke. The reviews saying the whole ship stinks or you can't walk thru 678 Ocean Place where all the decks come together near the casino without being choked by smoke did not match our experience. Smoke? Yeah, a little, but not even a minor annoyance on this cruise (I hate the smell of smoke). I never noticed smoke anywhere else on the ship. It was a non issue for us on this cruise.

Shore excursions....did a beach day at Cocoa Beach in Cape Canaveral. Real easy. They pick you up on a bus at the terminal and drop you at a store/restaurant/rental shop two blocks from the beach. You can rent chairs and umbrellas at the store or from a concession stand on the beach (a little cheaper at the store, but you have to carry the stuff to the beach). Spent 3 hours on the beach everyone had a nice time; simple bus ride from same place back to terminal. Did the snorkeling at Great Stirrup Caye which was lots of fun. Wife, daughter and I rented the equipment on the island and gave it a shot. Takes a little getting used to, but not difficult once you get the hang of it. TONS of fish to see a short distance from the beach. You will know where to go because there will be 30 other people already there checking the fish out. Did the airboat ride in the Everglades which was a trip highlight. Again, its a bus at the terminal and a 30 minute ride to the Everglades. The airboat was an interesting contraption, but we saw lots of alligators, birds and other swamp critters. They gave us an option to get off at Bayside(?) Market in downtown Miami on the way back rather than go back to the ship. It's a huge outdoor shopping/dining/entertainment venue. We chose to get off and then wandered around for a few hours. Took a $10 cab ride over the bridge back to the terminal and were on-board well before the 6pm departure time. You will need your room key and a picture ID every time you get off the boat...they scan it when you get off and then, more importantly, they scan it to make sure you got back ON. They take your picture at embarkation so they match that picture to you every time you board to make sure you didn't switch out with someone during a port call. Read more