Megaship has its privileges, passengers learn on the high seas

THE GOAL aboard Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape: Not to end up at a buffet dinner or watching the comedy juggler twirl knives, hats and balls.

Not that we had anything against buffets or jugglers, they just were not as interesting as the 20-plus places to dine or the Broadway- style musicals, the chanteuse at the Supper Club, the Four Seasons tribute band or the adult comedy shows.

For our annual August cruise together, my cousins Wayne and Mary Jane and my husband David and I chose the Escape, which launched last November. They live in Morris Plains, New Jersey; we live in D.C., and a cruise delivers time together (and apart) without either couple doing the work of hosting for a week or more - plus, we explore interesting ports.

Since we sailed the Mediterranean aboard RCI’s Anthem of the Seas last year, this year we sought beaches and another relatively new ship. On our eight- day voyage from Miami, the Escape docked in St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Tortola and Nassau.

But could we do this without busting our budget? In January, Norwegian replaced many of its US$ 20 ( RM80)-toUS$ 25 ( RM100) fixed cover charges at speciality restaurants with a la carte pricing, increasing the bill for a threecourse meal to the US$ 45-per-person range, above what was included in in the cruise fare. Would the food be worth the additional money? Would the scheduling effort make every meal feel like a food fight?

Our primary challenge, it turned out, was coordinating our dinner plans and our desired shows. After all, 4,248 passengers were attempting the same trick.

On the second day of our eight- day Caribbean voyage, after retreating to our respective cabins to amend our plans via the interactive television, both Wayne and I ran into the hall, screaming, “I can’t take it anymore.”

Now, our family may be a bit short on patience; however, the on- screen guide moved at a pace reminiscent of dial-up Internet, lacked menus and prices for a la carte restaurants, and didn’t provide a voyage-long schedule of performances requiring reservations. ( Norwegian stopped giving these complete lists to guests about 18 months ago because, a spokesman said, guests weren’t using the entire list.)

After 30 minutes of attempting to change our reservations for “After Midnight,” a Broadway- style musical about Harlem’s Cotton Club, I gave up. When I buttonholed the assistant box office manager later, he revealed that the online system can’t process cancellations.

( The hotel manager said the ship would fix this problem for future voyages.)

Those glitches aside, the Norwegian Escape surprised us positively. Unlike some other mass-market cruise vessels, it featured enough interesting dining venues to mitigate lines and varied enough entertainment to please millennials as well as aging baby boomers.

With some trepidation on our first night, we sat down at Savor, one of the main dining rooms that, along with Taste and the Manhattan Room, serve identical menus that change daily and require no extra fee.

( Based on our experience on prior NCL voyages, we expected the ship to be comfortable, but the included food mediocre.) Savor and Taste, divided into small areas and accented with sculptural vases and art, looked like city restaurants.

In contrast to main dining menus on some other cruise lines, Norwegian’s offered more than a dozen options.

Most were good, especially the roasted butternut squash salad, the steak and the eggplant. We breathed sighs of relief. It wasn’t going to be a hardship after all to eat the “free” dining-room fare.

With its Art Deco touches, two- storey atrium, orchestra and dance floor, the Manhattan Room conjured a swanky 1930s supper club. Couples swirled to “What a Wonderful World,” “Fly Me to the Moon” and other classics. We loved it.

Our experience at the speciality restaurants varied. Le Bistro’s lobster was soggy; La Cucina’s pasta only passable; and Cagney’s Steakhouse delivered tasty steaks even if the service went beyond leisurely to slow.

Our favourite dining place: Bayamo, Iron Chef Jose Garces’s Latin-inspired speciality restaurant.

Above left, Norwegian Escape’s Aqua Park is the largest at sea and includes two pools, four hot tubs, the Aqua Racer tandem waterslide and Free Fall, the fastest waterslide at sea. She also boasts the largest ropes course at sea; it spans the entire width of the ship, offering five sky rails and two planks - six-inch wide beams that extend eight feet from the side of the ship. • Norwegian Escape during Sea Trials along the coast of Norway.

“For the Record: The Brat Pack” brings the glorious 1980’s to life with a unique mash-up performance of feature songs from “Sixteen Candles,” “The Breakfast Club,” “Weird Science,” and more.