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Tag Archives: Breakaway

The Escape a step forward for Norwegian Cruise Line

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Part of the Guy Harvey hull painting on the Norwegian Escape. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

PAPENBURG, Germany — The Norwegian Escape will be a bigger, and improved, version of the two ships that preceded it in the Norwegian fleet.

On a tour here, Norwegian executives showed off the line’s 14th ship, which is about six weeks away from its debut in Miami in early November.

Although it is based on the same platform as Norwegian Breakaway and Getaway, the Escape will be notably different in its details and carry more passengers.

Escape, designated Breakaway Plus in early discussions, will have one more deck of cabins, giving it a capacity of 4,270 at double occupancy, up from 3,969 for its predecessors.

The extra deck also allowed for a two-story design in the deluxe Haven area, which now has an elegant glass-enclosed curving staircase connecting the two levels. The Haven also has an indoor-outdoor restaurant, a feature from Norwegian Epic that was skipped on Breakaway and Getaway but is being resurrected.

The pool area of Norwegian Escape. Photo Credit: Tom Stieghorst

On almost every deck, Escape has something that distinguishes it as new. On the top deck, the ropes course has been expanded to three levels and has 99 elements, including five zip tracks. The Plank, a balance beam that extends out over the side of the ship, is now on either side of the ship, doubling the opportunity for passengers to try it.

The Aqua Racer water slide has been given a bigger diameter and can accommodate 1,000 riders an hour, up from less than 500 previously.

Breakaway/Getaway’s ice bar has been deep-sixed in favor of The Cellars, Norwegian’s first wine bar. Jimmy Buffet’s Margaritaville replaces the more generic Flamingo bar near the Spice H2O entertainment area, and his 5 O’Clock Somewhere bar will use the space occupied by the Fat Cats jazz and blues club on preceding ships.

At the new Food Republic, guests will order dinner on iPads. “These ships come out with ever-more innovative features with every ship we build,” said Norwegian President Andy Stuart.

Stuart said that the outdoor dining area in The Haven and the ropes course are among his favorite additions on Escape. “The ropes course is going to blow people away,” he said.

Norwegian Epic to call at Southampton

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Norwegian Epic is to return to Southampton for the first time in five years from 2015, marking its first return to the port since its inaugural celebration in June 2010.

According to Travelmole, the ship will sail to the UK port during its two Iberian Peninsula cruises, which are scheduled for September and October next year.

First up is a six-night sailing departing from Barcelona on September 20th. Then, the first of the two cruises will depart from Southampton on September 26th, with port calls in Cartagena, Granada and Lisbon.

After that, there’s a seven-night cruise from Southampton to Barcelona on the cards, departing on October 11th. In the interim, the ship is scheduled to go into the dry dock in France.

There’s likely to be plenty more visits to the UK for Norwegian Epic once the ship relocates its home port to the Catalan city of Barcelona on a permanent basis.

At that point, it will offer year-round sailings to the Western Mediterranean and the Canary Islands and Morocco.

Norwegian Getaway’s magic touch

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By Tom Stieghorst

Norwegian Getaway Illusionarium Theater EntranceFor the past decade, Norwegian Cruise Line has tried at the very least to be different from its much larger contemporary rivals.

The fruits of that campaign are paying off in the new Breakaway-class ships, nowhere more so than in the Norwegian Getaway’s Illusionarium, a space that offers one of the most compelling shows at sea in a custom-designed setting that will be hard to duplicate.

The Illusionarium dinner/magic show combines comic elements, audience interaction and cutting-edge steampunk atmospherics with inspired props, costumes and backdrops.

All of this is wrapped together quite satisfyingly in a story arc about the grandson of a famed Victorian magician getting set to auction the family collection of magical treasures.

The grandfather comes to life and conjures the spirits of great magicians of his time to show the young lad a few things. Each act arrives with a fantastic display on the domed ceiling of the Illusionarium.

Norwegian Getaway Illusionarium TheaterThe room is set up in circular fashion, with long tables radiating like spokes from the stage. It is certainly worth the extra money to get a floor seat ($29.99) rather than a banquette ($24.99). The closer to the stage, the better the view of the planetarium-like oculus.

You’ll barely remember the food, a surf-and-turf duo, as your attention is riveted to the performers. There is levitation, box tricks with a woman emerging after several swords have been inserted into the crate she’s concealed in, hypnotism, sleight of hand and an astounding numbers trick.

One appeal of the Illusionarium is sitting 10 feet from the tricks and still being dumbfounded at the results. “You’re almost sitting on the stage and you can’t figure out what’s going on,” said Norwegian Sales Vice President Andy Stuart.

The final act is the grandson, Jonathan Rice, played by a wickedly funny Jeff Hobson, who conceived the show and recruited the magicians.

The Illusionarium, which takes the space occupied by Cirque Dreams on the Breakaway and Epic, seats 232. Views in the back of the room are aided by TV monitors set in the ceiling.

Kim Weinstein, who works for a consulting firm in Boynton Beach, Fla., occupied a rear banquette at the show I attended, and her only complaint was a support pole blocking her view. “Other than that it was fine,” she said. “Better than I was expecting.”