Disappointed

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 2-3 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 47

Overall rating:

1 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Escape

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: March 12, 2016

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 5713

Traveled as: Family (older children)

Reviewed: 8 years ago

Review summary

I booked this for my family's vacation for spring break. I have been on a cruise but my son had not. It has been my past experience you pay your fare that includes your room and all food on board. I understand I have to pay taxes and port fees that was charged the day I purchases our tickets. The room itself was fine  except the hard bed and the ship was nice, but that being said I have many complaints. I read Nowegian's website before I booked this and thought I was prepared for all costs. I knew there were some restaurants that had surcharges, alcohol and sodas cost extra. I even knew the cost of parking at the port. We start the cruise to find out of the 28 restaurants on board only 5 were included with my fare.  If you wanted steak or lobster in the complimentary restaurants you had to pay an additional $20- $25. The menus seemed limited and the buffet served a lot of the same items everyday. Also the service in the restaurant was terrible, I always had to refills for my water sometimes to the point that I had finished eating before I got a refill. Only 4 of the shows were complimentary the rest you had to pay extra. I do not have endless pockets to pay all of the extra fees. I feel that I did not receive what I paid for. We were even charged a daily fee $13.50 per person per day for what I was told for housekeeping when Norwegian's website states a gratuity is not required. I felt I was nickel and dimed to death. Also there was a medical emergency on board and as a result we skipped our last port, I am understanding of the emergency but I paid for 3 ports but only received 2 and feel that I should receive a partial refund. The port taxes were collected for Nassau  but were not given back even though we did not port there. Some of the contests were funny and Silas did a great job hosting the shows. The four days at sea was beyond boring, the 3rd day I was ready to jump off the ship and swim back. You can only swim so much and most of the events on board was Norwegian trying to sell me something. I would never cruise with Norwegian or would I ever recommend it to anyone.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

1 out of 5
Majority of the restaurantshows were not included and cost extra

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Entertainment

1 out of 5
Only 4 of the shows were complimentary

Children's Programs

1 out of 5
My 12 year old said it was boring, he did like playing dodgeball

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
The staff was very friendly but the waiters in restaurants were not attentive to refills of drinks, I always had to ask

Ship Quality

5 out of 5
It was clean and new

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
It was clean and housekeeping did a good job. My only complaint was the bed was hard as a rock like sleeping on the flour.

Ship tip

Bring a lot of money if you plan on doing all the ship has to offer since a small portion is included in your fare.

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5

Nassau, Bahamas Did not visit port

Our port was cancelled and we spent an extra day at sea
Was this review helpful? 47

22 Comments

Ejan    8 years ago

Celebrity is a really nice option.  The shows are inclusive, don't require a reservation and there is never a wait.  The food is much better quality and the only surcharge is if you want to go to a specialty restaurant.  The food is prepared on board; Norwegian is frozen and re-heated.  I don't know how this cruise line would be for your son, though.  

LadiesCruisin30    8 years ago

Hey guess it's better than nothing think it equals to what a $20 per person,I know they got us for like $688 for port/government fees almost as much as we got the balcony room for per person...lol but hey it is what it is..no worries here make the best of it eithier way

nickman684    8 years ago

hasn't happened to me yet. I'm sure it will. I do think you get your port fees back, though. If its any consolation.

LadiesCruisin30    8 years ago

So basically for whatever reason you don't make it to a port you get no refund?kinda disappointing but knowing that I'd still take my chances lol

nickman684    8 years ago

Yeah.....but that's 50%. Sorry, had to go there. Seriously, no refunds for itinerary changes. They reserve the right.

LadiesCruisin30    8 years ago

Maybe try going to a travel agent next time,our first cruise didnt want to be taken advantage of so we went thru AAA cause im a member & was told i could get discount,Paid in full for tickets right on the spot(March4) because it was so close to sail date (May7)the TA explained mostly everything as far as gratuities she told us for 7 day it averages around $100 per person,we had option to pre pay that or pay at the end,& she also let us know about the resterants that some of them would run us $20-35 per person,also if anyone was drinking that wasn't included in drink package that we typically pay anywheres from $8-15 per drink... weather/illness @ any time can change itenerary,but believe you get refunded?also hearing lots of excursions are cheaper @ ports verses booking thru cruise lines lots of times,it does suck when you feel like you got taken,but at the same time I'm sensing you may have not done enough research as far extras/expectations but "don't let 1 bad nut ruin the whole bag"

Garyfisher1    8 years ago

When you read reviews of other cruise lines you get good and bad reviews too.Some people won't be happy who or whoever they go with. Personally I say just enjoy it,it's your holiday for got sake and be grateful it wasn't you having the emergency treatment Don't look for faults there are so many good things to enjoy

stephenroth    8 years ago

Here's the bottom line: you were expecting an all-inclusive vacation and you didn't get one. While a few cruise lines (mainly the higher cost, luxury cruise lines) offer all-inclusive fares, most do not. For all the research you said you did, you didn't do enough.

heatherbutler    8 years ago

You can't please some people. Some people are never satisfied.. That's just their nature. I love Norwegian!

lisasilk    8 years ago

NCL is an a la cart cruise line in many ways. But this should not have been a surprise. What I love most about the line is the variety of smaller specialty restaurants. And I am happy to pay for them. I hear you have been on a cruise before maybe Princess would be a better line for you.

chaz9    8 years ago

Not true. Been on many curses. Norwegian sets the Bar high for service and accommodations. They fail at that. Royal Caribbean gives you top notch service

rramos2283    8 years ago

Saying that, cruising isn't for you and I don't recommend you going on one in the future

chaz9    8 years ago

Same experience here. I agree with you 100%

rramos2283    8 years ago

3) The buffet served a lot of the same food items. JUST LIKE ANY BUFFET YOU GO TO! You had 28 options to go to and 7 days travel. And you said you knew that before going on board. 4) Try working with a staff of 1400 to 4000 guests. Unless you've worked in the restaurant business, don't judge. If you weren't happy with the service, don't tip and that could of easily been adjusted at guest services

rramos2283    8 years ago

I honestly think you didn't do your homework like you said you did. 1) It tells you on NCL website which restaurants are complementary and which are a la carte or flat price + surcharges, if any. 2) Okay fine, you had to pay extra for steak and lobster; which is the 1st I've heard. But just like you go to any local restaurant in your home state I'm sure that's on the higher end price on menu.

rendezvoussam    8 years ago

Mikedebb. It has been known Carnival aim for 'partying fun crowd' whereas the RCI are more suitable with family.

debbmike    8 years ago

rendezvoussam, when is the last time you cruised with Carnival? 16 years ago? Lol

rendezvoussam    8 years ago

Before giving up try another cruise company, maybe Royal Caribbean International (RCI), it may cost slightly more but their services, shows and inclusive food are far superior.

cruisincouple06    8 years ago

Pick a different form of vacation

tristang129    8 years ago

teddygoogs    8 years ago

Sounds like cruising aint for you

SvetlanaS    8 years ago

You can tell customer service that you want to adjust your gratitude (but remember that it going to all team members, not only to housekeeping).

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