Ship is too big with too many people
Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern
7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 22, 2016
Ship: Norwegian Escape
Cabin type: Inside
Cabin number: 14409
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 8 years ago
Review summary
This was our third NCL cruise and I was very disappointed. This ship was the largest that we ever cruised and you could tell- it was also filled to its capacity and it was not okay. I understand the fact that you are on a ship with a lot of people but in the past, it never seemed as daunting as this one. Most of the staff always seemed peeved and rushed and extremely unhappy. We also happened to be on "code red" due to a recent Norovirus outbreak which made the dining experience HORRIBLE; no one could serve themselves at the Garden Café so that created lines that made each of our meals no shorter than at least an hour and fifteen minutes- it was tedious and frustrating to wait on these lines for food that was LOADED with salt and always tasted sub par. The coffee was burnt and watered down- we had to go to the pricey café every day for a good cup of coffee which we had to pay out of pocket for (I never remember the coffee being so disgusting on the past ships). We splurged and bought thermal passes to the spa and we were upset when we found out there were no "finger foods" as promised and half the time they took away the water, hot water and teas. For two days the hot tub wasn't even filled so the only real reason we went to the spa was to get away from the Overcrowded ship and lay down. The temperature of the ship was always too cold, especially at night, where I had switch out my nice dinner dresses that I brought with the same pair of jeans and sweater every single night to every single dinner. People were shivering and would have to sneak outside to warm up. Every dinner- even and especially at the 'nice' restaurants were LOADED with salt; so much that I had a headache every night from the sodium content. One night I had ordered carved turkey at the Manhattan Room only to send it back in replacement of a simple salad. The staterooms were about the same as they always have been but I noticed that they shampoo and body wash that were given were completely ineffective. They were both watered down and you needed to use 10x the normal amount just to get suds. It looks like NCL is cutting corners everywhere they can and it is NOT acceptable. We were planning to be lifetime cruisers but this was the last one and we are no longer recommending to our friends and family. Not until NCL starts realizing that if they put quality on their boat, they will actually attract more people.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
Onboard Activities
Entertainment
Service and Staff
Ship Quality
Cabin / Stateroom
Ship tip
Don't bother cruising on NCL. Go to an all inclusive resort instead; it wont be as crowded, the staff will be friendlier, the food will be MUCH BETTER and the accommodations will be nicer
Ports of call
Tortola, British Virgin Islands