Excellent Cruise - Crappy Weather

Item: Norwegian Escape
Rating: 4.7
Author: SukiMySuki

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

SukiMySuki

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 49

Overall rating:

4.7 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Miami Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 06, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12902

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

The ship is a good time and the staff is friendly and courteous. I enjoyed most of the ports but you can tell tourism is a big part of locals' income considering how much they WANT you to join them for a ride, tour or smoke. All-in-all, we had a great time and would definitely go on the Escape again. We plan to try the Bliss next year but we'll see what happens!

Embarkation

5 out of 5

NCL allows you to pick times you arrive at the dock. As compared to my Carnival cruise on the Vista last year, this was a much smoother embarkation process. We chose the earliest time (10:30am - 11:00am) and arrived at Port of Miami at 10:45am. We were through security in ten minutes and in the embarkation lobby. Everyone was assigned a boarding group and within fifteen more minutes, were on the ship having lunch. ZERO complaints!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

First and foremost... not having a specified dining time is AWESOME. We were a group of two and NEVER had a wait at any of the main dining rooms. I FULLY recommend having the Prime Rib at least once (we had it three times) at O'Sheehan's; it's very flavorful, well roasted and extremely tender. We had the buffet for breakfast and lunch almost every day and had zero complaints. Some of the other cruisers are rude and don't understand a line but that's neither here nor there; just be prepared to be frustrated with some of them! Aside from O'Sheehan's, we mainly ate at Taste, one of the main dining rooms on Deck 6. Friendly waitstaff, fast and delicious food and, again, no waiting. Bar-wise, pool bars are what they are but we always landed at Mixx on Deck 6 in between the two main dining rooms. Excellent bar staff, great drinks and a good time.

Mixx Bar

5 out of 5

This is how cruise bars SHOULD be. Day one we got to know Antoan from Macedonia. He is AWESOME. Even with a full bar, he had a great time and was able to keep everyone's drinks full. It's very evident the other bar staff at his bar pull from his energy and I HOPE this atmosphere will remain when he leaves to open the Bliss.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

My one and only complain with NCL versus Carnival... the pools. I love the feel of the "beach" atmosphere that Carnival creates. The Lido deck on the Vista was MUCH bigger, the screen is bigger and, by proxy, everyone is outside and having a great time. NCL should really invest some surveys to see where their guests would prefer to be entertained. It's a cruise... let's be outside and do everything! That being said, we never had a problem finding a lounger to lay in, even on sea days. The pool could be bigger... it was a bit crowded with minimal people inside.

Entertainment

We did not catch any of the shows.

Children's Programs

We do not have children.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Again, Antoan at the Mixx Bar... AWESOME. Kadek, our room steward... AWESOME. Everyone at all of the restaurants, general cleaning crew, etc... AWESOME. Extremely friendly crew.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The common areas were VERY well-maintained. Again, my only complaint about the ship is the layout of the Lido Deck... but it isn't enough for me not to rate it 5-stars.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

The size of balcony cabins are just fine; fairly comparable to a normal hotel room. Kadek, our steward, was great and we never had issues with cleanliness or him being "in the way" of our vacation. I would definitely book this room again.

Ship tip

Have fun! NCL has been the best line I've cruised with so far. From the staff to the food to the drinks, everything was awesome.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Miami, Florida

5 out of 5

Miami is a beautiful town. If you do a little research, you can find an AirBnB that won't kill your pocket and plenty of local places to eat that are awesome (some pricey... some not...). I'm not overly fond of the airport layout, but getting through security to return was a breeze (10 minutes).

Thumbs Up 2

Falmouth, Jamaica

3 out of 5

Falmouth is just alright... there is a beautiful area inside the Port where you can walk around and find "touristy" stuff. If you decide to travel outside the gates, the locals are a bit much. We tried to walk around and see the town but we were CONSTANTLY berated with offers of tours, taxis and smoke. Though we fully understand it's part of their culture, the locals would be a bit rude if you declined (even politely). We ended up heading back to the ship pretty early due to this.

Thumbs Up 1

George Town, Grand Cayman

5 out of 5

Grand Cayman is beautiful and the locals are great. They will offer you rides, which aren't crazy expensive, but should you decide to decline, they are still polite. The town is touristy but we headed out a bit and went to the beach. Beautiful water that was a bit chilly due to recent rain but we had a great time, regardless.

Thumbs Up 4

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5

Plenty of loungers, even sharing with another ship. They have tons of burgers, hot dogs and other food available around the island, also. Drinks and food are included (drinks if you have the Unlimited Beverage Package), which is nice while you lay around on the beach. The entrance is a bit drab and looks a bit industrial but it's a brief view and you're back to paradise.

Thumbs Up 6

Nassau, Bahamas

4 out of 5

Nassau is always beautiful. Again, outside the port you get berated with taxis and locals trying to give tours but they're much nicer than Falmouth, Jamaica. Beware of buying fakes when in some of the locals shops (actual shops, not the straw market); I bought 2 x Cuban Cigars that are definitely fake (identifiable by the wrapper) but I'll take that up with the merchant and Amex.

Thumbs Up 2

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Learn this simple phrase... SELF-ASSIST DISEMBARKATION. We lined up around 7am and able to disembark within fifteen minutes of the process starting (that's all the way through customs). If you can handle your own luggage, do so! I do wish they would start earlier, but they did start earlier than the itinerary called for so no real complaints.

Traveler Photos

5 Comments

Blondy 6 years ago

Thanks your review was great!!! Thanks again. We are going in September. Now I am looking forward to the cruise 🚢👍🏼💕

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DaveHo 6 years ago

Deb Kittredge Griffin

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PattyinVa 6 years ago

Thank you for the great insight. You can tell you are a glass half full person which is very refreshing. I will be cruising in the 20th, also having the earliest arrival time. Am looking forward to a smooth process and fast boarding on the ship. When were you able to get into your stateroom?

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Charlou 6 years ago

Thanks for this great review. It shows you are a positive person. Refreshing.

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dcregar 6 years ago

Thanks for all these comments.

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