NCL Escape. Didn’t Meet Expectations

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Bermuda

kergan66

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 34

Overall rating:

4.3 out of 5

7 Night Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 22, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 13437

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Sadly, I really can’t recommend this ship. It’s large, crowded, only has one pool, and our food in the main or free dining areas was pedestrian and unremarkable. The coffee, other than the restaurants which use LaVazza, and the cafe ( Starbucks ), was really bad. Undrinkable. Worst of any ship I have ever been on. Embarkation was a mess, but It really was several things coming together at one time. It left Florida late due to CG inspection. Tide issues prevented it from going under the Verrazano Bridge, and whatever else. However, NCL could have handled the situation better than telling people to go out and see NY for a couple of hours. This was the first embarkation that did not go smoothly for us. We will try and stick to the Gem. Oh, and now NCL did Away with chocolate on the pillows 😢 Overall rating is showing 4 stars, but it should be 3 - 3 1/2

Embarkation

3 out of 5

You’ll see a lot of 1 star reviews from passengers here. It was horrible, but really it was a bunch of things going wrong together. A perfect storm on day 1. Could have been handled better by NCL staff

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Restaurants were excellent. Buffet and MDR’s were less than spectacular. Food served cold. Tasteless. No imagination on the buffet.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

We saw The Choir of Man. This is a must see before the guys leave the ship for other venues.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Service and staff were excellent. Ship was spotless. All staff friendly

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

Ship tip

Ship is very large. Larger than the Breakaway.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

5 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Traveler Photos

O’Sheehans on embarkation day. Beef fajitas

31 Comments

macsmom 6 years ago

We were on the same cruise and have never experienced anything like the embarkation in all our years of cruising. We understand it was a combination of several things, but the phone calls and text we all received just told everyone to arrive at the pier after 12. We were driving 4 hours to get there. We arrived around 11:30 . Instead of telling everyone to delay their boarding time by an hour or so, they just told everyone to arrive after 12. So there were 4500 passengers that were trying to board at the same time. We waited in line for 2-1/2 hours but at least we were in the terminal. My in-laws waited in line outside for 4 hours before they got on board. There were hundreds behind them too. Many missed the muster drill. Communication was terrible and all was very unorganized on NCL’s part. I have cruised many times with ncl and really have never seen anything like it! NCL should of at least put out some water for those in line. That being said, once on board we loved the ship and the cruise! Although I have to agree not having a mid ship elevator was a bit inconvenient but it forced me to work off all the extra calories I consumed !

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cucruizin 6 years ago

In spite of the challenges, glad that you still enjoyed. Thanks for posting the review.

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kergan66 6 years ago

Good question. Personally, I don’t know if anything they said would have satisfied everyone, or anyone. People plan a cruise months in advance. They count down the days til they board. Anticipation takes over. You don’t want to be told Not so fast everyone......just wait out here ( or go see New York for a couple of hours ). People want to board, and eat. They want to feel as if they are on vacation, and that starts on the gangway up to the ship. That being said, they could have tried telling us the truth. It wouldn’t have changed the situation, but it’s better than telling us nothing.

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colin10021 6 years ago

I do think complaints are helpful but i also think suggestions to rectify issues are helpful as well. So how could NCL handled things differently as u said on that first day?

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akaGrandmaJo 6 years ago

In a previous life on another forum, Kergan was a great help to me in learning the ins and outs of cruising. Although his experience isn't evident from his status on Cruiseline, he and Mrs. Kergan are seasoned travelers with many years of cruising experience.

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BonMike 6 years ago

BDRebel..... just shaking my head..... and chuckling. We don’t eat that stuff up here north of the 49th. LOL Kergan66 you have always given the members an honest review from your experience, and you’ve been so helpful to those of us who were on a previous forum with you. We know that you are very diligent about reading the fine orint and dojbg your homework before you cruise.

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kergan66 6 years ago

I mentioned the one pool because that was one complaint I heard, so I felt I should pass it along. My biggest complaint was the food quality. Others have stated the food was excellent. Contradictiong opinions, on an open forum.......go figure. Let’s put it this way, for the first time on a Norwegian ship, we felt as if we were being chased into paying for one of the alternate dining venues.

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BDRebel 6 years ago

Thanks for the fair review, Kergan. I did not know about the one pool, and as reading reviews is part of my research process, I find it rather illuminating. Also, I do appreciate the pictures -- especially the one of the fine southern breakfast plate. BonMike just needs a bit of exposure :)

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KristinaAsh527 6 years ago

Im not telling you not to provide information to future cruisers. I am not even the person who initially commented on the pool complaint. Just trying to shed like on what they likely meant since you thought it was so cryptic, so I don't see your need to get defensive. In my experience, often people find it odd when someone (you or anyone else) complains about something that they could have easily known about beforehand.

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kergan66 6 years ago

KristinaAsh, a little bit of research !! I do my research, and here is what I found out. There were 2 ships leaving the week of my anniversary : The Gem, to Nassau. I hate Nassau, and the Escape, to Bermuda, which we love. I don’t use the pool, but I stated that info because I know others will post the same complaint. We book the Thermal Suite in the spa for the week. That was, as usual, great. We have sailed with Norwegian for awhile now, and have one booked with them in October...despite the fact the round trip out of NY was changed to a one way out of Quebec, which we now have to fly to, and stay in a hotel . Both are added costs. Please, don’t tell me I need to do my research. I am diligent about knowing about a cruise before we book it. I can only review what I experience. I try to give an honest review. Another person on the same voyage may give it 5 stars all around. It may also be their first cruise. This isn’t our first cruise with Norwegian. I know how their food usually is.

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ctav 6 years ago

To pass the time while standing in line, I called Carnival asking for the delay in boarding, they wasn't able to give me an answer.

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ctav 6 years ago

I can't speak for this cruise. However, Carnival sent an email stating that my boarding time was delayed by one hour.... Okay, what do I do with the reservations with the shuttle service? What do I do with the Priority boarding plans? When I got to the port, no one got the notice other than me because the hold area was packed, the boarding line was packed.

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OldGreyWolf 6 years ago

Nice review. Appreciate the feedback about the size as that has been a concern I have had.

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KristinaAsh527 6 years ago

If I had to guess, they are likely wondering why you are surpised about the pool situation. If you had done even a little bit a research you would have known that there is only one main adult pool on the ship. Would it have caused you to book another ship, maybe or maybe not.

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kergan66 6 years ago

Wasn’t referring to you KA527. It was a generality. Although the reply above yours was a bit odd. The one asking if I read the ships’ specs.

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KristinaAsh527 6 years ago

How was I cryptic? I asked a specific and direct question?

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kergan66 6 years ago

Anyone wishing to criticize me or my review, kindly do it on the CruiseLine.com forum. There is a thread titled “ Escaped the Escape “. Please don’t be cryptic, say what you mean. Thanks. Cromp

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KristinaAsh527 6 years ago

I saw multiple people state they received messageS (call, text, email) stating not to arrive until 12pm, and still went early hoping NCL would still board on time. I assume most people traveling to NYC for the cruise didnt travel the day of (as that is incredibly risky) and probably could have stayed at their hotel or wherever they were staying a bit longer. Honestly, what specifically could NCL done differently in this situation?

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kergan66 6 years ago

Nobody listened to the phone calls. You have people coming from all over, by various means of transportation. You can’t expect people to change their plans the night before. Read the ships’ specs ? Regarding what ? The size of the ship ? Where are you going with this ? Size shouldn’t affect food quality. It’s not my fault the Breakaway was taken away and we were offered a larger ship. Besides, we were celebrating our 30th anniversary. That’s the ship that was going to Bermuda that week. Also, we were excited to see a new(ish) ship.

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KristinaAsh527 6 years ago

You stated that communication was an issue. However they did communicate and you just didn't listen. Since most people arrived early anyway (and it seems that way from the forums I have read), ignoring NCLs suggestion, that likely added to the chaos.

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colin10021 6 years ago

Didnt u read the ship specs b4 u booked?

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akaGrandmaJo 6 years ago

Thanks for the review, Kergan! I respect your opinions and I hope our sailing goes smoother in Sept.

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kergan66 6 years ago

With the tide in, and no passengers with luggage, the ship rides higher in the water. This was one of the reasons mentioned by staff. If you’ve ever taken the Breakaway or any other large ship, the aerials and stacks get real close to the bridge. Allegedly, the Captain chose not to proceed. So, instead of docking at 7:00, she docked around 12 noon.. Despite e mails and phone calls telling people not to show up til 12, passengers showed up at a normal time, us included. Communication was the real issue here, or lack of anyway. Curious what the Marine meant by “ thankfully that’s only your review “. If he’s implying that there are a lot of positive reviews versus my less than stellar review, let me add......we have been on a dozen Norwegian cruises, and though there were many good points, on this voyage, the food was subpar. Maybe it will be better this week, and next week. But we found it less than adequate during our week. It happens. I’m sure as the weather gets warmer, there will be complaints about having only one pool for 5000 guests, a valid point.. Oh, and don’t expect any $5 minimum tables in the casino.

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BonMike 6 years ago

I appreciate your honesty kergan66. Too bad the cruise was disappointing. Your photos are always great, but the one of biscuits and gravy............ not so much.

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2SAVE8 6 years ago

Sorry you were disappointed, the Escape was amazing for us but that also could have been because we were in the Haven.

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esm54687 6 years ago

Thanks for the honest review..... but what could NCL do concerning a delayed departure because of tides??

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Bubba54 6 years ago

Thanks for the review

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Kukamerlot 6 years ago

Sorry to hear, hopefully your next vacation will be more satisfactory

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AuntPinkie 6 years ago

Sad it didn't live up to what you've come to expect from NCL. There is so often that one cruise that all the "little" things combine to make it go wrong. We've had those ourselves. Enjoy your October cruise with the ship you prefer.

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MarineVet71 6 years ago

Wow... thankfully that's only your review.. sorry to hear

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clferr 6 years ago

How would tide issues prevent it from going under the bridge? How did it return to the port?

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Other reviews of this sailing

Not what we expected

Nice cruise once you get on board

Norwegian did it right.