The good, bad and ugly

Item: Norwegian Escape
Rating: 2.7
Author: Nymom2012

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Bermuda

Nymom2012

Contributor Level: Deck Hand

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 2

Overall rating:

2.7 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Bermuda (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: August 05, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 13164

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

We took this trip to travel with a large family group. I’ve been on many awesome cruises before, so I was looking forward to it. Once on the ship it was pandemonium. You need to wait on many lines. Restaurant reservations are necessary to eat in their “better” restaurants. The common buffet is where you’ll eat most meals. It was more like a cafeteria. Anything worth having required waiting on a line. Want to see shows? You better go strait to the box office, wait on line again, and hope you get a seat. We missed out on a lot because we didn’t know the ropes. It doesn’t seem fair when you can’t get what you want. The shows are slightly entertaining. Our cabin steward stole a diamond necklace, but security wasn’t very concerned. Make sure you trust no one and use the cabin safe. Be prepared for the final bill. Restaurants cost extra, but if you don’t want the cafeteria food anymore, you are left with no choice but to PAY to EAT on a cruise. I’ve been on Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity. I would recommend you cruise with them.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Onboard Activities

2 out of 5

Entertainment

2 out of 5

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Ship tip

Bring plenty of money

Thumbs up

Ports of call

New York, New York

5 out of 5

Royal Naval Dockyard, West End, Bermuda

1 out of 5

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

19 Comments

nurselife 6 years ago

On RCL you also have restaurants you have to pay for and make reservations for. It's not just on NCL. And the shows you need to book also on other ships or you wait in line. Using the cabin safe is a no brainer. Let me know how the specialty "free" restaurants work for you on other ships.

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jasetd9 6 years ago

Not cool to accuse staff of stealing from your room. As a hotel manager, my experience is that most of the time people end up finding their 'stolen' items AFTER they have wrongly accused hard working staff of theft.

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TracyTraveler 6 years ago

Is it possible the necklace was lost or broke and fell off? We left $20 bill as a daily tip and steward didn’t touch it. Sadly, lack of organization caused problems for your group. We were a group of 24 and always managed to get sat near each other in the MDR. We had drinks and patiently waited and were pleased with all our food, free and speciality.

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Charlou 6 years ago

FYI. NCL changed the timeline for making reservations. It’s now 120 days before the cruise.

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Charlou 6 years ago

For someone who says he’s been on many cruises, it sure doesn’t look like it. A little bit of RESEARCH goes a long way. You can also call NCL and a guest service agent will help you. Sorry, but this bad cruise is on you. Not NCL fault.

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laurav2 6 years ago

Oh and yes- if you are going to bring a diamond necklace in a cruise ( not sure why you would need it anyway) of course you put it in the safe. Again it is your own fault.

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laurav2 6 years ago

Sorry you did not know the “ropes”. My first cruise was in The Escape in May. My husband looked into everything and we booked restaurants and shows a few months before we sailed. You have to do research. Of course there are more places to eat besides the buffet. I am sorry to say your lack of research is the reason you did not enjoy your cruise.

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socthegal 6 years ago

We were on the Escape last week. We were a party of 11. Made our reservations on line then when we got on board had to change some of the times because of the young children. Went to deck 6 and had no problem changing the times for all of the restaurants. That was for all three main dining rooms and the specialty restaurants. There are many free restaurants to eat at and they accommodate large groups with no problem

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clclip4xs 6 years ago

Nymom2012- any cruise is only going to be as good as YOU make it. And that involves planning BEFORE you set foot on the ship. If you can't navigate the website and the myncl site, simply call the customer service phone number that u can find on the website and a representative will guide you through the reservation process. But you have to know what you want, and when. Don't diminish the NCL experience just because you didn't know how to plan.

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patiow 6 years ago

I agree 100 percent what people are saying here. You have to do your research. We were on Escape 3 weeks ago with a group of 17 people. We booked all our dinner reservations 2 months before our trip and they had no problem accommodating us by giving us the time we requested and seating us together. The specialty dining restaurants are the only ones that cost extra but ncl has been offering free at sea perks for some time,one of which is 3 specialty dining meals for free. Also you did not have to go and stand in line at the box office. You can make reservations for shows from any touch screen or from your room or from the I concierge app.

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viviennepagano 6 years ago

With every cruise line and every ship you MUST do your research!! Shows and dinner reservations should have been done at the 90 day per board mark anything not able to book at that time book on the day of embarking as soon as box office opens. It’s wonderful to be able to afford beautiful jewelry but when traveling put it in a safe or leave it at home and wear costume jewelry I never bring my diamond on a cruise sorry you had such a horrible experience

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iggyfurd 6 years ago

What about the Manhattan Dining Room and Savor and Taste?? Those do not cost anything extra. And the buffet being like a cafeteria is the same on every ship.

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HalfHand 6 years ago

You can and should make reservations 90 days before you leave. We have been on multiple cruises, never had anything stolen.

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djakstis 6 years ago

There are three main dining rooms, O'Sheheans AND the buffett all free. What other posters have suggested is making reservations for the shows soon after getting on board.

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rbobl 6 years ago

Sorry u had bad time, we had an awesome cruise with the escape loved it all, yes they have 3 @Cass22, dont let one review discourage you, this is an absolutely beautiful ship and all employees are attentive also, ship is always clean etc, trust me u wont regret it

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ampm1970 6 years ago

I am surprised that if you were with a "large family group" that nobody "knew the ropes"? It also sounds like you've cruised multiple lines. I believe all the really large ships require some kind of reservation for the complimentary shows? Depending on how large your group was and if you were wanting to eat together, it would make sense to me to coordinate with the dining reservation desk for a specific time even if it was the complimentary dining. Anytime I was with a larger group of people (say over 10) we worked with the reservation desk as a courtesy to the dining room attendants to allow them time to set something up ahead of time. Every cruise line offers up charge eating which you kind of expect to be more special. I'm sorry about your experience with your necklace. I guess that's why I don't take anything partcularly valuable on any kind of trip. I use blingy costume jewelry from Walmart.

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elvis18 6 years ago

Yes they have main dining rooms to ear in not just buffet 😊

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Islandlife515 6 years ago

There is a safe in all the rooms for jewelry, keepsakes, etc.

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Cass22 6 years ago

Wow what a bummer. They don't have a main dining room to eat in? I was thinking of booking with them next

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