Northern Cruise

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Canada, New England, New York

Anniversary1983

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 2-3 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 7

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

7 Night Canada & New England (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: September 16, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Suite

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Very disappointed with all the hidden fees example 14.50 per person per day charged as a service fee. Taxes in beverages while in port. Restaurant fees. Ship was beautiful and staff was friendly.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Some activities for kids but you had to pay to play pool, bowling, skittle ball etc.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Shows were good. Lots of talent

Children's Programs

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Elevators were always packed and there are lots of additional fees added every day. Not happy with that. Great service but the 3 fine dining areas that you did not have to pay for had the same exact menu. Had to pay for the other restaurants

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Ports of call

New York, New York Did not visit port

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Portland, Maine

4 out of 5

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Bar Harbor, Maine

4 out of 5

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Saint John, New Brunswick

4 out of 5

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Halifax, Nova Scotia

4 out of 5

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Disembarkation

4 out of 5

26 Comments

DesertBear360 6 years ago

Just going to any cruise line website and they clearly state that there will be taxes and fees. Even when you book. The comment "Although it amounted to a few dollars" while complaining makes you sound cheap. Next time stay home or read everything before traveling. If you can't afford a few dollars then travelling may not be for you. Now you know for the future so that you can be better prepared. Just saying.

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iggyfurd 6 years ago

Very well stated JanetAndLarry

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JanetAndLarry 6 years ago

The tax on drinks is NOT from NCL but from the country the port is in. So when you are in NYC port and Bermuda (or any port) you will pay tax. You will not pay tax when the ship is sailing in international waters. The tax isn’t that much anyways. It’s always the people who don’t read their contracts or research that are surprised with fees. When you book and get your amount and all the charges are spelled right out for you. Why would you pay without knowing exactly what you are being charged for at the time of booking. That is the time to ask questions

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kellymax123 6 years ago

Why does everyone say hidden fees?The money is for tipping yes you can still tip on top of that.slssmith123 I am pretty sure every port will tax you.I think it’s maybe $.80 if that a drink.

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munecamala 6 years ago

The 14.50 can be taken off it is not mandatory it is a tip all cruises have it some ppl tip more some less I tip what I can at the time if I can I can if not not some ppl will judge you on this but honestly it's really noones problem what you give.. if ppl want to give 30.00 a day its their choice but never let anyone tell you what you should do with YOUR MONEY

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slsmith123 6 years ago

Does anyone know if there is a tax for alcohol at the US ports during the cruise. We are in port at Bar Harbor Maine and also Portland Maine? We also have the UBP. I also prepay the gratuities, and think this time I will bring extra cash for extra tipping.

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Charlou 6 years ago

Note that sometimes you can get the service charges for free as part of a free at see promotion.

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Charlou 6 years ago

@dron. The service charges will be the same amount if you prepay them or wait till onboard. If you prepay them, your bill will be less on the ship. Something to consider. As many already wrote, I also bring a lot of dollar bills to tip some workers a little extra.

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pmlane 6 years ago

NCL does not give a discount when prepaying fee. It’s just a convenience for some that expect a zero balance bill at end of trip

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Navychaps1 6 years ago

Just as a question, did you not go to the Norwegian website and read the fees? It pretty clearly describes the service fee and how to prepay, I personally would not call that a "hidden" fee.

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dron 6 years ago

Just wondering if it ends up being cheaper to prepay the service fees? I was thinking about just waiting until we get there. Thanks in advance🙂 BTW. I have no problem paying this fee. I work in the service industry and know what it’s like to work for tips.

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pmlane 6 years ago

I was actually taken aback by the taxes we had to pay while docked in NYC with the UDP. Although they amounted to just a few dollars, this was not clearly disclosed. However gratuities pp were very clearly stated and there was an option to prepay.

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rbobl 6 years ago

I loved the escape, we got the UDP and paid little pennies for the tax while in port, and for the gratuities we get that as well for the perks when we book, we take lots of ones for extra tips cuz they are well deserved, we got the same for our cruise in November on Epic, we hardly spend any money while on boat, just ports and if we do we spend then we elect to deposit cash on our account to clear balance up, we dont put our credit card to our acct, we are stress free and dont have to worry about any extra fees when we walk off, we never do specialty restaurants as there is plenty of food and complimentary ones on ship, love Norwegian 🌴🌴🌴🌴

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clclip4xs 6 years ago

And you even say staff was friendly so why the displeasure with the "service" fee? Do you know that they don't even really see that money? It pretty much goes to their medical insurance. Kind of like a union dues pmt.

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brad1312 6 years ago

I guess you could have just stayed home.

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cruisent 6 years ago

Nothing is "hidden". You're just cheap.

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THEBRAZ 6 years ago

And obviously the United States is going to charge tax on all drinks that's why you can't find an all inclusive within United States or why the cruise ships that stay in Hawaii don't have drink packages

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clclip4xs 6 years ago

Figure out how much all your meals were, and how many times a server brought you a drink and then multipy that by 20% and see how much you would have paid for for tips each day. $14.50 pp per day is peanuts. And it's not a hidden fee. It's right in your cruise breakdown. I pay my service fees in advance, as most people do, AND I make a point to bring $100 in singles so I can tip more for exceptional service. The people who work these cruise ships work very long hours and are away from home & family for months. Granted it is by their own choice but their options for work are very slim where they come from. I respect their work ethic and I appreciate their service. They make my vacation memorable. Think about what they do for you. Pay the service fee and do it gladly.

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terriesanchez 6 years ago

How can you not know? All of the information is right there on the cruise lines webpage. You can also find out things about the ship through the Q&A. All you have to do is read.

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DerekMire 6 years ago

Some people just like to complain

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Charlou 6 years ago

*dark cloud.

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love123 6 years ago

You can prepay these fee.

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Charlou 6 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your cruise. But daily gratuities is a common thing for all cruise line. You had the choice to pay them in advance. There are plenty of complementary restaurants without having to pay for specialty restaurants. I get that it can put a dark could on your vacation but they are all things you could’ve find out easily if you would’ve done a little bit of research before your cruise. Wish your next cruise is better.

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floatersunited 6 years ago

You could have asked to have the service charges taken off

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onlysail 6 years ago

All this is in the T&C. Did you read them ?

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DreamCatchers 6 years ago

Daily gratuities are on all cruise lines. It’s usually outlined in your cruise contract.

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Other reviews of this sailing

Nice relaxing cruise.

Loved going out of New York.. Great City..!

Horrible service, never again!