Singles Caribbean Getaway from NYC

Item: Norwegian Escape
Rating: 4
Author: bellatrix1001

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Bahamas

bellatrix1001

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 3

Helpful Votes: 96

Overall rating:

4 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Bahamas & Florida (New York Roundtrip)

Sail date: November 11, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 12537

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Overall, pleasant getaway with plenty of time at sea. 3 of 7 days were too cold to go outside. Food REALLY impressed. Great drinks (margarita bar, mojito bar, brewhouse). Entertainment, activities, and night life was lacking for young people. Wifi too expensive and not great. Would not do this ship again but not bad to try once.

Embarkation

2 out of 5

Had to wait in line for 1 hour having Latitute tier status. When cruising out of Florida, this never presents any problems - the most we ever waited is few minutes. This time there were long queues everywhere that barely moved.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Norwegian has the BEST food hands down. From buffet to main dining to specialty. Really excels from Royal Caribbean. If main dining were any better, people would not be paying for specialty. Teppyanaki was so good - we did it twice.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Annoying that most shows/events were held at the Atrium. It was often beyond crowded and you could never get a seat. The comedy club always had a line. Otherwise, nothing particularly exciting was going on. Bocce and bowling were great - highly recommend.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

After Midnight was okay - not my jam. The Choir Of Men was great but cost extra. Other shows were mediocre. Piano music at the District was top notch - enjoyed it every night. Lack of a night club was very disappointing and the H2O events mostly got rained out/too cold. Excited to try the Bliss or Breakaway that have an actual night club.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Overall - very friendly. Slightly better than a lot of our experiences on Royal Caribbean despite lower overall English proficiency.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5

Clean for the most part. The ship did feel crowded - especially on sea days when it was too cold to go outside. I MUCH prefer the Royal Caribbean ships with Boardwalk/Central Park/Promenade layout - feels a lot more spacious. The boat had no "centerpiece" entrance that felt grand or impressed in any way. Every deck was basically the same sprawl. The waterfront on Deck 8 was very cool even though we never dined outside - but it was nice to enjoy a drink and the sunset outside in a bar setting. Very cool!!!

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

First time cruising in a studio and it was AMAZING. The custom color LED lights, the service, the lounge - super enjoyed it. Thanks Norwegian for really excelling at this one!

Ship tip

Must DOs: Teppanyaki grill. Escargot at Le Bistro. Duckpin Bowling. Try 24 beers at the District. Do the water slides!

Thumbs up

Disembarkation

1 out of 5

Almost missed our train. Took 2 hours of waiting in the Manhattan Room. Ridiculous. They had to shut down the terminal multiple times due to congestion.