We met a lot of passengers who were very unhappy with Norwegian and indicated they would not cruise again with this company, one saying she was going to cancel a cruise always planned for later in the year. This was our first Norwegian cruise, and overall we were very happy with everything. We especially appreciated the hardworking crew members and typically found them all very nice and helpful. We especially appreciated the long hours the crew put in to continually disinfect the ship, many working hours more than their regular shift. It was hard on them! There will always be exceptions and problems with any cruise line. We will not eliminate Norwegian from our choices when planning another cruise.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
Unfortunately, due to an outbreak (some sort of contagious gastro problem) on the ship before it arrived, the embarkation was delayed for several hours before we were allowed to board. It was understandable, the crew had to "decontaminate" the ship from top to bottom. However, the pre-boarding area was crowded with thousands of travelers, there was a shortage of seating, and not much communication between the cruise line and waiting passengers. It could have been helped if they had offered/passed out water, perhaps some sort of packaged snacks, esp. for the elderly and children. There was plenty of time to make preparation as they knew the circumstances before even arriving in New York. The fault lies with the cruise line management, not with the Escape crews. However, once on board, there was mass confusion as we were not permitted to go to our rooms because of the ongoing decontamination. We were fortunate to hear over the loudspeaker that the cafe was open with food so we were able to eat. Many did not get the information until hours later. If they had opened the auditorium, that would have at least given many some seating area. As it was, people were sitting on stairwells, on the floor, all over the place! It was several hours after boarding the ship that we were allowed in our rooms. However, the staff was hard at work disinfecting everything, so we could not blame them. Management should have been more proactive to taking care of the stranded passengers. Also, the staff were hard at work throughout the cruise, disinfecting everything (to include walls along corridors and elevators) working hours after their normal shift throughout the entire cruise!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Dining was wonderful on the ship, plenty of delicious choices. The dining rooms and cafe staff were always pleasant and anxious to please. One exception were the hostesses at the Savor and Taste restaurants, who seldom smiled, seemed a bit standoffish and cool. I never felt welcomed by these hostesses. We tried two of the specialty restaurants (Teppanyaki and Moderno) and both were wonderful. No complaints about the food at all! Get to Taste and Savor early as there is often a wait. They did take reservations for larger parties. We attended the Supper Club twice, once for The Rocketman Experience and another time for a comedian. There is a set menu, no choices. I found the food was adequate but not as good as the other restaurants.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
We tried some activities on the ship: rope course, mini-golf, and Bocce. The Atrium was always busy with game shows, trivia, how-to classes, etc. It was a big gathering place so get there early for chairs!
Entertainment
5 out of 5
The stage shows were awesome: #1 Choir of Man (outstanding!), #2 After Midnight (also outstanding), Rocket Man (Elton John) Experience with JR (he is an awesome singer!). There were several comedians on the ship, and we attended many of the shows--very entertaining!
Children's Programs
We had no children aboard
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
The waiters were always smiling and helpful. Our room steward (Ronell) was the best! We often engaged in conversation with them and were amazed at their stories of how they came to work on the cruise line. No complaints, only praise for these hard working individuals!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The layout and design was great and well spread out. The common areas were always clean and maintained.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
We liked this cabin. It was comfortable for the two of us, and could accommodate a small child or two on the sofa. Would not recommend more than 2 adults. Our cabin was always clean (thanks to our room steward Ronell!). The patio was small with two chairs and a tiny table, but fine for the two of us. We didn't discover the space under the bed until after a few days at sea, which was perfect for storing suitcases. No complaints at all about our room!)
Ship tip
Try to book shows and entertainment before the cruise. After a lot of effort, I managed to do so, only to have everything cancelled before we even boarded. I imagine it was because of the decontamination process. To book it is easier to go to the Box Office (determine what you want before you go). The onboard computer booking system was not particularly user friendly. Also, wash your hands and disinfect often. In spite of extreme care, both my husand and I contracted colds/viruses. He was ill for the last 3 days of the cruise while I was more fortunate and didn't get sick until at the end. BRING COLD/COUGH MEDICINE and anything else you can think of to combat colds/flu. My husband finally went up to see the medical staff (who have very limited hours) and bought a bottle of Day Time cold and flu acetaminophen which cost him over $20! There was a tiny vending machine outside the office where one could purchase a few small packaged items like aspirin (even what looked like condoms!) for $.50. We were not impressed with their medical service.
Arrived in NYC a few days before the cruise as we'd never been there. Toured the Status of Liberty and Ellis Island, 911 Memorial, and Radio City Music Hall. Highly recommend all of these. Figured out the subway system which we used a bit, but Uber is really the best. Traffic is terrible!
Barbados was our favorite port. We took a Cat swim and snorkel tour and were so impressed with the beautiful white beaches along the coastline. This would be one place we might eventually visit again, fly in and stay a week or so.
Passengers chose the time when they wanted to disembark, selected color-coded tags for luggage if they wanted to put their luggage outside the room the night before. We chose the latest time as we had scheduled a late flight home. The process worked well in most respects. We left our room before 9am and went to the Cafe for breakfast and to wait, arriving about 8:30am. The Cafe was suppose to be open until 9am. Upon arriving, we saw that the majority of the food was being put away, and were lucky to snag a box of cereal. People arriving by 8:45am had nothing! There were many very unhappy passengers! The rest of the disembarkation went all right, just long lines and some confusion when we got in the terminal. However, we found our bags with no problem. Back to the Cafe, we can understand that they crew has to clean up in anticipation of the new arriving passengers, and sympathize with them. They all worked very hard on the cruise and I feel that passengers tended to blame them rather than management. We noticed that "management" was totally aware of the early clean-up and believe the crew was acting on orders from management. The 9:00am closing was advertised in the daily bulletin we all received on the ship. There was no excuse for this mistreatment of the passengers.
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