Worst cruise ever on all parts; port, ship, crew, cabin, food, and NCL.

The ship unloaded late which meant no place for our bus to unload load. Crowds blogged all entrances. Ship boarded over 4 hours late due to GI problems with the previous cruise. No room for anyone to wait, forget about a seat. And no ammenities offered.

The Escape offers a large number and variety of restaurants. However, almost all have a surcharge. The buffet and restaurants which were included in the cruise price offered a very limited selection of very poor quality with extremely poor service. Drinks, with the beverage package, were OK. It just took a long time to get any service at a bar. And it took forever in a restaurant.

Most of the outdoor activities were closed down for over 8 of the 14 day cruise. They claimed they were sanitizing. Even the mini-golf clubs, shuffle board, and bocce balls were not available. Plus the weather going in and out of NY in the winter was too cold to be outside. Very few organized activities. There were some trivia type games in the main lobby and a corn hole game on the mid deck. However, the mid deck area was by the smoking area. The smoke was so bad that we and many others had to leave.

There was a variety of entertainment. Comedians were about half and half good. But that is to be expected. Some shows were cancelled with no explanation. We assumed it was the short staff with the previous GI issues. Other shows had a lot of action but made no sense and were rapidly boring. Many people did not attend (including us due to recommendations) or said they walked out of the main After Midnight performance. There was music and bands playing almost constantly. It would have been good except for the volume. They seemed to be competing for who could be the loudest. Each member keep turning up their volume until it became painful. It was impossible to hold a conversion when they were playing in the lobby, even while at the bar on the next deck up. When they started playing around the pool, many people just got up and left.

Staff was totally inadequate and apparently either untrained or poorly trained. They did lose several hundred from GI issues the previous cruise. And many of the rest spent a large portion of their time "sanitizing". Crew was inattentive and extremely slow at every thing. It took hours for a meal. Even over an hour to get a bagel with cream cheese and salmon for breakfast. It would be maybe 15 min to take the order. Then 30 min or more to deliver. They even brought my cream cheese and salmon first. Then about 10 min later brought the bagel. Drink refills like coffee at breakfast were never offered. We had to call the waiter and request it. They didn't know what a Mimosa was for breakfast. Lunch and dinner were more of the same. If we ordered an appetizer, soup, salad, and entree, they were long in coming and often arrived either at the same time or the next course before we had time to finish the previous. Again, forget about a drink or wine. Even a water refill was difficult to come by. The staff throughout the rest of the ship was not much better. Some would acknowledge or greet passengers. Other just looked the other way. We were in a group waiting at the closed doors to get into the gym in the morning. An officer walked by, opening and closing the doors. We thought he would do something. But we never saw him again. Eventually, I opened the door and found that the gym was already open with a few other people in there. Plus the gym had no towels for most of the cruise. They were there on day one. But not again until about day 12. I have never been on a cruise where crew members pass you in the hall and expect you to move out of the way for them. This was bad in the corridors by the cabins but worse in the buffet area. There they were running around with carts and stuff and just pushing their way through the crowds. And yes it was crowed because of its extremely poor layout.

They spent so much effort sanitizing that they never cleaned. Our category BA veranda cabin was not cleaned until day 12. The steward made up the bed with towel animals and fresh towels. But he used a broom to sweep the floor, not a vacuum. Trash that was on the floor from the previous cruise remained there the entire time. And there was a layer of dust and dirt on the counter and furniture. The dust, dirt, and caustic chemicals throughout the ship caused me respiratory problems. And NCL refused to accept responsibility for the on-board medical costs. The ship has a very extensive casino gaming area and many restaurants. But was totally lacking in any area for quiet relaxation. Even the library was closed. There was some limited oceanside outdoor seating. That was OK for about 1/2 the cruise while the weather cooperated. But the weather is not NCL's fault. I mentioned above that the buffet was very unorganized. The same was true for each of the dining areas. Buffet was the worst. The was about a 4 foot path by the food counters. These were either getting food, carrying plates, or just trying to get by. The seating area had tables haphazardly placed with no direct path through them. The pools were outdoors. We were looking for an indoor adult only pool. Outdoors was ridiculous for a winter cruise out of NY. Basically, we felt that the ship was designed to capture as much extra as they could from us once on board. You have to pay for a Haven suite, pay for a specialty restaurant, pay for a quiet pool area, etc. The basic room, service, food, and amenities that come with your cruise fare are terrible.

The cabin, bath, and veranda were small. The cabin had limited storage. We could barely fit our two suitcases in the closet. There was no space for a table in front of the couch. There was a little footstool with a top. But it was totally inadequate for holding anything. So forget about room service. The veranda had two non-reclining chairs and a small 1 sq ft table. You could stand or sit. But you could not lay back and enjoy your veranda or consider a relaxing breakfast. The bath was also small. I am not a big man. But I felt like I was bouncing off the walls in the shower. There was limited storage, especially if your wife carries any kind of private toiletries. And they would be recommended. We were provided one bar of soap for a 14 day cruise to be shared between the sink and the shower. With all of its shortfalls, I still gave it two stars rather than one star because I do not spend a lot of time in the cabin.

We were with a large group that was supposed to diembark together. It was also extremely frustrating as we stood in line for over an hour while they continuously brought people through who claimed some kind of handicap. They could have been in a wheelchair, riding one of those carts, or even in a walking boot.