Overall a good cruise, but the ship was way too big for our liking. If you have kids, there is a ton for them to do. A lot of bars..too many in my opinion, as there aren't a lot of quiet places on the ship. Some really cool features like outdoor seating on their "boardwalk" and you will never want for things to do or places to eat.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Horrible..but I think this was more due to ship being delayed in coming back than it was anything else. A lot of people standing around for hours.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
Excellent due to the specialty restaurants and the sheer number of places to eat. Buffet food was good without being great. Service in the restaurants was hit and miss. Sometimes great, other times really, really slow.
Onboard Activities
5 out of 5
The advantage of big ship cruising is there is always something to do. From the pools, to the waterslide, to the fitness center to the evening parties and late night activities, Norwegian Escape had this covered.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Entertainment was actually really, really good. The singers were fantastic.
Children's Programs
No kids
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
We had an awesome stateroom attendant and the waiters were mostly good. Some had better personalities than others and some seemed to be "going thru the motions". The one negative was that I (and many others commented the same) felt that the staff was being "watched" too closely by those above them. The higher ups were almost waiting for the person to make a mistake. I saw one employee actually get reprimanded by their boss...and it was directly in front of a guest which should NEVER happen. Looking back, I should have asked who that persons boss is, because that is a huge, huge no-no in the service industry. The pool/waterpark/activities staff was fantastic. I think it's because of the lack-of kids on this cruise and it was "easy" for them during our cruise.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Cleanliness was top notch and you would see them cleaning the common areas/restrooms quite frequently. Layout was meh. The "main" floors of 6,7 and 8 were often congested..not a great layout for traffic flow.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Loved the neutral color scheme and the size was good. Bed was a bit close to the sliding closet door which made opening that a pain. Overall layout other than that, was good. Plenty of storage space. Nice, large, comfortable couch in room.
Beautiful small "fishing" town. Only thing that sucked was tendering in/out, but it was a cool little town and everything you want/need is kind of just right there. Nice shops, restaurants, friendly locals. We did a motorcoach thru Acadia National Park (waste of time, as you saw a lot, but it was literally from a bus window) and had lobster afterwards back in the village/town. That was fun.
We had a very, very short time here (why we actually stopped here..for like 5 hours..I don't know)..but it's a nice little small city and if you get the chance to explore, has a nice "old city" part of town. Again, good mix of food and shops...would have loved more time here
Halifax has a ton to do and see...Unfortunately, the cruise ship docks in a more industrial part of town and other than a nice sized market, everything is at least half a mile plus away. We did Peggy's Cove (beautiful but WAY too many people there) on a small tour group (12 people) and got a great guide and history of Halifax from a true local. Would have made more stops but the gardens and cemetery were closed due to the storm clean up from a few days prior.
This is a beautiful, old city that has done a great job of maintaining the old and blending it with modern. A lot of activities to do here and you can do a lot in a short amount of time. Excellent local restaurants. Friendly people. We visited both the reversing rapids and a maple syrup farm (local, family owned) which was incredible and included a nice pancake and sausage meal. A bit of a drive to get there, but it was worth it.
Did Express/Walk-off where we carried our own luggage off the ship and then grabbed a cab (right outside the terminal). NCL does "Freesytle Disembarkation" so you basically just grab a luggage tag and show up at a certain time and go. No one enforces what color tag you have
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