Super-crowded ship (4600), but very fun cruise. Like a week long party.

Item: Norwegian Escape
Rating: 3.9
Author: 2jcrater

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

2jcrater

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 2

Helpful Votes: 70

Overall rating:

3.9 out of 5

Verified Review

7 Night Caribbean: Great Stirrup Cay & Dominican Republic (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 21, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 12870

Traveled as: Large Group

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Overcrowded ship (4600), but people were having a blast everywhere on the ship for the entire cruise. Never seen anything like this on 9 NCL cruises.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Walked on at 11 a.m.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

Best food ever!

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Bartenders were awesome! Fitness center was nice.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Great comedians. NCL cut back on shows. Music was good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Staff was awesome! (except shore excursion was rude and horrible)

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Bad idea to have an elevator core in the MIDDLE of the buffet. No way to control hand washing. You have to go through the buffet to get from the pool to your room. Crazy.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Typical room. The Escape is due for a refurb. Aging.

Ship tip

Use the standby line for the comedy club. Everyone got into every show.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

3 out of 5

When you try to walk to town, you will be harassed by persistent "tour guides" who want a tip to walk with you. I said "no" eight times and finally yelled "GET AWAY FROM ME!" Not good.

Thumbs Up 1

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4 out of 5

Shopping is good here.

Thumbs Up 0

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

4 out of 5

Zip line was awesome on the top of the highest mountain. Not for the faint of heart.

Thumbs Up 0

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

1 out of 5

Bummer. Bad weather for the 3rd time. Gail force winds. Couldn't tender. Didn't get to go. But NCL finally gets it. They added activities and entertainment. We had a blast on the ship.

Thumbs Up 1

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

Use the self assist carry off option if you can.

Traveler Photos

7 Comments

Cruisers4Lyfe 1 month ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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AuntPinkie 1 year ago

Appreciate your detailed feedback. Glad you enjoyed your cruise.

Thumbs Up 0

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LoFu 1 year ago

Which excursion wasn’t good? 4600 is more than it holds but glad with how crowded it was getting on and off wasn’t a problem. Thanks for the tip of taking bags off ourselves!

Thumbs Up 1

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Gwbigdog 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing your cruise

Thumbs Up 1

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lsbs 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing.

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jpmato16 1 year ago

The Escape just came out of dry dock less than 6 months ago. Regardless, I was on her last June and she was in almost immaculate condition at that time. Not sure what way she was showing her age. They changed carpets, repainted, changed furniture, etc.

Thumbs Up 3

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javawoody 1 year ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 1

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Other reviews of this sailing

it was just ok

NCL Escape 1/21-28

Had a great time!