NCL Caribbean Cruise

Norwegian Escape Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 7+ cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 13

Overall rating:

4.5 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Escape

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

Sail date: February 18, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Escape

Cabin type: Suite

Cabin number: 15168

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

I do have to say that the week we went was the Presidents birthday week and there were a lot of families with children. Although it was crowded, I heard the ship was at 100% capacity, the kids were all great. there were also a lot of teachers on the trip as well, because really they need a break too!

Embarkation

5 out of 5
We arrived at 11:30 and just walked in and never was in a line very long....about 15 min to get from curb to ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
All good with the exception of smoke from the casino ruining some of the seating at the restaurants..no matter if inside with closed doors or outside, the proximity of the casino and the openness causes the smoke smell to be everywhere.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5
Never got in the adult pool, too full. The H2O area was packed, no seats. The only relief from the sun was getting in the shower by the pool about once an hour. Fitness center was packed at some times, you had to get creative about your visits.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
I cant say enough about Choir of Man. This is the second time seeing the show on an NCL cruise and it is just dynamic and fun....the humor was spot on and all the men were super talented.

Children's Programs

we did not have children with us on this cruise

Service and Staff

3 out of 5
I seem to feel that the staffing has been cut terribly. Bartenders in very busy bars were short, and the room attendants have a large bank of rooms to tend to. Ive been on many NCL cruises and it was evident that the staff has been cut back.

Ship Quality

4 out of 5
I dropped one star because I noticed the placement of the children's pool has no area for the parents to sit and watch their children. Bad design.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5
This is our standard choice of cabin for many cruises. Its roomy and the balcony is nice to sit on to watch the flying fish! The bed was a bit hard and I never adjusted. The bathroom is large and the shower had the extra jets being that it was a spa suite....we loved that!

Ship tip

Have patience and enjoy your vacation. The islands were beautiful and overall the Escape is a beautiful ship that shows no sign of her age.

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
We flew in two days in advance and stayed at an Airbnb and went to the beach and Ron Jons!

Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic

5 out of 5
did our own excursion and booked a car to take us to a resort

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

5 out of 5
did the Megan's bay NCL excursion, it was good but crowded

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5
went to Jost Van Dyke with an excursion, it was fun but felt too short.

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5
booked a clam shell on the beach. Perfect to get us out of the sun. The water was gorgeous and we truly enjoyed the NCL private island.

Disembarkation

5 out of 5
it took about 20 min after our tags were called to be off the ship
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