Had a wonderful time but I was definitely annoyed by the marauding groups of children and the overindulgent parents. The cruise staff was amazing. The food was amazing. The entertainment was amazing. The ports of call were just OK. The crowdedness does not bother me as much being a solo traveler because there is usually room for just one more either in the elevator or poolside or at the bar or show. Cannot say enough good things about the crew. They work really hard and mostly keep a very positive attitude.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
The line was ridiculous, they were winding us among the rows of chairs and folks were cutting lines and there was no enforcement of the chaos. My key card was not in the slot so they had to make a new one, this took about 10 minutes. They were training counter agents and the trainee I got was very shy and I had to ask her to repeat everything several times. Once I was on the ship muster was easy with no line at all. I love that Taste and Savor are open for lunch upon boarding because it is a good opportunity to sit and create a game plan. Booking shows and dining was easy with no lines.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Bacon was perfectly crispy in 6 of 8 tries. Tenderloin in La Cucina was perfectly rare as requested. They added a side veggie with no issue. Desserts were exciting and delicious. Mini eclairs in the buffet were surprisingly fresh and delicious. Love the layout of the buffet and the seating in the aft of the ship. Wings and fish and chips at O'Sheehans was very good as was the breakfast. It was a quick and easy option both first thing in the morning and late night. The chicken parmesan in the supper club was the best I had ever had. VERY happy with the food.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Pools and hot tubs were overcrowded most of the time and the hot tubs were not at all hot.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
NCL has the best entertainment by far of any line. The performers really put their heart and soul into every show and the level of talent is incredible. The only disappointment was Howl at the Moon where 2 of the 3 players did not engage with the audience at all. They seemed very green. Additionally, Syd Norman's Pour House is always so hard to get into, always packed, standing room only, it needs to be in a larger venue for both karaoke and the popular shows.
Children's Programs
No children
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff in every restaurant were extremely attentive with the exception of the Atrium bar. My room stew was good but she was not easy to contact when needed.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
I love the design and layout of the Escape. I love the mirrored stairwells (good place to grab a selfie) and the flooring and furniture seems to be high quality. All surfaces appeared to be clean at all times.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Inside accessible extremely roomy, I would have like more shelving in the bathroom. Plenty of closet space and hangars. Needs more plugs, both USB, USB-C, and regular. Lighting was good, but could have been better for situations like applying make-up. A magnified mirror would be helpful also. The thermostat worked well. The door takes too long to auto-close, would be helpful to have a manual close door action.
Ship tip
There are more smoking areas on this ship than others. Don't book when kids are out of school if you don't need to. Skyline bar is 18+ after 11pm. Even though saving pool chairs is discouraged it is not enforced unless pursued.
Easy disembark, dined in Savor, my luggage tag color was called by 8am. The line moved smoothly, although there were still some rude ones trying to jump to line. My bright orange bag was super easy to find. Face recognition software worked great.
Thanks for sharing and great pix. We had the same issue on the Breakaway with out teen. The teen club was closed and when it was open it was for hanging out because the staff said there was not the many kid on the ship to do any activities.
I agree the teen program should have implemented additional organized activities. My teens had no interest as it was about 90% free time on this ship. On other ships they have SOME free time, but also go bowling or go-carting, or do organized karaoke in groups. One of the coolest things was on Royal Caribbean over New Years when the teen program and staff started a flash mob dance party in the atrium! They must have organized a dance class with the kids beforehand because all 50 or so participants had the same moves. Other passengers joined in. It was really fun.
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