It was only fair overall and not worth the $5,000+ for the 4 of us. I feel gypped.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
My husband had a scooter and he was able to board quickly and efficiently
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
2 out of 5
The buffet is lacking from variety to layout. You have to walk around the entire Garden Cafe to search for food, hoping you’re in the correct place. Cagney’s steakhouse was excellent and the service was phenomenal! O’Sheehan’s lacked warm/hot food but they would heat it if requested.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
No seating ever! The ship has way too many people and not enough space for “events”. Never was able to find a pool chair or a place to sit in the atrium when they were hosting an event.
Entertainment
1 out of 5
I was not able to sit in the seats comfortably in the theater so I missed out on shows and bingo
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
They had decent variety from clubs to movies to arcades etc
Service and Staff
1 out of 5
I met my room steward ONCE the entire trip!! No towel animals, no communication whatsoever. It was very odd to me. Ship staff did not greet and say hello like they would on other cruise lines I’ve sailed. The waiter at Cagney’s was super friendly and helpful and Miko at O’Sheehan’s sat down with us a few times and was hospitable
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
It’s a beautiful ship. Didn’t notice anything dirty or unkempt.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Room was always kept clean but never saw our room attendant after day 1 and never had a single towel animal which was a bummer for us. The room is located in the very front of ship so the location is not ideal, it requires lots of walking. We felt the ship rocking a lot in the room.
Ship tip
Keep a positive mindset, everyone’s cruise experience is different and likes and needs are different. If you don’t like something, speak up and let them know. I won’t be sailing again with NCL. I will stick with Royal Caribbean. Give NCL a try though, it may be something you personally like.
I was on the Escape twice in the last 6 months! Not seeing your cabin stewart is on them, not NCL! I saw and spoke to mine everyday! As far as towel animals go, I understand that you like them, but they are a waste of someones time to put one in every cabin! They work hard enough without that nonsense. If toy don't like crowded sailings, then you will probably not be cruising for sometime as most cruises on everyline are selling out!
@Jerroc I think part of the experience on a cruise is meeting your room steward and having the friendly conversation with them throughout the trip. I did not base my entire review off of not seeing her but the once, I based it off of our experience as a whole. Towel animals were done on my first NCL cruise so if it’s not a “thing” that is fine, but again, I like them and that’s my opinion and a lot of others sailing like them as well. I am a seasoned cruiser at this point and I am very forgiving when it comes to hard working/overstaffed crew, but I also know when service is lacking or something is out of the ordinary from past cruising.
Towel animals aren’t a NCL thing. I also don’t understand people being upset at not meeting their room steward. Did they do a good job? That’s all that matters. Do people get upset staying in a hotel if they don’t meet the housekeeper?
I can understand having maybe a towel animal on one occasion only and be done with it. Personally I think it's a waste of time for the overworked cabin stewards to make them just to have them picked up the next day and tossed into dirty towel hampers. I've been on the Escape and thought layout of buffet was perfect for keeping the buffet crowds spread out. Food selections were great and only issue was finding a table during busy times.
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