Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Awesome! Great family fun, everyone wants to go again! 😎

The ship was good but crowded at times, Service was great and we had a great time, Would recommend Norwegian Escape.

Overall this is my 4th cruise - I have cruised on Holland, Celebrity and Princess - I will stick with Holland for educational cruises and Celebrity for fun. The size of this ship is way to big for me I want to relax not wait for elevators, chairs or drinks and I think I like the personal service we got on Celebrity much more. Escape is a beast.

The ship is a lot of fun and many options to keep you busy or there are places to just sit and relax and watch the world float by. The staff for the most part are friendly and helpful. The food was good in the main dining room but could have been hotter. The buffet was well staffed and kept very clean. The entertainment was good with lots of different shows and venues.

If you are not happy on this ship, you may not be happy with any ship. There is something for everyone. It is spotless. People leave their glasses and plates behind all over the ship and minutes later someone is there to clean up. If you want to party you can, or if you want a quiet relaxing holiday you can find many places on the ship to relax. The food was excellent. The dining packages were well worth it. If you can not afford the specialty dining the main dining room is excellent. The teppanyaki experience was my favourite. Excellent food and amazing service through the entire ship. For service the ship should be an example to all businesses in how they treat their customers. The shows were amazing. See the dueling piano's, After Midnight and the Brat Pack. Shout out to Budi who kept our room spotless and was so friendly and accommodating the entire cruise. Just outstanding overall.

Would go on Norwegian again. I’m a Gold latitudes member but this was First cruise with the line in several years. Only would go Haven if I went again.

Full disclosure — we loved reading the detailed reviews on Cruise Critic and elsewhere, and have tried to repay the favor here. The result is a wordy and lengthy review of our fantastic trip. We sailed on the Norwegian Escape the week of January 13-20. We started planning the trip in early 2017 and finally pulled the trigger and booked with the Tax Free and 5 Free at See promos in May 2017. We knew we wanted a Haven or equivalent experience and considered MSC, Celebrity and other lines. In the end our criteria were: - Cabin quality, size, balcony, and bed - # of sea days - Lack of effort needed to do anything - Quiet area - Avg. passenger age (we’re late 30’s) and profile (understand and enjoy freestyle cruising) In the end, we chose the Norwegian Escape because of the number of sea days to enjoy the ship’s amenities (pre-hurricane itinerary change). We settled on The Haven because of the availability of true King-size beds (not just beds pushed together) and the quality of the experience from start to finish based on Cruise Critic reviews we read. We watched every video available about both The Haven and our cabin types. Every. Video. Multiple Times. If you have a YouTube channel with one of these videos, that bump in $ from Google ads is from our re-watching the same videos over and over. You’re welcome  HAVEN DEBATES There are many good debates on CC regarding The Haven, in particular cost vs. benefit, kids-focused vs. sanctuary, value of butlers and concierges. Our take: - Kids: we sailed during a holiday week (MLK) but found the number of children limited. This may have been a function of it being just after schools went back into session from the Christmas/holiday break. There were some kids, but all were behaved and the courtyard was never loud. - Cost: expensive? Yes. Worth it to us? Absolutely (we’re now booked in the Bliss Haven and looking at a return to the OS on the Escape soon, too). Worth it to others – perhaps or not, but that’s the notion behind Freestyle Cruising – you do you. - Butlers and Concierges – we loved both Jorge (butler) and Anoop (concierge). I was not initially certain of the value we’d derive from a concierge but it quickly became clear that it’s great to have. Anoop magically appeared at each restaurant where we were eating, greeting us, and making sure we received VIP attention and care. When we requested a last minute reservation at Cagney’s on the last night of the cruise for six people, he made it happen – up to, and including, moving tables and chairs and setting the table himself to make it happen. I now very much understand and appreciate the value of a great concierge like Anoop. We tipped accordingly. - Vibe: we had purchased Thermal Spa passes for the week but passed on Vibe. We don’t see the need for Vibe based on our positive experiences in the Haven Lounge and there were always loungers available on the sun deck on Deck 19. I’ve come to think about the Haven perks such as priority ahead of other passengers – some folks probably relish in being made to feel special and the outward presentation of status. Not our cup of tea at all. For us the Haven service was all about maximizing our enjoyment and time on the ship and vacation – getting on/off the ship quickly, reservations when we wanted them, not having to visit the SHOREX or Guest Services desks, CruiseNext team coming to us vs. going to them. That meant we were switched off and truly relaxed. Except for embarkation where you’re marched in front of everyone, keycard color, and entering the Haven Lounge on Deck 17, there are few other times where Haven priority is outwardly noticeable to other guests – we like that. We appreciated the effortlessness of everything but know there’s much that goes on behind the scenes to execute, which we’re grateful for and tipped accordingly. CABIN TYPE We originally booked an Aft-facing Penthouse (H6) and were excited about the room size, layout (separate living room), two full baths, and rear-facing balcony. We also were excited about a quiet place to grab a drink or meal forward in The Haven area. We were fine with having to walk to the front of the ship to burn a few calories. Fast-forward to December 2017. NCL was running a promotion that included $500 OBC if we booked a Haven room. After debating the pros and cons, we bit the bullet and switched rooms to an OS (H3). Best decision ever. INSIDE THE HAVEN VS. HAVEN ACCESS Convenience: Moving from an H6 room to an H3 meant we were physically in The Haven area. We underestimated the convenience factor of just walking down the hall to the pool, concierge, bar and restaurant. As a result, we believe we spent far more time in the Haven areas and therefore felt the value-to-price increased for us. We felt the staff got to know us far more given our regular (constant?) presence in the Haven Lounge. We also had purchased Thermal Spa passes, which is one deck below the Haven. We believe the close proximity meant we used it more than we otherwise would have. We’ll miss the proximity on the Bliss (Thermal Spa is aft; Haven is forward) but will be good to validate if this was just a feeling or truth. The service in the OS was impeccable. Jorge was our butler and Ketut was our room steward. Always leading with a smile and a greeting us by our names, we missed them greatly after we left the Escape. We underestimated the difference in service attentiveness and quality based on conversations with friends we made onboard who were in H6’s. Haven cabins outside of the Haven are serviced by the same stewards as other cabins. Stories relayed by our friends in H6’s that week included dishes from their room which were left outside their door for hours despite multiple pickup requests, unresponsiveness, and a general lacking feeling of excellence and special treatment. Again, all second-hand stories but they reaffirmed our decision to rebook in an H3 vs. H6 and generally that service may be better for cabins located in the Haven as opposed to Haven-class cabins which are elsewhere onboard. Of course, YMMV. SECURITY AND EMBARKATION: We arrived at the Port of Miami at 12:20p. Security was quick and we were in The Haven check-in area thirty steps later. The lounge area was fairly full due to a couple of large groups that happened to arrive at the same time. We’re low key folks, and obviously not in a rush since we were on vacation, so we just waited our turn while seated. We didn’t pay attention at the time, but Anoop, the head concierge for the week, walked over to us. He introduced himself and let us know we’d be checked in next. Check-in was quick – health form, snap a picture, swipe your credit card, and you’re done. From there, we were escorted through the terminal and on to the ship. Perhaps a fluke given the large families we happen to check-in alongside, but this part felt a bit hectic given the size of the group escorted (15-20). Not a big bother - we’re all headed to the same place; but it felt disjointed. Once onboard, our purple-shirted escort cut right and we were off to a reserved elevator up to The Haven lounge. We then walked into The Haven and grabbed some seats. We passed on the sliders and fries – we knew Margaritaville was complementary for Haven guests on embarkation day, so we were saving up. One of the butlers came over to give us the overview of the Haven. It’s worth noting now that we’re planners. A sizable part of the excitement of a trip is the planning. We had scheduled our plan for the week several months before the trip—restaurants, shows, etc. At the 100 day mark we made our reservations and bought our Thermal Spa passes. So the only thing we needed to book were comedy shows. We did that on the touchscreen since Anoop and team were busy with several families at the concierge desk. We were in our cabin by 1pm and headed to Margaritaville shortly thereafter. CABIN H3 – Owner’s Suite with Large Balcony – 17100 – Norwegian Escape Bit of a blur but somehow we were met and escorted to our room. The OS is amazing - full stop. It’s well thought out, well appointed, and just really a nice room for the two of us. The biggest physical differences between H6 vs. H3 cabin are: - 1.5 baths vs. 2: We really liked the idea of two full baths in the H6 but it wasn’t an issue for the two of us after all. - Balcony: We were originally booked on Deck 13. We had a hard time finding a video of our cabin but once located noted that deck’s H6 balconies are the smallest. The Deck 17 OS balconies are huge (I estimate it at ~150 ft sq) and have a nice large covered section to stay out of the weather and the sun. Wind was not an issue except standing at the railing and while underway at night. - Finishes: the OS and DOS have stepped up finishes – more marble, tile entryways, leather, etc. If that is important to you. Rationally, one would probably expect it given it was an OS, but we really felt like every inch of the space lived up to the reviews, pictures, videos, and articles we obsessively read and watched. Nothing was a disappointment. Highly recommended and will book it again. FOOD We got three dinners as part of the Free at Sea/SDP promo and purchased four more dinners a piece. When we did the math, at $100/pp or $25/pp/dinner, it’s ridiculously cheaper than most entrees alone at restaurants near us. That said, seven specialty dinners was overkill for us as we ended up in the Haven restaurant for dinner a couple of times. Margaritaville (Sat Lunch) – free on embarkation day for Haven guests. We ordered the volcano nachos and split a burger. DW liked the food more than I did, but we both enjoyed the margaritas. La Cucina (Sat Night) - good al fresco experience, bad food. We ordered the shrimp scampi which was not prepared in a traditional way. Service was fine and attentive; the restaurant was mostly empty (it was embarkation night, so not surprising). Would not return, though we know a lot of folks like it. Le Bistro (Sun Night) - our most anticipated dinner — we love French food so booked it for two dinners. We canceled the second reservation after the first dinner. The food was fine, service was excellent but we weren’t enamored with the food enough to want to return. Also the number of Happy Birthday renditions got old, but we understood why they occur. We canceled our second reservation later in the week and ended up in the Haven restaurant instead. Cagney’s (Mon Night) – both excellent food and service. Ordered way too much food. Steakhouse classics. All around probably the best meal of the week (probably tied with the Haven lamb and sea bass). Only minor complaint was that the area we were seated in (aft, portside corner against the glass) was very warm despite it being a great table location otherwise. Haven Restaurant (Tues and Wed Nights) - the complaint we read is that the menu doesn't change. This is true, but I had the best lamb chops I’ve had in ten years, easily. DW has the sea bass and raved about it as well. The preparation is top notch and there wasn’t anything we didn’t enjoy. Service is equally good and pacing of the courses was perfect. We liked it enough that we ate their twice during the week – up from zero originally planned. Side note: we also ate lunch multiple times at the Haven Restaurant and thoroughly enjoyed it. No issue with the menu selection and finding multiple options during the week. We enjoyed the patio outside which provided great views all the way down the ship and pool area. Teppanyaki (Thurs Night) – we both had high hopes because we love hibachi fried rice. Food was quite good but we nearly left before the meats were cooked. We love teppanyaki restaurants but the noise level is deafening here. NCL either needs to add acoustic material in the ceiling or tell the chefs to not bang on the outer edges of the grill, which are hollow and therefore amplify the noise. We were happy with the quantity of fried rice though! We skipped dessert because of the noise. Cagney’s (Fri Night) – an unfortunate reversal from our great dinner earlier in the week. They forgot my DH’s soup course, steaks were not cooked to temperature, and generally not great service. Being surrounded by new friends onboard/good company made up for it. Haven Lounge – albeit not a restaurant, we wanted to call out the Haven Lounge crew specifically. Branco, Jelica, and Badanka were amazing throughout the week. I counted the number of “Pleases” from other guests on probably one hand and yet they responded with graciousness and speed, and greeted every passenger by name. We’re looking forward to seeing Jelica and Badanaka on the Bliss and hope NCL will be sure to place them in the Haven Lounge (please!). THERMAL SPA For us, it was well worth the $200/pp for the week. Despite using it five of the seven days, we lamented not using it more. It was only ever ridiculously crowded on embarkation day; we were able to get heated loungers the rest of the week without waiting much, if at all. As others have said – after 5pm, it tends to clear out as folks head to dinner/shows. 5-7pm is a great time to go IMO if you have later dinner reservations like we had (7-8pm). All the facilities were clean and kept that way. Towel service was never lacking. It rarely ever felt crowded. I loved the steam room and ice room combination. DH was a fan of the heated tile loungers. PORTS & EXCURSIONS Falmouth, Jamaica: we did the bobsled and loved it. I worried about burning an hour each way from Falmouth to Ocho Rios for a couple of minutes, but we enjoyed the tram ride, bobsled, and a quick lunch at the top of the mountain. Wouldn’t repeat it since the novelty is gone, but would recommend it for first time visitors. There’s not much to say about Falmouth that probably hasn’t already been covered. We didn’t spend much time in the port area itself and there’s not much readily accessible nearby. Georgetown, Grand Cayman: we didn’t book anything and elected to stay on board the ship to do the water slides, enjoy an empty Thermal Suite, and have a relaxing lunch. I chickened out on the Aqua Racers but we really had a ball on the tube slide. GSC: we bypassed GSC due to wind. We had planned to do the jet skis, so it was a bit of a bust but allowed us a leisurely morning and no tendering. We arrived early into Nassau around 1pm Thursday (vs. Friday AM). Nassau, Bahamas: We took a cab to Atlantis to check it out. Can’t begin to express how disappointed and how quickly we left there. The main areas and casino are run down and dirty. The staff was unhelpful when we tried to find an exit. Highly recommend avoiding the property. We had scheduled to do the Aquaventure park on Friday but after our brief experience there, we cancelled the excursion. CASINO The smoke issue in the Escape casino is real and we’re glad that NCL is addressing it on Bliss with a (hopefully) fully enclosed area. Much as the number of kids in the Haven varies week to week, I suspect the amount of smoke in the casino does as well. We found ourselves only playing early in the day to avoid the heaviest smoke at night. By late afternoon, it was thick. Our recommendation is to bring clothes to wear specifically to the casino and/or some Febreze to try to cut down the smell. DISEMBARKATION We elected for the 9:15am priority disembarkation. We met in the Haven Lounge and Jorge escorted us to the elevator where we rode it down, scanned our cards for the last time, and joined the line to get through border control. Only complaint is that for the little bit of screening that CBP does (quick glance of the passports to match photo to passenger), it would be incredibly easy for them to staff a Global Entry line which would have made our disembarkation even quicker. That said, we left our cabin at 9:15am and we were in a Lyft by 9:45am. Not horrible. OVERALL Every part of the trip was exquisite. While the cost can be substantial for the Haven and the OS, we would (and plan to) do it again. The level of service, effortlessness to enjoy the time, and genuine care exhibited by all of the crew made the vacation a top one for us. Hats off to them as they do it week over week and maintain that level of care.

Least favorite cruise and ship of all my cruises. Don't think we'll sail with Norwegian again. The food was fair at best with the buffet the same every day. Entertainment was awful!

I love cruises. And, this was no exception. The boat is amazing, but not sure I will sail on it again. There is alot of stuff on the boat that is available that I don't necessarily care about. (Ropes course/Water Slides) It was great to be on it, and we were treated well. But, because of some of the stuff on the boat, they attract a lot of families with kids I am sure. And, we just prefer a more adult crowd.

The Escape is a beautiful ship! Despite one day of rough seas, it was an amazing cruise. Similar to the Getaway, but with nice additional features. Vibe Beach Club is a game changer. It is a little slice of paradise on a ship with many people. There were always available chairs, fresh water and fruit brought to your chair and Michael was the best bartender/waiter on board! Very attentive and always had a smile. The atmosphere was excellent as well with fellow cruisers, we will use Vibe each time in the future. The entertainment was awesome, The Brat Pack was good as well as After Midnight. We loved all of the gameshows especially the Celebrity Dance Off. Dining as usual was excellent. Teppenyaki is a must-do with a lively show paired with great food. Carney’s, La Cucina, and Moderno were very good as well. All of the waitstaff is phenomenal in these locations, well worth the dining package.

This is a great ship with great fun.....................................................................................................

We are cruising out in a month on The Escape, and it will be our third time on this ship. We love it! From the restaurants to the ropes course, to the staff, we love it all! Jackie and Nate, in H2O, really made the last cruise, on this ship, fantastic even though it rained 5 out of the 8 days off the cruise. Looking forward to seeing Jackie again very soon!

Just off the Escape last Saturday. First Norwegian Cruise. Have many previous cruises on Carnaval and Royal C. Was very concerned as I was reading a fair amount of negative on this app. Here’s my thoughts! Best food I’ve had overall on any cruise. People complained about length of time in restaurants. The service is great. I’m on a cruise, don’t rush me through Dinner!! Favorites for dinner include the Manhattan Room, Teppanyaki, LaCucina and Bayamo! Shows were very good and all staff very friendly. Garden cafe (buffet) was best I’ve experienced at sea. Norwegian does a great job of using Atrium space. O’Shennan’s was great for a rainy afternoon. Only thing that I would recommend is that you take the time to fully understand how Norwegian does tendering. Different than processes I’ve experienced before! Booking again to Bermuda in September!! Cannot wait!

Have been on Carnival Breeze, Magic, Dream, Pride and Elation. RCI Libery of the Seas and Freedom. This is by far my favorite overall ship experience.

The ship is a good time and the staff is friendly and courteous. I enjoyed most of the ports but you can tell tourism is a big part of locals' income considering how much they WANT you to join them for a ride, tour or smoke. All-in-all, we had a great time and would definitely go on the Escape again. We plan to try the Bliss next year but we'll see what happens!

We would go on the Escape again, but not until the entertainment changes. We would like some funny comedians and family friendly shows.

Went during New Years, best cruise yet...party cruise and tons of entertainment. Ship was great, new years made it better. Going again this year on Breakaway.

Nice ship and other than the tender situation in Grand Cayman, everything was great, especially since all these ports weren't the original ones scheduled due to the hurricanes.

Went on the Escape in December.... this was my wife and I very first cruise. We went for our honeymoon and let me tell you! We are sold! We are booked for a few more cruise all with Norwegian, just because our experience was so great. Ship: The Escape was great. I feel like we were able to find something new to do everyday. Staff: The staff was fantastic. They all seemed to enjoy their jobs and were all so helpful with us. Cruise Director Tyler was great!!! Shows/Entertainment: We watched one of the main shows and thought it was good! The cast was great. We also watched a lot of the game shows and shows in the Atrium and they were awesome! They kept us hooked the whole time. Food: We love to eat and the food was very good! I enjoyed eating on the ship and it was pretty cool trying some new things also. I highly recommend going on the Escape! We will be going on the Bliss this December, the Sky next April and then the Escape Dec. 2019!!!

I would easily give the ship 4.5 star rating if it wasn't for the crowd, the noise level, excursions and food because the ship was beautiful, clean, modern and the staff work their butts off. The noise level was so bad my 22 year old son was asking for some peace and quiet. There were 4900 passengers and 1700 crew members on board making this ship feel crowded with limited seating at restaurants, shows, pools, outdoor areas... Most of the crew were nice, polite and accommodating (yes, i tipped extra), food was not liked by myself and 4 other family members, except for a steak and prime rib. The italian specialty restaurant served a lasagna for appetizer when requested as a meal, an hour later still no entrees after she was served. Breakfast at Savor took 45 minutes for 2 people. My son was served an allergen food item which was NOT listed on the menu and was in ICU for 6 hours with a bill of $2500 for a severe allergic reaction, who would have thought tomato sauce would have nuts or bread exposed to nuts (health form indicated allergens) and the next day at the same restaurant they served the same bread again?! Excursions were not as expected, a catamaran uses a sail not a motor and for almost $200 a piece to see Stringrays I felt swindled, 2 family members paid $75 a piece for their tour with a boat. They arrived same time and left the same time. Ours did include a lunch with chicken and rice, but I would rather eat on the ship and save a bunch of cash, the ship's buffet was pretty good. The boat ride for the sting ray excursion was so slow the captian was texting most of the time. Took 30 minutes for him to anchor the boat fore us and many others to get off and see the stingrays. He even bumped another boat backing up for the 5th time. The dolphin encounter was also, to me, a rip off, for $169 a piece, there were 3 of us, took a boat to a small Island in the Bahamas only to enjoy 15 minutes with the dolphin and be stuck on the place for 5 hours. I wasn't about to pay $12 for a hot dog, regular size water $5, chicken tenders $17, a small cocktail $10 while waiting for the boat to take my family and I back to the Bahamas. Great Stir Up Cay was a great time, crew members worked efficently and gave a great experience, there was plenty of food, drinks and the beach was very clean. My only let down was the hour and forty five minute trek back to the ship. My cruise also included Jamaica, but was not able to tender for rough seas. Reason for 3 stars and not 2 is because my son and husband enjoyed the nightly entertainment. The cocktails were served fast and were delicious, ship was very clean and in great condition, well organized while boarding and unboarding and the crew were spectacular. This may be my last cruise, for over $7,000 (total spent) for a week vacation for 3 and being this disappointed, I feel let down and totally bummed. I know others really enjoy cruising on this app, but I'm not a drinker, show goer, or one to lay by the pool. I like to get up early, see sites and be active during the day. I was much more impressed with NCL Spirit 12 day Med. trip I took Sept. 2016 for the money that was spent and sites seen. This was my experience and opinion, I hope others understand that this cruise would not be a do-over for reasons listed, but instead a dud. First day we put a $500 deposit down for a future cruise to receive $500 off. At this point I think I will ask for a refund and try another way to vacation.