Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Such an amazing ship. My family and I had the time of our lives! Can’t wait to go again 😃 I was able to really unwind and enjoy myself after a stressful year. The trip brought my family closer together!

Awesome trip and we will do one again soon! Norwegian Cruise Line is fantastic! Our room was above expectations. Get a balcony and relax. You can be completely unplugged and forget about the world why you take in the sights and have others take care of your needs.

Ship was too crowded... too much jammed into too small of space. Hallways too narrow to pass another person without one of you getting against the wall. Room steward kept no schedule, came once at 10:30 pm & walked right in. A lot of the staff was rude. Most restaurants were expensive and next to impossible to get a reservation. I wouldn't recommend Norwegian to anyone & wont sail with them again

I really enjoyed this cruise on the Norwegian Excape. It was really a Large ship you would get lost easily But once you learned the layout you were fine. I couldn't figure it out until 4 days before we left the ship I would go again

Just off Norwegian Escape - overall we thought the cruise was amazing - ship is so clean and staff so friendly and helpful. The ship is so huge we were still discovering new places to go on final day. Entertainment is brilliant we really enjoyed Groove Addiction and Howl at the Moon. Food was amazing and service outstanding - we ate in complimentary restaurants as well as speciality -Cagney"s Moderna and la Cuccina - all fantastic - O"Sheehan was really disappointing the food and service was of a really poor standard - a total contrast to rest of restaurants ! The Waterfront is lovely for a drink outside and a great attraction to this ship. A negative would have to be the pool party atmosphere around the pool area - Mr Sexy Legs- basically men gyrating in a sexualised manner is not suitable for families -we did not go back after that so not sure how rest of entertainment went but guess it was much of the same . Very crowded and loud in this area. Special thanks to Andrian who looked after us in our room and Jocelyn at the wine bar on the Watefront who looked after us with wine and prosecco !!

Great Ship! Pool can be crowded but the open spaces on the waterfront more than make up for it. Food was above average for a cruise. Food Republic is an absolute must. We travelled with our 2 children and they loved the boat. OSheehans is great place for dinner. All the shows were well done. Staff and crew were fantastic. 4.5 out of 5 stars

It was quite an enjoyable trip overall. My girlfriend had never been on a cruise so I was a bit nervous taking her on a journey like this. Once settled in and she could see how this type of vacation is to be experienced, she didn't let up. Everyone on board was kind, courteous, and helpful when it came to our needs. The food in the main dining rooms were good, but I've had better on other cruise lines, but it was still good. Overall a great value for what we got. Lots to do all day long and even more to do until early mornings! We will be back!

I said what i had too, this wasn't a fun cruise ship at all My family and i will not cruise Norwegian again

Awesome ship tons of things to do while your on the ship but they need more kids shows at night. I’m so glad I went though. It was a experience I will never forget.

Bedbugs day 1. Kicked out of my room at 11 pm and all my belongings were confiscated. Moved to a lessor room with smaller balcony. Belongings were returned in bags after being laundered. We received a few complimentary passes but everything was sold out so the "compensation" was worthless. This will likely be our last cruise.....

thankful to be able to get away with the family on NCL once per year. We enjoy traveling in the Haven which really makes you feel special. the food in the HAVEN cannot be skipped - eat at least 2-3 dinners and all breakfast here!

If you like long lines everywhere, lack of elevators, noisy cabins, loose kids, drunks at so many available bars, crowds at buffets, this is the ship for you.  When did NCL start charging  $7.95 cover charge for room service?  Forget the theater and the shows. The seats were cheap, no armrests to speak of, no aisle rails or mini table tops for drinks except a crappy cup holder that bit into  your arms if you had no drink there. Brat Pack screamed the songs, Audio was so loud it kept your ears ringing afterwards. Someone was enamored with the ridiculous over usage of the Light show.  The only redeeming show was the hypnosis show - excellent, keep him . The comedians were Ok...again reservation required for most shows, other wise standby...Food was average, steaks tough, service great however.  Indian chefs on board... so much of there cuisine tended to sway that way, and not catering to US tastes too much...Except for hot dogs and hamburgers etc. Cabins dark décor not inviting, mini suite has great shower and roomy bathroom, balcony small, TV off to side and hard to watch from bedside, poor design of cabin, they are all narrow very little closet space and storage. AC was good.  Cruise director needed to calm down a bit, raspy voice from screaming all the time, and strange Hong Kong friend that was attached to his hip at all times...What was that all about??? Kind of advertising too much LGBT stuff. During the newly wed game, jumping in laps of males, rubbing their heads, invading privacy of the male volunteers was a bit disgusting. I was surprised that the guests did not walk off stage at that point. Just too much in your face supposedly comedy.  Too many bars with drunks, atrium was cheap and non existent. Casino was overdone too much space allowed for that. Too many pay to eat restaurants.

If you like crowds everywhere, cramped quarters go for the Escape.

Sorry we won't be back.

Absolutly, loved the Escape. Lots of activities. Food was great, in fact we cancelled our reservations many nights and just ate at buffet, great variety. The free dining venues all serve the same thing almost every night, that I did not like. Prime rib was great! Employees are top notch and always smiling and helpful. Some of them are very tired you can tell but they keep on working for us!! US labor laws dont apply at sea , so these people work very long hours without time off, usually on 8 months off 4. So next time you cruise really thank them , because without them we would not be pampered the way we are!!!

I was nervous about the large ship = crowds factor. My husband and I prefer elegance and quiet. So we were apprehensive! We chose this one for the extended family (kids) but found we genuinely liked it! We were impressed at Norwegian's ability to control/disperse the crowds. We were still able to find some nice quiet places to enjoy. Tips: Balcony room: If you like the relaxation factor, go for the balcony! The views of the vast ocean and coming in/out of ports were stunning.

Beverage package: YES. YES. YES. Totally worth it.

Dining package: Meh. The specialty restaurants seemed to struggle with service - understaffed? underpaid? slow kitchens? Not sure. And they were reasonably priced so I'd recommend to pass on the package and just pick one or two to check out and pay a la carte. The Tapas bar was the best - very quiet, nice outdoor seating, personalized service and GREAT food. We had very poor service at Moderno but it might have just been the specific server. Manhattan room (included) was very pretty, we went 2x, both times they tried VERY hard but also seemed very understaffed and so was VERY slow: like, 20 mins for a drink to arrive slow. Tip: Run out to the hallway and grab a drink at the bar out there, it's quicker than waiting for the server! Savor/Taste both provided phenomenal service. And we didn't think we would use the buffet too much but OMG. Yes we did. The food was surprisingly great, impeccably clean, and extremely attentive staff. The kids were obsessed. Easy to find window seats - yes - go to the furthest back great views and less crowded. Peak times do get busy but people come and go so quickly you could always snag a nice table. If you go specialty and have a large party, you HAVE to book early. We had 7 and grabbed reservations 3 months in advance, they were all late (9 pm-ish) and we could not change them. But smaller parties seemed to have an easier time, I overheard a hostess say to a party of two she could squeeze them in with no reservation.

Bars: Tobacco Road, 5 o'clock Somewhere, District Brew House, O'Sheehan's. All lovely spots. I miss them! If you come across bartender Lorenzo De Leon: Tip him a lot and prepare yourself! Lorenzo put me under the table with his drinks a few nights - LOL. He was amazing! Thank you Lorenzo!!

We didn't participate in any activities but there seemed to be always something happening at various spots. Fun to stroll by and see the fun atmosphere.

For ports:

Tortola is FANTASTIC. Clean, well-tended, safe, gorgeous. We sought a secluded beautiful beach (aka, no kids!) and were directed to Long Bay Beach. It was a 30 minute open air taxi ride, so we got a nice island tour on the way. The beach was STUNNING and very quiet. Note: Afterward we found that particular beach is the one on many magnets and advertisements, it's definitely a showpiece. My sister took her 6 and 8 year old to Brewers Bay and it was perfect for them - great swimming spots and the needed amenities for little ones. Also very pretty!

St. Thomas: Not exactly "pretty", it's a shopping spot. But if you like history at all: PLEASE check out Blackbeards Castle. When you get past the little market stands, look for the "99 Stairs" (you'll see signs) we just wandered up and suddenly people were directly us, little stands of bottled water etc and then we were suddenly there! $15 for adults, Kids are free. The castle is a fort and is really neat with phenomenal views of the islands. But then you are directed on this nice little self-tour of 3 or 4 historic furnished homes, with lots of neat history. There was a surprising amount of staff around, all very excited to talk about the history of their spot and to direct you onward. Totally worth it. We were there for 1.5 hours but I could have stayed twice as long to soak it all in.

Nassau was rather sketchy! Very busy port, neat to see. But the area was a touch rough, my husband was approached in a 'nice looking' souvenir shop and offered cocaine and marijuana! LOL. The Straw Market area... I have shopped at markets in asia and the Caribbean before and so was familiar with this type of 'haggling market' but sadly, the sellers here were incredibly aggressive, one grabbed my sister by the arm and dragged her off deep into this dark warehouse of goods to show her their items. When you politely try to step away from them they immediately turn on you - one spoke loudly and negatively about these 'tourists wasting their time' (when you are just passing by anyways and they were the ones to harass you??) Was not a very inviting environment! It was interesting to see but I didn't find that to be a "fun" haggling experience and that kind of tactic makes me run the other way. The excursions were all sold out except for this one called "Glass Bottom Boat" - when the boat pulled up I was moderately disappointed in the appearance, pretty tired little boat. But really - once we got on it, it was very fun and cute! The organizers were pretty funny with their announcements and gave a nice little harbor tour (mostly of the homes of the rich & famous who live along the harbor) and then you stop for a while over a little reef, very neat to see all the fish. So that turned out really nice - I'd recommend! **Make sure you sit on the 2nd level though - open air!

Overall the ship was a good solid large cruise ship. Impeccably clean. Great food. Moderate to good service (I really only saw one employee that looked miserable, all the other staff seemed to be smiling and wanting to help and provide good service!). Another cute sidenote - my 8 year old nephew stopped a housekeeper in the hall to excitedly ask about technical ship details (he loves ships) and the housekeeper was so excited and knowledgeable, he fist-bumped my nephew and proceeded to provide surprising details on the ship. Long after my nephew bounded off the gentleman kept talking to my sister and I about the ship technicalities! I got the impression most of the employees are genuinely happy to be a part of the cruise industry.

If you are looking for a larger style ship - I would recommend this one! And another tip - they seem to really appreciate return customers, my father has cruised with NCL before and so for this trip he had complimentary champagne and chocolate covered strawberries delivered over multiple days as thank you and quite a few other perks.

Oh and lastly - I read so many complaints before this cruise about the elevators. Just prepare to walk the stairs if you are able-bodied. It's worth avoiding crowds. Also makes you feel better to burn off some of these calories!! We walked those stairs all day long and it was no big deal. Even the 6 and 8 year old did it (it was extra fun for them because they could race and run and jump, I would have looked weird doing as much so walked like a grown up. Boo.).  

Norwegian Escape was awesome! So much to do on board but not enough time! Food was great in complementary dining. Did 1 night at Cagneys which is now a must do on our future Norwegian cruises. Loved it so much we booked Norwegian Bliss to Alaska this June!

We enjoyed our time on the Norwegian Escape so much that we booked on the Norwegian Bliss to Alaska in June 2018!

What an awesome ship and fantastic itinerary..kids had a fantastic time on the water slides and ropes course. The pay restaurants where very good and the free Manhattan room dining room was fabulous. overall it was one the best cruises we have been on..and we have been on a bunch.

Just returned. It was an awesome experience on NCL Escape. My room attendant was horrible, was not helpful and "mistakenly" threw away my daughters clothes, that were on the bed. Didn't even apologize. Other than that it was fantastic.

This is a big and beautiful ship with the latest in amenities. I cruised with my wife and 2 teenage granddaughters. We were never bored as there was always something to do. The cruise director, Tyler along with his staff were outstanding. The Atrium was the center for entertainment, games etc for all 7 days. In the Escape theater we watched 2 broadway style musicals. The musicals were good but keep in mind........ they are not suited for small children. The food on the Escape was always great for us; we ate in all 4 of the complimentary restaurant. The service in all the restaurants was outstanding as they went the extra mile to make sure we were happy. We were in Rommel 11760 and our room steward, Abdullah took very good care of us throughout the cruise. This was my 3rd cruise overall and my first on NCL; I highly recommend the Norwegian Escape

The staff was very friendly for the most part and the ship had lots to do. I just wish they had added a few extra pools to diverse the crowd. I also wish they would change up how we enter the ship. They dumped us in the casino and it smelled of smoke so it wasn't the best way to enter the ship.