I just recently returned from my Eastern Caribbean Cruise on the Norwegian Escape Feb 2017. This was my first cruise ever, and I had amazing time. Even though we had to wait about 45 minutes at the terminal, NCL exceeded my expectations from the first moment I stepped on the ship. The staff was very friendly welcoming us to our new home for the next week. The ship is very large, I had to use the self help boards to map things for a while until I was used to them. I enjoyed the atmosphere when we walked around the pool deck that first day with music playing it immediately allowed me to slip into vacation mode even though my cabin was not yet ready. The one negative thing was timing for muster drill, we were told to go down about half hour before and it didn't start on time, so I ended up having to stand around for quite a long time, lesson learned for this first time cruiser.
Cabin - mini suite on 10, it was really close to the elevators,which was nice. It was very clean and smelled good, I brought wipes as I have heard horror stories of other people and their horror stories. There is so much storage! I brought large suitcases and they both fit under the bed out of the way, more than enough space for a week's worth of stuff. the bathroom was really nice with the double vanity and shelf to put things, the shower also was plenty large almost the size of a bathtub with a sliding glass door, oh and no discolored grout or grime at all. The bed was delightful, lots of pillows and really heavenly, that can be a deal breaker for me so this was perfect. The balcony was great, it was not the "larger balcony", just standard and had lots of room, two chairs and a small table and still room to stand and enjoy the views and hear the ocean. There is only one outlet so bring a long extension cord. Having a USB charge by the bed is nice, but I would recommend bringing a longer wire to reach the bed as it is located in the light fixture. Oh, and no noise from cabin or hallway either. It's great to have magnetic door to put things on and personalize your cabin.
Food - overall good experience, the buffet offers a lot of variety, even for non meat eaters like myself. I enjoyed the fresh squeezed juice (apple celery was great), I wish it was part of Ultimate Beverage Package, that was nice to have in the mornings but I had to pay for it. I was able to have some nice dining experiences with the dining package, Teppanyaki was my favorite, Le Bistro was good food, they even let us take our coffee to go. Cagneys was a challenge for me, I had to make my own vegetarian entree, as it somewhat baffled the staff what to order, so did so by ordering a couple sides, baked potato and steamed veggies. Please be sure to have one entree item for the veggiesaureses as we accompany our meat eater family members too, we want them to enjoy a good steak house. We had reservations at La Cucina one night, but ended up going to the Manhattan room as we did not feel like dressing up to eat I wish that restaurant had a more casual atmosphere too. I loved food Republic and ate there three times, this is a must do. Portions are huge so don't over order, delicious and lots of menu options. The Manhattan Room was fine, it was nice to have a blues band playing, but there was a loud buzz of talking from the volume of people in one huge room that we found it distracting. Dinner was good there the service was great although it takes a while for food to arrive. I also at at Margaritaville for breakfast which was good but the buffet has lots more to offer, you can usually get a seat here easier though. Lunch here was good, you have to pay, but I think it's worth it. I also enjoyed the Wine Lovers The Musical, witty, clever and only a little cheesy. Note for non meat eaters, be sure to tell your server you are vegetarian, the salad had meat and so does the entree. I was able to let them know so they placed a white napkin at my place setting, a no meat salad plus pasta with red sauce was my meal. I appreciate the effort to accommodate my preference. O'Sheehan's, yes!! I loved this option as many nights we found ourselves in need of food late at night or into the early morning! Loved the veggie only fajitas but everyone else enjoyed the wings and burgers to offer, don't ever change!
Entertainment- Tyler the cruise director is a gem! Seriously, he did an excellent job, don't let him ever leave! First entertainment was the sail away party, Tyler did a fantastic job getting us excited for our cruise, what a fun way to start the vacation! Through the week we saw him several times and always a fun time, the best was 80's dance party, his get-up was perfect!! Other than that, some of my favorite moments were in the Atrium, level 6 with the comfy chairs and level 7 watching by the rail. Great times, piano music was one of my favorites, it was so relaxing listening to that and having a couple drinks. My tip, be sure to get there early for evening events and plan to stay in your seat if you want to enjoy the game shows or popular events. I still look back and wish I was there enjoying some entertainment, who knew, right? Mark those events of each day and make a point to hit a few, you won't regret it. Dance parties, I was able to enjoy Welcome Aboard, 80's, Glow, they were all a good time, I didn't have a problem but the glow party has huge strobe lights, there was someone who couldn't deal with that and left. It might be advisable to put notices about strobes for those with sensitivities. Anyways, those were all a great fun, and the biggest reason I needed the great O'Sheehan's. Casino, not good odds we spent a lot of time there and money, a month later we didn't even hear from the players club, just strange not even thanks for playing, or anything. Bingo, not worth it, the packages are really expensive, $39 for 3 games and so many people playing so not much of a chance, but the Junior Cruise director did have some funny comments and so that was enjoyable. Thermal suite, I wanted to try it and only used it 3 times through the whole week. This is likely because it was my first time, but I probably wouldn't buy the package again, if anything maybe a day pass for Nassau port. The facility is super nice, so relaxing. They check you in at the main desk and takr your room cards. They have locker rooms with towels and white robes, showers, toilets, hairdryers,and lockers. Once you enter the spa suite, you hear the water from the warm pool. It is loud, but somewhat relaxing. You are at the front of the ship so you can see the ship come into ports and just watch the horizon, it's really amazing. The regular chairs are all padded, comfortable enough to nap on. They also have larger circle chairs with pads and warming stone chairs. The warming chairs are nice on the back, there is a small 'pillow' but I chose to use a towel to put under my head while I read. They offer fruit infused water, hot tea, and oranges which is a nice touch and plenty of extra towels. There are three pool/hottubs I only uses the larger warming tub. The funny thing is this is one of the only places I felt the ship movement, it's a bit funny, you end up moving with the pool which becomes a mini wave pool. Entertaining and fun anyways. The spa rooms, salt, snow, steam, sanarium, and sauna seem nice. I didn't like the sort of sulfur smell in the salt room, although they say it's good for you, also, the snow room was closed one time and the other I peeked in and said no way (I am from Minnesota and we have enough cold, escaped that in February to go to the warm Caribbean). I liked the sauna the best, I grew up with those (Minnesota chills you to the bone otherwise, dontcha know) and that was nice, if you have the spa package don't skip these rooms, it's all a neat experience and added to my vacation.
Overall, I give this ship experience 5 stars, I can overlook a few minor things when the remaining moments are a so amazing. Thank you, NCL you made a cruiser out of me. I miss you already and will definitely be back.
