Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Beautiful ship. Our balcony stateroom was nice and the bed very comfortable. The ship has a lot of fun things to do including a ropes course with zip line, mini golf, 3 water slides and basketball court. Interestingly we spent a lot of time playing pool and darts in O'Sheehans pub (their wings are awesome!). The pub food is included and the games were a couple of bucks each to play. Buffet food and main dining room food was good overall. As far as specialty restaurants, we tried Teppanyaki, Bayamo and Moderno Churrascaria and found them good as well. The music shows in the theater were pretty good along with the comedy and dueling piano shows. Apart from the main pool deck on deck 17 the there's a waterfront promenade on deck 8 with restaurants, bars, some shops and places to just sit, relax and enjoy the view without all the crowds. Our only complaint is that with so many people on the ship, it can be hard to get lounge chairs on the main pool deck in the day unless you get out there very early. The pools also get a bit crowded. Such a large ship could have used bigger or more pools. All in all great experience however and would recommend.

This was my first cruise on a large ship, so I wasn't sure what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised to see that embarkation & debarkation went very smoothly. It only took about 15 minutes to check in. The only time the line was a little bit long was getting back on in Nassau. The buffet was arranged in a rectangular pattern with different stations so the lines were never that long. The food for the most part was delicious. We had great service in all three main dining rooms. The ship was kept very clean. They had the "washy washy" people that would spray hand sanitizer on you before they would let anyone in the buffet area. The entertainment was wonderful. I especially liked the Brat Pack 80's show.  

When I sailed on the Escape, it still had that new ship smell. Every part all shiny, without a scratch. The only part of this ship I didn't like, was the absence of the signature Bliss nightclub. It's my favorite hangout spot on all the other sister ships.

Mucha gente, embarque 3 horas (se cayo el sistema) sevicio pésimo, itinerario aburrido, 3 dias para llegar a un destino que normalmente toma 1), tripulacion no experimentada (imaginen toda esta gente 6 meses en un barco que va a solo 4 lugares), lobby estilo Vegas, un casino con olor a cigarillo en 4 pisos, comida de restaurante barato, elevadores siempre llenos (peleas para subirse) espectaculos? nada que ver, 1 piscina para 4000 personas y hot tubs llenos y espumosos (sucios) todo el tiempo, nada de animacion, el peor director de crucero (joven-inexperimentado y unilingue), grupos musicales de autobus, 1 restaurante et 3 salitas de comida gratis para las cenas (imaginen las filas), como para terminar 1 virus (resultado - el doble de tiempo para comer, (pedir platos, cubiertos, cafe etc) y ni modos de desperdiciar la comida (que pereza hacer toda la fila), El peor diseno de un barco, habitaciones mas pequenas que las de un tren (en verdad), sin armarios para colocar la ropa. Imposible de acercarse al SPA, el ultimo dia todo cerrado, ni siquiera para verlo 300$ dolares por persona. la lineas de bolos- siempre llenas y pagando,  PARA UN HISPANO PARLANTE (olvidelo). 3 pantallas gigantes mostrando siempre la tripulacion y un video de PItbull (al menos las modelos estaban lindas) . Para destacar: los toboganes y las cuerdas (1 vez OK) y Al menos me gusto el TV de 19 pulgadas.

All I can say is WOW. The best ship my wife and I been on. We enjoyed every aspect of the Escape. She was so easy to get around on. Very easy to navigate once you got your bearings. 95% of what we ate was fantastic. Only one meal in the MDR, to me, was so so. The Specialty restaurants were top notch. Cagneys was the best. 5 star service. 

My only small complaint was the lack of smoking areas. The 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar was closed to smoking but I was told by others that it used to be open. On Deck 8, just inside from 5 O'Clock was Tobacco Road which was this little tiny room. Did it get crowded and smoky on occassion. Even for me, outside would be more comfortable. 

Enough of that. We saw and really enjoyed After Midnight and The Brat Pack. These shows rivaled off Broadway productions. Activities were abound. So much to choose from, we couldn't fit them all on. 

The ship was beautiful. Very well decorated and very clean. Our 4th day we were notified that appx. 20 cabins had been quarantined due to possible Norovirus. Boy did NCL and the Escape staff spring into action. Everything, and I mean everything was being wiped down and disinfected. We felt comfortable with how the staff handled the situation and were looking out for the safety of the passengers. 

So, overall I would give the Escape and NCL a 6. Or wait, the scale is only to 5. OK, a 5!!! Sorry non-smokers, but NCL, consider giving smokers the outside of the Waterfront to use. Otherwise, don't change anything else. We had a blast and will sail the Escape again as NCL has moved to the top of our list of Cruise Lines.

I loved the freestyle concept!! Highly recommended. So relaxed and convenient. Food was average. Only one complementary restaurant plus the Garden buffet and the 3 dining rooms. All other venues are specialty (paying) restaurants. Excellent service and great activities. Pools are not enough for the amount of people in the ship. Adults area (H2O) has no pool just 2 jacuzzis. Ship is beautiful. I had a large balcony cabin and it was great. I'm spoiled ! Great vacation. 

Enjoyed the ship we rebooked for July 2017 and the ship did not disappoint. Of all the Cruise lines we have been on, RCL, Carnival, Celebrity, MSC and Norwegian, we prefer the NCL brand and ships as they are newer fleet wide and the extras you get is wonderful.. RCL is a close 2nd.. especially the Oasis class, Allure of the Seas..

Loved the Escape!!!! The ship is beautiful! Great food choices and the staff was wonderful! I really loved the options that were included, especially the drink package! 😎 We stayed in the Haven and it was amazing!!! Best overall experience on a cruise ship so far.

The experience of the haven is not to be missed if you can afford it. While pricey it is worth it. The two bedroom suite was more than adequate. It comes with a butler and a room steward. The balcony is small but nice. The internet connection was good. The Haven on the Escape comes with its own private lounge and bar, its own pool area and separate sun room and sun deck. It also has its own restaurant and the service was the best. The restaurant was never crowded.The food for breakfast, lunch and dinner was always good. The speciality restaurant were good as well. I believe there ore only twenty two suites available.The itinerary was typical for the Caribbean and it was warm in October. They escort you on and off the ship , which is one of the best perks.

Just was on the Norwegian Escape & Getaway . Beautiful ships ! Very much the same ship . Food great . Entertainment was good , service was good all though we tip for every drink which we think added to better service no matter what skip or cruise line. The draw back to these ships and most of the new ships no matter what cruise line ... not enough pools ! Very crowded even if you can get in . Smaller ships with more pools we have had more fun at sea . When you get a cruise make sure you know what your getting while at sea . Norwegian we found not to be our cruise line of choice . Royal Caribbean, MSC, Carnival all had more pools , entertainment was best on Royal Caribbean.

This was our first time on Norwegian and maybe more importantly our first Caribbean during hurricane season. We stayed in South Beach for 3 days before the cruise began and enjoyed that area very much. While researching various cruises we both were excited by everything we saw on the Escape. We took a taxi from our hotel in South Beach and within maybe 15 minutes we were dropped off at the port terminal. Embarkation went very smoothly and also very quickly. 

After being welcomed aboard we walked around deck 7 a bit. Our cabin would not be ready till 1-1:30 pm. We decided to have lunch at O'Sheehan's, their sports bar/restaurant. Most people head right to the buffet after getting aboard which makes getting lunch a very lengthy process.  Most Cruise lines have at least one of their restaurants open during embarkation.  O'Sheehan's was very busy so lunch took a while anyway.  Our server brought us a plate of nacho's and said our meals would be out shortly. And so it was. My wife got the Reuben sandwich and I got the chicken fritatas'. Lunch was very good. A good start to our cruise. Shortly after lunch our cabin was ready. We headed up to the 13th floor. This is the first cruise ship we've ever been on that didn't skip the 13th floor. Oh well with our fingers crossed we easily made it to our cabin. On all floors Norwegian has fish swimming on the floor. The direction they are heading is always towards the front of the ship. That's a neat tip. We got a balcony cabin. The overall size seemed nice although the closet was very close to one side of the bed. It was kind of difficult to unpack and put your clothes away. There were a few cabinets with shelves on the desk. The shelves were not very deep but we managed. There was also a small couch by the desk. The balcony was small but there was 2 chairs and a small table on it. The bathroom was bigger than I thought it would be primarily due to the size of the shower. 

We very much enjoyed the food on the ship. We always had breakfast at the buffet known as the Garden Cafe. The variety of choices was pretty good. There were 2 omelet stations on each side which helped speed up getting one. O'Sheehan's was also open for breakfast as were 2 of the small complimentary dining rooms. There were quite a number of specialty restaurants on the ship. Some of them charged a fixed fee to cover service. Most of them however were Ala cart pricing. That could easily and quickly get very pricey. We decided to try Pinxto's, their tapas bar and also the Food Republic which was Asian fusion with a slight Latin mix thrown in. They also had a wine bar that we went to several times on the cruise. To us this was one of our favorite areas on the ship. The selection was impressive and the wine steward, head steward and wine master were all very knowledgeable. We really enjoyed all of their recommendations. 

There were several things we were a bit disappointed in with the dining on the ship. In the "Complimentary" dining rooms there were several items listed on the menu every day that there was a surcharge for. Really in the Complimentary dining room. Lobster, surf and turf and the top beef choice. This just wasn't right. The other thing was we could not find cookies anywhere on the ship. When you're on vacation a cookie now and then is something that just needs to be there all day. We found out midway through the cruise that they have an afternoon snack selection up in the buffet where there are cookies. Again they should be at other venue's as well and also be out all day long. Sometimes you just need to eat a cookie! 

We were very pleased with the entertainment choices on the ship. Some had a surcharge for and some not. There's a comedy club and they had 3 comedians that went on throughout the week. The venue is small so you need to make reservations for the various show times you want to attend. We did however get in without reservations by waiting in the standby line several times. One of the comedians is the intro performer and the other 2 are headliners. All 3 comedians were very funny. They also had a comedy magician and a tribute show to the 4 season's. Both of these shows were excellent. The production shows we saw were very good. One was called, For the Record, the Brat Pack and the other was After Midnight which was a tribute to the Cotton Club in Harlem in the 1920's or 30's. We also tried a lunch show that did have a surcharge. It was called Wine Lovers the musical. It included lunch and 5 glasses of different wines. We enjoyed it. 

The ship has several really neat activities. There's a rope's course and 2 different water hoop slides. All a definite do. 

Service overall was really great. That really sums it up. 

The cruise stopped at 3 ports. We went to Magen's Bay Beach on St Thomas. This is a truly incredible beach, one definitely not to miss. On Tortola we did the ships beach break which took us to Cane Bay Beach. This was a nice beach too but the services offered there, not so much. We decided to stay on the ship at Nassau. Even the comedians called Nassau, the Detroit of the Caribbean. 

The Escape has 2 pools, one more for kids as its right by the slides and there is also a wading area with water cannons. The main pool is in the center of deck 16. There's a bar, a stage for a band to play and 2 hot tubs. This is adult only until 5 pm daily. It's always very crowded and can get very loud as the pool games are done there. There is an adult only area on deck 17 in the very back of the ship called Spice H2O. There are 2 hot tubs, lots of pool lounges but no pool. There is an area they call the Grotto which is like walking into a cave with water falls. It does cool you down but they really need a pool there. For passengers that get the expensive suites called the Haven there is a private area for those passengers with its own pool. I feel the ship's design falls a little short by not having an adult only pool separate from the main pool. 

The fitness room is connected to the spa. The equipment is nice and plentiful. The various services offered by the spa are way too pricey. 

Overall my wife and I did enjoy cruising on the Norwegian Escape even though I feel we are not quite the demographic Norwegian is really aiming at.   It's great for families with kids of all ages but also for couples.  Many of the activities are more for kids or younger couples. 

What a beautiful ship the Escape is, just like the sister ship, the Getaway.  #1 Food quality is excellent!  I can compare this to all other lines I have traveled on like RCI,Princess, Holland and Carnival.   Getting through a main dinning room should not have to cost you two plus hours of your time as the other lines and with poor service & food quality .  I have not received a meal yet that I was unhappy with in any of the restaurants or the buffet, great food!   I am really not a fan of the buffet though, not cause of the food, but more of the frantic atmosphere of the people at times, not all the time, but during a rush it's a mess.   I can not stand to see wasted food either.  

#2. Super friendly crew, I have not bumped into a crew member on this ship that did not have a smile.  I have engaged many of the members in conversation and found them to be quite genuine, friendly and warm.  Not so on other lines, some look so burned out maybe they should release them from contract and send them home.

#3. Dancing, If you like to dance there is a venue just waiting you.  You like ballroom, POP, Latin/Rhythm, freestyle.  You pick from live to canned it's all there.  Nice wood floor in the Manhattan Room, a dine and dance venue.  The Sky line Lounge has live and canned music but it has a tile floor (so don't wear your dance shoes there, bring leather soles shoes), The Atrium has live or canned music  that has a good wood floor as well.  FreeStyle music,  every night in H2O,  top of the ship, under the stars, where the party goes until you drop.

The Pool deck is tight on sea days, one Pool for Adults is nuts, that was a fail.   There is a kids area which is great for the kids.   The main pool opens to all after 5PM. Shows are great, comedy is good.  Spa up grade for $199 PP is not bad compared to the price of other lines that charge $350 for the same.  Look it up on youtube there are videos.  It suppose to be a quite zone but some Americans don't read and follow the rules so well.  

Public areas were always clean, every now and then I saw a stray glass, but I blame the cruisers for their careless ways not NCL.   

For the price this is a excellent vacation.   It seems that NCL is moving to capture the clients of other lines with their excellent service and friendly staff.  They did with us, this our fifth NCL cruise this year alone.  I think we found a new home. 

My first complaint is the fact that I had to fly out after a hurricane hit North Florida soon as I knew my flight was going to be delayed at 9 AM I contacted Norwegian to let them know because I had prepaid for airport pick up

airport pick up never communicated with me did not pick me up after 10 minutes ovof trying to get them on the phone I hailed a   cab paid $37 to get to the cruise ship on time as it was I was the last person to board at exactly 6:21 PM.

I had booked a balcony cabin to share with a friend of mine who had already arrived before I did she had put her things away and I was to meet her for dinner I found my cabin steward as soon as I reached my cabin to let him know who I was and that I had just arrived on board.

as I was freshening up before dinner I heard a loud banging outside my cabin I opened the door to see what it was only to be greeted by a maintenance man vacuuming out the air-conditioner in which I am mediately began to cough .

at that point I realized the AC was not working accurately in my cabin or in the hallway and I went to guest services to complain as my throat was already beginning to have that all-too-familiar scratch when I am faced with pollutants and allergens I was told that they had a capacity of 5000 people on this trip and there were no extra rooms for me to switch with.

I reminded my cabin steward as well as guest services three times that I missed the safety boat drill and I have no idea where my life boat is located

i also complained to guest services three different times that they needed to refund me for my transfer since I was not picked up at airport and every time it took them 10 to 15 minutes to verify that I had pre-paid before hand

I also suffered full-blown sinus infection in  which I had to seek medical treatment as soon as I returned home this ship was so crowded there is no room in The very small pool I mostly stayed in the H2O area in which I witnessed many children present openly sitting out in the sun with their parents as well as in the waterfall area also known as the grotto.

I did not see many staff members in areas around the pool H2O or other outside deck venues there is no night club lounge area inside for adults only 

  Not many adult only areas and this by far was the worst trip I've ever taken on Norwegian not only do I believe I have suffered an illness due to their lackof healthy maintenance on the Air conditioning  systembut the failure to give me a lifeboat drill or that of the other two passengers who boarded when we reached our first port of Saint Thomas even after I brought it to the attention of guest services as well as my cabin steward Is very alarming  

I  did make mention of this to the hotel staff captain as I was exiting the ship and that was after I had complained repeatedly to guest services 

The ship was amazing, pool was always crowded, food was excellent except for the complimentary restaurants, we ended up eating at a he buffet everyday, which was delicious. Loved the ultimate beverage package, & the fact that we were able to upgrade from a inside room to a mini suite for only $73. My main complaint is the diversity of the music played on the ship , as well as the white party which was full of techno music. My next cruise is in February on the Carnival Vista, I have heard that Carnival knows how to party so I can't wait this will be my 3 red cruise with the first 2 being on Norwegian.

While we had a great time, the security is lacking. We had an altercation with a group of disrespectful teenagers and the security was pretty useless. We were livid.

We had an amazing time on the Norwegian Escape. My kids absolutely loved it. There was so much to do they were never bored and neither were we. I can't wait to do it again!

First of all We  have cruised on almost all of the cruise lines in the past. Second cruise this year. Lets get to some info for you. This ship is crowded and the reason I am in our balcony cabin writing this.  Lines everywhere from the bar to the public bathrooms.  Seems like there is very little deck space for all these people.  The pool area is a disaster.  2,500 people trying to use the small pool at once.  There are people over people trying to get their feet wet.The pool wall is full of sitting people waiting for a bather to get out so someone else can enter. What a disaster it is.  Even the kids arent happy. If you want a great day sitting by the pool in a lounge chair this is not the ship for you. There are enough chairs by the pool for about 150 people. Everyone stands up shoulder to shoulder. Noticed a soiled diaper under one lounger.

Food.....Low quality meats, instant mashed potatoes and tasteless gravies.  The whole ship is geared to selling the restaurant  and not coming to the free dinner.  Then there are the watered down drinks.  Had a Bahama Mama today and it tasted like it was made with cool aid.  Not bad for $16.00 each.  

The cabins are smaller then most other cruise lines.  They want ever sq in of space so they can pack more cabins in.  I am not even going into the elevator lines and full of kids going up and down to no where all day.  We need to get off this ship.

The lobby as I call it is small also.

Most of my causing has been with Royal Caribbean and there is no comparison.  Food is great, plenty of room, large cabins, lots of elevators, and perfect drinks.

This ship is new and cheap.  The staff is good, the ship is clean, the shows so far is ok but not great. The ship is crowded because the price is low.  Usually a month before the rate drops for the 4th time to under $400.00 for a balcony I paid $999.00 per person...you do not get reimbursed the difference so wait until the last minute for a cheap fare to all the lines this ship has to offer.

Ok now the last thing is the A/C....  no thermostat in the cabins. My cabin was so hot.  Unbearable in port. Relief only when the balcony door was left open at sea.This is not the fun ship I thought it would be.  Never again and if you have not booked this cruise yet be warned.  

Me and my wife first time cruisers had a great time! First night we were a little intimidated by the crowds but got settled in after the first night. Really fun ship something for everyone. The food was awesome we just dined on the complimentary food! The staff awesome! The shows were amazing and free! We didn't need to much extra expense to make it great just some shore excursions. Highly recommended me and my wife found ourselves in port feeling a sense of pride with the escape lined up with other ships. Compared to the other four ships in port you really get a sense of the wow factor of this ship many people came up in ports to ask if we were staying on the escape and we're all impressed by how big and nice it looked.

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

this ship is so updated and amazing and beautiful great staff to help you with doing stuff and getting to where you need to go if they weren't there i would have gotten lost because it was such a huge ship!!