Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

We stayed in the haven. It was one of the best experiences. Our butler was amazing, brought us fresh yellow watermelon everyday. The entertainment on this ship was some of the best. The specialty dining package was well worth it.

Well let me start off with we departed Miami on Sat may 28th at 7pm. We boarded at noon and from the start everything seemed to be fantastic. We hopped on, ate dinner and toured the ship. 1st let me tell you about the ship! Its huge! It has 2 hot tubs on the bow, 2 mid deck and 2 stern, there is also a water cave on the stern of the ship! There is a small kids water park and slide, as well as 3 water slides for bigger kids. There is a 2 level climbing scaffolding, Basketball court, Shuffle board on each side of the ship, Mini Golf, ping pong, arcade, 1 main pool mid ship that is for adults and one smaller pool just behind it for kids. The food on the ship was good even if the lido deck left you feeling a little blah! There is literally tons of stuff to do on this ship!  Our 1st night on the ship and at 10pm when the kids are finally ready to sleep the wife and I want to hot tub. The 2 hot tubs which are mid deck are jam packed as this is the only big pool on the entire ship. We didn't want to be under bright lights or bombarded by loud music so we went topside where there are 3 huge hot tubs. All of which closed at 10. Soooooo no hot tubing! We wanted to go to the front of the ship and look off the bow but it was closed off because they said it's high winds.  The next day my kids want to go on the zip line and the climbing maze they have. I'm not sure why they have 2 levels to the climbing maze as it was open once for about 2 hours during a week long cruise! The planks that hang over the side of the ship were open the day we got on board at Port and were open one other day of the week also. You can do whatever you want but do it before 8pm because thats when this ship shuts down! You cant play ping pong or shuffle board, waterslide, NOTHING Everything is closed! Seriously they take the shuffle board chips and ping pong balls away at 8pm! Unless your a drinker or a gambler this ship shuts down!  The shows however were great, I enjoyed every show we attended! Our room had a balcony and the beds were great. The room was nice for the size. The biggest problem was the closet location. It's really a pain to get too. The mid ship part of other ships is usually where a lot of entertainment takes place but on this ship a majority of this took place inside the ship at the atrium. Its quite small and gets congested FAST. They show movies here for the kids and its so loud and noisy in this area of the ship that its almost impossible to watch. The ship has a theater but for some reason they dont use this for the game shows or anything which is a real shame!  On our last cruise you could sit in pool or hot tub and watch the nightly movies to pass the time at night! This seems to be a great ship for those who would like a laid back cruise where you go to bed early, if you want night life there's really only the one place for night life and thats each night on the back of the ship.  I wont say our cruise was bad because it wasnt but it certainly did not live up to my expectations.If I had to do it again I probably would book on a different cruise line!

There was a lack of offers in certain areas compared to other cruise lines. There are only paid sauna and steam rooms. Food is average. There is only finest food at the paid restaurants or as a paid option in the complimentary restaurants. The shows had lack of variety. One was all 50's soul music and the other one was a high school musical. It means, they did not cover all ages' audiences. The parties in the H2O area were not so excited as they were in some other cruise lines and even in some other ships of NCL. But the staff was attentive and cordial

This was the first cruise for my wife and I* (* I took a cruise in 1968 aboard a Matson ship, the SS Lurline from Los Angeles to Hawaii, but that was a whole different experience 47 years ago).

The ship is stunning and enormous (7th largest cruise ship in the world). Our cabin was very nice, with a massive balcony and nice location. Our room steward was great.

As a first time cruiser, I was disappointed that Norwegian's position seems to be, "we guess you'll figure out what you need to do on your own." The elevators were extremely slow. The food was good, to very good, but not great. I expected at least high-end Las Vegas quality (like the Paris)--but it was still good.

Avoid Bingo, it's a rip-off and a joke. The shows are good, not great.

The pool area is so crowded we avoided it during the day, preferring to go there very late afternoon. The slides were a blast.

We drank a lot on the trip, having secured the Ultimate Beverage Package. Thank God. We would have spent $2000 more without it. H20 and Skyline were a blast, with very good (and very over-worked bartenders.

I realize this ship cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, but I wasn't personally interested in being the one to pay for it. They hit you with fees left and right. The Manhattan Room is "included" dining, but two espressos after dinner is another $10. The service fee is insulting as well. We also got a few random fees here and there.

The last day sort of left a sour note-- A) Nassau was disappointing; I would have preferred to spend more time in the Virgin Islands. Additionally, since they had never authorized my credit card in Miami when we left, I decided to go settle my account the last night of the cruise (assuming it should be done before we were already docked in Miami). So I did--then my wife and I went to dinner--chaos ensues. Our cards have been "de-authorized." We had ordered drinks, and waiter brings us water instead, notifies us our cards are closed, and was very rude about it. I had to leave my wife at the restaurant and go to Guest Services to re-authorize our cards by placing $100 on our account.  I found this quite insulting and was pretty vocal about it upon returning to the restaurant. The manager came up and apologized profusely but our waiter was pissed.

Finally, we were interested in buying souvenirs the last night on board, but discovered that they did not allow cash or credit card purchases. This was quite odd and we just didn't buy them.

Also, As first-timers, we had to figure out the luggage/debarkation/tag system on our own.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves. We likely will not take a cruise like this again (I would likely do a Western Caribbean cruise) because I want more port time, It seemed that we could have stayed far longer in St. Thomas (we went out to sea for 12 hours for a 60 mile trip to Tortola). I was told it was so NCL could open the casino and make more money.

The $20 here and $20 there has got to stop, and constant barrage of sell-sell-sell needs to stop.

This was the first cruise for my wife and I* (* I took a cruise in 1968 aboard a Matson ship, the SS Lurline from Los Angeles to Hawaii, but that was a whole different experience 47 years ago).

The ship is stunning and enormous (7th largest cruise ship in the world). Our cabin was very nice, with a massive balcony and nice location. Our room steward was great.

As a first time cruiser, I was disappointed that Norwegian's position seems to be, "we guess you'll figure out what you need to do on your own." The elevators were extremely slow. The food was good, to very good, but not great. I expected at least high-end Las Vegas quality (like the Paris)--but it was still good.

Avoid Bingo, it's a rip-off and a joke. The shows are good, not great.

The pool area is so crowded we avoided it during the day, preferring to go there very late afternoon. The slides were a blast.

We drank a lot on the trip, having secured the Ultimate Beverage Package. Thank God. We would have spent $2000 more without it. H20 and Skyline were a blast, with very good (and very over-worked bartenders.

I realize this ship cost hundreds of millions of dollars to build, but I wasn't personally interested in being the one to pay for it. They hit you with fees left and right. The Manhattan Room is "included" dining, but two espressos after dinner is another $10. The service fee is insulting as well. We also got a few random fees here and there.

The last day sort of left a sour note-- A) Nassau was disappointing; I would have preferred to spend more time in the Virgin Islands. Additionally, since they had never authorized my credit card in Miami when we left, I decided to go settle my account the last night of the cruise (assuming it should be done before we were already docked in Miami). So I did--then my wife and I went to dinner--chaos ensues. Our cards have been "de-authorized." We had ordered drinks, and waiter brings us water instead, notifies us our cards are closed, and was very rude about it. I had to leave my wife at the restaurant and go to Guest Services to re-authorize our cards by placing $100 on our account.  I found this quite insulting and was pretty vocal about it upon returning to the restaurant. The manager came up and apologized profusely but our waiter was pissed.

Finally, we were interested in buying souvenirs the last night on board, but discovered that they did not allow cash or credit card purchases. This was quite odd and we just didn't buy them.

Also, As first-timers, we had to figure out the luggage/debarkation/tag system on our own.

Overall, we enjoyed ourselves. We likely will not take a cruise like this again (I would likely do a Western Caribbean cruise) because I want more port time, It seemed that we could have stayed far longer in St. Thomas (we went out to sea for 12 hours for a 60 mile trip to Tortola). I was told it was so NCL could open the casino and make more money.

The $20 here and $20 there has got to stop, and constant barrage of sell-sell-sell needs to stop.

This ship was our first cruise. It ensured we'd be addicted to cruising. The layout left the ship feeling somewhat small at times but the amenities more than made up for it. My children (even the grown one!) loved the slides, especially the tube one! It was a blast. Even on sea days it didn't feel overly crowded, either. Perhaps I'm not overly picky but I found the food choices to be fantastic in all venues. I was satisfied in the buffet and the main dining rooms. The ability to My children, who are usually close to us had a blast in the kids club and often begged to go hang out. This was new for us. Honestly, this ship was wonderful. You'd be hard pressed to not enjoy a week on her. I'd love to cruise on her again.

I have cruised 8 times including international cruises.  This was my first experience with Norwegian.  I would not do it again.  I should state the people were wonderful, the entertainment was fine, the boat was clean etc.  It is the corporation and their unscrupulous acts that are bad.  First, I got the ultimate drink package for 3 and a soda package for 1.  When they say a free package they are misleading you.  You have to pay $80 per person for the taxes on the liquor package.  Last year on Celebrity, the free drink package meant free!  I did not pay a tax or extra fees.  Second, the ship was supposed to leave port at 4:00.  One month before the departure, Norwegian changed it to 7:00 p.m.  Not a big deal right? I was on the ship drinking and sitting by the pool what's not to love? That is until we got our bill checked 2 days after leaving port.  They charge you a port fee for sitting in the port drinking.  It was $20!  We had no idea.  I am not saying the port of  Miami doesn't charge this but the ship should absorb this cost or at least tell the poor consumer this is happening.  In addition, after 4:00 the cost should have been on Norwegian as they changed the departure time.  Third, my son who had a liquor package went with me to a restaurant on the boat.  He ordered a root beer.  They charged him $3.50.  Once again we did not know we would be charged for this.  This makes no sense.  If he ordered a Jack and Coke it would be covered but not a root beer, go figure.  When we cruised with Celebrity, they had free gaming sessions ie tournaments.  You had to pay attention to the brochure but they were truly free.  Norwegian had sessions in the brochure with no asterisk stating it cost or has a fee associated with it so one would think it was free.  I made my husband leave the pool only to find out the gaming session had a fee associated with it.  I have no problem with a cruise ship charging for stuff like this but tell the consumer.  At the end of the trip, there were so many extra fees I couldn't believe it.  I researched this trip a lot.  I read all the ship had to offer before we left.  I looked at the ports of call at nauseam.    Even with my research, I could not have expected what would be added.  Norwegian BOAT stands for "bring out another thousand".

Fell in love with Norwegian escape the moment I first saw it, food was great, people were great. A great ship all around. Going again may 2019.❤❤💋😘😊

The effort made to make life extra nice for Haven guests is extremely well orchestrated.

No lines, outstanding service, great accommodations and surroundings; all tied up in a package with bonuses like free speciality dining, free drinks, on board credits, reserved seats at entertainment venues and 3rd & 4th person in the cabin free.

WELL DONE!

Overall we were very satisfied with our cruise with Norwegian Cruise Line.  The program for children was outstanding.  We found that the design of the ship was somewhat flawed by having the casino in the middle of the ship where smoking from the casino could be smelled throughout the middle of the ship.  My daughter is extremely allergic to cigarette smoke and could not be in the various lounges  on the 6th, 7th or 8th floors do to the smoke smell that came from the casino.  

The entertainment was exceptional especially the Four Season's group.  We ended up seeing two of their shows as they were so entertaining.

Our cruise was the first week of May 2016 from Miami to US Virgin Island of St. Thomas, BVI of Tortola & Nassau, the default stop for all cruise ships. The trip couldn't have gone better. I read some of these negative reviews and I refuse to believe them. Maybe they are plants from the other cruise lines in order to get business. In the main dining room "Manhattan" the food was very good to sometimes excellent. The desserts were just plain wonderful and the service was great. We were treated like royalty. I felt "GUILTY" at times, because maybe deep down I'm really a closet "SOCIALIST". I have to tell myself that because of guests like me these people have jobs. My last night I had Duck L'Orange. I can't get it anywhere. This was our 5th Norwegian Cruise. The only draw back was our room was a little small. Norwegian took some of the closet space to give us a bigger bathroom. We don't sit around the room. We only use it for sleeping & to take a shower. Rest of the time we are out 16 to 17 hours per day doing everything there is to do on this floating resort. One picture is worth a thousand words. go to my You Tube Channel to see the 4 or 5 videos or slide shows of our trip. My channel is captainorin. 

The only positive thing about this cruise was that the ship was brand new and free style dinning. Service was horrible.. just awful.. Very unprofessional and rude staff. They should change their staff completely. Was charged several times for purchases. This was the first cruise ever for me and the experience was bad. Do not recommend for anyone!!

we enjoyed our cruise although we don't know any better. We spent over 700 dollars in up charges we weren't expecting. didn't know they charge 15 dollars per person per day for room cleaning services which we used only twice. we were charged 30 dollars "corkage fee" for the two 4 dollar bottles of wine we brought on board. While drinks were expensive there is no way I could have drank 60 dollars a day on booze so we didn't buy into the drink program. I think we saved 20 bucks by paying for drinks one at a time. We paid a lot for our cruise and in my opinion I have a lot to learn to get our moneys worth  Talking with others on board... 3 grand for 7 days is just way more than we should have paid.  It was nice. but I could have gone snow skiing with air fair for less. the fees were what the whole ship was talking about.