Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Extremely disappointed!!!

1.  My room had 2 twin beds in it - should have been 1 Queen.

2.  After the 1st day - kids were not allowed in the main pool until after 5:00 pm.

    Leaving only the tucked in the back with no seating kiddie pool.  We paid the

    same for every person that went on the cruise and were limited because of our

    kids.

3.  We paid for an excursion that did not show on Norwegian's ledger and therefore we were not able to go.  Even though we show a confirmation #.

This experience turned me completely against cruising....

Our room steward Clifford was great. This was our 1st time on  one of Norwegian's Large ships, and will also be our last. Over our many years with NCL cruising, we've grown accustomed to their "freestyle" cruising and this ship is way too big and way too crowded to pull that off. You have to reserve most of the evening shows that you'd like to see and then add in planning reservations for dinner. This is just WAY too much planning for vacation. There is only 1 small pool on this huge ship to accommodate all these people, most of the week you could not even see the pool let alone get even so much as a toe in it. This is pretty ridiculous for the mass of people trying to fit in this small pool and a pool chair.... forget it. They do have an adults only area called Spice H2O on the ship, though no pool there either, just 2 small hot tubs and also a neat "grotto" type structure to cool off in under the man made water falls. Oh and they must feel that all their guests are deaf, all the announcements and music were SO loud. If you weren't hard of hearing before, you probably will have effected your hearing by the time you leave. We are frequent cruisers and NCL is our main choice, but will be sticking to the med and smaller ship in the future. 

This was our first cruise and we were so apprehensive.  Norwegian Escape turned out to be a fabulous vacation for our family.  The service was impressively responsive and gracious at every turn, the restaurants (both those included in the price as well as the specialty) were outstanding, the entertainment was of the highest quality and such fun, and I don't know exactly what they did at that kids club, but every child I spoke with (including my own) went bananas over it, which in turn bought lots of personal time for my husband and I.  Thank you, Norwegian Escape!

The food was very good and the drinks were not watered down.  Plenty of activities to keep the kids busy and adults too.  Always had someplace to go to listen to live music.  Water was rough one or two days which made the kids a little seasick but that is to be expected.  Overall an awesome trip.. 

Escape has very nice cabins with improved storage.  Ship is beautiful, clean, efficient and well staffed.  Different from other cruise lines, you are not guaranteed a show before or after dinner.  There are several entertainment offerings each night, but you may still be shut out, leaving options of roaming around the ship with places to pop in and out.  One 9pm show we attended had standing room only, which was not expected or desired.  The two shows we attended we excellent.  Food and wine selections are fine and have plentiful choices.  Lots of places to sun  and in different locations so that you can be in the noise and action or in a quiet spot.  Very nice cruise.

The variety of entertainment was for everyone and every age group.

 The 1:1 service that the cruise staff provided. was wonderful .  The outline of the ship was great and easy to assess from elevators.

The food was excellent with so many options.  The shore excursions was great. Shopping in St Thomas was amazing.

Terrific staff!  Very attentive to passenger wants and needs.

Very good food.

Numerous dining venues.

Good entertainment

The ship was immaculate!  Very clean and well maintained.  Only a couple years old so we enjoyed being on such a new ship. 

The behind the scenes presentation regarding the specifics of the ship along with the captain and Chief Engineer was exceptional.

We had an exceptional time aboard the Escape.  The amenities were amazing.  The thermal spa is certainly worth the upgrade.  Found the dining at La Cucina to be very good value.  As well as the Manhattan room for something less formal.  

Beverage offerings were above par.  Room was always clean and very well appointed.  Certainly enjoyed our time on and off the ship with wonderful excursions.  

We highly recommend the Norwegian Escape for anyone thinking about taking a cruise. First of all the attention to keeping the ship clean was second to none we saw crew members constantly cleaning walls frames rails etc. Second the crew goes out of their way to make you happy and comfortable, whether calling you by name, asking if you need anything or simply smiling and saying hello. They surprised us on the 3rd day by decorating our room for our anniversary with streamers, balloons, champagne, and desserts.

We would also like to say try to upgrade to a mini-suite. WELL worth it. you go from a 35 sg ft balcony to 104 sg. ft.

The VIBE pass is also a great buy with your own private bar, umbrellas, and comfortable lounges away from all the hustle and bustle of the common pool area.

Overall it was a great experience and cant wait till we get to do it again.

Pros:

Clean new ship.

nice public areas.

Great activities and shows.

Staterooms were clean and marked well.

Best included meals are at the Garden Cafe Buffet.

Bars everywhere. (to use my unlimited drink package)

Cigar Lounge and Humidor.

Cons:

Included food was poor.

Specialty restaurants were average.  Not Fantastic.

The main pool turns into a "foot pool" because of too many people.

Service was average with forced friendliness (another downfall of pre-paid gratuities)

Housekeeping missed cleaning the balcony one day and never returned our pool towels the last two days.

As everyone says cruising is what you make of it.  We enjoyed it to a point but most likely would not return to the escape and am on the fence for Norwegian line due to the lack of quality food.

Pros:

Clean new ship.

nice public areas.

Great activities and shows.

Staterooms were clean and marked well.

Best included meals are at the Garden Cafe Buffet.

Bars everywhere. (to use my unlimited drink package)

Cigar Lounge and Humidor.

Cons:

Included food was poor.

Specialty restaurants were average.  Not Fantastic.

The main pool turns into a "foot pool" because of too many people.

Service was average with forced friendliness (another downfall of pre-paid gratuities)

Housekeeping missed cleaning the balcony one day and never returned our pool towels the last two days.

As everyone says cruising is what you make of it.  We enjoyed it to a point but most likely would not return to the escape and am on the fence for Norwegian line due to the lack of quality food.

The ship is fabulous and the staff does an amazing job of giving individualized attention even though it is a huge ship!  The ship has many fabulous amenities!  We have been on at least 20 cruises and this ranks at the top.

This cruise was amazing. We had four of us;  myself, wife and 2 daughters (8 and 13). We stayed in the Haven area and would never sail any other way. It was our first cruise as a family. Me and my wife did cruise RC about 15 years ago. We had a 2 bed/2 bath suite and was well worth it. Kids had bunk beds which they loved. The entire suite is amazing and they take awesome care of you in the Haven.  The upper deck is very quiet and relaxing. The kids loved the pool in the Haven area and the hot tubs. The slides were the best as well as the ropes course. The restaurants are great. We loved the breakfast in the Haven everyday. My kids did not want to leave on the last day. The ports and excursions were great. We scheduled all of them thru NCL. Dolphin swim, Atlantis water park. Zip line and snorkeling/beach day.  Absolutely amazing vacation!!!!!

Food in the dining room leaves a lot to be desired at times, other times it's very good.  Other than our room numbers being completely botched by our booking agent the cruise was great.

relaxing with my husband

Music was a huge disappointment throughout the cruise.  there was not any good rock and roll, reggae, calypso or steel drums.   The music played was mostly hiphop.

Food was outstanding!

I like the deck 16 & 17 for the sun, the bar, the many choices of the buffet, the different music bands & all the games played! At night the Atrium was full of life with André, the entertainer, the Latino night, Fantastic! Love it to the end! The games played on different night, especially on thursday night was hilarious! The food served on the Restaurant Taste and Savor was well presented' but many times it was too salty and the menu for both restaurant was exactly the same, at least they had the special of the day, for myself I got along well without repetition but I heard complaints from others about the 'same' menu on board! Add spices instead of salt!! Love the buffet at the Garden Cafe, food for every taste & good!

Our stateroom were perfect for us except another sink in the room would have been 'well' appreciated!! The beds are So Comfortable ,I slept like a baby!!

The shopping was missing lots of women clothes!!

Spa over priced and staff under qualified.

Help desk not very helpful.

Paying extra for a Haven suite does not get you a seat in any show or a dinner reservation when you want, if you had not booked months before boarding then too bad.

Staff and ship wonderful.  Ship may seem a little to big; but you do figure your way around it.  I won A LOT at the dice table.  Very good Dealers and Pit Staff.

 We  booked 3 outside balcony cabins for the family of 8. Was impressed with the whole ship. From the cleanliness to activities and then the food and drink. Great combination of water slides and rope-zip lines that were both great for children and the adults. So many places to eat, drink, and a casino that was well done.

My wife and our two boys (8 and 11) all loved this trip! If you are looking for a great excursion in St. Thomas check out http://www.stjohndaysail.com/. Other than that excursion, we enjoyed being on the ship more than in port! My only complaints are that the pools are way too small and that service at the dining rooms is very slow. If you want a quick lunch or dinner, the buffet is the only option. The kids loved the kids club and of course the water slides and the staff that interacted with the kids in both places were lots of fun. If you want a lounge chair that escapes the crowds, head up to the Sun Deck on deck 20 aft. Sometimes that's the only spot we could find a chair! We only went to one show, After Midnight and were not impressed so we didn't go back to any others.