Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

This was a fantastic ship... great cruise.. the ultimate beverage package was $awesome, and prepaid gratuities.  It was nice to not have a bill of over $ 1000.00 at the end of it.  Someone is going to lose their job.. because we totally took full advantage of the Bev pkg.  Any drinks anytime, anywhere, and as much as you could drink.  I would do this again.

I liked the cruise . the food could have been better and the shows could have been a lot better. I really liked tjis ship but there was not a big difference between that and the Epic. I was on that twice

Ship is beautiful and clean. Specialty restaurants are excellent but the foods from the buffet and main dining are a little salty. O'sheehan restaurant is always open where you can get a burger, wings or snack.  On the sea days the pool area is always crowded but if you are up before 9 you should have plenty of choices for seating.  Below are some of the pictures of food items I was able to take before they were avowed by my spouse and children.

We cruised on the Escape Oct 8th.  Loved the ship, for me the food was some of the best I've had on a cruise.  We ate at only one pay restaurant the Food Republic - it was oh so good.  Loved being able to pick several different smaller dishes to be able to try more.  3 of us ate and it was $70 not bad at all, we had tons of food.

The pool area as mentioned in some other reviews was smaller - but we didn't really have an issue finding chairs. People where nice and would move over to give us 2-3 close to each other.

Everyone on the ship was so nice, service was great for the most part.  I will say in the Complimentary restaurants food service was quiet slow.  At times we felt they where rushed and did not want to allow us time to look over the menu. So that would be my only complaint - I felt maybe the servers where new maybe - but could be wrong.  Every complimentary dinner was like that.

Lots of fun activities - the Atrium always had something fun to do.  The guys that did our Scavenger Hunt at Tobacco Road area did not know how or what a scavenger hunt was - so hopefully he will learn before he does the next one LOL

Wonderful sitting areas on the Waterfront side in loungers - didn't find those until last day almost.

Shopping on the ship isn't really that great - minimal places to shop and the last day sale went so fast I missed it 

We had a wonderful time and would recommend this ship.  It is a very large one so be prepared to walk

Best part was the entertainment - very good variety and quality.  Ship is very clean and easy to navigate.  Disappointed in the service in diningrooms and specialty restaurants - very slow and unattentive.  Had to ask for hot tea at breakfast four times before I finally received - after everyone finished their breakfast!  Quality of food has gone down significantly since my last NCL cruise in January of 2015.  Much improvement is needed, particularly since you are paying extra for the specialty restaurants.  Service at pool area was excellent.

My husband and I were undecided about what to do to celebrate our 11 anniversary, and have cruised aboard the Escape was the best decision ever! The Escape was launched 1 year ago so everything is new, neat and clean. The onboard shows are amazing!!! A "not to miss" one is "After Midnight". The food will exceed your expectations with so many restaurants to choose from. The Manhattan Room restaurant was our favorite place to eat, and enjoy live music. However, I think the band is not too good. The girl that sings needs to put more "soul" into it....if you  know what I mean. The place I liked more on the ship was the Waterfront 7 (on deck 7). They have these sofas and loveseats where one can seat and enjoy the ocean breeze and witness a "breath-taken" sunset. I made it my private seating area for reading. We have been to many cruises, even with different cruise lines and so far this has been the best. I will highly recommend this cruise to anyone!!!!! Thank you Norwegian! See you on the Escape in Summer 2018! 

The cruise started off good and it appeared there would be lots of to do however; the cruise was lacking.  The ship itself is beautiful.  The staff were impersonal and cold.  The entertainment was nothing to speak of it was hard to know what was available and when.  By the time you found out it was already booked.  I would have liked to have enjoyed the supper club however could never get a reservation.  The language in the entertainment venue was embarrassing.  The food was good and that is the most positive thing I can say.  I had looked forward to this cruise for a year and was sorely disappointed. 

This was our fifth cruise with NCL and it was by far the best!!! The Escape is absolutely beautiful. The food was amazing and the staff were so friendly and happy! We had a wonderful week on board and enjoyed every minute. I can't recommend NCL enough, whether it is one of the smaller ships ( we were on the Star 2012) or the larger ones-Breakaway,Getaway and Escape the experience is just amazing! We look forward to to our next cruise, hopefully soon 😎

This cruise was great, I have a wonderful time. The cabin was really nice. The food was excellent. I really loved Cagney's Steakhouse. The After Midnight show was the best I have seen

My favorite restaurant was La Cucina.  Excellent food and service. 

Cagneys was second favorite.  Food was very good and staff excellent.

At Moderno we were seated near a child who was loud and not well behaved and whined a lot.  I know, I know, we were all a child sometime.  But inattentive parents put a real damper on the atmosphere.  For the extra bucks I expected elegant and that wasn't it.  Unfortunately the staff had no way to address that issue.  Food was very good.

Garden buffet has a good variety of food and is open most of the day.  Staff helpful and pleasant. 

Savor and Taste were definitely acceptable but loud.  Sounds seem to bounce around in the room.  A table of twelve, with the token loud mouth, made everyone around them uncomfortable.

Manhattan was good and had a good atmosphere.

Our friends ate at Le Bistro and said it was superb.  We skipped that one so no first hand knowledge from me.

Sea days the pool was full.  Not much chance for lounge chairs, especially in the shade.    Port days we went in the pool and it was very nice.  Hot tubs could have been hotter. 

The shows we saw were great.

Oh What a Night - terrific tribute

Brat Pack - very good but not my era

After Midnight - a wonderful show, especially if you like tap dance

                         the performers and singers were terrific! 

                         My favorite of the three shows.

A great trip.

I had a great time even though I went solo. We had a host that planned tons of activities for us and got to meet a great bunch of people. The shows were fantastic, the talent of the singers was phenomenal. The food and staff were great!  Loved it so much I put down two deposits for future cruises and will definitely do one alone again. 

The Thermal Spa is wonderful.  A bit high priced but we enjoyed everyday.

Regular dinning food not so good.  Entertainment not as good as it was a year ago.  Must reserve shows early in the week or you are out of luck.  Internet very slow.  Ship inside is very pretty and lots of bars.  The Cafe buffet had something for everyone's taste and changed daily.  

The boat was great we had an inside room for 2 adults and 2 Kids was tight not enough room for all of us to walk around at the same time but it worked for just to sleep in it. Buffet was good good food all round, so,stones it was really crowded but not to bad. Are in the Manhattan room, had a amazing steak husband had chick and he said it was good had some music with dinner service was good, also are in the taste restaurant was also good food service was a little slower. Pools were always packed. We loved the yellow and blue slide. It was neat that you couple could go two people down the blue. Ropes course was closed the first 2 or 3 days due to winds but we also were going around hurrican Mathew. The boat wasn't Rocky. We had a great time can't wait to go again.

Had awesome time i was slowed do to recent back surgery. my first thought there scooter and wheel chair was to pricey considering the amount of money i paid for cruise. Beverage package was very good but in room you had to purchase drinks out of refrigerator. I also had the dining package that i really didn't understand. But otherwise the service was excellent bartenders on point and maid service was awesome. 

This new ship was awesome. The ship was full but you would never know there are 4200 other passengers onboard. From embarkation to debarkation and seeing the shows to all the dinning rooms there were lines but never unrealistic ones or giant crowds like I have seen on other ships. Our cabin was a balcony on deck 12 forward. It was extremely clean and very quiet. We have cruised 11 other times on NCL and other carriers and no doubt, had the best cabin stewardess we have ever had. Sometimes service in the main restaurants can be a bit slow, but conversely the specialty restaurants were wonderful and offered great service and attitudes. 

We enjoyed our 2 bedroom Haven Suite which was very comfortable and spacious.  Movies were included free of charge and our butler Gonsalvo was awesome.  He went out of his way to pop us popcorn everyday because my daughter loves popcorn.  However, NCL has made many changes in the last 3 years and we are not happy with them. First, they no longer allow passengers to bring bottled water on board but even if you purchase the ultimate drink package, they don't include bottled water.  They charge $6.00 for a liter which adds up to a very hefty non-alcoholic drink bill.  They no longer have a set price for specialty restaurants.  You have to pay a la carte for the menu items which again translates to a larger bill.  The excursion prices seem to have sky rocketed as well.  Nothing is affordable with NCL anymore and the menu for the inclusive dining is just mediocre at best.  Lastly, there is no longer a final jackpot bingo where the "BIG" jackpot must be won.  If you don't have a cover all by the 47th ball, you play to win the consolation prize of $1000 and that is it.  The ultimate bingo package costs $69 and if you add up how many passengers played during the course of the week and the amount of the prizes given away, NCL is pocketing ALOT of the proceeds.  As a platinum latitudes member, and a Diamond Plus Crown & Anchor member of RCCL, I think I will stick with Royal for awhile as the perks on Royal's rewards program  are so much more generous than what I get with NCL.

Loved the cruise. Included in my incentive package was 4 night specialty dining and unlimited beverage package. They were terrific. The complementary and specialty dining was excellent. Drink package was wonderful. Beautiful fancy drinks! The entertainment was great and the service and crew were perfect. Only complaint was they should include the fancy coffee as apart of the beverage package, and NCL also had some charges for silly items like bowling, or pool. That I thought was a bit tacky and I did not use the items. Please express to NCL to include the specialty coffees in the package.Overall an excellent cruise. Booked again to go on the same ship!! Wonderful experience!

The unlimited drink package and the dinner package were the best. The only thing I have to complain about is that the casino is on the center of the ship and the smoking was so bad and you can't avoid it. The atrium is open and the smoke travels to different decks. You have to walk through the smell. Why don't they have an area closed off away from where restaurants are. We also complained to guest services that someone was smoking on their balcony and we were on deck 13 aft and we were told that it was the wind blowing the smoke from one of the smoking areas and basically just ignored us. The pool area is way too crowded and they should come up with a way to stop the chair hogs who put their towels on chairs and then disappear to have breakfast or lunch or dinner. Maybe they should start charging for a pass to reserve a chair and if you disappear for more than an hour or more and you are not in the pool area than you lose your deposit. 8 am and 50+ chairs has towels on them and there are only 10 people in the pool area. Parents also need to keep an eye on their kids. There were 4 to 9 kids that would get together and run the halls. They also got ice cream and threw it at each other and one elevator was a disaster with ice cream on the walls. They also smeared ice cream on the walls of the hall way. We never saw a parent with any of them. We went to a movie and there were kids telling talking loud shining flashlights. They also grabbed as many bags of popcorn that they could carry and then ran back to get more. I know kids will be kids but we chose to go in October because kids should be in school. You don't go on a cruise and turn your kids free to have others have to deal with them. You brought them therefore you should watch them. Other than that we had a Very good time. The ship was beautiful and our stateroom steward Dave was awsome. He took great care of us. We would go again but hopefully we will get to the Bahamas. The captain done a great job of keeping us out of harms way. It would have been nice to go to another port. 

Sorry, I missed the voyage!  We had been looking forward to it for almost a year, when I was struck with bladder cancer and we had to cancel.  I hope all those that made it with the Hurricane Matthew bearing down on Miami, were able to escape the path and enjoyed the trip (Glad we had elected Trip Insurance).

-Tom and Pat Fowler

You cannot bring in a case of water anymore so now you have to purchase it. If you buy the ultimate drink package they don't include water though you are charged 70.00 a day??? Come on now....sushi is not at a buffet or ultimate dining specialty restaurant but charged a la carte??? Overall though service is impeccable and freestyle dining is better than a scheduled dining program, there are a great many amenities and the Haven suites are luxurious. There is a ropes course with a zip line and sliding tubes and free fall tubes to ride on. Adventures await in the Splash Academy for the kids camp and the entertainment was abundant in variety. Karaoke every night, trivia time with family on Star Wars, Harry Potter, and white glow dance party to groove to with a live DJ.