Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

NCL Is hands down the best when it comes to hospitality, and customer service. Although a bit pricey, the ship was extremely well put together and the staff was very well versed on the ship even though it is a new ship. Food was wonderful. Drinks were great! They need some other music than techno but other than that, wow! And Silas our cruise director was AMAZING. Highly recommend. 

Escape in NCL's new ship. 4,000 plus passengers and not enough crew to handle the load. The ship is poorly designed and more like a prison with little access to outside areas since the rooms occupy most of the available space. Bars shut down usually before midnight and dining options (other than the horrible garden buffet) limited on time. Not a good thing for the cruise line that boasts anytime dining freestyle cruising. We did not even get turndown service on our last night...lack of crew size. They nickel and dime you everywhere. Order room service after 10AM...surcharge. Specialty restaurants are all a la carte so prepare to pay New York or Miami prices unless you pick up the dining package. Drinks are very expensive and watered down. If we were to get a FREE cruise...NEVER AGAIN!

1. most crew members need a lesson in customer service! Especially photo manager, she's rude & sarcastic.  And her photographers walk around looking miserable. 2. Pool bartenders at Wave consistently ignore guests even when 6-8 bartenders & only 2-3 guests. Always took 30 min to get a drink when it wasn't busy. Same issue at Atrium bar. Not friendly, DO NOT deserve 18% gratuity. 3. Same drink or beer cost different prices at every different bars & restaurants. Sneaky. NCL purchased the beverages for the same price so why take advantage of your guests? 4. Million $ Quartet show was canceled & replaced with nothing. Apparently the cast had too much to drink the night before and got hurt? 5. Comedy shows had bored, restless kids which distracted from show. Young kids shouldnt be allowed at a 9pm show. 6. 3 main dining rooms all had same menu & only a few items were changed daily. These shouldn't be considered different restaurants "28 restaurants & bars". Not exactly! Food was ok but not great. Often cold.  7. Very obvious ship & shopping consultant get kickback from DI & other stores on shopping maps. 8. Upgraded dining was a la cart price + 18%??? Since when?? Since 3 main dining rooms had same menu, that leaves guests with mediocre buffet, main dining or bar food at O'Shans.? That forces guests to pay for food if they want something different. Shady.

9. Impossible to find a chair at pools even as early as 9am. Everyone "saves" them & then disappears for hours! 13. "VT Maple Syrup" diluted with corn syrup or Aunt Jamima! Very obvious to this Vermonter that it wasn't pure! French Toast was not described as having raisins in it. Mine had only 2, so were they supposed to be in it or not? French toast also arrived cold.

14. If you don't tip your room attendant daily, don't expect clean towels or your room to be made up nicely. You can forget towel animals and chocolates too! 

12. NCL has really changed since 2009. Overall though, employees are obviously not happy.

Norwegian Escape, Breakaway and Getaway are great for solo cruisers. If you are going solo, try the studio cabins, which are less expensive than the regular cabins. They are only 100 square feet but have a really cool design (and the bed is full or queen, not twin). If you are traveling with a friend but you each want your own cabin, you can get adjoining studios with an inside door between the rooms. Also, there is an active solo travelers group, even if you are not in a studio. If you are in the mood to meet people, there is a solo travelers happy hour every evening, so you can make friends to go to dinner or a show or an excursion. Do not sit home if you don’t have someone to travel with! These cruises are fun and social. (Epic also has studios, but I don’t like the ship as much.) Also, these three ships have the Ocean Front on deck 8. It’s a great place to walk (NOT jog) outdoors early in the morning, because it is a much longer circle than the jogging track. You can also bring a book to read on a comfy chair in the shade in the morning or afternoon. The restaurant guests take up the space in the evening.

After 40 cruises I find this one of the most disappointing.  It was very crowded and noisy.  The pool area was the size of a ship that carries half the people this one did.  People were shoulder to shoulder by the pool and finding a deck chair in the sun was impossible.  I booked because on previous NCL cruises the entertainment had been very good.  Two of the three major shows were cancelled on this trip.  The food in the dining room was good.  We always ate in one of the two smaller ones as the large dining room was too noisy to enjoy dinner.  

The ship seemed more crowded than the much larger Royal Caribbean Oasis. Food in the complimentary restaurants was mediocre.  Difficult to find a bar waiter on deck. Shows in main theatre were few.

This was the 8th cruise my wife and I have been on and we were really looking forward to it as it would be a repeat (but much more modern version) of our very first cruise some 33 years ago.  That was also an NCL cruise on the SS Norway, which was a re-purposed ocean liner (the former SS France) and it also took us to the Virgin Islands.  We have fond memories of that trip but thought it'd be a dramatically nicer experience on NCL's most modern cruise ship.

And it was nicer in some ways.  The water slides and ropes course are fun, recent inovations, the food-whenever-you-want is much more convenient and relaxing and it's hard to beat free drinks.  But unfortunately, the negatives were over-whelming.  

Of course there were crowds--it's a huge ship, you've got to expect to see lots of people--but they didn't seem well equipped to handle everyone.  Long and slow lines during the loading process, clearly an inadequate number of elevators, many of the shows were sold out well in advance, and debarkation when we returned to Miami was also quite a zoo.

We did like the NCL app which let you make show reservations on your phone and we did that and so got to see most of the shows--but they were mostly disappointing.  There were a couple of very good singers, but most were merely adequate.   (To be fair, one of the major shows was cancelled cause one of the performers took the old "break a leg" thing too literally).  But there was no spectacular show, like other cruise lines have had.  (I still fondly remember the show Carnival had with fireworks, magic, singing and dancing, zip lines over the audience--quite an extravaganza!  And Royal C had quite an ice-skating show on one ship). 

But they sure do have music everywhere you go on the ship--and it's always very loud, even to us hard-of-hearing elderly.  I'm a music lover so was OK with it most of the time, but when I wanted to read, there literally was no place on the ship that was quiet.  I searched long and hard and could find no public areas without loud music playing at all times (well, not in the library, but it also doubled as a game room so there were always people playing cards or something and talking).  

Food--of course there was lots of it and it was sometimes pretty good, (had one really good steak and they also served prime rib 3 different days).  But you couldn't get lobster without paying $30 extra--altho they did have large prawns one nite.  They did have 8 varieties of hand-dipped ice cream available most of each day, so that was unique.  But otherwise, the desserts were the usual pretty but tasteless items.  And the bakery goods were mostly disappointing--just premade stuff that they bring in frozen and reheat, like Panera or a grocery store "bakery".  There was something freshly made on two mornings--cinnamon rolls one day and pecan rolls another and they were both quite good. 

And I have to complain about the table tennis--only one of the 8 ships I've been on had tables indoors where you can actually play the game--On Escape and the other 6, they're all outdoors where the wind completely makes it a different game entirely. I did play in a couple of their tournaments anyway, but neither of the sports guys they sent to coordinate it knew even the basics of the game--like scoring, for instance--so again it just made it plain that they didn't care in the slightest for doing things right and trying to make their passengers happy. 

WiFi--One of the freebies they gave us was 250 minutes of internet connectivity.  It worked part of the time, I think 4 of our 7 days-but it was awkward and slow to sign in, only one of us could be on it at once, and of course it was pretty slow.  So it wasn't good for much.

I should also mention how extra loud all of the sound systems were.  On deck for games and live music, everything was set at a blaring-away level.  Indoors, they also conducted a lot of various game-show type contests and the young folks running them could probably have been heard a mile away.  Now I've been to plenty of loud concerts and surely my hearing ability has surely been somewhat reduced, but I literally had to cover my ears while walking thru some of these venues because the amplification level was so extreme.  I don't know how younger people with normal hearing can tolerate it. 

Ports--The American Virgin Islands are very pretty and also pretty modern.  There were a large number of huge yachts docked near us so the rich folks must like it a lot.  The BVI was much more of a 3rd world country--also very attractive from a distance, but not so much up close.  They also had an amazing number of small catamaran boats for rent, as it's a fine place to head off on your own for a few days.  At Nassau, we were one of 6 cruise ships in port that day--nuff said, eh?!

Altho half of my cruises have been on NCL and we've really liked a couple of them, they've now lost their preferred standing with me.  Our recent cruises on Royal Caribbean and Princess has been better.

It was my daughter and niece Sweet 16 Birthday's and they had the time of their life on this gorgeous ship.  We were a group of 23 people and everything went smoothly when we made our dinner reservations, our on an excursion didn't matter the service was exceptional.  I would do it all over again. 

Specialty restaurants on board are the best

Music is very loud

The swimming pool is small

for the large crowd but the children were having a great time at the kids playgrounds

Entertainment was excellent

Definitely good for Family's but not so good for middle age to elderly couples

The restaurants included in the all-inclusive (Manhattan, Taste, Savor) are excellent, better than our experience on the Norwegian Jade. Reservations were not necessary as the Manhattan is very spacious, also has a dance floor. The food was 5 star. The beef Wellington was the best we had ever eaten: it was so tender you could cut it with a fork. Steer away from the gnocchi though: it was gummy and unpalatable. Otherwise, all appetizers and entrees were excellent. Portions of nachos in O'Sheehan's were smaller than the same dish in the dining room.  Pool area was very noisy after 11 a.m. Lots of energetic and loud music, which is nice if that is what you are looking for, but there was no place to read quietly on a deck lounge if that is you preference.

Major disappointment was the extremely limited access to evening entertainment and our Jade experience in this aspect was far superior.  Unless one booked reservations immediately upon boarding the Escape, all the entertainment included in the package was fully booked with long waiting lists for cancellations. To make matters worse, one of the performers in the Million Dollar Quartet suffered an injury causing all shows included in the package to be cancelled. Those with tickets were offered seats in the (otherwise pay-for-ticket) shows, making it even less possible to see any of the entertainment. 

Best staff experiences were in the Tobacco Road bar,  where Ruth was a delight and in the Manhattan Dining Room where Agnesse was always bubbly and joking with the diners.

The ship itself was spotless. Not a speck of dust to be seen anywhere, and our room was kept very clean. Even though the folded towel animals are found everywhere, we were always happy to find them each evening.

Shore tours were worth what we spent although the island tour on Nassau required a lengthy walk to the tour bus which would be a challenge to anyone with mobility issues.  Our driver Tyrone was entertaining and informative and very thoughtful about offering to take photos of us. 

This would have been a 5 star review had there been better access to evening entertainment.

positives- nice cabins a little bigger than some bathrooms were nice size

great food at all venues

nice staff tried

loved tortolla 

Howl at the moon entertainment was fun

a very big ship positive. 

Had lots to do if you wanted to do them

i played Deal or No Deal was picked and won 135.00. Now that was positive. 

Negatives:  a very big ship negative

smoking in casino which is in middle of ship and goes up to other floors not good. 

outside bar service that came around when you were sunbathing was non existant

Most entertainment was not good. One show which was the one we really wanted to see was cancelled. The other not so good. Some shows you had a charge. Don't like that at all.

More interesting ship ship shopping would have been nice...same ole same ole. 

Not many quiet places where one could sit and read. I missed that. 

All in in all it was a great cruise. We had fun, relaxed, and ate way too much. The perks were great. I would highly recommend this ship.  

The ship is gorgeous. A lot of places to eat and drink. I can say that the food was better tasting than I had expected. The Norwegian Chefs do a great job at actually seasoning their food in all the restaurants. Make sure and try Cagney's Steakhouse and Teppanyaki (pay restaurants but the food and service is great!!!). I would say the overall service from crew members was good considering this is a new ship and they are still working out the bugs. The mini suite we had was very narrow, small and not worth the money we spent. The balcony was very small. The best part about the stateroom was the shower; the best I’ve ever seen on a cruise ship. The terminals B/C in the Port of Miami are really bad; old and dirty and very disorganized. They really need to spend some money to upgrade those facilities. You must visit and walk around the entire Waterfront on Deck 8. A very nice concept by Norwegian. Ports weren't great (St. Thomas; Roadtown, Tortola, BVI and Nassau).  Nothing to do in Roadtown so don't bother to get off the ship other than to get off walk around the couple of shops they have there and to say you were actually there. They are really building up the port so in a few years it might be worth visiting again. Overall, great cruise. Give it a try. I think you will love it.

Overall we were thrilled with our cruise.  The Escape is gorgeous and so clean.  The staff for the most part were friendly - although they stood out at the upgraded dining.  While it was not easy to find a lounge chair, I did not let it ruin my trip; however, I would recommend finding more room for people to lay out especially because there were 3 full days at sea.  The ultimate beverage package was great and I would have paid for the upgraded dining even if it wasn't included.  Perhaps living in the NYC metro area I'm jaded by pricing, but to get sides at a steakhouse for $2 each is a dream.  The spa was wonderful - best thing we did.  I thought the services were a bit pricey, but I was so happy with buying the week long pass.  Unfortunately million dollar quartet was cancelled, but I enjoyed the Brat Pack show and After Midnight.  My only complaint about the shows was that they stress reserving a seat and then when it was the night of After Midnight there were so many empty seats.

 I have to say that having been on over 30 cruises this was the best yet and I will tell you why.  First of all, the staff was really friendly.  I know this is over stated but it is true. They really emphasized sanitizing your hands by spraying your hands as you entered the buffet restaurants.  They even lined up and sang to you at breakfast as you entered. Secondly and just as important was the free drink package. I am not a big drinker but to be able to order any drink and not worry about a bar bill was such a relief. I mean to tell you the stress of worrying about that big bill at the end of the cruise was not there. It really made a HUGE difference in adding to the true VACATION.  Please continue this bonus and I will be a loyal NCL passenger for many years to come. The specialty restaurant package is equally as awesome as a free add on bonus. And let's not forget the friends and family third and fourth person in the cabin was FREE.  Add all this up and it is the best bang for anyone's buck in the cruise industry today.  Thanks NCL.  You are on to something special. 

WE HAD NO PROBLEM WITH ANYTHING WE CAN'T WAIT TO GO ON OUR NEXT CRUISE SOON WE HOPE

THE ONLY BAD THING WAS THE POOL WAS FULL OF PEOPLE MOST OF THE TIME  BUT WE  USED IT WHEN  EVERYBODY WENT TO SHORE WE HAD THE POOL AND HOT TUBS TO OUR SELF IT WAS THE BEST IF YOU GO ON THE ESCAPE YOU WILL LOVE IT HAPPY CRUISING !!!!!

Our recent trip on the Escape was a wonderful experience. The balcony cabin was spacious, the entertainment was talented, the staff and crew was attentive and the food was plentiful. The pool is cold and small for the ship's size. I especially enjoyed the art auctions. 

My family consisting of four adults, a four year old and 9 month old went on the Norwegian Escape on January 9th.  The overall appearance of the ship is absolutely beautiful!  The staff were extremely friendly and attentive, especially in the buffet and the kids splash academy.  The food was very good, however, we chose to mostly eat in the buffet since the dining room and sit down restaurants took too long, especially for our baby.  Our greatest complaint is that the public areas of the ship (i.e. pool deck, buffet, atrium, elevators) are not large enough to accommodate the 4,000 guests that it holds.  Everywhere we went, we had to deal with large crowds of people.  The elevators were always full so we had to wait a while for those as well.  The bars were also packed, so every time we wanted to get drinks we had to wait for a long time.  Mostly the pool deck is the worst part.  There are not enough pools, chairs and space to accommodate everyone, especially on days at sea when everyone is hanging out by the pool.  Every night in the middle of the night, I was kept awake by either creaking noises coming from the ceilings, or what sounded like bottles rolling and crashing above our room.  For a brand new ship, the Escape was very rocky the entire trip and very noisy as well.  In summary, the ship would be amazing if it had half as many guests!

Food was not nearly as good as previous cruises I've been on- steak with grissle, biscuit hard as a rock for breakfast, fork bounced off it. Service poor, staff not as personable. Due to drinking packages, staff no longer receives tips and service is now poor. Never called by my name. One cleaning staff was yelling in bathroom venting about boss calling him a 'hyena' and how dare e embarrasse her. Drunk fest due to unlimited drinking package. Never seating at pool...people reserved chairs at 6am in  morning with towels and never see them back to sit in chairs. Ship beautiful! Some staff friendly, alot rude.

Never been on a ship this big or new, but some of the smaller/older ships we have been on were nicer.  Overall, not a bad cruise.  Food was okay, some days better than others.  We experienced long delays in main dining rooms.  Seating was relatively quick, but time between courses was painfully slow.  Sometimes 15 to 20 minutes between courses, making meal time last up to 2 hours. Buffet was good for the most part, but did not seemed to be well organized.  Lines tended to fill out into main walkway causing undue congestion. Main theater entertainment was between excellent and awful. Million Dollar Quartet show was excellent! Comedy show was terrible! Not only was Comedy Show not funny, but it was lased with inappropriate language and dialog.  After Midnight was well preformed, but also contained inappropriate language and references.  This all in the main theater, while underage children were present. Too many extra charge restaurant, shows etc.  Really only two major main theater shows over the seven day cruise (After Midnight and Million Dollar Quartet).  Shows were repeated several days. Free entertainment around ship was lacking and mediocre at best. Room was nice, crew was nice, service desk seemed nice and willing to help with any concerns. It seems the ships biggest selling point is the rope course and water slides.  

Unless you plan on using these everyday, I think you could get better value for your money on other ships.

I have been on 15 Carnival cruises and 1 Royal Caribbean cruise and my wife has been on several also.  She did 1 Norwegian cruise with a girlfriend and said we should do one.  I am always open for a new adventure and I went into with an open mind.  Never did freestyle or open seating for dinner.  Loved it!  No schedule, if we were on an island we could go eat at 8:45 or 9:00 PM or if it was a sea day, we went at 6:30.  The food and the service reminded me of long ago on cruises, the staff was attentive, friendly, and outgoing.

We had the unlimited beverage package, so the drinks were outstanding.  The ship is the first with a Margaritaville on board, and I am a huge Landshark fan, so I was very, very happy!

The shows were outstanding!  The best I have seen on any ship sing 2000.  The Million Dollar Quartet and the Brat Pack blew us away.  The comics and Howl at the Moon was also fantastic.

The room and the steward were very good. We had a mini suite.  Same size "room" and balcony as a regular balcony room, but you pick up 20 sq. feet in the bathroom.  Very nice shower (with jets) and a double sink.  Well worth the extra money.

We are now sold on Norwegian Cruises and actually bought 4 more while on board!