Norwegian Escape Cruise Reviews - Reviews

Rating the 4 restaurants we dined at on a scale of 1 - 5 (1 = bad; 5 = good) :

Cagney's    -     5

Le Cucina   -     4

Le Bistro     -     2

Moderno     -     1

Very disappointed with the entire ship. They obviously didn't plan things out before sailing. The staff is so small that the workers are over worked. Did not enjoy ourselves. On thanksgiving it was a mess and didn't have dinner until 9. One because the staff cannot communicate proper information to guest and second you can't feed 4700 people with no staff and restaurants that's not built to accommodate that many people. Cruise was not friendly as previous cruises. Barely got any photos from the cruise as they barely had anyone taking them. 

Amenities were good but extremely difficult to make a reservation for specialty restaurants.  Staff was not very friendly and seemed like they weren't sure what to do.  Slides were pretty good. Overall dissapointing

We took cruise on the escape in November 2015. we had a great time. found that there were a lot of families on it . it did cater to families . it was great for the kids and was no problem for the adults cause it was so big. The shows were very good. We did have a problem in our cabin. At night when they were going at a good clip we had noise in cabin . first it was in sliding doors then in sealing. Could  not figure out where it came from.  (new ship) we contacted them  and they offered us a different cabin and said they would look into it . W thought that the cabins on the epic were laid out better..  

The Cruise ship was great.

The service "POOR" at the best.

Out of three ports we landed two were ok but  Tortola was a mess.

Many people got injured on the pool areas due to lack of water drainage, the floors and stairs were water logged making them slicks  and dangerous to walk on.

Most of the crew members were inexperienced.

Embarkation/Deparkation: both good, no complaints

Ship: Obviously clean and in good shape.

Room: Mini Suite - room seemed cheaply made, storage was ok, bathroom was nice and the shower was one of the best we have had at sea. Steward was great.

Service: Drinks were slow, service in the Garden Cafe was ok at best. We had the Ultimate Dining Package and the service at the specialty dining venues was very good.

Kids Activities: Really disappointed/pissed that they canceled Nickelodeon, especially since they advertised they were going to have it and then about 3 months before the sailing they canceled Nickelodeon. I was told by their staff that customers weren't willing to pay for the cruise so they took the experience off. My son tried the kids program but didn't stay and didn't return so I can't rate them, other kids enjoyed the program. Overall I think there are better cruises for families.

Water slides were good, but watch out if you have small kids. Bigger kids came in and seemed to lose control of their brain and were crashing into kids at the bottom. Several kids were seen hurting and crying. NCL staff made aware and sometimes staff was seen monitoring, but that seemed to end after a couple of days.

Food: Garden Cafe was good for buffet. Margaritaville was very good, but on the next cruise staff was saying they were going A La Carte and that would be bad. Don't know that the food was worthy of paying additional. Food Republic was very good, but again to pay for food in initial fare, then select UDP and still have to pay $30 for food is ridiculous. NCL really seems to be charging for everything and I did not like that.

Entertainment: After Midnight we did not like, Million Dollar Quartet was very good, Comedians were okay, Howl at the Moon was outstanding.

This was our 3rd NCL cruise in 3 years. We went my In-Laws and it was their 4th cruise on NCL in 3 years. We both said we would rather go to RCL or another line instead of going back on NCL. What a shame!!!! I am not someone who focuses on negatives, but there were so many experiences that weren't the same as what we experienced on the Getaway or the Epic.

Having paid a ton of money to have my family in the Haven & NOT enjoy the Haven is WRONG!When we all went to Le Bistro at 9:30 it took 2 hours for 3 courses.The service everywhere in the Haven restaurant was extremely slow. example:1 ½ hours for breakfast,2 hours for lunch,trying to get a drink delivered to your table too long. Having the bar downstairs & not a small one upstairs in the waiting area is crazy. Way too long everywhere except the skyline bar.The Haven courtyard area there were a number of children unsupervised throwing balls all in the pool area, between the top deck and pool area, jumping on the furniture in between the pool area and screaming, running through the Haven in front of concierge, almost knocking down Dina who was trying to serve drinks, yelling all the time as well as rearranging the furniture on the upper deck 19. I have taken videos of each day this went on and pictures. CS doesn't care either. I took video as well.

Service was terrible.  We were a party of 10.  We were one of the first few hundred people on the ship and the first thing we did was try to book dinner at one of the specialty restaurants. ALL BOOKED! Then we tried to get tickets for a show.   ALL BOOKED!!  We had the all you can drink package, well no servers to be found on pool decks, which means that we had to get up and go to a bar.  Which means, so did everyone else.  The lines were terrible.  We did NOT get to see any shows and the only way we got to eat at the steak house was to go in at 9:45 pm to eat. Not accommodating for large groups at all.  This was our 19th cruise but only the second with Norwegian, its pretty safe to say we wont be back on Norwegian again.  It's to bad since it was a beautiful ship.           

I was very disappointed to learn that most of the entertainment required additional booking and in some cases an additional entry fee. Also, there were very many restaurants on the ship, however most of them were NOT included in the cost of my cruise. To eat in those restaurants we had to pay (AGAIN) for the entire meal. Overall, what was advertised and what I got were not the same unless I was willing to get nickel and dimed to death.... and I wasn't! 

I would rate this cruise as "OK" instead of "Good". I sincerely hope that you adjust your strategies, otherwise this will be my first and last cruise with Norwegian Cruise Lines. 

My family and I enjoyed the cruise more than we had expected. We were with a big family group. we stayed in the most inexpensive rooms and spent very little time in the room. we enjoyed our self and drank and eat all we wanted and spent less than the drink or food packages would have cost. I think if we ever go again we would consider a room upgrade.

difficult exit to any port,needs wait big line. The foods is good, but I wold like more see tropical fruits. I don't like Manhattan restaurant. ..................................................................................................................

Having cruised on more than a dozen cruises I was very disappointed to pay extra for so much entertainment - everything from shows to shooting pool. The new ship layout was nice with lots of inside places to easily congregate. Overall service was poor - there just didn't seem to be enough wait staff or bar staff. 

Nice ship but way too many people. We had 4900 passengers and 1700 crew members (according to our behind the scene tour guide of the ship) the pool is way to small and needs to be bigger. Don't do the shore excursion at the Atlantis water park (VERY over rated, VERY packed, and VERY unorganized). Don't do the behind the scene tour on the cruise ship (Biggest waste of money). The food was good and the rooms are very clean. Wouldn't travel on Norwegian Escape again and would much rater go on a much smaller ship.

We took our grandchildren and adult children on the Escape for Thanksgiving.  There was a lot of hype about the new ship, but most of it fell flat. We were able to make a comparison since we took the Thanksgiving cruise on the Epic last year- much better ship!  The food was very good in the complimentary restaurants which was fortunate since all the specialty restaurants were booked months in advance. They do seem to nickel and dime you for the extras.  Beginning with this next cruise, Margaritaville will have a cover charge of 5 dollars to eat there. The food was terrible at O'Sheenans the Irish Pub.  And the real shocker, they only use powdered eggs for scrambled at ALL the restaurants and cafes. UGH!   The water slides and ropes courses were great for the kids; however, we had safety issues with the two smaller slides.  The smallest water park which was intended for the little kids was overrun with big 14-15 year olds.  There is no lifeguard and the parents should be watching their children, which we were, but unfortunately no one was watching the big kids.  Of course several little kids were injured, and when we addressed our concerns to the staff, we were told there was no age or size limit. Also, the pool next to the slide has no rail to hold when exiting.  You have to try to hold onto a glass wall to get out.  One woman actually broke her leg exiting. Watch your kids as safety doesn't appear to be a priority with the crew.  We noticed immediately that the staterooms  on the Escape had far less storage space than the Epic although the bathrooms were more spacious.  It seems that the cruise line crammed in more staterooms creating fewer public areas.  The ship was extremely crowded compared to the Epic.  The highlight of the cruise was visiting the Baths in the British Tortollas.  Don't miss that excursion.  We had fun on the cruise because there were nine of us and we enjoy each others company.  I don't think I would go on the Escape again, but the kids seemed to enjoy all the amenities.

The boat was very impressive at first, staterooms nice, and drinks strong! Lol.. but after that the rest of the cruise felt like it was missing something.  Atrium is very small, only one flight of stairs for photos causing many interruptions.  Many pay for restaurants but few free. Pool deck is small, does not accommodate the 4200 people. Comedy club is jokingly small, but the shows were the highlight. Even the main theater in the bow was small. They even have a pay for section on one of the sun deck making it even smaller for everyone. If you don't mind all the up charges it was a good cruise. Which is why I gave it 3 stars instead of 2. We still had a good time. 

Out of 15 cruises, this cruise was the worst.  From the service, on board activities, food...please don't waste your time.  Carnival is better than this!!

The Escape is a lovely ship. Beautifully decorated but overall the staff was unfriendly and cold.  Clarence the bar attendant at Margaritavile was great, Erroll the assistant cruise director was awesome and Jose the bar manager was great as well but unfortunately we didn't find the staff to be helpful or friendly.  There was a long wait for the complimentary restaurants and we were unable to get a reservation at the specialty restaurants even though we had a dining package.  The specialty restaurants were all booked for the entire cruise on day 1 at 1pm.  The water slide and rope course was awesome.  Overall I was a bit disappointed especially since this was a new ship.

Being a new ship everything was new and clean.  Our cabin steward Ryan was very friendly and kept our ice bucket filled and room clean.  Loved Ryan's towel animals and addressed anything we needed immediately.  Good entertainment, however one of the shows had to be cancelled due to a cast member being sick.  That was a big disappointment for me.  Also very disappointed in main dining room menus.  Would like it to change everyday.   Same menu everyday for lunch in all 3 main dining rooms and I mean everyday.  Also disappointed that there is no longer a lobster night.  You can have it, but is additional $19.99.  Many specialty restaurants now charge ala carte instead of a flat fee.  Never ate where I could get a shrimp cocktail.  Another big disappointment!  A new ship is expected to have some problems and it did.  Big slides closed when we went for repairs.  Beautiful ship, but bigger is not always better.

I'm looking forward to next year's conference on aboard the Carnival Vista.  We weren't really that happy with Norwegian.  The ship itself was beautiful but all of the surcharges weren't really called for considering the the cost the passenger pays for the cruise.  The only quite place we found was in our cabin.

there were many companies that were booked on this trip one being connect a travel agencies. They occupied too much of the reservation they constantly had the 5 o clock somewhere booked.  The excursion at Tortola the The Virgin Gorde Baths was a disaster there were numerous injuries. There were no guides from the ship or from the excursion crew. They changed the level from  a 2 to a 3 with a letter attached to your tickets in the envelope. There should have been an announcement and give the passengers an informed reason for this.  The video portraying this excursion is totally erroneous.  We tried to eat at Margaritaville 2 times only to be told all of the pagers were out and there would be a 45 minute wait.  I spoke with the guest relations and Maria the manager from Margaritaville called and guaranteed us a table. Thank you Maria.  We have cruised Norwegian and are silver latitude members. We have never had to pay for entertainment. Part of the allure of cruising is the fantastic entertainment on board the ship. We pay for the cruise and now have to pay extra for nighttime entertainment. This is pure greed. We only saw 2 shows out if the 7 nights because we refused to pay for entertainment. The ship was beautiful our room steward only put animal towels on our bed 3 nights. We usually tip them extra but not this time.