Norwegian Escape Review
Rating by category
Additional details
My husband & I sailed over spring break with our 2 teenagers (14,15). This is the second spring break cruise we have taken with the kids, the first being on RCL Oasis 2 years ago. There is much to love about NCL Escape and overall we had a great vacation... but our family will probably not cruise again over spring break, and certainly not with NCL.
We chose to book a Haven cabin simply because we knew the ship would be at capacity and there would be a lot of kids traveling this time of year. Also, we are not super "party people" and tend to look for quiet, relaxing spots. This is the first time we have sailed in a suite category and it was a stretch for our budget to do so. However, our kids are reaching the age that we feel we only have so many spring break vacation trips left together... so we decided to splurge.
Embarkation: We did not get off to a smooth start. We received a phone call from NCL a few days before sailing advising us that due to a music festival there would be extra congestion in the Miami area & we needed to allow extra time to get to the port. The reality was that we encountered no traffic at all in the area, got to the port early (around 9:30) only to wait around until almost 12:30 to actually board the ship. Our initial impression of the Haven experience was "this is not worth it". We started in a very small check in area where there were not enough seats for everyone, only to be walked upstairs to another waiting area... which also did not have enough seats. The biggest complaint was the lack of communication through the whole process. The person "escorting" us upstairs began walking holding a sign and asked us to follow along. It was so crowded as we made our way to the lounge area, that by the time we arrived it was only us and one other family that had managed to keep up. The employee never once turned around to see if everyone in the group was with us, and didn't seem concerned that over half the group had gotten separated. We were then left to hear rumors passed around through the large crowd as to what time we would begin boarding... first 11:00, then 11:30, then 12:00 until finally at around 12:30 with no announcement, people just began rushing towards the doorway and boarding. We just followed the crowd, not really sure if we were even headed in the right area, until we arrived at the Haven. We did enjoy some nice snacks and beverages, but it was very crowded and chaotic. Luckily we were told that the cabins were ready, so we headed that way.
Cabin Review
The Haven Aft-facing Penthouse with Balcony
Cabin: We LOVED the cabin. I was very worried that we would be crowded with 2 teenagers sharing the sitting room. It actually worked out just fine. There was plenty of storage for all their things in the main room, and although the 2nd bathroom was not big, it was fine for them. Our cabin steward was amazing. Not only did he keep the cabin spotless... he went out of his way to make the sofa into a twin bed back and forth each day. We took a twin air mattress with us, because the kids didn't want to share the sofa bed (it can also be folded out to queen size). We asked our cabin steward for bedding for this, but told him we would take care of setting it up each night. We found we could easily keep the mattress inflated and store it under the bed in the master. After the second night, we came home to find he had set up the air mattress for us during turn down service. He continued to do this each night, even though we insisted we did not want him to go to the extra trouble. Junelle was just wonderful. The highlight of this cabin was the balcony. It truly became our retreat away from the crowds. We spent countless hours on the loungers either reading, napping, or just taking in the scenery.