This was our 1st NCL cruise and our last! After spending nearly $4500, just for the cruise, our family of 4 was left feeling robbed. We've sailed with Carnival, Princess, Royal Caribbean and Celebrity in the past. Although the ship is new and pretty, NCL Escape was a bust. First, the staff: Not friendly or engaging. They didn't seem joyful, rarely smiled and probably could have cared less about trying to meet guests needs.

Next the service: Slow, very slow. We had to ask many times just to have our water glasses refilled in all the complimentary restaurants. Not to mention, the menu. When I asked if my 7 year old could have a house salad in the Manhattan restaurant, the waiter looked at me like I high maintenance. I'm sorry that I asked you to be helpful, what 7 year old likes caesar salad? We asked for shrimp cocktail for an appetizer and were told that we'd have to pay for it. What? Same for lobster. That too was not complimentary.

Let's talk about the shows. They were definitely lacking pizazz like other cruise lines. After Midnight was the only show that even came close. I read Escape reviews beforehand & thought I'd take what was being said with a grain of salt. HA! Man, they were pretty spot on. I heard many, many guests complain about the Wi-Fi (which was worse than dial-up), the food, the service, shows, etc so I knew I wasn't being overly picky. Read more