We chose to sail in the NCL Escape because it is a new ship and we have always received outstanding service when sailing with NCL. Also, we wanted to try the new specialty restaurants (e.g., Bayamo, Pincho). The NCL transportation service from the airport to the port and the embarkation process were well organized. The disembarkation process and the transportation back to the airport was also easy and well organized. The ship was clean throughout. We found the cabin to be well designed. The meals in the main dining rooms as well as those in the specialty restaurants were excellent. We ate in the Garden Cafe, Moderno, Pincho, Bayamon, Savors, La Cocina and Le Bistro. The night shows (For the Record; Wine Lover's the Musical; After Midnight) were good but not of the quality of other shows that we have seen with NCL such as Blue Man Group and Legends in Concert. The remaining of the on-board other activities that we attended (e.g. 80's themed party) were well planned. The customer service was excellent (in the restaurants, lounges, shows, staterooms areas, ....) This time we also attended the art auctions. The Park West Gallery team (Arturo, Claudie, Curtis, Dorian, Filip) was outstanding. Highly recommend Arturo's art education sessions.

The ship's gym was well equipped and in high demand. The Thermal Suite of the SPA was large and equipped with multiple modalities of "therapies"(from a dry-heat sauna and several kind of hot water massagers in the pool to a cold/ice room). The shore excursions in St. Thomas (Boss Underwater Adventure) and Tortola (Norman Island Snorkel) were excellent and well organized. The shore excursion at Nassau (Blue Lagoon Sea Lion Encounter) was good in content but the vendor needs to improve their customer service (our tour guide did a head count, walked the group to the the water buses embarkation site and the left without explaining to the group which water bus we all needed to board or the process to get back to the ship's pier.

One area that needs improvement is the ship's air ventilation since the cigarette smoke smell from the casino can be smelled in the central atrium (including in the floors above and below the casino's location) affecting those who are visiting Le Bistro (specialty restaurant), the Headliners lounge, some stores and other lounges. Read more