We were excited to cruise on the new Norwegian Escape for Christmas week. It's a huge ship with 4000+ passengers and of course lots of kids and extended families. Be prepared to find crowds at popular venues. Many shows require reservations, so take care of those right away. Some are available to book ahead of time online. I wish they all were. Embarkation was easy and quick. Our luggage came by 2pm which is amazing considering how many people are getting on the ship.

We had a cabin with a balcony that was so nice for relaxing and reading. It's a cruise ship cabin, so it's compact, yet enough room to put your stuff.

The dining- the food was delicious. There is a wide variety and many places to eat. Be aware of one thing. We had the dining package so we proceeded right to the desk to make our reservations for the three nights as soon as we boarded. However, be aware that not all the specialty restaurants are on the dining package. Bayamo, where Iron Chef Jose Garces brings his Latin-inspired dishes to Escape is not included, but we were not informed when we booked our 3 specialty places. We were excited about eating there. On the day of our reservation, we had a voice mail reminding us that there would be an additional charge. I was shocked. There was no negotiating, and to make it worse, there were no reservations for any of the other specialty dining rooms available. Read more