Went on cruise with friends. Shared room with a friend. Room tiny even though we upgraded thinking we would get a larger room. Hard to get around in room. Service was excellent. Room clean, dining servers friendly, helpful, informative & fun. Entertainment could have been better. More shows of Broadway caliber. But always some music wherever you are...seemed like more salsa than needed. Spanish speaking songs..maybe more English. I do like Latin music but a little too much. Very organized when embarking & disembarking ship. Employees very helpful in all ways. Whatever their pay it should be more. They work very hard & long hours with a smile on their face...I definitely would go again. Restaurant food was excellent. So much to choose from. La Bistro was the best! Elmer, our server, was wonderful! And the cafe, buffet, had an array of delicious foods of all kinds. Never had something I didn’t like. The woman who oversees the buffet, I believe her name is Diana, is great. She is very helpful, informative, easy to talk to, & the perfect choice for running both the buffet & the Manhattan Room. Great choice, Norwegian! Read Less

I went with 3 other friends. We have all cruised before, but this was the first time on a Norwegian cruise. We were told the ship holds over 4,000 passengers, and boy did we feel it. The pool was so crowded with humanity that you didn't even want to go in, even if you could have fit. Hot tubs were the same. The sundeck on Deck 20 was a nice respite from the crowds, but there was no pool to cool off in. The worst part was that there was no drink service up there. We were there for many hours on 2 different days, and not once did a server come around Part of the Sundeck was like a cruel joke - you looked over the area for The Haven on Deck 19, with their private hot tub, cushioned lounges and lots of wait staff. Obviously these passengers knew the right way to book their cruise. Breakfast restaurants (Savor and Taste) are only open until 9:30 am, which is absurdly early. If you want to avoid the feeding trough atmosphere of the main buffet, which is teeming with what seems like 99% of the passengers, you have to wake up and get to one of these restaurants before 9:15. Likewise, dinner restaurants closed at 9:30-10:30 pm, depending on which one you go to. At one restaurant, The Manhattan Club, the staff was cleaning and vacuuming while we finished our dessert! Because of the location of The Haven, the private premium passenger area, there is no lounge at the front of the ship for the general population. That is a big negative. It is always nice to be able to look out at the front to see where you are going. The musical entertainment was great. Especially Bryant from The Classic Tones, who is an incredibly talented Colombian guitar player. You haven't seen anything until you've seen him play Hotel California behind his head!!! The cabins were adequate. Our porter, Jacinto, was the sweetest and very helpful. All in all, I would not go on a Norwegian cruise again. If you do decide to go, look into the fares for The Haven - it is well worth it to have all that privacy - private check-in, better staterooms, much better class of service. Read Less

I chose this cruise because I enjoyed my cruise to Bermuda in 2016 on the Breakaway and I wanted to return on the Escape for a new ship experience. The Norwegian Escape is larger than the Breakaway, but it has just as many amenities. The pools, spa, restaurants, theater, entertainment are all excellent. The crew and staff were all very friendly and helpful and were ready to assist with any questions you might have. The cruise shore excursions were all very good and fairly priced. They offered a variety of things to do from history filled excursions to beautiful beaches. Hamilton and St. George are the two most visited towns for tourism. There are many shops and restaurants in both locations serving some of Bermuda's popular foods. The famous drink, "The dark and stormy" is a favorite among liquors and the famous sandwich is the fried fish served on a bun. Read Less

We like going to Bermuda and since we have never been on the Escape we decided to book this cruise. The stewards were very friendly and kept our cabin clean and well stocked. The Cruise Director and his staff kept us busy with all their shows and they were very entertaining. The servers at all the restaurants we ate at were also friendly and made sure we had everything we wanted. . We did not like the setup at the Atrium. We felt the piano was in the way of viewing the shows and also there was not enough seating for all that wanted to see the shows. Moving the piano would make for more seating and a new arrangement of seating would also help. We did enjoy our cruise and would recommend NCL to friends and family. We do not like flying and uually take cruises out of New York which is very convenient for us and wish the itinerary was more extensive.. Read Less

Family Cruise to Bermuda. Loved the Escape. Loved the food. Service needs help - especially in the dining room and specialty dinners. Went to Cagney's and didn't get food for 1.5 hours after we sat down. Tables around us were already eating desert by the time we got our dinner. Manhattan dining room needs help with service as well. Took over 30 minutes to get desert after dinner. The bartender at Tobacco Bar wasn't happy at all. If you have the Ultimate Beverage package, it helps to tip a dollar for drinks. They really appreciate it. Nobody was at the District Brew house - I was really surprised. They had great beer! The buffets were never crowded and the food was great. There was always a variety for a family to choose from. We avoided the middle pool deck - it was crazy loud all the time. We enjoyed the Spice H20 deck. Very relaxing. Wish they would play music though. The grotto was great and definitely cooled us off. I was worried about embarkation and debarkation after reading reviews. But it was probably the best I have ever experienced on any cruise. The workers at the port need to learn how to be nice. They were demanding and pushy. The NCL rep that checked us in had anxiety and kept calling somebody to help him. It look about 30 minutes and finally another NCL rep told him to remove himself for 15 minutes. Read Less

Taste - main dining area day 2: My scrambled eggs and cheese were cold and they forgot my toast. Oddly they brought a gravy boat of shredded cheese rather than cooking it in my scrambled eggs. Manager, Moises, sent some wine and sweet treats to our room to apologize. Very classy and we appreciated it. Spa Zero spa shoes Zero lockers Zero access to thermal spa during appt Coed relaxation rooms There was some sort of detox seminar/tours to sell a service which is fine except that they hold it in the the relaxation room which isnt very relaxing for those of us trying to relax. Services were nice but overpriced for lack of additional amenities (like Thermal Spa usage with appt) Lots of upselling after appt with prices excessive for products. Amazon is much better for products over ship pricing. Sky bar has most of the late night activities but it's in n the middle of the casino so the smoke made me leave immediately. Most of the staff seemed very confused when asking where something was on the ship. So much so that after asking 3 people for directions where the sky lounge was, we never located it and missed the singles meet and greet. Not enough chairs on the ship so you have to wake up at the crack of dawn to claim your chairs. Vibe only allows for 100 people and though it has nice chairs, it only has a hot tub and no pool. All in all I'd rank the trip 4/5. Btw, our steward was Harvey and he was amazing. Read Less

Big and new , service is excellent food is fresh and delicious. The crew especially from the Philippines are amazing beyond compare .. Jeanette, Gerald from Manhattan , ranesss can’t trmrber all their name Jackie from h20o , Salvador “ cap” exceptionally amazing .. they went extra mile to please us ... easy embarkation and disembarkation ... just wonderful experience over all . Entertainment is great especially Dylan and Jim McDonald ... the choir of man and howling piano are amazing .. Drinks is awesome .. the bathroom are well kept and sanitize . The dining room are five stars .. food is delicious , drinks are great ... photography are wonderful ... I would highly recommend Norwegian to everyone friends and colleagues and family .. this is not definitely not the first time that we’re going . I talk to fellow cruisers and told us about the great experience they have on Norwegian . So far I validated it with my own experience. Read Less

We are a young family and cruise a few times a year. We were excited about the Norwegian Escape because it was going to our favorite cruise destination: Bermuda. We are from Boston and could have easily sailed out of Boston but chose to make the short trip to NY to try out the highly acclaimed Escape. Looking over deck plans and descriptions it seemed this ship would have something for everyone! We cruised as a large group: 10 adults and 6 kids, ages 7m-6 years. Cabin: We have 3 young children and this was our first cruise as a family of 5. Most cruise lines can only accommodate 4 people to a state room. Norwegian Escape has a Family Oceanview options which accommodates up to five people. Perfect. No complaints about the room. It’s more spacious than a balcony room and the kids have their own area which is sectioned off by a curtain from the adults bed. Bathroom was significantly larger than an average bathroom with a tub, which was also great traveling with kids. This was the first cruise we went on, however, where I had no idea who our room steward was. The room was tidy and always made up and turned down but usually the stewards learn our name and make it more of a personal experience. I missed that. Dining: The Norwegian Escape seems to have never ending dining options but very few options you don’t have to pay extra for. We ate at all the Complimentary restaurants: Taste and Savor, The Manhattan Room and, of course, the Garden Cafe. The Garden Cafe is great for a quick bite to eat but it’s like eating at a cafeteria. It’s loud and the food is subpar. But it’s fast service. Taste and Savor are sister restaurants that serve different options every night. The food is delicious and you can order as many entrees and appetizer combos that you’d like and I advise ordering a few because the portions are small. The Manhattan Room serves the same menu as Taste and Savor but is their “fancier” option when you feel like getting dolled up for the night. We didn’t eat at any of the non-complimentary options. Why should we? Almost all options on the specialty restaurant menus are available at one of the complimentary restaurants menus at some point during the week. Save your money and keep your eyes peeled at the menus. A final thought on dining and a thought that resonates much farther than just the restaurants: make reservations! This was probably the most disappointing parts of cruising on the Escape. The ship is huge yet there are waits and people everywhere! We had to wait for tables at almost every meal at every dining option...yes, even the Garden Cafe (“the cafeteria”). Unacceptable. Then, once seated, service can be extremely slow in the restaurants. We had 3 dinners where, from the time we sat down to the time we got dessert it was over 2.5 hours. And we had kids with us so we were trying to rush. Doesn’t bode well for those trying to make a show in the early evening. Spa: Every cruise I get a massage. My way of treating myself. If you’ve ever gone to the spa on a cruise you know you’re going to pay double for treatments than what you’d pay on land. You would hope paying such a hefty price tag that service would be on point and impeccable. Wrong. I had an appointment for a 75 minute massage. I arrived to the spa 10 minutes early but I was taken for the treatment 15 minutes after my appointment time. No big deal, I thought. I have my massage which was ehh OK and then get dressed. I check my watch to see I wasn’t even on the table for an hour!! I paid for 75!! I bring this to the massage therapist’s attention and she says they “reserve 15 minutes for an after-treatment complimentary skin and body consultation”. What’s that you ask? It’s when they sit you down and try to sell you extremely expensive lotions, creams and scrubs they used on you during your massage. What a scam. Never again will I get a massage on a Norwegian Cruise. Port and Excursions: Bermuda is paradise. We love it because, unlike the Caribbean Islands, it’s a “safe” destination. We can freely leave the boat and walk around without worry of people constantly trying to sell you things or rob you. We took a taxi to Horseshoe Bay. It was packed but it’s so gorgeous there the people don’t matter. We did not do any shore excursions. I compared the Norwegian shore excursions to what the companies just off the boat were offering for the same experiences and off the boat was cheaper. I guess the convenience of having Norwegian arrange all the plans could be worth it but I’d rather save a few bucks and fend for myself off the boat. On board Entertainment: I wouldn’t know. This was probably the most disappointing aspect of the whole cruise. If you’re going to build a ship to accommodate 4,000 people, you better make sure you have availability to entertain all of them. My biggest piece of advice for anyone cruising on the Escape is to book your entertainment for the week as soon as you get aboard. If you don’t it will sell out and you’ll be left to entertain yourself every night. Half of going on a cruise is for the entertainment and to have all options sell out was terrible. Kids options: We sailed with our 3 kids. The two older kids were able to go to Splash Academy daily, the on board children’s program for kids aged 3-12. My kids loved it. They had different theme nights all leading up to the most adorable show put on by the kids on the last day. Very well done and I know my kids will be talking about it for a while. The Norwegian Escape also is the only Norwegian ship to offer childcare for infants. We have a 6 month old so this was a great option for us. You have to book in 2 hour blocks which can be annoying but they take great care of the babies and always make you feel confident in their abilities. Only complaint about the Kids program is the times. All other cruise lines seem to be open during the evening for drop off so parents can go to dinner. Norwegian Escape doesn’t open their program until later in the evening which can get in the way of dinner for the adults. That’s really my only complaint about the kids program. Overall impression: The ship is definitely something to see. It’s huge and nicely decorated. The staterooms are beautiful and the food is tasty. However, understand that your ticket price is more or less paying for your bed and a few meals. They try to up charge you for everything everywhere you look. And prepare For crowds everywhere! Make reservations as quickly and as often as possible. Avoid shore excursions and trips to the spa: ripoffs. If we could do it again I think we would still choose this crusie. It worked for our family. The money charged across the boat adds up quickly so prepare your elf. Read Less

Chose this cruise for it's port of call - Bermuda! Incredible country and loved the fact that we had almost 3 days there. First time sailing w/ NCL...loved being able to board by 11am and embarkation process was smooth. Ship has SO many dining and drinking options - don't think we managed to get to them all! Our kids LOVED Splash Academy - said they liked it even better than the kids' programs on Disney cruises! Food was overall good - would highly recommend specialty dining - exceptional meals in Teppanyaki, Cagneys and La Cucina! Only criticism is the lack of pools - only 2 pools and, of those, one is reserved for adults only. With ALL kids on ship only being able to use one pool (and therefore the parents all using that pool, too) it was way too crowded and poorly monitored. Also, the way the deck is arranged with a water slide on one side of kids' pool and aqua park on other side, there is NO seating around kids pool for parents to use. You essentially are left standing the whole time or sitting on a bench that runs along the wall. No loungers, no chairs, no nothing. Only other negative was the overall level of service. We didn't receive bad service anywhere...we just didn't receive exceptional service almost anywhere either. Disappointed in leaving w/out feeling like we'd been "pampered". Isn't that part of the cruise experience?! In summary, we will be back I'm sure - if not on the Escape than on another NCL cruise. They run a good show! Read Less

We sailed the Escape last May (2017/western Caribbean) and loved everything about the ship. When we heard she was relocating to NYC, it was a no-brainer to book the Bermuda sailing since we live in PA and could drive to the port. Our precruise stay was at the Hilton Garden Inn in Ridgefield Park, NJ (seven miles from the port). Price included lodging, breakfast, parking all week, transportation to the port and pickup after the cruise back to the hotel. We booked a mini-suite with a large balcony on Deck 8 (8134). Perfect location. Close to everything (dining, shops, The Waterfront, casino, atrium). We did specialty dining four evenings: Teppanyaki, Moderno and Cagney's (twice). Book as early as possible, especially if you're planning to go to a show since dining takes more than an hour at some restaurants. Entertainment/shows were excellent. Top notch comedy. Some of the no fees shows were sold out, but I stood in the standby line and was able to get in. Entire staff were very friendly. Loved the washy-washy guy! Bermuda is a beautiful island. So much history. Did a five hour island tour, catamaran tour and daughter did parasailing. Lots to do in the dockyard area (shopping, restaurants, mall, jet skiing, mini-golf, beach area). Other tours are also available in the dockyard area. The icing on the cake for me was the ship's Thermal Spa. They only sell 150 passes. $199 if you prebook before the cruise/$219 if you book after you board. They do not sell daily passes. No children under 18. Very quiet area. The large pool features jets to massage different parts of your body, whirlpools, sauna, steam room, snow room, salt room, regular loungers and heated tile loungers that overlook the ocean. Also includes men's and women's locker rooms/shower area. I spent at least two hours at the Thermal Spa every day. Did self assist disembarkation. Was off the ship and on our way home by 9 a.m. Read Less