I have to write this review before I forget ALL of the things I didn't like about my first and LAST 7 day Western Caribbean Norwegian cruise on the Escape. The value for the money is just NOT there at all! First of all the announcements at 7AM. Come on I'm on VACATION!! And the worst part is these annoying announcements were about their very convoluted and confusing tendering process. They make it sound like you HAVE to sign up for a tender to your excursion and then after they announce all SEVENTEEN tenders there's open tendering! My first two off ship experiences were awesome. I went zip lining and floated down the river in the jungle in Jamaica. That was simply amazing! For my second excursion I went snorkeling with Stingrays on Grand Cayman. Also delightful.

For my third excursion my second gripe comes into play. I signed up to go on a wave runner excursion on Norwegian's private island and my group was the last to go at 1pm. When I went to check in I was informed that my session was cancelled because the water was too low. I mentioned to the employee that I was disappointed and he said, "Well we can't control the water ma'am I'm sorry." The last thing I wanted to hear after my excursion was cancelled was a smart remark from some minimum wage worker. There wasn't much else to do on their Island except drink, eat and lay on the beach so I went back to the boat after that!

Third gripe: Norwegian has a tendency to herd you around like cattle. I hate that and I want to be able to do as I please and not be rushed, especially after the amount of money I paid. Speaking of cattle they have one tiny little wading pool for a SOLD OUT cruise of 3000 PEOPLE! Absolutely ridiculous. I think they should shut down one of the 20 bars they have and build a bigger pool and more than one pool! Also if you don't drink or hang out at bars you may want to rethink coming because other than the games and trivia sessions there's not much to do for non drinking adults. I got the ultimate beverage package because the travel agent I booked through said I could get unlimited coffee drinks. FALSE. The Starbucks coffee is NOT free, the only free coffee is the crappy kind at the buffet. Oh and if you drink a lot of water you have to BUY bottles of water and have them delivered to the room or you'll end up drinking a massive amount of 8 ounce glasses from the bar or buffet. Also, the main dining room and buffet that you could eat at for free were average at best. VERY slow service in my assigned dining room The Manhattan. The specialty restaurants were extra and you had to make reservations. Read more