Norwegian Escape Review
Rating by category
Additional details
I've cruised mostly on RCL/Celebrity in the past. I choose NCL for this trip specifically because I was travelling solo for the first time, and the sailing date/port worked out for the larger trip I was doing this summer. I wasn't interested in the itinerary, just the ship. Escape is a relatively new ship, large at 160,000 tons and over 4000 passengers. I've sailed on similar and larger RCL ships, and the difference was noticeable. Escape is not designed as well as RCL ships for accommodating the volume of passengers on board. Every area seemed crowded on sea days. On RCL ships, even ones that aren't that new like the Voyager class, the ship has design features that handle the crowd flow much better, so that you rarely 'feel' like the ship is crowded, even on sea days. I also found the appointments and decor in the public areas somewhat bland compared to even older RCL/Celebrity ships.
I'm not a fan of the 'freestyle' main dining rooms. That seems to mean that when you arrive, you have to wait in line for a free table. 45min on my first night. I did specialty restaurants for the rest of the cruise.
The specialty restaurants were all very good. Teppanyaki is something I really enjoy at home, and it was fun to have it on a ship.
Cabin Review
Studio Stateroom
The Studio stateroom was my primary reason for trying out NCL, and this aspect of the ship did not disappoint. The room was absolutely perfect for a solo traveler. It actually reminded me of the rooms at an MCitizen hotel, right down to the mood lighting. There was more storage than I needed with just my own things. the bed was very comfortable and spacious for a single person. I found the shower stall actually a little larger than those I've had in regular staterooms on other cruise lines. While other lines are starting to put studio cabins on their new ships, they aren't doing it like NCL. Escape has all of the studios in a secured central area spanning 3 decks with it's own lounge. This is unique to NCL and really caters to the solo traveler. I can't say enough good things about this feature of Escape.