We had the unfortunate vacation of our lives while going on a Norwegian Cruise on September 9 from New York City. First, this cruise ship, Norwegian Escape is supposed to be one of the newest and best ships in their line-up. I want to tell you that this is the WORST ship that I have ever cruised on and this was my 12th cruise vacation. Here are just some of the problems that I have with this ship.
• Whoever designed this ship should be fired! Its extremely large Casino spans the entire atrium area causing second-hand smoke to billow throughout the Deck 6, 7 and 8 atrium areas and beyond. We are both extremely sensitive to smoke and so it made it nearly impossible to stay in these areas of the ship. Smoke was also a problem for us on our balcony, which smelled of cigarette smoke so badly that we couldn’t use the balcony. I thought that smoking on the Balconies was prohibited but apparently this is not monitored or enforced on your ship. Doesn’t Norwegian Cruise Lines know about the hazard of second-hand smoke and the rate of cancer caused by it? At a minimum, smokers should be in a contained space away from non-smoking passengers. Also, there is no large, expansive area similar to Royal Caribbean ships that have a large “Main Street” in which many passengers can enjoy a smoke free environment.
• The Atrium was a very small space that was always too small for the crowd of people that wanted to attend any of the games or shows scheduled there. Standing Room Only was an understatement. You should have scheduled many of these attractions in the Theater rather than the Atrium. This was also exacerbated by the afore mentioned smell of cigarette smoke.
The cabin was pretty average but the shower was excellent. The only good part of the room.