It was the closest cruise to our 50th anniversary date. Friends had recommended Norwegian. Long time waiting to get aboard, Much better getting off ourselves. We were VERY disappointed in our "Ultimate dining package " We found out at the first restaurant, first night, that it was only good for ONE meal ! I had made reservations for each of the 4 nights, thinking I was getting 4 meals. In speaking to several of your staff prior to the cruise, NOBODY mentioned that we were only getting one meal ! Not very transparent, actually SNEAKY ! Bad Job, Crappy way to treat first time cruisers on Norwegian. But , you probably train them that way. The specialty restaurant , La Cuchina, was only average as it turned out. We cancelled the other 3 reservations, after noticing that they cost about $75 pp ! The breakfasts and dinners in the Venetian dining room were OK. The Beverage package was OK. The pool deck was very crowded, no chairs available and not enough staff to get you a drink without a long wait. This was the smallest ship we have been on. On board shopping was very limited, except if you wanted to spend hundreds or thousands. $10 T shirts were advertised for the last night but there were NONE there, only trinkets and junk . The ring we bought for my wife is turning her finger black. NCLs 100 mins of WIFI was useless, never worked. The entertainment was OK, for a small ship. Patti and Josy were very good. The highlight was our cabin and cabin steward, both very good. The weather was beautiful the whole cruise. Way too short of time to do anything in Bermuda, a place we like alot. Been there before. Stores closed in Hamilton, on a Sunday. We would classify NCL as better than Carnival, not as good as RCL. We would like a response to this review from NCL Read Less

We have sailed on the NCL Dawn three times.Always have enjoyed.This time was no exception.The Dover Sole at Le Bistro was so delicious.Patti and Jose in the Atrium each evening performing was wonderful. The only negative we found was the twenty year olds in the suite next to ours who got so drunk and had screaming girls at 3am pounding on their door.Who do you call on a ship in the middle of the ocean at 3 am to report this kind of event?This only happened on the last night out but left such a terrible memory.Our suite on deck 12 was very large and our room steward kept it very clean.Our butler was pleasant.Not our best ever butler but he tried very hard. All the meals were very good and we had no complaints.Bermuda was beautiful as always even after a hurricane.Such a special island.We hope to sail on NCL again soon. Read Less

Cabin was fine as noted below. However I did notice that the carpet could have been cleaner. Bathroom was tight but well laid out. 1). Fun party boat with mostly middle age and younger folks. (A waiter told us the average age on this 4 day Bermuda weekend cruise was 48 as compared to an 11 night Canada/New England just prior to our sailing where the average age was 68!) 2). Local folk from all walks of life. 3) We experienced every level of service.. From stellar service from Rose in ship photography who went above and beyond helping us connect to wifi when the IT department was long gone, to downright rude staff. Notably a front desk member was annoyed with a very simple question and a eat staff member seemed to unexplainably stomp off in the middle of serving us. (It appeared were walked in on some some of dispute between her and the hostess, since i we did nothing to provoke this. 4). The food:. The free stuff was not good. Honestly, barely edible, with exceptions. Garden Cafe buffet: Mainly just gross. Go here only if you have no other option. Omelets were ok. Crepes were ok. Fruit salads and slices were good. Soft serve machine was always broken. Topsiders: Mini version of inside buffet food but since it's exposed to heat and humidity, I'd just stay away. They do offer ice cream, and that is the exception here. Wings at O'Sheehan's were ok, as was the Spinach artichoke dip. Everything else we had was just weirdly prepared or not good. Bamboo: Didn't get to experience because strangely the Norwegian app indicated that "Reservations not Accepted". However, when we went there they were only accepting those with reservations. ??? Venetian:. Let me just say this. Save yourself. Eat here. We had something very good at every meal. Although, it takes time for your food, it was worth it. Aqua:. We didn't get to but has same menu as Venetian. Los Lobos:. Good, small portions, and you are paying reasonable ala cart prices. Teppanyaki:. Good. Entertaining but expensive. Drinks:. About average for vacation, figure on $10 drink. We did not do the drink package. We figured we'd have to drink at least 10 drinks a day per person to make it worth it. We brought wine aboard. All in all, it was a fun weekend cruise. Read Less

We took this as our first cruise. It was my birthday that week. We didn't make it to Bermuda, however we had a great time.The dining staff(Eddy. Riafin and one other ) were fantastic. All the staff including room staff was fantastic! We will definitely cruise with Carnival Sunrise again! For being on the ship 5 out of 6 days we were always enertained. The shows were incredible! The talent on that ship from shows to 3rd floor music was great. The pictuted we had done on formal nights came out beautiful, and there was no high potch sales involved! We look forward to sailing with Carnival Sunrise again, not to mention they gave us 100% refund dur to not making it to Bermida. We did stop in Charleston which was beautiful and enjoyed that port.All in all it was a grrat experience for a first time cruise! Can't wait to book again! Read Less

We chose this cruise as it suited our time frame and the price was extremely fair. I was however nervous a couple of days prior to departure after reading some terrible reviews. Embarking went fantastic very quick and efficient the appointment times work so there is no wait to get onboard and begin the vacation. First impressions were staff very friendly and welcoming love the new designs in the lobby atrium very welcoming and feels very roomy. Straight up onto the lido deck we went to check it out. It was extremely busy as you can imagine as everyone was enjoying the bar and ample types of foods. Mikey from the entertainment was absolutely phenomenal I’ve never laughed so hard and right from the beginning I knew this was going to be a good one. We were able to access our cabins at 1:30pm which was awesome so we could get ourselves situated before we set sail. We stay in cabin aft 6439 balcony the room design was awesome and more than enough closets 3 in total full length mirror on inside of one of the doors. In the bureau there was ample drawers 6 in total. With a built in desk and another great mirror. And shelves built around it. The cabin was fabulous no complaints whatsoever about the cleanliness and the bathroom is actually bigger with a decent amount of counter space on the vanity along with 6 shelves. Love the water temperature adjuster huge thumbs up on this. Deck party phenomenal all the Entertainment was fabulous there was so much to do never a minute to become bored. Serenity was amazing we even found ourselves falling asleep with the tranquil music that was being played and the chaises made for 2 so comfortable. Dining room very efficient we were welcomed each evening no problems with service or food all excellent. I would highly recommend a night at the Fahrenheit steakhouse the food was amazing. All in all no complaints at all only praise. We enjoyed ourselves so much that we already booked for next year but this time instead of the 4 day we are doing 8 loved it Read Less

Cabin - Spa Balcony on the 11th Floor Cabin No. 1104. Embarkation & Disembark at 12th Avenue 55th Street in Manhattan, NY. The ugliest ghetto ship i've ever been on. This was a 4-day cruise to Bermuda and we spent it in our cabin and only left to eat. The buffet is full of only 4-5 things and they're greasy yucky things. You have to make a line and stand on it each time. They had a great taco stand and a great pizza stand but i didn't go on a cruise to eat a $5 meal. Dining hall was nice called Sunshine but our first day it took them 30 min's to get a glass of water on our table (with a 19-month old !!!!! no less). We left. Boycotted for a day only to realize that the pizza and slimey food at buffet was going to make us even more sick!!! I threw up for 2 days because of the rocking of the ship!!! lol I have been on so many cruises before and never threw up or even felt anything close to sea-sick (infact!! when first time cruisers ask me if they'll be sea sick ..i tell them I NEVER EVEN FEEL THE SHIP MOVING) Not this Ghetto ship!!!! I felt it all!!! Gross and EWW!! Service: the staff? The crew ppl -- the small guys that i encountered AMAZING!! all Philippians and omg amazing amazing amazing....friendly nice sweet. I heard how the mop girl only made $540/month after working 60 hour shifts. They do a great job and with a smile. Activites? What FREAKING activities? This ship was all PROFIT FOR THE CRUISE LINE ....we, the passengers got gipped!! ZERO SHOWS...ZERO ENTERTAINMENT...there was NOTHING TO DO!! LIKE NO JOKE!!! nothing. Child room? N O P E !!! I could take my 19 months old to the play room from 8am - 10am FOR FREE or!!! from 10pm - 1 am for a free of $6.95/an hour. what about he rest of the freaking day????? b/c i wake up at like 10am!!! WELL i got to stay in my balcony room entertaining her ANNOYED. Pool? hot Tub? Sure but they were packed and i was grossed out to go near them!!! I DIDN'T even want my child to wet her feet in them!!! Entertainment: Comedy club!!! okay SAD!!! not funny! i went to two shows and 1 was by a CP person...he was as funny as he could be...no big jokes but he made fun of the fact that he couldn't make really much jokes .... 2nd was a black guy who gave us a speech (by us i meant to blacks) saying how they have to laugh even if he's not funny b/c us blacks have to stick together... Highlight? I gotta have some fun right? lol NO! i used the spa the first day and was done and bored with it.!! it is smaller than my NYC apartment and i live small!!! UGHH i paid too much for this ghetto vacation!!! How was Bermuda??? It was gorgeous...sadly we didn't have time to do much.. The port docs are at one end of the island and everything to do and see is literally 50 min bus ride away (minimum) to downtown Hamilton. Bermuda itself was gorgeous.. THIS IS A PLACE to go and stay at for a few days.....a cruise there is a waste! no time to do anything. I WOULD NEVER AGAIN USE CARNIVAL....it was my first experience with this GHETTO company (and i'm sure they have nicer ships but can't risk it) Read Less

We chose this cruise to spend a few extra days in NYC and we hadn’t been to Bermuda before. It was just my husband and I. We have been on several NCL cruises before and had no complaints with them. We were spent a significant portion of our time onboard with the art auctions as that was our primary reason for the cruise. The condition of the ship overall was somewhat rundown. For example, chairs had no padding left in the padded seats. Not quite as clean, bits missing here and there. Our room was okay. Unlike other cruises where the steward introduced himself the first day, we didn’t even see ours until mid-week. A lot of the staff seemed to have an attitude. The food in the buffet area was so-so. Not much variety and there were times the condition was not acceptable (cold eggs, hard edges on French toast). Even some of the specialty dining options were so-so. The French restaurant Le Bistro was very good. Teppenyaki was good but so loud you couldn’t carry on a conversation. The entertainment options were somewhat limited but they did have some great comedy acts. The lines at the guest serves were always long and I know that I had to go back several times over the same issue. Bermuda is beautiful. Clean, very safe, and easy to get around. Since we had 3 days in port, we didn’t schedule any excursions. Took the ferry and public bus to get around. You can also rent scooters. In general, everything is a little more $$ there but worth getting out. Not much shopping other than the usual. Beaches, snorkeling, or scuba is best use of time. Just a warning . . . If you aren’t used humidity, it really hits you . . . Like swimming underwater! Don’t use NCL transportation to the airport. They don’t leave until everyone is on board. After waiting 1 hour, 2/3 of the passengers to Newark hadn’t shown up and we were told if we needed to catch a taxi to make our flight, NCL would reimburse transportation voucher, I’m still fighting with them. Overall, very disappointing experience. I’m not sure if I will cruise NCL again. Read Less

This was actually our fourth NCL cruise. We have found that certain aspects of NCL have declined over the last few years. Most notably the food. We found the food on this cruise to be mediocre at best with the exception of Cagney's and Teppanyaki. The Bistro was okay but La Cucina very average. The buffet was very disappointing with poor selection and okay food. One big sore point for me was the Cigar Lounge. I occasionally enjoy a good cigar and had recently cruised on the Joy and found the Cigar Lounge a very enjoyable experience. Unfortunately not the case on the Escape. One of the first things I did after boarding was go check out the Cigar Lounge and to my dismay found it full of people smoking cigarettes. It actually looked like a fog in the room. A woman saw me looking in the door and her look almost dared me to come in. I approached the bar staff adjacent to the lounge and asked why there were cigarettes in the lounge. At first I was told they weren't supposed to be in there and then that they were allowed to be there. I later spoke with a ship's officer to complain and was told that since they no longer allowed smoking on the outside areas of deck 8 they had decided to let cigarette smokers use the lounge. When I asked why it is not allowed on other NCL ships with Cigar Lounges, I was told that each ship made their decisions. I am sorry, but I refuse to try and light up and enjoy a $20 cigar in a room full of cigarettes. I know to some this may sound petty but I had actually gone out and purchased some high quality cigars to enjoy. This now makes our second NCL cruise where we have no interaction with our Steward. Our cruise in July we never saw our Steward until the last morning when he wanted to know if we were leaving so he could be begin cleaning the room for the next cruise. On this cruise we searched out our steward on the first day to make contact. We introduced ourselves and then that was the last time we spoke with him the entire cruise. We have found on other cruise lines that our cabin stewards greet us by name and continually check to see if we need anything. No so with NCL. Embarkation was a nightmare. We were delayed getting back to port due to Dorian. After arriving 8 hours late, we had to find a place to wait to leave the ship. This was made more difficult because no one was allowed on deck 7. I have a bad knee and finally was directed by an officer to Cagney's were I was able to find a seat. After leaving the ship that were not allowing cabs to pick up in front of the terminal so were forced to cross a busy street and was a block or so so we could then get a Lyft driver. Since I always like to try and find some good, we attended the show After Midnight. It was exceptional. The singers dancers and the band were great. It was a high quality production. One thing I can say for NCL is that their shows tend to rise above the rest. We were onboard attending a VIP art event and found the gallery staff and the ship's staff working the event to be outstanding. Unfortunately for the negative reasons above, we will have to think twice about cruising with NCL in the future. Read Less

Friends and family had nothing but praise for this cruise line. Unfortunately the embarkment was 45 min off and disembarking was a hectic cluster as the cruise line did not follow their own policy. As we did obtain their green banding and waited for our call as told...when our call came we found the whole ship and passengers were left in an unruly manner. Causing mass confusion. Which makes one wonder what what would happen in the event of an emergency. Our cabin was not cleaned to the standard we had expected with dust and hair found sporadically around the room. When returning to our cabin after many hours we had to ask or forgo cleaning of our room on many days and fill our towels ourselves. In all fairness our dining was 5 star. Entertainment and activities were in abundance. It did take multiple calls and 3 days to get water for my husbands cpap. Bermuda itself is a beautiful island but the excursions, for the cost, was not actually worth the money. Read Less

Heard good things about Norwegian Escape. Have always been loyal to royal Caribbean. Ground transport from LaGuardia to the cruise terminal and as horrible. Took 2 hours. Buses were not called to pick us up until after they confirmed the number of people waiting. We were corralled in an air at the airport with no seating. Food servers in the restaurants did not know their menus or the side dishes that came with them. The stateroom crew were the best. The most pleasant and most accommodating. Disembarking was horrendous. Took an hour to get off the ship once we got in line. We missed our flight which Norwegian had booked. The ground transport to LaGuardia took forever and they don’t drop you at your terminal. They drop everyone at terminal A and then you are on your one to get to your correct terminal. We barely made out 2nd flight and had to pay an additional $150.00 for Norwegian’s mistake. The night at Cagney’s was ruined because they charged us $7.20 for sparkling water, even though we have the premium drink package. Internet service was terrible. The 250 free minutes are used up waiting for text messages and emails to go through. Had to pay an additional $85 for unlimited internet but only one of us go be online at a time. Very annoying! Read Less

We always choose ncl as our favorite cruise line. Booked this same ship for another cruise. The ship is wonderful, clean, welcoming. Ate lobster at Bayamo twice and Cagneys once. Moderno with the salad bar never disappoints. Crew was pleasant and nice! Great cruise in all BUT.... It took till Wednesday to get all our platinum latitudes perks. Had to stand in line three separate time to accomplish this. Parents with young children and the drinking package. A good idea?? What happened to those days when there were minimal children on a cruise. they should have been in school. So many uncontrolled toddlers running and screaming in public areas. And older children sitting on stairs. Parents should be asked to control these children as to not disturb others. The buffet area would be wonderful if an adults only area is set up. Disembarkment was an epic fail. The color system they use only works when it is enforced. The higher ups need to revamp their system to guests to not get hurt or pushed on the stairs. It was awful! Read Less

I chose this cruise due to the commercialization I had seen. It is nothing but a nightmare with small pools that had so many people you couldn’t move in it. In size they must have been maybe 20 x 20 (if that). The buffet was terrible the bacon and the meats were full of fat not drained and climbed down on a large metal tray for you to pick out with prongs. The meatballs they served was soy bean, like rubber balls. Most of the food is eaten barely half and look around all the people are throwing half the food away in the garbage. The Stewart was fair although nothing really significant in his service. The price of this cruise was outrageous, almost $1300 apiece just for a balcony room. I imagine the Cove Haven part of the ship upstairs was much better than the average reservations. ( at least I hope so. ) You had to pay for every little thing, even a bottle of water. You had no choice but to pay the outrageous price for the water and my girlfriend had one drink, a margarita, it cost $15. In sum, for the price I paid I would not recommend this to anyone, maybe half the price I paid I would consider it. Read Less

The water was so blue! Bermuda is gorgeous. The best beaches, everyone was friendly. There is a lot to do in Bermuda. The beaches are absolutely delightful, nothing compares in the US. we had such a great time on the ship. The staff is phenomenal. Very courteous, they went above and beyond. I highly recommend the beverage/drinks packet added to your ticket. It makes everything easier and boy were those drinks yummy. There were several bars on the ship and there were at least 10 total if not more. The restaurants were yummy, again the servers were awesome. The buffet was really good. I loved the variety and freshness. This is a trip I will never forget thanks to my good friend in NJ. If it wasn't for her, I would have never experienced the serenity of watching one the great oceans of the world. I would love to go on another Norwegian cruise, I would not hesitate for a minute to book it. Read Less

I chose this ship because our friends had planned this trip and the convenience of the port. We had a wonderful time going to Bermuda. This was our first time on an Norwegian cruise line. The ship was very big with lots of activities to do. The captain was very careful to avoid the hurricane Dorian when we were going to Bermuda. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The food of course wasn’t the best but still tasted good. I would have to thank the guest manager for treating us very special. I would have to say we want to try the Norwegian Escape again. This was also our first time doing a meet and great and the slot pull which was lots of fun. The captain was also careful with the hurricane going back home. Although we had arrived late we came back to port safe and sound. Read Less

We chose this cruise because it had been a few years since we sailed Norwegian. We previously sailed the Jade, and enjoyed it. Also, the NY pier is a 3 hr drive from our home. Bermuda is beautiful and I can leave a review regarding that on a Bermuda board, but for this review I am limiting my review to our time on the ship. The good: -Embarkation went smooth, less than 1.5 hour wait. -Sitting outside at the waterfront and dining during sunset. -Amazing view from an aft balcony -The drinks/drink package -Shows, particularly comedy, Marva Hicks, and wine lovers musical. The good and bad: The spa I bought over $800 worth of services and enjoyed it all. One down point here: I did purchase a nail fix as my most inexpensive service, $15 plus tax, to glue a piece of my nail down that was beginning to break. A couple of hours afterwards, it fell off anyway and the spa assistant manager refused to give me a refund. Because of this, I will probably not use the spa again even though the rest of the services were spectacular. I was even able to purchase the Keratase products I use on my hair here. My “vacation hero” was Amir from India who works in the hair salon. He was very personable and gave me a wonderful haircut. The bad: -Food. The food is generally not good on this ship. I am referencing the taste and beyond. The beyond refers to the night my husband and I repeatedly went to the bathroom with upset stomachs. My husband also orally could not keep any food down the same evening. The remainder of the cruise was full of upset stomachs, bathroom trips, bloating and gas. We both experienced this. I am probably used to a high quality of food but whatever the reason may be, we either didn’t like the food or became sick 60-70 percent of the time. On the ferry into Hamilton, Bermuda, other passengers also expressed their dissatisfaction with the food. Your best bets our the main dining rooms at lunch rather than the buffet and specialty restaurants at dinner, particularly Cagney’s and Teppanyaki. We ate everywhere except Le Bistro and Pinchos Tapas Bar. Staff onboard: Some staff members were exceptional, including our cabin steward Rochelle, guest service employees, Amir and Christina in the spa, bartenders and various waitstaff and we tipped amply on top of the automatic gratuities to show our appreciation. I suggest everyone do the same if they are willing and able. The problem with this ship is that service is hit or miss. We had very dismissive and slow service in La Cucina, for example. Also, when we called restaurant reservations to cancel reservations and free them up for others (after already making replacement reservations on our app), the female rep who answered was short tempered and impatient on multiple occasions. We were shocked that was the case when we were being courteous to other guests. Layout of the ship: The guest services, Internet cafe, main big screen interior television, bar, espresso shop and shore excursions are all in the same location with the art gallery not far away. Too many people are converged into this area of the boat at all times. There are also people walking slow and looking at art making it more congested. I have been on smaller ships that did not feel as cramped, including the Jade. I’ve also been on large ships that did not have this problem, such as MSC. In fact, Norwegian could take lessons from MSC as to how to lay out a large ship. -Disembarkation: Was a crap show. Our ship arrived into port late due to Hurricane Dorian and started disembarkation at 2:45. They gave out different colored luggage tags which were supposed to correspond with your disembark time. No one from Norwegian actually checked the tags until midway into the line or more and everyone appeared to converge on the gangway at the same time. Lots of people were visually frustrated and some verbalized it. -Water: Norwegian bring bottled water back to premium beverage package. It’s ridiculous that on a ship with wine and liquor everywhere, water appears to be its most expensive asset. Miscellaneous: Parking: We used a parking app, Park Whiz, to book a spot on 58th in walking distance to the pier. Very convenient to the pier. Shore excursion: Did not do an organized excursion, instead rented a Twizy during whole time docked. We visited Warwick Long Bay and John Smith Bay beaches and highly recommend both. The Twizy is uncomfortable for the rear passenger but a necessary evil to get around on your own unless you take a cab or bus or stay close to the ferry terminal. Visual appeal of Escape: 10/10 exterior. Inside, however, could use some color and rooms in need of refurbishment. I added this to miscellaneous as it is purely subjective and thus, I have tried not to base my review on. Read Less

We have never been to Bermuda so decided to try cruising from New York on the Escape. This was our first time being on one of the larger Norwegian ships. Embarkation went smooth and we were on the ship around 12:30 and went directly to book our shows for the week. We then had lunch at O'Sheehan's and then familiarized ourselves with the ship until we were able to get in our room. The ship is huge but most of the restaurants/bars/entertainment are located on 3 levels. Our room was 15712 and it had balcony. The bathroom was quite roomy. We only ate at the complimentary restaurants. The food was good but the choices were a little repetitious. Make sure you see The Choir of Man show and Howl at the Moon. Very fun! Pool area is nice but the pool is small and it was always full with people. Embarkation was also smooth but we booked a transfer to the airport thru the ship and the driver of the bus had never driven to the airport before so it took us a little longer. Read Less

My wife and I have been cruising with NCL for about 10 years and 17 cruises. This cruise was for our 20th wedding anniversary. We decided to get a Haven suite. Our previous cruise had too many children so we had thought that the Haven would have fewer children. The children were from age 6 months on up. We were very wrong. The entire ship was overrun with babies & toddlers. The strollers were clogging the elevators and the walkways. Every restaurant had at least one screaming baby (including the specialty restaurants). Even the Haven area was mostly unusable as the pool area was completely taken over by young children. The service was, as always, spectacular. Every NCL staff member we encountered was pleasant and friendly. The food was equally spectacular. The only problem we had was everything was so good but one can only eat so much. The entertainment was great. We loved the comedy shows. The shows in the Escape theater were very good. However, it appears that NCL has shifted their business model to cater to families with young children. It was like being on a Disney cruise. I would strongly recommend that one does not cruise on NCL unless one wants to cruise with a lot of children (and I mean a lot). However, if one is looking for a child friendly cruise line then NCL is a great fit. My wife and I have decided to break from NCL. Our children are grown and we have no desire to share our vacation with other people's children. The Bermuda cruise will be our last that we book. We have already paid for another cruise so we will do that and be done with NCL. I wish NCL the best. I have a lot of great memories from NCL. Read Less

Very disappointed in the NCL Escape cruise to Bermuda. Smoking is allowed in the casino which located at the center atrium of the ship. Smoke is smelled throughout the ship on ALL levels because of this. Shame on NCL for subjecting us to second hand smoke. Smoking is also allowed at certain outside bars located directly adjacent to the children's water park. Children should not have to smell smoke and be subjected to cancer. The overall service staff was rude and not cordial. A bartender at the H20 bar from India yelled at me for not picking up my mixed drinks on time. The guest services person gave me incorrect information on when the time zone change would occur. The NCL mobile app had incorrect information that we were going to be in Hamilton for three days and not the dockyard. Fire alarm testing at 10 am during the breakfast rush is unacceptable. This should have been tested during the afternoon when most are off the ship on excursions. I was excited to take a tour of the bridge and see behind the scenes areas like the kitchen, laundry and engine room like I did on other cruise lines, however, NCL has the nerve to charge $79 per person for this tour of their ship. This is disgraceful. Not having a pitcher of water or bucket of ice in the room, as well as no chocolate at night or towel bunny is cheap and disgraceful. Charging $7 a bottle for water when I have the all you can drink package up to $15 per drink is also disgraceful. Nickel and diming me for port charges for drinks while at NY should be picked up by NCL. Coffee should be served at the tables at the buffet so I don't have to navigate back to my table with piping hot coffee through hundreds of people walking in all different directions. The food and pastries at the buffet and most of the specialty restaurants was subpar with most pasties tasting like they were mass produced and from frozen cartons. The waiters did not show us the proper attention like other cruise lines where you had dedicated waiters. Maybe because their tip is already included! Many of the waiters or waitresses did not understand English and got our drink orders wrong. There were also few food carvings or any other special food nights. The seafood extravaganza was a joke with only peel your own shrimp. No crab legs or anything. The specialty seafood restaurant waitress said not to order the lobster I was craving because its frozen and many people are said to be returning it due to poor taste. The sushi appetizer at the Cagney Steakhouse caused intestinal distress for a day and half. Many of the entertainment shows were sold out immediately as we boarded the ship. The comedy club size is a joke holding about 75 people with a ship of over 4,000 passengers. This show should have been held in the main theater so more people can watch and not be subjected to standing in the rear against a wall. The bar in the comedy club was also closed during a show preventing many people from ordering drinks. Theater showings should be after 10 pm so it doesn't interfere or conflict with my open seating for dinner which NCL prides themselves on. NCL cruise line was very disappointing. I will be going back to Royal Caribbean cruises where they treat their customers with respect and the food is always good. Read Less

We're in our 60's and have cruised on many lines over the last 40 years. Favorite cruise ship right now would be Celebrity Equinox. We booked Oceania Insignia for its smaller intimate ship size, highly recommended cuisine, and itinerary to Hamilton and St. George Bermuda. We truly miss the ability of the newer mega ships to dock there. They are too large to fit in Hamilton, and much too large to enter St. George through "the cut" - a very small entryway into the harbor and one of the best views you will see. Docking in Hamilton is perfect because you walk off the ship onto Front Street - where upscale shops and restaurants are plentiful. We choose an outside cabin on deck 3 with only a porthole - like the ocean liners of yesteryear. We had looked at other cabins, but the price increase for a picture window or a veranda cabin was not worth it to us. Cabin sizes were no larger and you were at most only a few floors higher. Cabin was nice enough, but the porthole was recessed into the hull, so the views and daylight were impacted. Beds were very comfortable, but the bathroom and shower were the smallest I can recall on any cruiseship. The toilet was angled towards the door because it wouldn't fit any other way. The shower was glass enclosed by 2 swinging doors, but you could not turn around in it. We loved the small size of the ship - 30,000 tons or so. Our fellow cruisers were mostly seniors and very well behaved compared to many other lines we've been on. The highlight of the ship experience for us was the ambiance of the dining room. Tables were spaced out enough to give you privacy - you know how other cruise lines put tables so close to you that you can't have a private conversation! Not so here. And tables for 2 were plentiful and placed around the perimeter of the dining room, affording beautiful ocean views. Did I mention Versace china and stemware (for both red and white wine) were always waiting for you? Service again was excellent. The atmosphere was beautiful. Not so the food. And this was the biggest disappointment of the experience. It was certainly edible for the most part, but no WOW factor. The lobster tail was soft and mushy with little taste. Texture is important and I like my tails crunchy and juicy. Steaks had no wow factor as well - certainly not up to what you'd get in any upscale steakhouse. Even their Polo grill NY strip was sent back. It was served medium rare as requested, but lacked any taste and strangely lacked any juice oozing out of it just a little. It was also only about 1/2 an inch high, and steaks need to be a bit thicker to properly sear and retain juiceiness. The Queens Cut prime rib that replaced it also appeared to be medium rare, but again had no moisture in it and was quite chewy. I'm guessing grass fed which is a cheaper option. The lemon chicken for lunch on the last sea day was inedible - tough. The pieces had the look of meat that had been reheated too many times. Again they were quick to bring a second plate, but the result was the same. Those were my 2 sendbacks. On the other hand, there was a leg of lamb entree that was delicious and full of flavor, but those entrees were few on this voyage. I was truly astounded that the food quality was subpar because this was, after all, Oceania! I wonder if this sailing was just one of those off weeks? We may try Oceania again to see if that's the case, because the atmosphere and table spacing in the dining room are huge plusses. Toscana served a very good veal osso bucco. Overall, I'd give the Dining 5 stars for how it's setup and 2 stars for food quality, so a generous 4 star combined. Read Less

Enjoyed all of the music everywhere-nice touch. GREAT comedy shows, top notch stand up professionals, and plenty of performances! Rowan, the washy-washy singer was delightful. Sadly, the quality of the food in the cafe and the main dining rooms really plummeted. We could be wrong, but it sure tastes like many or all of the entree's, especially the FISH was pre-cooked and then re-heated. Very dry and salty, all of it. Not one good fish dish the entire trip and NO lobster ever. The desserts tasted like they were full of preservatives too, like they were also pre-made, frozen, thawed then served. They just didn't have that fresh flavor, more like Jewel bakery quality. We thought that the cruise directors did a great job with all of the activities and everyone around the ship was so nice. Our balcony room felt spacious. The room steward was super. Only thing was that the carpet in our cabin was quite dirty, looked like it hadn't been cleaned in a very long time. Wished that there was options for late night dining. Lots of things still going on late into the eve, but the cafe shuts down on some nights around 11:00 and the only option is O'Sheehans-a sit down place with a long line down the halls, and an extremely long wait, or room service at an extra fee. Come on NCL, if you are going to offer late night entertainment, keep the cafe at least partially open. Embarkation & dis-embarkation were very smooth! Read Less

I chose the Norwegian Escape because I liked the convenience leaving out of NY and I wanted to visit Bermuda, a place I had never been. I also thought the ship would provide constant entertainment for my 7 year old daughter (who celebrated her bday during our cruise) and we weren’t disappointed! Between the kids club, daily games and entertainment, pool and slides, arcade, nightly shows, etc. there was always something to do! I was also very impressed with the service onboard- the staff truly works very hard to provide great service and accommodate your needs. I absolutely LOVED the waterfront, the designated quiet area onboard to just lounge and enjoy the sea! I also loved Bermuda although I didn’t get to see everything I wanted to. Horseshoe Bay is an amazing and beautiful beach, enjoyed the snorkel tour (booked through the ship) and shopping. My daughter and I stayed onboard one morning in port to enjoy the pool and slides without the crowds. You really have to find the quiet times (early morning, late in day and days in port) onboard to enjoy pool! On “at sea” days, get chairs early in the morning or you won’t get a seat! I thought the ship was kept very clean and I was happy with my room (although it was an inside room and small, it was in good condition and clean.) The food onboard was good(not great). My favorites were the hibachi specialty restaurant Teppanyaki and O’ Sheehans, the Irish pub. The service at all the specialty restaurants and O’Sheehans was good except at Cagney’s Steakhouse the night we went as it was extremely busy. I loved Choir of Man, one of the shows onboard - I thought it was fun and entertaining and After Midnight had a lot of talented performers. All in all the cruise was a wonderful vacation with very special memories - I plan on booking Norwegian again hopefully soon! Read Less

The staff and accommodations were wonderful. We were able to relax and had every bit of information we needed to make our vacation spectacular. Great entertainment, good food selection and shore excursions were delightful! We went to the spa several times and were pampered- exactly what a vacation should deliver. The beach in Bermuda was amazing. Recommendation to really explore the area and not just for shopping, but for the beauty and solemnity that the island offers. Bermudians are proud of this paradise as they should be and NCL was able to capitalize on the best offers for each family. The talent and shows were tremendous, well thought through to reach a range of ages and really engaging. Love all the singing and dancing - can’t believe they aren’t all on Broadway already! Would pick this cruise a million times over and tell my friends to do the same. Looking forward to our next adventure and excited to bring more family along! Read Less

I am a senior citizen and this is my first cruise. The Norwegian Escape is not only beautiful but the people, entertainment, food and hospitality exceeded my expectations. All the ship's restaurants(specialty and complimentary) had excellent atmosphere, service and food. The value of the cruise exceeded the cost I paid. The excursions were worth the trip and cost. I enjoyed the bus tour visiting Hamilton and St. George and hearing the history of Bermuda. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The boat cruise of The Rich and Famous was very interesting and informative. Our tour guide was very friendly and knowledgeable. The embarkation and disembarkation went smoothly during the entire cruise and excursions.. The Escape crew was very organized. I was very happy to be in a cabin close to the elevator and mid ship. It was very convenient to attend many entertainment functions and restaurants on other decks. I enjoyed sitting on my balcony and gazing at the beautiful sites. I highly recommend the Escape to anyone who is thinking about taking a cruise. I'm looking forward to my next Escape cruise. Read Less

always cruise with Norwegian love the service and free style dinning love Bistro ,Cagneys was good and la Cucina was very good all food were very good have no complaints at all on this cruise all the service was amazing include room service and casino service.the layout of the ship was nice in a large ship bartenders was very quick and friendly. ii also like the large shower in the room the room seamed big even if wasn't..my wife would like you to include the drinks in the room refrigater included in beverage package including water also have another smoking section beside casino smokeroom and pool deck entertainment was good nice to hear different music in parts of ship which was done good. and I want to point it was nice to have clean machines in the casino that was great, not like the gem had on my last trip where a lot of people was getting sick a lady was snezzing all over the manchines slot Read Less

I got on Escape quickly after hitting Pier 88 . I was aboard in about 35 minutes . Smooth embarkation . I was in studio on deck 10 , 10551 , I had lunch in Savor and knew it would take time for my room to be ready . I went to spa to get my spa pass sticker and say hello to staff from May cruise . I had dining package so I was able to go to 3 different restaurant , I chose Bayamo and Cagneys and I found out that my hostess was working Bayamo so I went there twice . I knew what the entertainment was like , I went to see Chior of Men and dueling pianos and even did karaoke . Overall entertainment was good . Service throughout the ship was perfect and professional at all times . The Senior staff was always around from Hotel Director to Food and Beverage Director always had my back ! Every place I ate at they knew my name and what I liked for breakfast and lunch . There was only one problem and it has nothing to do with Norweigan . I went to festival on Wednesday , had great time at Dog Pound with friend , then we had to go back to Escape and we encountered a long line in Hamilton Pier , for 9pm return ferry , they put 700 people on 1 ferry . Very unsafe condition ! All and all I was great cruise unfortunately Escape wouldn’t be coming back to NYC , I would definitely recommend Escape for future sailings , staff is excellent from Captain to cabin Stewart . This is my 8th cruise with Norweigan and would recommend them to friends and for 9th cruise my sister will be going with me on Norweigan Customer Service , Host and Hostesses , Spa staff , Wait Staff , Senior Staff were always professional every time I meet them . Departure also went smoothly and with facial recognition it went very smoothly Read Less