Norwegian Escape Review 1/28/17-2/4/17

[Two Wheels Only]

After

[RedRover96]

Thanks, might find another way to use our OBC. We already have 3 nights of dining was thinking about using OBC to help buy 3 more. We were on Sun 2 years ago and really enjoyed the specialty restaurants 6 or 7 nights. Figure we'll find a way to spend the OBC without too much problem.

[gl339]

There may be some confusion between "aft balcony" and "aft-facing balcony".

 

The aft-facing balconies are different depths depending on deck. An aft-facing balcony on deck 11 will have 2 loungers.

 

Certain side balconies are large enough for a lounger and some are not. On deck 11, most side balconies will not have room for a lounger. Some exceptions are the angled balconies such as 11182/11782, 11296/11896, etc. and the aft-most balconies (11310/11910).

 

Thank you! I am in an Aft-facing balcony for my February 25th cruise.

[tripleboom]

So many aft-facing balcony folks in one post! What are the odds? My wife and I will be on a Deck 9 Aft Balcony (just above the after wraparound of the Waterfront) at the end of June. Can't wait for our mondo balcony! :-D

[Josiepug]

You said you began the disembark process at 9:15 - was that when you chose to leave or when they first let anyone off the ship?

[kmb388]

You said you began the disembark process at 9:15 - was that when you chose to leave or when they first let anyone off the ship?

 

We were on the same cruise as OP and disembarked closer to 10. Advertised disembarkation times started much earlier -- 7:30 or 8 AM.

[Bacci111]

Great review, wondering if you had to pay for food at margerittaville? Also, you don't have to reserve for the comedians or dualing pianos, correct?

 

 

 

 

Hey All! Yesterday, we arrived home from our Norwegian Escape vacation and I figured that since I stalked this thread prior to our departure, it was only fair to write a review upon return. Long story short, we had a wonderful time and I would recommend to anyone! I was so nervous going into this trip because of the negative reviews, but if you are in that same position, do not worry. This was a great ship.

 

A little about us: we are a couple in our late twenties. I had never cruised before, but my boyfriend had been on a few with his family in the past (RCCL). I was against cruising, but he talked me into this and I am glad that he did. With our stateroom, we opted for the UBP and UDP

 

Embarkation: Easy! We arrived to port around 10:30am and through security and check in in 20 minutes. We arrived upstairs to the holding area and got boarding group 18. Our boarding group was called by 11:45. This whole process was much smoother than anticipated.

 

Stateroom: We had an AFT balcony on the 11th floor. We loved this location...felt very centralized. Our room steward was great. We didn't see him much, but our room was always clean and had a bucket of ice waiting for us.

 

VIBE: I had read about VIBE a few months prior to cruising and from the time I did, I had my hopes up of getting passes. I knew it would be difficult because we were flying from Boston that morning and as stated above, we were group 18 when boarding. We went straight to Headliners once on board but were sad to learn that they were already sold out. We were asked if we wanted to join a waiting list, and we figured why not. Sure enough, when we arrived back to our room from dinner that night, we had a message letting us know that we had gotten the passes and to pick them up a Guest Services. Long story short, best $99 spent for those passes. The whole atmosphere was relaxing yet up beat all at once. It was great seeing the same people everyday and getting to know them. I also can not say enough about the two bartenders in VIBE, Rommel and Michael were fantastic. They knew us by name by the end of day 1 and treated every person up there like friends. Can't say enough about them. I highly recommend VIBE if you want an escape from the masses.

 

Pool Area: I can't speak much about this because we only spent a little time there on day 1 and while docked in Nassau but it did seem very crowded, but not sure what else anyone would expect with 4000 people on board. I will say that the bar and waitstaff always seemed friendly.

 

Dining: We had the 3 pack of specialty dining and chose: Moderno, Tappenyaki and Cagneys.

*Moderno: Was good but I am not sure we would dine there again. Not for any particular reason, but just was not our style.

*Tappenyaki: Awesome and would go back in a heart beat. We do habatchi every once in a while at home, and we both agreed this was the best one we have been to.

*Cagneys: Lives up to the hype! Would definitely go back.

 

MDR's: We did one dinner in Savor, and two in Manhattan room. If I had to do it again, all would be in Manhattan room. Same food, but better atmosphere with the live music. Overall, food was average in MDR. I think if we cruise Norwegian again we would opt for a 4 or 5 pack of specialty dining. Not because the MDR's were bad, but just because specialty was that much better.

 

Margaritaville: Tried the nachos for lunch one day---Awesome

 

Buffet: We ate in the buffet for most breakfast and lunch. Plenty of options, but tend to get old after day 3 or 4.

 

St. Thomas: We did the Jeep Safari and Beach. Would recommend. The jeep tour was great and you get to learn a lot about the island. We traveled up a mountainside and stopped to take amazing pictures. We ended up a Brewers Beach which was just okay IMO.

 

Tortola: We did Escape to Jost Van Dyke and I can not rave enough about it. This was probably our best day. The beach is absolutely pristine and the catamaran ride was a blast. We met great people on this excursion and drank our fair share of painkillers as well as endless rum punch on the way back. if you are looking for an excursion on Tortola, DO THIS!

 

Nassau: Pretty much used this as an extra boat day. Got off and walked around for about an hour and a half late in the afternoon and regretted it. The vendors are extremely pushy and the port area is dirty. If we go again we will not get off the boat.

 

Entertainment:

*Bratpack: Fun! Would recommend

*After Midnight: Not for us. In my opinion, too long. The music was good, but there was no story. We left after about an hour. Others on the ship raved about it though, so keep that in mind.

*Oh What a Night: We only stayed for about half due to dining reservations but liked what we saw.

*Dueling Pianos: Very fun

*Comedians: Hit or miss. Depended on the night and who was the act

*Spice H20: Awesome to people watch

 

Service: From our experience, the service was excellent. 90% of the staff that we interacted with were friendly, helpful and trying to make our vacation that much better. Did we run into some staff where this wasn't the case? Of course, it's bound to happen once or twice. But for everyone that runs into one staff member that does not have a smile on their face, and like to immediately complain (trust me, I saw a lot of other cruisers do this) remember that these staff members work 7 days a week, 12+ hour days, eight months at a time trying to make your vacation excellent. They are bound the have a rough day here or there. Cut them some slack. Now if it gets repetitive, that's kind of a different story. Only place I ever noticed was a O'Sheehans bar. Went there the first few days for a pre dinner drink and the barstaff seemed miserable every time. So we just moved on to a different bar later in the week.

 

Disembarkation: A breeze. We started at 9:15am and were in an uber by 9:40.

 

Overall: Would do this trip again in a heartbeat.

 

Please feel free to ask any questions you might have and I can try and tell you my perspective while it is still fresh in my mind!

[Cruising...our happy place]

Great review, wondering if you had to pay for food at margerittaville? Also, you don't have to reserve for the comedians or dualing pianos, correct?

 

 

Yes, you pay in Margaritaville. Here is a menu. We enjoyed lunch. No cost for drinks with UBP. Enjoy!

 

 

 

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