Norwegian Escape Review

Wonderful - already booked again!

Review for the Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Escape
User Avatar
mscloyd
2-5 Cruises • Age 60s

Rating by category

Cabin
Value for Money
Embarkation
Dining
Public Rooms
Entertainment
Service

Additional details

Sail Date: Jan 2020
Cabin: Balcony Stateroom

I decided to take a girls trip with my daughter who had never been on a cruise. We chose this cruise because of price and itinerary and wasn't really particular about the ship itself, other than I like somewhat newer ships. Turns out that we absolutely LOVED the ship and have already booked another cruise on it for next year! (I NEVER do things like this!).

The cabin was wonderful! My booking category was BF but it is really a BB. I have booked the same location for our next cruise and it was a BB for that same cabin. I think at the time we booked a guarantee and just got lucky. It is in a very nice location in the center of the ship and half-way between the forward and aft elevators. It was nice and quiet. There are no cabins in the area across the hall. I think it is an area that they store the supplies for cleaning, but we rarely ever saw anyone coming or going. The decks above and below are all cabins, so there was no noise from public spaces. In fact, there are several decks above and below that are all cabins so the nearest public area are decks 8 & 16. Ours was a balcony cabin but was very similar in size to the mini-suites on the Celebrity and Princess cruises we have been on. It has lots of storage space! The difference between a mini-suite and a balcony suite on this class of ship is the bathroom is larger in the mini-suite. That is about all. But we found the bathroom to be very comfortable and had plenty of storage. There are a couple of shelves above the counter and more shelves below the counter. Plus a nice size cabinet under the sink. There are hooks on the back of the door to hang robes, etc. In the cabin, there were 2 nightstands with a little storage area and a couple cabinets near the TV. Underneath the sofa there are 2 VERY large drawers. The bedding for the sofa was kept in one but we asked the steward to take it and used one drawer for all my shoes and the other for our beach things. They were not even close to being full. The luggage fits nicely under the beds, even the largest piece. We each had 2 under the bed. The closet had plenty of hanging space, even for 2 women, plus a top shelf and several smaller shelves on the other side of the closet. There is a safe in the closet, which looks small but was large enough to fit my tablet, kindle, camera, passports, jewelry, and 2 wallets. The room temperature was great and actually could get quite cold if we turned it all the way down. Beds were comfortable, although the sheets/comforter at the bottom aren't tucked in so I woke up with it all twisted around me. LOL. I learned to tuck it in myself before going to bed. The beds are twins that convert into a queen, but the twins seemed bigger than a regular twin to me. They were very comfortable. The TV remote was a little quirky and was annoying when we would hear the announcements begin and couldn't get it to come on, but not really a big deal. We were told that they were all like that, but I still think it may have been the batteries. We requested robes and the refrigerator to be emptied out so we had room to put our water bottles we brought with us. The balconies aren't as large as the Celebrity ones, but adequate for 2 people. For a family of 4 it would be tight. Lots of outlets to plug in your electronics (USB & AC). There are USB outlets by the light on each side of the bed and 4 AC outlets on the desk. There is a small coffeemaker, which was great to get a cup first thing in the morning. Also a hairdryer under the desk.

Pre-cruise - We arrived in Miami late the night before the cruise and stayed across from Bayside Marketplace at Holiday Inn. Older hotel but still nice and in a perfect location with our limited time in Miami. In the morning we had enough time to go to Bayside Marketplace and grab some breakfast, visit some shops, and go on a Miami Millionnaire's cruise. We walked back to the hotel and took an Uber to port. Embarkation was smooth and not busy. Cabin was ready upon check-in at approimately 1:30-2:00pm. We had lunch, went to the excursion desk, walked around the ship, and when we got back to the cabin our luggage was there and we unpacked. Photos are attached - sorry many are sideways.

Cabin Review

Balcony Stateroom

The cabin was wonderful! My booking category was BF but it is really a BB. I have booked the same location for our next cruise and it was a BB for that same cabin. I think at the time we booked a guarantee and just got lucky. It is in a very nice location in the center of the ship and half-way between the forward and aft elevators. It was nice and quiet. There are no cabins in the area across the hall. I think it is an area that they store the supplies for cleaning, but we rarely ever saw anyone coming or going. The decks above and below are all cabins, so there was no noise from public spaces. In fact, there are several decks above and below that are all cabins so the nearest public area are decks 8 & 16. Ours was a balcony cabin but was very similar in size to the mini-suites on the Celebrity and Princess cruises we have been on. It has lots of storage space! The difference between a mini-suite and a balcony suite on this class of ship is the bathroom is larger in the mini-suite. That is about all. But we found the bathroom to be very comfortable and had plenty of storage. There are a couple of shelves above the counter and more shelves below the counter. Plus a nice size cabinet under the sink. There are hooks on the back of the door to hang robes, etc. In the cabin, there were 2 nightstands with a little storage area and a couple cabinets near the TV. Underneath the sofa there are 2 VERY large drawers. The bedding for the sofa was kept in one but we asked the steward to take it and used one drawer for all my shoes and the other for our beach things. They were not even close to being full. The luggage fits nicely under the beds, even the largest piece. We each had 2 under the bed. The closet had plenty of hanging space, even for 2 women, plus a top shelf and several smaller shelves on the other side of the closet. There is a safe in the closet, which looks small but was large enough to fit my tablet, kindle, camera, passports, jewelry, and 2 wallets. The room temperature was great and actually could get quite cold if we turned it all the way down. Beds were comfortable, although the sheets/comforter at the bottom aren't tucked in so I woke up with it all twisted around me. LOL. I learned to tuck it in myself before going to bed. The beds are twins that convert into a queen, but the twins seemed bigger than a regular twin to me. They were very comfortable. The TV remote was a little quirky and was annoying when we would hear the announcements begin and couldn't get it to come on, but not really a big deal. We were told that they were all like that, but I still think it may have been the batteries. We requested robes and the refrigerator to be emptied out so we had room to put our water bottles we brought with us. The balconies aren't as large as the Celebrity ones, but adequate for 2 people. For a family of 4 it would be tight. Lots of outlets to plug in your electronics (USB & AC). There are USB outlets by the light on each side of the bed and 4 AC outlets on the desk. There is a small coffeemaker, which was great to get a cup first thing in the morning. Also a hairdryer under the desk.

Port Reviews

Harvest Caye

Booked Monkey River Eco Tour through cruiseline. Very interesting and still had enough time to spend a few hours at the beach.

2 Helpful Votes
previous reviewnext review

Find a Norwegian Escape Cruise from $499

Any Month

Get special cruise deals, expert advice, insider tips and more.By proceeding, you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.

© 1995—2024, The Independent Traveler, Inc.