Norwegian Escape Review
Rating by category
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This ship surpassed all of our expectations. Ports were awesome, St. Thomas was beautiful and so was Great Stirrup Cay. DR port had a great pool and lazy river. Not too many food options that were not American faves at ports, so we just ate back on the ship! Tortola was nice for shopping, did not do excursion or beach there. Pool could be bigger.
The Food and service was the best we have experienced on a cruise ship and the ship was beautiful! GO SEE "THE CHOIR OF MAN"!! Amazing!
Our cruise director Jack Gow was fantastic. Tender process was slow and aggravated people, but our experience was good as we were the second tender group called. Disembarkation was rough, no elevators to make walking off easy. Pack light if not checking bags! Nonsmokers beware-Casino is open in center of the ship and the smell of cigarettes is awful.
Cabin Review
Balcony Stateroom
Lots of space for storage, Spacious and comfortable. The Balcony was very big, much more space than our previous balcony on RC. We were in room conveniently located near the District Brewery (passed the side door as we walked down the hall) and The Food Republic. We LOVED being on the 8th floor with bars and food being so close and the Escape theater right below us. Our cabin steward was fantastic. We noticed that NCL doesn't do the fun towel animals or turn down look the room as well as we have experienced (I like when i get back to the room and the lights were low, bed was neatly made with a towel monkey, kid at heart!), but that was the only thing I would say that was less than perfect!
Port Reviews
Great Stirrup Cay
Not all the bells and whistles RC offers but a great experience. The tender process was stressful if you did not sign up early enough, some people gave up and stayed on the ship. My boyfriend did the snorkeling and loved it more than St. Thomas snorkeling. When you book an excursion that yellow ticket is your tender ticket. We got one seat on the first row on the beach and snagged another when someone left an hour later. Food and drinks were included with our package, delicious and refreshing. The Patron drinks were strong and yummy. Clean and organized, set up for easy navigating around the island. When we headed back to the tender, they offered cool towels and water to drink. We felt pampered the whole trip! The water was chilly but you warmed up quickly. Cute swings in the water for photo ops. The beach was smooth, free of rocks and shells.
St. Thomas
St. Thomas is beautiful. Right off the boat, you walk across the street and can shop at the mall which is a strip of different stores with great deals!
We did the Magens Bay Beach excursion and it was very nice. FYI: A cab to and from beach person is 12.00 pp each way and admission to the beach is $7.00 pp. Our excursion was $79.00 pp and included a great tour guide (David) who even stopped for great photos at the top of the mountain. I wouldn't pay for the excursion again, there were plenty of cabs at pier and beach. It was about 20 minutes from the pier. If you are afraid of heights you might want to google the ride there from the pier. My boyfriend had a rough go of it because of the left side of the street driving and the open bus with the driver whipping around turns.
The beach is stunning, my boyfriend was not pleased with the snorkeling and barely saw anything good. It is secluded and nestled in the mountain. Breathtaking! The beach was very clean, and we felt very safe.
It was $15.00 for snorkel equipment. Food was good but pricey. 2 Chicken tenders and a handful of fries were $15.00. Pack snacks! You have to rent chairs for beach, bring blanket or towels to save money.
My favorite was taking the pics of St. Thomas when it all lights up at night. Beautiful photos!!
Puerto Plata
Great pool area and lazy river with a DJ right off the pier. Get there early and fast for chairs! Not too many. We landed one and sat in the pool the whole time. Very pretty parrots in trees all over the island. Really good coffee as I was headed back to the ship at a coffee stand. very nice shops. Had the most expensive prices with St. Thomas being the best priced shops. Not too many food options at all. We attempted to eat at the Blue Parrot and sat there for 20 minutes, no one came to take our order and they were not very busy. We did not feel the natives were friendly or welcoming and some of the store employees were pushy and rude if you did not buy anything. We would not get off the ship again if we ported there, we'd enjoy the ship more!