Food 10/10
The food aboard the Norwegian Escacpe is excellent! We truly enjoyed most everything we ate on the ship. From the buffet all the way to their specialty restaurants. They also have a wide variety of food, and enough to keep most palates busy and entertained for 7 day Caribbean cruise.
Food Republic, Bayamo, Pinchos and Bistro are definitely must try. Teppanyaki was a nice experience, but the lobster left a little to be desired. Cagney’s which supposed to be known for their steaks actually disappointed us in that department, but the lobster and lamb chops were excellent.
I do wish that they had a few other venues with quick access to food. Like a pizza place or a quick cafe kind of deal.
Cabin 7/10
The rooms are a little smaller than the industry average, and it made for a complicated experience to setup my mattress on the floor as I usually do. I was pleased that they had made their balconies larger than the ones on the Breakaway.
The cabin offers enough storage for two, and the room is nicely appointed with pleasing mild colors. The bathroom is a good size, and the shower has nice water pressure.
My only real complain is that the walls seem to be thin, and you can hear things like announcements and stuff. Also the doors slam way too easy when the balcony door is open, there should be a system in place to slow them down.
Cabin TV System & Internet 5/10
The internet aboard the Escape is 3 times the cost of the one in Royal, and about 1/3 the speed. They really need to get their act together in this department. Although the news is that by July all their ships will have a much faster internet. The real question is whether or not they are going to lower the price to something more reasonable.
The tv offers very limited channels, and most of them are news related. There are only 3 channels that could interest you, the movie channel (that offers poor movies), the tv show channel and the Guy Harvey channel. I highly suggest that you load your computer or iPads with tv shows, especially if you have little ones.
The only good part about the tv system are the reservations/shows/account check in section. You are pretty much able to do anything you need to do on that TV, and it is very easy to use.
Pools, Jacuzzis, & Adult-Only Area 6/10
There 2 pools for a ship with 5k people that is simply not enough. In addition to that the layout of the Lido deck is not the most desirable one. The loungers are also very close to each other, leaving you with little space to walk around people.
The kids pool is surrounded by two glass partitions, making almost impossible for parents to lounge while watching their kids on the water.
H2O can get very busy, and only has the 2 jacuzzis and the cave water feature.
The only reason I am giving this section a 6 out 10 instead of 5, is because of Vibe. If for some miracle you manage to score 1 of the 73 passes for vibe, you pretty much have it made for the rest of the cruise. Good luck to you 
Activities (for Adults) 10/10
In the day time there is a lot to do. There are a lot of poolside games, the rope course, 5 water slides, mini golf and a lot of events going on in the atrium.
At night is when this ship comes to life, the district brew house has an excellent entertainer, howl at the moon is blast, the comedy shows are well balanced, karaoke all night long, movies/parties at H2O, skyline lounge, the bartenders are a blast @ 5 o ‘clock bar. There is just so much going on that it is hard to remember it all.
Shows 9/10
Mom saw most of the shows. She disliked After midnight like did many other people I spoke to. But she loved the other shows like the Brat Pack and oh what a night. Not to mention that she said that the farewell show was the best she had ever seen.
I saw a few parts of some shows, but in reality I was just having too much fun to sit for a full performance. So in this section I am going with mom’s rating.
P.S. Don’t miss the Brat Pack or the farewell show.
Bars & Lounges 9/10
There are a lot of bars and lounges and you will be sure to find one that will satisfy your taste. My favorites where the district brew house, and 5 o’clock outside area. I guess I could add the Vibe bar there as well.
There is no need to worry about waiting for a drink, the most I ever waited was about 5 minutes. I think they most likely added a lot of bar staff to compensate with all the drink packages.
Ship Decor & Elegance 10/10
I absolutely love the way this ship looks. There is subtle elegance to it, but you’re still allowed to walk around in shorts unlike other cruise lines with this type of decor. There is also plenty of color to keep the environment lively, and gorgeous art for sale on deck 6. They also make excellent use of LED lighting making the ship look gorgeous at night.
I believe that this is a good score, I truly enjoyed the way the ship looks inside and out!
Unique Area—WaterFront 9/10
I guess the key area here is the WaterFront, it really is a very nice area to lounge, relax, have a drink or dinner. We enjoyed ourselves a lot out there and I think it was well distributed with plenty of seating at all times. The area is also well sheltered from the winds, I am not sure how they did it but it works perfectly. The breakaway was much windier.
I do, however, suggest that you request a table outside ahead of time, because some restaurants have limited seating outside.
Service 10/10
Service aboard the Escape was Excellent! I don’t believe I have a single complain to report. From the free restaurants, to their specialty ones, you’re treated like you are the only guest on board.
The room steward was fast and efficient, albeit a bit shy. But all his work was always performed perfectly and all of our requests were met with a smile on the face.
Long gone are the days of bad service with Norwegian that I experienced on the Breakaway. I am very pleased with this change.
This will be a really hard one to rate. I think this was arguably my best cruise ever! It had to do with a lot of variables that just worked together to give me one amazing vacation. The food was outstanding, the service impeccable, the ship is gorgeous and the entertainment was to die for!
I also think that a big factor was the amazing company that we had on this cruise. Our group was so much fun, and I really enjoyed all of the chats and shenanigans. I also got to celebrate both mom’s Bday and mothers day, that made the cruise very special for us.
If only NCL would figure out a way of fixing the Lido deck, reduce the crowds, improve the internet and the TV system, they would have a near perfect product. Well, at the very least in what it concerns to me.
Of course, this all stands true if you get a good deal, and by that I mean one with those packages included. I am not entirely sure that my experience would be the same if I was paying for everything a la carte. This is just something to keep in mind when booking your cruise.
Just a quick recall of scores:
Oasis of the Seas 89%
Disney Dream 89%
Allure of the Seas 86%
Norwegian Escape 85%
Carnival Breeze 83%
NCL Breakaway 78%
Celebrity Silhouette 77%
Carnival Victory 74%
MSC Divina 70%
NCL Sky 62%
As you see Oasis/Allure and Disney still scored higher than the Escape. The Escape lost several points on the pool deck, among other areas. But at least now I know the Norwegian is brand that I love to sail again.
As a matter of fact I have my eyes on the Getaway, we will see when I can make that happen.
Special thanks to Will, Jillian, Susan and Tyron. Thank you so much for making this vacation so special for us!
Thank you for being a part of this review.
