My husband decided to take me on our first cruise to Bermuda. We both never went on a cruise before, so, we were very excited. From the phone reservation that we made with Starling (NCL representative), to the end of our trip, we were just amazed by the whole process and operation. We found it easy to deal with. The embarkation process information could be a little bit clearer. After the cruise, we thought a later embarkation time is better. If you arrive early, you may have to wait in line. They call people by the group number. So, later time would guarantee less wait time because your group number would have been called already.

The Escape ship is huge and beautiful! It didn’t look that big while we’re inside because walking from the front to the back of the ship didn’t take that long or could it be due to activities and decorations surrounding the interior ship. Once we embarked on the ship, we went to the buffet section because we were advised to do so by the staff at the ticket counter without knowing that the main dining rooms were already opened for business. So, please go to the main dining room if you could wait a little bit to get your meal, otherwise go to Garden Cafe buffet on Deck 16 to eat right away. We were hungry due to waiting in line, so it worked out good. We only enjoyed the buffet 2-3 days for breakfast and lunch during our 7-day cruise. We went to the main dining rooms and specialty restaurants most of the time. We received 3 specialty restaurants plus free Wi-Fi service that came in the package. However, the free Wi-Fi lasted 4 hours, so on top of that, we bought an unlimited Wi-Fi service for only $80+ and stayed connected the entire time. After lunch on embarkation day, we went straight to our room. We booked an Oceanview as per Starling, because of our first-time cruise. He was correct to suggest this because we spent most of our time outside the cabin. We had Natalie, a lovely steward. She was so nice from day one. She cleaned the room each time we walked out, so the room was always clean and neat. Awesome!

The employees were exceptional! Whatever training they made them do was worthwhile and paid off. I think Norwegian Cruise Line nailed it in the service business. The hosts and hostesses were very accommodating. Sometimes this goes both ways. We’re the type of people who make conversation with employees no matter where we go and dine. This little thing goes a long way. We remember Jay Bee Morales, Noelia, Luh, Ivanna, Claire, Wayan, Chris T, Dinalo, and many others but these names stick with us because we talked to them more than once. We were so thankful for Jay Bee’s hospitality. He’s an assistant Maitre D and he ran a great crew! Everyone on the ship worked hard to maintain the service to a high standard. I must admit that we plan to take the same cruise again. Read more