Norwegian Escape Review

4.0 / 5.0
3,047 reviews

Buffet was bedlam!

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Norwegian Escape
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tomingg
2-5 Cruises • Age 70s

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Sail Date: Nov 2019
Cabin: Balcony Stateroom

A friend was going on it and invited my wife and I. Like the entertainment and food. Ship was filled to capacity, a little less that 4800 passengers according to a trivia tiebreaker answer, Just too many people. Since the taste restaurant closed for breakfast somewhat early [9am in port or 9:30 at sea] we many times got stuck at the buffet, which was absolute BEDLAM. Hard to find a seat, loud obnoxious spanish speaking old ladies plus the crash of dishes, cooks trying to keep up with the demand etc. made for an unpleasant experience. Some of these ladies would not wait for the elevator to empty before they crowded on. Then they act like they don’t understand English. At least they let people take their food down to the Italian restaurant 1 deck down and near the front, to eat in peace and quiet. breakfast and lunch only.

Then there was the disaster of embarking in Barcelona, blamed on some kind of disease outbreak requiring the entire ship to be cleaned, or customs. My friend got a letter regarding the disease outbreak and Clay, the cruise director blamed it on customs at a question and answer meeting in the Epic Theatre. One old gentleman said he was unable to stand in line for the four hours and had to go to the sick bay once on board. I should have mentioned to the officers there that they blew it, the cruise line could have made a lot of extra money renting wheelchairs. They are otherwise so good and grinding extra money [no good wi-fi package, warm water coming out of the cold water facet in the cabin sink, signs saying don’t fill water bottles at the buffet and gym water stations, for example] out of the passengers, hard to believe they missed that chance.

Then there was the disembarking disaster at Puerto Rico.. Same thing, blamed it on customs. Rumor also had it that 1-4 people died during the cruise so that could have caused the delay. So because of lack of people coming off the ship the taxi wrangler sent all the taxis to an adjacent 6000 passenger Royal Caribbean ship. Because both these ships were so large they had to tie up at a dock a long ways from the town. When we finally got a taxi he said he wasn’t going to fight the traffic jam returning to the ship after he dropped us off at our hotel in Old San Juan.

Cabin Review

Balcony Stateroom

OK, hard to move around when cabin mate standing at sink etc.

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