Transatlantic from New York to Barcelona, 26 September 2026 (16 nights)

Good trip on Norwegian escape. The food was always good and served hot. Good service all round. The entertainment was great, especially the Choir of Man show. Had the more at sea package that worked well for us. The freestyle dining worked well and we never had to wait for a table. Only downside was that the main pool area on this ship isn’t very big and was totally packed. You couldn’t get in the pool because people were rammed in sat on all sides sunbathing. We did have to get up and get beds by 7. 30 am on sea days otherwise you would struggle to get beds. Because it was over the Xmas/new year period the ship was FULL and with very large family/friend groups so one person for example who were near us came up and reserved 10 beds in a row and their party dribbled in and out during the day. Another thing to consider is that the ship calls at ncl’s private island Harvest Cay and unlike some other cruise lines where food etc is included as would be on the ship, on Harvest Cay you had to pay for everything, food drinks etc. so forget about using your drinks package. Also you pay a compulsory $20 per person per day gratuities on the ship and on Harvest Cay everything food/drinks wise charges you a minimum of 20% service charge so it’s a definite win for NCL when the majority of passengers head for their beach.

This was our first time cruising with NCL and frankly compared to our experience with other cruise lines such as P&O, Princess, and Royal Caribbean it just wasn’t the same. Cannot fault food, drinks, service or the cabins but we didn’t enjoy the ships design or the informality on board. The ship seems to be designed to cram as many dining and bar options into the ship but in doing so it just feels too on top of one another. For instance for all the bars there are very few places to sit and enjoy your drink! As for the informality, we are not snobs but do enjoy getting changed for dinner and yet found ourselves in the minority where shorts, t-shirts and trainers were common in din8n* rooms

Generally the cruise was really good, plenty to do, good excursions, excellent food choices and very clean. However, the disembarkment process was an absolute nightmare, having being directed in a massive queue to walk 3 lengths of the ship over 2 decks which took 2 hours 40 minutes, we missed our prearranged/prepaid transport to the airport and had to rearrange transport. You need to sort this before I would go back on that ship.

Had a fantastic time on our cruise. The whole experience was great including food, drinks, staff, entertainment and ports. Nothing was too much trouble for the staff and the entertainment was very good especially Choir of Man and Rumors. There are some areas that are a little dated on the ship including the rooms, but wouldn’t hesitate to book and go on the same ship again. We would definitely cruise with NCL again.