Norwegian Escape - Central America

Having found an incredible price on a single cabin, I traveled to New Orleans to try Norwegian Cruise Lines (NCL) for the first time. I will also admit to experiencing my first very cold winter in four years was no fun, so "escaping" seemed a valid choice.

January 2026

I departed an unusually cold Washington, DC in hopes of enjoying warmer weather. Granted New Orleans is warmer than DC in January, it was still not as warm as it usually is upon my arrival. I was reminded of Brian and my trip (also in January) many years ago when it was even colder (below freezing) and most of the tropical plants across the city had died. At that time, the locals were in absolute shock.

A big bonus about leaving from New Orleans is that the cruise port is right downtown. That means that there are hotels virtually next to the cruise terminal. I woke up the morning of departure, went for morning java at a place recommended by coffee guru, DV, in DC and leisurely passed time in the cafe. I was completely relaxed about "getting to the boat". It was only a ten minute walk from the hotel!

NCL's check-in was amazingly efficient. A guy met me on the street leading to the terminal and took my luggage - in fact, I was a little worried if he was official or not as he was so far from the entrance (but there were lots of other guys doing the same). I got my "card" for room entry and onboard purchases and boarded soon after. It might have been the fastest boarding I experienced to date. The rooms took time to be ready and the initial internet log-in was completely baffling for a first-timer (many people had problems - not just me).

After I got in my stateroom (an interior - no window) and unpacked, I headed to the top deck to enjoy the departure from NOLA. The sun even came out a bit. I drank mimosas to celebrate the start of another adventure. (Note: while in port, alcohol is taxed by the City of New Orleans - ugh)

Departing New Orleans

The sun set shortly after departure and we had to navigate a LONG stretch of river before entering the gulf. Most of the lower Mississippi is just bayou so there is nothing to see except the occasional oil refinery lit up brightly. I had no idea New Orleans was so far upriver from the Gulf. We watched the Carnival ship in front of us snake along the river - at times the ships were parallel to each other due to all the horseshoe bends.

the ship

The Norwegian Escape is one of NCL's "big" ships and is dedicated to the Port of New Orleans for part of the year. It basically does the same itinerary repeatedly and since New Orleans is the only major port between Tampa and Galveston, it gives cruise ship access to a large swath of the US. The boat was very nearly full on my cruise - 4000+. Most cruisers were from "the South".

The interior is not nearly as glamorous as Princess' ships, but it features a lot more "fun" activities for younger people (especially on the top deck). For example, Princess doesn't have water slides (probably because they would cause their core passenger group heart failure - ha!). Holland America is not about "fun" - it is retro and "posh". Royal Caribbean has next generation fun rather than "the usual stuff" - their ships are admittedly amazing. Norwegian tried to combine the Princess and Royal Caribbean experience in a relaxed atmosphere (and the Escape is a "large" ship).

I loved the balcony on deck 8 aft. I often went there to watch the ship's trail in the water. It was a popular spot for photos.

Of course we had numerous lovely sunrises and sunsets... one of the best parts of being at sea. This was our first sunset at sea.

And, as on the last two ships, my favorite bar was the one above the pool that also overlooks the sea. Those bars are often the most popular on the ship, so getting a seat can be difficult. The bartenders there hustle!

The setting sun was in our wake between Roatan and Harvest Caye

The ship has an incredibly small, ill-placed jogging track that crosses a main thoroughfare to other parts of the vessel. It is poorly designed and proves frustrating to all who use it. However.... deck 8 circles the ship completely. Comparing it to my time on the Island Princess (three times around is a mile), I imagined the Norwegian Escape was the same (or longer). I became an instant fan of "walking" Deck 8 (and I was not alone). I finally understood why all ships have a "promenade" level - even years ago people needed to take walks on long sea journeys.

I often walked when we were at sea. In fact, I had a kind of rule: after every meal or every trip to the bar, I had to walk at least three laps. Some days I was doing 9-12 laps. That buffet food and those drinks were not going to be worked off magically.

the ports

Costa Maya

Our first port was Costa Maya. We arrived with a bunch of other ships. I had never seen so many in port other than at a main departure point like Miami or Barcelona. Pulling up to our first destination knowing we were sharing it with so many others was an immediate downer, to be honest. Fortunately, my excursion to Chacchoben Ruins [see: Chacchoben Ruins, Quintana Roo] was amazingly uncrowded given how many ships were in port.

NCL Escape

Roatan

Roatan was a tender port and there was a massive delay in getting everyone off the ship. Even though NCL appeared organized, it took forever. Only later did we find that on the first boat someone had a heart attack which then required everything to stop until that was handled. Needless to say, "the natives were restless" when it took nearly two hours to get off the ship in a port where time was limited. Once again, the excursion I took was good - few other passengers were interested [see: Roatan]. I saw a news article from Roatan online the next day: the day we visited set a new record for cruise ship arrivals to the island - 20,000+. Given that the whole island depends on tourism, it was something to celebrate. We didn't depart until the evening and we were lucky to watch other ships leave before us. Cruise ships lit up at night are like holiday decorations on the sea.

a tender

Harvest Caye

NCL developed its own "private island" off the coast of southern Belize. Only NCL stops there so it was the one port where ours was the only ship. The island is set up for one thing only - fun in the sun. Many cruise lines offer similar these days (mostly in the Bahamas). For many it was the high point of the cruise [see: Harvest Caye] and I had to admit they did a good job with the island.

Cozumel

Cozumel was another "crowded" cruise port. When it came time to find our excursion meeting point we were also competing with passengers from several other ships. Just finding my ship's tour was confusing. The cruise terminal is far from the town center, so a little shopping area is set up for those who want to get off the boat but not go on a tour. As I went on a tour, I only spent time waiting for my excursion [see: San Gervasio, Cozumel]. I didn't formulate much of an opinion except that it looked just like all the other port entry areas and was extremely crowded.

Return to New Orleans

As on the day out, there is a full day at sea between the Yucatan Peninsula and New Orleans. After Cozumel, we had a sea day. We learned it actually takes nine hours alone to pass through the Mississippi to reach the Port of New Orleans. Wow! The last sea day felt "warm" and it was only on the morning of our arrival when we woke up (already docked) that the cold North American winter hit us once again. I was catching absolutely no breaks with weather in the Big Easy. The arrival was cold.

After two recent cruises, I knew that self-disembark was the the way to go (I never have a big bag). However, they want those people to get off the ship first and the others with luggage to exit later as it takes time to unload everything and everyone. What I realized was: just because I could get off didn't mean I had to. I ate breakfast and took my time afterward - what was the rush? I was staying one more day in New Orleans anyway. I finally joined the big queue to exit - it took a long time even though it was organized. By 9am I was on Julia Street again walking toward my hotel.

Afterthoughts

I have cruised on Royal Caribbean (on a mega ship), on Holland America (on a smaller ship), on two Princess ships (large and small), and one Norwegian (large). I loved the convenience of New Orleans' port. That simply cannot be underestimated and brings travel anxiety down a lot on departure day. Norwegian caters to a wide range of ages: families with kids, young couples, middle-aged people, and of course - the geriatric set. Compared to the last two Princess cruises, it felt more "normal". I liked having people of different ages around.

The wifi was cantankerous - and NCL uses Starlink (they all do). I am not sure if the Gulf region and Western Caribbean are a weak spots, or if NCL's routers simply need to be upgraded. I wasn't "working" so the internet outages did not bother me - they were just an annoyance.

NCL's food was comparable to others and felt a tad more "international" which I appreciated. Their onboard pizza is just awful (and there is no reason for that because they use proper pizza ovens).

I had an "all you can drink" package as part of a promotion, but it did not include specialty coffee. NCL partners with Starbucks, so there is actually one cafe that serves the Starbucks menu. That coffee costs extra - no thanks. I drank the brewed coffee that was free (and kind of awful). The first thing I did back in New Orleans was get a proper coffee. Princess has espresso machines all over the ship and espresso-based drinks are included in any drink package (along with alcohol). I will also sadly note that the "rail drinks" on NCL are made with no-name brands while on Princess even the cheapest drinks are made with "premium" spirits.

A lot more Indonesians work on NCL than on other lines. My cabin steward and the main bartender at "Waves" (my favorite top deck bar) were Indonesian. Once again, speaking Indonesian with them opened doors to much better service (and better quality alcohol in my drinks). I also want to note that most Americans find an "old white guy" speaking an Asian language to be "strange" (in a very negative sense). I guess white people should only speak French, Spanish, and German? I found people's reactions bizarre, but then again some people melt down if they only hear someone else speak Spanish.

The onboard TV programming was not on-demand and actually primitive. There were movies "for purchase". (really?) TV on a cruise ship? Yes - sometimes it's nice to load a movie and watch it in bed before sleeping. It's vacation after all. Which leads me to... entertainment. I usually don't go see the shows, but those same performers often do their acts in the ship's large public spaces, too. I caught several as I wandered the ship that week. In a word, the NCL talent was awful. I thought it was just me being picky, but I heard snippets of comments from people in elevators and at the bar. They felt the same. One woman I spoke to during an excursion said the principal rock band was the worst she had ever heard (ouch). I listened to a piano/singer doing Billy Joel one evening. His keyboard skills were amazing, but his singing was just "wrong". He didn't have the type of voice nor range to sing those songs successfully. So overall, entertainment from room TV to live acts was bad - wow.

How was an interior cabin? Well, I have to be honest, the sea was literally like glass for the entire week. I can't say I felt the ship "move" even once on the whole voyage. I am not sure if we had rough seas I would have felt the same about the interior space. However, a big bonus is when the lights are off, it is pitch black. I LOVE sleeping in absolute darkness. Would I do another interior - a qualified "yes". I need to try one in heavier seas to be sure, but I didn't mind at all. My only complaint was the size - my room was small as in: the bed took up the entire rear of the room with little space to walk on either side. There were also two flip down bunk beds because that room COULD SLEEP FOUR! And, next to me was a family of four! I have no idea how they did it... (Note: If anyone is willing to travel inside cabin, cruising becomes incredibly cheap.)

In the final analysis, it is very hard to compare cruise lines because they all have different strengths and weaknesses. I was overall pleased with Norwegian and would definitely sail with them again. In fact, I booked an NCL cruise from San Diego shortly after the New Orleans cruise finished. Princess is marginally "easier" as a product (consider their passengers, though... ha ha ha). So, mainstream cruise lines: cruise number five done.

Considering that I met people onboard who have done 30-40 cruises.... I doubt I will ever catch up.