Deciding which cabin to select for a cruise can be difficult. Not only do you have to decide on which deck, and whether you want to be in the front (forward), middle (midship), or back (aft), there is also a wide selection of different room categories. For our recent trip on Norwegian Escape, we were tempted to upgrade from our typical inside cabin. With the promotion occurring at the time, booking a Norwegian Escape Balcony Room qualified us to get a complimentary drink package.

When comparing the prices of rooms (now combined with a drink package), it made complete sense for us to book the balcony room. We were still within our budget, and now we had a free drink package. After our stay, we decided to put together this short Norwegian Escape Balcony Room review for other travelers who might be considering what type of cabin they should book for their next cruise.

A View of St. Thomas from our Norwegian Escape Balcony Room

Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review

Our balcony cabin was room number 11782 (Category BC, Midship Balcony). Conveniently located right next to the elevators, our stateroom was the last cabin before “the hump”. This meant we had a slightly larger balcony than most rooms, but our view to the aft was slightly restricted because of the angle of the balcony.

Upon entering our Norwegian Escape Balcony Room, we were greeted with a surprise. Our travel agent and NCL had given us a little welcome aboard treat by decorating our room with the Bon Voyage package. This included some special treats, some awesome towel animals, and even some rose petals on the bed. This was definitely unexpected.

Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review – Entering our Room

According to the NCL website, balcony rooms in this category range from 208-230 sq. feet. Granted, not big to begin with, but most rooms we have booked in the past have been about 170 sq. feet. Being close to 20% bigger than those rooms, the size difference was not really noticeable to us.

Upon entering the room, the first thing you notice is the bed. Located in the center of the room, you need to pass by it to get to the sitting area and desk. The space between the bed and other areas of the room were adequate for the two of us to maneuver throughout the cruise.

Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review – The Bed

Across from the bed is the television. Not that we spend much time during our trips watching it, but it is nice to have on in the morning to review the day’s events. You can also use the television to book restaurant and entertainment reservations, if you haven’t done so already. Under the television, there is also a small storage area.

You will notice that the closet in our Norwegian Escape Balcony Room was off to one side of the bed, basically right behind the bathroom. It was a bit of a tight squeeze getting to the closet due to the close proximity to the bed. One side of the closet contains some shelves and the safe, and the other side has a rack with hangers. For the two of us, we had just enough hangers.

Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review – Closet and Television

As I mentioned, past the bed is the sitting area and desk, which are illuminated by the large sliding glass door leading out to the balcony. The sitting area offers your standard two person couch, which we mainly used to display our towel animals and for additional storage. The Princess used the desk as her getting ready location. Underneath the right end of the desk, there is a small refrigerator and some storage shelves, which we used for some of our gear and the two cases of water we took onboard. One cool feature is that the desk chair doubles as an ottoman and table and can be conveniently stored under the desk.

Desk Area

Like most cruise ship cabins, the bathroom was located right next to the front door and was purely utilitarian, being just big enough to get by for the week. Storage was on par with other bathrooms, including two upper and two lower shelves by the sink. The shower design did make it seem a bit bigger than other cruise ship showers. Later on in the cruise, we got a tour of one of the suites in the Haven and finally saw a cruise ship bathroom that was close to the size of a real bathroom on land!

Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review – Bathroom View

The balcony was perfect for us to comfortably sit and enjoy the scenery. There were two chairs and a small table. This feature more than makes up for the limited interior space. Enjoying the early morning sunrises and mid afternoon drinks on the balcony made this investment the right decision. Of course, the complimentary drink package helped too!

Seating on Balcony

Recap Norwegian Escape Balcony Room Review

While the room was technically bigger, we did not see any noticeable differences in the size of this cabin when compared to other cabins we have stayed in on other ships and cruise lines. The room layout was manageable, although we could have used a bit more storage space. A nice perk was that there was a USB outlet located on each side of the bed which made it convenient for charging phones at night.  The room also features an energy saving design requiring a room key to be inserted before you can manage the lights and/or air conditioning. Admittedly, we did try to work around this by inserting an alternate card so that the room would be cool upon our return. Sometimes it worked, and other times, our stateroom attendant removed it.

The real payoff of a Norwegian Escape Balcony Room is the wonderful views- sunrises, sunsets, and sail in and sail out at the various ports of call. Enjoying an afternoon drink or just taking a break from all of the activities onboard in the comfort of your own private outdoor space is nice too.

Balcony View of Miami

We would definitely book this category again, if there was an incentive that made it worth the additional costs. After spending two cruises in a balcony room, we have decided to give our first junior suite a try later this year on Oasis of the Seas. Don’t worry, we got a great promotion from one of our preferred travel agents and the cruise company that made the major investment worth a try. We might just get spoiled from all of these luxuries and never make it back to an inside cabin again!

Comments

Have you stayed in a balcony room on Norwegian Escape? What type of cabin do you normally book when taking a cruise? Drop us an anchor below to help your fellow travelers plan where to stay on their next cruise.