Family Balcony Cabin 15862 On Norwegian Cruise Line Escape (Review)

• Introduction: A 14 Day Atlantic Crossing on the Norwegian Escape
• Delta Air Lines Premium Select Experience (Premium Economy) – What has Changed?
• High Risk – I Flew to my 14 Day Cruise Departure City on Embarkation Day!
• Using Caesars Discount Plus Amex Offers and More to Lower the Cost of Cruising Norwegian
• Starlink Internet Performance on Norwegian Cruise Lines Escape Review
• Bidding for Haven and Suite Upgrades With Norwegian Cruise Lines is no Longer Cheap
• What is the Weather Like on Transatlantic Cruises. Will you get Seasick?
• Comparing the Norwegian NCL Vibe Beach Club to Spice H20 Experience
• The Impact of Time Change on Transatlantic Cruise Crossings – The good and the bad
• Family Balcony Cabin 15862 On Norwegian NCL Escape Review
• What to Expect from the free Main Dining on Norwegian Escape
• Comparing the old Norwegian NCL Cruise App to the New App – What has Changed
• Entertainment on the Norwegian NCL Escape – Choir of Man is a Must See
• Final Thoughts on another NCL Atlantic Crossing

As mentioned in my previous post (see link above), I really was hoping to end up in the The Haven for this Atlantic crossing but to make sure I still had a pleasant experience I went ahead and booked a family cabin at a base price of $160 per night for the two of us.

I must say I ended up quite pleased with the cabin, as well as the outstanding service from our room steward Ren, as well as the space.

Before I go too far into this review I have a Youtube video included at the bottom of the post that will give you a better full overview of the cabin so consider this the cliff notes version of the cabin.

A family cabin on NCL is slightly bigger than a standard room because the sofa, that can be converted into a bed, is larger. If you are not using this as a bed the cabin still affords you more room to move about and some extra storage space with drawers under the sofa (a big plus as storage space is somewhat limited in this cabin).

While I did not spend much time watching TV during the cruise I did like the updated large screen and some storage under the unit. Lighting was good but I will say I miss that room stewards no longer visit a cabin twice a day so if you want to come home to a softly illuminated cabin you have to remember what lights to leave on before you go to dinner (#ProTip – bring an old hotel key card as you need one to keep the lights on).

One thing that did disappoint me was the bed. It was beat up and hard. I only know this because the 14th night of the cruise my wife and I took off our 3″ memory foam mattress topper we bring on all cruises and space bag packed it away. That last night on the cruise was miserable and if you do not bring your own topper then be sure to ask for one from your room steward (it will only be a thin 1″ but it has to help a little).

On the 15th floor you do have the 16th floor overhead very close to you. For me I like this because it offers cover from rain, wind and the sun and by the time I want to spend time on my balcony I have had enough sun. Size wise it is not bad but there is clearly no room for loungers.

For a cruise ship bathroom – this one was quite nice. Space was good as well as storage. The shower itself was much larger than many I have been in and it drained well (it may help that we were on the 15th floor).

The other things I liked about this cabin was the location. I could walk up just one flight of stairs to get to the buffet. We did not eat at the buffet a majority of the time but I did get hot water every day as we drink tea for breakfast and fill up a large water bottle first thing. Very convenient and even elevators were close by.