summer0621

I know this can be a matter of opinion. My kids are age 18, 15 and 13. Looking for a ship that has the roomiest pool with roomiest deck.I know they would all like to hang out by the pool and be able to swim. (but also has to have OTHER things to do as well, but the pool would be a big deal for them)

In your opinion, what ship has the best pool and pool deck.

Thanks, looking forward to your suggestions!

Teens will have a great time on the oasis. 2 Flow riders, zipline, rock wall, mini golf, table tennis and ofcourse there is the teen club if they like that sort of thing.

Thank you so much. I appreciate your information. It is very helpful.

Will be going with 3 teens. How is the pool area? I've heard the Escape on Norwegian is very crowded.. Is the pool large? How many pools are there? How many hot tubs?

What other MAIN ATTRACTIONS did your teens enjoy doing? I think there is the surf simulator, rock climbing wall....Are there water slides?

Any info about what teens can do, I would appreciate....

Thanks!

We have sailed the Escape twice, both times in balconies, and prior to each cruise, have never received an upgrade offer. (We've actually never received an upgrade offer for any sailing.) When we've boarded the ship, I seem to recall seeing a sign at guest services that there were no upgrades available as our sailings were full. My understanding is the upgrades at the pier and on the ship are very, very rare these days.

 

However, two weeks before you sail, you could try to call the upsell department and upsell yourself to a different cabin. They may offer you a smaller price to upgrade at that point. For our sailing a couple weeks ago, one person on the roll call reported they were able to upsell, but others reported not being able to. Since the Escape is new, I suspect many sailings are full and upgrades may not be as likely, but upsells may be possible.

 

Hope that helps!

Thank you! That does help. I was kind of thinking that is how it happens...few and far between.

So, Do people "really" ever get upgraded to suites from other staterooms. I've been told by NCL customer service that if you get on ship and ask about being upgraded to a larger room, if they have it available, they will possibly do it. (sometimes with a charge upgrade, but nothing like it would have normally cost)

Has this every happened to anyone?

Your Photos are "CRAZY AMAZING" !! Very nice review. Looking forward to the rest of your review.

Good question. Basically to get Vibe you have to be one of the first 80 people at Guest Services to get a pass. Passes are first come, first served but Haven and other Priority guests have access to them before the general boarding groups.

 

You get a dedicated area for a max of 80 people, better loungers with cushions, tons more space, private hot tub, dedicated bar and bathrooms, infused water, fruit skewers and snacks, food for purchase and all around awesome service. The photos with the green chair cushions are Vibe, the blue chairs packed in with no breathing room are what the rest of the sun decks look like.

 

There were reports of people getting to port at 8:30am the past few weeks and not getting them. Quite a few haven guests do take them. It's just luck of the draw but now I would be really disappointed if we cruised NCL again and couldn't get them.

Thank you very much for the explaination about VIBE. Sounds great. I wonder if the ship was completely booked..all Haven rooms and speciality rooms etc...if there would even be a chance of anyone else even getting them in the first place.

Great review....debating on going on Escape. This is going to be a very stupid question...I will apologize ahead of time.... I am new on here and just started reading these boards, so maybe this question is on a whole other thread,(possibly the new cruisers??) but what is VIBE and how do you become a part of it? Is it free? How do you get involved in it? I've picked up, from reading a little about it, but it sounds awesome.

Also summer0621, there's a review by TheDougOut called Escape Live 1/30. One of the best reviews ever.

 

 

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Yes! Thank you! I was following him from day 1!!! Soo bummed it's over...That was great! He cracked me up..

Thanks for the great review. It's very helpful to me, as I am trying to decide between 2 ships for our cruise in the future and this is 1 of the 2.

If you decide to go on NCL, I highly recommend the spa for you. You can buy a spa pass online prior to your cruise. The thermal suite is one of the most relaxing and uncrowded areas of the ship with a great view over the bow. I loved being there when the ship was pulling into and out of port.

 

As others have stated, NCL does an amazing job with suites. If you can afford that, do it, it is well worth it - much better than suites on RCCL or pretty much any other cruise line.

Oh my goodness, I'm alllll over this!! Thank you for giving me the heads up on this. With a 17, 14 & 11yo I would definitley appreciate and take full advantage of this!

I sooooo want to get a suite on NCL...I'm hoping I can...Most people seem to agree that the suites are pretty good.

Thank you once again for all the helpful information....It helps tremendously..

You have teens in your group, my then 13yo nephew LOVED the teen club on the Getaway, seems NCL does that well. How often does your teenager love something that was your idea? Perhaps someone else can comment on the Allure or the teen clubs on that line.

 

Teen activities, sports court, slides and buffet were among his favorites. I turned his card off for charging and he never complained about not being able to hit up arcade. (I didn't want to stress about tracking his spending on vacation, read too many horror stories about that here). There's foosball, pool and videogame consoles in the club. At night they sometimes had dance parties (there is a dance floor).

I was wondering about the teen clubs. I'm sure they will check them out... Another thing my 14yo commented on was that he wanted to hang with his brother in the older group of kids, not with the 11-14 ( I think Allure is splits 11-14 and 15-18 and Escape just the 14-18...Not sure..)not sure how flexible Allure's teen club would be on the ages...

FOOD is a huge issue with my kids, especially the 2 oldest who are boys...football players, basketball players...etc....They can eat...and they like good food...having the great promos on the Escape would be good for them..and much more cost effective for us....am I talking out my decision???:D

yes, yes, yes...I completely understand about the charging privileges...my nephew did that when he was like 13....on a Disney cruise and my brother went through the roof!! LOL... That's a very awesome thing that he did not even complain about NOT having it...

Thank you sooo much for your comments and advice..I greatly appreciate them all!!

We have sailed on both (and Oasis) and I would choose the Escape. We sailed on her a couple of weeks ago and it was the best cruise we have had in a long time.

That's awesome! Makes me excited. Thank you so much for the response. It's sooo helpful in choosing!

Right now NCL has some really great perks with 3/4 free. A nice family OV fits 5 and it's like $3000 cheaper than Allure depending when you go of course. I've tried Getaway(loved it) and will be in the Escape in 3 weeks. I am gonna try Harmony on the transatlantic this coming fall. I did 4 RCCL ships but NCL gives me more for my money. My opinion only. No matter what you decide...any vacation is better than no vacation! Good luck choosing and happy cruising.

 

 

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I agree...The NCL is definitely cheaper, and does have some great deals going on right now. The Harmony LOOKS AWESOME!

Thank you for all your help and advice....I need it!!

:) Have a great cruise on the Escape!

The rope course on the Escape is one of the best we have been on My teenagers did it every day they loved the Escape, and the water slides are so fun. we did hit some rough weather but I didn't think the ship was any different then any other when it was in some big waves.

 

and if your thinking a about a suite NCL cant be beat IMO.

 

good luck

That sounds like a lot of fun. The company who built the ropes course on that ship built one at a ymca camp in Michigan that 1 of my kids went to and it was SUPER COOL! I'm sure they would really like it.

Thank you for the information on the suites. We are booking VERY LATE so I highly doubt there will be any suites available. We will probably have to book 2 adjoining (or not) rooms. But, I will definitely ask, if we decide to cruise NCL.

Thanks for all of your help!

If you think of anything else, I would greatly appreciate it.. Everyone has been sooo helpful! I love it!:)

For your kids Allure has:

2 rock climbing walls

2 flow riders

mini golf

sports court

ice skating

zip line

carousel

Parades

3D movie theater

Arcade

 

The shows on Allure are spectacular: high diving, acrobatics, ice skating plus a broadway show (Mama Mia!). There is a great comedy club and they have comedians you have probably seen on TV.

 

Escape has the following:

 

4 full scale waterpark slides

ropes course

zip line

bungee trampoline

bowling

3 D movies

Arcade

Rock climbing wall

Mini golf

sports court

 

The shows on Escape are:

Million Dollar Quartet

After Midnight

For the Record: The Brat Pack

Comedy club

Howl at the Moon

 

If you choose Escape to avoid movement, get a cabin anywhere from midship to the front of the ship. Take some Bonine, just in case, but you probably won't need it.

Thank you for the lists! That is GREAT information. Yes, very familiar with Bonine and every other sort of motion sickness meds....I usually get the patches when I go on a ship, boat etc..

Thanks again for the helpful information.

Thank you... I did not realize that about the pool deck area. Oh yes, forgot about the surf simulator..all 3 of them would try that...they are daredevils:)

Thank you! What you both said is pretty much what I have been reading.

I was thinking the Allure, but as you said...I think they would like the slides and ropes etc. on escape...very concerned about the motion issue though...I've heard that comment a lot on here.

I am completely split.

Allure just has pools right?

Hi All:

I am brand new here. I have been on other boards before so am familiar with the way things work.

I have only sailed 2 times in my life. 1992 (honeymoon) Carnival Fantasy and 2000 on Disney's Magic.

I now have a 17 year old boy Junior in High School, a 14 year old boy in 8th grade, and an 11 year old girl (who will turn 12 on whatever cruise we go on) she is in 6th grade.

I have been researching a ton on here to try and decide which cruise would be the best for our family. Because of the dates (spring break) my options have come down to the Allure or the Escape.

My biggest concern is having enough on the ship for our kids...Not too concerned about too much night life for my husband and I as we will be with the kids.:D (maybe..lol)

My boys are big into sports...and water activities..my daughter loves water activities as well.

What ship would you choose and why? or would you recommend another ship altogether?

I am VERY prone to motion sickness, as is possibly 1 of my kids, if that makes a difference.

Thanks