Allure of the Seas vs Escape

[Gaprofitt]

Hey All,

 

Have a reservation on hold for Escape in Feb, also looking at Allure of the Seas. Prices are about the same. Anyone been on both, looking for a subjective opinion.

 

Room I am looking at on RCCL is considerably bigger, 199 sqft vs 129. It's just me and my 5 year old son so not a big deal. The minigolf looks a little better on Escape as well as the waterslides. I am not greatly familiar with RCCL and what it offers for kids other than the kids programs.

 

Anyone that could give some feedback on both would be appreciated. I don't really care about dining, my main concern is my son having a blast with his Dad. I'm sure we would be happy on both.

 

Thoughts?

[Two Wheels Only]

There are a couple of comprehensive reviews from people who also post here on CC.

 

JimZim

 

Allure OTS Review

 

and

 

Escape Review

 

 

 

Gambee

 

Allure OTS Review

 

and

 

Escape Review

Edited October 5, 2016 by Two Wheels Only

[bluesea777]

mmmmm .....

 

My colleague and husband went on Oasis of the Seas (sister ship to Allure) a couple of years ago - they had fantastic time.

 

This year they surprised their 2 kids (6 and 10) with taking them to Miami to go on a cruise (the kids had been pestering them). She (my colleague) picked the Norwegian Escape.

 

They had a ball of a time and the youngest one cried as they left the ship. The kids have now told them they want to return to the Escape rather than go to Disney World. My colleague told me the Escape was far better suited for the kids than the Oasis (or Allure).

[TonyFred]

I sailed the Allure twice and absolutely loved her. My kids are grown so there werent along. But I did notice a lot of child themed activities inside the ship but not as much up top.

Sailed the Getaway (very comparable to the Escape) last year and fell in love with her too. I have the Escape booked and leave on her in 3 weeks.

There are plenty of things for kids on NCL too. They probably win for outdoor activities with the rope courses and waterslides.

You wont go wrong with either choice. Both are very family oriented.

If it matters, food on the Getaway won hands down.

Edited October 5, 2016 by TonyFred

[Aquahound]

Hey All,

 

Have a reservation on hold for Escape in Feb, also looking at Allure of the Seas. Prices are about the same. Anyone been on both, looking for a subjective opinion.

 

Room I am looking at on RCCL is considerably bigger, 199 sqft vs 129. It's just me and my 5 year old son so not a big deal. The minigolf looks a little better on Escape as well as the waterslides. I am not greatly familiar with RCCL and what it offers for kids other than the kids programs.

 

Anyone that could give some feedback on both would be appreciated. I don't really care about dining, my main concern is my son having a blast with his Dad. I'm sure we would be happy on both.

 

Thoughts?

 

I've been on both ships and I had a great time on both. Either ship you go on, you'll have a lot of fun.

 

But I would pick Allure. Escape is a VERY crowded and chaotic ship with very narrow hallways.

 

Allure's plusses - Larger, more open public spaces. The neighborhood design keeps crowds separated. Allure's pools are a thousand times better. Allure has better and more varied entertainment. The whole ship is just stunning and it'll leave you in awe as you walk around. Escape doesn't really have that wow factor.

 

Hit or miss - Allure has Flowriders, Escape has waterslides. Allure has a zipline and better mini-golf, Escape has a ropes course. Both have numerous specialty restaurants.

 

Escape's plusses - The Waterfront is awesome for dining. There is a brewhouse with countless microbrews.

 

On top of it all, I think RCI has better service than NCL so like I said at the beginning, between these 2, I would recommend Allure.

Edited October 6, 2016 by Aquahound

[momto2js]

I had a similar choice to make and I picked Getaway over Oasis because my kids weren't tall enough our heavy enough for a lot of stuff on the RCI bigger ships. They wouldn't be able to do flow rider, no zip line for them. My 9 year old is 52 inches tall and 60 lbs and there were just too many things that he couldn't do and the things he could do "were babyish" I suggest you make sure the things that draw you, your child can actually do.

[eroller]

I've sailed both an enjoyed both, but ALLURE for me wins hands down. Overall just a far superior ship in just about every respect. This being said, if you sail on ESCAPE you will still have a fantastic time.

[Cruzaholic41]

Like the others who have actually sailed both, I agree that Allure is the better ship.

[Angelayu]

I've been on Oasis with my then 2 and 4 year old children 2 years ago (sister ship of Allure) and we just came back from Escape a week ago. To be honest, my kids enjoyed the Escape more than Oasis. Escape has a few waterslides that they can go on, however Oasis' flowrider are only for older kids and adults. Escape has a rope course for kids, Oasis has a zipline and rock climbing for adults. Oasis has a carousel that my kids did enjoyed. Therefore in general, I think there are more activities for kids on the Escape.

 

In terms of the ship itself, Escape did feel crowed and do not have a WOW factor as Oasis. Oasis is more spacious and has a better layout in general.

[MikeBTN]

For him, I would do Allure. The only "negative" is no water slide, but at his age he can only ride one or two of them. Pools are MUCH better on Allure, and the kids splash zone is huge. Our kids have preferred Royal's kids clubs over NCL.

[Gaprofitt]

Thanks everyone..

 

Crazy the other night after posting this I got a Casino offer for a free inside room with NCL for a bunch of dates. I went ahead and booked it, $569 total for two, free gratuities was the free selection I went with.

 

I immediately cancelled the deposit I had put down on the other sailing and i'm going a few weeks earlier.

 

Lol.. I do want to try RCCL though, perhaps next.