Norwegian Escape - March 4 to March 11 (live) - with kids - previous cruise was Oasis

[alpineapa]

Me (37), wife (33) and 2 kids (4 and 6).

 

On the ship now (day 2) and thought I'd post some comments.

 

I will do a lot of comparison to Oasis of the seas

 

For context, this is our fifth cruise (third with the kids). Last year we did RCCL Oasis and 2 years ago we did Disney Dream.

 

Day 1

Our port boarding was 10-10h30. We arrived at 945. There was a bit of a line outside, didn't start moving until 10. From then it moved pretty quickly and got into the waiting area around 10h30. We didn't board until around 11h30. If I would redo, likely would have only showed up around 1015.

 

Winner - Oasis for the seas....last year, seems like we just arrived and walked on the ship

 

Once on board, similar to Oasis of the seas, we just went straigth to the water park, although it wasn't going to open until 12 so we decided to grab lunch......we wanted to do Margaritaville but it was closed until noon, so we went to the buffet which was fine/typical.

 

After we ventured to the splash park which is great. I found the Oasis splash park was better for the adults as you could sit by the sun and watch the kids vs. On the Escape, it's mostly shaded, but you could sit on the ledge inside the park. The park itself is much better, i.e. It has a rop tunnel and a nice slide vs. Oasis mostly just has water sprayers. Both water parks have a kids pool so that would be similar but Escape also has the yellow slide which is great for kids (slow side).

 

Also, the "tube slide", you only need to be 40 inches and up and you can go two at a time (one per tub, but you can hold the tube) which was great as this allowed us to go with our kids who loved it. This is a really nice slide.

 

Winner; Escape

 

For dinner we went to Lacucina. It was ok.

 

Day 2

 

We went to main dining room for breakfast. It was nice and relaxing, but unlike the Oasis, it was not a buffet but a la carte only. We were not in a rush, so it was fine, but we won't do this option most mornings since time consuming

 

After breakfast, we dropped off the kids for free play which is from 9-10. For the kids club, ages are 3-5 and 6-8 so our kids were in different groups and they are NOT flexible on this but one exception is the free play hours where they could play together. While kids were at free play, we went to grab a coffee on deck 6 coffee bar and learned that coffee not included in unlimited drink package which was a surprise and odd.

 

After, the free play, my son and I went to the splash park while mom and daughter played card games in the cafe.

 

As a side note, weather today is not great. Rained a bit, VERY windy but the splash park is well protected by the wind so was able to get a good 45 minutes of play there.

 

Also, ropes course was closed all day.

 

For lunch, we went to food republic. It was great and we recommend it. It's a la carte, but prices were reasonable.

 

In the afternoon, kids went to free play again (2 to 3pm) while we went to have a beer at the brewery. Nice spot, great beer selection. This place is 18 and over.

 

After picking up the kids, we went to 6th floor cafe to grab cupcakes (Small ones are only $1,50 and they are good).

 

After, mom and kids went relaxing in the room while I went to bingo. $49, 3 games, 3 cards. Prizes were around $400, $650 and upgrade to a suite.

 

For dinner, we did the "dinner and a show". It was the four seasons tribute. It was a 6pm. Great show, I recommend it. It's a preset menu and chicken fingers for the kids.

 

A few other comments from the first 2 days;

 

1- Overall much prefer layout of the Oasis....i.e. Oasis has the "sections" like the promenade, boardwalk, park....floors 5-7 of the Escape don't even come close to being as nice of a concept

 

2- In the Oasis, casino is tucked at the bottom of the ship. I like casinos and spent time in there, but don't really want to pass through it with the kids every time we want to go somewhere. Also, because of the location, like everyone else mentioned in the reviews, the smoke smell is bad....

 

3- So far our room attendant was way better on the Oasis......i.e. No towel animal so far (this is something the kids were excited to see each night last year). Also, tonight, as I was writing this review the room attendant showed up 8h20 pm, but my son was already sleeping so our room didn't get done today but he did say that tomorrow he would do our room first since kids go to bed earley so we will say.

 

4- My wife and daughter were supposed to go see after midnight, but it got cancelled due to board movement so they just wandered the ship and played bowling.

 

5- In wandering they noticed that Spice H20 is open to kids after 7pm and they were supposed to show a movie tonight (cancelled due to weather) but thought I'd mention it since this wasn't in the programs/simply stumbled on it.

 

6- Internet is a lot more expansive on the Escape than it was on the Oasis

 

7- On the Oasis, seemed like it was easier to get "food on the go", i.e. Pizza place, hot dog place, etc......

 

8- Although it was very windy, we did check out the mini golf....the course is nicer on the Escape than it was on the Oasis

 

9- We are in a mini suite. In the Oasis, we had a boardwalk balcony. I actually enjoyed the boardwalk balcony as sitting on the balcony you could people/activity watch and you still saw the ocean vs. On a regular balcony like this, well always the same view.....

 

Rooms themselves are very similar but the bathroom/shower in the Escape is a winner.....very big bathroom and has to be the nicest shower at sea

 

10- Impossible to get an elevator, but this was also an issue on the Oasis and now that the kids are a bit older/no longer using a stronger, doesn't really bother me as much.....and with all of the eating, a bit of walking is not a bad thing.....

 

11- Went to the gym this am for a short run.....nice gym, not too busy around 8am....

 

12- On the Oasis I jogged outside, they had a nice track with great views.....on the Escape, impossible to jog outside.

 

13 - On the OAsis we had a pull out sofa bed. On the escape, it's not a real sofa bed, just a sofa that you can move a cushion to try and make a bed. It's perfect for our 4 year old, but would not be big enough for 2 kids. We had a pullman which at first we were disappointed as we expected a real sofa bed and the bed rail was small, but we did ask for a bigger bed rail which they installed and our 6 year old slepped in it.......actually worked out way better than sharing a sofa bed, i.e. In the sofa bed ending up playing together a lot which took them a long time to fall asleep.....

 

I'll try and sign in again tomorrow to add more comments.

 

Let me know if you have any questions.

[RedRover96]

Keep it going, especially hints & tips!

[tigerweir]

Checked out the webcam today - seas looked rough. Did you feel lots of movement. Were people getting seasick?

[williecruz]

Loving the review so far and can't wait for more! We're on the 3/18 sailing and counting the days. Your live review will help pass the time! Hope the weather improves for you....enjoy!

[easyboy]

Will be following along.

[alpineapa]

Checked out the webcam today - seas looked rough. Did you feel lots of movement. Were people getting seasick?

 

 

Yes, LOTS of movement. By far the worse out of the five cruise we've been on. Didn't notice anyone getting sick.

 

715 am now and looks like it's still very windy and there is still a lot of movement. Hopefully weather will improve this afternoon.

[alpineapa]

Forgot to mention, on the first day in the late afternoon, we went to Margaritaville for a few beers and a snack. We had the Nachos. I believe they were around $6. Very good and very big.

 

At the brewhouse, they do have 4 items on the menu (pub sliders, lobster roll, korean chicken wings and ??) but there is a fee. They do give you complimentary bar nuts.

[LuCruise]

Great review so far. We've been on Allure and am looking at either another Royal cruise or something like the Escape so this is a great comparison. In terms of activities for kids/family, how do the two ships compare?

[alpineapa]

 

 

Day 3 daily

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[alpineapa]

Great review so far. We've been on Allure and am looking at either another Royal cruise or something like the Escape so this is a great comparison. In terms of activities for kids/family, how do the two ships compare?

 

 

Pool area has more activities on the Escape than on Alure/Oasis (slides/water playground). Ropes course has been closed since we boarded but it does have a smaller version for kids which my son can't wait to try so I would say Escape wins in terms of outdoor activities, however the new Harmony of the Seas (which likely will be our next trip) seems to have made an upgrade to the splash park compared to Oasis/Alure so it may rival (or be better) than the Escape.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[alpineapa]

Great review so far. We've been on Allure and am looking at either another Royal cruise or something like the Escape so this is a great comparison. In terms of activities for kids/family, how do the two ships compare?

 

 

In terms of "inside the ship", we miss the royal promenade/boardwalk from the Oasis as it was great to walk around with the kids and there were often characters for the kids to see and take pictures with. Decks 5-7 is not a great place to walk with kids given the smoke issues. Also, don't think NCL has the characters like RCCL. Kids programs seem similar in terms of activities. In terms of daily planner, didn't see much for kids 4-6 but will post them so you can judge for yourself.

 

 

They are showing a movie today. FIding Dory

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[LuCruise]

Thanks so much for the quick response in getting back to me. Will be keeping my eye open on Harmony for their new cruise releases but from what I've seen the costs are getting up there too much. So something like the Escape with the waterslides looks great. Hope the weather improves so your kids can try the rope course.

 

Ah ok...so no characters. That is fun for kids. The promenade and boardwalk areas are a lot of fun.

Thanks for posting the daily planner. Will look closer. Enjoy the rest of your cruise. I look forward to hearing more.

[Taxgal87]

Looking forward to this review...loving all the tips already. My boys will be 4 and 6 on our Escape cruise in September and I'm kind of bummed to hear they will have to be separated in kids club. Also looking to book a Royal Caribbean next year so loving the comparison.

[Knobhdy]

I'm looking forward to this review. I hope to make the Escape my next NCL cruise.

[alpineapa]

Day 3....

 

We had breakfast at the buffet at around 8am. As expected it was a zoo, however we were able to get a table right away. I would say the food and the chaotic factor is very similar to the Oasis. I think it's just something you have to expect with the big ships. If you go in expecting it, not as bad :)

 

After breakfast, we went on the pool deck again. Very windy today but at least there was.a bit of sun in the morning. We did the yellow slides a few times and the tub slide once. Most we waited in line was 5 minutes. My son spent about an hour in the splash park. He must have done the red slide like 50 times. I really like this area, it's covered from the wind and I feel it's safe and there are ledges I can sit and watch. There were lot more kids today but everyone was well behaved. There was live music in the adult section which you could hear a bit from the splash park but not barely.

 

For lunch, we went to O'Sheehan's. Wait was a bit long, but we were happy with the food. Wings were good (we had buffalo and BBQ and preferred Buffalo). We also had chicken Caesar salads, open face turkey sandwich and Shepard Pie.

 

Oh before lunch, we played a quick game of bowling. $5 and it's tucked behind O'Sheehan's so it's quiet. We were the only ones there. Kids loved it, $5 only last you about 15 minutes, but for a 4 and a 6 year old, that's pretty much all you need.

 

After lunch, we dropped kids off to free play and currently we're sitting at the District Brewhouse sipping on a delicious beer and writing these comments. This place is great, but always packed. We had to wait a bit to get seats. Someone mentioned there was live music just before we arrived.

[Pedro2400]

Your review is reminding me of my Escape cruise in December.

Great Review.... Keep it coming .....

 

BTW, You must try Chipotle Chicken sandwich in O'Sheehan's....

that was my favorite ...:):)

[alpineapa]

Day 3 continued......

 

We went to Cagneys for dinner. Both my wife and I had filet mignon which was really good. She had a few vegetable sides which she liked and I had the truffle fries which were a disappointment. Usually steak places, even on boats, always have great crispy truffle fries, but these were likely a 2 out of 10 when it comes to truffle fries.

 

Service was also very bad. It took 50 minutes for the kids to get food. They should know that a family with young kids is not there for the long and relaxing experience, we just want to be in and out and enjoy some good food without bothering fellow guests.....kids did a great job and had toys/Ipads to keep them occupied but 2 hours is a long time for them to sit though a meal and after 40 minutes they started to complain they were hungry so as a tip for families, if you do want to be in and out quicker, maybe give them a heads up. Our steaks took around 1h10 and then we had to wait another 10 minutes for the sides......for dessert, I had the brownie which was not good.....they put salted caramel in the description, but this was just three small spots on the dish and not even on the brownie.......kids shared a chocolate cake which was delicious! (They let me try a bite). We did a steak house speciality on each of our 5 trips and this experience likely ranks in last place.

 

After diner, we tried to go see "howl at the moon", we got there at 815 for the 830 show and there was not a seat left. We were hopping to grab a quick 15-30 minutes with the kids before bed, but after a long day, no way they were going to enjoy it standing up in a crowded place so we left.

 

The "bag of laundry" special is tomorrow (day 4). Bag is picked up at noon, but take note, it only gets delivered back thursday evening. I may need to search these message boards to see where they sell underwear on the ship as I did not plan on the fact it would take this long to get the clean laundry back, hehe.

[alpineapa]

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[alpineapa]

St Thomas - it was rainy and cloudy when we got here but now 830 and starting to look better. Chaotic buffet then taxi to Meagan's Bay

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Forums

[oneplustwins]

Loving this review!!

[easyboy]

Enjoying your review!

[AliceIn]

Enjoying the review! I'm disheartened to hear that the smoke smell is so bad on the Escape. The stink is something that bothers my entire family, and I'm considering whether to ditch this cruise or not. On a scale of 1-10, how bad is the smoke situation on decks 6-7-8, and how often to you find yourself having to go through there? If I can avoid smokers, I'll do it; but if it's a constant walk through a disgusting area, no way.

[Ann Nonymous1]

Thank you for the review. Could you please comment on their internet plans -- is their new "freestyle choice plan" available (social chat for $35/week)?

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[MDFlyer]

Hey, thanks so much for taking the time from your vacation to keep the rest of us informed... We go in a couple of weeks. Have been counting the days down for almost a year. I have been following the cruise ship progress on a tracker site. Looks like you guys took the leeward passage along Cuba instead of the normal route east of the Bahamas. My guess is due to weather. 8-13 ft swells were forecast so I am guessing the skipper was looking for calmer waters. The forecast is improving for you guys but still a little rough and windy. Have fun in Tortola. Last year we went on the "Ultimate Adventure" tour to Jost Van Dyke. Very fun and booked it again for this upcoming cruise. When we went, however, very calm day. Probably not nearly as fun if getting pounded by the chop...

 

Nassau was just another sea day for us. A good chance to do the ropes course and no lines for the water slides. Pool area dead as well.

 

Have fun! Thanks again for sharing!

[alpineapa]

Day 3 continued......

 

We walked off the ship and took a taxi to Meaghan's Bay. $8 per adult and $4 per child. Maybe a 20 minutes or so ride. From the ship to the taxi stand was a good 15 minutes walk. It's easy to find, you just follow people.....there are several shops around the taxi stand.

 

The weather continued to be bad, but we're still glad we decided to go as we got a good hour of nice weather which was just enough for the kids to play a bit in the sand and water. We took a taxi back to the ship to change and eat lunch and then we walked back to the shops for a bit of shopping.

 

After we went back to the ship but the splash parks and ropes courses were closed due to weather but they finally opened after approx. 30 minutes. As a tip, since the ropes course for the kids is not as busy, you don't have to do the long line up, you can go directly to the front and they will put the harnest and let you go. My kids loved it! First thing my 4 year old asked this morning was whether or not he could go on the ropes course....

 

For dinner we were in the main dining room. My kids liked the fact there was live music. We were really close and did not find it lound. We told our waiter we were in a rush since we wanted to catch the show. We skipped apps/dessert and we were out within one hour. The show was after midnight and it was the 7h30 showing. We got there at around 6h45 and it was already packed. By 7h10 it was full. This is likely because the previous 2 nights had been cancelled due to weather. I only got to watch 5 minutes since my son fell asleep. My wife said it was "ok", not bad, not great.