NCL ESCAPE - 4/1/17 Sailing Pool Area

[ps4125]

Just returned from our cruise. Luckily our bid for a Haven Spa Suite was accepted because what would have been the worst cruise ever was our best cruise ever. Let me start by saying that my favorite thing to do during the day on a cruise is to sit in a lounge chair near a pool or hot tub while relaxing and reading. If we hadn't had the Haven deck areas and the Thermal Spa area to enjoy, this would have not been possible. If the regular pool and decks were all that had been available to us, I would have been livid because it would have been impossible to relax during sea days in a lounge chair. People started staking out lounge chairs at 7:30 on sea days. Every lounger was claimed on every single deck by 10ish and for the rest of the day on all levels including H2O area. There was little to no room to set a drink or a book because the loungers were pushed together. No drink tables, etc. If you enjoy other activities besides deck lounging, the Escape is great. If your primary daytime "activity" is lounging outside on a lounge chair, forget about the Escape without booking Haven or at least forget about it during any Spring break time, which seems to run from mid March to mid April, or summer.

Here is a video I took. There was some sort of organized activity going on during this time, but the pool area was always this crowded during the day. There are actually less people in the hot tub in this video than there often were.

Edited April 17, 2017 by ps4125
Want to add

[ps4125]

I would like to add that the pool areas were crowded during good weather on all of the cruises I've been on. It would often take some time to find 2 chairs together and it would take a real stroke of luck to get a "prime" spot. However, I have NEVER seen anything like this. Ever.

[TheDougOut]

Wow that looks fun! Can't wait.

 

FdXX1uh4oZs

[Stevie17]

I completely concur. We were on the 3/25 sailing, and had we not been in the Haven, this would have been an extremely disappointing experience. I have sailed on 15 cruises, and I have never experienced a worse (or more crowded) main pool area. I won't sail the Escape or any of her "sister" ships again unless I book in the Haven.

[Cruisewithm]

Wow that looks fun! Can't wait.

 

FdXX1uh4oZs

 

LOL me too