NCL Escape vs RCCL big ships

[Cruisebaza]

I am writing this on day 4 of a seven night cruise on NCL Escape and I can summarize my experience very simply. The RCCL big ships (I've been on the Allure, Oasis and Anthem) offer a superior experience in almost every aspect I can think of. Also, there are so many little things that are thought of by RCCL but not by NCL (at least on this ship). 

 

Getting on board took nearly 2 hours, reservations have been a nightmare (very few things can be reserved online), venues and elevators are perpetually crowded. Main shows are awful... and one of them you have to pay to see!! Oh, speaking of elevators, you have to hit two different buttons in one bank of elevators (there are only two banks of 8 elevators for the entire ship) to get all 8 in the bank. 

 

There are only 2 food venues that are not extra cost (outside of the main dining room): the standard "ledo" buffet and a bar that has a very limited sit down menu 24/7 (the only venue 24/7....even room service isn't 24/7 and there are charges). 

 

I could probably list 100 other things. But I've learned my lesson... I'm sticking to RCCL.

[truckswain]

We were fortunate at the beginning of the month to sail Anthem one week and sail NCL Escape the following week.  I found embarkation better on the Escape and sailing from Manhatten was amazing. I found the food to be comparable with the Anthem and service very good on both.  I will say that there were far more supervisors on the Escape in all the food venues asking how everything was and pitching in to bus tables and seat people.  You are absolutely correct that the entertainment is superior on RCCL and that was true on the Anthem and there should never be an additional charge for this like there is on the Escape. Many of the different events were held in the Atrium on the Escape which is so small and was terribly crowded.  We had the ultimate beverage package on both the Anthem and the Escape and the Escape package did not include bottled water or any specialty coffees and while in  New York and Florida you are charged tax on your drinks. I was also not a fan of how the casino was in the area where the decks 3 decks are open.  The smoke traveled on these open decks.  There was no closed in pool or solarium.  So while I thought the Escape was a beautiful ship, the Anthem has so much more going for it.

[sweetp0618]

We've cruised many times on Disney, Carnival, Princess, RC, and Celebrity.  We tried NCL Escape last December (non-holiday cruise) because I got a great price, and it was the worst cruise we've ever taken.  The ship was beautiful, but we disliked the food and there were crowds absolutely everywhere.  For a large ship, it felt very claustrophobic.  As mentioned above, many public areas of the ship were very smoky.  I doubt we'll ever cruise again on NCL.

[Sotermarler]

I’ve been on both ships, and I really wanted to love the Oasis, but I just liked it. I thought the Oasis was in rough shape, I realize theEsacle is much newer, but even some of the older NCL ships were cleaner than Oasis. 

 

While I agree with the entertainment like the aqua theater (our favorite area for shows and movies) and things to do (ex:flow rider, rock wall etc.) are better on Rccl, I would have to say NCl does have the edge on the kids club, buffet and waterfront.

 

The  kids club on NCl was far better organized than on the Oasis this past October. NCL has way more activities for the kids to do, and the counselors on NCL are way more engaged. One day I saw a counselor barking orders from the couch.  Oasis advertises a lab for science experiments, but they never used it once in the entire week.  They said there were too many kids so they  never opened it, they only played games all week.  My kid gave the win to NCL on the kids clubs, and I had to agree with him on that. 

 

We were shocked one day after returning from to return port to find the Windjammer closed around 3 and when we asked where we could go, they just said Sorrentos. While Sorrentos was good, and I love that it’s always open, one can only eat so much pizza. Also, the size of the buffet is about half the size as on the Escape, which is crazy for that size of ship. A of couple times we had to wait in line outside of the WJ to be seated by staff since it was so crowded inside. Never have I seen this on NCL.

 

Finally, one thing I really missed on the Oasis was the waterfront. I cruise to see the water, and other than my balcony and the jogging deck, I never saw it on the Oasis.

In my opinion these ships are pretty even. I felt like the Escape is more outward facing (ex: waterfront, H20) and the Oasis is more inward facing (Central Park, Royal Promenade), so it just depends on what is more important to you.