Is the NCL Escape crowded?

[RobertHemsley]

Hi All,

 

Me (29) and my girlfriend (27) did our first ever cruise this summer on the Oasis of the seas in the Med and absolutely loved it.

We are looking at booking another cruise but this time as a larger family group on the NCL Escape in the Caribbean as the free at sea offer makes the cruise more than half the price of an RCL equivalent.

This includes my parents who are in their 60's and my Sister (35) her husband (35) and their two daughters (1 and 4).

 

Looking at photos of the pool and sundecks, and also the layout of the ship. is it really crowded compared to the OTS? Looking at beginning on Feb.

[graphicguy]

Have sailed the Allure once and the Escape twice.  Since the Allure is the sister to the Oasis, perhaps I can give you a comparison.

 

Pools on all of those ships are crowded on sea days, regardless of the ship.  Other areas?  Depends on where you’re going.  On Allure, the area(s) leading up to, and into the Merry-Go-Round and the Park Cafe area always seemed jammed.

 

On Escape, the area around the entrance and exits of the casino always seemed to be a bottle neck.

 

These are all mega ships.  As such, they have 4,000+ passengers (I think the Allure has a lot more passengers).  There are bound to be bottle necks.  Trying to give you an idea of one being better than the other is as much dependent on time of day, sea day vs non-sea day, around the restaurants during meal times, etc.

 

 

[PTC DAWG]

Compared to the MSC Seaside I sailed this past year, no...compared to the Celebrity Equinox I just disembarked, very much so.  

 

I will say the Escape is a very nice ship.  I've never sailed with kids, so not really sure how the kids areas are.  

[Vyhanek]

The Escape is a nice ship but if it's the pool area that is important to you, you will be very disappointed.   The pool area is the weakest part of this ship IMHO.

 

The outdoor bars and restaurants are really, really nice though.    

 

NCL is ridiculously similar to RCCL.   You will notice some differences but just as there are differences from ship to ship.   Royal has some ships I really cannot stand.   RCL's Enchantment of the Seas, I hate that ship.   There are other Royal ships that are really not nice at all.     But the Escape is a nice ship.   Be sure to check out the entertainment in Howl at the Moon.   The dual piano players, the comedians, the hypnotists.   That's the best entertainment now on NCL ships.    The main theater productions are not up to normal NCL standards I'm sorry to say.    But the other entertainment that you can't book ahead online is really good.    

Edited October 22, 2019 by Vyhanek

[Bonobochick]

I've been on the ship 5 times now and I've actually found it spacious for the most part.

 

To me, the most crowded & stifling areas remain the pool area and the atrium.

[beerman2]

The Escape has been our favorite ship so far (13 cruises).

 

Pool area is very crowded, however if you go up to deck right outside Vibe(17 I think) there are Lounge chairs, hot tub, bar.

 

The Waterfront on NCL is fantastic , great place to grab a drink and chill.

 

Howl at the Moon always a good time. District Brew House is good for craft beers on tap.

 

NCL has strategically placed a bar between the 2 MDR's, if you have to wait a bit.

[Georgia_Peaches]

3 hours ago, PTC DAWG said:

Compared to the MSC Seaside I sailed this past year

Did you do a review?

[Two Wheels Only]

Escape has bottlenecks where people converge in one spot. If you can avoid them/go around them, Escape is fine. 

 

As for Seaside, the problem is that too many people go to the same areas while other areas are nearly empty. 

For example, look at this photo taken on a Sea day around noon.....

 

 

...the area from the hot-tub forward is for Spa users, Aurea guests and Yacht Club guests. The area aft of the glass wall is for everyone. Looking further aft, there is even more space/loungers for everyone...

 

 

...and all of those empty loungers are there for the taking. Meanwhile, people are climbing over each other to find a lounger near one of the pools further aft. 

 

On Escape, most of the people are on the pool deck (16) but even there, people aren't spread out. There is available seating on the decks above the pool deck but too many people ignore those areas for some reason. 

 

My advice is to avoid the crowds and find an area that is underutilized. 

 

 

 

 

Edited October 22, 2019 by Two Wheels Only

[kayjaypea42]

On the Escape, expect the pool deck to be a zoo.  But Spice H20 always had seats available, as did some of the other sun decks.  The atrium can be crowded, but the rest of the ship not so much.  Absolutely loved the Escape last time I was on her (2016) and I'll be going again this December.  

[FLAHAM]

Is the Escape crowded around the pool (on warm weather cruises)?  Yes.  Is it easy to find loungers in the sun a short walk from the pool?  Yes.  You are not going to swim laps in the pool.  You are just going to get a short dunk to cool off. 

[ray98]

In my opinion no.  The pool deck on every cruise I have been on no matter line or style of ship has been chaos.  There are plenty of other places to go relax on the sun though if that is what you are looking for.  The Escape is a beautiful and well designed ship.

[PTC DAWG]

2 hours ago, Georgia_Peaches said:

Did you do a review?

No, but suffice it to say, I was ready to disembark..which is rare...we were in a mid level balcony...rude passenger mix, weird entertainment...beautiful ship, the Seaside...but past that, I wasn’t impressed.  

[F27TW]

We were on Escape in early Sept NYC-BDA .. we never once felt crowded in any of the public spaces, restauants or bars.    I ten to disagree a little even about the pool area ..  on the sea days, yes, there were a good number of people there, but we still had no issue finding loungers together.   We didn't do any of the shows or clubs. though, so I can't speak with any authority there... just in general.

 

The disembarkation was a mess ..just as on any other ship i;ve ever been on .. thats the only time we were reminded of the 4598 other pax on the ship along with us ! 

 

Gorgeous ship and amazing service all the way around, though .. (except O'Sheehans .. that place just SUCKS ... that was the only bad experience we had, though). AVOID!  lol

Edited October 22, 2019 by F27TW

[HowardK]

I went 2x in 2018- I found the pool itself would have a tendency to be crowded, getting chairs in the back against the water and upstairs sometimes wouldn't be bad mid day around lunch once people left, but 10am in the morning much more crowded.

Spice H20 was busier on Bermuda than Canada/NE.

However, water front space would have lots of space- the district would have lots of space.

 

The atrium for shows in the evening- is simply not big enough. 

[BNBR]

The Escape will be nothing like Oasis.  The Escape is essentially a somewhat bloated small ship design.  It's claustrophobic.  No soaring spaces and everything about it feels jammed together compared to Oasis.  That said, for half the price, I'd sail Escape again.  Lots of cool features, too.  But if sitting by the pool is your thing, I think Escape may literally be the worst ship at sea. The pool areas are insanley small and overcrowded.  All in all though, for the price, I'd say go for it. 

[waterjock]

I have been on the Escape 5 times the food and entertainment are great. As for the pool its a joke your lucky if you can find a place to put feet in. Decks 17 18 and 19 have areas with hot tubs and many deck chairs for your group.

[xitappers2bx]

On 10/22/2019 at 11:38 AM, RobertHemsley said:

Hi All,

 

Me (29) and my girlfriend (27) did our first ever cruise this summer on the Oasis of the seas in the Med and absolutely loved it.

Now that is a giant freaking ship.... My parents are going on the Allure next week and I am dying to hear how crowded it was, because I am dying to go on the Harmony (my name), but hate huge crowds.

On 10/22/2019 at 11:38 AM, RobertHemsley said:

We are looking at booking another cruise but this time as a larger family group on the NCL Escape in the Caribbean as the free at sea offer makes the cruise more than half the price of an RCL equivalent.

This deal is making NCL quite attractive, that is for sure.

On 10/22/2019 at 11:38 AM, RobertHemsley said:

This includes my parents who are in their 60's and my Sister (35) her husband (35) and their two daughters (1 and 4).

 

Looking at photos of the pool and sundecks, and also the layout of the ship. is it really crowded compared to the OTS? Looking at beginning on Feb.

My parents (super loyal RCCLers), myself, and my kiddo had connected staterooms on the Escape to Bermuda.  The ship was close to sold out, and we never thought the ship felt exceptionally crowded.  We always found pool chairs in the shade (we are a very pale people), and could always find a seat.  I am sure if it's a max capacity sailing, it would feel somewhat more crowded, but I think the ship is really well designed in that it never felt overwhelming.

[KarimaJ]

We sailed on the Escape April school vacation, it wasn't full and didn't have a lot of kids. My daughter loved the waterslides and rope course. Your kids are small but they have kiddie areas too with water features and a small rope course. The previous time we cruise we sailed the Getaway at Thanksgiving week. THAT was pretty crowded but didn't feel terrible except the pool deck.