Is the Escape TOO big?

[scrapbags]

Hi, my DH and myself have cruised on the NCL Jewel the end of Jan. We are planning another cruise for next year around the same time. My question is, is the Escape TOO big? We liked the Jewel alot but there was no outdoor movie theater and we LOVE that. I believe the ESCAPE has one but we have never been on a ship that large. Do you get the same treatment? Is it more crowded? Any opinions would be great!:cool:

[mizLORInj]

I've been on Escape's sister, Breakaway, and yes, it's big. Is it too big? I don't think so. It's just different, but I like it. Didn't particularly feel more crowded unless we were all stuck indoors due to weather.

 

I love Gem too.

Edited March 31, 2015 by mizlorinj

[laurabegorrah]

The Escape is still being built, so no one can answer that specifically for the ship. Speaking for the Getaway and Breakaway - there are definitely times when the larger ships feel a bit more crowded - especially around the pool areas. But overall, neither ship felt that much different than the Gem (Jewel sister ship) in either crowds or treatment from the staff.

[legion3]

However, the Escape is actually not a sister ship to BA and GA, she adds an entire deck of cabins, but removes some cabins elsewhere, thus adding 399 more passengers (if at Max capacity)

 

This is in the same overall footprint of the BA and GA but simply a taller (and heavier) ship with the extra deck.

 

So if you added another 400 people would the BA and GA be "too" crowded

 

she would definately be bigger.

 

Its something to be concerned about.

[bzzltyr]

I think from a Pool perspective it's too big. It seems a bit disappointing that they would add two more decks and not expand the pool when the previous ships pool size is the biggest complaint.

[Warm-Water Diver]

I think from a Pool perspective it's too big. It seems a bit disappointing that they would add two more decks and not expand the pool when the previous ships pool size is the biggest complaint.

 

That is my biggest and only concern having booked the Escape in December. I guess we shall see...

[mpk218]

For me its to Big.. We are just off the Getaway and I felt that was to big...

Sooo no need for me to even look at the Escape.

I could most definitely feel the added people. On sea days you couldn't walk a straight line for 10 feet in any of the common areas..

The pool ? Forget it . I have a picture here somewhere.. It looked like the Mezzanine after the end of a NFL football game.. Mooooove ;)

 

But I fear the days of the 80K tonn ships will shortly be nothing but a memory...:(

[Single Cruiser]

On the new ships they've essentially swapped extra pool / pool space for all the water slides.

 

Is she too big? Not for a normal able bodied person. Those with walking issues unless in a mobility scooter will find it too big. That's one of the big complaints I always hear on Epic especially if they come up the wrong lifts/stairwell and have to walk the length of the ship.

 

I never felt crowded on Epic or the Away's. If anything Epic seemed busier than Breakaway due the Waterfront taking people away from the Sun Deck.

 

How Escape handles the extra passengers I'll let you know in October ;)

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Hi, my DH and myself have cruised on the NCL Jewel the end of Jan. We are planning another cruise for next year around the same time. My question is, is the Escape TOO big? We liked the Jewel alot but there was no outdoor movie theater and we LOVE that. I believe the ESCAPE has one but we have never been on a ship that large. Do you get the same treatment? Is it more crowded? Any opinions would be great!:cool:

 

I sailed Epic for the first time in December after having sailed POA, Sun-, Dawn- and Jewel-class ships. I was worried that Epic would be super crowded and thus uncomfortable for me. I was surprised how much Epic felt similarly crowded to other NCL ships, and I felt very comfortable and at home. The biggest exception, as has been mentioned several times, is the main pool area. However, I spent all of my pool time at Spice H20, the adults-only area Deck 15 aft which wasn't too crowded at all on my sailing.

 

As for Escape, I am booked on a 14-night sailing in August 2016. I am confident that this will be the best class of ship Norwegian has ever built. Why? Escape class combines the best of Epic and the best of -Away class and combines them into an elegant new whole. Here are some statistics that should comfort you, taken from NCL.com and Meyer Werft's website:

 

• Escape class holds 4,248 passengers (double occupancy). That's only an increase of 279 passengers over -Away class.

• Escape class is .5% shorter than -Away class, but it is 4% wider than -Away class, which is excellent. Most complaints about -Away class have been that the ships are too narrow.

• Escape class is 18,000 gross tons larger than -Away class. Gross tonnage is generally described as a measure of a ship's interior volume, so there's lots more space for those extra 279 passengers.

• Escape's main pool area has been reconfigured. The main bar has been stacked, so it has half the footprint of the main bar on -Away class. This results in more deck space. Plus there's only four slides, not five. Plus, they've combined multiple smaller hot tubs into fewer, larger ones. This all makes for a better pool area.

 

I am confident Escape is going to be an awesome ship. I hope I've given you the confidence to stick with your choice. Cheers.

[FreestyleNovice]

High five for CB! :D

[legion3]

I am confident Escape is going to be an awesome ship. I hope I've given you the confidence to stick with your choice. Cheers.

 

 

No, not entirely but at least in theory you have made a good case for the Escape.

[aquarianne11]

Super excited about the Escape but I'm worried about the size of the pools. We will probably use the pools on port days.

[missdixie]

After sailing the Jewel Class ships I looked at the new Epic in 2010. I was worried about her size. Almost said no way.

We sailed her for 2 weeks. I was hooked. Also sailed RCI Allure. Last year the Getaway. I like exploring new ships. So much to see and do. Now we are anticipating the Escape this year.

I don't think these ships are too big.

[Diver2014]

No ship can be too big for us. We've been on the Epic, RCI's Oasis and a few other ships that can be considered 'big' and for me, bigger is better. I was amazed on Epic and Oasis with that many people on board, we never felt crowded. Now if your opinion of crowded is around the main pool mid day, yes that can be crowded. I've never seen so many empty deck chairs as on the Oasis and that was any time of the day. Seems like every time someone is complaining about ships being too big and too many people, they refer to the crowds at the elevators after a show gets out, which will be on any ship, and waiting in line at buffets. Those people need to sail on smaller ships. I can hardly wait for the Escape. Nothing like a brand spankin' new ship to try out!:D

[wichitastatecruiser]

As Diver said, Escape won't be big when it launces. RCCL is already building 2 new Oasis class ships, both will be bigger than the current Oasis class ships. Just for fun here are the new builds for out to 2020:

 

2015

 

Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 4,100 passengers.

 

Viking Star, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Cruise Line, 4,200.

 

 

2016

 

Carnival Vista, Carnival, 3,954.

 

Ovation of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 3,250.

 

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 5,400.

 

Viking Sky, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Viking Sea, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Seven Seas Explorer, Regent, 738.

 

Koningsdam, Holland America, 2,660.

 

Seabourn Encore, Seabourn, 604.

 

 

2017

 

Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Line, 4,200.

 

Viking Sun, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

MSC Seaside, MSC Cruises, 4,140.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,500.

 

Unnamed, Princess, 3,568.

 

 

2018

 

Unnamed, Norwegian, 4,200.

 

Unnamed, Carnival, 3,954.

 

Unnamed, Holland America, 2,660.

 

Unnamed, Celebrity, 2,900.

 

Unnamed, Royal Caribbean, 5,400.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,140.

 

Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn, 604.

 

 

2019

 

Unnamed, Norwegian, 4,200.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,500.

 

 

2020

 

Unnamed, Celebrity, 2,900

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article16930706.html#storylink=cpy

[AlphaGeek]

The Escape may be bigger, but some cabins are actually smaller. I'm specifically referring to the corner aft suites. We greatly enjoyed such a suite on the Getaway, and were all set to book the same on the Escape, until we discovered that those on the Escape are considerably smaller. Sadly, if this remains true, we won't be booking a cruise on the Escape.

[Single Cruiser]

As Diver said, Escape won't be big when it launces. RCCL is already building 2 new Oasis class ships, both will be bigger than the current Oasis class ships. Just for fun here are the new builds for out to 2020:

 

2015

 

Anthem of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 4,100 passengers.

 

Viking Star, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Norwegian Escape, Norwegian Cruise Line, 4,200.

 

 

2016

 

Carnival Vista, Carnival, 3,954.

 

Ovation of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 3,250.

 

Harmony of the Seas, Royal Caribbean, 5,400.

 

Viking Sky, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Viking Sea, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

Seven Seas Explorer, Regent, 738.

 

Koningsdam, Holland America, 2,660.

 

Seabourn Encore, Seabourn, 604.

 

Genting World, Star cruises, 4,500

 

 

2017

 

Norwegian Bliss, Norwegian Cruise Line, 4,200.

 

Viking Sun, Viking Ocean, 930.

 

MSC Seaside, MSC Cruises, 4,140.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,500.

 

Unnamed, Princess, 3,568.

 

Unnamed, Star, 4,500

 

 

2018

 

Unnamed, Norwegian, 4,200.

 

Unnamed, Carnival, 3,954.

 

Unnamed, Holland America, 2,660.

 

Unnamed, Celebrity, 2,900.

 

Unnamed, Royal Caribbean, 5,400.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,140.

 

Seabourn Ovation, Seabourn, 604.

 

 

2019

 

Unnamed, Norwegian, 4,200.

 

Unnamed, MSC Cruises, 4,500.

 

 

2020

 

Unnamed, Celebrity, 2,900

 

Read more here: http://www.miamiherald.com/living/travel/article16930706.html#storylink=cpy

 

Added a couple of missing Star cruise ships (which will be built at Meyer Werft and are sisters to the away class)

[Diver2014]

The Escape may be bigger, but some cabins are actually smaller. I'm specifically referring to the corner aft suites. We greatly enjoyed such a suite on the Getaway, and were all set to book the same on the Escape, until we discovered that those on the Escape are considerably smaller. Sadly, if this remains true, we won't be booking a cruise on the Escape.

 

You won't sail on Escape because of the size of the aft suites? Horrors! I'm going on the ship for the ship, the size of my cabin is my least concern but of course that's my own opinion. After all, who needs a 'suite' when there's so much ship to explore? :cool:

[ivanrocko]

Hi, my DH and myself have cruised on the NCL Jewel the end of Jan. We are planning another cruise for next year around the same time. My question is, is the Escape TOO big?

 

No, is not too big... :rolleyes:

 

Check the list of the current world's largest cruise ships, and scroll down to see the list of ships under construction :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_the_world%27s_largest_cruise_ships

[kenoqueen]

Thank you for the information. We sailed the Getaway last Oct. and loved it. We are booked on the Escape Jan. 2nd. and can't wait. We're wondering who the bartenders will be. Hoping Bong and Lorelie are on the new Escape. Those two definitely made the cruise more fun.

 

I sailed Epic for the first time in December after having sailed POA, Sun-, Dawn- and Jewel-class ships. I was worried that Epic would be super crowded and thus uncomfortable for me. I was surprised how much Epic felt similarly crowded to other NCL ships, and I felt very comfortable and at home. The biggest exception, as has been mentioned several times, is the main pool area. However, I spent all of my pool time at Spice H20, the adults-only area Deck 15 aft which wasn't too crowded at all on my sailing.

 

As for Escape, I am booked on a 14-night sailing in August 2016. I am confident that this will be the best class of ship Norwegian has ever built. Why? Escape class combines the best of Epic and the best of -Away class and combines them into an elegant new whole. Here are some statistics that should comfort you, taken from NCL.com and Meyer Werft's website:

 

• Escape class holds 4,248 passengers (double occupancy). That's only an increase of 279 passengers over -Away class.

• Escape class is .5% shorter than -Away class, but it is 4% wider than -Away class, which is excellent. Most complaints about -Away class have been that the ships are too narrow.

• Escape class is 18,000 gross tons larger than -Away class. Gross tonnage is generally described as a measure of a ship's interior volume, so there's lots more space for those extra 279 passengers.

• Escape's main pool area has been reconfigured. The main bar has been stacked, so it has half the footprint of the main bar on -Away class. This results in more deck space. Plus there's only four slides, not five. Plus, they've combined multiple smaller hot tubs into fewer, larger ones. This all makes for a better pool area.

 

I am confident Escape is going to be an awesome ship. I hope I've given you the confidence to stick with your choice. Cheers.

[Jenjer]

It depends on what amenities' you want on your cruise ship. If you don't care about water slides, Ropes course, spa, Basket ball, Hot tubs, Pools, dinning venues, "Broadway" entertainment. Then I say go for a less expensive smaller ship cruise.

 

They add more to each of these ships and they cost more to build more to operate and more to run. More stuff to do on ship means more people needed to pay for it.

 

I for one enjoy sailing these large ships the least crowded I have ever felt was on Oasis and Allure. Or on any ship during a port day.

 

You go to the pool on a sunny sea day and it will be packed no matter how big they make the pool it will be packed. The pool is more of a cooling off station than a swimming pool.

 

So to me, No its not to big, bring on the size and the fun stuff to do.

[rydan]

CRUISE SHIP SIZE MATTERS[emoji133]

Edited August 17, 2015 by rydan

[drvalo]

I will take a different position than most here. I think it could be too big.

 

We sailed the Epic last December and it didn't really agree with us. The cabins were smaller, there were many more people and it did seem more crowded. The entertainment was wonderful, but because of the smaller venues, there was not a show to go to every night and we really missed that. We had to plan and make reservations for everything.

 

It doesn't matter where your cabin is, you are still far from wherever you want to be from our experience.

 

We found there was a feeling of less personal attention. We didn't get to know the crew like on previous cruises.

 

Honestly, it felt like we were in downtown Chicago at times. Since that's where we live and we cruise for something different, we decided that smaller ships are for us.

 

So it really depends on what you want from a cruise. We enjoy the easy rhythm and relaxation that the smaller ships provide. We just didn't feel that on the Epic.

 

Also, I would think that itineraries will continue to be very limited as there just are not that many ports a ship that big can visit. I really don't need to go to Nassau or St thomas again

Edited August 17, 2015 by drvalo

[LrgPizza]

Thank you for the information. We sailed the Getaway last Oct. and loved it. We are booked on the Escape Jan. 2nd. and can't wait. We're wondering who the bartenders will be. Hoping Bong and Lorelie are on the new Escape. Those two definitely made the cruise more fun.

 

 

Bong will be there to open the ship. Maybe he will still be there in January. I've never heard of Lorelie, so can't help there.

[FreestyleNovice]

Lorelei went from Epic's Shakers to Getaway and perhaps also start up on Escape? Fun lady!