NCL Escape with kids on Dec 3, will we enjoy it? (With Disney Comparison)

[aneshka]

I enjoy reading reviews especially those that are detailed with lots of pictures to boot. We will be sailing on NCL Escape this Saturday, Dec 3. “Kinda” excited, still have lots of things to pack!

 

 

This will be my first review and 2nd cruise. We cruised last year with Disney Fantasy and we liked it so much that we booked another cruise this time with NCL. I will include a little comparison with Disney okay I'm lying I will compare it to Disney a LOT. ;)

 

I will admit that I am not as excited as I was with Disney and a little apprehensive that this is a different ship so no Disney Kool-Aid to drink.

 

We will be a family of 4, 2 adults and kids ages 6 and 8. Kids are very excited because they can eat all they want at the buffet. Mac and cheese and pizza everyday hurray! Their dream come true. LOL!

 

Flying to Miami this Friday and staying at Holiday Inn Miami Beach. I didn’t do any dinner reservations on the ship so we will see how it goes!

 

With Disney we booked their cheapest room (inner cabin) and it still came out to be twice as what we are paying now for a Balcony. What is up with that Disney? However, they do send you the luggage tags and documentation booklet. That definitely ramped up my kids (and mine) excitement! With NCL, you have to print everything including the luggage tags. So I am concern that it might not stay our luggage. :eek: Printed it on plain bond paper.

 

Be back promise with lots of pictures and details to boot. I might post next week if I can get internet access while in the port. I do have unlimited AT&T data so will definitely be using that when we dock St Thomas!

[blackwing]

My kids were 7 and 9 and they absolutely loved the Escape.

 

I am a firm believer that a cruise is what you make of it. If you go into it with a positive attitude and an open mind, you will love it. If you go into it with apprehension, looking for things to complain about, or constantly saying that "well on XYZ ship, they did it like this, and I liked their way better".... then you will have an absolutely miserable time.

 

NCL and Disney are two different products. Of course Disney is going to be great for younger kids, that's their sweet spot. But it costs way more. NCL caters to families. They have great outdoor activities like a ropes course and mini golf and bocce and waterslides.

 

As far as dinner reservations, you should be fine just eating in the main dining room. The food is great and you don't need to pay to eat at a specialty restaurant to get great food.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[aneshka]

My kids were 7 and 9 and they absolutely loved the Escape.

 

I am a firm believer that a cruise is what you make of it. If you go into it with a positive attitude and an open mind, you will love it. If you go into it with apprehension, looking for things to complain about, or constantly saying that "well on XYZ ship, they did it like this, and I liked their way better".... then you will have an absolutely miserable time.

 

NCL and Disney are two different products. Of course Disney is going to be great for younger kids, that's their sweet spot. But it costs way more. NCL caters to families. They have great outdoor activities like a ropes course and mini golf and bocce and waterslides.

 

As far as dinner reservations, you should be fine just eating in the main dining room. The food is great and you don't need to pay to eat at a specialty restaurant to get great food.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

I agree, while a little comparison can't be helped, it's the attitude that really matters.

[Shelbyscout]

We just got off the Breakaway 7-night Bahamas with our DD5 and DS7. We've done two Disney cruises in the past and LOVED them, but it's so expensive so we decided to give NCL a try this time. I'll admit I kept my expectations lowered compared to Disney, but I was wonderfully surprised to find out that with only a few exceptions, we actually loved NCL MORE than Disney!!! No line is perfect, of course, and I wouldn't pass on a Disney if it fell into my lap, but we will DEFINITELY be cruising NCL again as a family and at the end of the trip we agreed that the value add on Disney just wasn't worth the price difference. They definitely are two different vacations but you'll find lots to love on NCL. Have a great trip! :D

[grandmarnnurse]

This is what I have done for my previous cruise ship tags that I printed. Follow directions on how to fold and staple. Then laminate them with clear packing tape. I then used a hole punch to put holes in ends, and used shoe laces to tie on suitcases. Make sure you wait until just before leaving for port to attach the tags. Has worked great for me in the past. I now have luggage tag holders that I ordered from Cruise Critic that are great!

I am cruising NCL myself for the first time this January and am pretty psyched! I'm sure you will have a wonderful time! Disney is just too way over priced for me. I have previously cruised Carnival and RCCL, so it was time to try NCL. The other cruise lines couldn't beat their deals they were offering at the time I booked.

Enjoy your vacation, and try not to spend so much time comparing, that you don't see the good in this cruise.

 

 

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[joemurph]

Re luggage tags

We laminated our luggage tags and brought a stapler and put the tags in at the hotel the morning of the cruise I look forward to your review on the upcoming escape in February with my guys a little older 12 and 17 but both want the buffet as well

 

 

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[BirdTravels]

You and your kids will love the Escape. I would get your kids registered with the Splash Academy kids program so that if you need some mom and dad time, your kids will be well entertained.

 

We always just put some clear packing tape over the printed luggage tags to reinforce them. And use the same tape to seal the ends at the hotel the night before the cruise (we actually put a tag on both the top and side handles of the suitcases,,,, just in case).

[easyboy]

Comparison can not be avoided. The tendency is not only with previous lines or ships, but even on the same ship having different crews. What is important is we make cruising fun with our kids. Looking forward to your review.

 

 

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[aneshka]

We just got off the Breakaway 7-night Bahamas with our DD5 and DS7. We've done two Disney cruises in the past and LOVED them, but it's so expensive so we decided to give NCL a try this time. I'll admit I kept my expectations lowered compared to Disney, but I was wonderfully surprised to find out that with only a few exceptions, we actually loved NCL MORE than Disney!!! No line is perfect, of course, and I wouldn't pass on a Disney if it fell into my lap, but we will DEFINITELY be cruising NCL again as a family and at the end of the trip we agreed that the value add on Disney just wasn't worth the price difference. They definitely are two different vacations but you'll find lots to love on NCL. Have a great trip! :D

 

My son is not into Disney Princesses which come sometimes be too much to take at Disney. He will definitely like the extra activities in Escape.

[aneshka]

joemurph, BirdTravels and grandmarnnurse

 

I have never even thought of using tape. Will definitely do that. Off to the dollar store I need to go tomorrow. See this why I'm doing an advance review so I can get great tips.

[aneshka]

Doing this review got me all excited! and yes I vow that rain or sun we will have fun.

 

Bringing along my DH's toys

 

A Nikon SLR, new GoPro Hero 5, some GoPro attachments and Gorilla Pod (So we can have decent family pics), extra sd card and hard drive. Let it be known that the crappy pictures that I will post are from yours truly and the nicer ones from DH.

 

We bought a GoPro 4 last year but after Day 3 of the cruise, we accidentally spilled water and it conked out. Not only did we lose our GoPro, my DH snorkeled with his IPhone for an hour. You bet I was mad but we were on a vacation so I had to taper my temper.

 

Lots of medicine that we can seriously give CVS a run for their money. :D

 

Look Ma, those water bottles are bigger than the ship. Must be Godzilla's drink.

 

Still undecided to bring these water bottles. I don't want to spend $$ for water. Just don't want this confiscated when we get back to the port after our excursions!

[LakeWobegon]

We never used our water bottles we brought last year. But with the liquid ban (we brought a case of water on board last year), we may bring them this year. Still, we were fine just drinking water in the room last year. Tasted fine so long as we had some ice.

 

Our kids (then 8 and 11) loved the Escape. The highlight for them was probably the big blue water slide that you can ride tubes down. They literally don't want to go on a ship now if it doesn't have a slide like that. But lots of activities for kids otherwise. The restaurants had plenty for them to choose from. We have a rule, you can get a cheeseburger every meal if you want so long as you try something different too with it.

 

Finally, we thought the staff were some of the friendliest people we've ever experienced. The pool deck and activities staff memorized the kids names throughout the cruise. Everyone's kids. They went out of their way in that respect.

 

I've never been on a Disney cruise. I am sure they are awesome. But NCL was great too and the kids were very happy when they found out we rebooked for this year.

[ctnurse]

I am excited to read your review. We have sailed DCL 3 times and refuse to pay the ridiculous prices they now want. We just sailed RCCL last month and have an NCL cruise planned for the summer.

[dexddd]

You should have a great time on the Escape but as Blackwing said, don't try to compare too much. We've gone back and forth between DCL and NCL and always seem to have a good time despite their differences.

[Tasm3n]

You basically described the same apprehension that we have for our upcoming cruise in January. We also sailed on the Fantasy last time and, like the friends we are traveling with again, have set our expectations super low for this cruise in hopes that we are not disappointed and don't get too crazy with the comparisons. As someone else said, different cruise lines, different products.

 

I think reading these boards have helped in some ways and hindered in others in comparison to say the disboards. Folks are pretty friendly over there and helpful while here... Well there are some sour grapes muddying the waters so to speak and that has DEFINITELY effected my attitude towards NCL - something I know I need to get over before we go because... CRUISE!!!!

 

That said, I am very much looking forward to reading your review.

 

I am specifically curious about the kids club. I read that they are very structured with their programming unlike the Disney club where kids can do whatever they want in the club at whatever time.

[aneshka]

You basically described the same apprehension that we have for our upcoming cruise in January. We also sailed on the Fantasy last time and, like the friends we are traveling with again, have set our expectations super low for this cruise in hopes that we are not disappointed and don't get too crazy with the comparisons. As someone else said, different cruise lines, different products.

 

I think reading these boards have helped in some ways and hindered in others in comparison to say the disboards. Folks are pretty friendly over there and helpful while here... Well there are some sour grapes muddying the waters so to speak and that has DEFINITELY effected my attitude towards NCL - something I know I need to get over before we go because... CRUISE!!!!

 

That said, I am very much looking forward to reading your review.

 

I am specifically curious about the kids club. I read that they are very structured with their programming unlike the Disney club where kids can do whatever they want in the club at whatever time.

 

So, true I had set my expectations so HIGH for Disney last year because I spent a LOT. MY DD (6) had a great time there, she was into princesses and still is. My DS (8) however was just so-so with the characters so I feel like he will like NCL more with so many other activities to chose from.

 

This time I am just not setting the bar as high as last time. I will take a pic of the kids dailies and post it here. We are planning on having them at the kids club 7:00 pm and up where there is always an event.

 

I take the threads here with a grain of salt, some people will always find something to complain about. :rolleyes:

[aneshka]

I had booked this cruise through Orbitz. It came out cheaper than Costco or any other booking sites. Along with Free UDP (UBP, Shore Excursions or Internet), they also offered hotel credits and $75 worth of Shore Excursions. By going through Ebates, I had scored an extra 8% cashback. Came out to be a VERY good deal for us.

 

85 days out, I noticed that the prices dropped for a BX balcony. Called Orbitz customer service and they were able to adjust the price. I did lose my Free UDP but I have a very picky DH. There are only 2 possible special restaurants that we can go to. For $300 difference, the UDP was not worth it for us.

[emjem24]

I don't see why your kids shouldn't have a lot of fun on the NCL Escape. My husband and I just came back from our November 12-18, 2016 cruise with the NCL Escape and we had a blast. We also saw a number of kids enjoying themselves. Plus, the Escape has programs geared toward kids so you should be good there.

 

I would totally recommend the Haven. We had a Aft-facing Haven Penthouse stateroom and it was a blast. I think the way the Escape did their rooms was geared toward the personalized experience, whether it be for single travelers, couples, or families. Your kids should enjoy both the room, the ship and its public areas, as well as the food!

 

My husband and I were also a little apprehensive about our cruise. We'd cruised before with Carnival and then Princess and we always seemed to have some issue with lost or misplaced baggage. Unfortunately, it happened again which made for a bumpy start to our vacation. If you're flying United, be aware that how they track baggage is way behind the other airlines. This was pointed out to us by Delta on our way home.

 

If you've cruised with other cruise lines, comparisons are unavoidable but also educational. My husband and I were blown away by the Escape and thought it outshined Princess and Carnival. I'll be curious as to what your impressions of the ship will be when you come back from your vacation.

 

In regards to the ship luggage tags, I printed them out, filled in all the info, and then reinforced them with packing tape before finally stapling them together right before embarkation. I always bring packing tape and a mini stapler with me so that the ship tags can be prepped and then attached. I've been doing this since our 2nd cruise with Princess and no problems so far.

 

Again, have fun! Can't wait to see your review when you guys come back from your cruise.

[kathy884]

My 21 year old still wants to do a Disney cruise. DH and I though told him no way were we going to pay that premium to go on a Disney cruise with all adults (They are so expensive, especially when school is not in session. We couldn't lol handle that premium when he was little either.) Plus we would be doing a balcony, a balcony is a really big deal to everyone in our family including DS, so a Disney inside cabin to lower costs wouldn't be a consideration either.). This next time too DS is bringing a friend and knows his friend would not be keen on Disney (friend is 22). So anyway DS and friend picked the NCL Escape, invited us to come, and invited his grandparents to come, so we are all going.

[aneshka]

Friday Dec 2

 

I'm sorry things got a little crazy before leaving the cruise. I had to work, pick-up kids from school, get all our stuff ready and zoom to the airport.

 

What?? Our one and only baggage is over by 9 lbs? After a quick shuffle, it was finally 50 lbs. In my rush to meet the 50 lbs limit weight, I forgot to make sure that Insect Spray and big o bottle of conditioner SHOULD have stayed in my checked-in bag. It all got taken away. Booo! :mad:

 

We flew American and got the plane which had individual screens. Kids happy, Mom finally relaxing after the rush. Arrived in Miami at around 6:30, called an Uber and waited and waited and waited. Uber called and he was in the other terminal! We were to cranky and hungry to wait for him so we took a taxi. Uber charged me a cancellation fee but I refuse to wait another 10 mins.

 

Looked for a good Cuban resto, walked around Miami beach and off to lala land we go.

[aneshka]

It's nice and sunny outside! Kids were begging to go on the swimming pool. No kids! There will be lots of time for that in the ship.

 

We ate overpriced breakfast at the resto. Walked around the beach and went to Walgreens to buy wine (No UBP for us :()

 

 

 

 

I wanted to do late check out but the kids were too excited to board the ship so off we go! Called an Uber. The car we got did not have air conditioner so the windows were open. I looked like I never saw a comb when we arrived!

 

Finally we are here! I can see the ship. NCL Escape was the biggest ship in the port.

 

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v420/aneshka/NCL%20Cruise/IMG_2603.jpg

 

Boarding was quick and easy. They were policing the wines and sodas. Comparing to Disney, the terminal was just like a regular airport check-in counter. No little details like Disney Characters , tvs that were showing disney shows. No staff that seems like they are high on the Disney kool-aid (Maybe they mixed something in there).

 

Passports were check from a non-smiling staff and we were off to board the ship. I admit we weren't wow'ed when we came in. We came in directly to a hallway, not Chandelier to ooohh and aaahh on. No clapping of hand "Welcome XXX family!!!" *insert happy tears I am finally drinking what they are drinking*.

 

But that is a very minor detail that we are comparing on! We were still impressed with how big the is. Off to the buffet we go, selection was good and we filled to our heart's content.

 

We finally got clearance to go to our room!

 

We had a mid-ship balcony room.

Edited December 12, 2016 by aneshka

[aneshka]

Registered the kids to the club.

 

It seems so empty compared to Disney, They weren't any mini playgrounds and they weren't a lot of stuff to play on. We will see how it goes this evening when the kids start going there!

 

WE made it to Atrium. We can definitely smell the smoke from the casino but it did not really bother us.

 

 

 

You can really see how Disney put in A LOT of decorations in their atrium. There were a few Christmas decors and that was it! I wasn't crazy with the stairs, tempered glass I think? My daughter was scared to go up and down!

 

.. be back for the second installment of Day 1, I talked too much! hah!

[Natmom]

I am looking forward to the rest of your review! We sail in February and we have only sailed DCL so I am eager to hear what you thought of the escape!

[aneshka]

Carnival sailing before us. I LOVED our balcony! (We had an inside at Disney. It's all we can afford with their crazy prices).

 

 

We went to the Escape Theater for the the muster drill which was REALLY LOUD. I forgot my card so I had to do the drill AGAIN the next day. Uggghh.

 

Kids were excited to go to the pool. It was at this time when we realized that NCL is geared towards adults than kids. The main pool where all the activities are is off limits to kids before 5:00 PM. This is the pool with the hot tubs.

 

Unfortunely my son requested to do this pool every day so we have to wait after 5:00 PM to use them. It made it harder for us to get to a resto. I will point this out later why the timing is not that good for us. There was also a SPICE H20, adults only area with the pool. So in the daytime, there is only one pool for the family with kids to use vs the many pools for adults.

 

The family pool is in a small space so there aren't any space for loungers. There are a total of 4 seats that is facing this pool. So if you want to watch your kids swimming, you can either stand, sit on those 4 chairs (When available) or seat near the edge of the pool and get wet.

 

7:00 PM and it's sale away time !!!! Tyler the cruise director got the party going and party we did! We enjoyed the sail away even without Mickey. As I've said it's geared towards adults so we enjoyed this *gasp* more than Disney. I must say that I love this ships cruise director. He is everywhere and really engaging. I honestly don't know where he gets his energy from.

 

We were too lazy to go to a restaurant so we went to Garden Cafe. We went here more than we went with the resto. My husband is not crazy about Italian food. We are Asians so we must have our rice! The timing of the pool (see above), kids club and shows made it hard to go to the resto for the rest of the cruise. We did enjoy the buffet here more than at Disneys. WE like Indian Cuisine and we enjoyed ordering Roti almost every-night to go with the curry. My kids of course had pizza, mac & cheese and Jello. The desserts I can't say much. I didn't really care for them since I was *cough* cutting my sugar.

 

WE dropped the kids for their first night in Kids Club and we wandered around the Atrium to find some activities to do. I admit that we were kinda lost at this point, what do we do? Disney kinda schedules your night so we'd watch a show and then have dinner. Searched for things to do via IConcierge app and finally decided to do Liquor Tasting. Hey! I do not have any UBP so any alcohol I can get for free I'll take it!

 

I am a coffee addict, I really loved this.

 

 

If you like it BUY it. Don't be like me, it's NOT AVAILABLE here in the US. I looked online and it was twice the price. I thought I could buy it cheaper here. :(

 

We "tried" to relax. Tried because I am always on the go and it is rare for me to just do nothing.

 

Picked the kids up at Kids Club. What's the verdict? They LOVE it! "Mommy, they have funny names! Dumpling, and Cinnamon (not sure but it's some spice!)"

[aneshka]

I am looking forward to the rest of your review! We sail in February and we have only sailed DCL so I am eager to hear what you thought of the escape!

 

Thank you! I will try to be detailed with the kids activities.