We have been loyal Royal Caribbean cruisers and decided to book NCL to try something different. We were getting disappointed how RCL is increasingly nickel and diming its passengers and also disappointed in how the quality and diversity of the food is steadily declining. This was our first mega ship cruise. Although the Escape is a beautiful looking ship, inside and out, we were a little disappointed that it didn't have the grand promenade deck that the smaller ships have. There are also only 2 pools which were very overcrowded and the hot tubs seemed to have nothing but splashing kids in them. Despite the overcrowded pools, we were able to find seating without too much trouble. There is a nice adult only area in the back of the ship called Spice H20, but there is no pool there, only jacuzzis, and a waterfall grotto for cooling off, but not a space you really want to hang out in. The bar in the adult area was also very crowded. It was actually quicker to go to Margaritaville to get your drinks. We also were never able to found any chairs.

We did not really utilize the Splash Adventure as our son was 12 (soon to be 13) and he would have preferred to be in the teen area. The ropes course was awesome. Be there when they open at 10 and you have a very little wait time. Also, be sure to wear closed toe & heel shoes and shorts and sleeves. No tanks allowed. The slides were also fun too. The yellow slide is quite slow and you may even have to help yourself down. The tube ride is the best. The lines move very fast and were not a problem. The looping slide has a 99 lb weight restriction and no jewelry, not even a wedding band.

The 2 main (free) shows to me were disappointing and didn't come close to the enterainment on RCL. Beware of Brat Pack. This show description claims it is for PG16 because of "coarse" language. The language was disgusting and vulgar with quite frequent use of the F bomb. The audience for this show does not match that of a spring break show with many kids. We would have loved to see the Magic Show in Headliners, but was never able to get a reservation. Another thing I don't like about the cruise. On ships without Mytime Dining, the shows were coordinated with the dinner times. We missed many shows because we were eating and couldn't get in earlier and didn't want to eat at 9:30. We were pleased with the food quality and selections in the complementary dining rooms, except for O'Sheehans. Portions here were very small and not very tasty. Avoid if you can. Overall, I think this cruise line also nickels and dimes its passengers even more than RCL. I do not think I will travel again unless I get an unbelievable deal.