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atlantaree
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Hi, I have a cruise booked for my family of 5 in one of the family cabins for October on the Norwegian Escape. All these negative reviews I am reading about crowds and lines on this ship are really scaring me and turning me off. My kids are 9, 7 and 3. My kids have no patience to wait longer than 10 minutes for water slides etc. . Can anyone tell me the waits for the ropes course, slides and rock wall? I am thinking of switching us to the Norwegian Jade. Would we have a quieter experience on that ship? We did the enchantment of the Seas in September. We loved how quiet it was but wished there was a little more for the kids to do, even though we all had a great time and there was no complaints from them. I'm torn! I got a kids go free deal on the escape with all of us in one cabin. I don't think the Jade accommodates 5 in a cabin so I would lose the kids free deal for 2 of the kids.

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Since its October is there a school holiday week that you'll be sailing?? That has a lot to do with the type of crowds that will be on board.

 

No, we will be taking the kids out of school but since they are offering kids go free on this sailing, I am worried it will sell out.

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Stick with the Escape and don't look back... your kids will have a blast! We got off last Saturday, and a 10min wait on either the slides or the ropes course would have been an exception rather than the norm. This may be different during a peak school break week, but if that's not the case for you... there's nothing to worry about.

 

We walked right on the ropes course with no wait, and water slides were never more than a 4 or 5 minute line when we went.

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I would just say, stay with your original plans. I haven't sailed on the Escape but I've sailed on ships that had a lot of bad reviews. This site is great for getting specific information on ships and cruise related information but the reviews are a slippery slope. I think some people that write reviews on this site take the "critic" part too seriously and or have an ax to grind. After reading lots of negative reviews of ships I've sailed on I've come home from the cruises thinking "what ship were these people on?"

 

Every cruise will be filled with different passengers that will act and react differently from the last. And I think every ship sails full so I wouldn't worry about that either. Just go with a positive attitude and let the little stuff go. You'll have a great time and your kids will too!

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I've been on mostly Spring Break cruises with my kids and they never waited more than a couple of minutes for slides...and those cruises have hundreds of kids on them. Your kids will have a blast, don't let the Debbie downer reviews get to you. The Escape is awesome and your kids are at a great age to enjoy it.

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Another vote for sticking with the Escape! We've sailed twice and could sail again. Love the ship! There's so much to do, I think your kids will have a great time.

 

Sure, there are crowds, but we only felt it was crowded during the muster drill and getting off in Nassau. Otherwise, people tend to spread out and take advantage of all there is to do on the ship.

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Escape is the best choice with kids. But they still need to be patient on a cruise lines are everywhere. They have a lot to offer children my son loved the 2 new ships we have been on ncl. He will probably be a little bored on the Star for spring break.

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The Escape is a great ship with a lot of activities. However, if your children have that little patience taking them on a cruise ship with over 4,000 may not be the best idea. When we were on the Escape one of the slides was shutdown and the wait for the remaining slide was well over 10 minutes as was the wait for the ropes course.

 

How do they handle TSA at the airport? The boarding process itself will take more then 10 minutes as well. Hope it all goes well.

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Our first cruise was the Jewel. Our kids were 12, 10 and 6 at the time. It was an enjoyable cruise, but they were a little bored from time to time. I would stick with the Escape. We are sailing on 9/3/16 and when I first showed the kids the difference between the Jewel and the Escape the look on their face was priceless. They will be 15, 13 and 9 when we sail in 6 months.

 

Like has been said previously, don't let the Debbie Downers make you second guess your decision. All the wrinkles in the ship and the service will be ironed out on this new ship by the time we sail. You will have a blast, but only if you decide you are.

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Stick with the Escape, my kids loved it! The only line we waited on was the ropes course (I think 30 mins) but you get to watch everyone zip line right there so the time passed quickly. And we went thanksgiving week!! We encountered zero lines for anything else!! Check out my review in my signature..

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