Is the Norwegian Escape a good choice for my family?

Yesterday I was lucky enough to be invited on board the brand new Norwegian Escape to have a good look around and experience all that she has to offer. Now as the Mother of a lively 9 year old boy I decided that instead of just looking around and checking out the spa areas and cocktail bars I would view the ship through his eyes and check out her suitability for a family holiday.

I wasn’t disappointed.

My son is a bit of an adrenaline junkie and has boundless energy and the sports deck would provide hours of entertainment for him.  Starting with the water slides and aqua park, you can sit on inflatables and slide on down or race each other down the twin tubes.

The high ropes course is huge, much larger than I was expecting and includes 2356 feet of ropes with varying degrees of difficulty, it is suitable for older children and more than challenging enough for adults with it’s zip wire and The Plank – this is  thin beam of metal 172 feet above sea level and which sticks out 8 foot over the sea. I would certainly be holding my breath if Milo attempted it.

The mini golf area offers a great chance for family fun and the urban feel to the course was as a change to standard green courses.

Moving inside the ship there is a great selection of arcade games and a chill out zone with individual consoles.

Whilst on deck 7 by O’ Sheehan’s bar there is a separate ‘play zone’ for adults and children alike with 2 pub bowling alleys, basketball hoops, shooting games, air hockey and pool.

On top of these activities all of which were free, the beauty of NCL for a 9 year old is the freestyle concept. The ship gives you the choice to dine when you want and where you want and Milo and his Dad will not have to wear a suit for dinner.

The Garden Cafe, the buffet restaurant offered a great selection of  both adult and child friendly options  and included a choice of pasta dishes and rotisserie chicken and fries both of which are my son’s favourites and the highlight for me was the ice cream station with a choice of 8 flavours and both full fat and low fat options, to top my Rocky Road off I had a choice of 2 sauces and 3 different jars of sprinkles. Milo and me are both ice cream fanatics and would definitely tuck into this on a daily basis. There was also a choice of free ice cream in a cone for children too. To wash this all down the Garden Cafe also offers 4 different flavours of soft drink including iced tea, strawberry  squash, traditional lemonade and water, non of which are an additional charge. Soft drinks and ice creams can cost a lot on a family holiday so thumbs up to NCL for including these. Soda’s are chargeable but fortunately Milo is not a fan of fizzy drinks.

As you can tell I loved the Norwegian Escape as a option for my family. She also has many other facilities and separate areas for couples and is large enough with plenty of space that children will not spoil your holiday if you are not keen on them.

This year I had a rainy week in a caravan in Cornwall, next year I intend on spending a week in the Caribbean on the Norwegian Escape.

#NorwegianEscape   #cruisewall.