By
Rebecca Gibson |
Norwegian Cruise Line’s Norwegian Escape is to feature the largest ropes course and aqua park at sea, as well as the line’s first dedicated nursery for passengers under two, when she debuts in October 2015.
Offering 99 different elements, the three-storey, elevated Ropes Course spans the entire width of the ship with features on both the port and starboard sides. The course also includes two planks, six-inch wide beams that extend eight feet from the side of the ship; three Sky Rails that carry guests out over the sea and two zip lines on the Kids’ Ropes Course.
The Aqua Park will feature four multi-story water slides, a Kids’ Aqua Park, two pools and four hot tubs. New on the ship is the Aqua Racer tandem waterslide, while it will also feature the Free Fall, which first debuted on Norwegian Breakaway.
Norwegian Escape’s sports complex will also include a full-size basketball court for family-friendly competition and a bocce ball court, a first for the line.
“Building on the tremendous success of our Breakaway-class ships, we are delivering bigger thrills and more action-packed activities for our largest ship to date,” said Drew Madsen, president and COO of Norwegian. “From the extraordinary Sky Rails on the expanded Ropes Course to the exciting Aqua Racer slide, guests sailing on Norwegian Escape will have the family adventure of a lifetime. We can’t wait for our guests to experience these incredible new activities.”
In another first for the line, Norwegian Escape will offer childcare services for children ages six months to three years as part of its Guppies programme. The nursery will include an active area, a sleeping area and an open play area for parents and babies, which features sensory-based games, interactive media and themed activities hosted by an early years coordinator.
Meanwhile, the Splash Academy complex will offer facilities and supervised activities for children aged three to 12. Entourage, an exclusive zone for passengers aged 13 to 17, will offer air hockey and foosball, and will transform into a teens-only nightclub each evening.
In addition, Norwegian Escape will be the sixth Norwegian ship to offer Nickelodeon-branded entertainment, enabling children to meet popular Nickelodeon characters and participate in interactive Nickelodeon experiences, including the Nickelodeon Pajama Jam Breakfast, Dora’s Dance Party, and Story Time with Dora. The ship also features the first nine-hole, Nickelodeon Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Rooftop 9, miniature golf course.
Norwegian Escape, which is currently under construction at Meyer Werft’s Papenburg yard in Germany, is the first of the line’s Breakaway Plus vessels and will be its largest ship to date, able to carry 4,200 passengers. Marine wildlife artist and ocean conservationist Guy Harvey will design the ship’s hull artwork.
Guests can stay in the line’s signature luxury ship–within-a-ship complex – The Haven by Norwegian – as well as solo traveller studios, and various accommodations for families, multi-generational groups, spa enthusiasts and more.
From 14 November, Norwegian Escape will be the largest cruise ship to homeport year-round in Miami, US, where she will offer weekly seven-day cruises to the eastern Caribbean. Destinations on her itineraries include St. Thomas,US Virgin Islands; Tortola, British Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.