Setting the lowest possible expectation on Escape before the cruise

[dragoncruise2015]

I will be going on my first cruise ever. After reading many reviews on the newest Escape that I will be on next week, I have prepared for the worst. Many of the negative reviews are made by newly registered members with only one review. So I don't know if these negative reviews are real or libel.

 

Some of the items that I find disturbing are these.:confused:

1. Long lines at restaurant even when the reservations are made months prior.

2. Restaurants are closed for private functions without notice. Apparently some groups are more important than me.

3. Shows are cancelled during the entire duration of the cruise.

4. Generally, the overall service are not up to par.

5. Restaurant has changed to fee based rather than complimentary. (Jimmy Buffet)

 

Are these problems the norm or uncommon? Will this be the first and possibly the last cruise with NCL?

[duchesslt]

I'm concerned about Norwegian Escape reviews as well and plan on booking my Alaska family cruise with another company - and I haven't sailed yet!

[kerryincork]

I believe these issues are due to the newness of the ship, it takes a little while for the crew to find there groove ☺

Saying that there are always ques for the restaurant on all ships and cruise lines. At the most popular time if hundreds of guests show up at the same time, they still have to process every body. Same with reservations if 10 or 20 tables are booked at the same time again all those people have to be seated. add in those guests who are early or late and you are going to get congestion.

We like an early dinner so never much of a que. I don't think I have ever waited more than 20 min for a table at the longest. More like 5-10 minutes, I don't think that's an unreasonable amount of time.

I haven't been on a cruise yet where any of the restaurants have been closed for groups. it is kind of rare. Shows do get cancelled on occasion generally due to weather, this is disappointing, but it for the safety of the performers, if ship is too unstable it would be very easy for a performer to be injured.

Please don't worry I am sure you will have a lovely vacation. It's no harm to have low expectations, then everything can be a pleasant surprise. But don't go in with a negative frame of mind as if you are looking for things to ruin your holiday you will find them.

[KeithJenner]

There are specific issues regarding a lot of the reviews. Not just that the ship is new, but also that there have been lots of travel agents groups onboard, and also lots of the reviews are from the short cruises which suffer from the problem of everyone trying to cram a weeks worth of experiences into three days.

 

Personally. I wouldn't set my expectations for a seven day cruise based on strangers experience on a three day cruise.

[17cruisesnsl]

We were on the fourth sailing of the Breakaway and there were minor issues, some related to the newness of the ship and others related to the large number of people onboard. We missed a show due to the slow service in the complementary dining room; the staff had an argument in front of the passengers at lunch. Neither of these ruined our vacation. The crowds at the elevators were a first and second day issue; they disappeared as everyone found their own routine.

The lessons I learned

Take advantage of the specialty dining packages- they are worth the cost.

Make your reservations for dinner and shows as soon as they open- 90 Days in advance of sailing

Consider a Vibe pass - the pool area gets very crowded

take it all in stride - no vacation is perfect but it's still VACATION!

 

That being said, to be perfectly honest NCL is not my first choice for cruising and I firmly believe the away ships should be called the "nickel and dime" class but for us the CAS(casino at sea) offers are hard to resist. Our gambling budget is what we would have spent on the "free or discounted" cruise. When we sailed our favorite cruise line we found that it was not as we remembered--financial pressures had changed their brand as well.

 

Hope for calm seas and have a great cruise

[cruiseelady]

I was on Breakaway on Nov 15-22, there was someone who just came from Escape. He said there were way too many problems with the ship. So I am sure the reviews are real, I don't know who in their right mind would lie on this site. There is no point in doing so.

 

But maybe things will be much better on your sailing.

[KeithJenner]

I was on Breakaway on Nov 15-22, there was someone who just came from Escape. He said there were way too many problems with the ship. So I am sure the reviews are real, I don't know who in their right mind would lie on this site. There is no point in doing so.

 

But maybe things will be much better on your sailing.

 

 

I'm not accusing anyone of lying. However, I have spent 14 days on the Escape and there was a massive difference between the longer leg and the shorter ones.

 

On the short trips, almost everyone is out doing things every night, whereas on a normal cruise there are always a lot of people having a quiet night before tours, for example. In addition there were lots of travel agents groups onboard which resulted in venues being closed.

 

Many of the comments on the reviews are valid (although why people didn't anticipate these things Is beyond me). It was the same on the Getaway last year. The comments are valid but my point is that many aren't relevant to the normal 7 day cruises.

[FreestyleNovice]

There are specific issues regarding a lot of the reviews. Not just that the ship is new, but also that there have been lots of travel agents groups onboard, and also lots of the reviews are from the short cruises which suffer from the problem of everyone trying to cram a weeks worth of experiences into three days.

 

Personally. I wouldn't set my expectations for a seven day cruise based on strangers experience on a three day cruise.

 

+1

 

Totally true.

[FreestyleNovice]

I'm concerned about Norwegian Escape reviews as well and plan on booking my Alaska family cruise with another company - and I haven't sailed yet!

 

Eh??

[Rosethorn40]

I will be going on my first cruise ever. After reading many reviews on the newest Escape that I will be on next week, I have prepared for the worst. Many of the negative reviews are made by newly registered members with only one review. So I don't know if these negative reviews are real or libel.

 

Some of the items that I find disturbing are these.:confused:

1. Long lines at restaurant even when the reservations are made months prior.

2. Restaurants are closed for private functions without notice. Apparently some groups are more important than me.

3. Shows are cancelled during the entire duration of the cruise.

4. Generally, the overall service are not up to par.

5. Restaurant has changed to fee based rather than complimentary. (Jimmy Buffet)

 

Are these problems the norm or uncommon? Will this be the first and possibly the last cruise with NCL?

 

It's too late to cancel, so I would try to go with an open mind. I know it's hard, my cruise on the Escape is a year away, and a lot can change in that time frame, but I too am already worried that I dropped a whole lot of cash on a vacation that may not come anywhere near to living up to my expectations. Regarding some of the issues you are concerned about:

 

1. Long lines at restaurants-Many people booked their cruises with the UDP or SDP, this will cause issues, especially at peak dining times.

 

2. Venues closed for private functions-apparently the early sailings had a large number of travel agents. This is common on a new ship. NCL is showing off what they believe to be the best ship out there, and they want the TA to promote this ship above the competition. I don't think you should run into too many large groups. Except for the week of Christmas, most of December is slow for the cruise industry.

 

3. Show cancelled-I thought I read that one of the shows was cancelled due to illness of a cast member. Hopefully they have recovered and are able to perform.

 

4. Service not up to par-Seems to be a common compliant. Hopefully NCL is bringing on additional crew members to deal with that issue.

 

5. The changing of Margaritaville from free to fee-Personally, I thought a bad move on NCL's part just from a PR standpoint, but it saves you from wasting away 1.5-2 hours of your life waiting to eat bad food.

 

You say this is your first cruise. I think you will find plenty you do like. Get off the boat in the ports, find something you enjoy doing, and make great memories.

[kosweeps]

I know you are concerned, but please don't go into it thinking about or looking for the negative, because you will always find what you are looking for. I'm sure you will have a great time and I look forward to hearing all about how you were "pleasantly surprised." :)

[Sotermarler]

 

Many of the comments on the reviews are valid (although why people didn't anticipate these things Is beyond me).I.

 

 

If your a new cruiser how would you anticipate the ship not being fully operational? The first 7 day was our second ever cruise. If I'm paying full price I expect full access to amenities. We were disappointed the slides and part of the ropes course we're not functioning. Not every one has sailed for years and knew this would happen.

 

OP, We didn't get to see Million Dollar Quartet, because of sickness in the cast. We were disappointed but they did open up Tenors of rock to make up for it . I thought this was a nice touch since they didn't need to do anything. I just wish they would have told us what Tenors of rock was about so I could decide to go or not. I never heard one thing explaining what the show was about so we skipped it.

 

Lines to MDR was Never long. I think we waited for 5 minutes for the Manhattan room, which was quite frankly the one we liked least. There was never a LONG line.

 

There were a number of venues closed do to multiple large groups. This was annoying but not a huge inconvenience. Yes, their money was definitely more valuable than yours or mine, but that's just how those things go. As a new cruiser it didn't occur to me the first few sailings would be the ones the cruise line users to market their sailings. It didn't really impact out cruise for the most part.

 

Even with all of these issues I gave the line 4 out of 5 stars. I'm sure you will love the ship. Stop worrying about it.

[KeithJenner]

If your a new cruiser how would you anticipate the ship not being fully operational? The first 7 day was our second ever cruise. If I'm paying full price I expect full access to amenities. We were disappointed the slides and part of the ropes course we're not functioning. Not every one has sailed for years and knew this would happen.

 

 

If you read my posts, it's quite clear that I'm talking about the short cruises (the 1, 2 and 3 night ones). Whether you have ever cruises before, it doesn't need a massive leap of logic to conclude that things will be different (and busier) than a 7 night cruise.

 

My brother came onboard for one night, his first ever time on a cruise ship. I earned him before that it wouldn't be a typical situation and would be very busy. His response was to say, of course he expected that to be the case.

 

It was those cruises I was referring to when I said that I couldn't understand why people didn't anticipate these issues.

 

Your one was different, as it was a full 7 day cruise. Personally, I would still have expected teething problems at that point, just as j would with most things so soon after they opened. I wouldn't necessarily have anticipated problems with travel agent troupe taking over at that point though, although I'm not sure how much of an issue this still was on your cruise.

 

None of this takes away from my central point that the reviews of the tram group filled short cruises don't give a great indication of how things will be on the later 7 day ones, and as time passes the teething troubles your cruise encountered are likely to be resolved.

[BlissfullinFL]

Just got off the Escape. Quick impressions from Thanksgiving cruise with 14 adults and 10 kids ages 8 to 18.

 

Great cruise. Everything was mostly awesome. A few things less impressive but it's really what u make of it.

 

Service was adequate or great at most places. We never waited for drinks longer than a few minutes at any of the bars. Tobacco Road, 5 o'clock somewhere outside bar, lobby bar and mojito bar were favs. Bong was awesome pouring martinis into a glass on his forehead. Waves upstairs also a good place for a drink.

 

Always deck chairs available especially up top on front sundeck outside of Vibe. Spice gets croweded so get there early but didn't have any problems the day we went.

 

Manhatten Room for dinner twice and food and service were more than adequate. Did Taste for Turkey Day dinner with whole group and service/food were great.

 

Did 3 specialty restaurants and thought Le Bistro and Cagney's were really good. Italian just ok, but not bad. My boyfriend is a huge foodie and he was very happy with both. Went to Food Republic and Pinchos Tapas. Both only open for lunch on sea days but you can get right in if you go at noon. We thought Pinchos was a lot better than Food Republic. But try the lobster roll if going to FR.

 

Drinks are expensive so get the bar package. It's worth it and everything is covered. Best coffee was in Atrium bar at a la cart cafe but worth it. We loved hanging out at the Atrium bar. Always fun stuff going on there and always a seat. Would go here for mimosas in the morning.

 

Did not like Garden Buffet at all. Go to Taste instead. It's sit down and food was good. Garden Cafe seemed crowded and cramped and wasn't a big fan. We ate at OSHEENANS a lot late night. Kids ate there a lot as well. Always got our food in 15 minutes or so.

 

Alot of the parties got moved inside due to rain and were either in atrium 80s night, 70ies in Skyline Bar and Glow In Skyline. Went to one party at spice and people were dancing and having a great time.

 

I can see why Margarita villa is now A la cart. Was always over an hour wait and people ordered tons of apps, more than one entre, etc so I think this will cut down on lines and waste. It's not meant to be a buffet.

 

 

Most bartenders and staff were friendly and customer focused. Ran into a few with attitudes here and there, but if you treated them nice and weren't rude they would appreciate it and you could tell.

 

People were 50/50 on ship layout. I liked it, especially the waterfront areas. Was great for sunset watching and we would just sit on couches and chill. I have never done a Royal Caribbean, but people were saying they liked Royal Caribbean ship layout better, but that Escape is just different and unique and takes getting use to. For those of us who haven't sailed Royal I thought it was great.

 

No smoking outside of 5 o'clock somewhere bar anymore. In humodor or on deck 17 only.

 

Overall the trip was really fun. Plenty of activities to keep kids busy. They were in arcade and on ropes course alot. Arcade was awesome.

 

Rooms are small but nice. Balcony's good size. Sat out there alot. Rooms always cleaned quickly with fresh towels twice a day.

 

Internet horrible. Everyone complaining. If you have to be connected at all times you are in trouble.

 

Enjoy ur cruise and remember it's what you make of it. Nothing is going to be 100% perfect all the time. Just don't have crazy high expectations that are unreasonable.

 

Enjoy.

[duchesslt]

Eh??

 

I was going to book a family Alaska cruise on Norwegian, but the reviews overall give a sense of bad service/nickle and diming. So I am now looking at Celebrity Solstice or Regents who do not seem to be plagued with 'iffy' reviews. I might change my mind once I sail the Escape.

Edited November 28, 2015 by duchesslt

[Sauer-kraut]

Seriously OP, a brand new cruiser, never been on a cruise before and you're worried? You have nothing to base YOUR experience on, just go and enjoy yourself. Be excited and have fun.

[bt0510]

We just finished our Escape cruise, sitting in the airport to head home. This was our first cruise in 10 years, so use that as perspective.

We felt the service was horrible. The staff was mostly dysfunctional. I'll do a review later, but note this. We had reservations for 6 of 7 nights. We were never seated within 20 minutes of our reservation. This included Manhattan, Teppenyaki, Moderno, la Cucina, and Cagneys. I asked one of the food attendants in the Garden Cafe if they had any Cheerios in the back because each location I checked didn't have any. The response was, "I could go check, but it would be better if you just walk to all four corners and find it yourself." Much of the staff had similar attitude. In O'Sheehans for lunch, our waitress rolled her eyes when my wife asked for a soda refill.

Anyone on 5th floor should know ahead of time to expect very loud noises from above from about 9pm-2am, followed by all of the children in the surrounding family cabins screaming from being abruptly woken up.

[kimberja14]

We just got off the Escape and loved the ship. We had no problems with service...our room attendant got us loungers for our aft balcony room with a smile on his face and he kept our room super clean, although I always made sure to straighten up before we left the room.

 

Osheehans service we found to be amazing. When I asked the server for a Diet Coke in a tall glass he actually brought it in a huge beer glass and we all just roared laughing. We had no lines for food other than Margaritaville...so we waited and returned early from Nassau...no wait:-)

 

We ate at Osheehans, Modernos, cagneys, Margaritaville, Food Republic and the buffet. Food Republic was amazing...as was Cagneys! All food was good; however, Buffett was not so great on this ship.

 

We loved the Waterfront and tried waterslide and ropes course ( terrified me). We also had spa passes which were AWESOME!! The ship is beautiful and staff was wonderful..so don't worry...vacations are what you make of them so you'll have a great time:-)

[kajasmin]

I will be going on my first cruise ever. After reading many reviews on the newest Escape that I will be on next week, I have prepared for the worst. Many of the negative reviews are made by newly registered members with only one review. So I don't know if these negative reviews are real or libel.

 

Some of the items that I find disturbing are these.:confused:

1. Long lines at restaurant even when the reservations are made months prior.

Not true. The problem is the hostess seats everyone...its just that, nothing else.

2. Restaurants are closed for private functions without notice. Apparently some groups are more important than me.

Not an issue for us.

3. Shows are cancelled during the entire duration of the cruise.

Million Dollar Quartet was moved from Tuesday to Friday but the booking moved too.

4. Generally, the overall service are not up to par.

Dinner was SLOW. Other than that, everything else was great!

5. Restaurant has changed to fee based rather than complimentary. (Jimmy Buffet)

Just got off, it was complimentary but an hour line.

Are these problems the norm or uncommon? Will this be the first and possibly the last cruise with NCL?

 

It wasnt bad at all.