Everything.. ESCAPE (live 29 Oct 2015!)

[BirdTravels]

I thought the Escape was supposed to improve on the 'Away' ships. Now they have taken our favorite casual and quick breakfast/lunch place on the Getaway and turned it into a specialty restaurant open for very few hours per day. Very disappointing. Back to the Getaway for us.

 

So how about walking down 1 flight of stairs to the Garden Cafe (probably less than 1 minute's walk). More food for the casual and quick diner. You can even take it out to the outside seating if you want that sea breeze.

[motleyfan]

The OP you replied to did not specify the Escape. I believe he was talking about NCL in general.

 

Harriet

 

Still, I simply don't understand how somebody could complain about something so much and still use it. And day today life and society if anyone complain to that much about a certain product they would stop using it. Not stay on a thread to b&@ch about it

[Sand and Seas]

So how about walking down 1 flight of stairs to the Garden Cafe (probably less than 1 minute's walk). More food for the casual and quick diner. You can even take it out to the outside seating if you want that sea breeze.

 

We try to avoid the crowds at the buffet and the searching for a table. Our last cruise on the Getaway the only time we were in there was on the morning we disembarked. For us it's not about the variety of food. We loved the simple food at the Flamingo Grill with the Cuban flavors. Nice place to eat breakfast or lunch with an ocean breeze. We also enjoyed the walk-up window at Ocean Blue and loved having the lobster rolls on the waterfront. Back to the Getaway for us:D

[Two Wheels Only]

Still, I simply don't understand how somebody could complain about something so much and still use it. And day today life and society if anyone complain to that much about a certain product they would stop using it. Not stay on a thread to b&@ch about it

 

It's the same as complaining about other people who are complaining.

 

Why stay on a thread to complain about people complaining?

 

The thread is "Everything.. ESCAPE...." so if there is something on Escape (positive or negative) that someone wants to comment on, it belongs here.

[CUontheC]

It's the same as complaining about other people who are complaining.

 

Why stay on a thread to complain about people complaining?

 

The thread is "Everything.. ESCAPE...." so if there is something on Escape (positive or negative) that someone wants to comment on, it belongs here.

 

This made me laugh...love it!

 

Btw I just got off the Escape on Saturday the 28th. We had a great time. I wrote a review...not sure if it has been posted yet.

 

Have a great night!

 

Mary

[motleyfan]

This made me laugh...love it!

 

Btw I just got off the Escape on Saturday the 28th. We had a great time. I wrote a review...not sure if it has been posted yet.

 

Have a great night!

 

Mary

 

I cannot wait to read it. I love reading positive reviews. I usually skip over reviews that are less than 3 stars because they are usually very nit picky. My only opinion of a valid negative comment would be if a crew member walked up and decked you. Anything like the food was bad or the rooms are too small makes me want to pull my hair from the roots. I things I didn't like you just don't need them again you try something different lol.

[brauchtj]

I'm sure this has already been discussed.... having 334 pages of material on this thread, but I was watching a vid tonight and it said that the casino has blocked off smoking sections now! Anyone that has been on it want to provide feedback? I remember the smoke was quite heavy in the evenings around the main corridor on the Getaway. Would be great to hear they found a solution.

[brauchtj]

Oh man, just looked at the reviews on Cruise Critic and it's only getting a 37%. Is this normal for a brand new ship? I hope NCL isn't slipping :( They're our favorite cruise line.

[KeithJenner]

Oh man, just looked at the reviews on Cruise Critic and it's only getting a 37%. Is this normal for a brand new ship? I hope NCL isn't slipping :( They're our favorite cruise line.

 

 

This has come up a few times. Just remember that a large proportion of those reviews had some unusual factors:

 

They were one, two or three day cruises. This made everything more busy than usual which resulted in queues etc. Having spent 4 of my days on the Escape on such days, I can confirm that they were very different, and far less enjoyable than normal cruise days.

 

There were lots of groups of travel agents onboard, which resulted in some venues being closed, and queues getting into some dinner venues. Again, I can confirm from my experience that this was a real issue.

 

Many of the people on the short cruises were invited by their travel agents, and NCL wasn't a choice they would usually make. I overheard a number of conversations when onboard from people who had just gone along to confirm to themselves that they have made the right choice by not picking NCL. It's hardly surprising that many of these people weren't impressed.

 

There are certainly some issues with the Escape. Some will be fixed over time by changes being made and staff getting used to things. Some will be more of a challenge, but that is usual for a new ship. Some of the negatives in those reviews will potentially be a concern to you, but the fact that people couldn't get into the Brewhouse for a few hours on one of the Southampton days really won't affect your cruise one little bit.

[GoAndHaveFun]

 

Many of the people on the short cruises were invited by their travel agents, and NCL wasn't a choice they would usually make. I overheard a number of conversations when onboard from people who had just gone along to confirm to themselves that they have made the right choice by not picking NCL. It's hardly surprising that many of these people weren't impressed.

 

 

You know, this is actually why whenever I see someone who's super hardcore loyal to either Carnival/RCI/Princess/Celebrity/Disney go on NCL and then write a scathing review about NCL, I would take it with a grain of salt as most likely, those folks probably never gave NCL a chance.

 

I remember before my 7-day cruise on the Escape, I came across a thread asking if people were worried about the bad reviews on the Escape. I never replied to that thread but I remember thinking "nah, not worried at all as different strokes for different people." And after my sailing, I must say I LOVED the Escape!

[BirdTravels]

Oh man, just looked at the reviews on Cruise Critic and it's only getting a 37%. Is this normal for a brand new ship? I hope NCL isn't slipping :( They're our favorite cruise line.

 

No, nothing slipping. We have done 10 cruises over the past two years from balconies to 2-bedroom villas. And our experience in an Escape minisuite was the best experience we have had.

[Coastalbreezes]

I'm sure this has already been discussed.... having 334 pages of material on this thread, but I was watching a vid tonight and it said that the casino has blocked off smoking sections now! Anyone that has been on it want to provide feedback? I remember the smoke was quite heavy in the evenings around the main corridor on the Getaway. Would be great to hear they found a solution.

 

Yes, true. Nonsmoking areas are way in the back of the casino and also the slot machines in the hallways are nonsmoking.

 

Tracy

[CUontheC]

Oh man, just looked at the reviews on Cruise Critic and it's only getting a 37%. Is this normal for a brand new ship? I hope NCL isn't slipping :( They're our favorite cruise line.

 

We were on last week and we really enjoyed ourselves. Ourr friends who also sailed the same week also had a great time. Rooms were really nice and the food was great in the MDR's. Shows were excellent. There was a smoking and non smoking section in the casino. If you were in the smoking section you would smell like smoke when you left. If you were in non smoking it was ok. I did not smell smoke anywhete else outside of the casino. And with our trip we were told there were 1300 kids onboard because of Thanksgiving so we never went to the pool but stayed in Spice H2O which was adults only and a great area to relax. Two hot tubs a water grotto to cool off and a bar. And it is right above the buffet so you can get lunch or a snack and eat it in there. We didn't but many did. You will have a wonderful time!

[bt0510]

There was a smoking and non smoking section in the casino. If you were in the smoking section you would smell like smoke when you left. If you were in non smoking it was ok. I did not smell smoke anywhete else outside of the casino.

 

I think different folks have different sensitivity when it comes to cigarette smoke, and whether they can smell it or not. We were on the Thanksgiving week cruise as well. We smelled smoke throughout decks 6/7/8 and even down on deck 5 in the hallways. The smoke did not appear to be visible anywhere that I went, but certainly the smell was there. My wife and I are very sensitive to cigarette smoke smell, so that may be why we picked it up more than you did.

[CUontheC]

I think different folks have different sensitivity when it comes to cigarette smoke, and whether they can smell it or not. We were on the Thanksgiving week cruise as well. We smelled smoke throughout decks 6/7/8 and even down on deck 5 in the hallways. The smoke did not appear to be visible anywhere that I went, but certainly the smell was there. My wife and I are very sensitive to cigarette smoke smell, so that may be why we picked it up more than you did.

 

I really did not go down to deck 5 other then to get to the shore excursions. Was there something I missed on that deck?

 

On Deck 6 7 we just went to dinner and only smelled the food smells from the restaurants.

 

Should they eliminate it from the casino? It does not matter to me either way. But it seems like the majority want it banned so probably it should be.

 

There are places onboard/outside to smoke. But then people will complain about smokers in those areas too. You can't please everyone.

[brauchtj]

No, nothing slipping. We have done 10 cruises over the past two years from balconies to 2-bedroom villas. And our experience in an Escape minisuite was the best experience we have had.

 

 

Oh that's great to hear!!! :)

[brauchtj]

Yes, true. Nonsmoking areas are way in the back of the casino and also the slot machines in the hallways are nonsmoking.

 

Tracy

 

 

This is great! I was so confused as to why they didn't do this on the getaway/breakaway.

[packercruising]

Yes, true. Nonsmoking areas are way in the back of the casino and also the slot machines in the hallways are nonsmoking.

 

Tracy

 

So getting to the Sky bar does not involve wafting smoke?:rolleyes:

[sjnyc323]

I am loving the Escape awesome fabulous cruise. My second week on board

You do smell smoke walking through casino though but there are ways to avoid it

Edited December 1, 2015 by sjnyc323

[bt0510]

I really did not go down to deck 5 other then to get to the shore excursions. Was there something I missed on that deck?

 

On Deck 6 7 we just went to dinner and only smelled the food smells from the restaurants.

 

Should they eliminate it from the casino? It does not matter to me either way. But it seems like the majority want it banned so probably it should be.

 

There are places onboard/outside to smoke. But then people will complain about smokers in those areas too. You can't please everyone.

 

Our cabin was on deck 5, as is the Splash Academy. You probably didn't miss anything there. Like I said, different people have different sensitivity to smoke. We ate at Teppanyaki the last night. The door to Teppanyaki is closed all the time. When we were seated, the hostess asked us to quickly close the door as we walked in, "because of the smoke smell". When we left the restaurant, as we opened the door, a strong smell of smoke was immediately obvious. Going from the great smells inside the restaurant to that made it more obvious.

 

I am not suggesting that they eliminate smoking anywhere. That's a no-win situation. I'm stating our experience.

[rg24601]

I cannot wait to read it. I love reading positive reviews. I usually skip over reviews that are less than 3 stars because they are usually very nit picky. My only opinion of a valid negative comment would be if a crew member walked up and decked you. Anything like the food was bad or the rooms are too small makes me want to pull my hair from the roots. I things I didn't like you just don't need them again you try something different lol.

 

The problem is either extreme should be skipped over.

 

1 Star or 5 Star usually are not useful to make a valid opinion.

 

Pictures and video's, such as your's, speak louder than words and really helped us decide what to do about Escape.

[motleyfan]

Yes, true. Nonsmoking areas are way in the back of the casino and also the slot machines in the hallways are nonsmoking.

 

Tracy

 

I see the smoke and solution would be to let people smoke in their balconies. When you limit the number of areas someone can smoke that's where all the smokers gather and that place is going to smell really smoky. As a smoker I was nervous that the smoking areas would be few and far between but I was pleasantly surprised. Norwegian is trying to accommodate everyone. The smokers are simply saying be fair the anti smokers are saying no ban it everywhere. It's crazy lol, if they were smart they would spread the smoking area is out, make more smoking areas which means each area has less people and is less smokey. 1 anti smoker I meant on the ship, him and I got into a conversation about it and he said the outdoor and Casino smells so terrible he would rather people smoke on their private balconies.

[ally-oop]

The smoke/smell was a huge issue when the Epic first sailed as well, don't forget smoking WAS allowed on the balconies then so disbursing the smokers all over the ship isn't the way to resolve this issue. NCL put air purifiers all around the casino area and I thought it worked! I wonder why they don't do that again...

Edited December 1, 2015 by ally-oop

[papcx]

Please let's not start the smoking on your balcony thing again.

 

We all know why it was banned!

Edited December 1, 2015 by papcx
Autocorrect hates me!

[Two Wheels Only]

I see the smoke and solution would be to let people smoke in their balconies.

That solution wouldn't work unless one side (port, for ex.) was for smokers and the other side was for non-smokers

 

When you limit the number of areas someone can smoke that's where all the smokers gather and that place is going to smell really smoky.

No, when you allow smoking in certain areas, all of the smokers will gather there.

 

As a smoker I was nervous that the smoking areas would be few and far between but I was pleasantly surprised. Norwegian is trying to accommodate everyone.

No, they are accommodating those who choose to smoke no matter what the side-effects are to others.

 

The smokers are simply saying be fair the anti smokers are saying no ban it everywhere. It's crazy lol,

Not as crazy as intentionally endangering your own health and the health of others against their will.

 

if they were smart they would spread the smoking area is out, make more smoking areas which means each area has less people and is less smokey.

Putting more smoke in more areas instead of limiting it to fewer areas.....how is that actually better?

 

1 anti smoker I meant on the ship, him and I got into a conversation about it and he said the outdoor and Casino smells so terrible he would rather people smoke on their private balconies.

I doubt that he would feel that way if the balcony above, below, to the left, and right of him had smokers on them.