Nervous about bad Escape reviews?

[tpnebraska]

Do not pay attention to the negatives. Especially on the Escape. I haven't even cruised on NCL yet, going in Jan 2016, but until you hear 3.000 complaints, you don't have a thing to worry about. We are going on the MUCH smaller Star and there have been so many negatives after her first few cruises after returning to Tampa, that if I listened to those I would want to cancel. The Escape is new and it will take a few cruises to get it all together. You will have a great time.... Any day on a cruise, regardless of the all the "stuff" is better than any day NOT on a cruise!!

[RuthlessBoss]

Anyone nervous about all the bad Escape reviews or is that normal for a new ship while they work out the kinks? I am wanting to book a cruise next May but these reviews are just not good!

 

Reviews are useless. If 5000 people are on a ship and 4999 are happy, that 1 person comes here to cc and complains about some minor thing as slow drink delivery. That makes one review, but should not make every one else's cruise bad.

Edited November 18, 2015 by RuthlessBoss

[muskieman]

A word of advice that I got from someone else on this forum - when looking at a negative review, see how many other posts that member has done. I just read through a very negative review - which was the posters first and only post on the site.

Not saying that their opinion isn't valid, but it would be nice to see a few positive reviews from other cruises and then it puts their opinion into perspective.

Just my opinion :)

[newmexicoNita]

Anyone nervous about all the bad Escape reviews or is that normal for a new ship while they work out the kinks? I am wanting to book a cruise next May but these reviews are just not good!

 

I am not sure what you mean by bad reviews? Kinks, yes, there wil always be wrinkles to iron out when a ship is new. And the first full, normal sailing is going on right now. We talked to our daughter yesterday, she is on the ship, is a very seasoned cruiser on all lines. Here is what she said: there have been some issues with things not working; Of course the pool area on sea days is packed. The ship is sold out for heavens sake. And yes, there are crowds,for the same reason, but now the positive: Not only is the ship new, it is beautiful. The crew, though tired is wonderful and the food an improvement of close to 100% over any NCL ship she has cruised in the past several years. Even in the buffet, which they are not buffet lovers, for breakfast her hubby was thrilled: there were 2 kinds of eggs benedict, one with lox and the other, standard. She did add, Margaritaville had a 2 hour wait both sea days but yesterday you could walk right in. The food was very good. She added the Manhantan room is beyond belief, it is so spectaclar.

 

You will have to decide for yourself if you want to jump to conclusions. You might want to wait until there have been a few more sailings. I am guessing next week there will be some glithes as well. Holiday sailings, regardless of the ship or line always face challengers. Just my take, others might see things differently. Remember people are always or some anyway, much more likely to post the negatives than the positives.

[Lily815]

I wouldn't worry about it. She is on her first real 7-night sailing now. There were service issues on the 3-night cruise for sure, but it's always like that in the beginning. It is my understanding that they also added more crew now, so I am sure it will all work itself out. We are going again in the spring, and I am looking forward to it.

[newmexicoNita]

The fact there are people starving in 3rd world countries has nothing to do with a legitimate concern that a new ship that you've committed a precious vacation week and earmarked thousands of dollars towards is getting bad reviews.

 

I get concerned about the negative reviews, too. You expect value for the price paid for services that should go above and beyond a hotel experience. The most common complaint I've seen is understaffed and overselling bar packages which is making for unreasonable waits. That is not acceptable for the financial commitment I've made to this company in return for having a great service experience.

 

I am not sure why this is a kink that would get worked out - if Norwegian doesn't put the resources onboard to support 4k people and the deals they sell, service will suffer.

 

Why are there people on this board who take the somewhat odd position that they need to defend a company and ship they've never been on? Is it pride keeping them from admitting they may have mad a bad vacation choice? Or is there blind consumer brand loyalty at play here like I've seen with Apple groupies who can't admit Apple really screwed the pooch with iMessenger and iCloud?

 

If I understand this right, they have put a slow down on the drink promo. Sometime starting in the spring it will only be available for people booking balconies and above. The UBP will still be there, but that is a totally different thing. It has been around for a long time and is pretty pricey. Now, as for waits for drinks, we were on the Jewel about a month ago, we only waited one time, more than a couple of minutes for a drink.Right now and this isn't defending NCL or anything else, sold out ship, new to the waters and yes, there may be some waits for some things.

 

I am surprised you would assume because some are defending NCL and have just cruised the Escape are people who can't admit they made a poor vacation choice? YOu do realize most of them are platinum members, are you saying all the times they have sailed NCL they are just not willing to admit they made a mistake?

 

I remember sailing the Jewel on her TA sailing. Yes, we had some service issues. She was new, the crew though outstanding, and experienced were obviously new to the ship and free style was not new,but not yet the trend. We had a few in our Roll Call group who could find more to complain about that I had ever heard; we had to skip Newfoundland because of fog and rain. The captain did try his best, but decided it wouldn't be safe. Some of the crabbies were pissed at him for taking a couple of hours to make the decision.

Edited November 18, 2015 by newmexicoNita

[BirdTravels]

Ignore the complainers. People like to complain and stir the pot for the fun of it. And a large number of complainers have never been on a regularly scheduled cruise on the Escape,,,, unless they are on the ship right now, today. This is the first regularly scheduled cruise this week.

 

We were on the 3-day last week and enjoyed every single minute we were on board. Sure, the lines at Margaritaville were long. But we had an oversold cruise where the restaurant was only open for 3 meals and there were over 4500 people who wanted to try it. No matter how many servers and how many cooks you put on the job, you're not going to serve the whole ship in one small restaurant in what was 2 days on the ship (plus some time during embarkation before the boat drill). So people are going to whine about it.

[CruisinHarvey]

Why the concern? Most all ships have service issues, at first. Expect it. Think of the dynamics of the situation. Put 1200-1600 crew members together, and try to build a team. It takes time for everyone to know the other team members strengths and weaknesses to become efficient. A lot of times it's more seasoned crew members who staff the newer ships. They're all trying the be the alpha. Each crew members need to find their sweet spot. The team then performs better than the parts could perform individually. Cruise lines depend on that. So, the first few cruises, there may be a few glitches. It won't be terrible or anything, just maybe not perfect.

 

At least with these newer ships, they aren't also having to share a room with new roommates too, like they used to do. That just added another element of complexity to it. A number of crew members, I've talked to, have no desire to open a new ship, for obvious reasons.

[Carnac767]

Anyone nervous about all the bad Escape reviews or is that normal for a new ship while they work out the kinks? I am wanting to book a cruise next May but these reviews are just not good!

 

Sailed on her from Hamburg to Southampton and had a very fun three days. I'm still exhausted because there was too much to do and not enough time to sleep. She's a great ship.

 

You can check out my review here:http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2277733

[duchesslt]

When was the last time you were on the Escape?

 

I haven't = I'm scheduled to go soon. I'm concerned about the negative reviews and I don't think it is acceptable to give a company thousands of dollars for vacation to then have me expect that their service is suffering because they need to work out kinks.

 

I find it odd that Norwegian brand loyalists on these boards hand over their money and excuse service shortcomings. It's an interesting study in brand loyalty for sure.

 

If I'm found to be waiting 10 minutes to get a glass of wine or 2 hours to eat cold food or see no effort to unoccupy lounge chairs with towels on them, I will also share a negative review to help others take into consideration when making spending choices. I expect great service on a cruise - it is why I'm willing to spend thousands to be a captive customer on what amounts to a floating hotel.

[CruisinHarvey]

I haven't = I'm scheduled to go soon. I'm concerned about the negative reviews and I don't think it is acceptable to give a company thousands of dollars for vacation to then have me expect that their service is suffering because they need to work out kinks.

 

I find it odd that Norwegian brand loyalists on these boards hand over their money and excuse service shortcomings. It's an interesting study in brand loyalty for sure.

 

If I'm found to be waiting 10 minutes to get a glass of wine or 2 hours to eat cold food or see no effort to unoccupy lounge chairs with towels on them, I will also share a negative review to help others take into consideration when making spending choices. I expect great service on a cruise - it is why I'm willing to spend thousands to be a captive customer on what amounts to a floating hotel.

 

If it's not too late, get your money back, and cancel your trip. Go on another cruse line. No need to be concerned about vacation. It's supposed to fun. I might add, that's it comments like yours the completely exaggerate any problems they have. You're complaining about service you think you might get. :confused:

[Cruisercl]

I haven't = I'm scheduled to go soon. I'm concerned about the negative reviews and I don't think it is acceptable to give a company thousands of dollars for vacation to then have me expect that their service is suffering because they need to work out kinks.

 

I find it odd that Norwegian brand loyalists on these boards hand over their money and excuse service shortcomings. It's an interesting study in brand loyalty for sure.

 

If I'm found to be waiting 10 minutes to get a glass of wine or 2 hours to eat cold food or see no effort to unoccupy lounge chairs with towels on them, I will also share a negative review to help others take into consideration when making spending choices. I expect great service on a cruise - it is why I'm willing to spend thousands to be a captive customer on what amounts to a floating hotel.

 

I agree with CruisinHarvey; maybe if this speculation is stressing you out, you should find a cruise line that is perfect. Brand loyalty is done for a reason; people find what they like/love and go back to enjoy themselves.

 

I was on the Escape TA and did not experience any of the things you are nervous about; if others did I did not see it or they really are minor things like the inconveniences in 'real' life. I am sure you have those! :p

 

(You also might be a troll on this subject too, are you?)

 

Happy and safe cruising all!!!:)

[maywell]

I haven't = I'm scheduled to go soon. I'm concerned about the negative reviews and I don't think it is acceptable to give a company thousands of dollars for vacation to then have me expect that their service is suffering because they need to work out kinks.

 

I find it odd that Norwegian brand loyalists on these boards hand over their money and excuse service shortcomings. It's an interesting study in brand loyalty for sure.

 

If I'm found to be waiting 10 minutes to get a glass of wine or 2 hours to eat cold food or see no effort to unoccupy lounge chairs with towels on them, I will also share a negative review to help others take into consideration when making spending choices. I expect great service on a cruise - it is why I'm willing to spend thousands to be a captive customer on what amounts to a floating hotel.

I can't speak for others but if the Escape, which I'm going on next year, does the same thing the Breakaway did last year especially in the MDRs - I'm not going complain harshly or badly either. The Maitre'd on the Breakaway gave each table that waited more than 30 minutes in service due to one of the waiter(s) or slowdown; free bottles of wine. Not a glass of wine, but 750ml bottles of wine, both white and red to each table affected, depending on the number of people at the table - That's good service and going beyond the call of duty! Heck yeah, I would sail on them again!

 

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

[CamaCama]

Not at all, looking forward to Saturday!! But we are VERY laid back and grateful we get to go on a vacation like this. We're sailing with small kids and excited for everything they will get to experience on Escape and the islands! I'll be doing a pictorial review when we get back. :)

[duchesslt]

If it's not too late, get your money back, and cancel your trip. Go on another cruse line. No need to be concerned about vacation. It's supposed to fun. I might add, that's it comments like yours the completely exaggerate any problems they have. You're complaining about service you think you might get. :confused:

 

I haven't complained yet. I've noted that bad reviews are a legitimate concern and that I do expect good service for the money spent. If I don't get good service, I will leave a bad review and appreciate the point of view of those who did not have a great experience for their money spent. Likewise, I have left great reviews when the experience and service met the expectations of the price paid. I appreciate reading those reviews as well.

[duchesslt]

I can't speak for others but if the Escape, which I'm going on next year, does the same thing the Breakaway did last year especially in the MDRs - I'm not going complain harshly or badly either. The Maitre'd on the Breakaway gave each table that waited more than 30 minutes in service due to one of the waiter(s) or slowdown; free bottles of wine. Not a glass of wine, but 750ml bottles of wine, both white and red to each table affected, depending on the number of people at the table - That's good service and going beyond the call of duty! Heck yeah, I would sail on them again!

 

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

 

Agreed - that is the way to handle an unacceptable service issue. It demonstrates customer focus and did not require a customer to complain.

[AndyCapn]

Don't base it on the number of complaints or the average score, but try to get the details. If it is something that is mentioned in multiple reviews on multiple trips, then it probably is a legitimate concern.

 

But often the problems mentioned can be overcome with some advanced planning (booking reservations, avoiding busy times, etc.) or buying an upgrade (cabin, specialty dining, Vibe passes).

 

Just remember that everybody has a different perspective of what they expect of a cruise, and that's not always obvious from reading their review. But by seeing several reviews, you can determine what the real issues are and if you have the time, money or (all too often) plain common sense to avoid them.

[maywell]

Agreed - that is the way to handle an unacceptable service issue. It demonstrates customer focus and did not require a customer to complain.

Here's the thing - When the conversation is so good and/or Burn the Floor is performing, one's not going to really pay attention to the time.[emoji14] It was nice surprise and gesture, for sure.

 

And for the record; waiting 10 minutes at a bar that makes mix drinks too while it's full pack with more than 20-something odd people surrounding it , is not a bad wait time. Matter of fact; that's pretty good, especially if 10-15 other people are ordering mix drinks at the same time and not beer!

 

Sent from my SM-N910T3 using Tapatalk

[bzzltyr]

I find reviews valuable, I rely on them heavily. But I have to look at a large group of them and see the kinds of things they complain about first. Those early complaints were on things the ship wouldn't normally deal with or could control. There were negative points for rain, not having tea in the room, port issues (having to load up your own bags for 2 night cruises), running out of specific drinks on a 11 day transatlantic, etc. So right off the bat all of those go out the window. Right now it seems the areas of concern are around crowds, waiting for drinks, and eating. Hopefully that's fixed by the 200 additional people they brought on in the last week, and time of everyone to get used to working with each other and get in a normal rhythm. Reviews in a month will be much more telling.

 

 

I also look at the direction they are heading. A little over a week ago the reviews were only 20% loved it. Now it's 43%. Between the small sample sizes and normal hiccups you will see the overall #'s fluctuate a lot over the next few months.

[torgotom]

Anyone nervous about all the bad Escape reviews or is that normal for a new ship while they work out the kinks? I am wanting to book a cruise next May but these reviews are just not good!

 

Apologies if my review was one that concerned you. I had a wonderful time unless I was trying to get complimentary food or internet. They can fix the former with hard work but probably not the latter.

If dining is a big concern then you should plan on making advance reservations and consider paying for the upscale restaurants, or you'll end up in O'Sheehans every day like we did. pay close attention to the odd operating hours; some places are only open two hours a day, the most popular eatery only open noon till five.

 

BEAUTIFUL ship everywhere you go. Smiling faces, happy guests, great bartenders.

 

You will have fun as long as you carefully plan food.

[torgotom]

The fact there are people starving in 3rd world countries has nothing to do with a legitimate concern that a new ship that you've committed a precious vacation week and earmarked thousands of dollars towards is getting bad reviews.

 

I get concerned about the negative reviews, too. You expect value for the price paid for services that should go above and beyond a hotel experience. The most common complaint I've seen is understaffed and overselling bar packages which is making for unreasonable waits. That is not acceptable for the financial commitment I've made to this company in return for having a great service experience.

 

I am not sure why this is a kink that would get worked out - if Norwegian doesn't put the resources onboard to support 4k people and the deals they sell, service will suffer.

 

Why are there people on this board who take the somewhat odd position that they need to defend a company and ship they've never been on? Is it pride keeping them from admitting they may have mad a bad vacation choice? Or is there blind consumer brand loyalty at play here like I've seen with Apple groupies who can't admit Apple really screwed the pooch with iMessenger and iCloud?

 

Thanks for that observation... I thought my review was fair to mention poor food and service when one of the big selling points is access to great food. It felt odd be told I was a whiner or idiot for asking them to live up to advertising. And LOL I am an apple user of twenty plus years who fully admits their recent massive fails.

[duchesslt]

Thanks for that observation... I thought my review was fair to mention poor food and service when one of the big selling points is access to great food. It felt odd be told I was a whiner or idiot for asking them to live up to advertising. And LOL I am an apple user of twenty plus years who fully admits their recent massive fails.

 

Yes, your honest feedback was really helpful. I realized that "Freestyle Cruising" on a 4k passenger ship is probably not a good option for me. I went ahead and prebooked every restaurant (1 specialty a night) and all the shows I could knowing that if I expected Freestyle and had to wait 45 min to get into a restaurant or denied show entry, I wouldn't be happy.

 

I wanted the unstructured vacation that Norwegian seems to promise but it doesn't seem they staff to meet the expectations that catchphrase sets when you read the review trends coming in.

 

My son really wants to do the comedy shows and I hope that we can make them and they don't conflict with my scheduled reservation times. His reaction to comedy shows is priceless! Unfortunately, I can't book them and I don't have a sense if my reservations conflict with the comedy show times. If reservations are a must to get to do what you want to do on a 4k person barge, NCL should publish ALL show times even if you can't reserve so you can make plans accordingly.

[LrgPizza]

My son really wants to do the comedy shows and I hope that we can make them and they don't conflict with my scheduled reservation times. His reaction to comedy shows is priceless! Unfortunately, I can't book them and I don't have a sense if my reservations conflict with the comedy show times. If reservations are a must to get to do what you want to do on a 4k person barge, NCL should publish ALL show times even if you can't reserve so you can make plans accordingly.

 

This would be hard to do, because the comedians change every couple weeks, and sometimes they have 2, sometimes 3, etc. These show times can vary greatly one week to the next. The good news is that there are many different comedy show options over the course of a cruise (just one comedian, just the other, both together, early "family-friendly" show, late night adult show, middle of the evening show, etc.). You will without a doubt find time to squeeze something in. The other good news is that you haven't booked, but neither has anyone else, so everything is still available when you board. Every comedy show we've ever seen on Getaway, Escape, and Epic, we have simply walked in and attended without a reservation.

Edited November 18, 2015 by LrgPizza

[CUontheC]

Really? Wow. I've spent 10 nights on the ship and loved every minute of it, and I'm going on her again in May. There you go.

 

Hi LrgPizza you have a lot of info on the Escape so I wanted to ask a quick question about excursions. I wanted to book one in Tortola called Land and Sea. It was sold out. Is there a chance, when I get to the ship this Saturday, that they have some left that they don't put online?

 

Thanks for your help!

 

Mary

[MacGuffin]

Like this one, which gave the ship 5 stars?

 

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=518087

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

 

They stayed in the Haven. I hope it was 5 stars!