Nervous about bad Escape reviews?

[tjt87]

A bit of advice on reviews. Pick a hotel, vacation or cruise that you really enjoyed. Then check the bad reviews on cruise critic or trip advisor. You will wonder if these people were on the same vacation as you. Take it all with a pinch of salt. It's better to travel in hope than expectation.

[AtlantaCruiser72]

I was on the transatlantic cruise and booked it knowing it would be a "shakedown" cruise and NOT represent the realistic operation of the ship once it hit Miami. I fully expected service issues and encountered fewer than I was anticipating. I expected ongoing construction/punchlist finish items and saw very few of those as well. There were teething issues with the IT system, which for me was also anticipated.

 

With regards to the District Brewhouse running out of draft beer - this was actually planned and is something they could have been more transparent about early on. They stocked a selection of draft beers that were appropriate to the German and UK markets for the preview cruises. They purposefully DID NOT restock before the transatlantic so they could run the supply out before getting to Miami and bringing on the standard selection of craft and microbrews planned. While this was an inconvenience to some it was the plan all along evidently and there were ample choices of bottled beers avail and included in the drinks package. Again the crossing was a shakedown cruise and this did not surprise me at all once I spoke in depth to the bar manager one afternoon and he explained the situation.

 

As a seasoned cruiser I expected the preview sailings from Hamburg, Southampton and Miami to all have issues. Now that she is in service on the regular 7 night Caribbean cruises she was designed and built to serve I would expect those issues to iron out pretty quickly.

[MBMGWM]

Originally Posted by MBMGWM View Post

>>>Supper club was one of the best shows I've seen but for me after midnight and million dollar quarter just wasn't my era. Still don't know who that Carl bloke was...<<<

 

 

Aiiiieee! The music lover in me can't let this go by without comment. That "Carl" would be Carl Perkins, one of the foremost rockabilly artists of the 50's and a big influence on guitar playing in rock music of the 60's and onward. Maybe the two best things to know about him are: (1) That he wrote "Blue Suede Shoes", the song that Elvis sang and made so popular; and (2) That the Beatles recorded more Carl Perkins songs than any other songwriter's, not counting themselves.

 

 

Thanks. A couple of decades before I was born. I did ask my folks when I got back [emoji3]

 

 

No problem - - I was just havin' some fun. In that company (Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash & Elvis) poor ol' Carl was pretty much the most easily forgotten one, justified or not. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Million Dollar Quartet show on the Escape in January.

[Barb Nahoumi]

Originally Posted by MBMGWM View Post

>>>Supper club was one of the best shows I've seen but for me after midnight and million dollar quarter just wasn't my era. Still don't know who that Carl bloke was...<<<

 

 

Aiiiieee! The music lover in me can't let this go by without comment. That "Carl" would be Carl Perkins, one of the foremost rockabilly artists of the 50's and a big influence on guitar playing in rock music of the 60's and onward. Maybe the two best things to know about him are: (1) That he wrote "Blue Suede Shoes", the song that Elvis sang and made so popular; and (2) That the Beatles recorded more Carl Perkins songs than any other songwriter's, not counting themselves.

 

 

 

 

 

No problem - - I was just havin' some fun. In that company (Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash & Elvis) poor ol' Carl was pretty much the most easily forgotten one, justified or not. I'm really looking forward to seeing the Million Dollar Quartet show on the Escape in January.

 

Carl Perkins recorded for Sun Records, just as Elvis, Roy Orbison, Johnny Cash, and Jerry Lee Lewis did. Personally, I preferred Carl's version of "Blue Suede Shoes."

 

I was a little kid at the "Birth" of Rock & Roll, and my parents said that it was just a phase that would soon disappear. How wrong they were.

[packercruising]

Yup, when I think of Blue Suede Shoes, it is Carl Perkins, not Elvis that comes to mind.

[MiniJeffrey]

Last year I had booked a transatlantic on the epic and as you may have noticed reviews for the epic are quit mixed. So I had very big concerns, even knowing I had already been on other NCL ships that suited me perfectly.

 

Long story short, I had the time of my life. I don't know why but people here seem to be kinda negative about NCL. I have never had a bad experience with a ship or crew and I'm always very sad when I have to disembark the ship.

 

Don't let those reviews bother you and enjoy the trip, it will be great.

[TheDougOut]

"The whole ship seemed understaffed, but none as much as the bars on the ship. My average wait time for a drink was around 20-30 min."

 

This always makes me laugh. Not as much as the reviewer that once warned of a 2-hour wait for the Breakaway waterslides, but funny nonetheless.

 

Do you realize how difficult it is to wait for 30 mins for bar service? And then to state this was the average wait time?!? I'm sure the reviewer received immediate service at some point, which would lead us to believe other wait times were for an hour.

 

I'll take the bet... drop me in any location on the ship at a peak period, and I guarantee I can have a drink in hand within 10 minutes.

[HarpHarp]

I hated to leave the Escape on Saturday. The ship is just lovely. The standard balconies are larger than the /away ships.

The only wait we had to be seated was at Margaritaville. but we had drinks in hand while we waited. We could have walked right in to Food Republic, but never made it, since the food in the complimentary venues was so good. Prime rib special 3 nights at O'Sheehans, but the Beef Wellington chef special is the real taste treat of this menu set. District Brewhouse was our place to hang & the beer choices are excellent.

 

We had a spa balcony & on one negative was the thermal spa had heating problems on & off. You must do the sauna & then the snow room.:eek:

 

The entertainment was simply the best. The Broadway production of After Midnight with Vanessa Williams could not have been any better than this production. Some large groups tied up some venues, mainly 5 O'clock & La Cucina during the day. The waterfront location was open to all.

The staff was the best.