When did Margaritaville become a specialty on Escape?

[NLH Arizona]

There is no doubt that it was listed as complimentary when announced and when she first sailed. Also initial reports from the TA stated that it was going to change. It did, now folks have to either deal with it or not. All of this whining is not going to change it.

I always found it odd that it was complimentary. Working with major brands over the years, they always want to get their piece of the pie and I seriously doubt that Margaritaville is any different. Wondering if the left hand at NCL didn't know what the right hand was doing when they made it complimentary. After all, I would think they would need to make revenue off the brand to pay the brand what their contract calls for.

[hawkeyetlse]

Organize a boycott! If no one buys the food, then NCL will suffer!

That's the whole point: no one was buying the food before (but they were all eating it), and NCL suffered. Now they just need a fraction of the 4000 new passengers every week to buy the food. The rest of them can boycott till they're blue in the face.

[LrgPizza]

I ate 11 complimentary meals at Margaritaville on Escape - maybe more than anyone. One consistent thing we said each time was that we couldn't believe this venue was complimentary. This was even before there were any wait times. Not because the food was so great, but because it was so different, and steps above the other complimentary dining venues. When I saw the rumors that there might be a cover charge, I certainly wasn't the slightest bit surprised. I was definitely surprised at the actual prices, but I can easily live without it if I choose not to pay. The thing that has me bothered is that this change reduces the available complimentary options to less than the other big ships. That's the only issue I have. I won't miss dining at Margaritaville (I had my share) as much as I'll miss the lack of a Flamingo Grill, if that makes sense.

[SuiteTraveler]

Here is the menu - I'm not happy with this at all

 

Having perused the Margaritaville menu and finding absolutely nothing on it that I would actually want to eat, I could care less that NCL is charging for this.

[perditax]

Heh, the MDR package thread got deleted. Love this place!

[hpecorari]

Having perused the Margaritaville menu and finding absolutely nothing on it that I would actually want to eat, I could care less that NCL is charging for this.

 

That's fine. But do you care or have any feelings about NCL claiming something is complementary, taking your money with that being the case and then changing it to a 'pay' venue after the fact?

 

Harriet

[LadySpoilt]

That's fine. But do you care or have any feelings about NCL claiming something is complementary, taking your money with that being the case and then changing it to a 'pay' venue after the fact?

 

Harriet

 

I agree with Harriet, to me it wasn't really a matter that it was Margaritaville, it was the idea that they advertised, then took away a complementary place to eat.

[LanceB]

We sail on the 5th and really bummed by NCL. This will be our first and last NCL cruise. We booked direct last Feb. and even convinced 2 other couples to try cruising with us. Now the only completely free dining venue is the buffet!!!

 

It would be great if everyone boycotted Margaritaville. Man I wish we could canel and go back to RCCL...

[swmichigan cruiser]

We just did the three night cruise and the first seven night cruise out of Miami. We ate at Margaritaville three times. The food was okay and wait times when we went weren't very long but certainly nothing very special about the place. I had thought they had advertised live music but never saw/heard any there. Really much shorter hours than I would have expected. Usually open around 4-5 hours a day and one day I think only open about 2 1/2 hours. I didn't go up there that day so I assume they had a group function. I know for a fact I would never pay to eat there. I agree with everyone that all of a sudden making it a pay to go place to eat is a pretty sad way to do business. Just my thoughts.

[duchesslt]

We just did the three night cruise and the first seven night cruise out of Miami. We ate at Margaritaville three times. The food was okay and wait times when we went weren't very long but certainly nothing very special about the place. I had thought they had advertised live music but never saw/heard any there. Really much shorter hours than I would have expected. Usually open around 4-5 hours a day and one day I think only open about 2 1/2 hours. I didn't go up there that day so I assume they had a group function. I know for a fact I would never pay to eat there. I agree with everyone that all of a sudden making it a pay to go place to eat is a pretty sad way to do business. Just my thoughts.

 

 

If there isn't a giant hurricane pouring tequila into a huge 12 foot plastic blender in the middle of the restaurant, it's not Margaritaville - it's just a burger joint. #savecaloriesfordessert

[Sauer-kraut]

We can’t wait to bring the Margaritaville experience to Norwegian guests and let the floating ‘fin’ begin!”Along with the venues on Norwegian Escape, the partnership also includes Margaritaville branded food and beverage locations on Norwegian’s new island destination in Harvest Caye, Belize, set to open in fall 2015 and a 5 O’Clock Somewhere Bar on Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas, planned to also debut in 2015. from Kevin Sheehan's press release quoted on page 9 of this thread.[/i].

 

Now that it is a for fee restaurant on board, will that transfer over to the Harvest Caye as well? What kind of free lunch will be offered on the island? Does one have to go back to the ship to eat at the buffet at that port of call? I can see a LOT of food being carried off the ship if this is the scenario.

Edited November 28, 2015 by Sauer-kraut

[LrgPizza]

I had thought they had advertised live music but never saw/heard any there.

The advertised live music is at the 5 O'Clock Somewhere bar, not Margaritaville.

 

Totally missed that part and I was typing a response when the thread went poof. This poster has provided correct info before that no one believed, but she was right. I wish I could point to those threads but they also went poof. It's sad.

 

She has provided correct info in the past. She has also previously posted threads with false info that were deleted and never heard of again. One never knows. In this case, a MDR package could mean a gazillion different things - a package to cover the price of the for-pay items, a package limiting the amount of entrees one has, etc. Whether or not it is happening is unknown, but if it is, no one knows anything about what it means, including the OP. For that reason, at this point, it is almost as meaningless as the other post that was removed that said we would now be charged for air. (Well, not quite that meaningless. :p ) That said, I don't think it should have been removed if no specific terms of CC were being violated. I didn't see any, but I'm not a mod.

[kerryincork]

I personally think all the pay for restaurants are too expensive. In our fares food is included. The company must take a certain amount from each fare to cover cost of ingredients for meals whether this is in main dining room or speciality restaurant. I don't think the pay for restaurants are value for money. I certainly can and do get better quality meals on land and cheaper than what's on offer on the ship. Sure if you are in the heart of New York or London the prices might seem reasonable. Especially when you consider these restaurants are supposed to be subsidised by our fare. I sure as he'll won't pay for a burger on ship when I know I can get a better product on land for the same price or less (not talking about Margaritaville)

[SuiteTraveler]

That's fine. But do you care or have any feelings about NCL claiming something is complementary, taking your money with that being the case and then changing it to a 'pay' venue after the fact?

 

Harriet

 

Sometimes business decisions have unintended consequences.

 

"Within the first 10 minutes of opening yesterday, Margaritaville at Sea -- a complimentary dining venue in partnership with musician Jimmy Buffett -- had an hour-plus wait time. New, highly anticipated and free, the venue was a huge draw for lunch offering conch fritters, club sandwiches, fish tacos and, of course, its signature cheeseburgers and margaritas."

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6647

 

The reasons for this change seems to be because the wait in line for Margaritaville has been 1 hour+ and the venue was overwhelmed, so they are charging in order to control crowds. As the Escape is configured, other than charging to reduce the crowds, there is not much else NCL could do until they figure out a way to relocate Margaritaville or make it much larger. The only alternatives would be to shut it down and try to rebuild the venue while the ship is cruising which might not be possible OR send the ship to an unscheduled dry dock, canceling thousands of people's cruises or choose to shut down Margaritaville altogether. Otherwise, NCL will need to figure out how to fix this problem and make the changes on the first dry dock.

 

What I don't expect is for NCL to allow a venue that is overwhelmed to continually be overwhelmed. The 1 hour waiting line alone is potentially disruptive and dangerous to the pool deck. That is a true safety issue for passengers and crew. I can understand how NCL made this business mistake however. This is the first low-end chain restaurant they have ever opened on one of their ships. Apparently NCL underestimated the popularity. If you compare to say RCCL which has Johnny Rockets on some ships, it is a similarly small venue, that RCCL has had to extend seating for on the deck in front of the restaurant, but even that is not quite the same as Margaritavile, due to the cocktails and name recognition. So, I think NCL really didn't have a real business model at sea to plan around. The end result is they have underestimated and installed a low seating capacity restaurant that is wildly too popular.

 

I have often wondered why some cruise line didn't open a Carlos'n Charlies or Señor Frogs or Dick's Last Resort (not that I would go to any of these.) Now we know what it would be like. These places are clearly making money and if put on a cruise ship, I believe they would also make money and be as popular as Margaritaville, if not more so. The biggest issue appears to be that they will need a good sized venue on the ship for the capacity of people who would go there. So then the question is what ship real estate is traded off for this sort of venue and, of course, another question is what is the staying power? It's hard to know. But clearly there are a lot of people who want to go to this venue.

 

So, Harriet, what would you have NCL do to try to solve the unexpected capacity problem? Pull the ship for an emergency dry dock? Move Margaritaville into one of the MDRs? Try to rebuild the venue while cruising? Wait it out and hope Margaritavile becomes a lot less popular? Shut it down altogether?

[SmoothCruising]

I don't know which is worse - NCL pulling another fast one, or the apologists ...

 

After reading pages of responses, I'll add my two cents. My wife and I are sailing NCL for the first time along with my female cousin who is taking her first cruise. She is in a studio stateroom and we are in the Haven.

 

We have previously sailed Carnival, Princess, Celebrity and Holland America and although all the experiences were very different, we had a great time on all. Was everything perfect? Of course not but I'm the type of person who looks for the positives in things so I chose to have a good time and not dwell on the little things that aren't to my liking.

 

As far NCL now charging for Margaritaville food I understand their reason completely. Based on the reports of 1 - 2 hour wait times NCL had to do something and apparently they chose to start charging a la carte. Maybe it will work, maybe it won't and if this totally blows up in their face I'm sure they will tweak some more. After all, NCL had no previous Margaritaville at sea data in which to forecast demand.

 

With all that being said, we will probably will drop in sometime at Margaritaville to slam a few margaritas and have something to eat, charge or no charge, but it's not like Margaritaville was the defining reason we selected the Escape. We selected the Escape because it was a new ship, the variety of entertainment, the spa and the many different dining options.

 

We are really looking forward to or February cruise and I'm 100% certain we will have a great time.

Edited November 28, 2015 by SmoothCruising

[swmichigan cruiser]

About the live music in Margaritavilla that you say was never supposed to there but for 5 o'Clock Somewhere Bar I have a 51 page book on the Escape sent to me by NCL and I quote from page 15 about Margaritaville "Or sit back and groove along to island-inspired live music at this complimentary dining venue. Inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffet, this isn't a restaurant. It is a state of mind."

[janpo]

Sometimes business decisions have unintended consequences.

 

"Within the first 10 minutes of opening yesterday, Margaritaville at Sea -- a complimentary dining venue in partnership with musician Jimmy Buffett -- had an hour-plus wait time. New, highly anticipated and free, the venue was a huge draw for lunch offering conch fritters, club sandwiches, fish tacos and, of course, its signature cheeseburgers and margaritas."

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=6647

 

The reasons for this change seems to be because the wait in line for Margaritaville has been 1 hour+ and the venue was overwhelmed, so they are charging in order to control crowds. As the Escape is configured, other than charging to reduce the crowds, there is not much else NCL could do until they figure out a way to relocate Margaritaville or make it much larger. The only alternatives would be to shut it down and try to rebuild the venue while the ship is cruising which might not be possible OR send the ship to an unscheduled dry dock, canceling thousands of people's cruises or choose to shut down Margaritaville altogether. Otherwise, NCL will need to figure out how to fix this problem and make the changes on the first dry dock.

 

What I don't expect is for NCL to allow a venue that is overwhelmed to continually be overwhelmed. The 1 hour waiting line alone is potentially disruptive and dangerous to the pool deck. That is a true safety issue for passengers and crew. I can understand how NCL made this business mistake however. This is the first low-end chain restaurant they have ever opened on one of their ships. Apparently NCL underestimated the popularity. If you compare to say RCCL which has Johnny Rockets on some ships, it is a similarly small venue, that RCCL has had to extend seating for on the deck in front of the restaurant, but even that is not quite the same as Margaritavile, due to the cocktails and name recognition. So, I think NCL really didn't have a real business model at sea to plan around. The end result is they have underestimated and installed a low seating capacity restaurant that is wildly too popular.

 

I have often wondered why some cruise line didn't open a Carlos'n Charlies or Señor Frogs or Dick's Last Resort (not that I would go to any of these.) Now we know what it would be like. These places are clearly making money and if put on a cruise ship, I believe they would also make money and be as popular as Margaritaville, if not more so. The biggest issue appears to be that they will need a good sized venue on the ship for the capacity of people who would go there. So then the question is what ship real estate is traded off for this sort of venue and, of course, another question is what is the staying power? It's hard to know. But clearly there are a lot of people who want to go to this venue.

 

So, Harriet, what would you have NCL do to try to solve the unexpected capacity problem? Pull the ship for an emergency dry dock? Move Margaritaville into one of the MDRs? Try to rebuild the venue while cruising? Wait it out and hope Margaritavile becomes a lot less popular? Shut it down altogether?

 

 

 

They're not just charging for this venue, they're overcharging.

[J18ktleo]

Only my second time in NCL out of 40+ cruises....but this time I'm bringing a group of friends.

I don't mind a 'fixed' cover charge, so you have some control over the cost but looking at the menu prices, what's different than going to the Margaritaville on land?

Doing many meals on board, and enjoying the ease of it, with others it's always been relaxing in that we don't have to worry about a 'bill' at the end of the meal SO, now if we gather a group from, say, our Roll Call to go here, will they split ALL the checks? And is it really necessary to charge comparably to the land prices for a Burger restaurant?

And what about those of us who have carefully planned our dining with the SDP? Does that change that up?

To me, IMHO, one if the draws to cruising is the ease of going throughout the ship to enjoy venues without having to worry about all the added fees and hassles. Many ships/lines have added amenities within the confines of the pricing structure with minimal price impact. And we still all have the option to JUST SAY NO!

I do understand the cruiselines' having to consider the business impact however I also have seen the response on these boards 'seeming' to impact the decision with a readjustment after reactions online....so to accuse those discussing this as 'whiney' and complainers is inappropriate/ un-necessary.....some it won't bother and some it will....just like some think it's OK to pay so much more for suites and some who can't justify it.....depends on the lenses we see thru.

 

We are looking forward to our cruise and this won't change it overall....but if we have the option to dine here, bring with a group of first timers, it may change OUR options...:rolleyes:

[aubreyc1988]

They're not just charging for this venue, they're overcharging.

 

totally agree with them over charging. a 5.00 cover would have been more reasonable.

[cmdchiefthom]

Just for fun, I copied this off the NCL website this afternoon:

 

 

"Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea

 

Quit searchin' for your lost shaker of salt, it’s right here in the first-ever Jimmy Buffett’s Margaritaville at Sea. Take a bite out of paradise with signature items like the Cheeseburger in Paradise. Sip on a Who’s to Blame Margarita. Or sit back and groove along to island-inspired live music at this complimentary dining venue. Inspired by the lyrics and lifestyle of Jimmy Buffett, this isn’t just a restaurant. It’s a state of mind." :)

 

So maybe corporate hasn't got the message yet because I would think that even Del Rio wouldn't want to upset his customers with a bait and switch scheme.:confused:

[CruiseCouple02]

On Escape now! Margaritaville is included in UDP

[Loonbeam]

IF they were to add some professional live music to the venue (not just the house band), then maybe I could see a charge being of more value (like the supper club).

 

We just did the three night cruise and the first seven night cruise out of Miami. We ate at Margaritaville three times. The food was okay and wait times when we went weren't very long but certainly nothing very special about the place. I had thought they had advertised live music but never saw/heard any there. Really much shorter hours than I would have expected. Usually open around 4-5 hours a day and one day I think only open about 2 1/2 hours. I didn't go up there that day so I assume they had a group function. I know for a fact I would never pay to eat there. I agree with everyone that all of a sudden making it a pay to go place to eat is a pretty sad way to do business. Just my thoughts.

[alphakitty]

On Escape now! Margaritaville is included in UDP

 

I'm glad to read this, but if the UDP is limited to ONE a day, then this would be it? Can I, for example, have lunch in Margaritaville and then have dinner at Le Bistro?

[Loonbeam]

For some reason Quote isn't working, but someone asked what NCL could have done to reduce wait?

 

A cover charge (a la Johnny Rockets on RCCL which had the same issues), would have worked fine. $5 to sit down would have probably dropped attendance by 50 percent. I wouldn't have been happy but given they cannot expand the kitchen to meet demand, I would have understood.

 

As I posted on another thread, going A-la carte with these prices is a cash grab, there is no other way to spin it.

[Josher61]

I'm glad to read this, but if the UDP is limited to ONE a day, then this would be it? Can I, for example, have lunch in Margaritaville and then have dinner at Le Bistro?

 

This thread from the poster onboard now answers your question.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2284279