Did $$ charge for Margaritaville?...

[kimala]

Anyone whose been on Escape since the up charge for Margaritaville have any input as to whether the a la crate charge has alleviated the crowds? My TA was on the first USA 7 day voyage when it was stil a free venue and he told me there was 2 hr wait. He ended up eating a burger in OShehans and enjoyed it.

[sixesandeights]

Just got off...not only did it eliminate the wait, it eliminated the customers. It was DEAD all week. If you are going to pay for food go to food republic where you at least get good food.

 

6&8

[electro]

Just got off...not only did it eliminate the wait, it eliminated the customers. It was DEAD all week. If you are going to pay for food go to food republic where you at least get good food.

 

6&8

 

Good! I hope it stays dead. Then maybe NCL will get the message that their customers don't want to pay a la carte for a burger and will turn it back into a complementary venue.

If people are willing to pay for it, pretty soon you'll see the grill venues on BA and GA go al a carte as well.

 

Lois

Edited December 6, 2015 by electro

[dcipjr]

Good to hear! There are more than enough specialty venues on the Escape. I felt like the change to a la carte for Margaritaville was completely unnecessary, and I would hate to see the BA / GA's grill venues go paid as well. Here's hoping it stays dead, and they change it back to complimentary.

[TheDougOut]

Come on, NCL... give this venue a reasonable cover charge and end these shenanigans.

[dna529]

Come on, NCL... give this venue a reasonable cover charge and end these shenanigans.

 

I second that!

[JohnIreland]

$4.95 per head and everyone would be happy.

[paulh84]

There are a few reviews and comments posted within the last day or so. Each share the same sentiment from what I gather. No wait..walk-up availability, possibly inconsistent hours (?) and zilch for atmosphere or a fun environment. It really sounds like there is nothing to make this venue special or enticing in the first place. Top it off with overpriced versions of the same free food you can get at the buffet...we will be passing!

[LrgPizza]

There are a few reviews and comments posted within the last day or so. Each share the same sentiment from what I gather. No wait..walk-up availability, possibly inconsistent hours (?) and zilch for atmosphere or a fun environment. It really sounds like there is nothing to make this venue special or enticing in the first place. Top it off with overpriced versions of the same free food you can get at the buffet...we will be passing!

 

What I enjoyed about it the many, many times I dined there was that it was not all food you could get at the buffet or elsewhere. It wasn't anything spectacular, but nothing else like it anywhere.

[SuiteCruiser]

What I enjoyed about it the many, many times I dined there was that it was not all food you could get at the buffet or elsewhere. It wasn't anything spectacular, but nothing else like it anywhere.

 

Agreed! I also liked that you were in and indoor/outdoor setting.

[LadySpoilt]

Come on, NCL... give this venue a reasonable cover charge and end these shenanigans.

 

My vote is for it to be as was advertised for well over a year, a complimentary place to eat. If they think people are overcrowding it just due to the name....simple option....change name back to grill. Should be as easy to back out of the contract with Margaritaville as it has been to have backed out of the contracts that we signed with NCL.

[MattandjenH]

We enjoyed the food at Margaritaville last week but the service was terrible. Didn't mind paying the al la cart prices...the fries were delish!

 

What folks have been saying about the terrible service there is true, so expect that if you go. We went for lunch on a port day and the place was practically empty so we surprised to have had a poor experience. Our server was upset that I wanted to order an appetizer before I ordered my meal and never returned to our table. Plus, we had a language barrier. Another server finally took pity on us and took our lunch order. We saw several tables wait 20+ minutes for a server to greet them.

 

 

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[mugtech]

We enjoyed the food at Margaritaville last week but the service was terrible. Didn't mind paying the al la cart prices...the fries were delish!

 

What folks have been saying about the terrible service there is true, so expect that if you go. We went for lunch on a port day and the place was practically empty so we surprised to have had a poor experience. Our server was upset that I wanted to order an appetizer before I ordered my meal and never returned to our table. Plus, we had a language barrier. Another server finally took pity on us and took our lunch order. We saw several tables wait 20+ minutes for a server to greet them.

 

 

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But were there enough shakers of salt?

:D

[xcell]

Do if you have a UDP then you can eat there everyday (if you want) but if you have a SDP, it uses up one of your credits. ..is that right?

 

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[eroller]

I didn't get the appeal. Not much atmosphere (nothing like a Margaritaville on land), no Jimmy Buffet music, and pretty typical food for a chain restaurant (burgers, fries, etc). Nothing special IMO. While I had good service, the food left a lot to be desired IMO. I much preferred Flamingo Bar & Grill on GETAWAY. Better and more interesting food … plus it's free!

 

If you're going to spend money, go for Food Republic! Now there is a venue with fantastic food and atmosphere. I would have been willing to pay everyday for it.

[cruzeluver]

So now a US-based chain restaurant serving chain-quality food is being considered "specialty dining"? Yikes.

[LrgPizza]

Do if you have a UDP then you can eat there everyday (if you want) but if you have a SDP, it uses up one of your credits. ..is that right?

Yes, that's right.

[sjbdtz]

But were there enough shakers of salt?

:D

 

Probably at the beginning, but when I got there, several people seemed to have misplaced theirs.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

 

.

[jakesnana]

It's a shame, because it could be so much more. NCL needs to take some notes from RCCL's play book and how they handled JR's.

 

If NCL made MV a cover charge (4.95 or 5.95), gave each past guest one free cover charge and piped in some JB music, it would probably be a fun venue and not overly crowded.

[Daenerys T]

Come on, NCL... give this venue a reasonable cover charge and end these shenanigans.

 

I agree! I would never pay for a burger on a cruise. Crazy!

[Daenerys T]

There are a few reviews and comments posted within the last day or so. Each share the same sentiment from what I gather. No wait..walk-up availability, possibly inconsistent hours (?) and zilch for atmosphere or a fun environment. It really sounds like there is nothing to make this venue special or enticing in the first place. Top it off with overpriced versions of the same free food you can get at the buffet...we will be passing!

 

It's very warm in there, and stuck in the back of the ship. Not an ideal location by any means.

Edited December 7, 2015 by Daenerys T

[kimala]

Just got off...not only did it eliminate the wait, it eliminated the customers. It was DEAD all week. If you are going to pay for food go to food republic where you at least get good food.

 

6&8

That actually puts a big smile on my face!,,, I thought it was a bit greedy of NCL to make it an alacarte dining option. When RCL faced the same situation with Johnny Rockets I.E.: overcrowding/ kids hangout etc...they added a 4.95 flat rate charge and that seemed acceptable to most. In my humble opinion that would have been a better crowd control solution for margaritaville.

[Golfin55]

The worst part of MV. Is the food tasted nothing like the land based locations. The burgers in the buffet tasted the same. We also had the volcano nachos. We sent it back because the chips were stale as if they were laying out in the moist sea air[emoji13]

[perditax]

So now a US-based chain restaurant serving chain-quality food is being considered "specialty dining"? Yikes.

 

 

This. Basically no aspect of this situation has made any sense to me.

 

Next up: Chili's at Sea. Pay $20 for some truly mediocre fajitas.

[eroller]

Next up: Chili's at Sea. Pay $20 for some truly mediocre fajitas.

 

 

 

Exactly. Cruise lines (not just NCL) are fanatical with brand partnerships these days. You name the cruise line and they have multiple partnerships will well known brands. Sometimes the partnerships make sense and are executed well, and other times you just scratch your head. In the latter cases it seems like the brand name was the only thing considered to the cruise line execs. Looks good but not much substance. That is the case with Margaritaville IMO. I recently had lunch at the new Margaritaville Resort on Hollywood beach. Very nice resort and the restaurant was decent too, but again nothing to write home about. The burger and ambiance were far better than onboard ESCAPE, but even so I wouldn't go back. It just wasn't that memorable.

 

I have to wonder how long Margaritaville will last on ESCAPE before it's replaced with something else. Probably a 2-year contract at minimum I'm guessing.