The Escape is a great ship with one major exception

[bmaltais]

I am just back from a 7 day cruise on the Escape. Great ship with one MAJOR exception. This ship has a HUGE cigarette smoke problem on deck 6, 7 and 8. Wow, I had read about complain before going but I must say the problem is actually much worst than I had expected.

 

It was so bad that my 3 kids insisted that we actually cancelled our 2nd booking at "Le Bistro" because the smell was really bad even inside the restaurant. I can tolerate the smell of smoke but I must say it was like being sitting beside a table with people smoking... Enough to make the diner the worst of all cruise we ever took. We moved our reservation to the Moderno which is far enough on deck 8 to not smell like cigarette smoke.

 

The problem is that you actually can't avoid walking through the smoky locations given the layout of the ship and this make things worst. On other ship the casino is located at the back of a deck in a somewhat enclosed room and you can avoid it if you want... but on the Escape you can't.

 

We will not book another cruise on the Escape until this issue is address... it is that bad.

 

It is sad because the rest of the ship is superb and excellent. NCL, please find a solution to this smell problem... please.

Edited March 7, 2016 by bmaltais

[acharris1]

Breakaway and Getaway are the same.

[OneParticularHarbour 71]

The Getaway has the same problem but I am surprised to hear that about Escape as I thought I had read somewhere that they were limiting the smoking in the Escape casino but it doesn't sound like that is the case.

[Trumpster]

Breakaway and Getaway are the same.

 

They sure are.

 

Casino should have been glassed in.

[simplyerica]

I never really experienced this on the Getaway. Just throwing that out there for anyone who's nervous about the smell of smoke.

[Rob0519]

We were on the inaugural cruse out of Miami last November and the smoke situation was just as bad in the atrium on 6,7 and 8 and yes, in LeBistro. We cancelled our reservation and went elsewhere as well.

[cmdchiefthom]

The only indoor smoking allowed is in the Casino on deck 7 while actually gambling, and the Humidor on deck 8. The Waterfront allows smoking at Its 5 O'clock Somewhere bar, and smoking is allowed at the Waves Bar, and perhaps Spice H2O. I do agree that the smoke permeates all over deck 7, however I personally didn't notice it that much at Le Bistro nor up on deck 8. I'm a reformed smoker and the one thing I do notice is the foul order of people who are addicted to it. It really is noticeable to those of us who gave the habit up. However, its a personal choice kind of thing, and I just try and avoid it while aboard.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Edited March 7, 2016 by cmdchiefthom

[2ManyCruises]

I never really experienced this on the Getaway. Just throwing that out there for anyone who's nervous about the smell of smoke.

 

Same here. It really wasn't too bad on our Escape or Getaway cruise. Unless you walk through the casino.

 

BTW we're not smokers.

[watchdiva]

We thought that the smell of cigarettes was very very heavy on Getaway near (not in) the casino. I'm an ex-smoker FYI.

 

 

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Edited March 7, 2016 by watchdiva

[bmaltais]

It might have been a bad cruise with more smoking perhaps. I went at the casino with my wife and there were a couple of occasions (we enjoy some gambling ;-)) where casino attendant told people smoking beside us that the slot machines where in a no smoke zone... to no effect.

 

I can certainly handle smoke in the casino but it is deplorable that the rest of the non smoking area suffer from it so much ;-(

[zackarykeef]

I never really experienced this on the Getaway. Just throwing that out there for anyone who's nervous about the smell of smoke.

 

Agreed. I was nervous going into it because of prior posts. I think I'm pretty sensitive to smoke and can smell it from a mile away, but I didn't notice it that much on the Getaway. In the casino, obviously, but outside of that I thought it was fine.

[j603]

I was on both Away ships and didn't notice, even in the casino unless I had a smoker sitting right next to me. I don't imagine I will notice on the Escape either. But again, that is just me.

[bmaltais]

Agreed. I was nervous going into it because of prior posts. I think I'm pretty sensitive to smoke and can smell it from a mile away, but I didn't notice it that much on the Getaway. In the casino, obviously, but outside of that I thought it was fine.

 

I have not been on the Breakeway class ship... but I have been on the Epic (without kids) and never noticed the smoke from the casino invading other space as much. Perhaps it was my kids complaining so much about it that made me notice it more on the Escape.

Edited March 7, 2016 by bmaltais

[Tasm3n]

I have a feeling it's very situational on if the smoke is super bad based on your own sensitivity and how many smokers are on your particular cruising. Personally, I'm hoping that they either 1) do something to alleviate and obvious issue before our sailing on the Escape and/or 2) there are not a ton of smokers on the ship when we go.

[helen haywood]

I agree that it seems to vary depending on how many smokers are on a certain cruise. I've never been bothered by the smoke smell on either Getaway or Escape.

[packer99]

We noticed it a lot too. We also joked, that since it was a French restaurant that the smoking ambiance was part of it.

[sweetpee_1993]

This is the only thing that I'm truly worried about on our upcoming Escape cruises. Honestly, in this day and age knowing what is now common knowledge about secondhand smoke and carcinogens I do not understand how smoking of any kind is acceptable anywhere public indoors. Medieval in practice.

Edited March 7, 2016 by sweetpee_1993

[Tasm3n]

This is the only thing that I'm truly worried about on our upcoming Escape cruises. Honestly, in this day and age knowing what is now common knowledge about secondhand smoke and carcinogens I do not understand how smoking of any kind is acceptable anywhere public indoors. Medieval in practice.

 

Pretty much right there with you.

[Crusin6]

They sure are.

 

 

 

Casino should have been glassed in.

 

 

Exactly what I said and they could still do that. Just raise the plexiglass

 

 

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[Macadian]

Noticed the smell of stale cigarette smoke on embarkation immediately as we entered the ship (from deck 8?) To the Atrium area. and during the cruise on atrium area decks 6,7 and 8. Most unfortunate...and far from pleasant.

[BosReq]

One poster said that it was the Quebec spring break. It is possible that there were just more smokers on board last week....

[mcsb11]

I'm sorry, but its really not that bad! I've only been on the BA, so I'm basing it off of that. The comments of "it's like someone blowing second hand smoke in your face" is complete rubbish. You smell it by the casino, but in no way shape or form is it intolerable.

 

And no, I've never smoked cigarettes... except for that week when I was 13, but that doesn't really count.

[Warm-Water Diver]

My family and I are considerably sensitive to cigarette smoke.

 

That said, as other posters have mentioned, we did not encounter any situations on-board the BA or Escape (12/11/16 sailing) that made us change our dining plans etc. and we did frequent Le-Bistro and other ala carte restaurants inside the hull (non ocean front dining).

 

I do realize that smoking passenger tallys will vary from cruise to cruise but just wanted to state that it wasn't a factor in either of our cruises. We are booked on the Escape again for 12/10/16. Not worried about smoke unless it's coming from the engine room or galleys :)

Edited March 8, 2016 by Warm-Water Diver

[sweetpee_1993]

I'm sorry, but its really not that bad! I've only been on the BA, so I'm basing it off of that. The comments of "it's like someone blowing second hand smoke in your face" is complete rubbish. You smell it by the casino, but in no way shape or form is it intolerable.

 

And no, I've never smoked cigarettes... except for that week when I was 13, but that doesn't really count.

 

On Getaway I could smell the stale, not overpowering smell as soon as I stepped on the ship. Usually around O'Sheehans we always noticed until we were near the aft elevators. In the atrium we could sometimes smell it. I'll never dine in the outside atrium area of LeBistro because even when we got back to our room from dinner we could smell it in our clothes and in my hair. I think it does depend on whether you have more smokers onboard, if there's been bad weather that kept smokers inside more, etc. I would even venture to say sailings where there's more people sailing on the gambling rewards comp rooms might make it more pronounced.

 

I grew up in a family of smokers although I never smoked myself. Never even tried it. (I joke all the time with my husband about watch ME be the one who gets lung cancer.) I'm pretty sensitive to the smell. Cannot stand it. It's my biggest annoyance on NCL. I wouldn't not sail because of it but I'm definitely moving through areas very strategically. I'm very much not a gambler anyway but I guarantee you any temptation to feed a machine vanishes when running from the stale pungence. I really was hoping they would make adjustments on Escape, learning from the *away smell issue.

[FranknBeans]

You would think that NCL would get it right by now, we all know what the smoke problem was like on the Epic when they had 30 plus air purifiers around the casino and yet they continue to put the casino in mid ship and open to 2/3 floors.

 

We also found that the smoke was also bad in Le Bistro on the Breakaway in Jan.

Edited March 8, 2016 by FranknBeans