ESCAPE - September 9th Bermuda - TS/H Florence

[PATRLR]

They found the couple from Halifax....or the couple found them. Makes you wonder. Anyways, weather changes things. Buy good trip insurance and book your cruise when weather is not an issue, especially if the route is the only reason you are going.

Or, book on a cruise line that treats their customers how you want or expect to be treated.

[PTC DAWG]

I think they found the couple because from their Bermudian perspective there was no reason for the ship to divert. Dawn could have sailed to Bermuda. Some rip currents on the south shore beaches but generally not affected.

 

I generally agree with that about booking when weather is not an issue but on the east coast we can have a big northeaster anytime, and they can be almost as bad as a hurricane so you can’t say book your cruise when weather is not an issue. The weather can always be an issue. Cruises in May have had to divert to Canada.

 

I definitely should have said "weather will be less of an issue"...because you are correct, weather can be an issue on any cruise any time. It is just part of the deal.

[PTC DAWG]

Or, book on a cruise line that treats their customers how you want or expect to be treated.

 

So far, I've been treated fairly on every cruise line I have been on. When that changes, I'll look at other options. It is what the fair market is all about.

[mking8288]

Escape has been running close to top speed, 20 to 21 knots & hugging closer along the coast mostly. Back on AIS radar tacking again an hour ago, reducing speed to 17 knots & should be docked by noon. Seas have been calm for her in last 24 hours.

 

Tomorrow's plan for GSC is doubtful but we shall see & maybe hear from folks onboard later, cell signals from land towers should come to life again.

 

 

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[Formula280SS]

No updates from anyone on board yet?

 

Well, wife gave the okay to board and make the trip down. Very little rough seas once out of NY as some here predicted. Quite cold and rainy with that system.

 

First sea day was BEAUTIFUL. Tons of sun, very, very hot and humid. Seas barely noticeable. The ship NOT EVEN AT MUCH SPEED. Sauntered was the word.

 

About 1-2 hours from Port Canaveral. Cloudy, humid but looks like the sun trying to peak through.

 

Ship is PACKED; so there couldn't have been many cancellations. LOTS OF PARTYING by groups of all ages. A lot of CHANGES TO DINING AND SHOWS with the new itinerary, but if you DOWNLOADED THE iCONCIERGE APP BEFORE THE SHIP LEFT YOU COULD GET EVERYTHING CHANGED IN 15 MINUTES.

 

ALL THE TALK (we've heard) is WHEN will we HEAD BACK, in WHAT DIRECTION(S) and WHAT IS THE EXPECTED DATE OF RETURN. Hoping for a NCL NOTICE for the convenience of AIR and TRANSPORTATION CHANGES.

Not keeping an eye on Florence to much just yet, waiting for nearing the end of the week. CAN'T RATE THE DECISION UNTIL WE'RE BACK ON THE GROUND IN NY (by ship or by air alternatives).

 

Again, thanks to all for so much input.

[maggie cruises]

I've been a loyal ncl cruiser for years now but when I saw the price gouging they are doing for next April I checked our rccl.

 

Found a great longer itin....at an incredible price....so I booked it

 

 

Still have 1 cruise cert on ncl to use. Any takers? Expires oct 2020

 

 

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[phillyguy31]

Every cruise line rerouted from Bermuda this week and my question is what was the compensation the other lines offered? I really don't know so I am curious about this.

[PATRLR]

Every cruise line rerouted from Bermuda this week and my question is what was the compensation the other lines offered? I really don't know so I am curious about this.

Up thread, post #281 from optimusprime tells us: RCCL 50% refundable OBC and 50% future cruise credit. CCL 25% future cruise credit.

 

NCL - nothing. And I'll save the cheerleaders the trouble: NCL is under no obligation to provide any compensation. - your cruise contract allows NCL to take you anywhere NCL wants and to stop anywhere NCL wants to stop, if they want to stop at all.)

[Gershep]

Well, wife gave the okay to board and make the trip down. Very little rough seas once out of NY as some here predicted. Quite cold and rainy with that system.

 

First sea day was BEAUTIFUL. Tons of sun, very, very hot and humid. Seas barely noticeable. The ship NOT EVEN AT MUCH SPEED. Sauntered was the word.

 

About 1-2 hours from Port Canaveral. Cloudy, humid but looks like the sun trying to peak through.

 

Ship is PACKED; so there couldn't have been many cancellations. LOTS OF PARTYING by groups of all ages. A lot of CHANGES TO DINING AND SHOWS with the new itinerary, but if you DOWNLOADED THE iCONCIERGE APP BEFORE THE SHIP LEFT YOU COULD GET EVERYTHING CHANGED IN 15 MINUTES.

 

ALL THE TALK (we've heard) is WHEN will we HEAD BACK, in WHAT DIRECTION(S) and WHAT IS THE EXPECTED DATE OF RETURN. Hoping for a NCL NOTICE for the convenience of AIR and TRANSPORTATION CHANGES.

Not keeping an eye on Florence to much just yet, waiting for nearing the end of the week. CAN'T RATE THE DECISION UNTIL WE'RE BACK ON THE GROUND IN NY (by ship or by air alternatives).

 

Again, thanks to all for so much input.

 

Thanks for the update. Glad to hear that the seas were smooth.

[PTC DAWG]

86 today in the area, HIT Cocoa Beach....

 

Watching the Weather Channel now, Flo is going to hit Thursday/Friday, probably Outerbanks/Wilmington area. My guess is The Escape take a route further out to sea on the route back to NYC. The storm should be long gone by then for y'all.

 

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

[optimusprime82]

We were planning on putting money down on two more cruises prior to the itinerary change. After some discussion my wife and I decided that we probably won't be sailing with NCL again unless they make a good offer after I discuss my concerns with corporate next week.

 

Unfortunately I just don't trust NCL. They appeared to jump the gun on this itinerary change and then gave us terrible stops. The experience onboard has been okay but not amazing. We both enjoyed the service and amenities on MSC much more than what we've experienced so far on the Escape.

 

NCL is free to make their own business decisions regarding how they treat their guests and I'm free to spend my money elsewhere.

 

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[maggie cruises]

I have 4 now, or I would take it. Your pricing experience differs a little from mine, especially when I factor in the cost of the Booze Package on RCL. Choices are good...

 

 

 

I don't buy the booze package nor do I ever take it as a perk on ncl

 

So the booze package makes no difference to me.

 

However let's face it the drink package is never really free on ncl and I'm not talking about the gratuity either. We all know they factor in the drink cost into the cruise fare

 

 

Bottom line ncl with for 7 days ours of San Juan was more expensive than

 

Rccl 9 day out of Miami with a better itin

 

 

Price of drinks is a non issue in either scenario

 

 

 

 

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Edited September 11, 2018 by maggie cruises

[maggie cruises]

We were planning on putting money down on two more cruises prior to the itinerary change. After some discussion my wife and I decided that we probably won't be sailing with NCL again unless they make a good offer after I discuss my concerns with corporate next week.

 

Unfortunately I just don't trust NCL. They appeared to jump the gun on this itinerary change and then gave us terrible stops. The experience onboard has been okay but not amazing. We both enjoyed the service and amenities on MSC much more than what we've experienced so far on the Escape.

 

NCL is free to make their own business decisions regarding how they treat their guests and I'm free to spend my money elsewhere.

 

Sent from my LG-H871 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Funny thing is that ncl has also been known to change itin at embark making it impossible for pax to change plans

 

In the current situation they changed itin way too far in advance and should have waited until last minute if need be

 

That way they would have been in Bermuda

 

 

 

 

 

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[volk904]

I am interested and not trying to defend NCL but on cruises from NYC to Bermuda when they get disrupted because of a Hurricane where do you want to go?

 

If all the cruises out of Bermuda were canceled where did RCCL send their ships?

 

Really a no win for the cruise lines. Had they gone to Bermuda and got caught in rough seas returning people would be unhappy.

 

 

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[phillyguy31]

Funny thing is that ncl has also been known to change itin at embark making it impossible for pax to change plans

 

In the current situation they changed itin way too far in advance and should have waited until last minute if need be

 

That way they would have been in Bermuda

 

 

 

 

 

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You are aware that EVERY cruise line changed from Bermuda, so they weren't the only ones to "jump the gun"

You also complain that they change ports at the last minute and then you complain that they did this one too early. Exactly when is a good time to make the decision?

Edited September 11, 2018 by phillyguy31
needed to add additional comments.

[optimusprime82]

I am interested and not trying to defend NCL but on cruises from NYC to Bermuda when they get disrupted because of a Hurricane where do you want to go?

 

If all the cruises out of Bermuda were canceled where did RCCL send their ships?

 

Really a no win for the cruise lines. Had they gone to Bermuda and got caught in rough seas returning people would be unhappy.

 

 

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I'd like to go somewhere that isn't a construction site with so many bugs you can't even sit outside (aka Port Canaveral) or a booze cruise destination, the Bahamas. I would be less upset if we had sailed to NE/Canada, Cuba, San Juan or almost anywhere that wasn't where they changed us to.

 

Again, I'm not so much upset about them feeling the need to make the change. It's where we went and the lack of compensation compared to their competitors.

 

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[klfhngr]

Royal wasn't loyal/fair when we got diverted from the MR because of the Swine Flu! We were on the FIRST sailing that got caught up in that and diverted to San Fran! None of us had rain clothes, had to get all that crap. We got $25 per cabin and 1 or 2 hours of 'free' Mimosas and something else! While all the other lines offered very generous compensation. I'm wondering if NCL was here at that time and what they offered back then.

[Formula280SS]

86 today in the area, HIT Cocoa Beach....

 

Watching the Weather Channel now, Flo is going to hit Thursday/Friday, probably Outerbanks/Wilmington area. My guess is The Escape take a route further out to sea on the route back to NYC. The storm should be long gone by then for y'all.

 

Good luck and enjoy the trip.

 

You might be right. Officers encountered today and talking about the storm have stated that, although nothing is for sure until a decision is made, and even then it could change. The storm's path is the determining factor.

 

Specifically stated if it goes landed (into US) and doesn't look to bounce back out in short time, we COULD RETURN A BIT MORE EAST THAN NORMAL.

 

Again, all speculation, we wait and see. I'm not hoping for landfall in the US that is catastrophic just to get a smoother cruise home though. Hope it works out as best as possible for as many perspectives.

 

Haven't heard much (or any) talk on the ship about discounts, rebates, cruise credits, etc. The weather has been great 2-days in a row. SURE, it is not the Bermuda itinerary, but we're doing pretty good.

 

Agreed it's NOT BERMUDA that we wanted, and we'll reserve final judgment AFTER WE RE-PORT IN NY.

 

For those who said we'd be OK on the way down, you got it. Keep weighing in on what you see as we approach Friday and start to head back.

 

Thanks.

[martinchem]

Definitely smart business. Can't pay people to take a free cruise for every reroute (which there are many every hurricane season). NCL ships sail full, which is a good indication that their policies do not affect consumer demand.

 

There were two reroutes 2 weeks ago. Two, maybe three reroutes this week.

 

We have 500 cabin cancellations on the ship. Still lines everywhere, go figure

[PTC DAWG]

I don't buy the booze package nor do I ever take it as a perk on ncl

 

So the booze package makes no difference to me.

 

However let's face it the drink package is never really free on ncl and I'm not talking about the gratuity either. We all know they factor in the drink cost into the cruise fare

 

 

Bottom line ncl with for 7 days ours of San Juan was more expensive than

 

Rccl 9 day out of Miami with a better itin

 

 

Price of drinks is a non issue in either scenario

 

 

 

 

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Then you made the right choice, for you. Some folks factor in drinks, age of ship, port sailed from etc...I’m glad we have more than one cruise line to choose from.

Edited September 11, 2018 by PTC DAWG

[bjtravelnews]

We were planning on putting money down on two more cruises prior to the itinerary change. After some discussion my wife and I decided that we probably won't be sailing with NCL again unless they make a good offer after I discuss my concerns with corporate next week.

 

Unfortunately I just don't trust NCL. They appeared to jump the gun on this itinerary change and then gave us terrible stops. The experience onboard has been okay but not amazing. We both enjoyed the service and amenities on MSC much more than what we've experienced so far on the Escape.

 

NCL is free to make their own business decisions regarding how they treat their guests and I'm free to spend my money elsewhere.

 

Sent from my LG-H871 using Forums mobile app

I understand your disappointment and frustration and agree that NCL should offer some sort of compensation to those who were scheduled to sail to Bermuda. I know it is their right to make itinerary changes, but the Bahamas, IMO, in no way is anywhere near the beauty of Bermuda. And Port Canaveral is just a port - so you are forced to spend money if you want to do anything off the ship. BTW - From what I read, Bermuda shut down the port before any of the cruise lines made the decision not to dock there. So NCL didn't have a choice in changing itinerary.

[Charles4515]

I understand your disappointment and frustration and agree that NCL should offer some sort of compensation to those who were scheduled to sail to Bermuda. I know it is their right to make itinerary changes, but the Bahamas, IMO, in no way is anywhere near the beauty of Bermuda. And Port Canaveral is just a port - so you are forced to spend money if you want to do anything off the ship. BTW - From what I read, Bermuda shut down the port before any of the cruise lines made the decision not to dock there. So NCL didn't have a choice in changing itinerary.

 

Someone posted that speculation here and some are now repeating it as fact but I doubt that Bermuda shut down the port. Can you point to some place you read that other than someone speculating in this thread? The Royal Gazette reported that other vessels docked in Bermuda, and their article sounded somewhat snarky about the diversion decision by the cruise lines. The only effects of the hurricane have been some rip tides on the south shore beaches. Also the head of tourism did not sound pleased about the diversions in comments he made on social media. It would have been a great week to fly to Bermuda as the cruise ship crowds would not be there.

[maggie cruises]

You are aware that EVERY cruise line changed from Bermuda, so they weren't the only ones to "jump the gun"

You also complain that they change ports at the last minute and then you complain that they did this one too early. Exactly when is a good time to make the decision?

 

 

 

They could have changed back to Bermuda at the last minute when they realized it was ok to do so.

 

Hey it makes no difference to me at all but since ncl has changed at last minute before ...which angered their pax as they had already boarded....they could have done it again...which would have pleased their pax...because it would have been back to Bermuda as originally planned

 

Dock space wouldn't have been an issue at all

 

 

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[maggie cruises]

I'd like to go somewhere that isn't a construction site with so many bugs you can't even sit outside (aka Port Canaveral) or a booze cruise destination, the Bahamas. I would be less upset if we had sailed to NE/Canada, Cuba, San Juan or almost anywhere that wasn't where they changed us to.

 

Again, I'm not so much upset about them feeling the need to make the change. It's where we went and the lack of compensation compared to their competitors.

 

Sent from my LG-H871 using Forums mobile app

 

 

 

Cuba really? Visas would miraculously pop up?

 

San Juan? St Thomas? Perhaps if they floored the peddle. I think ccl does a San Juan St Thomas grand Turk thing but isn't it 8 days?

 

I think they should have just changed course back to Bermuda

 

Although the weather is great at PC. I saw pix from relatives on the ship

 

I'm betting they skip Gsc though..

 

 

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[Shidah]

Well, wife gave the okay to board and make the trip down. Very little rough seas once out of NY as some here predicted. Quite cold and rainy with that system.

 

First sea day was BEAUTIFUL. Tons of sun, very, very hot and humid. Seas barely noticeable. The ship NOT EVEN AT MUCH SPEED. Sauntered was the word.

 

About 1-2 hours from Port Canaveral. Cloudy, humid but looks like the sun trying to peak through.

 

Ship is PACKED; so there couldn't have been many cancellations. LOTS OF PARTYING by groups of all ages. A lot of CHANGES TO DINING AND SHOWS with the new itinerary, but if you DOWNLOADED THE iCONCIERGE APP BEFORE THE SHIP LEFT YOU COULD GET EVERYTHING CHANGED IN 15 MINUTES.

 

ALL THE TALK (we've heard) is WHEN will we HEAD BACK, in WHAT DIRECTION(S) and WHAT IS THE EXPECTED DATE OF RETURN. Hoping for a NCL NOTICE for the convenience of AIR and TRANSPORTATION CHANGES.

Not keeping an eye on Florence to much just yet, waiting for nearing the end of the week. CAN'T RATE THE DECISION UNTIL WE'RE BACK ON THE GROUND IN NY (by ship or by air alternatives).

 

Again, thanks to all for so much input.

 

Thanks, sounds like so far so good! Have a great time and keep us stuck at home informed!