JW and Jerome's Adventure on The Norwegian Escape

Boy did JW deliver lot of false promises on here. He only finished the first couple of days of his first review, then decided he was going to combine it with his next cruise for one big review. The only thing we got from the next cruise were some stories about crazy passenger behavior, which were definitely entertaining, but we didn't hear anything else about the cruise itself. THEN, he said he was going to make it into a trilogy with his 3rd cruise, which we heard virtually nothing about! For a guy who gained a cult following on here, he sure left a lot of people hanging.

Boy did JW deliver lot of false promises on here. He only finished the first couple of days of his first review, then decided he was going to combine it with his next cruise for one big review. The only thing we got from the next cruise were some stories about crazy passenger behavior, which were definitely entertaining, but we didn't hear anything else about the cruise itself. THEN, he said he was going to make it into a trilogy with his 3rd cruise, which we heard virtually nothing about! For a guy who gained a cult following on here, he sure left a lot of people hanging.

LincolnLog, I hope nothing has happened to JW, especially after this comment :( It seems out of character that he would be MIA for 3 months.

No Problem!

 

There is a serious side to me as well, and when it comes to Guest Relations and Guest Satisfaction, after 35 years, I am a Marriott Guru and know how to read and understand a Guest very well. That's why I always say, it's not about how I am treated on a cruise, the cruise lines will bend over backwards for me because of our reputation and following, it is how well YOU are treated, as I watch with great detail, as if I am at work, everything that is happening with others around me.

 

A successful cruise for me, is a successful cruise for the other Guest's around me. I can't help it. It is my nature to see to others satisfaction. If I see deficiencies around me that happen to someone else, then they are going to happen to me soon enough as well.

 

I don't miss a detail or trick. This is why I am most impressed with NCL and the changes that Andy Stewart has made to the culture. It has to come from the top. I can feel the energy and excitement, and the willingness of the Crew to make the Guest feel welcome.

 

That being said, there is one phrase in the Guest Service industry that erks me to no end. It makes me so frustrated to hear. It is the phrase "No Problem". If I am ONLY in Jamaica, Man, then I accept No Problem as an answer, but only in Jamaica.

 

However, the mere mention of that phrase as an answer to a Guest Request, means to the Guest that there "Would" be a problem normally, and You, the Guest, ARE inconveniencing me, but I am paid to alleviate YOUR problem. Thus, "No Problem".

 

If one is conditioned to say No Problem, as it is habitual in so many areas of Guest Service, then I would suggest a reconditioning of ones self to say "No Worries" to replace the awfully incorrect, and, quite frankly, demeaning to the Guest, phrase of No Problem.

 

Case in point on Norwegian. I know from our travels on The EPIC, the phrase over and over and over to any request was constantly No Problem, No Problem, and yet, there were problems and they were not solved. I kept mentioning it to Jerome, that all I heard everywhere was NO PROBLEM. "Can I have a drink?" "No Problem". "Can I please have a towel?" "No Problem". "I have a flood in my cabin". "No Problem". "It' a Thanksgiving Cruise, what do you mean you are out of Turkey?" "No Problem, we are making chicken and it will be ready in 40 minutes". That phrase makes me feel as if I could be a problem for just asking for something.

 

Now on the other hand, taking liberty from Adrian Bica's (The magnificent Haven Concierge) playbook, if I were to ask Adrian any request, I would be met with the following: "Yes" Sir, "It Will Be My Pleasure" Sir, "Consider it Done" Sir, "What Else Can I Do For You to Insure Your Satisfaction, Sir?", never does he say No Problem because The Guest IS NOT A Problem.

 

Think about that for a moment and think how many times we might hear the words NO PROBLEM to a request we have made in a day. Or we might say it unconsciously, not understanding the implications.

 

If Adrian cannot give an answer immediately to a request, he will say, "I will look into it for you, sir and will get back to you in (makes a commitment of time as he understands that my time is valuable) such-n-such minutes/hour/immediately".

 

We noticed that on this Norwegian Escape sailing, the culture has been expanded from the Concierge to the Crew. I barely heard "No Problem" coming from the Crew on this ship, however, I still did heard it occasionally and it still erks me because I haven't GOT NO Problem! What I did hear most often was "My Pleasure", "Thank You", "Your Welcome", and "May I, Would I, Could I, What can I....(do for you to please Me, the Guest)"

 

I saw no looks, no scours, no rolling of the eyes, no back alley criticism of the Guest. I watched with glee as the Crew understood Guest Service. I saw Servers, Maitre'd's and Hosts spring into action to anticipate potential Guest issues and resolving them before they became an issue.

 

Once such case in point was at breakfast one morning in Taste. We were seated on a balcony by the window and another couple was sitting at a deuce (restaurant lingo for table for two) in the middle of the room. A very long table was set for a big group against the wall, behind the couple seated. Then, this group of 12 come in, and proceed to the table, stickler is, they had 5 girls, FIVE little girls. It was a huge family. Even though the girls were very, very well behaved (Surprisingly good table manners too), the scowl on the face of the woman seated close by the children was evident to everyone in the room. You could just see the future complaint of "How Aghast and It's A Travesty" coming from her face. I know that type.

 

I mentioned to Jerome, "Uh Oh", "There is going to be an issue with this woman". "She is going to explode because of being seated next to all those children".

 

At the same time, the Maitre' D saw her face too, FROM ACROSS THE ROOM, and literally leaps into action. Before the scowling Guest knew what was happening, and before she could even think about complaining, the Matre'd sprang to the table and announced that he was immediately relocating the couple to a table by the window and had three or four servers there to gather up all their food items.

 

I was impressed. Very impressed. What could she say? "No?" "I want to stay here an wallow in my misery just to be happy to complain later to Guest Relations?" She was not given the chance. (There are people like that, who LOVE to complain about everything, and perhaps she may have been one of them, but not this time.) This "Professional" earned his stripes on his white uniform by completely being aware of his dining room and completely understanding his Guest. Great Job!

 

Again, it is not how we were served, which was beyond exceptional, it was how the other Guest's I witnessed were treated and served. This is one of the monumental reasons why this Norwegian Escape sailing was considered Our Best Cruise Ever. They "Get" what it means to provide excellent Guest Service and we saw it practiced everywhere on the ship. It's not contrived, it is genuine, and we felt the Crew honestly wants to participate in the Guest satisfaction experience with a 100% commitment.

 

Were there challenges? Heck yes, I saw plenty. Were they resolved? For the most part, and what I witnessed and then later, subsequently interviewed Guests about their situations, I say emphatically yes, they were pleased with the resolutions. Everyone that I talked to was incredibly surprised at the proactive culture on The Escape to their needs.

 

My Professional Philosophical Motto that I teach my staff has always been: "It doesn't matter if The Guest spends $9 or $9,000, the Service and Guest Experience needs to be the exact same, always".

 

I felt the Crew of The Norwegian Escape is an excellent example of this philosophy, "on this particular sailing".

 

 

 

Now back to the fun!

I'm loving your review. I will be on the 12/02/17 sailing. Your pictures and videis aren't showing up. What am I doing wrong?

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LincolnLog, I hope nothing has happened to JW, especially after this comment :( It seems out of character that he would be MIA for 3 months.

Don't worry, he's alive and well, he posted on my fb page this past weekend. We have sailed with him twice, after every cruise he does a write-up like this but has never finished any of them.....the old saying of "always leave them wanting more"

Since I was extremely censored and my pics were deliberately removed because they were shared from my other social media page (the one that is forbidden to mention), I no longer feel comfortable contributing to Cruise Critic. We, as a matter of fact, leave for our 4th Adventure in two years on The Norwegian Escape this Saturday, August 5th. We can be found on the new Cruise Video channel that was just launched and is part of the YouTube network. And, funny, Cruise Critic has a large presence on that forbidden to mention social media site, but that doesn't seem to bother them, only unless one mentions it here.

Sayonara.

Do you have a link to that channel? I would love to keep following your adventures! Have a wonderful time on the Escape!

Howdy All.

I'm not a poster on here as you can see but I have enjoyed all of cruiseguys2009 (JW) posts and reviews.

That being said my opinion of Cruise Critic has changed and not in a good way! Seems to me that CC has turned into a travel agency and pushes way to many emails trying to sell their Crap!!!!!

JW I look forward to seeing your new videos on YT.......Stay well Funny Man.....

Ciao

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For those that aren't familiar with the Community Guidelines...

yes I am active on both facebook and cruise critic

however I prefer to keep my personal identity hidden to a degree which is why my reviews on cruise critic do not include photos

I have met some great people on cruises and have kept in touch with them afterwards by friending them on facebook

however that is after the event and therefore don't open myself up to virtual stalking

Since I was extremely censored and my pics were deliberately removed because they were shared from my other social media page (the one that is forbidden to mention), I no longer feel comfortable contributing to Cruise Critic. We, as a matter of fact, leave for our 4th Adventure in two years on The Norwegian Escape this Saturday, August 5th. We can be found on the new Cruise Video channel that was just launched and is part of the YouTube network. And, funny, Cruise Critic has a large presence on that forbidden to mention social media site, but that doesn't seem to bother them, only unless one mentions it here.

 

Sayonara.

Noooooooooo don't go without first telling us where to find you or sharing the name of this new Youtube channel.

Simply say I will not be completing this review and leave it at that. That being said it is far from the first time this has happened. It is his choice to continue or not and obviously he is not .

Well riddle. Everyone has an opinion and most times we should keep it in!

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For those that aren't familiar with the Community Guidelines...

Too Funny!! I agree that CC is getting harder and harder to use and deal with.

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I've tried unsuccessfully to find his adventures on you tube. Can someone help with a link? Thanks