Just off the Escape 1/3/22

[KimPossible1]

We got off the Escape yesterday, and I didn't really enjoy this cruise.  It was a little boring and mask compliance was so-so.  Most of the activities are in the atrium, and almost everyone took off their masks when they were there, even when not drinking and just sitting.  The cruise staff didn't wear masks when they were conducting the activities, so they weren't a good example.  Lots of people in the elevators and hallways were not wearing them until they saw people, and even then didn't always put them on. There were lots of neck gaiters too 😞  We were on 3 elevators when people without masks got on and we got off.  The worst was an older lady (in her 70's) at the drink station at the buffet without a mask who wiped her nose and laid both hands down on the counter while waiting for her drink and then got mad when the server asked her to put her mask on and she said, "It's at my table" and huffed off.  

It took 2 hours to get on the ship from the time we entered the covid testing tents at 10:20 am.  Some jerk was acting up in the results tent, he had his mask down, and picked up at food tray cover in the back corner where they had food for the staff and put it on his head.  I tried to ignore him, until we called the guy over to get our wristbands after testing negative.  This jerk walked over to our guy and said, "I'll give you $10 dollars to let me out of here early," and the guy took the money and stopped what he was doing what he was doing with us and put a wristband on him.  I was really upset but didn't want to start the day mad so I let it go...we can't control others, only our reactions to others.  

I worked at WDW until last year and have friends and family who still work there so I know how it feels to work with the public during the pandemic.  I could tell this was the case with the staff too, they seemed to have the "burned out" look to them.  It is a kind of vacant pleasantness  (and I had it to) that is just enough to not appear non-caring, but choosing to not really engage with people.  We did not find any staff that went out of their way to talk to us, unlike previous cruises, but that is ok, and not a complaint.  I completely understand how they are feeling dealing with people. 

Missing GSC was a huge disappointment because that was why we chose this particular cruise.  We have never been there and I know no ports are guaranteed but this whole cruise was a little boring.  We were going to do an excursion in Cozumel but decided we didn't want to be on a bus with a bunch of people.  We have done Passion Island twice and loved it, but the weather didn't look great for the day, so we didn't do anything and just walked around.  In hindsight, we should have done something because with missing GSC, we had no beach time 😞

We bid on an upgrade of $150 for a club balcony from a family balcony, and the bathroom was worth every single penny!! The larger walk in shower was awesome!! The double sinks were ok, but we didn't really two and that left no counter space.  But, the extra space in the bathroom was nice because 2 people could be in there at the same time. 

The food was meh, I didn't think there was anything that was really good, and I am not a foodie or a picky eater either.  I didn't like how close you were seated to people in the dining room but twice we had the tables at the back of the boat which were a little farther away from everyone, so very nice.  We watched some lady send her steak back twice one night and then barely ate any of the third one.  I figured she was just fussy until I got steak the next night and ordered it medium and it came out moo-ing and very rare.  I didn't send it back but I didn't eat it and then had to explain over and over to the waiter and then the head waiter why I didn't eat because I wasn't really hungry anyway.  I understand they want to make things right, but I became anxious and upset trying to diffuse the head waiters' anxiety.  We think the food was better on Carnival though, and the activities are much better on RC.  This was our second Norwegian cruise, and my 15th cruise total.  I don't think after this cruise, I would choose Norwegian again 😞

[CruizinKittie40]

Weird.  We were on Escape 12/18 and all staff was wearing masks and I didn't really notice any cruisers being grossly out of compliance with the mask requirements.  We had a wonderful time and the staff and food were excellent 

 

Maybe you were just against this cruise from the get go because of the cancelled port?

 

[susanf31]

"Maybe you were just against this cruise from the get go because of the cancelled port?"

 

That's not fair to assume.  We appreciate ALL honest reviews - the good, bad and ugly.

 

Sounds like this poster wasn't only disappointed in missing GSC, but didn't really enjoy the overall vibe of the cruise.  I could see that happening in these strange times.

 

[Bonobochick]

I actually get the mask stuff in the OP's post cause I was on the 12/23/21 Escape cruise and it was about 80% compliance with masks (it would be higher if more ppl had worn the mask over their nose...) but there were definitely people sitting around the atrium for events who were not drinking while having taken their masks off. I noticed a group of teens on my cruise that weren't good at mask wearing. They traveled in a maskless pack.

 

My excursions were mostly full of compliant mask wearers but there was one couple from Manchester I ended up on several excursions with who wouldn't wear their masks in taxis / vans and once they got on the ship, immediately took them off too to wander around the ship without masks. There was a sign getting off the forward elevators leading into the atrium asking for all guests to wear masks in public areas. I never saw it enforced by crew if passengers didn't have on a mask but thankfully most people were compliant about wearing a mask but there were definitely some inconsiderate, selfish people who did not. 

 

@kimpossible1, I feel you on the food. I had good meals in the specialty restaurants but the complimentary dining meals were very hit or miss. 

Edited January 9, 2022 by Bonobochick
additional stuff

[aubreyc1988]

in regards to mask wearing, idk where y'all live and what  you do at home, but where I live, mask compliance has always been iffy at best. It's probably never going to be 100%, even with vaccinated individuals.  Hard to blame the crew for not wanting to confront these people, as I know I wouldn't want to. 

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy the cruise, but I think you should look at cruising whenever the pandemic is over. A lot of these complaints were about following/not following Covid protocols. Lack of activities could be due to Covid protocols as well. Missing ports can ALWAYS happen and it's ALWAYS a bummer 😞

[KimPossible1]

51 minutes ago, CruizinKittie40 said:

Weird.  We were on Escape 12/18 and all staff was wearing masks and I didn't really notice any cruisers being grossly out of compliance with the mask requirements.  We had a wonderful time and the staff and food were excellent 

 

Maybe you were just against this cruise from the get go because of the cancelled port?

 

The staff wore masks but not when they were in the atrium doing the activities, and I wasn't against the cruise from the get-go.  I decided to go because I felt it was as safe if not safer than around town.  

We didn't know the port was cancelled until we were stopped in front of it Friday morning and the captain said we couldn't go ashore. 

 

[KimPossible1]

36 minutes ago, susanf31 said:

"Maybe you were just against this cruise from the get go because of the cancelled port?"

 

That's not fair to assume.  We appreciate ALL honest reviews - the good, bad and ugly.

 

Sounds like this poster wasn't only disappointed in missing GSC, but didn't really enjoy the overall vibe of the cruise.  I could see that happening in these strange times.

 

Thanks and yes I was just disappointed in the whole cruise in general.  Missing a port is always a possibility and we were just happy we were able to cruise at all, and didn't get quarantined 👍  We love Norwegians' option of dining whenever we want,  but I think in general we have had better food and activities on other cruises.   

[KimPossible1]

31 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

in regards to mask wearing, idk where y'all live and what  you do at home, but where I live, mask compliance has always been iffy at best. It's probably never going to be 100%, even with vaccinated individuals.  Hard to blame the crew for not wanting to confront these people, as I know I wouldn't want to. 

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy the cruise, but I think you should look at cruising whenever the pandemic is over. A lot of these complaints were about following/not following Covid protocols. Lack of activities could be due to Covid protocols as well. Missing ports can ALWAYS happen and it's ALWAYS a bummer 😞

Mask compliance used to be very good where I live as all the theme parks require them, but with the recent influx of travelers especially from overseas it has decreased significantly.  Suggesting I wait till after the pandemic makes it seem as if you are saying I had too high expectations, but I worked at WDW during the pandemic, and I don't have high expectations of other people or experiences at all.  I expected people to not be compliant and can directly relate to how the crew is feeling.  

This was our second Norwegian cruise and we didn't have as nice a time as on other cruise lines.  It is okay for everybody to have different opinions, and my opinion was not influenced by mask wearing or port cancellations.  

Edited January 9, 2022 by KimPossible1

[aubreyc1988]

30 minutes ago, KimPossible1 said:

Mask compliance used to be very good where I live as all the theme parks require them, but with the recent influx of travelers especially from overseas it has decreased significantly.  Suggesting I wait till after the pandemic makes it seem as if you are saying I had too high expectations, but I worked at WDW during the pandemic, and I don't have high expectations of other people or experiences at all.  I expected people to not be compliant and can directly relate to how the crew is feeling.  

This was our second Norwegian cruise and we didn't have as nice a time as on other cruise lines.  It is okay for everybody to have different opinions, and my opinion was not influenced by mask wearing or port cancellations.  

Sorry, I just assumed your opinion was as half of the review was about masks/port cancellations.

[KimPossible1]

13 minutes ago, aubreyc1988 said:

Sorry, I just assumed your opinion was as half of the review was about masks/port cancellations.

Thats okay👍🙂, I just wanted to share my thoughts.  I have read reviews on other sites and on here saying how great everything was, which I'm glad others experienced.  Cruising is expensive so I would hope everyone has a great time, but I wanted people to know it is okay if you don't 🙂

[Analog187]

I was on the same cruise and I agree about the food.  I think we had a better time than you because we had a Haven suite and everything that came with it.  It was our first time in the Haven. 

 

The Haven restaurant had really good food except for my steak the last night which is odd because it's the same every night.  Otherwise I think the food was OK to not good elsewhere.  The buffet was the worst that I can remember and I've been on over 2 dozen cruises over 30 years.  

 

Canceling GSC at the last minute sucked especially because we woke up early to get off first and it was canceled just a few minutes later.  

 

Totally agree about the mask issue.  I saw a few people that literally never wore a mask ever.  

 

While we had a great time the whole thing just felt off.  It didn't feel like a typical cruise but I booked it last minute so I expected all that. Having shows in the atrium is just stupid when the theater is available. I don't know if you've been on a Breakaway class ship when it was full but you have to get to an atrium show at least a half hour early to get a seat.  Otherwise you're not going to see anything. 

 

I would sail NCL again (Alaska booked in September) but it would only be where there were a lot of good ports I wanted to see such as a European cruise or something like that.  I don't think I would book a random Caribbean trip with them for a while.  If I do that, I'd like to see how the food is on the other lines.  I haven't been on another line in a decade so a lot has changed.  

 

 

[KimPossible1]

10 minutes ago, Analog187 said:

I was on the same cruise and I agree about the food.  I think we had a better time than you because we had a Haven suite and everything that came with it.  It was our first time in the Haven. 

 

The Haven restaurant had really good food except for my steak the last night which is odd because it's the same every night.  Otherwise I think the food was OK to not good elsewhere.  The buffet was the worst that I can remember and I've been on over 2 dozen cruises over 30 years.  

 

Canceling GSC at the last minute sucked especially because we woke up early to get off first and it was canceled just a few minutes later.  

 

Totally agree about the mask issue.  I saw a few people that literally never wore a mask ever.  

 

While we had a great time the whole thing just felt off.  It didn't feel like a typical cruise but I booked it last minute so I expected all that. Having shows in the atrium is just stupid when the theater is available. I don't know if you've been on a Breakaway class ship when it was full but you have to get to an atrium show at least a half hour early to get a seat.  Otherwise you're not going to see anything. 

 

I would sail NCL again (Alaska booked in September) but it would only be where there were a lot of good ports I wanted to see such as a European cruise or something like that.  I don't think I would book a random Caribbean trip with them for a while.  If I do that, I'd like to see how the food is on the other lines.  I haven't been on another line in a decade so a lot has changed.  

 

 

Thank you, it is good to read someone else say that it was a little "off" too.  I'm excited you were in the Haven, that looked like a fun experience!  We also booked last minute, like 3 weeks prior and figured we can just turn around and come home if we tested positive.  We don't cruise for shows or drinks, we like to read and just sit on the deck and go to trivia and games.  I thought all the games were a little weird too like the one where he pulled stuff out of the bag and people had to go find the item.  He pulled out toilet paper and the people had to run to bathroom and take the paper from there, which obviously doesn't come out easy because they were all huffing and puffing?  There were kids playing and an older lady (60's) was really acting up and yelled F*** when she almost got out!  It's a game (eyeball roll)  Then he pulled out a ping pong ball and said go find it, but we were all just sitting there while he told the people to go up to deck 16 to get a ball?  Strange to have everyone sitting there while the contestants ran around on the ship...awkward!  

I hope you have a great Alaska cruise! 🙂

[ECCruise]

2 hours ago, aubreyc1988 said:

in regards to mask wearing, idk where y'all live and what  you do at home, but where I live, mask compliance has always been iffy at best. It's probably never going to be 100%, even with vaccinated individuals.  Hard to blame the crew for not wanting to confront these people, as I know I wouldn't want to. 

 

Sorry you didn't enjoy the cruise, but I think you should look at cruising whenever the pandemic is over. A lot of these complaints were about following/not following Covid protocols. Lack of activities could be due to Covid protocols as well. Missing ports can ALWAYS happen and it's ALWAYS a bummer 😞

Thanks but have no desire to wait to cruise (and haven't, in fact, being on ships 40 days in the last 2 months) because people won't follow the rules.  Doesn't matter what compliance was where you live.  The mandates are specified by the cruise lines and should be adhered to.

 

And where we live, compliance is about 100% from the people who live here.  Any non compliance is by tourists from states like FL and TN and TX and SC.  Where there is leniency and think the lack of rules travel with them (they don't).  Just like on a cruise ship. 

[aubreyc1988]

Just now, ECCruise said:

Thanks but have no desire to wait to cruise (and haven't, in fact, being on ships 40 days in the last 2 months) because people won't follow the rules.  Doesn't matter what compliance was where you live.  The mandates are specified by the cruise lines and should be adhered to.

 

And where we live, compliance is about 100% from the people who live here.  Any non compliance is by tourists from states like FL and TN and TX and SC.  Where there is leniency and think the lack of rules travel with them (they don't).  Just like on a cruise ship. 

What should be enforced and what is actually enforced is two different things. I follow the rules, but I decided a few months ago that I wasn't going to get upset every-time I see someone not following or enforcing the rules...if I DID, then I'd be perpetually upset and thinking about it, etc. 

 

My point is, I think we all know that wherever we go, there are going to be people who don't follow or enforce the rules.  I choose to continue to cruise/travel knowing that risk. I just can't get upset at every person I see not wearing a mask when they should be. 

 

 

[Goldconnection]

We were on a b2b2b, Dec 5th-26th. On the first and second l legs mask were mandatory for the crew and the took it seriously. I did not see one crew member the those two week without a mask. Mask for passengers were optional. On the last leg things were totally different. Mask still mandatory for the crew and once again I did not see on crew member with put a mask. On this leg passengers were now required to were a mask. For the most part people complied. There was however a smart ass on the elevator one evening who took off his mask started coughing and announced he has Covid. And of course the other **** with him thought it was funny. Always one in the group.

[Warm-Water Diver]

Not disagreeing with the OP as everyone is entitled to their opinion and individual experiences vary, but we were on this particular cruise and we had an awesome time.

 

We go to the port around 11am and the 3 tent pre-testing was pretty smooth. Onboard by 12:10pm.

 

The crew was always masked up. Most of the passengers including us abided by the request to always wear your mask indoors until seated and eating/drinking.  There were a few that I witnessed at odd times of the day that didn't oblige but this was far from the norm and quite the exception.

 

We were a bit bummed when we pulled up to GSC and were then told it was cancelled but we got  over it.

 

The specialty restaurants were great as usual, Teppenyaki, Le Bistro and Moderno all excellent. Add that we had the UBP package and we were happy campers.

 

I'd also be happy to answer any questions about the ship, food, entertainment as well 🙂

 

 

[nangirl79]

4 hours ago, Warm-Water Diver said:

Not disagreeing with the OP as everyone is entitled to their opinion and individual experiences vary, but we were on this particular cruise and we had an awesome time.

 

We go to the port around 11am and the 3 tent pre-testing was pretty smooth. Onboard by 12:10pm.

 

The crew was always masked up. Most of the passengers including us abided by the request to always wear your mask indoors until seated and eating/drinking.  There were a few that I witnessed at odd times of the day that didn't oblige but this was far from the norm and quite the exception.

 

We were a bit bummed when we pulled up to GSC and were then told it was cancelled but we got  over it.

 

The specialty restaurants were great as usual, Teppenyaki, Le Bistro and Moderno all excellent. Add that we had the UBP package and we were happy campers.

 

I'd also be happy to answer any questions about the ship, food, entertainment as well 🙂

 

 

Was the mini golf, ropes course and basketball court open?

[KimPossible1]

6 hours ago, nangirl79 said:

Was the mini golf, ropes course and basketball court open?

No, it was not open

[Oceanwench]

We were on Escape 12/18-23.

My fifth time on that ship. 

I thought mask compliance was pretty good on the whole.

Food was great. No complaints.

Entertainment was wonderful -- love Choir of Man!

The crew seemed energized and happy to be back at sea.

 

The demographics -- very strange. It felt like a spring break cruise. Lots of groups of college-age kids.

Also roving groups of teenage boys and/or girls.