Few questions re the Epic

Hi

I am a first time cruiser this August -on the Epic with my family -2kids 12/15 , husband and A young at heart Mother 85 with the heart and mind of a 65 year old :D we pick the Ship up in Barcelona and also have a week in Sitges pre Cruise :cool:

Love the forum and have found it very useful -just a few questions I hope people can help with :

1. is it worth prebuying the bottles of water for the rooms or is it more expensive when we arrive on board

2. I understand we can't bring wine or water on to the ship -is that right?

3.The photo package -are the pictures good quality -presume there will be lots of pictures taken and we then just choose the 10 or 20 that we pre buy ?

4. As everything is bought via the card system online , can the kids have their own card -I was thinking of putting some credit on their cards to allow them to manage their own items such as the video games rooms , bowling etc -is that feasible ? Approx how much are the games so I can budget accordingly

5.are payments for the casino via the card system ?

Thanks for any help/advice -5 weeks to go and very excited 😊

Hi

I am a first time cruiser this August -on the Epic with my family -2kids 12/15 , husband and A young at heart Mother 85 with the heart and mind of a 65 year old :D we pick the Ship up in Barcelona and also have a week in Sitges pre Cruise :cool:

Love the forum and have found it very useful -just a few questions I hope people can help with :

1. is it worth prebuying the bottles of water for the rooms or is it more expensive when we arrive on board

If you need bottled water, it is cheapest to prebuy a large quantity. Buying one bottle at a time on the ship is very expensive.

2. I understand we can't bring wine or water on to the ship -is that right?

No water, sodas, energy drinkgs, etc.

The only beverage you can bring on board is wine. You pay a $15 per bottle corkage fee for each bottle you bring on board. No limit. Must be hand carried on embarkation so they can charge you and tag the bottles.

3.The photo package -are the pictures good quality -presume there will be lots of pictures taken and we then just choose the 10 or 20 that we pre buy ?

Yes. Photographers will be everywhere. On nights 2-6, they will have backdrops set up all over the ship. Take as many pictures as possible, then pick the best ones for your package.

4. As everything is bought via the card system online , can the kids have their own card -I was thinking of putting some credit on their cards to allow them to manage their own items such as the video games rooms , bowling etc -is that feasible ? Approx how much are the games so I can budget accordingly

Everyone MUST have their own cards. You can work with guest services to put limits on the cards. For you kids, enroll them in the Splash Academy on embarkation day. They will meet the other kids on the cruise and you will get a schedule of activities. You may never see your 15 year old after that.

5.are payments for the casino via the card system ?

Casino uses cash. US Dollars. The ship has ATMs to withdraw money ($5.99 service charge for US card holders, not sure about UK card holders). You can make cash advances off your room key card for a 3% service charge (i.e., $30 service charge on a $1000 cash advance).

Thanks for any help/advice -5 weeks to go and very excited

The Epic is a great ship. We have sailed on her 7 times (twice in the Med). Take advantage of everything there is to do and see.

Once onboard, you can book one of the comedy shows (use the touch screen kiosks in the public areas or go to the box office. Early shows are family oriented. Late shows are 18+ (you can go standby to any show).

Consider going to Cirque Dreams. A fun show (for additional fee) which includes a 3-course dinner.

Thanks - great feedback much appreciated 👍..3 weeks and counting can't wait !!:cool:

Regarding water, the ship's water is fine. They make (purify) their own water so it's really good. We take empty ~1 liter water bottles on board and fill them with water from our room. Take as many empty bottles as you like, but we find one per person is sufficient.

Thanks for the water tip

We also used Brita water bottles recently on the Escape and worked out great for water.

For the kids, they either can have charging privileges or no charging privileges, but you can't give them a certain amount they can charge up to unfortunately.

Have an amazing time! We did the Epic on that route in 2011 and it was fantastic. We'll be on her again in December when she's back in Port Canaveral. Can't wait!

Thanks - great feedback much appreciated 👍..3 weeks and counting can't wait !!:cool:

You must be on same time as us...have 2 granddaughters 12/16. Are your kids girls? This cruise will be a total surprise for ours. Spending 3 nights in Barcelona before the 8/13 embark. We went on this same cruise/ship June 2015....fun and huge ship.

2. I understand we can't bring wine or water on to the ship -is that right?

I may have missed it, but it doesn't appear anyone as responded to not being able to bring wine on board. You can bring as much wine as you can carry as long as you pay the corkage fee ($15 per bottle).

Have a wonderful time on the Epic! I love that ship and can't wait to be back on her in September. :D

So can you pay for casino with ship account card without incurring a fee? Or is it cash only?

we are embarking on ship 20th August - niece is 12 & nephew is 16 next month . niece already Sussed she won't be allowed in the teen lounge which starts at 13. She makes friends easily so I'm sure will love it :)

we are embarking on ship 20th August - niece is 12 & nephew is 16 next month . niece already Sussed she won't be allowed in the teen lounge which starts at 13. She makes friends easily so I'm sure will love it :)

NCL has kids clubs from 3 - 17 years old. She can join the age appropriate group.

Thanks for all the advice .. two weeks until we leave and three weeks until the cruise - can't wait

Thanks for all the advice .. two weeks until we leave and three weeks until the cruise - can't wait ��

You should have a great time! The Epic is a great ship, especially for active people. We loved the entertainment on board and the crew was so nice.

I don't know what your cabin arrangements are, or if your teens are modest, but the bathroom set up on the Epic takes some planning if anyone is shy. The shower and toilet are near the door, with frosted glass that reveals what you are doing inside. There is a privacy curtain between that area and the rest of the cabin. People walking into the cabin are in that "private" area first, though, so if your teens are not comfortable with seeing each other, mum or dad, on the toilet or in the shower behind frosted glass, it can be awkward:

That's the cabin door handle on the right side of the image. The shower is in a similar enclosure on the other side of the door.

This is a standard balcony cabin with my wife touching both sides, and you can see the enclosures behind her. This size cabin is pretty typical on ships, so it takes some planning to make it work for 4 or 5 people.

The solution for shy people is to bring a lightweight plastic shower curtain and attach it from the inside of the frosted glass enclosure with clothes pins. As a couple we thought it was a weird set up and didn't mind it too much but I think my 15 year old self would definitely not want my 12 year old sister walking around when I was in either "chamber".

This thread was useful...thanks...I am looking for the daily activities for the Epic...anyone??

Hi Dandan,

We are spoiled with our good scottish water @ home. Carol & I drink the water on the ship be it from the bar / buffet / restaurants etc.

Its palatable & wouldnt waste our money on buying bottled water on the ship :)

As a prev poster mentioned take empty water bottles & refill them @ your leisure.

Enjoy your cruise as we have done Epic twice & loved every minute of both cruises.

Thanks everyone for really useful tips

Any recent info regarding walk off disembarkment back in Barcelona? How early were the first walk offs?

Any recent info regarding walk off disembarkment back in Barcelona? How early were the first walk offs?

I asked how early we could get off and was told 5:30

Thank you for this comment about the shower curtain idea. Would you happen to know if this considered the "Mini-Suite"?

1. is it worth prebuying the bottles of water for the rooms or is it more expensive when we arrive on board

General rule if you would drink the water in the port cities, then drink the water on the ship.

2. I understand we can't bring wine or water on to the ship -is that right?

We don't for a couple of reasons: a. if you are flying from US with bottles of wine your bag will go through special screening and that extra step is not helpful in assuring your bag makes your flight. b. unless you are a wine snob, the ships sell 3, 5 or 7 bottle of wine packages on the first few days, you might have to ask around until you find someone in the know about this. We have found plenty of decent bottles at reasonable prices this way and if you count that $15 a bottle corkage towards that you come out even. P.S. Don't forget they will re-cork and hold for you so you can make a nicer bottle last more than one meal.

3.The photo package -are the pictures good quality -presume there will be lots of pictures taken and we then just choose the 10 or 20 that we pre buy ?

Seriously let them take all they want but enough is enough at some point. If you get one nice over the fireplace family portrait out of it, okay fine but otherwise skip all this ridiculousness. You easily spend more than the cruise and Grandma's retirement on this emotional spending. If you want more than phone selfies, pack a nice camera and take turns being your own photographers. That way everyone is in the pics and be done with it.

4. As everything is bought via the card system online , can the kids have their own card -I was thinking of putting some credit on their cards to allow them to manage their own items such as the video games rooms , bowling etc -is that feasible ? Approx how much are the games so I can budget accordingly

I suggest you run this as a credit card learning opportunity. $ 20 to 40 bucks a day allowance after that they pay themselves. If they stay in budgeted amount they get a bonus $ xx to spend on the last day. Because they don't have a restraint you should check in from time to time on your bill at the guest services desk.

5.are payments for the casino via the card system ? No cash but they have ATM's.

Do you advise booking entertainment before getting onboard? First transatlantic for me and first NCL big ship.

Also, are there nightly shows besides the shows I can prebook like Priscillia Queen, etc.

Plan to book the Circuque dinner show.

Do you advise booking entertainment before getting onboard? First transatlantic for me and first NCL big ship.

 

Also, are there nightly shows besides the shows I can prebook like Priscillia Queen, etc.

 

Plan to book the Circuque dinner show.

Personally, I book what I can before I board, but I'm a planner. I don't know if a TA differs from a RT itinerary as far as attendance at the shows. Logically, it seems like on a TA there would be more people looking for evening entertainment since no one's worn out from long days in port. But, I have never experienced a TA.

Yes, there's other entertainment besides what you can book, like Howl at the Moon and the Cavern Club.

Enjoy!