MajSteve

Diversity is one thing...Ignorant behavior is another

At least they won't be wearing thongs and driving electric scooters...

Cole Thornton? There's only three men I know with that kind of speed. One's dead, One's me, and the other is Cole Thornton.

This is the OP of the thread. I find it amazing that people are so mundanely satisfied with poor service. Horrible embarkation, passengers passing out from heat in the 2.5 hours in the sun with no water stations provided: no problem. Slow and lackluster service; no problem. Long lines for supposed reservation times: no problem. Poor NCL takes my money and pretends they are doing everything they can to improve the situation but don't, no problem. If you ain't Haven class, you ain't nobody; no problem. If you spent a couple of thousand dollars on anything else that had so many problems, you would be raising hell about it. But folks seem all too ready to forgive a cruise line for a shoddy product. And I am getting tired of being, "classed". From airlines and their "preferred" classes of boarding the plane to seats on the transfer busses. If you do not prefer Salsa dancing and rap music, don't bother to sit out by the pool. And please: Will passengers begin to show some courtesy and consideration? From the electric scooter drivers who seem to think that the corridors and table seatings were created just for them and their beeping little horns to the pushy people cutting into the buffet lines to the drunks in the hot tubs and the 80 year old men trying to look like Hulk Hogan in their Speedos and muscle shirts to the elderly women wearing thong bathing suits to the "studs" wearing cowboy hats who have never set foot on a farm or ranch. No, you don't look cute; you look silly and out of place. Somewhat like Walmart on Friday night. From now on I am going to rent a nice cabin in a remote state park and relax on my own terms and my own schedule. Goodbye cruising.

I did not imply that weather was the fault of NCL.

Oh yes, it's coming...

The Epic is horribly understaffed. More bartenders especially. As the ship was fully booked, the lines at the bars could last 15-20 minutes before a bartender randomly noticed you. There needs to be some system of order to the bar service. Many rude and pushy people. I could have gotten a beer quicker by FedEx. Many times I noticed a bartender skip over the next person in line to serve someone he recognized and called by name. Not cool.

My selected check in time was 12:30-1:00. Nobody even looked at it. Comment on entertainment: I heard many comments/complaints regarding the musical entertainment. I realize that the Epic spends a lot of time in the Carribean. So it is generally themed with Latin music. Almost all of the pop-up bands, dance classes and other musical based entertainment was in Spanish. There were many European/Asian cruisers who would have liked a much broader variety of music. I heard one guy mumbling, "Don't they know one damn Polka?" Oldies are good too. Nope, just more Salsa.

Goodbye NCL Rant Four Entertainment: Fairly good. Burn The Floor excellent in spite of the rolling ship. Howl at the Moon good. And the Epic Beatles were great especially for a 60's guy like me. (They might want to turn the sound down a bit in the Cavern Club, though.

Goodbye NCL Rant Four Food: Overall, the food was excellent. The Angus beef steak in the Taste dining room was possibly the best steak I have ever eaten. (And I'm from Kansas!) The buffet was kept refreshed and hot and tasty. Some of the desserts and "specialties" were a bit exotic, but so were many of the passengers. (More on that in another rant.) Food Score: 95 out of 100.

Goodbye NCL Rant Three Things That Went Absolutely Wrong: The Weather: OK, I am well aware that NCL has no control over the weather. (I thought the cruisers in the Haven Class did that sort of thing.) The outdoor areas were closed for 6 out of the 9 Sea Days. Oh, you could sit out there if you enjoyed rain, hail, and 50 mph winds. The port stop at Gibraltar was cancelled due to some mysterious engine trouble. The embarkation at Port Canaveral was a nightmare. 2 hours and 15 minutes in a line, outside just waiting to get into the terminal. Three hours to actually set a foot on the ship and then another hour and a half before the cabins were ready. Pictures attached. No excuse for this NCL; Not even water stations available during the wait. Our supposed "embarkation times" assigned meant nothing. The gift shop did not contain one item related to our cruise. Only Caribbean items. Who wants to go on a TA cruise and purchase a Virgin Islands T-shirt? Think I am getting snarky? Just wait!

Goodbye NCL Rant Three Things That Went Absolutely Wrong: The Weather: OK, I am well aware that NCL has no control over the weather. (I thought the cruisers in the Haven Class did that sort of thing.) The outdoor areas were closed for 6 out of the 9 Sea Days. Oh, you could sit out there if you enjoyed rain, hail, and 50 mph winds. The port stop at Gibraltar was cancelled due to some mysterious engine trouble. The embarkation at Port Canaveral was a nightmare. 2 hours and 15 minutes in a line, outside just waiting to get into the terminal. Three hours to actually set a foot on the ship and then another hour and a half before the cabins were ready. Pictures attached. No excuse for this NCL; Not even water stations available during the wait. Our supposed "embarkation times" assigned meant nothing. The gift shop did not contain one item related to our cruise. Only Caribbean items. Who wants to go on a TA cruise and purchase a Virgin Islands T-shirt? Think I am getting snarky? Just wait!

Goodbye NCL Rant Two Things That Went Absolutely Right: Booking, Payment, On-Board Account and any direct dealings with NCL. All internet, Chat and emails answered promptly and efficiently. Buffet Staff extremely efficient, friendly and polite. Cabin Attendant efficient and polite. Customer Service staff very helpful when asked any questions. The line often was long, but moved quickly. The captain was kind enough to slow the ship several miles off shore of Port Canaveral so that we could observe a launch from Kennedy Space Center. Spectacular! The captain also positioned the Epic the next day in order for us to observe the Solar Eclipse. Our next opportunity to do so will be in 2045. Don’t think I will be around for that one!

Here I sit, 2 days after getting home form my NCL Trans-Atlantic cruise on the Epic, Port Canaveral to Rome. Let’s get to the conclusion first: It was not a totally enjoyable experience. I will go into detail in several posts to follow, breaking down my rants and praises into several subject areas. I will title each of them according to subject. And I will be down to earth about each topic. The opinions expressed are my own and, since I am usually right about everything, some opinions will be quite harsh and possibly cruel. OK, going to get to work on topic number one, soon to follow!

Do the solo cabins on the Epic have mini-bars or refrigerators? Sailing this Sunday, April 7 on a TA!!