SASA13

Hey Sasa, wife/I are also booked on the 6th... agree with about the no swimming part :) But about the pictures, already do that... just came back from 4 days in Yosemite and took over 1500. Digital cameras are great.

 

Steve

My husband is the photo buff, he is excited about our "new adventure", and is ordering all types of gadgets for his camera's. Also, as long as there is a casino on board, he is happy... Yesemite--wow, that must have been fantastic. We have never been, but hopefully, someday we will make it there. See you on board :) I noticed there is not a role call for our sailing, I just checked again this morning....

So glad to have read this thread, as there are not too many on Northern sailings. We are booked for Sept 6th, and I can wait. We are ready for something different, having sailed south on all our cruises. The biggest change for us will be NOT "swimming" at the ports. Instead we are ready to sight see, take many many pictures and enjoy the cooler weather.

I would say 99.0% LOVE this cruise. I am the exception. Was bored with the itineraries and will never do this again. We did however have a great time on the ship.:)

We will be doing this cruise in Sept. We have never cruised NORTH, and I am sure it will be interesting. Lots of photo ops. I wish there were more reviews on Northern ports.

We feel the same way, and cruise both lines. When the price is right, we go NCL, but our hearts belong to CCL

Pros:

 

Close to buffet

Close to pools

Easy to run back to cabin to use own bathroom

Less foot traffic

 

Cons:

 

Not one that I can think of

 

Once you get a cabin on the Lido or Panorama decks, you'll never want to go lower again.

AGREE 100%. Once you book Lido, you will never go back :)

I would be interested in this also. TYIA. Sandy.....

We have always given cash (not in an envelope) directly to our wait staff individually when we want to give them a little extra for taking such good care of us. This is in addition to the auto gratuities. They always thank us and slip it into their pockets. I didn't realize they might be turning it in to their supervisor.

SAME HERE. We do the same thing.

I use the ships phone at $1.99/minute. I have never had a problem with reception etc.. using the ships phone.

Thanks for the review. I can't wait to sail her in Sept.

I bought this last Sept for the mere fact that the cooler I had brought on board for the last 5 years broke :(

I decided to purchase the Carnival Cooler ( with the bottles of water) and it was great. It did not leak ( it only sweats a bit ), and it kept the drinks cold. The reason we always bring a cooler on board is because it is nice to have ice cold drinks waiting for us after swimming, being on a excursion etc. In the beginning of the cruise we show the cooler to the room steward and ask if he could keep it stocked with ice, and they always do.

We also bring our own insultated drink cups on board. Fill them up with water and mix in some crystal light.

I will bringing this cooler on board in Sept this year. Can't wait.....

ONE HUNDRED PERCENT AGREE....

If you feel your steward deserves extra....give it to him/her, on your last day with a smile and handshake.:)

AGREE, and if we feel the steward is going above and beyond for us, we also give him/her something in the middle of the cruise also.

Thank u for doing this. Much appreciated.

Thanks SASA13!

I've aleady placed the deposit. Thanks for the pics, I couldn't really find any good ones on the website.

Defnitely not looking for a party spot - I'm pregnant :D

CONGRATS and have a wonderful time.

We were at the Hilton in December, and loved it. It was calm, relaxing and peaceful. If you are looking for activities or a party atmosphere, this is NOT the place for you. The Hilton is a short walk from the pier and we would definitely go back again. Here are a few pics.

EXCELLENT info. Thank you for all of this. I was on the same cruise and had a blast. I love your pics of Steve Tyler, I thought he was great.

THANK YOU for the tip. We are planning to cruise her in March.

We were on her the week of 12/7, and we were not bothered by the smoke. It was not an issue. Enjoy your cruise :)

Great pics. Thanks.

Great review and glad you had a good time. I agree with nothing to do on the last night :( After eating dinner and putting out the suitcases, it was just a feeling of sadness knowing the party was coming to an end. We hung out in the casino that last night, and even it was not crowded.

We did the Ice Bar our first time on the Epic, and we had a blast. It is FUN. It is a novelty, we took plenty of great pics, and we were determined to stay in there as long as possible. We went prepared, with Jeans, Sweatshirt, socks and sneakers, and only lasted 25 minutes. I think everyone should try it once, we are glad we did

Don't be...we just booked our second Epic trip for Feb.....some people aren't happy unless they're whining....

We actually ran into someone as soon as we got on the ship the last trip who was complaining about something trivial and my partner looked at her and said, "It's not too late....why don't you get off the ship if you're just going to be miserable?"

:D

That shut her up......

LOVE IT and we also love the Epic.

Thank you for taking the time to write this review. We were on the same sailing, and had no issue with smoke in the dining room or on our balcony. The only specialty restaurant we went to was Moderno, and I thought the food was great, and the salad bar had some interesting stuff. As far as Legends go, STEVE TYLER was fantastic, and you can keep the other two performers. Elvis had a decent voice, but he had NO moves at all ( dissapointing), and I don't know why Katie Perry is considered a LEGEND ??? We love the Epic, and have sailed her 3 times already, and are looking forward to her Western Caribbean itinerary next year.

Just back from our first Epic cruise this past Saturday and we really enjoyed the cruise. We had an aft facing cabin. Was the cabin layout to my taste? No, but it did not really effect our enjoyment of the cruise. Was there some vibration in the aft? Yep! But again, it did not really bother us. That view and the sound of the wake was well worth it! The design of the ship in general? I thought it was well designed and easy to navigate. We barely went on the pool deck, but when we did, I saw lots of chairs.

 

The two or three biggest complaints I remember reading before the cruise had to do with poor, slow service, smoke in the midship areas and overcrowding, especially the elevators and the buffet. Also, the fact that seating in specialties was not to be had without a reservation well in advance conflicting with a freestyle atmosphere.

 

I have to wonder what ship these people were on. We only ate in the MDR the first night. We had a very short wait for a table with a glass of free champagne. Service was prompt and efficient. It was noisy, yes. The duo singing was great. Other nights we ate at specialties with no reservations, most of the time as walk ups around 7:00 or 8:00. Once we waited about 15 minutes. Once we were told they had a big influx of reservations on the books and to check back in 30 minutes. Must have been a lot of no shows cause we were then seated immediately. Our fav is usually Le Bistro and no complaints there, but this time Cagneys blew us away! Our first time with the new menu. My steak was huge and tender. And the salad bar at Moderno alone is worth the cover charge. Service was good everywhere we went. Buffet, crowded yes. But walk outside for lots of tables. I thought easy to navigate, no real lines except for an omlet, and loved the variety. Carving stations, even at lunch. That roasted chicken was really good.

 

The midship I would describe as very lively. No rolling up of the sidewalks here! Lots of people in the bars and lounges. Spent a lot of time in the casino. I know some will not believe this, and maybe we were just lucky as we are non smokers and smoke sets off my allergic rhinitis, but I had to wonder if they had suddenly gone nonsmoking. I saw very few the entire week. No smell, no haze in the air.

 

Elevators. I sometimes marveled that we were the only ones waiting and we often were the only ones on. Full elevators near the buffet and when everyone wanting to get off or on in ports. To be expected and had zero impact on our vacation.

 

I thought the entertainment was by far the best on any cruise ship we have ever been on. Really enjoyed Cirque. The guy doing Steven Tyler in Legends was fantastic. Elvis, pretty good. Katie, meh. And excuse me, but she has a way to go before she is a legend. Second City Overboard was good for a few laughs. Wished we could have spent more time in Howl. The audience was as entertaining as the piano players. Jim Capik(?) acoustic guitar at Maltings was a favorite spot before and after dinner. Only disappointment was the Jazz Club. Every time we stuck our heads in it was bingo or a cabaret singer.

 

Lots of enjoyment to be had on the Epic. Just go with an open mind.

I was on the same cruise and agree with everything you said 100%. I love the Epic, and am looking forward to the Western Caribbean next year.