K-Ski

LOL....my kind of review.

I recently composed a review of our sailing on the EPIC, I stand behind my related experiences as described as they were the reality to my wife and me during the sailing. Others have/had a different perception which I respect. Although not a total bust, it had its service challenges. It so happens that I sent the exact review on to NCL home office. They responded with a very nice letter and offered a $100 OBC for us to use on our next NCL sailing. We won't be taking them up but thought it was a gracious gesture to retain customers. Happy sailing folks. Big shout out to those that put together the CC get together and slot pool....that was a lot of fun!!!

I guess I"m confused. You complain about people jumping line but then you ask about an owner's suite line when you aren't in a suite?

 

Also, did you have the beverage package or not? You complain about $15 wine cost so it sounds like you didn't but then you complain about the beverage plan surcharge so it would be either one or the other unless you were ordering a glass of wine over $15.

OK, my question was AN EXPERIMENT to see if there were any semble to order or attention to higher paid quarters... sadly there wasn't. I was in a mini-suite (a misnomer) and would have made that clear if there was a "special" line. I mentioned it to show the herding chaos called embarkation. To you mention of the costs of drinking, those with packages still have to pay 20% to have something they already paid for delivered...fair? Heard a lot of grumbling about it.

We will be boarding the Epic in 30 days. Do you have any tips for us that might make embarkation simpler? What time would you suggest? Earlier or later? Also, when we board, we usually skip the buffet and go straight to the main dining room for lunch while we wait for our room to be ready. Is the main dining room open on the Epic after boarding?

 

Thank you

She sails at 4:00 pm and the eating venues close at 3:00 pm. So waiting till the last hour to board may save you some frustration, but you better pack a sandwich or wait until after safety drill to eat.

A not so EPIC vacation... Norwegian Epic 1/27 – 2/3

As our first time on a ship designed to carry 4,000+ people on board for a week, we drove the five hours from our home to the port with a certain level of excitement. This soon dissolved upon arrival at the port when the driver from the extended parking lot announced that we could either sit in the van or we could unload and stand in line for an hour or more. We all chose the latter.

Once in the unload bay, the driver cheerfully asked that we all stay inside until our luggage was unloaded from the trailer. Some left the van early only to be corralled by the porters until their work was done. Then everyone was cleared to leave the van. The porter then announced: “Who wants to show their appreciation for the porters please step forward and identify your luggage” What? This classic shakedown is usually reserved for correctional institutions. I stepped forward while pushing my four-wheel trunk with a small token saying to my new luggage “I hope to see you again”. Couple hours later we were reunited, so the tip worked.

Then we were off to find the end of the line, which happen to be two serpentine columns of humanity over and down to reach the social end of the line. The social end is defined as the fair end, absence of cutting, and cheating-in where most reasonable people go to join the queue. A shout out goes to the majority of the people that respected this social norm. However, a small minority used brazen cutting and a subtle move that was straight out of Oceans Eleven. Feinting to need the rest room they jumped on the elevator away from view to be transported well ahead of the masses below. To say the process was a joke would be an insult to bad jokes. Getting to the ship was a mix of super bowl madness and animal house. Some lines were a simple “L” shaped right to the counters, while other serpentine throughout the too small terminal. For an experiment, I approached one of the line keepers and said “We are in the Owner’s suite, is there a different line?” He replied, “No, that doesn’t make a difference here”. So, we waited and waited, 120 minutes in all. In it together vibe and positive attitudes of the passengers, we endured together with a shrug and a smile. NCL really needs to look at this as it’s on the cutting edge of their experience.

Made our way to Guests Services immediately upon making it onboard. In search of the holy *Posh Pass ...the CSR walking the line nearly burst out laughing when we asked if we could. “Purchase a Posh Pass?” She replied “Oh no, we only had 20 and they sold out with the first hour”. Ok. Off we went to gather some food, it’s now 2:45pm, and venues begin to close at 3:00pm. O’Sheehands is the closest and we head there for a Ruben sandwich and fish and chips. Long wait, good service, pedestrian food.

*Posh Pass: Entry into the Haven Pool area

Finally, off to the room, a min-suite, not really, just a matchbox stood on its side. Curved walls, curved bed, curved couch, with semi-opaque glass encased toilet on the immediate right after entry. The shower is directly across from the toilet. One word on the toilet area, small. If you are over 6-foot-tall, you’ll be qualified for Cirque du Soleil

at the end of your business. Thank goodness for a strategically placed handhold. Small dimly lighted sink is located next to too short bed.

We waited for the polite knock on the door to meet our steward/stewardess, uh? Nowhere to be found, no quick hello or here’s how to reach me. Enjoy your cruise. No turn down the first night and after morning breakfast was tucked in we roamed the ship for 3 hours. Room should be made up by now don’t you think? Ahhh, no. Had to wait until well after 3:00pm to have the room looked after. Finally visited guest services after this became a reoccurring theme. Ronnie told us this was the person’s first solo run as a steward. No tip adjustments needed (though offered), everyone deserves a second chance and an opportunity to improve. Management was gracious with a nice bottle of wine and some chocolate dipped strawberries. Expected service and marked improvement after our visit.

The “Free-Style” dining is a bit of a pain if you are just a couple. They don’t take reservations for couple’s. We tried, only to be told to visit the desk down the way, to be told, “we don’t make reservation for two” you have to get in line and they hand out clickers that ping when seats are available. The lines or mobs at both main dining rooms were incredible with 90-minute wait times. Of course you could always go to the $peciality dining restaurants or the buffet, or O’Sheeands (bar food), Noodle Bar, or Chinese restaurant. Not our cup of tea. If you want a nice sit down meal be prepared to sit around like you were at the Outback waiting for your ding-ding. Update: Fourth day of freestyle cruising and since half the ship complained about the draconian procedures, NCL’s came off their high horse and “allowed” couples to make dinner reservations via phone. How thoughtful. On the sixth night when we were able to secure a rezzy at Taste (6:45p), a floor supervisor stopped by for a chat. “How are you enjoying the freestyle dining experience?” she said smiling. My wife and I locked eyes and I could see that “Oh, Noooo...” look in hers. I suggested the reservation procedures for couples should be revisited, what if someone had plans or a show to see, only to be told it would be a 90+ minute wait for a table? How does that translate to convenience? What’s the message, travel in a group or be prepared to stand in line, or visit the bar for a $10 cocktail? The floor supervisor listened attentively and wrote down my feedback, which was very good. She promised to forward our concerns to her superiors. We were awarded a glass of wine for our honesty. The food in Taste was good; service was appropriate for the churn of guests pouring through dinner service.

This was our first and last foray into the large ship category (4,000+) expect lines for everything, elevators, food, shows. The battle for the pool chairs was being played at its highest level. People after breakfast, clipped their towels and close the chairs not to return until high noon. This selfish practice is not reserved for NCL it’s practiced among passengers from all cruise lines to the inconvenience of those that chose to play by the “encouraged” sailing etiquettes. How do you police rudeness? Well, I’m not saying whom, but after scoping the field out for an hour or so you might just move the ships towels off the saved lounges and move in for some sun and fun. If the scoundrels return play dumb and enjoy your seats. The waiters are interested in selling and delivering drinks not enforcing social rules. I mention this because 4,000 people put a hell of a strain on the overall ship amenities. Oh almost forgot, to those of you that purchased the drink package, guess what they charge full tip (18-20%) on your libations. What a great deal! There is an adult pool (Spice.H2O) aft that has NO children squealing and splashing it up. Wasn’t a problem to get a couple chairs. Good place to sun and read.

One note on service, well maybe a couple notes, floor officers were very cordial and smiling when encountered, however, the frontline service personnel had well worn looks on their face and acted as if this was the last sailing on their contract before going home. The normal short happy engagement from all levels we experienced on other cruise lines was noticeably absent. Most especially noticed restaurant gatekeepers at all complimentary venues. Neutral to stern looks abound with the occasional “your card please” with the flavor of checking ones’ papers. Off putting. One bonus is the photo- group in much tamer than on other lines, a simple wave of the hand will call them off. You don’t have to hunt for your pictures, as the binder is marked on your keycard and you can quickly check them on a computer station in the photo area. Maybe it has to do with the size of the ship, 4,000 are a lot to handle for a week. When you consider the level of difficulty to secure couples reservations at either of the main venues, maybe it’s contrived to push you towards either the pay to eat places or shuttle you to the cheaper buffet option. Money saved no servers, just cooks, busboys/girls over waiters. Serve the same type of food you can purchase at your local Kroger’s deli department. Even the “specialty” restaurants push the drinks, as the margins on alcohol are ridiculous. But hey, free ice cream!

Running neck-and-neck for first place annoyance is the price of goods and services. A bottle of water is $4.45. Most cocktails and beer is $15-$5-dollar range. You cannot bring your own bottled water onboard, the “Quarantine” bins were full of half empty water bottles collected prior to carryon inspection. Spa costs are crazy. The cost to gamble is up with a minimum of $10 at all table games. Lots of empty tables with dealers bored out of their minds. How they survive without tips is beyond me. The slots were the tightest we’ve ever seen; the casino supervisor did make a big win announcement of $25.00 win on a penny machine. Smoking is allowed in the casino and not policed in the “non-smoking” areas. Which like the restaurants of the late 80’s and early 90’s would have non-smokers immediately adjacent to smokers without barriers. Second hand smoke and smelly cloths are guaranteed. Yuck.

In summary, the trip was pleasant, not over the top. Room was neat and clean (when it got done), plenty of hot water. The storage in the room was many and varied in place and shape. The boarding process is broken beyond belief and needs immediate attention to streamline. Additionally, NCL should have an observer to monitor the porter’s shakedown for tips scheme. Crew disposition needs a bit of inspiration, especially the almost supervisor types that seemed to be bothered at the slightest request (our perception). With 4,000 plus, be prepared to WAIT in lines. The feeding frenzy at the garden buffet is something you have to experience for yourself. The highlight is the “washy washy, happy happy” girl that sprays germ killer on your hands as you enter the Garden Buffet. The disembarking walk off was an absolute breeze when compared to the death march when boarding. Again, no more ‘free styling” for us, 4,000+ passenger ships, and sadly; no more bookings on NCL in the future. Bon Voyage folks.

Try and get Room 4020, bigger balcony and perfect sized room for two, san passage at foot of bed. Has metal, not glass under the railing, but hardly noticed this. Great sunning, although the floors above can see right down on ya if that's a big deal (wasn't for us).

Convenient to everything, close to elevators (never heard them) and a quick walk to stairs to drop down to 3 deck and walk aft for all your needs.

It might be a bit cheaper too. Other opinions may vary, we found it to be just right. The ride was good also.

Can you cancel?

Save the coin. We spent 14 days in one (Noordam) room size was nice, lounge is OK if you want to eat stuff, two staff assigned to troubleshoot for you. Room attendants -- far below same suite service on Celeb. Over-hyped in my humble opinion. Pinnacle breakfast service was slow and indifferent....no steak and eggs either! Take that money and play blackjack....Good Luck.

Foodie heaven. Advice: go hungary Dress: Biz Causal (Tip - low heels for the ladies, you'll be in a kitchen environment, slippery, grated floors) Plenty of Champaign flowing too :).

Molten cakes easy to fix at home after seeing it made in front of you. Ask for recipe if they don't provide it. They use to have a Carnival cookbook but, alas no more.

Ask the chef the tuff prep questions and pick his/her brain about short cuts. We loved it and always look forward to attending.

Better than a shore excursion!

Enjoy