What made you book on the EPIC?

[erdoran]

Originally I booked the 12/25 sailing with DH. I didn't even know the Epic was new and didn't have a clue about NCL. We had just come back from a Carnival Liberty cruise and DH in a moment of weakness said I could book a cruise for next Christmas. Because of DH's business, we are very very limited on when we can cruise together for a week and in 2010 a Christmas departure was our onlyi option! There were very few that I saw initially. while looking, I saw an ad for BMG on Epic, then saw Second City--checked dates and saw christmas cruise with MIA departure and an itinerary we wanted, price was comparable to the other alternatives (at the time we booked, I think we could get a BD for $1479pp plus taxes) and I booked immediately! The following week I upgraded us to an SA after reading about all the suite perks.

 

Next came the TA--as I was reading these boards the Mad Hatters sounded wonderful--lots of excitement and camraderie even without reading the roll call thread. I thought I had business in Munich 6/21 or 6/22 which fit perfectly with the TA, a studio came available so I grabbed it--meanwhile Munich business evaporated and I was past the refund stage on Epic, so I figured I'd just go for it! (DH can't travel in June). The allure of a maiden voyage and a TA, which I've always wanted to do, were too much for me!

[indimini]

We're going for the entertainment (esp BMG), food, and the suite life. :D

[English Rose]

At first it was simply that we couldn't afford the Oasis. Then saw the Epic and caught my eye because she will be a new shipt. Didn't know anything about NCL but the more I researched the more I liked the sound of what's on offer. I had to look into everything and then convince our friends to come too. I must have done a good job because we are all sailing back to back in October!

[reddevil1179]

We decided to try NCL, the Epic specifically, for the entertainment and the opportunity to visit new ports. We've only sailed RCCL in the past and have been to all of their Caribbean ports. We've always wanted to see Blue Man Group, but never wanted to shell out the additional $$ when in Vegas or Orlando, so this was another big plus! NCL was also cheaper than any of our RCCL options, and since this was kind of a last minute idea that we hadn't been saving for, cost was a deciding factor.

[alpha whiskey]

thank you... with the TA both the Brits and the Yanks have opportunities to visit each others countries on both ends...

 

This is a double vacation for me London and the cruise,, can wait to meet fellow travellers at the meet and great!

 

I am sure you will love London as much as I do. I will be visiting NYC for the first time and I am as excited about that, as I am about the Epic.

 

You will find our famous buildings 'awesome', and steeped in history, with fantastic stories attached to them. Wear comfy shoes! You will have a great time.

[melc0305]

We have only sailed Disney before (and loved it), but we wanted something new. We booked the Epic because it was a new ship, great entertainment, and my kids fell in love with the pics of the slides. Also the freestyle dining will be a big plus. We got stuck with 8:30 dinners on Disney and my (then) 3 and 5 year olds rarely made it.

[bluesea777]

We've been on 4 NCL cruises - all 12 or over days each - since Dec 2006 and have decided that NCL is for us.

 

Our DS is mid-teen now and he didn't enjoy the teens club much on our last cruise which was on the SUN as they didn't have much to do. So it was back to Jewel class (he enjoyed Pearl and Jade) or higher ...

 

Also we want a change - bigger and newer ship, so EPIC here we come!

[Donh44]

I booked it because of the new "single studios". It is nice to travel alone without having to pay that ridiculous single supplement. Don't know what I am going to do after this cruise. Guess the next one I will have to pay it.

[molly361]

We have friends on the Oasis the same week we are on the Epic and they paid over twice as much as we did!

 

I should have added of course it depends on what time of year. I was comparing the Epic to Allure off season pricing in November. And being Diamond on RCL we get $200 off the balcony pricing. Being Latitude on NCL I don't think it matters how many cruises you have. I think the Latitude price is the same whether you have 1 NCL cruise or 20. Or am I wrong??

[retiring soon]

HI all! Hey Deb!

I booked it for it's newness, entertainment, & studio cabins for solo cruisers.

My cruise also starts & ends in Barcelona goes to Rome & a couple of places I haven't been so will probably be my last Med. cruise. Too bad I've almost a year to wait.

 

Looking forward to all your reviews when you come back!;)

~Jo~ :)

[Arubamoose]

We were looking to take a cruise with our girls and since they had such a great time on the Voyager we needed to take a look at a larger ship. They have never done NCL Freestyle and we wanted them to experience it.

 

The price was right - $600 for a cat JJ inside. Plus the airfare was inexpensive to Miami. Looked at the same cruise on the Oasis and it was at least 50% more. And we are platinum on RCCL!

 

So between the shows and the freestyle we figured it was right. Now if we were by ourselves we would have probably booked the Dawn again. But believe me - the old folks will have a blast!

[tmilak]

We have been in suites on other lines and you get so much more from NCL then you do from other lines for less the price. Where else can you get the exsclusivety of the courtyard for a family of four for less then a trip to Disney. The freestyle and not having to where a suit while out of the office is only more of a bonus that adds to the relaxation and pleasure of the whole experience. This is our 22nd cruise but the last 5 out of 6 have been only on NCL 's newer ships. Whenever we look at alternatives the kids want to know when we are going on the big boat again. Bravo NCL.

[goin-away]

Cirque Dreams and Blue Man are what got us to pass on our usual last minute booking.

[goin-away]

Super cheap? You must not be traveling when I am. :)

 

Depends on when you booked. We booked last Aug and got a BE for $899

[endymion6942]

We booked simply because of the opportunity to be on the ship for 7 nights without any port stops. I figured that this way we sould be able to enjoy most of the things the new ship has to offer without having to deal with shore excursions.

 

I think this ship (and RCL'c Oasis and Allure) are too big to fully enjoy on a normal 7 night itinary.

[AnnArbor_707]

For me I was looking at a carnival cruise for $379 for 6 nights the same timing (Christmas Break) and waited too long - it went up to $529 the day we went to book it. The whole reason for going on a cruise was just a cheap vacation, but then we weren't about to pay $529 when we could have done it for $379 a day earlier. I started looking around and although I didn't like the destinations (been to all of them on the EPIC) the Epic ship just seemed so cool and the entertainment options were so much more than other ships. We booked for $700/each after taxes, ports, etc and it included $100/each room credit and some chocolate strawberries......seemed like a good deal when compared to all other options. (By the way IS that a deal ? haha) We're in an inside room....

.

Later I found out that NCL has a bunch of extra costs that a carnival doesn't, but hey we'll be on vacation so it's whatever I guess. We're there to have fun... can't let money get in the way of a good time.

[akupupule]

Bit of a wierd and emotional one for me really.

 

Both my parents passed away suddenly last year , after years of nagging us to go on a cruise with them, and us finding every excuse under the sun not to go. They liked the dress up and "meet the captain" type cruises.

 

We have a small inheritance and decided that we should spend some of it on a cruise, as we know that's what they would have wanted.

 

So we looked into the cruise industry and we amazed when we found EPIC, it ticked all of our boxes of modern, cool, fun, lots to do and not stuffy at all .We are all madly excited as we go in 8 weeks.

 

So as much as we will enjoy the cruise, it will be tinged with a little sadness from time to time.

 

Rich, our consolations to you for the loss of your parents. I lost my mother a few years ago, and know this cruise will be a poignant one for you and your family. I think your Epic choice was a good one and hope you have a memorable cruise on her and will converted into "cruiseaholics" like most of us here. Cheers and best wishes for smooth sailing and good breezes.

[molly361]

Depends on when you booked. We booked last Aug and got a BE for $899

 

OH that's a GREAT price!!!

[Bgem75]

For me I was looking at a carnival cruise for $379 for 6 nights the same timing (Christmas Break) and waited too long - it went up to $529 the day we went to book it. The whole reason for going on a cruise was just a cheap vacation, but then we weren't about to pay $529 when we could have done it for $379 a day earlier. I started looking around and although I didn't like the destinations (been to all of them on the EPIC) the Epic ship just seemed so cool and the entertainment options were so much more than other ships. We booked for $700/each after taxes, ports, etc and it included $100/each room credit and some chocolate strawberries......seemed like a good deal when compared to all other options. (By the way IS that a deal ? haha) We're in an inside room....

.

Later I found out that NCL has a bunch of extra costs that a carnival doesn't, but hey we'll be on vacation so it's whatever I guess. We're there to have fun... can't let money get in the way of a good time.

 

 

You are so correct about the timing..Dh and I were looking for a good deal. We now tend to travel in sept bcs that is when its easiest for him to get away. We were looking for the best deal and Sept has the best prices as well so its a win win for us. We poured over website after website and got an amazing deal. We ended up booking an interior for $449pp with $100 on board spending, bottle of wine and free travel insurance.(Now that same site doesn't have anything even close to that. The same room now is almost $300 more without everything we got with it.) We were deciding between RCCL and Carnival at the time and when we saw this price,the fact it was a new ship, dining options and eveything to do...we were hooked..kutos to the travel agency and NCL..lol We could not pass it up!!!!!

[Aldeya]

Depends on when you booked. We booked last Aug and got a BE for $899

 

Is this for 7 nights cruise? I'm looking for 14-nights the same category.

[Sherry84]

Was looking on-line at various cruises and saw this was a brand new ship and the price was right so we went for it!

[Tyron]

We decided to try NCL, the Epic specifically, for the entertainment and the opportunity to visit new ports. We've only sailed RCCL in the past and have been to all of their Caribbean ports. We've always wanted to see Blue Man Group, but never wanted to shell out the additional $$ when in Vegas or Orlando, so this was another big plus! NCL was also cheaper than any of our RCCL options, and since this was kind of a last minute idea that we hadn't been saving for, cost was a deciding factor.

 

At first it was simply that we couldn't afford the Oasis. Then saw the Epic and caught my eye because she will be a new shipt. Didn't know anything about NCL but the more I researched the more I liked the sound of what's on offer. I had to look into everything and then convince our friends to come too. I must have done a good job because we are all sailing back to back in October!

 

It all depends on WHEN you book too. If you take a look at prices for the July 24th sailings on the Oasis & Epic....Oasis is cheaper! :eek:

Ship Name: Oasis Of The Seas

Departure Port: Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Ports of Call: Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Labadee, Haiti; Costa Maya, Mexico; Cozumel, Mexico; Fort Lauderdale, Florida

2010 Date(s): 24 Jul

 

Stateroom:Prices From*:Interior Outside Balcony Deluxe/Suites $1,399.00 $1,399.00 $1,619.00 $3,799.00

Interior Outside Balcony Deluxe/Suites $1,399.00 $1,399.00 $1,619.00 $3,799.00 Interior: $1399 pp Outside: $1399 pp Balcony: $1619 pp Suite: $3799 pp

 

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Departs: Roundtrip from Miami

Departure Dates: 2010: Jul 24

Ports of Call: Miami, Costa Maya, Roatan, Cozumel, St. Maarten, St. Thomas, Nassau

Cruise fares from:

 

InsideBalconyDeluxe BalconySuiteStudioSpa$2129$2779$3159NA$2619NA

[gaiamother]

We booked simply because of the opportunity to be on the ship for 7 nights without any port stops. I figured that this way we sould be able to enjoy most of the things the new ship has to offer without having to deal with shore excursions.

 

I think this ship (and RCL'c Oasis and Allure) are too big to fully enjoy on a normal 7 night itinary.

 

Funny, we thought the same thing about Oasis and Allure. We are primarily RCCL cruisers who have been disappointed with the food the last few years and actually prefer the food on Carnival now, but not the ships. Anyway, it was between Oasis, Carnival Dream and Epic. We narrowed it down to the last two because of the above concern and prices of Oasis. We haven't sailed on NCL since 1997 on the Norway and haven't experienced freestyle. The kids LOVE the slides, We love the food options, we all love sushi. We all love the BMG and can't wait to see Cirque. We got a great price on a family balcony cabin in January. So excited!

Tanya

[Sailaway Girl]

I think we originally got caught up in the hype and marketing of the new ship. As an NCL cruiser we received emails letting us know bookings were about to open. I came on CC and everyone was buzzing around the dates and who could get in first. I think I got swept up and as soon as bookings opened, I grabbed a penthouse suite. Using my past guest and Union discounts I got a really great deal on the suite from NCL. They included a $250 OBC for booking a suite and AMEX gave another $100 OBC for using their card to pay for the cruise.

 

Now, I'm happy I got caught up in the hype. The cost of the suite has gone up several hundred dollars (I think they priced in wrong at the start) and, as details of the ships entertainment and facilities became public I know it was the right decision. A new ship, with great entertainment, lots of dining options going to nice ports with freestyle everything and the suite life.

What more could you want!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Bax]

We chose the Epic because of the Blue Man Group, the newness of the ship, our anniversary week, and we want to see Roatan.