Please focus on the positives for the Epic

[cruisecrazyk]

I understand that some people did not like this or that on the Epic but I am finding the reviews posted by some here just way too one-sided like they are trying to tarnish NCL and the Epic. I am disappointed how some people go on and on about the rooms and the bathrooms and the fact their phone or TV was off..Yada Yada.. I love the video our own CC editor did and it was well done and very positive. Please keep in mind that NCL has never run a ship of this size and the first voyage is not going to be perfect. I was pleased to see some very good reviews from folks in the review section of this site but also felt some were posting bad reviews for some unknown agenda. This ship may not be for everyone but come on you cannot tell me that you had such a horrible time that you could not say anything good about it!:eek: Some of us here would love the opportunity to be able to go on this ship but due to economic reasons cannot at this time. To have people be so negative about a beautiful new ship and great entertainment and great staff is beyond me. Those of you who are cruising in the future, when you review this ship, please give us your take on the positives. I look forward to reading them.;)

[DachshundsRule]

It's a public forum, meant for the sharing of information, both good and bad. It's not a Fan Club site.

[fi'fi]

I like hearing the good and the bad. You know what people comlained about the ship the last 2 cruises I took. My dh and I had a great time. I read all if the reviews BUT I'm sill gonna cruise on her come nov. The ship would have to burn down blow up before I cancel . Your vacation is what you make it not what others say

[cruisecrazyk]

It is too bad that most of the things I read on this site as a public forum are very negative. I am just saying we need balance. That is all. When I first joined this site years ago I found it very helpful and friendly. Not so much now. :(

[snowman]

It's a public forum, meant for the sharing of information, both good and bad. It's not a Fan Club site.

I agree. The last time I looked it was Cruise Critic.

[FLAHAM]

It's a public forum, meant for the sharing of information, both good and bad. It's not a Fan Club site.

 

The four transatlantic members' reviews so far give both the good and the bad. Two (suite passengers) rate the ship good and two (non-suite passengers) rate it bad.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

I understand that some people did not like this or that on the Epic but I am finding the reviews posted by some here just way too one-sided like they are trying to tarnish NCL and the Epic.

 

Cruisecrazy

 

As someone who was really, really excited about cruising a new ship on it's maiden voyage I can not tell you how much I was looking forward to a royal time.

 

The ship is nice. In fact there are many points of the ship where NCL went to extremes to get it right - the Cirque Dinner for example, is by far the best show on the high seas. Combine a very good 3 course meal with that show and nothing on the high seas comes close.

 

The Legends in concert is very good as well. Having seen the Legends show in Vegas the show on the Epic was to that quality just shorter. In Vegas you'll see 7-8 performers doing 2 songs. On board we had Tina Turner, Madonna and Elvis. All were good and all did 4-5 songs with Elvis doing the most.

 

Blue Man Group did an hour show. I hadn't seen it before and enjoyed it. I was told by a casino worker from Vegas that the BMG was only 10-15 minutes shorter than the Vegas show - but the Vegas show costs $100. On board the Epic it's FREE!! :D

 

The Murder Mystery show was ok. If you like 2nd City then you may like the murder mystery. The food was ok for lunch. I wish the actors who have stuck to a script rather than done as much improve but overall it was ok.

 

2nd City improv performances - I enjoyed them. There were 6 performers 4 guys and 2 girls. I thought that the burnette, skinny balding guy and larger guy were the funniest. If you like improve than you'll like this. If you don't like improv - don't go.

 

O'Sheehans: This is located on deck 6 midship. It has the looks of your neighborhood Beef O'Brady's. You can get breakfast 24/7 as well as sandwhich's and desserts. If you're looking for comfort food than this is your place. My personal favorite was the fish & chips. The fish was FRESH and fantastic, not the frozen fish sticks. I could go on but there wasn't really anything I didn't like at O'Sheehans.

 

Most importantly is the staff who were working there. After 4 days on server, "Ricky", would greet us by name when we entered. He remembered our drinks and what we had ordered the day before as well. He was friendly, outgoing and really made our visits to O'Sheehan's memorable. In fact we filled out two (2) comment cards, which we turned in, complementing the staff and food for O'Sheehans.

 

La Cucina: This Italian specialty resturant was well worth the $10 cover charge. You go to deck 15, thru the buffet area to the very front of the ship and walk down the stairs. it is so nicely decorated - lots of stone, trees, faux library books, etc., We were seated at the window and were able to watch the boat sail. We observed several pods of dolphins, turtles (my wife said seals) and birds. It was a wonderful and romatic atmosphere. My wife and I weren't pleased with the dinner rolls, calamaria or minestrone soup (not bad but the calamaria was better at O'Sheehans). The assistant maitre de did everything to make us happy. We had the Margarita pizza and we LOVED it! If you like pizza you get in Rome then go to La Cucina. :D

 

These are part of my review which I'm still working upon. It doesn't however negate my displeasure with the cabin and how I was lied to by the front desk personel or the lack of a library, etc.,

 

While you may feel that people have an agenda to discredit NCL in my case that is not true. I just want people to have the information to make up their minds and not be disappointed - like I was.

[cruise pup]

O'Sheehans: You can get breakfast 24/7

Wow! I was just mentioning on my recent Carnival cruise how the one thing that's missing is a place to get breakfast 24/7. This is fantastic news. On Norwegian Jewel I used to wake up very early on my transatlantic cruise and would be able to get a full breakfast very early at the Blue Lagoon (before the Garden Cafe would open for full breakfast) which was terrific. But this sounds even better. I'll probably be setting my wake-up call in the middle of the night just to try this out. Thanks for reporting this great bit of news.

[NYAustinGal]

Last summer before we went on Pride of America, I read all the reviews and some of them were downright scary!

 

We went, had a wonderful time - loved everything. We met another family who was great - they hated it, said they'd never cruise NCL again. We were on the same ship, same cruise ...

 

What bugs someone else, may not bug you. Just go into it with an open mind, with all the information you've gathered and remember, it's your vacation ... you don't get a do over to make the memories ... enjoy and don't let the small stuff get in the way of a great vacation.

 

(and hang a towel or something over the bathroom door if you need to)

[cruise pup]

I am just saying we need balance. That is all.(

Thanks for clarifying because this was not the impression I got from your first post. It seemed more like you wanted to do away with any of the criticisms from people who did go on the cruise. I would not want anyone to report only on the positives when a ship has so many kinks to work out and features that may never be changed. That's what people need to know in order to decide whether or not to sail on a particular vessel. It is not accpetable to say that people should just be happy they are sailing on a beautiful, new ship when they see they are not having a good time and could have spent their money and their vacation time differently.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Wow! I was just mentioning on my recent Carnival cruise how the one thing that's missing is a place to get breakfast 24/7. This is fantastic news. On Norwegian Jewel I used to wake up very early on my transatlantic cruise and would be able to get a full breakfast very early at the Blue Lagoon (before the Garden Cafe would open for full breakfast) which was terrific. But this sounds even better. I'll probably be setting my wake-up call in the middle of the night just to try this out. Thanks for reporting this great bit of news.

 

I went to the Manhattan Club for breakfast and it couldn't compare to O'Sheehans. On many mornings I would go to the buffet for coffee and a pastry and it was crowded. Then I would return to the cabin, get the Mrs and we would go to O'Sheehan's and miss a lot of the crowd.

 

The food at O'Sheehan's if great. One other plus - if you like Rye toast the ONLY place to get it on the Epic is O'Sheehan's. That's because they have a corned beef on rye on their menu. Very lean, warm, yummmm

 

[johnnyhopkins]

I understand that some people did not like this or that on the Epic but I am finding the reviews posted by some here just way too one-sided like they are trying to tarnish NCL and the Epic. I am disappointed how some people go on and on about the rooms and the bathrooms and the fact their phone or TV was off..Yada Yada.. I love the video our own CC editor did and it was well done and very positive. Please keep in mind that NCL has never run a ship of this size and the first voyage is not going to be perfect. I was pleased to see some very good reviews from folks in the review section of this site but also felt some were posting bad reviews for some unknown agenda. This ship may not be for everyone but come on you cannot tell me that you had such a horrible time that you could not say anything good about it!:eek: Some of us here would love the opportunity to be able to go on this ship but due to economic reasons cannot at this time. To have people be so negative about a beautiful new ship and great entertainment and great staff is beyond me. Those of you who are cruising in the future, when you review this ship, please give us your take on the positives. I look forward to reading them.;)

 

I agree that some of the negative things posted are a bit off base. Take for example the people who never seemed to have recovered from a bad embarkation experience, sorry but wait till you hear from those embarking from Miami. However to tell people to keep negatives out of their reviews is a little off base.

 

People come here to research potential cruises, how do you expect them to make the best choice for themselves if everything is painted through rose color glasses.

 

I get what your saying but let people think for themselves, most here are smart enough to tell an objective review from somone out to slam NCL.

[sdmike]

I'm fine with negative opinions, but it sure would be nice to balance it with the positives. I stopped reading some of the threads because it was ALL about everything that someone thought was wrong, but no information on what they liked. Maybe they didn't like any of it. Who knows.

[PokerDave]

I went to the Manhattan Club for breakfast and it couldn't compare to O'Sheehans. On many mornings I would go to the buffet for coffee and a pastry and it was crowded. Then I would return to the cabin, get the Mrs and we would go to O'Sheehan's and miss a lot of the crowd.

 

The food at O'Sheehan's if great. One other plus - if you like Rye toast the ONLY place to get it on the Epic is O'Sheehan's. That's because they have a corned beef on rye on their menu. Very lean, warm, yummmm

 

 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! My fish and chips!!!!! And i have to wait 6 more months!!!!! At least you spared me the picture of the wings... they are the crack cocaine of late night ship food...

 

Blue Lagoon on most, Sports Bar on Sun, and I'm sure OSheehan's on Epic are for me what Taco Bell markets as "fourth meal"....

[mitsugirly]

I will read the negative and the positive. However, it is not going to influence my decision to cruise this ship. I am booked for September and can not wait.

 

People have different options and likes/dislikes. That doesn't mean that it will suit me the same way. I will form my own opinion when I go and not let others influence me. I do a great deal of research before taking any trip, whether it be land or ship. I feel that I have picked the perfect ship for my cruise. Others should do the same. If they don't like the layout (rooms and bathrooms), pick another ship. :rolleyes:

 

This is a brand new ship. There are going to be issues. When they took the "keys" to the Epic, it wasn't even quite finished yet and from what I hear, they are still working on it. This is to be expected (the phones, tvs and certain areas closed). They will eventually get everything completed and the "bugs" worked out and it will be a fabulous ship.

 

I don't think anything could make me not want to get on this ship. Just the thought of getting out of my home town, enjoying something new, going to the islands and all the pleasures that will be on the ship, is well worth it to me no matter what! :D

[UK_Cruiser]

I understand that some people did not like this or that on the Epic but I am finding the reviews posted by some here just way too one-sided like they are trying to tarnish NCL and the Epic. I am disappointed how some people go on and on about the rooms and the bathrooms and the fact their phone or TV was off..Yada Yada.. I love the video our own CC editor did and it was well done and very positive. Please keep in mind that NCL has never run a ship of this size and the first voyage is not going to be perfect. I was pleased to see some very good reviews from folks in the review section of this site but also felt some were posting bad reviews for some unknown agenda. This ship may not be for everyone but come on you cannot tell me that you had such a horrible time that you could not say anything good about it!:eek: Some of us here would love the opportunity to be able to go on this ship but due to economic reasons cannot at this time. To have people be so negative about a beautiful new ship and great entertainment and great staff is beyond me. Those of you who are cruising in the future, when you review this ship, please give us your take on the positives. I look forward to reading them.;)

 

AMEN !!!

 

How big a sink do you need to brush your teeth ?

[UK_Cruiser]

Cruisecrazy

 

As someone who was really, really excited about cruising a new ship on it's maiden voyage I can not tell you how much I was looking forward to a royal time.

 

The ship is nice. In fact there are many points of the ship where NCL went to extremes to get it right - the Cirque Dinner for example, is by far the best show on the high seas. Combine a very good 3 course meal with that show and nothing on the high seas comes close.

 

The Legends in concert is very good as well. Having seen the Legends show in Vegas the show on the Epic was to that quality just shorter. In Vegas you'll see 7-8 performers doing 2 songs. On board we had Tina Turner, Madonna and Elvis. All were good and all did 4-5 songs with Elvis doing the most.

 

Blue Man Group did an hour show. I hadn't seen it before and enjoyed it. I was told by a casino worker from Vegas that the BMG was only 10-15 minutes shorter than the Vegas show - but the Vegas show costs $100. On board the Epic it's FREE!! :D

 

The Murder Mystery show was ok. If you like 2nd City then you may like the murder mystery. The food was ok for lunch. I wish the actors who have stuck to a script rather than done as much improve but overall it was ok.

 

2nd City improv performances - I enjoyed them. There were 6 performers 4 guys and 2 girls. I thought that the burnette, skinny balding guy and larger guy were the funniest. If you like improve than you'll like this. If you don't like improv - don't go.

 

O'Sheehans: This is located on deck 6 midship. It has the looks of your neighborhood Beef O'Brady's. You can get breakfast 24/7 as well as sandwhich's and desserts. If you're looking for comfort food than this is your place. My personal favorite was the fish & chips. The fish was FRESH and fantastic, not the frozen fish sticks. I could go on but there wasn't really anything I didn't like at O'Sheehans.

 

Most importantly is the staff who were working there. After 4 days on server, "Ricky", would greet us by name when we entered. He remembered our drinks and what we had ordered the day before as well. He was friendly, outgoing and really made our visits to O'Sheehan's memorable. In fact we filled out two (2) comment cards, which we turned in, complementing the staff and food for O'Sheehans.

 

La Cucina: This Italian specialty resturant was well worth the $10 cover charge. You go to deck 15, thru the buffet area to the very front of the ship and walk down the stairs. it is so nicely decorated - lots of stone, trees, faux library books, etc., We were seated at the window and were able to watch the boat sail. We observed several pods of dolphins, turtles (my wife said seals) and birds. It was a wonderful and romatic atmosphere. My wife and I weren't pleased with the dinner rolls, calamaria or minestrone soup (not bad but the calamaria was better at O'Sheehans). The assistant maitre de did everything to make us happy. We had the Margarita pizza and we LOVED it! If you like pizza you get in Rome then go to La Cucina. :D

 

These are part of my review which I'm still working upon. It doesn't however negate my displeasure with the cabin and how I was lied to by the front desk personel or the lack of a library, etc.,

 

While you may feel that people have an agenda to discredit NCL in my case that is not true. I just want people to have the information to make up their minds and not be disappointed - like I was.

 

 

According to a certain Paul Motter of A.N.Other forum Cirque dreams is CRAP

 

Some of us just went to together to see Cirque Dreams and Dinner (I will not name who) – and unlike previous reports you got from the European press trips - these cruise writers did not like this show.

 

I had had not seen the show in its entirety, I missed it on the crossing. But I had seen a preview in Pompano Beach during the SeaTrade convention. I did like the preview. But this time I saw the full show – with dinner included. We were all sitting together, and when the negative comments started coming from my friends almost right away I actually urged them to suspend their pre-conceived notions of cruise shows and to really give this show a chance.

 

Unfortunately, the pace did not change and the show went on for well over two hours – with no break. Bottom line, every reporter who saw the show with me did not like the show – and by the end I had to agree. I will not even print the adjectives they used.

 

Here is the problem… This show is full of jokes that are plays on words, such as “Cecille P deBille” as the host, “George Wash A. Ton” as the dishwasher, etc. The very vague plot is something about “the investor” who they are trying to woo into giving them money for the show.

 

Long story short – the jokes are all based on a plot which never comes across to the audience. The story line falls completely flat – it is incomprehensible. This makes all of dialog of the show basically meaningless – and there is a LOT of dialog.

 

Bottom line – these writers liked the acrobatic “cirque” part of the show somewhat, but the songs and dialog were too long and the sight gags were far too predictable. For example, one bit had five members of the audience singularly trying to play a different cowbell. It took the show’s emcee Cecile 15 minutes just to “teach” these men how to play a cowbell! As if they had to be shaken a specific way. Seriously, 15 minutes of mime to show grown men how to play a cowbell -- excruciating. This show goes on like this; non-stop for over two hours.

 

My tablemates decided to leave the show after 1:45. We peeked into Blue Man Group and immediately felt at home. In fact, I had treated each of the three writers with me to see Blue Man Group in New York back in about 1998 –we all had gone together.

 

As we left others came out of Cirque; guidebook writers, ocean liner scholars, cruise historians. Comments included, “insufferable”, “horrible.” and “I give this show six months.”

 

My opinion? Part of the problem is the venue. Our seats were in a position where we could not see much of the action which takes place in the center of a room with no stage. The non-stop dialog is all in a fake German dialect, guttural for the male lead and falsetto for the female lead. This is accompanied by servers constantly bringing you an average dinner, who often get in the sightlines of the performance as they wait on other tables. It is chaotic, impossible to follow, incomprehensible in plot and also in sound quality. The characters are ill-defined, and they never develop. It is basically just an endless stream of sight gags that and self-reflective double entendre humor suggesting twists for a plot you don’t know or care about.

 

Bottom line, Cirque Dreams flopped. I am sorry NCL.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARRRRGGGHHHHH!!!!! My fish and chips!!!!! And i have to wait 6 more months!!!!! At least you spared me the picture of the wings... they are the crack cocaine of late night ship food...

 

Blue Lagoon on most, Sports Bar on Sun, and I'm sure OSheehan's on Epic are for me what Taco Bell markets as "fourth meal"....

 

Oh yeah I forgot those wings as well..

 

 

O'Sheehans - just the best - don't do Epic without them!!!! :cool:

[UK_Cruiser]

Oh yeah I forgot those wings as well..

 

 

O'Sheehans - just the best - don't do Epic without them!!!! :cool:

 

Hmmmmmm This O'Sheehans Junk food looks dangerous. Still trying to shift 7 pounds I put on during last cruise !!!

[Mr. Luckytoo]

According to a certain Paul Motter of A.N.Other forum Cirque dreams is CRAP

 

Some of us just went to together to see Cirque Dreams and Dinner (I will not name who) – and unlike previous reports you got from the European press trips - these cruise writers did not like this show.

 

I had had not seen the show in its entirety, I missed it on the crossing. But I had seen a preview in Pompano Beach during the SeaTrade convention. I did like the preview. But this time I saw the full show – with dinner included. We were all sitting together, and when the negative comments started coming from my friends almost right away I actually urged them to suspend their pre-conceived notions of cruise shows and to really give this show a chance.

 

Unfortunately, the pace did not change and the show went on for well over two hours – with no break. Bottom line, every reporter who saw the show with me did not like the show – and by the end I had to agree. I will not even print the adjectives they used.

 

Here is the problem… This show is full of jokes that are plays on words, such as “Cecille P deBille” as the host, “George Wash A. Ton” as the dishwasher, etc. The very vague plot is something about “the investor” who they are trying to woo into giving them money for the show.

 

Long story short – the jokes are all based on a plot which never comes across to the audience. The story line falls completely flat – it is incomprehensible. This makes all of dialog of the show basically meaningless – and there is a LOT of dialog.

 

Bottom line – these writers liked the acrobatic “cirque” part of the show somewhat, but the songs and dialog were too long and the sight gags were far too predictable. For example, one bit had five members of the audience singularly trying to play a different cowbell. It took the show’s emcee Cecile 15 minutes just to “teach” these men how to play a cowbell! As if they had to be shaken a specific way. Seriously, 15 minutes of mime to show grown men how to play a cowbell -- excruciating. This show goes on like this; non-stop for over two hours.

 

My tablemates decided to leave the show after 1:45. We peeked into Blue Man Group and immediately felt at home. In fact, I had treated each of the three writers with me to see Blue Man Group in New York back in about 1998 –we all had gone together.

 

As we left others came out of Cirque; guidebook writers, ocean liner scholars, cruise historians. Comments included, “insufferable”, “horrible.” and “I give this show six months.”

 

Bottom line, Cirque Dreams flopped. I am sorry NCL.

 

I'm wager money that those who didn't like the cirque show were European - either French or German.

 

The lead actor Cecil P deBill was excellent; lots of lines, singing and never missed a que. He stayed in character throughout and I never had difficulty understanding him. The female lead was more difficult. However to a non-English speaking person it could be confusing.

 

The portion of the cowbells shows their ignorance. Each bell was a different tone and when played in correct sequences actually played a song (I don't remember which exactly). Did it [cowbell portion] go on too long? Some might say so. It could have been that long to allow the performers time for change(s).

 

Maybe the reason they felt at home with BMG is because there isn't any speaking? I would disagree with those people 100%:cool:

 

To your critics I will return in 6 months and predict that NCL raises the price on this venue to $30 due to sold out performances and cruise demand.

 

As a general rule: When movie critics like something - I usually don't.

[UK_Cruiser]

I'm wager money that those who didn't like the cirque show were European - either French or German.

 

The lead actor Cecil P deBill was excellent; lots of lines, singing and never missed a que. He stayed in character throughout and I never had difficulty understanding him. The female lead was more difficult. However to a non-English speaking person it could be confusing.

 

The portion of the cowbells shows their ignorance. Each bell was a different tone and when played in correct sequences actually played a song (I don't remember which exactly). Did it [cowbell portion] go on too long? Some might say so. It could have been that long to allow the performers time for change(s).

 

I would disagree with those people 100%:cool:

 

To your critics I will return in 6 months and predict that NCL raises the price on this venue to $30 due to sold out performances and cruise demand.

 

As a general rule: When movie critics like something - I usually don't.

 

No they were New York Cruise Journalists and Writers/Critics

 

Oh ! And while I am at it are us Europeans not allowed an opinion then ?

[Mr. Luckytoo]

AMEN !!!

 

How big a sink do you need to brush your teeth ?

 

Sink problems

 

1. When you turn the water on it hits the middle and splashs out of the bowl

 

2. When you wash your hands it splatters as well.

 

3. It isn't DEEP enough

 

4. Unlike most American faucets (left hot, right cold) this control is on the left and needs to be pulled to the left to turn on rather than spun. The control is just different and you get used to it. The deepness of the bowl is really the issue.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

No they were New York Cruise Journalists and Writers/Critics

 

Oh ! And while I am at it are us Europeans not allowed an opinion then ?

 

I asked because of the large number of Europeans on this TA.

[UK_Cruiser]

Sink problems

 

1. When you turn the water on it hits the middle and splashs out of the bowl

 

2. When you wash your hands it splatters as well.

 

3. It isn't DEEP enough

 

4. Unlike most American faucets (left hot, right cold) this control is on the left and needs to be pulled to the left to turn on rather than spun. The control is just different and you get used to it. The deepness of the bowl is really the issue.

 

Deepness ?

 

You mean Depth

 

Why is it an issue ? It's not a bath it's a sink

[UK_Cruiser]

I asked because of the large number of Europeans on this TA.

 

No it wasn't the TA It was the NY cruise to nowhere