It's nice to read the real reviews

[eroller]

Your last paragraph seems quite reasonable. Maybe we could get along after all! ;) :cool:

 

 

Well I'm glad we can at least agree on one thing!

 

I really hate to compare EPIC to OASIS, but it's hard not to. These are the two most innovative ships in the industry, two of the largest, and they also compete in the same 7-day Caribbean mass-market. One other similarity they share is that each takes a bit of planning to experience them at their finest. This means taking a little time out before the cruise to pre-book some dining and entertainment options. I found on OASIS it made the experience seamless, and I imagine the same will hold true for EPIC. I am very much a planner, and often times enjoy planning as much as the trip itself, so this doesn't bother me in the least.

 

I do think each ship deserves to stand on it's own merits without regard to the other. It's also not fair to expect one to be just like the other. I had an amazing experience on OASIS, but I will do my best to keep an open mind when sailing on EPIC and I have no doubt EPIC will be an amazing experience as well. I have never had a poor cruise experience, just some that have been better than others.

 

I hope you do decide to try OASIS someday. If you enjoyed the large ship experience that EPIC offered, with multiple dining and entertainment options, I see no reason you would not enjoy OASIS as well. You just have to keep in mind that Royal Caribbean is not NCL, and vice versa. Things are going to be different and you have to go with the flow. If there is one thing I can't stand, it's the cruise passenger compulsion to declare the last cruise was better than the current one. I hear it all the time, in the pool, the buffet line, all over. It doesn't matter what line I'm sailing, there will always be someone that pronounces their last cruise on line XYZ was far superior. The funny thing is, that same person will sail on their the next cruise and make the same declaration! It's humorous but I try to avoid these people at all costs.

 

For me personally, the "freestyle" main dining room concept on mega-ships like OASIS and EPIC has little bearing. I think on OASIS I ate in the main dining room once. There are just too many alternative dining options I wanted to try and a week was not enough. I think the same will hold true for EPIC, as I plan to try as many as possible. I love variety. The funny thing is, in the main dining room I like having a reserved table at 8:30pm, as this happens to be the time I prefer to eat on a cruise. Even when I dine in the speciality restaurants, I find myself eating between 8:30pm and 9:00pm. In my circumstance, "freestyle" doesn't make much of a difference because I don't eat in the dining room often, and I tend to eat close to the same time each night.

 

Ernie

[eroller]

One other thing I forgot to mention is I try not to judge an entire cruise line by one cruise experience. For instance I'm sailing on NORWEGIAN SKY on Friday. I expect to have a good time, but even if it ended up being a horrible experience I would not cancel my EPIC cruise. I know the experiences will be vastly different as the ships are night and day. The same holds true on most lines. For instance I would not sail on MAJESTY OF THE SEAS and expect to have the same experience on OASIS OF THE SEAS. There is always a fairly large disparity between the oldest and newest hardware in a cruise line's fleet.

 

The one exception with the mass-market lines might be Princess. I have to say they are very consistent, perhaps the most consistent of any line. Almost all their ships look exactly alike (inside and out), right down to the window treatments and carpet design. They actually do this on purpose so repeat passengers instantly feel at home the minute they step onboard any Princess ship. Carnival has just the opposite approach. They decorate each ship to a different theme so no two look exactly alike. Most lines fall somewhere in between, with aspects of individual ship design that are familiar, but some new twists as well.

 

Ernie

[sjbdtz]

I love variety. The funny thing is, in the main dining room I like having a reserved table at 8:30pm, as this happens to be the time I prefer to eat on a cruise. Even when I dine in the speciality restaurants, I find myself eating between 8:30pm and 9:00pm. In my circumstance, "freestyle" doesn't make much of a difference because I don't eat in the dining room often, and I tend to eat close to the same time each night.

 

Ernie

 

So can you have a reserved table, but not go to it? (i.e. when eating in specialties?)

 

Is Oasis going to cruise anywhere else? That's a downside...I have zero interest in the Caribbean....

[eroller]

So can you have a reserved table, but not go to it? (i.e. when eating in specialties?)

 

Is Oasis going to cruise anywhere else? That's a downside...I have zero interest in the Caribbean....

 

 

Yes in regards to the table in the main dining room. It was reserved every night at 8:30pm if I wanted to go, but as I pointed out before I think I only ate there once, maybe twice max. The food in the main dining room was just ok. Not bad, but not entirely memorable either. This is my experience with most mass-market ships. Step up to the speciality restaurants and the quality of food and service really takes a leap in the right direction. Of course you are paying extra for it, but I think it's worth it especially since Caribbean cruise prices are relatively inexpensive.

 

OASIS and ALLURE will only cruise the Caribbean, at least for now. Personally I think it's appropriate for ships like OASIS and EPIC. The ship is truly the destination and the ports are really secondary. I've been to the Caribbean so many times I don't even care if I get off the ship. I'm booking the trip simply for the ship and not much else.

 

In other cruising areas, like SE Asia, Northern Europe, and the Mediterranean, the ship is of much less importance, because the cruise is more port centric. Most of the itineraries in the more exotic destinations are 10-14 days, sometimes with only one day at sea. In fact I think a ship like EPIC and OASIS would be a bit of a waste sailing in these areas, as frankly there would not be as much time to enjoy all the amenities. When I sail these areas I am pretty exhausted at the end of the day from sightseeing. I'm not so concerned with seeing Blue Man Group or Hairspray as I am with eating a decent meal and getting to bed ... because it's up early the next day to do it all again in a different port. In the Caribbean, who cares if I stay up until 3am because I can sleep until noon and not feel guilty about missing anything.

 

I actually prefer much smaller ships in the more exotic cruising areas. My partner and I sailed on Windstar last year from Athens to Istanbul and it was wonderful. No lines to get on and off the ship, which means your port time is truly maximized. With only 148 passengers it was like sailing on a private yacht. The tours we booked all had a maximum of about 10 people which is really wonderful when viewing sights like Ephesus. It was all very personal and none of the "herd mentality" of the mega-ships. By the time we got back to the ship we were not interested in partying all night or seeing elaborate shows. The ports were enough of a show.

 

Anyway, to each his own which is why I'm so glad there are so many choices.

 

Ernie

[Leyndon]

Good to know my review was fake.

[UK_Cruiser]

Laughing at so many of you here

 

All I said was it's nice to read the real reviews meaning the reviews of those that have actually sailed the inaugural cruise. Meaning the first caribean cruise.

[UK_Cruiser]

So then, if I understand you correctly, the only "real" reviews are the so called positive ones.

 

I have to assume that conversely, if a negative review is written it cannot be considered "real".

 

Have I got that right?

 

 

No you do not understand me correctly.

 

I mean Real as in people that have actually sailed a proper cruise not a delivery/repo cruise or a cruise to nowhere.

 

But then you knew that really.

[Boston and beyond cruiser]

Laughing at so many of you here

 

All I said was it's nice to read the real reviews meaning the reviews of those that have actually sailed the inaugural cruise. Meaning the first caribean cruise.

 

Glad you're so clear on which is actually the "inaugural" voyage, because in an NCL press release on 6/15/10, it stated: "On June 17, Norwegian Epic will depart the shipyard and sail to Rotterdam for a 2-day inaugural sailing....On June 24, the ship will depart Southampton for a sold-out 7-day transatlantic crossing.....Christened on July 2 followed by a 2-day inaugural cruise....Inaugural festivities conclude with a 2-day sailing on July 8.....Following inaugural activities, Epic will sail alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries..."

 

Obviously NCL is unclear on the concept of "inaugural" so no wonder everyone else is confused!

[UK_Cruiser]

Glad you're so clear on which is actually the "inaugural" voyage, because in an NCL press release on 6/15/10, it stated: "On June 17, Norwegian Epic will depart the shipyard and sail to Rotterdam for a 2-day inaugural sailing....On June 24, the ship will depart Southampton for a sold-out 7-day transatlantic crossing.....Christened on July 2 followed by a 2-day inaugural cruise....Inaugural festivities conclude with a 2-day sailing on July 8.....Following inaugural activities, Epic will sail alternating 7-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries..."

 

Obviously NCL is unclear on the concept of "inaugural" so no wonder everyone else is confused!

 

 

You know exactly where I am coming from but choose not to.

 

You cant review a ship properly that is still being built

 

Now she is sailing the caribbean we can start to get a real feel for it and since she has returned all I have read is positivity which makes a change.

[Boston and beyond cruiser]

I forgot to mention a few in the press release: "On June 21, the ship will sail a 1-night preview cruise [not to be confused with an inaugural cruise] to Southampton, arriving on June 22 for a 2-day inaugural sailing." Added to the 6/17, 7/2, and 7/8 inaugural sailings, of course. :confused:

 

In my ignorance, I thought "inaugural" meant "first."

 

UK_Cruiser: yes, I know where you're coming from, but it would be clearer if you said "now that she is sailing her regular itinerary in the Caribbean" instead of yet the SIXTH "inaugural" cruise!!! I'm just a stickler for clarity - sorry! :o

[iceman2a]

Laughing at so many of you here

 

All I said was it's nice to read the real reviews meaning the reviews of those that have actually sailed the inaugural cruise. Meaning the first caribean cruise.

 

Yes it is and I'm looking forward to reviews from people on the next 3 or 4 cruises also!

 

It's unfortunate that some people have to bring their battles to every single thread! Enough already! Give it a rest! I'm getting a friggen headache..:eek:

[RickinNYC]

There hasn't been a REAL bad review yet. There have been 3 people with negatives about the ship:

 

GKBiii

Lusitanica

MrLuckytoo

 

 

1 of the 3 hasn't sailed yet.

2 of the 3 were fixated on the lack of trinkets, because they misunderstood the different between maiden/inaugural, and The Inaugural.

 

There have been numerous ripples about various things... state-of-ship on TA (from Carib. reports, seems most are addressed), to bathrooms (some like them, some don't), to cabins (some cabins are great, some are less great).

 

Nobody has really come back and said they had a bad cruise because:

 

a) the ship didn't get where it was going

b) the food was inedible for a week

c) the staff flipped them off at every possible chance

 

 

Until THOSE reviews come in, we won't know whether those negative reviews are real. Given that RCCL has been widely accused of paying forum participants to not only shill for their brand, but actively put down other brands.... we'll only know if the negative reviews are real....after we see who writes them.

 

For instance, a well-known travel writer tore a strip out of Cirque Dreams calling it the worst show on the high seas.

 

It is absolutely impossible that he saw the same show we were presented on June 25th, because it was amazing. Non-stop action, creative costumes, beautiful people, trompes l'oeil, feats of balance, strength and diversion... and a sense that the audience was part of the show.

 

Not everything positive can be trusted, nor can everything negative. I met a LOT of people from the board during the TA.... they can attest, I'm just a guy with a passion for cruising.... but when someone spreads misinformation, or simply claims their own experience as a fact, inferring that it could be extrapolated as a negative for future cruisers.....THEN I stand up and say "not true, it wasn't that way for me".....so while it may have been negatively perceived by that person, it was not necessarily replicable across future cruisers.

 

 

Stephen

 

Just because other people's reviews were either negative does NOT mean their perceptions and experiences should mirror yours. You are so quick to disparage anyone's thoughts or opinions if they are not in line with yours, it is ridiculous. Your experiences are YOURS and NO ONE else's. If they perceive something as negative and you didn't, doesn't make them wrong.

[sjbdtz]

Just because other people's reviews were either negative does NOT mean their perceptions and experiences should mirror yours. You are so quick to disparage anyone's thoughts or opinions if they are not in line with yours, it is ridiculous. Your experiences are YOURS and NO ONE else's. If they perceive something as negative and you didn't, doesn't make them wrong.

 

 

Did you have a point here? I had just finished saying the same thing.....

[DocJohnB]

No you do not understand me correctly.

 

I mean Real as in people that have actually sailed a proper cruise not a delivery/repo cruise or a cruise to nowhere.

 

But then you knew that really.

 

No, I did not, therefore the post and question.

 

Now that you have clarified what you really meant, I understand your point . . . although I don't necessarily agree with it.

[Kruizin'Kath]

It's just semantics! Can't we all get along? Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and I really feel sad when people pick on each other:(. We should all feel fortunate that we can afford a cruise in this economy....I know I do! Sorry if this hurt anyone's feelings:o, but please try to get along