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Our Great EPIC Cruise (July 10-17)


bpatters1985

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These are my observations and experiences from sailing on the EPIC July 10-17. Regardless what has been talked about in other post, this is a REAL review of our time. I am not avid cruiser, 1 cruise with Carnival in 2005 and now with NCL. I have to honestly say we feel that NCL (EPIC) has by far exceeded our expectations.

 

TRAVEL TO MIAMI – We arrived on Friday, once we got our luggage (painful to MIAMI Airport) we took a cab direct to the South Beach Marriott, drinks on Ocean Drive and dinner at Big Pinks. Although we did not stay downtown, it looked very non-descript with high-rise hotels. The only difference between downtown Miami and say downtown any-city USA is there are palm trees. I my opinion I don’t know why people would want to stay downtown Miami when world class beaches are 10 minutes away.

 

EMBARKATION – Left SOBE around 1130 (Saturday 7/10), arrived at the port approx 1200 and onboard with 30 minutes. NCL processes to check-in all passengers were very professional and efficient. If one word could some up my initial impression of the EPIC when I walked onboard is Classy. My reference point of 1, previous cruise (Carnival Miracle) was a tad on the tacky, gaudy, over-the-top décor. It was a welcome surprise to see that the EPIC was very tasteful and elegantly decorated.

 

CABIN – We were in a BA (9291), cabins were ready at approx 2:00, luggage arrived around 4:30ish. The cabin was plenty big enough for 2 with a very comfortable bed, plenty of closet space. The bathroom, toilet and sink WAS NOT A PROBLEM (this is our opinion, this has been talked about to death on this board and I believe people have drawn conclusions without setting foot onboard). The design actually worked out better for us. I could shave while wife was showering, it allowed for multi-tasking when you are getting ready for the night. The bottom line – I would stay in a BA cabin again.

 

POOLS – I believe that there is angst about the size of the pools, this should not be a concern. The mid-ship (sundeck) pools are open to all, kids adults, etc... Spice H2O is adults only – talking with the staff this is the only adult’s only pool onboard and shipboard staff member’s control access to ensure it stays adults only. More than once they turn children away and directed them to the mid-ship pools. We did not have children with us and frequented Spice H2O, there was NEVER a circumstance where the pool was too small for the amount of people who wanted to get in. Often (quite often) there were less than 8 people in the pool, there were time sit was just the two of us. Walking by the mid-ship pool it looked the same, We never thought that the pool was at capacity. Now are they designed to swim laps – NO; are the designed to allow Michael Phelps to train for the next Olympics – NO; are they designed to jump in, splash around and cool off – YES they are plenty big for what they were designed for. By the way – the water slides are GREAT, It is a must do just to say you did it.

 

STAFF – We don’t have enough accolades for the people who work their butts off on the EPIC. Your comfort is their number one concern and they bend of backwards to make sure you are well accommodated. There was NEVER an attitude, only smiles and helpfulness. We could not thank them enough for their service and making our week unforgettable.

 

RESTAURANTS - Ate breakfast, lunch and snacked at the buffets, alternated between the Garden Café, Great Outdoors and Spice H20. The food was GREAT, were can you get carving stations with Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb as well as Pizza, Burgers, Pasta Station and a million other goodies. I can go on and on, the bottom line is that the food is good. Don’t miss the pretzel rolls and the soft serve ice cream.

We ate in the Manhattan Room (long pants required) once, we preferred to eat in Taste (Casual Dining – Shorts are OK). Now I know there is a collective GASP with the cruising purist – with the attitude of seeing people enjoying their dinner with shorts and flip-flops will ruin your dinner – stay in the Manhattan Room. It is the SAME menu in both places, so our attitude was we are on vacation, let’s wear shorts and stay comfortable and enjoy dinner.

We also frequented O'Sheehan's. This was our favorite watering hole and well as snacking establishment. Food is good, beer is cold and there are plenty of sports and games to be played.

The only specialty restaurants we ate at were Wasabi (Sushi) and Noodle Bar – both should not be missed.

 

CASINO –Fun, well laid out and plenty to do…. but I lost

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT - We think outstanding sums it up…

Blue Man Group should not be missed. It was phenomenal. The entire show was entertaining with audience participation adding to it. They are incredibly talented in what they do, the music, skits to percussion kept us on the laughing and on the edge of our seats during the entire show.

 

Howl at the Moon is a good party time. With the dueling piano players interacting with the guest and playing all requests - it is amazing how many songs they know – I don’t think they turned any request down. Later at night their songs get a little bit colorful (adult content), this is when we enjoyed it the most… But if you don’t want your children hearing adults songs / language keep them out of the bar at night.

 

Second City – if you don’t laugh during their show you may not have any sense of humor. Their improv and comedy quickness is impressive and funny as heck. They also have a late night adults only show (1100 PM) – please don’t bring your kids and if you are easily embarrassed / offended you may want to attend an early show. We liked them so much we went to both (early and late) .

 

Legends was entertaining and glad we attended. We are not big fans of Tina Turner , Madonna and Elvis, however they were all very good and fun to watch.

 

Spiegel Tent was impressive and entertaining. The show, storyline and acrobatics were fabulous. Dinner is not the centerpiece of the show, the food was good but not the best we had onboard. It is more about the show then eating.

 

There were a couple of musicians that played every night in the Atrium (guitarist and violinist) as well as pianist at the Martini bar and Guitarist at the Whiskey Bar should not be missed. Just stop by for one drink at each place and listen, they are all that good.

 

PORTS

ST MARTIN – Took a cab to Orient Beach for a couple of hours. Then back to the ship for a quick shower and then into town for some shopping, by far our favorite port.

ST THOMAS – Went on the Castaway Girl snorkeling excursion, it was GREAT and if anyone likes to snorkel I highly recommend this excursion. After we returned form snorkeling did some shopping in the Havensight area around the ship.

NASSAU – Went on Athol Island snorkeling excursion, water is crystal clear, with abundant fish and coral. After we returned from snorkeling we only had 1 hour and did some shopping in the area around the ship. Our least favorite port, the town was congested and people seemed rude (quick to take your money – but rude).

 

DISEMBARKATION – A sad day, we did not want to leave. Got up around 7:00, showered, had breakfast, back to the cabin to pick up our carry stuff and off the ship at 8:45. Customs was a piece a cake and the total time from walking off the ship (reluctantly) to being in the airport was approximately 30 minutes.

 

Overall this was an unforgettable trip (in the good way). I was apprehensive prior to sailing with that many people, but there was never a moment where we felt crowded. If you wanted to find a quite space on-deck you could. It is in our opinion that if you sail onboard the EPIC you will have fun, if you don’t I am not sure where you would be happy.

 

If anyone has specific questions please let me know, will try my best to answer.

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These are my observations and experiences from sailing on the EPIC July 10-17. Regardless what has been talked about in other post, this is a REAL review of our time. I am not avid cruiser, 1 cruise with Carnival in 2005 and now with NCL. I have to honestly say we feel that NCL (EPIC) has by far exceeded our expectations.

 

TRAVEL TO MIAMI – We arrived on Friday, once we got our luggage (painful to MIAMI Airport) we took a cab direct to the South Beach Marriott, drinks on Ocean Drive and dinner at Big Pinks. Although we did not stay downtown, it looked very non-descript with high-rise hotels. The only difference between downtown Miami and say downtown any-city USA is there are palm trees. I my opinion I don’t know why people would want to stay downtown Miami when world class beaches are 10 minutes away.

 

EMBARKATION – Left SOBE around 1130 (Saturday 7/10), arrived at the port approx 1200 and onboard with 30 minutes. NCL processes to check-in all passengers were very professional and efficient. If one word could some up my initial impression of the EPIC when I walked onboard is Classy. My reference point of 1, previous cruise (Carnival Miracle) was a tad on the tacky, gaudy, over-the-top décor. It was a welcome surprise to see that the EPIC was very tasteful and elegantly decorated.

 

CABIN – We were in a BA (9291), cabins were ready at approx 2:00, luggage arrived around 4:30ish. The cabin was plenty big enough for 2 with a very comfortable bed, plenty of closet space. The bathroom, toilet and sink WAS NOT A PROBLEM (this is our opinion, this has been talked about to death on this board and I believe people have drawn conclusions without setting foot onboard). The design actually worked out better for us. I could shave while wife was showering, it allowed for multi-tasking when you are getting ready for the night. The bottom line – I would stay in a BA cabin again.

 

POOLS – I believe that there is angst about the size of the pools, this should not be a concern. The mid-ship (sundeck) pools are open to all, kids adults, etc... Spice H2O is adults only – talking with the staff this is the only adult’s only pool onboard and shipboard staff member’s control access to ensure it stays adults only. More than once they turn children away and directed them to the mid-ship pools. We did not have children with us and frequented Spice H2O, there was NEVER a circumstance where the pool was too small for the amount of people who wanted to get in. Often (quite often) there were less than 8 people in the pool, there were time sit was just the two of us. Walking by the mid-ship pool it looked the same, We never thought that the pool was at capacity. Now are they designed to swim laps – NO; are the designed to allow Michael Phelps to train for the next Olympics – NO; are they designed to jump in, splash around and cool off – YES they are plenty big for what they were designed for. By the way – the water slides are GREAT, It is a must do just to say you did it.

 

STAFF – We don’t have enough accolades for the people who work their butts off on the EPIC. Your comfort is their number one concern and they bend of backwards to make sure you are well accommodated. There was NEVER an attitude, only smiles and helpfulness. We could not thank them enough for their service and making our week unforgettable.

 

RESTAURANTS - Ate breakfast, lunch and snacked at the buffets, alternated between the Garden Café, Great Outdoors and Spice H20. The food was GREAT, were can you get carving stations with Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb as well as Pizza, Burgers, Pasta Station and a million other goodies. I can go on and on, the bottom line is that the food is good. Don’t miss the pretzel rolls and the soft serve ice cream.

We ate in the Manhattan Room (long pants required) once, we preferred to eat in Taste (Casual Dining – Shorts are OK). Now I know there is a collective GASP with the cruising purist – with the attitude of seeing people enjoying their dinner with shorts and flip-flops will ruin your dinner – stay in the Manhattan Room. It is the SAME menu in both places, so our attitude was we are on vacation, let’s wear shorts and stay comfortable and enjoy dinner.

We also frequented O'Sheehan's. This was our favorite watering hole and well as snacking establishment. Food is good, beer is cold and there are plenty of sports and games to be played.

The only specialty restaurants we ate at were Wasabi (Sushi) and Noodle Bar – both should not be missed.

 

CASINO –Fun, well laid out and plenty to do…. but I lost

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT - We think outstanding sums it up…

Blue Man Group should not be missed. It was phenomenal. The entire show was entertaining with audience participation adding to it. They are incredibly talented in what they do, the music, skits to percussion kept us on the laughing and on the edge of our seats during the entire show.

 

Howl at the Moon is a good party time. With the dueling piano players interacting with the guest and playing all requests - it is amazing how many songs they know – I don’t think they turned any request down. Later at night their songs get a little bit colorful (adult content), this is when we enjoyed it the most… But if you don’t want your children hearing adults songs / language keep them out of the bar at night.

 

Second City – if you don’t laugh during their show you may not have any sense of humor. Their improv and comedy quickness is impressive and funny as heck. They also have a late night adults only show (1100 PM) – please don’t bring your kids and if you are easily embarrassed / offended you may want to attend an early show. We liked them so much we went to both (early and late) .

 

Legends was entertaining and glad we attended. We are not big fans of Tina Turner , Madonna and Elvis, however they were all very good and fun to watch.

 

Spiegel Tent was impressive and entertaining. The show, storyline and acrobatics were fabulous. Dinner is not the centerpiece of the show, the food was good but not the best we had onboard. It is more about the show then eating.

 

There were a couple of musicians that played every night in the Atrium (guitarist and violinist) as well as pianist at the Martini bar and Guitarist at the Whiskey Bar should not be missed. Just stop by for one drink at each place and listen, they are all that good.

 

PORTS

ST MARTIN – Took a cab to Orient Beach for a couple of hours. Then back to the ship for a quick shower and then into town for some shopping, by far our favorite port.

ST THOMAS – Went on the Castaway Girl snorkeling excursion, it was GREAT and if anyone likes to snorkel I highly recommend this excursion. After we returned form snorkeling did some shopping in the Havensight area around the ship.

NASSAU – Went on Athol Island snorkeling excursion, water is crystal clear, with abundant fish and coral. After we returned from snorkeling we only had 1 hour and did some shopping in the area around the ship. Our least favorite port, the town was congested and people seemed rude (quick to take your money – but rude).

 

DISEMBARKATION – A sad day, we did not want to leave. Got up around 7:00, showered, had breakfast, back to the cabin to pick up our carry stuff and off the ship at 8:45. Customs was a piece a cake and the total time from walking off the ship (reluctantly) to being in the airport was approximately 30 minutes.

 

Overall this was an unforgettable trip (in the good way). I was apprehensive prior to sailing with that many people, but there was never a moment where we felt crowded. If you wanted to find a quite space on-deck you could. It is in our opinion that if you sail onboard the EPIC you will have fun, if you don’t I am not sure where you would be happy.

 

If anyone has specific questions please let me know, will try my best to answer.

Thanks for the great review We'll be going in sept :D Did you make to Fat Cats Blues club?

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These are my observations and experiences from sailing on the EPIC July 10-17. Regardless what has been talked about in other post, this is a REAL review of our time. I am not avid cruiser, 1 cruise with Carnival in 2005 and now with NCL. I have to honestly say we feel that NCL (EPIC) has by far exceeded our expectations.

 

TRAVEL TO MIAMI – We arrived on Friday, once we got our luggage (painful to MIAMI Airport) we took a cab direct to the South Beach Marriott, drinks on Ocean Drive and dinner at Big Pinks. Although we did not stay downtown, it looked very non-descript with high-rise hotels. The only difference between downtown Miami and say downtown any-city USA is there are palm trees. I my opinion I don’t know why people would want to stay downtown Miami when world class beaches are 10 minutes away.

 

EMBARKATION – Left SOBE around 1130 (Saturday 7/10), arrived at the port approx 1200 and onboard with 30 minutes. NCL processes to check-in all passengers were very professional and efficient. If one word could some up my initial impression of the EPIC when I walked onboard is Classy. My reference point of 1, previous cruise (Carnival Miracle) was a tad on the tacky, gaudy, over-the-top décor. It was a welcome surprise to see that the EPIC was very tasteful and elegantly decorated.

 

CABIN – We were in a BA (9291), cabins were ready at approx 2:00, luggage arrived around 4:30ish. The cabin was plenty big enough for 2 with a very comfortable bed, plenty of closet space. The bathroom, toilet and sink WAS NOT A PROBLEM (this is our opinion, this has been talked about to death on this board and I believe people have drawn conclusions without setting foot onboard). The design actually worked out better for us. I could shave while wife was showering, it allowed for multi-tasking when you are getting ready for the night. The bottom line – I would stay in a BA cabin again.

 

POOLS – I believe that there is angst about the size of the pools, this should not be a concern. The mid-ship (sundeck) pools are open to all, kids adults, etc... Spice H2O is adults only – talking with the staff this is the only adult’s only pool onboard and shipboard staff member’s control access to ensure it stays adults only. More than once they turn children away and directed them to the mid-ship pools. We did not have children with us and frequented Spice H2O, there was NEVER a circumstance where the pool was too small for the amount of people who wanted to get in. Often (quite often) there were less than 8 people in the pool, there were time sit was just the two of us. Walking by the mid-ship pool it looked the same, We never thought that the pool was at capacity. Now are they designed to swim laps – NO; are the designed to allow Michael Phelps to train for the next Olympics – NO; are they designed to jump in, splash around and cool off – YES they are plenty big for what they were designed for. By the way – the water slides are GREAT, It is a must do just to say you did it.

 

STAFF – We don’t have enough accolades for the people who work their butts off on the EPIC. Your comfort is their number one concern and they bend of backwards to make sure you are well accommodated. There was NEVER an attitude, only smiles and helpfulness. We could not thank them enough for their service and making our week unforgettable.

 

RESTAURANTS - Ate breakfast, lunch and snacked at the buffets, alternated between the Garden Café, Great Outdoors and Spice H20. The food was GREAT, were can you get carving stations with Prime Rib, Leg of Lamb as well as Pizza, Burgers, Pasta Station and a million other goodies. I can go on and on, the bottom line is that the food is good. Don’t miss the pretzel rolls and the soft serve ice cream.

We ate in the Manhattan Room (long pants required) once, we preferred to eat in Taste (Casual Dining – Shorts are OK). Now I know there is a collective GASP with the cruising purist – with the attitude of seeing people enjoying their dinner with shorts and flip-flops will ruin your dinner – stay in the Manhattan Room. It is the SAME menu in both places, so our attitude was we are on vacation, let’s wear shorts and stay comfortable and enjoy dinner.

We also frequented O'Sheehan's. This was our favorite watering hole and well as snacking establishment. Food is good, beer is cold and there are plenty of sports and games to be played.

The only specialty restaurants we ate at were Wasabi (Sushi) and Noodle Bar – both should not be missed.

 

CASINO –Fun, well laid out and plenty to do…. but I lost

 

 

 

ENTERTAINMENT - We think outstanding sums it up…

Blue Man Group should not be missed. It was phenomenal. The entire show was entertaining with audience participation adding to it. They are incredibly talented in what they do, the music, skits to percussion kept us on the laughing and on the edge of our seats during the entire show.

 

Howl at the Moon is a good party time. With the dueling piano players interacting with the guest and playing all requests - it is amazing how many songs they know – I don’t think they turned any request down. Later at night their songs get a little bit colorful (adult content), this is when we enjoyed it the most… But if you don’t want your children hearing adults songs / language keep them out of the bar at night.

 

Second City – if you don’t laugh during their show you may not have any sense of humor. Their improv and comedy quickness is impressive and funny as heck. They also have a late night adults only show (1100 PM) – please don’t bring your kids and if you are easily embarrassed / offended you may want to attend an early show. We liked them so much we went to both (early and late) .

 

Legends was entertaining and glad we attended. We are not big fans of Tina Turner , Madonna and Elvis, however they were all very good and fun to watch.

 

Spiegel Tent was impressive and entertaining. The show, storyline and acrobatics were fabulous. Dinner is not the centerpiece of the show, the food was good but not the best we had onboard. It is more about the show then eating.

 

There were a couple of musicians that played every night in the Atrium (guitarist and violinist) as well as pianist at the Martini bar and Guitarist at the Whiskey Bar should not be missed. Just stop by for one drink at each place and listen, they are all that good.

 

PORTS

ST MARTIN – Took a cab to Orient Beach for a couple of hours. Then back to the ship for a quick shower and then into town for some shopping, by far our favorite port.

ST THOMAS – Went on the Castaway Girl snorkeling excursion, it was GREAT and if anyone likes to snorkel I highly recommend this excursion. After we returned form snorkeling did some shopping in the Havensight area around the ship.

NASSAU – Went on Athol Island snorkeling excursion, water is crystal clear, with abundant fish and coral. After we returned from snorkeling we only had 1 hour and did some shopping in the area around the ship. Our least favorite port, the town was congested and people seemed rude (quick to take your money – but rude).

 

DISEMBARKATION – A sad day, we did not want to leave. Got up around 7:00, showered, had breakfast, back to the cabin to pick up our carry stuff and off the ship at 8:45. Customs was a piece a cake and the total time from walking off the ship (reluctantly) to being in the airport was approximately 30 minutes.

 

Overall this was an unforgettable trip (in the good way). I was apprehensive prior to sailing with that many people, but there was never a moment where we felt crowded. If you wanted to find a quite space on-deck you could. It is in our opinion that if you sail onboard the EPIC you will have fun, if you don’t I am not sure where you would be happy.

 

If anyone has specific questions please let me know, will try my best to answer.

Excellent review! We were soooooo hoping someone would give a detailed, thorough review and you have done just that! One question, what were the additional charges for the specialty restaurants and entertainment???

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If anyone has specific questions please let me know, will try my best to answer.

 

Thank you so very much for your wonderful details! :)

I do have a few questions I've not seen answers for:

 

Is anything open other than buffet for lunch on boarding day?

Is lobster the first sea evening (Sunday?) in both Taste and Manhattan? Or - when is it -- or IS THERE a lobster evening????:confused:

Where did you sit for Cirque -- I did not notice -- after reading another review of one being seated in the back of premium seating.... is it worth trying to change downstairs seating to upstairs?

Are ALL upstairs seating arranged by the railing with no one seating in front of you - or are there some back tables upstairs as well?

Thanks so much for continuing to answering our qts!

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Thanks for the review! That was nicely done! Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip, we are goin on July 31st!! CAN'T WAIT!! I have one question, is there a restaraunt (like on other non-NCL ships (it's my first NCL cruise)) that serves dinner and has a different menu every night?

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Thank you for the very detailed review, but I especially thank you for reporting on the lesser talked about venues, like Martini Bar and Whiskey Bar. I wasn't even expecting live entertainment at these venues, so that's a bonus for me! :D

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Thanks for the review! That was nicely done! Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip, we are goin on July 31st!! CAN'T WAIT!! I have one question, is there a restaraunt (like on other non-NCL ships (it's my first NCL cruise)) that serves dinner and has a different menu every night?

 

Gail - the main dining rooms serve a different meal everynight - in addition to always having steak, chicken, fish, etc.

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Thank you so very much for your wonderful details! :)

 

I do have a few questions I've not seen answers for:

 

 

Is anything open other than buffet for lunch on boarding day?

 

 

Is lobster the first sea evening (Sunday?) in both Taste and Manhattan? Or - when is it -- or IS THERE a lobster evening????:confused:

 

Where did you sit for Cirque -- I did not notice -- after reading another review of one being seated in the back of premium seating.... is it worth trying to change downstairs seating to upstairs?

 

Are ALL upstairs seating arranged by the railing with no one seating in front of you - or are there some back tables upstairs as well?

 

 

Thanks so much for continuing to answering our qts!

 

 

Do not know when you will be boarding, we got onboard somewhat early and the only place that was serving was the buffet (excellent and plenty of food). I think I remember seeing the Noodle Bar, Sheehan’s and a few other establishments open throughout the day.

I believe Lobster was on Tuesday or Wednesday (sorry...can’t remember). The same exact menu is offered in both Taste and Manhattan. You can get Lobster in either.

We sat against the wall for Cirque. Not the best seats, we missed a lot when they performed up high. Recommend getting there early or upgrading to see the entire show. If we had to do it over we would request seats on the main floor or the balcony.

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Thanks for the review! That was nicely done! Glad to hear you enjoyed your trip, we are goin on July 31st!! CAN'T WAIT!! I have one question, is there a restaraunt (like on other non-NCL ships (it's my first NCL cruise)) that serves dinner and has a different menu every night?

 

 

There is the standard (every night) menu which includes about 6 Starters (appetizers), 6 entrees (Steak, Chicken, Fish) and about 6 desserts (cheesecake, ice cream, Key Lime Pie – the is was my wife’s favorite).

The daily changing menu includes 3 Starters (appetizers), 3 entrees and 2 desserts.

Whether choosing from standard or the daily changing menu, you will find something delicious that appeals to all.

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