NCL EPIC Review for Families w/children

[rolloman]

Just got back from the EPIC yesteday 7/31/2010. I am going to say right from the start this was without a doubt the best experience for my little 2 year old to date. This was her 8th cruise. She loved it and they took such great care of her in the kids club.

Embarkation was smooth and boarding started at 1145 A.M. 20 minutes from entering building to walking on board.

Debarkation- EXTREMELY smooth, 20 minutes from room to car after walking off at 9 AM.

Check in-, The 5 and under is called Recess, go to deck 15 forward and you fill out the basic form, it was not crowded and no big issue. They give you a phone each time you visit in case they need to contact you. They had plenty of activities and parties. It is a large area with several rooms, one room is actually a large theater room where kids sit on a matted floor and watch the huge screen.

Interesting note-While other lines like Carnival look to disqualify your child for crying upon check in, EPIC staff has no problem and catered to the child. I saw one 8 year old who wanted to leave because he was shy and felt like he did not fit in and one of the staff members took him under her wing to get him acclimated into the group activity. I have nothing but praise for the team.

I just got off a Carnival ship 3 weeks ago and my little one hated it and would not go back after 2 visits. The staff was horrible, anyway sorry about the anti Carnival rant, I will not cruise them anymore even though the last one was basically free.

Pool area- Ok, the pool area is enormous for the little ones. There are many sections. You have a covered section which is a splash area, holds no water it drains right away, you have an open area with a kiddies slide that flows into about 6 inches of water. There is another open area that drains water which comes out of a mushroom shaped tree. These areas were used often by kids 6 months to 3 years old.

The older kids had their own sections, 3 monster slides, two larger pools and also another flat area which was water spouts. If you wanted to hold your little one and walk through the spout area it would not be a problem. Bottom line, unlimited areas for you to get sun, shade and or wet on the pool deck. But now for the famous question, What is the rule for swim diapers? I talked to the Hotel director and after he made several calls to his various staff, the answer is NO SWIM Diaper children using any of the pool areas. I asked him why there was no sign, he said they will have to get one.

Regardless as of today, the splash area was packed with infants and small children in swim diapers and no one even remotely questioning anyone using the facilities. You now have the official word, what you do with it is up to you. My little one had a great time, there are several areas you can actually walk through and get sprayed or splashed.

Passageways- compared to any ship I have been on, are extremely small, DO NOT take a large size stroller. If you have a ton of luggage, keep in mind if you have a room down a long passageway your luggage will not be delivered directly to your room. It will be nearby in a wider area of the passageway along with everyone else's. I was lucky I had an end cabin in the aft which accommodated my luggage delivery. The in laws not so lucky but they had me to drag it to their room.

Food- Great selection on room service, 24 hour restaurant on deck 6 O'Sheehan's and anytime pizza delivery. One night they take the kids to dinner in a dining area with toddler size tables and chairs. Finding good food to eat for the whole family will not be an issue. Keep in mind most restaurants there is a surcharge.

Cabins- Very important you choose the cabin best suited for your needs. If you need a pack n Play, there is no way a standard balcony or standard inside will accommodate. One upside is there is a ton of storage. You just need to figure it out as it is concealed. Example the couch cushions swing open and there is shelves inside it. What looks like wood trim along the top of the wall is storage cabinets.

Refrigerators in a standard balcony and inside could be an issue. Basically what you have is a mini bar which houses a ton of snacks and various drinks, no room for your needs. Can you take the stuff out? Probably, but they have it locked on the first day and on the last night. I guess what I am trying to say is bring an alternative for any refrigerated items like a small collapsible cooler or a small plug in unit to avoid any unnecessary charge hassles.

Entertainment- Very large game room, make sure you set a limit to how much your child can spend. I saw some kids really racking up dough at some skill games 1.50 a pop trying to win a prize.

Blue man group is great, might be too loud for 2 year old and below. Cirque of Dreams in the Spiegel tent was great as well but I would really question whether it is child appropriate. Loaded with sexual overtones, it is adult humor (fails at that, at least for me ) but the actual circus type acts are impressive and performed right at your feet. To sum it up, there were no kids in the passageways or on the steps or loitering around. This cruise had over 1000 under 18 yr olds on it and I did not see them. Why? because this ship is loaded with activities and events for them to partake in all day and night long.

Overall- Beautiful ship, world class officers and staff, great food, lots of fun, well worth the money and I highly recommend.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Out of curiosity one of the things that struck me odd about the cabin design was the bathroom. Did you feel there was a lack of privacy to the cabin? Not that you have much in any cabin but I thought the layout was strange.

[crusinmama06]

WELCOME BACK! You know I have been anxiously awaiting your return with this review! And you haven't disappointed me. So I think this is what I want to do next year. I had to laugh about the hotel director having to call his staff -- but you did good. THANK YOU! :D

 

Now, where are the pictures?

 

And the balcony cabin choices kind of confuse me. Which one did you have? Did you think it was comfortable?

[rolloman]

Out of curiosity one of the things that struck me odd about the cabin design was the bathroom. Did you feel there was a lack of privacy to the cabin? Not that you have much in any cabin but I thought the layout was strange.

 

It is somewhat odd. I have stayed in hotels with the same layout. The shower is huge, one could shower and then dry off inside the shower. The sink, well it is small but really not an issue per say. Some say they have flooded their cabin, I believe they must have issues greater than a small sink if they actually did that. Now the toilet...hmmm.. well, there is a frosted glass door, there is a curtain but it can be loud, any kind of noise is as if they are on your lap. I don't think it vents all that well either. Basically what I did was left the toilet to the wife and I used the facility at a remote location a few decks down, I am a morning person and the wife and little one sleep in. So it worked out for us.

[rolloman]

WELCOME BACK! You know I have been anxiously awaiting your return with this review! And you haven't disappointed me. So I think this is what I want to do next year. I had to laugh about the hotel director having to call his staff -- but you did good. THANK YOU! :D

 

Now, where are the pictures?

 

And the balcony cabin choices kind of confuse me. Which one did you have? Did you think it was comfortable?

 

Hey!!! I will get the pictures up soon on this thread. I was in a BA which is aft and faces the back of the ship. For you and the girls it would be too small I am afraid, you need a deluxe balcony which gives you more space. The couch in the room does not work as a bed, I tried it, wife tried it, kid is a traveler when she sleeps so didnt even bother to have her try it. We all slept in the same bed, thankfully my little one is still small and the bed is huge. Also luckily she did not pick up any habit and slept in her own bed last night with no issues.

[rolloman]

My little one on the Kiddie slide and a picture of one of the covered splash areas.

[RoadTripFanatic]

Hey!!! I will get the pictures up soon on this thread. I was in a BA which is aft and faces the back of the ship. For you and the girls it would be too small I am afraid, you need a deluxe balcony which gives you more space. The couch in the room does not work as a bed, I tried it, wife tried it, kid is a traveler when she sleeps so didnt even bother to have her try it. We all slept in the same bed, thankfully my little one is still small and the bed is huge. Also luckily she did not pick up any habit and slept in her own bed last night with no issues.

 

From the pics I've seen it appeared that the couch is curved?? Was that supposed to be the 3rd bed in the cabin?

[rolloman]

From the pics I've seen it appeared that the couch is curved?? Was that supposed to be the 3rd bed in the cabin?

 

In my particular cabin it was the 2nd bed. It pulls out and yes it is curved. I will post a pic of it today as it is made into a bed.

[14ersco]

Thanks for the first full detailed review of the kid's club on the Epic. We will be on next weekend and your review was very helpful.

[MNmomof4]

Thanks for the great review! I have been contemplating this ship for the family.

[rolloman]

I also need to mention the elevators were never crowded and always available. No one took the stairs. Also a big deal for me is the tv has Nick Jr and Nickalodean channels. My little one loved the Nick jr. channel.

[youngestof9]

awesome thanks! My daughter will be turning 5 aboard (embarkation day!!) and I'm excited for all the things for her (and my soon to be 12 year old too!)

 

I have a D1 (family deluxe balcony) with the pulldown bed. I'm nervous about putting my 12 year old up there - did you have a pulldown?? (think you had 3 people, but not sure)

 

Thanks for the review!

[rolloman]

awesome thanks! My daughter will be turning 5 aboard (embarkation day!!) and I'm excited for all the things for her (and my soon to be 12 year old too!)

 

I have a D1 (family deluxe balcony) with the pulldown bed. I'm nervous about putting my 12 year old up there - did you have a pulldown?? (think you had 3 people, but not sure)

 

Thanks for the review!

I did not have a pulldown but I saw several throughout the cruise. I think you have the perfect room booked. You could always ask for a rail for the child or bring your own. They have some great compact ones (easily fold and put in a suitcase)at "Babies are us" relatively cheap. The bed seemed spacious to me in the pulldown mode. They are going to have a great time that is for sure!!!

[rolloman]

I am having trouble uploading pictures for some reason. Here are a couple more from the Nickalodean Breakfast. Double click on the photo to make it larger.

[rolloman]

Anyone know an easy way to upload photos?

[RoadTripFanatic]

awesome thanks! My daughter will be turning 5 aboard (embarkation day!!) and I'm excited for all the things for her (and my soon to be 12 year old too!)

 

I have a D1 (family deluxe balcony) with the pulldown bed. I'm nervous about putting my 12 year old up there - did you have a pulldown?? (think you had 3 people, but not sure)

 

Thanks for the review!

 

:) I started letting DD sleep up on the "bunk" bed that pulls down when she was 5. MOST cruise lines have a rail there so they can't fall out. I used to put pillows along it for my mental health. Now she (10) just props some pillows up there but we usually get bombed during the night by the pillows and the stuffed animals.

[teachnh]

Thanks for your review! We are taking our four kids on the 8/21 sailing so it was really nice to read from a parent's perspective. :D

[QTMichele]

Thank you so much for posting this! I've been interested in Epic as a future family cruise, but have been torn because of the mixed reviews. It seems like the kids will have a blast with all the kids stuff on board. :) Thanks again!

[rolloman]

No problem. I also forgot to mention they have a kids store on board as well. Candy, clothes, toys. Hmmm...on second thought maybe that is not a good thing, somehow I only escaped buying one stuffed animal. :)

[Julienatul]

Thanks so much for this review!! I am hearing such great things I was thinking of booking it for next year, now Im convinced. We have to try the Epic!!

[justschuttme]

We are traveling with our 2 year old in January and it was great to read this and your other review of Epic. I can't believe your little one has been on that many cruises, this will be his first. Thanks again for the detailed review, especially on the kids stuff. :)

[rolloman]

We are traveling with our 2 year old in January and it was great to read this and your other review of Epic. I can't believe your little one has been on that many cruises, this will be his first. Thanks again for the detailed review, especially on the kids stuff. :)

You are very welcome....

[koalagurl]

Thanks for the info! We are looking at this ship for next year, and I love hearing about the stuff for kids.

 

I know yours was younger, but did you happen to notice if there were height restrictions on the larger slides and if so what they were?