19 decks to learb about, how about some secrets, and tips and...

[Jericabenton]

Thanks for all the great tips! Leaving on Friday for our first voyage on the Epic!! Can't wait! I'm determined to come home on Dec 8 with at least ONE new and helpful tip. :D

[Blondie008]

Bumping this as just booked Epic for 15 nights - anyone got anything new to add?

Few questions if anyone knows - appreciate input.

 

Posh passes at 15$ per day? How does one buy this?

We havent booked a suite this time - air from UK too expensive and doing 18 night vacation - Havent been in an ordinary balcony for years but thoughts are Epic seems to have so much buzz (we like buzz) a suite might be wasted on us. But there may be some days we will want to chill out - can we buy day passes for the Posh area?

Deck 18 - whats wrong with it that its so quiet??

H20 spice - ambience at night? good? - Is it always adult only (we dont travel with kids?)

We DO dress up - just our way, seems alien to us not to go out dressed in the evening - will we look out of place?

 

White night? Is it real "ibizia" feel - or more like a regular "tropicana" style deck party?

DJ - music? Hows the ambience in Bliss at night?

Ultra beverage package? How do we sign up for this? Gather we cannot order it pre cruise (bummer as we buy when the dollar is low - sorry dont mean to wish your dollar down).

Many thanks - looking forward to returning to Norwegian.

[plus521]

Lol!!!

[plus521]

Sorry. Supposed to be a quote with that...

[lordchaos]

i didnt look at all 13 pages here so far, but in case no one has mentioned it, if you go to the TASTE restaurant for lunch, they have the best chocolate mousse dessert. you must try it- it was my favorite dessert on the ship.

[Riggy84]

The OP should have listened to the PP about the layout and changed it to categories. The a-z theme will only work when there are less than 26 tips! :confused:

Does anyone have any spare time to amend the list and add the new tips? :D

[plus521]

Bumping this as just booked Epic for 15 nights - anyone got anything new to add?

Few questions if anyone knows - appreciate input.

 

Posh passes at 15$ per day? How does one buy this?

We havent booked a suite this time - air from UK too expensive and doing 18 night vacation - Havent been in an ordinary balcony for years but thoughts are Epic seems to have so much buzz (we like buzz) a suite might be wasted on us. But there may be some days we will want to chill out - can we buy day passes for the Posh area?

Deck 18 - whats wrong with it that its so quiet??

H20 spice - ambience at night? good? - Is it always adult only (we dont travel with kids?)

We DO dress up - just our way, seems alien to us not to go out dressed in the evening - will we look out of place?

 

White night? Is it real "ibizia" feel - or more like a regular "tropicana" style deck party?

DJ - music? Hows the ambience in Bliss at night?

Ultra beverage package? How do we sign up for this? Gather we cannot order it pre cruise (bummer as we buy when the dollar is low - sorry dont mean to wish your dollar down).

Many thanks - looking forward to returning to Norwegian.

 

Deck 18, I think people just don't know about it! But the pool area was packed...18, empty!! And it had chairs with cushions, couches, and beds! Great to sit in at night too!

 

H20 is adult only up to 8pm...

 

White night, just a huge party...dance music...

 

Beverage package, u can buy online I believe :)

[genealogyfan]

one side is the running track and the other side has shuffleboard. The lifeboats are along them except right in the middle - great quiet way to watch the ocean go by.

 

Several times we were out on both sides -not many people and a great way to get from one end to the other without having to walk through the shops/casinos, hallways.

 

Doors to these decks are in the stairwells near the elevators.

[kvetsh]

Thanks for all the great tips! Leaving on Friday for our first voyage on the Epic!! Can't wait! I'm determined to come home on Dec 8 with at least ONE new and helpful tip. :D

 

Ok JB, any helpful Epic tips?

[Blondie008]

Deck 18, I think people just don't know about it! But the pool area was packed...18, empty!! And it had chairs with cushions, couches, and beds! Great to sit in at night too!

 

H20 is adult only up to 8pm...

 

White night, just a huge party...dance music...

 

Beverage package, u can buy online I believe :)

 

Deck 18 it is then! Would that be the clothing optional deck?

UBP - need to checkthat out see if we can buy it online would be great if we can. Costa do an amazing all inclusive for 19euro per day - its just incredible - and is all set up before we cruise - walk on and right away your drinks are free - love it!

[plus521]

Deck 18 it is then! Would that be the clothing optional deck?

UBP - need to checkthat out see if we can buy it online would be great if we can. Costa do an amazing all inclusive for 19euro per day - its just incredible - and is all set up before we cruise - walk on and right away your drinks are free - love it!

 

No. That is not the clothing optional deck. That was up another flight of stairs off of this one I believe. I didn't check that out. :)

[archergal918]

Hi - do you remember what day on the cruise was the "all you can stuff in a bag" laundry day? I am seriously considering going with a small suitcase that I can carry on and pay for laundry rather than paying $50 r/trip for checked baggage. Thanks!!

[DDD06]

Hi - do you remember what day on the cruise was the "all you can stuff in a bag" laundry day? I am seriously considering going with a small suitcase that I can carry on and pay for laundry rather than paying $50 r/trip for checked baggage. Thanks!!

 

It was on a Wednesday this past February.

[Sammae]

I've used CruiseCritic for a few years now, but rarely contribute. To give back, I've re-vamped the tips and tricks list. I added a few of my own, and did a bit of editing to remove things that were more "review"-oriented than actual tips. I also removed anything that contained out-dated pricing and updated some of the other information. This is a great thread and very helpful, even to someone who's cruised on Epic before!

 

 

Cabins

 

* Take a power strip with you. There's only one outlet with two plugs in standard balcony room;

 

* The ship doesn't supply conditioner or bar soap;

 

* Discovered the fix for the sink splashing...don't turn the faucet on full blast!

 

* Note that the cabin telephone is very bright. On the upper right of the screen there is a light bulb, touch the bulb and the phone goes to sleep;

 

* You don't need to use your key card to keep the lights on. Any card will work;

 

* On the outside where your room number is there is a wheel that you can change between Welcome, Do Not Disturb, Please Make up Room, and Please Turn Down Room. Your cabin steward won’t even knock if it says not to disturb;

 

* Impossible to keep up with multiple passengers in staterooms going to different events. Take a dry erase board with a magnet on the back and stick it on your door;

 

* Studio Lounge Area: We liked the snacks they put in the fridge. There is coffee, salads, sandwiches, etc. depending on the time of day. Also, anyone can get in. There is not even a slot to swipe your card;

 

* Bring pens and post-its for general notes or leaving notes to fellow group members;

 

* Pull your bed out from under the headboard. This will give your bed a few more inches in length;

 

* For some looking for extra storage (and in most cabins): there are 2 drawers under the couch!

 

* There is a slide-out small table (like a desk) directly above the mini-fridge;

 

* Vanity Mirror: The light was just underneath the medicine cabinet. You just have to find the switch!

 

* If you have a balcony, here is a tip to help the ladies in the shower: take the small table from the balcony into the shower to use as a rest to shave your legs;

 

* Mid-way through the cruise, there is a special for laundry - all you can stuff in the bag for $25;

 

Entertainment

 

* Best time to see Blue Man group without reservations is Saturday night. Lots of open seats and the first two rows is a “splash zone” where they provide ponchos and have plastic seats;

 

* Fat Cats for major blues (amazing show);

 

* Bowling at Bliss and O'Sheehans for $5 (but if it is busy, wait there or you will lose your place);

 

* SecondCity Comedy is great;

 

* Green water slide is fastest and scariest, purple has shortest lines;

 

* SVEDKA Ice Bar: Wear socks and long pants (it will help keep you more comfortable);

 

* The rock climbing and rappelling walls were a hoot;

 

* For $55 they offer a behind-the-scenes ship tour. It was a 2 hour tour that included talks from the entertainment/technical director, head chef, laundry, and other areas. Was very interesting and I really enjoyed it. It gave a new respect for the employees and how they are able to do what they do on such a large scale;

 

* If you’re going to play in the casino even a little, sign up for their casino club. The deals and discounts ($5 off slot/BJ tourneys, for instance) make it well worth your time;

 

* At SlotPlayCoupons (.com) you can purchase a $50 slot play coupon for $25;

 

* Take cash with you to Howl at the Moon so you can tip the musician to stop playing an awful song... like your rival college football team fight song. ha ha ha;

 

* No recording or flash photography allowed at shows in the Epic Theater or Spiegel Tent. Take your camera anyways for candid shots before the show begins;

 

* You should get to the shows about 30 minutes before they begin in order to get good seats (although the Epic Theater didn’t have a bad seat in the house, the comedy club had some terrible sight lines);

 

* NCL's White Hot Party was at Spice H2O ... Thursday night, starting at 10:15 pm;

 

* In O'Sheehans, air hockey was $1.00 and pool was $1.50. You just swiped your card;

 

* The batting practice on the sports court is real. They have batting helmets, and the bats were 32 in/22 oz. aluminum. The pitching machine was set to “as slow as it could be to get it to the batter in the air,” maybe 50-55 mph. Wasn’t that hard for this slow pitch softball player to get in some good cuts;

 

* If you can, make it to the game shows (they are very fun to watch);

 

* Bring a sweater if you get cold easy - some of the venues are chilly!

 

* There are ping-pong tables at the aft of the ship, near Spice H2O;

 

* Howl at the Moon gets progressively more adult as the night wears on;

 

* "Qwest" game - this is a scavanger hunt game played on the last night of the cruise. Be aware that this is a VERY adult themed game and definitely NOT the place for young/younger children to be at that time, but is absolutely hilarious!

 

* If you want to watch a movie in the Atrium, be sure to show up early for comfy chairs, otherwise you might be forced to stand or sit on deck 6 in O'Sheehans;

 

 

Dining

 

* Best food at O'Sheehans: Cheese sticks, the Tune Melt, and Fish and Chips, wings, chicken pot pie, Strawberry pound cake, Apple Crumble or Brownie Sunday and milkshakes (extra fee) from O'Sheehans. Best value in beer: Dos Equis Lager draft beer in O’Sheehans. $6.84 (with tax/gratuity) for a 25 (estimated) ounce glass;

 

* O’Sheehans (the only 24hr venue with a reservations laptop also);

 

* Pretzel sticks/balls from the Garden Cafe are amazing!

 

* $5 pizza delivery almost anywhere (except to pool side or the casino tables) for a 16" in 1 of 3 flavours;

 

* Lobster Night is embarkation day in the Manhattan Room and Taste;

 

* The pistachio cake and lemon pound cake is very yummy at the Atrium Cafe;

 

* Cirque show: Go the washroom before you watch the show , they do NOT let anyone leave for the whole 2 hours. Also, the show is a bit risqué and uses double entendres (for kids) and has lots of sexual references. The food also was considered fairly bland and very average;

 

* The cruelest joke is the amazing salad bar at Moderno....and the Garlic beef was awesome;

 

* There are at least four places to get a made to order omelet in the Garden Café at breakfast;

 

* If you want any fruit-juices throughout the day or evening for yourself or your children grab some during the breakfast time only - up until 10:30 am. They will offer, cranberry, orange and apple juice and that is it;

 

* NCL ships include screens around the ship showing restaurant status and whether they have space. Green = plenty of space, Amber = filling up fast and red = full;

 

* If you so desire a super-snack – try ordering ‘the home-made potatoes chips with blue cheese crumble’ through room service;

 

* You are not being allowed to wear flip-flops in Manhattans dining room, but sandals are ok;

 

* Alaskan King Crab Legs are cut in half at Cagney's so you don't need to crack them to eat them;

 

* You can order as many appys and deserts as you like in the specialty restaurants;

 

* Menus for the restaurants are available on the interactive cabin TV;

 

* Atrium Cafe: pastries and coffee are free, specialty coffee is for-fee;

 

* Go to the end of it to the great outdoors same food for breakfast lots of tables;

 

* Try the coconut ice cream in the Garden Cafe;

 

* The Manhattan Room is similar to a NYC supper club with a live band and dancing throughout dinner. The only drawback was that it stops serving around 9:30 and that is the end of the dancing;

 

* In the Garden Cafe, get your food and head down to La Cucina. It had a beautiful view of sea for dining. First few days there was hardly anyone else down there;

 

* There is a side entrance to La Cucina for wheelchairs and people that do not want to navigate the stairs on deck 15. The handicapped entrance is on Deck 14 forward, starboard side;

 

* Dining rooms are busiest between 6:30-8:30. If you have to wait, you get a pager and can walk around the ship. We like to grab a drink and go to the casino while we wait;

 

* Tea is better at the Garden Cafe than the Atrium Cafe;

 

* Noodle bar: I highly recommend the Vegetable Spring Rolls and the Singapore noodles;

 

* Tip for ice cream lovers: If both sides of the buffet are open, they serve different flavors on each side. So if you are on one side and don't see what you want, go over to the other side;

 

* H2O bar has yummy snacks not found elsewhere on the ship, and free;

 

* Moderno: go hungry, don't start eating the cheese bread balls and they start out with the cheaper cuts of meat. There are a couple of chicken dishes, some sausages, some ribs, a lamb shank, etc. before getting into the good stuff. Pace yourself early;

 

* Don’t miss the grilled panini, made-to-order, at the sandwich station;

 

* Taste and Manhattan Room: They both have the same menu with slight variations. Make sure you take note of the left hand side of the menu - the right hand side will stay consistent throughout the week and the left hand has daily specials;

 

* Taste at lunch has a great chocolate mousse dessert;

 

 

Drinking

 

* Perfect Margarita $8.50 (2 types of Patron, THE best margarita I've every had);

 

* When you order a drink, they will give you a short glass unless you specify a tall glass, which is only a couple bucks more and you can keep the souvenir cup. You may also order a double for double the price and more then double the booze! To the same end, if you don't want to pay the extra $, make sure you ask NOT to have a souvenir cup;

 

* To order bar set-up or UBP, email groupeventepic@ncl.com at least 2 weeks prior to sailing. Prices change, so ask for an up-to-date price list;

 

* Diet Sprite is hard to find. Stock up if you find it because it's $3/can on the ship;

 

* The vending machine in the Video Arcade sells bottles of pop for $2.50 - only place on the ship;

 

 

Pools

 

* There's an awesome out-of-the-way place for shaded lounging... under the sports deck starboard aft;

 

* The public sun decks on 18 are virtually empty, even when the pool is full ( seating for about 100 people up there);

 

* Wear your shoes while walking on the decks outside (I kid you not, the deck got so hot that we met a woman who got second degree burns on her feet. Rug runners have been put down but NOT everywhere;

 

* Music by the pool was also very loud;

 

* The slides are fresh water, and the pool is salt water (pulled and filtered locally). So, if going down the slides and you get some in your mouth - you will be fine;

 

* Convenient to the pool area, clean restrooms are also located just past the slides;

 

* Aquapark has long lines. The best times for the waterslides are on embarkation day and port days;

 

* Spice H2O is Adults-Only until 8pm;

 

 

General Ship

 

* The spa has an aft balcony with loungers and two wicker couches. Awesome spot to watch the world go by if you have a spa pass;

 

* On the last sea day they have a big sale on Epic stuff in the shops on deck15. 2 shirts for $10 are a good deal for gifts - some nice sweatshirts, jackets, hats and other items for 50% off. The main gift shops don’t have sales the last day;

 

* In the spa, towels are in the huge wall racks, but there are robes hiding in the little basket by the door;

 

* Feeling ill? Go to the front desk for FREE sea-sick pills;

 

* "Secret" aft stairs are aft - on either side at the very back of the Epic. If you look at the deck plan you'll see blank spots there. The stairway has cut-outs with aft view;

 

* To get in contact with people on board or after: we make business cards to hand out that has our home contact information, cruise itinerary as well as the cabin we are staying in. It is a convenient way to give information to the new friends we meet instead of writing our addresses, emails on a slip of paper that eventually gets lost;

 

* Carpets, lights on the elevator buttons and the signage near the elevators are orange on the port side, and blue on the starboard side. The fish on the carpets swim forwards;

 

* Sports fans - on the big screen in the Atrium they will show games!

 

* The water fountain in the gym is small and warm. Take your water bottle to the buffet, and fill it with cold water before you hit the gym;

 

* Equipment in the gym charge your iPod while you exercise;

 

* They have kiosks set up where you scan your card and it will bring up any pictures assigned to your stateroom. If you do posed pictures you present your cruise card so they know where to assign the pictures, otherwise they use facial recognition;

 

* Bring bug spray with Deet when going to beaches;

 

* Bring a highlighter for marking your Freestyle Daily;

 

* Talk to the group events coordinator and ask if you can arrange a tour of the villas and courtyard. We did this on disembarkation day, (after 9:30) and went to the courtyard villas and owners suite. OMG! Saw their rooms, (guests had vacated), met the concierge, saw the concierge lounge, their private pool area, private sunning deck(s) and restaurant;

 

 

Embarkation Day

 

* Don't follow the crowd to the buffet. It's packed! Instead, O'Sheehan's and Taste are both open for lunch;

 

* Get to the terminal early! If you're there between 10:30-11:30, you'll be on the ship by lunch time and can start your vacation early!

 

* Pack a swim suit and change of clothes for dinner in your carry on. Luggage can arrive in 1 hour or 5 hours;

 

* You can drop off your carry on in Headliners to walk around without it until your room is ready;

 

* Bringing pop? Slap a luggage tag on it and you can check it without putting it in your luggage;

 

* Buy Posh passes for $15/day (must be purchased for entire week) from Guest Services - they sell out fast;

 

* Buy Spa passes for (unsure of current amount) at the spa - they sell out fast;

 

* Buy Ultimate Beverage Package from Atrium Cafe before lunch so you don't have to pay extra for that 1st drink;

 

* Check out the back of your Freestyle Daily - it has a breakdown of restaurants, bars and their opening times;

 

Debarkation Day

 

* Garden Cafe closes by 9am;

 

* Everyone had to be out of their rooms by 9am and off the ship by 10:15 We were never thrown out of our room. As a matter of fact we overslept until 9;

 

* If you are heading off the ship, need a ride, best transport is a cab. Since it’s only a 15 minute and $24 flat rate drive to the airport. NCL offers transfers for $20 per person, we walked out of the terminal and directly into a cab. $24 versus what would have been $40 and waiting to fill a shuttle; (Miami)

 

* On the last full day of the cruise, when the duty-free liquor store is open in the am, they let you take your purchase with you (rather than waiting until the evening to pick it up). This helps make reading the final cruise bill a little easier (and less expensive)!

 

* The later you get off, the longer the customs line. Because of our tour, we got off at about 10:30, and it took us about 45 mins to get off the ship and thru customs;

 

* Don't forget to keep some clothes aside to travel home in, before putting your luggage outside your cabin on the last night, otherwise you'll be disembarking wearing nothing but a bath towel and a red face;

[Riggy84]

Wow, thank you!! And just in time to print off and take with me on Sunday!!

[kba1988]

I've used CruiseCritic for a few years now, but rarely contribute. To give back, I've re-vamped the tips and tricks list. I added a few of my own, and did a bit of editing to remove things that were more "review"-oriented than actual tips. I also removed anything that contained out-dated pricing and updated some of the other information. This is a great thread and very helpful, even to someone who's cruised on Epic before!

 

Thank you so much. This was a great read...and I feel so much more informed. THanks for taking the time to do this!:):)

 

Do most of these apply to the new Breakaway as well???

Edited August 20, 2013 by kba1988

[jonbgd]

Thanks for updating the list

[Sammae]

No problem! Happy to help!

[Riggy84]

Out of interest, have you checked out this thread?

http://cruiseforums.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1607674

There might be extra tips in there too..

[Sammae]

Sure did! I think this one was originally intended to be more Epic-specific.

[kba1988]

Sure did! I think this one was originally intended to be more Epic-specific.

 

OK. Thanks. These are still great tips/observations! :)

 

Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I747 using Tapatalk 2

[BabsinTX]

Sammae: Thanks for your extensive Epic hints. I'll study them before our December cruise. I thought I had read that they did away with POSH passes and just opened it up to everyone, but guess I'm wrong. Sigh.

[stecee]

Thanks to everyone involved in putting this together. We go on our first ever cruise shortly and it will be most helpful.

[j1_jon]

great Summary Sammae - many 'thank you's

Edited September 15, 2013 by j1_jon

[PeanutBudder]

Here are a few of mine off the top of my head:

 

 

• We loved the rooms on deck 14 with the extended overhang over our balconies. Kept us shaded in the heat, and dry in the storms
  
• Hoard pretzel balls (and sticks) from the Garden Cafe. yum.
  
• Take a power strip with you. There's only one outlet with two plugs in standard balcony room
  
• The spa has an aft balcony with loungers and two wicker couches. Awesome spot to watch the world go by
  
• The green water slide is the fastest and scariest, but go purple if you want short lines
  
• On the last sea day they have a big sale on Epic stuff in the shops on 15. It's not their nicest stuff from the Latitudes shops, but 2 shirts for $10 is a good deal for gifts. You will also find watches for $10 each, perfect for teens.
  
• In the spa, towels are in the huge wall racks, but there are robes hiding in the little basket by the door. :)
  
• The ship doesn't supply conditioner or bar soap. Bring some if you need it.
  
• The cruelest joke is the amazing salad bar at Moderno. You want to save room for the meat, but you can't resist!
  
• There's an awesome out-of-the-way place for shaded lounging... under the sportsdeck starboard aft
  
• The public sun decks on 18 are virtually empty, even when the pool is full. Go up there for peace and quiet.
  
• Best time to see Blue Man group without reservations is Saturday night. Lots of open seats
  
• All the food at O'Sheehans is good
  

 

our cruise is sat-sat.....do they run a BMG show the very first night?