Musings from the Epic Western Caribbean 8/7 to 8/14

[14ersco]

Well this is not going to be a full day by day review, but just highlights of a very great week cruising on the Epic. For some excellent full length reviews look for the reviews from others like sdmike or orangegrove.

 

This week had 4,568 passengers and just over 1,700 crew. About 3,200 of the passengers were over 18 and the rest were the children. The crowds were not much of an issue except on the main pool deck. Sunny skis and fairly smooth seas the entire week. Even with this many passengers we kept meeting the same people; usually the family we sat across from during embarkation and the family we did the excursion with in Costa Maya.

 

 

Epic Positives

 

The Captain - His navigational skills made for pleasant sea days. This may not have been apparent if you were not watching the ship tracker channel (Yes I was Epic stalking while on the Epic :D). During the daytime the Captain would slow the Epic down to around 10 knots and turn the ship so the bow was pointing fairly close to into the wind. It appeared like he was using the hat to block the wind from the pool deck. At night the Epic was sent back onto a course towards our next port and the speed increased to about 20 knots. The Captain also got us in slightly early to every port.

 

The Cruise Director - Provided timely updates about what was to occur over the next couple of hours. His announcements were never over-the-top and no hard sales for the money making activities. Saw him most nights moving quickly down a hall; with a smile on his face and a hello to passengers he passed.

 

The Cabin Sink - The great part about the sink is that it has a flat bottom. So whenever we had something that was potentially messy just sat it in the sink; like stirring milk into coffee. As for water spilling over we just kept a wash rag in the back corner and once done using the sink would do one pass around the sink with the rag.

 

The Sofa Bed - If NCL could design a model of this sofa bed with a straight back it would be great replacement for the traditional sofa beds on all the other NCL ships. There is plenty of storage in the back area and in the drawers underneath. Where it is superior to a traditional fold out sofa bed is that it is on rollers. So in the morning it was very easy to strip off the sheets and with one push return it to the sofa position.

 

The Shows - Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Cirque Dreams, and comedian / magician were all excellent. Plus we were front row center for each of them. :cool: DW got water spray from the bath tub hunk and sweat from Elvis; DS got to help the comedian / magician Jeff Hobson, and I got paint splats and twinki puke from Blue Man Group.

 

 

Epic Needed Improvements

 

Most of these issues were brought up by others we met in lines, elevators, etc. Many just wanted to vent to us their frustrations of the Epic not meeting their expectations. Most were comparing the Epic to Disney or Royal Caribbean. NCL could fix many of these issues with little cost and might just get a few more return customers.

 

Welcome Aboard Embarkation - NCL needs to bring back parts of Freestyle 2.0. Last year as we entered the Dawn there were officers waiting to welcome you on-board. There were tables set up with personnel from the various ship services. So one could get information on the spa, kid's club, specialty dining, etc. One enters the Epic on deck 6; so for at least half the passengers the first view inside the ship is gambling tables. People who had gone on Disney missed the welcome aboard announcements and had said they felt abandoned once they entered the Epic. With plenty of CC reading and past experience we had our entry plans set; go to Headliner's to drop off luggage, go to reception to remove charging privileges from DS, and then into Taste for lunch.

 

Timing Between Dining and Shows - Evening dining began at 5:30 and the first shows were at 7:00, but to get decent seats you had to be in line at 6:00. Since we like to eat before shows our only option was a quick 30 minutes in the buffet. If at least one MDR opened at 5:00 and the shows started at 7:30 we could have had more time to eat.

 

Waiting in Line for Shows / No-Shows at Shows - As mentioned above we got front row seats, but had to be in line an hour before the shows. For Cirque Dreams the line began almost 2 hours early. Also many of the shows were supposed to be sold out and many people who waited to reserve on-board were shut out, but at every show we attended in the Epic theater there were plenty of seats available. Ideas for NCL to open the shows to more passengers: about 10 minutes before a show make an overhead announcement that x number of seats were available for those who could get there in 5 minutes; block the no-show passengers from reserving the same show at a later date, go to assigned seating where the passengers could choose their seats from what is available at their time of reserving.

 

Cabin Storage Space - From CC reviews we knew about all of the storage spots and actually only filled about two-thirds of our available storage. For those who had not read reviews we heard plenty of complaining about a lack of cabin storage. If NCL would make a short video of each major cabin category showing how to locate all of the storage spots and other unique Epic features (card in light switch) and then run (also announce) these videos on a TV channel would be very helpful.

 

Epic Branding as Unique to NCL - Usually what followed a "first time to NCL" passengers complaints was a statement that they would never sail NCL again. We would try to explain that the Epic was unique and that they should try another NCL ship before never sailing again with NCL. Maybe NCL needs to consider branding Epic as a something unique to NCL; just like NCLA / Pride of America.

 

Improved Marketing of Nickelodeon - Many of the passengers we heard had issues with the Epic had been on the Royal Caribbean Nickelodeon cruises and were expecting the same. The only character we saw outside a show was that weird air bender kid. NCL needs to better distinguish to people before they book the Epic what to expect in regards to Nickelodeon. Also there needs to be more Slime Time shows and character breakfasts each week if NCL is going to have this many children on-board.

 

RELOCATE THE CASINO - This will have to wait until dry dock, but should really improve the Epic. Take the Casino and slot machines in the hallways on deck 6 and swap them with the atrium features (reception / shore excursion desk / cafe / art sales) on deck 5. I am not opposed to casinos and smoking, but this way the casino is located in an area more like the other NCL ships. The atrium features could then be grouped around the beautiful chandelier. This would provide the Epic with a stunning focal point as passengers embarked upon the ship. It would also open up deck 6 for those of us allergic to smoke.

 

 

Few Other Musings

 

These are some other items that we either noticed or were earlier CC questions about the Epic.

 

On the right side of the TV is a HDMI plug and RCA plugs (red/yellow/white) and also the location of the manual buttons if your remote has dead batteries. Two people can fit into the shower. There are fans in the shower and toilet; they are tiny and only run on a low continuous speed. The safe does not require a card; you make up a unique 4 digit number. Watch for hidden rises in the floor; we knew we were approaching our cabin when we stumbled. We only got clean towels if we piled the dirty towels on the floor; plus we only got towel animals if we had a clean towel. The beds can be pulled out from the wall about 4-6 inches if you don't want your feet hanging over the end; I would tuck half the pillow under the head board to get even more length. The bed sheets were never changed; by the end of the week the sheets / mattress / duvet were a mess from my leg wound. Features are installed wrong; so expect the unexpected; some of our light switches were upside-down and the lock position of the balcony door handle was 90 degrees off from the printed instructions. The mini frig is unlocked the first night and the drawer under the sink is the perfect size to remove all of the mini-bar. You can get juice all day if every morning you carry 3-4 glasses of juice on a plate back to the cabin min frig. The chilled soups are available in the buffet port side and there is something different at lunch and dinner. There are hidden quiet outside areas on deck 18 and 19; hint to find them: take the starboard stairs up from the buffet.

 

Overall this was a very good cruise. The earlier CC reviews and stalkings were very helpful in understanding the Epic. We had great days in two of the ports and the sea days were pleasant with rides down the water slides and time to relax. NCL will be seeing us again; we have a future cruise reward to use.

[sdmike]

Great adds. Which ports did you see? What did you do/think?

[PACRUISINNANA]

Your review was very informative. Thanks

[kjquilts]

Great post - thank you.

[14ersco]

Great adds. Which ports did you see? What did you do/think?

 

My review of Costa Maya has been moved by CC moderators to this other thread:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1236955

[14ersco]

Roatan - We did the same excursion as sdmike and had a similar expericence with a great day. Even before the Epic docked the native dancers / musicians were performing for the ship. This group was also there when we returned to the ship in the afternoon and they gave a sail away performance. Roatan is an easy port to navigate. Once you exit the ship there is a information kiosk on the left and a 2 story building on your right. The building has a number of small shops and in the middle of the building is a breezeway to the parking lots and tour operators. Victor Bodden e-mailed us the week before our cruise and said to come to booth 1. Each of the tour operators has a well-signed and numbered booth just beyond the breezeway. Our van load all arrived early and we were off for the Zip n Dip before 9 AM. Our driver was Olen and he first gave us a short tour through Coxen Hole before arriving at Victor's house and the Mayan Jungle Canopy tour. Victor was at the port to welcome us upon arrival and he also was at his house when we finished the zip lines. The zip lines may not be the longest / highest in Roatan, but they were just perfect for our family of zip line rookies.

 

After the zip lines we were given a tour of Victor's animals. We got to hold the monkeys, let a parrot perch on our arm, and feed the deer. Then it was off to West End Bay. Olen asked our group if we wanted to go to the all-amenity included Mayan Princess for $10 p/p or a public beach with no amenities, but free. There was no consensus of opinion between the 4 separate families in the van. I had remembered the CC review by sdmike about going to Infinity Bay Resort; so I asked Olen if we could go there and he did. This was the best beach of our excursions for marine life. I had to just walk out to about 5 feet water depth and look down. There was even a small stingray that passed over my feet. :cool: Infinity Bay had the worst food of our cruise; we ordered shrimp tacos and all we received was 4 shrimp laying on an un-rolled taco with butter sauce poured over top. The others who ordered American food (burgers, fries, wings) got larger / more edible portions. We arrived at Infinity Bay about 11:30 and left near 3; there are clean bathrooms available, showers to wash off sand, covered dining area, and no charge to use these amenities.

 

Back at the port we had plenty of time to shop and went looking for the Christmas shop orangegrove had mentioned in her review (Santa's Caribbean Workshop). It is on the 2nd floor towards the end farthest from the ship. We found most of the ornaments to be non Roatan made, but on the back wall are some painted (green or red) hammered metal Christmas trees for $8. These ornaments are made by a local group called Rusty Fish who are recycling the scrap metal of Roatan.

[coastalcarolinakid]

We were in the van with 14ersco, and also had a great time. Enjoyed their company.

[14ersco]

Cozumel - We were in port with 3 other ships; including the Oasis of the Seas. According to cruisett the passenger load for the day was over 16,000. So we reserved a day at Nachi Cocum. By 8:30 we got down to the main street (Avenue Rafael Melgar) that runs along the ocean and headed north. Our destination was the downtown store of Los Cinco Soles. This is a larger (more selections) version of their store at the pier. The downtown store even has free clean bathrooms. The store is about 4 blocks north of the Playa del Carmen ferry pier. The locations for Los Cinco Soles are on the port shopping map that NCL provides. At the store we purchased some painted fired clay Christmas ornaments. The store has various sections of local items from different parts of Mexico; so one stop shopping.

 

After shopping we backtracked to the ferry pier and an official taxi stand. The rates are posted in pesos and the taxi drivers were using an exchange rate of 10 pesos per dollar. It was 170 pesos ($17) to Nachi Cocum. This is the same rate if we had picked up a taxi by the Epic. We arrived at Nachi Cocum about 9:30 where we were had our photo taken wearing sombreros and paid the remainder due. They did require a copy of our e-mail confirmation from Island Marketing. Our server for the day was Joseph and even though we had one of the farthest out set of loungers he made sure our drinks and food arrived promptly after ordering. :)

 

We then spent the next 6 + hours relaxing, drinking, eating, and playing in the ocean. Nachi Cocum had vendors who would come by offering their services (snorkel boat, massage, etc), but they were not obnoxious. A great deal was a floater rental at $7 for the day. Basically a lounger length blue plastic mattress where one end had been rolled over to form a pillow. This allowed my not great swimmer DS to snorkel. He would lay with his head over the pillow end with his snorkel mask in the water. I was at the other end of the mat with my arms and head on the mat. That way I could kick paddle the mat around to locations he wanted to view. The marine life was limited since the reef here is a ways out in the ocean.

 

The drinks were plentiful and delicious; especially the Dirty Monkey. The food was excellent and was very large portions. Adults could order an appetizer or soup, entree, and a dessert. A child could only order 2 items. There are prices posted on the menu, but they don't matter since Nachi Cocum is all-inclusive. Also you did not need to order everything at once; we spaced our 3 items with about an hour between each course.

 

Even with the 2 largest cruise ships in port Nachi Cocum appeared to be only about half full (about 50 people); they were even accepting walk-up people. There was a mixture of people from families, to singles, cruise ship, and people staying at local resorts. A little after 4 Joseph got us a taxi back to the Epic. We spent the rest of the time in port hanging out on our balcony watching the runners; the last on-board was about 5 minutes before the Epic slid away from the dock. That evening it was a parade of cruise ships heading north with the Epic and the Grandeur of the Seas side by side for an hour or so; with the Oasis of the Seas behind us forming a "V" pattern.

[cruzcntrl]

Great review! Can't wait to get to these ports myself.