Epic or Sun

[abs711]

I have booked a cruise on the Sun for February 2011. It seems I go on the Epic for about $300.00 more. But I am seeing very mixed reviews. Please share your opinion on which ship you prefer. Husband and I are both Mid 30's and will be traveling without our child. We like plenty of R&R on cruises. Our favorite part of cruising is just sitting and watching the world go by and from I am reading epic has few places to enjoy the view and those that exist permit smoking (we are non smokers).

 

Thank you for your advice.

 

A

[debnjoe1438]

I have booked a cruise on the Sun for February 2011. It seems I go on the Epic for about $300.00 more. But I am seeing very mixed reviews. Please share your opinion on which ship you prefer. Husband and I are both Mid 30's and will be traveling without our child. We like plenty of R&R on cruises. Our favorite part of cruising is just sitting and watching the world go by and from I am reading epic has few places to enjoy the view and those that exist permit smoking (we are non smokers).

 

Thank you for your advice.

 

A

 

Small ship vs big ship. 4000 passengers vs 2000 passengers. How well do you tolerate large crowds? It's all in what your preference is.

[singinglizzie]

Wow, what a choice. I think the 2 ships are probably polar opposites - but let me say I have only sailed on the Sun and havent yet sailed the Epic. I think your choice depends on what you want. The Epic is going to be a lot larger with many more restaurants and choice of activity. I've read they have a great spa and some of their speciality dinning rooms are considered they best - CC just voted the Churrascaria restaurant the best in the industry, plus the Epic was voted as having the best Casino in the industry too - high marks for all those mixed reviews. My concern about the Epic would be the smokey Casino, as I have asthma, but I could live with it for a week. In general, I take the reviews with a grain of salt, as my worst could be your best? The Sun on the other hand is the little ship that could. She will be getting a facelift in January, so your timing will be good. Brand new bliss bedding and carpeting - she will be fresh, and the crew is so friendly! We actually considered both ships for a carribbean cruise and choose the Sun based on price, but it was $500 per person lower. If price was closer to being equal, we would probably choose the Epic. Beleive it or not our NCL PCC recommended the Sun over the Epic - but our situation was completely different since my mom isn't as mobile as she used to be. The agent said that she had just heard back from an 80 y/o that had just come off the Epic and while she was glad to have sailed her, said she preferred smaller ships as you walked by 50 cabins just to get to the elevator? Again, probably doesn't apply to you, but it might give you some sense on how large the Epic is.

 

Hopefully others will chime in so you can make an informed decision! Good luck planning.

[Sauer-kraut]

Lovely windows in the Obsevation Lounge on the SUN all the way Forward on deck 12, nice seats, there is a bar located in there as well. Nice and light and airy.

 

Haven't been on the Epic so I can't compare.

 

Nice understated decor, small atrium area with glass elevators, nice spa area, machine/workout area, nice area to sit (3 seats) in the spa area with windows and you don't have to pay or buy a pass to use the showers and steam rooms on the SUN. (See attached pic)

 

The smaller passenger count sold me on the ship, as well as the low price I got for the Transatlantic crossing. I really liked that ship, moreso than the Queen Mary 2. I don't really care for the over the top decor, or Las Vegas style flashiness on some ships.

 

There are still shows on the ship, you don't have to pay for, there are plenty of diverse music acts all over in the lounges. Since she won't have been out of dry dock very long when you are sailing she'll be spruced up for you. And, you won't have to put up with the strange bathroom set up people seem to be panning on the EPIC.

 

For me, if I can save $300, that's a lot of money. If the itinerary is something that one ship has is better than the other that would swing my choice either way. Only you can decide what is best for you. :)

[coffeebean]

Sun vs Epic??? No brainer....EPIC!!! Awesome ship.

[abs711]

Thank you for those who have responded (so far). The ships being Polar Oposites is what it is making the decision hard. We were married on Freedom a few years ago but have since stuck to the smaller ships as we do more R&R then "Activities". The Itinery is pretty similar so that isn't helping either. Part of me want's to sail Epic to say I sailed her but part of me thinks we maybe more satisfied with the Sun. Is she definitely getting the refresh? I couldn't find any solid info backing it.

 

Thanks again!

[kitsVA]

Our favorite part of cruising is just sitting and watching the world go by and from I am reading epic has few places to enjoy the view and those that exist permit smoking (we are non smokers).

A

 

Not sure about Sun. If it's anything like Pearl with Spinnaker Lounge and Promenade deck, stick with it. I just came back from Epic. The best place we found to sit and enjoy the sea is our Balcony. Fat Cats is the other place I enjoyed for watching the sea but you have to sit in the window as the chairs there are not something you can sit back and relax.

 

I will be surprised if NCL don't take care of smoking issues by Feb 2011. I think they will soon restrict smoking in many areas as almost everyone I talked to on the ship, at the ports, and on a cab back to airport all complained about smoking. We met one old couple from CA who did back to back and she told us how much she regretting staying 14-days on Epic as by the 3rd day she started to stay in her room because of smoking areas in several places.

[STARFISH*4]

Old vs NEW...for us we havent even considered the EPIC because of its size but are very much looking forward to our B2B in 3 1/2 weeks:)

[Sauer-kraut]

Part of me want's to sail Epic to say I sailed her but part of me thinks we maybe more satisfied with the Sun. Is she definitely getting the refresh? I couldn't find any solid info backing it.

 

Thanks again!

 

YES!! She is going into drydock around Jan. 8th and will be out again around Jan 21. I can't remember the exact dates but they are here on the boards.

[luvlax]

I did the sun last march. We liked it but unlike the gem type ships, jewel and pearl it lacked the deck in the back of the garden cafe. We used to love to sit outside and dine at every meal. The Sun does not have that and we really missed it. We have booked on the epic for this march. One thing I would mention is that the amount of kids can be small depending on when you cruise. We have gone every year in the beginning of march which tends to have fewer kids. Good and bad. more personal attention in kids camp but fewer friends to make. I think the epic will have more children. And we are looking forward to that.

[NMLady]

I did the sun last march. We liked it but unlike the gem type ships, jewel and pearl it lacked the deck in the back of the garden cafe. We used to love to sit outside and dine at every meal. The Sun does not have that and we really missed it. ...

 

??????? I just spent 33 days on the Sun 9/20-10/23 and can tell you that the Sun DOES have a deck in the back of the Garden Cafe. It's called The Great Outdoors. It covers the entire aft from the Garden Cafe to the Sports Bar, has lots of seating area under a canopy. I spent lots of time out there, not just at meals but other times as well.

[dexddd]

Agree - the Sun does have the aft outside eating area behind the inside buffet area. It has its own food serving area, a bar, and large part of it is covered with a white tent-like canopy.

 

One other consideration for the op as you mentioned having sons is if they like to use the pools. Haven't been on the Epic, but the ones on the Sun are pretty basic and not that big if they are interested in that sort of thing.

[Cruise_More_Often]

Yes, absolutely, the Sun has The Great Outdoors at the back of the ship. It was one of our favorite places to sit on our three cruises on the Sun. I missed that the most on the Star (and the Dawn doesn't have it either).

 

Il Adagio, the Italian restaurant on the Sun, is not to be missed. The food is wonderful, and the interior of the restaurant is really nice.

 

Another fun place on the Sun is Las Ramblas. They serve tapas and sangria in the evenings (heck, you could probably get sangria for lunch, too), and when we were on her, they served excellent sandwiches at lunch. You could eat in the cute little restaurant or take your lunch/appetizers outside, where you're one flight up a set of stairs from The Great Outdoors.

 

We loved the size of the Sun, and neither of us has any desire to sail on the Epic. Just too big.

[Medtech2]

EPIC! Give it a try! LOVED it! Get the Spa Pass and R & R in the Spa. OMG I am an Epic cheerleader! When I got back to work, people noticed I was STILL grinning 2 weeks later!

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

I've not sailed either, which probably isn't very helpful, but I can say is that it really depends on what you want, and what is better for you.

 

The Sun is a much more conventional cruise ship, traditional one may be prone to say, mid-sized by today's standards. You'll get to know your surroundings really quickly, settle down, and enjoy the voyage.

 

The Epic, on the other hand, is the largest ship any cruise line other than RCI have ever built, highly innovative, is developing a new concept in the cruise industry and it'll likely take you seven days to truly experience the entire ship.

 

It really depends on what you really want, and if upgrading to larger vessel is worth the $300 per person you would pay.

[bahrain_not_dubai!]

Double Post.

[pontoon bob]

We vote SUN all the way. Less people, more room, just no country music.

[silkhair1]

If your son likes water slides and you want fun activities for him (not sure of his age) then do the Epic. It depends on what you are looking for. To me a cruise is a cruise, but I have to make sure my 2 boys are entertained (I suffer if they are not happy) so I look for things for them to do and then that makes my decision! LOL You will have fun no matter which ship you will choose. Good luck on your decision!