Epic review written in a familiar style

[jmcdon7230]

Does this review writer's style seem familiar?:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=76991

[Micchi]

Does this review writer's style seem familiar?:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=76991

 

Sounds suspiciously like "my children were left alone and neglected in the corner and I found a bug in my food bad grammar run-on sentence worst vacation ever" to me.

[Why Knot Me]

Oh my, pass the popcorn please.

 

Really, I never considered myself to be a "trashy, tacky and ghetto clientele", but in the opinion of this review, I must be since I'm going back on the Epic again.

 

NCL, please don't bother reading this review. Consider the source of this ranting review, move on and know that many of us love the NCL product, including the Epic.

[beachgirl32931]

Wow.... I have never been on the Epic and won't be when the ship is at capacity (hopefully). This person just sounds miserable. I imagine if they went to Disney World on Christmas day and had to wait in line they would have complained about everything.

 

The one thing I have noticed on the Cruise Critic boards is that most people are happy with NCL no matter what ship they sail on. If you look at the other threads for two of the other big lines there are lots of complaints and negativity.

 

I am cruising NCL for the first time this month and I can't wait.

 

Marie

[Got2Cruise]

Whenever a reviewer gives a ship straight ones, or straight fives, I take it with a larger grain of salt than usual. But my biggest pet peeve is when a pax blames the weather conditions on the cruiseline.:eek: I have seen this several times with different reviews and different ships.

[erdoran]

I was on that cruise and there were numerous inaccuracies in the review. Our rooms were available by 2 pm. Le Cirque was cancelled the first sea night but people with reservations were refunded and invited to have the le cirque dinner for free.

 

I don't recall any deep stench of cigarette smoke in the casino - I probably smelled a little but it wasn't overwhelming by any means. My clothes never reeked of smoke, and I didn't see, much less trip over, any portable air purifiers. I don't remember any smoke around restaurants.

 

The ship was pretty full, but we never had any difficulty getting from front to back on any of the THREE floors with amenities, including five, which I found to be at times more crowded than the others, especially the last night. You can also walk from front to back across the seventh floor without going through the casino.

 

The sea was rough the first sea day but not "rocked and swayed uncontrollably!", but by the second day we were at Costa Maya first thing in the morning and that was very calm. DH and I didn't notice the ship swaying from side to side or even moving very much after the first day.

 

Perhaps the reviewer had an aft cabin and that is the reason for the "deafening" noise; certainly DH and I didn't hear it either, although we were midship.

 

We found lots of free things to do. Our particular favorite was Howl at the Moon which is free...along with Second City, Blue Man, Legends (both the full show & unplugged), comedy magician, Fat Cats (including a nice Beatles cover show by the guitarist), cruise director led game shows & activities, CC meet & greet, etc, etc. Lots of music choices--the shows I've just mentioned with full bands, a full band in Manhattan Club. Howl & the band from Fat Cats are both excellent musicians (and DH is a musician so we know what we are talking about).

 

Oh, and there were 4500 or so guests, according to the crew. Another error of fact.

 

DH had a soda card and whenever he would walk up to the bar for a soda he'd have it immediately.

 

Should I continue? Roatan was the second port, not the third. There were cruise director activities at port for those who stayed on the ship. And of course the pools and slides were fairly empty.

 

There was an elevator outage, I don't remember exactly when. I also don't remember a power outage.

 

NYE parties: a HUGE one at the main pool, another at Spice, another at Bliss, another in Atrium, and probably stuff going on at the bars. GREAT fun! Balloon drop at midnight in the Atrium. DH and I are 50-something and found it appealed to us, no problem.

 

We didn't feel bilked! We were in a suite so perhaps it isn't fair to compare our lack of spending to the reviewer's perception, but our bill was minimal. Other than the DSC, we had a few drinks, every single martini tasting ($15 for 4 to 5 drinks which DH and I shared is a steal!), DH's soda card, duty-free items DH bought, and our $250 future cruise certificate - which was spent booking next year's Christmas cruise! We didn't spend otherwise (excursions were booked privately) on the Epic and didn't feel like we had missed out on anything at all.

 

We had issues on the cruise as well, which I've written about on the boards, but overall it was a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back! ?The problems we had were relatively minor; some were fixed within an hour of being reported and the others we let go because they were relatively small compared to all the things we enjoyed about our vacation.

 

 

Oh--are we "tacky, trashy and ghetto"? I'm a graduate-degreed professional with two science degrees working for a Fortune 500 corporation in a combination of science, IT, and law; DH owns his "tacky, trashy, and ghetto" business and is an orchestral percussionist in his spare time. Judge for yourself who is "tacky, trashy and ghetto"!

[jmcdon7230]

I thought that overall it seemed slightly bogus and had whiffs of a particular frequent Epic critic.

[lunaxmars]

A cruise critic soap opera- who could it be? Dum dum dum! haha

 

But c'mon- I haven't been on the ship yet. However my research and time spent

here on cruise critic have prepared me for the best and the worst the Epic has to

offer. This will certainly ensure my review will be un-biased when I return.

 

Luckily- most true blue NCLers will know the review in question is a bunch of baloney.

It's impossible for cruising to be that miserable.

[jarz85]

I thought that overall it seemed slightly bogus and had whiffs of a particular frequent Epic critic.

 

And this particular critic is in LUST with the Epic, correct? :D

[TPEINC1958]

And this particular critic is in LUST with the Epic, correct? :D

 

If the reviewer is indeed who everyone thinks it is, why would they use a different name. They seem pretty proud of what they have to say here, going by the pure volume of their posts on the subject.

[rsd11]

I am new to cruise critic and just reacqainted with cruising. While I was not on this cruise I was on the one before (12/18-12/25). I fell in love with cruising again...yes, on the Epic. Guess I fall into his description of "trashy, tacky and ghetto clientele". :) I'd hate to be seated next to him ... anywhere.

[bcakes]

I appreciate the reviewer's valient, but failed attempt at properly using a semi-colon. However, I stopped reading this review half-way through. I'm intent on going on my Epic vacation with a good attitude and don't think I have anything to gain from slogging through the rest of the review.

[commission1]

sounds pretty accurate for the most part with a few imbelishments, ncl product is an oktogood product, I sailed on five ncl ships, satisfied, however beware, stay away from the EPIC, please I beg you stay away from the "Big Smoke, NO empty spaces" Ship

[kjquilts]

sounds pretty accurate for the most part with a few imbelishments, ncl product is an oktogood product, I sailed on five ncl ships, satisfied, however beware, stay away from the EPIC, please I beg you stay away from the "Big Smoke, NO empty spaces" Ship

 

 

Just curious when you sailed on the Epic? I've also sailed on 5 NCL ships including the Epic - our 43rd anniversary cruise end of August. We would sail her again :)

[Zeno]

The racist comment - "trashy, tacky and ghetto clientele" from the reviewer pretty much destroyed any credibility in the review for me. I truly don't want to encounter him on any cruise I take.

[KissaKay]

I was on that cruise and there were numerous inaccuracies in the review. Our rooms were available by 2 pm. Le Cirque was cancelled the first sea night but people with reservations were refunded and invited to have the le cirque dinner for free.

 

I don't recall any deep stench of cigarette smoke in the casino - I probably smelled a little but it wasn't overwhelming by any means. My clothes never reeked of smoke, and I didn't see, much less trip over, any portable air purifiers. I don't remember any smoke around restaurants.

 

The ship was pretty full, but we never had any difficulty getting from front to back on any of the THREE floors with amenities, including five, which I found to be at times more crowded than the others, especially the last night. You can also walk from front to back across the seventh floor without going through the casino.

 

The sea was rough the first sea day but not "rocked and swayed uncontrollably!", but by the second day we were at Costa Maya first thing in the morning and that was very calm. DH and I didn't notice the ship swaying from side to side or even moving very much after the first day.

 

Perhaps the reviewer had an aft cabin and that is the reason for the "deafening" noise; certainly DH and I didn't hear it either, although we were midship.

 

We found lots of free things to do. Our particular favorite was Howl at the Moon which is free...along with Second City, Blue Man, Legends (both the full show & unplugged), comedy magician, Fat Cats (including a nice Beatles cover show by the guitarist), cruise director led game shows & activities, CC meet & greet, etc, etc. Lots of music choices--the shows I've just mentioned with full bands, a full band in Manhattan Club. Howl & the band from Fat Cats are both excellent musicians (and DH is a musician so we know what we are talking about).

 

Oh, and there were 4500 or so guests, according to the crew. Another error of fact.

 

DH had a soda card and whenever he would walk up to the bar for a soda he'd have it immediately.

 

Should I continue? Roatan was the second port, not the third. There were cruise director activities at port for those who stayed on the ship. And of course the pools and slides were fairly empty.

 

There was an elevator outage, I don't remember exactly when. I also don't remember a power outage.

 

NYE parties: a HUGE one at the main pool, another at Spice, another at Bliss, another in Atrium, and probably stuff going on at the bars. GREAT fun! Balloon drop at midnight in the Atrium. DH and I are 50-something and found it appealed to us, no problem.

 

We didn't feel bilked! We were in a suite so perhaps it isn't fair to compare our lack of spending to the reviewer's perception, but our bill was minimal. Other than the DSC, we had a few drinks, every single martini tasting ($15 for 4 to 5 drinks which DH and I shared is a steal!), DH's soda card, duty-free items DH bought, and our $250 future cruise certificate - which was spent booking next year's Christmas cruise! We didn't spend otherwise (excursions were booked privately) on the Epic and didn't feel like we had missed out on anything at all.

 

We had issues on the cruise as well, which I've written about on the boards, but overall it was a wonderful time and we can't wait to go back! ?The problems we had were relatively minor; some were fixed within an hour of being reported and the others we let go because they were relatively small compared to all the things we enjoyed about our vacation.

 

 

Oh--are we "tacky, trashy and ghetto"? I'm a graduate-degreed professional with two science degrees working for a Fortune 500 corporation in a combination of science, IT, and law; DH owns his "tacky, trashy, and ghetto" business and is an orchestral percussionist in his spare time. Judge for yourself who is "tacky, trashy and ghetto"!

 

 

Loved reading this....and we're thinking of upgrading to a suite. ;)

[TPEINC1958]

sounds pretty accurate for the most part with a few imbelishments, ncl product is an oktogood product, I sailed on five ncl ships, satisfied, however beware, stay away from the EPIC, please I beg you stay away from the "Big Smoke, NO empty spaces" Ship

 

You seem very bent on trashing NCL with almost every post you submit. Can you cite specifics as to why you dislike this line so much? You only seem to make very combative statements without any substance that would allow us to understand your stance.

[CanadianTwosome]

I had a quick skim of the review and I think the problem is clear: this person was on the 'wrong' Epic. He certainly wasn't on the ship I was on. Some of the remarks seem to be referring to a similar ship with similar amenities, but there are just so many inaccuracies...

 

I may have missed a lot, since as I said I just skimmed it, but I had to laugh at the bit about the ice bar. The so-called 'acrylic' sculptures and seats on MY Epic were actually made of ice. How can I be so sure? Well, I sat on one of the benches and I posed with the sculptures - and in doing so I touched each and every one of them. I was careful not to touch them too much since I didn't want to cause meltage, but as a Canadian I'm pretty experienced with ice, and I can verify that what I touched was indeed frozen water. Touching the sculptures was exactly like touching an icicle; icy cold with just a hint of wetness caused by the warmth of the touch. Sitting on the benches was pretty much exactly like sitting on a block of ice or a snowbank.

 

So, as I said, I didn't read everything, but in my experience, one falsehood = multiple falsehoods. I'll never understand the need to embellish. Whether someone's experience is good or bad, it is what it is. Embellishment, exaggeration, and outright falsehoods say nothing about the subject and everything about the poster.

 

Then again, what do I know? I'm apparently trashy, tacky and ghetto... :p

[CanadianTwosome]

sounds pretty accurate for the most part with a few imbelishments, ncl product is an oktogood product, I sailed on five ncl ships, satisfied, however beware, stay away from the EPIC, please I beg you stay away from the "Big Smoke, NO empty spaces" Ship

 

I saw this post by you in another thread:

 

The Library on the Celebrity Solstice is on three different floors, it is open 24/7, there is not check out, it is on the honor system. I understand the Epic has no promenade deck, a deck that you can walk around the whole ship.

 

Since you're explaining that you 'understand' something about the Epic, am I correct in assuming that you haven't actually been on the ship? If so, how on earth would you know how accurate or inaccurate anyone's description of the ship is? I think what you really mean is that the review reflects ideas that you believe from other posters (which may or may not be accurate). :cool:

[Zeno]

Embellishment, exaggeration, and outright falsehoods say nothing about the subject and everything about the poster.

 

 

So true!

[jarz85]

If the reviewer is indeed who everyone thinks it is, why would they use a different name. They seem pretty proud of what they have to say here, going by the pure volume of their posts on the subject.

 

Heck, I wouldnt be suprised if they have 3 or 4 accounts and one of them was posting on this thread...

 

You see it all the time on tripadvisor, a hotel has 90% 5 star reviews yet all the people only have 1 contribution and their user name is similiar.

 

Anyone who posts a review on this site and they havent even made one forum post, I tend not to take to much notice off.

 

As for the Epic, yes the balcony cabins are 'small' so we paid the extra for a mini suite... problem solved :D

[tiyana4]

In attempting to get through the review, one would think these were uneducated, first-time cruisers...not the seasoned NCL cruisers they profess to be. A little research beforehand would have gone a long, long way to head off 75% of the complaints the poster had. With all of the information available regarding the Epic, I can't understand why there were so many surprises. It sounds like they overpaid for a holiday cruise and were expecting more because they paid more. For what they paid per person, they could have waited a few weeks and got a suite instead.

 

BTW, I don't think the poster meant to imply that Epic cruisers were tacky and ghetto, but that the ship (in their opinion) should be sold to a "budget" cruise line. Any idea what a budget cruise line is? :confused:

[erdoran]

Loved reading this....and we're thinking of upgrading to a suite. ;)

the one downside of a suite is that it really does spoil you!