My Epic Review - Western 2/19-26

[MusicalBear]

This was my first time on an NCL cruise but I have cruised on Disney, Princess, Royal Caribbean (including Oasis) and Holland America in the past so I can compare. Embarkation was very easy. We were up at the buffet by lunch time. I loved the variety at the buffet. There was always a chilled fruit soup which is my favorite item on a cruise. Unfortunately chilled fuits soups were never served in the MDRs. I loved the pasta station where they would whip a pasta dish fresh for you. You could choose from 4 sauces and various toppings. The burgers were great, nice and thick. My DH loved the asian and mexican choices. The ice cream was certainly a welcome addition. I have not seen hard ice cream with the variety they had on other ships.

 

At 2:00 the room was ready. We stayed in a Balcony room on deck 11 mid ship. The room was quiet and no notice of cigarette smoke. The room layout is nice to look at and I love modern decor but it did compromise on space. We were constantaly saying "excuse me can I get by". I really liked the shower and toilet being in separate rooms and I only had trouble with the sink when I washed my face and splattered water on the floor. It made it easy to get ready with each person being in a different area - no waiting! There is more than enough storage space. Even up to the last day we were still discovering more hidden areas.

 

I loved the water slides. Being in my 50's I did the Epic Plunge 10 times during the week and the other slides numerous times. There were the share of chair hogs but I could always find a place to put my towel. If you don't want to wait in line for the Epic Plunge I suggest getting there right when it opens. I did the slide three times in a row without waiting.

 

The entertainment was great. We booked the Blue Man Group, Legends, Second City and Cirque Dreams online at the 45 day mark. I thought the food at Cirque Dreams was excellent. We got in line early for the standard seating and were able to get upstairs seating. There was always room in the Epic Theater. I also enjoyed the meet and greet with the Blue Man Goup on the last day. I had pictures taken with some of them in make up and then again without make up.

 

I will continue the review later.

[youngestof9]

Welcome home - sounds like you had a nice time - looking forward to more (and sorta off topic - but I can never get enough when I read reviews - even though I have 2 years to wait, I still love to soak it all in!)

[MusicalBear]

Aretha Franklin and Neil Diamond were great in the legends show. Neil Diamond sounded just like him but looked a little bit like Greg Brady from the Brady Bunch. Janet Jackson I wouldn't have liked even if it had been the real one. Second City was good but not great. I saw a Nick show by the pool and that was fun to watch. I went bowling, had to say I bowled at sea. Didn't break 100 but hadn't bowled in at least 10 years. Didn't go in the ice bar because I had been in one in Copenhagen and went on this cruise to get away from the cold. If you haven't been in an ice bar you should try it. We also went to Legends Unplugged in the Manhattan one night and really enjoyed that show. Howl with the Moon and Fat Cats were great entertainment also. There was also a good singer and pianist in the atrium.

 

Now for the restaurants. I reserved Le Bistro and Moderno at 45 days. The first night we went to Le Bistro. The food and service were excellent. It was the best escargot I have ever had. One of my traveling companions said the duck was the best she ever had. My husband thought the pork was a little dry and tough and din't care for the flavor. My steak was excellent. The next night we went to Taste. Service was very good but the menu was not what I would expect on a cruise. It just wasn't very exciting. I guess they are trying to get you to eat in the specialty restaurants where the menus are what you would expect to get on a cruise. Monday we ate in Moderno's. Again another excellent meal and service. Nice salad bar and more meat than any human could or should eat. One member of our group didn't like the dessert because there was no choclolate so our waitress got her the chocolate dessert from Cagney's without being asked. Tuesday night was lobster night so we ate in Manhattan. Manhattan has a much nicer atmosphere than Taste and we enjoyed the music. Wednesday we tried Taste again because we didn't feel like dressing up. Again, another boring menu. Thursday we went to the Buffet where I could at least get the chilled soup with my dinner. Nice variety and everyone could have what they wanted along with crepes for dessert. Friday we went to Cirque Dreams. We all enjoyed the show and the meal was very good. We ate lunch several times in the buffet always with a good variety. We also tried the Chicken Milanese in Taste for lunch one day that was very good and the Chicken Pot Pie in O'Sheehans that needed more chicken. The restuarant manager and chef were from Austria so I kept asking when Schnitzel was going to be served. The restuarant manager said the Chicken Milanese was the closest I would get to schnitzel so we tried that and really enjoyed it. I liked the ability to try different restaurants but wished the MDR menus were more interesting and had food that was more gourmet like on other cruise ships.

 

For our port stop at Costa Maya we took a bus to Mahahual. We walked the boardwalk and then settled in at Tropicante as recommended by fellow Cruise Critic members. We did not reserve a table in advance but they brought a table out from inside and sat it right on the beach for us. The $3 Margaritas and food were excellent and the beach was beautiful. The water was so clear. It must be the spot to go because we also saw the Cruise Director and members of Blue Man Group and other entertainers there. Excellent mexican food and service. Would highly recommend.

 

We took a Victor Bodden tour of Roatan that everyone enjoyed. The monkeys were fun and the restaurant at Flower's Bay was excellent. We stopped at a home that had magnificent views and delivered school supplies to a school in our drivers town. Our last stop was the beach at West Bay. It was a beautiful day.

 

We had been to Cozumel before so we opted for the ship's tour to Tulum. The ship docked right in town so we had about an hour for shopping the main street in Cozumel after the tour.

 

The weather was beautiful the whole week. Warm and sunny every day!!! That made up for the terrible winter we have had this year.

 

The only place I noticed the smell of smoke was in the casino and then it was not very strong unless you walked by someone smoking. I did not notice smoking smells anywhere else. The crew members were all very friendly. I did have to remind the cabin steward to replace the pool towels in our room after going a day without them being replaced. I enjoyed the cruise very much and the only thing I would like to see improved were the MDR dinner menus.

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

... and the Chicken Pot Pie in O'Sheehans that needed more chicken. ...

 

 

That was Cheryl's observation last week as well! VERY tasty chocolate shakes there. Loved that place - always open, with a good variety of tasty food and quick service (unless they don't think you are there to eat - or don't see you)! :eek:

 

We bowled two games in Bliss on the last day - fortunately the seas were not too rough by that point (unlike the day/night prior)!

 

I will return to those FUN slides when we return.

 

Thanks for your review!

 

Tom

[FrancineFrancine]

Thanks Magic Bear for your review. I will be going on my first cruise and was worried about the smoking, so it is good to know that it is not too bad. I'm no spring chicken and will be going with my very athletic 13 year old. Do you have to be very fit to do the Plunge and some of these other activities on board ship? I'll be in a three person balcony and was wondering how tight it is for space when the couch has been converted into a bed for the night, since some of us may have to get up in the middle of the night for a potty break. I got the configuration which has the main bed by the balcony. Ours is the basic balcony.

[coffeebean]

Thanks Magic Bear for your review. I will be going on my first cruise and was worried about the smoking, so it is good to know that it is not too bad. I'm no spring chicken and will be going with my very athletic 13 year old. Do you have to be very fit to do the Plunge and some of these other activities on board ship? I'll be in a three person balcony and was wondering how tight it is for space when the couch has been converted into a bed for the night, since some of us may have to get up in the middle of the night for a potty break. I got the configuration which has the main bed by the balcony. Ours is the basic balcony.

The plunge itself does not require any athleticism at all but you do need to be in some sort of shape to climb the stairs to get up the the entrance to the plunge. I'm 61 and loved the slides and went on all of them many times in a row. Great to be like a kid again.:)

[MusicalBear]

Thanks Magic Bear for your review. I will be going on my first cruise and was worried about the smoking, so it is good to know that it is not too bad. I'm no spring chicken and will be going with my very athletic 13 year old. Do you have to be very fit to do the Plunge and some of these other activities on board ship? I'll be in a three person balcony and was wondering how tight it is for space when the couch has been converted into a bed for the night, since some of us may have to get up in the middle of the night for a potty break. I got the configuration which has the main bed by the balcony. Ours is the basic balcony.

 

CoffeeBean is right, the only athletic thing you have to be able to do is climb several flights of stairs. The rest is easy and lots of fun. The purple slide is all enclosed and not very twisty. The green slide opens to the outside towards the end and then twists around a lot so you feel a little dizzy when you reach the bottom with the big splash.

 

It will be tight in your cabin. Our cabin had the sofa next to the balcony. It's the sofa that they make into a bed each night. Our friends had the configuration like you're going to have and it did seem like they had a little more room when you first walked into their cabin. On the other side of us there were three women sharing a cabin and they said it wasn't too bad. I guess it depends on how much you like each other!

[FrancineFrancine]

CoffeeBean is right, the only athletic thing you have to be able to do is climb several flights of stairs. The rest is easy and lots of fun. The purple slide is all enclosed and not very twisty. The green slide opens to the outside towards the end and then twists around a lot so you feel a little dizzy when you reach the bottom with the big splash.

 

It will be tight in your cabin. Our cabin had the sofa next to the balcony. It's the sofa that they make into a bed each night. Our friends had the configuration like you're going to have and it did seem like they had a little more room when you first walked into their cabin. On the other side of us there were three women sharing a cabin and they said it wasn't too bad. I guess it depends on how much you like each other!

Okay, thanks CoffeeBean and MusicalBear! That's encouraging. I just have to start going to the gym and use the stairclimber machine more often.

 

We're going on the Eastern Caribbean cruise. Does anyone know or has heard what are the best beaches at the ports to go swimming in (Nassau, St. Martin, St. Thomas)? My 13 year old loves to swim, but is a bit leery about sharks! Meanwhile my husband wants to go hiking and would immediately look for mountains to climb. Water is not his thing!

 

Was the lack of privacy for the shower, toilet etc. as bad as some reviews make it seem? There is a curtain right? Is there just the one curtain or is there a separate curtain each for the toilet and the shower?

[FrancineFrancine]

That was Cheryl's observation last week as well! VERY tasty chocolate shakes there. Loved that place - always open, with a good variety of tasty food and quick service (unless they don't think you are there to eat - or don't see you)! :eek:

 

We bowled two games in Bliss on the last day - fortunately the seas were not too rough by that point (unlike the day/night prior)!

 

I will return to those FUN slides when we return.

 

Thanks for your review!

 

Tom

Can't wait to try out these great places, thanks for the tips! I was checking out your smugmug photo gallery. Those are wonderful pics. What type of camera and lens do you use? My husband is really into photography as well and has a gallery on smugmug. It is an excellent website for photographers. But I couldn't find your NCL Epic pics, have you posted them yet, or did I just miss them?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

Can't wait to try out these great places, thanks for the tips! I was checking out your smugmug photo gallery. Those are wonderful pics. What type of camera and lens do you use? My husband is really into photography as well and has a gallery on smugmug. It is an excellent website for photographers. But I couldn't find your NCL Epic pics, have you posted them yet, or did I just miss them?

 

Thanks - there is a reason you don't yet see my Epic pics... I have a new camera and am forcing myself to use the manual modes so that I have to think about exposure, shutter speeds, etc. As a result, several (otherwise good) photos will need some work in Adobe Lightroom. With some white balance and exposure adjustments they should become presentable! Oh, it's (now) a Canon T1i w/kit lens, but I also brought along a 100mm Macro for a few shots. Looking at some additional lenses, and am amazed that a few are in the $1,000-$2,000 range! :eek:

 

Tom

[MusicalBear]

Was the lack of privacy for the shower, toilet etc. as bad as some reviews make it seem? There is a curtain right? Is there just the one curtain or is there a separate curtain each for the toilet and the shower?

 

It didn't bother us at all. You can't really see through. The curtain blocks the toilet on one side and hanging towels on the hooks by the shower hides it. I liked the two separate areas, it made it easy to get ready in the morning.