Recap of first-time-ever NCLer going on EPIC . . .

[criscruise]

I think most can agree that a lot of passengers (people in general) are more prone to ask for, and fill out, a comment card if there was an issue, or if there is something that can come back to them by putting out the effort.

 

NCL has an onboard comment card program, in addition to the post-cruise survey you receive when back home.

 

The onboard program is called S.T.Y.L.E., and everyone receives one card in their cabin during the sailing. Mine looked a little beat up, so it had possibly been there for a while. I was going to walk down to Guest Services to grab three more when I notived that Natalie was in the Living Room taking with a few Studio peeps. I asked if there were any even closer, and she smiled and said, "Yes". She opened up a cabinet below the coffee machine and grabbed me a few. OK, that wouldn't have been in my first ten guesses of locations. :)

I took my now five cards, and spread them out like a dealer and said, "Pick a card -- Any card". She did, and that's when I advised I'd use that one for her. Oooooo, I got a big hug. :D

 

Went back to the studio, filled them all out, and took them down to Guest Services.

 

I'm going to encourage as many of you as posisble to do the same when you see something that needs to be rewarded, as well as when something needs a fixin'

 

I think it's great that you took the time to do this. We totally agree. We always fill out these cards. I don't remember ever having to note anything disagreeable.

On Epic there were so many that really did go above and beyond. LOL, we had one server that we saw several times that in his own nice way was over feeding us. We asked for 1 suggeestion and every time after he always brought us extras...including 2+ lobsters tails that we had to say "stop!" LOL.

I will also say that we had a wonderful room steward. He was unbelievable. We were so pleased that we called the head of housekeeping and had to tell them how impressed we were. A few hours later we saw "our" steward in the hall and he stopped us and thanked us. Because of our phone call, he was given a certificate to dinner at one of the premium restaurants. I think they do this if they are mentioned on the cards, too. He certainly deserved it. He was always working so hard and so stealthy (?) ;)

 

BTW, I'm sad you are disembarking, Don. Guess we will have to book our own trip to continue this great review ourselves!

[DGP1111]

Got my automated wake-up call on Saturday morning, and reality set in that the week was over.

 

Went into the Living Room to grab a quick breakfast, and then back to the studio to grab the last of my things.

 

Debarkation was totally painless. Followed the directions I'd been given, and showed up at the requested time to basically just walk off the ship. Several crew members stationed here and there for questions, and each one saying Thanks, and to come back soon.

 

Called SAS Transport to advise I was leaving the ship, and would call again when I had my luggage in hand. Steve sounded rather stressed on the phone (in comparision to the numerous other times I've called), and I would later learn why.

 

Found my luggage with relative ease, and then headed with documents in hand to do the immigration/customs thing. The gentleman looked at me, looked at the passport, looked at me, and then said, "Next". Despite what you all have learned about me from this CC thread, he decided that I was sane enough to go through without question. Ta-Da!!

 

Called SAS, and sensed the same stress, but was told where to meet and they'd been there shortly for the trip to FLL. Several minutes later I saw one of their vans and began waving my arm wildly at the driver (sort of like I had to do on the toilet that first day :p), but he seemed on a mission and didn't stop. About five minutes later the same van came by and I'm waving again. They roll down the window and ask if I'm Bill. My first thought was, "Just say Yes", but I didn't know if they were going to MIA or FLL, and admitted I wasn't Bill.

 

A short time later the same van come around again, and he motions to me to get in. Luggage goes in the trailer, and I grab the one remaining open seat. Several people again ask if I'm Bill. Apparently him being tardy gave me my seat. I get the news that a fatal multi-vehicle accident has shut down I-95 North, and we'll be doing some 'detours'. My flight is still several hours away, so I'm not concerned about being late. A few in the van were not as lucky with times.

 

I sent a text to T-n-C advising what I knew since they're driving up to the Cocoa area. They call me to advise they're already on the road and aware. When I hung up, I said to those in the van, "Darn it - - I forget to tell them pick up Bill if they saw him". :) .That helped to break the tension for a little while.

 

 

 

Traffic was seemingly moving faster in the center and left lanes, but we continued in the far right. And thankfully so, as a bit later, we were about to exit right off the ON ramp to get into a local neighborhood.

 

This is taken out the rear of our vehicle going the wrong way. . .

 

 

 

All seemed to be going better once off I-95, but I honestly don't think our wonderful driver had ever seen these side streets before. If you tried to input our plan into GPS, you'd get the reply, "Dude, you are screwed".

 

After mutliple twists and turns, we were back on the road (literally) to success, and we all had to give our driver applause. I also doubled my fare as a tip to him.

Edited April 3, 2011 by DGP1111

[apmecruise]

I totally agree that people tend to speak up when complaining and get curiously quiet when they are satisfied. What a great treat that they reward their employees for getting positive feedback. I am going to try to remember to pass on something positive each day! It is just one little way I am going to be on the look out for things that go well.

 

Thank you for sharing, not just your journey, but your particular way of viewing the Epic and its staff.;)

[DGP1111]

I'll probably pop back on this thread with some after-thoughts, or a few additional pictures that might be of assistance to future EPICers.

 

Ooooooo, like this one. In case anyone is interested in the onboard martini tasting events . . . here is the pricing info.

In my own opinion, it is totally worth it. And if going soon, get to know bartender Armando and tell him other people thinks he's just great.

 

 

.

But other than that, you've pretty much heard (and seen) just about everthing that made up this amazing cruise week.

 

I still can't get over the amount of page views this thread has received. Never ever would I have thought that more than a small handfull of people would care in the least about this one person's opinions/insights.

 

It was a bit time consuming, but fun nonetheless. I made a promise, and tried to keep it. :) It also helped me to remember all the things (and feelings) that took place.

 

Sincere THANKS to all for the positive feedback. As I mentioned earlier, it was able to go from A to Z without any bickering or ill will. Way cool!!!! :D

 

Tom/Cheryl: It would have still been fun, but nowhere that amount had the two of you not been there to share along. Thank You big time!! It was a blast!!

Edited April 3, 2011 by DGP1111

[DGP1111]

One (somewhat) last thing . . . .

If anyone is still confused about that very first post . . . .



:D I had a good time!! :D

[Sauer-kraut]

Thanks you, Don! I hope you come back and give us the links to the other reviews you'll be doing for the 2011 cruising schedule you have. Thank you for taking the time to sit and do this for us voyeurs, it was fantastic.

[mtb242]

 

A ship could be seen in the distance, and I immediately knew what it was - - Carnival Sensation. I've been on that ship numerous times (really enjoying most), and knew that it hits Nassau every Friday at Noon. I looked at it through my camera with zoom on, and could tell it was definitely catching some waves on its approach. Since it is a dramatically smaller ship, I was very certain they'd had a rough night. :eek:

 

As we got closer to Nassau, Sensation got closer to us.

 

 

Oh Don, you brought back some fun memories. I cruised the Sensation in Nov 2007 -- we sailed through the rough waters left in the wake of Hurricane/Tropical Storm Noel. She did not give us any direct trouble, as I highly doubt we'd sail through her, but the rough seas we passed through just after her was a jarring and unfortunate introduction to our (mine and husband) first cruise. It seemed to affect most everyone sailing with us -- we were with a large group of friends on the ship to see my best friend get hitched in Nassau.

 

I remember at one point that first night realizing that I was very hungry, despite the waves of nausea and dizziness, making/stumbling my way to the buffet to eat the only thing I could stomach -- a plain baked potato. Then miserably heading back to our room. My poor husband was much more affected by the rockin n rollin. Even a couple days later on our return trip, the waters were still a bit rough and he was back to laying down in dizziness, but I was fine thankfully.

 

Anywho, just felt like reminiscing. Thank you for this review, Don. I am planning to share my comments and photos from my April 30 sailing on Epic. But I don't know if I can top this thread, nor do I think should want to!

[bluesea777]

Great Review!!!

Very very sorry to see it end!! We were on Epic last summer on a b2b cruise and after reading your review we realize there is quite a number of things we did NOT do, so we are very much looking forward to our 13-day TA in October to relive (and more) our Epic experience.

 

We filled out about 10 S.T.Y.L.E cards!! We had brilliant service. Our room steward was a godsend. TIP: we had 3 issues in our cabin, and instead of us going down to reception to report the issues, we just left a Post-It notes for the steward - he had those issues resolved within hours!! It's the best way even though the issues doesn't involve the steward. One issue was a bust light bulb, one was shower not draining properly flooding the hallway, and the third one was ... mmm ... I can't remember!

 

Your disembarkation story should hit home to those who keep on asking if they would make their 10-10:30-11 am flights! Fortunately (and unfortunately) there is only one flight out of Miami back home and it's at 4:30pm.

 

Can't you (and TnC) look into booking a cruise to Bermuda - if you haven't been to Bermuda before. This ialnd is so beautiful and we have great beaches - Bermuda would love to have YOU visiting this island!!

[apmecruise]

How did you handle gratuity at the bars and with the wine tasting? Did you stick with the auto gratuity or add some more in? I tend to over tip and need to keep things in control!!

 

After reading through your post I figure I will want to rebook while on board and I remember you had some difficulty with that...any advice?

 

Do the martini tastings take place at specific times or any time? I am a fool for a good martini!!

 

What do you wish you had time to do again?

 

Thanks for your review it was unbelievably well done and you kept me entertained while I fought off the flu!!

 

I leave in under 2 weeks...I can't wait to get into the warmth off the Caribbean sun.;)

[kerrytens]

.

It was a bit time consuming, but fun nonetheless. I made a promise, and tried to keep it. :) It also helped me to remember all the things (and feelings) that took place.

 

Don, you have no idea how appreciative I am that you spent the better part of a week (if not longer) putting this review together. I was excited to go long before I even knew that you, Tom and Cheryl were going but now that I have heard your first hand accounts, I am over the moon excited. December cannot get here fast enough:D (lord, did this Canadian really say she wants a winter month to come on the cusp of spring/summer???:eek: )

 

Thank you, thank you, thank you Don!

 

PS. Just wondering if you could explain the debarkation process for me again. I understood the pick your own time thing but I'm not sure if you mentioned putting your luggage outside your stateroom - did you? And how was the luggage retrieval process once off the ship? I know Carnival impressed me on that end. Princess did NOT. LOL

[pabi]

Don, I've been looking to reading your posts the last few days. You did a wonderful job and we are all very appreciative.

I like how you share your constructive criticism ...( La Cuccina ) excellent!

The S.T.Y.L.E cards are excellent but unfortunately many cruisers don't fill them out. I have always done it ...it only takes a few minutes and I know that NCL does follow-up on them...a praise for an excellent job done by a crew member goes a long way to make that person be recognized.

Well, I look forward to reading more reviews on your upcoming cruises...I doubt they will be more entertaining than this one !

Thank you:)

[atanac]

I have been wondering just when I will be able to make advance reservations for the various shows

and specialty dining venues. I know they are suppose to be available online 45 days prior to sailing.

Does anyone here know if the NCL clock begins on East Coast time or West Coast time? I know

it's a big to doo but I need to get in and book a really complicated schedule as soon as the

website allows me to. Anyone have an idea?

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

...

Tom/Cheryl: It would have still been fun, but nowhere that amount had the two of you not been there to share along. Thank You big time!! It was a blast!!

 

DITTO Don!

 

Not to be brief, but sleep is calling me. We were up too late last night on the Sensation... not that that's anything new! :D

 

Tom

[Tom-n-Cheryl]

I have been wondering just when I will be able to make advance reservations for the various shows

and specialty dining venues. I know they are suppose to be available online 45 days prior to sailing.

Does anyone here know if the NCL clock begins on East Coast time or West Coast time? I know

it's a big to doo but I need to get in and book a really complicated schedule as soon as the

website allows me to. Anyone have an idea?

 

For this sailing, I was able to make our reservations at 7 AM sharp (eastern time). As soon as I got on the booking page I called Don in Orlando and we coordinated our efforts!

 

Tom

[pabi]

I have been wondering just when I will be able to make advance reservations for the various shows

and specialty dining venues. I know they are suppose to be available online 45 days prior to sailing.

Does anyone here know if the NCL clock begins on East Coast time or West Coast time? I know

it's a big to doo but I need to get in and book a really complicated schedule as soon as the

website allows me to. Anyone have an idea?

I believe is Eastern time but try their European web page...I know some people were able to book a day before using that. ....ncl dot eu

[Norwaylin]

Since I am unable to cruise right now (unemployed), I enjoy reading about the different new ships. When I first saw pictures of the Epic, I thought it was too big. I started my cruising experiences on the Norway--the largest cruise ship at that time (1983). Since then, I have been on five more cruises. Three total were NCL and I would love to take the Epic since reading your review.

 

I will be watching for more of your reviews and hopefully meet you on a cruise. Until then, I will continue to read reviews.

[ubiztravel]

For this sailing, I was able to make our reservations at 7 AM sharp (eastern time). As soon as I got on the booking page I called Don in Orlando and we coordinated our efforts!

 

Tom

 

So was there a significant benefit for you to book in advance being in a suite? I would rather not leave things to chance with the concierge if booking in advance will secure what we want. I have received advice that no need to book in advance when you have the concierge and butler looking after you.

 

The other thing you mentioned was the internet issue, do you know if the adjacent suites had a similar issue? I also thought the suites have an ethernet outlet in the room.

 

Thanks

John

Edited April 4, 2011 by ubiztravel

[cruiseman111111]

Great Photos, Great Review...

[jarz85]

Took me 3 days to read this, as I read everrrry post by everyyyyy person lol.

 

I have a soft spot for sdmikes review... so not sure I can say yours is 'better' but they are pretty much equal. You were only on a 7 day cruise and managed to do all this.... I doubt we will have enough time for the 11 days we are on the Epic next month.. even better that is our first cruise :D

 

One thing.... you took no pictures at Moderno :( Im soooooo looking forward to that place... us Aussies love meat!

 

Great review, probably the best... but I'm not a judge :)

 

Rick

[atanac]

For this sailing, I was able to make our reservations at 7 AM sharp (eastern time). Tom

 

I believe is Eastern time but try their European web page...I know some people were able to book a day before using that. ....ncl dot eu

 

Thank you both for this information. Cruise Critic can be such a valuable resource!

[K&M2009]

I am going on the Epic on April 30th with my bride, and we have been counting down with great excitement to this vacation since two weeks after our first anniversary (and first NCL cruise) on the Sky back in September! We knew after our first NCL cruise on the Sky that we loved this line, and we had been lusting at the Epic and how grand it seemed, thinking it was probably a pipe dream. But we were able to book it!

 

Anyway, after seeing all your amazing photos and reading your comments, I am even MORE excited, like can't sit still at work right now excited about our trip. I thought I knew everything about the Epic but your photos revealed that this ship is even more amazing than I originally thought. I didn't even know those water slides wrapped around everywhere and dumped you in random places. I think that's so cool! But of course, that's just scratching the surface with this ship.

 

Some negative reviews had me wondering about certain things with this ship, but your review totally erased my doubts and made me twice as excited as I originally was. So, for that, I thank you! I know the Epic will not be perfect (welcome to life, right?), but it sure sounds like this ship was built for my wife and me. We cannot wait! Thanks again for your great review.

[lacrossemitch]

Thank you for the great review Don!

[CruisingAmazona]

What an amazing beginning to a review...and as someone who is about to sail the Epic in three weeks I was freaking out and asking myself "OMG, how do I get out of this..." Then I read on... fabulous writing.

[sdmike]

Mike, wishing you a speedy recovery! I do hope the surgery goes well for you.

 

Not to hijack, but wanted you to know the surgery was a success. Had it thursday and home by sunday resting fairly comfortably. Fell like I've been hit by a cruise ship, but doc says that's normal. :)

[sdmike]

What an amazing beginning to a review...and as someone who is about to sail the Epic in three weeks I was freaking out and asking myself "OMG, how do I get out of this..." Then I read on... fabulous writing.

 

Why would you want to get out of it? Epic is amazing. :)