Epic disappointment

[65viki]

A cruise is partly what you make of it, so we loved our cruise!! But we won't be on the Epic again, we loved the Star and the Jewel, but were disappointed in the Epic.

 

Casino is right out there, you can hardly get around the ship without going through it at one time or another, smoke and all, even kids . . . that is our biggest complaint about this ship.

 

We weren't overly impressed with the food this time either - not as much variety as in the past, tough meat, even the pot pie in O'Sheehans was disappointing.

 

Entertainment was super, loved the Blue Man Group and Howl at the Moon, even the Legends in Concert (am one of the original Elvis fans from the late 50's, this guy had the voice down and the moves).

 

Our cabin was narrow, as many have already mentioned. The bathroom set up was ok, except we did splash in that little sink and get water all over the floor . . . room service was Wonderful - Ronald was the BEST.

 

In fact, no complaints about the crew, they were all wonderful! Our Meet and Mingle was great - thanks BeadBabe, loved meeting you!!! We had the biggest Cruise Critic in history . . . loved it, Captain was there with around 9 other officers and managers.

 

We made this cruise what we wanted to make it, relaxing, loved our balcony and spent a lot of time there . . .

 

But, sorry Epic, you are checked off our list, not cruising, not NCL, just the Epic. (That's my story and I'm sticking to it!!)

[che5904]

I actually don't understand your food comment. If you are talking about the new MDR menus, there are actually the same amount of "variety" as there was before. Or maybe you are saying of things you like?

 

Your review seemed fair and balance and glad you enjoyed most things about your cruise. Hey one ship out of a whole fleet that you don't like is a pretty good average I would have to say. You are better than me, I haven't even had the urge to try it yet, maybe one day ;). There are still too many things right now that I am still saying to myself "I'm not convinced it is for us". But at least now you can say you gave it a try.

[mrobstad]

I understand your comments, but until other cruise lines create studio cabins and the accompanying lounge, its the only ship I will travel solo on. I was excited about the Breakaway, and may eventually try it, but the Bermuda only itinerary is a bi disappointment. I agree with your food comment, which I felt was sub-par, but Le Bistro was A+++. Somewhat easy for me to eat at the specialty restaurants [though the solos were initially hesitant to try them last Feb.] since the up charge is just times, one and for you it would be times several. I think the cruise lines are doing this deliberately so that passengers eat at the specialty restaurants....IMHO...

[willysgrandma]

Having to go through the casino was a major problem? On many ships you need to go through the smoky casino to get to the theater.

 

I agree with the cabin layout but we were hardly in the cabin but the bed was comfortable and that is really the only time I was in the cabin. I wasn't crazy about the MDR food, but always found something to eat and enjoyed the food in the alternate restaurants. I sure didn't starve and I know the food experience can be very different on different ships.

 

But I LOVED the rest of the ship, the entertainment and the staff. I wouldn 't hesitate to sail on her again.

 

From what you said, I was a liitle surprised to see you felt negative about the ship because your review seems more positive than negative.

 

It is interesting to read different interpretations of the same ship and that is the joy of Cruise Critic!

[FLAHAM]

Although I'm not a gambler, I rather liked the Casino being "out there." It added a sense of excitement and activity to those decks. Also, the smoke didn't seem to bother me. As for food, I stuck to the specialty restaurants and thought they ranged from good to excellent.

[65viki]

I so agree with 'any cruise is better than staying at home.' We were disappointed though, especially with the Casino thing, the elevator didn't go to the 5th floor, you had to get off on the 6th, Casino, smoking, etc, and walk down to the 5th - to get to Taste, the Atrium, etc. (Those were the aft elevators anyway, don't know about the forward elevators). And we did enjoy our food on the other two cruises with NCL a lot better . . . so all in all we were not totally disappointed, but disappointed with the ship enough to not want to go on her again. That's just us.

[Agent999]

I so agree with 'any cruise is better than staying at home.' We were disappointed though, especially with the Casino thing, the elevator didn't go to the 5th floor, you had to get off on the 6th, Casino, smoking, etc, and walk down to the 5th - to get to Taste, the Atrium, etc. (Those were the aft elevators anyway, don't know about the forward elevators). And we did enjoy our food on the other two cruises with NCL a lot better . . . so all in all we were not totally disappointed, but disappointed with the ship enough to not want to go on her again. That's just us.

 

You are correct...the aft elevator on Epic does NOT go down to Deck 5. If it did, then you would find yourself getting off right in the middle of the Galley! :eek:

 

Kinda makes sense that you have to get off at Deck 6, doesn't it?

[willysgrandma]

The Gem also has corridors that go nowhere - such as when you need to get to the aft dining room. Have to take an elevator to one deck and walk down stairs. I've never noticed this on ships other than NCL ships.

 

I so agree with 'any cruise is better than staying at home.' We were disappointed though, especially with the Casino thing, the elevator didn't go to the 5th floor, you had to get off on the 6th, Casino, smoking, etc, and walk down to the 5th - to get to Taste, the Atrium, etc. (Those were the aft elevators anyway, don't know about the forward elevators). And we did enjoy our food on the other two cruises with NCL a lot better . . . so all in all we were not totally disappointed, but disappointed with the ship enough to not want to go on her again. That's just us.

[justcake]

I'm in full agreement with your review. I too did not like the Epic but will not give up on NCL forever. I have decided that the big mega ships are not for me. I like the traditional way of cruising. We did not like the cabins at all. We had an aft suite with the adjoining balcony and although the view was amazing, the balcony cabin with our 3 kids in it was super tiny. My son barely fit on the sofa and had a lot of difficulty staying on it one night due to the weather. The food was OK but we found that other than the shows there wasn't a lot going on. I also didn't like the lack of a big nightclub. They held the white hot party outside and it was extremely windy. No one stayed around for too long. Overall a disappointment but at least we were on a cruise! I just realized that we embarked on the Epic exactly 1 year ago today.

[KirkNC]

Sorry you did not enjoy the Epic.

[david_sobe]

I'm in full agreement with your review. I too did not like the Epic but will not give up on NCL forever. I have decided that the big mega ships are not for me. I like the traditional way of cruising. We did not like the cabins at all. We had an aft suite with the adjoining balcony and although the view was amazing, the balcony cabin with our 3 kids in it was super tiny. My son barely fit on the sofa and had a lot of difficulty staying on it one night due to the weather. The food was OK but we found that other than the shows there wasn't a lot going on. I also didn't like the lack of a big nightclub. They held the white hot party outside and it was extremely windy. No one stayed around for too long. Overall a disappointment but at least we were on a cruise! I just realized that we embarked on the Epic exactly 1 year ago today.

Justcake

We must have been on the same cruise. I was thinking of the same thing today. Boy how time flies.

I loved the Epic and will sail her again. I loved all the specialty restaurants but I may be in the minority when I thought the food at O'Sheehans was very poor. The service was poor and the wings were below average, the fish and chips just ok, and the pot pies not very good. It is a great venue though.

Other than that, I loved everything else about Epic.

[genegri]

Epic is not for everyone. I liked it myself. But as a cruise ship it is sufficiently different from a classic design that I am not at all surprised that some others may not.

 

I agree with OP about the smoky Casino. And my other complaint is there is very limited forward viewing unless one has access to Courtyard Sundeck. This may not be a problem for many people but somehow it's important to me.

 

I like the concept of the compartmentalized bathroom but I strongly believe the toilet closet should have a full solid door. This is the only real gripe I have with Epic's bathroom design but it's a major one and a deal breaker in many situations for me.

 

Last time I cruised Epic I was with my dad and we had a suite so didn't have to deal with a see through bathroom (THANK GOD!) or the lack of forward viewing deck. :)

 

But next time I will cruise with my DH and we will only have a balcony. I will see. My DH is excited about the BMG.

[Starry Eyes]

just off Epic--it certainly is different.

 

I did not like the design of balcony cabins. The curvy bed seemed to short to me (not a tall person). the sofa was not comfortable. The bathroom design was unfortunate. NCL likes to be innovated, but this innovative cabin design is suboptimal.

 

I like O'Sheenan's. The buffet was pretty good once we got used to the layout. service in the MDR was fine. We enjoyed Moderno. LaBistro lived up to expectations.

 

I liked some of the small entertainment venues like fat cats and comedy club. I found BMG juvenile, DH hated it. I did miss having a big nightclub and a forward observatory lounge. I had fun on the waterslides. I did not like walking through the casino to get to so many venues- not because I am offended by casinos, but it was crowded and noisy. when the photog's set up their backdrops, lights and got lines of people waiting to pose, it was very hard to get through. I saw many children on the casino; parents could hardly avoid it.

 

The Epic seemed crowded. Other big ships, such as Oasis, have not seemed crowed, so I do not think it was a big ship issue. More of a suboptimal design issue. I had fun, but will probably select other ship's in the future.

[camz]

We are not even remotely interested in these mega ships! The Gem and the other Jewel Class Ships are large enough ships for our liking. However, to each their own. The mega ships are fun to look at though! :)

[65viki]

You are correct...the aft elevator on Epic does NOT go down to Deck 5. If it did, then you would find yourself getting off right in the middle of the Galley! :eek:

 

Kinda makes sense that you have to get off at Deck 6, doesn't it?

 

The other two cruises we were on with NCL had galleys too, but we never had to go through the casinos to get anywhere . . . love cruising, just will stick to the smaller ships I think.

[dalgirl]

Have to agree with the OP about likes and dislikes on the Epic - except the food - it was comparable to the other NCL ships we have dined on.

 

Having said that, we will be sailing on the Epic next year because my Mom loved the single cabins and can't wait to cruise again. So even if it is not my first choice, I will "suffer" through it again;)

 

As a reminder, class: The worst day on a cruise is better than any day at work:D

[m$m7]

We are not even remotely interested in these mega ships! The Gem and the other Jewel Class Ships are large enough ships for our liking. However, to each their own. The mega ships are fun to look at though! :)

 

 

I agree with you on the Mega ships. No desire to go on one, unless I get a free one, then I would go on any ship.:D

 

Just remember folks, "A bad day Cruising is better than a Great day at work!":p

[Zeta3]

I loved everything about the Epic and can't wait to sail her again. It was one of the best cruises I have been on in years. I think it is very possible to for people to have completely different views and experiences because there are so many different venues and things to do.

 

We met some really fun people ( o'Gradys!) I enjoyed the entertainment, trivia, all the food we had was great.

 

I typically navigated end to end on the ship on Deck 7 so the casino wasn't an issue at all.

[HazyDavy]

I agree with you on the Mega ships. No desire to go on one, unless I get a free one, then I would go on any ship.:D

 

Just remember folks, "A bad day Cruising is better than a Great day at work!":p

 

You must really hate your job.:rolleyes:

 

I agree with the OP, its not the size of the ship, its the design of the ship.

 

I sailed on the Allure with 6000 people. Didn't feel as crowded as the Epic.

 

The Courtyard (now Haven) areas of the Epic were great, the rest of the ship, meh.

[slotaddict]

I suppose the Epic is not for everyone....myself, I loved it...the entertainment was great....I really never noticed the smoke in the casino and I spent alot of time there...

 

I love all Norwegian Ships, however I was on the Sun, which seems to be alot of peoples favorite, but not mine....so its different strokes as far as the ships go...

[retiring soon]

Hi all!

 

I understand your point of view OP but don't have the same one.:D

 

I spent 11 nights on Epic in the Med & liked it so much I went back for 7 nights in the Caribbean.

The entertainment & food are great, the CD staff friendly, & the studio cabins a big draw for me. I really didn't notice smoke in the casino but did see it was pretty crowded when they were taking pictures.

 

I was on the Oasis the week before the Epic & liked Epic better.

 

~ Jo ~ :)

[kwokpot]

I did not like walking through the casino to get to so many venues- not because I am offended by casinos, but it was crowded and noisy. when the photog's set up their backdrops, lights and got lines of people waiting to pose, it was very hard to get through. I saw many children on the casino; parents could hardly avoid it.

 

The Epic seemed crowded. Other big ships, such as Oasis, have not seemed crowed, so I do not think it was a big ship issue. More of a suboptimal design issue. I had fun, but will probably select other ship's in the future.

 

I was on the same cruise, and totally agree about the crowding issue. Especially at night, decks 5,6,7 was always crowded and noisy, and the only place that wasn't was on deck 7 near the shops. That's because that was the only area that actually had corridors without stuff in the way.

 

Also, weren't you surprised by the # of kids on this cruise, 2 wks before Christmas???

[halos]

I can totally understand that not all ships are for everyone. I am glad the crew were fabulous and that you enjoyed the entertainment :)

Be happy on your future NCL cruises (on the other ships!!)

:D

[Starry Eyes]

I was on the same cruise, and totally agree about the crowding issue. Especially at night, decks 5,6,7 was always crowded and noisy, and the only place that wasn't was on deck 7 near the shops. That's because that was the only area that actually had corridors without stuff in the way.

 

Also, weren't you surprised by the # of kids on this cruise, 2 wks before Christmas???

 

yes, I was surprised at the number of kids on that cruise. I thought they'd be in school until closer to Christmas. Maybe there were all home schooled and were having sessions on board in the spacious library, LOL.

[repo-cruiser]

You are correct...the aft elevator on Epic does NOT go down to Deck 5. If it did, then you would find yourself getting off right in the middle of the Galley! :eek:

 

Kinda makes sense that you have to get off at Deck 6, doesn't it?

So in other words a poorly designed ship. Epic was not for us either as the smoke killed us. Food was better on the Carnival Magic, and room is way to narrow. No more epic for us either.