Epic disappointment

[wacopolumbo]

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.

 

We were on that cruise too and there were 50 kids in the Haven/Courtyard. One of the bartender's in the Haven said there will be more in the next 2 cruises. My wife and I were relaxing in the Haven pool and kids came running and and cannon balled into the pool, getting us wet. I had to call the family in the cabin above ours at 10:00 PM to ask him to have his kids stop stomping on the floor.

 

That said, I prefered the Haven to the madness of the rest of the ship. We had family with us and they wanted to spend time all over the ship. We will probably cruise the Epic again (maybe Western Med) and won't leave the Haven except for shows and some specialty eating (loved Moderno).

 

I seemed to like the ship while I was on it, but now when I look back on it, I am not as impressed as I was on the Gem.

 

Like others have said, to each their own.

[coffeebean]

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?

 

There is an escalator in the casino to take you to deck 5 so you don't have to use stairs.

[coffeebean]

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.

The Gem does have access to the dining room from the main dining room level. I think it is behind the entry stair case. There has to be a way to access the main dining room without the need to do stairs. Right???

[coffeebean]

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.

A person can not see though the translucent door. The door allows light but blocks images. The only way to see through the door is to press your nose against the door. In all honesty...would your Dad have done that???

 

I absolutely LOVED the translucent doors in the toilet and shower rooms. I felt like there was a window that allowed natural light through during daylight hours and I loved the ambient light from the room at night. No need to turn on the bright bathroom light many times.

[65viki]

We were on that cruise too and there were 50 kids in the Haven/Courtyard. One of the bartender's in the Haven said there will be more in the next 2 cruises. My wife and I were relaxing in the Haven pool and kids came running and and cannon balled into the pool, getting us wet. I had to call the family in the cabin above ours at 10:00 PM to ask him to have his kids stop stomping on the floor.

 

That said, I prefered the Haven to the madness of the rest of the ship. We had family with us and they wanted to spend time all over the ship. We will probably cruise the Epic again (maybe Western Med) and won't leave the Haven except for shows and some specialty eating (loved Moderno).

 

I seemed to like the ship while I was on it, but now when I look back on it, I am not as impressed as I was on the Gem.

 

Like others have said, to each their own.

 

There were a lot of kids. Did I mention that we got Spa passes our first day aboard? It was the best money we spent on the cruise! Relaxing and quiet, of course there were chair hogs but no one stayed too long, except on the aft spa balcony . . . VERY hard to get a lounger there, folks camped out all day . . . overall we enjoyed our time in the Spa. We found H20 crowded all the time . . . had some snacks there a couple of times but wasn't impressed.

[kirsty_r]

I loved the EPIC too, but i guess thats why a fleet of ships has variable layouts and facilities. On my cruise whilst there were kids it didn't seem to be overbearing, and there didn't seem to be overcrowding issues. I loved it so much I booked the transatlantic to get more out of the ship. I wasn't that keen on the legends concert but loved the rest of the entertainment and didn't find the casino smoke too bad, but whith lots of port visits the smoking was limited to evenings when the casino was open. I also really liked the slim rooms, and the shower facilities didn't affect me one bit. I'm looking forward to a solo cruise on EPIC next time. The studio mood lighting looks amazing!!

[Leeroy-Jenkins]

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.

 

Agree.

 

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.

 

Subjective.

 

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).

 

Agree.

 

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.

 

Agree.

 

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!!)

 

Agree.

[SASA13]

We loved the Epic. It is a floating Las Vegas, and we would sail her again in a heartbeat. We didn't have time to do everything we wanted, so we will definitely be sailing Epic again. I knew what to expect ( bad bathroom layout etc ), therefore, it did not bother us. Every ship has it's good and bad, and what I try not to do is focus on the bad and enjoy the good to the fullest.

I thought the food was good in the MDR. We only ate once at Sheehan's and it was a burger, and was just fine. The brownie sundae was excellent. The Cirque show was excellent, and the food was OK. The Steak was a bit tough, but it was no big deal. DH hit Sheehan's that night for a snack. All in all we had a great time. The Epic is not for everyone, but everyone should give her a try.

[genegri]

A person can not see though the translucent door. The door allows light but blocks images. The only way to see through the door is to press your nose against the door. In all honesty...would your Dad have done that???

 

Of course not! What a thought! :eek: HOWEVER, you can see a shadow and that is enough of an issue to me and many people.

 

Natural light is good. Had they only made the top part of the toilet and shower doors translucent but keep the bottom solid it would be perfect. Apparently NCL has decided to do away the Epic bathroom altogether for Breakaway. But I kind of wish they had kept the split design, just not the "cloudy" doors. :cool: