Just off the EPIC and Love, Love Loved it!!!!

[Julienatul]

It was an amazing cruise!! The variety of venues, restaurants, activities and the quality of them was like nothing I have ever seen on a cruiseline. You really never felt like you were on a cruiseship because it was so large. My 6 year-old couldn't get enough of the kids crew. Every waking moment she was begging to go there and literally cried when we picked her up each time. If she could have spent her entire week there she would have but bad mommy me;) insisted she eat with us and spend some family time together. My son 3, had a little separation anxiety but the staff was fantastic with him and getting him acclimated and even some of the times just holding him on their lap and comforting him so we could finish our dinner, show or whatever it is that we were doing. We attended the character breakfast, blue man, cirque dreams and the legends show. We ate at Cagney's Moderno, La Cucina and Manhattan room. We were able to easily get reservations for each at our specified time once onboard (we couldnt do it ahead of time since we wanted to use onboard credit). The food was exceptional for a cruiseline. Very tasty and always warm!! Even The garden Room buffet was outstanding with more selections than you can imagine _make your own pizza with fresh topping, indian tandoori, make your own subs/sandwiches, salad bar, chinese, in additional to your standard cruiseline hamburgers/hotdogs etc. The best part is there was NEVER a line anywhere. I walked up each and every day, each and every meal and was maybe the third person waiting for something. With 6000 people onboard I find that just fabulous. NCL has it down as far as streamlining crowds. I thoroughly enjoyed this cruise and will be sailing NCL again in the future.

[youngestof9]

I'm so glad you enjoyed it! We sailed last year and loved it so much we booked it again for February. Cannot wait!!

[kj55]

Great to hear as we are leaving Saturday. Thanks for the info.

[crusinmama06]

So glad you had a great time as that's our next cruise! After our experience with the awesome Gem kids crew I was hoping that Epic would be just as good. It sounds like they are :) Thanks for the review!

[Julienatul]

You all will have a fantastic time! Enjoy your cruises, I miss it. The ship itself has so much to offer. The staff is outstanding, very friendly.

[Gatrcruzer]

Thanks so much for the post, Julie. I've had some hesitation about that ship because of the size, so it is good to hear such positive things. How were embarkation and debarkation? Also, do they make you check out towels at the pool? I hate that! Lastly, how was the smoke onboard? I had heard some reviews regarding there being a lot of smoke on the ship, and that's something that would really ruin the cruise for me.

 

We are currently planning on the Disney Fantasy this December, and I'm dying to go, but the cost makes me hesitate. We could save so much money by going on a different ship (pretty much any ship) - a mini-suite on Epic would save us over $1000, and we prefer the itinerary. I also worry that the kids club set up on Disney would not work well for my daughter. She will only be 4 years old, and they combine a large number of ages together. She prefers quiet and gentle, and I fear the amount of stimulation, number of kids, bigger kids - it might be a bit intimidating. I'm considering canceling and rebooking Fantasy for 2013, at which time my daughter will be 5, and instead taking a cheaper cruise this year. That would also allow us to do a land-based vacation this summer :) After your review, I'm definitely going to give Epic a second look! Thanks so much.

 

Heidi

[Julienatul]

Thanks so much for the post, Julie. I've had some hesitation about that ship because of the size, so it is good to hear such positive things. How were embarkation and debarkation? Also, do they make you check out towels at the pool? I hate that! Lastly, how was the smoke onboard? I had heard some reviews regarding there being a lot of smoke on the ship, and that's something that would really ruin the cruise for me.

 

We are currently planning on the Disney Fantasy this December, and I'm dying to go, but the cost makes me hesitate. We could save so much money by going on a different ship (pretty much any ship) - a mini-suite on Epic would save us over $1000, and we prefer the itinerary. I also worry that the kids club set up on Disney would not work well for my daughter. She will only be 4 years old, and they combine a large number of ages together. She prefers quiet and gentle, and I fear the amount of stimulation, number of kids, bigger kids - it might be a bit intimidating. I'm considering canceling and rebooking Fantasy for 2013, at which time my daughter will be 5, and instead taking a cheaper cruise this year. That would also allow us to do a land-based vacation this summer :) After your review, I'm definitely going to give Epic a second look! Thanks so much.

 

Heidi

 

Heidi,

 

Embarkation was a breeze they have 2 full terminals to get get guests on/off. We were checked in and on in no more than 15 minutes at peak time and without priority boarding. Disembarkation was a little crazier (longer lines) but still no more than a half hour to get off. You choose your luggage tag color based on time you want to disembark. They leave pool towels in your cabin and then you can also check them out or exchange them next to the pool. As far as the smoke, I can say I only encountered it once in the casino and once while sitting on the balcony. It was definitely not smokey in any of the bars or lounges and we visited different ones each evening. I guess it would really depend on the demographics of how many smokers are onboard though. We took our kids on the Disney Wonder when my DD was 4 and it was our worst cruise to date. She HATED the kids club mostly because there were 500 kids all ages running around doing different activites. It was too overwhelming for her at that age. All the kids wear GPS bracelets so the counselors can keep track of them there are so many kids. Each time we dropped her off within and hour they would call us to come get her. I would have to say the EPIC was the best kids club. Even with all the kids by the second day they knew my kids by name and were so caring and comforting to them. I would choose EPIC over Disney in a heartbeat but then again I know other people who love Disney so I guess it's just personal taste.The Nick events all over the EPIC were fabulous. They had dance parties, story time, crafts, gameshows, poolside activities all in addition to the kidsclub activities which also had a Nickeloadeon theme. The age groups are 2-5, 6-9, 10-12 and then teens I believe. They do have some freeplay time where the age groups are combined but its for no more than one hour and then organized activities start. This was actually nice for us since our son age 3 could be with his big sister for a short time.

[Gatrcruzer]

Thanks so much for the reply, Julie. That's really helpful. How did you find the cabin? Looking at the mini-suites on Epic, but boy they sure look tiny! I'm worried that it would be a bit uncomfortable for the 3 of us crammed in there for a week (we tend to spend time hanging out in the cabin). The suites look fabulous but totally out of the budget. We could do the NCL Pearl in a suite for less than the Disney cruise, so thinking about that as well. Also looking at the Ruby Princess and the HAL Eurodam. Have heard good things about the Princess kids club, but other than that there doesn't seem to be much going on for young kids - even less so for HAL. We could save $1700 by taking a verandah on the Eurodam; $1000 for a mini-suite on Epic; $500 for a mini-suite on Princess....it's just getting harder and harder to justify the extra cost. That said, I have been on a cruise that I would have paid good money to get off of (Celebrity Century), so I don't want to spend money at all if it won't be an enjoyable experience!

 

I'm going to keep the Disney reservation for now, but will keep my eyes peeled for good deals on NCL and others, and will continue to drive my husband crazy with my obsessive cruise research ;-)

 

At any rate, thanks for the great info. And to Michele - hope you have a great time on the Epic! Hope that the upgrade fairy works her magic for you again :)

 

Best,

Heidi

[um5xno1]

I too am looking for cabin info. What configuration did you have and how did it work out....currently we have two blanoy connectors with 2 adults and 1 child in each (this is our usual set up on prior cruises)

[Julienatul]

We had a family balcony category BA I believe with an open balcony divider(yes it was open for the entire cruise)to my parents regular balcony cabin next door. The room was tiny, smaller than we are used to on Carnival but it was doable. The separate shower and toilet/sink areas help. We don't spend tons of time in the cabin a few hours for nap time and then to sleep in the evenings so it was ok. There is a curved bed and couch and a pullman bunkbed over the couch.

[rolloman]

It was an amazing cruise!!

 

Well how about that.....I informed you guys a long time ago the Epic was all that and a bag of chips for a family cruise. Glad you crossed over.

[crusinmama06]

Well how about that.....I informed you guys a long time ago the Epic was all that and a bag of chips for a family cruise. Glad you crossed over.

 

We are finally seeing the light ;)

[kj55]

I just posted my family focused review on the NCL boards if anyone is interested.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1608182

[crusinmama06]

I just posted my family focused review on the NCL boards if anyone is interested.

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1608182

 

Great review! I hope we have the same wonderful experience. And I know how great the NCL kids crew are - they worked the same magic with my youngest on Gem. You are right - PRICELESS!

[Squall]

Are all of the NCL ships great for kids, or is there something especially great about the Epic for families? I never looked at NCL before, but with all this talk I am curious.