I Wanted to Love Epic but Didn't

[conandrob240]

Disagree. A few posters are questioning and judging. Comment or not, it is totally up to you. Posting that you don't miss a sit- down lunch and you doubt others do isn't really commenting on my review - it is passing judgement on what I am saying is important to me.

[time2cruise1]

Disagree. A few posters are questioning and judging. Comment or not, it is totally up to you. Posting that you don't miss a sit- down lunch and you doubt others do isn't really commenting on my review - it is passing judgement on what I am saying is important to me.

 

I was not judging. I simply said I did not miss sit down lunches because I was off the ship. I don't question your experience that that the buffet was busy. The only thing I was shocked with the numbers. Thousands means more then 1/2 the passengers on the ship were there at the same time on a port day.

[conandrob240]

Actually, at one point we were told there were over 5000 passengers on board so even if only 1/3 stayed on board, the buffet, pools, etc would be very, very crowded with literally 1,000s. But, again, I did not count them, only sharing what it felt like even on port days. On the sea day, it was truly unbearable.

[dalgirl]

Sigh. It is a shame some people can't handle a mixed review and want to call personal opinions into question. Look, it is a cruise. Much of that is subjective, some is not. I tried to present my opinions along with some of the reality of what our cruise was like. Other people will have different experiences, that's what makes the world go around. Don't read reviews if they are going to upset you. Personally, I love all reviews and i decide for myself what is important and what isn't- I don't pass judgement and question the reviewer's opinions.

 

I did not attempt the buffet on two of the port days (Rome & Livorno). I did attempt it on every other day and can tell you it was very, very crowded even on port days. Perhaps the mix of Europeans was such that they used the cruise more as a cruise and didn't care about the ports (much like many of us Americans would on a Caribbean or Bahamas itinerary). I certainly didn't count them but it seemed to me thousands were in that buffet at lunch regardless of port day or sea day. I am glad that you didn't miss the sit- down dining option on your cruise- good for you. I, on the other hand, missed it very much on my cruise as it was important to me.

 

You are right - on other NCL ships, especially on sea days, the dining rooms were open for breakfast and for lunch - it is definitely more relaxing for a lot of people. And with all the people that Epic holds, I would think having the dining rooms open for lunch and dinner would be a necessity. There are things on the Epic that don't match other ships in the fleet - I personally am glad that there is only one.

[luv2cruise53]

Overall: we enjoyed the cruise and had a great time. Too many disappointments to say I loved the Epic but I definitely liked it. But it was a mixed bag. It always seemed just very, very crowded. Itinerary was excellent. Food was so- so. Design features were mixed- some great, some not so great. Teen program gets high marks.[I]

 

I cruised the Epic in July 2010 with my sister and 2 nephews. It was the first cruise out of Miami after the transatlantic and New york to Miami.

 

I would say that my impressions were much more favorable. The pool arae was pristine(Hellloooo Brand New Ship) but clean water and all water features....Slides were just about like you said. I thought the food was really rather good and I loved leBistro but agree that Cagneys and Moderno are tops.

 

Entertainment....5 stars but we did not really like the Cirque or the Murder mystery as well. I do not like Second City. Many do....but some of us do not appreciate improv humor and I am one of those people ....so thumbs down to Second City and the Murder Lunch.....But many people rave about them ....so Thank God there was so much more to appreciate in other venues.

 

Loved Howl, I suppose it depends on your players.

 

Slam allen was in Jazz club and thought he was good but he was rude to some cruisers on several occasions so he lost flavor for me.

 

My Nephews just like yours...They LOVED the teen club as well.

 

She is very classy and beautiful inside Not at all like a loudly decorated Carnival Ship but I agree with you ...from the outside she is ugly but huge. LOL:D

 

Kev:cool:

[Zeta3]

I am cruising on Epic in December and I found your review to be very helpful. Thank you for taking the time to share your experiences.

Eric

 

Eric, come on over to our role call. We have a fun bunch of folks over there.

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1428063

[thebooler]

Actually, at one point we were told there were over 5000 passengers on board so even if only 1/3 stayed on board, the buffet, pools, etc would be very, very crowded with literally 1,000s. But, again, I did not count them, only sharing what it felt like even on port days. On the sea day, it was truly unbearable.

 

Is max capacity not something like 4,200?

 

I enjoyed your review, and your opinions on certain aspects of your cruise. However,I had a completely different experience on Epic in July. I could always find a sun lounger, have a swim when I wanted, find a seat for all meals, and only stayed on the ship when in Marseille. There were many Italians and Spaniards on my cruise and they do always eat late, as they do at home.

 

I did have a problem with some senior crew members standing by watching underage drinking taking place, which they did eventually deal with after complaints from other guests,but all in all, I had a great time and will definately sail on the Epic again soon.

[conandrob240]

I actually think I did say that there were always plenty of chairs around the pool. Yes, I could,have a swim when I wanted but it was with about 100 kids all splashing, jumping and roughing it up. Seating wasn't so much an issue at the buffet either, with a few minutes at most, a seat freed up- it was just the general chaos of how crowded the buffet stations were. Not at all relaxing.

 

It was announced at one point that there were over 5000 passengers on board. I have no idea if it was true or not. It certainly felt, at times, like 10,000 so I had no reason to doubt what in was told.

 

Also, all in all, as I said, we had a great time. I wouldn't rush to sail Epic again but I also wouldn't stay away from her. Like I said, a mixed bag for us. Some things were very good, some things not so much. If the teen club made my nephew THAT happy (a shy and reserved kid who became Mr. social on the cruise- something that can change a 13 yr old's life quite literally), it was worth every penny for me.

[thebooler]

I actually think I did say that there were always plenty of chairs around the pool. Yes, I could,have a swim when I wanted but it was with about 100 kids all splashing, jumping and roughing it up. Seating wasn't so much an issue at the buffet either, with a few minutes at most, a seat freed up- it was just the general chaos of how crowded the buffet stations were. Not at all relaxing.

 

It was announced at one point that there were over 5000 passengers on board. I have no idea if it was true or not. It certainly felt, at times, like 10,000 so I had no reason to doubt what in was told.

 

Also, all in all, as I said, we had a great time. I wouldn't rush to sail Epic again but I also wouldn't stay away from her. Like I said, a mixed bag for us. Some things were very good, some things not so much. If the teen club made my nephew THAT happy (a shy and reserved kid who became Mr. social on the cruise- something that can change a 13 yr old's life quite literally), it was worth every penny for me.

Glad your nephew had a great time, and in general, so did you.

 

I think there may have been a problem with the water system onboard going by your comments on the pool though. Did you ask anybody onboard? Maybe they could have enlightened you, or dealt with the problem.

[conandrob240]

As I said, slides were closed at various points for "maintenance and cleaning". When I asked about water features not being on, in was told " oh, that's not working today" or " that will be back on soon" other such blow offs. I don't know what the issues were but it certainly wasn't the kind of thing someone needed to be made aware of- it was obvious they were doing maintenance and cleaning at various points tom resolve some sort of problem. The reason for the long slide closure the first day was " maintenance and cleaning" to remove some sort of white powder that was all over one of the stacks overlooking the slides. That was what I was told. I have no idea if the white powder was a more pervasive problem which may have accounted for other pool/ water issues.

[luv2cruise53]

Is max capacity not something like 4,200?

 

 

This is the biggest misnomer in cruising:

 

In a nutshell here is the formula:

 

Capacity(At Double Occupancy) Epic 4200

+

Extra bed or beds in cabins for 3rd or 4th passenger (Total of 1022 Extra Spaces on the Epic = 3rd or 4th bed or full maxed suites)

 

Max capacity then is 5222

 

No ship ever actually sails at regular double occupancy and conversely no ship ever actually sails at max capacity.

 

The number of passengers will always lie somewhere in between ...However; on school vacations there tends to be a formulaic rise towards max capacity as many families are using most beds.

 

 

Some may argue this point above however this is the formula used by all cruise lines and I hope this allays some cruisers confusion

 

The ship will sometimes but not always announce the fact that they are sailing with over....whatever number it happens to be.

 

Again the Epic never sails with just 4200 passengers

 

have a great day:D

[thebooler]

Is max capacity not something like 4,200?

 

 

This is the biggest misnomer in cruising:

 

In a nutshell here is the formula:

 

Capacity(At Double Occupancy) Epic 4200

+

Extra bed or beds in cabins for 3rd or 4th passenger (Total of 1022 Extra Spaces on the Epic = 3rd or 4th bed or full maxed suites)

 

Max capacity then is 5222

 

No ship ever actually sails at regular double occupancy and conversely no ship ever actually sails at max capacity.

 

The number of passengers will always lie somewhere in between ...However; on school vacations there tends to be a formulaic rise towards max capacity as many families are using most beds.

 

 

Some may argue this point above however this is the formula used by all cruise lines and I hope this allays some cruisers confusion

 

The ship will sometimes but not always announce the fact that they are sailing with over....whatever number it happens to be.

 

Again the Epic never sails with just 4200 passengers

 

have a great day:D

 

Capacity at double occupancy is 4,100.

 

Have a great day too. :cool:

[conandrob240]

Judging from the number of families with kids on board, I would say Epic was much, much closer to max capacity than double occupancy capacity. And, again, I didn't pull the number out of the air. On our embark day, it was announced that there were more than 5000 passengers on board ( I think by the cruise director as he welcomed all of us)

[luv2cruise53]

 

Capacity at double occupancy is 4,100.

 

Have a great day too. :cool:

 

You are correct, I guess I was floating off her post that said 4200 but you are right:

Ship Specifications

 

• Passenger Capacity: 4,100 (double occupancy)
  
• Gross Register Tonnage: 155,873
  
• Overall Length: 1,081 feet
  
• Max Beam: 133 feet
  
• Draft: 28.5 feet
  
• Engines: Diesel Electric
  
• Cruise Speed: 20.2 knots
  
• Crew: 1,753
  

But then again what about all that crew.....OMG now we can be upwards to like 7000 people:eek:

[thebooler]

 

You are correct, I guess I was floating off her post that said 4200 but you are right:

Ship Specifications

 

• Passenger Capacity: 4,100 (double occupancy)
  
• Gross Register Tonnage: 155,873
  
• Overall Length: 1,081 feet
  
• Max Beam: 133 feet
  
• Draft: 28.5 feet
  
• Engines: Diesel Electric
  
• Cruise Speed: 20.2 knots
  
• Crew: 1,753
  

But then again what about all that crew.....OMG now we can be upwards to like 7000 people:eek:

 

I don't think the crew would be eating at the Garden Cafe or using the water slides. ;)

[Zeta3]

Thank you for your review. I wonder if some of the congestion you noticed may have been caused by the groups on board. If there was perhaps training or something else going on that kept more people than usual on board during port days. We cruised on the Epic last year in early December and are going agai this year and it is interesting to hear such a contrast because the ship felt empty when we were there.

[conandrob240]

I don't think you could ever compare December travel with August travel. The earlier part of December up until Christmas week is one of the slowest travel periods of the year especially with families. August is one of the busiest for families. It is possible the groups somehow affected the mix as well. One group was an Orthodox Jewish group so that may have affected dining room availability and would have kept all on board Friday and Saturday.

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Overall, I think that some of the problems you experienced may have had more to do with the location of the cruise instead of the ship - Europeans seem to eat later than US folks so you have fewer people eating at 6pm -the port days are intense so those coming back from excursions may want to rest a while before dining - after 7pm it was hard to get into most restaurants. And the buffet is always crowded, but I agree that it seems to be more of a zoo on this cruise - more cutting in line and less polite behavoir.

 

I appreciate your detailed description of your experience aboard the Epic. I'm anxious to sail the Epic for myself, but it's interesting to hear how the presence of so many Europeans on board may take the experience a little outside many Americans' comfort zone.

 

Not sure about the " comfort zone" comment.

 

Americans have a reputation for lining up and being quite orderly when there's a wait involved. As the poster above expressed, Europeans have different attitudes about these things. Not better or worse, just different. ;) That may have contributed to the generally chaotic feeling you were describing. I'm sure everyone who has posted in response to your review appreciates your efforts, but CC exists so that folks can post, discuss, and learn. Perhaps you should be pleased that so many folks have responded to your review rather than being upset by the observations of others?

[conandrob240]

I am neither pleased nor displeased that people responded. It was a review so if no responses, that is fine.

 

I was displeased with comments that seemed argumentative ( like I was lying about 5000 passenger capacity) or judgmental ( why would you want to eat a sit-down lunch when ports are so great or assumption that I am not used to being around people from other cultures). Those responses are what I took issue with. I have no issue with different opinions or experiences.

[sweetpea222]

And I am glad that you discovered the duty free bottles of liquor and wine that you can take onto the ships in Barcelona - it does cut down on the drink tabs considerably;)

 

I'm sailing on the Spirit next summer, out of Venice. I'm a little confused. Is it not a policy that we can only bring wine on board an NCL ship, with the understanding that we have to pay a corkage fee immediately? Do they let you bring on liquor as well, and is there a corkage fee for that too?

 

Thanks.

[Sauer-kraut]

I'm sailing on the Spirit next summer, out of Venice. I'm a little confused. Is it not a policy that we can only bring wine on board an NCL ship, with the understanding that we have to pay a corkage fee immediately? Do they let you bring on liquor as well, and is there a corkage fee for that too?

 

Thanks.

 

Ahem...the OP got lucky that his liquor 'slipped' through without detection. ;)

[conandrob240]

There are a few ports where security is operated by local authorities not NCL. Barcelona & Naples were the two on our cruise. Your hand luggage will not be searched for alcohol at those points. The local authorities are actually concerned about guns, weapons, etc and not worried about alcohol.

[ClaireAndMike]

Nice review. My sister and I are doing the Eastern Caribbean itinerary in January and are going specifically for the Epic as the itinerary doesn't thrill me too much. We leave January 5th so I'm hoping, hoping, hoping there won't be tons of kids onboard since they will likely be back in school after holiday break. In all honesty, kids aren't really my thing.

 

We are fairly new to cruising (I never thought it would be something I'd find enjoyable but I was wrong) so we don't have a whole lot of basis for comparison but I am definitely curious about going on such a large ship.

[OhJinkies]

For the OP -- did you really swim in the pool when you saw babies in there (with or without diapers)?? That sounds like a MAJOR health hazard to me -- fecal matter in a swimming pool can be dangerous to a lot of people. What kind of reaction did you get when you reported it?

 

Sorry, this really concerns me. They should have closed the pool immediately for cleaning. I'm sailing on the Epic in December and while I will probably hang out at the adult pool only, this is the sort of thing that spreads disease to everyone!!

[DMH15]

I never missed the main dining room at lunch port days that were closed on my RCI Med cruise last month. Like almost everyone onboard we were exploring those ports That said I can't imagine half the passengers (thousands) staying onboard in the Med. for lunch with all the wonderful food experiences available on shore.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk - Jim

 

Not everyone cruises for ports. My mother for one.