Norwegian Epic after Celebrity

[Alg63]

I just booked Epic (balcony) TA - my last 2 cruises were Silhouette (Caribbean) and Equinox (Med).. Could not turn down the price but worried that i will be disappointed .. The X ships are so pretty, love the spec dining etc. I am 49 and just looking or a relaxing trip either on my own or with a friend. Any thoughts?

[jackdiamond]

I just booked Epic (balcony) TA - my last 2 cruises were Silhouette (Caribbean) and Equinox (Med).. Could not turn down the price but worried that i will be disappointed .. The X ships are so pretty, love the spec dining etc. I am 49 and just looking or a relaxing trip either on my own or with a friend. Any thoughts?

Apparently, you did not book a suite; hence, I believe that you will not be pleased. We have never cruised on this line, but from comments of friends who have they indicate that the suites are fairly nice, but otherwise not even close to the Celebrity S class in AQ or above.

[MicCanberra]

I just booked Epic (balcony) TA - my last 2 cruises were Silhouette (Caribbean) and Equinox (Med).. Could not turn down the price but worried that i will be disappointed .. The X ships are so pretty, love the spec dining etc. I am 49 and just looking or a relaxing trip either on my own or with a friend. Any thoughts?

I think you will be fine as long as you remember that you get what you pay for, on average (depending on the ship) Celebrity is 4-5 stars to NCLs 3-4.I have cruised both lines, enjoyed both and will cruise with both again. :D

[swmichigan cruiser]

We just got back from a TA on the Epic and it was very relaxing and the prices were very good and we were pleased. Pleased enough that we will probably do it again next fall. I really liked the fact it was only at about 70% capacity and never felt crowed. We have been on the Solstice and Eclipse before and we will be on the Equinox next month so we like this class of ship also but we like the Epic also.

[snow bunny]

I think you will enjoy the atmosphere of NCL Epic. We were on her a couple of years ago and had a blast! No it is not Celebrity but if you go in with an open mind you will find things to like and probably a few to not like!:D

 

Snow bunny

[cruisetrail]

I just booked Epic (balcony) TA - my last 2 cruises were Silhouette (Caribbean) and Equinox (Med).. Could not turn down the price but worried that i will be disappointed .. The X ships are so pretty, love the spec dining etc. I am 49 and just looking or a relaxing trip either on my own or with a friend. Any thoughts?

 

A few people here constantly attack me for "bashing" Celebrity S class ships.

This is the time to praise Celebrity.

The Epic is a perfect example of a bungled design project.

This "terrific" idea of "freestyle 3.0" (nickel and diming) finally took a shape of a huge floating casino sealed like a can of sardines. The designers succeeded in making almost every detail the opposite to what is expected on a cruise ship.

From the narrowest balcony cabins at sea with a toilet literally in the room (behind a half-transparent screen - no bathroom!) to the casino taking the central passage through the dull low ceiling public spaces of the ship.

No open front observation area, no open rear observation area - nothing.

No open space on the upper deck.

The Epic is close to Celebrity in a couple of areas. Both lack promenade deck (the "promenade deck" behind the life boats on Celebrity is actually better) and suffer from overcrowded pool decks.

Foodwise: focus on $$ restaurants on the background of lower quality and limited options of the "included" dining.

You'll find a few extra charge eateries that may worth your attention.

I would recommend Le Bistro and Moderno Churrascaria.

A good (hidden) place for breakfast is La Cucina accessible through the front part of the buffet - get your buffet food and go downstairs. You can look forward from here (through the glass only).

Total "21 dining options" is marketing nonsense (includes all poolside junk foods, room service and even pizza delivery($) as an "option":D).

At full capacity the ship is a nightmare. Hopefully it won't be full during the repositioning.

Theatre - tiny for the size of the ship. Capable to host only two shows for a 7 day cruise.

Cirque&food ($$) - a long boring childish performance.

Relaxing? Generally speaking this is the least relaxing megaship at sea.

But relaxing is subjective.

You can relax in your cabin/ on your balcony for the duration of the cruise with a good book.

[Germancruiser]

I never sailed NCI- and probably never will- but I also got a great price for a Costa Cruise once so I jumped right in. Well I can´t say that it was a " bad cruise", you just get what you paid for. I never saw so much faked Italian kitsch in all my live! I don´t like the brass colors from the pictures I saw from the EPic and other NCL ships.

So I am sure if you make the best of it- you can enjoy your NCL crusie - maybe it is a nice " in between" and a new experience. I suppose a lot of people love NCL- otherwise they would have gone long out of service!

Michael

[sandancer]

We are big fans of Celebrity and love cruising with them. However, we have done 2 TA's on the Epic. We booked the first one because it was going to New York from Southampton at the end of June. You can usually only do this with Cunard. We enjoyed the cruise. Next time we booked a TA because it was a good way to get home without flying after a holiday in the US. I have to say that while we were happy with the cruises, you cannot compare them with Celebrity. They are just very different, we ate in the MDR only twice, the rest of the time we paid for the up charge restaurants. Loved the Blue Man Group and Slam Alan. In the main I think the entertainment was better on the Epic. The atrium with the big screen was lovely. Go with an open mind and try not to compare with your other cruises.

[4774Papa]

We cruise on both Celebrity (which we prefer) and NCL. I have posted my opinion on the pros and cons many times, so I won't go into that again.

 

We have cruised on the Epic and found it had the best MDR food we have had on NCL. It was almost as good as X's MDR food. The specialty restaurants on the Epic were great.

 

The entertainment on Epic was great, especially the cirque dinner show. However, we did not like the Blue Man Group.

 

The average age on Epic was the youngest we have seen on any cruise. It is a lively ship.

 

Personally, I didn't like the configuration of the toilet and shower, nor did I like being on a ship for 4300 passengers, but we enjoyed our cruise.

[teajak]

Tried it once, lesson learned,never again.

[Minoushka]

I loved the Epic ...go it as a wonderful ship

Try the specialty restaurants ..we did modt of them ...my favorite is the Brazilian one ..you are allowed to have stuff from the salad bar of the other restaurant . Both are Amazing

We had a speial menu made for usc....sesame crusted tuna ...absolutely delicious

My son loved the Japanese show

The shows are fabulous .do not miss cirque ..i saw it 3 times ..on different itineraries all different and great

The casino was very nice to me .......

Staff was awesome ..go to your meet and greet

I loved the Epic Get a b6 balcony cabin they are the biggest ..loved it

 

Bon voyage

[Kevnzworld]

I've also been considering doing the TA in the spring on the Epic, as a change of pace. I did a TA on the Equinox this year.

My biggest concerns are ( if anyone wants to address them ) :

The MDR food, I looked at the menus..the items were " basic ", compared to Celebrity

 

The smoking policy. NCL allows smoking in the casino, and it permeates the ship. They also allow smoking on the balconies.

 

The Internet cost. The largest package offered is still about 40% more per minute than Celebrity.

[Alg63]

My biggest concerns are the bathrooms in the cabins if I decide to travel with a friend, and the smoking. Did not know about the high internet fees though. X was $49.95 for 90 minutes and got sucked pretty quickly, even though i just connected to download/upload and then emailed/typed offline.

[Minoushka]

Theylent me a laptop .with word program I would write my letters then only send them when finished .that way i saved a lot ofinternet time because i still type with 2 hfingers

Lol

 

Imloved my transat cruise very nice ...azores were amazing as. Were other places

 

Michele

[swmichigan cruiser]

I don't know how important the smoking issue is to you but I've never smoked and on our 4 cruises on the Epic I've never really noticed smoke as being a problem. Also the internet prices on the Epic were $55.00 for a 100 minutes and $100 for 250 minutes. I also might suggest you go on the Norwegian board to hear about the Epic to get more opinions to help with your decision. About the bathroom arrangement only you know what your comfortable with. We've had no problems with it.

[ibxcruiser]

We encountered the EPIC on our last Celebrity cruise in March. It followed us to 2 ports. When it pulled in next to us, the first morning, I was surprised at the size (we were on Connie). It looked like an apartment building. People on their balconies looking back at us probably thinking "what a dinky little ship". Then I saw the water slides bulging off the top deck. So I figured the population was likely mostly families with children. Later in the day I encountered cruisers in a shop and asked about the ship. Not very many positive comments. Dusty fake plants, crowds in the hallways at elevators, very slow cabin service by housekeeping. I noticed the guests are allowed to smoke on their balconies. Not my style at all.

[Alg63]

I posted on here rather than on NCL because i wanted it directed at those on this board .. The comments are vey helpful TY esp from those who have actually sailed both rather than heresay

[MicCanberra]

I posted on here rather than on NCL because i wanted it directed at those on this board .. The comments are vey helpful TY esp from those who have actually sailed both rather than heresay

Enjoy your cruise with who ever you decide to go with.:D

[Alg63]

Enjoy your cruise with who ever you decide to go with.:D

 

I am sure I will, but don't think I will be sharing with a friend based on the bathroom situation ... unless the man of my dreams walks into my life between now and then! However I am also thinking of the "better the devil you know" adage ...

Oh well, I have only put down a deposit and it's a long way off so plenty of time to muse (worry?)

[slk230red]

I am sure I will, but don't think I will be sharing with a friend based on the bathroom situation ... unless the man of my dreams walks into my life between now and then! However I am also thinking of the "better the devil you know" adage ...

Oh well, I have only put down a deposit and it's a long way off so plenty of time to muse (worry?)

 

We've been on 60 cruises over the past 12 years and have tried many different cruise lines. We were on the Epic last December and are going again next Saturday, followed by the Liberty OS and Vision OS, (9 cruises this year including the Silhouette in August). The bathroom situation was no problem for my wife and I, and I actually like the cabin wave design.

 

Really enjoyed the 3 water slides, Blue Man Group, Legends concert, Second City Comedy, Dueling Pianos, and especially the Blues Club...Slam Allen is great! Although I don't bowl, it was neat to watch people bowling while eating breakfast at O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill.

 

Don't be afraid to try other cruise lines....who knows, you might even like Oceania and Crystal.

[Hawaiidan]

Most ugly cruise ship design I have ever seen ...the only other contender is the monster Obscenity of the Sea by RCI. How they can call either a ship experience escapes me.

[gkny]

I'm going this coming march on the NCL Dawn and am trying NCL for the first time. It will be interesting comparing them.

[Miss SeaBee]

I am sure I will, but don't think I will be sharing with a friend based on the bathroom situation ... unless the man of my dreams walks into my life between now and then!

Lol! I'm married to the man of my dreams, but I still don't think I would care to share a tiny room with a non-private toilet in the room. Yuck!

[nobog]

most ugly cruise ship design i have ever seen ...the only other contender is the monster obscenity of the sea by rci. How they can call either a ship experience escapes me.

 

x2 !

[Tiggertastic]

We have sailed the equinox, silhouette and epic this year and loved all of them. The epic has more than 10 specialty restaurants and fantastic entertainment and the cabins are good too. The bathroom a little unorthodox with the toilet on one side of the entrance and shower on the other and sink in the room.

 

Try the howl at the mood duelling pianos, the jazz bar and the blue man group.

 

Carneys steakhouse is wonderful but even better is the Argentinian churraceria.

 

Yes the buffet is not as good as celebrity but the osheehans pub is fab and has 24 hour table service food.

 

There is a large curtain pulls across the entire bathroom area so if you are sharing you can get privacy