Does the Norwegian Epic have bad food and service?

[crackycruiser]

Hi: We are in our late 50's. We have cruised with RC 4 times. Have been on the Oasis and loved it!! We loved the food and the service on all of our RC cruises. I am now interested in going on the Epic and booking a Spa Balcony Room. We love shows, the casinos and the food. My DH likes the fitness area. When reading the numerous reviews of the Norwegian Epic I was concerned about the long waiting for the freestyle restaurants, the quality of the food (we are not fussy eaters) and the service. I have read many reviews that put these issues in a bad light. On one hand I think I should go book with RC because I think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.", but on the other had I would really like to try something different, BUT, I don't want to spend my hard earned money on a disappoinment. I would greatly apprecaite any input. Thank you.

[Partyatsea]

We feel the same as you, if it ain't broke don't fix it. That being said we are just off the awesome Epic for the 2nd time and never had to wait for a table and found the service to be great. The casino is huge as is the fitness center. As far as shows there are not enough nights to do them all. We did have the luck of sailing on a less than full ship tho.

 

If we were to jump ship from NCL I think it would be Oasis or Allure. In Nassau Friday we were docked between the Carnival Breeze and Disney Dream and both those ships were impressive also.

[Medtech2]

If it ain't broke don't fix it...

 

That's why we are working our way through NCL...

 

Love it, loved the Epic!

 

Honestly, have you completely missed all the POSITIVE reviews?

[heart347]

I have been on the Epic twice, and I am going on my 2nd trip on the Allure next week. I find the food on the Epic WAY better than the Allure. I experienced great service on both ships, but the food on the Epic wins by a mile. :) That is just my opinion.

[MeHeartCruising]

I have found Royal Caribbean and NCL to be very similar with respect to quality of food and service. On either line (any line for that matter) you may run across an occasional person having a bad day or who is not as personable as you may like or a meal you don't really care for. NCL is no different. Obviously, read up on how dining is done on NCL and what your options are as they are slightly different than Royal Caribbean. But if you do your research, you should not be surprised by anything by going on the Epic. It's a great ship and we thoroughly enjoyed it as much as any of our Royal Caribbean cruises.

[wvfrogg]

Hi: We are in our late 50's. We have cruised with RC 4 times. Have been on the Oasis and loved it!! We loved the food and the service on all of our RC cruises. I am now interested in going on the Epic and booking a Spa Balcony Room. We love shows, the casinos and the food. My DH likes the fitness area. When reading the numerous reviews of the Norwegian Epic I was concerned about the long waiting for the freestyle restaurants, the quality of the food (we are not fussy eaters) and the service. I have read many reviews that put these issues in a bad light. On one hand I think I should go book with RC because I think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.", but on the other had I would really like to try something different, BUT, I don't want to spend my hard earned money on a disappoinment. I would greatly apprecaite any input. Thank you.

 

I just got off the Epic and found the food very good. I never had to wait for a restaurant and found the service and food beyond good. I did not eat in Manhattan, but did in the other MDR - Taste. Also ate in 3 of the Speciality restaurants which were excellent. The Garden Buffet offered a wide variety of very good food. As far as service goes, I think the Epic may be a little understaffed, but they were all pleasant and professional. The casino can be pretty smoky, but that may not bother you. Enjoy the Epic. The entertainment is wonderful.

[crackycruiser]

Thank you for your quick replies. I did read the positive quotes, but there seemed to be an awful lot of negative ones, especially about the service and then the food. You have put my mind at ease. I'm going with my gut and booking on the Epic. THANK YOU!!!

[SMSACE6]

Hi: We are in our late 50's. We have cruised with RC 4 times. Have been on the Oasis and loved it!! We loved the food and the service on all of our RC cruises. I am now interested in going on the Epic and booking a Spa Balcony Room. We love shows, the casinos and the food. My DH likes the fitness area. When reading the numerous reviews of the Norwegian Epic I was concerned about the long waiting for the freestyle restaurants, the quality of the food (we are not fussy eaters) and the service. I have read many reviews that put these issues in a bad light. On one hand I think I should go book with RC because I think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.", but on the other had I would really like to try something different, BUT, I don't want to spend my hard earned money on a disappoinment. I would greatly apprecaite any input. Thank you.

 

I dont know yet, but;

 

Im not far behind you in the age bracket; by a couple of years...well ok, same age bracket. Anyway, I have cruised mostly with Carnival over the years, and enjoyed all my cruises, yet the last one (two years ago, good cruise, but ) well there were some issues that lead me to think about a change. I am still comfortable with Carnival, and booked yet another cruise with them, but had to cancel my cruise this year because of ailing parents.

 

When it came time to choose a cruise for 2013, I really felt that it was time to branch out from the familiar, and the also now somewhat not so appealing product of Carnival, and did my homework and chose to go back to NCL after a many year absence. I know you still enjoy your line of choice, but what did affect my choice in a differnt line was mostly the "freestyle" aspect. There is a basic MDR offering in two dining rooms, with a standard anyday menu, and a daily changing one, and you can go anytime during opening hrs without a reservation.

 

The buffet seems to have a very varied offering and things that I love, like curry, and crepes, and lots of other things that I am looking forward to. (and I am usually one who avoids a buffet). Also the extra fee restaurants are more than one, so many choices and cost from 15.00 to 25.00 which is less than the one extra fee restaurant on Carnival. Again just so many choices, and not just on Epic, but on the other ships too.

 

Im not putting Carnival down, still like them, and will cruise with them again, but given my NCL cruise is almost a year away, Im reading every single review of NCL, and especially Epic, and I dont really get that the food is horrible. For some it is just ok, for others it is good to very good, and for me, I have no doubt it will be fine, because Im not into gourmet or pampering, just like a decent, properly cooked meal, served in a timely manner, and if there is a big lineup, I will just truck on up to the buffet or the 24hr restaurant. So many choices....there has to be something.

 

This just me though. But I think given the choices, there should be no problem finding something on the ship, and there are other reasons besides food to cruise. Whatever cruise you choose, have fun!:)

[luv2cruise53]

Hi: We are in our late 50's. We have cruised with RC 4 times. Have been on the Oasis and loved it!! We loved the food and the service on all of our RC cruises. I am now interested in going on the Epic and booking a Spa Balcony Room. We love shows, the casinos and the food. My DH likes the fitness area. When reading the numerous reviews of the Norwegian Epic I was concerned about the long waiting for the freestyle restaurants, the quality of the food (we are not fussy eaters) and the service. I have read many reviews that put these issues in a bad light. On one hand I think I should go book with RC because I think "if it ain't broke, don't fix it.", but on the other had I would really like to try something different, BUT, I don't want to spend my hard earned money on a disappoinment. I would greatly apprecaite any input. Thank you.

 

Absolutely.

It sucks...everything about the EPIC sucks....It is the worlds worst suckiest ship

 

That is why it has been named Best Overall Ship for 2012

 

This is the stupidest question ever posted on an NCL Home Board.

 

You can all go and trash me to high heaven.....I am in no mood for An RCCL fanatic trashing the NCL home boards

 

Go on trash me....I don't care

[sail2sea]

You never know until you try. Nothing ventured, nothing gained. :D

 

Just got off a B2B (almost) from Epic and Dawn. The food on Epic was great, second to none. Service was a little slow. Maybe it's the size of the ship or maybe it was the Thanksgiving crowd, but I found Epic's service slower than Dawn.

[luv2cruise53]

Absolutely.

It sucks...everything about the EPIC sucks....It is the worlds worst suckiest ship

 

That is why it has been named Best Overall Ship for 2012

 

This is the stupidest question ever posted on an NCL Home Board.

 

You can all go and trash me to high heaven.....I am in no mood for An RCCL fanatic trashing the NCL home boards

 

Go on trash me....I don't care

 

This is not how you pose a question.

 

Your question should be "Tell me about food and service on the Epic"

 

and then say...I have been thinking about switching from RCCL and trying something new....Tell me about....I have heard mixed reviews and I was wondering ....etc...

 

This is the proper way to post a ?

 

Not throw a headline about bad food and service on our beloved NCL boards.

 

Sorry, But its all a matter of semantics and being proper.

[crackycruiser]

Thank you again for your replies. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I haven't cruised in a while and I haven't posted in like 4 years and meant no harm. I just wanted to make sure when cruise critic itself( or somewhere I read) put out stats that only 71% of cruisers liked it. That's kinda low for such a big ship, or so I thought, but guess not. My bad, Thanks again.

[jdvmd]

We have sailed on the Oasis of the Seas and the Epic and while we had a great time on the Oasis, we liked the Epic much better. We needed a second week to take in everything. Thought the food and service were much, much better than the Oasis. We had poor service in the MDR of the Oasis, so bad that we decided to never go back.

[Warmer Climes]

We started cruising with RCI and then switched to NCL. We prefer Freestyle dining. We hated having a set dining time with strangers. Some nights we were full from meals in excusions but felt pressured to eat at our set dining times. On NCL we eat when we want to, maybe in the French restaurant or maybe in the sports bar. We loved our cruises on RCI , but we like the vibe better on NCL. Hard to explain.

 

We have never had long waits for dinner. The entertainment is better on NCL, no question. Cabins are similar, service is similar. I think the experience in RCI is more generic and less personal than on NCL

 

Now the Epic is not our favorite NCL ship. Too big and too loud. That said, out if all our NCL cruises, Epic had the best entertainment, absolutely no comparison, and the best food. And I like the room arrangement.

 

PS

I hate rude responses to sincere questions.

[Gypsea]

I've sailed RC's Allure and Oasis as well as the Epic. I think if you don't like the Epic there is something wrong with you. Sure you won't find the zip line, surf simulator or merry go round or levatating bar. I like RC too but this is not apples to apples. Each ship has great things but they are DIFFERENT things!

 

Spend the money and see Cirque Dreams and Dinner, make a reservation for Blue Man, stay up to see Second City and the comedy shows. It is a fabulous ship with an Irish pub centrally located with pool, a bowling alley, all night snacks overlooking an atrium below with the massive screen. There is always action here and the casino is nearby. Then there's the dance venues, Fat Cat's Blues Club, the ice bar and Legends, musical impersonators.

 

As for food, if you can't find food you like I can't help you. Variety is huge and even if you paid extra every night for a different special dining room it may still cost less then a comparable cabin on O or A.

 

I've had excellent cruises on all three of these ships and if you are prepared for the Epic to be second/third best it will be. That's okay. There are all GREAT! Bon Voyage!!

[blutfort]

The Epic and entire NCL fleet is wonderful. So wonderful that we don't really even consider looking at other lines.

[kjquilts]

Thank you again for your replies. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I haven't cruised in a while and I haven't posted in like 4 years and meant no harm. I just wanted to make sure when cruise critic itself( or somewhere I read) put out stats that only 71% of cruisers liked it. That's kinda low for such a big ship, or so I thought, but guess not. My bad, Thanks again.

 

 

I read your original post several times to try and figure out why you got such a heated response from one poster and still can't figure it out. Didn't see any Norwegian bashing on your part and didn't see any stupider (if that is a word lol) question than many many others that have been posted on these boards.

 

Saw your later post saying you were going to go ahead and book the Epic. I hope you enjoy her as much as we do. We sailed her early in her first season and have booked again for the 8 day caribbean in January 2014.

 

We're Norweenies ... one Princess cruise, one Costa cruise and now platinum with Norwegian with three more cruises booked. We found a good fit and are happy here.

[david_sobe]

Even though Oasis and Allure are larger ships, I believe Epic has more restaurants and definately a more variety of restaurants. Service is just as good if not better than other lines.

Here is a video of all the yummy restaurants aboard Epic. Yes you may have to pay a litte extra for some of them, but we think it is worth it. As they say, you get what you pay for.

 

[jdvmd]

Thank you again for your replies. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I haven't cruised in a while and I haven't posted in like 4 years and meant no harm. I just wanted to make sure when cruise critic itself( or somewhere I read) put out stats that only 71% of cruisers liked it. That's kinda low for such a big ship, or so I thought, but guess not. My bad, Thanks again.

 

crackycruiser, I don't think you have said or done anything wrong. Just keep in mind that Cruise Critic members are such a small part of the cruising world. Only about 5 percent of cruisers are members here. And from that number, only a few posts reviews. I take all the reviews with a grain of salt. 71 percent for a ship that sails with 4,100+ people is pretty darn good.

[dlynn0366]

Thank you again for your replies. I didn't mean to hurt anyone's feelings. I haven't cruised in a while and I haven't posted in like 4 years and meant no harm. I just wanted to make sure when cruise critic itself( or somewhere I read) put out stats that only 71% of cruisers liked it. That's kinda low for such a big ship, or so I thought, but guess not. My bad, Thanks again.

 

No harm done :) you just asked for some opinion's. I look at some of the responses on this board by members & think if the ship went down a)they would likely throw children overboard to get a good seat in the life boat....b)if I were stuck in a life boat with them I would likely jump overboard :p That said I loved the food enough that I was on the treadmill for an hour everyday and we had no issues with the service. I rebooked this year right after getting off the ship and counting the days til Mar 9.

[iluvdoxies]

I've sailed RC's Allure and Oasis as well as the Epic. I think if you don't like the Epic there is something wrong with you. Sure you won't find the zip line, surf simulator or merry go round or levatating bar. I like RC too but this is not apples to apples. Each ship has great things but they are DIFFERENT things!

 

Spend the money and see Cirque Dreams and Dinner, make a reservation for Blue Man, stay up to see Second City and the comedy shows. It is a fabulous ship with an Irish pub centrally located with pool, a bowling alley, all night snacks overlooking an atrium below with the massive screen. There is always action here and the casino is nearby. Then there's the dance venues, Fat Cat's Blues Club, the ice bar and Legends, musical impersonators.

 

As for food, if you can't find food you like I can't help you. Variety is huge and even if you paid extra every night for a different special dining room it may still cost less then a comparable cabin on O or A.

 

I've had excellent cruises on all three of these ships and if you are prepared for the Epic to be second/third best it will be. That's okay. There are all GREAT! Bon Voyage!!

 

The pub, O'Sheehans had great food - wings burgers, soups and sammies and chick pot pie

 

all free and delish

[el820]

I just got off the Epic yesterday (Dec 8th). The food was definitely better than what I can whip up at home but it's nothing to write home to mom about. I was on the Eclipse in 2010 and found the food and service to be a bit better.

 

In general I find the quality of cruise ship food has declined over the years. I remember I was able to get a juicy steak or rack of lamb at the Horizon Grill 24/7 on a Princess cruise 12 years ago...6 years later, the menu has changed to hot dog, hamburger and grilled cheese sandwich. The buffet used to be open for 24 hrs, it closes around 10-11pm nowadays.

 

On this Epic cruise I was looking forward to feasting on a rack of lamb and seafood risotto with some large sea scallops, but we were treated to a leg of lamb and vegetable risotto instead. The leg of lamb was dry & tuff, and the risotto was dry & lumpy. I guess one would have to get these items in a specialty restaurant nowadays. Another party I was travelling with managed to find hair in her food, not once, not twice, but 3 separate times--eew. On the plus side, the lobster we had on Day 1 was really good as well as the strip loin steak and the lamb shank on the classic menu.

 

The wait time to the MDR was long on the first day but it got better during the cruise and NCL was offering free bubbly and soda while you wait--nice gesture.

[FLCruiseGirl]

Absolutely.

It sucks...everything about the EPIC sucks....It is the worlds worst suckiest ship

 

That is why it has been named Best Overall Ship for 2012

 

This is the stupidest question ever posted on an NCL Home Board.

 

You can all go and trash me to high heaven.....I am in no mood for An RCCL fanatic trashing the NCL home boards

 

Go on trash me....I don't care

 

 

This is not how you pose a question.

 

Your question should be "Tell me about food and service on the Epic"

 

and then say...I have been thinking about switching from RCCL and trying something new....Tell me about....I have heard mixed reviews and I was wondering ....etc...

 

This is the proper way to post a ?

 

Not throw a headline about bad food and service on our beloved NCL boards.

 

Sorry, But its all a matter of semantics and being proper.

 

 

 

This is one of the rudest responses to a post that I have ever seen on these boards. You are the last person that should be giving out advice on how to phrase a post "properly".

[unboringuy]

Mid 50s here. Have been on over 50 cruises, on all of the mass market lines. Most of my cruises have been on Princess, and I have achieved their highest (Elite) status in their loyalty program. Princess has great perks for loyalty.

 

That said, took the TA from Barcelona to Miami in October on the Epic. In a word, everything far exceeded my expectations. Friendly staff, very good food, outstanding fitness facilities. Even wrote a letter to CEO Kevin Sheehan to praise the ship and the crew.

 

Everything is subjective. If you go with an open mind and a good attitude you will have a great time!

[luv2cruise53]

This is one of the rudest responses to a post that I have ever seen on these boards. You are the last person that should be giving out advice on how to phrase a post "properly".

 

 

Perhaps I was a little to taken aback...but like I said trash me....cause I really think that questions should be posed in a manner that invites answers not defensiveness.

 

So I apologize to original OP and anyone else I have offended....chalk it up to a bad day and my innate ignorance in general.

 

But I must ask why I am the last person to talk about a post...