Epic 1/5 sailing. Good and bad.

[Gr101997]

Just got home from the 1/5 sailing on the Epic. Had a great time. There is just so much to do on that ship that you are truly never bored and really never have any downtime. Wife and I went with the Spa passes and they were worth every penny. Our goal of this trip was to relax and take some time away from work and being parents for a week. The Spa was the perfect thing for that. I already miss taking a dip in the therapy pools and then napping in the loungers after it. The food was ok in the MDR but much better in the specialties. Its annoying that you have to pay extra for good food but whatever, we didnt mind doing it a few times. Sushi bar is surprisingly good. I find that unless sushi is fresh daily, its a crap shoot. Dont know how they keep it fresh for a week but it was good every day.

Loved Howl and the Cirque. Blue Man was ok. Dont think it deserves the hype it gets. Lots of downtime. Didnt make it to Legends bc I caught a bad cold and couldnt really keep awake after dinner most nights. Howl is a great time to just hang out. Their jokes run a little thin but overall its a lot of fun.

We got the Beverage package which due to getting ill, did not use what it was worth. If you are going to party, I would 100% recommend it. If you are going to casually drink at dinner and maybe have a few during the day, dont.

Watching the football games in the atrium was so cool. Really is a fun way with all the fans of different teams cheering and stuff. The way the seating is set up makes it a really good time too.

I really never noticed the ship being crowded other then pool decks during the sea days or during easy walk off this morning.

 

Few things that bothered me. (keep in mind we had a great cruise but these were things we noticed)

1. The room. We booked a balcony. Get to the ship and it turns out we have one where the ship notches in. It was basically a porch with an ugly massive awning hanging over it. NCL needs to let people know those rooms are like that. I would have gladly paid more money for another room. The overhanging steel takes away from having a balcony. Its also a pain to have to navigate the hallways to find the room. Nowhere during the booking process was I told this was the case. Yes, I know I could have researched but you shouldnt have to do that.

 

2. Deck chairs. This was the worst of any ship I have ever seen. I havent been on NCL before so dont know the rules but IMO, if you go out at 7am and reserve chairs, youre inconsiderate. If you are someone who reserves multiple chairs (more then 4) in prime locations, you are really rude as well as inconsiderate. Seriously, you shouldnt go out at 8:45 ready to sit out and find no open chairs yet no one sitting in them. The first sea day, 2 woman had their 2 chairs and 3 on one side and 2 on the other saved. From 9:30 to noon, no one showed up. Finally at around 1215, a woman came, sat for 5 mins and left. Around 1, two more came and sat for a while but that was it. I watched people share chairs and not once did these women offer up a chair they never used. To me, thats just rude. 2nd sea day, this family who had a suite (they made sure you knew they had a suite) reserved TEN chairs. They came down 30 mins after my wife and I sat down and accused us of stealing their chairs and towels. When I told them I just signed these two towels out, they then accused the woman behind us claiming they watched it happen and had video proof (proof was never shown). They all showed up and kept harassing this woman about how they now had to pay $25 because of her and their poor kids didnt have towels (wouldnt you give them yours and you be the ones towel-less?) It must also be said that it was 6 adults and 6 kids in these chairs and they never even used them all. Ive never encountered such rude and thoughtless people on a vacation before. On the 3rd sea day, we didnt even bother looking and went right up to the top of the sports deck to sit.

 

3. Service. Im not trying to start an argument where someone says its great or what not. Im going by what I saw, my wife saw and a few passengers we met during the week said. The service was abysmal. Horrible. Worst on any cruise I have been on. It was so bad, I considered having the 12$ charge removed from my bill. The only good thing was the room steward whom I made sure to go above with. Service in the MDR was the worst. I dont know if it was because we were just two and didnt warrant extra attention but we didnt even get minimal attention. Part of the problem we noticed by the end was they just seem understaffed (this is why I was reluctant to remove charge). People always seemed to be working but it just seemed like they didnt have enough staff to cover. Also, alot of the staff was rude. Bartenders especially. There were a few good ones but many would ignore you and rather help someone fill a soda then take a drink order where they had to actually do work. Wife ordered a soda from waiter at Spice during day and he responded "really, thats all you want?" in a snotty tone. Any other cruise ive been on the staff has made you feel like a king. Didnt get that feeling once on this ship.

 

4. Atlantis Excursion. Im sure anyone who did this would tell you how unorganized it was. Between the amount of time it takes to get there to when the park closes, its not worth 120$. I dont know what else I would have done there but it was a waste of money and alot of frustration.

 

5. Easy walk off was anything but. We got lucky and were in the first wave but the line that was forming as we got off was unreal. from the theater to the middle of the casino back to the theater. I think walk off should apply to people with early flights who need to get off the ship. After they are gone, then let anyone else do it. I dont believe the amount of people who did it this morning all had early flights.

 

While I rambled on those 4 things, I want to restate that the cruise was great. There are plenty of positives that everyone knows tof this ship so there is no need to just keep repeating them. I dont know if I will ever go on NCL again but I do kind of want to take my daughter on the ship when shes a little older so who knows. If I was 10 years younger and single, this probably would have been the most amazing cruise ever. You really could non stop party from day one to seven.

[meggie711]

Thanks for your review!

[minn55441]

thanks for your honest feedback.

 

You mentioned that you didn't like the food in the MDR's, is that also where you found poor service? Was the service better in the specialty dinning locations?

Which of the specialty dinning options did you think were the best?

[kerrytens]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I would be interested in knowing what room you booked. It might help others to know too.

 

I'm glad that most of your cruise was good.

[raylene5]

Yeah, we had very bad service on our Pearl cruise back in July so I believe what you say about your experience. It was by far the worst service we had had on any cruise and we are definitely not difficult to please.

 

And we also had the crappy overhang which I didn't really know anything about before hand either. It sucked.

[cruisin07family]

thanks for your honest feedback.

 

You mentioned that you didn't like the food in the MDR's, is that also where you found poor service? Was the service better in the specialty dinning locations?

Which of the specialty dinning options did you think were the best?

 

Not the OP but just off the same cruise. Honestly, the service must be hit or miss because we were also just two in the MDR and we didn't find it to be bad at all. We did eat most meals at the specialty restaurants and to me, I found the service to actually be "too much". I don't like the staff just hanging over me and refilling my water and wine after two sips. That drives me batty which may be why I found the MDR service to be fine. We were surprised most by La Cucina. We didn't expect much but it was very tasty. Actually, I found nearly all the food to be great, even at the buffet.

 

I'm kinda curious about the OP's balcony too. We had a B6 balcony and loved the size of the balcony. I need to figure out how to post them as I promised on some thread before I left.

 

We didn't even try the main pool area so I can't comment on the deck chairs there. I found the band playing all day long to be distracting and toooooo loud! We chose to buy posh passes and we did spend some time there but the wind made suntanning that high up pretty hard. I did see quite a few saved chairs in Spice H20 and the hot tubs were NEVER empty.

 

Disembarkation was very crowded but at least the line moved fairly quickly. That line was incomparable to the line for security I found at Ft. Lauderdale! That place was a madhouse!!!!!!!!

 

To the OP: Sorry you got sick. That absolutely sucks on vacation!

[PathfinderEss]

Thanks for your honest review, glad you had a good time and relaxed.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for the review

You are not alone. Service issues are a major complaint of recent NCL cruises (even coming from NCL cheerleaders). NCL needs to start reading reviews and take notice.

I will be on the Epic in 28 days and will also do a full report.

[Donna_In_India]

Sorry about the disappointments but glad you had a great cruise. We cruised the Epic (our first NCL) in December and loved it. We didn't eat in the MDR so didn't really have those issues and also didn't spend much time by the pool - it was windy and a little cold for swimming. Agree that there was so much to do! We enjoyed the shows as well. I think disembarkation was the only time we encountered an ugly line but we weren't in a rush so no problem there. I definitely will sail NCL again (can't wait for the Breakaway in June!).

[SMSACE6]

Thanks for your review! Im glad that some of it was good though. :)

 

I will have to check out that sports deck for chairs. That chair hogging sounds really bad.

[Gr101997]

Thanks for sharing.

 

I would be interested in knowing what room you booked. It might help others to know too.

 

I'm glad that most of your cruise was good.

 

14078. There is a whole block of rooms on 14 where in addition to the overhang, you have to walk through a maze of a hallway to find. One way in, one way out. Got to be really annoying. Couldnt just get off an elevator and go right or left. The other thing that drove me nuts was the phone was in spanish and we couldnt figure out how to change it. Never really used it so didnt go crazy to get it fixed.

 

Not the OP but just off the same cruise. Honestly, the service must be hit or miss because we were also just two in the MDR and we didn't find it to be bad at all. We did eat most meals at the specialty restaurants and to me, I found the service to actually be "too much". I don't like the staff just hanging over me and refilling my water and wine after two sips. That drives me batty which may be why I found the MDR service to be fine. We were surprised most by La Cucina. We didn't expect much but it was very tasty. Actually, I found nearly all the food to be great, even at the buffet.

 

We didn't even try the main pool area so I can't comment on the deck chairs there. I found the band playing all day long to be distracting and toooooo loud! We chose to buy posh passes and we did spend some time there but the wind made suntanning that high up pretty hard. I did see quite a few saved chairs in Spice H20 and the hot tubs were NEVER empty.

 

Someone else asked too and the service was bad in the MDRs only. The specialties had very good service but when we went, there were many empty tables. The one thing that all of them had in common was when you ordered a drink, it took forever to come. All I wanted was a glass of red wine with my steak at Cagneys and by the time it came, I had nearly finished my meal.

The food in the MDRs was just plain. I always like going on cruises because they always have such a wide range of stuff you would never eat. The 4 nights we ate there it was just basic stuff with regular sides. The last night, the waitress gave us the menu from the night before and didnt even realize it until after we ordered and she went to put the order in and they told her that wasnt on the menu.

 

The band was loud in the main pool area but thats just part of any vacation. Good pair of noise canceling headphones does the trick with those.

 

Wife just reminded me about room service. Holy crap was that just the worst. It was never less then a 45 min wait and one time we waited an hour and 15 mins and by the time it came, we were getting ready for dinner. There is no excuse for that. Just makes me further think that the ship is highly understaffed and they need to do something about that.

[Gr101997]

Thanks for your review! Im glad that some of it was good though. :)

 

I will have to check out that sports deck for chairs. That chair hogging sounds really bad.

 

It really is amazing. I dont know how people think they can go out and just put a towel on a chair and then show up hours later and not feel like a complete douche. Then to see people flip out because their towels were not there anymore was even more absurd. How entitled do you think you are that you putting your towel on a chair means that you have rights to that chair for an entire day? Ugh, just so hatable.

I wish the cruise line would grow a set and deal with this because it would def help the problem.

[Gr101997]

thanks for your honest feedback.

 

You mentioned that you didn't like the food in the MDR's, is that also where you found poor service? Was the service better in the specialty dinning locations?

Which of the specialty dinning options did you think were the best?

 

We ate at Le Bistro which was very good. Went at 7 and the place was dead. Maybe 10 other tables. That was probably our best waiter of the week. Always made sure we had water and enjoyed what we ordered and didnt want anything else. However, they have 3 menu items where they charge you 10$ more. When does it become too much?

La Cucina we liked but being at the front of the ship made had us rocking through the entire meal. Like Le Bistro, it was dead after 730 so the service was good.

Last place was Cagneys. Probably my favorite but I love steak houses so im bias. Service here was ok but it was also crowded. Our water was never refilled until the meal came and it took about 15 minutes to get a glass of red wine.

[Medtech2]

14078. There is a whole block of rooms on 14 where in addition to the overhang, you have to walk through a maze of a hallway to find. One way in, one way out. Got to be really annoying. Couldnt just get off an elevator and go right or left. The other thing that drove me nuts was the phone was in spanish and we couldnt figure out how to change it. Never really used it so didnt go crazy to get it fixed.

 

 

 

Someone else asked too and the service was bad in the MDRs only. The specialties had very good service but when we went, there were many empty tables. The one thing that all of them had in common was when you ordered a drink, it took forever to come. All I wanted was a glass of red wine with my steak at Cagneys and by the time it came, I had nearly finished my meal.

The food in the MDRs was just plain. I always like going on cruises because they always have such a wide range of stuff you would never eat. The 4 nights we ate there it was just basic stuff with regular sides. The last night, the waitress gave us the menu from the night before and didnt even realize it until after we ordered and she went to put the order in and they told her that wasnt on the menu.

 

The band was loud in the main pool area but thats just part of any vacation. Good pair of noise canceling headphones does the trick with those.

 

Wife just reminded me about room service. Holy crap was that just the worst. It was never less then a 45 min wait and one time we waited an hour and 15 mins and by the time it came, we were getting ready for dinner. There is no excuse for that. Just makes me further think that the ship is highly understaffed and they need to do something about that.

You mention the food being plain. I have noticed NCL and Carnival serving so-called comfort food, ie plain what you would eat at home...

 

Many, many people, however, post in their reviews that they love it and will not eat anything other than what they are used to. Hamburgers, chicken fingers and the like.

 

It is a shame, really! The most exotic thing some people will eat is spaghetti. I have friends like that. I am with you. A cruise is the exact place I want to try new and exciting dishes.

 

As far as service, I wonder if time of year has anything to do with it? Had the crew just come on board? Is there "down" time after the holidays? Perhaps a call to the HD would have helped.

 

Hope your next cruise is wonderful in this regard.

[DGP1111]

Thanks for your review! Im glad that some of it was good though. :)

 

I will have to check out that sports deck for chairs. That chair hogging sounds really bad.

 

One area of chairs, up on the Sports deck, overlooks Spice H2O. You can get some good sun with some nice views.

 

.

[KirkNC]

Thanks for the report!

[gambee]

We chose to buy posh passes and we did spend some time there but the wind made suntanning that high up pretty hard. I did see quite a few saved chairs in Spice H20 and the hot tubs were NEVER empty.

 

 

 

How was Posh? was is as crowded as the other areas of the ship?

[ColinIllinois]

Thanks for the review. I do think though that while spending thousands of dollars for a cabin it wouldn't kill you to spend five minutes looking at a pic of the ship to see if your balcony is satisfactory. If one books online who would tell them anything about that aspect of what you are booking?

 

Again, thanks for a balanced review.

[AttilaTheFun]

Thanks for the helpful review! It sounds like the chair hogging is at full-force again, which is so disappointing. It sucks about the poor service and you getting sick!

 

Just one suggestion is to tell someone on the ship is you are encountering these issues. The senior officers usually take it quite seriously if someone reaches out or writes a comment card onboard. Sometimes they speak to you personally to apologize or otherwise try to make it right. I was really impressed when I wrote a comment card on the Star how the Hotel Director's staff followed up with me the very next day about my concerns.

 

Hearing that you may not consider NCL again due to partying, I'm curious if you think Carnival is better? I've sailed Princess and liked them, but just curious which line you would go back to? They all have pros and cons.

[AttilaTheFun]

How could I forget - you mention a beverage package in your review - was this alcoholic or just the soda package? I heard they were testing the alcohol package on other ships, but not Epic yet.

[Gr101997]

Thanks for the review. I do think though that while spending thousands of dollars for a cabin it wouldn't kill you to spend five minutes looking at a pic of the ship to see if your balcony is satisfactory. If one books online who would tell them anything about that aspect of what you are booking?

 

Again, thanks for a balanced review.

 

On the same level, if you are paying thousands shouldn't the cruise make a point to say something about it? I saw some of those hull balconies and if I got one of those I would walk off at embarkation demanding a full refund.

Even looking at a pic, you wouldn't notice the overhang and how much it takes away from having a balcony. I'm sure I could have researched but like I said, you shouldn't have to.

[Gr101997]

 

Hearing that you may not consider NCL again due to partying, I'm curious if you think Carnival is better? I've sailed Princess and liked them, but just curious which line you would go back to? They all have pros and cons.

 

I think you misunderstood. I would avoid NCL due to the service we encountered. I have no problem with the partying. I thought it was kinda cool to see people partying all hours of the night. On the Princess ships, I dont think we saw people past midnight out. The last Carnival we went on was one of the weekend party ones so it was crazy.

 

I really like Princess out of the 3 ive been on. I thought their food and service was top notch. I like the freestyle cruising thing but I think it takes away from the cruise experience. I like having the same waiter every night and since it has been just my wife and I, we have no problem with late seating and getting there on time every night. It might sound dumb but we also like the formal nights and getting decked out. You never really have a chance to do that at home so its just a little touch we enjoy. (I was surprised to see how many people were dressed up during the dress up night on Epic. I read it was very minimum but what we saw was a lot.)

When we start taking our daughter, im sure the freestyle way will be a lot more convenient. Like you said, there are pros and cons to every line. I would like to try Royal but would probably avoid the two mega ships.

 

How could I forget - you mention a beverage package in your review - was this alcoholic or just the soda package? I heard they were testing the alcohol package on other ships, but not Epic yet.

 

No, the Alcohol one. Includes soda. The system they are using is kind of annoying. They put this paper sticker on your card and thats it. They have to swipe every time you use it and you need to sign the receipt as well. It would be much more convenient if they could just take your card, swipe it and thats it. I get annoyed standing there waiting for a receipt. Some times they would help other people and you would have to wait to sign. I got my card wet and the sticker came off and I had to go to the guest services, get a recept saying I paid for it and then find the head bartender to put another one on. Otherwise, if you want to drink all week, Id say its a steal. Oh, they also put all the charges on your account that you can check on the TV so it gets confusing as to how much you are spending.

[ColinIllinois]

On the same level, if you are paying thousands shouldn't the cruise make a point to say something about it? I saw some of those hull balconies and if I got one of those I would walk off at embarkation demanding a full refund.

Even looking at a pic, you wouldn't notice the overhang and how much it takes away from having a balcony. I'm sure I could have researched but like I said, you shouldn't have to.

 

 

Actually I have noticed those overhangs in pictures, along with the hull balconies and the larger balconies on the humps.

 

Should NCL tell you which Epic rooms have the bed by the balcony? Some people like that, some people dont. My point being I think you may be expecting a bit much from NCL or any other line in regards to how in depth they will go regarding your booking.

 

Regardless, you had a good cruise anyway.

 

Cheers.

[pinkslippers]

How could I forget - you mention a beverage package in your review - was this alcoholic or just the soda package? I heard they were testing the alcohol package on other ships, but not Epic yet.

 

 

 

I am curious too---the beverage package that you mentioned in your review---are you referring to the soda package? Or does Epic offer a beverage package which includes unlimited alcohol? Or reduced priced alcohol beverages?

 

Thank you for your review. I am sure the positives of your cruise experience on the Epic are much greater than the negatives of your cruise experience---and the negatives you mentioned may just be attributed to the fact that the Epic is one of the largest ships out there---so many passengers to accommodate and so many passengers to ruin the experience for others. I have cruised on small, medium, large, and "extra large" ships---and there surely is something to be said for the small and medium ships--such a different experience than the mega ships.

 

We are going to give the Epic a try---during Spring Break week of all times! We plan to go into it with an open mind, open heart, and hopefully maintain a relaxed atmosphere w/o any aggravation from the "chair hogs" on the pool deck. :)

 

Oh, and I am glad you mentioned a band playing all day on the pool deck....because I loves me some Reggae music all day during the days at sea.

 

Thanks again for your review. I board the Epic is 75 days!

[kerrytens]

14078. There is a whole block of rooms on 14 where in addition to the overhang, you have to walk through a maze of a hallway to find. One way in, one way out. Got to be really annoying. Couldnt just get off an elevator and go right or left. The other thing that drove me nuts was the phone was in spanish and we couldnt figure out how to change it. Never really used it so didnt go crazy to get it fixed.

.

 

I guess the hallway thing is because of the kid's club then??? I was in 12078, exactly 2 floors below you and it was a simple turn off the elevators and we were at our door.

 

I remember reading SDMike's review and he was on deck 14 - he loved the overhang. I'm probably more like you and wouldn't have appreciated it as I do like sun on my balcony. As for the hull balconies (you mentioned them on another post), I always find it funny because they are sold as 'cove' balconies on Carnival and are much coveted. I, too, don't consider them desirable but then again all of the above rooms can be easily found with minimal research. What I don't like someone else may love so I don't consider it the cruiseline's job to inform people at all - I guess that is where we will differ.

 

I'm sorry that you didn't like some parts of the ship. I do wish you happy cruising in the future though:D