Epic 1/5 sailing. Good and bad.

[Gr101997]

Video from the 747 landing when we were at Maho Beach. Such a cool thing to see.

 

[SMSACE6]

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

 

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Thankyou, and that is good to know.:)

[wvfrogg]

I was on the Epic 12/1-12/8. I was in 14052 and loved it. Even though it was an "open balcony", it seemed to be in the shade almost all the time. Guess whichever way the ship was going the sun was on the other side!! I was near the Kids Recess Area and thankfully never heard anything at all. The room was very close to the stairs and elevators which I loved. I could run upstairs to the buffet, or hit the elevator for where ever else I wanted to go. I only got turned around once and went the entire length of Deck 14 to find my room. Then the hallways seemed very tight!! It was a little confusing trying to get to Le Cuchina for dinner on 14. Probably easier to go up to 15 and then down the stairs!

 

I did notice that the crew seemed a little overwhelmed and understaffed. They all seemed to be working hard, but I didn't notice all the big smiles that were always present on prior NCL cruises. This was the first NCL cruise where I noticed that. I thought the food and service in the smaller of the MDR's (Taste) was terrific. I also ate at 3 specialty restaurants which were very good. My only complaint about the food was the poor, weak coffee. Everywhere on the ship the coffee was weak.

 

I usually used the sun decks in Spice H20 and did not notice any chair hogging there. When I was by the main pools, it was a little crowded, but I went up to the upper level. We didn't have a full ship, so that may be part of the reason it wasn't so crowded. The only traffic jams I noticed were around the elevators after "muster" and on the "easy, walk-off" disembarkation. Everyone seemed to want to leave right at 7:30 a.m.!!

 

I had a terrific time even if he Epic isn't my favorite NCL ship -- just a little big and busy for me. But if I had young children, or if I were a big party gal, then I would definitely do it again. I loved the entertainment, and for me the food was excellent.

[ClaireAndMike]

Wow, I was on this cruise too and haven't begun my review yet but I know it was going to start out with it was the BEST trip we've ever been on and loved all of it. I'm not sure how old you are but when you say it would've been great if you were 10 years younger maybe that's why we found it to be just that (we're in our 20s). Honestly, I can't think of one negative thing to say. What I do TOTALLY agree with is the Fort Lauderdale airport Saturday morning. MY GOD! Our flights out weren't until 5 and 6pm and I don't know why we didn't take a tour in Miami during the day because it really cleared out at night. There was no line whatsoever for me but I saw it in the morning when it was about a mile long!

 

I absolutely cannot wait to book Epic again and we 100% will.

[wvfrogg]

Wow, I was on this cruise too and haven't begun my review yet but I know it was going to start out with it was the BEST trip we've ever been on and loved all of it. I'm not sure how old you are but when you say it would've been great if you were 10 years younger maybe that's why we found it to be just that (we're in our 20s). Honestly, I can't think of one negative thing to say. What I do TOTALLY agree with is the Fort Lauderdale airport Saturday morning. MY GOD! Our flights out weren't until 5 and 6pm and I don't know why we didn't take a tour in Miami during the day because it really cleared out at night. There was no line whatsoever for me but I saw it in the morning when it was about a mile long!

 

I absolutely cannot wait to book Epic again and we 100% will.

 

 

I think I am probably around 40 years older than you are!! That may explain a lot. I did love the Epic cruise -- it just wasn't my favorite NCL cruise!! But I had a super time, met loads of wonderful people, and enjoyed every moment except hunting for good coffee!! Can't wait to cruise again!

[jonbgd]

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.

 

The cove balcony on Carnival is desireable due to the fact they are about 25ft from the water;)

They are also sold as a lower class cabin category and price where NCL sells theirs as a regular balcony.

 

 

 

To the Op...... I agree with the service in the MDR.... Some of the worst on any cruseline.

I think one of the problems is not having the same waiter every night like we do on CCL and RCCL.

 

BTW we hated the Epic so much we booked a TA on her:p:D

[Love my butler]

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.

 

In other words, deception sells.

[Gr101997]

The cove balcony on Carnival is desireable due to the fact they are about 25ft from the water;)

They are also sold as a lower class cabin category and price where NCL sells theirs as a regular balcony.

 

To the Op...... I agree with the service in the MDR.... Some of the worst on any cruseline.

I think one of the problems is not having the same waiter every night like we do on CCL and RCCL.

 

BTW we hated the Epic so much we booked a TA on her:p:D

 

My thought is that the cruise line should have a disclaimer when you pick that room stating that the balcony isnt an open balcony. Im sure some people love the 'coves' as Im sure some people love the covered garage that we had. I however, hate it. Wife and I love to come back from the pool and sit on the balcony and get sun and read. (favorite part of Crown Princess is the extended balcony option. Who needs more inside when you can have lounge chairs on the balcony?) When I see balcony listed as the name of the stateroom, you think its something that when you look up, you see sky and look down and see water. Anything other then that is something else.

 

Wow, I was on this cruise too and haven't begun my review yet but I know it was going to start out with it was the BEST trip we've ever been on and loved all of it. I'm not sure how old you are but when you say it would've been great if you were 10 years younger maybe that's why we found it to be just that (we're in our 20s). Honestly, I can't think of one negative thing to say. What I do TOTALLY agree with is the Fort Lauderdale airport Saturday morning. MY GOD! Our flights out weren't until 5 and 6pm and I don't know why we didn't take a tour in Miami during the day because it really cleared out at night. There was no line whatsoever for me but I saw it in the morning when it was about a mile long!

 

I absolutely cannot wait to book Epic again and we 100% will.

 

I loved the cruise. What I said was that if I was 10 years younger, I would have loved the beverage package on this cruise because of how much fun you could have drinking to all hours of the night.

[crockea]

How much was the beverage package?

[jdvmd]

Thanks for your review! Glad to see that you still had a great time despite the hiccups.

[elizabeth612]

How much was the beverage package?

$49. per day plus tax and tip.

[SeaHunt]

My thought is that the cruise line should have a disclaimer when you pick that room stating that the balcony isnt an open balcony.

 

NCL must be listening to the complaints from unhappy cruisers. I was just on a thread where the OP says she just booked 10009 (hull balcony) and received a message from NCL stating "This cabin has an enclosed balcony" on her confirmation:

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1787335

 

Hopefully that will help prevent some sad surprises. :)

[soaringfalcon]

We were on the 1/12 sailing. I noticed the same thing about the staff, they just didn't seem to have the same happiness I've seen in the past. We spoke to several who said they did not want to renew their contracts on the Epic and were looking to get off. One server told us if he couldn't get another ship, he was going to leave the company. We didn't press further so I don't have any more details on why.

 

We had hit or miss service in the main dining rooms. We had one waiter who insisted on passing everything over my shoulder while he was standing behind me, several near misses with that and it made me uncomfortable.

 

I didn't say anything to the HD because I didn't really have a specific complaint, it was more of an overall vibe.