Just back from Epic 11/23-30. Quick Review

[DKJ]

I also just got off the Epic 11/23-11/30 with a group of 11 in 4 balcony cabins and one studio. I had great service from my room steward Rod but the passenger in the studio didn't . Because we were a large group eating together several times in the Main dining room there was a wait for the table and then another wait for the food. My cabin was 11076 lg balcony a couple of doors down from the elevator which was great but the studio and one of the balcony cabins was mid ship and a pain to get to. There was almost always a wait for the elevator but wasn't to bad unless a show just got out.I personally enjoyed the buffet food better than the main dining rooms and O'Sheehans was the perfect spot for grabbing food. Blue Man Group was good but I was expecting more. Legends was just so, so but I did enjoy Steven Tyler impersonator. Pool was crowded but...it was Thanksgiving and a lot of families but I didn't spend alt of time up there. I loved the casino (the non smoking side) I hit the slot machines quite often for 20,40 , $100 which made it fun cause you could win more than you loose if you play it right.

Embarkation and Disembarkation was a breeze.

[kirsty_r]

there are always people wanting to hijack a positive review... great to hear you had a good cruise. I love the unique feel on the EPIC.

[20165]

there are always people wanting to hijack a positive review... great to hear you had a good cruise. I love the unique feel on the EPIC.

 

Yeah, that wasnt at all our experience. I was very impressed with the ship, service and entertainment. And believe me, i was looking for problems based on he reviews i read beforehand, but was very pleasently surprised. Our kids loved it so much, they are still talking about it which is unusual given they forgot about last years carnival cruise about a day after we got off.

 

Im already looking at next years NCL cruise...

[jdvmd]

Thanks for your comments! Glad you had a great time!

[sjbdtz]

You will never get to know any wait staff since they change nightly. They have no reason to provide exemplary service since they have already been tipped and have no hope of earning tips above and beyond this pathetic amount,

 

And a fifteen year old six foot boy sleeping on that curved couch that was literally smaller than a twin bed with his feet hanging off?? Really? We could barely move in that room without turning sideways or having someone crawl up on the bed. Changing for dinner?? Forget about it.

The pools were the size of kiddie wading pools and that's exactly what they turned into. And adult could not even get cooled off without getting sprayed or splashed or run over. Add to that the POLKA BAND on deck for Thanksgiving. WHAT??

We will be sailing Celebrity or RCL from now on.

 

You sailed the Sun & the Dawn, and didn't realize you had Freestyle dining? You researched your cabin, and didn't realize that the couch was not 6 feet long?

 

Doesn't sound like NCL's fault.

 

 

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[Coastal8]

I apologize for posting...I had no idea this was really only intended for positive reviews. Also, in regard to your critique of what I had to say: yes, we had previously sailed on the Dawn and the Sun. There was never a wait for dinner and we were never only given one waiter or waitress with no assistant in a packed dining room. For us, Any Time Dining on a ship as big as the Epic just didn't work. Also, we have never sailed on a ship this big. I'm sorry to offend you, but we found the service terrible and very lacking compared to the smaller ships. As for my issues with the room, it appears that the "couch"pulls out. It doesn't. We have never been in a room designed like this and found it very non-functional. Not everyone has the same experience on the same boat. Obviously. If you dislike these forums and don't want to hear what others have to say and what their own experience was like, then maybe these forums with both positive and negative reviews are not for you. Personally, I'm glad you had a good time. I just wish WE had also.

[BlueJai]

Thanks for posting your experiences! There has been a lot of poor reviews lately so very exciting to see some things were positive!

Jai

[sjbdtz]

I apologize for posting...I had no idea this was really only intended for positive reviews. Also, in regard to your critique of what I had to say: yes, we had previously sailed on the Dawn and the Sun. There was never a wait for dinner and we were never only given one waiter or waitress with no assistant in a packed dining room. For us, Any Time Dining on a ship as big as the Epic just didn't work. Also, we have never sailed on a ship this big. I'm sorry to offend you, but we found the service terrible and very lacking compared to the smaller ships. As for my issues with the room, it appears that the "couch"pulls out. It doesn't. We have never been in a room designed like this and found it very non-functional. Not everyone has the same experience on the same boat. Obviously. If you dislike these forums and don't want to hear what others have to say and what their own experience was like, then maybe these forums with both positive and negative reviews are not for you. Personally, I'm glad you had a good time. I just wish WE had also.

 

I wish you had, too.

 

But in your post, you lost all credibility when you said that crew would give poor service because they weren't begging for tips.

 

I have never had to tip my airline captain, my doctor, nor my lawyer, and yet I presume that all will give the best service they possibly can. Why? Because they're well-compensated for the job they perform.

 

This is the exact same outcome that you have when servers are, as you put it, auto-tipped. The result is that they are well-compensated, happy in their jobs, and they perform at a caliber designed to keep the job...which is now in hot demand because it pays better than it did, when tipping was anonymous & often skipped-out-on.

 

 

And the couches, according to all of the OTHER reviews, do pull out. It's unfortunate you didn't ask your room steward for assistance in managing this. It would have made your son's trip more enjoyable.

 

I was not commenting on having no assistant waiter, nor on wait times. You said that you were disappointed you wouldn't have the same waiter.

 

That's a trademark element of Freestyle dining (not Anytime dining...that's a Princess thing).

 

 

I like these forums, because people can question inconsistencies and claims which seem out-of-sorts....and so that those who are questioned can clarify and elaborate...which is to everybody's benefit.

 

 

 

Stephen

 

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[jdvmd]

I apologize for posting...I had no idea this was really only intended for positive reviews. Also, in regard to your critique of what I had to say: yes, we had previously sailed on the Dawn and the Sun. There was never a wait for dinner and we were never only given one waiter or waitress with no assistant in a packed dining room. For us, Any Time Dining on a ship as big as the Epic just didn't work. Also, we have never sailed on a ship this big. I'm sorry to offend you, but we found the service terrible and very lacking compared to the smaller ships. As for my issues with the room, it appears that the "couch"pulls out. It doesn't. We have never been in a room designed like this and found it very non-functional. Not everyone has the same experience on the same boat. Obviously. If you dislike these forums and don't want to hear what others have to say and what their own experience was like, then maybe these forums with both positive and negative reviews are not for you. Personally, I'm glad you had a good time. I just wish WE had also.

 

The bottom of the couch definitely pull away from the back of the couch.

[20165]

I will say, im somewhat surprised with some of the negative comments on my review. And some just didnt make a lot of sense like the not getting to know your wait staff comment. We knew that wasnt going to happen given we ate a different restaurant every night, but we still received excellent service from all of the restaurants. And i think there was a comment about not celebrating thanksgiving enough. Well, its an international ship and not everyone is from the US so i wouldnt expect them to go all out for a solely American holiday. I am American BTW.

 

The reason i gave this cruise such high marks is because of the big things. I think the ship is well laid out and did a great job of disbursing the crowds. I really liked the choices in restaurants and being able to eat whenever we wanted. In my opinion, the entertainment was hands down, way better than RCL or Carnival. The waterslides and pool area were great and I really like the adults only area in the back, although we never got to use it, but i think it really kept the pool crowds well dispersed. And although our kids didnt use the kids clubs, they did do the other activities and really liked the Nickelodeon theme. They related much better to that than the made up characters on the other lines.

[lovesublime]

I apologize for posting...I had no idea this was really only intended for positive reviews. Also, in regard to your critique of what I had to say: yes, we had previously sailed on the Dawn and the Sun. There was never a wait for dinner and we were never only given one waiter or waitress with no assistant in a packed dining room. For us, Any Time Dining on a ship as big as the Epic just didn't work. Also, we have never sailed on a ship this big. I'm sorry to offend you, but we found the service terrible and very lacking compared to the smaller ships. As for my issues with the room, it appears that the "couch"pulls out. It doesn't. We have never been in a room designed like this and found it very non-functional. Not everyone has the same experience on the same boat. Obviously. If you dislike these forums and don't want to hear what others have to say and what their own experience was like, then maybe these forums with both positive and negative reviews are not for you. Personally, I'm glad you had a good time. I just wish WE had also.

 

 

 

 

You could have started your own thread to voice your complaints and negative review. No need to hijack the OP's thread which is what you have done.