Epic Review 1/4/14

[Cruzface]

I really had no intention of doing a review of our second cruise on the Epic. After all, I already did a comprehensive review of our first cruise on Epic (see below), and very little had changed. However, this snowstorm hitting Long Island today has canceled all of my plans and work, so I figure why not?

 

Much of our experience was the same (right down to our room steward and favorite bartender in Posh!!!), but I will point out some differences and I will address some of the complaints we have been seeing lately.

 

Our family, me (46), DW (46), DS (18) and DS (16), had such a great cruise on the Epic last year that we decided to book another one. This time my nephew (24) and his friend (24) were joining us. I don't know why we decided when we booked to spend 2 nights pre-cruise in Miami, but glad we did. If you remember, a nasty storm hit the Northeast on 1/2/14. We flew out early Thursday morning before the storm started to get bad. We were looking at sunny Miami by 1:30 pm.

 

 

Got to our hotel. Holiday Inn Port of Miami. Nice hotel, with a great location. Staff is very helpful and it has a nice restaurant and bar.

 

 

My nephew and his friend were not so lucky. Their flight was supposed to be Friday morning. Not good. They called Delta and were able to change their flight without penalty to 6:55 pm Thursday night. Yay! They got to the airport, got on the flight, got to the runway and..........sat there. Eventually, they had to go back to the gate, their flight was canceled and they spent the night sleeping in the baggage terminal. The Long Island Expressway was closed. Going home was not even an option. Finally got to Miami Friday afternoon at 4:00 pm.

 

Meanwhile, we were having an awesome time at Bayside and South Beach on Friday...lol. It was a bit cool for Miami on Friday, 65. I loved watching the Floridians walking around in jackets and scarves while I was out with t-shirt, shorts and flip flops. The boys even went swimming. Wind was really blowing the sand, but it was better than wind blown snow...

 

 

[Cruzface]

We walked up and down Ocean Drive. Not on purpose. We were looking for the Cuban restaurant we ate in last year. Apparently, it moved...but eventually we found it. Actually, it's in a much better spot in the Coronado Hotel. Larrios did not disappoint.

 

 

 

 

 

A little awkward when my bank debit card was declined...oops forgot to tell my bank we would be on vacation and they shut it down. DW's card worked fine, same bank account...interesting. Anyway, quick call to bank and all was well.

 

By the way, we took the public bus from the hotel to South Beach. $2.25 per person is a bargain compared to the cost of a cab.

[Cruzface]

More South Beach pics:

 

 

 

 

[Cruzface]

Oops forgot about Thursday. South Beach was Friday. We went over to Bayside for lunch. Everything was packed and there was a long wait at all the restaurants. So we decided to eat at the bar at Chilis. We were starving so anything would have been great. It took an hour to get our food. I have no idea why we didn't just leave, but hey we were in vacation mode and sooo glad to be out of NY.

 

There was a pretty good band playing during the afternoon. Never saw that before.

 

 

Went back to Bayside Thursday night and they had this guy with his band...lol.

 

 

Ended up at the Mojito Bar, DW's vacation drink of choice, which is right under Hooters. Cool place, good music and Heat game on a huge projection screen. EXPENSIVE!!!! 4 Drinks were about $80.

 

 

[Cruzface]

Nephew and his friend ended up just crashing in our room because they were low on funds. I canceled their hotel earlier in the day. Staff at Holiday Inn brought us 2 cots at no extra charge. So great...Me, DW and 4 idiots in one room. Worst.Night.Sleep.Ever. But who cares, we are cruising tomorrow!!!!!

 

 

Oh, forgot about Sock Monkey. My sister gave him to me as a joke for Christmas. Loooong story. So I decided that Sock Monkey would travel with us and I would torture her with pictures. Adventures of Sock Monkey. It worked. She was so jealous.

 

 

Yup:

 

[Cruzface]

Got everyone up nice and early Saturday morning. Got take out breakfast from the restaurant and were getting into cabs by 9:30. I know it's early, but I wanted to get on in one of the first groups in order to make sure we got Posh Passes. First look.

 

 

The boys: right to left is nephew, DS-16, nephew's friend, and DS-18

 

 

Check-in was a breeze. I was literally the first person through security. Should have been in group 1 to board, but they had to get DS-18 and nephew's card from Terminal C since they were booked in a different part of the ship. This was mostly my fault. Since nephew and friend are 24, I figured I would split the boys up in the 2 inside rooms with them so nobody would have access to our room. Last cruise DS-15 would enter without warning into out balcony room. Not this time. But in the end it cost us valuable time and we ended up in Group 4 for boarding. Still not bad...

 

Got on the ship before noon, went straight to Guest Services and the line was ridiculous. Finally, got up to the desk and received the LAST 2 Posh Passes!!! Found out they only sell 24. Phew! Close one. We felt like luck was on our side...well not for long.

[Jbird81]

Great review! Looking forward to seeing the rest!

[Cruzface]

After securing the Posh Passes and feeling so good about ourselves, we went up to the buffet and the Waves bar for food and drinks. Now, since my nephew and his friend are 24, they wanted, and budgeted for, the Beer and Wine Ultimate Beverage Package. Prior to the cruise I called our PCC and was told it worked like this: Everyone in the stateroom had to purchase the package and if not 21, had to purchase the soda package. Great. Was planning on the soda package for my boys and nephew and friend could get the UBP. Not. They tried to buy it and were told that me and DW would have to buy it as well. Heeeellllll No. DW would never drink enough to justify the UBP and I kinda wanted to remember parts of the cruise...:cool:

 

So, down we go to guest services again. Wait in line. Talk to Bar Manager who explains that it goes by "Linkage" not staterooms. Because we are all linked (I booked the cruise for everyone), we all would have to buy it. I get it. Probably a good business policy. But not what I was told. Whatever. Probably a good thing that they would be limited in the drinking department.

 

So, let's put that behind us and have some fun!!!!

 

Then it rained. Poured. Never had rain on embarkation before. Nice. Eventually it stopped and we were able to watch sail away outside. Started on the upper deck of the Lido, but it was so crowded.

 

 

I went down to Waves and bought a bucket of beers for the boys (first of many...damn that UBP policy) and saw SpongeBob. Oh yeah, we signed the waiver for DS-18 so more money for beer from me....

 

 

We decided to go up to Posh, yes all of us, even though only DW and I paid. I know we are bad people. The boys didn't sit or order anything up there, just looked over the rail for sail away.

 

Soooo much better:

 

 

[Cruzface]

More sail away from Posh:

 

 

 

Notice Celebrity Reflection between buildings:

 

 

[anandaindonesia]

Good start. Please continue.

Thanks for sharing!

[Cruzface]

Then sent boys on their way and sat at the Posh bar for a drink. Nobody was there! Just us and the bartender. Nice guy from India (Roht?) who tried to help us with the UBP issue. Even he didn't get it. He tried, but still didn't work. I gave him a really nice tip for the effort.

 

I mentioned DW's penchant for Mojitos... guess what? No mint leaves at Posh bar. No Red Stripe for me either! So Roht introduced her to Comparini? (Brazilian rum, lime, brown sugar and ginger ale) and a Grolsch for me. Both were excellent.

 

 

Last year we loved the bartender at Posh, Mr. G. He was just so personable and attentive. So we inquired if he was still onboard...yup!

 

 

Enjoyed our time in Posh and then decided to head to the room to check on the luggage.

 

 

About the room. We had the same balcony category B6 large balcony. Actually, we had the room next door last cruise so the only difference was the configuration of the bed/couch. Most people prefer the bed closer to the balcony. I think I like this was better. To each their own.

 

Sock Monkey made it:

 

[Cruzface]

Just looking back at the pictures I noticed that my DW's card was under her drink. This was another minor annoyance. Everyone in my family had yellow cards showing Bronze level. I had green with no level. DW and boys got pins and invitations to stuff. I got nothing. Oh OK, I'm just the one who paid for these cruises NCL.:mad: I know I could have gone to guest services and yada yada, but I just let it go. I really need to talk to the PCC...

 

Rant over, back to the cruise...

 

We had dinner in Manhattan every night but 2. Nephew and his friend loved it. Service was excellent, food was great, entertainment as well. More on that later.

 

This cruise has 2 days at sea in the beginning. The weather was great on the first sea day and we hung out at Posh...with almost nobody else... I mean really? Who bought all the passes? Last year you had to fight for a spot. Granted it was a little windy, but the waitress pointed us to the least windy bed and it was awesome.

 

 

Oh almost forgot, we had the same cabin steward as last year. Francis was great. He got us loungers for our balcony and he assured me that he would not let the boys into our room. Well one out of 2 isn't bad...

 

[BlueJai]

Love your snow day! We talked with some others from New York and I asked wether they were Cruzface! Now I know who you are (no! I am not a stalker).

Loving your review so far - keep going!

Jai

[Cruzface]

For the rest of the review I will break it down based on Categories: Dining, Entertainment, Ports and debarkation.

 

Dining: As I mentioned we did most dinners in Manhattan. Contrary to claims in other reviews, the service was excellent. Did we have to wait a couple times. Yes. Did we get free champagne? Yes. So we sat at the Casino bar right outside Manhattan and chatted with...Mr. G. He was working there too. I guess because there was literally nobody in Posh. Lobster night was great, tender and a decent size. Really can't remember anything bad. We (DW and I) loved the entertainment in Manhattan. It just added an elegance to the evening. We even danced to the Del Sol Duo on the one night the boys left us alone...

 

We saw this adorable family dancing as well.

 

 

Also we witnessed a very intoxicated guy get turned away for not having pants on. He was so obnoxious. But he changed and came back with his drunk wife/girlfriend to ruin other diners' nights. Shame.

 

Every morning I would make coffee in the stateroom, then go up to the buffet and get chocolate croissants and fruit. We loved that quiet morning time on the balcony. In fact, we spent so much more time on the balcony this cruise. DW would wake us up for sunrise, then we would doze off again and I would go get pre-breakfast. Good times.

 

Breakfast in the buffet was excellent as we remembered. Love the eggs benedict. Lines were not that long.

 

Lunch most days we just ate in Posh. Our favorite was the chicken Caesar wrap. Just enough food and we didn't gorge ourselves at the buffet. A few times I would supplement with a trip to the buffet, but I tried to behave.

 

As I mentioned, we did Manhattan all but 2 nights. One night we all went to Moderno. My nephew and his friend had no idea what to expect. They were blown away. We had a little competition to see who would turn their card first. DW was out early, DS-16 shortly thereafter, followed by nephew's friend. It was down to 3. DS-18 put up a good fight but he packed it in and it was just me and my nephew. That boy can eat. In fact he never turned his card over. They just stopped coming around...lol. He paid the price though. Went back to his room and took a nap...woke up the next day. Rookie.

 

 

 

DS-18 recovered in time to have all three desserts offered...

 

 

The other time was the last night. We all went to the buffet for dinner. Usually don't do this and now I know why. The food was great, but I just kept eating!!!! And those friggin crepes should be illegal.

 

 

Stuffed with apple and fresh whipped cream on it.

[Cruzface]

One more thing about the food. The lunch buffet was great whenever we tried it. The Great Outdoors was never busy and the burgers were awesome. Blue cheese and mushroom, terryaki pinapple and bacon. Grilled chicken cutlets that you could make into a sandwich. Pizza good. French fries awesome.

 

O'Sheehan's: DW and I didn't try this last time so we were determined to try it. The boys did it last year and loved the wings. I am a wings snob so I was looking forward to it. Major disappointment. Why do they bread the wings? True buffalo wings are deep fried without breading and then sauced. These were a soggy disaster. Now, they weren't breaded last year so someone had the idea to change them. Bad move. There is a reason Hooters is going out of business. Their food sucks. Also, O'Sheehan's should serve chicken fingers and fries. it is perfect bar food for late night snacking by drunk people...like this guy:

 

Drunk Monkey

 

 

I think that wraps it up on food. All in all, very good.

 

Next up Entertainment...

[Cruzface]

Love your snow day! We talked with some others from New York and I asked wether they were Cruzface! Now I know who you are (no! I am not a stalker).

Loving your review so far - keep going!

Jai

 

Was that you guys at the bar in Posh? I knew it. Glad you had a good time.

[Cruzface]

Entertainment: One major difference on this cruise was that the ship was dead at night. I mean dead. Last year every venue was packed. There seemed to be a lot more European people on this cruise and that may be the reason. During the February break, you get crazy NYers and Mass. people. As an example, on the last night, they had a farewell party in Spice H2O and only the DJ was there. No one. Not even kids. Very disappointing, but not NCL's fault.

 

FABBA Party: great. It did rain a little, but the staff assured everyone that it would pass and it did. Some wimps left, but we stayed and had a blast.

 

 

 

The White Hot Party: Never disappoints. DW pointed out that the staff were not wearing angel wings...

 

 

 

Howl at the Moon: Always a good time. Stayed there for awhile.

 

Blue Man Group: Boys did it again this year. Said it was awesome.

 

Manhattan Band was excellent.

 

Caribbean Band was one of the best I have heard. Played a lot of variety. Female lead singer was great. The Caribbean Dance Party crapped out early too. Weird.

 

Didn't do Second City or anything in the theatre. I heard the Steven Tyler impersonator was great, saw him around the ship and in port. He looked like the real guy, maybe a little taller.

[Cruzface]

Fat Cats: Biggest surprise of the cruise. The Bart Walker Band. These guys were awesome! He sounded like Stevie Ray Vaughn. He went crazy every night. I could have stayed there all night and listened. That good. BUT NOBODY WAS IN THERE!!!! Where the heck was everyone!

 

 

Casino: Time for another rant. I am not a big gambler, but DW and I do like to play for a little while. Only one $5 table in the entire casino?! Really NCL? and the next level is $15? Why not a couple of $10 tables. You could have sucked me into those. The $5 table was 3 people deep waiting for a seat. Just not good casino management in my opinion. Probably a good thing because it prevented me from gambling and therefore, probably saved me money.

 

Bliss: with the exception of the first night, dead after midnight. Even the boys were surprised and they weren't even supposed to be in there!!!

 

In sum, we danced, we sang, we enjoyed. Never bored.

[Cruzface]

Ports:

 

St. Maarten: Our first stop. DW made sure the boys all got up for sail into port.

 

 

Sunrise:

 

 

We just took the water taxi over to Phillipsburg and let the boys jet ski while we lounged and swam.

 

 

[Cruzface]

After all the buckets I was buying for the boys on the ship, it was a pleasure to pay $12 for 6 beers. Sock Monkey was happy too...

 

 

At about 2:00 we decided to head back for lunch.

 

 

 

[Cruzface]

More St. Maarten:

 

 

Sail Away:

 

 

Sunset from the balcony:

 

 

DW squealed like a little girl when she spotted this turtle off our balcony. Tough to make out but at the top of the picture.

 

[Kylie]

Thanks for the review - enjoying the pictures too!!

[Cruzface]

St. Thomas:

 

Last year we went took the ferry to St. John and went to Trunk Bay. This year, we went back. That incredible.

 

Once again, up for sunrise. SO nice...

 

 

 

Ferry to St. John. Bouncy ride. A little girl would scream every time we bounced. Too funny.

 

 

[Cruiser Bruiser]

Thanks for the awesome review. Keep it coming! I'm glad someone is having a good time on a Norwegian cruise. :rolleyes:

 

I'm booked in a studio this December and my sister and brother-in-law will be experiencing their first cruise from their own cabin. I'm glad to hear all your positives about the entertainment. I'm sure they're going to love it. :)

Edited January 22, 2014 by Cruiser Bruiser

[Cruzface]

Now, getting to Trunk Bay is an adventure in itself. You need a taxi to the ferry ($10 pp?!!! Seriously?), ferry to St. John ($7 each way pp), Taxi to Trunk Bay ($6 pp), admission to the beach, which is a national park ($4 pp). Taxi back to Ferry ($6 pp) and taxi back to ship ($10 pp). So it's $50 pp for the day. SOOOOOO Worth it.