EPIC Jan 18-25

[shelleymp]

Just off the EPIC and we had a fantastic cruise! I wasn't sure what to expect after reading some of the reviews but if you're booked on the EPIC, RELAX! You're going to have a great time!! BY FAR, the best entertainment we've EVER had on any ship! The Blue Man Group is a MUST SEE! We also booked the premium seats for the Cirque & Dinner thanks to advice on CC. FANTASTIC! We sat up in the balcony and it was such an intimate setting. You are literally feet away from the incredibly talented performers. LOVED it. Legends was fun as well with Steven Tyler the best of the 3. Really enjoyed Fat Cats. Bart Walker Band is the real deal when it comes to Blues. Great vocals, lead guitar, bass & drummer. Definitely NOT the typical lounge music you get on cruise boats! And even though we're a couple in our 50s, we had to try the water slides and they were a blast! We went down all 3 but don't miss the one with the inner tube!!

 

We love to eat in the specialty restaurants so we did get the Ultimate Dining Pkg. We ate in Cagney's 2x, Le Bistro, Teppanyaki, Moderno & La Cucina. (one night was the Cirque dinner-that is not included but was totally worth the extra cost). We did make reservations online but moved some around once on board-we never waited for a table and really enjoyed the more intimate setting, level of service and variety. Cagneys, La Bistro & Teppanyaki were excellent as always but pleasantly surprised by La Cucina. They've definitely improved the menu since our last cruise -more options and better quality IMO. Osso Bucco was excellent, as was the fried calamari and dont miss the Tiramisu-YUM. We also really enjoyed Moderno. I wasn't too keen on going there until I read the reviews on CC. As many others have said the salad bar is outstanding-that alone was worth the extra fee!

 

For breakfast & lunch we ate mostly in the garden cafe-Yes very busy but LOTS of options! Great made to order omelettes & eggs-even when busy never waited more then 5 min because they had multiple stations you could go to. I tried to eat healthy for breakfast & lunch and this was very easy to do with salads, wonderful rotisserie chicken etc but really something for everyone. Had a hard time staying away from the hard & soft serve ice cream!! Couple of days we ate in the MDR for lunch & breakfast- nice change from the hectic buffet.

 

Thanks to CC we knew about the padded loungers on the front of deck 18-LOVED this spot!! Comfy padded loungers & chairs with great views and QUIET. Unfortunately after the 1st few days the infamous chair hogs found out about it and started saving chairs up there as well. There are only a handful of these padded chairs for 4000 people -if we decided to leave for lunch etc. we gave up our seats so someone else could enjoy time there too. PLEASE be CONSIDERATE! In addition there are lots of additional lounge chairs up on deck 18 so we were always able to find a spot. If its really windy cross over to the other side!

 

GREAT stops in St. Thomas & St. Maarten. We don't normally do the ships excursions but lots of ships in port so we booked the cat snorkeling trip in St Thomas. Gorgeous weather and we love Honeymoon beach in St John-great snorkeling and a fun trip with a great crew. Highly recommend especially since we were only in port til 4p. Not enough time for us to enjoy St John on our own. In St. Maarten we hopped in a cab to Orient and had the driver drop us off by Waikiki beach then kept walking to the left (if facing the ocean) until we got to Palm Beach. Great french restaurant with bathrooms, nice padded loungers & umbrellas (loungers & umbrella included if you have lunch-in Euros so pricey but excellent) and a more quiet location. Fantastic day! We didn't arrive in Nassau until Noon and have been there many times so we did something we've never done-stayed on the boat in port! Most got off so had the slides etc to ourselves. Nice relaxing aft. on our last day.

 

I did also enjoy a facial & massage in the SPA-expensive but one of the best spa treatments I've ever had. I also made it to the Fitness Ctr 3 days (best I could do LOL)-never had to wait for an elliptical. Large workout area with lots of equipment. We did have some problems with the displays-wish someone would have been more readily available to assist with issues but not a big deal.

 

For the not so good, the layout of this ship IS odd at best. Hard to maneuver at times, no mid ship elevators and we didn't like the central location of the smokey casino. Lots of air fresheners everywhere to minimize the smoke issue but it was packed most nights so only so much they can do. We avoided it when we could by figuring out where we were going then heading to the front or aft elevator from our room. Also I didn't do my homework on deck 8 balcony's so I didn't realize they are mostly uncovered & overlook the lifeboats. (we were in 8155). They are however quite a bit larger & if NCL put adjustable chairs or loungers on them it would make those negatives a lot more bearable. We got a great deal on this cruise but would personally have paid more for deck 9 if we had known. Lastly I did feel more movement on this boat then you would expect to on such a large ship. I'm prone to motion sickness so I always get the scopolamine patch from the Doc before I go so it wasn't an issue for me. But heads up to come prepared with whatever works best for you if motion sickness is a problem for you.

 

We like the smaller Jewel class boats the best but really enjoyed all there was to do on this ship. Fun change and would definitely recommend, especially with the great pricing they're offering. Take advantage of all there is to do and HAVE A GREAT TIME!!

[Vacacrazy325]

We were on the same cruise in 8111 and our balcony was half covered. I was not a fan of this but it did not ruin the balcony experience. I also loved this cruise and felt that it provided plenty of entertainment to keep our party entertained the entire time.

[2xx2xy]

We also were on the same cruise room 9207 with an uncovered balcony - didn't like that lack of privacy at all. Will avoid that in future cruises. We sure had a great time!!

[jdvmd]

Glad you had a great time!