Worst Cruise Ever on Epic

[DGP1111]

VP; VERY glad to read that you had an enjoyable cruise vacation onboard Norwegian EPIC . . . and you, too, kerrytens! :)

 

This continues to be my personal fave of the NCL fleet, and my fifth spin on this ship take place in less than three weeks. :D I intend to have yet another relaxing week surrounded by friendly hard-working crew, with quality meals and entertainment.

 

Will look forward to reading even more about your fun experience. Thanks for sharing it with us!! :)

 

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[kerrytens]

I believe the issue backing into St. Kitts had to be more than wind. We arrived before a large Costa ship and when that ship arrived it turned and backed in within about 10 minutes with no problem with the same wind we were experiencing. We did hear from the crew there was a minor problem. But, whatever it was, it did not create any other issue the rest of the cruise, so ended up being nothing to worry about.

See, I thought the whole St. Kitts docking thing was a port issue with them not allowing the 3rd largest ship in the world to use the side thrusters (hence the tugs). We sheltered the Costa ship from that crazy wind and its draft would not have been as deep as ours so they would have been permitted to use their thrusters.

 

After quite a while I did see the port forward thrusters used momentarily and that use gave the tugs enough momentum to swing us around. We were a seriously big sail out there. If you think about it, we used the thrusters everywhere else.

 

I still believe it was a port issue and not a mechanical issue since we did use the thrusters. We could see the officers on the bridge getting more and more frustrated as the tug would get us to a point and then the wind would catch us again and back we'd go to square one.

 

Thankfully this will be the one and only time for the Epic in St. Kitts. LOL!

 

Only the bridge officers know for sure. A waiter would not be privy to that sort of info;)

[sashabucket]

My husband and I sailed on the Epic last Dec. and we enjoyed everything. I have one question-- what is a posh pass?

[carollois]

Dude, you scared me!!! I think that you are right though - there must be an Epic evil twin out there because my cruise was just as thoroughly enjoyable as yours was.

 

It was great meeting you too!!

 

LOL, I fell for it too and was ready to jump in and call the OP out as a liar because we had an awesome cruise. I commented a few times about how all of the recent complainers were obviously just whiners because the staff and crew were friendly and helpful, the food was good, the elevators were only crowded when passengers were coming back onboard after a day onshore, and the drinks were strong and often cheaper than in the bars here at home. Plus, the CC people I met were fantastic! 😉 I don't know about the rest of you, but I am ready to go back!

[quercus alba]

Clearly an awful experience for you.

Please send someone else in your place next time to spare yourself the ordeal.

I selflessly volunteer.

No, really...someone has to. I'll endure...

Somehow...

[Donna_In_India]

So glad you had a great cruise! We loved the Epic (and the Breakaway). So funny about the bathroom and the curtain. I said the same thing - close the curtain. Don't know why people make such a big stink about things! Can't wait for the rest of your review.

[deladypilot]

Great review so far. Looking forward to reading the rest

[kerrytens]

LOL, I fell for it too and was ready to jump in and call the OP out as a liar because we had an awesome cruise. I commented a few times about how all of the recent complainers were obviously just whiners because the staff and crew were friendly and helpful, the food was good, the elevators were only crowded when passengers were coming back onboard after a day onshore, and the drinks were strong and often cheaper than in the bars here at home. Plus, the CC people I met were fantastic! I don't know about the rest of you, but I am ready to go back!

What Carol said:D:D:D It was so great to meet you and the family!

 

Has everyone recovered from your long flight?

[Va. Plumber]

My husband and I sailed on the Epic last Dec. and we enjoyed everything. I have one question-- what is a posh pass?

 

Posh is lounge area located on the top deck above the pool area. Suite passengers automatically have access. Each cruise they sell a limited number

of passes to the commoners. On this cruise it cost $59.00 apiece.

 

As said before there is a bar and plenty of lounging area.

 

The passes go very fast.

[BlueJai]

Great title and review so far! Love the evil twin, we felt the same way when we were onboard in January. we enjoyed the ship and the experience.

[medicalma'am]

LOL.....curiosity got me too! Reading along with everyone else.

[Va. Plumber]

I think the thing that disturbed me most about some of the pre-cruise reviews was the issue of crew dissatisfaction. None of which I encountered on the Epic. One note to all the "nattering nabobs of negativism" (I think I just showed my age.): If you show a little interest in the crew members, they will usually light up and engage in conversation.

Just ask them about their homeland or how long they have been on the ship. Don't treat them like they are invisible or that you are somehow privileged.

 

The happiest person on the ship is the "Washy Washy Lady" in the Garden Cafe. I asked her one morning how she managed to get up every morning knowing she had to be so cheerful. She laughed and said a little drink to start the day helps.

 

Another Epic gripe is about the elevators. I would venture to say Epic has as many as any other big ship. People just don't like having to walk from fore to aft. Yeah, you might have to wait a little, and they may be a little crowded. But we generally had a good laugh about it.

 

Another gripe concerns the seating in the Garden Cafe. It sometimes took a little time to find seating and I can understand it might be a problem for those with mobility issues. With just the two of us, we could generally find seating even if it meant joining someone at a four-top. come to think of it, we struck up some interesting conversations with total strangers.

 

The Spa was a wonderful daily respite, albeit a little pricey. DW refuses to sail without, so whatever Mama wants Mama gets. It was never overcrowded except for maybe the last day. This is usually the case on most ships. I think people suddenly remember they purchased it. My only complaint was the hot tub temperature. I mentined at the desk and it was warmer the next day but still not as warm as I like. The rest of the water features were perfect. Thought the outdoor area might be difficult in terms of seating space, but we were able to score seats there several times. Now I know why people love the stern cabins.

 

Thought the entertainment we saw was fantastic. We are Blue Man fans since seeing them about 12 years ago in New York. We also attended a program the last sea day where they talked in street clothes about their experiences with the show around the world.

 

Hands down though, the most fun I have ever had on a ship was the Howl at the Moon folks. For those not familiar it consists of two guys, one woman and two grand pianos. One of the guys plays drums and fills in for the other two during breaks. Truth be told, this guy was probably the best musician of the group. I suspect they may have computers embedded in the keyboards, since they couldn't possibly know every rock n roll song known to man. With audience participation and a few drinks the show can get pretty rowdy.

 

As with all good things, the eight days had to end. Disembarkation went well up to a point. We ran afoul of the Miami Marathon. Traffic was a nightmare and I'm sure folks with noontime flights may have had problems. Our shuttle to Ft. Lauderdale was 2.5 hours late. After it stopped raining, I was able to work on my tan. The only good thing was our hotel room was not ready even after we got there, so we would have had to sit in the lobby. The best part of the wait was watching the early arrivals for the next cruise. God, did we look that goofy!

Edited February 6, 2014 by Va. Plumber

[sunbird21]

 

The happiest person on the ship is the "Washy Washy Lady" in the Garden Cafe. I asked her one morning how she managed to get up every morning knowing she had to be so cheerful. She laughed and said a little drink to start the day helps.

 

I was on the sailing right before yours,and have to agree...she was perpetually cheerful. I had heard from some others on my sailing that during the Epic Crew All Stars show(or whatever it's called) she was the last crew member to come out,and she received a standing ovation rom the crowd. She is definitely a star on the ship! I wish I remembered her name.

 

BTW loved the review,glad you enjoyed your cruise too!

Stacey

 

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[jjikids]

Had to see what you wrote since we were on the Epic 18 months ago going from Barcelona to Italy. Great cruise. Ship is strange. We had dinner with the Staff Captain who said the crew and officers do not like the layout of the ship since there is no elevator in the middle. Rooms are strange and small. Luckily with a port intensive cruise it didn't matter as much.

[Roadsofa]

Not sure I understand the complaints of only two elevator banks. I will admit that the three banks on the Jewel class make moving around easy, but, I was on RCCL Independence of the Seas (Freedom class) and they only have two banks of elevators. I had no issues getting around on that ship and they are slightly larger than Epic. After Sunday I will have first hand comparrison and will report back.

 

Neil

[cruisingcasinos]

Thanks. Enjoying your review.

[carollois]

What Carol said:D:D:D It was so great to meet you and the family!

 

Has everyone recovered from your long flight?

 

Yes, finally. We had a good time on our Everglades excursion and our flight home was on time departing and early arriving, so that made me happy. We were tucked into our own beds by midnight and slept like the dead until morning, except for when I woke up and couldn't figure out where on earth I was! I was sure I was still on the ship and man, was I disappointed when I realized I wasn't. ;)

I hope that your trip home was uneventful? How was the first week back in real life?