Tell me about Epic

[jcool]

Do you have to make plans to see shows? Dose anyone have any pictures of cabins? How much is bowling? Tell me what you know about Epic.When in port are the water slide open?

[lbt43]

1. Not really.

2. Yes, the link below has lots of EPIC pics.

3. 5 a game

4. Slides are open all day in port.

[redjellybean]

I just returned from 15 day trip on the Epic. 8 day eastern, 7 day western.

not that impressed and way too many people. I may have to find another cruise line, which is a shame because I really liked NCL Pearl in 2009.

I really did enjoy my vacation, just noticed a lot of little things, certainly didn't ruin my vacation or make me crabby (I think I was one of the happiest people on the ship). Just didn't care for the new economic swing of cruise vacationing I suppose.

The thing that bothered me most was that no one knew what the hell was going on. ask 10 employees get 100 answers...

 

The Cirque is a MUST. it was really funny. Blue man - same show as always. If you've never seen it you should.

Unlimited Dining Plan....It might be worth it. We ate at a specialty restaurant almost every night. However, the first week they told us we could eat anywhere as many times as we want and as much as we want. They also told us we would have 1st priority seating if we just walked in.

Seating was not true...needed reservations and the last night my husband ordered 2 entrees and they charged him $10.00 more for the second entree.

Well this really pissed him off. Remember the time when you could order 3 apps, 5 entrees, and 5 desserts? no more. and the unlimited does not mean at the same seating, at least by the second week it didn't. We told them to charge it to my mom's cards instead, but they wanted her to come down and sign for it. She was in her cabin with the flu that we believe she got from 3 of the casino staff who continued to sneeze in their hands and not use sanitizer even after being harassed to do so. Not to mention I spent $700.00 on her card without her being present at the spa.

 

This is the 2nd time on NCL that we had our refrigerator contents emptied. They place in bag and keep it in your room.

For those who drink soda or beer from their "minibar" it may be warmed, cooled, and warmed several times over before you open it...yuk!

 

The rooms actually have tons of storage space and the balcony shower is huge compared to other ships. this was definately a plus for scuba gear.

And the balconies are twice as deep as the Dawn's, but bring your own fold up lounge chair. For some reason the Dawn has a reclining chair in its little space but the Epic only provides regular chairs.

 

If you don't smoke beware, it's all over. The casino expands the major walk ways and it is all smoking. There is a non smoking section of the casino that does not smell , but the nonsmokers prefer to be in the smoking areas.

and it's not in the walk way.

 

There is no promenade deck to speak of.

[welove2cruise*]

We have sailed on the Epic twice and will be sailing again on her in about 10 days (and oh yes I am counting after the snow storm we just had in NC).

 

At any rate - we sailed the first time when the ship was just 3 months into service. We all thought the food was really good and loved the venues for entertainment. There are things to be aware of when booking the Epic regarding the rooms. There are some uncovered balconies and the configuration of the room can also be a factor. Search the boards and there are posts with very specific information. Some have beds near the balcony and some have nearer the door. Most prefer the bed near the balcony as it gives more room to move around in the main area, but we booked the mini-suite this past cruise and are in the same cabin again on the upcoming trip as we really liked the layout of that room as it is a bit larger even though the couch is near the balcony (MB category).

 

We went to the Cirque dinner the first trip but the last trip was out of Barcelona and we had so much going on we skipped it that time. We are going again this time. We have seen the Blue Man show twice and will go again. Yes, it is pretty much the same but the involvement from the audience always mixes it up a bit. We love Howl at the Moon (lots of fun - bring some $1 bills for song suggestions), the Jazz band was Slam Allen at the time who was fabulous (since moved to the Breakaway I believe)- but I have family who just got off the ship a few weeks ago and reported that the new band in the Jazz club was really good so we are looking forward to that. We also enjoy the Legends show. If you added up the cost of what it would take to buy tickets to Blue Man and Legends at your local venue you realize the benefits of having that on board (at no extra charge).

 

There is so much to do on the Epic and the nightlife leaves nothing to be desired as far as I am concerned. It is the ship that I have stayed up the latest out of all of our 30+ cruises as there was just so much going on that you didn't want to go to bed early.

 

I think the food has been very good on all of our NCL trips. I always find something I like and we do go to the specialty restaurants twice during the week.

 

The poster above who mentioned the contents of the refrigerator being emptied may not realize that the occupants of the cabin before them may have done that. I always empty the refrigerator the day we get on the ship as I bring my own soda and water to fill it with. The last night of the cruise I always take out any remaining items of my own and put their items back in. I always hope it has time to chill before the next guests in case they would be interested in purchasing those items but I love having it for my own use the whole week.

 

The family member that I mentioned who just returned from their trip said that the Epic was their favorite of the NCL ships and they have been on at least 6 different NCL ships including the Breakaway.

 

I am also a person who is very sensitive to smoke and I do agree that the casino was not placed in a good location for that. It actually has improved though from what it was during our first cruise as they added air filtration. I wish I could say it fixed the issue, but for people like me it is still bothersome and I just try to find ways to avoid the smoky area.

 

If you decide to cruise on the Epic I really don't think you will be disappointed. :)

[Zoey]

I just returned from 15 day trip on the Epic. 8 day eastern, 7 day western.

not that impressed and way too many people. I may have to find another cruise line, which is a shame because I really liked NCL Pearl in 2009.

I really did enjoy my vacation, just noticed a lot of little things, certainly didn't ruin my vacation or make me crabby (I think I was one of the happiest people on the ship). Just didn't care for the new economic swing of cruise vacationing I suppose.

The thing that bothered me most was that no one knew what the hell was going on. ask 10 employees get 100 answers...

 

The Cirque is a MUST. it was really funny. Blue man - same show as always. If you've never seen it you should.

Unlimited Dining Plan....It might be worth it. We ate at a specialty restaurant almost every night. However, the first week they told us we could eat anywhere as many times as we want and as much as we want. They also told us we would have 1st priority seating if we just walked in.

Seating was not true...needed reservations and the last night my husband ordered 2 entrees and they charged him $10.00 more for the second entree.

Well this really pissed him off. Remember the time when you could order 3 apps, 5 entrees, and 5 desserts? no more. and the unlimited does not mean at the same seating, at least by the second week it didn't. We told them to charge it to my mom's cards instead, but they wanted her to come down and sign for it. She was in her cabin with the flu that we believe she got from 3 of the casino staff who continued to sneeze in their hands and not use sanitizer even after being harassed to do so. Not to mention I spent $700.00 on her card without her being present at the spa.

 

This is the 2nd time on NCL that we had our refrigerator contents emptied. They place in bag and keep it in your room.

For those who drink soda or beer from their "minibar" it may be warmed, cooled, and warmed several times over before you open it...yuk!

 

The rooms actually have tons of storage space and the balcony shower is huge compared to other ships. this was definately a plus for scuba gear.

And the balconies are twice as deep as the Dawn's, but bring your own fold up lounge chair. For some reason the Dawn has a reclining chair in its little space but the Epic only provides regular chairs.

 

If you don't smoke beware, it's all over. The casino expands the major walk ways and it is all smoking. There is a non smoking section of the casino that does not smell , but the nonsmokers prefer to be in the smoking areas.

and it's not in the walk way.

 

There is no promenade deck to speak of.

 

I may be mistaken, but I don't think it's "unlimited" dining but "ultimate" dining package. And I have never heard of a specialty restaurant on a ship allowing multiple entrees....just the main dining room.

[redjellybean]

I may be mistaken, but I don't think it's "unlimited" dining but "ultimate" dining package. And I have never heard of a specialty restaurant on a ship allowing multiple entrees....just the main dining room.

 

I think you are correct. However when we asked questions regarding the ultimate dining that was one of questions and they said we could. Since they told us this and Teppenyaki didn't mind switching it up a couple nights before it was very irritating to have them argue about 10.00. Esp. when our room bill for 2 people was over 10 grand.

End the end I suppose we should have asked the rules at each restaurant since they were all different.

[redjellybean]

We have sailed on the Epic twice and will be sailing again on her in about 10 days (and oh yes I am counting after the snow storm we just had in NC).

 

At any rate - we sailed the first time when the ship was just 3 months into service. We all thought the food was really good and loved the venues for entertainment. There are things to be aware of when booking the Epic regarding the rooms. There are some uncovered balconies and the configuration of the room can also be a factor. Search the boards and there are posts with very specific information. Some have beds near the balcony and some have nearer the door. Most prefer the bed near the balcony as it gives more room to move around in the main area, but we booked the mini-suite this past cruise and are in the same cabin again on the upcoming trip as we really liked the layout of that room as it is a bit larger even though the couch is near the balcony (MB category).

 

We went to the Cirque dinner the first trip but the last trip was out of Barcelona and we had so much going on we skipped it that time. We are going again this time. We have seen the Blue Man show twice and will go again. Yes, it is pretty much the same but the involvement from the audience always mixes it up a bit. We love Howl at the Moon (lots of fun - bring some $1 bills for song suggestions), the Jazz band was Slam Allen at the time who was fabulous (since moved to the Breakaway I believe)- but I have family who just got off the ship a few weeks ago and reported that the new band in the Jazz club was really good so we are looking forward to that. We also enjoy the Legends show. If you added up the cost of what it would take to buy tickets to Blue Man and Legends at your local venue you realize the benefits of having that on board (at no extra charge).

 

There is so much to do on the Epic and the nightlife leaves nothing to be desired as far as I am concerned. It is the ship that I have stayed up the latest out of all of our 30+ cruises as there was just so much going on that you didn't want to go to bed early.

 

I think the food has been very good on all of our NCL trips. I always find something I like and we do go to the specialty restaurants twice during the week.

 

The poster above who mentioned the contents of the refrigerator being emptied may not realize that the occupants of the cabin before them may have done that. I always empty the refrigerator the day we get on the ship as I bring my own soda and water to fill it with. The last night of the cruise I always take out any remaining items of my own and put their items back in. I always hope it has time to chill before the next guests in case they would be interested in purchasing those items but I love having it for my own use the whole week.

 

The family member that I mentioned who just returned from their trip said that the Epic was their favorite of the NCL ships and they have been on at least 6 different NCL ships including the Breakaway.

 

I am also a person who is very sensitive to smoke and I do agree that the casino was not placed in a good location for that. It actually has improved though from what it was during our first cruise as they added air filtration. I wish I could say it fixed the issue, but for people like me it is still bothersome and I just try to find ways to avoid the smoky area.

 

If you decide to cruise on the Epic I really don't think you will be disappointed. :)

 

You have some very good points, and for me the shows are worth 1 trip, but the ship limits it to one trip. My preference is Pearl size or smaller.

As for rechilling beverages... it doesn't taste very good. And how do you bring your own sodas?

 

I do smoke so I am very protective of the areas that I am allowed to smoke. I originally booked with Princess and they told me smoking wasn't allowed on balconies anymore so I cancelled it. I was not happy with the casino layout because it was difficult to get through the people and it is another reason for non-smokers to complain.

 

There were a lot of people who really enjoyed the Epic, esp. with children.

The slides were awesome, but I think more adults rode them on our trip than the kids. They also have things for older kids to do and places where adults were not allowed.

 

The buffet seemed large enough, but you will find days in which the entire ship decides to eat at once. They had a lot of good food on the buffet and many choices. We prefer the buffet over the main dining areas because dining just takes way too long.

 

As far as the employees, the Spa is awesome!!! worth every penny.

The rest were good to above average and a few excelled. However with the wave of illness I noticed a lot of things that really started to bother me and I am sure it is all ships.

1. They remove dirty plates touch dirty silverware and then roll new silverware and serve food without sanitizing.

2. it would appear that only the passengers are required to sanitize their hands. many times employees sneezed into their hands and did not clean them after, they should use their shirt or something.

3. lunch in main dining I witnessed a server cleaning the spots off of a wine goblet while setting the table for dinner. He sneezed on the goblet and continued to polish it and placed it on the table.

4. the DRILL (I forget what this is called), but people are placed in dining venues that already have the glasses and silverware set. At this point I would consider them dirty as people are bored, esp. children, and may have touched everything.

 

ok, so I have listed all of the bad things and I do need to say that it was a really good cruise. for me any vacation is a good vacation and these little things are just that...little. But other people may want to be aware of them.

if you have a poor immune system I am sure your doctor told you not to go on a cruise.

If you do not like to be around a lot of people - go on a smaller ship.

If you hate smoke - again, any other ship but Epic.

If you love great shows - definately go on the Epic.

If you love the Spa - Epic is the largest...but it does cost.

Edited February 14, 2014 by redjellybean

[jcool]

Thanks everyone for answering my question.

 

Thank you

Red Jelly Bean for giving more information I have poor immune that is why when I take a cruise I do not want to shake anyone hand. Some people thank that I am being B I am not I am trying not to get sick. I drink Airborne. Thank you for telling me about the smoking I have asthma. Now I know not to take NCL in the winter if I take NCL it will be only in the summer time.