Help Settle Family "Discussion" Regarding EPIC..

[SBNDers]

A little background.... My wife's cousin went on her first cruise this past October with friends from work on the EPIC. She didn't have anything positive to say about it. My wife and I are taking our first NCL cruise on the Spirit this summer, but I've been sailing long enough to know that what she is saying cannot be entirely correct.

 

- Every time they went to dinner the crowds were so bad and they had to wait forever to get a seat. My response: NCL has flexible dining, so you can go whenever you want. Pick an earlier or later time. She wasn't sure, because her group always ate at a certain time.

 

- There wasn't anything to do in the evening entertainment wise. My response: There is always something going on - usually two broadway type productions that are done two different times in the same evening along with other things the other nights. She looked at me like I was making it up.

 

- During the stop at the private island, one of their party didn't get off the ship. When they decided to eat, they had to pay for whatever they ate because NOTHING was open of the complimentary nature. This was the latest thing she mentioned to my wife yesterday (not sure why she is still complaining after 6 months). Although I have never stayed on board during a stop at any of the private islands we've been to, I find this highly unlikely.

 

I told her that if I went with that group, I would have boarded the ship with them and then probably wouldn't have seen them until the cruise was over. I asked her if she read the daily planner with the list of what's going on, and I really don't think she knew what I was talking about. She said one late night she wanted a snack, but nothing was open 24 hours. Again, I said that the planner would mention all dining times and options.

 

When my wife and I cruised with her mother (we sailed with my mother-in-law and my wife's cousin's mother) I went as far as to point out where all the restrooms were on board, since I knew that was something they were concerned with. I made sure we went over the daily planners for the next day each evening while waiting for one of the shows to start.

 

I told her that when we cruise - especially with first timers that the seasoned people need to stop and show those that don't have a clue what their options are. And you don't have to spend every waking moment with your group.

 

I am so "Pro Cruise" that it's hard for me to stomach when I am told something that I am 99% sure is not correct. Obviously my LONG WINDED post it testament to that.

 

Thanks for bearing with me!!!!!

[KeithJenner]

I have never had to wait more than a couple of minutes to eat on the Epic. We eat fairly early, and I know that people do sometimes have to wait a while at busy times. I've spoken to a few people who were cashing in the free drink coupon they give out if you have to wait too long.

 

You can certainly avoid the wait by going at quieter times.

 

There is an huge amount of entertainment going on in the evenings. The Blue Men are in the theatre most nights, and there is Legends there on the days they aren't performing. In addition, there is Cirque (again, most nights), Howl At The Moon in Headliners (often with something else earlier in the evening) and a band in Fat Cats. In the US I believe Second City are usually onboard, so perhaps they share Headliners with Howl.

 

On top of that, last year we also had a Beatles Tribute and Graffiti Classics as well as the usual things like Deal or No Deal.

 

That is in Europe, and there are some differences when it's sailing from Miami, but you get the idea.

 

o'Sheehams is open 24 hours for food, as well as Room Service.

[Single Cruiser]

So Epic's main restaurants can get busy at peak times. A lot of US pax seemed to turn up at the same earlier time. A lot of European the later times.

If they can't seat you you get a free glass of cheap bubbly and a pager, no big issue.

 

Epic's entertainment is different to traditional cruise ships in the fact the small theatre shows the same show several times a week to allow all passengers to see it. On a typical week you would maybe go 3 times to the theatre. On the other nights they have entertainment either in the Bliss lounge or in Spice H2O whether tribute bands, game shows etc.

 

Then you have fat cats with almost nightly band acts

 

Shakers has a pianist/singer most nights.

 

The Atrium has events, singers or movies.

 

O'Sheehans has sports on the TVs

 

Headliners second city and my fave howl at the moon duelling piano

 

One night maybe you spend half an hour in the ice bar, one night go to see the Cirque dreams show..

 

How anyone could not be entertained.

 

Never known a time when they shut the free dining venues onboard. Buffets always open in the day, O'Sheehans food 24/7 . I've ate there 3/4AM most nights!,

 

Are you sure she actually went on the a Epic?? :D

Edited March 18, 2014 by Single Cruiser

[Demonyte]

A little background.... My wife's cousin went on her first cruise this past October with friends from work on the EPIC. She didn't have anything positive to say about it. My wife and I are taking our first NCL cruise on the Spirit this summer, but I've been sailing long enough to know that what she is saying cannot be entirely correct.

 

Yep, some things are completely false, however one is misunderstanding.

 

- Every time they went to dinner the crowds were so bad and they had to wait forever to get a seat. My response: NCL has flexible dining, so you can go whenever you want. Pick an earlier or later time. She wasn't sure, because her group always ate at a certain time.

 

Exactly. We usually eat quite early and haven't gotten the beeper once on any of our NCL cruises - longest we have had to wait is couple of minutes in the queue to the Maitre d'.

 

- There wasn't anything to do in the evening entertainment wise. My response: There is always something going on - usually two broadway type productions that are done two different times in the same evening along with other things the other nights. She looked at me like I was making it up.

 

This is a misunderstanding by both parties. On Epic and newer ships there is no traditional entertainment. There are several different options that are available on more than one nights during the cruise because it would be impossible to build a theatre big enough for about half the passengers like on older ships - that's why there are multiple smaller entertainment venues onboard. All entertainment except the few that have food served also are complimentary, food ones (cirque, second city luncheon) have cost.

 

- During the stop at the private island, one of their party didn't get off the ship. When they decided to eat, they had to pay for whatever they ate because NOTHING was open of the complimentary nature. This was the latest thing she mentioned to my wife yesterday (not sure why she is still complaining after 6 months). Although I have never stayed on board during a stop at any of the private islands we've been to, I find this highly unlikely.

 

MDRs are usually not open for lunch on port days but buffet most definitely is. O'Sheehan's is also open 24/7 and serves food.

 

I told her that if I went with that group, I would have boarded the ship with them and then probably wouldn't have seen them until the cruise was over. I asked her if she read the daily planner with the list of what's going on, and I really don't think she knew what I was talking about. She said one late night she wanted a snack, but nothing was open 24 hours. Again, I said that the planner would mention all dining times and options.

 

Yep, poor planning and research by their part, nothing more.

[SBNDers]

Thanks "singlecruiser" I did a little research and I erred. I think it was the GEM she sailed on, because I remember her mentioning that they stayed a couple of days in NYC pre-cruise. Sorry!!

[david_sobe]

The entertainment comment is nonsense. Even those who don't like Epic will state it has the best entertainment at sea. Genuine Vegas acts Blue Man Group and Legends in Concert. Plus Cirque Dreams and dinner, Second City, Howl at the Moon, Ice bar, etc.

 

I was not aware Epic stopped at the private island. It never used to on its eastern route. On port days, the MDR is closed but the huge buffet is open for lunch.

 

The Manhattan room is very crowded especially on the first night when they had lobster night. There was a line outside and they gave people pagers. But after the first night things were not so bad. But Epic has 18 restaurants (or something) so there is never usually a wait at the rest of them.

 

Epic still has the best and largest spa at sea.

[KeithJenner]

Thanks "singlecruiser" I did a little research and I erred. I think it was the GEM she sailed on, because I remember her mentioning that they stayed a couple of days in NYC pre-cruise. Sorry!!

 

 

If it's the Gem then the entertainment is a lot more like you described, with shows repeated twice a night.

 

Unlike the Epic, if you don't go to those shows ( or don't know about them) then you are less likely to come across other things going on. No different to cruises on other lines though, I believe.

 

Blue Lagoon does food all day, as well as the buffet.

[garycarla]

Some people are NEVER, EVER happy. I feel bad for them. I have an in-law that leads such a sad life.

 

Some of her comments could be valid, or somewhat close to valid. If you read reviews of the same cruise she was on, you will find people that loved it and have booked it again. Go figure?!

 

The Spirit will be different, but... well, look at our signature.

 

We are either idiots, naive or just enjoy life.

[Fishbait17]

Thanks "singlecruiser" I did a little research and I erred. I think it was the GEM she sailed on, because I remember her mentioning that they stayed a couple of days in NYC pre-cruise. Sorry!!

 

I just got off the Gem nine day sailing, and it was nothing like what she described. We were so busy every night that we hardly made any shows (which were every night, two showings). We didn't get off the ship in one of our ports, and had many choices for complimentary food. There were waits for dinner in one dining room, Magenta, which we passed every night, but they were taking reservations if you didn't want to wait or you could go to the other main dining room or any of the other food venues, many of which are complimentary. And I've never sailed on any NCL ship without receiving a Freestyle Daily packed with events all over the ship!

 

From your description and the NYC reference, I suspect she may have sailed on the Breakaway, which is more similar to the Epic. As people described above, the setup on the newer ships is very different, but there are always things going on entertainment-wise. In fact, so much going on that we missed many, many events!

 

Sad that your relative looks at life with such an unhappy view.

 

Robin

[Va. Plumber]

The sad thing about the person in this post is they will tell everyone they know how bad the experience was.

 

Don't really understand how someone could spend several days on a ship and not figure out how things work and what is available.

 

I suspect it would be difficult to find a for-pay venue open on any port day.

 

We know some folks who sailed on Dawn after we did our first NCL cruise. We were "over the moon" in describing our experience. They came back totally underwhelmed. Biggest complaint: portion size in dining rooms.

 

Go figure.

[DirtyDawg]

For the life of me I don't see why the OP or anyone else cares what the OP's cousin thinks or says. So she didn't have a good time - so what? So she might talk to others about her poor experience - who cares? This person's opinion doesn't affect me, doesn't affect you and shouldn't affect the OP.

 

Frankly, being a non Norwegian stock holder, I wish more cruisers had a bad time so I could get a better price for my next cruise! :D

[mypleasure]

I really cannot believe how someone could have such a bad time but it was her own fault as it appears she did nothing to find out about things like entertainment and food venues. The Freestyle Daily gives full information on entertainment and food venues but nobody can be forced to read it.

 

Dining can sometimes involve a wait if the dining room is crowded. I see you are sailing on the Spirit in the summer. Generally, those from the US like to eat very early but other nationalities eat later so this balances the load somewhat but at times such as when the show ends this can make it a bit busy.

 

Spirit has live music at Champagne Charlies and often at Henry's Pub not to mention the Galaxy of the Stars Area. There is also Maharinis night club and usually 2 shows every night in the theatre.

 

Having said all of that the Grand Med itinerary is very, very tiring and most just want to tour, shower, eat and sleep so late night activity can be a bit subdued. You will have a great time.

[rbrugler]

We have just booked on the Epic for next Feb. I have read that the Manhattan dining room can bet busy, but that the Table is almost always walk right in and sit down. Even so, we are buffet folk unless we see something special on the MDR menus. We will definately do the Cirqur one evening. And we have seen the Blue Man Group and love their kind of comedy. We also like to watch movies in our cabin. Cruising is not for everyone. It sure is for us, however.

[TrumpyNor]

I am so "Pro Cruise" that it's hard for me to stomach when I am told something that I am 99% sure is not correct. Obviously my LONG WINDED post it testament to that.

 

Just to make a short comment:

My personal experience from 15 NCL cruises on 7 different ships is that everything you say is correct, and more or less everything your wife's cousin says is incorrect. It seems to me like somebody started their cruise by looking for negatives instead of having a good time. A little research would make any vacation sooooo much better - and it is a pity some people don't understand that before it is too late...

 

If there is a line waiting to get in to the MDR, then get a beeper or come back later. If the MDR is closed for lunch, then go to the buffet restaurant or the 24-hour restaurant (Blue Lagoon). If you don't like the shows in the theater, then the Freestyle Daily points out a number of other things to do.

Edited March 18, 2014 by TrumpyNOR

[Vyhanek]

Your person does have a point. If you really don't want to pay extra for specialty dining, the Epic isn't a great ship choice. Also regarding the entertainment, you do have to work to have entertainment every night. It's not like other ships where the nightly show is all pre-planned and a given. We found that by night 4 or 5 week, we didn't have any more shows to go to and we were also walking around bored wondering what we were going to do with our evening. We were up in the Haven and had made some friends many of us were of the same opinion......All Platinum cruisers. Several evenings in we had all ran out of entertainment!!

 

First night we saw Howl at the Moon in the bar. It's fun but bar entertainment, sitting in a bar listening to a band play.

 

Our second night we saw Cirque. We did the dinner/show combo and it was all over before 8pm. So the rest of that night we walked around with no plan, nothing really else to do. By 8pm we'd eaten, drank, our tummys were full and we'd seen our show.

 

Then we went to the Blue Man Group. That night was fine.

 

Then the next night was the Hypnotist but her show as at 11pm. We walked around for hours with nothing else to do before her show.

 

I had no desire to see Legends.

 

That was the extent of the entertainment in the evenings. I don't know about people waiting for hours to eat on the Epic but I know on every other ship I've been on this is very common in the free resteraunt. I don't think I've ever cruised NCL without having at least a few nights holding a pager, waiting for dinner. Unless I'm eating at a specialty resteraunt and dropping another $100 for my family to eat dinner waiting is very common.

 

I think for your family, a different cruise line is more suitable. They want specific dining times, they don't want to pay for specialty dining and they want organized entertainment every night. Entertainment they don't have to think about!!

 

She's telling you exactly what she didn't like about the Epic. There is a world of other cruise choices that will better suite her needs.

[Demonyte]

If you really don't want to pay extra for specialty dining, the Epic isn't a great ship choice.

 

While Epic is my least favourite of NCL ships I've sailed, I have to disagree strongly with this one. Compared to last four NCL newbuilds before her, only speciality restaurant on Epic that doesn't exist on the older ships (Jewel class) is the ala carte Noodle bar.

 

Our MDR experience on Epic was comparable to experiences on all other NCL ships, no mentionable queues when we are used to eat. Reports by others indicate the same prime time problems as on other ships so no difference there - and absolutely no need to use speciality restaurants anymore than on other NCL ships.

[keystoneboarder]

- During the stop at the private island, one of their party didn't get off the ship. When they decided to eat, they had to pay for whatever they ate because NOTHING was open of the complimentary nature. This was the latest thing she mentioned to my wife yesterday (not sure why she is still complaining after 6 months). Although I have never stayed on board during a stop at any of the private islands we've been to, I find this highly unlikely.

 

 

This one is my favorite! The Epic never went to Great Stirrup Cay (NCL's ONLY private island) for as long as it has been in the fleet.

 

Does she think ALL islands in the Caribbean are "Private"? She is upset she had to pay for food???

 

Hysterical!!!

[rbrugler]

This thread contains too many points that simply are not true. It was the Gem and not the Epic. Your friend did not have to buy a lunch on a port day, in fact, there would have been no place on the Gem to buy food. One would have had to go to the Blue Lagoon on the Buffet. There is plenty of free entertainment. I think this thread should be deleted.

[sdmike]

Your person does have a point. If you really don't want to pay extra for specialty dining, the Epic isn't a great ship choice.

 

Care to elaborate? I totally disagree. I had more free dining options on Epic than I did on any other ship I've been on, and with few exceptions it was consistently good

Edited March 19, 2014 by sdmike

[sixesandeights]

A little background.... My wife's cousin went on her first cruise this past October with friends from work on the EPIC. She didn't have anything positive to say about it. My wife and I are taking our first NCL cruise on the Spirit this summer, but I've been sailing long enough to know that what she is saying cannot be entirely correct.

 

- Every time they went to dinner the crowds were so bad and they had to wait forever to get a seat. My response: NCL has flexible dining, so you can go whenever you want. Pick an earlier or later time. She wasn't sure, because her group always ate at a certain time.

 

- There wasn't anything to do in the evening entertainment wise. My response: There is always something going on - usually two broadway type productions that are done two different times in the same evening along with other things the other nights. She looked at me like I was making it up.

 

- During the stop at the private island, one of their party didn't get off the ship. When they decided to eat, they had to pay for whatever they ate because NOTHING was open of the complimentary nature. This was the latest thing she mentioned to my wife yesterday (not sure why she is still complaining after 6 months). Although I have never stayed on board during a stop at any of the private islands we've been to, I find this highly unlikely.

 

I told her that if I went with that group, I would have boarded the ship with them and then probably wouldn't have seen them until the cruise was over. I asked her if she read the daily planner with the list of what's going on, and I really don't think she knew what I was talking about. She said one late night she wanted a snack, but nothing was open 24 hours. Again, I said that the planner would mention all dining times and options.

 

When my wife and I cruised with her mother (we sailed with my mother-in-law and my wife's cousin's mother) I went as far as to point out where all the restrooms were on board, since I knew that was something they were concerned with. I made sure we went over the daily planners for the next day each evening while waiting for one of the shows to start.

 

I told her that when we cruise - especially with first timers that the seasoned people need to stop and show those that don't have a clue what their options are. And you don't have to spend every waking moment with your group.

 

I am so "Pro Cruise" that it's hard for me to stomach when I am told something that I am 99% sure is not correct. Obviously my LONG WINDED post it testament to that.

 

Thanks for bearing with me!!!!!

 

I want to start this off by saying that I had a GREAT time on the Epic, and loved NCL. That said she is not 100% wrong.

 

- We tried to eat in the MDR on a few occasions. Each time there was a HUGE wait. We do not eat at a standard time so this was a bit shocking (we eat later ~8pm). Including one night where we waited 1.5 hours and our pager never went off. There was never a time where we walked up and were told anything less then a 30 minute wait. On my sailing we were also 800-1000 people undersold, so I cant even imagine what the wait would have been if the ship was full.

 

- There was less evening entertainment then you would expect. The main shows run over several nights, so once you have seen the big shows there is not much else to do. There are things to do like see Howl at the moon several times, or watch a movie in the atrium, but unlike other lines I have been on that have a new show each night this seemed to be very limited on the Epic.

 

We did not stop at a private island, so I can not answer that question. I will say that because of the more limited entertainment we actually relaxed much more on this Epic cruise then on cruises with other lines where we tried to make it to many shows and what not. I would also not say there was nothing to do as you could always find a bingo game or something, but I would agree that there was a distinct lack of activities for large periods during sea days as well.

 

The Epic cruise that I took was my first NCL in 14 years ( got back 2 weeks ago) and we really enjoyed it overall and are actively looking for another NCL to take as the food in the buffet was better then our last Royal in the MDR. Brass tacks your wife's cousin is not 100% wrong in her assessment as we noticed very very similar things.

 

I also want to point out that we LOVED the boat layout. It was VERY easy to learn, and the way it was setup you never felt like you were walking super far on the main decks. We are sad to hear she was leaving for a new home in the Med as the Haven on that boat was beautiful.

 

Leave all expectations behind, relax, and just enjoy your trip. Things happen on cruises to people sometimes that color the entire thing poorly. Dont let their dissatisfaction take away from your happiness.

 

6&8

Edited March 19, 2014 by sixesandeights

[LrgPizza]

There was another post here recently in which someone spoke of no entertainment options and no 24 hour dining options. It was clear to most of us that the person was wrong, and had obviously never looked at a Daily. It sounds like this person didn't either, since she didn't seem to know to what the OP was referring.

 

When I was on the Spirit, our room steward only left a Daily in our room once the entire cruise. It was no big deal because the rest of the time we simply got one from Guest Services. I would feel bad for someone who hadn't cruised before and didn't even realize they existed or were missing that info. (But I digress....)

 

If someone can't find things to do on a cruise, they just aren't trying. It's not difficult.