An Epic-ly Good Second Time on the Epic: A Review from 1/18/15 – 1/25/15

[dolita22]

We are getting 6-8 inches of the fluffy white stuff here in Wisconsin today, so what better way to spend a snowy day than reminisce about our week on the Epic in the warm, sunny Caribbean a few weeks ago? I’ve never written a review on Cruise Critic before, though have contributed by responding to posters’ questions, so please bear with me. What’s included in this review are our thoughts and impressions; others may have different experiences. I’m hoping to post a few pictures at the end of the review, either tonight or in the coming week if I can figure it out, though I have more island pictures than inside-the-ship pictures.

 

Background: My DH and I are nearing our mid-30s and have sailed NCL before – once for him and twice for me. I’ve also cruised Carnival and RCCL, and he’s sailed on Azamara. We got engaged while sailing the Epic in 2013 and wanted to sail once more before the ship moved to Europe for the foreseeable future. We sailed RCCL for our honeymoon last year, but decided NCL fits our cruising persona better. RCCL just doesn’t do Freestyle as well as NCL, IOO (in our opinion :). We are pretty easy to please in general, but travel frequently and know what we like.

 

I may throw in a few comparisons between the two lines, but for the most part, this review will focus on our week-long Epic sailing from January 18-25, 2015.

 

I won’t review day-by-day details, but instead will review by bits and pieces, ranging from our room to service to ports and excursions, along with other items in between. And yes, I will finish this review. It’s still snowing and we are hunkered down for the day/night, so it will be completed!

 

Joining us were two first-time cruiser friends, also in their 30s. She had been to an all inclusive in Mexico before, and was curious about cruising, and he had not yet done either. They will be getting married this year and are deciding where to honeymoon next winter – an AI, a cruise, or elsewhere. In addition to satisfying their curiosity about cruising, this trip aimed to help with their honeymooning decision. Plus, who wouldn’t want to escape the cold, snowy Midwest in the middle of January?

 

To be continued…

[dolita22]

We flew out two days prior to our cruise on Friday, January 16. With cruising in winter and flying out of Wisconsin, we’ve flown out two days early the past few years, and that helps us arrive in Florida relaxed and ready to cruise. We had a direct flight from Milwaukee to FLL, which was smooth and on time. The flight was full, as usual these days. A short 2 hours, 25 minutes later… hello, sunny Florida! I’m still amazed that a 20+ hour drive can be cut down to under 3 hours when flying.

 

We stayed at the Hampton Inn Fort Lauderdale Airport/South Cruise Port. The hotel met our needs and was convenient to the airport, but you can tell how frequently hotels in that area are used by cruisers and others, and the hotel could be better about keeping up with the wear and tear. The parking lot was empty, but the hotel was mostly full, so we’re guessing many took advantage of the free shuttle to and from the airport.

 

I’ll skip the part about our two days in Fort Lauderdale, since this is a cruise-focused review. Suffice it to say, we had a good time relaxing and not being in the cold of the Midwest: ran errands, hit Hollywood Beach, sat by the dinky little pool at the Hampton Inn, wishing we could have used the one at the Quality Inn that we overlooked next door (pool bar included, which wasn’t accessible to us), and getting ready to sail the Epic!

 

Boarding the Epic

We’ve used QLS to shuttle to and from the cruise port and used them again this year. We’d reserved an 11 a.m. shuttle pickup from FLL. We had a rental car that we returned to FLL the day of the cruise, and QLS was communicative and right on time at picking us up. It’s a bit crazy at the pickup point in FLL, because buses are also at the same point, taking cruisers to their ships. Long lines, lots of people and not very organized. It would have been nice if there was section of the pickup area for buses only and the other portion for other forms of transport. But I digress. We found the QLS shuttle, and I think we had the same shuttle driver we’ve had in years past. Not sure of his name, but he’s always been courteous and efficient. We had a mostly-full shuttle, but stopped at the Super 8 near the airport to pick up a family, then were on our way to the POM!

 

Those of us boarding the Epic were the first to be dropped off. Porters were right there to take our luggage, soda and water, and off we went to check in. Yes, we take on cases of Diet Coke, because NCL serves only Pepsi products, and bottled water. We do drink the ship’s water, but bottled water is nice to take on excursions or have when we’re lounging on deck and don’t want to run to the buffet to grab some.

 

After dropping everything off, through security we went. We had our passports in hand, since staff at the door prior to security wanted to see them and our eDocs. When going through the metal detector, staff told us to hold on to our passports. As I learned last year in FLL airport when the TSA was randomly checking IDs (which was my passport) right after we walked through the metal detector, there’s a chip in them that sets off the detectors. My DH went through at the POM holding his passport, as instructed, and the detector went off. He’d forgotten about the chip, but that was the first thing I thought of. I tried to tell him this, but the security guard had him go through again…and again. Finally, they pulled him off to the side, did a pat down and found nothing. Meanwhile, right before I went through, I told the security guard there’s a chip in the passport and that’s why the detector was going off. She didn’t believe me, had me go through with it, detector goes off, I hand it to her, she tries it, and lo and behold, no noise! Anyway, just FYI in case they tell you to hold on to your passport when going through the metal detector when arriving at the POM. We were not annoyed or frustrated by it, but it is somewhat surprising that people in those industries aren’t aware that the chip in passports sets off metal detectors.

 

After security, we stopped at the table to pay the corkage for three bottles of champagne we’d brought on board. I love champagne and have since gotten my husband to love it. One of our greatest enjoyments on a cruise is sitting on our balcony at night drinking champagne. In line we went, after completing the health questionnaire, which included the ebola question.

 

We’d arrived around 12:15, and there were lines, but we were on the ship by 1 p.m. That was a fast boarding. After our Epic cards were printed and pictures taken, we were able to walk right on board. Yippee!

[dolita22]

Our rooms were ready when we boarded, which is why we timed our shuttle pickup when we did. I don’t like to lug our carryon stuff around with us for too long after boarding the ship, so the 11 a.m. shuttle with a 12 p.m.-ish arrival at the POM allowed us to walk on and drop our bags in the rooms right away. Perfect!

 

We were in a mid-ship BA balcony on the port side, cabin 11178. Our friends were just a few doors down in 11186. The bed was by the balcony in both rooms. When we sailed the Epic in 2013, we were in a room with the bed by the door; we preferred the bed-by-balcony setup a bit more, but really, both are fine. The rooms are in a great location and pretty much dead-on mid-ship.

 

There’s plenty of storage, hangers in the closet, and there were even additional down blankets in one of the couch bolsters. The bathroom situation does not bother us in the least. I don’t understand all the hype about the bathroom setup. Yes, the glass is frosted, but unless you’re REALLY looking, you can’t see much. Or you’ve seen it already. Big deal. That’s all I’ll say about the bathrooms. :) Oh, wait. Love how spacious the shower is! Whereas our shower on the RCCL Independence of the Seas last year was tiny and there was very little room to move or shave your legs without awkwardly hitting your head on the who-knows-what’s-touched-this wall, the showers on the Epic in the standard balconies were roomy! Don’t think I touched the wall once. Shampoo and shower gel was included in the dispensers, and hand soap is in the dispenser by the sink.

 

Our room steward, Jeremy, did a great job, though never introduced himself. We learned his name while looking at MDR dinner menus one night on the TV. We often left post-it notes with minor requests (more ice, to empty the refrigerator, etc.) for him, along with a tip, and all of our requests were fulfilled in a timely manner.

 

We had quiet neighbors on both sides, but the neighbors next door to our friends’ room did end up smoking on their balcony. There were also others smoking on their balconies, but it’s difficult to pinpoint which balcony smoke is coming from, so we let it go. I don’t want to turn this into a smoking debate, and I truly do not care if someone smokes; however, there’s a note in the Daily saying not to smoke on balconies or in rooms, along with a list of places people can smoke, but that was all we heard about it all week. I do wish there was more of a push by on-board NCL staff to remind people of the smoking policy and/or people would obey the policy. As we were at sea one day, a cigarette was tossed overboard, as it floated right past our balcony. Yikes!

[dolita22]

Bars

Those bartenders, especially the ones buy the pool bars and in Spice, were busy! Not sure if it’s because many seemed to have the UBP, it was hot out and everyone wanted beverages when we did, or what. Regardless, once we put in our drink orders (we did not have the UBP), the requests were filled quite timely! We didn’t have a favorite bartender or a favorite bar. We did order buckets of beer a couple times when sitting on the red, padded loungers on deck 17 and they were quick to deliver them.

 

MDR

We ate only in the Taste MDR, O’Sheehan’s and the Garden Café, in addition to room service breakfast. Service in the MDR some nights was fairly quick, other nights slow. Dinner would generally take around an hour to an hour and a half. Friendly wait staff, though some were new and learning and others seemed tired and busy on top of that. There were a couple nights where it took awhile for water glasses to refilled or there was a long enough lag between when we were finished with entrees and desserts were delivered. There are numerous large groups on our sailing and many kids, so the wait staff was kept very busy. We noticed staff from O’Sheehan’s in Taste a couple times, helping to alleviate some of the pressure from the MDR staff.

 

O’Sheehan’s

Service in O’Sheehan’s was on the slower side, even when it was quiet there. Still friendly, but slow to receive food or refill water.

 

Garden Café

Man, the Garden Café was busy all the time! Except for Tuesday night (second sea day) at dinner, when it was seafood night. No lobster tails, but there was a plethora of shrimp, muscles and other assorted seafood dishes. The shrimp and muscles were good, but the other dishes were just so-so. We preferred the MDR for dinner, as opposed to the buffet, because we enjoy the sit-down dining experience instead of the grab-and-go experience.

 

Room Service

We like to order coffee, pastries and fruit for breakfast most mornings of the cruise and enjoy eating on our balcony, watching the sea go by. On past cruises, we’ve always received a phone call when room service was close to arriving. This cruise, we received a call maybe the first day, but every day after that, there was only a knock at our door. I really wish they would go back to the phone calls, as that one day served as our wake-up call, too.

 

Room Steward

Discussed in a previous post. This was the first steward who never introduced himself, but service (and towel animals!) were very good.

 

Reservations for MDRs

We did not make reservations to dine in the MDR, so had to wait, which seemed to defeat the purpose of Freestyle dining. There were numerous large groups on our sailing, so we should have realized and made reservations after the first night. I think our longest wait one time was around a half hour. It wasn’t bad, but I remember on our Epic cruise in 2013 being given a glass of champagne to drink while waiting. We ate only at Taste, so perhaps they are still providing that for those who have to wait to eat in the Manhattan Room.

 

NCL Staff

Nearly every room steward and NCL staff member we walked past in the halls said good morning or hello to us.

 

There was a greeter in the Garden Café who, each morning, in a loud voice that carried, would welcome everyone to “Garden.” My husband and friend’s fiancé loved her. She was just friendly and funny. On port days, she would be dressed up in something related to the port – in Cozumel, she wore a sombrero and poncho, when we were in Ocho Rios, she had a Rastafarian hat with dreads on. She was just great. The last sea day was gray, cloudy and cool. My DH went up to get breakfast and the woman said to a couple that walked in ahead of him, “It’s great baby-making weather today!” The couple told her they’d taken care of that awhile ago, but she told them practice makes perfect. We got a good laugh out of that.

[dolita22]

Food

 

Food is so subjective. What we enjoy food-wise others may not and vice versa. That said, we very much enjoy the food on NCL. We have not dined in a specialty restaurant on our NCL sailings because we’ve always enjoyed the MDR food, though we may at some point just to try them out. For us, the food on NCL is much better than the food on RCCL - both our honeymoon last year and a cruise I took on the Grandeur of the Seas in 2010. We aren’t foodies by any means, but the food is what will keep us from sailing RCCL, at least until they update menus. Don’t get me wrong – we always found something to eat, but it just wasn’t as good or dependable as the food on NCL (e.g., I ordered pastries for room service breakfast on the second-to-last day of our RCCL cruise last year and was given rolls from the previous night’s dinner vs. NCL, which gave the requested chocolate croissants, fruit and yogurt).

 

We also enjoyed O’Sheehan’s and the Garden Café. There are many food options to choose from in all of NCL’s complimentary venues that we never felt like we wouldn’t find something.

 

Shore Excursions

 

Ocho Rios: We did not do a shore excursion on Ocho Rios. Instead, we chose to walk around the port area and hit up Margaritaville. We opted to do shore excursions on Grand Cayman and Cozumel, which is why we chose not to do anything on Ocho Rios. It actually worked out nicely, and we came back to a very quiet ship and had our choice of pool chairs in the afternoon.

 

Grand Cayman: We chose the Stingray City & Barrier Reef excursion through NCL for our time on GC. Everyone in my group wanted to snorkel with stingrays at Stingray City, and the additional time at the reef sounded like a great way to get more snorkel time in. Little did we know (because I had not researched this prior) that there’s a difference between Stingray City and Stingray City sandbar. I’d been to GC once before and had no idea! We booked the excursion thinking we would be going to the sandbar, which it didn’t. Instead, we were snorkeling with stingrays in 12-15 feet of water. We weren’t alone in not knowing there’s a difference; many others on the excursion had no idea either, until we were out there. Also, there were some decent-sized waves and a strong current at both spots, which made it very difficult to snorkel in either location.

 

The water was beautiful, weather was beautiful, but it was an expensive lesson with much disappointment that could have been avoided had I researched and learned the difference prior. We stopped by NCL’s shore excursion desk after getting back on the ship to request they add a note or something to the description of the excursion to indicate that it doesn’t go the sandbar. The woman we spoke with told us other people had stopped to express their disappointment with the excursion not going to the sandbar, and that we could send NCL a comment or review it on their site to make others aware. We’ll do that, but lesson learned!

 

Cozumel: We wanted a beach day one day of the cruise, so chose to go to Playa Mia. We debated between that and Passion Island, but I had been to Playa Mia on a previous cruise and enjoyed it, so we chose to go there. The excursion was $80 through NCL and included transportation. We learned it was $60 to buy an all-inclusive day pass there on your own + transportation on your own (there are other pass options available, too), so didn’t feel too badly about the price difference considering transportation was included.

 

There’s a beach in Playa Mia; an adults-only pool (no swim-up bar, but it appeared like there was one); a big, covered area with lots of tables and chairs near the buffet; and a big, new kids’ pool area. We visited everything but the kids’ pool area. The beach had a decent slope close to the water, and the lounge chairs on the slope and even where the beach flattened out were quite uncomfortable, so we opted to hang out in the pool for the most part. My DH and one of our friends ventured into the ocean, and said the water was warm, but it was rocky even further out. He was glad to have water shoes! A decent buffet with Mexican-themed foods was available (tortillas, beans and rice, chips and salsa, etc.) and the drinks were mostly the daquaris, pina coladas, margaritas, and so on. I noticed a few people had beer, and you could order soda or bottled waters as well. We very much enjoyed our time there – it was relaxing, we had beautiful weather, and having drinks/food/transportation included was nice - but I think we’ll try Passion Island or even Nachi Cocum next time we’re in Cozumel! Time to change it up!

[dolita22]

Pools and Chair Hogs

We never try to find chairs by the pools, knowing how popular the area is with families with kids. The same held true for this sailing. We generally went up to deck 18 around 10 a.m. and found chairs near the forward part on the starboard side on our first sea day. On our second sea day, we ended up scoring padded loungers in the forward area outside Posh on deck 18! Loved that.

 

There were definitely chair hogs out on all decks; however, we didn’t see any NCL staff or passengers removing others’ belongings. In the padded lounger area outside Posh, we saw a couple, one of whom was in one daybed, the other in the next daybed over. Then a daybed opened just across from where they were sitting, but facing the water, and he jumped into that one while she held both of their daybeds. She held them for quite some time, until a woman and her family came and sat down in the unoccupied one, not realizing it was being held.

 

As for the pools, they were always busy. The hot tubs were packed with kids much of the time as well, even those in Spice H20, despite it being an adults-only area. We never did get in the hot tubs, but did spend time in the pools.

 

Oftentimes, there would be kids in the pools without parental supervision. At one point, I counted 8 children in one of the main pools and no adults watching any of them (unless they were off to the side, but with the ledge that separates the pools from the chairs, I can see it being hard to see someone swimming). There was one little girl who looked to be about 4 or 5 years old with arm wings on, but we never saw her parents. I kept watching out for her in the pool, since some of the bigger kids were jumping into the pool and splashing each other, not really noticing her, but she seemed okay.

 

We noticed on a couple occasions an NCL staff member with a few lifeguard responsibilities – blowing a whistle when kids were throwing each other off shoulders, telling people they couldn’t have drinks in the pools, etc. Some were stricter than others. None were in swimwear, but they were there watching. We are not parents, but I was somewhat comforted by that, considering the number of kids in the pools.

 

Entertainment

We saw Howl at the Moon and Legends in Concert this sailing and participated in the White Hot Party. We missed Second City. We’d seen Blue Man Group on our first sailing of the Epic, so we didn’t see that again, but our friends saw it and enjoyed it.

 

Howl at the Moon was good, though not as good as the land-based Howl is (at least the one in Chicago). Still entertaining and it was always busy in Headliners when they were performing! My friend’s fiancé loved it and wanted to go back on the last night, but they had to pack so he missed out.

 

Jimmy Buffet, Adele and Aretha Franklin were the performers at Legends. All were good, and Jimmy Buffet looked and sounded like the real deal! He said something about being at Margaritaville in Jamaica, but we must have missed him.

 

The White Hot Party was a good time! They had quite the crowd out in Spice dancing the night away.

 

Disembarkation

Probably the smoothest, fastest disembarkation we’ve ever had! It was mad zoo when we disembarked the Epic back in 2013, so we were expecting much of the same for this sailing. Complete opposite! We left our room just after 8 a.m. and carried our own luggage off. Down to deck 6 and there was an organized line of people disembarking. We got in line and were off the ship within minutes, and through customs within 20 minutes of disembarking the ship. Could not have been easier! We were on a shuttle back to FLL at 9 a.m.

 

Overall

The Epic holds sentimental value for us, since we were engaged on that ship. No ship is perfect and no cruise is perfect, but overall, we had a wonderfully relaxing time on our sailing. We love all the Epic has to offer and that there’s always something to do, even if it’s sitting on our balcony drinking champagne.

 

Both DH and I now have PCD, so I’m trying to convince him to do a quick, 4-day Sky cruise later this year, and we’re looking for an 8, 9 or 10-day cruise for next January or February. We will see! If anything, we’re looking at the Star out of Tampa. We were married on Clearwater Beach, so figured we could combine that cruise with time at the resort we were married at. So many options!

 

Please let me know of any questions, and happy cruising!

[ClaireAndMike]

We were on Epic in January 2013 also! Were you the couple that got engaged in Howl at the Moon to the Lumineers song?

[warriorking]

Great review..

I sail on Epic in March 2016 when she moves to the European itinerary...

Have a 12Day Med scheduled in the Aft Balcony..

My first time on the New Megaships...

[dolita22]

We were on Epic in January 2013 also! Were you the couple that got engaged in Howl at the Moon to the Lumineers song?

 

Awesome that you sailed the Epic in January 2013, too! No, that wasn't us. We got engaged on our balcony. :-)

[marciemi]

Really enjoyed the review - both the good and the bad! We leave for Sunday on the Epic so I'm loving everything I can find about it. I really appreciate your taking the time to do this review!

[dolita22]

Great review..

I sail on Epic in March 2016 when she moves to the European itinerary...

Have a 12Day Med scheduled in the Aft Balcony..

My first time on the New Megaships...

 

Oh, enjoy! We would love to do a Med cruise one of these days and in an aft sometime, too. Can't beat the views!

 

The Epic has so much to offer or you can do nothing at all and hang out on your balcony. Love the mega-ships, even with the crowds.

 

Even though you're not sailing until 2016, have a great time! Enjoy counting down the days!

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[dolita22]

Really enjoyed the review - both the good and the bad! We leave for Sunday on the Epic so I'm loving everything I can find about it. I really appreciate your taking the time to do this review!

 

Thanks! Have a wonderful time on the Epic!

 

I see a cheesehead in your profile picture. Packer fans? :-)

[BunnyLove123]

For completing your review!! We are Cruising this coming weekend on Epic and are really excited to try NCL!

 

 

Glad you had a good time! To ask a question, there are padded loungers on deck 17 that aren't a part of Posh? I was thinking about getting a Posh pass, but don't really want to spend the extra money if I didn't have to and could have the same seating, generally.

 

Thanks!

[kenlyn]

Thanks for the honest review. You covered both the good and the things that need improvement. I also am leaving this Sunday on Epic and know all will not be perfect with the ship, however I am on vacation and I WILL have a fantastic time!

Thanks for FINISHING your review!:)

[brookie848]

For completing your review!! We are Cruising this coming weekend on Epic and are really excited to try NCL!

 

 

Glad you had a good time! To ask a question, there are padded loungers on deck 17 that aren't a part of Posh? I was thinking about getting a Posh pass, but don't really want to spend the extra money if I didn't have to and could have the same seating, generally.

 

Thanks!

 

 

Padded loungers are found Deck 18 forward. They are not part of Posh -- I believe they might have been originally part of the Haven, but with Haven guests receiving Posh passes, I don't think they were used, so they opened them up to the entire ship. I really enjoyed Posh because of the bar being there and you get a few extras. Also, there are no kids. But if you just want a padded lounger, keep forward on 18 until you find them!

[marciemi]

I'd like to invite both of you over to our roll call thread if you're at all interested - there's a meet & greet on Monday on the first sea day and a Slot Pull afterwards - come check out the thread and at least meet a few of us beforehand if you want!

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2009041&page=35

 

For completing your review!! We are Cruising this coming weekend on Epic and are really excited to try NCL!

 

 

Glad you had a good time! To ask a question, there are padded loungers on deck 17 that aren't a part of Posh? I was thinking about getting a Posh pass, but don't really want to spend the extra money if I didn't have to and could have the same seating, generally.

 

Thanks!

 

Thanks for the honest review. You covered both the good and the things that need improvement. I also am leaving this Sunday on Epic and know all will not be perfect with the ship, however I am on vacation and I WILL have a fantastic time!

Thanks for FINISHING your review!:)

[marciemi]

DH & DS are both shareholders! So of course were crushed a couple weeks ago but what can you do? We lived in Green Bay for 6 years before a short move to Indy and now the Orlando area. Like it much better here! (Particularly at this time of year).

 

Thanks! Have a wonderful time on the Epic!

 

I see a cheesehead in your profile picture. Packer fans? :-)

[lbrandon]

Thanks for the review. We sailed Epic in March of 2012 and loved it so much we are going on it again this March. Your review pretty much sums up everything we thought about the ship the first time we were on it.

[dolita22]

For completing your review!! We are Cruising this coming weekend on Epic and are really excited to try NCL!

 

 

Glad you had a good time! To ask a question, there are padded loungers on deck 17 that aren't a part of Posh? I was thinking about getting a Posh pass, but don't really want to spend the extra money if I didn't have to and could have the same seating, generally.

 

Thanks!

 

Happy to have helped! I debated about writing a review, but was pretty much bunked in during the storm on Sunday and decide a review would be a fun way to reminisce. :)

 

brookie848 answered your question about the padded loungers, I think. I realized after posting that they were on deck 18, so thank you for correcting me!

 

To get to them, we took the port-side forward stairs up to deck 15 (they end there, IIRC), then crossed over and took the starboard stairs up to deck 18. Turn left once you're outside, then just keep going to the forward part of the ship and you'll spot the padded loungers. Mid- to late afternoon was usually a good time to have a few choices of the loungers, as many folks had taken a break from the heat by then. If there weren't any available, there are plenty of regular lounge chairs on either side on that deck that you could hang there until a padded lounger opens up.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[dolita22]

Thanks for the honest review. You covered both the good and the things that need improvement. I also am leaving this Sunday on Epic and know all will not be perfect with the ship, however I am on vacation and I WILL have a fantastic time!

Thanks for FINISHING your review!:)

 

You are welcome! Glad I could have helped, or at least contributed to the pre-cruise excitement!

 

You will absolutely have a fantastic time! Enjoy!!

[dolita22]

Padded loungers are found Deck 18 forward. They are not part of Posh -- I believe they might have been originally part of the Haven, but with Haven guests receiving Posh passes, I don't think they were used, so they opened them up to the entire ship. I really enjoyed Posh because of the bar being there and you get a few extras. Also, there are no kids. But if you just want a padded lounger, keep forward on 18 until you find them!

 

Thank you for that info! I didn't realize that part was originally part of The Haven, but it makes sense. It was nice and quiet up there, which we very much enjoyed.

 

Have a great second (I think!) time on the Epic in March!

[dolita22]

DH & DS are both shareholders! So of course were crushed a couple weeks ago but what can you do? We lived in Green Bay for 6 years before a short move to Indy and now the Orlando area. Like it much better here! (Particularly at this time of year).

 

Oh, nice! My DH is also a shareholder and was really disappointed a few weeks ago. uckily, we were sailing the Epic (watched that awful game in Spice H20!), so he had quickly drowned his sorrows, then enjoyed the cruise. :)

 

You have definitely picked a great location to live in, particularly now, as winter has hit in full force. December and January were quite nice, but the snow and cold have arrived.

 

Have a great cruise!

[dolita22]

Thanks for the review. We sailed Epic in March of 2012 and loved it so much we are going on it again this March. Your review pretty much sums up everything we thought about the ship the first time we were on it.

 

Great minds think alike! Wish we could sail just once more before the Epic's TA in April, but no can do.

 

Have fun!

[zdcatc12]

To get to them, we took the port-side forward stairs up to deck 15 (they end there, IIRC), then crossed over and took the starboard stairs up to deck 18. Turn left once you're outside, then just keep going to the forward part of the ship and you'll spot the padded loungers. Mid- to late afternoon was usually a good time to have a few choices of the loungers, as many folks had taken a break from the heat by then. If there weren't any available, there are plenty of regular lounge chairs on either side on that deck that you could hang there until a padded lounger opens up.

 

You can also take the starboard side (I believe, but can't remember which now) glass elevator up from 15 to 18.