Princess/Celebrity Fan Sails Epic

[CruzR887]

My wife and I took our first cruise on the NCL Sprirt in 2004.

 

We did not return to NCL for 11-years. Not because of that cruise but because we live near Galveston and other lines sailed from there and gained our semi loyalty.

 

This past August we found an incredible deal for a 10 day Med cruise on the Epic-guarrenty balcony for $519pp. How can you not grab a deal like that? We did, and overall we really enjoyed it. The price was so low we ate only in the specialty restaurants. The food was consistantly the best we've ever had at sea. The entertainment was by far the best we've ever seen at sea.

 

If other cruise lines are looking for younger clients they'd be wise to look at NCL. This was the most age diverse cruise we've ever been on. Families with babies, toddlers and teens. Couples and singles old and young. And people from all parts of the world. When was the last time you were on a cruise with more babies than scooters? It was a nice experience. I'll also add that NCL's all but lack of a dress code did not translate into a ship full of cut-offs, t-shirts and flip-flops at night.

 

The things we didn't like:

 

1) No welcome aboard. A bit off-putting. We entered the ship and there was no uniformed, and thus easily identifiable, staff person to welcome you aboard and tell you where to go. Not a problem for us, we're experienced cruisers, but there were folks around us who had questions and were confused.

 

2) The room. Much has been written about the translucent shower and toilet doors, but really you can't see through them and for privacy from the rest of the cabin there a dividing curtain. The problem for us was the noise. Our cabin was configured with he bed closest to the door so it was right next to the toilet. You can't slide the door open with out it making noise and the suction flush is not subtle. This was problematic at night. Yes you don't have to flush all the time but....

 

There is a lack of storage around the sink, which is only slightly larger then a dentist's spit bowl. We of course made due and got used to the layout but again initially a bit off-putting. We joked " what do you expect for 500-bucks".

 

3) If you're an experienced cruiser and not interested in folding towels or carving fruit, if you don't gamble or drink before and right after lunch, there's little to do on sea days. Princes has the best port lecturers and both it and Celebrity have topical lecturers to break up the day. This problem was exacerbated by the cool December weather that keep us off the balcony where we usually spend a lot of quiet time reading.

 

One of the nice things Epic did was to list the embarkation deck at each port in the elevators so everyone knew where to get of the ship.

 

We also had some new ports for us: Cagliari, Sardinia and Palermo, Sicily which both were nice.( we're port people) Another neat plus was that because the distance between Palermo and Naples is short, instead of creeping along at 2knots for 18-hours, we spent most of a sea day circling the active volcano on the island of Stromboli. (you can see the islands of Calzone and Cheesesteak Hoagie in the distance) Lots of smoke rolling out of the top. Sometimes large black puffs of it. We told out tour guide in Naples about it and he said he'd seen it on the news so apparently what we saw was not an everyday occurrence. Cool.

 

So, we liked the ship, the casual atmosphere, the restaurants, entertainment and our fellow passengers. The crew was friendly and efficient...what's not to like? We'll be back.

 

Cheers, Rod

[dacsmom]

Thanks for the review. I also booked my first NCL cruise on the Epic, the deal was too good to pass up. I am a frequent RCI cruiser who is looking for something different.

[NJ Fred]

We board Epic for the sane itinerary on 13 January. Our last NCL voyage was in 1985 aboard the line's old Southward - it was the deplorable service, cuisine and customer sensitivity that kept us away from the brand all these years.

 

Trusted friends just left Epic two weeks ago. They gave the ship and crew an outstanding review - and they are fussy.

 

We eagerly look forward to our cruise.

 

Thank you for your comments.

 

Happy 2016.

[Marion B]

If you were on the 12/9 sailing, Rod, then we were on the same cruise.

Like you, we gave the Epic a try because of a deal so good that we figured it was a misprint. Not so, and we ended up in a Haven suite with all four of the promos.

We loved the specialty restaurants, fabulous evening entertainment and mellow fellow cruisers- thought the ship had an upbeat "vibe." Loved the ports and because of the shore excursion credit, took more ship's tours than usual. Found them very good.

Our only suite comparison is to HAL and the Haven blew that out of the water.

I would do this exact same cruise again in a heartbeat. Happy sailings to all who are about to embark on her.

Marion

[raining cats and dogs]

If you were on the 12/9 sailing, Rod, then we were on the same cruise.

Like you, we gave the Epic a try because of a deal so good that we figured it was a misprint. Not so, and we ended up in a Haven suite with all four of the promos.

We loved the specialty restaurants, fabulous evening entertainment and mellow fellow cruisers- thought the ship had an upbeat "vibe." Loved the ports and because of the shore excursion credit, took more ship's tours than usual. Found them very good.

Our only suite comparison is to HAL and the Haven blew that out of the water.

I would do this exact same cruise again in a heartbeat. Happy sailings to all who are about to embark on her.

Marion

 

Thanks Marion for your positive review. We will be travelling on Epic February 24 2016 and so looking forward to it. I have been reading Epic reviews since September 2015 and was a bit worried as so many seemed to be negative reviews. I am not sure whether these reviewers were overly critical or whether there was a genuine problem which NCL has corrected

Deen

[Kidtechno]

Admittedly, it may be due to the fact that I work in hospitality in Las Vegas, but I think in general tourists are naturally overly critical about anything regarding a vacation. It's their time, and their money, and standards are subsequently risen. I would take everything in a review with a grain of salt.

 

You could have everything go right the entire visit, but if it took them 3 hours to disembark, the trip is an F. :)

 

I am on Epic on May 4 for my honeymoon. Can't wait. The one main thing I did do based on balcony reviews was to get a cabin with the bed away from the door. Other than that, see you at the pool bar!

[ronandannette]

Like the OP, it had been awhile since we sailed NCL and being as we're in the planning stages of what will be a very expensive Med cruise/vacation in 2016, I wanted to "check it out" before we committed to the Epic. I took a 4 day Pacific Coastal in September on the Pearl and seriously - I was shocked at how good the experience was. The food was superior to RCCL; specialty restaurants were maybe about even but MDR and no-extra fee places? NCL blew them away. The entertainment was pretty much a tie and that's saying something when compared to RCCL mega-ships with ice shows, Broadway productions and 3-D theaters. Service was probably better too. Overall an excellent, excellent value and we're no longer afraid of booking the Epic!

[ronandannette]

Admittedly, it may be due to the fact that I work in hospitality in Las Vegas, but I think in general tourists are naturally overly critical about anything regarding a vacation. It's their time, and their money, and standards are subsequently risen. I would take everything in a review with a grain of salt.

 

You could have everything go right the entire visit, but if it took them 3 hours to disembark, the trip is an F. :)

 

I am on Epic on May 4 for my honeymoon. Can't wait. The one main thing I did do based on balcony reviews was to get a cabin with the bed away from the door. Other than that, see you at the pool bar!

Can you tell me how you know which is which? I've got a Spa Balcony (14129) on hold right now...

[Miss JAD]

We were on this same cruise (Dec9th). Enjoyed sailing around the volcano Stomboli. It was like getting a free excursion on a sea day. We had the Ultimate dining package and enjoyed all the restaraunts. We only ate 2 time in the buffet (once for lunch and then breakfast on the last day) seems to suffice for a quick meal. We thought all the staff on the ship were great. I had a weird charge on our account the morning of disembarkation was surprised that when I called guest services I got through and that it was quickly resolved. I thought the ship had great inside space for this cruise. Passengers were spread out nicely.

 

I really didn't care for the room. Balcony Midship cabin. My husband and I are both tall and both of us had our feet hanging off the end of the bed and the shower is small. The bathroom space is just awkward for sound and privacy. Overall the cabin had great storage. We chose midship for the motion issue, which there was none on this cruise. You couldn't even tell you were moving. When your room is midship you are always walking to one of the ends for the elevator or stairs. Overall the cabin doesn't much matter to us so I would sail on the Epic again if the location and price was right.

[SuiteTraveler]

 

3) If you're an experienced cruiser and not interested in folding towels or carving fruit, if you don't gamble or drink before and right after lunch, there's little to do on sea days. Princes has the best port lecturers and both it and Celebrity have topical lecturers to break up the day. This problem was exacerbated by the cool December weather that keep us off the balcony where we usually spend a lot of quiet time reading.

 

Hi, Rod,

Just a a suggestion, the Epic (and also Getaway, Breakaway, and Escape) have the most awesome spas at sea. I've been in a lot of spas and there is no comparison! This even rivals what is in some of the most famous spas on land! Since you couldn't use your balcony due to the cold weather, my advice would be to get spa passes and hang out there. It is forward - takes up the whole front of the ship with the best views ever and has a great water circuit, heated tile loungers, dry saunas, hot tub, best showers on the ship and steam rooms. There are also padded loungers in there. We found ourselves hanging out there almost every afternoon - it was the best ever! And my husband is NOT a spa kind of guy, until he tried it and then there was no keeping him out of there! LOL! I know it's not the same as an enrichment lecture, but it would be a great place to read your travel book on the next port!

[Kidtechno]

Can you tell me how you know which is which? I've got a Spa Balcony (14129) on hold right now...

 

If you look at the Deck plans, you can tell by how the room is shaped. I would suggest moving next door as 14129 has the bed closer to the door. The WIDEST part of the room shape needs to be by the balcony.

 

https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/deck-plans

[4774Papa]

We have cruised NCL (5 times) and Celebrity (9 times). The Epic was our least favorite ship. We didn't like the cabin configuration of the bathroom/toilet.

The main pool area was unusable due to loud music and huge crowds. Also, we always felt crowded on the ship.

 

The entertainment on the ship was excellent, except the Blue Man Group, which we did not like.

 

We prefer the smaller ship of NCL.

[Sauer-kraut]

...we spent most of a sea day circling the active volcano on the island of Stromboli. (you can see the islands of Calzone and Cheesesteak Hoagie in the distance)

 

Cheers, Rod

 

You had me laughing! Were you near the Antipasto Sea? :D