NCL Epic disappointment in many areas

[TruckerDave]

Why are people sorry when someone has a bad time? :confused: I am in no way sorry they had a bad time. I did not have any effect on the OP having a bad time whatsoever so I am in no way sorry.

Edited January 2, 2017 by TruckerDave

[Mrsinsyder]

Why are people sorry when someone has a bad time? :confused: I am in no way sorry they had a bad time. I did not have any effect on the OP having a bad time whatsoever so I am in no way sorry.

 

Basic compassion and/or empathy, perhaps?

[funnybunny70]

Sailed December 17 on 6 days Epic cruise in stateroom 10079, large balcony and sorry to say I won't be back on this ship for many reasons.

 

I am a single mom traveling with my teenage daughter and my sister and her family were also with us so my review is based on that perspective and I hope we can educate those planning trips so they can avoid disappointment.

 

Rented car in Orlando when we landed and dropped it off the next morning at Enterprise. They were very nice but told us that per the contract with the ships, they cannot bring passengers to the ship prior to 10:30. We wanted to get there early to avoid problems and paid a worker $20 and he took the 5 of us at 9:15 am.

 

Embarkation was easy, but we got there at 9:30 am before the madness and boarded about 11:30 am. Stateroom was not ready until almost 3 pm although my sisters cabin was ready at 1:30. We were able to put our large bags in the room.

 

Cabin steward was short with us and it never got better the 6 days. We did see many friendly cabin stewards but ours was not one of them.

 

The balcony was very large and had 2 chaise plus one regular chair and small table.

 

The room had tons of storage with 2 closets but the layout is horrible. We are both 5 feet 4 inches tall and our feet hung off the bed. We moved the bed out from under the headboard and that helped. Pillows were very hard.

 

AC did not work the first night and it was stifling in the room. Was fixed the next day after we reported it. Remote control to TV also did not work and had to be replaced.

 

Sink light is under the medicine cabinet- took us a while to find that one!

 

Bottom line for this room and for the whole ship is there is no privacy. Bathroom and shower situation in room is awkward to say the least, not just visually but also sound wise.

 

I bought the spa pass so I showered there all week to make it easier on us. However there are only 3 showers in the ladies room in the spa and again if modesty is an issue you are out of luck. Unlike the Jade these showers are only separated by glass which is barely frosted so its more like ladies locker room back in PE. And for the size of the ship only 3 showers is inexcusable.

 

I'll continue with the spa- definitely worth it as it is a large spa with many different whirlpools, steam and saunas and lounge areas. Also it helps to shower there to give the other person more room to get ready.

 

The last day I watched them allow anyone that wanted in the spa for free as it was the last day and that really made me angry. It was overcrowded and I had paid for my spot where as some of them paid nothing. I personally saw them allow 3 people in at the desk when I was checking out due to spa being so crowded.

 

The soap in the dispensers is very drying so at the very least bring a good conditioner.

 

Some of the workers in the buffet area need to be fired. I watched them take serving utensils out of the hands of passengers when the tried to get food when the stations were closing and they would throw the food into the trash and say go down to the 24 hour restaurant. There was no reason not to let guests take the food that was there instead of throwing it in the trash can right in front of us and laughing at us.

 

There was also an issue with dried on food on the plates and when I tried to hand a dirty plate to a worker they refused to take it from me.

 

The guy working the crepes saw 3 of us in line and ran out of batter and said for us to wait and he would go down and get more- when he returned he was yelled at by his boss and was told to shut his station down.

 

Crepes were in the back by the pool unlike on the Jade which was set up in the buffet area each night and the fillings were very limited. Very surprising and disappointing after loving them on the Jade.

 

We also waited for almost 10 minutes one day as there were no serving utensils for the food in the buffet. It was amazing to watch such disorganization and rudeness to guests.

 

The hard ice cream was very good, but they ran out of the best flavors by day 3 so make sure you try the coconut early. Mix it with the Rocky Road and it's like an Almond Joy candy bar- yum.

 

The main dining rooms were much better service but it was slow unless you told them you were going to a show.

 

The chocolate volcano lava cake was our favorite on the Jade but very disappointing on the Epic. The texture was more firm like gelatin and the center like thick fudge except for one night.

 

The bread pudding with the whiskey caramel sauce is heavenly.

 

Entertainment was another huge issue and disappointment. The theater is only one level and there are really no nightly shows like every other ship I have been on offered. The comedy club offered a short show each night but unless you had a reservation forget about getting in as the club is so small. We didn't have reservations the first night and stood in the standby line for 45 minutes and did get in but seats weren't good.

 

Neither main show production is family friendly by any means. The drag show should be offered as an adult only late show and not the main production. Very disappointing. My sisters family walked out as her daughter is younger. Mine is almost 16 and I was embarrassed but we did stay just because there was nothing else to do.

 

Lack of entertainment forces you to look to buy the Cirque tickets but we didn't- just couldn't see forking out another $100 based on the poor entertainment we were seeing.

 

The small card and game room was so crowded, for the first time ever on a cruise to my knowledge as there just wasn't anything to do on the ship.

 

There was lots of "games" being done, but most are held in the atrium where again there is almost no seating and you have hundreds of people just standing around trying to see what's happening.

 

I really feel like this is an adult only ship unless you are putting your kids in the kids club all day. Just not family friendly entertainment or cabins.

 

Ports- we did swim with sting rays in the Bahamas and that was good. Grand Cayman - we were there for only a few hours so not enough time to really enjoy it and Cozumel we had already been to so we just walked around. Found a great store to the right after you get off ship, says MEGA on it and it's like a big Walmart. Picked up some cheap things and would go back there again and not shop at port.

 

Overall food was very good in main dining rooms and average for buffet. Ship is tastefully decorated, but difficult to get around with awkward layout and slow elevators.

 

Casino is very large but due to the low ceilings they need to invest in better ventilation as the smoke was very bad and you had little choice to avoid it as it is right in front of main dining room.

 

Upon leaving the ship we decided to stay on until about 10 thinking most people would be gone by them. We had our luggage with us so we thought we could just walk out. So wrong- hundreds if not thousands of people still tying to get through customs and get their luggage and we were told even though we had our luggage we could not bypass them.

 

Then we saw Porters throwing luggage on carts and cutting through the lines- they have their own special line if use them basically cutting off about an hour of the wait. I've not seem this before as we usually get off ship early with our bags in hand with no issue. Lesson learned.....

 

We attended the Roll call and again were disappointed as unlike other Roll call meetings we were not offered anything from NCL other than the usual pastries and drinks. On the Jade we were given water bottles, key chains and other items and the staff of the Jade acted like they wanted to be there. Can't really say that about Epic.

 

All in all we will not be returning to the Epic. Just not a good fit for us as it seems that with the all you can drink package, so many bars and adult entertainment, NCL is moving toward all adult type of cruises and I don't drink. Feeling more like Carnival than the NCL I used to know years ago.

 

Change the entertainment and possibly with a good deal we would try it again as the spa was wonderful.

Really???

We had a great time on the Epic back in Feb/march this year. I researched it looked at cc and other reviews realised what the cabin layout including the bathroom situation did you not see or use the curtain?

Also I find it funny you didn't realise what Priscilla is about they do warn you before the show it isn't suitable for children and it can offend some the answer is do your research and don't go.

We also have attended roll calls on Cunard, Holland&America and I have to say the Ncl one was the nicest we have attended with the officers etc attending and the coffee/tea / fresh juice and pastries on offer and no we have never received any extra goodies on any roll calls.

I think you had a bad start to your cruise and just let things niggle you!

[dna529]

We were on the same week. We had a great time and enjoyed the entertainment compared to Carnival. The room layout was fine for us because it was my husband and I in one room and kids in the other inside room. No problem with the bed length. My only complaint was the ncl app always had our account wrong. After standing in line at guest services, was told that it was not working. We did not attend the meet and greet. Our kids enjoyed the ship, but I will say that NCL needs to rethink having the 13 year olds in the same club as 17 year olds. My 13 year old did not want to hang with older teens.

 

Sent from my SM-G900V using Forums mobile app

[txmomrocks]

For all the haters that like to criticize the original posters of comments- my post was meant to further educate future travelers and nothing more. A quick overview of the pitfalls of the ship and our experience from a single mother's perspective.

 

Some people do not have a lot of time to read through thousand of reviews and I know I would have appreciated knowing some of the things I posted ahead of time that would have helped make our cruise more enjoyable.

 

Yes, we knew about the cabin layout ahead of time, but you do not realize how much it impacts you until you are actually living in it and for those a little nervous about it, there are lots of other options from NCL and other cruise lines with standard cabin layout.

 

As I had stated the positives of the cabin were tons of storage and a huge balcony. That may influence the right type of traveler.

 

I mentioned the ports only as an after thought and again no reason to bash me for mentioning them. The stop in Cayman may have been shorter than normal due to it being a 6 day versus 7 day cruise or the poor management of tender tickets- I forgot to mention that since we had an excursion on first stop we were not issued a tender ticket and when we reached Cayman were we given what was left after that original stop as passengers kept their first port tender time. I've never seen anything like this- actually punishing a passenger for buying a cruise tour on the first stop. Had I known I would have stood in line the first port and picked up a tender ticket and booked the tour after or on the island.

 

Negative reviews should be looked at not with such criticism, but with the view of looking at what could go wrong so you can plan ahead and avoid them if possible to prevent disappointment.

 

I have nothing against NCL as I already mentioned our time on the Jade earlier this year was completely different.

 

My reason for cruising may be different for others and again hope my "warnings" help others that feel similar. I prefer not to be surprised, like to plan ahead and expect to be entertained on a cruise. It's what I've come to know and love on NCL, RCCL and Celebrity from past cruises.

[edawn]

Sailed December 17 on 6 days Epic cruise in stateroom 10079, large balcony and sorry to say I won't be back on this ship for many reasons.

 

I am a single mom traveling with my teenage daughter and my sister and her family were also with us so my review is based on that perspective and I hope we can educate those planning trips so they can avoid disappointment.

 

Rented car in Orlando when we landed and dropped it off the next morning at Enterprise. They were very nice but told us that per the contract with the ships, they cannot bring passengers to the ship prior to 10:30. We wanted to get there early to avoid problems and paid a worker $20 and he took the 5 of us at 9:15 am.

 

Embarkation was easy, but we got there at 9:30 am before the madness and boarded about 11:30 am. Stateroom was not ready until almost 3 pm although my sisters cabin was ready at 1:30. We were able to put our large bags in the room.

 

Cabin steward was short with us and it never got better the 6 days. We did see many friendly cabin stewards but ours was not one of them.

 

The balcony was very large and had 2 chaise plus one regular chair and small table.

 

The room had tons of storage with 2 closets but the layout is horrible. We are both 5 feet 4 inches tall and our feet hung off the bed. We moved the bed out from under the headboard and that helped. Pillows were very hard.

 

AC did not work the first night and it was stifling in the room. Was fixed the next day after we reported it. Remote control to TV also did not work and had to be replaced.

 

Sink light is under the medicine cabinet- took us a while to find that one!

 

Bottom line for this room and for the whole ship is there is no privacy. Bathroom and shower situation in room is awkward to say the least, not just visually but also sound wise.

 

I bought the spa pass so I showered there all week to make it easier on us. However there are only 3 showers in the ladies room in the spa and again if modesty is an issue you are out of luck. Unlike the Jade these showers are only separated by glass which is barely frosted so its more like ladies locker room back in PE. And for the size of the ship only 3 showers is inexcusable.

 

I'll continue with the spa- definitely worth it as it is a large spa with many different whirlpools, steam and saunas and lounge areas. Also it helps to shower there to give the other person more room to get ready.

 

The last day I watched them allow anyone that wanted in the spa for free as it was the last day and that really made me angry. It was overcrowded and I had paid for my spot where as some of them paid nothing. I personally saw them allow 3 people in at the desk when I was checking out due to spa being so crowded.

 

The soap in the dispensers is very drying so at the very least bring a good conditioner.

 

Some of the workers in the buffet area need to be fired. I watched them take serving utensils out of the hands of passengers when the tried to get food when the stations were closing and they would throw the food into the trash and say go down to the 24 hour restaurant. There was no reason not to let guests take the food that was there instead of throwing it in the trash can right in front of us and laughing at us.

 

There was also an issue with dried on food on the plates and when I tried to hand a dirty plate to a worker they refused to take it from me.

 

The guy working the crepes saw 3 of us in line and ran out of batter and said for us to wait and he would go down and get more- when he returned he was yelled at by his boss and was told to shut his station down.

 

Crepes were in the back by the pool unlike on the Jade which was set up in the buffet area each night and the fillings were very limited. Very surprising and disappointing after loving them on the Jade.

 

We also waited for almost 10 minutes one day as there were no serving utensils for the food in the buffet. It was amazing to watch such disorganization and rudeness to guests.

 

The hard ice cream was very good, but they ran out of the best flavors by day 3 so make sure you try the coconut early. Mix it with the Rocky Road and it's like an Almond Joy candy bar- yum.

 

The main dining rooms were much better service but it was slow unless you told them you were going to a show.

 

The chocolate volcano lava cake was our favorite on the Jade but very disappointing on the Epic. The texture was more firm like gelatin and the center like thick fudge except for one night.

 

The bread pudding with the whiskey caramel sauce is heavenly.

 

Entertainment was another huge issue and disappointment. The theater is only one level and there are really no nightly shows like every other ship I have been on offered. The comedy club offered a short show each night but unless you had a reservation forget about getting in as the club is so small. We didn't have reservations the first night and stood in the standby line for 45 minutes and did get in but seats weren't good.

 

Neither main show production is family friendly by any means. The drag show should be offered as an adult only late show and not the main production. Very disappointing. My sisters family walked out as her daughter is younger. Mine is almost 16 and I was embarrassed but we did stay just because there was nothing else to do.

 

Lack of entertainment forces you to look to buy the Cirque tickets but we didn't- just couldn't see forking out another $100 based on the poor entertainment we were seeing.

 

The small card and game room was so crowded, for the first time ever on a cruise to my knowledge as there just wasn't anything to do on the ship.

 

There was lots of "games" being done, but most are held in the atrium where again there is almost no seating and you have hundreds of people just standing around trying to see what's happening.

 

I really feel like this is an adult only ship unless you are putting your kids in the kids club all day. Just not family friendly entertainment or cabins.

 

Ports- we did swim with sting rays in the Bahamas and that was good. Grand Cayman - we were there for only a few hours so not enough time to really enjoy it and Cozumel we had already been to so we just walked around. Found a great store to the right after you get off ship, says MEGA on it and it's like a big Walmart. Picked up some cheap things and would go back there again and not shop at port.

 

Overall food was very good in main dining rooms and average for buffet. Ship is tastefully decorated, but difficult to get around with awkward layout and slow elevators.

 

Casino is very large but due to the low ceilings they need to invest in better ventilation as the smoke was very bad and you had little choice to avoid it as it is right in front of main dining room.

 

Upon leaving the ship we decided to stay on until about 10 thinking most people would be gone by them. We had our luggage with us so we thought we could just walk out. So wrong- hundreds if not thousands of people still tying to get through customs and get their luggage and we were told even though we had our luggage we could not bypass them.

 

Then we saw Porters throwing luggage on carts and cutting through the lines- they have their own special line if use them basically cutting off about an hour of the wait. I've not seem this before as we usually get off ship early with our bags in hand with no issue. Lesson learned.....

 

We attended the Roll call and again were disappointed as unlike other Roll call meetings we were not offered anything from NCL other than the usual pastries and drinks. On the Jade we were given water bottles, key chains and other items and the staff of the Jade acted like they wanted to be there. Can't really say that about Epic.

 

All in all we will not be returning to the Epic. Just not a good fit for us as it seems that with the all you can drink package, so many bars and adult entertainment, NCL is moving toward all adult type of cruises and I don't drink. Feeling more like Carnival than the NCL I used to know years ago.

 

Change the entertainment and possibly with a good deal we would try it again as the spa was wonderful.

My husband and I sailed on the Epic the week after Thanksgiving. I was disappointed that I didn't enjoy the Epic more. There wasn't anything major that bothered me. It was more a lot of inconveniences and a general lack of organization. We had upgraded to a mini suite and the room was very nice. The bathroom design didn't bother me except for the bath mat being in front of the cabin door and there's no where to store or sit anything in the water closet. The air conditioning did struggle while we were in the Caribbean. I had not thought about it at the time but there really doesn't seem to be any shoes that are kid friendly. I goofed up and didn't reserve seats for anything other than Priscilla and Burn the Floor which I did online. By the time we thought of it the other shows were booked up. We did book the late show of Cirque Dreams for the first night. We didn't find out it was cancelled until 9:30 when the only people standing outside the tent were us and one other couple. When we went to the reservation desk the next day to straighten out our schedules, the rep said he had personally delivered a letter to our cabins informing us of the cancellation and rebooking for the following evening (which we already had dinner and show reservations for that night). We actually received this letter the second night with our daily for the next day which of course was delivered by our steward. Luckily we had decided we couldn't wait until 9:30 to eat that first night and went to dinner in the MD. When we were led to our table another couple was being led to the same table so they just sat us all at that table. I guess we were all too polite to correct the error but it wasn't what we wanted. The restaurant staff never seemed to know which table they were supposed to take us to. The staff during the entire cruise was just impersonal. I don't need for servers to remember my name but a smile and remembering that I'm at a table goes a long way. We did enjoy most of the specialty restaurants. We spent quite a few evenings having drinks and listening to music. We really enjoyed the Cirque show. I think the Epic just isn't my favorite for a number of reasons. I guess because it is such a big ship, I was surprised that I was underwhelmed.

 

Sent from my Moto G (4) using Forums mobile app

[txmomrocks]

I forgot to mention one of the best things about the Epic- we have Sprint cell service and we were able to text each other over wifi at no charge- not using the NCL app. I do not know if other NCL ships provide this service as we did not even try on Jade earlier this year, but received a text the first day with cellular data off. With a member of the family in the hospital at home this was very helpful to stay in touch.

[Envelope21]

Never never never post a bad review.

 

Whatever you didn't like, it is your fault for not doing your research. If you didn't like the food, you are too finicky. If you didn't care for the entertainment, you are a prude. If you observed rude behavior from the staff, you are a snob.

 

The OP did have good things to say as well, but of course, no one comments on those.

[CruisinHarvey]

I could not quote .. CC is acting up but my response to the beds:

 

OP said they are 5'4" and their feet hung off the bed, that threw me for a loop.

 

I was on the Epic last month in 2 different inside cabins. DH is over 6 feet tall and I am taller than OP and neither one of us had any problems with our feet hanging off of the bed.

 

If our beds had been that short I would have been to GS and asked for the rest of my bed!:eek:

 

Just curious. Are the inside cabins waved like the balcony cabins are? If not, there's a big difference. To accommodate the wave design, they rounded off the ends of mattress in the balcony rooms. If two people are sleeping in the bed, both people feet hang off because the longest part of the mattress is in the middle.

[janpo]

Never never never post a bad review.

 

Whatever you didn't like, it is your fault for not doing your research. If you didn't like the food, you are too finicky. If you didn't care for the entertainment, you are a prude. If you observed rude behavior from the staff, you are a snob.

 

The OP did have good things to say as well, but of course, no one comments on those.

 

 

This exactly.

 

I posted something similar to this yesterday and it was removed by the mods.

Edited January 2, 2017 by janpo

[CruisinHarvey]

Yeah, I've had some interesting "boutique" hotel rooms over the years. For those that think the Epic has an awkward setup, check out this room that we shared with two kids. This is the view when you opened the door from the hallway (no separate bathroom)...

 

 

And if that wasn't fun enough, they had to put in a window so those on the bed could watch the shower show...

 

 

Good times.

 

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

 

I really enjoy your almost lives. Keep it up! I guess the question I would have, is now knowing what configuration those hotel rooms have, would you choose them again, or go with a more traditional set up. From your post, I'd guess the latter. I think that's all OP is saying, and I have to agree. There are way too many cruise ships to book to pick one with a setup you know you don't like.

[Two Wheels Only]

Why are people sorry when someone has a bad time? :confused: I am in no way sorry they had a bad time. I did not have any effect on the OP having a bad time whatsoever so I am in no way sorry.

 

I'm sorry that you feel that way....I mean, I'm not sorry that you feel that way...I mean, I'm sorry that you're not sorry that I'm sorry that I'm not sorry...

 

[legaljen1969]

Priscilla isn't for everyone. I had a great time on my Epic cruise but I didn't enjoy Priscilla at all. I have nothing against the LBGT community and I'm not offended or embarrassed by the languages or sexual themes. All that being said a 90 minute production show about 3 transsexuals traveling across Australia on a bus wasn't for me. That doesn't make one a bad person.

 

Thank you for making me aware of the show. It's not something I would likely find interesting, but certainly not something I would take my young nieces to see. There is some subject matter that is a little too mature. It's not saying someone is a bad person because they have a different lifestyle. I wouldn't take my nieces to a show with sexually explicit acting or subject matter of a heterosexual either.

 

I just LOVE how people get offended for others.

[txmomrocks]

Just curious. Are the inside cabins waved like the balcony cabins are? If not, there's a big difference. To accommodate the wave design, they rounded off the ends of mattress in the balcony rooms. If two people are sleeping in the bed, both people feet hang off because the longest part of the mattress is in the middle.

 

Yes our beds were put together since separating them would further take up the valuable floor space. Room steward did not even ask if we wanted them separated and each day would push them back under the headboard even though we asked him not to. Pulling them out does give you more bed, but the shape of the bed and wave design again is simply awkward.

 

I do not know if the interior cabins have the wave design.

 

My niece slept on the sofa and when it was pulled out there was really no room to walk according to my sister.