Epic is not for me

[Kidsgoneletscruise]

I don't think there is anything wrong with your pro/con list. I personally am not a fan of "freestyle" type cruising either. It has been mentioned several times before here on CC that NCL has a "nickle and dime" type feel to their services. :cool: I feel the more intimate, attention to detail, gets lost in the mega ships. That being said some people like this but its not for everyone. I don't think the overall vibe is due to it leaving from NYC or being a holiday cruise...some cruises just have a crappy vibe! We have been on amazing holiday cruises where everyone is in a festive mood the whole cruise and then other non holiday sailings where people are simply grumpy and non social. :eek: It happens.

 

ps, I love the towel animals too! ;)

[SullytheBFG]

I think the Epic is a bit like Marmite.

 

We love the ship and have sailed on her 4 times with another one booked. I like the bathroom layout and also like big ships.

 

That's why there are lots of different ships and cruise lines, different people like different things!

 

Life would be boring if we were all the same.......

[drvalo]

We cruised on the Epic a couple of years ago and not for NYE. We had exactly the same dislikes (except the bathroom; other than not having enough light for my husband to shave at the sink, we really liked the set up). It is our least favorite ship and our least favorite cruise. We never experienced that relaxing cruise rhythm. Had it been our first experience on NCL, we probably would have never returned.

[Tutontow]

I agree with this. We did one cruise we considered a Christmas cruise, since it departed on Christmas, but everyone else considered it a New Year's cruise. Our fellow passengers were the least friendly of all of our cruises, until about 11:45pm the last night, when everyone started saying "Happy New Year!"

 

The same people that wouldn't say "Hello" back when passing in the hallways were suddenly full of holiday cheer. It was weird.

 

It was also one of the most expensive cruises we've done.

 

The Epic is a strange ship - we hated it the first time, but it was a holiday cruise two days after my wife's favorite aunt passed away.

 

We're taking our third transatlantic on her in a few weeks, so there are some times we like her.

 

I think the crew attitude usually flows from the Captain but the fellow passengers mood is unpredictable and during the holidays, will usually include "stressed".

 

 

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I think the bigger the ship the bigger the crowds, the higher level of stress for passengers and crew, hence the unfriendly people.

[hoosier2015]

We were under the same impression as the OP for this exact cruise. Was our first mega ship, and after the experience, will be the last. Was our 3rd cruise over NYE and 2nd with NCL at this time, so we too were surprised at the lack of service and friendliness of the staff. Because we had always had wonderful room stewards and service in the past over this time, it is hard to accept the explanation that it was due to the staff being overworked and tired, since that was not our previous experiences either. As for towel animals, I did get some cute ones (yes, I am an adult and enjoy them and would be sad if I didn't get them) but I think the OP was just pointing out that as compared to other cruises, the Epic was just lacking on some of the little touches that make a trip memorable (in his situation, he was using the example of towel animals). He was posting his personal opinions as a heads up to other cruisers, and should not be punished or verbally abused for doing so. I was not able to find previous reviews of the Epic over NYE from last year, but had I read that the service was sub-par compared to other times of the year or other ships, I would have opted not to book this. Cruises are not cheap and are a little luxury we look forward to at the end of the year, so being told to "just deal with" lack of service and amenities you have grown accustomed to on other cruises because the staff is "overworked and tired" does not seem very reasonable. Most holidays cruises cost more, so paying premium rates and receiving less than standard service sucks. We too were blessed to have been able to spend the holiday on a cruise as we have done in the past, but the Epic just fell short of the expectations we had assimilated based on previous experiences, and was worth mentioning in the event someone was looking for honest opinions when selecting this cruise. As the OP stated, the ports were fantastic and we would very much like to visit these again! We just know for future cruises to avoid large ships since we specifically enjoy attentive and friendly service (and towel animals!)

[Oakman58]

The thing that I felt was missing from the Epic was the elegance of cruising. There was no atrium with glass elevators that looked like they soared to the sky. No grand staircase that was glass and brass with ambient lighting.

 

The Epic lacked sea views throughout the ship and the lack of a promenade deck combined to give you the feeling you were in a Vegas casino/hotel rather than on a cruise ship.

 

Neither the Taste nor the Manhattan restaurants on the Epic offered an elegant look or feel of fine dining. I was glad they still used tablecloths in those two main restaurants. The Epic dining rooms had a more contemporary look rather than a look of elegance that a ship like the Dawn or Jade offers.

 

I’m an old-fashioned guy so for me elegance beats contemporary every time. Just my 2 cents.

[luckyinpa]

i do not understand why a holiday cruise would cause staff to be more overworked. my understanding is every cruise is fully booked so what is the difference between a dec 25 cruise and a feb 25 cruise besides one being double the price.

[chefchick]

I'm so sorry that an adult like you "only" got 4 towel animals over the course of the cruise.

 

I guess there's not a chance that the room steward was on hour 13 of a 12 hour shift, his/her feet were killing him, and he had to be awake in 7 hours to make your bed, so he/she figured a night where just cleaning your bathroom, turning down your bed, vacuuming your room and tidying up your things would be adequate.

 

Same goes for your gripe about "not friendly workers." Sorry they didn't make you feel like you were the Queen of England. Did they do their job well? Were they professional? That's all that should matter.

 

But yes the Epic sucks. Horrible ugly floating mall.

h

 

Wow, OVERREACT much? The OP gave an honest, balance review of their experience. I realize that the Cruise Critic trolls are alive and well, but...oh, never mind, you've been fed enough. :rolleyes:

[Two Wheels Only]

i do not understand why a holiday cruise would cause staff to be more overworked. my understanding is every cruise is fully booked so what is the difference between a dec 25 cruise and a feb 25 cruise besides one being double the price.

 

One possibility is that during a holiday cruise, guests who paid much more are also more demanding. This may put more pressure on the staff (who are already stressed by having to work on the holiday) which may cause the staff to be less outgoing.

 

I've never had a problem with staff but other than Halloween, I've never sailed during a holiday.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I've seen a few comments now that the OP was being punished or put down or jumped on and I don't see them. Mostly I see people agreeing with OP's observations. Maybe the degrading posts were deleted...???

[ejnsb]

we were on the Epic a few weeks earlier and would agree with the OP on many of their dislikes yet we had a wonderful time. Our room steward was outstanding and except for one lunch in O'Sheehan's our bar and dining service was excellent.

 

I don't particularly like the layout and style of the Epic and also think it is an ugly ship from the outside. I guess elevators are an issue for many but with drink and dining packages we chose to mostly use the stairs.

 

Thanks to the OP for their input. I think for the Epic or any mega ship it is good to do as much research in advance as possible. caveat emptor.

 

 

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[Moby0215]

you got that right. they should do it all the time or never. dont tease us.

 

I feel that it is an expected treat but not every day. I think getting 4 on a 7 day cruise is the norm.

[xriva]

i do not understand why a holiday cruise would cause staff to be more overworked. my understanding is every cruise is fully booked so what is the difference between a dec 25 cruise and a feb 25 cruise besides one being double the price.

 

"Fully booked" I believe is considered double-occupancy in all cabins (except solos, obviously). Every ship has two capacities - full and maximum. For the holidays, you have families with four (or more) people in a cabin instead of the "normal" two.

 

The Epic at double occupancy is 4,100 passengers. Max capacity is 5,183. When most of those extra thousand are children and teenagers, it's louder and everybody is more stressed.

[Cyclops32]

I look at it this way. Each person has expectations and they are at all levels. Some value towel animals, others do not. What one person conciders cold food others do not. Not that either group listed above is incorrect. It is just what they like and want are different.

 

The OP has their feeling as I am sure other agree with them. If you are in that group then maybe this is not the ship for you. Others like myself are very layed back and just go with the flow and know something's may go wrong but doesn't affect my overall experience. So it is good to hear both sides and let each reader figure out where they fall and if this ship is for them.

 

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[easyboy]

I look at it this way. Each person has expectations and they are at all levels. Some value towel animals, others do not. What one person conciders cold food others do not. Not that either group listed above is incorrect. It is just what they like and want are different.

 

The OP has their feeling as I am sure other agree with them. If you are in that group then maybe this is not the ship for you. Others like myself are very layed back and just go with the flow and know something's may go wrong but doesn't affect my overall experience. So it is good to hear both sides and let each reader figure out where they fall and if this ship is for them.

Good point. Beauty is in the eyes of the beholder.

[pspercy]

Interesting reading. We're booked on the Epic TA in November 2018 so I hope it's not at max capacity then ! I'm sure it'll be a fun trip, we like sea days:)

Edited January 10, 2017 by pspercy

[LrgPizza]

This review is interesting to me. We loved the Epic. The only NCL cruise I've ever taken that I disliked was a New Years cruise on the NCL Spirit. Most of my complaints dealt with unfriendly, unprofessional, & grumpy staff throughout. Maybe it's a holiday thing? Dunno. But what you describe rings familiar.

 

Like you, I'd definitely notice if towel animals were missing, and would likely comment here. It's just expected, and changes in service, whether or not we really care, get noticed.

 

Another poster asked you why you felt there was more nickel & diming than other NCL ships, and I am wondering that, too.

 

 

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[lindros2]

We were on the Epic (Dec 30-Jan 6) as well.

 

Our experience echoes that of the OP:

 

The good

1. It's a fun ship

2. Passengers were lively, to say the least

3. Entertainment was pretty good - dueling pianos (Howl at the Moon) were awesome

4. Water slides

5. Pools were adequate

6. Ship was pretty stable the whole trip

7. Comfortable beds

8. Decent cabin design (other than the odd sink-in-the-bedroom)

9. Variety of unlimited drinks (if you select it)

 

The bad

1. Completely unapologetic staff - they truly didn't care

2. Unfriendly staff

>> I couldn't stand the Filipinos speaking exclusively in Filipino amongst themselves as guests were right near them - I thought that was forbidden?

3. Slow service - everywhere

4. Food was iffy (at least better than RCCL circa 2004/05, but definitely below 2016-era ships)

>> Especially the specialty restaurants - VERY disappointed in all of them (except the Japanese steakhouse) - I wouldn't pay for any of them: ever

5. Gluten free offerings were limited, and made us feel bad for even asking

6. Very, very, very crowded pool with abysmal crowd control

7. $15/bottle cork fee (for bringing wine onboard) was unfair - this was a policy change in July (after we booked)

8. Excess noise and vibration in the rear - much moreso than other ships we've been on the past five years (Disney, Princess, RCCL)

9. By the final two days, they ran out of various drinks/food (esp. alcoholic things)

[lindros2]

One other thing (positive) - I tipped the porter $20 and our four bags (+ box) were on the boat, in the hallway, by 12:45pm.

 

That's amazing - since we arrived at the port at 11am.

[LrgPizza]

One other thing (positive) - I tipped the porter $20 and our four bags (+ box) were on the boat, in the hallway, by 12:45pm.

 

That's amazing - since we arrived at the port at 11am.

 

That truly is amazing, since that porter would have nothing to do with getting that bag to your cabin. :)

[luckyinpa]

That truly is amazing, since that porter would have nothing to do with getting that bag to your cabin. :)

 

hey if it's on the internet it's true.

[nissach]

Have never been on the Epic or any ship its size. Have seen it in port when we have been on other ships and it looks huge compared to most other ships!

For that reason alone it does not interest me...along with all of your 'cons' I don't think I will ever book a ship that big. But never say never:)

[Sissaaaaaa]

One other thing (positive) - I tipped the porter $20 and our four bags (+ box) were on the boat, in the hallway, by 12:45pm.

 

That's amazing - since we arrived at the port at 11am.

 

That was the crew, not the porter lol

[ProfessorEFFE]

Interesting thread. When someone critiques a sailing, the responses are "you must be dreaming because ..." Or "I agree". I think you have to take the review as an honest interpretation of their experience.

 

We were on the Allure and I was blown away by the sheer magnitude. There was much much more to do than on a 1500 passenger ship. I thought the Allure was directed @ families. The gym was amazing. The food was standard. I liked it but I like smaller ships better. So why am I taking a cruise on the Epic?? Because we wanted to get away this week, didn't want to fly and as happenstance has it we wanted to try NCL.

 

My expectations are that I have to make a lot of reservations, be patient, and enjoy the hell out of the cruise.

 

Will report back once the cruise is over

[Justaddvodka68]

So why am I taking a cruise on the Epic?? Because we wanted to get away this week, didn't want to fly and as happenstance has it we wanted to try NCL.

 

My expectations are that I have to make a lot of reservations, be patient, and enjoy the hell out of the cruise.

 

Will report back once the cruise is over

 

Excellent attitude!

 

I too recently posted that the Epic isn't my favorite ship and posted the things I liked and didn't like about it.

 

That said, while I wouldn't seek out the Epic again, I would book it for the right dates, itinerary and price.

 

A bad day cruising . . .