Just back from Epic first time on NCL

[ProfessorEFFE]

This is a very short review from a first timer on NCL. I have cruised other cruise lines. I had read many very negative reviews of the Epic before we sailed and after we bought the tickets.

 

We stayed at the Country Inn the day before because of the shuttle and parking option. About half way from the West Coast of FL to Port Canaveral trip we received a phone call asking us not to show up before 12:30 pm on the date of departure. We signed up for the last shuttle to the port @ 12:45. I must say Port Canaveral is HUGE.

 

All of the hoopla about boarding being a disaster, was not true in my case. This ship is huge too and a bit awkward to get around, especially with a mobility scooter. Most of the important stuff is on Decks 5 to Deck 7. Deck 5 is where Taste and Le Bistro are. We were in Taste the first night everything tasted great but the steak was really tough. The waiter asked if I wanted something else. I answered no. I just wasn't hungry anymore.

 

The Room was a mini suite guarantee and we won the lottery and got a spa mini suite. The Spa was OUTSTANDING!! The room was interesting there was more storage than believable. The wierd thing was there was a closet divided in half (upper and lower. There was a spot for the hangars but no hangars. Someone else on our deck said that, that was true for her as well. DW did not like the toilet/shower/sink layout. However I seriously doubt that it will ever change.

 

The elevators aft do not go down to deck 5. They can go to deck 4. I figured out that if they could go to deck 5 they would be in the middle of the kitchen for Taste. So IF we wanted to go to deck 5 we would go to deck 6 or 7, and then go forward to those elevators to get down to deck 5.

 

We ate @ la Cucina. An Italian Restaurant. Wife loved her duck, I had Shrimp Fra Diavalo and it was HOT!! Loved it!

We ate @ Teppinyaki the show was typical Bene Hana type. Food and service was excellent.

We ate @ shanghai's (Chinese) the food was good.

We ate @ Le Bistro 2 times and all I can say was WOW both times.

And last we ate @ Cagney's. Go here if you are crazy about steaks but bring an appetite, some of the steaks were huge. I had a filet and it almost melted in my mouth. I bought a 5 dinner specialty package and it was definately worth it.

Lastly there was O'Sheehan's Bar and Grill. Service was good. Food was good small portions but neither my DW or myself left hungry! We ate breakfast and most lunches there.

 

The staff was very friendly and quite attentive. The passengers truly amazed me. The demographics covered most groups; ages, races, younger, families, older folks like me. Every passenger was very polite and friendly. For me it was the best cruise for great passengers ... Bravo for NCL.

 

More to come.

Edited January 21, 2017 by ProfessorEFFE

[kirs10k]

Looking forward to the rest of your review! Thank you

 

 

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[cruisingcasinos]

Glad you enjoyed. Great to hear- Looking forwrd to more.

[easyboy]

Nice to know you enjoyed your cruise. Looking forward to other details.

 

 

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[Ned11]

Looking forward to more.

 

 

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[Delta Dear]

We are also older and will have a mobility scooter to deal with. We will be in a handicapped accessible balcony cabin. As you are writing your review, I'd find it helpful if you include any scooter tips. Looking forward to your review.

 

 

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[Delta Dear]

First NCL for us, too and also staying at Country Inn Thanks for dining reviews.

 

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Edited January 22, 2017 by Delta Dear

[ProfessorEFFE]

I rented a scooter and it was parked out in front of the room. I stored it in a stairway (They are quite big) however the naughty police said I had to call 00 and have them (housekeeping) store it away for me and call them in the morning to have it delivered. If you have a handicapped stateroom life will be easier you'll be able to drive it in to your stateroom. Of course it would have been better if I had found the company in Cape Canaveral (I think it's called ship to shore). On our way walking out I saw a lady riding a rental scooter out to pick up her bags. I said that I thought you had to leave your scooter in your room. Then she had mentioned this company that delivered it to her outside the terminal and she could ride it out and they pick it up outside too. Lesson learned. Unfortunately they only rent for Port Canaveral.

[lawnbowler48]

Thanks for your review and I agree with a lot of your comments. This will be our first time out of Canaveral and I am currently looking for a place to stay in the area that includes a shuttle. If you could give me the location of the Country Inn I would like to check it out.

Only 27 days now

[LMKakaThing2]

I was on the same sailing as you. I have to agree Le Bistro was amazing...we ate there twice as well. We weren't all that impress with La Cucina and Shanghai's was horrible the night we went. Hot and sour soup was sweet and not hot or sour. The Kung Pao chicken well not sure what it was but definitely not Kung Pao chicken. Was supposed to be spicy but was super sweet and only 2 peanuts. We can get better Chinese back home.

 

 

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[owlgirl31]

We are staying at the Country Inn before our March trip. How far in advance were you able to reserve the shuttle and how was the service in general?

[ProfessorEFFE]

Just look up the Country Inn @ Port Canaveral to contact them. You can reserve a shuttle 24 hours before you arrive. Call them and give them a time. If you're going on the Epic I suggest the last shuttle. You get there, the crowds have subsided. I think it took us a max of 25 mins to leave the hotel, drop off the bags, show your passport, go through xray, get your sea pass, and get on the ship.

 

As far as Specialty Restaurants go the only close second is Cagney's. Le Bistro is the finest specialty restaurant my DW and I have ever been on any cruiseline. Tappanyaki is very good and a should go to once restaurant. DW thought La Cucina was outstanding. I thought the risotto was undercooked and the fra diavalo came right out of ghost chilies. I thank all that's good that I didn't have to enjoy the burn twice :eek:

 

I agree with LMKakaThing2 I think PF Chang in your frozen food center would just edge Shanghai.

 

I liked breakfast in O'Sheehans'. When I go there I think of what it would be like to be on the same ship for 8 months as a passenger. Now imagine being a worker instead of being a passenger. And there is probably the same amount of folk that are always in the background that probably never see a passenger unless they are viewing them from 8 decks above. And the ones you do see have been only working about 14 hours a day. Dealing with 4000+ passengers every week. These folks seem cheerful most of the time. And they deal with some rude and ignorant people. They keep on smiling. How can anyone ever convey to all of those folks how much I appreciate them. They make your vacation as wonderful as possible.

 

And lastly Taste. The waiter and assistant were very professional. I felt as if I were in an upscale restaurant. Service was amazing. Mushroom appetizer was very good. The suggested steak Dianne; the sauce was divine; the steak must have come from an 80 year old mule but tasty as hell. I can't remember dessert .

[ProfessorEFFE]

We booked the cruise the Monday before the departure. It was an impulsive vacation, We wanted a cruise. Only 2 within a 2 1/2 hour drive. Only 1 that had only 1 cabin a mini-suite gty. I think that Wednesday we found our cabin number 14169. I looked it up and it's a spa mini. This means freebie access to the spa. I think it's about 5 or 600 dollars per couple. This place is truly amazing. A T' Therapy pool and for a full figured fellow like myself I now realize that if I had a Native American Name it should have been Lumbering Ox. :D There is a relaxation Room/ Waiting place for Spa procedures. I listened to my music DW read. It was quite relaxing. There are various steam rooms/saunas. One overlooks the port side. There are 2 entrances one for males and one for their superiors :D J/K the showers on the men's side are humungus much bigger than the stateroom's. There is a Jacuzzi and these ceramic heated lounges that are indescribably luxurious just after a couples rock massage. Then there is the lounge area with 8 or 10 lounge chairs and 2 swing lounges. This overlooks the fantail of the ship. Even when the spa was crowded it wasn't crowded. If you had to wait it would be for the fantail lounges. And people are patient or certainly were on this cruise. DW and I had the couples rock massage and bath. It was somewhat ritualistic, they horse brushed us with the magic brushes in one and only one direction. Then we took a Jacuzzi with a base PH for 20 minutes. Then out of the tub slip on de floor, put down towels on the floor Go in after drying off, get naked. So I said, I would if She didn't point and laugh.

 

Honestly these 2 ladies had the best sense of humor and the lady who massaged me did an amazing job. She must be the strongest person pound per pound. nuff said. Oh I wanted to tip them but they convinced DW to buy $200 worth of stuff ... Would I do it again ... you betcha'.

 

One thought on Freestyle. It can be a 2 edged sword. We made late arrangements I bought a 5 Specialty restaurant package. When I went on line to make reservations the only ones were 9pm or later. We usually eat dinner between 7 and 9pm, so no biggie! Shows were booked up. Shows aren't my thing generally, so no biggie. There were a few passengers who were madder than wet hens because the show they wanted to attend weren't available. If you let this stuff bother you then why cruise? Relax!

I never went hungry on a cruise, and that includes when I was in the USN.

 

Drink Package? DW and I started the cruise with a before dinner Jamesons and a draft. That came to 43 bucks!! I really don't drink much but considering Orange juice is just as healthy with or without vodka it was a no brainer. We went and purchased an Ultimate package, which does not include water, soda, mini bar, and specialty coffees. Now NCL you are a CLASS outfit. We bought the package AFTER the 43 dollar bill. NCL removed it!!

[schiff1997]

Our daughter and her husband was on the same cruise and while they very much enjoyed the food and the specialty restaurants, they found the drink service extremely slow, not enough servers around the pool areas and also found that when they tried to have conversations with crew staff the staff did not seem to be interested. The cabin steward did not want to make any small take with them. They would leave their cabin by 7:30'- 8 am everyine morning, returning by 5 pm to freshen up for the evening and would find their cabin still not made up. For these reasons they said they won't do NCL again.

[Linda the Book Lover]

Thanks for your opinions of the specialty restaurants. We have the dinner promo along with the Platinum dinner. We most likely will eat in Le Bistro a couple of nights!

[ProfessorEFFE]

schiff1997 Strange you should mention that regarding drink servers and cabin stewards. I thought deck 15 (*where the pool is) initially (like Sat and Sun) were damn near impossible to get a drink even standing at the bar. Of course there were huge crowds there. We generally drank @ Maltings. Service was impeccable there. It seemed that NCL has a bit of a different standard with the rooms/stewards. Our Steward was friendly, did an adequate job, but wasn't outstanding. And this is just my opinion schiff1997 but larger ships have lots and lots of people and I am not so sure the server/passenger ratio is as good as on smaller ships. But I really don't have data to support it. I liked the Epic. We wouldn't hesitate to take her again, but a huge ship like that and like RCI's Allure etc. would definitely not be our first choice.

 

 

Linda the Book Lover I think you'll like Cagney's too the steak was simply outstanding.

Edited January 23, 2017 by ProfessorEFFE

[schiff1997]

schiff1997 Strange you should mention that regarding drink servers and cabin stewards. I thought deck 15 (*where the pool is) initially (like Sat and Sun) were damn near impossible to get a drink even standing at the bar. Of course there were huge crowds there. We generally drank @ Maltings. Service was impeccable there. It seemed that NCL has a bit of a different standard with the rooms/stewards. Our Steward was friendly, did an adequate job, but wasn't outstanding. And this is just my opinion schiff1997 but larger ships have lots and lots of people and I am not so sure the server/passenger ratio is as good as on smaller ships. But I really don't have data to support it. I liked the Epic. We wouldn't hesitate to take her again, but a huge ship like that and like RCI's Allure etc. would definitely not be our first choice.

 

Linda the Book Lover I think you'll like Cagney's too the steak was simply outstanding.

 

Our kids were on their honeymoon and took this sailing based on our experience on the Epic in 2014 which was outstanding service . I wonder if it is drink service is starting to become slack due to the UBP that alot of cruisers are choosing as their "freebee"? They were also surprised to be charged taxes on their drinks while still in port, up until 4:30 while sailing away and also while at Great Stirrup Cay. When they went to ask about these charges on their onboard account the guest services clerk was rude as well!

[ProfessorEFFE]

We had to buy the Ultimate Beverage Package but had no problem getting a drink. again Deck 15 is always a zoo on Sea Days.

 

The one thing I really didn't care for was how the ship handled tendering @ Grand Cayman There doesn't seem, in my mind, an easy of getting 4000 people off the ship to a tender. And the rent-a-tender folks don't have the huge tenders that Cozumel has had. It seemed as if it took 3 hours to get everyone off who was going ashore. I didn't go because there were 6 other ships there that day ... nuff said.

[spidybabe]

Just off the Pearl new year eve cruise, and then the same Epic sailing as OP. Le Bistro was the best - ate there 3 times!! Moderno salad bar was fantastic, meats good too, but started tasting the same after a bit. Great ship and staff. There are alot of passengers, and patience is a virtue, especially when waiting for elevator

Safe sailing

 

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[numberguy]

Now NCL you are a CLASS outfit. We bought the package AFTER the 43 dollar bill. NCL removed it!!

 

That's very cool to hear! Thank you for that tidbit!

 

--Michael

[sweetjem]

Thanks for your review and I agree with a lot of your comments. This will be our first time out of Canaveral and I am currently looking for a place to stay in the area that includes a shuttle. If you could give me the location of the Country Inn I would like to check it out.

Only 27 days now

 

Just booked the country inn when do u sail we leave on 25 th sailing ⛵️.

[wwwfla]

Our daughter and her husband was on the same cruise and while they very much enjoyed the food and the specialty restaurants, they found the drink service extremely slow, not enough servers around the pool areas and also found that when they tried to have conversations with crew staff the staff did not seem to be interested. The cabin steward did not want to make any small take with them. They would leave their cabin by 7:30'- 8 am everyine morning, returning by 5 pm to freshen up for the evening and would find their cabin still not made up. For these reasons they said they won't do NCL again.

 

You said it all, we understand.

 

Most folks would not fall into those conditions.

[Tutontow]

Thanks for the review. We too will sail NCL for the first time after 10 outstanding CCL cruises. We also will be sailing the Epic on our first NCL cruise. I am glad you had a good time and I am especially glad you received acceptable service in O' Sheehans. We plan on stopping in there often do to the close proximity to the casino.

 

I wonder if you received better service because you were a party of two rather than a party of four or five, or maybe they finally got their act together.

 

No matter what we will have a good time and I will not let the negative reiews sway me.

[ProfessorEFFE]

Thanks for the review. We too will sail NCL for the first time after 10 outstanding CCL cruises. We also will be sailing the Epic on our first NCL cruise. I am glad you had a good time and I am especially glad you received acceptable service in O' Sheehans. We plan on stopping in there often do to the close proximity to the casino.

 

I wonder if you received better service because you were a party of two rather than a party of four or five, or maybe they finally got their act together.

 

No matter what we will have a good time and I will not let the negative reiews sway me.

 

That's the attitude that will make your cruise good. I know how to say a few phrases in tagalog. It surprises the Filipino folks when I say Good Morning in their language. I had read the service was not so good in O'Sheehans. When we went the first time it seemed slow BUT there were lots of folks there too. We found breakfast there to be quite satisfying. The portions looked small but they filled me up. I hope you have a great cruise.

Edited January 28, 2017 by ProfessorEFFE

[Tutontow]

That's the attitude that will make your cruise good. I know how to say a few phrases in tagalog. It surprises the Filipino folks when I say Good Morning in their language. I had read the service was not so good in O'Sheehans. When we went the first time it seemed slow BUT there were lots of folks there too. We found breakfast there to be quite satisfying. The portions looked small but they filled me up. I hope you have a great cruise.

 

Thank You, as far as small portions go I just order two of everything OINK OINK :>)