First time on Epic - advice please

[teamflames]

Hi

We are doing a TA on Epic in Nov. previously we have sailed on the Star and Sun. Looking for advice on what is different on this bigger ship?

Is it true you have to get tickets to attend the shows? If so how do you obtain them?

What else is different to the smaller ship and what should we try?

Thanks

 

 

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[TeresaJ]

Some of the shows you can book online before the cruise, so many days ahead. I think 90 days before they open up along with some of the main dining reservations. You can also book on the ship but do it early as shows fill up fast. Have fun! We loved the Epic!!

 

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[BirdTravels]

Hi

We are doing a TA on Epic in Nov. previously we have sailed on the Star and Sun. Looking for advice on what is different on this bigger ship?

Is it true you have to get tickets to attend the shows? If so how do you obtain them?

What else is different to the smaller ship and what should we try?

Thanks

For the two main shows, Burn the Floor and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, you can make reservations online on you MyNCL account 90 days prior to sailing (100 days if you are in the Haven). Once onboard, you can make reservations for one (of the many) comedy shows. You can go to other shows as a stand-by guest.

 

The 7-day cruises are much more rushed to get people into the shows. The TA should be more relaxed.

 

Book a session in the Escape Room "Escape the Big Top" (free, but sells out fast on embarkation day). Work with others to solve puzzles within 45 minutes to win a prize.

 

Extra fee things to try: Cirque dinner show is wonderful.

 

We have sailed on the Epic many times. Enjoy!

[teamflames]

Thanks guys, sounds quite different to the smaller ships. We are sailing Star and sun again this year as well as trying Jade. Never been on a cruise ship with over3000 people... should be an experience

 

 

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[jdvmd]

The Epic will be completely different from what you have experienced before. Still great, just different.

[DarkJedi]

Get the spa pass. The Epic has a very large co-ed area of the spa including hot tub and loungers. Great place to relax while at sea without the crowds on deck.

[fshagan]

The big ships are more like floating resorts, with a lot more activities on board like the broadway-style shows BirdTravels mentioned. I think that makes them a good choice for a TA where you have so many sea days!

 

Who is "we" on this cruise? There's a few things I always mention for anyone other than a couple.

[teamflames]

The big ships are more like floating resorts, with a lot more activities on board like the broadway-style shows BirdTravels mentioned. I think that makes them a good choice for a TA where you have so many sea days!

 

 

 

Who is "we" on this cruise? There's a few things I always mention for anyone other than a couple.

 

 

 

No we just the 2 of us, married couple ... mid 40s. Like activities, entertainment and a few drinks

 

 

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[Bella99]

For the two main shows, Burn the Floor and Priscilla Queen of the Desert, you can make reservations online on you MyNCL account 90 days prior to sailing (100 days if you are in the Haven). Once onboard, you can make reservations for one (of the many) comedy shows. You can go to other shows as a stand-by guest.

 

The 7-day cruises are much more rushed to get people into the shows. The TA should be more relaxed.

 

Book a session in the Escape Room "Escape the Big Top" (free, but sells out fast on embarkation day). Work with others to solve puzzles within 45 minutes to win a prize.

 

Extra fee things to try: Cirque dinner show is wonderful.

 

We have sailed on the Epic many times. Enjoy!

 

Thanks for the tips. Where do you need to go to book the escape room?

[Skubi]

Thanks for the tips. Where do you need to go to book the escape room?

 

The time and place for sign up will be in your dailies

Ours was

Headlines, deck 6 fwd

Box Office, deck 6 fwd

[mcmomny]

There is a nice game room that had lots of games already and cards, we brought our own small travel games.

 

A very nice library

 

A cigar room for those who need to smoke cigars

 

We played pool, $2.00 a game

 

There is bowling but not sure how much as we didn't try it

 

If the weather is good the H2O adult only pool area is relaxing, swimming pool and two hot tubs, a bar and a snack food area and a huge screen tv that they sometimes play movies on

 

The Atrium in the main lobby also has a huge screen tv and they are always doing something in there like dancing, Bingo, game shows and of course booking your next cruise!

[fshagan]

No we just the 2 of us, married couple ... mid 40s. Like activities, entertainment and a few drinks

 

You will have a blast! As a couple we really enjoyed the Epic! If you like music, the dueling pianos show ("Howl at the Moon") was great on the Epic!

 

There's a lack of privacy issue if you are traveling with teens or friends, so I always like to mention it for those parties - the shower and toilet are behind opaque / frosted glass doors rather than in a separate room. I can't see it ever being a problem for a couple, though.

[The Other Tom]

There's a lack of privacy issue if you are traveling with teens or friends, so I always like to mention it for those parties - the shower and toilet are behind opaque / frosted glass doors rather than in a separate room. I can't see it ever being a problem for a couple, though.

Yes but there's an opaque curtain you can draw to close off the area. Just make sure to deadbolt the door to keep visitors out :)

[teamflames]

Yes but there's an opaque curtain you can draw to close off the area. Just make sure to deadbolt the door to keep visitors out :)

 

 

 

I just took a look, I have never seen this type of layout before. Not a fan, not very romantic haha. Are all cabins like this or just the insides?

 

 

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[DarkJedi]

I just took a look, I have never seen this type of layout before. Not a fan, not very romantic haha. Are all cabins like this or just the insides?

 

 

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It is probably the biggest complaint about the Epic. And the Balcony cabins are that way too.

[teamflames]

It is probably the biggest complaint about the Epic. And the Balcony cabins are that way too.

 

 

 

Yeah, just viewed some of the YouTube videos. I think the balcony is worse as the bed is right next to the shower and toilet.

The sink is the main cabin reminds me of the old hotels with shared bathrooms ... not a fan but I’m sure we will survive

 

 

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[DarkJedi]

Yeah, just viewed some of the YouTube videos. I think the balcony is worse as the bed is right next to the shower and toilet.

The sink is the main cabin reminds me of the old hotels with shared bathrooms ... not a fan but I’m sure we will survive

 

The bed has two positions depending on your cabin. Either is is near the bathroom or it is near the balcony and the couch flips.

 

We had the bed near the bathroom and found it to be a bit cramped feeling. I don't think we ever used the couch since if I headed past the bed I was on the balcony. The bed near the bathroom wasn't really a problem though, the curtain blocks view if that is an issue.

 

Tons of storage though, much more than I would have thought.

[Skubi]

Tons of storage though, much more than I would have thought.

 

I agree, it does have an abundance of storage spaces however I did miss not having drawers and just having shelves.

[collie1228]

We got off Epic yesterday, and sailed on Star less than two years ago, both ships in a mini-suite. Short answer is that while I don't hate Epic, I'll never sail her again as we experienced several aggrevating issues. Conversely, we loved Star, and found it to be a much better experience, mostly due to the lower passenger load. I think that Star has mostly the same restaurants and quality of entertainment, while avoiding much of the lines and pushing and shoving we experienced on Epic. In fairness, many folks love Epic. We previously sail on Epic in 2012 and had a fine experience. Something has changed.

[fshagan]

Yeah, just viewed some of the YouTube videos. I think the balcony is worse as the bed is right next to the shower and toilet.

The sink is the main cabin reminds me of the old hotels with shared bathrooms ... not a fan but I’m sure we will survive

 

The curve in the wall where the couch sits is where the headboard of the bed is in the other room. This allows them to use as much space as possible. Here's an image of the couch near the shower and toilet. I had guesstimated that we had that layout and was happy that we did!

 

 

It's OK for a couple, but I talked to families with teens who were horrified by the set up. The best solution to it I have found is a family that used a cheap plastic shower curtain they affixed to the doors with suction cups somehow. There's a post on it here somewhere.

 

For a couple I don't think it's a big deal. We never had smells invade the room, but various sounds could be detected.

[teamflames]

We got off Epic yesterday, and sailed on Star less than two years ago, both ships in a mini-suite. Short answer is that while I don't hate Epic, I'll never sail her again as we experienced several aggrevating issues. Conversely, we loved Star, and found it to be a much better experience, mostly due to the lower passenger load. I think that Star has mostly the same restaurants and quality of entertainment, while avoiding much of the lines and pushing and shoving we experienced on Epic. In fairness, many folks love Epic. We previously sail on Epic in 2012 and had a fine experience. Something has changed.

 

 

 

Thanks for your comparison, can you expand on the aggravating issues you experienced? Or was it simply the amount and type of passengers?

 

 

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[collie1228]

Thanks for your comparison, can you expand on the aggravating issues you experienced? Or was it simply the amount and type of passengers?

 

 

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Basically, my issues are lines at the bars (especially Waves Bar at the main pool area), chair saving (if you don't save chairs by 8:00AM on sea days, you won't get a chair), a very long disembarkation process, and NCL's lack of control of the tendering process. For example, we reserved Tender #3 (of 12) for Stirrup Cay, which is the first tender after the people who have excursions (they go on #1 and #2). When our number was called, we immediately went to the casino level, where the tender load process starts, and found there were several hundred people already in line. NCL doesn't check which reservation you have, and many passengers know this, so they either don't bother to get a reservation or they just show up for the first wave of tenders. We waited fifteen minutes in line in the casino, then the line was led into the Manhattan Dining Room, where we were invited to sit for another 15-20 minutes or so, then the line was reformed to get off the ship. We got to within ten passengers of the loading door, when we were stopped and told we had to wait another 15-20 minutes for the next tender. We decided we had had enough of this nonsense, and left the area and spent the day on the ship by the pool. Bottom line is that your tender reservation means nothing to NCL. We had a similar problem with the tendering at Grand Cayman, but not as extreme. On the positive side, the spa and fitness center are great, the restaurants are very good, and the entertainment is good as well. Just don't expect NCL to respect your tender reservations and expect slow bar service on sea days and during peak times. I'm sure you'll have a good time. I'm also sure I'll never sail on a mega-ship again.

[LinnieRed]

Basically, my issues are lines at the bars (especially Waves Bar at the main pool area), chair saving (if you don't save chairs by 8:00AM on sea days, you won't get a chair), a very long disembarkation process, and NCL's lack of control of the tendering process. For example, we reserved Tender #3 (of 12) for Stirrup Cay, which is the first tender after the people who have excursions (they go on #1 and #2). When our number was called, we immediately went to the casino level, where the tender load process starts, and found there were several hundred people already in line. NCL doesn't check which reservation you have, and many passengers know this, so they either don't bother to get a reservation or they just show up for the first wave of tenders. We waited fifteen minutes in line in the casino, then the line was led into the Manhattan Dining Room, where we were invited to sit for another 15-20 minutes or so, then the line was reformed to get off the ship. We got to within ten passengers of the loading door, when we were stopped and told we had to wait another 15-20 minutes for the next tender. We decided we had had enough of this nonsense, and left the area and spent the day on the ship by the pool. Bottom line is that your tender reservation means nothing to NCL. We had a similar problem with the tendering at Grand Cayman, but not as extreme. On the positive side, the spa and fitness center are great, the restaurants are very good, and the entertainment is good as well. Just don't expect NCL to respect your tender reservations and expect slow bar service on sea days and during peak times. I'm sure you'll have a good time. I'm also sure I'll never sail on a mega-ship again.

 

Regarding the fitness center: did you happen to notice if there are spin bikes available outside of the scheduled spin classes? I’ve gotten a couple of different answers to this.

[bluehawks47]

Regarding the fitness center: did you happen to notice if there are spin bikes available outside of the scheduled spin classes? I’ve gotten a couple of different answers to this.

 

I have only seen "no" as the answer. I hope all of those people were wrong. I would love it if they let us use it outside of the class times.

[collie1228]

Sorry, I wasn't paying attention to any machines I don't normally use, and spinning is not among my workout choices. I can say that the equipment on Epic is very nice, new looking, with a great selection. In fact I belong to a nice fitness center, and Epic's equipment exceeds what my fitness center has.