RCL Symphony of the Seas vs. Norwegian Epic

[hrmkr]

Hello,

 

I am looking for some opinions about the 2 ships. I know that the Symphony of the Seas is the latest and greatest.

 

I am considering both ships for a 7 day cruise in the Western Med. They both basically go to the same ports other than RCL goes to Marseille and NCL stops in Cannes. All the other ports are the same.

 

I can book an inside guarantee cabin on RCL compared to a NCL mid-ship balcony cabin with dining package for about the same price. $100 difference. RCL is now running the Buy one get 1/2 of sale. I would save about $940 on RCL.

 

Thoughts?

 

I am going to post the same question o the NCL board to try to get opinions other than RCL people saying their brand is the best knowing that NCL people will say the same thing.

 

I know it is probably hard to compare the 2 but figure it is worth a try.

 

Thank you for your help.

 

Happy Cruising!

[Clarea]

A previous thread that may be useful: https://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2326780

[Cru-Zin]

We went on the Epic cruise last summer. There were two options -- leaving out of Barcelona on Sunday or Rome on Wednesday (I think) -- and we did the Rome. It was our first big ship cruise. There were 3 of us sharing a suite. We did not enjoy the cruise as much as a previous Med cruise on Costa.

[ONECRUISER]

We went on the Epic cruise last summer. There were two options -- leaving out of Barcelona on Sunday or Rome on Wednesday (I think) -- and we did the Rome. It was our first big ship cruise. There were 3 of us sharing a suite. We did not enjoy the cruise as much as a previous Med cruise on Costa.

Agree. NCL is OK but I'd pick the new Symphony over the Epic...

[hrmkr]

Looking at the NCL booking, I can substitute the Unlimited Beverage package instead of the dining package and the price is only $75 more than the price of the RC cruise. That may swing the pendulum quite a bit. The Bev package on RC is $62/day + 18% grat for 7 days X 2 people makes the RC cruise much more when trying to compare almost apples to apples. Yes, i know the NCL cabin is a balcony and the RC cabin is an inside

[BirdTravels]

Both itineraries are port intensive. You would not spend much time, at all, on a balcony or out on deck.

 

The Symphony would be the clear winner (by far) over the Epic, even in an Inside room. We've sailed on the Epic 6 times (twice on the Med cruise) and were on the Allure in March. We have a Symphony cruise booked later this year.

 

The Epic was NCL's first attempt at a mega ship and was designed with a European boutique hotel feel. While we don't mind it, many people hate her quirks). The Epic's last dry dock was in October 2015 where they stripped all of the public areas down to the deck plates and rebuilt the interiors. She's still looking young and fresh (not as young or fresh as the Symphony).

[hrmkr]

Starting to lean toward the Epic mainly because of the included drink package. However, we have never been on a mega ship, let alone the biggest and newest in the world is very enticing. I have until May 30 to decide when the RC promo ends.

 

I am going to start a new thread asking how often RC has the Buy one get one 1/2 price promo. If they run that often, we could maybe try the Symphony later in the year in the Carib.

[toinoi]

However, we have never been on a mega ship, let alone the biggest and newest in the world is very enticing.

 

Hi hrmkr. Worthwhile also considering new ships can take sometime to settle in, and can have teething problems.

 

Both physically as well as the new staff etc getting familiar with the vessel.

 

So depending when you plan to sail, you might want to factor this in. Some say it can take 6 months to a year for all the hiccups to be sorted. In that case, perhaps the Epic.

 

Of course if you're laid back, and not too phased/fussed when things sometimes going wrong - then the Symphony could be for you!

 

 

Cheers...

[hrmkr]

Symphony of the Seas had the inaugural sailing in early April. We are thinking about cruising the first week of October. That would give it 6 months to work out the issues.

[toinoi]

Symphony of the Seas had the inaugural sailing in early April. We are thinking about cruising the first week of October. That would give it 6 months to work out the issues.

 

All good then hrmkr! :D

 

As you hadn't mentioned when you were planning to go in your original post, just thought I'd mention it :D

 

Enjoy your cruise, whichever you select!

 

Cheers...

[funat55]

Decisions, decisions, decisions. I understand what you are going through. I am sailing on the Symphony in July and I have been on the Epic as well as the Oasis so I know a little about what to expect. We were fine with the Epic. Me (grandma) had a studio and daughter and family had a balcony. The only thing weird on Epic are the bathrooms. The sink is actually in the hall and the shower is on one side and the toilet on the other side. The doors are a kind of frosted glass so you can see the shadows of anyone in those rooms. But there is a curtain/partition that you can pull across to separate the bath area from the rest of the cabin.

 

I originally booked the MSC Seaview and then the more I read about the food etc., I changed my mind and switched over to the Symphony. The only thing is that by the time I changed, all the best cabins were sold out or way way out of our price range. We ended up with two Central Park View cabins. Now, a little over a month away, my grandson wants to join us and we have not been able to find an affordable way to bring him along. We have one cabin that only holds two people. I called RCCL to verify that it was truly only two and it was. If we cancel that cabin and rebook another one for three it will cost another $4,000 minimum. Guess the kid will have to come next time.

[hrmkr]

We are well aware of the Epic. We were supposed to sail on it a few weeks ago but had to cancel it. I was going to rebook it in October and noticed the RC prices which made me start to consider both of them.

[amp0289]

I've been on Epic and Harmony - would not choose the Epic for the ship. The service and food were fine/comparable for me, however the layout of the rooms and the ship itself wasn't as nice and we enjoyed our on-ship time much more on Harmony. If you're not going to be on the ship much, I would not count the Epic out based on service etc. though.

[kontraxed]

I've been on the Epic and quite a few RCL ships (but not the Symphony until May 2019). I have and would choose the Symphony over the Epic. The real deal breaker was the bathroom facilities in the rooms on the Epic. They had this uncomfortable arrangement where there really wasn't a bathroom. The sink was shallow and splashed and was located inside the room directly across from the bed or the couch. The shower and the toilet were each on opposite sides of the entry doorway and had opaque glass. I found this to have a definite lack of privacy. Take a look at some on-line videos.

[panamapd]

Book Symphony! We sailed on the recent 5 day inaugural and it was great. In no way does it compare to the Epic. We sailed the Epic around the Caribbean around 10 years ago. We then sailed her in the Med about 3 years ago. The main features that swings towards Symphony is the Aqua Theatre show that you should be able to see at around 9pm; the solarium and ice-skating rink. The Epic has some good features but the Haven on the Epic takes up a lot of public space!

 

Re port intensive. There must be one or two days that are sea days where you would get time to explore the Symphony. Also, you didn't say when you were going but if it's between July and August, the weather will be great and most of your time will be out on deck.

 

Still on port intensive - not all cruises are the same. Some ships will dock at 7am and expect you to be back onboard by 1pm - so more time to explore the ship.

 

I reiterate, book the Symphony before it sells out!

[LuCruise]

I've been on the Epic and quite a few RCL ships (but not the Symphony until May 2019). I have and would choose the Symphony over the Epic. The real deal breaker was the bathroom facilities in the rooms on the Epic. They had this uncomfortable arrangement where there really wasn't a bathroom. The sink was shallow and splashed and was located inside the room directly across from the bed or the couch. The shower and the toilet were each on opposite sides of the entry doorway and had opaque glass. I found this to have a definite lack of privacy. Take a look at some on-line videos.

 

That bathroom thing would be a deal breaker for me.

 

Symphony looks amazing. Can't wait to sail her.

[BNBR]

Hi hrmkr. Worthwhile also considering new ships can take sometime to settle in, and can have teething problems.

 

Both physically as well as the new staff etc getting familiar with the vessel.

 

So depending when you plan to sail, you might want to factor this in. Some say it can take 6 months to a year for all the hiccups to be sorted. In that case, perhaps the Epic.

 

Of course if you're laid back, and not too phased/fussed when things sometimes going wrong - then the Symphony could be for you!

 

 

Cheers...

 

I'm convinced it works exactly the opposite way. I think they take the better team members from the sister ships to open up the new ships. So the service drops on Oasis but is killer on Symphony. My bartender on Harmony told me almost exactly that :) He opened each of the Oasis class ships.

[jpcello]

I've been on NCL Breakaway and several of the larger RCL ships (Allure & Oasis). This may sound weird but the one thing about NCL we didn't like was the lack of quiet places to sit and read. All RCL ships have the Viking Crown Lounge, which during the day is the absolute best place to sit and read. We couldn't find any place on Breakaway that was similar. Even the Library wasn't quiet (right off the Atrium so everything going on there during the day was clearly heard in the Library).

[KimA75]

I looked at Epic, but didn't go with it because of the reviews. There were too many complaints about it feeling crowded and not enough space around the pools and common areas. There were also several complaints about the room layout. I would be willing to give another NCL ship a try, but after reading all of those I am hesitant on Epic.

[iCruiseTooMuch]

I’ve been on Epic 3 times and on Oasis class ships 4 times. I enjoyed them all although Epic does take a little getting used to. If I had a choice (and I do, I’m going on Symphony US inaugural) I would choose Symphony (and I did).

 

 

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[hrmkr]

I have received great feedback from people on this thread and on a similar thread on the NCL board. Still very confused.

 

I know I can't go wrong with either choice.

[Peeker28]

If you like great entertainment and shows then book Symphony, if you are in it more for the included drink package and saving more money then go with NCL. I prefer great entertainment and that's why I always book RCI

[goksucats]

Symphony of the Seas had the inaugural sailing in early April. We are thinking about cruising the first week of October. That would give it 6 months to work out the issues.

I wouldn't necessarily let the age of the ship deter you too much. Though I have heard stories, we sailed on the second ever sailing of the new Viking Star back in May/June 2015, which was not only a brand new ship but pretty much a brand new cruise line (even though Viking had been doing river boats for years), and our sailing was virtually flawless. Just pick the one you like with the features you like and go for it. I've not been on many cruises, but I've been on three different ones, all three different lines (Carnival, Viking, Disney) and all three were simply incredible in their own way with a few bugs here and there that bothered me maybe for 5 minutes or so. October will be my first with RCI. I love trying new things .