Epic - does anyone have anything nice to say?

[amelia3171]

We have been on the Epic Western Med cruise the last week in October 2017 and 2018 and we are going again this year. We had a fantastic time and I am impatiently counting the days until October.  

 

We have only cruised NCL so cannot offer any comparisons to the other lines. We particularly love the freestyle aspect of NCL; I wasted years not cruising because I didn't realise such a thing as freestyle existed. I would never go on a holiday that forced me into set dining times, especially with people we did not know.

 

We love the food, everything from the buffet to speciality dining. I can be fussy but found the variety, choice and quality to be excellent. My friend, who is picky rather than fussy, equally enjoyed the food.

 

The staff were very friendly and we never waited more than a couple of minutes ever for a drink or to be seated in a restaurant. 

 

We like to dress up a little for dinner, a nice top and crops or a dress, but I think it would be impossible to feel out of place on this cruise, everything from cocktail dresses to shorts and t-shirts was worn at night.

 

There is only one sea day and I don’t remember the ship feeling particularly crowded. There are the inevitable long queues getting back on the ship on port days but being from Europe we have done all the ports and tend to stay on the ship which is gloriously quiet, but far from dead on port days. 

 

Cruising with a friend and we loved the bathroom setup, the separate toilet, shower and basin is just so practical. It is not uncommon in European hotels and we would actively choose this setup.

 

We didn’t go to any of the shows (not our thing) but loved the Duelling Pianos and most of the music in the bars at night, there was just one piano player that wasn’t to our taste. 
 

[Newleno]

3 hours ago, ColinIllinois said:

The only negative thing I can say after three cruises on her was the lack of public spaces that let you connect with the sea.   It doesn't have the Waterfront like other NCL large ships do.

Yeah we cruise for economics and to be on the sea, sight lines are very important to us, it is also great if you get a great itinerary.  We go to shows but it is more for filler not the reason to cruise, bars, layouts, etc we dont care.  If you have a very port intensive itinerary the ship does not become as prominent a player.

[Seany527]

I've been on 10+ cruises and the Epic was by far my least favorite cruise.  I found the worker's professionalism to be that off high school dropouts.  If this was my first cruise it probably would have been my last.

 

With that being said, I have 3 NCL cruises coming up.  The experiences, although frustrating, were not enough to keep me away.

[outbackpaul]

My first cruise was on the Epic.  I've compared my other two cruises to the Epic.  I'd go back on the Epic in a heartbeat.

 

That said, I understand most peoples concern about the bathroom situation.  I travel solo so it didn't matter to me.

 

One thing I loved on the Epic was how open the lido deck was.  I was just on the Escape and it seems so bunched up because of them trying to cram more stuff in like Margaritaville.

[graphicguy]

Epic....one of my favorite ships and one of my favorite cruises.

[BirdTravels]

The Epic Haven and the Epic Spa are the best in the fleet. 

[BirdTravels]

   Deleted

Edited May 17, 2019 by BirdTravels

[ltish23]

We just off the 15 day Transatlantic cruise on Epic.  I absolutely loved this ship.  I thought the bathroom set up would bother us, but it was great. Loved the curtain, so you could get out of tub and dry off and get dressed in private if needed.  We had a mini suite and there were 3 of us.  Closet space was amazing. Couldn't fill all the space.  Food was good in all places we ate.  Cagneys was superb, Cirgue show was amazing and the food was the best ever. O'Sheehans was great for late night snacking. Loved Teppenaki too, food was too much.  Entertainment- Howl at the Moon was a lot of fun.   Cavern Club- 4 Blue was my absolute favorite.  Priscilla was great.  Bar were crowded somewhat at pool, but only a few minutes for a drink, bartenders were very friendly and always remembered what you drank, as with many bars around ship.  Slides were a lot of fun, and loved the outdoor seating by stage for food.  Buffet was good, only ate breakfast and lunch there.  Casino was biggest I remember on then on other NCL ships. 

Go with an open mind, I cant wait to sail Epic again real soon.

[rachiem]

19 hours ago, keywest1 said:

Best thing I can say about the Epic is that I'll be sailing on her Sunday 🙂  

me too

We love the Epic, we prefer the entertainment over any Celebrity cruises we've done 🙂

Edited May 17, 2019 by rachiem

[Oakman58]

So for those who said the Epic is their favorite ship, what makes the Epic so much better than the Escape, the Breakaway, the Getaway, or the Bliss?  Just wondering.

[newmexicoNita]

On 5/15/2019 at 6:42 PM, serena_17 said:

We just booked a 7 day West Med cruise (ex Rome) on Epic in July as part of a bigger Europe trip.

 

Since booking, I've come back onto CC and can't seem to find overly positive things about Epic.

 

We've previously sailed RCCL and P&O, all in Australia/South Pacific.

 

The aim of this cruise for us is to get over jetlag (27 hour flight + transit time) before heading to Prague.  We're staying in inside cabins (DH & DS in one;  DD & me in the other).

 

Odd bathroom/shower configuration aside, can anyone give me some positives for Epic?

oh my, just in the past few weeks there have been a couple of threads about the Epic and many, many positive comments. Some people have sailed her 5 or more times. There are people who love her. The biggest problem is the bathroom set up for some and of course she was one of the first mega ships, thus there were wrinkles that needed to be ironed out. 

[MiamiSpartan]

We have sailed her twice and had amazing trips both times.  But, we are the type of people that expect to have a good time when we are on a cruise… We are not out looking to bash anything and complain… Yes the design of the ship is a little different but that was no big deal  

[david_sobe]

Love the Epic.  So superior to the -Away class ships IMHO.  

Bigger better:
Bliss lounge

Spice H20

Spa

Gym

Haven

Posh/Haven sundeck

Studio lounge

Real enclosed restaurants in La Cucina and Shanghais - -Away class ships have no walls open to the public

 

She does have her quirks and does not have the waterfront like the Away class ships though.

Edited May 18, 2019 by david_sobe

[lhsail]

3 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Love the Epic.  So superior to the -Away class ships IMHO.  

Bigger better:
Bliss lounge

Spice H20

Spa

Gym

Haven

Posh/Haven sundeck

Studio lounge

Real enclosed restaurants in La Cucina and Shanghais - -Away class ships have no walls open to the public

 

She does have her quirks and does not have the waterfront like the Away class ships though.

Is Le Bistro still open to the atrium?  Found the noise from the atrium activities really diminished what should have been a very nice dining experience. 

[david_sobe]

1 hour ago, lhsail said:

Is Le Bistro still open to the atrium?  Found the noise from the atrium activities really diminished what should have been a very nice dining experience. 

Yep.  While Le Bistro is nicer than the -AWAY class ships IMHO, the noise from the atrium is a huge distraction and a bad location.

[ollienbertsmum]

Love, love, love  the Epic.  I have been 3 times and loved each cruise.  I like the bathroom set up.  It suits us fine.

 

We were on the last Med cruise of the year last year.  The weather was bad and as a result it was more crowded inside.  Still did not put me off.  I don't use the lifts so cannot say about crowding.  

 

The only negative for me having done three cruises is that they have not changed the shows.  I really thought the storyline in Priscilla was a bit silly.  I would prefer to read a book than go to see it a second time.   

 

I am only not going again because I need a new itinerary.  I have done the Western Med 7 times !!!

[lhsail]

48 minutes ago, david_sobe said:

Yep.  While Le Bistro is nicer than the -AWAY class ships IMHO, the noise from the atrium is a huge distraction and a bad location.

Dang, you would think they could do a simple retrofit to add some doors and make it a much better experience. I guess if they continue to get bookings they won’t bother.