Epic, not so much !

[debgreg]

So our Epic Cruise ends tomorrow. I have mixed feelings but I don’t think I’m converted from Royal but if the price was right I might go on another NCL. Food was excellent, on at, if not slightly better than Royal. I found it an extremely noisy ship , with lots of people talking 50 decibels above others, not sure why they talk so loud😳 (alcohol maybe) but now i  get the need for the Haven. The Howl at the Moon was great but it was on 4 nights out of 7 with not one comedian on Headliners ?
Priscilla and Burn the floor were also excellent but they were on 5 of the 7 nights with a singer and the resident group on the other nights, so once you had seen it that was it. I felt like I was in a large corridor with bars, restaurants either side and people crushing past. Most of the staff were fab I think the dress down atmosphere, with lots of people just staying out drinking right through was what put me off. We don’t wear ball gowns and suits but we do like to change and dress for dinner, think it’s a tad too relaxed for us, but each to their own I guess 😎

[BirdTravels]

We love the relaxed, freestyle cruising. (But, even on Royal, the gowns and tuxes have not made an appearance in several years). We have been on the Epic 7 times, and while it is not our favorite ship, we would not think twice about booking another cruise on the Epic based on itinerary. 

[david_sobe]

Yes there are many that love the traditional feel and fancy dress up on cruises. I am definitely not one of them but respect those who do. On vacation, dressing up is the last thing I want to do.

[Two Wheels Only]

1 hour ago, debgreg said:

We don’t wear ball gowns and suits but we do like to change and dress for dinner, think it’s a tad too relaxed for us, but each to their own I guess 😎

 

Since it is optional, why not dress up regardless of what others are wearing? You can be the best dressed guest in every restaurant.

[meltingmoments]

We've sailed the Epic twice, both times the Western Med itinerary and found that lots of people dressed up for dinner. Not ballgowns and a tux, but certainly more than resort casual.

I'm a casual kind of girl myself, but I enjoy looking nice for dinner and agree with Two Wheels Only who suggested dress up regardless.....it's Freestyle after all!  🙂 

[NLH Arizona]

5 hours ago, Two Wheels Only said:

 

Since it is optional, why not dress up regardless of what others are wearing? You can be the best dressed guest in every restaurant.

Agree, that is what I do.  I like to dress a little on my cruises; nothing real fancy, but still dress up for dinner.

[Nola26]

Glad you enjoyed the cruise. We sail the ship for the first time in September, looking forward to it.

 

NCL'S entertainment isn't just in the theaters. We love the performances in the atrium and lounges onboard. Howl isn't for us, but it has a loyal audience. 

 

Sounds like the comedians were assigned to the theater. 

 

We clean up and usually slip on a dress for dinner. We probably won't change on Day 1 and may stay more casual on the final night. We like the more upscale dinner experience so we usually eat in MDR rather than pub or buffet. Next cruise we have 3 Specialty meals so we will have more incentive to take our dress up a notch. Last cruise we did Los Lobos on night one, didn't change for dinner, ate on water front and loved it.

[Phaedrus78]

On 7/6/2019 at 11:29 AM, debgreg said:

We don’t wear ball gowns and suits but we do like to change and dress for dinner, think it’s a tad too relaxed for us, but each to their own I guess 😎

 

Indeed.  I'm on the other side of the spectrum.  To me, vacation is pure relaxation, and that means not having to dress up at all.  I love freestyle for that, but different strokes for different folks.  

 

As for the Epic, I agree with your thoughts about it feeling cramped sometimes.  I enjoyed my cruise on Epic very much, but I feel like it was in spite of the boat, not because of it.  We're booked on the new Encore for January and have high hopes for the waterfront area, among other things.  

[Epic dreams]

Hi

Hope you enjoyed your cruise , you couldn't tell me who is playing in the Cavern club at present ?

 

Thanks Tony

[debgreg]

On 7/9/2019 at 4:25 PM, Epic dreams said:

Hi

Hope you enjoyed your cruise , you couldn't tell me who is playing in the Cavern club at present ?

 

Thanks Tony

Hi it was the Epic Beatles , they were very good and being from Liverpool we should know 😎

[debgreg]

On 7/8/2019 at 3:00 PM, Phaedrus78 said:

 

Indeed.  I'm on the other side of the spectrum.  To me, vacation is pure relaxation, and that means not having to dress up at all.  I love freestyle for that, but different strokes for different folks.  

 

As for the Epic, I agree with your thoughts about it feeling cramped sometimes.  I enjoyed my cruise on Epic very much, but I feel like it was in spite of the boat, not because of it.  We're booked on the new Encore for January and have high hopes for the waterfront area, among other things.  

We did enjoy it , especially the food and entertainment, however the coffee was 🤮 I would have thought Americans would have something to say about that 😂 we are giving NCL another go and have booked Getaway out of NOLA with friends, who it will be their NCL debut, so I’m hoping the ship is better 

[debgreg]

On 7/8/2019 at 1:19 PM, Nola26 said:

Glad you enjoyed the cruise. We sail the ship for the first time in September, looking forward to it.

 

NCL'S entertainment isn't just in the theaters. We love the performances in the atrium and lounges onboard. Howl isn't for us, but it has a loyal audience. 

 

Sounds like the comedians were assigned to the theater. 

 

We clean up and usually slip on a dress for dinner. We probably won't change on Day 1 and may stay more casual on the final night. We like the more upscale dinner experience so we usually eat in MDR rather than pub or buffet. Next cruise we have 3 Specialty meals so we will have more incentive to take our dress up a notch. Last cruise we did Los Lobos on night one, didn't change for dinner, ate on water front and loved it.

No, no comedians in the Theatre either 🧐 we ate at Bistro, Teppanyaki and Cirque, which was amazing 😊 we dressed but then changed later into more casual attire, I guess I know for next time 

[Nola26]

1 hour ago, debgreg said:

No, no comedians in the Theatre either 🧐 we ate at Bistro, Teppanyaki and Cirque, which was amazing 😊 we dressed but then changed later into more casual attire, I guess I know for next time 

Thank you for sharing we are counting down our days and final plans for our day in Barcelona. 

[debgreg]

20 minutes ago, Nola26 said:

Thank you for sharing we are counting down our days and final plans for our day in Barcelona. 

We love Barcelona, we have been many times, enjoy 😊 

[El_Rolfo]

On our cruise in June the CD told us no comedians performing because of multi-lingual audience in the Med. Riiiiight.

[Oakman58]

22 minutes ago, El_Rolfo said:

On our cruise in June the CD told us no comedians performing because of multi-lingual audience in the Med. Riiiiight.

 

Actually that makes a lot of sense.  Only a mime would be able to work that crowd.

Edited July 22, 2019 by Oakman58