Jump to content
Cruise Critic Community

Norwegian Epic Review 12-19 September 2021

sicness4x4

By sicness4x4,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

 Share

Recommended Posts

sicness4x4 Great Review Rare

sicness4x4

Posted
Posted (edited)

The wife and I had a great cruise through the Western Med on board the Epic. This was my 10th cruise and my wife’s 14th on the Epic. As always the crew is absolutely fantastic. We will definitely cruise on the Epic again although the ship is a bit worn in areas, but also fresh in others.


 

Embarkation

A quick 20 minute taxi from BCN and we were at the terminal. There was a short line in the Covid testing tent. 15 minutes after getting in line for the test, we had our negative results and headed for check in. Check in was very slow. We walked up to the counter with no waiting and it took close to 30 mins to complete the process. It seems we always get someone who has to ask coworkers questions or someone that all the coworkers are asking questions. Thinking we are all finished, she gives us orange keycards. We knew they were not the correct cards and the names on them confirmed it. My wife tells them we are supposed to have the teal cards, but is informed the colors are “random”. Anyways, I think they are mistaken on that.

 

Less than an hour after dropping bags off, we are boarding the ship. It felt great to be boarding the Epic again. We’ve done it many times before, but this time was special given the last 18 months. We went to guest services to get Posh passes for the week, $59 each. I left the wife there and headed to Moderno to make dinner reservations. Next we went to the box office to book Zambooka. After that we headed to the Manhattan Room for muster. The crew scanned the keycards and gave a quick refresher on the ship's alarm and life vests. We then made our way up to Spice for our first drink. We really enjoy Spice on the Epic considering it is where we met 8 years ago.


 

Stateroom

We stayed in a starboard balcony on deck 11 near the aft elevators. Walking to the cabin we noticed new carpet with the fish swimming towards the bow and you could feel the cushion under your feet. The stateroom also had new carpet and that was pretty much the only improvement in the cabin. The curtains had broken hooks and the sides let in some light since half the velcro was missing. The curtain by the facilities was broken. It was on the opposite side of where it is supposed to tuck out of the way by the sink and shower. The button for the toilet was loose and felt like it would fall off the wall, though it never did. Various drawers and cabinet doors were crooked and harder than normal to open and close. The TV network stuttered some making it annoying to watch the navigation or event channels.

 

Most disappointing with the cabin was the AC. It didn't cool the cabin very well. I do prefer the warmer weather and keep the thermostat around the middle. This time, with the thermostat all the way down it just wasn't that comfortable, but was far from uncomfortable. We did manage to sleep decently at night though.

 

The bed was very comfortable though my feet were hanging off. The mini fridge was excellent and kept everything very cold. The steward was amazing as is almost always what we get.. He was very quick to bring an ice bucket and kept it full. He made the cabin every day and turned it down every night. Even though we didn't ask, he left the daily every night.


 

Entertainment

The musicians at Maltings and Shakers were pretty good and easy to listen to as well as the guys at Howl at the Moon. All are very talented and put on a good show, just not my type of music. The pool deck band was good but loud while at Waves bar. They were a lot easier to listen to while up in Posh.

 

Zambooka was the only show we booked. The show might be good, we didn't stay to find out. After being seated for 45 minutes, we still had not received our drink orders. Our friend went to talk with the maitre d who opened the curtain for him to go to O’Seehans to get a drink. We were a little surprised at this, so when he returned we all left. We did receive a refund for the show back to our account.


 

Restaurants 

La Cucina

Almost always a great meal here for us, and time was one of the best. The food was the way it is supposed to be.The servers were very friendly, quick and attentive. 

Le Bistro

Most of the time Le Bistro is a hit with some misses. This time was a definite hit. Awesome service and excellent food.

Teppanyaki

The food is always good here and cooked perfectly, just too much of it. The chefs toned down the performance some, it was nice.

Cagney’s

For me this is the most inconsistent specialty on the Epic. Most of the time I am not impressed or happy with it. The service was great as was the food. My ribeye was a bit past medium rare I wanted, but I didn't send it back. It was tender, seared well and tasted great.

Garden Buffet

We ate lunch here everyday, as well as a couple dinners. The Indian food was great everyday. The hamburgers were nice, juicy and pink. The Greek food on the Mediterranean night made us happy after walking out of Zambooka.

Taste

We had breakfast here every morning so my wife could have champagne. Our waitress was amazing, one of the best we’ve had. Food was standard, nothing amazing, but good.


 

Premium Beverage Plus

Somewhat overpriced, but it is nice to have. For my wife it is a must for champagne. She enjoyed the Veuve Clicquot yellow label in all specialty restaurants, Taste and Shakers. The Veuve Clicquot Rose was available in Le Bistro. I was able to have Don Julio Reposado and Blanco in Posh, Spice, Waves, Maltings, and Headliners. Glenfiddich Reserve and Macallan Quest were available at Maltings, Shakers and Headliners. It is also nice having Pellegrino with your meals and the Just Water in between booze and to have in your cabin. We did have a $102 charge for a bottle of Moet that we had to have removed. This only happened once on the Epic, as opposed to the Jade a few weeks where it happened nightly.


 

The Ship

The Epic is a great ship, but is worn in areas. Just a couple things I noticed.

Pros

-The ship is exceptionally clean

-New carpet in staterooms and stateroom hallways

-Tile on the elevator floor. I think it used to be carpeted. I’m sure it makes “fluid” clean up easier.

Cons

-Some broken light fixtures in Posh

-The appearance of the lifeboats. Covered in what looks like a rusty looking overspray. Visible grease by the winch points. Severely faded and cracked paint on the top.

-Big screen in Spice. Quite a few busted pixels ... still, after many years.

-Stateroom condition

 

Ports

We only went ashore in Mallorca. We've been here a few times, it is a beautiful island. Being that we booked 6 days before sailing, we knew about the restrictions in Italy. Then again we know nothing is certain given the global state of things.
 

The Crew

Last, but definitely not least, the crew. One of the main reasons for us returning. We are always acknowledged and greeted by them. Now, with the facemasks, their smiles are missed and it can be hard to recognize them. They on the other hand have no problem remembering us and our drink order. They are amazing!





 

Edited by sicness4x4
  • Like 7
  • Thanks 4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Carnac767

Carnac767

Posted
Posted

Stop the presses!  Epic's carpet is finally fishy.  That's great news for the directionally challenged, which includes my wife.  Thanks for the review.  There are certain things about Epic that annoy us but we've always enjoyed our cruises on her.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Carnac767

Carnac767

Posted
Posted
7 minutes ago, swigso said:

Hello

really good and helpful information 

what is the smoking policy on the Epic, is smoking allowed in the casino

or in the bars

thanks

The only inside bar where you may smoke is the Cigar Bar.  Smoking is permitted in the casino during gaming hours by those who are gambling.  Outdoors, there is a limited space for smokers on Deck 15, mid-ships, on the port side.  Spice H2O has a smoking area on the starboard side.  Smoking is prohibited inside your stateroom or on your balcony.  This is the latest info from the NCL FAQ.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
eileeshb "Live from...." Rare

eileeshb

Posted
Posted

thanks for the review, I’ll be on Epic for the first time next month. It is disappointing that such cabin maintenance wasn’t addressed during the long shutdown. 
Which pier did the ship dock at in Palma? Beside the marina or on the far side of town ? 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sicness4x4 Great Review Rare

sicness4x4

Posted
  • Author
Posted
12 hours ago, eileeshb said:

thanks for the review, I’ll be on Epic for the first time next month. It is disappointing that such cabin maintenance wasn’t addressed during the long shutdown. 
Which pier did the ship dock at in Palma? Beside the marina or on the far side of town ? 

We docked at Estación Marítima Número 1.

Palma Port.png

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
jahalpin

jahalpin

Posted
Posted
2 hours ago, logan25 said:

How was antigen testing handled for disembarking guests?

I was also on this cruise, the antigen tests for guests disembarking in Barcelona were very efficient


The Manhattan and Cavern Club were turned into testing centres on the Saturday morning (day before disembarkation), there were plenty of testing cubicles and the whole process only took a few minutes. The testing app that was used when embarking in Barcelona was also used here and the results were sent to the app within around 60 mins of the test, a paper copy of the test cert was also left in the cabin
 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites
jahalpin

jahalpin

Posted
Posted
On 9/22/2021 at 6:24 PM, Carnac767 said:

The only inside bar where you may smoke is the Cigar Bar.  Smoking is permitted in the casino during gaming hours by those who are gambling.  Outdoors, there is a limited space for smokers on Deck 15, mid-ships, on the port side.  Spice H2O has a smoking area on the starboard side.  Smoking is prohibited inside your stateroom or on your balcony.  This is the latest info from the NCL FAQ.

You can only smoke cigars in the Cigar Bar

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sicness4x4 Great Review Rare

sicness4x4

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)
6 hours ago, logan25 said:

How was antigen testing handled for disembarking guests?

 

4 hours ago, jahalpin said:

I was also on this cruise, the antigen tests for guests disembarking in Barcelona were very efficient


The Manhattan and Cavern Club were turned into testing centres on the Saturday morning (day before disembarkation), there were plenty of testing cubicles and the whole process only took a few minutes. The testing app that was used when embarking in Barcelona was also used here and the results were sent to the app within around 60 mins of the test, a paper copy of the test cert was also left in the cabin
 

Testing was quick and easy. The original QR code is used to check in, you get tested and your key card is scanned to complete the process that took less than 5 minutes.

Edited by sicness4x4
Link to comment
Share on other sites
sicness4x4 Great Review Rare

sicness4x4

Posted
  • Author
Posted
3 hours ago, Ms02 said:

Did you have to fill out the Spain entry form to return to Barcelona? I can't remember what I read about that earlier. @sicness4x4

We were told on board the we needed to complete the Spain Travel Health maritime/ferry arrival form before disembarking in Barcelona. We completed it and received the QR code email. We were never asked to show it disembarking or at the airport.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
zdcatc12

zdcatc12

Posted
Posted
34 minutes ago, Elo Moreno said:

Were anyone ( to your knowledge ) taken by surprise by the new Italian restrictions of no private walk off ?

We just cancelled our cruise; supposedly going out this Sunday 26. Sept.

 

They aren't really "new" as they have been in effect since March. However for our Sept 8 cruise on the Epic, NCL did not notify us until late August.

 

 Also, I really would not have had an issue with it, if the NCL excursions had not been so expensive. A $50 credit doesn't put much of a dent in a $450 excursion.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
sicness4x4 Great Review Rare

sicness4x4

Posted
  • Author
Posted
17 hours ago, Elo Moreno said:

Were anyone ( to your knowledge ) taken by surprise by the new Italian restrictions of no private walk off ?

We just cancelled our cruise; supposedly going out this Sunday 26. Sept.

 

We did not hear of anyone being surprised by the restrictions in place for Italy. We were aware of the restrictions some time ago and knew what to expect when we booked 6 days before. 

Link to comment
Share on other sites
zdcatc12

zdcatc12

Posted
Posted
25 minutes ago, Yinster said:

Mask wearing question? What was acceptable as I wear a face covering like a snood in the UK when required, not a mask.And where on the ship is it mandatory?

Any mask was acceptable and mandatory everywhere inside except for your cabin and when eating and drinking and outside when social distancing could not be kept.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Please sign in to comment

You will be able to leave a comment after signing in



Sign In Now
 Share
Go to topic listing
  • Forum Jump
    • Categories
      • Welcome to Cruise Critic
      • New Cruisers
      • Cruise Lines “A – O”
      • Cruise Lines “P – Z”
      • River Cruising
      • ROLL CALLS
      • Cruise Critic News & Features
      • Digital Photography & Cruise Technology
      • Special Interest Cruising
      • Cruise Discussion Topics
      • UK Cruising
      • Australia & New Zealand Cruisers
      • Canadian Cruisers
      • North American Homeports
      • Ports of Call
      • Cruise Conversations
×
×
  • Create New...