Epic, January 8th Review

[Grumpella]

This was our 7th NCL cruise and our 15th cruise in total. We are a married couple, 58 and 64.

 

First of all, if you are thinking of booking the Epic, DON'T.  I'm not sure we will even go on NCL again.

 

The embarkation was terrible. Started at 10:15, 30 minutes to drive down the road leading to the parking lot in San Juan. 

We got into the building to wait for check in, about 200 people inside.  The rest had to wait outside.  Check in started at 11:22, we finished at 12:05.  

 

Then had to wait outside to board the ship in the hot sun, boarded at 12:40.  At no point during this embarkation process was there any place for people to sit. Very poor customer service.  Our room was ready at 3 pm.

 

We were told the ship had over 4500 people on it and it felt like it.  There were long lines everywhere.

 

Entertainment:

 

We booked Burn and Priscilla Queen of the Desert as soon as we boarded, as we boarded right by the Box Office.  They did not provide any reservation confirmation at that time, they said it was not available.  However, I could see Burn confirmed in my app but not Priscilla.  I did call Guest Services the following day and they said I was booked for Priscilla.  For some unknown reason, I got a letter that my Burn show was moved from Tuesday to Thursday.  I then got a letter on Thursday that both performances for Burn were cancelled.  They did have the show on Saturday, but it was sold out.  Priscilla was pretty good, but Six was much better on the Breakaway this past fall.  We did not do any other entertainment or activities onboard.

 

Food:

 

We ate breakfast in the buffet on Monday.  The lines were very, very long, over 40 people in line, and we were not that late, 7:30.  We never went back again.  NCL had very poor crowd control.  People were lining up for 1 long line for different stations.  Also, the buffet area was very small compared to other NCL ships that I have been on.

 

The dinners at the Main Dining Room were good and as long as you arrived early, 5:30 or 6, the wait was not long.  When we were leaving at 6:30 or 7, there were long lines, some people complained they had to wait 40 minutes for a table.  We ate at Cagney's twice and that was very good.

 

I would have liked to have eaten at the Noodle Bar, but the line was over 50 deep 20 minutes before they even opened.  Long lines there all the time.

 

Ports:

 

Aruba- we went to Eagle Beach, near the Coco Loco Beach Bar.  If you walk to the right of the beach bar, when looking at the ocean, you will find a much less crowded area where chairs are rented.  Very nice beach.

 

Curacao- we went to Mambo Beach.  Very calm beach because it has a breakaway.  It does get very crowded.  Large areas were reserved for the Epic shore excursions to the caves and the beach.

 

Bonaire- we went to Chogogo Beach Resort, which is only 3 miles from the port. We were only there from 6 am to 1 pm.  For $ 25 each, we got beach chairs, umbrella and $ 10 credit to the bar.  Beach is very rocky, must have water shoes.  I used the pool and the lazy river.

 

St. Lucia- we were in port 1 pm to 8 pm, so not ideal for a beach day.  We took the NCL tour to the Rum factory and the wood carving demonstration.  "Demonstration" would be a stretch.  Some of the sights of St. Lucia were nice.  The rum factory was ok, long lines.  We were 1 hour late getting back to the ship, stuck in long lines of traffic.  If we had a do over, we would have stayed on the boat.

 

St. Kitts- we went to Cockleshell Beach.  The beach is very beautiful and the ride over there is stunning.  There are no regular bathrooms there, just port a potty.  We went to the No Limit Beach Bar run by James, a very nice, friendly man.  He has cold drinks for $ 3, rents 2 chairs and umbrella for $ 10, has free wifi. He told us he is starting to cook hamburgers and hot dogs this week.  We also went there in November and had a wonderful time.  The only downside for us ladies is the bathroom, but it is well worth it.

 

NCL did cut our St Kitts stay short by 1 hour, no reason was given.  I had read previously that they cut short other trips by 2 hours on St. Kitts.

 

Ship:

The layout of the ship was very bizarre.  The Garden Cafe was forward, not aft, and like I mentioned before, just not big enough to accommodate all those people.

 

There was no stop for the 5th floor in the elevators if you were aft and mid.  You had to get off at the 6th floor and take an escalator down.  The 5th floor is where the main dining room was, Taste.

 

The casino was very large, at the expense of other things, in my opinion.

 

The room design was just stupid.  The toilet was behind a sliding glass door, it felt like an airplane toilet.  Not very spacious.  The shower was also behind a sliding glass door.  Both the toilet and the shower were separated from the rest of the room by a curtain.  So if you stepped out of the shower into the room, at least you were behind the curtain.  However, unless you were a couple, then it wouldn't be possible for someone to use the toilet too, as it was also behind the curtain.  The curtain also got in the way of closing the toilet door all the time.

 

Now for the worst part of the room:

 

We were in 13 aft balcony, 13273.  The room steward told us that he had to vacuum the balcony every day.  Why?  Because the black stuff coming from the stack is raining down on the aft balconies.  Large pieces, some as large as playing cards.  I saved a piece that was 4 inches long, it looks like it is the liner from the stack, I can see rust on one side.  So depending on which way the wind was blowing, we were not able to sit on the balcony while the ship was moving, due to the floating debris.  And the deck several floors below us was even worse as their balconies extended out further, thus catching more debris.

 

I went to Guest Services on the 3rd day to ask for the address for the corporate office to complain about this.  I knew they were not going to do anything.  I was given a Case Number and plan to write a letter to NCL, along with the photos and video that we took.

 

What upsets me greatly about this issue is that NCL knows they have a problem and have not fixed it.  If they are ordering their room stewards to vacuum the balconies, they know there is a problem.  If they are closing the Spice H20, they know there is a problem.

 

We still had a very nice time on our cruise, we just had to pivot, avoid the buffet and not use the balcony most nights.

 

I would say that the Epic is an Epic failure- terrible embarkation, terrible layout, long lines everywhere, and black stuff raining down on the balconies, a problem that they know about and have not fixed.  

 

Hello Holland America  lol

 

 

 

[mskaufman]

We were on the Epic in Aug and it was not as bad as described here.  I do concur that it was over crowded, lines were long.  We ate in Manhattan a couple of times.  We generally arrived early and did not have to wait for a table.  However, the reason people had to wait later might be that we never had a complete meal in less than 2.5 hours.  That was too long so we switched eating locations. That said, it wasn't so bad that we would never go again (until reading a lot of recent reviews). 

[Grumpella]

video of black soot on our balcony after 1 night

[MSP_CRUISER]

On 1/19/2023 at 2:52 PM, Grumpella said:

video of black soot on our balcony after 1 night

Epic Cabin 13273 Video.MOV

Yikes!!! I got an aft balcony on an upcoming trip....right about where the stacks are. Maybe the wind from sailing forward will keep the debris south of our balcony.... I can only wish. Outside of the common san juan port issues (long lines and traffic nightmares) , how was the service? Long lines for drinks? Was the food comparable to other NCL cruises you've been on or worse? I'm trying to lower my expectations as it seems things industry-wide are tending downward, but I'm not really sure just how much. At some point I might need to consider different lines and/or take a break from cruising. I feel some people are so happy to get on a ship again they will overlook just about anything to cruise. I feel like it's okay to expect reasonable standards!  I would appreciate your honest take on my questions if your willing....thank you! 

[cruiseny4life]

35 minutes ago, MSP_CRUISER said:

Yikes!!! I got an aft balcony on an upcoming trip....right about where the stacks are. Maybe the wind from sailing forward will keep the debris south of our balcony.... I can only wish. Outside of the common san juan port issues (long lines and traffic nightmares) , how was the service? Long lines for drinks? Was the food comparable to other NCL cruises you've been on or worse? I'm trying to lower my expectations as it seems things industry-wide are tending downward, but I'm not really sure just how much. At some point I might need to consider different lines and/or take a break from cruising. I feel some people are so happy to get on a ship again they will overlook just about anything to cruise. I feel like it's okay to expect reasonable standards!  I would appreciate your honest take on my questions if your willing....thank you! 

We were in an aft balcony suite in September and Dec/Jan. Not on Epic, but Getaway. We had the black soot and the smoke from the funnel when the wind decided to blow our direction. In September this rendered our balcony useless about half the cruise. In Dec/Jan we didn't experience soot blowing on the balcony at all, and the smoke only hit our balcony for a few hours of the cruise.

 

Good luck! You'll enjoy your cruise if you want to.

[MSP_CRUISER]

5 minutes ago, cruiseny4life said:

We were in an aft balcony suite in September and Dec/Jan. Not on Epic, but Getaway. We had the black soot and the smoke from the funnel when the wind decided to blow our direction. In September this rendered our balcony useless about half the cruise. In Dec/Jan we didn't experience soot blowing on the balcony at all, and the smoke only hit our balcony for a few hours of the cruise.

 

Good luck! You'll enjoy your cruise if you want to.

I will enjoy it regardless...I live where it's cold so anything is an improvement! I haven't cruised since covid  (last cruise was Jan. 2020, did land based trip last year) so I'm trying to get a vibe on how the cut backs are effecting service. It's hard to tell since it seems many are willing to give up anything just to get back on a cruise again. I am okay with things being a little short staffed (it's life anymore) but at some point there needs to be some basic standards...after all, I pay thousands of dollars for my cruise!  I'm just trying to figure out what the vibes are and how I should  plan for next years vaca trip.

[travelmama06]

We just got off the epic and we had a great time - it was crowded at times but we are on vacation so just chill out and enjoy !

the room configuration is not big deal - in fact if one wanted to shower and other needed to use the bathroom then it worked perfectly !

im surprised how needy some people can be - sometimes I think we have to step back and think how lucky we are to have good health and be able to enjoy a cruise with family and friends - not everyone in the world will ever get that opportunity!

let’s just be thankful for a change 🙂

[Grumpella]

I just received a reply today to my complaint to NCL about the black soot raining down on us.

 

I’m not sure we will be cruising on NCL after their response.

 

 

[farmecologist]

22 minutes ago, Grumpella said:

I just received a reply today to my complaint to NCL about the black soot raining down on us.

 

I’m not sure we will be cruising on NCL after their response.

 

 

 

Yikes...not the best response from NCL.  I'd be pissed as well.  Just what I want on a cruise...breathing in toxic black soot.  Who knows what the heck is in that stuff.

 

So they didn't offer you *anything* to make it right?!

 

 

 

 

[Grumpella]

I’m not pissed, just disappointed.

 

I’m thinking of having it tested. I took home the 3 inch piece that was on our balcony table.  My husband insists it is asbestos since it looks like the liner of the stack. 
 

I”ll let him think it over. Lol

[Sydneyberlin]

Our last cruise before Covid (Western Med) was on the Epic and we’ve booked it again for a Greek Island cruise next year. Reason being that we LOVED this ship with the (free to use!) adult only pool in the back, Prescilla in the theatre which as middle aged gay Australians we could easily watch once a month and, yes it’s controversial, the bathroom layout which we really appreciated. I know we seem to be the only ones on the latter.

 

Now- that black stuff from the chimneys I find indeed very concerning. Both from a safety and environmental perspective. Keen to hear what this is all about- bad maintenance/ cost saving would my first guess? Does anyone know? I’m certainly not a ship’s engineer so I got no clue whatsoever, lol.

[Laszlo]

On 1/17/2023 at 5:13 PM, Grumpella said:

St. Lucia- we were in port 1 pm to 8 pm, so not ideal for a beach day.  We took the NCL tour to the Rum factory and the wood carving demonstration.  "Demonstration" would be a stretch.  Some of the sights of St. Lucia were nice.  The rum factory was ok, long lines.  We were 1 hour late getting back to the ship, stuck in long lines of traffic.  If we had a do over, we would have stayed on the boat.

 

 

 

 

We were on the Getaway in St Lucia. Yea the traffic was horrible, at least you got the better place to dock. We were at the industrial pier Lol

[krj9999]

We were on the Jan. 29 sailing; first time on Epic and first post-covid cruise.  Can't comment on the aft balcony issue as have never stayed in one, though assume may a challenge for many ships.  Actually didn't mind the split bathroom/shower, though the sink being separated was a bit odd.  Balcony we had on deck 8 was good sized.  Liked the additional storage space compared to many staterooms we've been in.  Elevators were spaced too far apart - we were mid ship and was a healthy walk in either direction to get to the elevators.  Fitness center was quite spacious and decent equipment.  The outdoor "track" on deck 7 being on just one side of the ship was odd.  Should note we got off to a bit of an inauspicious start as the entire ship had a brief power failure about 75 minutes before departure (fortunately we weren't in an elevator at the time).  May have delayed our sailing by 10-15 minutes (to get all the systems back up and running and prep for departure).

 

Didn't know in advance that stateroom service would just be once a day.  It was a pretty healthy jump in the gratuities charge considering this change; and miss not having towel animals or chocolates.  Barely saw our stateroom attendant.  Food was alright, though seemingly not as much variety as in the past.  Also limited food venue options at certain points of the day (late morning and after 9:30 pm).  And no late night buffet (or ice carvings or chocolate) on the pool deck either.  Not sure how much is lack of staffing vs. general cost-cutting.

 

On itinerary, we actually received a "schedule change" a few weeks prior to the cruise adjusting the St. Kitts departure time and San Juan arrival time (was 6pm departure and 7am arrival initially, which shifted to 4pm departure and 6am arrival - though we actually left St. Kitts at 5pm).  I'm guessing they needed a bit more turnaround time in San Juan than originally envisioned - which may have also caused the delayed availability of the staterooms for the OP.  Think ours opened up around 2 pm or a bit after.  We also had no significant delays in boarding on departure day (had selected 2pm, but ended up arriving at the port around noon and got through the process fairly quickly).  

 

Bonaire stop was certainly rushed (our first time there), and really would have preferred a longer visit during regular hours.  Not exactly much to do at 6 am when sunrise was at 7 am.  Would like to have visited Klein Bonaire, but didn't think it would be worth it for the limited time we could be there.  Understand they squeezed in a 5th port visit, but timing for both Bonaire and St. Lucia stops were not great.  We didn't get into St. Lucia until 1:15 pm and there was a huge crowd/line to get off the ship and transport to any destination.  I'd probably suggest going back to more traditional 4 stops for the Aruba route from San Juan and leave more time for each stop.

 

Probably wouldn't sail Epic again, unless for a unique itinerary.  And sounds like will be moving to Europe year-round later this year anyway.  Not giving up on NCL altogether at this point, but see a lot of criticisms of the new Prima class ships.  Though itinerary and pricing are likely the most critical factors.

[Pat.D]

I was on the Epic last March and sadly the rain of nasty greasy black soot from the funnels made Spice H2O almost unusable when the ship had a head wind.  
 

They even had to move the white party elsewhere as the stuff was coming down thick. 
 

[Oakman58]

On 2/6/2023 at 2:15 PM, Grumpella said:

I’m not pissed, just disappointed.

 

I’m thinking of having it tested. I took home the 3 inch piece that was on our balcony table.  My husband insists it is asbestos since it looks like the liner of the stack. 
 

I”ll let him think it over. Lol

 

Asbestos in cruise ships was banned in 2002 so I doubt that piece of soot or whatever it might be is asbestos.  Regardless, I'd be pissed if crap like that was raining down on my balcony.

 

I didn't like the cabin layout of the Epic either.  I thought the wave wall made the cabin look small.  The only way I would cruise on the Epic again would be for ports of call that I haven't been to before.

Edited February 11, 2023 by Oakman58

[spanishguy1970]

I have been on the Epic 5 times going on 6 this coming April, and although i find the ship not that appealing i like their itinerary and the price. Everyone has their opinion and as i said before is grain of salt for me. The times i have been on the Epic it has been fun, uneventful, i don't care about the rooms we don't spend time there and we like the ship.. We have never had a hard time booking a restaurant, a show or anything really. I am sorry so many people have a hard time with this ship. 

[teachberry]

It seems like all the NCL ships have that one main dining room that is hard to get to, like your description of Taste.  And, any prior research on the Epic would disclose the bathroom arrangement, as it is a common talking point. And, that letter from NCL...that's just too generic. It didn't really specifically mention any of your complaints. The Epic seems to be one of those ships a passenger either loves or hates!

[cruiseny4life]

23 hours ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Asbestos in cruise ships was banned in 2002 so I doubt that piece of soot or whatever it might be is asbestos.  Regardless, I'd be pissed if crap like that was raining down on my balcony.

 

I didn't like the cabin layout of the Epic either.  I thought the wave wall made the cabin look small.  The only way I would cruise on the Epic again would be for ports of call that I haven't been to before.

You might not want to book an aft balcony then. It's not just Epic that has this issue. Most, if not all ships do depending on all sorts of factors I'm too lazy to type here. Gotta use common sense. If you're on the aft end of the ship, you're going to deal with the exhaust of the ship.