Ben & David Epic

[robinpow]

I enjoy their reviews. They can be a little flamboyant at times, but the information is usually spot on. While some people like to whine about videos being taken, these guys are pros! They usually go out of their way not to film bystanders and if they do the aperture is set, where they are out of focus. As to the Epic, a photo is worth a 1,000 words! The ole gal isn't looking too good, and is definitely in need of a good cleaning and facelift. Not based on fact and only my personal opinion, the only reason she is still in service is because of the high demand for cruising right now. It won't surprise me one bit, if they sell her. I've been on several NCL ships shortly before they were sold, and like the Epic, were in need of some TLC.

[i_love_long_islands]

On 9/8/2024 at 4:58 PM, coaster said:

Watched the video soon after they posted. Epic is not that old, but looks beat to hell. Sail on older Royal and Celebrity ships than Epic and they look brand new compared to Epic. Deck loungers on upper decks with dry rotted mesh is crazy. Long lines can't be fixed as it was a poorly designed ship and NCL was smart to cancel her sister ship.. Just insane to see the faded signs and artwork on her upper decks, closed off steps, trash left behind. Is NCL struggling so much after covid to stay in businesses? Looks like it to me how neglected Epic is.

 

Agreed. Wife and I were astonished the exterior of the ship looked that way.

 

Pre-Covid, we would routinely sail on Carnival Imagination and Inspiration out of Long Beach (before they were retired). Those were older ships yet did not ever look this bad. Granted some rust but not to the level of all-around bad as seen in this video.

 

Almost seemed like they are running at a 75% staffing level.

 

But I thought the interior looked great. Low ceilings don't bother me and the rest of the ship looked nice enough I guess.

[zqvol]

54 minutes ago, robinpow said:

I enjoy their reviews. They can be a little flamboyant at times, but the information is usually spot on. While some people like to whine about videos being taken, these guys are pros! They usually go out of their way not to film bystanders and if they do the aperture is set, where they are out of focus. As to the Epic, a photo is worth a 1,000 words! The ole gal isn't looking too good, and is definitely in need of a good cleaning and facelift. Not based on fact and only my personal opinion, the only reason she is still in service is because of the high demand for cruising right now. It won't surprise me one bit, if they sell her. I've been on several NCL ships shortly before they were sold, and like the Epic, were in need of some TLC.

I’m not watching any videos. 

Edited September 10 by zqvol

[dhanakorn]

What's gonna happen to the Epic cruises between now and the drydock in mid-April? I guess those passengers who already book the cruise will have to suffer the subpar cruise experience.  

[Distinctive-Destinations]

32 minutes ago, dhanakorn said:

What's gonna happen to the Epic cruises between now and the drydock in mid-April? I guess those passengers who already book the cruise will have to suffer the subpar cruise experience.  

Some people (like us) actually like the Epic, regardless of what some two-bit Siskel and Ebert type group whine about to get ad revenue.

[david_sobe]

37 minutes ago, Distinctive-Destinations said:

Some people (like us) actually like the Epic, regardless of what some two-bit Siskel and Ebert type group whine about to get ad revenue.

I think that's unfair.  I love Epic too and am a huge defender of Epic on this board.  I am not a huge fan of David and Ben either.  But the photos/videos speak for themselves.  Hate the game, not the player.  People want to attack the vlogger instead of objectively talking about the mess on the ship.   That's a distraction and shows loyalty goes a bit too far sometimes.

[Distinctive-Destinations]

Just now, david_sobe said:

I think that's unfair.  I love Epic too and am a huge defender of Epic on this board.  I am not a huge fan of David and Ben either.  But the photos/videos speak for themselves.  Hate the game, not the player.  People want to attack the vlogger instead of objectively talking about the mess on the ship.   That's a distraction and shows loyalty goes a bit too far sometimes.

I was responding to the “suffer the subpar cruise experience” bit which also sounds unfair.

[Joldevlin]

I am on the Epic right now sitting in the sun at the pool deck    Went for a wander and did not find one broken deck chair     Service has been great at every venue.     But yes if you are at howl at the moon and it’s crowded you will have to wait at the bar    So go out.    Walk 15 feet to the next one   Get your drink and back you go     We are having the best time with our family    And this is our 41st cruise.  Second time on epic and 15th ncl cruise       So make what you will of any review 

[david_sobe]

2 hours ago, Joldevlin said:

I am on the Epic right now sitting in the sun at the pool deck    Went for a wander and did not find one broken deck chair     Service has been great at every venue.     But yes if you are at howl at the moon and it’s crowded you will have to wait at the bar    So go out.    Walk 15 feet to the next one   Get your drink and back you go     We are having the best time with our family    And this is our 41st cruise.  Second time on epic and 15th ncl cruise       So make what you will of any review 

Thanks for the report.  Glad you are having a great time.  My hunch was those broken chairs in a row were rounded up for repair.  What about the Speigel tent?  It really sits unoccupied with no entertainment? 

[Eno]

Hope that Ben and David are reading this. Love love love their reviews. To the point and entertaining.  The purpose of reviews, including those on this forum, are to hear about the experience of others. Maybe I don’t care if a ship appears dated, maybe I don’t care if food for specific diets is limited, maybe I don’t care if the pools are crowded but maybe others do.  I appreciate the time that people spend commenting on their experience to benefit others and also to provide entertainment.  We are all fortunate to be able to travel and share experiences on this and other forums. Planning is half the fun. 

[wncretired]

20 hours ago, Joldevlin said:

I am on the Epic right now sitting in the sun at the pool deck    Went for a wander and did not find one broken deck chair     Service has been great at every venue.     But yes if you are at howl at the moon and it’s crowded you will have to wait at the bar    So go out.    Walk 15 feet to the next one   Get your drink and back you go     We are having the best time with our family    And this is our 41st cruise.  Second time on epic and 15th ncl cruise       So make what you will of any review 

Amen! Just got off the EPIC 6 days ago. We had the same experience that you are having. 
Enjoy!!!🚢🍸

[ocdb8r]

On 9/9/2024 at 12:29 AM, geneticfreak said:

I’ve been on epic twice and both times were at reduced capacity, but it still felt crowded in areas due to poor design. The box office area in the middle of the elevator banks is dreadful. There are other choke points on several decks. Most of my complaints about Prima were the same issue.
 

A lot of the Epic hate also comes from the cabin design, which I don’t think is as bad as people make it out to be. 

I've sailed on the Epic three times (I'm a glutton for punishment) and I will say that the experience based on the number sailing is night and day.  I don't think it handles "full capacity" as well as either the Jewel Class or Breakaway class.  I'm glad it was a "one and done" class of ship.  That said, when it isn't too full, it's actually quite a nice ship.  I do think it's way overdue for a proper overhaul.....some of the (maintenance) things in Ben and David's video are just inexcusable. 

[BeeBerry]

On 9/10/2024 at 11:38 AM, david_sobe said:

I dont subscribe to their channel.  I think they are way too spoiled.  But they are critical of every line and proudly say they refuse the free cruises all the other cruise vloggers get.   I admire that part of them.  Even when they stayed in a big RCCL suite they pointed out the shortcomings with what you get.  I think many of their criticisms are just.  I find the vloggers who get paid by lines and just give glossy reviews far more annoying than ones that will give both good and bad of their experience.   There are so many of those types that when someone points out some issues it freaks people out. 

 

I watch a lot of cruise vlogs.  I used to subscribe to their channel but the OTT drama for clicks totally put me off, I also think they are very spoiled and the MSC outrage was really vile.  The constant "we are so honest, we don't get free cruises" is quite frankly rubbish.  There has been a few cruises where they have been invited on, the ones I can remember are Celestyal and Virgin, both which they didn't say a bad word about.  Hmmm funny that!  🤨 They don't make it completely obvious it's a freebie, it's hidden way way down in the video description, which is against You Tube rules in the UK, the vloggers are supposed to put the word "ad" at the beginning of every video title of any product they have received for free.

 

The only vloggers I have any respect for are Paul & Carole, the Cruising Canucks and Parodeejay.  They are all generally upbeat but honest when things aren't perfect and most importantly you can tell they love cruising.  I don't get the same impression from Ben & David otherwise they wouldn't have immediately stropped off the MSC ship when they were asked to stop filming.  Diva's! 🙄😒

[graphicguy]

43 minutes ago, BeeBerry said:

 

I watch a lot of cruise vlogs.  I used to subscribe to their channel but the OTT drama for clicks totally put me off, I also think they are very spoiled and the MSC outrage was really vile.  The constant "we are so honest, we don't get free cruises" is quite frankly rubbish.  There has been a few cruises where they have been invited on, the ones I can remember are Celestyal and Virgin, both which they didn't say a bad word about.  Hmmm funny that!  🤨 They don't make it completely obvious it's a freebie, it's hidden way way down in the video description, which is against You Tube rules in the UK, the vloggers are supposed to put the word "ad" at the beginning of every video title of any product they have received for free.

 

The only vloggers I have any respect for are Paul & Carole, the Cruising Canucks and Parodeejay.  They are all generally upbeat but honest when things aren't perfect and most importantly you can tell they love cruising.  I don't get the same impression from Ben & David otherwise they wouldn't have immediately stropped off the MSC ship when they were asked to stop filming.  Diva's! 🙄😒

Agree.  My sailings on the Epic were never like what they described.  

 

Agree again about Parodeejay.  They point out those things on a cruise that may be disappointing without the click baiting or drama.

[BeeBerry]

11 minutes ago, graphicguy said:

Agree.  My sailings on the Epic were never like what they described.  

 

Agree again about Parodeejay.  They point out those things on a cruise that may be disappointing without the click baiting or drama.

 

I've only been on the Epic once, nine years ago and it had just come out of drydock.  It's not my favourite ship, I really dislike the cabin layout, so I'd always choose another NCL ship instead, unless it was an amazing deal. 😃 The worst kept older ships I've found are always Royal Caribbean's.... 

 

Yes, exactly, you can be honest without the drama, but B&D don't want to just be honest, they want the ££££. 

[david_sobe]

2 hours ago, BeeBerry said:

 

I watch a lot of cruise vlogs.  I used to subscribe to their channel but the OTT drama for clicks totally put me off, I also think they are very spoiled and the MSC outrage was really vile.  The constant "we are so honest, we don't get free cruises" is quite frankly rubbish.  There has been a few cruises where they have been invited on, the ones I can remember are Celestyal and Virgin, both which they didn't say a bad word about.  Hmmm funny that!  🤨 They don't make it completely obvious it's a freebie, it's hidden way way down in the video description, which is against You Tube rules in the UK, the vloggers are supposed to put the word "ad" at the beginning of every video title of any product they have received for free.

 

The only vloggers I have any respect for are Paul & Carole, the Cruising Canucks and Parodeejay.  They are all generally upbeat but honest when things aren't perfect and most importantly you can tell they love cruising.  I don't get the same impression from Ben & David otherwise they wouldn't have immediately stropped off the MSC ship when they were asked to stop filming.  Diva's! 🙄😒

When they purposely left the MSC ship because they were asked not to film was ridiculous.  Its was almost like they thought they were royalty like "dont you know who we are?"
But regardless how we may or may not like them or their vlog is still no excuse what is going on with Epic.  Entertainment venues closed, water slides closed, filthy and broken pool deck and areas, etc.  

[i_love_long_islands]

3 hours ago, BeeBerry said:

 

I watch a lot of cruise vlogs.  I used to subscribe to their channel but the OTT drama for clicks totally put me off, I also think they are very spoiled and the MSC outrage was really vile.  The constant "we are so honest, we don't get free cruises" is quite frankly rubbish.  There has been a few cruises where they have been invited on, the ones I can remember are Celestyal and Virgin, both which they didn't say a bad word about.  Hmmm funny that!  🤨 They don't make it completely obvious it's a freebie, it's hidden way way down in the video description, which is against You Tube rules in the UK, the vloggers are supposed to put the word "ad" at the beginning of every video title of any product they have received for free.

 

The only vloggers I have any respect for are Paul & Carole, the Cruising Canucks and Parodeejay.  They are all generally upbeat but honest when things aren't perfect and most importantly you can tell they love cruising.  I don't get the same impression from Ben & David otherwise they wouldn't have immediately stropped off the MSC ship when they were asked to stop filming.  Diva's! 🙄😒

 

What in the world are you talking about it. They made it very clear at several points in the video that the paid for the cruise and even mention how much they paid for it.

 

There is no "ad" because they were not compensated for the cruise. Essssh.

[Denise T]

They had their opinion; you all have yours. It does not mean that either opinion is wrong, they are totally different experiences. Why invalidate someone's experience because it is not the same as yours? If you don't like YouTube vloggers great. Others do like them. I have no intention of sailing on the Epic because I do not like large cruise ships. Others love the Epic. Does that make me wrong and some of you will attack me for that? The great thing about cruising is that there is a cruise line and a cruise ship for everyone. I have followed Ben and David since the pandemic after I decided to book my very first cruise. I have followed lots of YouTube vloggers as well. I will be vlogging on my next cruise in a few weeks. I don't agree with everything these vloggers say but they have the right to their opinion. Take it as a grain of salt, acknowledge their right to have that opinion, and move on. Life is way too short. 

[SteveM812]

I have been on the Epic twice.  Once before the pandemic and once after.  We specifically picked the Epic in 2023 for the itinerary to Aruba, not the ship.  I would not sail on her unless it was an itinerary that was unique.  We were over capacity and the ship was busy but we were flexible.  When Savor had a 45 min wait we simply walked to the Manhattan Room and were seated promptly.  Bars had lines in the evening but we were in no rush.  The ship had some carpet wear but nothing extreme.  The drydock in 2020 was probably scaled back because it was schedule during the pandemic when the cruise lines were not receiving any business so they invested money into the Haven, added Starbucks and did the required maintenance for a 5 year drydock .  I would expect, and hope, this upcoming drydock to much more extensive.  It is a bad look that there are missing tiles on the pool deck but are they going to rip out and retile everything in the drydock?  Do they even make replacement tiles for a ship that is that old?  The complaints would be horrendous if they closed down half the pool deck in peak season and started resurfacing.  Again, not an excuse but looking at it from a business perspective I can see it happening.  NCL did put the entire ship up for collateral during the pandemic in order to stay afloat- that's $1Billion.  It was stated on a previous thread that NCL has reduced their debt load significantly compared to other cruise lines since the startup from the pandemic.  The talk of an economic slowdown has probably convinced NCL to stay the course with cuts that we have all experienced and have not liked.  The bright spot for me is that recent drydocks for the Joy and the upcoming drydock for the Encore show that NCL is spending real money on these drydocks.  Hopefully the Epic gets a full and significant makeover in 6 months.  If the Epic comes out of drydock with only engine maintenance and some paint then as a stockholder I would be very upset.  It's a quirky ship for sure but hopefully they have some big plans they haven't announced.

[jingle5616]

On 9/8/2024 at 12:50 PM, swjumbo said:

Just watched Ben and David (YouTube with a huge following) on the Norwegian Epic.

Never been with Norwegian and this doesn’t really appeal to me.

Is it as bad as they say?

Yes, it's a very flawed ship in so many ways.  I don't mind older ships if they are well designed and maintained.  Epic, well, it was an epic fail from the beginning.

[BeeBerry]

5 hours ago, i_love_long_islands said:

 

What in the world are you talking about it. They made it very clear at several points in the video that the paid for the cruise and even mention how much they paid for it.

 

There is no "ad" because they were not compensated for the cruise. Essssh.

 

What are you talking about?  When did I say they hadn't paid for the Epic cruise? 🙄

[Maria63]

On 9/9/2024 at 11:17 AM, Captain-John said:

I called it out on these boards a few years ago - and some people defended the condition of the Epic at the time/were happy to accept the condition and suggested I was being overly critical. Others shared my surprise and disappointment.

 

 

Based on the video and recollection of my own experience, Epic is really poorly maintained which is a shame as have never seen this with any other ship in the NCL fleet (including much older ships). It's almost like they have given up. Too many things to cover but it's not a good advert for the ship. But, for as long as people are willing to pay to go on Epic, NCL don't have any incentive to do anything about it.

 

We did a B2B on Epic right after your sailing, and I was one of those who had to agree with your general assessment. We still had an enjoyable cruise overall though, the itinerary was great, the weather was lovely and as it was late October the ship was not at full capacity by far. 

 

The Ben & David video unfortunately indicates that there are still some serious issues with the general maintenance, and it is obvious that the person / persons responsible for these things on Epic do not care very much. Regardless of what you think of Ben & David and vloggers in general, the video-footage is what it is. Poor ship design and general wear and tear due to aging are one thing, but a serious lack of cleanliness in the public areas is another matter altogether. If they can´t be bothered to clear the tables, wash windows, and sweep the decks in a long while, then who knows what goes on in the kitchens with food hygiene & storage, and can they be trusted to properly monitor the bacteria levels in the pools? On land, I would not eat in a restaurant or stay at a hotel that appears to be severely neglecting general cleanliness, but on a ship you have no options once you are onboard.

[D_And_K_gocruising]

We're going in December, and I'm sure we'll have a fun time, but I am not looking forward to it as much as I was hoping.. While the ship is a good size, it just seems they are using that space for something other than public places.  Almost every video I've seen has just looked way overcrowded even without a full sailing.   But as far as B & D videos I stopped being a subscriber to them because almost all of their titles are clickbait.   I get the whole YT thing, but there are enough out there that DONT click bait titles, those are the ones that 99% get my views.. Same with the Don dude and even Tony from Lida Loca or whatever it's called.. Dropped my subs just because of the same reasons.   I DID watch the BD one because it directly affects a sailing I'm going on.  And I have a feeling they werent far off on their thoughts.. But dang, you're on a cruise.. enjoy it. 

[zqvol]

3 hours ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

We're going in December, and I'm sure we'll have a fun time, but I am not looking forward to it as much as I was hoping.. While the ship is a good size, it just seems they are using that space for something other than public places.  Almost every video I've seen has just looked way overcrowded even without a full sailing.   But as far as B & D videos I stopped being a subscriber to them because almost all of their titles are clickbait.   I get the whole YT thing, but there are enough out there that DONT click bait titles, those are the ones that 99% get my views.. Same with the Don dude and even Tony from Lida Loca or whatever it's called.. Dropped my subs just because of the same reasons.   I DID watch the BD one because it directly affects a sailing I'm going on.  And I have a feeling they werent far off on their thoughts.. But dang, you're on a cruise.. enjoy it. 

Ignore what you’ve seen. Almost all people who post videos are looking for clicks. They want to sensationalize everything. I was on Epic in the spring. The only time I saw any real crowd was right when the dining room opened for dinner. People insisted on lining up instead of waiting 20 minutes for the line to go away. I didn’t spend much time on the pool deck but every ship,I have ever been on has crowded pool decks (except Sea Dream, but it only has 112 passengers). The really unusual thing is the bathroom set up and the escalator on deck 7 (i think).

 

You’ll have a great time. 

 

 

[Fredrik]

We sailed Epic right when I got out and absolutely hated it, and it was brand new. The weird staterooms, the omnipresent casino with then unbelievable amount of smoke, the crowded spaces. There were just so much to dislike with the sail we vowed never to sail NCL again….

 

Flash forward to the launch of Prima and after sailing Oceania for some time we have it a go, and absolutely loved it. Tried Breakaway and Breakaway plus ships and loved them too so we have concluded that we love NCL….

 

We just hate Epic. The ship that was supposed to be a class of ship, but that NCL cancelled. Probably because it was just so bad.