Our Epic, Epic Cruise 2/10/2018

This was our second time on The Epic. Our first was in TheMed and we were so port intensive we had very little time to enjoy the ship.

Our original booking for this cruise was The EasternCaribbean; St Thomas, Tortola and Great Stirrup Cay but while we weredisappointed that it had to be changed we understood why.

I was very impressed with the communication we received fromNCL about our itinerary changes. We knew back in November and were given thechance to cancel if we wanted to and we opted not to. We have been to Jamaica,Bahamas and Great Stirrup Cay but it was 25 years ago. We also ended up withthe additional Port of Grand Cayman which we had never been so were excitedabout this

We did the UBP and SDP plus onboard credit offer when webooked, so we enjoyed these perks and took full advantage of them all!

We choose a 1:30 boarding time but dropped our bags off aroundnoon, returned the rental car and took the shuttle back by 1:15.

I found the embarkation process to be pretty smooth. We weretraveling with another couple who had cruised with Carnival before and theymentioned how smooth they thought The NCL process went. We are Latitudes butopted to stay in line with our friends instead of going to the Latitudes line.The whole process only took about 45 minutes from getting in line to gettinginto our cabins!

We had balcony cabins right next to each other, we were12152 and 12156 and we already knew about the lack of elevators, the bathroomset up, no ability to walk around the ship outside and the smoky casino so wewon't complain about it! It is what itis, so why gripe about it. Honestly I prefer the toilet separate from theshower and the lack of privacy didn't bother us as we have been together for 40years!

Our friends liked the Epic cabin over their Carnival cabin,found it roomier with more storage, they said.

Our cabin steward Grace was friendly and prompt. As a matterof fact most everyone we encountered was friendly and prompt. Left Grace a note the first day for morecoffee packets and she never failed us.

We made reservations online before we left for CirqueDreams, Burn the Floor, Cagney’s, Moderno and Teppanyaki.

We also booked with NCL for our excursions. Normally wedon’t, but I just found it easier this time around. Dunn’s Rivers Falls withJamaican Bob Sled and Sting Ray City in Grand Cayman.

We had booked Burn the Floor for Thursday, our at sea day,but they moved our reservation to the first night, we did not make it as wewere too involved in the sail away and getting to know the ship. Disappointingbut not a deal breaker.

We did see Howl at The Moon, loved it! Titou, the Magicianalso good and comedian Steve Mazan.

All of our meals were excellent, I don’t think any of us hada bad meal. We ate at Taste, the 3specialties I mentioned before, the buffet, O’Sheehans, Cirque and ShanghaiNoodle Bar (OUR FAVORITE LATE NIGHT SNACK!) We did not do room service.

UBP was very easy and well used by all four of us, though thepool bar was lacking in friendly service but to their defense a lot of thecustomers weren’t very nice to them. All bars had two bartenders, they shouldhave had three as they were always so busy but I am sure the reason why theyonly had two was to control how much people were drinking! We saw many out of control drunks!

At sea days the pool area was crowded and hard to find sunnyseats but we managed, we did see plenty of seats being saved but it does happeneverywhere. I prefer the H2O area but we did hang out around the pooltwice. Pools were too warm for my likingand the hot tubs were crowded.

Casino is smoky, so smoky I avoided it as it really botheredme. Even passing thru it bothered me.There was a slot contests and some in my party had partaken in and reallyenjoyed it.

Customer service and the excursion desk employees werefriendly and helpful, at customer service was a box to drop notes to the HotelDirector, Manolis Kampanakis, who was at our Meet and Great. I had enjoyed his conversation at the Meetand Great, so I dropped him a thank you and that night we had a tray ofchocolate covered strawberries in our cabin!

Nassau- all four of us had been there before so we opted todo it on our own. We walked to JohnWatling’s Distillery, pretty easy and comfortable walk but it was all uphill. Had a free small sample of Pina Colada as wearrived which was very refreshing but it was very small! Free tour ended in thegift shop and bar where you could purchase anything else to try, we did do theflight of rums for $14 which were all pretty good. We then walked back to theship. Never felt uncomfortable while inport.

Falmouth- here we pre-booked the Bobsled and Dunn’s RiverFalls trip. 8 am till 2 pm, as we were leaving the ship it started to rain butended before we arrived at the falls. Very good excursion, the falls are fun but you do end at a high pressuremarket that you have to pass thru to get back to your locker before returningto the bus. Our tour guide was entertaining and informative, she had coloredphotos of Jamaican History, plants and wildlife to share with us. She made the45 minute bus ride seem much shorter.

Bob sled, here we were surprised as we thought all we weredoing was the sleds but first you ride a ski lift up and over the tree canopieswith amazing views of Ocho Rios and the ocean for 20 plus minutes to reach thesled rides. A bit of a line to ride the sleds, and then the ride itself wasn’tmore than 4 or 5 minutes long. Scaryride for me but the rest of my party loved it. Plenty of shopping and foodoptions after, with music and dancing. Beautiful facility with pretty gardens and a hummingbird area!

We ended up not getting back to the ship until 330 pm so wewalked around Falmouth port for a few which looked lovely but pretty mucheveryone had boarded the ship already and not much was going on. I wouldn’tmind checking it out someday

Grand Cayman- here we booked the early excursion swimmingwith the Sting Rays. Something I reallywanted to do. We boarded our tender at 7 am for our 730 tour in bathing suitsand not much else and while on the tender we were told that it was too windy todo Stingray City and that the excursion was cancelled. So we got off the tender, changed intoregular clothes and headed back to the tenders to walk around George Town for awhile. After seeing the 10th T-shirt shop, we stopped at ParadiseGrill for a snack of fried conch and local beers, very nice! Headed over toMargaritaville for another drink and snack then headed back to the ship.

Once on board we headed over to the excursion desk as weknew that on GSC they had a smaller stingray tour, we were able to book thefour of us just before it filled up.

GSC- my husband and I had been there 25 years ago and boyhas it changed! The tender over was easyand fast. There were plenty of chairs,sun and shade. Plenty of bathrooms, barsand lots of food!

We went over to our stingray excursion first thing. Ourguide gave us a full explanation of the process and safety of handling thestingrays and then off we went in 3 smaller sized motorboats. I don’t think it took more than 10 minutesand we were there. I already knew that the rays were in an enclosed area andnot free to wonder like Grand Cayman but this was a pretty large nettedenclosure and the guides told us they are released each night but return dailyfor the food they give them! The only ones here were those from GSC and notcrowded at all, we had 4 guides who made sure everyone got to touch and hold aray if the wanted too. They took theirown pictures for sale but also took pictures with our cameras. It was a fun andexciting time.

We headed back to GSC to swim, eat, drink, relax in the sunand then we headed back to the ship around 3 pm.

We chose to carry off our luggage and not pick a time toleave. We had breakfast and then headed off around 9 am, no lines and before weknew it we were on the shuttle back to the rental car lot.

All in all we had a great time! No complaints from us. Yes some things wereannoying like not enough elevators but heck it made us use the stairs which isa good thing when you have been eating every two hours and drinking for 7 daysstraight!

we already knew about the lack of elevators

We're looking at booking the Epic for a med cruise. Could you fill us in about the elevators? Thank you for the review.

Thank-you for the review.

You mean lack of elevators! Everyone says you wait to long for elevators, I don’t know but I will find out soon. I’m sailing on her in 3 weeks

Enjoying your review.

Keith

We're looking at booking the Epic for a med cruise. Could you fill us in about the elevators? Thank you for the review.

There are only two banks of them and sometimes it takes a while for an elevator to be available, like when a show lets out or during tendering times. But for the most part it was fine

sorry, four banks two aft and two forward. Each section has 4 elevators so 16 total for the entire ship.Most of the time it was no problem for us, we were on 12 and needed 15 for buffet or pool so most of the time we just used the stairs

I enjoyed reading your review mcmomny. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

One thing I thought was strange about the Epic’s layout is the location of the handicapped cabins. Those cabins are at the rear of the ship but the elevators at the rear don’t go to deck 5 where the Atrium is located.

If you’re in a cabin at the rear of the Epic you have two options for getting to deck 5. First option is go to the forward elevators and go down. Second option is take the rear elevators down to deck 6 then walk through the casino to the escalator and take that down to deck 5. It goes without saying that folks in wheelchairs or scooters don’t do well on escalators so they only have option one.

As mcmomny mentioned getting an elevator after a show or tendering could be an issue. But I will add two more times getting an elevator can be an issue. If you have bad weather on a sea day and all 4000 passengers are inside, elevator wait times can be long. Also on the morning of debarkation when folks have luggage with them, the wait for an elevator can be long. Hint: On debarkation day it might be quicker to take an elevator going up and then ride it back down.

I consider the Epic to be a ship for the healthy and physically abled. Not everyone has the option of taking the stairs.

I enjoyed reading your review mcmomny. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

One thing I thought was strange about the Epic’s layout is the location of the handicapped cabins. Those cabins are at the rear of the ship but the elevators at the rear don’t go to deck 5 where the Atrium is located.

 

If you’re in a cabin at the rear of the Epic you have two options for getting to deck 5. First option is go to the forward elevators and go down. Second option is take the rear elevators down to deck 6 then walk through the casino to the escalator and take that down to deck 5. It goes without saying that folks in wheelchairs or scooters don’t do well on escalators so they only have option one.

 

As mcmomny mentioned getting an elevator after a show or tendering could be an issue. But I will add two more times getting an elevator can be an issue. If you have bad weather on a sea day and all 4000 passengers are inside, elevator wait times can be long. Also on the morning of debarkation when folks have luggage with them, the wait for an elevator can be long. Hint: On debarkation day it might be quicker to take an elevator going up and then ride it back down.

 

I consider the Epic to be a ship for the healthy and physically abled. Not everyone has the option of taking the stairs.

Can you take the stairs on Debarkation day? We have a tight flight schedule and we are going to try to be off early. We are doing all carry on, so just carrying everything with us. I know sometimes, they block off the steps during embarkation and debarkation.

Can you take the stairs on Debarkation day? We have a tight flight schedule and we are going to try to be off early. We are doing all carry on, so just carrying everything with us. I know sometimes, they block off the steps during embarkation and debarkation.

Yes you can!

Thank you

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I enjoyed reading your review mcmomny. Thanks for taking the time to write it.

One thing I thought was strange about the Epic’s layout is the location of the handicapped cabins. Those cabins are at the rear of the ship but the elevators at the rear don’t go to deck 5 where the Atrium is located.

 

If you’re in a cabin at the rear of the Epic you have two options for getting to deck 5. First option is go to the forward elevators and go down. Second option is take the rear elevators down to deck 6 then walk through the casino to the escalator and take that down to deck 5. It goes without saying that folks in wheelchairs or scooters don’t do well on escalators so they only have option one.

 

As mcmomny mentioned getting an elevator after a show or tendering could be an issue. But I will add two more times getting an elevator can be an issue. If you have bad weather on a sea day and all 4000 passengers are inside, elevator wait times can be long. Also on the morning of debarkation when folks have luggage with them, the wait for an elevator can be long. Hint: On debarkation day it might be quicker to take an elevator going up and then ride it back down.

 

I consider the Epic to be a ship for the healthy and physically abled. Not everyone has the option of taking the stairs.

I agree with you, narrow hallways seemed too tight for those in motorized scooters and cabins too small to store them. I often saw them stored in the hallway at the bottom of staircases near the elevators.

Plus trying to get thru some tight spots around the huge center staircase, always crowded with chairs and tables close leaving a narrow walking space plus two sun decks I believe are only accessible by stairs

And yes sometimes we did ride up to go down

Thank you for your review! I'll be on the Epic this Saturday for a second time. Only one more day stand between me and the Epic!

Thank you for your review! I'll be on the Epic this Saturday for a second time. Only one more day stand between me and the Epic!

Have fun! We sure did! I really liked being able to have time to explore The Epic, like I said when we were on her for the Med we had very little down time and didn't get to explore her much.

Our sailing was 100% occupancy, sometimes you noticed it and other times you didn't.

I forgot to mention that our cabin 12152 had the bed by the bathrooms and cabin 12156 the bed was by the balcony which is what I prefer, our last cruise our bed was by the balcony

Have fun! We sure did! I really liked being able to have time to explore The Epic, like I said when we were on her for the Med we had very little down time and didn't get to explore her much.

 

Our sailing was 100% occupancy, sometimes you noticed it and other times you didn't.

 

I forgot to mention that our cabin 12152 had the bed by the bathrooms and cabin 12156 the bed was by the balcony which is what I prefer, our last cruise our bed was by the balcony

Thank you for your great review. I think I would prefer the bed near the balcony also. Is there a way to tell what the set up is before? Not that I can do anything about it :) We will be on the March 10 sailing... just over two weeks!! Our ship is completely full, so we will get to meet 4000 new friends. As far as the elevators, we are step people. We try to always take the steps so we can eat/drink guilt free...kind of. Are there other areas that will seem congested with 4000 passengers?

Thank you for your great review. I think I would prefer the bed near the balcony also. Is there a way to tell what the set up is before? Not that I can do anything about it :) We will be on the March 10 sailing... just over two weeks!! Our ship is completely full, so we will get to meet 4000 new friends. As far as the elevators, we are step people. We try to always take the steps so we can eat/drink guilt free...kind of. Are there other areas that will seem congested with 4000 passengers?

Actually, I "think" I figured out the room configuration. I used your two rooms as an example. On the deck plan, the indentation is where the bed would be located? So, if the indentation is near the balcony...score! If it's near the bathroom...crap. Hopefully, this is correct.

Thank you for your great review. I think I would prefer the bed near the balcony also. Is there a way to tell what the set up is before? Not that I can do anything about it :) We will be on the March 10 sailing... just over two weeks!! Our ship is completely full, so we will get to meet 4000 new friends. As far as the elevators, we are step people. We try to always take the steps so we can eat/drink guilt free...kind of. Are there other areas that will seem congested with 4000 passengers?

If you go to NCL webpage and look at the deck plans for the Epic you will see the balcony rooms are curved, we were in 12152 and the toilet is on your right and the shower on your left as you enter. You will see on the deck plan that our cabin curved out on the right side just past the toilet and that is where the bed was.

A few hints, the bed tucks under the head board so you have walking room between the bed and dresser during the day, slide it out at night if you need more leg room in bed

The phone on the top right screen has a light bulb image, click that to turn the light off at night as it is pretty bright

the outlet is by the dresser under the TV, we always travel with a power strip to keep all charge-ables in one place

The most crowds we encountered would be the buffet after 9 am and the pool during at sea days, another hint for the buffet. the best seats were up front and down one flight of stairs to La Cucina. The Italian restaurant, they aren't open for breakfast but they are open for seating. Much nicer seating and much more quiet!

I think I forgot to mention that for GSC if you want to ride the wave runners you need your drivers license, we didn't bring them because we were told all we needed was our key cards so the boys were disappointed but they survived!

We also are stairs people to off set the food and drink but we drank and ate way too much this trip and I gained 6 pounds-----yikes!

have fun, and if I think of more i will update!

If you go to NCL webpage and look at the deck plans for the Epic you will see the balcony rooms are curved, we were in 12152 and the toilet is on your right and the shower on your left as you enter. You will see on the deck plan that our cabin curved out on the right side just past the toilet and that is where the bed was.

 

A few hints, the bed tucks under the head board so you have walking room between the bed and dresser during the day, slide it out at night if you need more leg room in bed

 

The phone on the top right screen has a light bulb image, click that to turn the light off at night as it is pretty bright

 

the outlet is by the dresser under the TV, we always travel with a power strip to keep all charge-ables in one place

 

The most crowds we encountered would be the buffet after 9 am and the pool during at sea days, another hint for the buffet. the best seats were up front and down one flight of stairs to La Cucina. The Italian restaurant, they aren't open for breakfast but they are open for seating. Much nicer seating and much more quiet!

 

I think I forgot to mention that for GSC if you want to ride the wave runners you need your drivers license, we didn't bring them because we were told all we needed was our key cards so the boys were disappointed but they survived!

 

We also are stairs people to off set the food and drink but we drank and ate way too much this trip and I gained 6 pounds-----yikes!

 

have fun, and if I think of more i will update!

Great tips! I have read many, many Epic reviews and a couple of these were new to me.

Thank you for the review too! 3 weeks until we board :D

Thanks for the tips. If we decide to do a wave runner in GSC, do we need to reserve it or can we just show up.

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Hello McMommy,

Could you please tell me how many live bands were on the Epic? Do they play any ballroom music? We like to do a bit of dancing and found that depending on the ship and the bands, sometime they have scheduled ballroom sets on the ship. Do you remember if they had any on the Epic while you were there? Thanks.