Lusitanica's EPIC REVIEW with pics, videos, comments, etc.

[DocJohnB]

If the:

 

Two banks of elevators..

Lack of a true promenade deck...

The "gimmick" of undulating cabin walls...

Surface mounted bowl sinks...

Small pool and pool deck...

 

Were enough of a bother to mention them in this "review", you may want to reconsider your trip on the SOLSTICE, since that ship has the same "flaws"

 

All true but the pools (and there are three) are larger than what I saw on EPIC. Also while the cabin walls do interconnect with each other, overall the cabin is wider with enough space for a coffee table in front of the sofa. I think the bathrooms on SOLSTICE are wonderful, some of the largest standard bathrooms afloat and a shower you can actually move around in.

My thoughts echo Ernie's here with a few additional ones.

 

Both ships do have the surface mounted bowl sinks. However, Solstice has theirs located within the bathroom, where splashing water isn't quite the problem as in the cabin (opinion). Personally, I do not care for this type of sink, unless the neck of the faucet swivels out of the way.

 

While not a true promenade deck (one that wraps around the ship), Solstice's does flow uninterrupted pretty much for to aft on BOTH sides of the ship, and is more open to the sea than is Epic (for those of us that like that feature). I will admit that the lifeboats do detract somewhat.

 

You are absolutely right in regards to the banks of elevators. And looking at the deck plans on the Epic, they appear to be somewhat better situated. My biggest complaint about the Solstice class is the lack of an aft elevator bank and the distance from aft to the amidships bank. Probably not a concern for younger folks. I get past this problem by booking cabins around the middle of the ship.

 

I can only go by pictures of the Epic's pools, but just comparing pictures, I would not disagree with you about small size, but Solstice's appear to be larger.

[DocJohnB]

One of the industry standards for measuring size vs comfort is space ratio. (basically derived by dividing grt by number of passengers (2 per cabin)).

 

Travelocity says this about space ratio: (Space ratio does not necessarily correlate with stateroom size. Ships can have small staterooms but very large public areas, yielding a higher space ratio number.

The higher the ratio, the more passengers will have a sense of the ship's roominess.)

 

Here are the space ratios for some of the newest launches.

 

Epic 36

Oasis OTS 41

Eclipse 43

Nieuw Amsterdam 43

Carnival Dream 36

 

In fact, although the largest ship in its' fleet (by far), Epic "feels" smaller than its' counterparts in that fleet.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Hmmm. I have weighed the options of stepping in to this uh, debate... but that is why I wear asbestos undies while perusing CC.

 

~Intrepid <-- doused in gasoline and ready to fry!

 

Fry? Really? :confused:

 

I pretty much agree with a lot that you wrote - it was your personal observations written in a non-confrontational manner. Nothing wrong with that.

 

I just with other posters would take your post as an example of civilized communication and stop resorting to name calling. As for the asbestos undies - OUCH!:eek:

[intrepid_guy]

As for the asbestos undies - OUCH!:eek:

 

They just itch a little.... and chafe.

 

~Intrepid <-- boxers or briefs

[Mr. Luckytoo]

One of the industry standards for measuring size vs comfort is space ratio. (basically derived by dividing grt by number of passengers (2 per cabin)).

 

Travelocity says this about space ratio: (Space ratio does not necessarily correlate with stateroom size. Ships can have small staterooms but very large public areas, yielding a higher space ratio number.

The higher the ratio, the more passengers will have a sense of the ship's roominess.)

 

Here are the space ratios for some of the newest launches.

 

Epic 36

Oasis OTS 41

Eclipse 43

Nieuw Amsterdam 43

Carnival Dream 36

 

In fact, although the largest ship in its' fleet (by far), Epic "feels" smaller than its' counterparts in that fleet.

I hadn't heard of the Space ratio before but having sailed on an S-Class ship and the Epic the biggest difference between them was the feeling of "openness" vs. in a casino. Of course in my case being on a TA in the North Atlantic very few of us ventured out onto deck 15; I know I wimped out. Whereas on the S-class I spent hours on the lawn in the Caribbean.

 

Nevertheless having spent a lot of time in both casino's my preference was the Equinox for this simple reason: non-smoking. Now the Epic's casino had many more tables and a live dealer for their poker tournaments! :cool:

[Cruisin'cockney]

~Intrepid <-- doused in gasoline and ready to fry!

 

Well I won't be lighting the match! I make you right on pretty much every count! I also think there are a quite a few of us who think this way and we outnumber Lusitanica and his followers (I can't prove this). It's worth stating once more that he is entitled to his opinions but they need to be shown to be opinions and not facts.

 

Having said all of that however I should say that I really enjoy reading his posts as they give us the opportunity to have our say. He raises issues that should be raised and makes many valid points. Just wouldn't want to be on a cruise with him! :eek:

 

Cruisin'cockney <-- standing side by side with Intrepid

[coffeebean]

Really good points and why a Celebrity cruise will certainly not appeal to everyone. I agree it's a much more formal, structured atmosphere. I don't think I found it "stuffy", but certainly more dressy than lines like NCL and Carnival.

 

If you never want to get dressed up and have little structure, I think NCL is the best line. This being said, I think EPIC goes a bit against the grain of Freestyle. From what I have read, for the best experience on board it pays to plan a little and prebook some shows and restaurants. While I personally have no problem with that, it's not very "freestyle" so to speak.

Ernie

The Epic is still Freestyle in the fact that you do not have to dine at the same time every night with the same group of people. Yes, it's a great idea to make reservations for the three main shows and for the specialty restaurants but you can make the reservations for what ever time you like.

 

IF you are dining in the main dining rooms, reservations are not necessary and you may dine at the time you prefer, not the time that is assigned to you. Do what you want to do and do it with whom you want to do it with and lastly...do it at a time you want to do it. Epic still offers these options of Freestyle. A little planning is not a bad thing especially when you are the one who is deciding when, where, with whom and what you want to do.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

Well I won't be lighting the match!

 

Cruisin'cockney <-- standing side by side with Intrepid

 

Do you have on your asbestos undies too? ;)

 

I agree with you that having different perspectives is actually refreshing - even if you don't agree with that person it's ok to agree to disagree.

 

You have to admit that seeing how NCL has some of those pictures on its website regarding the Epic vs. the actual photos is...well....interesting.

 

For the life of me I don't understand who thought the frosted glass doors was a good idea - why not make them mirror coated? That way it provides more privacy AND you get a full length mirror as well?

[sjbdtz]

Both ships do have the surface mounted bowl sinks. However, Solstice has theirs located within the bathroom, where splashing water isn't quite the problem as in the cabin (opinion)

 

In the bathroom-enclosure version of the sink, does the water suspend in mid-air rather than making the floor wet? (in order to be 'not quite the problem'). If you slip, you conk your head on the toilet. On Epic, if you slip you fall onto a comfy bed! :p

 

 

 

In fact, although the largest ship in its' fleet (by far), Epic "feels" smaller than its' counterparts in that fleet.

 

To whom? As someone who has sailed this ship, and plans to again, I would disagree that it feels 'smaller' than its sisters.

 

 

 

Cruisin'cockney <-- standing side by side with Intrepid

 

.....by side.....with me.

 

 

 

Is EPIC my favorite ship' date=' no... I think the SPIRIT is,

That's great to hear. We may be inserting a Spirit trip in December, and haven't tried that ship yet. Looking forward to it!

 

 

I dont know what they do on that deck, and I am not qualified to take a guess, I suppose that Lusitanica is tho.

 

Sure you are! ;). And we know that he is, given all the other guesses he took.

 

The passage between the bed and the sink is ~ 16 Are you sure? See, I took a tape measure aboard with me (one day I will draw out my room with all the measurements) and the distance from the foot of the bed to the cabinets was 30 inches.... quite a difference.

 

C'mon now....don't try to bring reality into the discussion!

 

 

A sink has to be next to the toilet so that a person can complete necessary private hygiene procedures without leaving the toilet cubicle. In Epic standard balcony cabin a person will have to leave the toilet cubicle and cross the bedroom to reach the sink. Apparently this is not a fact... every public restroom has a sink outside of the stall, many hotels do too.... even some houses do!

 

 

Okay, I_G, I have to take issue with your comment. Not 'all' public restrooms are like this...many handi-capable stalls have sinks inside.

I also take exception to the original insinuation (sorry....statement...) that a person will have to "cross the bedroom to reach the sink". This is patently untrue. A person might have to ENTER the bedroom, but they certainly don't have to cross it, unless the meaning was width-wise....

 

 

If only I wasn't already married..... ;)

[coffeebean]

Anything pressed up against frosted glass will be visible, frosting is to blur things behind the glass.

 

The Freestyle Daily, easily visible from behind the frosted glass, is the one thing that made me think the pictures were a bit slanted towards the OP's agenda. It was not fair to place the Freestyle Daily so close to the glass as anything is easily visible when close to frosted glass. I know that, you know that and so does Lusitanica.

[pcreek]

We sailed on the EPIC last month and had a great time. Nothing at all like this review.

 

 

These are not lap pools. I have never seen a cruise ship with pools that you can swim laps in.

 

 

The Dawn has a pool in the spa area that is large enough to do some laps..maybe not olympic size..but still enough room to do laps.

And..when rough seas - a good workout to swim against the tide..you keep swimming - but go nowhere! It was a blast! :D

[lusitanica]

 

 

The passage between the bed and the sink is ~ 16 Are you sure? See, I took a tape measure aboard with me (one day I will draw out my room with all the measurements) and the distance from the foot of the bed to the cabinets was 30 inches.... quite a difference.

 

 

 

Please check your measurements before posting.

They are wrong.

A technical drawing is posted in the review. It can help you.

 

 

Epic has a theatre that accommodates 681 guests.

We had ~4700 passengers on board…

The theatre is too small for such a big ship. Obviously not if later you state that the theater was 3/4 full. Not everyone wants to see every show. BMG puts on 8 shows a week and using your seat count (did you count them?) 8 x 681 = 5448, that is 116% capacity. So, are we done talking about the "small" theater?

 

Following this logic, a theatre for 500 guests would be even better?

14x500 = 7000, that is 149% capacity. :)

 

Please, check your math.

1. 681x7days = 4767

2. 681x7days = 4767

 

It means that the theatre can accomodate only 2 shows for all passengers for entire 7nt cruise.

That's why the theatre is too small for this ship.

Thank you.

[sjbdtz]

Following this logic, a theatre for 500 guests would be even better? 14x500 = 7000, that is 149% capacity. :)

 

Please, check your math.

1. 681x7days = 4767

2. 681x7days = 4767

 

It means that the theatre can accomodate only 2 shows for all passengers for entire 7nt cruise.

That's why the theatre is too small for this ship.

Thank you.

 

 

How many shows/night does your cruiseline offer? Most are 2 shows/night.

 

 

What's your point?

 

 

Intrepid stated that BMG do 8 shows/week, so I'm not sure why you started multiplying things by 7......

[DocJohnB]

The Freestyle Daily, easily visible from behind the frosted glass, is the one thing that made me think the pictures were a bit slanted towards the OP's agenda. It was not fair to place the Freestyle Daily so close to the glass as anything is easily visible when close to frosted glass. I know that, you know that and so does Lusitanica.

Probably true. However, let's be really fair here.

 

In the shorter video at about 7 minutes in, Lusitanica films someone in the toilet enclosure wrapped in a blue towel. The image of that person, while distorted a bit, is clearly visible.

 

Now if I were cruising with the wife this would not be a problem at all. However, next year I plan on taking my 13 y.o. granddaughter along with us, and for the sake of propriety, if nothing else, this would be unacceptable.

[CanadianTwosome]

Probably true. However, let's be really fair here.

 

In the shorter video at about 7 minutes in, Lusitanica films someone in the toilet enclosure wrapped in a blue towel. The image of that person, while distorted a bit, is clearly visible.

 

Now if I were cruising with the wife this would not be a problem at all. However, next year I plan on taking my 13 y.o. granddaughter along with us, and for the sake of propriety, if nothing else, this would be unacceptable.

 

This debate isn't really going to start again, is it?

 

Here's the scoop: My mother is joining us on the Epic. I'm sure that anyone who speaks of potential issues about the glass will agree that my husband and my mother are an excellent example of two individuals who NEVER want to see each other (or be seen by one another) while in the shower or toilet. So, while I've been accused of 'not understanding' in the past because I actually like the design, I think I've got a pretty good handle on how much privacy two travelling companions could need.

 

Solution: Don't look. Leave the cabin. Go out on the balcony. SHOW EACH OTHER RESPECT. There are so many options other than staring at the door of the shower/toilet trying to make out who is on the other side and what they're doing!!!!! I'm paying a lot of money to be on the Epic with my family; why would I not want to be out of my cabin exploring as much as I could? I'm also paying a premium to have a balcony; is it a terrible hardship to actually sit on it for 20 minutes (assuming I don't want to explore the ship)? Am I so completely lacking in impulse control that I can't simply find something else to do besides staring at a bathroom door?

 

My mother travelled with us once before in an inside cabin, and believe me, there wasn't a lot of privacy, but even without having to resort to changing in a steamy bathroom, nobody had any issues. Why? Because we all respect each other and were happy to give each other privacy when needed. It's NOT difficult.

 

I've seen the pictures in this thread and some others where people have 'proven' how transparent the doors are. REALISTICALLY, however, in each case, both the photographer and everyone looking at the picture are making an effort to see through the glass. I don't intend to do so when I'm on the ship, and in fact, I fully intend to ignore the entire bathroom area, just as I always do, because I have no interest in what other people do in the bathroom!!!

 

Here's the part I have the most difficulty understanding: people are willing to travel together, spend a week or more in a TINY cabin together, sleep practically on top of each other in their pyjamas (and presumably be seen in their pyjamas), and walk around the pool deck surrounded by strangers who can surely make out their bodies a lot better in a bathing suit than behind a frosted glass door - but the idea of putting themselves out by having to show their companion a little privacy is apparently outside the realm of possibility. :confused:

[PokerDave]

However, next year I plan on taking my 13 y.o. granddaughter along with us, and for the sake of propriety, if nothing else, this would be unacceptable.

 

Thus the curtain...

[NEW 2 CRUISIN]

Reading this whole thread could make your head spin -- which is exactly what I suspect the Original Poster intended.

 

While She certainly has the right to express her experience on the ship, so too do we all have the right to ignore it.

 

For a refreshing set of or "real" reviews, I think I'll stick with the "official" REVIEWS section here on the Cruise Critic website:

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/getreviews.cfm?action=ship&ShipID=481

 

I happen to find them more objective, and certainly welcome the inability of others to post replies there.

 

:)

[DocJohnB]

Thus the curtain...

 

However, one every other ship I know of, it is a door that separates the shower and bath area from the stateroom, not some curtain. You quite apparently like its' functionality. Others do not.

[DocJohnB]

This debate isn't really going to start again, is it?

 

Here's the scoop: My mother is joining us on the Epic. I'm sure that anyone who speaks of potential issues about the glass will agree that my husband and my mother are an excellent example of two individuals who NEVER want to see each other (or be seen by one another) while in the shower or toilet. So, while I've been accused of 'not understanding' in the past because I actually like the design, I think I've got a pretty good handle on how much privacy two travelling companions could need.

 

Solution: Don't look. Leave the cabin. Go out on the balcony. SHOW EACH OTHER RESPECT. There are so many options other than staring at the door of the shower/toilet trying to make out who is on the other side and what they're doing!!!!! I'm paying a lot of money to be on the Epic with my family; why would I not want to be out of my cabin exploring as much as I could? I'm also paying a premium to have a balcony; is it a terrible hardship to actually sit on it for 20 minutes (assuming I don't want to explore the ship)? Am I so completely lacking in impulse control that I can't simply find something else to do besides staring at a bathroom door?

 

My mother travelled with us once before in an inside cabin, and believe me, there wasn't a lot of privacy, but even without having to resort to changing in a steamy bathroom, nobody had any issues. Why? Because we all respect each other and were happy to give each other privacy when needed. It's NOT difficult.

 

I've seen the pictures in this thread and some others where people have 'proven' how transparent the doors are. REALISTICALLY, however, in each case, both the photographer and everyone looking at the picture are making an effort to see through the glass. I don't intend to do so when I'm on the ship, and in fact, I fully intend to ignore the entire bathroom area, just as I always do, because I have no interest in what other people do in the bathroom!!!

 

Here's the part I have the most difficulty understanding: people are willing to travel together, spend a week or more in a TINY cabin together, sleep practically on top of each other in their pyjamas (and presumably be seen in their pyjamas), and walk around the pool deck surrounded by strangers who can surely make out their bodies a lot better in a bathing suit than behind a frosted glass door - but the idea of putting themselves out by having to show their companion a little privacy is apparently outside the realm of possibility. :confused:

 

Actually, I wasn't trying to restart the debate and I do regret writing the 2nd paragraph now simply because that is what you and PokerDave focused on. I meant to merely show that some posters were not being completely fair when taking Lusitanica to task for "manufacturing" an enhanced view of the shower by placing a daily against the side but didn't talk about the view showing an actual person inside the shower.

 

As to the debate you refer to. I have done all the things you suggested in your solution when traveling with a 3rd in the room and they all work (and I do not stare in the windows). However, every cruise ship I have sailed on, every hotel I have ever stayed in and every house I have lived in or visited have always had the bath and its' facilities separated from the bedroom. I like it that way. You certainly don't have to agree.

[lusitanica]

 

 

The one point I DO want to make is that I am tremendously impressed by the powerful impact geneerated by a youtube video. I am fascinated by not only the technical techniques in fading to different shots, the juxtaposition of the cruise ship and the cabin sink, and particularly the effect of "Everything's Great in America" to show the Miami skyline.

 

If a picture is worth a thousand words, how much more infinite is the power of a well crafted video to make a point. In the same manner in which I wondered whether Sailor Jack was a professional writer (he is not) I wonder whether the OP works in Advertising or related PR field.

 

Whether you like the video or not, I stand in awe of the creativity which produced it. And I thank the OP for what looks like a great deal of work.

 

 

Thank you!

[Hunwolf]

I thought...on the whole...it was a good review. That's the kind of information that this site and (in particular) this message board needs more of.

 

Why do people feel the need to completely pick it apart?

 

Oh wait...nevermind.

[coffeebean]

Probably true. However, let's be really fair here.

 

In the shorter video at about 7 minutes in, Lusitanica films someone in the toilet enclosure wrapped in a blue towel. The image of that person, while distorted a bit, is clearly visible.

 

Now if I were cruising with the wife this would not be a problem at all. However, next year I plan on taking my 13 y.o. granddaughter along with us, and for the sake of propriety, if nothing else, this would be unacceptable.

To be honest, I have not seen the videos. I'm really trying not to see too much of the ship as I want to be surprised when I finally board her in a little more than two weeks. I can only go by the photo the OP posted of the Freestyle Daily behind the frosted glass.

[coffeebean]

Thus the curtain...

Folks should have no visual privacy issues at all. Thanks for reminding us about the curtain.

[lusitanica]

The Freestyle Daily, easily visible from behind the frosted glass, is the one thing that made me think the pictures were a bit slanted towards the OP's agenda. It was not fair to place the Freestyle Daily so close to the glass as anything is easily visible when close to frosted glass. I know that, you know that and so does Lusitanica.

 

 

This should help:

 

 

I will, however, say that your photo of the freestyle daily from behind the bathroom enclosure had me on the floor....and the other photo of the enclosure in use is one of the funniest things I've ever seen here.....

 

 

Just a bit more sense of humor, just a bit less fear of agendas and the world won't be looking upside down.:)

[lusitanica]

Cabin 11313 I would love to see where I will be. This is an aft balcony. Thanks for the help.