Comparing Epic bathrooms to European bathrooms

[JohnL1935]

We were on the Epic 9/18--9/25 in aft cabin 12310. At the end of that cruise we sailed the Oasis in a board walk cabin 11325 (B1). We are seniors and have been on at least 30 cruises. Our favorite cruise line is Princess and we've been on 4 NCL ships (Westward, Norway, Dawn & Epic). We would not sail the Epic again, mainly because of the cabin. One thing I never noticed in comments on the ship was the lighting. Our cabin had one 2 inch halogen type spot in the ceiling over the sink, vanity (make-up) and center pillow area of the bed. The bed did have small bullet spots on each side of the bed. My side did not work. There was a large indirect fluorescent type lighting over the bed but this was more for effect than reading. My wife had great difficulty putting on make-up and I could not be standing between her and the natural light from the balcony. Shaving over the sink wasn't much better. The shower would accumulate 1-2 inches of water for the 1st two days until that was repaired. The shower spray had 1/2 the normal pressure. Half the water would just dribble out of the unit. The steward never did fix that problem. We had to use the pulsating option which seemed normal. Maybe it was us, but we had to surround the sink with hand towels. One day we forgot and the kleenex got soaked. We just got a box of tissues from the steward and left it on the vanity and forgot about the one under the sink. We loved the entertainment, except for the SC Comedy show which was boring. We really enjoyed the Cirque dinner show that many people panned on these blogs. The buffet was superior to the Oasis but the Oasis' Main Dining room had much better service and the food was better than the Epic. The Oasis does not have an eggs-to-order area so we had breakfast at the main dining room after the 1st 2 days. Seating was hard to find at the Windjammer buffet but never a problem on the Epic. At first I enjoyed the music in the Manhatten room but then realized it was just too loud and hard to converse at our table.

 

The traditional cabin on the Oasis was thoroughly refreshing after the Epic. People on the Oasis were amazed at the layout of the Epic's cabin when we tried to describe it to them.

 

The lobster on the Epic was one of the worse of my cruising. By contrast, we dined in Le Bistro where I had one of the best filets ever and I paid extra for the lobster which was delicious and so plentiful that I could barely finish it. If you cruise on the Epic be sure to dine at this resturant. It was worth the extra $$.

 

John L.

[sdmike]

Hello John. Feel free to start a thread comparing Oasis to Epic if you like.

[DocJohnB]

Hello John. Feel free to start a thread comparing Oasis to Epic if you like.

 

Yes please, no comments unless you agree that the Epic's staterooms are quite similar to some European hotel(s).

[samnewbie]

Hi Mike,

 

Nice pics of your Amsterdam trip.

 

I completely agree with you about the similarities with the bathrooms not only in your particular hotel in Amsterdam but in many European hotels with those on the Epic.

 

Being from the UK I have stayed in many many European hotels, the most recent ones in Cologne and Barcelona (both were 5* hotels) and both had similar bathroom set ups with similar sinks and similar shower areas with glass doors.

 

Infact in Cologne although the shower, toilet and sink were all in the one room, the shower was plain glass, the main door into the bathroom was slightly frosted glass that you could see to the bathroom quite clearly really so whatever you were doing could be viewed and yes we had to walk past the bathroom to get out and into the room - It was never an issue nor was it a problem, daughter thought it was great fun!. There are even hotels in London with similar set ups. (oh and the men went naked in the jacuzzi and saunas in Cologne which was a slight shock to daughter but she was puzzled why they then put clothing on to swim in the pool LOL!)

 

We are just in the process infact of re-designing our own bathroom and yes we will be choosing a 'modern european sink and faucet or as we brits usually say ...tap' placed on a furniture storage unit and we are looking at frosted glass shower screens. I would think virtually every bathroom showroom in the UK has these similar sinks, faucets and even frosted showers, they also have more traditional designs too of course but the modern trend is much more minimalist even here in the UK.

 

My husband even joked that we changed the bathroom door to a frosted glass one in readiness for our Epic trip next summer and to get more European! :D haha...methinks i will draw the line at the main door being frosted glass though, it just wouldnt go with the rest of the decor! ;)

 

Anyhow, I also wanted to ask if you would recommend the hotel for being fairly central for sightseeing in Amsterdam? It's on our list for short breaks next.

 

Oh and here is another Antony Gormley sculpture for you, it is not that far from where i live and is part of a series of '100 iron men' on Crosby Beach entitled 'Another Place' , they look eerily real from distance...

 

and his 'Angel Of The North' at Gateshead

 

 

 

The 'poo poo man' is fab though!

 

 

Thanks again Mike, and nice similarities :D

 

 

Sam :)

[sdmike]

Yes please, no comments unless you agree that the Epic's staterooms are quite similar to some European hotel(s).

 

Unfair and unnecessary comment, John. The post was off topic, which WAS the comparison of the bathrooms (whether you agree there's a similarity or not). If they wanted to post a review of the ship compared to Oasis there are other threads for that.

[sdmike]

samnewbie - those sculptures are neat! I'll have to look up more of his work.

 

Yes, I recommend the hotel. It is right across the canal from the Casino and a few blocks from lots of cafes and shopping. I don't have anything to compare it against, but it was fine for me.

[DocJohnB]

Unfair and unnecessary comment, John. The post was off topic, which WAS the comparison of the bathrooms (whether you agree there's a similarity or not). If they wanted to post a review of the ship compared to Oasis there are other threads for that.

Mike,

 

I would agree if you hadn't taken it afield yourself with a discussion about Lelystad and the poo poo man and your day(s). You wanted this thread to be about the similarities between the Epic staterooms and some European hotel rooms and even tried to keep it on your track with the rejoinder of not wanting this to become another Epic bathroom debate.

 

It is your thread and you can try to guide it as you see fit, but if you are going to slip afield of the conversation, others should have the same right.

 

Now as to JohnL's post itself . . . . it probably would have been better placed in Lusitanica's thread, but it wasn't and at least he was addressing the sink and the room.

[sdmike]

True on the thread diversion

[Mr. Luckytoo]

 

So, imagine my shock when I got into this room after having been on the Epic. There are so many design similarities that it cannot be a coincidence. The ship certainly has a euro design, which is very different than what US residents are used to. I'm sure when the ship moves to the Med next year there will be far fewer discussions about the bathrooms, because quite frankly it's what a lot of Europeans are used to.

 

Mike good observations. What surprises me is what possessed the NCL executives to think that their 'Euro' designs would appeal to the American marketplace?

 

Maybe NCL will decide to keep the Epic in the Med rather than returning the ship to the Carribbean? Personally I think NCL would be smart to base the Epic out of NYC doing Caribbean in winter and US/Canada in the summer.

[marinaro44]

Mike good observations. What surprises me is what possessed the NCL executives to think that their 'Euro' designs would appeal to the American marketplace?

With few exceptions, the response of most here has been quite positive. We had no issues with the bathrooms.

[Mr. Luckytoo]

With few exceptions, the response of most here has been quite positive. We had no issues with the bathrooms.

 

Having an 'issue' and preferring something are two different subjects.

 

I too had no issues with the bathrooms, however given the choice I would prefer a more traditional design.

 

However while much has been written about the bathrooms I DOUBT many people take this into consideration when booking a cruise. So may but those are in a definite minority.

 

One thing that Mike brought up with this thread is what/who had an influence on the bathroom concept? I agree with Mike that the bathrooms resemble those found in Europe. The question I have is why?

[coffeebean]

Having an 'issue' and preferring something are two different subjects.

 

I too had no issues with the bathrooms, however given the choice I would prefer a more traditional design.

 

However while much has been written about the bathrooms I DOUBT many people take this into consideration when booking a cruise. So may but those are in a definite minority.

 

One thing that Mike brought up with this thread is what/who had an influence on the bathroom concept? I agree with Mike that the bathrooms resemble those found in Europe. The question I have is why?

In our upcoming standard balcony cabin, I have been imagining not having to put the light on in the toilet room or the shower room during daylight hours. I'm hoping the translucent doors will allow daylight to pass through to these spaces during the day as if the spaces had windows. If that is that case, then this "bathroom" design is "green". It does seem that NCL is attempting to use less energy to power the lights on the ship. I've read about those credit type cards that have to be placed in a slot to power the lights in the cabins.

 

Just a thought...I may be completely wrong though.

[samnewbie]

samnewbie - those sculptures are neat! I'll have to look up more of his work.

 

Yes, I recommend the hotel. It is right across the canal from the Casino and a few blocks from lots of cafes and shopping. I don't have anything to compare it against, but it was fine for me.

 

 

Hi Mike,

 

Yes he does some interesting work, his ones not far from me caused quite a stir when they were first installed into their positions along the beach.

 

Thanks about the hotel, i've made a note of it to check out when we book our break :D

 

Sam :)

[marinaro44]

I too had no issues with the bathrooms, however given the choice I would prefer a more traditional design.

If you had "no issues with the bathrooms," why do you bring the subject up over and over and over? Seems to me someone who had "no issues" might bring it up once, and that should be enough.

 

European countries have been in the vanguard of modern design for nearly a century: Thonet; the Bauhaus School; Danish modern furniture; Italian lighting; and on and on.

[Hunwolf]

Mike nice photo's.

 

I noticed that the sink in the hotel was much 'wider' than the Epic.

 

Are you sure about the similarities in room setup? I think there was more storage on the Epic plus for $200 euro a night

I doubt you get your meals at the hotel did you? Plus the hotel didn't have BMG in their lobby did they? Nope I think the

Epic was a better value than your hotel...

 

Is the Epic located in a great part of downtown Amsterdam? If so...we may be able to do a direct comparison. :D

[sdmike]

Is the Epic located in a great part of downtown Amsterdam? If so...we may be able to do a direct comparison. :D

 

Well, it could probably make it to within walking distance of the hotel, and would certainly be one of the tallest "buildings" in the city. :)

[sdmike]

Here's one more picture showing the reading lights (look familiar?) and some accent lighting (ala the studios)

 

[sverigecruiser]

It seems like the kind of bathroom design they have on the Epic is common in the Netherlands but it's NOT a European design.

 

I have stayed at hotels in most countries in Europe and in many other countries too and twice I have had a bathroom layout close to the layout on the Epic, both times it was in the US!

 

I have also been in many homes around Europe and I have never seen anything close to the Epiclayout.

[sdmike]

Interesting. The one European hotel I visit and it's like that, as well as my friend's house. I guess I assumed that since Holland is in Europe that this was "European"

[Liquid Shiva]

I've seen numourous layouts like the epic.

Not only here in Europe, but also in Asia.

The bathrooms are not Dutch, but have the clean minimalistic design which is modern now (I assume minimalistic designs are also sold in the US).

In Belgium I even stayed in a hotel with a huge bath in the bedroom, wonderful design hotel called 'Carbon" it's in Genk.

 

Most of the Amsterdam center is walkable, just put on your walking shoes ;-)

[TEACRUISER]

Thank you for the pics of Amsterdam. It reminded me of my trip in July. Gorgeous and fun. Thanks again.

[leslierx]

I would so love to sail the epic. The bathroom situation would not bother me a bit. Maybe if I was sharing a room with someone other than my husband it may be an issue? Our resort in Mexico had a huge wonderfull bathroom with a jacuzzi tub, a beautifull tile shower with glass door and a water closet to house the toilet, also with a glass door. There were wooden shutters that could open up into the bedroom, which I liked, because you could open them up and see outside to the pool and ocean while getting ready in the bathroom. You would not believe the amount of complaints on tripadvisor about the "lack of privacy" in the bathroom. Those people would really freak out on the Epic!

[cherylroslyn]

You are hilarious sdmike.....I hope you stay on these boards forever....did you take a foot shot of yourself in Holland???? You have made the "pedi-shot" all the rage....I even mistakenly thought mitsugirly was you one night...when she was talking about a lacay dress and heels....I thought sdmike had another side ......

[sdmike]

You are hilarious sdmike.....I hope you stay on these boards forever....did you take a foot shot of yourself in Holland???? You have made the "pedi-shot" all the rage....I even mistakenly thought mitsugirly was you one night...when she was talking about a lacay dress and heels....I thought sdmike had another side ......

 

hahahah! No, I forgot to take a "foot shot" of me in Holland except for when I had on a pair of GIANT wooden shoes (yes, a tourist thing). I did a canal cruise, and that would have been the perfect time for one of those shots. Sure would have looked strange doing that one though. :)

 

Too funny about Kim's post. Thought I had a more feminine side, huh? lol