Mini Review - NCL Epic

[willysgrandma]

A review of my April 30 NCL Epic cruise:

 

The good:

 

Decor : I thought the decor on this ship is a big step ahead for NCL. Instead of garish colors throughout the ship, the ship was quite subdued and - almost elegant. I loved the wood and brick throughout the ship, the public areas, and even the room decor (but not the room layout - later on that). Epic Theater was very comfortable with no pillars blocking views.

 

Embarkation - it took about 20 minutes to check in and get on the ship. We arrived at about 12:30. No issues handing over the luggage to the porters or going through Security. Could not go to our cabins until 2 PM, but NCL designated one of the bars for storing carry on's until the cabins were ready. Job well done.

 

Entertainment - outstanding. I didn't think that I would find a cruise that topped the entertainment on RCCL's Oasis and Allure of the Seas, but Epic is right up there. Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Second City - all outstanding. There was plenty to do throughout the day on sea days as well. There were symposiums with the Blue Man Group and Second City Troupe where you were able to get behind the scenes information on their processes which was absolutely fascinating. Fat Cats was a really hot spot at night. We paid for the Cirque show - and I thought it was worth the money. (Although the food was terrible). Don't waste your money getting the premium seats on the bottom - take the standard $20 seats on top - you have a much better view. Also saw the Murder Mystery show - again, don't go for the food. We were seated downstairs for that and the seats were uncomfortable - squished together with mediocre food, but the show was fun. The Second City players are at their best when improvising. Saw Comedic Magician Jeff Hobson who had us rolling with laughter - he was very funny.

 

Studio Cabins - while we didn't stay in one, I wished we had. We were able to visit one and they are great for solo travelers. They had an actual enclosed toilet, two closets and bins for storage under the bed. The bed was full sized, and The Living Room was a wonderful plus for solo travelers. Every day there was Happy Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 PM with 2 for 1 drinks. There was a rep. there scheduling things for the solo travelers, a nice coffee bar - it was a great spot for singles to mingle. And I thought I would see it full of 20-somethings. Not true - there were more people in their 40's and 50's than there were the "young uns".

 

Courtyard Villas: The outside area of the Courtyard villas and Posh are two of the best spaces on the ship. The Courtyard is the largest of any of the NCL ships I've ever seen. There were beds on the deck around the pool and plenty of seating. Very beautifully decorated. Posh Beach Club is also a wonderfully comfortable space.

 

Itinerary: Wonderful itinerary. We did a tour of Chaccoben Ruins in COsta Maya hat was great, a private tour with Victor Bodden Tours in Roatan that had a wonderful stop to visit monkeys, and in Cozumel, we spent the day at a resort.

 

Alternate Restaurants - if you want a great meal, I felt you needed to pay for it. We ate at Le Bistro - outstanding food. I had the best lamb chops ever and my friend raved about her salmon. Tried Shanghai's another night - it was okay. I would not choose this on another line. Had sushi at Wasabi one night that was excellent. Other raved about Cagneys' and the Churrascaccia.

 

Gym: One of the largest gyms I've ever seen on a ship. I never had a problem getting a treadmill.

 

Casino - this ship boasts of the largest casino at sea and it certainly is. Although smoking is permitted, I never felt that the smoke was overwhelming and I didn't walk out smelling like cigarettes. Why that is, I don't know, perhaps the sheer size of the casino or that it is so open.

 

Disembarkation - Had there not been issues with Customs and not having enough agents causing an almost 2 hour process to get off the ship, I think disembarkation would have been a pleasure. You choose what time you want to get off the ship and pick your luggage tags based on that. Freestyle and pretty easy! We opted to walk off with our luggage early - as apparently about 30% of the ship did. The process would have been great had it not been screwed up by Customs. Again - another reason not to book early flights - had my flight been early, I would have probably nearly passed out on the lines worrying about missing the flight.

 

The bad:

 

Cabins - whoever designed these "wave" cabins should no longer have a job. We were two women traveling together and asked for the beds to be apart - there was literally 3" in between the beds when pulled apart. We had 2 closets - one that had no hangers and was useless with 3 narrow drawers no more than 8" deep - which stored nothing. There was another closet that we had to put a suitcase in because a 28" suitcase could not get under the bed. The room is overtaken by the large curvy couch. There is 10" between the end of the beds and the desk and dresser. There was one overhead cabinet that opened for storage, but because the beds were under it, it was impossible to get to. One of the sofa backs pulled out for a little additional storage.

 

The beds are also short. I am 5"5" and my feet hung over the bed. The man int he cabin next to us was 6'2" and he said he slept on the couch - the bed was too short and narrow for him.

 

If one of us was sitting at the desk drying our hair, the other could not get past to walk n the other side of the room. We dried our hair standing up so that the other person could get by. The wave took away a lot of space that was desperately needed in the cabins.

 

The bathroom is totally ridiculous. If you are traveling with family - the lack of privacy might not bother you. But if you are traveling with a friend - you are constantly pulling the bathroom curtain when dressing. To have a thin sheet of glass between you while sitting on the toilet or showering - if you are claustrophobic like I am it's a pretty uncomfortable feeling. And the sink in the room was so small, it was difficult to wash your face or brush your teeth.

 

We were very lucky our beds were close to the balcony. The people next to us had their beds next to the toilet and shower and said the bed reverberated in the middle of the night when they flushed the toilet.

 

I would not recommend putting more than 2 people in a cabin. Get two cabins or a suite if you are traveling with a family - there is just not enough room in one cabin.

 

Food: Food was okay at best if you did not eat at a Specialty Restaurant. Don't get me wrong - we didn't starve but there was nothing outstanding in either dining room. Tried O'Sheehans it was okay, nothing fantastic. We paid for the Cirque Show and the Murder Mystery and the food was awful in both of those as well, but I felt it was worth the money for the show alone. The buffet was okay - I enjoyed the varied ice cream flavors at lunch. The rest of the food was just okay - it seemed as though it was the same food day after day - some Indian choices, some Mexican choices, sandwiches, eggs, etc. Desserts were okay, nothing to write home about. We met a few people who had been on other NCL ships and thought the buffet on the Epic was the worst of all the ships they'd been on.

 

Service: also mediocre at best. The rug in our room was filthy when we arrived - we actually called Housekeeping and asked to have our room steward come and vacuum and dust. Even after vacuuming, the rug was dirty - they need to somehow shampoo them. Many burn holes in the rug.

 

We had to ask three times to have the fridge cleaned out and for robes.

 

Service in the specialty restaurants was excellent, but in the main dining room it left much to be desired. The first night we had a downright surly waitress in the Manhattan Room. Another dinner in Taste we had better servers, but our waiter didn't seem very enthusiastic about doing his job. In the buffet, we constantly had to ask for silverware - silverware is wrapped in napkins and put in a bin on the tables, but if you arrived after prime dining times, the bins were empty and we had to ask for silver ware. We also witnessed a lack of assistance by the staff in the buffet for people who had mobility issues. On more than one occasions, I witnessed people pushing a walker with one hand and carrying a filled dish with another past some of the servers or table cleaners and only twice did I see one of the servers offer to take the dish to a table for these people. On one occasion, the gal cleaning. the tables had a long conversation with a woman on a walker holding a plate and not once did she offer to help the woman.

 

Pools: The pools were way too small for a ship that size. Forget about doing laps in a pool - on sea days, you had little

 

All in all, I felt the good outweighed the bad on the ship. I would absolutely sail her again (although Second City will not be on any European sailings - they told us that the Europeans apparently don't get their humor and NCL was replacing them with other entertainment) but I would not settle for less than a mini-suite because of the lack of space. But the Entertainment is well worth trying the ship out!

[mtb242]

I have to agree with you on the food comments. But I'm sorry you had so much trouble with your cabin. My husband and I had no issues with the layout or design.

[Pugs]

A review of my April 30 NCL Epic cruise:

 

The good:

 

Decor : I thought the decor on this ship is a big step ahead for NCL. Instead of garish colors throughout the ship, the ship was quite subdued and - almost elegant. I loved the wood and brick throughout the ship, the public areas, and even the room decor (but not the room layout - later on that). Epic Theater was very comfortable with no pillars blocking views.

 

Embarkation - it took about 20 minutes to check in and get on the ship. We arrived at about 12:30. No issues handing over the luggage to the porters or going through Security. Could not go to our cabins until 2 PM, but NCL designated one of the bars for storing carry on's until the cabins were ready. Job well done.

 

Entertainment - outstanding. I didn't think that I would find a cruise that topped the entertainment on RCCL's Oasis and Allure of the Seas, but Epic is right up there. Blue Man Group, Legends in Concert, Second City - all outstanding. There was plenty to do throughout the day on sea days as well. There were symposiums with the Blue Man Group and Second City Troupe where you were able to get behind the scenes information on their processes which was absolutely fascinating. Fat Cats was a really hot spot at night. We paid for the Cirque show - and I thought it was worth the money. (Although the food was terrible). Don't waste your money getting the premium seats on the bottom - take the standard $20 seats on top - you have a much better view. Also saw the Murder Mystery show - again, don't go for the food. We were seated downstairs for that and the seats were uncomfortable - squished together with mediocre food, but the show was fun. The Second City players are at their best when improvising. Saw Comedic Magician Jeff Hobson who had us rolling with laughter - he was very funny.

 

Studio Cabins - while we didn't stay in one, I wished we had. We were able to visit one and they are great for solo travelers. They had an actual enclosed toilet, two closets and bins for storage under the bed. The bed was full sized, and The Living Room was a wonderful plus for solo travelers. Every day there was Happy Hour from 5:30 - 6:30 PM with 2 for 1 drinks. There was a rep. there scheduling things for the solo travelers, a nice coffee bar - it was a great spot for singles to mingle. And I thought I would see it full of 20-somethings. Not true - there were more people in their 40's and 50's than there were the "young uns".

 

Courtyard Villas: The outside area of the Courtyard villas and Posh are two of the best spaces on the ship. The Courtyard is the largest of any of the NCL ships I've ever seen. There were beds on the deck around the pool and plenty of seating. Very beautifully decorated. Posh Beach Club is also a wonderfully comfortable space.

 

Itinerary: Wonderful itinerary. We did a tour of Chaccoben Ruins in COsta Maya hat was great, a private tour with Victor Bodden Tours in Roatan that had a wonderful stop to visit monkeys, and in Cozumel, we spent the day at a resort.

 

Alternate Restaurants - if you want a great meal, I felt you needed to pay for it. We ate at Le Bistro - outstanding food. I had the best lamb chops ever and my friend raved about her salmon. Tried Shanghai's another night - it was okay. I would not choose this on another line. Had sushi at Wasabi one night that was excellent. Other raved about Cagneys' and the Churrascaccia.

 

Gym: One of the largest gyms I've ever seen on a ship. I never had a problem getting a treadmill.

 

Casino - this ship boasts of the largest casino at sea and it certainly is. Although smoking is permitted, I never felt that the smoke was overwhelming and I didn't walk out smelling like cigarettes. Why that is, I don't know, perhaps the sheer size of the casino or that it is so open.

 

Disembarkation - Had there not been issues with Customs and not having enough agents causing an almost 2 hour process to get off the ship, I think disembarkation would have been a pleasure. You choose what time you want to get off the ship and pick your luggage tags based on that. Freestyle and pretty easy! We opted to walk off with our luggage early - as apparently about 30% of the ship did. The process would have been great had it not been screwed up by Customs. Again - another reason not to book early flights - had my flight been early, I would have probably nearly passed out on the lines worrying about missing the flight.

 

The bad:

 

Cabins - whoever designed these "wave" cabins should no longer have a job. We were two women traveling together and asked for the beds to be apart - there was literally 3" in between the beds when pulled apart. We had 2 closets - one that had no hangers and was useless with 3 narrow drawers no more than 8" deep - which stored nothing. There was another closet that we had to put a suitcase in because a 28" suitcase could not get under the bed. The room is overtaken by the large curvy couch. There is 10" between the end of the beds and the desk and dresser. There was one overhead cabinet that opened for storage, but because the beds were under it, it was impossible to get to. One of the sofa backs pulled out for a little additional storage.

 

The beds are also short. I am 5"5" and my feet hung over the bed. The man int he cabin next to us was 6'2" and he said he slept on the couch - the bed was too short and narrow for him.

 

If one of us was sitting at the desk drying our hair, the other could not get past to walk n the other side of the room. We dried our hair standing up so that the other person could get by. The wave took away a lot of space that was desperately needed in the cabins.

 

The bathroom is totally ridiculous. If you are traveling with family - the lack of privacy might not bother you. But if you are traveling with a friend - you are constantly pulling the bathroom curtain when dressing. To have a thin sheet of glass between you while sitting on the toilet or showering - if you are claustrophobic like I am it's a pretty uncomfortable feeling. And the sink in the room was so small, it was difficult to wash your face or brush your teeth.

 

We were very lucky our beds were close to the balcony. The people next to us had their beds next to the toilet and shower and said the bed reverberated in the middle of the night when they flushed the toilet.

 

I would not recommend putting more than 2 people in a cabin. Get two cabins or a suite if you are traveling with a family - there is just not enough room in one cabin.

 

Food: Food was okay at best if you did not eat at a Specialty Restaurant. Don't get me wrong - we didn't starve but there was nothing outstanding in either dining room. Tried O'Sheehans it was okay, nothing fantastic. We paid for the Cirque Show and the Murder Mystery and the food was awful in both of those as well, but I felt it was worth the money for the show alone. The buffet was okay - I enjoyed the varied ice cream flavors at lunch. The rest of the food was just okay - it seemed as though it was the same food day after day - some Indian choices, some Mexican choices, sandwiches, eggs, etc. Desserts were okay, nothing to write home about. We met a few people who had been on other NCL ships and thought the buffet on the Epic was the worst of all the ships they'd been on.

 

Service: also mediocre at best. The rug in our room was filthy when we arrived - we actually called Housekeeping and asked to have our room steward come and vacuum and dust. Even after vacuuming, the rug was dirty - they need to somehow shampoo them. Many burn holes in the rug.

 

We had to ask three times to have the fridge cleaned out and for robes.

 

Service in the specialty restaurants was excellent, but in the main dining room it left much to be desired. The first night we had a downright surly waitress in the Manhattan Room. Another dinner in Taste we had better servers, but our waiter didn't seem very enthusiastic about doing his job. In the buffet, we constantly had to ask for silverware - silverware is wrapped in napkins and put in a bin on the tables, but if you arrived after prime dining times, the bins were empty and we had to ask for silver ware. We also witnessed a lack of assistance by the staff in the buffet for people who had mobility issues. On more than one occasions, I witnessed people pushing a walker with one hand and carrying a filled dish with another past some of the servers or table cleaners and only twice did I see one of the servers offer to take the dish to a table for these people. On one occasion, the gal cleaning. the tables had a long conversation with a woman on a walker holding a plate and not once did she offer to help the woman.

 

Pools: The pools were way too small for a ship that size. Forget about doing laps in a pool - on sea days, you had little

 

All in all, I felt the good outweighed the bad on the ship. I would absolutely sail her again (although Second City will not be on any European sailings - they told us that the Europeans apparently don't get their humor and NCL was replacing them with other entertainment) but I would not settle for less than a mini-suite because of the lack of space. But the Entertainment is well worth trying the ship out!

 

what deck and cabin were you in. ? I am cat B4 I wonder if it is larger?

[sdmike]

Thanks for your review. Did you do any research on the ship before booking your room? The bathroom layout and the "wave's" impact on bed separation are well documented on the board. I agree, the rooms are not great for "friends" traveling together. However, we had 4 of us (family) in one room and didn't experience any issues.

 

Glad you enjoyed it overall

[CRAustin]

I liked the cabin, not sure if you had a balcony or inside - I've never sailed before but found no issue whatsoever with the cabin and some of the hangers from the bigger closet were regular hangers that could be moved to the other closet.

 

Maybe they are all slightly different I'm 5 8 and my husband 6 2 and not thin and we had no issue with the bed - it was closest to the balcony and we did have an oversized balcony so maybe the cabin was slightly oversized, as we could pass by the bed by each other with no issue and we stored two 3 large empty suitcases in our closet, one under the bed.

 

I don't have a comparison being a new cruiser but I loved the newness, cleanliness and felt we had plenty of room.:)

[willysgrandma]

Our cabin was 10028, a BF balcony cabin. We traveled with a special group and were not able to choose our own cabins, we were assigned cabins. Had we been able to choose, we would not have chosen these, but it was a great learning experience.

 

If you are in a BF cabin, I'd recommend checking the layout to make sure that your beds are by the balcony door, not by the "bathroom". And again, if you are traveling as a couple, not two single people, you probably wouldn't be bothered by the lack of privacy. There is give and take with the bed placement. If you the beds are closer to the bathroom, you'll have much more room at the end of the room by the balcony and the three drawers in the room are deeper. You will also have access to the one overhead cabinet that opens because it is under the couch and not a bed. But you will have the middle of the night flushing issue and the people next door to us complained that it was hard to wash up at the sink because the beds were right there.

 

sdmike, were you in a BF category? If the couch had been by the balcony door, I think I could see being able to get 4 people in the room, but if the couch was after the bathroom as our was, having it pulled out for sleeping would not have allowed much space to get to the bathroom in the middle of the night.

 

As I said, the cabin certainly wasn't a deal breaker - I really enjoyed the rest of the ship. I'd sail the Epic again and would recommend it as well.

 

And those studio cabins were great - I wouldn't hesitate grabbing one of those if I were traveling with a friend again and didn't care about not having a balcony. My friend said the same.