Just off the Epic today. My two cents...

[cnssu123]

My background: This is my 8th cruise, 3 on Carnival, 2 on RCL, 2 on Norwegian and 1 on Celebrity. I traveled with my BF to celebrate my birthday on board the Epic. While my last cruise on the NCL Jewel (my first NCL) was not bad, but I wasn't fond of it either, I felt that NCL's food, services are not up to par when comparing to the other companies I have traveled with. Since I went on the Carnival Dream, Oasis of the Sea, I wanted to go on the Epic, try on all the things people like and dislike about the ship and give NCL another shot.

 

I am not a very good writer, so bear with me, I will try my best.

 

Cabin and Cabin Services:

We booked the room 11246; unfortunately it was one of the rooms with bed closer to the sink, which is really a bad layout. I knew before hand, but I booked that room because I thought, it couldn't be that bad, and I like the hugh balcony it comes with. It's a little trade off. But when I opened the cabin door the first time, it is THAT bad. Boyfriend and I have to constantly to tell each other to get out of the way, LOL.

 

The room, however, is at a great location, close to the rear sets of elevators, convenient to go to places.

 

The bed is comfy IMO, but bf didn't like it and it's a little short for him, even though he is only 6 feet tall. At night, we can feel the ship rattled, a lot. It felt like sleeping on a massage chair. Not sure if this is the whole ship, or just towards the back of the ship.

 

 

I liked the bathroom setup, but like a lot of the CC mentioned before, it only works if you are traveling with the right person.

 

I liked the big balcony a lot, it is very deep, easily can fit two lounge chairs. On the first day, we checked into our room at 1:30. I was expecting to meet the Steward, so I can request for our lounge chairs. We waited patiently but we did not see him until 7 pm. My prior experiences are the Steward will be around throughout the afternoon to make introductions. While this does not ruin our vacation, it's just the little thing that bugs me.

 

So when we finally saw him on the hallway, we initiated the introduction and asked if he can kindly bring us two lounge chairs. He hesitated and I explained this had been done before by fellow passengers, and if I don't have the lounge chairs, it would defeat the whole purpose of me booking the hugh balcony. Of course, if it can't be done, then so be it. I did not push for it, but then he agreed. Somehow, It took him 2 days to get us one chair instead of two, but I guess one is better than none.

 

Throughout the cruise, our steward cabin mostly did his job, but I feel that minimum effort was put forth. Examples, he never replenishes our kleenex, we asked for a box, but it was left on the counter for the rest of the cruise, never put into the compartment (it's locked, so we can't do it.) He forgot to give us new beach towels, after he took the old ones. One day we woke up late, then went out to have breakfast and to the pool, about 2 hours, when we come back and ready to go out to the port (Nassau), he knocked on our door and inform us if we don't leave our cabin soon, he will run out of time and clean our cabin. I just found that rude for a person in the service industry, but we just told him we will be out in a minute.

 

In all fairness, there is one thing I like about him. He kept our entire towel animal intact each night, never disassembled them. So by the end of our cruise, we have all 5 animals. (Maybe I am easy to please, but I never had that before)

 

Overall, if I had to do it again, I would choose another cabin for less rattling and with the bed closer to balcony. That is more important than the large balc itself.

[PurpleHays]

We're going to be in 11252 on March 3rd. Wonder if we'll have the same steward. What's his name so I can be on the lookout for him?

 

It rattled? What do you mean by that?

 

My hubby is 6'4"--will his feet hang off the end of the bed?

 

We went on the Allure for our honeymoon last year. How did you like it and how does it compare to the Epic?

[sdmike]

 

My hubby is 6'4"--will his feet hang off the end of the bed?

 

Pull the bed further away from the headboard. Should be fine

[kirsty_r]

my experience of the EPIC were short beds too, but i sleep curled up, not straight so it didn't bother me in the slightest. I didn't have any nights where i couldn't sleep. very comfy bed for me!

[mpk218]

Sounds like a great cruise , glad you had a fabulous time..;)

[SliceOfLife]

We're going to be in 11252 on March 3rd. Wonder if we'll have the same steward. What's his name so I can be on the lookout for him?

 

It rattled? What do you mean by that?

 

My hubby is 6'4"--will his feet hang off the end of the bed?

 

 

I was in room 12310 (aft corner balcony) and you vibrate all night long. Like the OP said, it's similar to a vibrating chair. It was windy on our cruise so the ship rocked back and forth a lot too. It really bothered me, my husband, not so much.

 

At 6'4" your hubbys feet will be off the end of the bed. You can slight pull the bed out from the wall to gain an inch or so. My husband is 6'2 and I was always running into his feet because they hung over the bed.

[jdvmd]

We're going to be in 11252 on March 3rd. Wonder if we'll have the same steward. What's his name so I can be on the lookout for him?

 

It rattled? What do you mean by that?

 

My hubby is 6'4"--will his feet hang off the end of the bed?

 

We went on the Allure for our honeymoon last year. How did you like it and how does it compare to the Epic?

 

Just as sdmike said, the bed can be pulled away from the headboard to accommodate those who are taller.

[princess_az1]

Wow! I am in 11216 Feb. 4th. I hope I have a different stewart. What is his name and is there any other advise? Were the elevators as crowded as people say?

[cruisin07family]

Are you going to write anything else about the cruise other than cabin details. Did you enjoy the entertainment venues, dining, what excursions if any, did you take? The cabin is a tiny piece of my cruise experience but I want to hear more about the rest of the ship, food, entertainment, etc.

[cnssu123]

We're going to be in 11252 on March 3rd. Wonder if we'll have the same steward. What's his name so I can be on the lookout for him?

 

 

It rattled? What do you mean by that?

 

 

We went on the Allure for our honeymoon last year. How did you like it and how does it compare to the Epic?

 

His name is Ruldofu. I hope it's just his off week.

 

Just like SliceofLife said, it vibrates, like one of the massage chairs in the nail salon. You can feel you whole body vibrates with the ship, and I am not sure what caused that, as I thought ship as big as Epic, should be more stable compare to others.

 

I think Oasis definitely has a better layout shipwise, and there's more public places to go. In the Epic, you are pretty much confined to deck 6 and 7 (Casinos, restaurants, shops and theater are all there) and deck 15, where the pool and the buffet is.

 

You can see more of my review where I will compare the entertainments.

[cnssu123]

Pull the bed further away from the headboard. Should be fine

 

I wished we knew that. Definitely good advise for future cruisers.

[cnssu123]

Wow! I am in 11216 Feb. 4th. I hope I have a different stewart. What is his name and is there any other advise? Were the elevators as crowded as people say?

 

The elevators are only crowded during "rush hours: like beginining to end or port days, shows ends. We do found the elevators not so inteligent though, we have instances where two elevators will passed by, skipped us completely, before we can get on one. There's no logic as to which elevator you will get.

 

I also wish there's another set of elevator in the middle. Going forward of the ship, we you are in the cabin hallway, and not one of the public area, you will feel the walk never ends. Which is why I think it's very crucial to pick a location not too far from an elevator, that way, you can always walk in public areas.

[cnssu123]

Are you going to write anything else about the cruise other than cabin details. Did you enjoy the entertainment venues, dining, what excursions if any, did you take? The cabin is a tiny piece of my cruise experience but I want to hear more about the rest of the ship, food, entertainment, etc.

 

Yes. Just taking a break :) Each section will soon follow.

[BadKitteh]

Cabin and Cabin Services:

We booked the room 11246; unfortunately it was one of the rooms with bed closer to the sink, which is really a bad layout. I knew before hand, but I booked that room because I thought, it couldn't be that bad, and I like the hugh balcony it comes with. It's a little trade off. But when I opened the cabin door the first time, it is THAT bad. Boyfriend and I have to constantly to tell each other to get out of the way, LOL.

 

The layout must make all the difference. DH and I were in 12075 with the bed closest to the balcony and never got in each others way. Our room was also right near elevators (forward set) and was very handy.

 

The room, however, is at a great location, close to the rear sets of elevators, convenient to go to places.

 

The bed is comfy IMO, but bf didn't like it and it's a little short for him, even though he is only 6 feet tall. At night, we can feel the ship rattled, a lot. It felt like sleeping on a massage chair. Not sure if this is the whole ship, or just towards the back of the ship.

 

I would guess the rattling was location. Like I said, we were forward and did not feel anything. The previous week (Jan 12-21) had 2 very rough sea days so maybe we just felt desensitized. We did a massage in the spa the prior week and the room was in the very aft of the ship and there was lots of rumbling. It kind of killed the relaxation of the massage.

 

I liked the bathroom setup, but like a lot of the CC mentioned before, it only works if you are traveling with the right person.

 

We thought the bathroom was great. One person could shower, brush teeth, etc while the other did their business. Very handy.

 

I liked the big balcony a lot, it is very deep, easily can fit two lounge chairs. On the first day, we checked into our room at 1:30. I was expecting to meet the Steward, so I can request for our lounge chairs. We waited patiently but we did not see him until 7 pm. My prior experiences are the Steward will be around throughout the afternoon to make introductions. While this does not ruin our vacation, it's just the little thing that bugs me.

 

Sounds like your steward wasn't as awesome as Alvin. The lounge chair thing isn't a big deal since we found the small tables made great footrests, but having trouble tracking your steward is tough. If you needed anything at that moment, the housekeeping speed dial works quite well. We had to contact them between the AM and PM services and they were very fast to handle our needs.

 

So when we finally saw him on the hallway, we initiated the introduction and asked if he can kindly bring us two lounge chairs. He hesitated and I explained this had been done before by fellow passengers, and if I don't have the lounge chairs, it would defeat the whole purpose of me booking the hugh balcony. Of course, if it can't be done, then so be it. I did not push for it, but then he agreed. Somehow, It took him 2 days to get us one chair instead of two, but I guess one is better than none.

 

Throughout the cruise, our steward cabin mostly did his job, but I feel that minimum effort was put forth. Examples, he never replenishes our kleenex, we asked for a box, but it was left on the counter for the rest of the cruise, never put into the compartment (it's locked, so we can't do it.)

 

It isn't locked...or I am destructive. LOL! Our steward did not reload our tissue box, but I still had some left in the prior one. When I killed the last tissue, I just pulled the dispenser top off and snapped if back into the setting.

 

He forgot to give us new beach towels, after he took the old ones. One day we woke up late, then went out to have breakfast and to the pool, about 2 hours, when we come back and ready to go out to the port (Nassau), he knocked on our door and inform us if we don't leave our cabin soon, he will run out of time and clean our cabin. I just found that rude for a person in the service industry, but we just told him we will be out in a minute.

 

How is that rude? They have to get all the cabins cleaned in a particular time frame. If they need to have the room cleaned by say, 2 (since Nassau was a late port) and you are still in there if they don't tell you that then you could as easily turn around and say they didn't do their job properly because you were not told. If I set the wheel by the door to "Do Not Disturb" then we were never bothered.

 

In all fairness, there is one thing I like about him. He kept our entire towel animal intact each night, never disassembled them. So by the end of our cruise, we have all 5 animals. (Maybe I am easy to please, but I never had that before)

 

Overall, if I had to do it again, I would choose another cabin for less rattling and with the bed closer to balcony. That is more important than the large balc itself.

 

I don't remember if we met at the M&G. A lot of people did not sign in and only a third showed up. Richard (hotel director) gave out a card with all the major people's contact numbers. Next time I would advise contacting the head of housekeeping or the hotel director with whatever it is that is bothering you to resolve it while you are on board instead of letting it upset you enough to post it here without giving the appropriate people a chance to correct it at the time.

[cnssu123]

So to continue, I will try to compare the three ships Dream, Oasis and Epic.

 

Entertainment:

 

We saw blue man group, the magician comedy and some game shows. BF not a drinker, so we opt out for the ice bar. I have never seen blue man group before, even though I live in NY. I love the shows, it was amazing. Got a lot of good laughs. BF saw it before and said 90% of the shows are pretty much the same with a 10% twist. We saw a video in a room later, about the work behind the shows, which shows how much effort was put forth on the show itself.

 

The Magician Comedian was okay. He was funny at times, but I feel that he use the same jokes over and over again, which is kindda overkill. For his final acts, BF got invited up on stage, and told me how he did it, which I think is kindda cool. I won't be the spoiler :)

 

To compare with Oasis of the Sea, overall I think Epic wins in the entertainment department. And during my 12 days Jewel cruise, not sure if its due to the fact we are on long cruise, so we get better varieties entertainment wise, like magician and hypnotist. Other RCL and Carnival ships are just the regular singing and comedy acts, which is nice but tends to get boring after the same acts over and over.

 

However, I think the Water Acrobatic show in the Oasis is way cooler, versus in the EPIC, you have to pay for the acrobatic show, and there's more free entertainments on the Oasis than Epic.

 

I also have to commend Carnvial still making its own production, rather than bringing in outside help (Blue Man Group and Epic and Hairspray on Oasis). Dancing on the Street on the Carnival Dream was very impressive and this is coming from someone who don't care much about dancing shows. We also like the comedy clubs (but I guess all three ships have the same concept with the Comedian these days.)

 

Other activities:

 

The water slides, I had fun with the plunge slide, I especially the the ideal of using a tube. The water slides on Carnival Dream is much more fun, cuz they are longer, but thier plunge pool does not use tube, and BF complained before his skin turn red from touch the slide with not enough water at certain place.

 

Pools, I was suprise to see a ship as big as epic, only has three small pools and minimal amount of jacuzzi, even with Spice H2O, the deck is way too crowded. Maybe the water park took up too much space, there were simply not enough lounge chairs around, and this is just worse with the hogger situation. I found the Epic has the worst pool/ jacuzzi layout. (Of course, I am not rich enough to get the Haven Suite, i guess that might boost my review a little bit.

 

The Carnival Dream's pool is just puny, but they have jacuzzis spread out all over different part of the ships. And compared to the Epic, they have a lot more peacful place to sit out and not charge EXTRA for it

 

Oasis, has the best pools overall, they are well spreadout, large, and they have umbrellas for shade if necessary. I loved the Solarium area.

 

Overall, I think each ship has its pros and cons on the entertainment/ activities department. But for me, without the Blue Man Group, the Epic will not as much of a wow factor for me. And if I have to combined all the factors mentioned above, I think Oasis, hands down is the winner in that department. I just wished it has a water park like the Dream or the Epic.

 

 

 

Time for another break.

[BadKitteh]

Wow! I am in 11216 Feb. 4th. I hope I have a different stewart. What is his name and is there any other advise? Were the elevators as crowded as people say?

 

 

Peak times will yield a more crowded elevator. If you are normally on the blue side, try the orange elevators. Most people seem to forget there are 2 sets across from one another and pack into one side. We took the stairs to go down floors a lot of the time since it was just easier and faster. People did try to pack themselves in to upwards of a dozen per elevator.

[GeorgiaGirl14]

So Carol, which ship gave you the best bang for your entertainment buck? Which had the best entertainment value for the cost of the cruise in your opinion?

[Jokelady]

I know exactly what you mean. We were just a couple doors down in cabin 11252 and I could not believe the noises in the cabin. We could hear the walls creaking/ shifting, the shower door rattling, cabinets etc. It was NOT the headboard at all. Even the ceiling seemed to make noise. I have been on several NCL ships and this was the worst for in cabin noises. I never heard this on the Dawn.

 

I agree about the cabin layout too... it sucked. I so prefer the older ships and their layouts. The Epic is a beautiful ship but they are cramming more cabins on the ships these days and I would rather a little more leg room so to speak.

 

I've done the Epic and don't care to again. I will stick to the older NCL ships for their better layouts and charm. Sure missed the promenade on the Epic.

 

Thanks for your critique on your cruise!

 

Happy sailing

[DMH15]

And thank you for paragraphs!

 

Sounds like a balanced review.

[Jokelady]

Blonde moment... 12th floor room 12065 LOL. Guess that's what happens when you are trying to write posts and watch "Weekend at Bernies" at the same time :)

[genegri]

It is pretty much in line with what I thought of Epic outside the Haven. We are going back later this year (well I am, it's DH's first time on Epic) but I am NOT looking forward to the tiny balcony cabin. After reading your review I think I may just upgrade to a spa suite with that lovely romantic Oriental decor. Can't wait for DH to see the BMG and the ice bar. :D

 

And your cabin steward really was just :eek: and :confused:!

[cnssu123]

So Carol, which ship gave you the best bang for your entertainment buck? Which had the best entertainment value for the cost of the cruise in your opinion?

 

IMO...

 

I love the Oasis, but it might not be the best entertainment value, since the Oasis's cost is generally higher than other ships. But I would get on it again. In fact,I am booked for the Allure on Sept 2nd. Can't wait.

 

I actually think Carnival Dream has better entertainment value. I know that The Epic and the Oasis all have the latest, hippest shows and all that, but they all come at a higher price for the ship, which I can basically go get a ticket from Broadway and still be cheaper than what I paid for the cruise. And I absolutely adore the Cove Balcony on Dream.

 

And I have to say, out of the three ships (same class), unfortunately, the Epic is the only one I have no desire to sail for again.

[woody73]

I am enjoying your review and comparisons. Keep it coming.

 

Woody

[cnssu123]

Woke up, drank my coffee and I shall continue...

 

Spa:

NCL's ships, from my experience on Epic and Jewel, definitely have the best spas out of other ships I sailed. I got the spa passes for both ships. I liked the Spa section of the Epic better than the Jewel. I am not sure how crowded the spa is during the days on the Epic, as we are usually there in the evening, which is very quiet and peaceful.

 

The locker room on the Epic is a little confusing, sort of like a maze, after 5 visits to the spa; I still have problem navigating around it. In the Locker Room, There is a steam room, a sauna and a relaxation area. I remembered the Jewel has a hot tub in the locker room, so I was disappointed when I don't see one in the Epic.

 

 

Once you get out to the unisex area, there's a hugh relaxation area with plenty of lounge chairs, 8 hot stone chairs, regular showers and a hugh aft balcony on the 14th deck of the ship and padded lounge chairs to enjoy the view. There is a hugh spa pool with different jets to massage different areas of your body. There's also two sauna room, one steam room and regular showers. The unisex area is where the Epic wins over the Jewel and other ships I have been to.

 

The unisex is much bigger with plenty places to relax and hangout, this is perfect for BF and myself; Compared to the Jewel, which only has a small pool and a few lounge chairs, this make more sense for couples to hang out. I traveled with one of my friends on the Jewel, so that was not an issue for me. What I was surprised was I paid $199 for a couple pass for the Jewel (12 days cruise) and same for the Epic (7 days cruise). What I would like to see in the Epic's spa is a cold plunge or cold shower to cool down after each steam and sauna use. The showers in the unisex area are the same ones in the stateroom, which usually spit out warm to hot water in a few seconds, and the temperatures are hard to control.

 

Comparisons to the Oasis and the Dream:

 

The Oasis has a similar spa pool out on the deck and solarium free of charge. While I do generally like to get the perks for free, it just don't seem very appealing to me when you have 6,000 people cramp into the same pool. I do like the exclusivity that NCL offers on the spa passes with a good value.

 

The Dream has the spa cabin just like the Epic, we opted out for both ship, as I wasn't sure if the spa area is worth the extra costs, and the spa cabins usually costs more than buying the passes and cabin separately. The only advantage is the proximity from the cabin to the spa; it's up to one to decide if it’s really worth it. In comparison to the Jewel and the Epic, I found the Dream's spa small, the pool small without much common area or to do. The space was too cramped for me to want to spend hours to relax each day. We opted not to get the spa pass after the spa tour.

 

Small relaxation area, tiny steam rooms and sauna are usually a drawback for me not to use the spa. This is very common on every ship I sailed. NCLs succeed to lure me to buy the spa passes, while none of the others were able to so far.

 

A little tip on the Epic, on the first day, if you go to the spa tour, remember to ask of a sample massage. We had the Thai herb massage for 5 mins as a sample, it was amazing. One of the best massages I had in my life, and I am a spa addict in all aspect. Unfortunately, I just couldn't see myself spending over $200 for a 75 mins massages, which is one other thing disappointed me on the Epic, they don't have as much specials or more attractive specials then other ships. They do have the pick three of $99 or $129 options, however, there was no add on to hot stone massage, the options are slim picking compared to other specials I have seen on other ships. On first day and port days, they do offer extra 15 mins if you buy a massage section. I brought a copy of the spa menu back with me, I will try to post it up later.

 

Another break...

[gelo7]

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts.