Freedom of the Seas or Norwegian Epic

[smrtypnts]

I know that generally speaking this board is going to have a whole lot more people who prefer RCCL, but this question is for those who would give an equal rating to either line.

 

I am indecisive between RCCL's Freedom aft balcony cabin for January 2014, which makes 2 out of 3 of the same stops as Epic. The one different stop is RCCL's own CocoCay. Epic stops in Nassau. Epic stopping in Nassau is a "downer" for me. May even consider just staying on the ship. If I cruise on Epic I would stay in aft-suite, which is more expensive but the amenities are so great in the NCL suites. :D

 

The price for Freedom is ~ $2200

vs.

The price for Epic is ~ $3800 (This would come with a $450 OBC) You also have to place a $1500 deposit.

 

Sooooo, which would you choose and why? Obviously, the $1200 (because of the OBC) is a huge difference and I know a lot of people would choose to go on a whole extra cruise for that kind of money, but what other reasons?

 

Thanks for your help!!

[Jewels32]

I can't comment on the Freedom of the Seas, but I absolutely loved the Epic. There is so much to do on the Epic, you will never be bored. Even though is a huge ship, it never felt crowded. The shows are amazing, and the water slides are very fun.

 

The Epic was my 10th cruise, and my first on Norwegian, and I wouldn't hesitate to go on it again. It was by far my favorite cruise.

[ticktoneer]

That difference in price is ridiculous. Go on Freedom !!! The upgrades such as interactive screens, giant movie screen etc. on FOS are great, along with a great crew, new delicious menus and from a small easy to use port.

 

It'd be a no brainer for me !

[Beachgirl19]

I love the Freedom, it's our favorite ship of any we've cruised so far. Revisiting it again next year. I've never cruised Norwegian, but Coco Cay over Nassau would push me to lean toward the FOS, while the price would just seal the deal!!! That's quite a significant difference.

 

Like you, OP, not a big fan of Nassau, that's usually a great "ship day" for us! :)

[CruiseLover15]

This is second hand information but a friend has done both ships and he didn't like the Epic. One specific comment I remembered was he hated the set up of the cabin with the Toliet in plain view from the bedroom.

[disneyfan68]

I haven't been on Epic but we loved Freedom! It's a beautiful ship with lots to do like ice skating, rock climbing and the Flowrider. See my review below with pics. We sailed western Caribbean which we loved (4 ports). We had a junior suite on deck 9 and loved the extra space. With that big of a price difference, I would go with Freedom:D

 

Karyn

[slk230red]

I can't comment on the Freedom of the Seas, but I absolutely loved the Epic. There is so much to do on the Epic, you will never be bored. Even though is a huge ship, it never felt crowded. The shows are amazing, and the water slides are very fun.

 

The Epic was my 10th cruise, and my first on Norwegian, and I wouldn't hesitate to go on it again. It was by far my favorite cruise.

 

Same here, although I'm a big RCI/Celebrity fan.

 

3 times on the Freedom and 3 times on the Liberty and 1 time on the Epic last December (our 60th cruise).....loved the Epic so much we're doing it again this December 1st, then going on the Liberty 12/8 and the Vision 12/14.

Really enjoyed the Freestyle dining, Second City Comedy, Dueling Pianos, the Blues Club, and the water slides. I don't bowl, but having breakfast at O'Sheehan's Irish Pub and watching people bowl was a nice way to start the day. Table service with a pot of coffee...my kind of breakfast!

[cruisinskier]

We have done 8 cruises including 3 on RCCL and 2 on NCL. We have been on both the Freedom and the Epic (and the Oasis for that matter). We really enjoyed the Freedom but our favorite cruise was the Epic! We are just back from the Oasis and had a great time but my entire family when asked still indicated their best cruise was on the Epic. We are not loyal to a certain line (and have done more RCCL cruises than any others so you know we like RCCL) and we choose cruises to enjoy different ships and new experiences.

 

The Epic wins due to the overall best entertainment at sea. Depends what is important to you and who you are cruising with but for us, the combination of Blue Man Group, a Cirque type show, the duelling pianos of Howl at the Moon (our all-time favorite venue on a ship), Second City comedy, bowling, and 3 great water slides was what impressed us. The onboard experience was good, the food was very good (and much better than our other NCL cruise on Pride of America which was the worst cruise food to date). Throw in some fun bars including an ice bar and O'Sheehans, and the freedom to eat when you want with freestyle. And overall service was excellent (we typically prefer assigned seating due to the fact you can get to know your wait staff) however we did not notice any difference in service levels going freestyle.

 

The Epic also had a great spa and fitness area, so much so we bought the spa pass for the week. Great tholossotherapy pool, steam rooms and saunas with glass walls looking out to sea, and a spa deck with loungers for just those who have purchased the weekly pass. If we did go again, we would pay the difference for a spa cabin.

 

Only you can decide if you want to pay the price difference but you also are not comparing similar cabins. Yes the bathroom set-up on Epic is not great but if my 17 year old daughter and 19 year old son can share a cabin for a week, there are ways to make it work.

 

From the outside the Epic is not going to win any beauty contests but it is a very nice ship onboard (even if the floorplan has some hallways that just end, especially deck 14). There is a photo review of our Epic trip in my signature if you are interested.

 

Whatever you decide, enjoy your cruise!