RCL vs NCL Epic (Cruisinmama?)

[Sunshine101]

Hi all!

 

We've sailed several times with RCL, and the last 2x with our girls on the Freedom. Our families are all going together next December for a Christmas cruise, and were thinking of the Epic. I realize there are a lot of reviews on here, and I've started skimming through them, but wanted your opinions (especially yours Cruisinmama!) on which ship you liked best for your family? As we've never gone on NCL, I'm a little leary of trying a new line, when we're so familiar with RCL. But, the Epic does really look "epic". Any pros/cons to either cruise line that you can suggest?

 

I'm also noticing the dining on the Epic seems different - a lot more restaurants that charge a fee?

 

And what about the rooms on the Epic? Is there a good option for 5 in a room (DH, myself, our 2 girls and my MIL?)

 

Thanks for any input - much appreciated! :D

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for your vote of confidence ;) but there are many of us that have sailed Epic and RCI :D

 

But you asked so I will give my opinion and I am hoping the others will chime in.

 

For entertainment - we were really kept running on Epic. And I don't just mean "shows" because generally I am not a shows kind of girl.

 

I mean there was ALWAYS something going on. We would wake up and I had the Epic "Iconcierge" app on my phone and I could see what was happening around the ship. We would go running from one family event to another. If it wasn't Nick Live - then it was Nick crafts - Slime Time - Cupcake Decorating - and THEN the BlueMan INCREDIBLE!

 

Of course the water park was over the top. With the Epic plunge (toilet bowl) and the green and purple slides and then the kiddie splash area. Insane water park.

 

The dining - you NEVER have to pay for food if you don't want to! This is what I don't get about the "added charge" comments. Think of the NCL ships like this - they are EXACTLY like the RCL ships with the TWO main dining rooms AND the buffet. Of course they are no added charge. AND there is a sports bar called OSheehans - open 24 hours - comfort food - no added charge.

 

AND ice cream - hand dipped and soft served - no added charge.

 

THEN - if you wish - you can go to the specialty dining for an added charge. We went one night to specialty dining - one. The rest we ate in the MDRs.

 

For 5 - I would check the prices on a two bedroom suite on Epic. We had one on Gem (not Epic) and it was amazing. It was better than any suite we have ever had on RCI (and that's saying a lot - because I love RCI ships)

[nyyhoneybee]

We haven't done the Epic with kids (or any cruise with kids yet) but we found the free food on the Epic to be pretty poor. Buffet was the best of the free food.

[#1TravelMom]

We've been on the Epic twice and scheduled again in 2013. We just returned from the new Carnival Breeze and also did RCCL last year. We just love the EPIC. I think there are lots of food choices. OSheehan's is open 24 hours - very nice to be able to get food(other than room service and pizza) at any time. The entertainment is amazing. We spend hours at the waterpark on sea days - sooo much fun.

 

While the room layout is controversial - it works great for us. The kids club is wonderful - huge room with massive wall of windows. I highly recommend the EPIC.

[crusinmama06]

We haven't done the Epic with kids (or any cruise with kids yet) but we found the free food on the Epic to be pretty poor. Buffet was the best of the free food.

 

And I think food is REALLY subjective. That's one thing I think is lacking on RCI - good food. We never starve but the MDR and WJ needs an overhaul.

 

I love the RCI ships and service. The food - not so much.

[Sunshine101]

Thanks for the replies - much appreciated!

 

Are the cabins controversial because of the wavy layout and the sinks on the outside?

 

The waterparks look amazing - does anyone know off the top of their minds what the height is? I'm sure its on the NCL website, but... ;)

 

Also, were there a lot of lineups for the waterslides?

 

I'm thinking the Epic might be a nice change from RCL - I have to admit I kind of feel like a new time cruiser having only done RCL the past 8 times! LOL!

[crusinmama06]

Thanks for the replies - much appreciated!

 

Are the cabins controversial because of the wavy layout and the sinks on the outside?

 

The waterparks look amazing - does anyone know off the top of their minds what the height is? I'm sure its on the NCL website, but... ;)

 

Also, were there a lot of lineups for the waterslides?

 

I'm thinking the Epic might be a nice change from RCL - I have to admit I kind of feel like a new time cruiser having only done RCL the past 8 times! LOL!

 

Controversial layout means yes - the wave - and the "see through" bathroom. Which we didn't have a problem with. We just pulled the curtain for added privacy.

 

And the height for the slides - 42" but be aware - my MORE than 42" little peanut got injured on the green slide. So they are wicked.

 

Lines - on sea days - about 10 minute wait.

 

[Mack2]

We just did the Epic the first week of November 2012. I think after the Epic experience, I prefer RCI in terms of ship design.

 

The thing that I noticed with the Epic was the dominance of the Casino throughout the ship. Sure, it's the largest casino at sea but when you're inside of the ship, the casino is always present. There are three main decks for entertainment in the interior of the ship, and the casino is sandwiched in the middle of those decks.

 

Thankfully, they have HEPA filters plugged into the walls in various places to keep the cigarette smoke from permeating the ship, but the smell was present.

 

In contrast, the casino for RCI aboard the Freedom or Oasis class ships can be avoided.

 

Entertainment aboard the Epic is bombastic! VERY good... although, my kids did not enjoy the kids club the week we went. The Epic had just come back to the States from Barcelona via a trans-atlantic. The staff was still mostly Spanish speaking and they didn't seem as organized as Cruisinmama's staff was a few weeks after our Epic cruise.

 

Still, our last cruise prior to the Epic was the Oasis and I think the biggest difference to me between the two ships was that the Epic seemed like a huge cruise ship. The Oasis was a floating resort.

 

We did have one bad experience aboard the Epic at the Cagney Steakhouse. I may have been circumstances, but we had 7 adults and a waiter that had just gotten aboard the ship in Miami (he wasn't on the trans-Atlantic). Quality control on the steaks was lacking, one steak came to us blue (seared on the outside, raw inside), missing things on the order... but again, I think it was because we were being hosted by a lot of new crew that had just come on after the crossing.

 

Still, the entertainment was top notch but I think I still prefer RCI.

[Mack2]

Controversial layout means yes - the wave - and the "see through" bathroom. Which we didn't have a problem with. We just pulled the curtain for added privacy.

 

 

Very weird, but workable.

[crusinmama06]

Hey Mack! I have to agree with you about the kids crew on Epic. I wasn't happy with them at all - well not as happy with them as I was on Gem. I thought they were extremely unorganized for the younger group.

 

My youngest was NOT happy. And if my youngest is not happy ain't NOBODY happy! ;)

 

On the flip side - another poster had a great time with the 2-5 year old group and my tween had a blast. So my problem was with the 6-9's

[crusinmama06]

And here are more pictures - this is an extended balcony - not a suite.

 

The sink is outside the bathroom

 

 

The toilet with the "see through door" that wasn't see through at all. You REALLY had to be looking to see anything. The glass is frosted.

 

 

The shower - also with the frosted glass

 

 

We pulled this curtain (on the right) the whole way across when someone was in the shower and wanted some privacy.

 

[nyyhoneybee]

We did have one bad experience aboard the Epic at the Cagney Steakhouse. I may have been circumstances, but we had 7 adults and a waiter that had just gotten aboard the ship in Miami (he wasn't on the trans-Atlantic). Quality control on the steaks was lacking, one steak came to us blue (seared on the outside, raw inside), missing things on the order... but again, I think it was because we were being hosted by a lot of new crew that had just come on after the crossing.

 

Funny you mention this, our worse food experience was in Mordeno which shares a kitchen with Cagney, we wouldn't try Cagney after that.

 

Personally I liked the wave and I LOVED the bathrooms and so did hubby. I have pics of the spa suites if you want me to post so you get an idea of what they looked like in there. I would actually be happy if more cruise ships split up the bathroom & sink area but that's just me!

[Mack2]

Funny you mention this, our worse food experience was in Mordeno which shares a kitchen with Cagney, we wouldn't try Cagney after that.

 

 

I was disappointed that our Cagney's experience went the way it did. It's supposed to be a premium restaurant (you pay the extra $ for it), and I felt we would've gotten better food and service at one of the other MDRs.

 

The White Hot party was a lot of fun. The Family version was well attended (for the first week of November) and the kids were engaged. The Adult party was also fun... I can't remember RCI having a deck party that was as well attended like that.

[Mack2]

Hey Mack! I have to agree with you about the kids crew on Epic. I wasn't happy with them at all - well not as happy with them as I was on Gem. I thought they were extremely unorganized for the younger group.

 

My youngest was NOT happy. And if my youngest is not happy ain't NOBODY happy! ;)

 

On the flip side - another poster had a great time with the 2-5 year old group and my tween had a blast. So my problem was with the 6-9's

 

Let me tell ya... My kids did NOT like the Kid's Club.

Judging from your pictures, we did not have the same staff... which is probably good because my kids came back with stories.

 

Yes, the Tran-Atlantic staff was very disorganized. I don't think they were prepared for the amount of children that were on the first US cruise (the week we went) and they may have been near the end of their contract.

My 11 year old told me that they didn't have any planned activities... it was "free play" equals "boring"

 

My 8 year old told me that at one point, a counselor was screaming at them to "SHUT UP!" which I did not believe... I mean... how many cruises have I taken them on and been on... never has anyone yelled at kids to shut up... right? So... my kids didn't want to go back after trying the kids club the one night. This was cool for us. We had gone with 2 other families, friends of ours from college with their kids. 13 of us altogether. The kids kept themselves occupied and happy without the kids club.

 

I was wondering how the kids staff was going to do with the upcoming Thanksgiving and Christmas crowd... A LOT more kids than the first week of November... and TONS more than they were used to in Barcelona.

 

But fortunately, they moved the Barcelona people somewhere else.

 

Like, our Cruise Director was "Papi Chulo", Richard Abreu.

I don't think you guys had him.

[reallyitsmema]

Ugh, are all the bathrooms like that on the Epic? We are looking at booking the Epic for next Christmas but that will not work for us. We will possibly be 3 in the cabin, with the third being my son who is 22. We are currently looking at a mini suite but it looks like I might need to get him his own cabin if all the bathrooms are like this.

[#1TravelMom]

Not sure why people say this layout will not work. There is a curtain that can be closed between the cabin area and the shower/toilet area. Our oldest DD 22 was with us twice. The layout worked great - hubby could be on the potty, daughter could be in the shower and I could be brushing my teeth and doing my makup at the sink area. Be clear(no pun intended) - the glass is frosted - you can see shadowed shaped through the glass - nothing revealing.

 

Another suggestion in case I haven't convinced you on the bathroom issue - the Epic has studios - perfect for single occupancy.

[reallyitsmema]

Not sure why people say this layout will not work. There is a curtain that can be closed between the cabin area and the shower/toilet area. Our oldest DD 22 was with us twice. The layout worked great - hubby could be on the potty, daughter could be in the shower and I could be brushing my teeth and doing my makup at the sink area. Be clear(no pun intended) - the glass is frosted - you can see shadowed shaped through the glass - nothing revealing.

 

Another suggestion in case I haven't convinced you on the bathroom issue - the Epic has studios - perfect for single occupancy.

So, with your scenario, your DD finishes her shower and reaches out for her towel just as your hubby is finished and on his way out of the WC. Or as would be more of our case, I would be taking first shower before dinner as my DH is relaxing. DS usually comes back to the cabin while we are getting ready. He comes into the cabin from the hallway to me getting out of the shower? Poor guy, sees way more then he wants to see.

 

We prefer a bit more privacy for our vacation dollar.

 

Edit to add: We have only looked at pricing for Epic, I haven't read the NCL forum at all but this thread shows me I had better do a lot of reading. We are RCI cruisers up until now but were thinking of mixing it up a bit.

[nyyhoneybee]

So, with your scenario, your DD finishes her shower and reaches out for her towel just as your hubby is finished and on his way out of the WC. Or as would be more of our case, I would be taking first shower before dinner as my DH is relaxing. DS usually comes back to the cabin while we are getting ready. He comes into the cabin from the hallway to me getting out of the shower? Poor guy, sees way more then he wants to see.

 

We prefer a bit more privacy for our vacation dollar.

 

Edit to add: We have only looked at pricing for Epic, I haven't read the NCL forum at all but this thread shows me I had better do a lot of reading. We are RCI cruisers up until now but were thinking of mixing it up a bit.

 

If you want, I have pictures of the studio cabins....your son would probably love them. And there are some great threads on the Epic that are must reads over on the NCL board

[Sunshine101]

Thanks for all the replies, this helps a lot!

 

CruisinMama, that is too bad that your little one got hurt on the green slide. :(

Hope she was ok!

 

I'll have to be careful of those, thanks for the heads up.

[reallyitsmema]

If you want, I have pictures of the studio cabins....your son would probably love them. And there are some great threads on the Epic that are must reads over on the NCL board

Thanks, I just looked at your review and saw one of the pictures there plus I looked at a lot of videos on youtube tonight. I am going to look at more of the threads on the NCL forum too. I showed my son a few videos of the studios and he didn't have a problem with them.

 

I don't know what we want to do at this point. We are thinking it will be easier to just disappear for Christmas next year instead of dealing with family politics.:rolleyes::cool: I think I need to give it a little time......

[Mack2]

Not sure why people say this layout will not work. There is a curtain that can be closed between the cabin area and the shower/toilet area. Our oldest DD 22 was with us twice. The layout worked great - hubby could be on the potty, daughter could be in the shower and I could be brushing my teeth and doing my makup at the sink area. Be clear(no pun intended) - the glass is frosted - you can see shadowed shaped through the glass - nothing revealing.

 

It was workable. Weird, but workable.

I think it was an experiment by Norwegian... One of the things found on the Epic that was not duplicated on the Breakaway. I mean, they kept the Studios on the Breakaway... I thought that was a good idea.

 

I found it unusual that although the Epic was a new ship, Norwegian did not duplicate her when they designed the Breakaway. You know, They have the Dawn class, Sun Class, Jewel Class, Breakaway Class.... and the Epic.