My 11/2/13 Epic sailing review - Simple

[ganggreen88]

I just wanted to write a simple review based on my 11/2/13 cruise aboard the NCL Epic. I enjoyed reading other reviews prior to my trip and I just wanted to return the favor to those who are going on the Epic in the near future.

 

Embarkation

Since we got married the night before, we had a later start to the morning as I would of liked. But, living and being in Miami made this a little easier. We eventually got to the port around 1130am. My father dropped us off and we were on our way to check-in. I have to say that even with living in Miami, that terminal was very hot and uncomfortable. Maybe it was the lugging around the luggage, papers, etc. Maybe it was the excitement of starting our trip and just wanting to get it going, but it was hotter than I thought. We are latitude members so we got in the shorter line and waited, and waited and waited. It didn't feel like a shorter line, but we finally got up to the counter about 12:30pm. Yes, we made it! The check-in process went smoothly and didn't take long at all. We received our key cards and upstairs we went. We were in the waiting area for about 30 mins while they called out different groups. I have to say this process just makes things very easy and alot smoother. They finally called our group number and away we went. We got into a small line, checked in and got our first sanitizer bath of the week. We are on the boat!!!

 

First thing we did

We entered the ship towards the front of the boat on the 5th deck. Not knowing where to go or in what direction, I just turned left and went to Guest Services. This entrance made this transition very easy. We got in a line of maybe 6-7 people deep. They were very organized and this line was moving quick. We finally got up to the counter and we discussed a few things about our onboard credit and signed up for the Behind the Scenes tour ($55/pp). More on that later.

 

Cabin

While in line at Guest Services, we heard the announcement that we can now enter our cabins. I thought it was always around 2pm, but I could of sworn it was only 1:15pm and we were able to go and leave our things. That is exactly what we did. We had a large balcony room (11242) with the bed towards the balcony. Of course the room isn't huge, but we had no problem with the size of the cabin at all. Again, I think the bed towards the back makes a huge difference. We loved the spacious balcony that we had and spent alot of time out there. What a view and just having that balcony makes the room feel bigger since you're not trapped inside the whole time. The balcony was more than half the size of our room. Very nice. Other things about our room:

- The split bathroom was a hit with my wife and I. It's very convenient that one person can use the bathroom while the other can start showering. No problems here at all. Now, being a 6'3 big guy the bathroom was a little small, but definitely bigger than other ones I have been in. The shower was fantastic and the water pressure was outstanding. We also utilized the spa as well for this (more on that later).

- The storage space was great. There was space everywhere. Under the bed, behind the sofa, on top of the sofa, cabinets all over. There was plenty of space for 2 people to store their clothes and luggage comfortably.

- We had a problem with the air conditioning the first day, but they came and fixed it that night and we had no problems after that.

- The lights and A/C turn off once you remove your key from the slot on your way out of the cabin. Tip: Ask your steward for a dummy card or if you have multiple cards, keep one in the slot at all times, so that your room is always cool. Just a tip.

- Voltere was a great steward. He was very attentive and always willing to take that extra step to make us feel comfortable. We also asked him to clear out our fridge so that we can put our own things in there and he did so immediately. He was great. We would step out for an hour and our room was always ready and made perfectly. Great guy.

- Only complaint I had about the cabin (and I understand why) is the length of the bed. Being 6'3 it was a little uncomforable since my feet always dangled off the bed.

- The safe and outlets were fine for us. Not using the coffee freed up 2 outlets for us to charge our phone or for my wife to use her hair straightener.

- The sink being out in the room was weird at first, but we got used to it. No problems there.

Spa

After we dropped off everything in the room, I mentioned to my wife about going to see if we could get the weekly spa pass. At this point it was about 1:45pm. I didn't have high hopes, but wanted to pass by and check just in case. Having our room (I didn't plan this) towards the back of the boat made going to the spa very convenient. Get in on the 11th deck elevator, up to the 14th deck and elevator opens right in the spa. That was great. Well, then we asked for the weekly pass and they still had passes which made us very excited. The prices have gone up from my last review I read. It is now $147 per person, no more couple rates. We spent almost $300 for both of us for the weekly spa pass and guess what, I feel like we under paid. The spa space was fantastic. It was NEVER crowded in there. The jacuzzi/tubs were so comfortable its not even funny. The steam bath was heaven. The sauna was great. The heated tile lounger was very comfortable and the seats outside with that view are spectacular. We spent most of our week there and it was sooooooooooooo worth it. Again, I repeat what my wife said, this was the best thing we got on the cruise.

If you get the spa pass, another benefit we saw in this was using their showers, bathrooms and towels for anything we wanted. My wife said it was so much better for her to shower there, use the hair dryer there and you can just leave all the wet towels there. For me, it was so comfortable to go to the steam bath, then just shave and shower in the locker room. So much room, so comfortable. You have everything there you need. Being a quick elevator ride to there, we utilized this feature alot and really recommend the spa pass. Also, its open until 10pm so you can use it until very late at night.

 

Epic

In my opinion, this boat is gorgeous. It's a mega ship and when you pulled up next to other boats you felt like a bad a$$. There is so much to do on this boat. We enjoyed all the daily activities, shows and games they played. After a day or two, you got used to the size of the boat and where everything was. The orange-reddish/blue carpeting helped you to find your cabin side very easily. The Casino was on deck 6 and yes, you have to walk thru it to get to some places. There is a smoke smell there, but its not a big deal. To us at least it wasn't. I understand those that don't like it, but not a big deal to us. The boat was always clean and there are plenty of stations to sanitize your hands. They sometimes shower you when you get into certain areas. I am all for this since I always use sanitizer and seeing how disgusting some people are, I am all for it. 'Spray Spray, Happy Happy!!' (you will understand once you go on the Epic) Playing bingo was fun and I actually won 1 round and split the pot with someone. That was cool. The photo areas were all over the boat and it was nice to take your photos every night. The photos turned out beautiful.

 

Garden Cafe

The buffet had a great variety of selections throughout the week. I am not a big buffet person, but this definitely was a quick option for breakfast or lunch. Just seeing all these people eat like they have never eaten before was a deterant, but it served its purpose. The ice cream parlor and cone station were great. I was a victim there multiple times.

 

MDR/Taste

These restaurants are very nice. The menu was good and the food quality was always great. The only negative I have about these restaurants were how long your meals took to come out. We didn't mind since we didn't want to stress the small stuff, but when you dine here, give yourself plenty of time, especially if you have a show or somewhere to be at a certain time. On the first night, the surf and turf was great. We had multiple lobster tails and they were delicious. We problem had about 3 each, but the table next to us had about 6 each. I don't know if it was because we ate late, but they were giving away lobster tails like water. It was great and I recommend you guys take advantage of that night.

 

Moderno

This place was great. Meat was delicious and salad bar/cheese was nice. Cheese bread was delicious as well. We thought the $20 price pp was fine. Great food and great service. It was fun.

 

La Cucina

Very nice atmosphere. In the front of the boat and the view is nice if you go early enough. Food was great. I had the shrimp rissotto and it was great. My wife had the lobster fettucini and it was yummy. Again, its a nice experience and we enjoyed it.

 

Shanghai's

Food was good. Our waiter was such a nice guy (Ricky Lising). He was talking to us about his country of Phillipines getting devastated by the typhoon and he broke down talking to us. I felt so bad, but he kept a smile on his face even though he was hurting inside. His family was there and eventhough they survived, they lost everything. Such a sad story. We gave a donation and if you can, please do so as well. Or go visit Ricky. Such a nice guy. Food was good and we both enjoyed our time there.

 

Cagney's

Food highlight of the cruise. The service was top notch, the food was great (bone-in ribeye, mac-n-cheese and fries were fantastic). Also, the bake potato soup was delicious. Well worth it and getting dressed up for this occassion was nice. Highly recommended.

 

Cirque Dreams

We had such a nice time at this show. We had standard seating and we saw everything just fine. The food was also very good and the show was very fun. I dont know how they do some of those tricks while the boat is rocking. Such a great show. Must see, in our opinion.

 

O'Sheehans

A nice place. Very convenient. Fast service. Good food. Nice atmosphere. Nice menu of things, plus that brownie ice cream is delicious. You have it once, you will crave it again. Everything free so that is nice.

 

Shakers Martini Bar

Nice bar and you must try the chocolate martini (forgot the real name, not on the menu).

Entertainment

There are alot of shows on the Epic. Blue Man Group was funny (not as good as I expected though), Legends was ok (Steven Tyler was dead-on), Howl at the Moon was alot of fun, the comedy magician was good, Second City was ok, Dancing with the Epic Stars was hilarious, Newlywed Game was hilarious, the parties on Spice H2O were all fun. There was so much to do and you should try them all.

 

Disembarkation

This took awhile, but its not easy getting so many people off the boat in a orderly fashion. Just make the line and go with the flow.

 

Final Thoughts

My wife and I loved the Epic. We had such a good time that we were really sad it had to end. The ship has so much for you to do, the food was great and the spa was the finest one I have been in on a cruise. I would highly recommend this boat to anyone. Young, retired, middle age, kids........fun for everyone. Like I told my wife, I took her to a top notch restaurant, Blue Man Group and a Casino all in one night. You can find some great deals on this boat and its well worth it. Sail the Epic, you will not regret it.

[SandyAtSea]

I believe you mentioned there would be more about the Behind the Scenes tour? Future post maybe? Have been on a couple of these, specifically interested in what areas are included on the Epic. Thanks!

[ganggreen88]

I believe you mentioned there would be more about the Behind the Scenes tour? Future post maybe? Have been on a couple of these, specifically interested in what areas are included on the Epic. Thanks!

 

Thanks Sandy. I forgot to talk about that. LOL

 

I thought the behind the scenes tour was good. Is it worth the price, thats up to you. My wife and I enjoyed it. This tour covered the Epic theatre, galley (complete tour of kitchen, bakery, freezers, etc), laundry room, waste area, and bridge. Alot of people came and talked and explained everything. You also got some samples in the kitchen. Won't ruin the surprise. It was good. I would recommend. Not many people get to see these areas.

[caribophile]

Thanks for the great review. Sailing on the Epic in one month. Now I'm really stoked!

[Sammae]

Thank you for the review! We sail out on Saturday for our second time on Epic. Glad to hear she's still as awesome as she was in 2011!

 

I was toying with getting the spa pass and now in the last 10 minutes I've read twice about how worth it it is... hmm... it might be a good place for some alone time.

[BlueJai]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to post! Sounds like you had a great time and Congratulations on your marriage!

[ganggreen88]

Great review, thanks for taking the time to post! Sounds like you had a great time and Congratulations on your marriage!

 

Thanks BlueJai

[tiffygirl]

thank you so much for your review. Im glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

do you know or can you remember if the Epic had the Mojito tasting on your sailing? also who are performing in the Legend's show?

Edited November 12, 2013 by tiffygirl

[ganggreen88]

thank you so much for your review. Im glad you enjoyed your cruise!

 

do you know or can you remember if the Epic had the Mojito tasting on your sailing?

 

Can't remember. Sorry

[SandyAtSea]

Thanks Sandy. I forgot to talk about that. LOL

 

I thought the behind the scenes tour was good. Is it worth the price, thats up to you. My wife and I enjoyed it. This tour covered the Epic theatre, galley (complete tour of kitchen, bakery, freezers, etc), laundry room, waste area, and bridge. Alot of people came and talked and explained everything. You also got some samples in the kitchen. Won't ruin the surprise. It was good. I would recommend. Not many people get to see these areas.

 

Thanks for the info! Sounds pretty much the same from the ones on the Pearl and Jewel but since this is a completely different and newer ship, I'll probably do it again! Plus it will be on a transatlantic so will help fill the days.

[soccersharon]

Great review - thanks for posting :) We can't wait for our turn on Saturday :)

 

Sent from my GT-S5830D using Forums mobile app

[wheatengirl]

Congratulations on your marriage and glad you had a nice honeymoon. Thank you for taking the time to write a review.

[3DBeach]

Congratulations on the wedding! What a great review...can't wait to be back on the Epic in a few weeks.

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[asubaru]

Congratulations...

 

Thank you for the write-up, I'm guessing since you didn't mention ports, you weren't that impressed?!?

 

Do you have dallies by any chance? Would love to see them if possible.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to report.

[Demonyte]

FYI other Tapatalk users: for some reason (possible broken formatting etc) most sections in the first post show only the title - there is text under each title so I suggest reading this review from the website so one can see other sections as well besides "Cabin" and "Spa". :)

[Out to sea!]

Couple of questions. Dummy card? Slot for A/C? I've never sailed NCL so what are these? Can you use any card to stick in the slot (like my AARP card)? Do they have window seats in La Cucina (should I stop by before our reservation and request one)? Do they play movies at night @ H2O or is it just dancing? Thanks for any info you can provide.

[Demonyte]

Couple of questions. Dummy card? Slot for A/C? I've never sailed NCL so what are these? Can you use any card to stick in the slot (like my AARP card)? Do they have window seats in La Cucina (should I stop by before our reservation and request one)? Do they play movies at night @ H2O or is it just dancing? Thanks for any info you can provide.

 

There is a card switch on the wall only on new NCL ships (Epic and newer) that is used to control lights and A/C in order to save energy when nobody is in the room. One can put any credit card sized card there, donut shop loyalty card or AARP card would work just fine too. On our cruise on Epic this February the switch didn't work in either of the two balcony cabins we had so it was disabled and we didn't need to worry about that.

 

On Epic La Cucina is located on deck 14 fwd under the buffet and has very good views forward, most tables have a view of somekind and unless it's very crowded, I doubt that one couldn't get a table quite close to the window. Although keep in mind that it can get dark quite quickly in the evening so the view might not be a lot to look at if eating late. When eating breakfast or lunch in the buffet, the space of La Cucina is open so one can carry their plate there and enjoy much more relaxing atmosphere since not many people find there on their own.

 

To my understanding H2O is pretty much used only for music entertainment and parties, movies are usually shown in atrium.

[Out to sea!]

There is a card switch on the wall only on new NCL ships (Epic and newer) that is used to control lights and A/C in order to save energy when nobody is in the room. One can put any credit card sized card there, donut shop loyalty card or AARP card would work just fine too. On our cruise on Epic this February the switch didn't work in either of the two balcony cabins we had so it was disabled and we didn't need to worry about that.

 

On Epic La Cucina is located on deck 14 fwd under the buffet and has very good views forward, most tables have a view of somekind and unless it's very crowded, I doubt that one couldn't get a table quite close to the window. Although keep in mind that it can get dark quite quickly in the evening so the view might not be a lot to look at if eating late. When eating breakfast or lunch in the buffet, the space of La Cucina is open so one can carry their plate there and enjoy much more relaxing atmosphere since not many people find there on their own.

 

To my understanding H2O is pretty much used only for music entertainment and parties, movies are usually shown in atrium.

 

We have a 6pm seating for sail away from St Martin. If it's dark then, nothing I can do about it. At least we;ll still see the lights of the island as we sail away (if I look up from my plate ;)).

 

Thanks for the info on H20. I was hoping to watch movies under the stars (like on Princess).

[abbo1963]

thanks for the review great info

[jdvmd]

Great review! Thanks for sharing!

[SASA13]

Congrats on the wedding, and thank you for the review :)

[ganggreen88]

Congratulations...

 

Thank you for the write-up, I'm guessing since you didn't mention ports, you weren't that impressed?!?

 

Do you have dallies by any chance? Would love to see them if possible.

 

Again, thanks for taking the time to report.

 

Thanks asubaru. You're right. I never mentioned anything about the ports. I was trying to write the review quickly from work and totally forgot.

 

St. Marten - We took tour #2 with Bernard. The tour was great, but just to get going in the morning, was frustrating. We had to go here and wait, then go here and wait some more, now go in the sun and wait here. That was the only problem. Once the tour started, it was great. All you can drink, comfortable a/c bus and great tour leader Ricky. My wife and I loved Orient Beach. What a gorgeous beach. We had a nice time there. Also, Maho beach was nice, but jam packed. It was crazy just to drive thru there. We saw plenty of planes and it was cool seeing them fly so close over you. We ended up at a bar and watching the planes. I would recommend the bar, but forgot the name of it. It was towards the hotel and had a great view of the water.

 

St. Thomas - We first walked the markets close to the boat. I found great liquor prices at a store called Caribmona (i think, something like that). Had great prices. They delivered all the liquor to the boat for us. Then we took a open taxi to Megans Bay. After the wild ride, we arrived at one of the most beautiful areas I have seen. Beach was great, calm, clear and the setting between the mountains was great. Taxi was $8 each way p/p and $4 to enter beach. Well worth it.

 

Nassau - Didn't do much here. Place looked run down and we didn't want to go see Atlantis. I guess we just wanted to spend more time on the boat and once we docked, the boat was empty so we took advantage of that. We got off and just walked some shops, but the people were nasty and very persistant. Not my cup of tea, or rum in that case.

[halos]

Thank you for posting your thoughts :)

[asubaru]

Thanks asubaru. You're right. I never mentioned anything about the ports. I was trying to write the review quickly from work and totally forgot.

 

St. Marten - We took tour #2 with Bernard. The tour was great, but just to get going in the morning, was frustrating. We had to go here and wait, then go here and wait some more, now go in the sun and wait here. That was the only problem. Once the tour started, it was great. All you can drink, comfortable a/c bus and great tour leader Ricky. My wife and I loved Orient Beach. What a gorgeous beach. We had a nice time there. Also, Maho beach was nice, but jam packed. It was crazy just to drive thru there. We saw plenty of planes and it was cool seeing them fly so close over you. We ended up at a bar and watching the planes. I would recommend the bar, but forgot the name of it. It was towards the hotel and had a great view of the water.

 

St. Thomas - We first walked the markets close to the boat. I found great liquor prices at a store called Caribmona (i think, something like that). Had great prices. They delivered all the liquor to the boat for us. Then we took a open taxi to Megans Bay. After the wild ride, we arrived at one of the most beautiful areas I have seen. Beach was great, calm, clear and the setting between the mountains was great. Taxi was $8 each way p/p and $4 to enter beach. Well worth it.

 

Nassau - Didn't do much here. Place looked run down and we didn't want to go see Atlantis. I guess we just wanted to spend more time on the boat and once we docked, the boat was empty so we took advantage of that. We got off and just walked some shops, but the people were nasty and very persistant. Not my cup of tea, or rum in that case.

 

Thank you so much for taking the time to respond! I have been to all of them but like to hear about others' experiences.

I usually learn something, too!

[starfishee]

Great review, thanks for sharing! It got me that much more excited for my 12/7 cruise!!!