Epic Review. 2/2/14

[e2011]

We just finished the 8 day eastern on the Epic. Got off the ship today. This was our 2nd time on the Epic, the first was in Jan. 2011 when she was new. What a difference 3 years makes as far as wear and tear! Still a beautiful ship and still has a big smoke smell from the casino that permiates decks 5, 6 & 7 at the rear of the ship. Not as bad as our first cruise as they have installed many smoke eaters but the smell is still there. They really need to just ban all smoking on the ship except in certain on deck areas like some of the other cruise ships have done. We stayed in a two bedroom Haven suite again and it was very nice. We did have problems with the toilets flushing in both bathrooms. Had to hold the button in for several seconds before the actual flush would happen. The one in the master bedroom quit working completely the morning of our return to Miami! That was lucky for us. The room exhibited a lot of wear and tear. Its not that it wasn't clean, it was. Just a lot of scratches on the woodwork and worn carpet. The teak railings on the balcony were in need of a lot of attention. Most of the glossy varnish was worn off and pealing. The rest of the ship was very nice as always and it was a fun cruise. The food was excellent. The pay dining rooms were A+ with outstanding food. The free restaurants including the Garden Buffet were very good. The "included" food quality and variety was much better then we have experienced on RCCL and Disney. The staff was amazing. Our concierge staff and butler get an A+ but I wish the butler would have stopped bringing the delicious chocolates every night! I gained 6lbs on an 8 day cruise! Over all it was a very fun and relaxing cruise. The haven makes all the difference when you don't have to compete for pool space or lounge chair space. And the Epic Club is always a very pleasant retreat away from the masses. The food there is exceptional. Looking forward to the Getaway in March. Like most of the other lines, NCL charges you extra for many things. What really irritates me is with the obey you pay for a Haven suite you do NOT get any free beverages. No bottled water, no sodas, no free cocktail parties in the concierge lounge. Even on RCCL when you go concierge you get a free cocktail party every night for a few hours. Same with Disney. This is the main reason I will probably not become a NCL frequent cruiser. After the Getaway trip I don't see us doing NCL ever again. The Haven with all its benefits really cuts some serious corners.

Edited February 2, 2014 by e2011

[3DBeach]

Thanks for sharing a review. When we sailed in the Haven back in Dec we received a free bottle of sparkling wine as well as a large bottle of water with our 2 bdrm suite. Has this changed? We were also invited to a cocktail reception with the captain (can't remember if it was a latitudes party or a party for suite guests though).

Let us know how you like the Getaway, we'll be sailing her in April.

[runnersmate]

We just finished the 8 day eastern on the Epic. Got off the ship today. This was our 2nd time on the Epic, the first was in Jan. 2011 when she was new. What a difference 3 years makes as far as wear and tear! Still a beautiful ship and still has a big smoke smell from the casino that permiates decks 5, 6 & 7 at the rear of the ship. Not as bad as our first cruise as they have installed many smoke eaters but the smell is still there. They really need to just ban all smoking on the ship except in certain on deck areas like some of the other cruise ships have done. We stayed in a two bedroom Haven suite again and it was very nice. We did have problems with the toilets flushing in both bathrooms. Had to hold the button in for several seconds before the actual flush would happen. The one in the master bedroom quit working completely the morning of our return to Miami! That was lucky for us. The room exhibited a lot of wear and tear. Its not that it wasn't clean, it was. Just a lot of scratches on the woodwork and worn carpet. The teak railings on the balcony were in need of a lot of attention. Most of the glossy varnish was worn off and pealing. The rest of the ship was very nice as always and it was a fun cruise. The food was excellent. The pay dining rooms were A+ with outstanding food. The free restaurants including the Garden Buffet were very good. The "included" food quality and variety was much better then we have experienced on RCCL and Disney. The staff was amazing. Our concierge staff and butler get an A+ but I wish the butler would have stopped bringing the delicious chocolates every night! I gained 6lbs on an 8 day cruise! Over all it was a very fun and relaxing cruise. The haven makes all the difference when you don't have to compete for pool space or lounge chair space. And the Epic Club is always a very pleasant retreat away from the masses. The food there is exceptional. Looking forward to the Getaway in March. Like most of the other lines, NCL charges you extra for many things. What really irritates me is with the obey you pay for a Haven suite you do NOT get any free beverages. No bottled water, no sodas, no free cocktail parties in the concierge lounge. Even on RCCL when you go concierge you get a free cocktail party every night for a few hours. Same with Disney. This is the main reason I will probably not become a NCL frequent cruiser. After the Getaway trip I don't see us doing NCL ever again. The Haven with all its benefits really cuts some serious corners.

 

Thanks for the update-we are in the Haven for a 3rd time next week. Can you tell me whom the conceirge was and if you were on 16 or 17?

We are looking forward to being in the Caribbean as in the past we have always done the European itinerary and it is always very busy.

 

Thanks and welcome back!

Sharon

[david_sobe]

We just finished the 8 day eastern on the Epic. Got off the ship today. This was our 2nd time on the Epic, the first was in Jan. 2011 when she was new. What a difference 3 years makes as far as wear and tear! Still a beautiful ship and still has a big smoke smell from the casino that permiates decks 5, 6 & 7 at the rear of the ship. Not as bad as our first cruise as they have installed many smoke eaters but the smell is still there. They really need to just ban all smoking on the ship except in certain on deck areas like some of the other cruise ships have done. We stayed in a two bedroom Haven suite again and it was very nice. We did have problems with the toilets flushing in both bathrooms. Had to hold the button in for several seconds before the actual flush would happen. The one in the master bedroom quit working completely the morning of our return to Miami! That was lucky for us. The room exhibited a lot of wear and tear. Its not that it wasn't clean, it was. Just a lot of scratches on the woodwork and worn carpet. The teak railings on the balcony were in need of a lot of attention. Most of the glossy varnish was worn off and pealing. The rest of the ship was very nice as always and it was a fun cruise. The food was excellent. The pay dining rooms were A+ with outstanding food. The free restaurants including the Garden Buffet were very good. The "included" food quality and variety was much better then we have experienced on RCCL and Disney. The staff was amazing. Our concierge staff and butler get an A+ but I wish the butler would have stopped bringing the delicious chocolates every night! I gained 6lbs on an 8 day cruise! Over all it was a very fun and relaxing cruise. The haven makes all the difference when you don't have to compete for pool space or lounge chair space. And the Epic Club is always a very pleasant retreat away from the masses. The food there is exceptional. Looking forward to the Getaway in March. Like most of the other lines, NCL charges you extra for many things. What really irritates me is with the obey you pay for a Haven suite you do NOT get any free beverages. No bottled water, no sodas, no free cocktail parties in the concierge lounge. Even on RCCL when you go concierge you get a free cocktail party every night for a few hours. Same with Disney. This is the main reason I will probably not become a NCL frequent cruiser. After the Getaway trip I don't see us doing NCL ever again. The Haven with all its benefits really cuts some serious corners.

Epic no longer has a sail away party for suite guests? It takes place in Posh and they have free drinks. The captains party in the Epic lounge also has free drinks. If you are latitudes member, their party also has free drinks.

[e2011]

Thanks for the update-we are in the Haven for a 3rd time next week. Can you tell me whom the conceirge was and if you were on 16 or 17?

We are looking forward to being in the Caribbean as in the past we have always done the European itinerary and it is always very busy.

 

Thanks and welcome back!

Sharon

 

We were on deck 16. The head concierge was Ryan. He was wonderful! In fact all the staff in the Haven including our butler was exceptional. We did get one bottle of sparkling wine and one bottle of Aquafina water. Both were depleted at the end of day 1. There was a captains cocktail party on day 3. So there were two occasions for free drinks on the 8 day cruise. On RCCL in concierge there were 9 cocktail receptions over a 7 day cruise including a captains reception and a Crown and Anchor reception. Disney has free sodas all the time for everyone on the ship and the concierge stocks you frig with sodas and water. They also have a daily cocktail reception for 2 hours each day plus a captains reception. So 8 over 7 days. Still the Haven with its private pool and decks and restaurant is very worth the money!

[UpTheBanner]

We just finished the 8 day eastern on the Epic. Got off the ship today. This was our 2nd time on the Epic, the first was in Jan. 2011 when she was new. What a difference 3 years makes as far as wear and tear! Still a beautiful ship and still has a big smoke smell from the casino that permiates decks 5, 6 & 7 at the rear of the ship. Not as bad as our first cruise as they have installed many smoke eaters but the smell is still there. They really need to just ban all smoking on the ship except in certain on deck areas like some of the other cruise ships have done. We stayed in a two bedroom Haven suite again and it was very nice. We did have problems with the toilets flushing in both bathrooms. Had to hold the button in for several seconds before the actual flush would happen. The one in the master bedroom quit working completely the morning of our return to Miami! That was lucky for us. The room exhibited a lot of wear and tear. Its not that it wasn't clean, it was. Just a lot of scratches on the woodwork and worn carpet. The teak railings on the balcony were in need of a lot of attention. Most of the glossy varnish was worn off and pealing. The rest of the ship was very nice as always and it was a fun cruise. The food was excellent. The pay dining rooms were A+ with outstanding food. The free restaurants including the Garden Buffet were very good. The "included" food quality and variety was much better then we have experienced on RCCL and Disney. The staff was amazing. Our concierge staff and butler get an A+ but I wish the butler would have stopped bringing the delicious chocolates every night! I gained 6lbs on an 8 day cruise! Over all it was a very fun and relaxing cruise. The haven makes all the difference when you don't have to compete for pool space or lounge chair space. And the Epic Club is always a very pleasant retreat away from the masses. The food there is exceptional. Looking forward to the Getaway in March. Like most of the other lines, NCL charges you extra for many things. What really irritates me is with the obey you pay for a Haven suite you do NOT get any free beverages. No bottled water, no sodas, no free cocktail parties in the concierge lounge. Even on RCCL when you go concierge you get a free cocktail party every night for a few hours. Same with Disney. This is the main reason I will probably not become a NCL frequent cruiser. After the Getaway trip I don't see us doing NCL ever again. The Haven with all its benefits really cuts some serious corners.

Thank you for your review. I can't wait to try the Epic for the first time in April. Does the Epic still have the old menus?

[e2011]

I am not sure but I believe the menus were the same on this trip as they were in 2011 when we went on the Epic.

[anandaindonesia]

Thanks for sharing.