Back from Epic

[normanb]

We were on the Feb 16th sailing of the Norwegian Epic. I haven’t written a review in a few years, but after reading some of the negative reviews prior to our sailing I thought I would give my perspective. First let me say that we were several families traveling with children ages 8 to 15. Since 1992 I have been on at least one cruise a year, with a total over 30. My 15 year old has been on at least 20 (I’m starting to lose count). We have been on all of the mainstream lines except Disney and HAL.

 

The other thing I would like to say before I talk about the Epic is that I think people have to have reasonable expectations when they go on a cruise. I have come to the conclusion that some posters have unrealistic expectations, or just like to complain. Since we began cruising in 1992 the price has gone down. In order to keep the cruise fares low, the mainstream cruises lines have made cut backs in some areas, and have instituted an additional charge for some things. I understand that and accept it. People need to have reasonable expectations of what to expect for their money. If you want "Ritz Carlton", or "5 Diamond Service" then sail on an upscale cruise line and pay that fare. By sailing on the mainstream cruise lines I expect the experience to be similar to staying at a "Marriott". I have found that most of the mainstream lines do provide that experience, with something’s better or worse depending on the ship.

 

Norwegian is not my first choice of cruise lines, however we have sailed 4 times with them in the last few years (mainly due to the price). All of the cruises have been good. The Epic was no exception. The ship, service, activities, and food were all good. Some of the things were great. I did not experience any of the negative things that have been posted on this forum.

 

The Epic is a very large ship and we sailed during February school vacation. The ship was crowded, I expected that. However, we never had to wait in any really long lines. We arrived at the pier around 11:30 and were onboard the ship within 45 minutes.

Our cabin was clean, and had plenty of storage. I did not like the design of the bathroom; it is not very family friendly. We knew about the bathroom setup before the cruise so we worked around it. Our cabin attendant was great. He provided everything we asked for and always had a big smile.

 

The ship was full, so the main pool area was crowded on sea days. We expected that. You had to be out to the pool area early to sit right next the pool, but there were always available chairs in other areas of the ship. I read that some people complained about the condition of the chairs. Most of the chairs were in good shape but we did see many faded or worn chairs. I usually put my towel down on the chair first so the worn condition did not bother me. I did not find any broken ones.

 

I never found any long lines for an elevator. We were on deck 12 and never had a problem getting one, even on disembarkation. There may have been lines after a show but I never tried to get one at that time.

 

All of the crew and staff we encountered very friendly. Anytime we had any questions or needed anything, they were very helpful. We usually go out of our way to talk with the staff on a cruise and almost always have a friendly response.

 

The last thing I want to mention is the food. I realize that this is a very subjective area, but this is an area where a person’s expectations come into play. I can go to Morton’s Steakhouse and pay $50 for a steak, and I can go to McDonalds’s and pay $5 for a Big Mac and can be happy with either. I do not have the same expectations at Mc Donald’s as I do at Morton’s, but if I get what I paid for I am happy. When you go to the main dining room on a cruise ship you are eating with a few hundred other people. You are not getting food “cooked to order”. You are basically getting “banquet” food. There’s nothing wrong with that. In fact it can be very good.

 

On the Epic I found the main dining room food to be very good for the most part. There were always several choices, and I enjoyed everything I ordered. I had the strip steak a couple of nights and it was cooked the way I ordered it, and it was very flavorful. It was a little thin, but I could order two if I wanted to. I will say that the service in the main dining rooms was just okay. When you have traditional dining on a ship you eat with the same servers every night. I think that this leads to more personalized service. I prefer the traditional dining but the Freestyle Concept also works, especially considering the price of the cruise.

 

I found the food in the Garden Café to be excellent. We were on the Enchantment of the Seas in December, and the Garden Café had a much larger selection and better quality than the Windjammer. There were some lines in the Garden Café but nothing that was not manageable. We were on the Carnival Breeze last February and the buffet was extremely crowded.

 

As I mentioned before we have been on many cruises and have enjoyed them all. Each cruise line has its own personality. Some lines do some things better than others, but they are all good. Any time that we have ever had an issue the staff has taken care of it. Even though Norwegian is not my number one choice I would go back on them in a minute. We are on vacation and there to have fun. If there are any questions I’d be happy to try and answer them.

[SissasMomE]

Glad you had fun!

[Zoey]

What school vacation is in February? I know February 17th was President's Day BUT are there school systems in this country that actually shut down for the entire President's Day week?

[Demonyte]

Thanks for writing such a balanced review, it's clear that you are an experienced cruiser with realistic expectations. :)

[waterbabies7415]

Thank you for thoughts. I believe your right about expectations... I'm looking forward to my cruise on the Epic coming up. It will be my first time on a mega ship and I'm so happy to hear you and your family had a nice vacation! :)

[meatball_nyc]

Nice review, thank you!

 

Zoey, schools are closed for the week of President's Day.

 

Happy Cruising!

 

 

Robin

Norwegian Breakaway July 2014

Carnival Miracle 2010

Carnival Legend 2006

Every Day at Sea is a Great Day

[mcmomny]

We too had a great trip on the Epic in 2012 and at the time where lots of negative reviews about the ship, mostly the cabin and bathroom layout but like you we knew what to expect and just made it work!

 

Food reviews are matter of opinion and I rarely consider negative ones as what I might think was a great meal someone else might think was their worst meal!

 

But I can tell you even thou we walked all over Europe we still gained wieght on our cruise so the food must have been good!

 

Glad you had a good trip and enjoyed the Epic

[MRBOOKEND]

Thanks for a balanced review. Looking forward to our cruise on Epic in fall.

[wanderingjew]

When did they have Prime Rib or Lobster?

[youngestof9]

What school vacation is in February? I know February 17th was President's Day BUT are there school systems in this country that actually shut down for the entire President's Day week?

 

Here in NY, most school districts have the whole week off - we call it "mid-winter recess". However, our particular district changed it to just 3 days (mon/tue/wed), but most of the surrounding districts still have the whole week. That's common in the NJ/NJ/CT area.

[normanb]

We live in Rhode Island and I believe a lot of the public schools in the Northeast have winter break during President's Week.

 

Lobster was on the first night, not sure about Prime Rib.

[kidsnurse]

Thanks for your review!! This will be our first time on NCL. We also have the mid winter break here Presidents week in Atlanta and usually we cruise that week, but switched to spring break the end of March. I am not really looking forward to the bathroom set up with two teenagers, but we are already thinking of ways to make it work:D

 

 

Nanci

[kenlyn]

Is the winter break the week of Presidents' Day or the week prior? We are planning on the Epic next February 8th and hoping for a little quieter week. I am guessing that you left on the 16 th and not returned on the 16 th?

Thanks for the great review I am looking forward to my turn in ELEVEN months!

[anandaindonesia]

Happy to hear you have enjoyed your cruise. Looking forward to mine!

 

What did you have as a "headliner" show? Magician? Musicians?

Thank you for sharing.

[2boyzmom]

Your review and opinions sound like me :) Reasonable expectations. People who complain about worn out door nobs and tattered carpet are a little "over the top" in my opinion. We are cruising Spring recess and know the ship will be crowded with kids (like ours). Did you go into any ports? How crowded were the pool slides?

[orangegrove]

Is the winter break the week of Presidents' Day or the week prior? We are planning on the Epic next February 8th and hoping for a little quieter week. I am guessing that you left on the 16 th and not returned on the 16 th?

Thanks for the great review I am looking forward to my turn in ELEVEN months!

 

When I was living in NY (for 20+ years) it was always week of President's week. I would assume it would be again.

[sdmike]

What school vacation is in February? I know February 17th was President's Day BUT are there school systems in this country that actually shut down for the entire President's Day week?

 

Yes. We don't have snow days in San Diego, so we can take more official time off. This is in addition to time over Christmas/New Years, and our upcoming spring break in April

Edited March 7, 2014 by sdmike

[orangegrove]

Thank you for a nice and balanced review. We also have cruised for many years and view vacations the same way as you do. We are looking forward to sailing the Epic again. We were on her inaugural Eastern then Western b2b in July of 2010. It will be interesting to see if there are any changes that are noticeable. We are also looking forward to some warmer weather than we have had here in NC. Unbelievable cold winter this year.

[MRBOOKEND]

We are also looking forward to some warmer weather than we have had here in NC. Unbelievable cold winter this year.

 

 

I moved to Southern VA from Eastern Idaho a couple years ago. This ain't cold. First year in ID was -40 w/o wind chill figured in.

 

I think I've caught the cruzin bug. Booked on Epic in October, now thinking of going to Bermuda in July on one of the "away" ships (forgot which one)

Edited March 7, 2014 by MRBOOKEND

[normanb]

In Rhode Island the winter vacation week for public schools is usually the third week of February, the week that contains the President’s Day Holiday. We also have a week off for Spring Break which is usually the third week of April (it is not tied to Easter).

 

I did not go to any shows but some of my group did. I’m not sure what the “Headliner” show was but they saw the Legends Show and the Blue Man Group. They said that in the Legends show Steven Tyler was good and so was Elvis, Katy Perry was not that good. Everyone I spoke to about the Blue Man Group said the same thing. It was okay, but glad that they did not pay to see it. It must be better in shore based theaters.

 

On sea days the pool slides were crowded in the morning but as the day went on the lines were shorter. I went on the slides when I first got on the ship and there were no lines. The slides were pretty fast. Everyone liked them.

 

We went into all three ports, Ocho Rios, Costa Maya, and Cozumel and we had a great time in all three. I know that the ports that we visit have a population which is more disadvantaged than ours so I am not surprised at what is there. I have read posts where people are disappointed in the ports, but we take our Caribbean cruise in the winter to get away from the cold and have “fun in the sun”, so to speak. We are not really looking to tour or for any educational experience, so we usually have a good time just participating in outdoor activities and going to the beach. Over the years we have swam with stingray and dolphins, climbed waterfalls, parasailed, etc. It’s all good.

 

In Jamaica we went tubing down the White River. It was a blast for the group. We grabbed some taxis at the port went on our own. The tubing was fun and we even jumped off the cliff into the river a few times.

 

In Costa Maya we went down the road to Mahahual. It was about a 5 to 10 minute ride, only $2 per person each way. It has a great beach area with lots of little restaurants. There were lots of chair and shade right in front. Everything was very inexpensive. An hour massage on the beach was around $25. The kids all took a banana boat ride. They had fun.

 

In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. We have been there before. It was $3 pp to get in. That included chairs and umbrellas. It was another $15 if you wanted to use the water park, paddle boards, snorkel gear, etc. It has a huge fresh water pool. The place is extremely clean. There is even a guy in the bathroom constantly cleaning. The food and drinks were reasonably priced.

 

Hope that helps.

[gelo7]

Loved your very refreshing review.

[2boyzmom]

In Rhode Island the winter vacation week for public schools is usually the third week of February, the week that contains the President’s Day Holiday. We also have a week off for Spring Break which is usually the third week of April (it is not tied to Easter).

 

I did not go to any shows but some of my group did. I’m not sure what the “Headliner” show was but they saw the Legends Show and the Blue Man Group. They said that in the Legends show Steven Tyler was good and so was Elvis, Katy Perry was not that good. Everyone I spoke to about the Blue Man Group said the same thing. It was okay, but glad that they did not pay to see it. It must be better in shore based theaters.

 

On sea days the pool slides were crowded in the morning but as the day went on the lines were shorter. I went on the slides when I first got on the ship and there were no lines. The slides were pretty fast. Everyone liked them.

 

We went into all three ports, Ocho Rios, Costa Maya, and Cozumel and we had a great time in all three. I know that the ports that we visit have a population which is more disadvantaged than ours so I am not surprised at what is there. I have read posts where people are disappointed in the ports, but we take our Caribbean cruise in the winter to get away from the cold and have “fun in the sun”, so to speak. We are not really looking to tour or for any educational experience, so we usually have a good time just participating in outdoor activities and going to the beach. Over the years we have swam with stingray and dolphins, climbed waterfalls, parasailed, etc. It’s all good.

 

In Jamaica we went tubing down the White River. It was a blast for the group. We grabbed some taxis at the port went on our own. The tubing was fun and we even jumped off the cliff into the river a few times.

 

In Costa Maya we went down the road to Mahahual. It was about a 5 to 10 minute ride, only $2 per person each way. It has a great beach area with lots of little restaurants. There were lots of chair and shade right in front. Everything was very inexpensive. An hour massage on the beach was around $25. The kids all took a banana boat ride. They had fun.

 

In Cozumel we went to Paradise Beach. We have been there before. It was $3 pp to get in. That included chairs and umbrellas. It was another $15 if you wanted to use the water park, paddle boards, snorkel gear, etc. It has a huge fresh water pool. The place is extremely clean. There is even a guy in the bathroom constantly cleaning. The food and drinks were reasonably priced.

 

Hope that helps.

 

Thank you- we are doing the same thing as you in Costa Maya and Cozumel :)

[Robert Peel]

We were on the ship at the same time as you and concur with your comments. The service that we received throughout the ship was excellent which went a long way to making our vacation a very enjoyable experience.

 

When I look at the value for the money that we spent I have no issues with choosing NCL again, this was our third time on the EPIC and all six of our group had a very enjoyable break from winter.

[ShannonSC2]

Our schools in SC usually have the Friday before & Monday of President Day off and that is it. It is hard to go any where for 4 days. Of course this year we wind up having 6 days off because of snow/ice. I wished I had planned a cruise then because I am done with this winter weather (We have had 2 snowstorms this year & normally we only have 1 every 3 years years).

 

We are going to be on the EPIC in June for our European trip. I am looking forward to the trip but the other 2 NCL cruises we have been on have been on smaller ships (Pearl & Sun). I am trying to get over the fact that it is more people.

 

Also is the room set up really as bad as I have read? Not sure what to think about it. Did you put up something on your door so people wouldn't come in while you were showering?

 

TIA!

Edited March 8, 2014 by ShannonSC2

[waterbabies7415]

Also is the room set up really as bad as I have read? Not sure what to think about it. Did you put up something on your door so people wouldn't come in while you were showering?

 

Hi Shannon! Don't let others comments worry you-there is a full length curtain you can pull closed to give privacy from the main cabin. When someone is showering its in or out-rule.

Happy Sailing!

______________

Kim