Just booked ncl epic have been reading some horrible

[gladimhere]

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

[esp13]

Sigh.

 

The Epic has excellent shows. In Nov. 2010, I did a cruise on the ship and thoroughly enjoyed all of their shows. We ate in the MDR several times and thought the food (and service) was great.

 

You do NOT have to pay extra for good food. There are three main dining rooms, O'Sheehans and the buffet which have no additional cost and which serve good food. If you CHOOSE to go to a specialty restaurant, the food is also quite good but you don't HAVE to do so unless you CHOOSE.

 

That's the great thing about NCL, it's your CHOICE. :)

[roger001]

My nephew, niece, and family just cruised her last week. They've cruised Disney always before. Said the Epic was the best cruise they've ever had. However....if at all in doubt, you should cancel and book something you feel good about. Don't settle on one that will cause you worry . That's no fun. I would not sail her based on all the bad things you've heard about her.

[dolita22]

We take all reviews with a grain of salt. There are the highest-praise ones and the lowest-low ones. Somewhere in the middle is everything else, and those are the ones we pay attention to.

 

We sailed the Epic last year, and we're sailing again next year. My parents have sailed it twice as well. The Epic is a really great ship! Many shows (Cirque du Soleil, Blue Man Group) and activities and lots of choices for good, complimentary food (MDRs, O'Sheehans, the buffet, room service). I agree with the PP that said you do not have to pay extra for good food.

 

Don't worry. You're on a cruise! Go in with an open mind, research ahead of time, take reviews with a grain of salt, and you will have a great trip!

[Out to sea!]

Epic is both good and bad. Didn't care for the food in the MDRs but enjoyed the buffet and specialty restaurants. Cabin (inside) is incredibly tiny (128 sf) and the shower and toilet have glass walls (hope you're not shy). Too much of the deck is taken up with things for kids (my opinion). TV screen at rear of ship is nice. Crew were great. Comedy shows and Blue Man Group were excellent.

Edited April 1, 2014 by Out to sea!

[SissasMomE]

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

 

Nope - not at all. We had no issues with the MDR food at all. 3rd sailing booked for Thanksgiving.

[debk68]

Just got off the Epic last Sunday. I will get around to writing a review once my laundry is done ;)

 

We ate mostly at Taste. The food was poor (poached cod) to excellent (sirloin steak Mignon and shrimp). If you don't like something send it back and get something else. I have sailed on Carnival and RCI. Overall the food in Taste was comparable if not better than Carnival. We ate at Osheehan's a couple of times. It was also good and a nice option.

 

I was impressed with the buffet. In the our past experience, the buffet was where we would go when we couldn't eat in the dining rooms.

Breakfast had made to order omelets at every station. We also did O'Sheehans for breakfast, their omelet was also good. for lunch and dinner the food was hot and tasty. Even the curly fries were hot. Lobster on the buffet is really good! There is not the variety of the other 2 lines, but there are still MANY good choices.

If you can get a POSH pass, the swordfish sandwich is very good.

We did eat at Tepannyaki it was good, but not outstanding.

 

Entertainment- Book Blue man online. It is a show not to be missed. Try and make it to the Blueman Q&A.

Second city was good, you can pretty much walk into any show without reservations. They get better as the week goes on.

Howl at the moon- go at you first opportunity and stay for at least 30 minutes. The musical talent of these guys is amazing.

Overall the entertainment was really good. Better than most Carnival and the smaller RCI.

[FLAHAM]

In my experience, Epic MDR food and shows are so so (varying from barely acceptable to reasonably good). MDR service is very inconsistent. Pay restaurants (mostly) have significantly better food and service.

[soccersharon]

We sailed the Epic (and NCL for the first time) in November. My full review is in my signature.

 

Sent from my mobile device. Typos are inevitable.

[Tiggertastic]

To the op, there is plenty of choice without paying extra although the specialty restaurants are some of the best at sea

[Sparky38]

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

 

I won't repeat feedback already posted...suffice to say three cruises already done on The Epic totalling five weeks and a further cruise booked.... We love her!! Hope this helps!

[Love my butler]

If you like huge crowds, everywhere, this is the ship for you. The entertainment gets old quick too. Once you see BMG (not that great), Legends and pay lots for Cirque, you are just about done. IMO the Epic is only tolerable in the Haven. Not my cup of tea wading through the masses and masses of people. It just feels too scripted. Not freestyle at all.

 

P.S. The waterslides are fun, but again, beware of long lines for the yellow.

[Basketweaverz]

We took Epic for a Western Med. round trip. Loved our balcony room, loved the food. We ate in MDR and buffet and Teppanyaki and Moderno. Loved all of them. Shower enclosure is frosted and didn't bother us, spigot on sink in room would splash if turned on fulltilt, so learned fast to turn it on just a little.

 

We would not hesitate to book Epic again, just the airfare to Europe is too much and the Caribbean does not call to us.

[kcwingwalker]

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

 

If you are happy then stay with Carnival................or you can take a step up and try NCL.

 

As already said take most reviews with a grain of salt.

[JillK]

In all the cruises I've planned for, I have never come across a ship with only excellent reviews.

 

Hubby and I took our daughters (7 & 8 at the time) on the Epic in December 2012 and we had an amazing week. It was my first time back at NCL since my very first cruise many moons ago aboard the Norway.

 

We had a fantastic vacation and would cruise aboard Epic again without hesitation. Certainly not everything was *perfect* but I was hard pressed to find things to complain about. We go into each cruise with a good attitude and ready to roll with anything that comes our way during the week and that attitude has served us well (most especially on our honeymoon cruise on CCL Paradise in 2000 that was cancelled on the first night after we were already onboard!)

 

We ate in the MDR twice and found the food there to be good to very good. We did get a discounted pay restaurant package for three restaurants and thought the steakhouse was good, La Cucina was very good, and the standout of the week was Le Bistro which was excellent. We also felt that the food and set-up of the Garden Cafe was the best we've seen on any of the ships/lines we've cruised.

 

Yes, the ship is busy but we never felt overwhelmed by crowds of people, nor did we feel there was a lack of things to do. We were able to do things together as a family and also able to have adult time when the kids were at the kids club, which they loved.

 

That being said, if you're overly concerned, perhaps it's worth taking some additional time to research and see if there's a another cruise that you feel better about. It's not a good feeling to walk into something worried it will be a negative experience.

 

Good luck!

[coold8]

I have been on nearly 20 cruises. Epic is a wonderful ship and ranks in my Top 2, especially with the way Carnival has been recently. I have been on everything from Crystal to Carnival, River Cruises, Baltic Cruises, and god knows how many Caribbean cruises. #1 Crystal Symphony, #2 NCL Epic. Worst case scenario it's not your favorite.

 

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

[Mr and Mrs C]

Favourite cruise so far! Would do it again in a heartbeat! I'm so glad I ignored the bad reviews! Shows were awesome, food was great, really enjoyed the water slides too.

I also liked the way the bathroom was set up, if someone was in the shower it did not make the rest of the bathroom unaccessible.

 

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums mobile app

[gelo7]

I am going for 2nd's on the Epic this Sunday.

[sixesandeights]

reviews Im seriously wondering if I should cancel.I booked it for ship not itinerary Im hoping the shows are great also I do not like to pay for food on cruise I love Carnivals food but sounds like you have to pay extra for decent food.Any opinions or information would be greatly appreciated

 

I would go unless the food is all your care about on a cruise, here is why I say that.

 

I sailed on the Epic beginning of March this year. It was my wife and my first cruise on NCL in 14 years. Over all it was our favorite cruise to date, so much so that we have booked the Getaway for September. There were goods and bad, and I will give you a taste of both so you can decide what is best for you.

 

 

Lets get the "bad" out of the way...

 

- The MDR situation was a debacle IMHO. On our sailing we were not at capacity (800+ short according to staff). That said there was a wait at the MDR every single night. We eat late, so this was not peak 6:30 dinner time either. 30 Minutes was what were were told each time we tried to get a table, and one night when we decided to wait then NEVER called our pager. After 1.5 hours we asked and they said they missed our pager....because of this we never actually made it to the MDR....this was VERY odd for us as we typically love the sit down dinner portion of cruises.

 

- They ONLY serve pepsi products....mixed drinks with pepsi are terrible IMHO. In addition to it just being Pepsi the selection was VERY poor. Flat Mountain Dew, pepsi, diet pepsi, and root beer. No Dr. Pepper, no sprite, nada.....at least having coke to make a proper drink would have been better...

 

 

Now the Good. As you can see from my list above other then the food situation I had to look pretty far to find any issues.

 

- The Buffet food was top notch. We made the buffet our go to for dinner most nights because of the MDR issues, and it was great. Hot food, good selections, no lines. It was far far better then any other buffet that I have had on a cruise ship.

 

- O'sheeheens was also VERY good. I had way to many orders of Wings and Fish and Chips. This being open 24 hours (although with a reduced menu after a certain time) was VERY convenient as you could always get something to eat or a drink.

 

- The entertainment was amazing. Cirque, Blue Man Group, Nadeen the Hypnotist were all fantastic. We loved the entertainment on the boat so much that we went to many shows. We typically do not care for the shows on cruise ships as the all tend to be of mediocre quality.

 

- The staff was stellar. On other cruise lines we have always had at least some issues with staff. On the Epic there was not a request to crazy, and everyone was willing to help you out. Smiles on almost all the faces.

 

 

 

There are other things that we loved about this ship such as the layout and the easy to learn deck plans but I think you get the idea.

 

I highly recommend the Epic and hope that you can put the bad reviews behind you and can enjoy her as well. Remember that as with anything the reviews that come from the people that think that had a bad time will make everything seem bad. Do not let their bad time cause you to have a bad time as well. Enjoy the experience and the beauty of the ship and the setting and you will have a great vacation.

 

6&8

Edited April 2, 2014 by sixesandeights

[Va. Plumber]

Sailed on Epic in January and it was at capacity. Waited one night for maybe 15 minutes in large dining room and no wait for smaller dinng room.

Had no wait two nights in O'Sheehan's. Service was great in all cases.

 

I wonder sometimes if party size is an issue. It is usually a snap to seat two but larger parties can be a problem, just like in any restaurant.

[Fun4Us2013]

We sailed on the Epic during spring break, March9. The ship was full. Sailed 7 times previously on RCCL. This was our first NCL experience. I would like to say that without a doubt most times you have to try to have a bad time on a cruise. (some notable exceptions, Carnival engines break down, RCCL ship catches on fire, Concordia). The Epic is different in the room layouts are unique. I liked the bathrooms on RCCL but got used to the separate facilities quickly. The RCCL ships are more grand in their design but the Epic also was unique. Many hidden places you have to look for. The food in all restaurants was very good. Better in my opinion than RCCL. Never had to wait long at any of the venues. Buffet was excellent. Main pool area was crowded but we got the posh pass and spent the cruise up top (at the bar). I was skeptical about NCL at first but would sail on them again. Have never tried Carnival. Based on my experience you should try other ship lines and make your decision about future cruises after you try one.

[kirsty_r]

I love the EPIC- off on my 3rd cruise on her in a few weeks. I found poolside busy on a normal 7 day cruise, but heavenly quiet on a repositioning. Otherwise, to say how big she is I never felt crowded in the public areas. I love all the nooks and crannies on EPIC - lots to explore!! Go and enjoy yourself and form your own opinion.

[anandaindonesia]

Our number 1 ship is Crystal Symphony.

Number 2 Celebrity Solstice.

Number 3 is Allure of the Seas, and number 4 comes NCL Epic.

 

Oooops....! But it is in chronological order and not in order of prefrence! (I can't say as we have yet to experience these last two ships).

 

We like to try different ships, however YMMV.

 

Enjoy your cruise, whichever you choose.

[ChickonRules]

Thank goodness this thread was started! I was also worried after reading so many negative reviews for the Epic. I will definitely go with an open mind and am looking for an amazing time!