Booking our 1st NCL Cruise...

[treehugr]

Booking our 1st NCL cruise on the 11/16 Epic sailing. Avid cruisers having been on RCCL, Carnival and Celebrity. Those who have sailed Epic before...what would you compare to? Also, have balcony guarantee and mini-suite on hold. Mini-suite $300 total more than regular balcony...worth it?

[chiapet]

Booking our 1st NCL cruise on the 11/16 Epic sailing. Avid cruisers having been on RCCL, Carnival and Celebrity. Those who have sailed Epic before...what would you compare to? Also, have balcony guarantee and mini-suite on hold. Mini-suite $300 total more than regular balcony...worth it?

 

We've been on Epic twice and love it ... it's even my BIL's favorite ... above Allure of the Seas ... my DH's fave :)

 

However ... don't think I can compare it to another ship on other cruise lines. Love the entertainment and dining venues ... but most hate the bathrooms inside the cabin :p

 

It's more like a larger *first* iteration of Breakaway/Getaway ... before the *kinks* were worked out ;)

 

And no ... I personally would not pay $300 more for a mini-suite ... since it's pretty much the same cabin/balcony ... except the bathroom *area* near the entrance door is just slightly larger and has a tub (instead of shower) ... but still no separate bath*room* :rolleyes:

[negn]

I take a mini if CAS offers one. Otherwise a balcony is fine. Not that much difference especially if its just 2 cruising

[dolita22]

We've sailed the Epic once and are sailing again next January with some first-time cruiser friends! We really enjoyed our first sailing on the Epic and can't wait for our second.

 

As far as what ship to compare it to, I agree with the poster who said it's like the first iteration of Breakaway/Getaway. If you're asking about what it's like compared to other non-NCL ships...that's a tough question! All of the ships we've sailed on have had their own uniqueness. :) The Epic's entertainment was excellent, IMO. We enjoyed it more than the entertainment on our recent RCCL cruise.

 

Personally, I would save the $300 and book the balcony. While I've never sailed in a mini, everyone on this board who has sailed in them has said they are essentially glorified balconies with no suite perks. We sailed in a balcony on the Epic last year and the room and the balcony were perfectly comfortable for the two of us.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[TravelDiva88]

Skip the mini- it's just a glorified balcony.

 

What a lot of folks have failed to mention is the Wave balcony rooms. NCL was going for a more modern/sleek looking cabin. What resulted was a cabin that is rather awkward to navigate.

 

[chiapet]

Skip the mini- it's just a glorified balcony.

 

What a lot of folks have failed to mention is the Wave balcony rooms. NCL was going for a more modern/sleek looking cabin. What resulted was a cabin that is rather awkward to navigate.

 

 

We didn't mind the *wave* cabins ... but the bathroom *area* right next to entrance door was very *awkward*. And some very *interesting* situations happened because of this:

 

1) I was able to see and speak to my friend thru a cracked open door WHILE I was in the shower :p

 

2) I had a conversation with my cousin's DH while he was *ON THE THRONE* doing his business because the toilet *slider* was impossible to close due to his 6'5" stature :eek:

[treehugr]

We've been on Epic twice and love it ... it's even my BIL's favorite ... above Allure of the Seas ... my DH's fave :)

 

And no ... I personally would not pay $300 more for a mini-suite ... since it's pretty much the same cabin/balcony ... except the bathroom *area* near the entrance door is just slightly larger and has a tub (instead of shower) ... but still no separate bath*room* :rolleyes:

 

That's interesting about preferring over the Allure. Just got off the Oasis and while we really enjoyed, much of the additions over the Freedom class we didn't really utilize. Thanks for the advice on the cabin...sounds like a little false advertising on NCL's part.

[treehugr]

As far as what ship to compare it to, I agree with the poster who said it's like the first iteration of Breakaway/Getaway. If you're asking about what it's like compared to other non-NCL ships...that's a tough question! All of the ships we've sailed on have had their own uniqueness. :) The Epic's entertainment was excellent, IMO. We enjoyed it more than the entertainment on our recent RCCL cruise.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

 

Thank you for your reply...

 

Being on many cruises we had grown weary of the entertainment on each ship...faces change, but not the shows. Pretty much steered clear until our last cruise. Really nice change of pace on the Oasis with so many new offerings. Really looking forward to the Epic entertainment...most reflects reflect as a highlight for the ship.

[treehugr]

Skip the mini- it's just a glorified balcony.

 

What a lot of folks have failed to mention is the Wave balcony rooms. NCL was going for a more modern/sleek looking cabin. What resulted was a cabin that is rather awkward to navigate.

 

 

Thanks for the pic...is definitely different from anything we've seen. Looks narrower and longer. How is the storage?

[treehugr]

We didn't mind the *wave* cabins ... but the bathroom *area* right next to entrance door was very *awkward*. And some very *interesting* situations happened because of this:

 

1) I was able to see and speak to my friend thru a cracked open door WHILE I was in the shower :p

 

2) I had a conversation with my cousin's DH while he was *ON THE THRONE* doing his business because the toilet *slider* was impossible to close due to his 6'5" stature :eek:

 

I suppose my wife and I picked the perfect cruise not to take our teenage daughter on. Being 6' 5" myself, I appreciate the warning.