What's it Like Getting on and off Epic in Ports?

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I'm going on my first NCL cruise in October. Being optimistic, it's likely I'll purchase a future cruise certificate on my cruise and am already looking ahead. I'm sailing in an inside cabin on the Jade--first time I've had an inside in 17 years! If I find I don't miss having a balcony too much, I'd like to try out a studio cabin on the Epic. My biggest concern is how large the ship is. I'd love to hear from those who've sailed on her about what it's like when you're in port. I don't book ship's excursions, won't be in a suite, and will have only one NCL cruise behind me so I'll debark in ports along with the masses. Just wondering how smoothly debarking in ports goes with a ship that large--does it take forever to get off and then back on the ship?

 

Thanks!

[dreamr]

Well, I guess part of it will depend on how early you want to get off of the ship. If you're one of those who wants to be off the ship the moment you dock...I have no experience with that. XD

 

But my experiences getting off of the ship have all been very, very quick and painless. I tend to sleep in a little (though, not enough that I would miss my excursions, of course) and had no trouble simply walking straight off the ship.

 

Likewise with getting back on the ship. Walk up the ramp, stick your card in the slot, and you're back on.

 

Like I said, though, I'm not one to want to be among the first off the ship, so that might be a different experience.

 

Hope that helps a little. :)

 

P.S. I've been in studios twice and LOVED them. Gonna be in a studio on my upcoming Getaway cruise, too. :D

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Well, I guess part of it will depend on how early you want to get off of the ship. If you're one of those who wants to be off the ship the moment you dock...I have no experience with that. XD

 

But my experiences getting off of the ship have all been very, very quick and painless. I tend to sleep in a little (though, not enough that I would miss my excursions, of course) and had no trouble simply walking straight off the ship.

 

Likewise with getting back on the ship. Walk up the ramp, stick your card in the slot, and you're back on.

 

Like I said, though, I'm not one to want to be among the first off the ship, so that might be a different experience.

 

Hope that helps a little. :)

 

P.S. I've been in studios twice and LOVED them. Gonna be in a studio on my upcoming Getaway cruise, too. :D

 

 

Thank you. Happy to hear you loved the studios--I've heard really good things about them and am eager to try one. I've cruised in balcony cabins for almost all my cruises and love sitting on my balcony, but the difference in price between inside or studio and a balcony makes it difficult for me to justify booking a balcony for just me.

 

I typically like to get off the ship as soon as possible when in port, but the Jade cruise is my first solo cruise and I have only one tour booked, so I really don't know yet what my solo cruising style will be. The Epic itinerary I'm looking at has three consecutive days in port, so it's likely I wouldn't rush off the ship each day--I have severe arthritis in one of my knees so I tend to take it a little easier in port than I used to. :o I am curious though for those days I might want to get off the ship as early as possible if there will be a significant difference in time compared to what I'm used to on smaller ships (with 2,000 or so passengers).

 

Thanks!

[KeithJenner]

I've been on the Epic for the past three years (on the Med itinerary) and have always just been able to walk on and off the ship with no problem.

 

On that itinerary the arrival time is fairly early which spreads the crowds out, and I've never been there at 6 or 7am when it docks, but I've also heard many comments about how surprisingly easy it is to get on and off the Epic.

 

I've certainly never noticed any difference between the Epic and smaller ships when it comes to this. They really have crowd management well organised when it comes to things like this.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[silkhair1]

We are going on our 3rd Epic cruise and my sister LOVES the studio cabin. You need to try it, but you want to be on the same floor as the lounge area or you have to go up and down stairs to get to it, and with arthritis, I thought I would mention that. If you call NCL, they should know the deck it is on, but I believe it is deck 11 on the Epic.

 

We do not rush to get off the ship as we like to have a nice breakfast before we get off and we have never had a problem with waiting or lines. The same with getting on. We don't wait til the last minute to get back on and we never had to wait.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you, Keith. I'm happy to hear that!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We are going on our 3rd Epic cruise and my sister LOVES the studio cabin. You need to try it, but you want to be on the same floor as the lounge area or you have to go up and down stairs to get to it, and with arthritis, I thought I would mention that. If you call NCL, they should know the deck it is on, but I believe it is deck 11 on the Epic.

 

We do not rush to get off the ship as we like to have a nice breakfast before we get off and we have never had a problem with waiting or lines. The same with getting on. We don't wait til the last minute to get back on and we never had to wait.

 

Thank you! Good point on making sure I'm on the same level as the lounge--stairs are not my friends. :o

 

Thanks for sharing your experience on debarking, as well. Like you, I'm usually back on board with time to spare.

 

thanks!

[lettienets]

How is Epic for getting off and tendering? Have to tender in Cannes.

[cruisecritiquer]

I can't remember which port...trying really hard to recall...perhaps Nassau...which you don't have to worry about anymore since Epic is no longer doing that itinerary but that port was an absolute nightmare in November 2013. The line to get off the ship was literally from the bow to the aft of the ship. We were Haven guests and I didn't want to be a brat by running upstairs to get our concierge so we could go to the front of the line but I wish I had. It took almost an hour to disembark. Getting back on though was a breeze and I have no way of knowing if that's typical or if that was just one of those crazy days. We had no problems disembarking anywhere else.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I can't remember which port...trying really hard to recall...perhaps Nassau...which you don't have to worry about anymore since Epic is no longer doing that itinerary but that port was an absolute nightmare in November 2013. The line to get off the ship was literally from the bow to the aft of the ship. We were Haven guests and I didn't want to be a brat by running upstairs to get our concierge so we could go to the front of the line but I wish I had. It took almost an hour to disembark. Getting back on though was a breeze and I have no way of knowing if that's typical or if that was just one of those crazy days. We had no problems disembarking anywhere else.

 

Thanks for your feedback!

[brookie848]

I can't remember which port...trying really hard to recall...perhaps Nassau...which you don't have to worry about anymore since Epic is no longer doing that itinerary but that port was an absolute nightmare in November 2013. The line to get off the ship was literally from the bow to the aft of the ship. We were Haven guests and I didn't want to be a brat by running upstairs to get our concierge so we could go to the front of the line but I wish I had. It took almost an hour to disembark. Getting back on though was a breeze and I have no way of knowing if that's typical or if that was just one of those crazy days. We had no problems disembarking anywhere else.

 

 

This was Nassau. Because the ship docked at noon, everyone was ready to get off the ship once the all clear was given. We never had any major waits getting on the ship, but we did run into security lines to get back into the port. Again, this was in Nassau.

 

We are going on the Epic in March -- the Western Caribbean itinerary. We tender in Grand Cayman. From what I have been reading, the lines getting back on the tender can get quite long. We'll know more once the ship begins this itinerary and reviews start coming in later this year.

 

For the Epic and mobility issues -- you definitely want to be on the same deck as the Studio Lounge (11). You also want to make sure you are close to the elevators and the lounge. Look carefully at the deck plans before you choose your cabin. The Epic is a big ship with elevators only forward and aft. To me, those hallways seem to go on forever. I think you are better off being at the forward part of the ship. That is where the lounge, buffet and entertainment are located. That will cut down on your walking a bit.

[cruisecritiquer]

This was Nassau. Because the ship docked at noon, everyone was ready to get off the ship once the all clear was given. We never had any major waits getting on the ship, but we did run into security lines to get back into the port. Again, this was in Nassau.

 

We are going on the Epic in March -- the Western Caribbean itinerary. We tender in Grand Cayman. From what I have been reading, the lines getting back on the tender can get quite long. We'll know more once the ship begins this itinerary and reviews start coming in later this year.

 

For the Epic and mobility issues -- you definitely want to be on the same deck as the Studio Lounge (11). You also want to make sure you are close to the elevators and the lounge. Look carefully at the deck plans before you choose your cabin. The Epic is a big ship with elevators only forward and aft. To me, those hallways seem to go on forever. I think you are better off being at the forward part of the ship. That is where the lounge, buffet and entertainment are located. That will cut down on your walking a bit.

 

You are absolutely right! That helped refresh my memory. We were on the Pearl when she was doing the Western Caribbean itinerary and the tenders to get back onto the ship weren't too bad. Of course, Epic can hold about 1700 more passengers than the Pearl. Let me know how that turns out? We wanted to get on the Epic again but will have to catch it in Europe now.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

This was Nassau. Because the ship docked at noon, everyone was ready to get off the ship once the all clear was given. We never had any major waits getting on the ship, but we did run into security lines to get back into the port. Again, this was in Nassau.

 

We are going on the Epic in March -- the Western Caribbean itinerary. We tender in Grand Cayman. From what I have been reading, the lines getting back on the tender can get quite long. We'll know more once the ship begins this itinerary and reviews start coming in later this year.

 

For the Epic and mobility issues -- you definitely want to be on the same deck as the Studio Lounge (11). You also want to make sure you are close to the elevators and the lounge. Look carefully at the deck plans before you choose your cabin. The Epic is a big ship with elevators only forward and aft. To me, those hallways seem to go on forever. I think you are better off being at the forward part of the ship. That is where the lounge, buffet and entertainment are located. That will cut down on your walking a bit.

 

Thank you. Hopefully that had more to do with Nassau than the ship. The itinerary I'm looking at is RT out of Barcelona to the Canary Islands and Morocco. Thanks for that advice on cabin locations. I have good days and bad with my arthritis, but walking is one of those things that can make it worse. I don't usually go to the entertainment when I cruise, but that's one of the reasons to choose the Epic so will want to partake, I'm sure. :o

[kugamuga]

Thank you! Good point on making sure I'm on the same level as the lounge--stairs are not my friends. :o

 

Thanks for sharing your experience on debarking, as well. Like you, I'm usually back on board with time to spare.

 

thanks!

 

This is the link to the deck plan for deck #11. My son stayed in room 11507 when we sailed out of Barcelona last summer and he loved it. It's larger than you would expect ( he's almost 6 ft) and the lighting is kind of funky. Getting off of any NCL ship is a breeze. They really have it down to a science. We were in room 9095 and we picked both rooms because of their closeness to the elavator banks. There are only 2 of them so choose a room near one of them since you have difficulty walking.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

This is the link to the deck plan for deck #11. My son stayed in room 11507 when we sailed out of Barcelona last summer and he loved it. It's larger than you would expect ( he's almost 6 ft) and the lighting is kind of funky. Getting off of any NCL ship is a breeze. They really have it down to a science. We were in room 9095 and we picked both rooms because of their closeness to the elavator banks. There are only 2 of them so choose a room near one of them since you have difficulty walking.

 

Thank you for the advice; I appreciate it. And, it's nice to hear that someone tall did well in a studio. I'm 6'1", so that actually was a slight concern.

 

Thanks!

[kugamuga]

Thank you for the advice; I appreciate it. And, it's nice to hear that someone tall did well in a studio. I'm 6'1", so that actually was a slight concern.

 

Thanks!

 

Doh! Had a senior moment.......... I forgot to post the link for deck 11....http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/decks/2/11#tab_detail

[fshagan]

We were on the Epic recently and found that getting on and off was just like any other ship. One of the the things I noticed, and liked, was that even though the ship was full for the Easter Caribbean itinerary you never really felt crowded. And getting off and on in the ports was very easy.

 

The only time we had an issue was at the end of the cruise; people who were walking off with their luggage created quite a traffic jam at the elevators. We took the stairs to breakfast and avoided the mess!

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Doh! Had a senior moment.......... I forgot to post the link for deck 11....http://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/decks/2/11#tab_detail

 

No problem. I've been looking at the deck plans. :D

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We were on the Epic recently and found that getting on and off was just like any other ship. One of the the things I noticed, and liked, was that even though the ship was full for the Easter Caribbean itinerary you never really felt crowded. And getting off and on in the ports was very easy.

 

The only time we had an issue was at the end of the cruise; people who were walking off with their luggage created quite a traffic jam at the elevators. We took the stairs to breakfast and avoided the mess!

 

Thank you! From what I've read, it sounds like NCL has the debarkation process down to a very smooth science. I'm looking forward to seeing how they do it. :D