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EPIC October dry dock

kkpcruiser

By kkpcruiser,
in Norwegian Cruise Line

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kkpcruiser

kkpcruiser

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I understand a few entertainment changes are being made in October on EPIC so I imagine some set and venue enhancements with this drydock but can any recent Epic cruisers comment on the general overall shape of EPIC please? Are things looking worn?

 

I'm looking at dates in June and while I' d consider Allure for the same itinerary, the price is close to $2000 higher and I can't really justify that ! I could take a Breakaway out of NYC with that savings!

 

Thanks in advance

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N747KT

N747KT

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Blue man Group is leaving, don't know what date. The overall shape is very good. The only thing I noticed was that the wooden rails could be cleaned up a little. It's unbelievable with the number of people on and off that beautiful ship how they manage to keep everything nice ! Enjoy . I took three cruises on Epic. Enjoyed every minute!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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welove2cruise*

welove2cruise*

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I will be on the first sailing after drydock out of London. I am excited about the new changes. We sailed the Epic three times so far, last time was a year ago.

 

I like the Beatles club idea very much. We saw a Beatles tribute band on our Med cruise on the Epic and they were really good.

 

I also was ready for a change from the BMG. I had not heard of the new musical coming but it sounds fun to me as well.

 

We just got off of the Getaway on Saturday. I really enjoyed the entertainment on that ship as well.

 

Happy cruising. :)

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dolita22

dolita22

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We sailed the Epic in January for the second time. We sailed in 2013 and it was in good shape then, but with two years passing, I wasn't quite sure it would be in as good of shape for this year's sailing. We were surprised, though!

 

Overall, we thought the Epic was in good shape, considering it's 5 years old and number of cruisers on each week. There were some rust spots on our balcony, some missing tiles in the pools, and some of the deck lounge chairs were broken/looked like they'd seen better days (faded). But overall, our room and everything in it (carpet, bedding, seating area) and all the main areas of the ship were in really good condition. The staff seem to do a great job of taking take of the Epic.

 

For the $2,000 savings, I'd have no problems choosing the Epic again! Have a great cruise.

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kkpcruiser

kkpcruiser

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Thanks all! We loved the Epic in 2013 on an Eastern Caribbean Itinerary and am looking forward to giving her a try for a Mediterranean Itinerary . It sounds like she's in pretty good shape but for a few small cosmetic issues. We actually love the wavy rooms....have no issues with the bathroom setup...and look forward to the few early changes being implemented before dry dock for the new European home of the Epic.

I' m really looking forward to the Beatles review and hoping it's showing before the drydock in Fat Cats. On a recent Breakaway cruise, Fat cats was very underutilized and just didn't attract a crowd. As for Blueman, I can't say I'll miss it at all but my girls ( in their 20s) Love it!!

Thanks again for the info. With this assurance it's really a no brainer to book the Epic for this itinerary.

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AandBmom

AandBmom

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I heard Blue man is leaving around Easter this year.

 

I was on the Epic last week and felt it needed a complete updating. Rust was showing in many places, the adults pool was making weird gurgling noises all week and looked rough, the main pool looks rougher than our local city owned rec center with outdated tiles.

 

Also all the towels needs replaced as in my estimate at least 1/3 are stained.

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UODuckMan

UODuckMan

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With Epic moving to Europe year round, I've heard entertainment changes were coming including losing Blue Man Group. The dry dock after the busy summer season also makes sense to fresher her up and maybe go with some nice European touches with the decor.

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bmwman

bmwman

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Posted (edited)
I will be on the first sailing after drydock out of London. I am excited about the new changes. We sailed the Epic three times so far, last time was a year ago.

 

I like the Beatles club idea very much. We saw a Beatles tribute band on our Med cruise on the Epic and they were really good.

 

I also was ready for a change from the BMG. I had not heard of the new musical coming but it sounds fun to me as well.

 

We just got off of the Getaway on Saturday. I really enjoyed the entertainment on that ship as well.

 

Happy cruising. :)

 

London:confused: Southhampton is about 90 miles out of London and a very different place!! A good 1.5 hours by train and up to three hours on a bad day by car!!

Edited by bmwman
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Single Cruiser

Single Cruiser

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Looks like my 11 day cruise from Southampton to Barcelona has vanished.

Was booked for Oct 2015.

They now show me on Norwegian Epic during the dry dock?

Rang NCL.They said I must call back tomorrow. I wonder what has happened.

 

If you read your roll call.

 

Yes Epic is now in a 3wk dry dock until she arrives on the 18th in Southampton due to extra work required on the engine.

 

The 18th and 21st Oct Med cruises have been cancelled. The 11th Oct Southampton - Barcelona cruise has been moved back one week to now start 18th.

NCL are slowly contacting the customers affected on the 11th, 18th and 21st sailings with their options.

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  • 2 months later...
bmwman

bmwman

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If you read your roll call.

 

Yes Epic is now in a 3wk dry dock until she arrives on the 18th in Southampton due to extra work required on the engine.

 

The 18th and 21st Oct Med cruises have been cancelled. The 11th Oct Southampton - Barcelona cruise has been moved back one week to now start 18th.

NCL are slowly contacting the customers affected on the 11th, 18th and 21st sailings with their options.

 

I thought it arrives on 26 September 2015

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zqvol

zqvol

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With Epic moving to Europe year round, I've heard entertainment changes were coming including losing Blue Man Group. The dry dock after the busy summer season also makes sense to fresher her up and maybe go with some nice European touches with the decor.

 

 

Don't expect any real changes to the interior. You will not be able to tell that anything is "freshened up". The purpose of dry dock is to take care of the hull and engines. Changes to the passenger space can be made at the same time but are highly unusual on a newer ship. Passengers should not be able to tell that the ship has been in dry dock.

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CruisinMaterial

CruisinMaterial

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Wow time goes by fast. I cant believe Epic is old enough to have a dry dock. It seems like yesterday that I was stalking her under construction. That was a quick 5 years!

 

Time flies when you're cruising! :D I can't believe she's that old either! I remember seeing all the construction photos of her floating around and all the drama surrounding her delivery (fires, construction delays, financing issues, etc).

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CruisinMaterial

CruisinMaterial

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Don't expect any real changes to the interior. You will not be able to tell that anything is "freshened up". The purpose of dry dock is to take care of the hull and engines. Changes to the passenger space can be made at the same time but are highly unusual on a newer ship. Passengers should not be able to tell that the ship has been in dry dock.

 

I'm not sure if they are making modifications to the decor in the Fat Cats Jazz Club or not but I know the venue's name is at least changing so that's a cosmetic enhancement to that specific area of the ship. I would not expect too many more changes to the inward appearance of the ship besides new carpeting.

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vulcan1971

vulcan1971

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I had been reading up on the EPIC since I am considering booking a cruise in February 2016. I found this bit of information here on the Cruise Critic News.

 

http://www.cruisecritic.com/news/news.cfm?ID=5858

 

Norwegian Epic is scheduled for dry dock next year and will receive many upgrades in the Norwegian Next program but not the same as others in the fleet. "Epic is really considered in [the Breakaway-class group] as well, since the enhanced dining and entertainment options onboard really started with that ship," Norwegian spokeswoman Vanessa Picariello told Cruise Critic. Epic will not be adopting anything from Breakaway or Getaway.

 

--by Brittany Chrusciel, Editorial Assistant

Don't expect any real changes to the interior. You will not be able to tell that anything is "freshened up". The purpose of dry dock is to take care of the hull and engines. Changes to the passenger space can be made at the same time but are highly unusual on a newer ship. Passengers should not be able to tell that the ship has been in dry dock.

 

I would respectfully disagree with your assertion. If the ship was only going for hull/engine maintenance, this could be done in less than the 15-22 days for which the dry dock is scheduled. It appears the current dry dock schedule is 26 September 2015 through 10 October 2015... although someone earlier in the thread indicated this could last till 17 October 2015.

 

The Norwegian website indicates that the EPIC is going to undergo "Norwegian NEXT" updates.

 

While I think the majority of updates may be public spaces and food or entertainment venues, I can imagine that there may be rooms that are slated for updates and repairs that just couldn't be done when the ship was in service.

 

I'm not sure if they are making modifications to the decor in the Fat Cats Jazz Club or not but I know the venue's name is at least changing so that's a cosmetic enhancement to that specific area of the ship. I would not expect too many more changes to the inward appearance of the ship besides new carpeting.

 

Here is a link to the location on the Norwegian website that communicates some of the information along with a snip of text I copied from the "ship revitalization" section.

 

http://www.ncl.com/next

 

 

We're making the youngest fleet at sea even better with upgrades and enhancements throughout our ships.

 

Dry Docks

 

What began with the addition of luxurious suites, studios for solo travelers, new restaurants and more on Pride of America in Hawaii will continue on a total of 8 Norwegian ships from 2013-2015. From beautiful new staterooms to the transformation of public spaces and from fresh paint, carpet and furnishings to overall important fleet maintenance, we're making sure our ships are in the very best shape.

 

Norwegian Ships & Dry Dock Schedule

Pride of America - Newly Refurbished

Norwegian Pearl - Newly Refurbished

Norwegian Sky - Newly Refurbished

Norwegian Spirit - Newly Refurbished

Norwegian Jewel - Newly Refurbished

Norwegian Gem - Coming 2015

Norwegian Star - Coming 2015

Norwegian Epic - Coming 2015

 

 

I enjoyed my Western Caribbean trip in 2014 and all the entertainment options available at the time. Am really looking forward to the new additions being added for the European market now that the ship is based in Barcelona, Spain.

 

 

Walter

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Single Cruiser

Single Cruiser

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They extended the dry dock from 2wks to 3wks to repair the current engine/prop issues that are reducing her top speed for the summer season but can only be repaired in dry dock.

 

So for inside she has an extra week but unless contractors etc have been extended it will probably be a weeks partying for the crew, similar to what they did on Allure of the seas with her dry dock last year.

 

If they have managed to arrange extra refurb at short notice I'm sure they'll use the extra week.

 

The key part is renewing her safety and marine certificates, inspecting, repairing and repainting her hull. Probably a good clean flush of water systems and tanks etc..

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