Very concerned about the EPIC

[sunnylasvegas]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

[Demonyte]

1. Some don't mind the bathroom setup, some hate them. For us it didn't matter but then again, we don't freak out if we see someone else naked.

 

2. I don't think that that is at all Epic related - can happen on any ship.

 

3. No, NCL doesn't have formal nights. You can dress up if you like on any night and there are some nights when there are more photo ops etc, but many people won't still dress up that much.

 

4. I see that you have not cruised on megaships before - the entertainment is different there compared to smaller ships. There is no one theatre with a different show every night, but instead several smaller venues where the same shows are repeated on several nights (usually switching the show mid cruise or so).

[sixesandeights]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

 

The Epic is our favorite ship. We love the bathroom setup and find it VERY convenient. If you have serious nudity issues then maybe you will have a problem as you can see a faint silhouette of the person inside the shower. I guess this might be awkward if cruising with a friend or older children.

 

There are kids on all ships. I dont see how this can be faulted to the Epic.

 

NCL as a whole does not have formal nights so again this is not an Epic thing. They have a "Dress up or Not" night. If you want to dress up that is fine, but its not a formal night like on other lines.

 

You can make reservations for the shows in advanced. Again this is a "Mega" ship and this is a common thing on all mega ships. If you dont want to make a reservation you can show up at show time and there are usually seats available. You will just have to wait a bit for the reservation people to be seated first.

 

DO NOT LET OTHERS DICTATE YOUR LIFE. Reviews are very personal experiences and often people on the same trip scan have radically different opinions. It is also a well known fact that people are far more likely to review if they have complaints then if they had a perfect trip. You will enjoy the Epic as it is an amazing ship.

 

6&8

Edited March 2, 2015 by sixesandeights

[LrgPizza]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

1. If you research the bathrooms, you can decide if they would be awkward for you. Some people hate them. It didn't bother me. It would be hard for anyone to answer what a stranger's reaction is going to be.

 

2. The same kids that were on my cruise are unlikely to be the ones on your cruise, so I can't answer this for you. I have no clue how someone could think kids misbehaving has to do with the ship itself though.

 

3. You are welcome to dress up every night if you wish. You are required to none.

 

4. I would recommend booking before you sail, or once you get on board. It's really not a big deal, takes only a few moments. NCL makes it easy to book.

 

I sailed Getaway and Epic last year. I loved both ships, but I liked Epic better. It just depends on your preferences.

[laurabegorrah]

DO NOT LET OTHERS DICTATE YOUR LIFE. Reviews are very personal experiences and often people on the same trip scan have radically different opinions. It is also a well known fact that people are far more likely to review if they have complaints then if they had a perfect trip. You will enjoy the Epic as it is an amazing ship.

 

6&8

 

But, I don't think you can dismiss the bad reviews out of hand either. Take everything with a grain of salt, but if you see a repeated negative across multiple reviews, and you think that if this were indeed true, it would ruin your vacation, you might want to reconsider the ship.

 

As LrgPizza (and thanks, I'm not craving a pie lol) mentioned, the bathroom set up is each to research both here with pics and on NCL site with the room floor plans. The kids thing can be hit or miss, I would assume your itinerary would be a bit more kid-free than the current Epic Caribbean route, esp that close to the start of the school year. If having a dress up night is really important to you, NCL might not be the line for you.

 

Go in having done your homework, and adjusting your expectations based on what you are seeing in some of the reviews, and you should be just fine :D

Edited March 2, 2015 by laurabegorrah

[MMOMOM]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

 

While everything is very subject, there are many who like the Epic. We are not one of them. That being said, we had a nice vacation, but I would not book again.

 

1. I like a bath ROOM. We've been married for almost 46 years so we're comfortable with one another, but still ... I like privacy and it's weird to use the toilet and not just wash your hands, but have to leave the room and do it. Plus it takes up a lot of cabin space we thought. Same with the shower ... it was a nice enough shower, but when you get out, there you are standing in the middle of the room to dry off, use toiletries and dress. We just thought it was a bad design.

 

2. We didn't notice the children thing, but since we did go in March there were a lot of Spring Breakers there and in my opinion (and trust me, I like to have fun and am not a prude, but it did get a little wild most of the time. The emphasis was pretty much on getting wasted and sexual overtones out on the pool deck. I was actually glad there weren't a lot of young children there and those parents that had their kids there, I really think they should have gone else where a few times. I also think the Freestyle Dining feeds into it .... drink and don't worry about dinner type feel. Just my opinion.

 

3. There really was no 'definite' formal anything, but one night where you could. We usually dress fairly nice for dinner anyway and just did our thing. That whole thing doesn't really bother me one way or another. I like to get dressed up on occasion and my husband likes to see me dressed, so I just do my own thing regardless.

 

4. We didn't pre-book anything. We got to the shows on time and frankly weren't all that impressed with any of the entertainment anyway. We noticed a lot of people walking out of Blue Man Group ... we did too after quite a while of the same old thing. But, again, that's just our experience. There were many that loved it.

 

So, that's our experience. I think you'll be fine if you go with an open mind and just plan on having a good time. We've found that there are always some things we like better than others, but it never ruined any cruise and we always have fun. Hope this helps .... Good luck and Happy Sailing! :)

[Single Cruiser]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

 

1) all depends on how many people in your cabin and how modest you are. For some it's a big issue, others nothing. Some say about washing hands after getting out the toilet but guess they never use public restrooms??

 

2) never seen kids really misbehave. The kids team onboard are great.

 

3) NCL doesn't have formal nights, you can however dress up every night if you want.. Just don't expect neighbouring tables to be dressed up

 

4) Epic uses micro venues. Rather than a large theatre where everyone goes every night you'll probably just go two nights and other nights elsewhere. If you want to see the two acts on certain nights then book ahead else you can book onboard.

[Doc2725]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

 

When I first read the title of the post, I thought to myself "the Epic finally tipped over".

[marciemi]

I'll reiterate what others said but we just got off the Epic 2 weeks ago and it was our best cruise ever (and first on NCL in 24 years!).

 

1. I actually liked the bathroom/shower concept being spread out so DH & I could be doing different things but we've been married 27 years. Would've been a bit more awkward with one of my adult sons but even so, we could've pulled the curtain across when showering. I disliked having the sink in the cabin itself just because it made it hard to use during the night if you wanted to get a drink of water or take a pill or something without turning on a light (which would wake up my husband in such a small space). I'd prefer to go in a bathroom and then be able to turn on a light.

 

2. We had no issues with kids on our cruise (and trust me, I'm a person who wouldn't like it at all). Once saw parents with young kids sit at the bar at Spice (which is adult only) but only asked for a drink of water and then left. Only time I saw kids running around at all was on the pool deck area (ie to get up to a slide). I'd also think a Med cruise would have a lot fewer kids than a Caribbean one.

 

3. This is a NCL thing, not an Epic one, but recommend you do the UDP (strongly recommend that in any case as we loved the specialty restaurants) - most people seemed at least slightly dressed up there. We wore the equivalent of blouse/polo/dress pants most nights and only got "dressy" (dress/suit) once but it really didn't matter either way. As others said, if you really want a night with everyone in formal wear, NCL isn't the right line, but even most cruise lines don't enforce that these days beyond no shorts, so you may need to go with someone like Cunard.

 

4. I would recommend booking before or shortly after boarding. On our ship it seemed like many of the popular shows "sold out" at some point. We had much more luck changing dining reservations around during the week than we did with shows. If there's anything you really want to see, I would lock it in rather than take a chance on missing it.

Edited March 2, 2015 by marciemi

[harbede]

We were on the epic last year, loved it! We had a balcony cabin, there is a curtain you can pull across to separate the shower, toilet from the rest of the cabin.

[Ilovesailing]

Using the search engine here on CC there 100s of threads on the subject.

Here is a link

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/search.php?searchid=67982309

Edited March 2, 2015 by Ilovesailing

[mscasey95]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

 

We cruise Rome to Rome and it was ok for two people, problem was we had our family with us (in 2 adjoining balcony rooms) and the set up is really odd. Our DD's bed was a couch that turned into her sleeping space and it was next to the balcony. If the bed was being used, you couldn't really get to the slider to go onto the balcony.

 

We liked the fact that we could come back to the ship after a long day of touring and just go to dinner in our shorts, no need to change before eating. Though, we did have specialty restaurant reservations a few nights as well as the Cirque show. We made those reservations on the nights that we had half day tours or on sea day or embarkation day.

 

I would have all reservations for shows set before boarding leaving you the exact times you want for dinners and shows. You should be able to make show reservations 3 months in advance, though specialty restaurant reservations can't be made until you board.

Download the NCL app and once onboard you can use it to make restaurant reservations.

 

No need to pack dress up clothes unless you want formal photos one night.

 

As far as kids go, there are children on all cruises and some are well behaved and others not so much, just go with a smile on your face and don't sweat the small stuff.

 

On one other note: People are told again and again not to save chaises at the pool and the ship was filled with people who went up there before dawn saving 4 or 5 chaises of more. We couldn't even find two together (and that was at 7am before breakfast)!!! So, glad we had a balcony where we lounged for the day, but still upsetting as we would have loved to lounge poolside.

 

The only day we were able to enjoy the pool was on our embarkation day in Rome, many got off the ship to tour and since we had just spent 5 days there enjoying the beauty of Rome, we were able to find a few chaises together, two in one spot and three in another.

 

Enjoy your trip and happy sailing!

[LrgPizza]

As far as kids go, there are children on all cruises and some are well behaved and others not so much, just go with a smile on your face and don't sweat the small stuff.

As far as adults go, there are adults on all cruises and some are well behaved and others not so much, just go with a smile on your face and don't sweat the small stuff.

[trish1c]

All of the things you are concerned about are things that happen on Epic.

 

There's not much you can do about the bathrooms. There is a reason NCL scrapped this design.

 

Kids are not unique to Epic. They are in the casino because the casino takes up one floor & you have to walk through it to get anywhere.

 

We were closed out of all but two shows because we didn't book in advance. It really ruined freestyle for us. Had I known to book in advance we practically would have needed the calendar app on the phone to keep up with the schedule. I go on vacation to put my phone down & not have a schedule.

 

As for attire, freestyle also means that you can chose to wear black tie every night if that is your personal style.

Edited March 2, 2015 by trish1c

[Budget Queen]

Who goes on a particular sailing, you have NO control over, unless the cruise is contracted. This is true for ANY cruise. There aren't any magnets selecting all the unruly kids to a particular ship. :) So, I give all those comments no concern, and all in hindsight.

 

I sailed the Epic on last year's transAtlantic. The room set up, meant nothing to me, and was NO inconvenience. There is a heavy curtain that separates the sleeping area. I like the sink being open, and couldn't care less about the bathroom or shower. With the curtain shut, you had a good amount of privacy, if you wanted. There were complaints about poor lighting at the sink for those who have to apply makeup, I don't.

 

I will say, I would not pick a 7 day cruise for the Med, as it's too short in my opinion. I have sailed those ports many times and enjoy having a lot of port stops. :)

 

There was the ability to book entertainment on board, but it is necessary- if you are particular about seating to be in lines early. Some shows did "sell" out, but the schedule does have a good amount of repeats available, again, another plus for longer cruises. With a 7 day, I would have reservations made in advance.

 

There is a formal, or not night, kind of like IF you want to dress up, you shouldn't be the only one. :) Do understand, NCL will always have a number of passengers on board who have no interest in this. :)

 

A slight inconvenience with this ship is elevators are only forward and aft, no mid elevators, so you can have some long walks.

 

The buffet is forward, with spectacular expansive viewing. An area I greatly enjoyed. :) (especially on all those boring sea days :) )

 

The whole point will be what YOU want out of a cruise? IF any of the NCL set are NOT what you want, then look elsewhere, but it's a ship I greatly enjoyed.

[amydandrea]

I love the Epic, bathroom set up is no big deal

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[tinawhitecar]

The "kid issue" on the EPIC was on the Jan 18th sailing. Over 1000 Kids. It was a nightmare but I think it was a fluke.

Combination of MLK Holiday weekend and 3/4th free in cabin.

Unless you are traveling on a school holiday- it probably won't be a problem.

 

People either hate or love the EPIC. I have been on it twice. Had a great time both sailing but i t is a very different ship. Not a great layout. You end up walking alot.

 

Yes- I do recommend you book shows pre cruise. You can change (if available) you can stand by- they let un-ticketed passengers in 10 mins before show time when people no show.

 

It is what it is...and you have to accept that the EPIC will be different. More like a huge Mall/Hotel than a cruise shippy feel.

 

I am ready to go back to the slightly smaller ,more intimate ships.

[ksbear]

We've been on two NCL cruises and have an Epic cruise planned. Other than that, I've only sailed Carnival once (it was a three day "party" cruise to Mexico - ugh).

 

Based on our experience, we love NCL!

 

1. I too have concerns about the darn bathrooms, but we like NCL enough to make it work (maybe with some adjustments).

 

2. If you don't want kids, you'll have to sail off season and avoid vacation times :)

 

3. We chose NCL to avoid the formal nights! My dh and ds would hate it lol We like that there is an optional formal night on the sea days, and we do take that opportunity to dress up a little and take pictures, but we're talking a nice dress or dress shirt, not a tux! You could wear a ball gown and tux if you want, though, but perhaps not to the buffet :) That flexibility, and the freestyle dining, are huge draws for our family.

 

4. I don't remember having to reserve anything, but that might be a new thing. I would show up early to get a good seat.

[Cloudyrain]

1. There is a curtain splitting the bathroom area from the bedroom area.

 

2. It will be peak summer holiday time for a lot of Europe, in the UK its a Bank Holiday that week. The only ships/places that won't have children will be adult-only ships. That being said when we went last time most of the children seemed to be in the kids clubs having fun and not running around the dining room where there is nothing to do.

 

3. There are no traditional formal nights, it's a freestyle cruise. Some people dress up, some people don't, but what one person wears doesn't really impact someone else's enjoyment does.

 

4. You don't have to book, you can do, but it isn't essential. There will be a few showings of each show and lots of choice. We didn't book anything and the only thing that ever seemed to book up was Cirque and the Tappenyaki.

 

Have fun!

[Shayhooper]

Everyone else has hit the high points but I wanted to comment a bit further on the shows and pre-booking.

 

With the except of the circus and Legends show, we booked everything in advance before the ship sailed. It was in my opinion not needed. Every show we went to had open spots where they allowed people with reservations to take the seats 10 minutes before the show started. The reservations work great for those who like to plan in advance but those who like to wing it can still get into the shows.

[bluesea777]

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

Thanks!!

 

Only two restaurants on Epic that have "No Shorts Allowed after 5pm" are Manhattan (the main MDR) and Le Bistro (the French specialty).

 

Most people on Epic like to dress smart resort casual.

[Demonyte]

Only two restaurants on Epic that have "No Shorts Allowed after 5pm" are Manhattan (the main MDR) and Le Bistro (the French specialty).

 

 

There is no "main M(ain) D(ining) R(oom)" on any NCL ship, just two or three separate MDRs depending on the ship. NCL refers to the aft MDR just that, "aft MDR".

[Out to sea!]

We have cruised many times, but never on NCL. I've been reading many reviews about the Epic that aren't very positive. I realize that reviews can be misleading, but many of these seemed to repeat the same problems. Can someone clarify things for me?

 

We are doing the West. Med. on the Epic--Aug 23-30, 2015.

 

1) Are the bathrooms really as bad/awkward as people say they are?

 

2) Kids running/misbehaving all over the ship---in the adult pools? Sitting on their mother's lap in the casino? That one was hard for me to believe.

 

3) No elegant/dress-up nights in the MDR?

 

4) Do we have to book shows BEFORE the cruise? People say the showroom is small for such a huge ship.

 

Thanks!!

 

Yes, the bathrooms are that bad.

 

Never saw kids in the adult pool but then again, being only 15x20ft in size, not much room for them there. All other pools are made pretty much only for kids.

 

They have dress up nights, just not many people dress up for them.

 

No, you can book shows on board or even stand in the standby line just before the show. May or may not get in but it's not a requirement to book before boarding.

Edited March 3, 2015 by Out to sea!

[dolita22]

1. We've sailed the Epic twice and love it. The bathroom setup didn't bother us; we actually like having everything separate as it seemed to make getting ready for the day and for dinner much easier. There's a curtain that can be pulled for privacy for anyone in the bathroom or shower.

 

2. We were on the January 18th sailing of the Epic, and there were a ton of kids! Very rude kids, many in the adult-only pools, running around and into waiters carrying trays of coffee, etc. However, as a PP said, it was a combination of the MLK holiday, a break for schools for Jewish kids in the northeast (according to a woman from NJ we spoke with on our sailing), and the KSF promo. We've sailed the weeks after that in previous and there were very few kids on board.

 

4. I'd recommend booking shows before you board. We booked shows for our first sailing of the Epic back in 2013, but did not for our recent sailing and kicked ourselves for not doing so. We were still able to get in, but had to wait in the standby line. You can always book and reschedule once you get on board. Our friends did that for BMG and it was no problem to switch their show date and time.

 

As others have said, the Epic is a unique ship. Some love it, some don't. I'd say keep on an open mind, do your homework, and relax and enjoy!

 

ETA: There's a quick review of our time on the Epic in my signature. No pictures, though.

Edited March 3, 2015 by dolita22

[Out to sea!]

1. We've sailed the Epic twice and love it. The bathroom setup didn't bother us; we actually like having everything separate as it seemed to make getting ready for the day and for dinner much easier. There's a curtain that can be pulled for privacy for anyone in the bathroom or shower.

 

2. We were on the January 18th sailing of the Epic, and there were a ton of kids! Very rude kids, many in the adult-only pools, running around and into waiters carrying trays of coffee, etc. However, as a PP said, it was a combination of the MLK holiday, a break for schools for Jewish kids in the northeast (according to a woman from NJ we spoke with on our sailing), and the KSF promo. We've sailed the weeks after that in previous and there were very few kids on board.

 

4. I'd recommend booking shows before you board. We booked shows for our first sailing of the Epic back in 2013, but did not for our recent sailing and kicked ourselves for not doing so. We were still able to get in, but had to wait in the standby line. You can always book and reschedule once you get on board. Our friends did that for BMG and it was no problem to switch their show date and time.

 

As others have said, the Epic is a unique ship. Some love it, some don't. I'd say keep on an open mind, do your homework, and relax and enjoy!

 

ETA: There's a quick review of our time on the Epic in my signature. No pictures, though.

 

Sometimes!! :D Our cabin was missing the curtain and hooks and didn't even notice the track until I saw a curtain in another cabin the second to last day of the cruise.