Just off Epic - 1/24/16

[NJ Fred]

DISCLAIMER: The following critique is my personal opinion based solely on experiences accrued during our voyage aboard Epic from January 13 through January 24 in and out of Barcelona. My wife and I are both 67 years of age and this was our 71st cruise - - the last NCL cruise being in 1985 on the now-gone Southward. That cruise left us with a very bad opinion of what was then known as Norwegian Caribbean Line.

 

We boarded at approximately 11:30 am on 1/13. When first arriving at the Barcelona Cruise Terminal via taxi (we flew in a day before - as we always do) we saw a hefty throng of passengers lined up around the side of the building.

 

The security checks went like lightening. And the personnel working the check-in desks were smooth and efficient. Total time from getting on line to walking up the gangway was 25 minutes. Yes, you find your own way to your stateroom; signage is plentiful and locating our Spa Mini Suite (14167) was a breeze.

 

Our stateroom steward Ricky proved to be "good people." I have but two requests outside of normal, fastidious housekeeping - - extra towels and extra ice. No problem!

 

Sidebar: If one of Frank Del Rios's declared goals is cleanliness, then he has only to inspect Epic. We found it spotless. From specialty dining to public rooms to anywhere - - this vessel was clean and a credit to her crew.

 

Jill Tasker was the CD. I had read some negative assessments of her skills and abilities. Any doubt as to the legitimacy of those remarks is now gone. She rarely, if ever, mingled with passengers and her emcee presentations were as effervescent as flat ginger ale.

 

Ms. Tasker's staff was mediocre. One of her assistants had a thick French accent. It was difficult to understand him when he was hosting trivia, etc. and, oftentimes, he was asked by the audience to repeat his words. Nice chap, though.

 

Our Captain referred to himself as "The Old Man." A helluva nice fellow whose daily announcements were along the line of those made by former Celebrity Cruises legendary Captain Nick Pagonis.

 

We had both the UBP and UDP. No problems, Johnnie Walker, fine wines and Bailey's Irish Cream flowed like Niagara Falls. To confirm, UBP does not cover in-room mini bar. Sodas are served in either plastic cups or glasses - no cans.

 

We ate in each of Epic's specialty dining venues. Not once did we wait past our reservation time. Service was attentive and we really felt special. Our favorite was Cagney's. Hell, I've paid more than $60.00 in Manhattan for the cuts of steak they offer. Also, Teppanyaki is not to be missed. The at-table Chef puts on a show that is grand.

 

The Garden Cafe - a/k/a Buffet is stereotypical of most. Crowds were often overwhelming and a search for a table often a treasure hunt. That aside, the food was diverse, plentiful and tasty. We adjudged the venue to have an adequate number of stewards to take beverage orders and bus the tables.

MAJOR GRIPE: The Atrium! Whoever designated this as the center of activity needs to rethink their decision. Seating is extremely limited and the acoustics stink. Holding the senior officer's q&a there was just plain dumb.

 

Furthermore, the specialty dining venue LeBistro is adjacent to The Atrium. The omnipresent noise disrupts the ambiance. Again, poor design here. A doored-entrance to Le Bistro would shut out much of the racket.

 

Also, the Epic theater is small - - no balcony. And paying for Cirque was quite objectionable to us. Whether you opt for the premium (with dinner) or standard seating, there is an admission fee. Never, in all of our cruises, has on board entertainment carried a fee to view the performance.

 

While we are on the entertainment subject, we found the offerings lacking. A comic/magician, a soul group, Cirque and a few other minor options. The catch here is that you must make reservations for a performance - - and they sell-out fast. Again I say, if the Epic theater had a seating capacity relative to the passenger capacity, that would be the ideal place to hold the shows and there would be ample room for all - - I do acknowledge that with unstructured dining times this is a logistical challenge for NCL - - but it's their boat and their task.

 

Finally, to address the design of the staterooms. I stand 6'1". My feet hung off the beds. The frosted sliding glass doors to the shower and commode areas should cull a booby prize for the designer. It is insensitive and moronic - - exceed in lunacy/negligent omission only by the shallow, inconvenient sink. Water pressure at both the sink and the shower/tub was constant and temperatures stable.

 

Debarkation on 1/24 in Barcelona was the easiest we have ever enjoyed. You choose your own times and pickup your chosen color baggage tags at Guest Services (where the staff proved to be the most courteous and affable group of young people). You can stay in your stateroom till you debark - -no traffic jams in the lounges. Luggage came out on a conveyor belt. None of those abominable squeeze plays like in Baltimore, Ft. Lauderdale or Manhattan, et al. Maybe NCL took lessons from the crew at Disney - - but they sure have it down to a science.

 

I reiterate, the women and men who crew Epic are a credit to their brand. Upbeat, personable and eager to please. Pass a stateroom steward and they say "hello." Pass by an idle dealer in the casino and they greet you without trying to solicit gambling. Dining and bar stewards know their jobs and are eager to please. We found ourselves tipping above and beyond our prepaid gratuities - -and it came from our hearts. These kids bust their buns. And not all guests are personable. Some are "loads" who find fault with everything.

 

Would we sail Epic again? Yes, indeed. We cruise for the ports and savor the days at sea. We'd like to see a tad more culture via guest lecturers, etc. But we knew going in that such is not NCL's strong suit.

 

It's a good ship. The design is the subject of many jokes. NCL was wise to abandon is and make Epic an only child.

 

I close by repeating that these opinions are mine. Yours might differ and I respect that.

 

And so you know, We were stranded in Barcelona due to the airline delays/cancellations along the northeast corridor ( we are flying to Newark, NJ). Our air carrier has made us comfortable in a 5-star hotel and is covering all expenses. A bit disconcerting but that's the way of it sometimes.

 

Happy Cruising to All!

 

Fred

Edited January 25, 2016 by NJ Fred

[portofrome]

Thank you for the review.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you for the review! I'm sailing Epic March 6 and very much looking forward to it. It'll be my first time aboard that ship, so looking forward to exploring and very happy to hear your reports of the crew.

 

Safe travels home!

[warriorking]

Great review, sailing on the Epic on the 16th of March...

Can't get here soon enough...

[KirkNC]

Welcome home, sorry to see the snow messed you up but sounds like it turned out well.

[papcx]

Thank you.

 

Good to hear we'll be in good hands, boarding in 9 days.

[david_sobe]

Thanks for checking in. The Epic is great. I agree about the Atrium. Its nice but not functional. Its very loud and limited seating. Too bad NCL brought the Epic atrium to Breakaway, Getaway, and Escape. But Epic has one plus over those ships. Epic has a large Bliss lounge to host shows plus the theater when its not in use. On Getaway they atrium is used for many shows and you cant hear them and you have to get their an hour early to see a show. They stopped showing movies in the atrium because its impossible to hear. They were moved to Spice. Once on Epic we ate at Le Bistro and the entire jewelry seminar was so loud and over everyone's conversation in the restaurant.

[FreestyleNovice]

Thanks for your review! Refreshing to see an honest and positive review of Epic not completely going into the frosted split bathroom (non)issue. ;)

 

IIRC Le Bistro on Epic has open windows (i.e no glass in the window frames) on the hall side.

 

Cascades Bar serves some sodas from a can; Mnt Dew and the orange soda, maybe others too. On UBP no problems getting an unopened can, or two, when asked. :)

 

The video arcade and Studio Lounge feature a vending machine with bottles of soda, for pay.

[jdent25]

Great review! Thank you.

[back-at-it]

This was a great review that you obviously took time to compose. We are also sailing the EPIC for the first time in OCT2016 on the transatlantic. Our first for Norwegian, first for EPIC, and first Transatlantic. We can not wait. Also first time in Europe. We are flying in two days early to see the sites. We also have the UBP and UDP, but have the large balcony room. So glad you had a great time and welcome back.

[kelinfl30]

Thank you for taking the time to write this! I'm happy to hear that you enjoyed your time on the ship. I'll be on the Epic at the end of the year :) Fourth cruise, first on NCL and looking forward to it.

[FloatYourBoatSince2003]

Thanks for the review! A very enjoyable read.

 

Boarding the Epic on February 14th with my very own "grumpy old man" :D (he's 48 :rolleyes: ) but all kidding aside we are very much looking forward to it.

 

No ship is perfect but like you we appreciate the hard-working crew...and can usually find our way to an amazing time. So glad to hear all your positive comments!

[bostonfred]

Great review...fair and balanced, no drama, will be on Epic in March and are of similar age and attitude...however, we also sail for the ports and sea days to relax, can you offer any insights on the ports and recommendations for what to do....THANKS...Fred:cool::cool:

[imfareware]

Thank you for your honest reply. This is our first Epic cruise, and I see a majority of the postings negative about this ship, especially about the rudeness of the crew. I always say, if you are polite to people they are polite back.

[zounds]

Thanks very much Fred! I totally agree with everything you said, as we were on the same cruise in a Mini on deck 10 and had the UDP. The conflicting musics we heard in LeBistro (strings on the PA and live band in atrium) put a serious dent into the experience. I completed the NCL survey and also mentioned the inadequate cabin lighting and the too many decks-too few lifts issues. It's back to the smaller ships for us. Steve

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thank you for your honest reply. This is our first Epic cruise, and I see a majority of the postings negative about this ship, especially about the rudeness of the crew. I always say, if you are polite to people they are polite back.

 

I'll be sailing the Epic for the first time in March and have been reading everything I can find on her. Please read more! I'm finding that the majoity of the reviews are actually positive. There are many repeat Epic cruisers. At first, I thought as you do that the majority were negative, but as I read more I realized that the positives people talk about were far outweighing the negatives.:D

[luv2cruisecats]

Thank you for a very balanced review. We have not been on Epic since 2013 but did the Escape T/A in Oct. 2015. On every NCL cruise (have done 12 since 2009 including 3 on Epic) the staff personnel are fantastic. We agree the Epic has design shortcomings but since NCL went back to German built ships after that one they are much better...we absolutely love the Waterfront designs of the "away" class!

 

Also I would point out that the Savor and Taste smaller main dining rooms are a very nice touch on the large NCL ships for those of us not on the UDP package and wanting to avoid the large open dining area.

[NJ Fred]

Thanks you all for your comments.

 

It might interest you to know that I emailed this same review to NCL. This past Friday I received a call from the Line. I was asked several meaningful questions about the noise that invades LeBistro from The Atrium.

 

I was businesslike in my reply. The staffer with whom I spoke told me several other guests had offered the same opinion. She said the matter is on-the-table for discussion by senior NCL managers.

 

It is good that all who sail Epic or any other vessel speak their piece; albeit it calmly and with details.

 

I wish all who will board this great vessel an outstanding voyage!

 

Fred

[ellieocb]

Great review ! Did you notice any noise from above early in the morning ,we are thinking of upgrading to a spa mini suite but in a few reviews there was a lot of noise from above early.

[SuiteCruiser]

Thanks you all for your comments.

 

It might interest you to know that I emailed this same review to NCL. This past Friday I received a call from the Line. I was asked several meaningful questions about the noise that invades LeBistro from The Atrium.

 

I was businesslike in my reply. The staffer with whom I spoke told me several other guests had offered the same opinion. She said the matter is on-the-table for discussion by senior NCL managers.

 

It is good that all who sail Epic or any other vessel speak their piece; albeit it calmly and with details.

 

I wish all who will board this great vessel an outstanding voyage!

 

Fred

 

Just in case you're back on Epic, the beds will slide out from under the headboard giving you an extra few inches. I'm 6'2" and my husband is 6'9", so we know all the tricks :)

 

Thanks for your review, love Epic :)

Edited February 1, 2016 by SuiteCruiser

[bostonfred]

Just in case you're back on Epic, the beds will slide out from under the headboard giving you an extra few inches. I'm 6'2" and my husband is 6'9", so we know all the tricks :)

 

Thanks for your review, love Epic :)

Good to know, I'm 6' 4'' and am getting worried about our epic cruise next month. Had a miserable time on our one princess cruise, rock hard bed and way too short for anyone over 6 ft. shower also was chest high...that will be our last Princess cruise:(:(:(

[cc_rider]

Thank you. We'll be on the Epic in April and all of the reviews and tips-and-tricks I've read on the cc boards have been great help.

My only concern is the number of elevators and long wait to use them. We'll be on deck 11, so it's a long walk up or down stairs to anything we want to go to.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Good to know, I'm 6' 4'' and am getting worried about our epic cruise next month. Had a miserable time on our one princess cruise, rock hard bed and way too short for anyone over 6 ft. shower also was chest high...that will be our last Princess cruise:(:(:(

 

 

I'm 6'1" and have cruised on Princess only once. The shower was not at all enjoyable. LOL.

[rosie42]

It was so refreshing to read your review of the Epic experience. I have to agree with your one statement - that some people have to find fault with everything. My husband and I have a philosophy - treat others as you would like to be treated and it will be a wonderful time for everyone.

[sandybee]

As you said the staff throughout the ship were fantastic and a credit to NCL. we sailed from Barcelona on the 24 January and the cruise director was a man and he was very good. He always had a smile and talked to you. I agree re the theatre as it should be two levels to allow more people to see the shows The group Sligo who played in the cavern were really good. All in all a fantastic cruise and no hiccups.:o