NCL Epic Review

[mrsmataele]

I rarely get on CC so my navigational skills are lacking. I posted a review and I'm not sure if I posted it in the right place. Enjoy :)http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=531644&et_cid=2633025&et_rid=17266316&et_referrer=Boards

 

I've considered taking some time and writing out a very detailed and entertaining review but as with all things I do, intentions are great, execution is lacking :) So here is my review for our vacation aboard Norwegian Epic –March 28-April 7.

 

We are a couple in our early 30's traveling with another couple our age. The deal for the 3rd and 4th passenger sail for free was too good to pass up so we shared a cabin with our friends. After reading some other reviews and seeing what they found to be complaints or negatives, I firmly believe that a cruise, or any vacation for that matter, is what you make of it. You can choose to see the negatives or you can choose to make the best of your situations and appreciate the fact that you aren’t at work or at home cleaning and doing laundry. So this review is coming from someone that goes with the flow and has a tolerance for most anything :)

 

We arrived in Barcelona 2 days early from the US to enjoy what Barcelona has to offer. We stayed at the Hostal Mare Nostrum right on La Rambla. As with any hotel room in Europe, it was very small and very basic but I have no complaints. The balcony opened up to the heart of La Rambla. It was the perfect location in my opinion. The hotel offered continental breakfast(which I didn’t try and can’t comment on) as well as free wi-fi(which was not the greatest out on the balcony). We also shared this room with the other couple traveling with us and although it was small and a little hard to maneuver with 4 large suitcases and 4 adults, it worked for us for 2 nights since we spent the majority of our time out and about in Barcelona. I don’t believe the room had air conditioning, I could be wrong but we couldn’t find anything to control the temperature of the room. With it being early spring, opening the balcony door was sufficient for air flow although it was a little noisy, but not enough to be a problem for us.

 

Barcelona-

 

For the sake of time and convenience, we took a cab from the airport to our hotel as well as from the hotel to the cruise port. I don’t remember the exact cost but I believe it may have been around 30 Euro.

We purchased the metro T10 pass which can be shared so for my husband and I, we only purchased 1. That got us pretty much anywhere we wanted to go that was not within walking distance. We walked through the markets on La Rambla and explored a good portion of Barcelona. We made it out to Mount Tibidabo which had beautiful views. The weather was chilly throughout most of our trip so that was a bit of a disappointment but definitely didn’t ruin anything for us. We also visited La Familia Sagrada, so beautiful and worth the visit- make sure you purchase your tickets ahead of time and choosing the early time seemed to help us beat the crowds everywhere we went. We hadn’t really made any set plans for Sunday while we were in Barcelona so we decided to get on a Hop on/Hop off bus tour. It was enjoyable and got us everywhere we wanted to go all day long. We took the bus out to the Magic Fountain and saw a large crowd awaiting the show. Their website and fb page and any other online info we could find didn’t give us any information on if there would be a show for Easter. We waited for about 2 hours and explored the area after coming to the conclusion that there would be no show. We were very disappointed that we hadn’t made it out Saturday night instead and wish we could have caught the show but I guess that gives us another reason to return to Barcelona in the future.

 

Embarkation was smooth for us. We arrived around noon and dropped our bags off at the entrance and hopped in line. We made it through the line and onto the ship within probably 30-45 minutes. Seemed smooth and easy to me. We have taken 5 cruises total, this being our second with NCL and I know we have waited much longer in these lines in the past so I was very happy with the process. We were on the ship and got a drink by 1PM and there was an announcement shortly after that our rooms were ready. We were pleasantly surprised since we were expecting a few hours before they would be ready. Our bags showed up around 3 I believe. So that entire embarkation process as well as room availability was great in my books.

 

The room was a typical balcony stateroom. It was small but not any smaller than any other cabin I’ve been in on past cruises. The toilet and shower set up were odd to me but didn’t really cause any issues. Had it just been my husband and I in the room it wouldn’t have even seemed that odd to. Since we were sharing with our friends we had to establish some ground rules on using the bathroom and shower just to avoid any embarrassing moments. Worked out just fine for us. We stored our luggage on the balcony for the sake of space and we had plenty of room for all of our clothing in the closets and drawers. Our room steward who referred to himself as Bradley Pitt was amazing. He knew our names the second he saw us walking to our room the first time, couldn’t believe it. He was wonderful the entire time. As you know, we were 2 couples staying in one room that had a king bed and bunk beds. We worked it out the best way we could think of. The first 5 nights one couple had the bunk beds and then the next 5 nights they got the king bed. It wasn’t a problem at all. I was very surprised at how well it all worked out honestly. A lot of it could be the fact that we are great friends and travel well together and often. We were there for the adventure, not necessarily the “luxury.”

 

The ship is huge. It holds a lot of people and with the weather not cooperating it definitely kept most inside. However, with that being said, I never felt like the ship was too big or that there were too many people. I feel as though there was enough to do that kept each area full enough without being too full. The entertainment was enjoyable. I do feel as though the vast majority of the cruisers were over the age of 50 and maybe the entertainment was geared towards that crowd, which was fine with us. We had the unlimited beverage package that was complimentary as part of our early booking which made everything very enjoyable to me :) I think that for my husband and I, that was a huge perk and money saver. We spent most of our time at karaoke nights in Bliss or watching the dueling pianos. We also spent most late nights at Bliss dancing the night away. The music and atmosphere was that of a night club, I loved it and burned many calories on that dance floor :) Almost every night after dancing until the wee hours, we would end up at O’Sheehans for some wings and nachos and maybe a little cheesecake. I can’t complain about that one bit. I enjoyed their food and loved the cheesecake! By the end of the 10 days we did get a little tired of the same entertainment…dueling pianos, karaoke, dancing in Bliss or visiting Shakers for another piano performer but I’m sure that’s to be expected after that long on a ship. We did watch Cirque and thorogouly enjoyed that, very good performers. We also went to Burn the Floor. They are great dancers, it just wasn’t our cup of tea.

 

As far as the food goes, we really didn’t branch out much. We stuck to the Garden Buffet for pretty much every meal. I loved that the buffet changed every day and had a large variety. It was flexible and we were very casual cruisers so the thought of having to get dressed up for dinner was not appealing to us. I saw on an earlier post that some were offended by casual dress in Moderno, I wouldn’t be shocked if that was us they were referring to lol. We tried it one night just for the sake of change and honestly we weren’t impressed so we stuck to the buffet most other meals. We did try Shanghai’s one night and really enjoyed it, so I would recommend going there at least once. I don’t believe their menu changes so it’s worth visiting at least once or twice. We also ate at O’Sheehans quite a bit, mostly late night dining. Good pub food in my opinion. Again, no complaints there. Also, the washy washy girl in Garden Buffet was the highlight of my day, always so happy and friendly.

 

Bar service was fantastic for us. I don’t feel like we had any issues finding someone to get us a drink and even at the bar itself the bartenders were fabulous. I enjoy chatting with the NCL staff and got to know some bartenders, waiters, room stewards and other staff and found that just being friendly and pleasant to them made my experience that much better. A smile and friendly conversation goes a long way in my opinion.

 

I purchased the Thermal Suite Spa pass online ahead of time and got it cheaper than on board. I was very pleasantly surprised with it. I am not a spa person, never really been to anything like that but decided to splurge since I knew we’d be on the ship for quite a while and had 4 sea days. It was more for killing time when I booked it. I am so happy I did. I loved the aromatic bath, not really sure what it was called but it was a dark room with steam and it smelled wonderful. I drank pretty heavily the first few nights and sitting in that room as well as the sauna really helped detox my body and I felt so rejuvenated after an hour there. The hot stone beds were wonderful, I fell asleep pretty much every time. Great purchase, very glad I did it. It never felt too full although it did get pretty busy. Also, a piece of advice- if you are not a fan of the small shower in your cabin, I’d suggest showering and getting ready in the locker room. That alone made it worth $159. I loved the space I had in the shower as well as the counter space with the blow driers. I got ready there most days. There were a few days I showered before they were open so I decided to use the showers in the locker room by the fitness center, same amenities and space, so keep that in mind for those who don’t have the large suites with spacious bathrooms.

 

I also visited the fitness center on a few different occasions. I thought it was very large and had everything needed to get a great workout in, not to mention the view was beautiful. I caught some dolphins having some fun the first time I was on the treadmill.

 

As far as the cruise itself, NCL and the ship- I would say it was worth every penny. I feel that the crowd was a little older than we anticipated making for some cranky people and we wanted to be more casual and felt a bit out of place even though they promote “freestyle cruising.” Every single night most people were dressed up and I purposely brought mainly casual clothing because I was on vacation and wanted to be comfortable. It may not be NCL or the Epic, could just be that this itinerary doesn’t draw as well to the younger crowd. Either way, no regrets at all and it was amazing.

 

Also one thing I forgot to mention in my other review- the Iconcierge App is worth the $7.95 per phone if you are traveling in groups. I loved that we had a way to communicate with each other. The daily activities weren't up to date so I ended up taking pictures of the entertainment schedule but it was very helpful to help us meet up and make plans with others in our group.

[BirdTravels]

We enjoy the Epic and have sailed on her 5 times in the Mediterranean, Eastern Caribbean, Western Caribbean, and the Iberian Peninsula (Southampton to Barcelona after her dry dock last year).

[Jade Cruise]

Thank you for your review. Its great to hear a review thats positive about Epic, there have been some quite negative comments in the reviews. Like you say, its what you make it. :)

[CarlaMasterson]

My husband and I are sharing a balcony room with our 19 year old daughter. You feel there is adequate space for 3 people and storage space etc. I have heard that the couch is uncomfortable for sleeping. Can you comment on that or were you in an inside room?

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[mrsmataele]

My husband and I are sharing a balcony room with our 19 year old daughter. You feel there is adequate space for 3 people and storage space etc. I have heard that the couch is uncomfortable for sleeping. Can you comment on that or were you in an inside room?

We had a balcony room and it was small but we still made it work with the 4 of us. I think what made it easier for us was the fact that we all had different timing and places that we would shower and get ready. Myself and my friend used the spa locker room, her husband used the fitness locker room to get ready and only my husband used our room. Had we all had to get ready in the room and at the same time that would have been very challenging. As far as just sleeping it wasn't too bad, the couch is where is slept on our turn for the bunks and it wasn't that bad honestly. Though I'm only 5'3 so I didn't need a large space. My poor husband is 6'4 and didn't fit in Any of the beds lol. We stored our suitcase out on the balcony and the other couple put theirs in a closet I believe so that's wasn't really a problem.

[CarlaMasterson]

We had a balcony room and it was small but we still made it work with the 4 of us. I think what made it easier for us was the fact that we all had different timing and places that we would shower and get ready. Myself and my friend used the spa locker room, her husband used the fitness locker room to get ready and only my husband used our room. Had we all had to get ready in the room and at the same time that would have been very challenging. As far as just sleeping it wasn't too bad, the couch is where is slept on our turn for the bunks and it wasn't that bad honestly. Though I'm only 5'3 so I didn't need a large space. My poor husband is 6'4 and didn't fit in Any of the beds lol. We stored our suitcase out on the balcony and the other couple put theirs in a closet I believe so that's wasn't really a problem.

 

So is there is still a shower space to use without having to purchase the spa pass? We are used to getting ready in locker room showers on other cruise lines, but I never had to pay to do so.

[BirdTravels]

So is there is still a shower space to use without having to purchase the spa pass? We are used to getting ready in locker room showers on other cruise lines, but I never had to pay to do so.

 

Only free showers are in your stateroom (and next to the pool). Locker rooms are for the use of thermal suite guests only.

[spanishguy1970]

What a great review. We are going on the Epic this coming October and i plan on getting the spa pass and am looking forward to it. We had been hesitant booking on the Epic because of how big it is but reading reviews about it we are feeling better each day that we did. Thank you for taking the time to write this.

[Clarea]

Thanks for the report.

[hawkeyetlse]

Only free showers are in your stateroom (and next to the pool). Locker rooms are for the use of thermal suite guests only.

There is a small locker room off the hallway leading to the beauty salon and fitness center. I think there is a shower in there, not 100% sure. Access to this locker room is free, but it's really for people using the gym. Not that they will stop you, but it cannot function as an extra bathroom for everyone on the ship to get ready for dinner every night.

[mrsmataele]

So is there is still a shower space to use without having to purchase the spa pass? We are used to getting ready in locker room showers on other cruise lines, but I never had to pay to do so.

You can use the locker room that is by the fitness center for free. There's only 2 showers in there but I never once had anyone else come in the few times I used it. The spa opens at 8am so for the days I needed to shower earlier I went to the fitness center locker room and it worked great.