Will we like Norwegian?

[FamilyMooner]

We are a family of four, parents with an 18 yr old and 16 yr old. We have done two cruises: 10 day Vancouver to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas in September of 2013 and 7 day Western Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2015. Loved the Radiance, thought the Silhouette was beautiful but blah. Food was decent on both and that is important to us. Kids are way too cool for teen clubs but were bored to tears on Silhouette. We are considering a 14 day Caribbean on the Epic, but not sure if Norwegian is a good fit for us...Silhouette was an expensive mistake. Don't want to do that again...

[Quilting_Cruiser]

We are a family of four, parents with an 18 yr old and 16 yr old. We have done two cruises: 10 day Vancouver to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas in September of 2013 and 7 day Western Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2015. Loved the Radiance, thought the Silhouette was beautiful but blah. Food was decent on both and that is important to us. Kids are way too cool for teen clubs but were bored to tears on Silhouette. We are considering a 14 day Caribbean on the Epic, but not sure if Norwegian is a good fit for us...Silhouette was an expensive mistake. Don't want to do that again...

 

 

It would be helpful if you could elaborate on what made the Radiance cruise so great. What was it that your family liked so much about it?

 

I've sailed on the Epic, and I know that when my kids were the ages of yours, they would not have been bored at all and would have had a great time on the Epic.

[trish1c]

It's hard to say. We don't know you. You are basically asking us if you will like rocky road ice cream over a hot fudge sundae.

 

People on the NCL board tend to like & sail NCL.

 

That said, I hated the Epic. The wavy room design & especially the bathrooms annoyed me. I hated having to walk through the casino to get anywhere. In fairness I hated that design on the Getaway too & after sailing both have concluded that I need to stay off the mega ships. Other folks think those designs are the best things ever. I did enjoy the H2O adults only area in the back of the ship.

Edited June 22, 2016 by trish1c

[Sissaaaaaa]

Epic is a great ship, and my kids loved it both times we sailed!

[zqvol]

We are a family of four, parents with an 18 yr old and 16 yr old. We have done two cruises: 10 day Vancouver to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas in September of 2013 and 7 day Western Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2015. Loved the Radiance, thought the Silhouette was beautiful but blah. Food was decent on both and that is important to us. Kids are way too cool for teen clubs but were bored to tears on Silhouette. We are considering a 14 day Caribbean on the Epic, but not sure if Norwegian is a good fit for us...Silhouette was an expensive mistake. Don't want to do that again...

 

It will be a better fit than Celebrity, and probably better than RCCL, but that is no guarantee that you will enjoy it. Some people just don't like Freestyle.

[FamilyMooner]

The things we liked about Radiance of the Seas were the movie theatre, music and other events in bars at night, rock climbing wall, and I guess demographics. On the Silhouette the age skewed older and few families, and short of the theatre shows, the place was dead after supper.

[Shawnino]

The things we liked about Radiance of the Seas were the movie theatre, music and other events in bars at night, rock climbing wall, and I guess demographics. On the Silhouette the age skewed older and few families, and short of the theatre shows, the place was dead after supper.

 

Norwegian will be all-over-the-place for demographics, particularly if school is out.

 

The food on Norwegian is decent on-its-own but doesn't truly compare to the land experiences it is copying. No one will mistake Cagney's for a fine steakhouse on land, nor Le Bistro for a place with a Michelin star. But they're perfectly adequate for cruising.

 

Try to choose a cruise (on any line) where you're in port alot, so if the ship doesn't suit you, you can be off the ship. Some ships leave port quite late, or even overnight in interesting cities. On our next NCL cruise, we overnight in Mumbai (Bombay). Last year, we overnighted in Istanbul on the Jade.

[fshagan]

Do you get two cabins or do you share?

 

The Epic has the distinction of having frosted toilet and shower doors open to the cabin that can cause some families distress.

 

Like many of the mega ships, the cabins are a bit smaller. Might be a tight fit for a family of four adults if you are in a balcony cabin like ours.

[casofilia]

There is no way that anyone else can answer your original question. If you get an answer in the positive and you don't that answer was useless. If it was in the negative and you did that is just as useless. Go with an open mind with the intention of enjoying the cruise, make the most of it, and you will.

 

Wait till the end of the cruise and change the question to "Did we enjoy the cruise"?

[FamilyMooner]

We get two cabins and we do not sail at school break times. And I guess what I am looking for is comparisons between the lines I have been on and Norwegian in general (not just the Epic), from those who have experience on those other lines. Does "freestyle" just refer to dining, or are there other differences?

[Oldgoat61]

I have never cruised on a mega ship, but I would think your kids would enjoy the slides etc.

 

Freestyle is being able to eat where you want, when you want, and with whomever you want. There are no set meal times, nor table mates. In truth, this "vibe" runs throughout the ship, very relaxed, and with a wide demographic.

 

Because it is a 14 day cruise, I don't think you will run into a lot of kids...that is why we like the longer cruises. :)

 

The Epic is the lone wolf of the fleet, and from what I have read most people either like it, or hate it.

 

Hope this helps!

[WaldosPepper]

It sounds like your boys enjoy good food, and a lively ship. If that's the case, they'll probably LOVE sailing Epic. Here are a few reasons why...

 

Aqua Park

 

Suit up and splash down at our first ever Aqua Park. Choose from two pools, five hot tubs, kid's pool, three multi-story water slides including the the 200-foot Epic Plunge, the only bowl slide at sea.

 

Wii Wall

 

Fulfill your sports fantasies or watch Hollywood hit movies on our two-story Wii screen.

 

Headliners Comedy Club

 

Sing along with Howl at the Moon, the World’s Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Dueling Piano Show. In the Caribbean you can also spend an evening or two with The Second City comedy troupe and their unique form of comedy

 

Pulse Fitness Center

 

Stay in shape with your favorite workout equipment including treadmills, ellipticals and free weights or even yoga, pilates and spinning.

 

Spice H20

 

Soak up the sun by day around the pool and dine on the delicious fare of outdoor buffet at our adults-only Ibiza-inspired beach club at the back of the ship. When the sun goes down, our adults-only Ibiza-inspired beach club at the back of the ship. The entertainment is non-stop as the pool floor rises to become a dance floor and giant screen projects hypnotic visuals under a starry sky.

 

Sports Complex

 

The Sports Complex has not one, but two decks to play on with a full-sized basketball court, batting cage, rock climbing wall, the first-ever rappelling wall at sea and a 24-foot enclosed climbing cage.

 

Video Arcade

 

Stop by the video arcade and capture a few aliens, win a car race, play pinball and fly a jet fighter. Anything is possible.

 

Celebrity DJ - Bliss/Spice H2O

 

Dance like nobody's watching, even though everybody is. With a celebrity DJ spinning tunes till the wee hours, choose to tear it up inside at Bliss or under the stars at Spice H2O. The party's here and you don't have a curfew.

 

Howl at the Moon

 

You won't want the night to end once you step into the World's Greatest Rock N' Roll Dueling Piano Bar. And it won't take long before you're belting out favorites from the 70's or rock and hip-hop classics, right along with our ivory-ticking entertainers.

 

The Cavern Club

 

Only onboard Norwegian Epic, step into the legendary Liverpool club where the Beatles performed. Experience a vibrant rock-and-roll scene, featuring live music and even a Beatles cover band.

 

White Hot Party

 

Ice ice baby. Don your white attire and get to the pool deck for the most invigorating, blacklight glowing, electrifying party beneath the stars. Dance with our white-winged angels and be sure to purchase a souvenir t-shirt.

 

All this, plus live music around the ship night and day, poolside events, the shows in the Epic Theater, O'Sheehans Sports Bar and Grille open 24/7, movies at night in the atrium on the big screen, and so much more. Plenty of dining options, and always something going on somewhere on the ship.

 

You can find even more details here: https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/whats-on-board/activities using the tabs on the left of the screen to explore even more of what Epic has to offer.

 

With all these options, plus the time you'll be spending in all the ports, I'd wager a good bet all four of you would have a fabulous time. ;)

 

.

[WaldosPepper]

Dining! How could I forget to mention dining? Included in your fare on Epic, you can enjoy meals at any of these venues:

 

Manhattan Room, Taste and Savor - the three Main Dining Rooms

Shanghai Chinese restaurant

Shanghai Noodle Bar (a personal favorite - wish they had longer hours!)

The Garden Cafe - main buffet

The Great Outdoors - smaller buffet area near the pool

Spice H2O Grille

O'Sheehans Bar and Grille 24/7 serving breakfast, lunch, dinner and late night snacks

 

In addition, you have all the Specialty venues.

 

Plenty of great food to be had all around this ship.

 

Did I mention that Epic is one of my favorites in the fleet? :D

 

.

[Dramamamahil]

Besides NCL, I have also sailed on Princess and RCL and I am a big fan of NCL. I love that we can cruise in a Haven room, which is better that any other suite life we have experienced. I am also a big fan of Freestyle. It just works best for my family.

[4774Papa]

We like Celebrity and NCL. NCL usually has a younger passenger age.

 

The entertainment is better on NCL than Celebrity, but the food on Celebrity is better than NCL.

 

Longer cruises generally draw older passengers and fewer children and youths.

 

We did the Epic Western Med in 2012 and it was our least favorite ship. The ship felt crowded to us. However, the percentage of youths and young persons was the highest of any cruise we have been on.

 

There seemed to be more activities for young people on Epic. There is a bowling facility on Epic. The swimming pool is too small for the ship. The food was pretty good on Epic.

[Oppalopa]

We are a family of four, parents with an 18 yr old and 16 yr old. We have done two cruises: 10 day Vancouver to Hawaii on Radiance of the Seas in September of 2013 and 7 day Western Caribbean on Celebrity Silhouette in December 2015. Loved the Radiance, thought the Silhouette was beautiful but blah. Food was decent on both and that is important to us. Kids are way too cool for teen clubs but were bored to tears on Silhouette. We are considering a 14 day Caribbean on the Epic, but not sure if Norwegian is a good fit for us...Silhouette was an expensive mistake. Don't want to do that again...

You will love Norwegian I do. I used to be loyal to Royal.:)

[FamilyMooner]

It sounds like your boys enjoy good food, and a lively ship. If that's the case, they'll probably LOVE sailing Epic. Here are a few reasons why...

 

Aqua Park

 

Suit up and splash down at our first ever Aqua Park. Choose from two pools, five hot tubs, kid's pool, three multi-story water slides including the the 200-foot Epic Plunge, the only bowl slide at sea.

 

Wii Wall

 

Fulfill your sports fantasies or watch Hollywood hit movies on our two-story Wii screen.

 

Headliners Comedy Club

 

Sing along with Howl at the Moon, the World’s Greatest Rock ‘N’ Roll Dueling Piano Show. In the Caribbean you can also spend an evening or two with The Second City comedy troupe and their unique form of comedy

 

Pulse Fitness Center

 

Stay in shape with your favorite workout equipment including treadmills, ellipticals and free weights or even yoga, pilates and spinning.

 

Spice H20

 

Soak up the sun by day around the pool and dine on the delicious fare of outdoor buffet at our adults-only Ibiza-inspired beach club at the back of the ship. When the sun goes down, our adults-only Ibiza-inspired beach club at the back of the ship. The entertainment is non-stop as the pool floor rises to become a dance floor and giant screen projects hypnotic visuals under a starry sky.

 

Sports Complex

 

The Sports Complex has not one, but two decks to play on with a full-sized basketball court, batting cage, rock climbing wall, the first-ever rappelling wall at sea and a 24-foot enclosed climbing cage.

 

Video Arcade

 

Stop by the video arcade and capture a few aliens, win a car race, play pinball and fly a jet fighter. Anything is possible.

 

Celebrity DJ - Bliss/Spice H2O

 

Dance like nobody's watching, even though everybody is. With a celebrity DJ spinning tunes till the wee hours, choose to tear it up inside at Bliss or under the stars at Spice H2O. The party's here and you don't have a curfew.

 

Howl at the Moon

 

You won't want the night to end once you step into the World's Greatest Rock N' Roll Dueling Piano Bar. And it won't take long before you're belting out favorites from the 70's or rock and hip-hop classics, right along with our ivory-ticking entertainers.

 

The Cavern Club

 

Only onboard Norwegian Epic, step into the legendary Liverpool club where the Beatles performed. Experience a vibrant rock-and-roll scene, featuring live music and even a Beatles cover band.

 

White Hot Party

 

Ice ice baby. Don your white attire and get to the pool deck for the most invigorating, blacklight glowing, electrifying party beneath the stars. Dance with our white-winged angels and be sure to purchase a souvenir t-shirt.

 

All this, plus live music around the ship night and day, poolside events, the shows in the Epic Theater, O'Sheehans Sports Bar and Grille open 24/7, movies at night in the atrium on the big screen, and so much more. Plenty of dining options, and always something going on somewhere on the ship.

 

You can find even more details here: https://www.ncl.com/cruise-ship/epic/whats-on-board/activities using the tabs on the left of the screen to explore even more of what Epic has to offer.

 

With all these options, plus the time you'll be spending in all the ports, I'd wager a good bet all four of you would have a fabulous time. ;)

 

.

Thank you Waldospepper! That all sounds great - lots of choices for things to do in the evenings and sound like the girls will be entertained as well.

[FamilyMooner]

At the risk of starting a war of words, would anyone like to share their favourite Norwegian ships? Favourite mega-ship and favourite mid-size? Thanks!

[tallnthensome]

At the risk of starting a war of words, would anyone like to share their favourite Norwegian ships? Favourite mega-ship and favourite mid-size? Thanks!

I've done the RCCL Radiance OTS and I just did my first NCL cruise on the new Escape. Trust me, you'll love the Escape and you'll forget about Radiance of the Seas. So much to do on the Escape for you and your girls. Water park, pools, multiple hot tubs, Gelato store, Bocce Ball, ping pong, Bowling, mini golf, an amazing ropes course, basketball courts, arcade, darts, movies on the big screen, GLOW dance party in Spice H20 was fantastic. Food was great, freestyle dining was great. Walked right in and got seated and all foor was wonderful .... and wear what you want. The Radiance of the Seas is not in the same league and I can speak from experience. Don't forget the promos like the UBP and others that save you money and are great to have included. Edited June 23, 2016 by tallnthensome

[punkincc]

At the risk of starting a war of words, would anyone like to share their favourite Norwegian ships? Favourite mega-ship and favourite mid-size? Thanks!

 

As you've already been told, the Epic is a one-of in design. We did not mind the cabin, and we enjoyed the ship, lots to do. Freestyle also extends to the entertainment on NCL. There are multiple entertainment options going on at the same time. It's not just the old theatre show at 7:30 and 9:00.

 

That said, I really think you might enjoy the newer class of ships, Breakaway, Getaway and Escape much more than the Epic. These ships have the Waterfront concept with bars and restaurants that extend right out to the open air. Lots of padded couches and chairs for quiet relaxation. Escape is currently our favorite. It has two venues unique to it, Five O'Clock Somewhere Bar and District Brew House (craft beers), both of which have great entertainment in the evenings, along with the Howl at the Moon and Headliners venues. Also a Supper Club with dinner show and theatre shows as well. Before it moved over to the Getaway, it had the best theatre show I've ever seen, Million Dollar Quartet. In all the cruises I have taken, other cruiselines included, it is probably the only one I'll always remember.

 

Your kids may not be Teen Club types, but many have their kids go for the first day sign up so that they can meet others to pal around with outside the club. They will love the slides and ropes course.

Edited June 24, 2016 by punkincc

[fshagan]

We get two cabins and we do not sail at school break times. And I guess what I am looking for is comparisons between the lines I have been on and Norwegian in general (not just the Epic), from those who have experience on those other lines. Does "freestyle" just refer to dining, or are there other differences?

 

I think you will enjoy the Epic very much! There is always a lot going on, with live music, great "nearly broadway" shows, and deck parties that are pretty active. We sailed her on a 7 day cruise, so it might be that a 14 day cruise is a bit more subdued, but I think your teens will very much enjoy the time onboard. There is a lot to do, and they can always grab a burger and fries at O'Sheehan's (a pretty good 24 hour "pub style" included restaurant).

 

NCL has a more relaxed vibe than other lines we have been on; Freestyle itself is really more about the dining differences. There are no set dining times, so when you want to, you go to the dining room. You sit with your own party, just like on land, and don't have assigned seating. There are no formal nights and barely a dress code (at least not much of one). Leave the dressy clothes at home if you like - you can dress up if you want to get a family picture or something like that.

 

We really like the dueling piano show - I think it's called "Howl at the Moon" that was in one of the lounges most nights. A lot of fun with the entire audience suggesting songs and singing along. Its suitable for teens as well as adults.

 

The only negatives you hear about the ship are what I mentioned before; the cabins are too small for four people, and the bathroom situation is fine for couples but teens and parents often have to work out a schedule for showering and other bathroom activities. With two cabins you will not have that issue, and I think you'll have a blast!

[FamilyMooner]

Thanks to all for your information. I am very intrigued at the notion of not hauling a lot of dressier clothes across country (more room for shopping) and it sounds like the nightlife is much livelier than what we experienced on the Silhouette. I will investigate the other ships suggested but it seems that most of the Norwegian ships have lots to keep the kids occupied so now I just need to find the right itinerary. Thanks again!

[blackwing]

Regarding the Epic bathrooms... I thought there was a curtain you could pull over to give some privacy between the bathroom area and the rest of the cabin? If so, then parents who don't want their children to see their translucent nekkid bodies shouldn't have as much of an issue.

[fshagan]

Regarding the Epic bathrooms... I thought there was a curtain you could pull over to give some privacy between the bathroom area and the rest of the cabin? If so, then parents who don't want their children to see their translucent nekkid bodies shouldn't have as much of an issue.

 

There is a curtain. The problem is if the curtain is closed, anyone entering the room still sees what they see because the set up is the same in every room .... the shower with the translucent glass is on one side of the door, and the toilet with the translucent glass is on the other side of the door. Depending on the swing of the door, your eyes go immediately to the small glass enclosure for either the toilet or the shower. So you have to deal with that if your family is sensitive about it.

 

As a couple, it didn't bother us, but I did have an uneasy feeling one time. My DW was speaking to the cabin steward, who was outside the cabin, while she stood inside the cabin. Both of them seemed like they were within a foot of where I sat since the door opened inward toward the shower stall. I think the actual distance to the non-toilet particpants was closer to two feet or more, but its been a long time since I had company in the toilet stall.