Pearl vs. Epic?

[jpcdds6]

December 2017 sail dates. Pearl 9 day Western C. out of New Orleans in an SF penthouse corner suite, or Epic 7day Western C. out of Port Canaveral in a Haven aft penthouse. Pearl cruise will come in almost $2,000 less.

[VIPERTRUCK]

I would definitely go with the Pearl! The Pearl is a great ship and from what I hear still has a great crew. The Epic to me is just a mess of thoughts, many of which add nothing to my cruise experience. The Pearl will only be 9 or 10 months out of drydock at that point and the suites are getting complete makeovers. Plus it's way more cruise for your money! IDC who you are $2000 makes a difference (if not, please apply it towards my next cruise! :) )

Edited September 20, 2016 by VIPERTRUCK

[4774Papa]

December 2017 sail dates. Pearl 9 day Western C. out of New Orleans in an SF penthouse corner suite, or Epic 7day Western C. out of Port Canaveral in a Haven aft penthouse. Pearl cruise will come in almost $2,000 less.

 

The Pearl by far. A longer cruise for less money, not a hard decision. Also, we always felt crowded on the Epic.

[Lido_Deck]

The Pearl is one of the best ships in the entire cruise industry, while the Epic is one of the worst (if not THE worst).

 

The Pearl has 7 hot tubs for 2,000 passengers. The Epic has 7 hot tubs for 4,000 passengers.

 

The Pearl has the best designed Garden Cafe/Buffet in the entire cruise industry. The Garden Cafe on the Epic went backwards to a very chaotic, amateur designed cluster****.

 

The Pearl has a wonderful Great Outdoors. The Epic pretends to have a Great Outdoors by calling a few tables by the pool deck the Great Outdoors. It's not, it's just a few tables by the pool deck.

 

The Pearl has the bathroom sink in the bathroom where it belongs. The Pearl has the toilet in the bathroom where it belongs. The door where the toilet is on the Pearl is not a glass door.

 

The cabins are larger on the Pearl and don't have wavy walls.

 

The Pearl has nice, open decks where you can lean on the rail, look out onto the sea and enjoy the ocean breeze. On the Epic there are no open decks, but you can stoop down or stand on your tiptoes to look through a slot in the glass. That is why I call the Epic a luxury prison ship because you are all walled in.

 

Need I continue?

Edited September 20, 2016 by Lido_Deck

[jpcdds6]

The Pearl is one of the best ships in the entire cruise industry, while the Epic is one of the worst (if not THE worst).

 

The Pearl has 7 hot tubs for 2,000 passengers. The Epic has 7 hot tubs for 4,000 passengers.

 

The Pearl has the best designed Garden Cafe/Buffet in the entire cruise industry. The Garden Cafe on the Epic went backwards to a very chaotic, amateur designed cluster****.

 

The Pearl has a wonderful Great Outdoors. The Epic pretends to have a Great Outdoors by calling a few tables by the pool deck the Great Outdoors. It's not, it's just a few tables by the pool deck.

 

The Pearl has the bathroom sink in the bathroom where it belongs. The Pearl has the toilet in the bathroom where it belongs. The door where the toilet is on the Pearl is not a glass door.

 

The cabins are larger on the Pearl and don't have wavy walls.

 

The Pearl has nice, open decks where you can lean on the rail, look out onto the sea and enjoy the ocean breeze. On the Epic there are no open decks, but you can stoop down or stand on your tiptoes to look through a slot in the glass. That is why I call the Epic a luxury prison ship because you are all walled in.

 

Need I continue?

Sailed on the Gem and loved it. I booked the Pearl. Thanks for reaffirming my decision. Besides the ship being better, the cost and the 2 additional days is a no brainer.

[Lido_Deck]

Sailed on the Gem and loved it. I booked the Pearl. Thanks for reaffirming my decision. Besides the ship being better, the cost and the 2 additional days is a no brainer.

 

The Gem and the Pearl are identical. Unfortunately the Garden Cafe on the Jewel is screwed up by silly kiosks in the serving area that create havoc.

 

Enjoy your cruise!

[mom2tcdx2]

I would go with the Pearl, if those were my choices. I haven't been on the Epic, but my dad, mom and son have been on both the Epic and the Pearl. Now granted they weren't in the Haven, but they just didn't have a lot of great things to say about the Epic. I have sailed the Pearl twice, though again never in the Haven. Really liked the Pearl, ship isn't too crowded and small. Biggest complaint I have seen is the Epic seems too small for the amount of passengers it is supposed to hold. Very cramped cabins, small buffet, small pools, etc.

[jpcdds6]

I would go with the Pearl, if those were my choices. I haven't been on the Epic, but my dad, mom and son have been on both the Epic and the Pearl. Now granted they weren't in the Haven, but they just didn't have a lot of great things to say about the Epic. I have sailed the Pearl twice, though again never in the Haven. Really liked the Pearl, ship isn't too crowded and small. Biggest complaint I have seen is the Epic seems too small for the amount of passengers it is supposed to hold. Very cramped cabins, small buffet, small pools, etc.

The Bad reviews for the Epic and the diff. in cost for almost the same cat. cabin did it. And two more days to boot. Sailed the Gem and loved her. I guess I just wanted to be reassured. Would everyone feel the same if the choice was between the Pearl and the BA or the Escape, all things considered?

[Jaclyn1945]

This might be something that isn't as big of a deal as I though it would be, but I have only sailed the Getaway, and one of my favorite things about it were the evening events at Spice H20. I went with my friend on that one and I'm planning another with my mom. I loved the Waterfront bars and Spice the best I think. That being said, after reading this thread I'm leaning more towards the Pearl vs. Epic. Just thought I would see if anyone had opinions on this?

[JillL]

I booked the Pearl. Thanks for reaffirming my decision. Besides the ship being better, the cost and the 2 additional days is a no brainer.

 

What date did you choose? We are sailing on 12/14/17... there is a roll call if that is your sailing. (There might be even if you chose a different departure.)