No so Epic Cruise...

[Georgia_Peaches]

On 11/26/2018 at 9:36 AM, ricka47 said:

This is interesting and, as an RCI/X Loyalists, we're considering giving NCL a try.  We just got of HAL's Nieuw Amsterdam and enjoyed it (guess we're not that loyal).  But, we're considering trying a new experience with NCL out of Port Canaveral.   The "Freestyle" experience seems much more flexible than what we are used to.

 

However, the review above is giving me second thoughts.  For those who are regular NCL guests, is what we read here typical?  I've read that some consider NCL a step above Carnival but still a step below RCI - is that a fair estimation?

We were lured in by the price for 6 people (3 balcony staterooms) last Thanksgiving on the Epic.  It was our first NCL and I will say it was by far one of the worst cruise experiences we've ever had...and we cruise a few times a year...mostly on Celebrity.  Service was off, food was lack luster, drink lines were long, embarkation was a nightmare.  I don't really like people in my room so our Do Not Disturb sign was on most of the time and I can't really speak to cabin service.  That said, we still had a good time.  There was a lot to enjoy about the experience and we kept a good attitude (not suggesting the OP has a bad one).  Although I wouldn't sail on Epic again, we have since been on the Sun, which I thoroughly enjoyed, and Breakaway, which was pretty awesome.  Admittedly, we ditched the kids for the Breakaway trip and booked a Haven suite.  Our Haven experience was hands down better than our standard balcony experience on Epic.  We're heading back to Celebrity in March to try the new Edge suite experience and then back to Escape in 2020.  I guess my point is, I think it takes a variety of experiences to really determine which brand is the right fit for each person.  I love to cruise so I can find something to love on any ship...I say go for it!

[Sailing12Away]

On 11/27/2018 at 6:35 AM, newmexicoNita said:

I think my TA said it best: Epic is a love/hate ship. You find very few ships with a middle of the road rating. Some people have cruised her several times and almost don't want to even try another ship, others would never cruise her again. We found this on our Epic sailing for sure. For some reason the passengers from Europe seem to love it. That was just our experience. 

We were on the Epic in May for the Mediterranean out of Rome. First time with NCL, and overall we had a fine time. I don't love the ship - it does take some getting used to - but we booked a second sailing on the Epic for 2020 so we clearly didn't hate her either.

 

Never saw our room steward at all, no issues what so ever, laundry was returned the next day folded nice and neat in a basket even though it wasn't promised to be done until 2 days later. I think the fact that the OP had such a bad room attendant just kind of set the overall mood and tone for their trip, which is unfortunate. 

 

Had long waits for drinks near the pool and one of the bars, but we didn't mind because that's where we ended up making a bunch of new friends while we were all standing and waiting and chatting. Ended up finding the best service sitting near the atrium, and spent more time there getting drinks before relocating elsewhere for sitting and mingling. No pressing issues with dining either, and one night we had a show to catch within an hour and told the waiter when we sat, and food was brought out almost immediately for us with time to spare.

 

We'll be on the Jade in February, so we'll be able to get a better comparison then - although it will be hard to compare the mini suite we had with 3 people on the Epic, to the deluxe owners suite we'll have with just 2 people on the Jade. We keep our expectations low and then we're seldom disappointed. 

[disneykins]

On ‎11‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 10:07 AM, 20165 said:

 I know there will be a lot of comments on why we didn’t complain, and my wife and I did contemplate that, but decided to do it after the cruise given he has access to a lot of our belongings that would not fit into the safe.  Laptops, ipads, cell phones, etc. 

I've never worried about the cabin steward taking any of our belongings on any ship. Many times I come back to the cabin and realize the safe is open.  I always can rationalize that I forgot to lock it when getting ready for dinner. Never had anything missing. Maybe the steward opened it, found nothing worth taking and he forgot to close it lol. If  I thought I couldn't trust the cabin steward, I don't think I'd want to cruise. They have a pass key so can access the cabin at any time and those safes are really easy to open without knowing the code, according to the internet.

We have cruised Epic 3 times and loved it. But then we have loved every cruise we have been on. I'm sure we've had things go wrong on cruises but we cant remember them, the good times have always overshadowed any bad times.  Maybe we're just lucky. We are looking forward to being on her again in 2019.

Hope you future cruises are better.

Tony

[Seany527]

On 11/26/2018 at 8:18 AM, adjensen said:

You're overstating the amount of Deck 15 that was closed off, due to the maintenance they were doing -- it's confined to about a 20x30 foot area on the port side. Because it blocked off one of the two paths to get from the back of the ship to the front, it was rather inconvenient, but it wasn't all that big.

 

If you were on the cruise before this, how would you know the amount of space closed on Deck 15 for this particular sailing? Did you do a B2B?

[CruisingNole]

So based on what I’m reading, many people found Epic to be the worst cruise they’ve ever taken and no one has found it to be the best. April’s TA is really starting to become questionable.

[cdnsteelman]

26 minutes ago, CruisingNole said:

So based on what I’m reading, many people found Epic to be the worst cruise they’ve ever taken and no one has found it to be the best. April’s TA is really starting to become questionable.

I'm literally just off the Epic's 10 day Dec 5-15 sailing and had an amazing time. The Epic is a bit of a quirky ship and those quirks have been discussed ad nauseam on these forums so there's no need to rehash. I did speak to a number of people who were on the recent Epic TA sailing who said they had an outstanding cruise. For me the service and food were both excellent. There was major embarkation issue on our sailing and while there were all kinds of reasons put forth for it the reality is that, after speaking to senior ship staff, the faultiest lies somewhere between NCL and the port authority. It was a bit of a perfect storm and for those left standing outside on a windy and cool-for-Florida morning I have total empathy. I just don't get t hose who were still complaining about it throughout the cruise but that's just me.

 

I can't say this was my all-time favourite cruise (tough to top sailing around Cape Horn or 21 days through Europe from an itinerary perspective) nor my all-time favourite ship (I'm decidedly a smaller ship guy) but I'll just put out there that it was a great and memorable cruise and that you should go with an open mind. I'm a firm believer that any vacation will mostly be what you make it.

 

If you have specific questions I'm happy to take the time to answer what I can while it's fresh in my mind.

 

Jeff

Edited December 15, 2018 by cdnsteelman

[Sailing12Away]

1 hour ago, CruisingNole said:

So based on what I’m reading, many people found Epic to be the worst cruise they’ve ever taken and no one has found it to be the best. April’s TA is really starting to become questionable.

It was not my worst cruise, but I have limited experiences to compare it to (RC >5 years ago, so I don't count that). Opinions are like butt holes, everyone has one and they all stink when it's not your own.

 

2 people on the same exact cruise, even in the same exact cabin, can have 2 different opinions on how the trip went. Go by facts, not opinions. If you know for a fact that a large portion of the ship will be under construction during your voyage, and that part of the ship is important to you, then you may be disappointed. If you don't really care about that part of the ship - what difference does it make if it's unavailable? If drink service is slow by the pool - do you even drink liquor to begin with? If so, grab a drink somewhere else first before heading up to the pool deck. Main dining room service is slow - plan your dinner times accordingly and give yourself plenty of wiggle room if you want to catch a show - or tell the wait staff up front that you're catching the 8pm show and they'll help get you out on time.

 

Go by facts, plan accordingly, and have realistic expectations based on the facts. You'll be fine.

[Sailing12Away]

On 11/28/2018 at 6:57 AM, Oakman58 said:

Here’s my take on the Epic.  Passengers in the Haven suites without question love the Epic.  The rest of us are split between love it or hate it.  I am in the hate it category but even so I have booked another cruise on her for January 2020.  I booked this cruise because it is port intensive and we haven’t been to most of the ports of call. 

Is that the Southern Caribbean one? I'll be on that itinerary as well first week of January. We sailed Epic in May of this year out of Rome. Non-Haven, and we were ok with it. We had 3 passengers in a mini suite, and it was manageable. Looking forward to our trip this February on the Jade so we can get a better comparison.

[BarnCat1]

I am not concerned about the bathroom layout, or the curved room.  My concerns would be food quality, service of the staff,  entertainment and things like that as far as the ship.  I don't really care if I see the room steward (barely saw him on the last one but his service was good) as long as the room is made up and dailies are in the room every day.  

 

We are sailing the Southern Caribbean and it's port intensive, 5 ports in 7 days, with only 1 day at sea. 

 

All the Southern Caribbean cruises in early 2020 are on the Epic, except for two.  One is the Breakaway, with only 2 ports besides GSC (been there done that) and the Encore with 3 ports, one being San Juan but the ship doesn't arrive until 5:30pm.  This one is tempting, but I really like the 5 ports the Epic is going to on our sailing. 

 

Unless we go with another cruise line it looks like the Epic, because of the destination, is the ship of choice right now. 

[gooch47]

I've always wondered how room stewards decide which room to do next.  Not the Epic, but the Breakaway a couple weeks ago.  It seemed like our cabin was always one of the last he would do, even though we were always up around 8:00 am for breakfast and always ate dinner at 5:00 or 5:30.  We were faithful about turning on the green "make up  the cabin" light.  We'd come back to the cabin at 1:30, and still not made up.   Back at 8:30 after dinner, still not made up.  It almost seemed like he would start at one end of his assignment and wouldn't move past an undone cabin although that seems impossible.  We thought perhaps he was assigned too many cabins.  We almost always leave an additional tip for room stewards but not this guy.

[marktwothousand]

If you’re going for the people, I think a TA would be OK on the Epic, but I would run FAR away if you’re going for the experience of a nice cruise unless you’re staying in the Haven. There is just not enough to do on this ship to justify a TA, especially with no ports, and especially because TAs are too cold to sit outside on deck.

 

a TA experience on this ship would be more along the lines of the Poseidon Adventure than a pleasant cruise. 

[Oakman58]

44 minutes ago, marktwothousand said:

 

 

a TA experience on this ship would be more along the lines of the Poseidon Adventure than a pleasant cruise. 

 

Your statement strikes me as a bit overboard (pun intended).  But I agree with you about not doing a TA on the Epic.  I'd pick a different ship.

[Oakman58]

1 hour ago, Sailing12Away said:

Is that the Southern Caribbean one? I'll be on that itinerary as well first week of January. We sailed Epic in May of this year out of Rome. Non-Haven, and we were ok with it. We had 3 passengers in a mini suite, and it was manageable. Looking forward to our trip this February on the Jade so we can get a better comparison.

 

Yes the Southern Caribbean cruise.  We depart on Jan 26, 2020 for an 11 night cruise and it only has one sea day.  It's port intensive and that's the only reason I'm doing the Epic again.  I booked our balcony cabin when NCL had a one dollar deposit sale and not only included all 5 "free at sea" perks, it was also a "distinctive voyage" cruise with those perks too.

[marktwothousand]

18 minutes ago, Oakman58 said:

 

Your statement strikes me as a bit overboard (pun intended).  But I agree with you about not doing a TA on the Epic.  I'd pick a different ship.

I’m going to go watch some Love Boat now. Now those were the days! The disco alone would have made it worth it. 

[newmexicoNita]

22 hours ago, CruisingNole said:

So based on what I’m reading, many people found Epic to be the worst cruise they’ve ever taken and no one has found it to be the best. April’s TA is really starting to become questionable.

Well I would never say it was the worst cruise I have ever taken. Maybe these who think that haven't cruised much. It doesn't happen to be the type of ship everyone will love but the cruise, to me, is more about the ports, service, food and people cruising with me, not the lay out of the ship. I can give examples of a few cruises and a few ships that would make most of you think the Epic was heaven. 

[totalee]

I just got off the epic, It was by far the worst cruise I have ever been on. The MDR food was so-so at best. And the service was horrible it generally took over 3 hours for dinner. Most of the people at the table left before desert, because if you sat all that time you missed every activity offered on the boat. At breakfast one day a man at my table asked for syrup for his pancakes or Wafles and the server said no you cant have syrup because she brought out a sauce, the other time I went to the MDR for breakfast I asked for butter for my toast, she said she was going to get it, then disappeared never to be seen again that morning, One evening at dinner after waiting 20 minutes starring at my empty appetizer plate and empty water cup I had to go to the server station to get water to refill everyone's glasses.  I am Platinum on NCL and the service in the MDR was exponentially worse than any service I have every had on a cruise ship.  The Entertainment on the ship was good however and I felt sorry for the for the cruise staff people who had deal with all the people fed up with the horrible dining room service. I am trying to figure how to take out the service charge for the dining room people and still tip the others who did a good job.

[17cruisesnsl]

We were on the EPIC 12/5-12/15 and ate a late (9 pm) dinner in Taste and an 8 pm dinner another evening in the Manhattan Dining room.  The service was totally different, both times a table for 2.  Other meals were specialty dining or in the Haven dining room
I would have expected hurried service due to the late hour at Taste but it was well paced.  Our order was simple, we shared appetizers and the eggplant parmigiana entree.  Coffee and sorbet for dessert. 
In the Manhattan room, you couldn't put your fork down to take a sip of wine without the assistant waiter trying to take your full plate and this happened frequently during the meal.  It was quite annoying.   Perhaps they had read and were overcompensating for their reviews? 

I found that dining in general, including the Haven and specialty restaurants were not to the standard of prior NCL cruises.  Inconsistency was the biggest negative; either we felt rushed (and we do not like to linger between courses or  after a meal) or that the food, particularly the fish, was overcooked.  We also wondered if the chefs used any spices other than rosemary - it was on everything from the breakfast potatoes, to bread, to shrimp, etc.  

Cagneys was the exception- timing was good and the food cooked as requested.

One item I thought detracted from the service was rotation of the wait staff, especially as many staff members said they had come aboard that week or following the TA.   The Haven staff was rotated to Taste for breakfast and to LeBistro at dinner.  We never had the same waiter twice in the Haven restaurant.  IMHO, it detracted from their team cohesiveness, the dining experience and likely additional gratuities for the Haven staff. 

Food likes and dislikes are subjective but consistently in quality and service can make or break a "land" restaurant; the dining experience is a key component of the cruise experience and hopefully it will improve for those anxiously anticipating their EPIC experience, as the EPIC crew becomes a team. 

[BarnCat1]

4 hours ago, totalee said:

I just got off the epic, It was by far the worst cruise I have ever been on. The MDR food was so-so at best. And the service was horrible it generally took over 3 hours for dinner. Most of the people at the table left before desert, because if you sat all that time you missed every activity offered on the boat. At breakfast one day a man at my table asked for syrup for his pancakes or Wafles and the server said no you cant have syrup because she brought out a sauce, the other time I went to the MDR for breakfast I asked for butter for my toast, she said she was going to get it, then disappeared never to be seen again that morning, One evening at dinner after waiting 20 minutes starring at my empty appetizer plate and empty water cup I had to go to the server station to get water to refill everyone's glasses.  I am Platinum on NCL and the service in the MDR was exponentially worse than any service I have every had on a cruise ship.  The Entertainment on the ship was good however and I felt sorry for the for the cruise staff people who had deal with all the people fed up with the horrible dining room service. I am trying to figure how to take out the service charge for the dining room people and still tip the others who did a good job.

 

Did you say something about this service in the MDR?  Was it a very busy cruse?  3 hours is a very long time to wait.  All these negative reviews are really not making me feel good about my choice of sailing on this ship. 

 

[marktwothousand]

42 minutes ago, BarnCat1 said:

 

Did you say something about this service in the MDR?  Was it a very busy cruse?  3 hours is a very long time to wait.  All these negative reviews are really not making me feel good about my choice of sailing on this ship. 

 

I have been in some Epic MDR situations with other guests at my table who were VERY angry with the service. Enough to call for the manager to complain. This actually happened when I dined with TWO separate sets of guests.

 

*I* personally, having been on the Epic twice, have not had a problem with restaurant service. But then again, I don’t look for issues and things to complain about, and, when little mistakes happen, I don’t really care. Things just don’t bother me that much. It might bother me if was paying cash at a specialty restaurant, however all the specialities I’ve been to on Epic have been fine.

 

on one of my epics, housekeeping and maintenance was so good, they fixed every minor issue I reported. Closet not opening properly, TV stand loose, issues with the phone, not enough towels...all fixed with a phone call. Twice a day service. On another Epic, I had only mediocre housekeeping service...it was once a day, and a minimal job was done. 

 

where I would caution you about Epic, is...things to do. The venues are mostly lacklustre, the ship has a sense of “closed-in-ness” about it and there’s just that not much to do.

 

my Advice is...if you’re going for friends, to be social, and see ports, it’s an OK choice. But If you’re looking for a “ship-as-destination” trip, Epic is really not the best choice. 

[GUEST71919]

1 hour ago, 17cruisesnsl said:

We were on the EPIC 12/5-12/15 ...

 

 

If you have the dailies I would LOVE to have copies! I am a planner and your cruise schedule was the only other one like ours that has/will sail! Thanks 😊

 

Lynn

[lyannea]

On 12/15/2018 at 7:46 AM, gooch47 said:

I've always wondered how room stewards decide which room to do next.  Not the Epic, but the Breakaway a couple weeks ago.  It seemed like our cabin was always one of the last he would do, even though we were always up around 8:00 am for breakfast and always ate dinner at 5:00 or 5:30.  We were faithful about turning on the green "make up  the cabin" light.  We'd come back to the cabin at 1:30, and still not made up.   Back at 8:30 after dinner, still not made up.  It almost seemed like he would start at one end of his assignment and wouldn't move past an undone cabin although that seems impossible.  We thought perhaps he was assigned too many cabins.  We almost always leave an additional tip for room stewards but not this guy.

We must have had the same guy. I was solo and often times my cabin wasn’t done and I would find the steward in another cabin, often times looking at the made up beds, as though he was making sure they were perfect before proceeding or chatting up with the passengers inside the room. In the evening, he still would be making up rooms and I often times would ask him for the next day’s daily and let him know that I could turn down my own bed,

This didn’t change my attitude about the cruise- I thought that he most likely had a time management issue

[17cruisesnsl]

I brought the dailies home as I saw the requests before we left.  Had unlimited internet on ship but I wasn't sure how to upload pictures so I hope to start scanning tomorrow and if time permits to write a review.   Today,little things like delayed flights, unpacking, laundry, preparing for work tomorrow- i.e. Back to reality interfered.   

[GUEST71919]

21 minutes ago, 17cruisesnsl said:

I brought the dailies home as I saw the requests before we left.  Had unlimited internet on ship but I wasn't sure how to upload pictures so I hope to start scanning tomorrow and if time permits to write a review.   Today,little things like delayed flights, unpacking, laundry, preparing for work tomorrow- i.e. Back to reality interfered.   

 

If you could let me know when that happens please 🙂 that would be awesome.  Unfortunately there is no way to follow an individual, only a thread. I  would like to figure out some kind of a schedule before heading onboard since doing it there really does put a damper on things for me. 

 

Lynn

Edited December 17, 2018 by 2Beeze

[BarnCat1]

10 hours ago, marktwothousand said:

I have been in some Epic MDR situations with other guests at my table who were VERY angry with the service. Enough to call for the manager to complain. This actually happened when I dined with TWO separate sets of guests.

 

*I* personally, having been on the Epic twice, have not had a problem with restaurant service. But then again, I don’t look for issues and things to complain about, and, when little mistakes happen, I don’t really care. Things just don’t bother me that much. It might bother me if was paying cash at a specialty restaurant, however all the specialities I’ve been to on Epic have been fine.

 

on one of my epics, housekeeping and maintenance was so good, they fixed every minor issue I reported. Closet not opening properly, TV stand loose, issues with the phone, not enough towels...all fixed with a phone call. Twice a day service. On another Epic, I had only mediocre housekeeping service...it was once a day, and a minimal job was done. 

 

where I would caution you about Epic, is...things to do. The venues are mostly lacklustre, the ship has a sense of “closed-in-ness” about it and there’s just that not much to do.

 

my Advice is...if you’re going for friends, to be social, and see ports, it’s an OK choice. But If you’re looking for a “ship-as-destination” trip, Epic is really not the best choice. 

 

The cruise I am taking on her is 5 ports in 7 days, so there isn't much time on the ship.  The destinations are the prime reason  I booked the cruise and no other NCL ships are doing all these ports.  All the stops are 8am-5pm, so days will be very busy.  I also have  speciality dining for 3 of the 7 nights.  I might only go to the MDR once or twice with all the other choices for complimentary dining.   

 

There is one other cruise, on the Encore, that is around the same timeframe (Spring 2020), that I am looking at, but only goes to 3 ports and San Juan is arrival at 5:30 pm to midnight.  Brand new ship, but so many of the things on it have no appeal to me or my groups ages.  But the thought of a new ship is very tempting., especially the more I read negative reviews of the Epic.  

 

How many issues could there be a one cabin?  We've never had any issues on past cruises that needed any attention.

Glad to know they were quick in addressing them.  

 

10 hours ago, 17cruisesnsl said:

I brought the dailies home as I saw the requests before we left.  Had unlimited internet on ship but I wasn't sure how to upload pictures so I hope to start scanning tomorrow and if time permits to write a review.   Today,little things like delayed flights, unpacking, laundry, preparing for work tomorrow- i.e. Back to reality interfered.   

 

 I would love to see the dailies as well.  Thank you. 

[3catnight]

We just sailed the Epic for the second time (our 12th NCL cruise). I won’t go into a long, detailed story of how bad things were but the level of service is definitely reduced.  I believe they’ve reduced the crew.  Broken down coffee and juice machines weren’t repaired for ten days, service was slow (but on the plus side, photographers weren’t hounding us in the dining rooms), didn’t see as many crew members repairing, cleaning and polishing as we have in the past.  I think they reduced bar servers purposely so all the people on the UBP couldn’t drink as much! 😁

The service issues need to be addressed by NCL. Hope they kept enough staff so that some are monitoring sites like Cruise Critic and they get the message.  The only thing giving us hope for our booked-and-paid-for March cruise on the Pearl is that this was the third not-so-good cruise out of 12 on NCL and we always found the next time was much improved. Last year we had an amazingly good cruise on the Sun (which was the same ship we’d had one of our amazingly bad trips on back in 2011). On the first Sun cruise, we experienced similar staff shortages and encountered lots of issues.  The next year, we had one of our best cruises on the same ship.  So NCL, shape up again please!   And stop cheaping out on little things like mints in the cabins. Maybe the corporate people do listen to passengers??  We can only hope.