NCL Epic waterfront.

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Does the Epic have a waterfront like some of the other ships do?   With seating and you can get drinks and such?   

[debenson0723]

I don't believe it does but best to check the deck plans to see.

[Bulk-head]

No….deck 7 has a narrow outdoor area for jogging, strolling possibly shuffleboard. Do not recall any seating. 

[david_sobe]

No waterfront.  That did not start until the next class of ship.  You cannot even walk all the way around the ship on deck 7.  You can walk the length of the ship but there are many lifeboats blocking your view of the ocean.  But there are still some great view points and I think a few benches around.

This is one quirk of the Epic.  However the Epic shines in so many other areas that makes it a favorite of mine. 

[KeithJenner]

Far from having a waterfront, the Epic has by far the worst outdoor options at lower decks than any other NCL ship.

 

The older ships have fairly traditional promenade decks and the newer ships have the waterfront (or whatever it’s called on the Prima class). The Epic has a fairly enclosed walkway where the lifeboats are. You can stand and look at the sea, but it is not good for either sitting or walking.

 

It’s a reason why the Epic is probably my least favourite NCL ship.

Edited August 14 by KeithJenner

[D_And_K_gocruising]

Thanks after looking I didnt think it did..  We'll still be on a cruise, but really think the Escape spoiled us :D.

 

[david_sobe]

1 hour ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

Thanks after looking I didnt think it did..  We'll still be on a cruise, but really think the Escape spoiled us :D.

 

Every ship has advantages and disadvantages.

Epic vs Escape

Epic has a better Spice H20 with a real swimming pool

Epic has a bigger and better gym

Epic has a bigger and better spa

Epic has a better Haven

Epic has a better and bigger nightclub

Epic has bigger restaurants

Epic's buffet is prime real estate and forward right below the Haven

Epic was innovative and can be quirky.  Escape is much more traditional

[D_And_K_gocruising]

15 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Every ship has advantages and disadvantages.

Epic vs Escape

Epic has a better Spice H20 with a real swimming pool

Epic has a bigger and better gym

Epic has a bigger and better spa

Epic has a better Haven

Epic has a better and bigger nightclub

Epic has bigger restaurants

Epic's buffet is prime real estate and forward right below the Haven

Epic was innovative and can be quirky.  Escape is much more traditional

I guess i'm much more traditional.  I got spoiled with The Vibe... So didnt mess with Spice except to visit the time the vibe was closed due to winds.. Gym, probably wont use.  Spa, that's pretty impressive as the Escape wasn't small IMO with all the different saunas and thought the lounge area was huge.. Now if you mean spa where you get massages and stuff, not interested.. Haven,  I'll probably never see.  Bigger nightclub may be cool.. Maybe bigger restaurants, but if talking MDR, also 2 compared to 3?  From what I see, I dont know if innovative would be the word I'd choose.. Quirky, yes.  Like I said, we'll be on a cruise, in December, so cant be that bad right?

[elcuchio24]

no. its a weird set up, not a fan of this ship. 

[david_sobe]

5 hours ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

I guess i'm much more traditional.  I got spoiled with The Vibe... So didnt mess with Spice except to visit the time the vibe was closed due to winds.. Gym, probably wont use.  Spa, that's pretty impressive as the Escape wasn't small IMO with all the different saunas and thought the lounge area was huge.. Now if you mean spa where you get massages and stuff, not interested.. Haven,  I'll probably never see.  Bigger nightclub may be cool.. Maybe bigger restaurants, but if talking MDR, also 2 compared to 3?  From what I see, I dont know if innovative would be the word I'd choose.. Quirky, yes.  Like I said, we'll be on a cruise, in December, so cant be that bad right?

If you have been on any NCL ships post Epic, they all are copies of Epic in so many features.  Yes, NCL got rid of bedroom sinks and curved walls and added a water front.  However, places like Posh (which NCL sells to non-Haven guests the last I heard) was a prequel to Vibe.  The casino on Epic was copied on all future NCL ships (before Prima) making it front and center and having a big staircase center.  The atriums are all almost identical with O'Sheehans or The Local looking down.  Many things were not accepted by the public on Epic.  However my point was to point out how NCL has copied its design in so many areas on ships that the NCL customers seem to really love.  IMHO the Breakaway class was an over correction to Epic and I find those ships pretty sterile and boring even though many of their major features from the atrium, casino, Haven, Spice, etc were all copied from the Epic.  If the Epic is such a horrible ship as people claim then why did NCL copy most of its features.  IMHO people freaked out over the most trivial and non-issues on Epic:  curtain divider in a balcony cabin, sink outside the bathroom, curved walls, etc.  People HATED the casino too but it seems people have warmed up to having the casinos in the center of the ship.  Having said all this, the features like Spice, Haven, Gym, Spa, Nightclub, were all smaller and less impressive than on Epic.  They did remove all the trivial complaints and added a waterfront.   I see Epic as a wild creation.  I can almost imagine somewhere in a NCL board room with people throwing out the wildest ideas for a  cruise ship and making them happen.  Did everything work?  Not really.  But with all the quirks like having a phone in the penthouse bathroom and round beds made it oddly cool IMHO.  

Edited August 15 by david_sobe

[bluesea777]

22 hours ago, david_sobe said:

Every ship has advantages and disadvantages.

Epic vs Escape

Epic has a better Spice H20 with a real swimming pool

Epic has a bigger and better gym

Epic has a bigger and better spa

Epic has a better Haven

Epic has a better and bigger nightclub

Epic has bigger restaurants

Epic's buffet is prime real estate and forward right below the Haven

Epic was innovative and can be quirky.  Escape is much more traditional

True! We have been on Epic 3 times (14 days B2B Caribbean, two westbound TAs) and loved it, but it was before the Breakaway class ships were built. 
 

Epic’s Waterfront is a joke.

Epic’s buffet is still the best. 
Epic’s swimming pool area is a joke. 
Epic’s dining venues are the best in most aspects. 
Epic’s bars are GOOD!

 

We need to return to Epic one day/cruise for old time’s sake. 
 

BTW, the Le Bistro restaurant is the worst on Breakaway, Getaway and Escape. Good thing they wised up and put Le Bistro on higher decks on subsequent ships!!

 

 

[bluesea777]

Bottom line, I think Epic is good for cool weather cruises. Maybe. 
 

 

[david_sobe]

One major complaint about Epic in 2010 was that it was "Las Vegas at sea" or a "Floating Las Vegas."  I don't see that as a negative connotation but actually a compliment.

The Epic was the last NCL ship built where dining tables in specialty dining areas were not set 4 inches apart.  They were spaced like traditional ships and people were not dining on top of each other like the Breakaway class.  The Epic was built with restaurants with real 4 walls instead of the saving space measure "open to the walkways" of La Cucina and others.  I am not saying the Breakaway or Getaway are bad ships.  I am only saying that NCL just eliminated some of the major complaints about Epic:  the quirks and lack of water walk around areas.   The waterfront was a great feature added and NCL should be applauded for it.  However all other features of that class of ship don't even come close to Epic (IMHO).

If dining outside is important to you and what you look forward to cruising for then the Epic is definitely not for you.  But many ships during that era of ships dont have much outside dining either.

Edited August 15 by david_sobe

[tomk3212]

The ONE THING I like about Epic is the size of their Headliners Comedy club compared to the Breakaway/B+ ships; it's about 50% bigger.  Other than that I'm not a big fan of Epic but have only sailed on her once.  It does have the WORST promenade/strolling deck (Deck 7); even the Jewel class ships are better!

 

For all its faults (real and perceived) a LOT of folks DO like Epic.  We're booked on another TA on Epic next April bc it has an itinerary that has ports we've never been to.  However, all things being equal, we'd DEFINITELY prefer one of the newer ships.

[david_sobe]

8 hours ago, tomk3212 said:

The ONE THING I like about Epic is the size of their Headliners Comedy club compared to the Breakaway/B+ ships; it's about 50% bigger.  Other than that I'm not a big fan of Epic but have only sailed on her once.  It does have the WORST promenade/strolling deck (Deck 7); even the Jewel class ships are better!

 

For all its faults (real and perceived) a LOT of folks DO like Epic.  We're booked on another TA on Epic next April bc it has an itinerary that has ports we've never been to.  However, all things being equal, we'd DEFINITELY prefer one of the newer ships.

That's a good point. The one venue you like is substantially larger.  But its just not the comedy club that's bigger.  All the venues are bigger.  That is the point I was making.  No doubt the waterfront was a huge and great feature of the Breakaway/Getaway.  However the vice was substantially smaller venues inside.  When I sailed the brand new Getaway after sailing Epic twice, I felt that most of the ship inside was a step backwards in all the venues.   

[D_And_K_gocruising]

16 hours ago, david_sobe said:

One major complaint about Epic in 2010 was that it was "Las Vegas at sea" or a "Floating Las Vegas."  I don't see that as a negative connotation but actually a compliment.

The Epic was the last NCL ship built where dining tables in specialty dining areas were not set 4 inches apart.  They were spaced like traditional ships and people were not dining on top of each other like the Breakaway class.  The Epic was built with restaurants with real 4 walls instead of the saving space measure "open to the walkways" of La Cucina and others.  I am not saying the Breakaway or Getaway are bad ships.  I am only saying that NCL just eliminated some of the major complaints about Epic:  the quirks and lack of water walk around areas.   The waterfront was a great feature added and NCL should be applauded for it.  However all other features of that class of ship don't even come close to Epic (IMHO).

If dining outside is important to you and what you look forward to cruising for then the Epic is definitely not for you.  But many ships during that era of ships dont have much outside dining either.

Never 1 time did I mention outside dining.. I asked about the waterfront with seating and ability to get drinks easily.. Not everyone wants to be in the sun all the time.. I was really nice to have the shade of the waterfront with ample seating to enjoy the outdoors without having to be getting full sun :).    Again, we'll make it work and I'm sure we'll have a great time.  And I'm sure there will be other places outdoors to get out of the sun, but not nearly as much real estate as the waterfront affords.   

 

And I dont know if it you was you or the other epic person on this thread that talked about the Posh area.. From what I can tell you'd have a better chance winning the lottery than getting passes to it since it's really part of the Haven.  Now granted we didnt book til February for our December cruise, but from everything I've read, getting passes to posh is kind of like unicorns anyway..  

[david_sobe]

1 hour ago, D_And_K_gocruising said:

Never 1 time did I mention outside dining.. I asked about the waterfront with seating and ability to get drinks easily.. Not everyone wants to be in the sun all the time.. I was really nice to have the shade of the waterfront with ample seating to enjoy the outdoors without having to be getting full sun :).    Again, we'll make it work and I'm sure we'll have a great time.  And I'm sure there will be other places outdoors to get out of the sun, but not nearly as much real estate as the waterfront affords.   

 

And I dont know if it you was you or the other epic person on this thread that talked about the Posh area.. From what I can tell you'd have a better chance winning the lottery than getting passes to it since it's really part of the Haven.  Now granted we didnt book til February for our December cruise, but from everything I've read, getting passes to posh is kind of like unicorns anyway..  

My comments were not directed at you personally.  I was speaking broadly about what what some complain about the ship.  Its logic that when you increase outdoor space the indoor space shrinks and vice versa.  We are not huge pool and sunbathers so I love a bigger interior with larger and funky venues compared to smaller venues open to the walkways.  But to each their own.  The whole reason I responded to your original post was to encourage you about Epic's features.  But I think its backfired 🙈

[bluesea777]

Two dining venues on the Epic stand out ...

 

Garden Cafe (buffet) is Forward with 270 windows facing forward - great views.

La Cucina is also forward facing (one deck below Garden Cafe) - we made sure to book dinner there when the ship is sailing westward. 🙂 

 

 

[david_sobe]

55 minutes ago, bluesea777 said:

Two dining venues on the Epic stand out ...

 

Garden Cafe (buffet) is Forward with 270 windows facing forward - great views.

La Cucina is also forward facing (one deck below Garden Cafe) - we made sure to book dinner there when the ship is sailing westward. 🙂 

 

 

The original La Cucina on Epic was the most romantic and coolest looking restaurant I have ever been to at sea.  That giant tree they had at the entrance was spectacular.  I could not believe they removed it.  While the revamp was nice it was nowhere as nice as it originally was with that tree and it had lights on it.  It also had huge windows all over.  Its places like this that make Epic special.  The next La Cucina on Breakaway/Getaway class was open to the walkway where the casino smoke came in.  It had almost cafeteria style seating.  It did have nice outdoor seating but the restaurant itself could not hold a candle to Epic's design and features.  Nothing romantic or quaint or tucked away feeling on the Away class ships.  People walking past the restaurant see you and you are seating on top of each other.  On Epic, it almost felt you were eating at an upscale Italian restaurant in Manhattan.  The food on the other hand is another story 😝