Epic Uncovered and Extended Balcony Listing

[sdmike]

This is a supplement to the "hull balcony" listing that I provided here:

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=1522322

Because of the shape of the Epic there are a fair number of balconies that are not covered by the balcony of the room above it (say that sentence fast 3 times). Sun worshipers may seek out these rooms due to the greater amount of sun on the balcony, but the downside is that these balconies are viewable from above and do not offer much/any privacy.

From what I can tell, all of these open balconies are on the 8th and 9th decks. An additional issue with the deck 8 rooms are the fact that the top of the life boats are close to even with the base of the balconies, obstructing downward views. The exceptions are the rooms directly at midship (mostly uncovered on deck 8), and the rooms at the fore and aft ends of the ship.

You can use the following deck plan diagrams to overlay each deck on another, showing where these uncovered and extended balconies are:

http://www.cruisedeckplans.com/DP/Ma...rwegian%20Epic

Deck 8 Forward:

Deck 8 forward has approximately 26-28 rooms with extra exposure. The "approximately" comes from the angles of the deck 9 "humps", which provides some partial coverage of some deck 8 balconies.

8020, 8021, 8044 and 8045 are partially covered. 8046 and 8047 are mostly covered. Rooms 8022 through 8043 are fully uncovered and exposed.

Deck 8 Midship:

8074 and 8075 are mostly covered, while 8076 and 8077 only have a small sliver of their balcony covered. 8110 and 8111 are about half covered. 8078 through 8109 are fully uncovered.

Deck 8 Aft:

There are only a handful of aft rooms on deck 8 that are uncovered. 8152, 8153, 8162 and 8163 are half covered. 8154 through 8161 are fully uncovered.

Deck 9 Forward:

There are a handful of rooms towards the front of deck 9 that are partially uncovered. The good news is that these have larger than normal balconies, so half of the balcony is covered while part of it is not. This might be a great compromise for folks that want some shade but not full coverage.

9020 and 9021 are mostly covered. 9024, 9025, 9026, 9027, 9028, 9029, 9031 and 9032 are HALF covered (9030 is an inside room).

Deck 9 Midship:

9201 and 9202 are standard sized balconies and are 1/2 covered. 9203 through 9224 are uncovered and fully exposed. 9225 and 9226 are larger than normal balconies, and the extension (about 1/3 of the balcony) is uncovered.

Deck 9 Aft:

There are a few uncovered rooms back here as well because deck 9 goes straight back while deck 10 indents a bit. 9267 and 9268 have half covered balconies, as do 9287 and 9288 which are the last rooms on each side. In between, rooms 9269 through 9286 are uncovered.

Decks 10 - 13:

There do not appear to be any exposed balconies on decks 10 through 13, since the outside contour of the ship is the same for these decks.

Deck 14:

There are no exposed balconies on deck 14. However, there are a large number of rooms that have DOUBLE coverage. This means that deck 15 extends out further than deck 14, providing an extra overhang that provides even more coverage (see picture below). These provide more protection from the rain and sun.

Rooms 14000 through 14028 on the port side have a double overhang. Rooms 14030, 14032 and 14034 on the port side have larger balconies than normal, and the entire amount is covered by the extended overhang on deck 15. On the starboard side, all balcony rooms from 14001 through 14043 (there are some inside rooms numbers in this span) have an extended balcony. Like on the port side, 14045, 47 and 48 have larger balconies that are fully covered by the deck 15 overhang.

There are some rooms at midship too that have extra cover. The port side balcony rooms from 14054 through 14086 have an extended cover, as do starboard side balcony rooms from 14085 through 14105. 14088 and 14107 have extended balconies that are fully covered by deck 15.

Back in the spa suite area the following rooms have extended coverage: 14143 (not a suite), 14145, 14147, and 14149. 14151 has a huge balcony that's fully covered by deck 15.


Here are some pictures:

This picture shows some of the exposed balconies on deck 8 and the position of the life boats. The lifeboats are not in the view, but they prevent one from looking straight down to the ocean.



Here is another picture looking straight down from Deck 14. You can see how exposed these balconies are



This picture clearly shows the "extended cover" on certain deck 14 rooms. Sun lovers might not like these rooms, but they do provide protection from the elements. In the hot Caribbean we loved not having the sun beating on our balcony



Another shot showing the extended balcony coverage on 14

[sdmike]

Maybe somebody can post some pictures from a deck 8 exposed balcony to complete this post.

[DGP1111]

What a wonderfully comprehensive list. I hope those here on CC will put it to use and avoid some future potential dissatisfaction of their balcony cabin assignment.

Kudos to Mike!!
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[kerrytens]

Bravo Mike for another much needed thread about balconies on the Epic!! I have no doubt this will help many a future cruiser.

I do wish that there wasn't the need for both of your awesome balcony threads though as inhull and exposed balconies are NOT unique to the Epic. But from some comments made over the last year and a bit this ship has been in service, one might begin to think it is so

Thanks Mike!

[sdmike]

Originally Posted by kerrytens

I do wish that there wasn't the need for both of your awesome balcony threads though as inhull and exposed balconies are NOT unique to the Epic. But from some comments made over the last year and a bit this ship has been in service, one might begin to think it is so

I agree. Maybe the Epic has brought out some new cruisers that are less familiar with the nuances of ships (portholes, hulls, etc.)

[bakerintn]

Great work on this post.

A suggestion: To use the draggable deck plans correctly, after dragging one on top of another, line them up correctly by matching the elevators.

If you click and hold the deck plan that is on top, it becomes almost transparent and you can "see" what is below more clearly.

On the Epic, I dragged the deck 8 plan on top of deck 9 and I could see the balcony differences very easily.

[debnjoe1438]

Thanks for the information and pictures All your hard work is appreciated.

[sdmike]

Originally Posted by bakerintn

Great work on this post.

A suggestion: To use the draggable deck plans correctly, after dragging one on top of another, line them up correctly by matching the elevators.

If you click and hold the deck plan that is on top, it becomes almost transparent and you can "see" what is below more clearly.

On the Epic, I dragged the deck 8 plan on top of deck 9 and I could see the balcony differences very easily.

Exactly. That's how I put this together. Thanks for adding those instructions.

[farmgirl63]

Has anyone stayed in 14009? Wondering what the balcony is like as it is a B2 category and I'm hoping isn't a hull balcony!

Thanks!

[Stickman81]

I've enjoyed reading your posts and understand that you have put forth a lot of effort.

I think you should have your own category!

[sdmike]

Originally Posted by montam92

Has anyone stayed in 14009? Wondering what the balcony is like as it is a B2 category and I'm hoping isn't a hull balcony!

Thanks!

There is no need to wonder. There is a link in my signature to a full list of "hull" cabins. 14009 IS a hull cabin

[Missourianluvscruising]

Wow, Mike you sure do know your stuff on the Epic. My husband and I cruised last year on her in December. We are thinking about cruising again in Nov/Dec of 2012 but doing a balcony. It will be our 10 year anniversary so we are splurging. Your lists will definitely help us pick our cabin. Thanks so much.

[sdmike]

You're very welcome! You'll likely sail on her again before I get a chance to, so say hello for me. lol

[genegri]

Great! Will surely help me with my next Epic booking!

BTW, this is really nick picking, but I think on deck 13, 13056, 13060 and 13064 might be only about 80% to 90% covered.

[medcoder4]

I hate to seem dense but where do I find the draggable deck plans for Epic? I have gone to the ncl site and deck plans but don't seem to be able to drag them around. Am I duh or what? BTW, appreciate your input here lots of research and info. I am almost fearful of our cabin 8169 come 1/14/12 sailing as I guess it will be open those above. Mind you I am a friendly sort but do like some privacy. Thanks for any info.

[Marlynmik]

Originally Posted by medcoder4

I hate to seem dense but where do I find the draggable deck plans for Epic? I have gone to the ncl site and deck plans but don't seem to be able to drag them around. Am I duh or what? BTW, appreciate your input here lots of research and info. I am almost fearful of our cabin 8169 come 1/14/12 sailing as I guess it will be open those above. Mind you I am a friendly sort but do like some privacy. Thanks for any info.

Click on the link at the beginning of the OP.

[sdmike]

Originally Posted by medcoder4

I hate to seem dense but where do I find the draggable deck plans for Epic? I have gone to the ncl site and deck plans but don't seem to be able to drag them around. Am I duh or what? BTW, appreciate your input here lots of research and info. I am almost fearful of our cabin 8169 come 1/14/12 sailing as I guess it will be open those above. Mind you I am a friendly sort but do like some privacy. Thanks for any info.

8169 is covered. If you read the list above, it's not one of the uncovered or partially covered.

[debnjoe1438]

Originally Posted by medcoder4

I hate to seem dense but where do I find the draggable deck plans for Epic? I have gone to the ncl site and deck plans but don't seem to be able to drag them around. Am I duh or what? BTW, appreciate your input here lots of research and info. I am almost fearful of our cabin 8169 come 1/14/12 sailing as I guess it will be open those above. Mind you I am a friendly sort but do like some privacy. Thanks for any info.

Hi Medcoder4, not to change the subject, just courious, Hospital or Physician Coding?

[tuscansun]

We are working on a booking a cruise on the NCL Epic, and are leaning toward the Aft facing balcony cabins...namely on Deck 13. Anyone recently cruise in one of these cabins? They are category B1. Thanks!

[tuscansun]

I was wondering if Deck 13 is just as quiet and nice as Deck 12 for aft. Thanks!!!