CincyJen

Still loving this trip report!!

My favorite part of cruising is meeting new people and sharing the fun. Your stories and descriptions of ports are fantastic! Thank you, Drdarkknight and keep 'em coming!

I was wondering how the nightlife is on the Epic? Traveling with some friends and we are in our early to mid 20's. I'm worried that it might be a bit of an older crowd or more low key at night given it is not a big vacation week.

In my experience, the Epic offers the best entertainment and nightlife at sea. The bars and entertainment venues are always packed full, into the wee hours of the morning. Personally, we enjoyed the Cascades Bar at the Casino, which was an epicenter for people-watching as everyone headed out to the bars and shows.

You'll have a blast!! Mingle and make your own party! We loved the Epic and had an "epic" time!

Oakman, I'm as sad to see this trip report end as you were to see your ship come into port. Thank you so much for sharing your adventures and for the terrific pictures and stories.

Congrats on winning the contest!! Ha!!!! That's great.

Loving your TR so far! Thanks for sharing!

Posh is forward on the ship. Your best bet would be Spice H2O. It has the big screen that blocks a good portion of the wake, but you should be able to see on the sides. There are also hot tubs that overlook the wake in Spice.

 

 

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Edited my post to reflect my mistake. Spice, not Posh.

Is there anywhere you can layout on the Epic and see the wake of the ship?

At Spice H20, you will find loungers at the aft of the ship. I can't recall actually sunbathing while looking at the aft wake of the ship, but that's your best bet. It's gorgeous up there, and practically empty on port days, wakeless, of course!

We took a Med cruise right in the middle of the NCAA Basketball tournament, and couldn't find coverage on board for a single game, in our cabin or in public spaces. It bugged us for a minute, and then we didn't mind at all! But it did surprise us a little at first that the ship had CNN and MSNBC, but didn't have ESPN.

I found out today it will be $279 US each for our 12 day. I was on the fence, but you've helped convince me. Thanks. It looks like a lovely sanctuary away from the crowds I keep reading about. Do you remember what the hours were like? Are they consistent, or does it close during certain periods of the day etc.? Are you given a separate access card, or is it programmed into the one you receive when boarding?

We booked the Thermal Suite passes for our 13 day Med cruise on the Epic in March of 2016, and it might have been the best decision we made for that trip.

As OKSteve wrote, the Thermal Suite passes are marked on your reservation but you'll need to go to the Spa desk on your first day to get the stickers attached to your cruise card. After that, it's just a matter of showing your card to a Spa attendant and entering the thermal suite.

It's heaven. On the Epic there were rattan loungers aft which I spend hours in, reading and napping. The Mandara Spa on our cruise provided a perfect respite from the hustle-and-bustle of the rest of the ship. You'll love it, don't hesitate, life is short. Enjoy! Happy Cruising!

We were on the Epic in March 2016 for a 13 day Med cruise. The cabin, a mini-suite, was fine, nothing special, but the bathroom situation is downright bizarre.

Absolutely loved everything else about the ship, though, and I'd cruise her again despite the cabins and weird bathrooms. Best entertainment at sea, and the service was fantastic. We especially enjoyed making friends with international cruisers and hanging out at the casino bar, with the best bartenders we've ever experienced. The Epic is a very jovial and social ship, and, in my opinion, very unique, very special.

Hi cclarke12,

Just off the Epic 12 day Western Med cruise...it was amazing and I'll have a post-cruise review up as soon as I kick this jet lag!

To answer your question, the bars seem busiest as people are coming back on the ship after visiting ports, and again in the evenings before shows. We had a cold day at sea and still were always able to enjoy a drink at many of the bars. The bar at O'Sheehans seemed perpetually busy to us, and we rarely sat there. We adored the Cascades Bar which had the friendliest bartenders (Hi, Ina, Nestor and Apollo!) and if a seat wasn't available, you only had to wait a few minutes as guests went off to dinner or shows. We didn't spend much time there but I was always surpised by how easy it was to find a seat at either Shakers or Maltings including the cushy seats around and between the two bars (they're sort of connected). Finally, the beautiful bar between Cagney's and Moderno always seemed to have a seat and the bartenders Noel and Siti were always so welcoming. It's only open during dinner hours however, as I recall.

Have a wonderful time and don't believe the bad reviews!! I can't believe how much I stressed over those. Our experience was close to perfect!

We sail on the Epic from Barcelona in 12 days. Squeee!

If you have any questions, especially after we're back, I'm happy to help! Planning is almost as awesome as the trip.

We purchased the thermal suite passes for our upcoming cruise on the Epic. For a 12 day cruise @ $179.99 each it seemed like a deal. If the weather is a bit cooler on your cruise it also seems like a better bargain.

I'll come back and let everyone know! To be honest just reading this spa thread, I'm already relaxed.!

Thank you SwissLe! We each await with bated breath your next installment. :-)

...or an old WKRP episode?

As God is my witness...

Loving this review, Squish!! Subscribed. Keep 'em coming!

The spa pass always shows up like that for us in the Vacation Summary (only one person listed). It has never been a problem on board.

Thank you so much, hawkeyetlse! I've been ridiculously worried about this little detail. Really appreciate you clearing that up for me.

I purchased Thermal Suite passes for myself and DH for our upcoming Epic cruise. I have an email confirmation, the charges posted to my CC, but the NCL site shows only DH having the pass. Not even sure what to do at this point; I'll obviously take my confirmation with me but it's nerve-racking not really knowing if they have us both down for the spa passes, you know?

Thanks so much Keith!

We don't have the UDP for our upcoming Epic cruise, but I'm thinking about buying a 3 or 4 meal Specialty Dining Package. Would those be treated the same way as an UDP for the nights we choose, even in a la carte restaurants? I don't know why this concept is so confusing to me. :-)

Loving your review, SwissLe. Sorry about missing Tangier and about your bathroom flooding woes, but other than that you're making the cruise sound wonderful and I'm especially happy I sprung for the Thermal Suite passes for our upcoming voyage!

Sean, that was hilarious! I'm sure you're right about resisting the Haven upgrade lure and that was a very creative way of putting it. Thanks for the laugh this morning!!

Thanks for these terrific tips, CruisinMaterial! How many Euro would you suggest for 15 days (12 of which are on board)?

Fantastic!! Thanks so much for these.

Terrific and well-written review of the Epic, and as BlueNoser47 said, they are few and far between so extra thanks!

So sorry that Esther got hurt and I hope that she's doing OK. It's a nightmare for all travellers that we might incur injury. I'm so sorry it happened to you and I just hope she's well and has otherwise good memories about the cruise. Sorry about your dental problems as well but what a great and informative story about your dental care in Spain!

Thanks again and looking forward to the dailies!

Thanks for the pics! The hanging chairs near the Marketplace are calling my name!