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Epic failure 3/3-3/7


smeck
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All I witnessed in the buffet was a cafeteria style buffet not different food Islands which I was alluding to.

People need to open their eyes and take a look at the situation. The signage is very obvious as to where each station was. Each station also had plates and set ups. That alone should alert people that they can get in line anywhere and take a plate and set up. I don't think people realize The Epic buffet is set up in many separate stations although they are along the same line.

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............ By the way Norwegian apologists, people are entitled to their opinions. If you don't agree, please move along. Cruisecritic is meant for people to post their experiences right? Or are we forced to say Norwegian is great here only? .....

 

Lol. How contradictory of you. So people are entitled to their opinions but it seems only if those opinions match yours. If they don't they should "move along". Really? Can't you see what you've done there?

 

Cruise critic IS for posting experiences and, sorry to say, some people's experiences are different to yours. They have a right to share whether you like it or not. And no-one is forced to say anything about NCL so feel free to air your grievances

 

 

 

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Cuba would be one of the 4 day cruises I would do during Spring Break. Extra hoops to jump through in regards to visas are also a turn off for the college students. The short Bahamas cruises are easy and cheap. Also, Cuba isn't really a bar hopping port. So any spring break students on that cruise probably are less interested in the drinking and more interested in the travel.

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It sounds like there were just too many people on the ship, and that's one thing that NCL does have control over. By limiting the number of cabins that can be sold with four people, they could reduce the crowds significantly. Would a policy that said "No four adult cabins during Spring Break" be that bad of an idea?
There can't be too many people on the ship. The ship can only handle as many people as the lifeboats can handle, so there were as many people as there is on a typical sold out cruise on the ship.

 

During spring break, they could limit the number of passengers in one cabin, but couldn't just limit a certain age, etc., but then that would limit families with children as well.

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Cruisecritic is meant for people to post their experiences right?
Sorry, but I've always thought that Cruise Critic was a forum to voice one's opinions, have discussions and tell folks about their experiences, whether it is the same or different from another poster.
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The ship is built to handle 5,074 passengers. Any business is going to try to fill as many of those spots as it can with paying customers. If they book 5,075 the Coast Guard would stop them from leaving - lack of emergency space.

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I agree with the OP's review about the Norwegian Epic. Similarly, the Norwegian Breakaway is the worst experience I have had in my life for similar issues last month. Drunk people, cold and tasteless food, poor design of the Breakaway, no room at the theatre for entertainment unless you arrived 1 hour early, the NCL employees weren't genuinely friendly and were overworked for the 4000 people onboard, etc.

 

Norwegian is a for profit company looking to cut corners and make the most profit. That's great for a corporation, but when you experience a horrible cruise because of it, then you should never cruise Norwegian again.

 

By the way Norwegian apologists, people are entitled to their opinions. If you don't agree, please move along. Cruisecritic is meant for people to post their experiences right? Or are we forced to say Norwegian is great here only? NCL doesn't represent Norway either, it's an American-Bermudian company under the name Norwegian. It's not like a high-class European cruise, but more like low-class back in the ghetto alleyway Detroit, Michigan experience.

 

 

 

Actually, those who DON'T like Norwegian as in "I'm never cruising NCL again" should be the ones to move on. Chalk it up to experience and, as the song says, "Let it go"... don't have a vendetta mentality under the guise of "helping others and protecting them from big bad NCL". Those of us who return to book NCL will continue on this board assisting others and maintain an ongoing conversation to share our experiences. Otherwise all newbies would hear is the spew of negativity and not the counter-point.

 

Guess what? Office Depot does not sell trains or have any you can catch. No royals own Burger King or Dairy Queen and nobody cares that NCL is not a norwegian company although you can take a NCL cruise to Norway if you wish.

 

I do not think NCL is perfect by any means but I will continue to try and be helpful and informative.

 

 

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I did plenty of research as you can see by my number of post. Ten of us took this cruise because it worked out for all of us schedule wise. I didn’t think spring break happened so early in the month that’s on me. What isn’t on me is finding someone else’s dirty socks under our bed, finding old toothpaste on the counter around the sink, cold food from the dining room, the mirror and the balcony not being clean, kids walking around in a alcohol induced coma, a ship way to crowded, the smell of vomit at different spots on the ship and the moral compass of a corporation that allows young kids many under the age of twenty drink the,selves stupid all for the mighty dollar. No don’t make it me!!!

 

 

 

Ok. Cannot picture how someone in any kind of coma is walking around???

 

 

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We just got off this ship today and it was very disappointing. We travelled with two kids who couldn't even swim in the pool because it was taken over by college students and spilling their drinks and empty cups in the pool. We waiting 25 mins for a poolside drink. How could NCL allow this?

 

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The college students are just as entitled to using the pool as your children were. We all paid for the cruise just like you did. We all waited at the same long bars as you did and most of the time the adult would be served first. Just because we are students doesn't mean we don't deserve the same quality of service as you do. If you took a few minutes to engage in conversation with some students instead of instantly judging them for being young you might have realized were aren't all that bad:D:D

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We went on this exact cruise last year to try out cruising for the first time, and simply because it was during my daughter's spring break, so I have typically known when college spring breaks fall. We had a great time, and our experience got us hooked on cruising. I don't recall hoards of college kids, but not sure I would have noticed or minded, since I brought two college kids. We did shows, Ice bar, specialty dining, and stayed in the Haven, so maybe that is why we weren't impacted. We stayed in Posh usually during the day, and the Thermal spa. We never use the main pools. So maybe we were just doing different activities or there weren't as many last year, but I don't recall any issues like this in 2017.

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We went on this exact cruise last year to try out cruising for the first time, and simply because it was during my daughter's spring break, so I have typically known when college spring breaks fall. We had a great time, and our experience got us hooked on cruising. I don't recall hoards of college kids, but not sure I would have noticed or minded, since I brought two college kids. We did shows, Ice bar, specialty dining, and stayed in the Haven, so maybe that is why we weren't impacted. We stayed in Posh usually during the day, and the Thermal spa. We never use the main pools. So maybe we were just doing different activities or there weren't as many last year, but I don't recall any issues like this in 2017.

It's like it was 100 years ago, no one in First Class knows what's going on in the lower depths of the ship.

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It's like it was 100 years ago, no one in First Class knows what's going on in the lower depths of the ship.

 

We, well I at least, did spend a good deal of time in the depths of the ship....the casino. It is sort of a personal problem! Anyway, never had any issues there either. Maybe spring breakers haven't developed gambling issues yet? And we participated in games in the atrium, again no problems.

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We went on this exact cruise last year to try out cruising for the first time, and simply because it was during my daughter's spring break, so I have typically known when college spring breaks fall. We had a great time, and our experience got us hooked on cruising. I don't recall hoards of college kids, but not sure I would have noticed or minded, since I brought two college kids. We did shows, Ice bar, specialty dining, and stayed in the Haven, so maybe that is why we weren't impacted. We stayed in Posh usually during the day, and the Thermal spa. We never use the main pools. So maybe we were just doing different activities or there weren't as many last year, but I don't recall any issues like this in 2017.

 

Was it a 7 day last year or a 3 or 4 day? I don't remember those shorter cruises last year but I do recall a few on Epic being posted this year.

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The ship is built to handle 5,074 passengers. Any business is going to try to fill as many of those spots as it can with paying customers. If they book 5,075 the Coast Guard would stop them from leaving - lack of emergency space.

 

Actually the 5,074 passengers is based on double occupancy for each room. There are 2,537 rooms available. The actual number of passengers can be significantly more, especially during spring break and the summer. At no point though, can there be more people onboard than the lifeboats can safely handle.

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We just returned from the Epic which was anything but. Ten of us booked the cruise as a quick getaway all between the ages of 55 and 65.

 

THE SHIP:

Whoever designed the Epic should find a new line of work.

1. No midship elevators very convenient if your a long distance runner.

2. Deck seven with huge viewing areas of the casino which effectively narrows your walking path which causes massive congestion.

3. No grand Atrium need I say more

4. The cabin layouts, we had a balcony cabin my wife and I were playing bumper cars whenever we moved about the cabin.

5. The buffet not set up in separate stations causing massive lines to procure food. Another issue is the fact you have to walk outside to gain access to the buffet while you can get there by walking through the passengers hallway not exactly the most convenient or desirable entry to the buffet.

 

Ships vibe:

Booking this cruise early in March I didn’t expect a Spring break cruise boy was I wrong well over 1000 students. Every bar was packed taking close to a half a hour to get a drink with many students drinking themselves into a coma. NCL should take responsibility for the amount of alcohol they allow people to drink if this was a land based vacation many bartenders would be in jail.

Many families were shut out of a cruise experience because of the irresponsible behavior of NCL.

 

Food:

One word awful except surprisingly the buffet. Most dishes came out cold which is inexcusable. I never went on a cruise where the lunch menu in the main dining room never changed, really NCL.

I must say the food in the buffet was very good the only problem was the long lines to get it.

 

Girl overboard:

Unfortunately we had a young lady go overboard due to what I believe to be a rather large amount of alcohol. NCL with its very liberal alcohol policy intended to attract college students on top of a unlimited drink package I believe is responsible. Thank god the young lady survived the fall and is recovering nicely.

In conclusion until NCL changes the moral compass of its corporation I will not sail with her again. I will do my best to spread the word amongst my friends.

For the record this was our 13th cruise I have never seen anything close to what I witnessed on the Epic.

 

You can't make a post complaining about every single thing and expect to be taken seriously.

 

Next.

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wow - it really sounds like you had an unfortunate cruise..I wonder if this will make Norwegian rethink their spring break policies... there had to be many "adults and families" whose cruise was ruined by the spring breakers behavior.

 

I have sailed during spring break every year since 2007, and never had an issue. The folks with the issues appear to be ones with sticks up their rear-ends. :confused:

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We just got off this ship today and it was very disappointing. We travelled with two kids who couldn't even swim in the pool because it was taken over by college students and spilling their drinks and empty cups in the pool. We waiting 25 mins for a poolside drink. How could NCL allow this?

 

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The same way they allow little brats to take over the pools and hot tubs when adults are trying to use them? ;)

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This was only a 4 day cruise?

 

IF the case, frankly it was unrealistic to expect anything other that what you got. Short Spring Break cruises, ARE going to have a lot of drunks, and problems. Not sure, why this wasn't even suspected?

 

 

Ohhh .... it was a 4-day cruise. That makes sense. We don't sail those because they are typically booze cruises. Tons of info out there on that.

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The lack of a midship elevator makes accessing the buffet and many other areas of the ship more difficult than need be. Why would you design a ship that holds 4000 passengers without a midship elevator is beyond me.

 

I'm guessing you shouldn't cruise NCL newer ships. All ships built from the Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Joy, Bliss and yet to be built Encore have 2 banks of elevators. They have 8 elevators in each bank. Compared to some other ships that have 3 sets of elevators, but only 4 on each bank.

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I'm guessing you shouldn't cruise NCL newer ships. All ships built from the Epic, Breakaway, Getaway, Escape, Joy, Bliss and yet to be built Encore have 2 banks of elevators. They have 8 elevators in each bank. Compared to some other ships that have 3 sets of elevators, but only 4 on each bank.

 

So 12 elevators on a ship like the Jade with 2400 passengers but the larger ships have only 4 more elevators for an additional 1700 or so passengers. I agree don't cruise on the newer ships, especially if you have bad hips or knees.

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I was on the Epic during spring break last year. It definitely had crowds around the bars and pool but I expected this. I certainly never waited 25 min for a drink. I had the UBP and made great use of it. I just had to walk my bottom up to a bar and was always served promptly and courteously. We ate mainly in the specialty restaurants as well as the buffet and I have no complaints. Was it 5 star food? Nope, but again I had no expectation of it being that. Did the room layout or elevator placements bother us, not at all. in fact I really don't understand what all of the fuss is about. We had an aft facing balcony and enjoyed it very much. There was a lot of drinking college kids but with the exception of one idiot they behaved like young dumb drunk college kids behave.

Attitude is everything. If you go looking to find fault and a bad time your going to find just that. I went looking for a fun time and that's exactly what I found.

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So 12 elevators on a ship like the Jade with 2400 passengers but the larger ships have only 4 more elevators for an additional 1700 or so passengers. I agree don't cruise on the newer ships, especially if you have bad hips or knees.

 

Yep. the same number elevators as on the Royal Caribbean Oasis class ships. Although they do have a larger capacity.

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