Epic failure 3/3-3/7

Would a first time cruiser or infrequent cruise know that spring break affects cruises? Perhaps, especially if they are members of CC. During March there are always news reports of beaches being taken over by college students but I’ve never seen news reports of ships being taken over. I would hope that anyone booking a cruise in March with a travel agent would get a heads up from the TA. I really think the cruise line should at least give a heads up about cruises that might be impacted by spring breakers.

They should probably do a guest breakdown and keep it running as people book.

You know, what the age demographics are, how many minors accompanied by both parents, how many single parents, how many single males and single females, how many gays and how many lesbians, how many blacks and whites, how many minors are home-schooled, how many adults are attending college, how many children are booked for the Haven.

All of these things are important to someone.

Could you imagine if someone decided that they wanted a nice quiet week at the beach and chose Daytona FL during spring break. They would come down with their 2.5 children who are in elementary school, middle school, and high school, because that is when those schools are on break. And suddenly they are in this place filled with college people drinking.

Probably easier to go to year round schooling until people are old enough to move out of their parent's homes. No breaks means that parents will have to pull the kids out during school and that should spread out the vacation issues.

No, but maybe they should impose rules and enforce proper behaviour... OR have a warning on their site to people booking -something like .. This time period is during spring break...

What exactly is "proper behavior"? and who gets to decide what it is? Just reading this message board for years has shown me that what is acceptable to some is a capital offense to others.

You didn't know March would be a big Spring Break college month? Who doesn't know this? I can't imagine where you live that you wouldn't know March is a huge spring break college month. The entire month.

I was on the Epic last week....intentionally staying away, far, far away from a 3 or 4 day cruise in March. Pretty much everything you are complaining about didn't happen last week on the Epic. The food was great! Seriously good food and I am critical of food! I didn't see one falling down drunk person at all last week. There was plenty of drinking but no bars were overtaken, no crazy nothing.

The problem is that NCL shouldn't offer 3 and 4 day cruises in March. It's asking for the huge Spring Break, on a tight budget college crowd. But you should know that too. It's like saying you would have no idea that Disney would be crowded in March either. Its ignorant.

NCL should know better. You should know better.

The story I just read is that this woman was traveling with her parents, so it doesn't sound like she was with a large group of partiers or anything. Alas, people can get drunk and do stupid things on any ship, any time.

They are over 21 unless they had parents along who signed allowing them to drink beer and wine, in which case they are over 18. I think the definition of "kid" has changed 6 times in the last 2 months. Teenagers are "kids" and don't know that they shouldn't eat laundry detergent..... the next week, teens are not "kids" and are old enough to legislate gun control...... now adults over 21 are "kids" because they consume alcohol....... I'm confused.

It'd be swell if we could all collectively decide what's an adult, I agree. We keep changing the rules. We're not going to solve it on this message board, of course, but it's something the US needs to address.

Thankfully, US "adulthood" laws aside, cruise ships have strict rules about what age you have to be to book cabins.

As for warning people about Spring Break, I mean, we've all been there--or could have been there, I guess. Spring break, summer break, winter holidays, 100,000-person conventions in Vegas, Golden Week in Japan...different places have different things at different times. It's always the responsibility of the traveler to check on these things (perhaps it was once something the travel agent checked on, but most of us are our own travel agents now :-)).

No, but maybe they should impose rules and enforce proper behaviour... OR have a warning on their site to people booking -something like .. This time period is during spring break...

Really?? A person would have to be living under a rock (or be a recent immigrant) to not be aware that this time of the year is Spring Break.

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

[quote=lcpagejr;55492696

I think a big warning sign should have been realizing Epic went to 3/4 day cruises for a couple of weeks...This ship always does 7 days

[emoji106]

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

Ma'am, the forward elevator and the stairs take you right up to the buffet. Unlike what you said earlier you don't JUST have to access the Garden Cafe from outside and you are completely wrong about the buffet not having individual stations. To say that seems quite odd. I really don't understand your complaint unless perhaps you have mobility issues..

I don’t know what individual stations your referring to. All I saw were cafeteria style lines in a cafeteria style buffet no food Islands that I saw.

I think the spring breakers have coloured your view of the Epic unfairly. I know she divides opinion, but things like the buffet not having separate stations isn't even true. There may not be midship lifts, however there are stairs in the atrium so I don't see why people think that's such an issue, unless you are in a wheelchair or chronically lazy. However, I don't blame you for having a miserable time and for that making you biased against everything else. I wouldn't have enjoyed being on board with that crowd either.

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

"Get off my lawn" :rolleyes:

 

You are in CT (according to your signature) and wasn't aware spring break was in the Feb/Mar time frame? Thats on you.

 

There are 7284 different threads about the Epic and its layout on this message board. Again, that is on you for not knowing what you are getting into. (I did a 7 day Med cruise on it and found it fine.)

 

Talking about food is a waste of time. Totally subjective. One person's "awful" is another "just fine" or "very good".

I don't know what your complaint about the buffet is. I spent a week on her and never had to go outside to get to the buffet.

 

Unless you know ALL the facts about someone falling overboard, you probably should not comment. As we can see in just this thread, someone else who was on you same cruise disputes your claim about her.

 

You didn't have a good time, fine. Different strokes for different folks. But to blame NCL, for this stuff is unfair. YOU didn't do enough research prior to sailing.

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!!!

So, do you think they should discriminate against college age young folks, while all other cruise lines allow them?

A two wrongs don’t make it right.

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!!!

With the high cost of wine and beer, I don’t think that many 19 and 20 year olds had an endless supply of booze. I signed the waiver for my teens, they were allowed a max of two a day (they didn’t even drink that much). Plus, 18 is the drinking age for the rest of the world.

Short one or seven day? I'm on a seven day on Epic on mid-March. I do know it coincides with FSU spring break next year but thinking the 7 day schedule will cut down on students a bit.

I'm on the short one in early March, but actually we're going on it as part of a bit of a party group (it's fans of a podcast). So... even though I'm not college age and a bit more reserved, we're probably going to be closer to that general atmosphere than those of the senior set. So I'm not really that worried! C'est la vie!!

You didn't know March would be a big Spring Break college month? Who doesn't know this? I can't imagine where you live that you wouldn't know March is a huge spring break college month. The entire month.

 

I was on the Epic last week....intentionally staying away, far, far away from a 3 or 4 day cruise in March. Pretty much everything you are complaining about didn't happen last week on the Epic. The food was great! Seriously good food and I am critical of food! I didn't see one falling down drunk person at all last week. There was plenty of drinking but no bars were overtaken, no crazy nothing.

 

The problem is that NCL shouldn't offer 3 and 4 day cruises in March. It's asking for the huge Spring Break, on a tight budget college crowd. But you should know that too. It's like saying you would have no idea that Disney would be crowded in March either. Its ignorant.

 

NCL should know better. You should know better.

Please don’t call me a liar I know what I saw, I know when someone is drunk, I know when someone is passed out drunk. What I don’t know is what you saw.

until these threads I had no idea spring break had moved from Daytona and Cancun to NCL. Thanks to everyone for making me aware.

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

What I'm reading is that since the food was not set up with mini separate islands, you were unable to differentiate between the different food sections? :rolleyes:

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.

"Get off my lawn" :rolleyes:

You didn't have a good time, fine. Different strokes for different folks. But to blame NCL, for this stuff is unfair. YOU didn't do enough research prior to sailing.

Yes, you can blame NCL for poor ship layout, COLD food, drunk people (without taking responsibility for selling them drinks while they are drunk) and poor service. You always have great cruises every time?

How does researching before a cruise make a cruise great when NCL's quality is low to begin with?

We knew of the issues of the ship just check the number of post I have made on this website. But never in my wildest dreams did I expect to encounter kids out of it like zombies, vomit on elevators, and cold food to mention a few issues. No amount of research can prepare you for we encountered. This will be my last word on the issue of researching this cruise.

I am assuming that when you say “kids” you are indeed talking about people over 21? I hate to break it to you but they are not kids. They are adults.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

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.

Because it saves money and just increases your walk slightly. I don’t see this as a problem.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

S

Sent from my iPhone using Forums

What I'm taking away from this discussion is not to book any four day cruise. I've only been on one (out of Barcelona) also on the Epic and it wasn't a good experience. It was sandwiched between two cruises we wanted to take so we ended up on it by default. Totally different demographic and behaviors from the transatlantic and the Med cruise which were the before and after.

Another time we were glad our NCL cruise was a long one and not the Carnival four day one that a group of drunk obnoxious people at our hotel were getting on....heavily drinking at 10/11 a.m. as we rode the shuttle to the port.

It is not right to attack the OP and others who did not know about spring break. Many people are far removed from this. This thread has informed us to beware of March and early April cruises. I would have remembered years ago when our kids went to Cancun but those days are long past.

I want to go to Cuba and had been considering the Sky four day itinerary. Now I'm going to take a harder look at seven day Cuba itineraries.

until these threads I had no idea spring break had moved from Daytona and Cancun to NCL. Thanks to everyone for making me aware.

Oh, no, there are plenty of them infesting Daytona Beach right now! Beaches are packed! :')

I want to go to Cuba and had been considering the Sky four day itinerary. Now I'm going to take a harder look at seven day Cuba itineraries.

We did the Sky to Cuba last October and there were zero college students (well, as much as I could tell,) and barely any children. I expected the "free open bar for everyone," as opposed to just many people having the UBP, would make it a booze cruise, but it definitely was not. Apart from Eagles fans in the sports bar watching their team play Thursday Night Football, it was a pretty laid back cruise.

I suppose that Cuba draws a different crowd, since the stereotypical excursions (beach, ATVs, dolphins and stingrays, etc) don't exist there.

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?

A cabin split four ways is what makes it affordable for college students.

Yes, some research would have revealed that this week is one of the most popular for spring break for colleges. A lot of people think it is later in April, but that is not usually the case. Pretty much anywhere you go this week (vacation/beach spot) will be chaos. Here is a website to help you pick out a better week next time.

http://www.statravel.com/spring-break-dates.htm