Epic or Star, Trying To Decide

Looking at a 11 night cruise November 2018 on either of these 2 ships in a mid-ship balcony. The price of both as of today are fairly close. Epic sails from Canaveral and Star from Miami. Have been on many cruises but Epic would be the biggest ship we have ever been on. Not sure that bigger is always better but I know the Epic will have more things to keep you busy.

Would greatly appreciate to hear from cruisers that have been on both ships which they preferred and why.

Those ships, as I am sure you realize, will give you completely different experiences. I've been on the Epic three times and absolutely loved the ship, dining and entertainment. Oh yea, and all the bars. :)

Perhaps if you tell us who will be going, ages, etc and what you like to do it would be easier to give you advice on which ship would be best for your crew.

Cheers.

Wife and I wanted to experience a large ship so we cruised on the Epic last December. After that cruise we vowed to never cruise on a large ship again. Not enough elevators for the number of passengers, more passengers but slightly fewer seats in the theater and reservations needed for the theater, no promenade deck to walk, a terrible jogging track, a lack of a beautiful atrium and the Headlines Club and Cavern Club had too small of a capacity for the number of passengers onboard. The larger ships aren’t our cup of tea. We did love the Spice H2O area on the Epic.

We did a Panama Canal cruise on the Star and loved it. On longer cruises on the smaller ships the crew gets to know you and for us we had a feeling of being part of the family. Compared to the Epic the Star never felt crowded. Our favorite ship is the Jade. Nope, no large ships for us.

We did a b2b on the Epic last year and loved it so much we have a b2b2b booked for January...never booked the same ship 2 years in a roll and NEVER with same itinerary.

You either love her or you hate her...we love HER!

I have been on the Star twice and I’ll also take my 2nd Epic cruise in December. I have enioyed both ships for different reasons. My DH and I were on the Star in September, Venice and Adriatic Greece. This was a very port intensive cruise and we loved being on smaller ship. We were offf the ship in every port so we did not need much extra entertainment.

On our December cruise we will be traveling with 3 sons 21,25,30 and our daughter in law. We wanted to go on a ship that would have a lot of options for entertainment that would appeal to everyone.

On the Epic we like feel the ship is the destination and the Caribbean islands we visit are a bonus. On the Star we were looking for a wonderful way to travel, and the ports were the destination. It really depends on what type of cruise you are looking for as to which ship is best.

we have sailed on both ships. The Epic twice and the Star once. We are not big ship fans but having Posh to enjoy made the Epic a great experience for us as we rarely dealt with the large crowds except for the nightly entertainment. There is more to do at night on the Epic but the crowds were a turn off for us. Though we would book her again if the literary worked for us. The Star was a nice ship not as much to do, the price was less expensive and we liked our cabin. It depends on what you expect from your shipboard experience. We are seniors if that helps.

I'm boarding the star today and was on the Epic in May. I liked the options for entertainment on the Epic a lot more than what I'm seeing for the Star. I am not sure what I'm going to be doing for 2.5 sea days. But, it's a casino comped cruise that worked perfectly with my school schedule (I'm a teacher at an international school in Europe). I will tell you what I think when I get back.

I love the large ships. I'm booked on the Escape for Dec. There is so much more to do on them.

I have been on the Epic three times and loved it.

 

On the Epic we like feel the ship is the destination and the Caribbean islands we visit are a bonus. On the Star we were looking for a wonderful way to travel, and the ports were the destination. It really depends on what type of cruise you are looking for as to which ship is best.

I agree, the Epic is a destination. And, like others have said, either you love or hate the big ships. Everyone has an opinion. Put me in the "loving Epic" column. :D

I vote for the Epic! Great ship! I've been on the Star twice and Epic once. Epic has great entertainment and lots to do! Loved it. The Star is nice, if you like the spa, get a spa pass. The Epic's spa is 10 times better though, just for the pools and fountains and stuff.

Any cruise is a good cruise though.

Happy cruising!

Definitely do Epic!

If you have kids or need a few extra bells and whistles to keep you interested, take the Epic. If you don't enjoy large crowds, screaming kids everywhere and long walks and waits to get anywhere on the ship, don't take the Epic.

The Star is a nice, fairly quiet mid sized ship with all the amenities of a cruise ship. It's a bit old, but if you like the experience of cruising, take the Star.

Been on both, multiple times, and we don't like the disconnect we have on the Epic. Feels more like you are on a floating casino hotel rather than a cruise ship.

I prefer the Epic. I have just finished my second cruise on the Star, where I remember nothing but amazing things from my first trip on her the one in October was not as nice. The entertainment choices are lacking, I actually had more kids on my Star cruise than my Epic cruise. I had paid for an Ultimate Dubrovnik experience in Croatia around 300$ tour through NCL which was delayed because a family with kids was running behind, didn't have that once on the Epic.

As a solo traveler myself if I could book into the Studios that would be my ideal place to be on any cruise.