Norwegian Epic Review

There were just too many negatives to give a good rating to the Norwegian Epic (though overall, I had a great cruise with family).

- Haven takes up 1/3 of top deck which leads to crowding on the rest of the "pool" deck. Not to mention that the pools are very small as a result.

- Food in the Garden Café/Buffet was the same every day and was of a lower quality then you could get at a low-end restaurant. I almost laughed myself to death when what was advertised as "Italian night"in the buffet consisted of 3 or so bland dishes to include a tray of soggymeatballs.

- Every venue on the ship, for the most part, has to be reserved in advance (up to days in advance) in order to use them.

- Finding out after boarding all additional costs (Really?$1 USD to play a game of darts?), etc., left a bad taste in my mouth.

- Never saw the cruise director, had to deal with his inept staff (and I say inept in that most of the time when running activities, you got the impression they were not only not engaged, but were doing the activity for the first time)

- Was really disappointed in the "Escape Room" in that once the first team finished (there are multiple teams in the same room)the other teams were not given the opportunity to finish. All the escape rooms I've done ashore only has one team in the room at a time.

- Shopping on-board is very limited in scope. A shop just selling watches right next to a shop just selling handbags?

- With the exception of the Teppanyaki restaurant, the other specialty restaurants we tried (Cagney’s – Steak House, Moderno Churrascaria –Brazilian Steak Hose) were not especially memorable, or for that matter of a quality I would expect. The Steak in Cagney’s is no better then I could get at a middleof the road Steak House (American Chain “Longhorn” comes to mind, in other words not up to “Ruth Chris” standards).

- Rooms have been reviewed before. I tried to like them, but ended up finding them below average.

There are many other issues, but all-in-all, don't take a cruise on this ship

There were just too many negatives to give a good rating to the Norwegian Epic (though overall, I had a great cruise with family).

 

- Haven takes up 1/3 of top deck which leads to crowding on the rest of the "pool" deck. Not to mention that the pools are very small as a result.

- Food in the Garden Café/Buffet was the same every day and was of a lower quality then you could get at a low-end restaurant. I almost laughed myself to death when what was advertised as "Italian night"in the buffet consisted of 3 or so bland dishes to include a tray of soggymeatballs.

- Every venue on the ship, for the most part, has to be reserved in advance (up to days in advance) in order to use them.

- Finding out after boarding all additional costs (Really?$1 USD to play a game of darts?), etc., left a bad taste in my mouth.

- Never saw the cruise director, had to deal with his inept staff (and I say inept in that most of the time when running activities, you got the impression they were not only not engaged, but were doing the activity for the first time)

- Was really disappointed in the "Escape Room" in that once the first team finished (there are multiple teams in the same room)the other teams were not given the opportunity to finish. All the escape rooms I've done ashore only has one team in the room at a time.

- Shopping on-board is very limited in scope. A shop just selling watches right next to a shop just selling handbags?

- With the exception of the Teppanyaki restaurant, the other specialty restaurants we tried (Cagney’s – Steak House, Moderno Churrascaria –Brazilian Steak Hose) were not especially memorable, or for that matter of a quality I would expect. The Steak in Cagney’s is no better then I could get at a middleof the road Steak House (American Chain “Longhorn” comes to mind, in other words not up to “Ruth Chris” standards).

 

- Rooms have been reviewed before. I tried to like them, but ended up finding them below average.

 

There are many other issues, but all-in-all, don't take a cruise on this ship

Is there anything positive you can offer?

There were just too many negatives to give a good rating to the Norwegian Epic (though overall, I had a great cruise with family

- Was really disappointed in the "Escape Room" in that once the first team finished (there are multiple teams in the same room)the other teams were not given the opportunity to finish. All the escape rooms I've done ashore only has one team in the room at a time.

- Shopping on-board is very limited in scope. A shop just selling watches right next to a shop just selling handbags?

- The Steak in Cagney’s is no better then I could get at a middleof the road Steak House (American Chain “Longhorn” comes to mind, in other words not up to “Ruth Chris” standards).

 

There are many other issues, but all-in-all, don't take a cruise on this ship

Will just comment on the 3 points above. On our trip teams were allowed to stay and finish the game. But the time was limited as the crew had duties else where. Maybe the winners at your time were very slow. 🤪

Besides handbags and watches there was the very large store, in the same area, with a variety of items. Maybe you missed it.

I am pretty sure the price to eat at Cagney’s in no where near the price to eat at “Ruth Chris”.

There were just too many negatives to give a good rating to the Norwegian Epic (though overall, I had a great cruise with family).

 

- Haven takes up 1/3 of top deck which leads to crowding on the rest of the "pool" deck. Not to mention that the pools are very small as a result.

- Food in the Garden Café/Buffet was the same every day and was of a lower quality then you could get at a low-end restaurant. I almost laughed myself to death when what was advertised as "Italian night"in the buffet consisted of 3 or so bland dishes to include a tray of soggymeatballs.

- Every venue on the ship, for the most part, has to be reserved in advance (up to days in advance) in order to use them.

- Finding out after boarding all additional costs (Really?$1 USD to play a game of darts?), etc., left a bad taste in my mouth.

- Never saw the cruise director, had to deal with his inept staff (and I say inept in that most of the time when running activities, you got the impression they were not only not engaged, but were doing the activity for the first time)

- Was really disappointed in the "Escape Room" in that once the first team finished (there are multiple teams in the same room)the other teams were not given the opportunity to finish. All the escape rooms I've done ashore only has one team in the room at a time.

- Shopping on-board is very limited in scope. A shop just selling watches right next to a shop just selling handbags?

- With the exception of the Teppanyaki restaurant, the other specialty restaurants we tried (Cagney’s – Steak House, Moderno Churrascaria –Brazilian Steak Hose) were not especially memorable, or for that matter of a quality I would expect. The Steak in Cagney’s is no better then I could get at a middleof the road Steak House (American Chain “Longhorn” comes to mind, in other words not up to “Ruth Chris” standards).

 

- Rooms have been reviewed before. I tried to like them, but ended up finding them below average.

 

There are many other issues, but all-in-all, don't take a cruise on this ship

I will be sailing the Epic for 10 days in December of this year. For $669 in an interior and distinctive voyage perks heck I don't mind the minor negatives your referring to. Simply I will pay for what I want and won't for what I don't.

As long as I am on a clean ship with decent food, I'm there.

We were on the Epic last week and LOVED it. My husband and I both agreed that for the money you can't beat going on the Epic. The staff were super friendly. We thought the food .....MDR, buffet and specialty restaurants was very good. The only place we didn't care for was O'Sheehan's. We enjoyed the entertainment ....Burn the Floor and the Cirque show was our favorites. I was able to buy two real nice NCL t-shirts that were on sale for 2 for $20.

I guess everyone has their opinion but we booked another cruise on the Epic for next year and hope we have as much fun.

Sorry that you didn't care for the Epic. I recently booked my third Epic cruise (an 11 nighter) for November and can't wait to sail her again.

- Haven takes up 1/3 of top deck which leads to crowding on the rest of the "pool" deck. Not to mention that the pools are very small as a result.

I think that you are placing the blame on the wrong area.

The Garden Cafe takes up space on the pool deck (15), not the Haven (16).

There were just too many negatives to give a good rating to the Norwegian Epic (though overall, I had a great cruise with family).

 

- Haven takes up 1/3 of top deck which leads to crowding on the rest of the "pool" deck. Not to mention that the pools are very small as a result.

- Food in the Garden Café/Buffet was the same every day and was of a lower quality then you could get at a low-end restaurant. I almost laughed myself to death when what was advertised as "Italian night"in the buffet consisted of 3 or so bland dishes to include a tray of soggymeatballs.

- Every venue on the ship, for the most part, has to be reserved in advance (up to days in advance) in order to use them.

- Finding out after boarding all additional costs (Really?$1 USD to play a game of darts?), etc., left a bad taste in my mouth.

- Never saw the cruise director, had to deal with his inept staff (and I say inept in that most of the time when running activities, you got the impression they were not only not engaged, but were doing the activity for the first time)

- Was really disappointed in the "Escape Room" in that once the first team finished (there are multiple teams in the same room)the other teams were not given the opportunity to finish. All the escape rooms I've done ashore only has one team in the room at a time.

- Shopping on-board is very limited in scope. A shop just selling watches right next to a shop just selling handbags?

- With the exception of the Teppanyaki restaurant, the other specialty restaurants we tried (Cagney’s – Steak House, Moderno Churrascaria –Brazilian Steak Hose) were not especially memorable, or for that matter of a quality I would expect. The Steak in Cagney’s is no better then I could get at a middleof the road Steak House (American Chain “Longhorn” comes to mind, in other words not up to “Ruth Chris” standards).

 

- Rooms have been reviewed before. I tried to like them, but ended up finding them below average.

 

There are many other issues, but all-in-all, don't take a cruise on this ship

Besides not booking a cruise on the Epic, do you have any suggestions or tips for those of us that are going within the next month or so? Any tips on Embarkation? Best times to hit the main dining room? The least crowded bars? The best out of the way place to catch some rays? Anything else you can give suggestion on would be great. Thank you

The best out of the way place for catching some rays is the front of deck 18 or the small area on deck 19 accessed on the starboard side.

We were on the Epic a little over a year ago and I did a trip report with some pictures. Here’s the link to that report. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2436056&highlight=epic

Keep in mind that the ship was full and had a lot of gamblers because our cruise was also the official NCL Poker Tournament. Also we had big waves and high winds the first couple of days so most people were inside the ship making it feel crowded.

Thanks for the review.

We sail 4-6 times a year. And have been on the Epic 7 times and love the ship. We have never had any problems finding a lounger when we wanted one.

The best out of the way place for catching some rays is the front of deck 18 or the small area on deck 19 accessed on the starboard side.

 

We were on the Epic a little over a year ago and I did a trip report with some pictures. Here’s the link to that report. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2436056&highlight=epic

Keep in mind that the ship was full and had a lot of gamblers because our cruise was also the official NCL Poker Tournament. Also we had big waves and high winds the first couple of days so most people were inside the ship making it feel crowded.

I was so excited to see you post your review, but now I see I have already read it. Drats. Any other reviews you could recommend/link?

The best out of the way place for catching some rays is the front of deck 18 or the small area on deck 19 accessed on the starboard side.

 

We were on the Epic a little over a year ago and I did a trip report with some pictures. Here’s the link to that report. http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2436056&highlight=epic

Keep in mind that the ship was full and had a lot of gamblers because our cruise was also the official NCL Poker Tournament. Also we had big waves and high winds the first couple of days so most people were inside the ship making it feel crowded.

Thank you Oakman!! It took me a while to read your review, but I am so glad I did. What a great review and so entertaining.

We are also STL Cardinals fans and we love Bushwackers! That is our afternoon drink when we are in Cancun. We will have to start the tradition while on board.

Thanks again for the information.

OP - sorry to see you didn’t enjoy Epic. I had such a great time on her last year that I’ve booked her again later this year. Were there at least some positives you noted about the ship? If not, I hope your next cruise is more to your liking. :)

Just got off the Epic last week (our second time) and we loved it!

Thank you for your review/report.

Keith

I was so excited to see you post your review, but now I see I have already read it. Drats. Any other reviews you could recommend/link?

Mitsugirly posted a photo intensive review of the Epic. If you do an advanced search on her screenname the review should come up.

We were on the Epic over New Years and had a great time; it was a bit crowded but we expected that on a holiday cruise, 4th time on the Epic.

Everything else was good and well within what you would expect on any main stream cruise line - OP have you cruised before?

Most things on a cruise and what you commented on, are subjective, so I do respect your opinion; maybe luxury line cruising would be more enjoyable for you.

Either way I hope your next cruise is better for you. :)

We sail 4-6 times a year. And have been on the Epic 7 times and love the ship. We have never had any problems finding a lounger when we wanted one.

Have you tried Europe in the peak season

I, too, booked the 11 nighter in Nov. we have been on Sky and Escape and loved both (as we did our MSC and Carnival cruises)

Mrs loved the Italian restaurant. I really liked the Brazilian, teppenyaki and steak restaurants.

I certainly think the Epic is ugly(dont care) and will be pretty crowded but I have a lot of days to get to most of the things I'll want to do. I'm really more about the cruise ports of call than the ship itself.

that said my biggest pet peeve on cruises is amount of unoccupied deck loungers that are "saved". grrr!

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Thank you for your review. Not every ship makes everyone happy. We all view and experience things differently. I am sure you will find a ship you will enjoy better.

As Two Wheels Only stated the Haven Restaurant overlooks the non-Haven pool area and is on two levels forward with nothing to do with the Great Outdoors or pool deck.

We loved the Epic the second time we sailed on her even with the intensive Europe port schedule which meant we had less time to lounge around. The shows we felt were fantastic but we were disappointed in the food in the specialty dining rooms. Since they are compted due to Platnuim we didn't care. One thing for sure there is plenty of food on a cruise ship!

Sorry you didn't enjoy the Epic Cruise I have just started cruising 12 months ago and I have been on the Epic 4 times since . I can say to anyone reading these reviews it is a brilliant ship we love it . i think at the end of the day sometimes you have to make your own experiences good