Epic failure 3/3-3/7

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.

NCL with its very liberal alcohol policy intended to attract college students on top of a unlimited drink package I believe is responsible.

Heaven forbid that the person drinking is held responsible...:rolleyes:

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.

Heaven forbid that the person drinking is held responsible...:rolleyes:

Spring break is a pack mentality which NCL fosters by letting these kids and I say kids drink themselves into a coma.

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.

Their were many families impacted by Spring Break. Obviously NCL is choosing clientele that doesn’t fit my style so another cruise line will get my future business.

UBP used to not be sold to those under 25, I believe, during spring break. I’m guessing people would be mad if it wasn’t offered at a perk during this time period. I remember going on spring break, definitely tons of drinking and no free booze.

I'm sorry you didn't have a nice cruise. While you don't need to research every little thing before a vacation - a little time on Google can find you the layout & deck plans of the ship, photos/videos of the common areas and cabins, and college and/or K-12 spring break dates. Your next trip might not be such a shock for you if you do some basic planning in advance.

College spring break would NOT be our scene either. We will always avoid those dates. Most lines (that market to a younger or diverse age bracket) have to answer to their shareholders for profits and aren't going to avoid marketing to a key demographic in March.

Best wishes on your next vacation.

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.

Didn't any of the 10 of you do any research or look at deck plans, cabin size, etc. ahead of time?

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.

That's not even remotely true.

the buffet is set up in different stations but for somereason people tend to queue from entrance even though they will pass by several food options they don't want

Thanks for your comments. I can imagine how bad it was with that many college students partying.

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

The Epic is known for the worst balcony cabin layouts in the fleet (maybe any fleet, lol.) It is the only NCL ship with the curvy walls (which the CD blamed on "French designers" when I asked about them.) You have to be careful when picking your cabin -- detailed deck plans show you which way the walls are curved and, thus, which side of the room the bed is on. Get the bed next to the balcony and the cabin is WAY more navigable.

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

 

 

The Epic is known for the worst balcony cabin layouts in the fleet (maybe any fleet, lol.) It is the only NCL ship with the curvy walls (which the CD blamed on "French designers" when I asked about them.) You have to be careful when picking your cabin -- detailed deck plans show you which way the walls are curved and, thus, which side of the room the bed is on. Get the bed next to the balcony and the cabin is WAY more navigable.

Absolutely true!

Sorry the cruise was a disappointment. I appreciate the feedback.

I was on this cruise and I thought the food was really good as did my friend who is notoriously picky. We also had excellent service at all restaurants. However it was very hard to get seated a few times. I’m curious as to what the passenger count was. I spoke to a few spring breakers who were surprised there were other guests not on spring break because it had been advertised that way. I was involved in both this sailings FB and page here and no one knew about the massive group. These same people told us that there were over 2 thousand aboard. They said most of them were in rooms with 4 people.

I didn’t find the layout of the ship to be as bad as people say, but it was very crowded due to every bar, casino table etc being PACKED the whole time (except when they were jammed in the hot tubs).

The girl overboard was not a spring breaker but someone reportedly in their 40/50’s.

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

 

 

The Epic is known for the worst balcony cabin layouts in the fleet (maybe any fleet, lol.) It is the only NCL ship with the curvy walls (which the CD blamed on "French designers" when I asked about them.) You have to be careful when picking your cabin -- detailed deck plans show you which way the walls are curved and, thus, which side of the room the bed is on. Get the bed next to the balcony and the cabin is WAY more navigable.

how do you know which rooms have the bed closer to the balcony? I will have room 11051 - and I don't have a clue how to tell..

We once sailed at spring break on the Gem and they would not allow anyone to have the drinks package or have the shop alcohol delivered on the last night to pack. I was surprised they’d changed it.

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Again, with the least bit of research you would have found warnings about cruises less than a week long in the March/April time frame. They attract the spring breakers and party folks. With a zillion colleges and schools across the nation, there is not just one week that is considered “spring break”.

We have done a TA on the Epic, and have 2 more booked. Buffet was set up very easy IMHO. Many stations with different kinds of food. Your comment about how to enter the buffet is not true. Entered every day via the elevator or stairs. Maybe your cabin was the other end of ship and you felt the need to cross on the open deck instead of any other deck.

Sorry it was not to your liking.

how do you know which rooms have the bed closer to the balcony? I will have room 11051 - and I don't have a clue how to tell..

Look at the deck plans. If the bubble/wider part of the room is near the bathroom your bed is there. If the bubble/wider area is near the balcony, your bed is there.

We had the bed by the bathroom and the main problem was while getting ready and using the sink or mirror. Fellow cabin mate can not easily get by you. On our next cruise, we have booked the bed by the balcony to help with that.

Didn't any of the 10 of you do any research or look at deck plans, cabin size, etc. ahead of time?

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.

There is conflicting information as to whether or not she was a spring break college student.

UDPs are available to every cruiser.

NCL is not responsible if you get drunk and do something dangerous and stupid.

It’s about time people started taking responsibility for their own actions.

You choose to try to climb down from Deck 16 to 15, or whatever it was, over the railing and you slip, it’s your own stupid fault.

I guess you won’t be cruising on Carnival, RCCL, Celebrity or any of the MM lines going forward.

Try Disney.

Ultimate beverage option is only available for guests 25 and older on sailings from 3/1 - 4/15.

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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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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.

 

That's not even remotely true.

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.

UBP used to not be sold to those under 25, I believe, during spring break. I’m guessing people would be mad if it wasn’t offered at a perk during this time period. I remember going on spring break, definitely tons of drinking and no free booze.

This is correct

Ultimate beverage option was only available for guests 25 and older on sailings from 3/1 - 4/15.

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?