New Epic Review, check it out...The truth and nothing but the truth

[shmoopea]

We just got back from the NCL Epic. Feel free to check out my review. I welcome any questions :)

[Love Overboard]

Thanks for your review. I was a little surprised at your comment on Moderno being bland as we felt the opposite.

It just shows how subjective the topic can be. At least it's a refreshing addition to NCL's specialty restaurant line up as we only dine in the specialty restaurants when cruising and it must be a hit as NCL is rolling Moderno out on other ships.

 

As for your comment about not sure if you would do the Epic again because of repetitive entertainment made me think about the 20 some cruises we have done with NCL mostly Caribbean and have seen numerous shows over and over again ie: JAR Dancers etc but never seemed to get bored with seeing them again (however it's all up to one's taste in entertainment), on the other hand we stopped going to Second City shows because we've have never enjoyed them.

I also realize that traveling with kids that you need to keep them entertained and they probably get bored quicker than adults.

 

 

But glad you enjoyed the cruise as we did as well.

[szcakes]

I can't find it, can u link ?

[nibs07407]

I can't find it, can u link ?

http://www.cruisecritic.com/memberreviews/memberreview.cfm?EntryID=79591

[nibs07407]

We just got back from the NCL Epic. Feel free to check out my review. I welcome any questions :)

Thanks for the nice review. May I ask how old your kids are? Did they take part in the kids club at all? If so any tips regarding things they did or did not like, or if certain times were better than others? I have two 9 year old girls so I am just trying to get a feel for it. Thanks.

[szcakes]

Thank you both!

[K&M2009]

Nice review. I'm making a list on my iPhone to have handy when we're on the ship of tips and things to do. I added your tip about O'Sheehans for breakfast on debarkation days. We'll check it out one morning!

[shmoopea]

Thanks for your review. I was a little surprised at your comment on Moderno being bland as we felt the opposite.

It just shows how subjective the topic can be. At least it's a refreshing addition to NCL's specialty restaurant line up as we only dine in the specialty restaurants when cruising and it must be a hit as NCL is rolling Moderno out on other ships.

 

As for your comment about not sure if you would do the Epic again because of repetitive entertainment made me think about the 20 some cruises we have done with NCL mostly Caribbean and have seen numerous shows over and over again ie: JAR Dancers etc but never seemed to get bored with seeing them again (however it's all up to one's taste in entertainment), on the other hand we stopped going to Second City shows because we've have never enjoyed them.

I also realize that traveling with kids that you need to keep them entertained and they probably get bored quicker than adults.

 

 

But glad you enjoyed the cruise as we did as well.

Thanks for the input. It's funny how everything can be so subjective. We tend to like our food a little more on the spicy side, so that could explain why we found the meat kind of bland. We absolutely loved the ship, and I do agree with you on Second City Improv. For some reason they were much funnier during the murder mystery lunch...go figure. One things is for sure, this ship has something for everyone and the diversity of it will appeal to all age groups. We now know that a bigger ship is def for us.

[shmoopea]

Thanks for the nice review. May I ask how old your kids are? Did they take part in the kids club at all? If so any tips regarding things they did or did not like, or if certain times were better than others? I have two 9 year old girls so I am just trying to get a feel for it. Thanks.

Thanks for posting the link. We have an almost 9 yo daughter and an 11 yo son. They were in the kids club for a very limited time. Our daughter did enjoy her time there. She said they had them 'paint on windows,' and when I went to pick her up, the group was on their way to meet the captain. The kids program seemed very organized and the kids appeared to be having fun. We tend to spend a lot of time with our children on vacation, thus the limited info. Our sailing had about 1200 kids on board and there was over 10,000 gallons of ice-cream consumed....coincidence? Lol! The kids club does give you a list of highlights for the week. I would sign up when you get on board and they will give you an itinerary. The kids loved the BMG, Murder Mystery Lunch, and Bingo. Once you solidify your dining, spa bookings, and entertainment, then head to the kids club to sign them up.

[shmoopea]

Nice review. I'm making a list on my iPhone to have handy when we're on the ship of tips and things to do. I added your tip about O'Sheehans for breakfast on debarkation days. We'll check it out one morning!

Here are a couple more tips for you:

-Make sure you purchase your prof pics no later than Fri (last day) of your cruise. If you wait until Sat, they will charge you FL sales tax.

-The raffle for the cruise for 2 is done on the last day of Bingo, which is Fri at around 11:15. You get raffle tickets every time you purchase Bingo cards.

-If you are trying to catch a show and are dining somewhere, be sure to tell them. We did this at Shangai's and they were able to serve us in less than an hour. Of course we tipped her very well later.

-Spa services already include a mandatory gratuity, but you can always tip above that if you found the service exceptional.

-We did some spa services on the first sea day and it wasn't so busy. So you're better off booking these for the beginning of your cruise or on port days.

-for excursions, we did the Tabyana Beach Party in Roatan, and the Dolphin Encounter in Cozumel. Both were excellent. Keep in mind at Dolphinaris they do not allow you to take your camera with you during the dolphin swim/ encounter as they sell their own at high prices. Always haggle with them. Another option is to have someone in your party not interested in doing the encounter, pay $25 to 'observe' and have them take a ton of pictures. Yes, I know...price gouging, but what can you do?

-If you prefer more personalized service in the dining rooms, you can ask you waiter/waitress where they will be the next day, etc.

-Don't miss the cruise director's comedy show on the last night (Fri). Although I was relegated to packing, my family said Scully was actually much funnier than the comediens on board.

-The Dancing with the Epic Stars competition in the Atrium was actually hilarious, try to catch it if you can

- When attending anything in the Atrium area, be certain to get there about 20 min earlier for the comfy seats.

-When ordering cocktails, etc, ask them to put it in a regular glass. You are charged a few bucks more for the souvenir plastic cups.

-If you want to be chosen to participate with the BMG, be certain to provide eye contact and engage them. At the meet and greet they told us this is how they chose the audience member to participate.

-Consider the Garden Cafe for dinner right before the sun starts setting. We saw one of the most beautiful sunsets doing just this.

-To the left or right of your stateroom door is a dial thingy that allows you to communicate with the room steward. By spinning it you can let them know if you want privacy, your room cleaned et. Note, they will not enter your room, even to make up your bed, if the dial is on ' Do not disturb.'

-O'Sheehan's has the best Mozzarella Sticks and Brownie Sundaes on sea or land. This is also a good place to watch the going ons in the atrium area, as they have seating facing the atrium.

-The desserts, etc at the Atrium Cafe are free as is regular coffee and tea. The lattes were for a fee, but the cowpoke I had were well worth it.

-Sushi can be taken to go from Teppenyaki...yum!

-When ordering room service, request that they place multiple items on one plate, otherwise you'll be bombarded with lots of plates for little mats of food.

-The ice-cream bar area in Garden Cafe has both soft and hard ice cream They even had Rocky Road ice cream.

-Pay attention to the carpet colors. They will be either orange/ red or blue. This will help you figure out which elevator to take and where your cabin is.

-The pool deck and surrounding area is extremely slippery, wen with shoes on, so be very, very careful. Yes, I did slip and fall once...ouch!

-And finally, be kind and courteous to the staff. They should be treated with the same decency and respect, you yourself would want to be given. We took the time to engage some of them and were rewarded with the knowledge that NCL has taken some of their BEST crew members and placed them on the Epic.

[youngestof9]

loved your review.

 

Can you explain why under kids you rated it a 1? or was it that you had 1 child in each of those age groups (didn't seem to fit as a 1 rating with your other 4 and 5 ratings).

 

I wish we went to Paul Scally's comedy night. We were packing too. Hate that! LOL

[shmoopea]

Actually that 1 rating was an error, it was supposed to be NA, but somehow ended up as a one. Yes, I did have one child in each age group, maybe that's where the error came in. I did email cruise critic and they should hopefully be fixing it. Thanks for liking my review. One thing my daughter did tell me was that one of the guys that does Howling at the Moon, dueling pianos, was also a counselor in Recess. Not sure how accurate this is.

[halos]

We took the time to engage some of them and were rewarded with the knowledge that NCL has taken some of their BEST crew members and placed them on the Epic.

 

NCL has the best crew of any of the lines I have sailed :) That's what makes them my favorite line. :) No matter what ship you are on, the crew is FABULOUS.

[shmoopea]

NCL has the best crew of any of the lines I have sailed :) That's what makes them my favorite line. :) No matter what ship you are on, the crew is FABULOUS.

Good to know as this was our first time sailing with NCL and certainly not our last.

[nibs07407]

Thanks for posting the link. We have an almost 9 yo daughter and an 11 yo son. They were in the kids club for a very limited time. Our daughter did enjoy her time there. She said they had them 'paint on windows,' and when I went to pick her up, the group was on their way to meet the captain. The kids program seemed very organized and the kids appeared to be having fun. We tend to spend a lot of time with our children on vacation, thus the limited info. Our sailing had about 1200 kids on board and there was over 10,000 gallons of ice-cream consumed....coincidence? Lol! The kids club does give you a list of highlights for the week. I would sign up when you get on board and they will give you an itinerary. The kids loved the BMG, Murder Mystery Lunch, and Bingo. Once you solidify your dining, spa bookings, and entertainment, then head to the kids club to sign them up.

Great thanks for the tip. I'm with you about the kids but an hour here or there is always nice for all involved. They always like to meet a buddy. LOL on the ice cream, we may beat you, we are going Easter week.

[nibs07407]

Here are a couple more tips for you:

-Make sure you purchase your prof pics no later than Fri (last day) of your cruise. If you wait until Sat, they will charge you FL sales tax.

-The raffle for the cruise for 2 is done on the last day of Bingo, which is Fri at around 11:15. You get raffle tickets every time you purchase Bingo cards.

-If you are trying to catch a show and are dining somewhere, be sure to tell them. We did this at Shangai's and they were able to serve us in less than an hour. Of course we tipped her very well later.

-Spa services already include a mandatory gratuity, but you can always tip above that if you found the service exceptional.

-We did some spa services on the first sea day and it wasn't so busy. So you're better off booking these for the beginning of your cruise or on port days.

-for excursions, we did the Tabyana Beach Party in Roatan, and the Dolphin Encounter in Cozumel. Both were excellent. Keep in mind at Dolphinaris they do not allow you to take your camera with you during the dolphin swim/ encounter as they sell their own at high prices. Always haggle with them. Another option is to have someone in your party not interested in doing the encounter, pay $25 to 'observe' and have them take a ton of pictures. Yes, I know...price gouging, but what can you do?

-If you prefer more personalized service in the dining rooms, you can ask you waiter/waitress where they will be the next day, etc.

-Don't miss the cruise director's comedy show on the last night (Fri). Although I was relegated to packing, my family said Scully was actually much funnier than the comediens on board.

-The Dancing with the Epic Stars competition in the Atrium was actually hilarious, try to catch it if you can

- When attending anything in the Atrium area, be certain to get there about 20 min earlier for the comfy seats.

-When ordering cocktails, etc, ask them to put it in a regular glass. You are charged a few bucks more for the souvenir plastic cups.

-If you want to be chosen to participate with the BMG, be certain to provide eye contact and engage them. At the meet and greet they told us this is how they chose the audience member to participate.

-Consider the Garden Cafe for dinner right before the sun starts setting. We saw one of the most beautiful sunsets doing just this.

-To the left or right of your stateroom door is a dial thingy that allows you to communicate with the room steward. By spinning it you can let them know if you want privacy, your room cleaned et. Note, they will not enter your room, even to make up your bed, if the dial is on ' Do not disturb.'

-O'Sheehan's has the best Mozzarella Sticks and Brownie Sundaes on sea or land. This is also a good place to watch the going ons in the atrium area, as they have seating facing the atrium.

-The desserts, etc at the Atrium Cafe are free as is regular coffee and tea. The lattes were for a fee, but the cowpoke I had were well worth it.

-Sushi can be taken to go from Teppenyaki...yum!

-When ordering room service, request that they place multiple items on one plate, otherwise you'll be bombarded with lots of plates for little mats of food.

-The ice-cream bar area in Garden Cafe has both soft and hard ice cream They even had Rocky Road ice cream.

-Pay attention to the carpet colors. They will be either orange/ red or blue. This will help you figure out which elevator to take and where your cabin is.

-The pool deck and surrounding area is extremely slippery, wen with shoes on, so be very, very careful. Yes, I did slip and fall once...ouch!

-And finally, be kind and courteous to the staff. They should be treated with the same decency and respect, you yourself would want to be given. We took the time to engage some of them and were rewarded with the knowledge that NCL has taken some of their BEST crew members and placed them on the Epic.

Nice tip & good advice. Thanks

[shmoopea]

Great thanks for the tip. I'm with you about the kids but an hour here or there is always nice for all involved. They always like to meet a buddy. LOL on the ice cream, we may beat you, we are going Easter week.

A break is always good :) I think there were just as many adults eating the ice-cream as there were kids, myself included..lol! Ironically, us north easterners seem to consume quite a bit of ice-cream despite the terribly cold weather :) I know you'll have a wonderful cruise, it's really hard not to!

[dpkd]

Thanks for the great review and tips! Can you tell me is the dress in the speciality restaurant casual or dressy?

[shmoopea]

Thanks for the great review and tips! Can you tell me is the dress in the speciality restaurant casual or dressy?

I would say the dress code is resort casual. We didn't see anyone in jeans, tshirts or shorts in either of them. For the most part, people were dressed nicely. On the other end of the spectrum, none of the men were wearing sports coats,suits, ties, gowns, etc. I believe Manhhattens was the only place where shorts were not permitted. My DH basically wore nice slacks and polo shirts and this was more than fine. I either wore dresses or pants and a nice top. We actually are used to bringing very dressy clothes on cruises and it was a refreshing change not to do that this time. The undesignated 'formal' night was on Tues and this was when most people did the family portraits etc.