Just back from Epic - any questions?

[wkelly5688]

We just got back form the Epic Eastern Caribbean cruise. Any questions I can try to answer? Will post a review later.

 

Bill

[Scott2.0]

Sure, thanks for asking! What was the best dining experience you had? The worst? Any feedback on any of the ports? Things not to miss, things to skip? I've researched the heck out of this for our sailing next month and can't wait but anything you could add would be great. Thanks and I hope you had a great time!

[bull21]

Nice that your asking this question

My question what time did you arrive this morning? Too port

 

Asking because, when i get off ship Jan/28 take shuttle too Fort Lauderdale to catch plane leaving 12:10 midday will i have enougth time?

 

Will be using NCL shuttle service,name INTERCRUISES SHORESIDE MIA If anyone can give best advice will be appreciated

 

getting very close too leaving

 

I'm going single using EPIC studia cabin a little bit more cost than inside cabin

[Marlynmik]

Does everyone in the cabin have to pay for a soda card? My DH is the only one who drinks soda (DD and I like water or juice, which we will bring onboard). Hypothetically though, he could fill his cup and share, which is why I wonder if they make everyone pay extra.

[LynneL]

Sure, thanks for asking! What was the best dining experience you had? The worst? Any feedback on any of the ports? Things not to miss, things to skip? I've researched the heck out of this for our sailing next month and can't wait but anything you could add would be great. Thanks and I hope you had a great time!

 

I'm sure the OP will get back on this but I also just got off the Epic yesterday so thought I'd throw in my two cents in the meantime - lol. Must start by saying, "Best cruise I've ever been on!" & I'm nearing prob. my 30th cruise.

 

My best dining experience I had was Cagney's. I had the porterhouse & it was delicious! We also did Moderno's..fun concept - but just too many meats one after the other & waiter not the best on bringing add'l side dishes. Also tried Cirque Dinner show - food portion small, food fine but nothing impressive but show entertaining. Other dinners went to Manhattan or Taste dining rooms. Enjoyed everything I ordered. I can't say I had a "worst" at any of the places.

 

Ports: We hired a private tour van from Bernard Tours on St. Marteen ($350.) & drove around seeing a lot of the island, little shopping, ate at restaurant (not inc'd in price) next to where planes come in low over beach - good conch fritters, decent burgers, & drinks. Adds up & service unbelievably slow so I'd say skip the food & just get a drink at the bar if you want one. Tour also went to Orient Beach. Forced to get chairs because they are all right next to each other & no place to just put your towel down, though cost is only $5. a chair & beers $2. if you wanted one. Locals constantly bother you to buy whatever they're selling. They're not pushy or rude, just gets annoying Even if not on nude side be prepared for people from that area to roam by, generally upper middle aged or senior aged women topless. Nude area is in view from parking area. I'm not one to partake, but not bothered by it either. There may be a beach that is not nude or topless but our driver did not tell us about it nor did we care since we only wanted to spend 1 1/2 hrs. there. Nice day, little pricey but worth it for us since we were 6 adults plus a 21 month old. We could call the shots on time spent at various places if the baby did happen to act up. Bring your own car seat if you have kids.

 

St. Thomas - went with Geodfrey Tours. $25. pp well spent. Shopping, beach - Megan's Bay (usually you get a choice & we go to Coki but our family got a late start so we needed the closest beach. Megan's Bay charges $4. pp to get in), & had banana drinks at highest point.

 

Nassau - we just roamed through some of the stores & went ot Senior Frogs. Next time I'd probably stay on the ship for quiet relaxing time.

 

I thought the entertainment was very good on this cruise & lots of choices. Only one I didn't like was Second City. Many people laughing, but I was left thinking, "Seriously???" Blue Man later portion of show better than the beginning. My husband didn't care for it & felt it was over hyped. I enjoyed magician/comedian & Legends. Only caught the end of Quest. Casino looked favorably on one person in our traveling party (2 - $1000. hits on Wheel of Fortune on the last night) & my son also did ok being at the break even point by the end of the cruise. My husband, however, made sure the casino came out in the black though to make up for the others in our party doing decent - lol.

 

Nice that your asking this question

My question what time did you arrive this morning? Too port

 

Asking because, when i get off ship Jan/28 take shuttle too Fort Lauderdale to catch plane leaving 12:10 midday will i have enougth time?

 

Will be using NCL shuttle service,name INTERCRUISES SHORESIDE MIA If anyone can give best advice will be appreciated

 

getting very close too leaving

 

I'm going single using EPIC studia cabin a little bit more cost than inside cabin

 

By 7:30 a.m. those carrying off their luggage were leaving the ship. We had a 12:30 Miami flight & went off at 8:00 a.m. After a previous cruise out of Miami that had hour long custom lines & no organization & was expecting the same or worse, since we had sailed on such a large ship. Not the case at all! We were whisked through customs & barely kept up with the porter who had our luggage. Both on previous cruise & this one we prearranged a van pick up that worked well. Plenty of taxis though the line started to build.

[cruise4fam]

Nice that your asking this question

My question what time did you arrive this morning? Too port

 

Asking because, when i get off ship Jan/28 take shuttle too Fort Lauderdale to catch plane leaving 12:10 midday will i have enougth time?

 

Will be using NCL shuttle service,name INTERCRUISES SHORESIDE MIA If anyone can give best advice will be appreciated

 

getting very close too leaving

 

I'm going single using EPIC studia cabin a little bit more cost than inside cabin

 

I was also on this past weeks sailing and I did the walk of with your luggage. I was off the ship before 8 and at Mia before 8:30 for a 11:30 flight. You should hopefully be ok to get to FLL in time with no issue coming up. Also on our way there was a accident that made for a bit of a mess. Our cabbie was great about getting quickly around it others might not have. We flew into to FLL the week before and Saturday am we drive to the pier it did take about 40 mins but we didnt hit really any traffic. Good luck!

[gelo7]

Is the smoke from the casino really a problem in the open common areas?

[LynneL]

Is the smoke from the casino really a problem in the open common areas?

 

I'm a non-smoker & only felt really bothered by the smoke was when I was walking through the casino. That said...the Epic has an odd design. The casino is large & takes up the whole center portion of deck 6. Aft end of deck 6 has the Manhattan Dining Room, but the casino bar & video poke/blackjack machines on that bar area are non-smoking. My husband & I played at the bar slot & weren't too bothered by the smoke. Area busy though when people waiting to go into the dining rm. The other end of the casino has a little gap area before you hit O'Sheehans, Headliners, Spiegel Tent & Epic Theatre. I was never bothered by smoke wafting down that way. If you are a table player or want something other than the video then it will be bad. I'm surprised they don't make for example, port side of the casino non-smoking & starboard smoking to be more accommodating. Worst was someone in a cabin near our's who smoked cigars. Stentch was horrible in the hallway!

[LynneL]

Does everyone in the cabin have to pay for a soda card? My DH is the only one who drinks soda (DD and I like water or juice, which we will bring onboard). Hypothetically though, he could fill his cup and share, which is why I wonder if they make everyone pay extra.

 

I didn't get a soda card on NCL but if it operates like RCI or Carnival, everyone does not have to get the soda card. Just that one person. Could you share, sure, but your husband would have the soda sticker on his room key card & have to be the one to go up & order the soda. If he's not around, you are out of luck. Also, if they give out those refillable thermos cups, they are small. Once bartender put a bunch of ice in, there isn't too much soda so DH would be making lots of trips to the bar if two people drinking from that cup.

 

I think the cruiseline figures if you both drink a lot of soda, it's an pain for only one of you to have the soda plan & you'll prob. wind up buying 2 anyway. If the sharer only drinks maybe an add'l glass a day, they haven't lost much money & if they say you both must buy one, then probably neither will & they've lost more than they gained.

[AnitaVacation]

We also have just returned from this sailing!! We had a fantastic time!! We were quite skeptical about going on the EPIC, but CAS gave us such a good offer, we decided to give her a try...glad we did...

 

Some thoughts...

 

The cabin....we we're in a balcony cabin on deck 13....wow....practically tripped onto the bed as soon as we walked in....the cabin layout is NOT impressive....the sofa is quite useless and not comfortable for sitting and the tv is opposite of the bed...(the sofa is really only good for a 3rd bed)...I would not share this cabin with anyone but my husband...there is hardly any privacy concerning the toilet or shower...the bed, as usual, was very comfortable...I did like the padded headboard, it was quite comfortable to sit up and watch tv...room comes complete with coffee maker and hair dryer....and I did enjoy not wrestling with a shower curtain...Our room steward was adequate, but not personable....she would say 'good morning ma'am' in a tone like she was my 'servant'...(I prefer my stewards slighly more upbeat)....

 

the first night of this cruise was lobster night.....we missed it :( ...we got so wrapped up with free drinks and the casino that we completely missed dinner and had a late night snack at O'Sheehans...(24hr restaurant, it was very good!)....

 

The Second City show we attended was pretty funny...although I heard mixed reviews from other passengers about their show....we went to the 7pm show (family friendly, but still a little naughty)....

 

The Blue Man group was pretty entertaining....there were some slow parts towards the beginning, but overall an energetic and entertaining show...

 

Didn't get a chance to do the Cirque dinner...(booked)....heard mixed reviews, but I would like to see it for myself.....there's always next time ;)

 

Lot's of crazy people at the $10 sales...lol....you would think they were giving away rare and exotic items... it was just the same ol same ol....but it was fun to watch the people climbing over each other for that perfect scarf or pink evening bag! :D

 

I was 1 of the 4 people that guessed the carat weight of the blue diamond ring 'on the money'!! So, they drew from the 4....I didnt win anything :(

 

St Martin was my favorite stop.....took the ferry over to the beach...(get off at the 2nd stop, right in the middle of the beach...go to the left, near the casino)....you can get 2 nice loungers, an umbrella and a bucket of 5 beverages (beer, water, soda) for $20....and they will get you more for cheap (if you need/want)....the locals hawk there goods up and down the beach all day....they were not rude or intrusive....I did buy a beach bag and a shirt...and if you leave your purchases in plain sight, the other 'hawkers' will pretty much leave you alone...There were a few ladies offering aloe foot massages (cheap) and back massages ($30)...the guy next to us had a back massage, he said it was great....Overall, it was a nice relaxing day at the beach....and the water was fabulous too....maybe next time, I will think to bring a cheap blow up raft of sort to just float around in the water....that would be great...also, for a few bucks (tip) the locals will get food from the local restaurants (they carry the menus with them)....all of the local people we encountered were very pleasant and honest and non-intrusive....also...for you smokers....a carton of Marlboro is only $17!!!(cheaper than the ship prices)

 

St Thomas was our short day (back onboard by 3)....we woke up late and didnt get off the ship until about noon....we spent a few hours shopping in port (nice open mall, most shops air conditioned)...they do have a cable car that runs up the mountain....(next time)...Senior Frogs was hopping (pun intended) ;)

 

Nassau (4th time for me)....same....we did purchase a hand carved eagle from a local artist..($20)....I saw a beautiful coach black rolling bag that tempted me....next time ;) ....just FYI....those gauzy 'beach dresses' that you see everywhere for $20-$30....there is a shop in Nassau, right on Rogers Woodes Rd...that sells them for $10-$15....(and they are nice)...

 

Took advantage of 'no lines' at the waterslides on Nassau afternoon, while everyone was off the ship.....best time!!

 

Dinner everynight was nothing less than excellent....most nights we ate in the Manhattan dining room....sometimes the music was a little loud...

 

One tip to pass along.....if you are in your cabin...turn your tv to channel 22 (bow camera channel) to hear the announcements...

 

Overall...one of our best cruises....the biggest downfall was flying to/from Florida....that was not pleasant....we prefer to drive to nyc....

[cnssu123]

St Martin was my favorite stop.....took the ferry over to the beach...(get off at the 2nd stop, right in the middle of the beach...go to the left, near the casino)....you can get 2 nice loungers, an umbrella and a bucket of 5 beverages (beer, water, soda) for $20....

 

Hi Anita, what ferry did you take? Is this a beach close by the cruise pier, or some other beach? Its sounds lovely, we might want to do that for our Epic cruise in Jan.

 

Thanks in advance.

[oceanseagle12]

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread, and to the other recent cruisers for jumping in to help answer questions. Here is one from my roll call, leaving this SATURDAY!! :)

 

Can you confirm that they move the time forward Saturday night?

And do they change it back before Nassau?

 

Thanks again!

[stephenandrew]

Hi-two quick questions: (1) How do they handle the time onthe ship? Does it stay on Eatern Time, or do they "change" the ship's time to coincide with island time? (2) I am trying to go the freestyle route and not prebook any specialty restaurant reservations, but make decisions on what we want to eat/do when on board. Mistake? Should we prebook, or was there reasonable availability once on board?

 

Thanks.

[oceanseagle12]

Hi-two quick questions: (1) How do they handle the time onthe ship? Does it stay on Eatern Time, or do they "change" the ship's time to coincide with island time? (2) I am trying to go the freestyle route and not prebook any specialty restaurant reservations, but make decisions on what we want to eat/do when on board. Mistake? Should we prebook, or was there reasonable availability once on board?

 

Thanks.

 

LOL Great minds think alike... :)

[Zeta3]

I'm just back as well. One of my top 3 cruises out of around 30.

 

They did change time the first night we lost an hour and gained it back Wednesday night.

 

We had great meals everywhere we ate. My favorite was the Manhattan during the Motown review. Also really enjoyed the sushi.

 

In St. Maarten we did the Mirabella Catamaran which was a fun time. Snorkeling, beach time and plenty of rum punch.

 

St. Thomas we did the St. John beach break. It was ok. Next time I would just visit Señor Frogs and enjoy the ship.

 

In Nassau we booked with the Bahamas Segway and Beach Experience online. This was so much fun!! I highly recommend it especially if you have been to Nassau before and want to do something new.

 

 

---

I am here: http://maps.google.com/maps?ll=35.861393,-78.855613

[AshleyDillo]

Hi Anita, what ferry did you take? Is this a beach close by the cruise pier, or some other beach? Its sounds lovely, we might want to do that for our Epic cruise in Jan.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

I believe the ferry she is referring to is the Water Taxi. It is right by the entrance to the port. You can get a wristband that will give you access all day to take the water taxi for $6 I believe. It has 2 stops in the downtown area of St Maarten. The 2nd stop has a small beach right at the end of the dock. The beach is free to use and I believe you only have to pay if you want chairs and umbrellas. There was a little stand right behind the beach that had Presidente beers for $1--so that was an awesome deal. The beach is really small and there aren't any ways, but it's nice to be able to relax and see the ships in port and get some sun!

[wkelly5688]

Sure, thanks for asking! What was the best dining experience you had? The worst? Any feedback on any of the ports? Things not to miss, things to skip? I've researched the heck out of this for our sailing next month and can't wait but anything you could add would be great. Thanks and I hope you had a great time!

 

Scott:

I'll start by totally confusing you and disagree with most everything LynneL said.

Moderno's was great - food and service. The beef ribs are amazing! Pace yourself because it is a LOT of food. Teppanyaki is another must do. Best food on the cruise. We were very disapponted in Cagney's. We ate at Cagney's three years ago on Pearl and loved it. Not this time. I had to get up and get salt and pepper shakers for our table and was about ready to stand up and pour our own wine. Sevice was lacking. Wife had the filet and i had the prime rib. Boh were tasteless and beleive it or not, i had medium rare prime rib that had a dry streak in it. Don't understand how but it was there. Desert was the best part of the meal.

Everything is good at O'sheehans. Don't miss it.

Do not miss the comedian/magician. He was great. We also thoroughly enjoyed the Cirque Dreams dinner show. Food was so so but the show was great! Get reservations or this one early cause they do sell out. We about missed it. We were a little dissapointed in Blue Man group. It was good but some parts of it drug on way too long.

Do not miss the planes landing at Maho in St. Martin. We caught the Air France 747 coming in. Get close. It is an awsome experience.

Seeing the people on the nude side od Orient Beach is something different.

 

The ship is beautiful inside. You won't have time to do it all. I never did get directions figured out on this ship. I stayed lost the entire week. We had a balcony cabin with the forward facing bump out. It was about half again as big as a standard balcony. We thought the rooms were great as well as the bathroom layout. You CANNOT see through the doors.

Pool area is nice but a bit small considering the size of the ship. We liked Epic but probably won't go back. Just didn't care for the layout of the ship. Stairs and elevators are on both ends and nothing in the middle except for steps between 6 and 7 and escalators between 6 and 5. Just kind of strange.

Hope this helps. You wlll have a great time on Epic.

[wkelly5688]

Nice that your asking this question

My question what time did you arrive this morning? Too port

 

Asking because, when i get off ship Jan/28 take shuttle too Fort Lauderdale to catch plane leaving 12:10 midday will i have enougth time?

 

Will be using NCL shuttle service,name INTERCRUISES SHORESIDE MIA If anyone can give best advice will be appreciated

 

getting very close too leaving

 

I'm going single using EPIC studia cabin a little bit more cost than inside cabin

 

Hi. The ship docked at 6 and people were walking off with their luggage at 7. You should have no problem making your flight. We got off at 9 and was able to catch a plane in Miami at 12 with no problem.

[wkelly5688]

Does everyone in the cabin have to pay for a soda card? My DH is the only one who drinks soda (DD and I like water or juice, which we will bring onboard). Hypothetically though, he could fill his cup and share, which is why I wonder if they make everyone pay extra.

Just buy a card for you. Thats all you need. Individual dinks are about $2. The ships water is fine also.

Bill

[wkelly5688]

Is the smoke from the casino really a problem in the open common areas?

Smoke in the casino is a bit thick at times. I didn't notice it filtering out to oher areas.

[wkelly5688]

Thanks to the OP for starting this thread, and to the other recent cruisers for jumping in to help answer questions. Here is one from my roll call, leaving this SATURDAY!! :)

 

Can you confirm that they move the time forward Saturday night?

And do they change it back before Nassau?

 

Thanks again!

Yes. Just as you stated.

[wkelly5688]

LOL Great minds think alike... :)

We did the freestyle route and waited until we got on the ship to make reservations and had no problem. You can actually reserve entertainment venues over your in room tv. Having said that, we nearly missed Cirque Dreams by waiting. We got in but had to get premium seating. Kind of glad we did because the show was right in front of us. Reseerve this one early as it does sell out.

[AnitaVacation]

yes...it was the water taxi...$6 will give you all day access....you can see this beach from the ship...you can walk there if you want...looks like a pretty good hike....

 

yes, the clocks go forward and back before Nassau...

 

I forgot to mention, we also saw the Legends in Concert....it was Steven Tyler, Lady GaGa and Elvis....when Steven Tyler comes up on the stage (and I am a HUGE Tyler fan), you would swear it is him!!! Until he starts to sing...lmao.....the Lady Gaga singer was good, never saw her in concert, so I cannot comment on how close her imitation was....Elvis was slightly disappointing...he was pretty young, resembled Elvis and was an amazing singer...but, didn't move much on stage until the end and then he overdid it and appeared to be going into convulsions...lol..also, I'm sure Elvis smiled more during his performance than this performer....

 

When we were in Nassau, we were docked right next to the Disney Dream...wow, what an amazing ship....they have the enclosed tube waterslide that goes along each side of the ship (on the edge)....looked like alot of fun, but those people paid big $$$$ for that cruise.....

 

The first day, the elevators were CRAZY.....there are 8 or 10 forward and same in the aft.....but after the first day, there was no problem getting an elevator or getting around the ship....

 

I recommend a mid ship cabin....(we had)....because sometimes you needed to go forward and sometimes aft, so you never felt like you were hiking the entire ship....I do miss the swimming fishies on the carpet that were always swimming forward (so you knew which way you were going)...that was a nice touch I wish they had kept on this ship....even if they occassionally had them on the wall, it would have been a help....

 

We did not eat at any of the specialty restaurants on this trip, in the past, we've had Cagneys and the Bistro, both excellent choices...but our last dinner at Cagneys (last year) was lacking (both in quality and service) so, we skipped it this time....

[AnitaVacation]

Hi Anita, what ferry did you take? Is this a beach close by the cruise pier, or some other beach? Its sounds lovely, we might want to do that for our Epic cruise in Jan.

 

Thanks in advance.

 

If you think of it, and you like this sort of day, try to bring a cheap blow up float that you can just toss at the end of the day....the water was warm and relaxing...

[cnssu123]

If you think of it, and you like this sort of day, try to bring a cheap blow up float that you can just toss at the end of the day....the water was warm and relaxing...

 

Thank Anita. I do that all the time if I hit a lot of beach in one cruise.