dorisdoris1 Posted October 15, 2013 #1 Share Posted October 15, 2013 Hi,after many cruises with RCL we are looking at The Epic for next May. What can I expect to be better/same/worse that RCL. The ship looks fabulous,looking at a mini suite,which is £500 more than a balcony..is it worth it:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseReg Posted October 15, 2013 #2 Share Posted October 15, 2013 A mini suite on the EPIC is a just a balcony cabin that is slightly larger and may have a shower/tub combination. I would not pay 500 pounds more, no way! I have sailed the EPIC in both categories. Sent from my SAMSUNG-SGH-I337 using Tapatalk 4 Beta Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisdoris1 Posted October 15, 2013 Author #3 Share Posted October 15, 2013 CruiseReg,thankyou.am only just starting out with my research..is it very crowded and crazy on sea days? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blindrid Posted October 15, 2013 #4 Share Posted October 15, 2013 IMHO, a mini is not a big deal as I have friends that only book mini's and it's not worth much to me. I book a regular balcony. As to the differences - I think you will find, not much. All of the mainstream lines are pretty much the same with small differences. I have become loyal to NCL mainly due to their "Freestyle" dining. I've had friends do both NCL and RCCL and some have liked one over the other far various reasons. I think you will find things that are "different" but that have never meant bad to me. It's all in what your expectations are and sometimes, what you are used to. Have a great time regardless, Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisdoris1 Posted October 15, 2013 Author #5 Share Posted October 15, 2013 IMHO, a mini is not a big deal as I have friends that only book mini's and it's not worth much to me. I book a regular balcony. As to the differences - I think you will find, not much. All of the mainstream lines are pretty much the same with small differences. I have become loyal to NCL mainly due to their "Freestyle" dining. I've had friends do both NCL and RCCL and some have liked one over the other far various reasons. I think you will find things that are "different" but that have never meant bad to me. It's all in what your expectations are and sometimes, what you are used to. Have a great time regardless, Randy thankyou.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
3DBeach Posted October 15, 2013 #6 Share Posted October 15, 2013 We've sailed both lines and enjoy what each have to offer. We were in a mini suite on Epic and if it's a big price increase I wouldn't recommend it personally. Our room did have a tub and a nice size balcony however it felt similar in size to a balcony cabin on Royal (to me anyway). I also don't think all mini suites have a tub but I'm not positive. Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Demonyte Posted October 15, 2013 #7 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I also don't think all mini suites have a tub but I'm not positive. This is correct for Epic and newer ships in NCL fleet, at least 6 ships before Epic have tubs in all minisuites (not the HC ones). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CruiseReg Posted October 15, 2013 #8 Share Posted October 15, 2013 I also don't think all mini suites have a tub but I'm not positive. Yep that's correct, it's why I said "may" - we had a tub in our mini suite on our December 2012 cruise. We're in a mini again for our December 2013 cruise, but only because the price we paid is still less than the balcony pricing. Sent from my Samsung Galaxy S4 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dorisdoris1 Posted October 20, 2013 Author #9 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Booked it. Looks fantastic for me as I am really not keen on set time dining and sitting at the same table etc,going to spend the next few months learning from you all will have load sof questions no doubt..:) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Powriv Posted October 20, 2013 #10 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Consider that freestyle dining while a great idea can mean waits at restaurants if everyone has the same idea to eat at the same time Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fshagan Posted October 20, 2013 #11 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Booked it.Looks fantastic for me as I am really not keen on set time dining and sitting at the same table etc,going to spend the next few months learning from you all will have load sof questions no doubt..:) This is the main difference for us. Being able to choose where to eat on the fly, including what time we are going to eat, and who we are going to be seated with is a joy compared to the assigned seating and formal nights on the other lines. Dining is closer to choosing a place to eat on land. The longest wait we have ever had was 20 minutes on the Star on a Pacific Coastal / Alaskan cruise that had three sea days in a row; the main dining rooms were packed at opening (we were with older people who didn't want to wait until later to eat). They give you a beeper and you can walk around until your table is ready. Its not for everyone; we saw a couple exhibiting absolutely bizarre behavior, pointing and yelling about "four tops in that section!" and exclaiming loudly they will never sail where "we are not IMMEDIATELY seated for dinner!" We saw them a few more times, and they apparently spent 7 days absolutely pissed off about everything, including the weather which somehow became NCL's fault. It got to be a joke among our group. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcwingwalker Posted October 20, 2013 #12 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Consider that freestyle dining while a great idea can mean waits at restaurants if everyone has the same idea to eat at the same time On our past NCL cruises have never had problems with waiting. I do remember waiting once for a few minutes, but no big deal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kcwingwalker Posted October 20, 2013 #13 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Its not for everyone; we saw a couple exhibiting absolutely bizarre behavior, pointing and yelling about "four tops in that section!" and exclaiming loudly they will never sail where "we are not IMMEDIATELY seated for dinner!" We saw them a few more times, and they apparently spent 7 days absolutely pissed off about everything, including the weather which somehow became NCL's fault. It got to be a joke among our group. That couple sure gets around. Seems like every cruise there they are the "Bickersons" and always complaining. You have the right idea! Just enjoy the performance and see the humor of the situation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pliskin Posted October 20, 2013 #14 Share Posted October 20, 2013 I have to say that I've never had less than an amazing time on my three ncl sailings, a few weeks from #4. There is an attitude with the crew that I have not experienced on other lines. Everyone has been so gracious and helpful. We've never had to wait more than 15 minutes for a table and the add-on restaurants are great. Especially Le Bistro. Another plus is the TV monitors that show open seating at all the restaurants. I was already a happy ncl customer then I saw the episode of under cover boss which further cemented my loyalty. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
newmexicoNita Posted October 20, 2013 #15 Share Posted October 20, 2013 Consider that freestyle dining while a great idea can mean waits at restaurants if everyone has the same idea to eat at the same time waits are really over complained about. We have done so many free style cruises I have lost track of how many and we have only waited more than 10 minutes about 2 or 3 times. We usually eat about 6:30 to 7ish and we have had groups of 2 to 14. I think eating about 7:30 to 8 might create a problem and once, we decided to eat very early and there was a little wait. If you do have to wait more than a few minutes they give you a beeper and a discount on drinks or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.