Our Not So Epic Adventure with Pics 1/11/15-1/18/15

[saxgirl84]

Irie Blue Hole

 

Next on the agenda, Blue Hole. Most. Amazing. Fun. Ever!!!! Way better then Dunn's River , far more remote and less crowded for now....there is talk of the government taking it over and turning it into the next Dunn's River attraction....booooooo!

 

Once again, you must pay admission. Once in the park, you are assigned to a couple guides. These guys are amazing! I wish I could remember their names cause they were so awesome. They help you stay safe and maximize fun. They show you all the falls, jumps, and water slides, all while keeping a good an eye on your safety! If you come, be sure to bring lots of extra cash to tip these guys generously!

 

This place is so beautiful and practically empty compared to Dunn's.

 

[/url]

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These guys were so amazing with kids, so helpful!

 

 

 

 

I Absolutely LOVED Blue Hole! looks like you were there probably right after we left. The Guide in the white tank top's name is Robert, he was our guide earlier in the day (that was our first stop...) We had a different guide with him, so I'm not sure who the other guide that you had is. We had 11 people in our group, and he made sure everyone in our group had a great time...it also seemed like they could just walk on water, the way they ran around helping everyone out. It is at the top of my favorite places I've been while cruising! I can't wait to get back!

[tomsuelaw]

Jamrock was playing in the Atrium that night.

 

 

 

We all agreed that we missed the grand Atrium's of CCL ships. Which is funny since we started out on NCL and would hear people complain about the lack of atriums on NCL ships and think that was silly....now we are the silly ones. Those atriums do add some grandeur.

 

[Seamus63]

I totally agree with you on this point. The Epic is designed as if it is the destination rather than a great way to get to a destination. We had a hard time experiencing what we love about a cruise ... being on the ocean and hearing and seeing it. Without our balcony cabin it would have been difficult to see the ocean at all.

 

We're afraid to take the newer ships, the Breakaway and Getaway for this reason. While they don't have the goofy "wave" room set up and are more traditional, they are large ships and I'm worried that the experience will be more like Epic than the Gem class ships.

 

My DW and I just completed a cruise on the Getaway in September. The waterfront was a spectacular use of outdoor space and windows were strategically placed to give indoor areas an airy feel. Balconies did seem small on the Getaway in comparison to other ships (i.e. Dawn or Jewel class) but there are more of them.

[tomsuelaw]

I Absolutely LOVED Blue Hole! looks like you were there probably right after we left. The Guide in the white tank top's name is Robert, he was our guide earlier in the day (that was our first stop...) We had a different guide with him, so I'm not sure who the other guide that you had is. We had 11 people in our group, and he made sure everyone in our group had a great time...it also seemed like they could just walk on water, the way they ran around helping everyone out. It is at the top of my favorite places I've been while cruising! I can't wait to get back!

 

Robert! That's right! Thanks for the reminder. He was so good with our kids.

[The Phoenixx]

Love the review. Thanks for the detail on the ship. I am thinking of a cruise to the Med on NCL and I love the comparison to CCL. Thanks. (I am slowly becoming a cruiseaholic. Especially since my kids are almost grown. Woohoo)

[Gr101997]

I have been on 4 different lines and the attitude of the staff on NCL is far and away the worst. The majority of them never seem happy and when you ask them for help its like you're ruining their day.

I also didn't care for the Epic. It was a good time but the ship wasn't one of my favorites. We just got off of a 2 day ctn on the Breakway and it was very similar. There are just times you don't feel like you're on a cruise and more in some mega hotel.

All the lines have their pros and cons. I hate reading fanboys go after people when they voice their opinions.

[motleyfan]

I have been on 4 different lines and the attitude of the staff on NCL is far and away the worst. The majority of them never seem happy and when you ask them for help its like you're ruining their day.

I also didn't care for the Epic. It was a good time but the ship wasn't one of my favorites. We just got off of a 2 day ctn on the Breakway and it was very similar. There are just times you don't feel like you're on a cruise and more in some mega hotel.

All the lines have their pros and cons. I hate reading fanboys go after people when they voice their opinions.

 

I can't speak for everyone else, but I'm far from a fanboy I just know the best one when I see it. Well of course you have carnival who's on staff puts on the shows or you have Norwegian has actual Broadway and professionals on board their ship to do the entertainment.

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[AandBmom]

Overview of the Hits and the Misses

 

Top 3 things that were a hit about this cruise for us:

 

1. The Ports! We made it to all 3 and had a great time at each port. Ochos Rios was the highlight of our trip.

 

2. The Weather! Leaving cold Ohio and experiencing warm sunny weather was amazing. For the most part, we were blessed with great weather.

 

3. Blue Man Group for DH and the chicken pot pie in O'Sheehans and soft serve ice cream for me.

 

 

 

Top 3 misses for us:

 

1. Layout/Design of the ship and staterooms. Poor traffic flow all over ship. Small staterooms with silly design making maneuvering difficult in rooms. Very few open decks with non-obstructed views of the ocean (even top decks had high wind protecting barriers of tinted glass almost everywhere). There were very few picture windows in common areas inside ship. It seemed like this whole ship was designed to point you back to the ship instead of pointing you to the beautiful caribbean scenery. I know all ships are designed for revenue but the Epic seems to take that to a whole new level. Everywhere you turn there is a venue or restaurant flaunted that costs extra, even the casino and art gallery you must walk thru to get places.

 

2. Not so friendly staff. These are hard working people but the majority of them were not friendly. The whole week we felt like they were annoyed and hated being there. There were a few exceptions to this but we all noticed it. We always tip extra to waiters and stewards on cruises but this time, there was little need to. We are pretty laid back and do not expect our butts to be kissed. We understand that cruise work is hard and thankless. We always walk on board and try to be a blessing to the staff, to be nice, to smile, to engage them about their families back home etc. But this staff were cold and distant, rarely smiled. Our room steward nightly took our dirty pool towels and would neglect to replace them. Multiple times we had to track him down to get fresh pool towels back...you know, the ones that you get charged extra for if you don't have that same number in your room at the end of the cruise? We talked to him multiple times, nicely, and this never improved. Seems like a basic room steward 101 skill to me.

 

Exceptions to the poor service were Joe in the lido bar area, Marciella and Garfield in the Taste, and "Milkshake" in the Splash Academy. These people all were not only friendly but also provided an extreme level of customer service.

 

3. Pool and waterpark area poorly designed for families with small children. It was impossible to keep an eye on kids effectively and relax at same time while using the water park area. Slides are laid out so poorly, the exits to slides are scattered and obstructed from view. The main pool/waterpark area is loud with constant loud music or contests going on. We prefer quieter pool areas where kids are aloud to go. We are all about "adults only" areas but on CCL there is always a loud pool area, a quiet area with pools or water slides, and an adults only area. We just couldn't find the right spot to accommodate our cruise culture, but we did our best to make do and have as good of a time as we could have.

 

 

 

So lets get on with this review already!

 

Pre-Cruise Fun!

 

We left our home at the ungodly hour of 5am on Saturday 1/10 and headed for CMH (Port Columbus International airport). T-minus 33 hours till we board the Epic.

 

We had a 7am Delta flight with a layover in ATL. DS and DD were pretty pumped to fly this time since we have drove down to FL the last couple cruises.

 

 

 

 

Remarkably, all our flights were on time and we landed in MIA around 1pm. We got our luggage and headed to the taxi line. We were staying at the Hilton Downtown Miami. Thankfully, I had researched earlier and was expecting cab fare to be about $24 from MIA. The cabby tried to charge us $41!!!!!!!!!! I argued with him for about 15 min in the car before I finally called the hotel in front of the cab driver and asked them, They confirmed that it should be at most $24. Quickly, our cabby began to sing a different tune and lowered the price to $30....Oh, pa-lease!! You have got to be kidding. We snapped a pic of his credentials to report him. I will refrain from posting that here for legal reasons.

 

"Ok, Sue, let it go. Hit the reset button and let it go so you can enjoy your vaca" 1st of many times I had to tell myself this!

 

Hilton Downtown Miami

 

We arrived at 2pm, an hour before check in. They took our luggage and told us our room was not ready but to enjoy the grounds. We headed for the pool, officially on vaca!

 

 

 

 

 

 

We just got off the Epic yesterday. I read your review before we left and I so wanted to find out that your opinion was not a common one....but.....you were bang on. The layout was ridiculous, the cabins were set up terribly and the staff were disinterested and sometimes seemed bothered (ie seeming like I was crazy when I asked for a table for 10 in Taste for breakfast). As others have said, this is a unique ship and you either like it or hate it. We had a good time. We ate well, we relaxed, we met some great people. Overall though this was at the bottom on our list of cruise experiences.

[AandBmom]

I have been on 4 different lines and the attitude of the staff on NCL is far and away the worst. The majority of them never seem happy and when you ask them for help its like you're ruining their day.

I also didn't care for the Epic. It was a good time but the ship wasn't one of my favorites. We just got off of a 2 day ctn on the Breakway and it was very similar. There are just times you don't feel like you're on a cruise and more in some mega hotel.

All the lines have their pros and cons. I hate reading fanboys go after people when they voice their opinions.

 

Yes! I agree completely with everything.

[LandlockedColorado]

Thanks for your review--great pictures! And, we definitely agree with you and several of the posters. We didn't care for our balcony cabin layout nor the layout of the ship. We did a TA in 2012 and even with all the sea days, we didn't leave feeling relaxed. Just too many people; lines, etc. But, as mentioned, everyone is different and some cruisers really like the ship. Never say never, but I doubt that we will ever sail on her again.

 

LC

[tomsuelaw]

We just got off the Epic yesterday. I read your review before we left and I so wanted to find out that your opinion was not a common one....but.....you were bang on. The layout was ridiculous, the cabins were set up terribly and the staff were disinterested and sometimes seemed bothered (ie seeming like I was crazy when I asked for a table for 10 in Taste for breakfast). As others have said, this is a unique ship and you either like it or hate it. We had a good time. We ate well, we relaxed, we met some great people. Overall though this was at the bottom on our list of cruise experiences.

 

AandBmom, sorry to hear that you had the same impression as us on the ship. Now I know its not just us. Also glad you had a good time despite those disappointments. We had a good time too, just not the best time :)

[tomsuelaw]

Grand Cayman: So glad we made it!

 

So this was an exciting day for us with a wonderful pleasant surprise of actually getting to go to Grand Cayman. You see, we have bad cruise luck with ports. Out of 7 previous cruises, we have missed ports or had itinerary changes on 5 of them. So, you could imagine, knowing that GC can be hit or miss, I was trying to not get my hopes up about stopping there. But we did, and I am so glad we did because on a 7 day cruise with only 3 ports, we wanted all the port time we could get. We are port day people for sure.

 

 

Sunrise

 

 

 

 

We opted to avoid the buffet today and ordered room service so we could enjoy a relaxing breakfast on our balcony. We really enjoyed this.

 

 

 

 

Anchoring

 

 

 

Tendering: another pleasant surprise

 

If anything went smoother then it could have for us on this cruise, it was the tendering process today. Just so you know, you need to get tender tickets prior to arriving in GC. The "tickets" are more like a reservation linked to your sail and sign card. You get tickets by going to guest services and getting your entire group booked on a specific timed tender. We had sometime after 8:30, but I don't remember for sure. But at our assigned time, we all headed to the Taste and were quickly directed to the tender boat. They loaded up and we were on our way. Hands down best tender experience for us yet. Way to go Epic!

 

 

 

 

[tomsuelaw]

This was our 1st time in Grand Cayman. We decided we would avoid 7 mile beach and try some shore snorkeling with the kids and hit up a less crowded beach. We opted for Smith's Cove Beach. We also heard about a dive shop close to port, Eden Rock Dive Center, that has on site diving on the back of their property.

 

Eden Rock

 

 

 

We walked about .25miles to Eden Rock Dive Center and got to snorkel the famous Eden Rock coral system. It was very cool. This was our 1st snorkeling attempt with the kids. It was a challenge to say the least but it worked out ok. It was a long swim to the site, but well worth it. Sorry i don't have pics. The camera guy was on vaca.

 

Here is one of us walking to the dive shop.

 

 

The dive shop has lockers for rent and all the equipment you need to snorkel or scuba dive. Staff was very nice and helpful. Would highly recommend this for a cheap, fun activity close to the cruise dock.

 

 

 

Smith's Cove

 

We also decided to walk to Smith's Cove...that was a mistake to walk. IT was hot that day and with 2 kids the 1.5mile walk now seemed like 5. Our kids are troopers. We go backpacking with them and hike miles a day with heavy back packs on back country trails, so we thought this walk would be easy. It was not. Needless to say, we took a taxi home. But we saved some cash and burned tons of calories!

 

 

The beach was beautiful with very few people. Well worth the walk.

 

 

 

 

[tomsuelaw]

 

 

I wish we got more pics of the beach area. It was beautiful. My other family members got more pics so I will post those later if I can get them.

 

 

Smith Cove offers a more private beach. It is surrounded by lava rock with a large sandy beach entrances into the water. It also has great snorkeling right there. There is a bathroom and outdoor shower. Really nice, this is where locals hang out so you know its nice.

 

 

The only problem is there are few taxi's that come by. To get a taxi, you have to walk left out of the beach and a couple hundred yards to the visitor center. There, you can have someone call a taxi for you. They also have refreshments for $1 each....an amazing deal!

 

While walking to the visitors center we passed lots of beautiful properties.

 

 

 

Our taxi came in no time and we were back to the port. Our group disbanded. Some decided to shop by the port while we opted to get back on board.

 

The Tender Back

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[tomsuelaw]

A bad omen of the doom to come ;)

 

Ok, so that is an overstatement!. But I forgot to mention that that morning, me and DS woke up and went on the balcony and immediately got scratchy throats and mild cough/sneezing. I thought it was our seasonally allergies acting up to something in the tropical eco system of GC. Convincing myself it was just allergies made it easier to enjoy the day. Ignorance was bliss for now. If only I know then...

 

 

Back on board

 

Once on board, we hit up O'Sheehans for lunch, where I discovered my favorite thing on the ship. The Chicken Pot Pie that blows all other CPP's out of the water. SO good!

 

 

 

 

The cheese sticks were great too.

 

 

 

 

DH liked the bottle his beer cam in, and he liked the beer too.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2015 by tomsuelaw

[tomsuelaw]

More O'Sheehans

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Casino in hallway nearby.

 

 

 

 

 

By the time we finished our late lunch, DS was begging to go back to the room to lie down. That should have been another big clue something was off but he played so hard that day, I just thought it was sheer exhaustion.

 

 

Leaving Grand Cayman

 

 

 

Sun sets on another great day.

 

[AandBmom]

Grand Cayman: So glad we made it!

 

So this was an exciting day for us with a wonderful pleasant surprise of actually getting to go to Grand Cayman. You see, we have bad cruise luck with ports. Out of 7 previous cruises, we have missed ports or had itinerary changes on 5 of them. So, you could imagine, knowing that GC can be hit or miss, I was trying to not get my hopes up about stopping there. But we did, and I am so glad we did because on a 7 day cruise with only 3 ports, we wanted all the port time we could get. We are port day people for sure.

 

 

Sunrise

 

 

 

 

We opted to avoid the buffet today and ordered room service so we could enjoy a relaxing breakfast on our balcony. We really enjoyed this.

 

 

 

 

Anchoring

 

 

 

Tendering: another pleasant surprise

 

If anything went smoother then it could have for us on this cruise, it was the tendering process today. Just so you know, you need to get tender tickets prior to arriving in GC. The "tickets" are more like a reservation linked to your sail and sign card. You get tickets by going to guest services and getting your entire group booked on a specific timed tender. We had sometime after 8:30, but I don't remember for sure. But at our assigned time, we all headed to the Taste and were quickly directed to the tender boat. They loaded up and we were on our way. Hands down best tender experience for us yet. Way to go Epic!

 

 

 

 

 

Funny thing is that they didn't check who was booked on a tender and who wasn't....The people booked and the "walk ins" were all together, nobody asked who was booked and who wasn't.

[motleyfan]

We just got off the Epic yesterday. I read your review before we left and I so wanted to find out that your opinion was not a common one....but.....you were bang on. The layout was ridiculous, the cabins were set up terribly and the staff were disinterested and sometimes seemed bothered (ie seeming like I was crazy when I asked for a table for 10 in Taste for breakfast). As others have said, this is a unique ship and you either like it or hate it. We had a good time. We ate well, we relaxed, we met some great people. Overall though this was at the bottom on our list of cruise experiences.

 

I was on the epic in March of last year, this will be my mini review. When I first got on the ship I thought everything was beautiful, I am a smoker so I spent quite a bit of time in the casino lol though at that time I could still smoke on my balcony. Some of the things I did on the ship may be out of order because it was all the way in March and I don't have the greatest memory. The food was great I have no complaints. I had the ultimate dining package so the first night I went to the Italian place, I remembered their food was great on the sky so I was excited to try it on the epic. It did not disappoint and I love the different dipping sauces they give you. I saw the Blue Man Group and was blown away that it was a free show as everything was amazing. They were funny, engaging and the show was always interesting. I was lucky enough to get to see Cirque twice. First time I paid for VIP seats and was taken up to be part of the show. I didn't like what they served so they actually brought me a hamburger and french fries. Everyone at every restaurant I went to on the ship seemed to be so accommodating, then again I was wearing a cruise critic badge lol. I tried the epic plunge but being a big guy I was nervous about breaking the slide or getting stuck somewhere lol. Everything worked out okay but the slide is definitely scary. All in all I can say i enjoyed the ship , the islands and the excursions.

 

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app

[ilovetotravel1977]

Tendering: another pleasant surprise

 

If anything went smoother then it could have for us on this cruise, it was the tendering process today. Just so you know, you need to get tender tickets prior to arriving in GC. The "tickets" are more like a reservation linked to your sail and sign card. You get tickets by going to guest services and getting your entire group booked on a specific timed tender. We had sometime after 8:30, but I don't remember for sure. But at our assigned time, we all headed to the Taste and were quickly directed to the tender boat. They loaded up and we were on our way. Hands down best tender experience for us yet. Way to go Epic!

 

When day is the earliest you can book your tender?

 

What time was the first tender at? We have an independent excursion booked and they pick up at 8:45am at the dock.

[AandBmom]

When day is the earliest you can book your tender?

 

What time was the first tender at? We have an independent excursion booked and they pick up at 8:45am at the dock.

 

You can book as soon as you board but as far as I saw nobody checked who was booked and who wasn't. Everyone just showed up at the time they wanted to get off and sat down for a few minutes then were lined up to get off. It went very smooth. We booked but nobody asked for our cards or our names to see if we were booked or not. You shouldn't have any problem at all but just to be sure book it on day one on your tv then you're all set.

[jcroff1]

We booked a 7:45 am tender. When we were on the epic last week. You book it on the touch screens around the ship or on you tv starting Tuesday. It was almost too early for our 8:45 meeting time in the peir. We sat around for at least 45 min.

[AandBmom]

We booked a 7:45 am tender. When we were on the epic last week. You book it on the touch screens around the ship or on you tv starting Tuesday. It was almost too early for our 8:45 meeting time in the peir. We sat around for at least 45 min.

 

Did anyone ever check if you actually had a booked time? I'm so curious why they bother booking.

[jcroff1]

No it was all electronic. I think they may have seen it as they swiped our cards before we boarded the tender.

[tomsuelaw]

When day is the earliest you can book your tender?

 

What time was the first tender at? We have an independent excursion booked and they pick up at 8:45am at the dock.

 

Sorry, I am not sure about this. I can't remember. We were not in a rush so we just chose one after 8:30.

[motleyfan]

When day is the earliest you can book your tender?

 

What time was the first tender at? We have an independent excursion booked and they pick up at 8:45am at the dock.

 

I didn't know they offer independent excursions on great stirrup Kay.

Sent from my SM-G900P using Forums mobile app