EPIC -- Honest Opinion!!!

[cocoabeachcruiser]

Help please- I've booked on to The Epic for a Med Cruise in September, but am growing extremely concerned at the increase in reviews that are so poor!!!!!

 

Are these reviews genuine , or from cruisers who are never satisfied....having cruised nearly 20 times, I've always been amazed at reviews I've read about the same trip I've been on , yet never experienced the same problems!!!

 

So help please, is The Epic poor,good, or Great?

 

Epic= POOR

I have done 40 cruises and the Epic this past December. Worse NCL cruise to date.

Now with that said, that is my opinion based on my likes,dislikes,and interests. I don't eat in the dining rooms or specialties as a rule so buffet is huge to me.

Go and have fun and make your own opinion.

 

Steve

[karoo]

It is a really great ship for a port intensive cruise. During a Sea Day, personally I miss the connection to the ocean, not being able to walk around a promenade deck, eat at the Great Outdoors-the aft area at the back of the buffet, also the pool deck is very small for the amount of people on board. (Although I've cruised on the Epic twice in July, so there is usually heaps of kids on board) H2O is great though, as I appreciate the adult only area, although it is hard to often find shade during the day. At night the Epic is great as there are lots of choices of entertainment. They often have good theme nights in H2O too.

 

A lot of the negative reviews could be from the present itinerary in the Caribbean which has many more sea days than the Europe itinerary.

 

Some people don't like the bathroom set up, but it doesn't phase me as in my country (Australia) our toilets are usually in a separate room -never in our bathrooms, so I prefer the toilet being separate from the washbasin etc. Just a personal phobia-I can't clean my teeth in the same room as a toilet. Cultural differences I guess.

 

The showers have opaque glass which some people aren't comfortable with. I've done the Epic twice and am booked to go again in July'15.

[LrgPizza]

I sailed both Epic and Getaway last year, and I liked both, but I liked the Epic better.

[gooch47]

There wasn't anything particularly bad about it but neither my husband or I were at all impressed with it.

[xriva]

I've written negatively about the Epic before but always try to temper my remarks like you have. Two things bothered me, the cabin bathroom set up and very little chance of actually seeing the water from the ship; that's a weird complaint I guess because I haven't seen it stated before, but I found it hard to remember I was on a ship..

 

 

That was my major complaint. The Epic was built for people who don't want to know they're on a ship. It's a resort that floats. 678 Ocean Place on the Breakaway class fixed this for me.

 

My wife loves the Epic.

[Out to sea!]

It is a really great ship for a port intensive cruise. During a Sea Day, personally I miss the connection to the ocean, not being able to walk around a promenade deck, eat at the Great Outdoors-the aft area at the back of the buffet, also the pool deck is very small for the amount of people on board. (Although I've cruised on the Epic twice in July, so there is usually heaps of kids on board) H2O is great though, as I appreciate the adult only area, although it is hard to often find shade during the day. At night the Epic is great as there are lots of choices of entertainment. They often have good theme nights in H2O too.

 

A lot of the negative reviews could be from the present itinerary in the Caribbean which has many more sea days than the Europe itinerary.

 

Some people don't like the bathroom set up, but it doesn't phase me as in my country (Australia) our toilets are usually in a separate room -never in our bathrooms, so I prefer the toilet being separate from the washbasin etc. Just a personal phobia-I can't clean my teeth in the same room as a toilet. Cultural differences I guess.

 

The showers have opaque glass which some people aren't comfortable with. I've done the Epic twice and am booked to go again in July'15.

 

For me, it's not whether the toilet and shower are in the same room, it's the opaque glass used to separate both of them from the rest of the cabin. Now, while I don't mind seeing my wife's silhouette while she is showering I certainly don't want to see it when she is using the toilet and the same goes for my usage. Also, the opaque glass has no sound proofing in it (if you know what I mean).

[karoo]

I didn't realise the toilet cubicle was opaque. I've booked a studio cabin on both my cruises and they have a normal door and walls on the toilet door. It is only the shower cubicle that has the opaque glass.

[Out to sea!]

I didn't realise the toilet cubicle was opaque. I've booked a studio cabin on both my cruises and they have a normal door and walls on the toilet door. It is only the shower cubicle that has the opaque glass.

 

I can only speak for the inside cabins but yes, they were both opaque. Supposedly, there is a curtain that can be pulled to close off the shower/toilet area from the rest of the cabin but our cabin did not have one and I didn't know about it until I saw one in another cabin that the door was open on. Saw that the second to last day of cruise so too late to try and get one in my cabin. As it was, wife and I either stayed outside of cabin while the other used the toilet or I sometimes walked upstairs to use the public toilet on the pool deck (it was one deck above us).

[Cruise4Real]

To the best of my knowledge (based on viewing videos, etc.) the doors to Epic cabin facilities are probably better described as "translucent" rather than "opaque." The problem for some (as I understand it) is that the doors *aren't* opaque.

[Out to sea!]

To the best of my knowledge (based on viewing videos, etc.) the doors to Epic cabin facilities are probably better described as "translucent" rather than "opaque." The problem for some (as I understand it) is that the doors *aren't* opaque.

 

Yes, translucent.......I just used opaque because the poster who quoted me used the term. Either way, they are glass that is made so it lets light through and can be seen through but is not clear. Whatever term wants to be applied to that can be. Doors of both shower and toilet are made of this "not quite clear" glass as I just looked at the pics I took in 2013 of my cabin on the Epic.

Edited April 16, 2015 by Out to sea!

[Cruise4Real]

Opaque, translucent.......pretty much the same in my book. Specifically, they are glass that is made so it lets light through and can be seen through but is not clear. Whatever term wants to be applied to that can be. Doors of both shower and toilet are made of this "not quite clear" glass as I just looked at the pics I took in 2013 of my cabin on the Epic.

 

Welllll....not trying to start a fight, but the two words have different meanings. Opaque means light does not pass through it, you can't see anything. Concrete or wood are opaque.

 

Frosted glass, which is what the Epic doors look like, is translucent. Some light can pass through, but it gets scattered so things look fuzzy and out of focus.

 

Edit: LOL, you edited your post. Oh well, glad to see we're on the same page!

Edited April 16, 2015 by Cruise4Real

[dinosaurdem]

To the best of my knowledge (based on viewing videos, etc.) the doors to Epic cabin facilities are probably better described as "translucent" rather than "opaque." The problem for some (as I understand it) is that the doors *aren't* opaque.

 

Thank you.

[quercus alba]

The Epic is awful and dreadful. In fact I blame it 100% for causing my addiction to cruising. Following our trip on the Epic in May 2013 I now need a cruise every 6 months just to keep going :D

 

Where's that "Like" button? :)

[quercus alba]

Oh dear! It did give you an illness a 100 times worse that the dreaded norovirus. I wonder if there is a 12-step program for this addiction?

 

Look for a "Friends of CC" on your next cruise! ;)

[Out to sea!]

Welllll....not trying to start a fight, but the two words have different meanings. Opaque means light does not pass through it, you can't see anything. Concrete or wood are opaque.

 

Frosted glass, which is what the Epic doors look like, is translucent. Some light can pass through, but it gets scattered so things look fuzzy and out of focus.

 

Edit: LOL, you edited your post. Oh well, glad to see we're on the same page!

 

Yes, I admit I don't know everything. But as the poster I took the word opaque from, I too thought it was the same as translucent until I went and looked it up and then edited my post. ;)

[Envelope21]

Since the OP asked for an honest opinion, here is mine. We sailed on Epic twice. The first time we were in a balcony. We went to all the shows (both the fee-based ones and the free ones). We loved the Second City troupe. We enjoyed Blue Man and Legends. Not really crazy about the Cirque show. We had no problems with the whole bathroom layout situation. We thought the cabins were lovely. The curved walls and color scheme was a nice touch.

The next time we sailed on Epic we were in an inside. Having seen all the 'paid' shows, we opted out of not seeing them this time. This troupe of Second City was not nearly as good. The Jazz Club that we had so enjoyed the first time had turned into a rather lame karaoke bar this time. The cruise director thought she needed to YELL into the microphone every chance she got.

The thing that bothered me the most though was that by having an inside cabin, we had completely lost our connection to the outside. There is not really an outside promenade deck to walk around. (I never thought that would be an issue, but I started to feel claustrophobic on the ship.) The only place to really connect with the outside was on the pool deck and that was always rather crazy with lots of kids and loud music.

I enjoy partying and socializing but I also enjoy some quiet time to recharge my batteries. I found it very hard to find a quiet place on this ship. I did go back to my quiet inside cabin a few times. But I think I would have preferred a quiet stroll on an outside promenade from time to time. But there wasn't one.

If I ever sail on Epic again, it will have to be with a balcony cabin.

Oh, and by the way. I've been on 30 cruises. Epic was the first time I ever got sea sick.

Just sayin.

[CarnivalSuperb]

Thank's all.