NCL Epic Review Nov 22-29

[clean1owner]

Good photos, well-written review. Thanks very much. We sail on the 13th.

 

Thanks for the comments. Keep an eye out for my posting of the Dailies. I should have it sometime today.

[NJ Fred]

We sail on Epic 13 January. Your review and photos were well-received by our travelling companions - - endless appreciation!

 

Like you, we do not climb a gangway only to be subjected to social/political hoopla; deal with enough of that rubbish in everyday life.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to author this extraordinary and intellectually honest review.

 

Happy 2016!

[fabnfortysomething]

I'm scratching my head a bit at the comments that Priscilla Queen of the Desert has a social /political agenda-think you're overthinking it

 

I've seen it as a musical in the London West End and as a regional tour staring Jason Donovan.It was also made into a film staring Terrence Stamp

 

It's sheer entertainment-cheesy songs and not meant to be taken seriously

 

Bit like Rock of Ages on Breakaway which also attracted criticism -personally I loved both the West End productions and found the NCL one entertaining -they have taken hit shows which seem to divide opinion whereas Legally Blonde on the Getaway had equal criticism for being too bland

 

Guess it proves you cant please all the people all the time but have booked to see Priscilla on the Epic in March

[evitacruiser]

I'm scratching my head a bit at the comments that Priscilla Queen of the Desert has a social /political agenda-think you're overthinking it

 

I've seen it as a musical in the London West End and as a regional tour staring Jason Donovan.It was also made into a film staring Terrence Stamp

 

It's sheer entertainment-cheesy songs and not meant to be taken seriously

 

Bit like Rock of Ages on Breakaway which also attracted criticism -personally I loved both the West End productions and found the NCL one entertaining -they have taken hit shows which seem to divide opinion whereas Legally Blonde on the Getaway had equal criticism for being too bland

 

Guess it proves you cant please all the people all the time but have booked to see Priscilla on the Epic in March

 

 

I agree, I don't see a political agenda either, to me it is just entertainment not a deep statement. I have also booked the show for our upcoming trip in March and we will watch it from the standpoint of theatre and not politics. Each to their own I guess.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

Thanks so much for your review! I'm on the Epic in March--different itinerary so I just skimmed over your port adventures, but was very interested in your description of the ship and crew. It's my first time on the Epic, and I'm very much looking forward to it. I'll be eating at a few of the specialties so it was good to hear your thoughts on those.

 

I'm booked (twice, actually) to see Priscilla. I've heard great reviews of it and can't wait to see it. I was aware of the content before booking it--I always familiarize myself a little with the story line before attending for the reasons you outlined. At least you didn't pay to see it since you were so unhappy with it. I love musicals and am looking forward to it and don't anticipate being at all offended by the content, especially since I'm a diversity program manager by profession. :) I've also heard great things about Burn the Floor. I wasn't planning to see it but changed my mind based on the rave reviews I've read.

 

Again, thanks for the review!

[Mr Jester]

Thanks for the review. We have never cruised with NCL before and are on Epic in March so found your review very informative.

Might have to change our plans in Palma.:)

 

Cheers.

[bellevuemountain]

I agree, I don't see a political agenda either, to me it is just entertainment not a deep statement. I have also booked the show for our upcoming trip in March and we will watch it from the standpoint of theatre and not politics. Each to their own I guess.

 

I agree also. I'm also looking forward to seeing the show at the end of the month!

[Bluenoser47]

Thank you for your excellent review. Epic reviews are few and far between.

We will be on her for 11 day Barcelona and down the coast of itally. Across to Sicily etc.

It was nice to see some of the same ports reviewed.

And a good report on dining and entertainment.

Sorry your wife injured herself. I do hope when you arrived home she was not much worse for the wear.

I appreciated your honesty about Pricilla. And though I may or may not agree with your assessment. I do agree the contect should be better advertised as it is a show that many find the content offensive to varying degrees.

Last time I was on Epic Blueman group was the show and it was fantastic. ...i wish they had replaced it with something else that was more appropriate for a wider audience and less controversial subject matter of

 

I am anxiously awaiting your thread with the dailies. It will be different for our itinerary but at least they will give me an idea of what is currently on board for entertainment besides the main shows.

[clean1owner]

I'm scratching my head a bit at the comments that Priscilla Queen of the Desert has a social /political agenda-think you're overthinking it

 

I've seen it as a musical in the London West End and as a regional tour staring Jason Donovan.It was also made into a film staring Terrence Stamp

 

It's sheer entertainment-cheesy songs and not meant to be taken seriously

 

Bit like Rock of Ages on Breakaway which also attracted criticism -personally I loved both the West End productions and found the NCL one entertaining -they have taken hit shows which seem to divide opinion whereas Legally Blonde on the Getaway had equal criticism for being too bland

 

Guess it proves you cant please all the people all the time but have booked to see Priscilla on the Epic in March

 

I agree, I don't see a political agenda either, to me it is just entertainment not a deep statement. I have also booked the show for our upcoming trip in March and we will watch it from the standpoint of theatre and not politics. Each to their own I guess.

 

 

 

Content of the show aside, to me, it was still a poor production for the reasons I listed. Like I said before, maybe my involvement in stage productions makes me too critical and able to notice things like poor lighting, behind stage movement, and bad set design.

But even my wife and daughter, who have never been involved like I have, commented on the choppy storyline being hard to follow.

 

We have seen every musical on every ship we have sailed, so it's not like we are new to a stage show. This one, to us, just wasn't that good.

 

As I also posted before, if NCL is going to bill their stage shows as Broadway quality, they should at least be better than Community Theater productions.

Edited January 4, 2016 by clean1owner

[clean1owner]

We sail on Epic 13 January. Your review and photos were well-received by our travelling companions - - endless appreciation!

 

Like you, we do not climb a gangway only to be subjected to social/political hoopla; deal with enough of that rubbish in everyday life.

 

Again, thank you for taking the time to author this extraordinary and intellectually honest review.

 

Happy 2016!

 

Thanks for the review. We have never cruised with NCL before and are on Epic in March so found your review very informative.

Might have to change our plans in Palma.:)

 

Cheers.

 

 

Thank you for the kind comments. I do try to tell it like it is, good or bad.

[portofrome]

Thanks for your review.

[CincyJen]

Terrific and well-written review of the Epic, and as BlueNoser47 said, they are few and far between so extra thanks!

 

So sorry that Esther got hurt and I hope that she's doing OK. It's a nightmare for all travellers that we might incur injury. I'm so sorry it happened to you and I just hope she's well and has otherwise good memories about the cruise. Sorry about your dental problems as well but what a great and informative story about your dental care in Spain!

 

Thanks again and looking forward to the dailies!

Edited January 4, 2016 by CincyJen

[KeithJenner]

My recommendation is to get off at S. Pietro and grab a cab there. The fare might be a little higher, but you will give yourself nearly an extra hour of time.

 

When we go to the Colosseum from Civitavecchia, we try to get on a train which stops at Ostiense, as it is just two stops on the metro to Colosseo. The cost is about €1 each I believe (from memory).

 

Good review, by the way.

[Dexysgirl]

We are on NCL Epic this March and really enjoyed your port reviews. Your description of running for the train in Sollar made me laugh out loud but sorry to hear of your wife's fall. i hope she is feeling much better.

[CruisinMaterial]

I was on the cruise after the OPs for those who were looking for just as extensive review... mine was quite lengthy about the 10 day Canary Islands cruise. Just look for my username in the area of the Epic Member Reviews. I can't post the link because that portion of the site doesn't work well from this computer for some reason.

 

The Epic re-do was great. I was in a studio so can't comment on the regular room configuration. I like the design of the studios. I saw Priscilla twice and loved it equally. They do use an LED wall for their background effects. The song numbers at the end when they reach the casino is quite amusing with the number of costume changes they have to do and how quickly they're done.

 

Burn the Floor I enjoyed on the Breakaway but this production on Epic seemed low energy and boring - even the high beat numbers were off. It also didn't help that during the opening number a dancer missed her mark fell and slid across the stage. For me, the show didn't recover much after that. :(

 

Rock of Ages was far more racy than Priscilla for costuming. There's a poster about what Priscilla is about by the box office and it says clearly what the storyline is about... along with Burn the Floor. I read it on embarkation day.

 

I love the Epic's layout better than the Breakaway-class ships. What was allegedly wrong with the Epic was corrected on the Breakaway class but I doubt it as everything on Breakaway is smaller than Epic!

 

Different strokes for different folks but thought I would let people know there's a very detailed review from mid-December in there posted by me.

 

Happy New Year! :)

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I was on the cruise after the OPs for those who were looking for just as extensive review... mine was quite lengthy about the 10 day Canary Islands cruise. Just look for my username in the area of the Epic Member Reviews. I can't post the link because that portion of the site doesn't work well from this computer for some reason.

 

The Epic re-do was great. I was in a studio so can't comment on the regular room configuration. I like the design of the studios. I saw Priscilla twice and loved it equally. They do use an LED wall for their background effects. The song numbers at the end when they reach the casino is quite amusing with the number of costume changes they have to do and how quickly they're done.

 

Burn the Floor I enjoyed on the Breakaway but this production on Epic seemed low energy and boring - even the high beat numbers were off. It also didn't help that during the opening number a dancer missed her mark fell and slid across the stage. For me, the show didn't recover much after that. :(

 

Rock of Ages was far more racy than Priscilla for costuming. There's a poster about what Priscilla is about by the box office and it says clearly what the storyline is about... along with Burn the Floor. I read it on embarkation day.

 

I love the Epic's layout better than the Breakaway-class ships. What was allegedly wrong with the Epic was corrected on the Breakaway class but I doubt it as everything on Breakaway is smaller than Epic!

 

Different strokes for different folks but thought I would let people know there's a very detailed review from mid-December in there posted by me.

 

Happy New Year! :)

 

Thanks so much--I'll definitely look for your review. I'm going on the Canary Islands itinerary and am also sailing in a studio so it'll be good to see what you thought!

 

Thanks also for letting us know that the storyline for Priscilla is posted y the box office for those with concerns.

 

Cheers!

[clean1owner]

I just posted the Freestyle Dailies from this trip.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48665333&posted=1#post48665333

[sandancer]

A combination of both. Like I said in my original post, I felt ambushed by NCL, trying to make a social statement. Had they been upfront about that, I would have had a different viewpoint going in, or maybe just skip the show all together. Like I sad, I don't go on vacation to have social or political opinions thrown at me.

 

 

 

I also enjoy musicals. Having worked Lights and Sound on several, I may have higher expectations than others. This production had no flow, a poor set, and a bad choppy storyline. I understand the Epic is a multi-use theater, but NCL bills this as a Broadway quality show. It doesn't even come close.

 

 

 

We all disliked the show so much, we didn't even give Burn The Floor a chance. It could very well have been an excellent production, but we may never know now.

 

 

It's s shame you missed Burn the Floor. We enjoyed it a lot more than Priscilla. There is no storyline to it but the dancers were great. They have 2 guitarists who were superb. My DH was very reluctant to go as he did not enjoy Priscilla at all but he was really pleased he did once the performance started.

[bellevuemountain]

I just posted the Freestyle Dailies from this trip.

 

 

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?p=48665333&posted=1#post48665333

 

Thanks!

[clean1owner]

It's s shame you missed Burn the Floor. We enjoyed it a lot more than Priscilla. There is no storyline to it but the dancers were great. They have 2 guitarists who were superb. My DH was very reluctant to go as he did not enjoy Priscilla at all but he was really pleased he did once the performance started.

 

 

 

I was surprised I couldn't even get my wife to go to Burn The Floor. She is a big Dancing With The Stars fan, and it sounds like Burn The Floor incorporates a lot of the same dances used on the show.

[sandancer]

Here in the UK we have Strictly Come Dancing and I'm not a fan. I booked for Burn the Floor expecting it to be just ok. Surprise! Loved it but it's not really like the tv shows.

[clean1owner]

Here in the UK we have Strictly Come Dancing and I'm not a fan. I booked for Burn the Floor expecting it to be just ok. Surprise! Loved it but it's not really like the tv shows.

 

It's s shame you missed Burn the Floor. We enjoyed it a lot more than Priscilla. There is no storyline to it but the dancers were great. They have 2 guitarists who were superb. My DH was very reluctant to go as he did not enjoy Priscilla at all but he was really pleased he did once the performance started.

 

 

So maybe I need to book another Epic cruise so I can see the show?

[hmorrow]

Thanks for your very informative, honest review of the epic.

I was second guessing booking a TA on this ship after reading some not so glowing reviews

I think we will be satisfied,after all , especially if we eat in the specialty restaurants.

Thanks again

Helaine

[june123]

Thanks for your very informative, honest review of the epic.

I was second guessing booking a TA on this ship after reading some not so glowing reviews

I think we will be satisfied,after all , especially if we eat in the specialty restaurants.

Thanks again

Helaine

 

We did a Trans Atlantic on her last year and loved it so much we`ve booked another for next year .

[CruisingSwedes]

Thanks for your review! Enjoyed it a lot! The crushed tablet photo made me feel bad for your wife!

 

I was on the cruise after the OPs for those who were looking for just as extensive review... mine was quite lengthy about the 10 day Canary Islands cruise. Just look for my username in the area of the Epic Member Reviews. I can't post the link because that portion of the site doesn't work well from this computer for some reason.

 

Happy New Year! :)

 

 

CruisinMaterial I tried to find you review with no luck using my iPad. I only found your Epic review from 2011. Guess I'll have to look on the big computer as the site is set up differently.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk