Epic-too big?

[sayaguru]

I'm looking at booking a cruise on Epic and just noticed that it carries over 4000 guests.

I've never been on a ship that big. Are there problems with that many people?

Eg ports- getting off?

Less intimate? I just got off a 1900 passenger ship and you seemed to meet people you have met previously quite often. I liked that. Is the ship so big you'd never see the same person twice? Haha! Sometimes that's a good thing.

I've been on Jade, which I liked. That's the only Norwegian I have been on.

Thanks.

[evitacruiser]

I got off Epic this morning and tbh I found the ship really crowded. Unlike others ships we have cruised on and I include big ships such as RCL Independence and Celeb Eclipse , Epic did not seem to have any quiet spaces.

 

We went to O'Sheehans for lunch on boarding and it was heaving, and, as we didn't have great weather it remained that way for the duration of the cruise. Many times the Garden Cafe was like a scrum, no tables.

[KeithJenner]

I've been on the Epic, and similar sized ships a few times and can say that I often bump into people many times during the cruise. Obviously, if you enjoy similar things then you are likely to see people more often.

 

Also, disembarkation is no different to smaller ships in my experience. They often have more than one gangway open so the traffic is spread out.

 

Other things can vary depending on you. I've never found the large ships to be any busier than the smaller ones, but that could be because of the places that I tend to spend my time being less popular. For example, I don't spend much time on the pool deck.

[Meg67]

I also got off the Epic today and I personally loved the size of the ship. Ive only done 3 cruises but it felt less crowded than RCI Explorer of the Seas which I sailed on last year.

The only downside I found, was getting a table in the Garden Cafe... No mater what time we went to breakfast or lunch it was always heaving.... This may be down to the fact that the weather was not great so eating outside was not always an option for us:cool:

[4774Papa]

I'm looking at booking a cruise on Epic and just noticed that it carries over 4000 guests.

I've never been on a ship that big. Are there problems with that many people?

Eg ports- getting off?

Less intimate? I just got off a 1900 passenger ship and you seemed to meet people you have met previously quite often. I liked that. Is the ship so big you'd never see the same person twice? Haha! Sometimes that's a good thing.

I've been on Jade, which I liked. That's the only Norwegian I have been on.

Thanks.

 

The Epic was our least favorite cruise ship of all. The main pool area was not useable. We felt crowded more than on other ships. The food was pretty good, and we enjoyed some of the entertainment, but otherwise we will never cruise on Epic again.

[Freckles_51]

I'm going to say that maybe it depends on the time of year. I was on the Epic first week of December and it felt very spacious, reported to be only 3000 or so passengers on board :p

 

Debarkation line was extremely long but seemed to move fast

[Red-Sol]

You will get many differing opinions on the Epic. Most will be either love it or hate it.

 

For me personally I happen to fall into the love it category. I haven't found that any of the larger ships I have sailed on feel any more crowded than the smaller ones. They may have more people but they also have more venues and space as well. For us we love having good entertainment on ships and more choices of areas to eat as well as having an occasional beer. The large ships do have much better entertainment as well as dining and drinking choices so we prefer them. If that isn't something that you find important then you might not see any other advantages to the smaller ships.

 

We were thrilled to hear that Epic was going to start home porting in Port Canaveral in November and booked a Thanksgiving cruise right away! :)

[Seafan22]

I have been on the Jade, the Star, and the Epic. Personally, I prefer the smaller ships. The Epic seemed crowed and impersonal. I won't be going back on a large ship on NCL or any other line.

 

I have the Spirit coming up and then a Celebrity ship.

[sayaguru]

Thanks everyone. I know choosing ships is different for everyone. I appreciate your answers. We have been on small and mid sized mostly. But it's not just about the size I know. The main thing for us is good food and service, although some activities are good especially if lots of sea days.

The one we are looking at is short and pretty port intensive so I think we'll give it a go. Thanks again.

[old nutter]

I know it sounds strange but the number of people on cruise ships, be they Getaway, Jewel class or Star when we have cruised on them doesn't seem to matter. The smaller ships have less people, less space and less facilities and the big ships have more people, more space and more facilities. The general rule of space per person probably is not much different.

 

Things do come to a head is when the weather outside is not warm enough to sit out without winter clothes on. That can affect all of the ships to some extent because they all rely on passengers using a lot of the outside space to avoid overcrowding. What we have found is that where this happens it is as well to know where the hide y-holes are on your ship. For instance, when the Buffet is crowded o the Epic at breakfast, you can usually go down to the Italian Restaurant and sit down there in relative peace and quiet.

 

The other thing to be aware of on all of them is when shows start and end because the mid-section areas can seem pretty manic and the restaurants can get much more crowded around those times.

[Quilting_Cruiser]

I've sailed twice on NCL--the Jade and the Epic. I do prefer the size of the Jade, but I didn't find the Epic felt anymore crowded than the Jade did. Unlike a PP, I had no trouble finding quiet places to sit and read. I ran into many people several times--no different than on smaller ships.

 

Like you, I was concerned about what debarkation at ports would be like, and it was remarkably fast. I was pleasantly surprised by that.

 

While I would prefer to sail smaller ships, I wouldn't hesitate to sail the Epic again especially since I typically cruise solo and the larger ships make that easier with the studios.

[Jack_Tar]

We got off Epic Thursday morning 8am, no line or delays, signed which area your suitcase is, ours on conveyor belt. Bit crowded outside , but to be expected, no real problems. Sailed on Jade and Spirt and would prefer those to the Epic. On our sailing the weather was overcast and blustery, also being the Easter holiday period the ship was nigh full so the inside always seemed very busy. As a couple finding seating in the Garden café was not a big problem, but could see it being harder for larger families. Bars, shows and other entertainment were very busy. If the deal and time were right I would sail on the Epic again.

[ollienbertsmum]

We got off Epic Thursday morning 8am, no line or delays, signed which area your suitcase is, ours on conveyor belt. Bit crowded outside , but to be expected, no real problems. Sailed on Jade and Spirt and would prefer those to the Epic. On our sailing the weather was overcast and blustery, also being the Easter holiday period the ship was nigh full so the inside always seemed very busy. As a couple finding seating in the Garden café was not a big problem, but could see it being harder for larger families. Bars, shows and other entertainment were very busy. If the deal and time were right I would sail on the Epic again.

 

 

I have been on the Epic and i am going again in 8 days :D:D so I must have enjoyed it !! It didn't feel that much different to my other RCI ships, the only one that felt crowded in fact was the Adventure when she sailed out of Malaga and there was not much use of the casino or the bars so the public areas were crowded all of the time.

 

I think the opinions must also be different depending on the cabins you are in. If I have a balcony I am happy sitting there reading and so I don't notice if the pool deck is busy.

[ellieocb]

We sailed in March and loved the ship. The sea days were busy but we had a balcony cabin so we had a quiet place to escape and still get some sun.It was different to our other cruises on Royal Caribbean with around 2000 passengers but not enough that it was annoying. The Epic had great entertainment and that will be hard to beat on future cruises.We loved the starlight band that played in the cavern club almost everyday . We met a lot of people regularly if we're into the same types of food/restaurants. Have fun 😀