Epic 2018, feeling a little nervous

[splinkaone]

We're booked on the Epic next February, traveling with friends who picked this cruise because they are going to Disneyworld pre cruise and they are NCL fans. We prefer RCI but have sailed NCL before (Pearl/Alaska). This will be the largest ship we've been on too. I've read a lot of mixed reviews about the Epic, beginning to wonder if we made the right choice. Are there any recent reviews of her sailing out of Port Canaveral?

[DMH15]

I was very nervous about cruising such a big ship too. My favorite is the much smaller NCL Sun.

 

I cruised February 2017. I loved Epic. But I was in the Haven. That insulated me some from the crowds. But, I didn't live in the Haven. Did many things out and about in the atrium, Howl at the Moon, etc.

 

Why not give it a try? You will be with friends and that is a plus!

 

 

 

 

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[Ask4Jay]

My wife and I did 3 cruises on the Epic, 2 Transatlantics and 1 Caribbean. Nice ship, great crew. Did not feel crowded.

[Son of a son of a ...]

Personally, I would pick a breakaway or breakaway plus class ship, although they are larger ships as well. We've been on the Epic and had a good time, but some of the recent reviews appear ominous. Typically, where there is smoke, there is fire. Why risk a crappy cruise when there are so many other options?

[spidybabe]

The Epic is a great ship, wonderful crew, and great entertainment. Just make sure to prebook shows (can always be changed once onboard ) and use the big touchscreens to book other events once onboard

Safe sailing

[DCP]

We love the Epic, were on here in November of last year for a TA. We have never done the Haven, but have done a balcony room every cruise, and love it. I think those who post the negative reviews are ones who just have to complain about something. Go and enjoy!

[tcrandal]

The way I look at it, is you are on vacation, with friends... If you can't figure out a way to make even the most horrible trip fun, then you should at least practice starting on this trip!

 

You will find negative, terrible experiences no matter what ship you read up on. Don't go in with a negative attitude, and don't look for things that you don't like. Focus on the positive and enjoy that fun vacation you have planned with great people around you!

[Ggmartin]

i'm doing the Epic in Feb 2018 i"ve only heard good stuff hope thats right, sailed tne Sun ,the Escape and the Getaway and had a wonderful time

[CruisinNewbie11]

I will be sailing first time on the Epic February, 2018. I am booked into a solo cabin and traveling alone. I haven't cruised in years and feel a little undaunted, but am looking forward to a new adventure.

[terri910]

We love the Epic, were on here in November of last year for a TA. We have never done the Haven, but have done a balcony room every cruise, and love it. I think those who post the negative reviews are ones who just have to complain about something. Go and enjoy!

This is simply not true. Different people have different experiences.

 

 

My husband and I love to cruise. We are platinum with Carnival and NCL, and have also cruised RCL. We did a Trans-Atlantic cruise on the Epic. We always have a good time on cruises (hey, someone else is cooking, cleaning, making up my room....there is no way this can't be a good time), but that doesn't mean that some aren't better than others. And we were disappointed on that cruise on the Epic....the service in the Dining Room was not good, and the staff (deck staff and Customer Service desk staff) were generally unhelpful. Additionally, we didn't like the design of the cabin (I think people either love or hate that bathroom design). However, the food was good and we thought the entertainment was very good. And we did love all the sea days (if only the deck staff had actually enforced their lounge chair policy every day, rather than just the last two, after days and days of complaints and requests). We met a couple in the Manhattan dining room one evening. They were very loyal NCL cruisers, and they asked us how we would rate the cruise. We said probably a 3 out of a possible 10. They said, "You are being generous!" These were NCL loyalists and they said it was the worst service they'd ever experienced on NCL.

 

So, a year later, we booked another TA with NCL (on the Star) and noticed that the Epic had a 7-day Med cruise that ended up in Barcelona the same day our Star TA began, so we booked it and decided to give the Epic another chance. Obviously, the design of the cabins hadn't changed, so we didn't love that, but it certainly didn't ruin our cruise. What surprised us, however, was that service in the Dining Room hadn't seemed to improve one bit. The cruise was more port intensive than a TA, so the deck crew/lounge chair situation was a non-issue for us. When we arrived in Barcelona and switched over to the NCL Star, the first thing we noticed was how much more storage there was in the cabin....and we loved the bathroom configuration. Even though the weather was not the best on the crossing (we didn't get to go to Bermuda at all, too windy and no ships were allowed in or out), and everyone in our group took turns getting sick, we still enjoyed the ship much more. The service in both of the dining rooms was excellent. And the entertainment was also excellent.

 

Unless the Epic is ever the ONLY ship with the itinerary we are looking for, at the price we like, we have no plans to ever sail on it again.

 

But that doesn't mean that it won't be the perfect ship for someone else. As they say, your mileage may vary.

 

But it is simply wrong to assume that people who write negative reviews are folks who simply must complain about something.

[CJDepew]

I sailed on the Feb 24 Eastern Caribbean itinerary. Would be happy to answer any specific questions. Overall, I had a really enjoyable week, and didn't have a problem working with the balcony cabin "challenges".

[splinkaone]

CJDepew, what balcony challenges? We are booked in a midship balcony. How was the food and service in the main dining rooms if you used them? Is there enough open space? a lot of complaints were that it felt too closed in. Any tips? Thank you

 

Thank you everyone, I am one who can really have a good time regardless because I love cruising. There are just so many reviews that lean towards negative that I was becoming concerned.

[CJDepew]

CJDepew, what balcony challenges? We are booked in a midship balcony. How was the food and service in the main dining rooms if you used them? Is there enough open space? a lot of complaints were that it felt too closed in. Any tips? Thank you

 

Thank you everyone, I am one who can really have a good time regardless because I love cruising. There are just so many reviews that lean towards negative that I was becoming concerned.

 

The walls of the balcony cabin are wavy, so the bed is a bit short. My husband is 5'8 and his feet were at the bottom of the bed, unless he was smack in the middle of it. I'm a bit shorter so I had no problems. It's also narrow in there, so walking past the bed is only wide enough for one person. The balcony had plenty of space. We were in 10072.

 

The bathrooms have a separate water closet, and shower, with the sink being across from the bed. We actually liked that, because one could be showering and the other shaving, or using the bathroom.

 

The food in the Garden Cafe (buffet), Manhattan Room, and Taste were all very good. The buffet had plenty of variety, and it was kept clean and full. The service in both dining rooms was very good. We were part of a group of 21, and service was excellent both when we were all seated together, or in small groups.

 

It did feel a bit closed in, because there is no atrium. It wasn't a problem, but it was just different. The pool deck does get crowded on at sea days because of the number of passengers, and the deck stewards don't seem to make the rounds to check for chair-hogs, who drop their stuff and leave for hours.

 

I screwed up our reservations for Cirque, but my friends all said it was absolutely fantastic.

 

If you are looking for a hotel to say the night before, I'd recommend the Radisson at the Port. As far as shuttles go, stay away from Cocoa Beach Shuttle. We've had trouble with them on multiple trips and are finished with them. Cortrans is amazing and I'd highly recommend them.

 

Not sure if this link will work, but I posted a review of our trip, with photos. Just give me a shout if you have any other questions.

 

http://boards.cruisecritic.com/showthread.php?t=2467133&highlight=epic

[terri910]

CJDepew, what balcony challenges? We are booked in a midship balcony. How was the food and service in the main dining rooms if you used them? Is there enough open space? a lot of complaints were that it felt too closed in. Any tips? Thank you

 

Thank you everyone, I am one who can really have a good time regardless because I love cruising. There are just so many reviews that lean towards negative that I was becoming concerned.

Don't waste time worrying ahead of time....it may be your best cruise ever!

 

We always tell ourselves that even the things that don't seem great at the time, are all part of the adventure of travel! You will cruise, have fun, and be able to write your own review! Enjoy!

[Kova15]

We were on the same boat! So my Brother picked the Epic for a "family cruise" He booked without consulting anyone. We were on this past sailing March 25-April 1. I was not really excited about it because of all the mixed reviews. I plan on writing up a review in more detail but here are some of my thoughts:

 

We didnt hate it. We liked the ship, but it was not love. Shes nice a big! We didnt find all the crowds that I read about- although chair hogs are in full force on sea days!

 

It does feel more like a hotel or a mall than a ship. If you like the feel of being on the ocean you will miss that. I felt like this was a huge miss of the design of the ship.

 

The staff was great, we didnt have a single issue with staff.

 

Food was good, especially in the specialty dining.

 

Pools were packed but it was spring break so there were kids (including mine!) everywhere. But the water slides and kiddie area is well done.

 

Entertainment was great! Loved the shows

 

Our biggest gripe was the room- The room was small. we were in a balcony room. It seemed WAY small. I will never put 4 people in a balcony room on NCL again. The wave in the cabin made the room seem even smaller, but there was plenty of storage, just not much walking room. The bed was small as others have pointed out. I am 5'7 and my feet were at the bottom of the bed, and I thought the bed was insanely hard and uncomfortable.

 

Overall I would say to go, youll have fun. Stay positive, its a cruise, you just can have a bad time! If you have specific questions you can email me at luckyjen15 at gmail dot com

[dacsmom]

I am an RCI/Carnival cruiser and tried NCL for the first time last month. I loved the Epic, and came home and booked the Escape for February. The shows were amazing and there were no more crowds than other ships I have been on. Go and have a great time.

[Tutontow]

I just got off of the Epic on March 19th. We had such a good time we just booked her for another cruise. We had sailed Carnival 12 times prior to this cruise. We figured with the free drinks and specialty dining why not give it a try.

 

Carnival does many things right and they bend over backwards to show you a good time. Having said that the entertainment, including the audience participation games such as "Deal or No Deal" is stellar. Priscilla, Burn The Floor, Howl at The Moon and the Epic Beatles are light years ahead of anything Carnival has to offer. Jam Rock that plays up by the pool kept us entertained for hours.

 

We never had problems with our service at the bars or MDR. I don't doubt others had but maybe it is because we are a party of two but we always had good and sometimes great service.

 

The food in the MDR is so good the specialty restaurants almost seem like a waste. I will say we really looked forward to O'Sheehan's and we tried it three times and although the service was good the food never hit the spot.

 

Debarkation was totally painful. Getting 4000 people off the ship is miserable.

 

Go with an open mind and know there are a lot of people on the ship. Tip people a little extra money and you will be remembered the next time you see them. More than one bartender didn't make me wait in line when I wanted my "Mich Ultra".

 

I can't speak on anything except the balcony cabins but they are a joke compared to Carnivals. I am talking tiny. The bathroom never bothered us but if I was in bed my wife couldn't walk by without hitting my feet. If you ordered room service I don't know where you would eat it. There is no table in the room.

 

I will say NCL, IMHO offered us a better product than CCL. Of course it is hard to judge after only one cruise. We met a couple on our cruise. It was their first cruise and NCL made them cruising fans. They have already booked another cruise.

[terri910]

I just realized I said we did a TA on the NCL Star.....it was the NCL Jade!!

 

We are booked on the NCL Star TA in November, 2018.....

 

We haven't sailed on the Star, yet....but loved the Jade!!

[tartan cruiser]

We were on Epic a few years ago and can't remember if there is seating on deck 7 under the life boats. It shows a jogging track and deck games and I seem to remember a few deck chairs too. Can anyone confirm this. We LOVE the waterfront on the Away ships and Escape and know Epic doesn't have a waterfront but was hoping they had a few chair on deck 7. Thanks

[Kova15]

We were on Epic a few years ago and can't remember if there is seating on deck 7 under the life boats. It shows a jogging track and deck games and I seem to remember a few deck chairs too. Can anyone confirm this. We LOVE the waterfront on the Away ships and Escape and know Epic doesn't have a waterfront but was hoping they had a few chair on deck 7. Thanks

 

I dont remember any deck chairs. I only went out there once, but the lifeboats are positioned in a place where its very hard to see the ocean if there happens to be deck chairs out there. It was pretty windy the time we went out there and it was night so we didnt explore much.

[cb at sea]

You're taking this trip to be with FRIENDS...so go, and enjoy! No sense in expecting NOT to have fun, or that's what will happen!