Epic = yes or no ?

[luvsboozecruises]

Just got off the Dawns New years cruise..It  was a really great trip , and have family who were on the Epic and said it was horrible and the worst cruise they were ever on.. My wife and i are booked on the Epic for 2019  new years trip out of P.R. and Need some help on from past epic cruisers if we should  change to another ship ??

[RedwingHockeyFan]

I've sailed it twice and I like it.  Sounds like most of the complaints I have read have been service related.

[fabnfortysomething]

what specifically did they complain about

[tbo]

What was it that made their cruise horrible?

We are getting on the Epic on Saturday and I'm excited to go. I've been reading many reviews-a lot of not very good ones and some really good ones. But I take them with a grain of salt-some of the complaints that I've read wouldn't bother me in the least. Some of them wouldn't apply to me.Two different cruisers on the same sailing can and do have completely different experiences. I can tell by some of the reviews that the person was not prepared-they didn't do any research and didn't know to book dining and shows ahead of time. Or they got to the room and the bathroom set up was not what they were expecting.

I think it's what you make of it, nothing is perfect. My husband and I are planning on having a wonderful time, but we aren't going to set the bar so high as it will be a bad vacation if things aren't perfect.

Edited January 8, 2019 by tbo

[RedwingHockeyFan]

1 minute ago, tbo said:

I think it's what you make of it, nothing is perfect. My husband and I are planning on having a wonderful time, but we aren't going to set the bar so high as it will be a bad vacation if things aren't perfect.

 

That is exactly it.  I have been on 7 cruises and loved every one of them.  If you are just looking for a good time like I always do then there won't be much to be disappointed about.  A bad week on a cruise is still better than a good week at work. 

[rahndci]

19 minutes ago, luvsboozecruises said:

Just got off the Dawns New years cruise..It  was a really great trip , and have family who were on the Epic and said it was horrible and the worst cruise they were ever on.. My wife and i are booked on the Epic for 2019  new years trip out of P.R. and Need some help on from past epic cruisers if we should  change to another ship ??

no

[luvsboozecruises]

9 minutes ago, fabnfortysomething said:

what specifically did they complain about

 Everything ,Not one good thing, I have done 45 cruises on all the  lines and have never ever said i would never go back to ship that i was  on.. 

[ColeThornton]

6 minutes ago, luvsboozecruises said:

 Everything ,Not one good thing, I have done 45 cruises on all the  lines and have never ever said i would never go back to ship that i was  on.. 

 

If they say that there was not one good thing on the cruise I would tend to think the problem is with them.

[Run14]

1 hour ago, ColeThornton said:

 

If they say that there was not one good thing on the cruise I would tend to think the problem is with them.

 

I'd have to agree with this comment - sometimes people just don't want to enjoy the experience. 

 

I've been on the Epic a couple of times.  One in the Haven and one in a mini-suite.  I really enjoyed both cruises and although my DW and I are now firmly Haven devotees, I loved my mini-suite vacation.  If you're transitioning from the Dawn (and don't already know), be prepared for a much larger ship with many, many more people on-board.  Planning things out in advance helps a lot with the megaships.  Research your room so that you're confident it will fit your needs and wants.  Like quiet? Search for the best places to read a great book.  Party person (just a hunch, from your name)?  Check out the poolside competitions and map out all the bars you'd like to try.  I loved the Epic, even the medical bay...okay maybe not there but they totally took care of me! 

[gmbhardy]

1 hour ago, luvsboozecruises said:

Just got off the Dawns New years cruise..It  was a really great trip , and have family who were on the Epic and said it was horrible and the worst cruise they were ever on.. My wife and i are booked on the Epic for 2019  new years trip out of P.R. and Need some help on from past epic cruisers if we should  change to another ship ??

 

Yes.

[ready2cruzagain]

 

Been on  the Epic 5 times and the only problem we have is that the inside cabins are too small.  We book a balcony now when doing the Epic. 

 

We love the Epic and would cruise on her again in a heartbeat if the prices hadn't skyrocketed this year.  We are cruising MSC and loving it!

[david_sobe]

Been on Epic twice and loved it each time.  I prefer Epic over the Getaway.  I have yet to sail the Breakaway-Plus models so I cant compare them. I have always said that if you could slap a waterfront on the Epic, she still would be the best ship at sea.

[paradiseawaitsme]

Was on Epic twice last year....February Western Caribbean from Port Canaveral and October European out of Barcelona.   

Loved everything about both cruises.  Service was great as was food and entertainment.  I would not hesitate to go on another Epic cruise.  We love the big ships, (been on Breakaway, Escapex2,  Epicx2, and boarding Bliss on Feb 2)  but will be trying the Star this October for Greek Isles. I'm sure it will be a much different experience for us being a much smaller ship than we are used to but we will enjoy every minute!!

 

I suggest you go on your Epic cruise and judge for yourself because what you enjoy and expect from your cruise may be different than what they do

[chesswiththedevil]

I sailed on the Epic in 2015. It was a beautiful ship with lots to do, especially for kids. The show (some Circ De Soleil thing) was good, as well as the comedy and piano bars. The food wasn't impressive but that may be a Norwegian thing (I'll find out next month when I take my 2nd cruise with them). Overall I still would rate it a solid 8/10 time because I had the drink package and that kept me happy, lol.

[17cruisesnsl]

Was on the EPIC 12/5/18 -12/15/18 and the ship had recently returned to Port Canaveral from its European season so much of the crew had just come aboard.  My overall impression was the crew had not come together as a team and the ship was understaffed, particularly in the bars/drink servers positions and I am a light drinker.  It felt at times that she was being used as the training ship for newer crew.    

 

That said, was it a horrible cruise--not at all!  Was it the best cruise I've ever been on - no,  but it was far from the worst. From a comparison perspective, this was our 20th cruise, eighth on NCL and we were in the Haven.  

 

Would I sail her again - depends on price and ports.  I like trying new ships and with the exception of Grand Princess many years ago and the NCL Escape - we haven't sailed on the same ship more than once.  

 

The Epic has many positives other ships in the fleet do not -- a great spa with an outside balcony.  La Cucina was better than on other NCL cruises and in a great location.   Spice H2O had a small pool rather than the silly water features in the Away ships.   The pool deck had pools you could stand in rather than 7ft deep.   A large O'Sheehans and Great Outdoors area.  

Yes, the majority of the cabins are oddly designed but how much time is spent in the cabin?  and I missed the waterfront 

 

I love the larger ships but learned my lesson during BA inaugural year when we were in a mini and I didn't book anything in advance.   A key to enjoying the larger ships is booking your dinners and shows in advance.   You've already sailed on a  holiday week so you know how crowded the ship is - you have to put that into perspective when considering a large ship that likely will sail full.  

 

Whatever ER you decide, have a great cruise

 

Have a wonderful cruise 

 

 

[Jonslola]

I have sailed on the Epic and while it wasn't my favorite ship, I would sail again given the right itinerary. For me it was just the design of the ship, it felt a bit dark, I prefer more windows. I also felt it was missing outdoor space, my husband and I like to roam around the decks in the evening and gaze out at the sea. I didn't hate the Epic, and I actually preferred the odd bathroom layout that many complain about. I also enjoyed the hot tubs in Spice H2O.

 

While the Epic is not my first choice, I certainly wouldn't "not" cruise on this ship. A cruise is a cruise, being on a cruise ship is better than being at work any day!

 

Happy Sailing!

[Linda the Book Lover]

We sailed the Epic twice. My most happy place was Posh. Though it is part of the Haven experience you may purchase a pass if you are not in the Haven. We loved the Epic and would sail on her again. We were blessed to able to stay in the Haven (we are retired). The shows were great and we always found something to do on the ship or even just relax in a lounger. 

[Just Jo]

We've been on Epic three times and loved it.  A friend just sailed on it last month and didn't like it ("too big").  You won't know until you try it yourself.

 

[MCC retired]

1 hour ago, Just Jo said:

We've been on Epic three times and loved it.  A friend just sailed on it last month and didn't like it ("too big").  You won't know until you try it yourself.

 

We tried the Epic , Too Big ?

I say not big enough . Always felt too crowded .A single main pool and always lines ay venues that could not be reserved.

 

[havanadaydreaming]

been on the Epic, Escape and Sky.   all are very different, all are very pleasant. 

 

sure the Epic bathrooms are weird, and tall people won't exactly LOVE the round beds but we were amazed with the amount of storage in our balcony room.  way more than we've had previously. 

 

we had a great time over 11 nights.  

[JP4GA]

For us it is a NO--- NEVER AGAIN.  

 

List of complaints:

• We booked a tour through them for Christmas Day.  They did not communicate properly with the touring company and we ended up waiting an hour on the pier waiting for a second bus to come take our group to the excursion site.  This cut our excursion time short by an hour, so we did not get to do everything we wanted to do. They offered NO compensation and just shrugged it off. 
• We were a family of 3 staying in a room.  One day we returned from shore to find our divider that divides the room from the awkward bathroom area was GONE.  Its a bit hard for a dad to shower and go to the bathroom and change with his daughter in the room and no divider curtain.  We called asking for the curtain and were told it would be back by 6, it did not arrive until 10.  They said it was normal cleaning rotation, I get that but they could have told us.  There was a shower area at our excursion that we could have used to shower and get cleaned up for our dinner reservation.  
• I had to beg for my earned discounts in the photo shop (20%) and gift shop (15%).  The sales people acted like they had ZERO idea of the discounts. I have never on other NCL ships had to inform the sales associates of my discounts levels. 
• The photo package we purchased included digital files.  The files are such a low quality that they can only be printed in size 4x6 or smaller.  The entire reason we purchased the photo package was to be able to use the electronic files for additional prints.  
• Our balcony was always dirty.  We always get balconies and have never had a layer of salt and residue on the balcony and chairs. They did clean it on one of our port days, but they did not do a good job.  We always have balconies and have never had a grimy feeling balcony. 
• The kids area for 9-12 was not great.  Our daughter always loves the kids zone and she hated this one.  She indicated that the workers were rude and all they did was sit there doing nothing and that it was not fun. 
• We went to dinner at O'Shennhans one night and it was just a bad experience.  We waited 20 minutes for them to take our drink order after being seated right away.  The food was just okay--- I make a better Sheppard's pie than they do. 
• Tenders were a cluster.  We had a NCL tour and were told just go down and show your ticket and they will get you right on the tender.  So we go down and it is wall to wall people.  We ask several NCL employees where to go and they say they do not know to stand in line.  
• There is an overall lack of communication in all areas.
• Getting a drink refill in Taste at breakfast is a hard task and the servers all acted like you were an imposition if you asked for a refill on coffee.  
• Ship layout is weird with very little open deck. Going through the smoked filled casino to get where I want to be was not fun. 
• Deck servers would take our order and our key cards and not come back for 30-40 minutes.  Not good, after that happened a few times we just got our own drinks. 
• Entertainment venues are not large enough and shows that could not be reserved were always standing room only 30 minutes before show time. 
• Very few of the employees acted happy to be there.
• Our electrical socket fell out of the wall and was just dangling by the exposed wires, there is only one socket in the room. 
• The carpet leading to the balcony was coming up an a trip hazard. 

The positive aspects:

• Tons of storage
• Great room steward
• Great photographers (they got some really great candid shots)
• Slides were good and lines moved pretty quickly
• Escape the Big Top (hard but fun)
• Cirque show was very good. 

The complaints may seem like little things but when you combine them and it is something everyday, it makes the cruise not be as enjoyable as it should be.  We love NCL and will cruise them again, but we will not cruise the Epic. 

[calmpets]

I'm in the category of people unlikely to sail the Epic ever again. I think the ship itself is sort of a love it or hate it proposition, and I was just not happy with most aspects. JP4GA covered all of my issues, and then some, but my biggest gripe was the room layout. Despite having done my research and knowing what to expect, it was harder to work around than I was prepared for.

[C cruise]

we were on the NYE cruise -- it was the 2nd time we were on Epic - 1st time was in April and really everything was perfect.. this time was different -- we had our speciality restaurants already booked and all of them, with the exception of Cagneys, were wonderful .. Cagney's service was slow and confused - however, the food was good.

The ship was obviously overbooked - lines and crowds everywhere... waiting for drinks, couldn't get a lounger on the pool deck on 2 days - and we were out early (7:45) chairs were all saved - ridiculous! Skipped the private island, even though we had booked and paid for clamshells, but the tenders were a mad house of people with no organization at all.. and there were kids everywhere, even in areas where kids were not suppose to be... I still will go on Epic but never during a holiday.

[JP4GA]

3 minutes ago, C cruise said:

 waiting for drinks, couldn't get a lounger on the pool deck on 2 days - and we were out early (7:45) chairs were all saved - ridiculous! Skipped the private island, even though we had booked and paid for clamshells, but the tenders were a mad house of people with no organization at all.. 

The saving of loungers at the pool was ridiculous.  We stayed on board one day in port and got chairs and then watched people save chairs, that they did not sit in ALL DAY.  They were saving them for when they re-boarded.  Another man saved 10 chairs and then left for two hours before coming back.  This has been an issue on every cruise that we have gone on.  

[plittle210]

22 hours ago, tbo said:

What was it that made their cruise horrible?

We are getting on the Epic on Saturday and I'm excited to go. I've been reading many reviews-a lot of not very good ones and some really good ones. But I take them with a grain of salt-some of the complaints that I've read wouldn't bother me in the least. Some of them wouldn't apply to me.Two different cruisers on the same sailing can and do have completely different experiences. I can tell by some of the reviews that the person was not prepared-they didn't do any research and didn't know to book dining and shows ahead of time. Or they got to the room and the bathroom set up was not what they were expecting.

I think it's what you make of it, nothing is perfect. My husband and I are planning on having a wonderful time, but we aren't going to set the bar so high as it will be a bad vacation if things aren't perfect.