NCL epic delays

[houtxaj]

The NCL epic has had some negative moments this year. Does anyone know why the epic ship was so delayed in leaving port canaveral last March 16, 2019? Really hoping that the problems it has had are being remedied quickly. We are set to voyage with them next April. If the epic had delays, the question is:  when and how did NCL contact you? 

Thanks for any feedback.

[BirdTravels]

No need to worry about one late departure last month. 

 

If there is a planned late arrival from the prior cruise, they may ask that you show up at the port later to minimize your wait. That notification is the day before or hours before via robo call and email. 

 

If the ship is leaving late, you may be notified around departure time. Most times, if it it a short delay (hour or two) you won’t be notified. 

Edited March 23, 2019 by BirdTravels

[houtxaj]

Thank you for the communication information.

 

The epic ship again (March 23, 2019) is still (6:30pm) in port canaveral when it was to depart at 4pm. Does anyone know what is preventing this ship from departing when scheduled and if this has affected earlier boarding times? Thanks again.

[Diver2014]

Medical emergency per another thread.

[laurenfl15]

I disembarked today.  It was super super late. They attempted to try a new facial recognization device that epically failed LOL. Tons of upset passengers fights almost broke out. I can only assume that’s the delay… We actually left five hours late last Saturday. 

[Roxybee12]

I disembarked today. I walked off with no problems.  It must have escalated later in the morning 

[laurenfl15]

4 minutes ago, Roxybee12 said:

I disembarked today. I walked off with no problems.  It must have escalated later in the morning 

Really?! Not sarcasm just shocking. My family went down when they first called self-assist… So a little after 730… It was a madhouse. Literally grown man screaming and trying to fight which other.   

 

 We were told to go to deck 7 aft. Got there and random lines everywhere. The poor lone crew member that was on deck seven told all of us to go to wrong direction… Which led to hundreds of angry people standing in line for an hour only to be told they need to get another line for another good hour I mean… It is what it is. Crap happens and I don’t blame them. I had fun. But it surprises me that you didn’t have a problem!  

Edited March 23, 2019 by laurenfl15

[kdcruiser]

Epic still in port now (8:53 pm). Can see it from the balcony of my condo. That’s two weeks in a row!

[Ixtoras]

26 minutes ago, kdcruiser said:

Epic still in port now (8:53 pm). Can see it from the balcony of my condo. That’s two weeks in a row!

 

9:20 from on the ship and we haven't budged ...  No updates from Captain or CD in the 2 hours since the announcement around 6.  Must be one heck of a medical issue...   

[CruisingNole]

10 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

No need to worry about one late departure last month. 

 

If there is a planned late arrival from the prior cruise, they may ask that you show up at the port later to minimize your wait. That notification is the day before or hours before via robo call and email. 

 

If the ship is leaving late, you may be notified around departure time. Most times, if it it a short delay (hour or two) you won’t be notified. 

 

LOL!

[houtxaj]

Wow! Thanks for all the feedback.

Was the holdup on 3/23/19 "mechanical, medical, both, none? What time did you actually leave port canaveral?

 

Appreciate you sharing....

[www3traveler]

From what I read yesterday, a passenger died after boarding the ship.  The police and Medical Examiner had to be call and an investigation done.

 

A friend on board said they left shortly after midnight.

 

He reported earlier this morning because of weather they were skipping GSC. 

[CruisingNole]

6 minutes ago, www3traveler said:

From what I read yesterday, a passenger died after boarding the ship.  The police and Medical Examiner had to be call and an investigation done.

 

A friend on board said they left shortly after midnight.

 

He reported earlier this morning because of weather they were skipping GSC. 

 

Based on trip reports it appears Epic has only stopped at GSC a couple of times (if that) over the past few months even though passengers are reporting calm waters. That sure is a lot of “bad weather.”

 

I wonder what the real reason is?

 

 

[JoeTec]

We were on the Epic out of Port Canaveral in Nov 2016 on the 2nd week in that port.  The whole embarkation was a zoo & its took us until almost 3pm getting on board. There was an accident between shuttle buses & they blocked the entrance to get into port.

We didn't leave until after 9pm that night but there was a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral so they stayed in port until it went off. 

 

[PegNRay]

On 3/23/2019 at 10:57 AM, houtxaj said:

The NCL epic has had some negative moments this year. Does anyone know why the epic ship was so delayed in leaving port canaveral last March 16, 2019? Really hoping that the problems it has had are being remedied quickly. We are set to voyage with them next April. If the epic had delays, the question is:  when and how did NCL contact you? 

Thanks for any feedback.

We were told when checking in at the pier that the ship would be leaving late due to planned maintenance. The ship also left late from tortola for the same reason.

[adline1]

I just got back from a cruise yesterday, on the Epic, and we were supposed to leave Pt. Canaveral at 4, but left around 10:00pm, we also were delayed in Tortola and were never notified...never. 5 minutes before we were supposed to be at Great Stirrip Cay, we were told that it was too windy. It was a choppy ride the night before. However, that was a beautiful day and the ocean was very calm and smooth as glass. 

 

Debarkation...self assist, at 7:30, was a total nightmare and the most disorganized chaos I’ve ever experienced. So confusing and extremely frustrating. This was my 15th cruise...my first and last with ncl. 

[luv2kroooz]

Lots of problems on multiple fronts...

First, the pier that the ship used in Canaveral is old, outdated and way too small for a ship the size of Epic. The layout is poor with multiple escalators right in a row. They often back up with folks carrying on or off luggage.

 

Great stirrup cay is always hit or miss. Seas can be calm, and weather can be nice, but the current and undertow can create dangerous conditions. Weather can also change quickly. Anymore, we treat great stirrup cay as a possibility. I think we are 1 for 6 on our attempts to visit. It's a pretty cool beach day if you are lucky enough to make it there.

 

While there may be a valid reason for a delayed departure, I can't think of a reason to not communicate to passengers.

[Pwrmaster7]

If I am in no hurry to get off the boat should I just wait somewhere? I do not want to be standing in a line for a long period of time as my back wont allow that. Thanks

[hallux]

5 hours ago, JoeTec said:

We didn't leave until after 9pm that night but there was a shuttle launch at Cape Canaveral so they stayed in port until it went off.

More likely SpaceX launch as the shuttle hasn't flown since 2011.  Staying in port may not have been a captain's choice situation, they may have been required to stay put due to the launch.  Sometimes it's not known for sure if it'll happen on a particular day until that day so the cruise line planned for a typical departure time when selling the trip.

[adline1]

I live in 30 minutes from the port. It wasn’t the same day as the launch, that was earlier in the week. Apparently the cruise that left this Saturday was also delayed, until around the same time. And it had nothing to do with NASA. Whatever the case, just would’ve liked to have been informed directly from the captain. The ship has had a few mechanical issues and a delay to fix an issue is perfectly fine, don’t want to be stranded in the middle of the ocean; communication leads to less anxiety.

 

The debarkation issue was all on NCL, there were absolutely no delays going thru customs and it took 2 minutes with that process. It’s very difficult to comment on, unless you were on that particular cruise. Initially, on the Epic, no staff were in sight, assisting with the line confusion. Then one crew member came and started yelling screaming and I literally heard her put a curse on people. A few brawls almost ensued because of the confusion. One man almost passed out, lines going everywhere, people exiting the elevator and cutting in or joining a never ending, non structured line. There were hundreds maybe even a thousand who were self assisting and trying to leave between 7:30-8. The person who got off without an issue obviously qued before an all call was made, fortunately for them. Throughout the cruise the a/c was always cranked up. This day, you couldn’t feel it and it was hot, making things worse. Once I made it off the boat, the line was continuously moving onto the the deck area, where the scanned the card that you’ve exited the ship. No one was testing any new face recognition equipment and there was absolutely no delay. It was all very mishandled inside. SMH. 

 

My advice; if you don’t have to catch a flight, and you’re not in a hurry. Go have breakfast and wait until the end to disembark. 

[snirpville]

20 hours ago, Pwrmaster7 said:

If I am in no hurry to get off the boat should I just wait somewhere? I do not want to be standing in a line for a long period of time as my back wont allow that. Thanks

 

Yep, you can wait in any public area or go to the buffet and grab a seat and some food. I never get off before 9:30am since I don't travel home the same day as debarkation day. I can't stand for long periods of time either.

[mking8288]

Having sailed NCL now for nearly 20 years, LOL, we have come to learn & recognized that the Express Self WalkOff is anything but ... unless, as noted by someone else, that you are among the first 250 to 500 or so lucky ones that queued (lined up, standing in line & most likely - skipping a hot sit-down full breakfast - stood somewhere for an hour + before they are cleared & pax are called, allowed to proceed to the gangway(s) ... or, get ESCORTED priority disembark with luggage onto the terminal, like those in Haven) 

 

Years ago, NCL has a "capacity control" on how many pax get to select & opt for the Express option, but no longer tried to cap the headcounts, and, when you get 1,000 rushing off with their oversized spinners & rollerboards plus duty-free trophies, etc. jamming the stairs, elevators and walkways toward the gangway(s) - it's mayhem, anytime when the ship is late/delayed & there is any holdup inside with CBP, dock workers and vessel not being cleared quickly, etc.   

 

On the flip side, fewer crew members would be needed on a busy, hectic and sometimes mad crazy turnaround day, NCL would be happy to peddle the idea that everyone can do the walkoff themselves as a freestyle thing, and get as many on the cruise pier as quickly as they can.  

[houtxaj]

Well, it looks like the epic left at their designated time today, March 30, 2019. Really glad to see that on the port webcam. Does anyone know how disembarkation went this morning from the previous cruise and how the embarkation of today's new passengers went. Hopes are that NCL now has a handle on guiding the large number of passengers leaving and coming on as referenced by earlier comments. Thanks. 

[47652]

1 hour ago, houtxaj said:

Well, it looks like the epic left at their designated time today, March 30, 2019. Really glad to see that on the port webcam. Does anyone know how disembarkation went this morning from the previous cruise and how the embarkation of today's new passengers went. Hopes are that NCL now has a handle on guiding the large number of passengers leaving and coming on as referenced by earlier comments. Thanks. 

Disembarkation today was poor. Operates by the colour code for bags, they announced the first then forgot about the rest, so unless stood by a TV screen then their was no information. Using the face recognition system, just delayed us getting off. My departure time was 0915, I got off just shy of 11am. Avis driver said he was expecting persons at 0730 but didn't get his first passenger until 0930.

Been on the ship 3 x., previous from Barcelona which to say where much better overall experiences. Found the food generally cold or just warm and repetitive. Had the discussion with the cruise manager about this. Think they should bin the precsicila queen of the desert for something which isn't PG16 rated. Delay was 7.5 hrs leaving last week, they where still selling excursions for GSC at 8am on the morning and they told me we would arrive at 9am.  Announcement made by captain that we where not stopping due to poor sea conditions for the tenders, it was blowing a 40 knot wind like. 

[doxiegal]

All this is a big bummer to read.  We're sailing on the Epic on 4-6-2019, for probably my parents last cruise, and I'll be really disappointed if all these issues pop up again on our cruise. This is the first time sailing on NCL since 2013, was enjoying Princess so much, been sailing with them for the last 5 years, but had some Next Cruise Certs that had to be used by Sept with NCL, that we chose this sailing. Oh well, I guess we'll have to make the best of it.....