I need details of NCL Epic

[nemesees]

I saw a YouTube video and want to know if the negativity is to be believed.

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 
4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

 

Thank You for any info you can share.

 

[IAcruising]

First - Depends on which bar, time of day, # of passengers, etc. We've never had a problem.

2) Only the main theatre show(s) take reservations pre-cruise. Others you sign up on board. All will have a standby line. Some are first come/first served.

3) You can reserve MDR's, but walking up usually doesn't include a long wait. Maybe 20-minutes or so max. Again, depends on time of day and number of passengers.

4) Any of them

 

And no, the negativity is not to be believed.

 

[mking8288]

OP - can't help you with the UBP although from what we saw onboard, lines for the server weren't long or bad, longer wait is partially related to occupancy level of the ship for a given sailing - ours were nearly full with 3,900+ pax & well below the max lifeboat capacity.  

 

Sailing early Jan, available slots probably all taken .. not to worry, on embarkation day & once onboard, connected to ship's WiFi inTRAnet, use the Cruise Norwegian App to book shows & dining instead of standing in line at the ticket/box office for shows or dining reservation desk (was setup outside LeBistro, Deck 5 Fwd) with all the menu on display ... go there if you have questions or need help, make changes - they'll print out a slip for you as reminders. 

 

We prefer Taste MDR with the open atrium, go early when it's open (dinner & lunch on sea days) and wait was never bad, once they started moving the lines.  If you go during peak time & they are backed up, you will get a "pager" to hold & alert you when your table is ready, hang out nearby.  Manhattan MDR is larger, same menu & a bit noiser - it's your choice. 

 

Buffet can be busy on sea days and/or when outdoors aren't open for weather reasons, La Cucina is open for extra seating, one deck below - access via the Fwd staircase inside the Garden Cafe - if it's nice, warm & sunny, outside seating is good too. 

 

Enjoy your cruise & welcome to CC. 

[SoloAlaska]

My trick to quicker drinks at the bar is become a regular at one bar and get to know the bartenders. A tip and a smile doesn’t hurt either to become well liked by the bartenders. I’m one to usually always order the same drink and sometimes have a drink being made for me before I even get to the bar.

[BirdTravels]

2 hours ago, nemesees said:

I saw a YouTube video and want to know if the negativity is to be believed.

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 
4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

 

Thank You for any info you can share.

 

 

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

Some bars are busy. But if you walk 1 minute to the next bar, it will be less busy. In most areas, there are drink waiters taking orders. It is no different than any other ship on any other cruise line. Not sure what the concern is. 

 

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

Entertainment bookings open 21 days prior to departure. The only bookable show is Burn the Floor. Other shows are first-come-first-serve. 

 

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 

Seating in the buffet are usually not hard to find. NCL embraces freestyle dining, so you go to dinner when you are hungry or when it fits your schedule. At peak times, you may have to wait a few minutes for a table.... like any land-based restaurant. 

4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

There are two main dining rooms, the Manhattan Room (bigger of the two) and Taste. Other complimentary restaurants are Garden Cafe buffet, O'Shehan's (open 24/7), and Shanghai's noodle bar. The majority of passengers will eat at the MDR each night (they may have 1 or 2 specialty dining credits). 

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by BirdTravels

[nemesees]

Thanks you all for this info. 
The video I was referring to stated the bar lines were 20 minutes long most of the time. You all refuted that claim.

Somewhere I read the Main Show would be all be booked and reserved 130 days prior to departure, apparently untrue?

As for buffet or MDR, I’m sure it’s no different from other cruise lines.

 

Thank you

 

[ready2cruzagain]

9 hours ago, nemesees said:

I saw a YouTube video and want to know if the negativity is to be believed.

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 
4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

 

Thank You for any info you can share.

 

 

We have been on the Epic 6 times and absolutely love the ship. 

 

1. Sometimes the lines can be long. At the pool bar when they are in port the lines would get busy. On sea days seems like more workers and line would move fast. It all depends on the bar. If you go to O'Sheehans right after the muster drill it would take a long time to get a drink. It all depends on the time of day and what is going on. Not all bars will be busy. We never had a problem.

 

2. We only have one production show on the Epic (we are on the same cruise as you), it is Burn the Floor and it will not be available to book until 21 days before the cruise. It is a great show and I recommend it. If you don't get a reservation then go to the theater before the show and at 10 minutes before if the people that have reservations do not show up then they start letting people in without reservations. We went with friends one year and they did not reserve anything and never had a problem getting into the theater. This was when there was two shows, unfortunately they got rid of Priscilla and did not replace it with another production show as of yet. No other entertainment is available to book in advance.

 

3. The buffet can be busy at peak times but that is normal for any ship. Go all the way to the back and there is usually seating. Most people don't know it but if you can't find a seat, go all the way in the back and go down the stairs and they will let you sit in the specialty restaurant there, La Cucina. We made our dinner reservations at 125 days out and we even made our MDR reservations. I see for a party of your size, even though 5 of you, you will need to reserve for 6, there is only 5:30 or 8:30 pm in the dining rooms every night on this booking. You can go ahead and book some of those or you can wait and when on the ship either go to Shanghai's I believe upon boarding and make reservations or just try to get in every night. Our friends did not have reservations for the MDR's and it only took them 10 minutes each night to get in except for Thanksgiving and it was a 45 minute wait.  You can make your specialty dining reservations as soon as you get on the ship also. 

 

O'Sheehan's is delicious and open almost all of the time. Peak hours are busy but we have gone many times and never have a problem. They will give you a pager and you can wait at the bar right beside the restaurant. Shanghai's does not take reservations and it takes about 30 minutes to get into that restaurant. We like to go there for lunch on sea days. Easy to get into because most don't realize they are open.

 

4. Other than specialty dining there is Manhattan and Taste dining rooms. Manhattan is nicer in my opinion. We have all of our dinners booked there except for specialty. It has a band and a dance floor. Usually the band or singer performs between 6:30pm and 8pm every night. Dress codes have changed and I can't find what they are now. Use to be you have to dress nicer for Manhattan and Le Bistro but here is the dress code link now.  https://www.ncl.com/ca/en/cruise-faq/what-clothes-should-i-pack

 

If you have any other questions just as, will be happy to help.

Edited October 21, 2023 by ready2cruzagain

[mjkacmom]

We have yet to make MDR reservations on any NCL ship, family of 7, we just go the the larger one, very little wait. My favorite aspect of NCL is not making dining reservations, too many people getting ready, don’t need the stress of a reservation.

[schmoopie17]

If you are a party of two, you should have no problem getting into a MDR with little, or no wait.

 

Having said that, on the Prima, we had a party of six and we showed up at the dining room just after opening several times and we all waltzed right in. (Okay, maybe not waltzed...I don't dance...but you get the idea.)

 

Edited October 21, 2023 by schmoopie17

[genealogyfan]

17 hours ago, nemesees said:

I saw a YouTube video and want to know if the negativity is to be believed.

First, because everyone has the “free-at-sea” beverage, are there real long lines at the bar? Usually there’s only 2 or 3 waiting for drinks. Are there servers going around taking drink orders?

2) we just booked and may already be late to reserve anything. How about the shows? Is it first come first seated? Or if all venues are booked, we cannot see any?

3) I know seating at buffets are hard to find but that’s normal. Eventually one will become available. But how about MDRs? Are there reservations and are there hours long waits? 
4) without counting Specialty Dining, which MDR would we need to go to?

 

Thank You for any info you can share.

 

I wouldn't worry about the shows. When I was on the Epic in April, I took the behind the scenes tour. The stage manager told us that they only reserve a certain percentage of seats (I think 50%) ahead of time for the shows. She said if someone doesn't have a reservation, just get in the standby/waiting list line and you should get a seat.

 

The lines for the MDRs and specialty dining aren't that long. In fact, some of the MDRs had the same line whether someone had a reservation or not. They moved quickly.

 

I was also told by someone at NCL, they only release a certain percentage of reservations for the dining rooms ahead of time. If you want a specific time, then as soon as you board, go to where they are taking dining reservations and make them.

 

 

[ChiefMateJRK]

8 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

don’t need the stress of a reservation.

How is a reservation at a free restaurant stressful?  It takes less than 30 seconds to make the reservation and if you don't make it to the restaurant in the allotted time, nobody cares.

[dbrown84]

2 minutes ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How is a reservation at a free restaurant stressful?  It takes less than 30 seconds to make the reservation and if you don't make it to the restaurant in the allotted time, nobody cares.

uh oh, Chief.  You know someone is going to have something to say about you no showing :)

[ShakeDaddy]

Only on Epic will you find Balcony cabin toilet's concealed by, "the infamous lone curtain". 

 

[breadandbutter]

The only problem I had, from the things you mention, was waiting at the pool bar to get a drink, so bad after trying for a couple of days I skipped it for the rest of the cruise. One day there were just a few people at the bar and the server took ages, even serving people arriving after me.

I recommend buying posh passes if you can.

[BirdTravels]

14 hours ago, nemesees said:

Thanks you all for this info. 
The video I was referring to stated the bar lines were 20 minutes long most of the time. You all refuted that claim. Somewhere I read the Main Show would be all be booked and reserved 130 days prior to departure, apparently untrue? As for buffet or MDR, I’m sure it’s no different from other cruise lines. Thank you

 

Don't believe everything you read/watch on the internet. Most of it is Fake News. If a bar is busy and you're dumb enough to stand around waiting,,, that is your own fault. There are 4 or 5 more bars within a couple minute's walk. E.g., when there is a show in the Atrium, the atrium bar may be busy, but there are a lot more bars around. 

 

As for the buffet, it is not like Royal Caribbean Windjammer. At the RCL Windjammer, they continuously make those annoying announcements "if you're done stuffing your face, get out,,, so others can stuff their face" because there is insufficient seating and insufficient serving lines. 

 

As for the main dining room, NCL embraces Freestyle Dining. So you show up when you're hungry or when it fits your schedule. It is not like fixed time dining on other lines where if you miss your dining time, you're SOL and have to eat at the buffet or pizza parlor. And you never have to share a table with strangers who yap too much and eat too slow. 

 

As for shows, reservations open 21 days in advance. (25 or 26 days for priority passengers). 

[BirdTravels]

31 minutes ago, breadandbutter said:

I recommend buying posh passes if you can.

They sell less than 20 Posh Club passes for the 4500 passengers. 

 

I have never figured out why they do that. The Posh Club should be the exclusive sundeck for the Haven and there should not be steerage passengers who buy their way in. 

[BirdTravels]

1 hour ago, ShakeDaddy said:

Only on Epic will you find Balcony cabin toilet's concealed by, "the infamous lone curtain". 

 

It is a very efficient and effective room organization. Not unlike the very expensive boutique hotels we stay at. We have sailed on the Epic 7 or 8 times and love the rooms. 

[BirdTravels]

6 hours ago, genealogyfan said:

 She said if someone doesn't have a reservation, just get in the standby/waiting list line and you should get a seat.

Yes. They let stand-by passengers in 10 minutes before show time. You are welcome to take any of the seats that no one else wanted (i.e., not the best seats). If you have a reservation, you can go in the theater 30 minutes before show time, sit in the seats of your choice (not the left overs) and order a drink. 

[cliffy97]

I am onboard a full Epic just now. Other than a few min wait at the pool bar (think local pub on a Friday or Saturday night type wait) we have experienced no issues with waits on board.

 

The crew have been super friendly and the food has been great. The cabins are a little annoying esp as the bed is shorter than usual and the infamous curtain, but you get used to it and they are very comfortable and spacious.

 

This is our 3rd time on board and we would happily return.

Edited October 22, 2023 by cliffy97

[ready2cruzagain]

2 hours ago, cliffy97 said:

I am onboard a full Epic just now. Other than a few min wait at the pool bar (think local pub on a Friday or Saturday night type wait) we have experienced no issues with waits on board.

 

The crew have been super friendly and the food has been great. The cabins are a little annoying esp as the bed is shorter than usual and the infamous curtain, but you get used to it and they are very comfortable and spacious.

 

This is our 3rd time on board and we would happily return.

You can pull the bed out from the headboard and gain a lot more length. That is what we do.

[Oakman58]

15 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

It is a very efficient and effective room organization. Not unlike the very expensive boutique hotels we stay at. We have sailed on the Epic 7 or 8 times and love the rooms. 

 

Which is why all the NCL ships built after that use that same efficient and effective bathroom organization...NOT!  The bathrooms on the Epic are an experience in sight, sound, and smell. 🙂

Edited October 22, 2023 by Oakman58

[mjkacmom]

17 hours ago, ChiefMateJRK said:

How is a reservation at a free restaurant stressful?  It takes less than 30 seconds to make the reservation and if you don't make it to the restaurant in the allotted time, nobody cares.

Making the actual reservation is of course not stressful, but getting there at the time of the reservation is. During the day we do our own thing, and prefer to decide when to eat later in the afternoon when we see each other again. We like to show up when we are all ready, and not shoot for a prearranged time. Our last cruise was with our 5 teenagers.

[nemesees]

I am familiar with RCL and Carnival, and even with their Your Time dining, we can still reserve for a specific time of our liking. Never had an issue with waiting long. I see now NCL is the same.

I stay away from crowded sports bars or especially pool deck bars where there is smoking nearby. Like everyone says, there’s plenty of bars to go around and servers to take your drink order. Plus it’s nice to see what others order while I wait. Might diScover a new drink.

It would be hard to get a party of 5 to sit together if the Main Event show reservations are not available.

But the worst thing is the bathroom setup. I wonder if the designer still works there. It’s ok with me and my wife but the other family (not really a family but friends) is not thrilled with it. Especially if one is on the throne or shower and someone comes knocking at the door. Even tho it’s not see thru, still awkward. 

[ChiefMateJRK]

On 10/21/2023 at 2:46 PM, dbrown84 said:

uh oh, Chief.  You know someone is going to have something to say about you no showing 🙂

Surprisingly, so far it's crickets.  My fans must be sleeping right now.🤣

 

disclaimer: we usually show and, if not, just tell any restaurant to cancel our dinner reservations.  I like having a 5:30 MDR placeholder, and that's usually when we eat so as to be free for the evening's entertainment.  But, we're on vacation (along with everybody else), so as long as everybody is in proper "chill" mode (they aren't), nobody will get hurt.😎

[ChiefMateJRK]

7 hours ago, mjkacmom said:

Making the actual reservation is of course not stressful, but getting there at the time of the reservation is. During the day we do our own thing, and prefer to decide when to eat later in the afternoon when we see each other again. We like to show up when we are all ready, and not shoot for a prearranged time. Our last cruise was with our 5 teenagers.

My point was that you can make reservations and still be free to decide when to eat.  If it's 5:30 in the MDR, great!  If not, just stop at any restaurant around (or pick up the phone?) and tell them "never mind."  To be honest, I just get so excited about an upcoming cruise that I want to be wasting time making meaningless reservations for this and that.  It makes it all more real! 😎  I think I'm about 5 weeks out.  Is that right @ggTexasGal? 🤡