EPIC Cabin Defect? Bathrooms/showers/etc

[lighthouse206]

After reviewing the NCL website for the EPIC, (why couldn't they call this thing the Norway??? but that's another debate..) I noticed that in most cabins it seems like the shower and toilet are separate from one another, and that it looks like you literally step out of the shower and into the cabin.... no separate space to dry off or anything!

 

I'm wondering if what I'm seeing/interpreting is true, and if so, what moron thought of this idea?

 

Think about it, I realize most of us cruise with our partners, spouses, etc... but how many people really want to step directly out of their shower and into their cruise ship cabin? This design is horrible for families - do Mom and Dad (not to mention the kids) want to go from the shower into the cabin without first dressing? Or do we clear out the whole cabin so the daughter can have some privacy while she showers?

 

I think the notion of having no sink in the same room as the toilet is also a bit.... odd to say the least.

 

I hope this doesn't sound like a rant, but I'm really wondering if I'm reading the cabin plans wrong... if not, I think this was a really dumb move by NCL.... which is unfortunate because NCL can do some things really well. The best cruise I've ever been on was the NCL Jewel just two years ago.... unfortunately I just don't think they've gone anywhere but downhill since then.

[fin]

You are certainly not the first person to raise this question on these pages. It is perhaps too soon to say just how accurate a portrayal we are getting of what it will actually be like, but perhaps it was cheaper to build the cabins this way so they saved some money. I am sure some people will be along presently to explain that this way is really much better.

[aceparty]

After reviewing the NCL website for the EPIC, (why couldn't they call this thing the Norway??? but that's another debate..) I noticed that in most cabins it seems like the shower and toilet are separate from one another, and that it looks like you literally step out of the shower and into the cabin.... no separate space to dry off or anything!

 

I'm wondering if what I'm seeing/interpreting is true, and if so, what moron thought of this idea?

 

Think about it, I realize most of us cruise with our partners, spouses, etc... but how many people really want to step directly out of their shower and into their cruise ship cabin? This design is horrible for families - do Mom and Dad (not to mention the kids) want to go from the shower into the cabin without first dressing? Or do we clear out the whole cabin so the daughter can have some privacy while she showers?

 

I think the notion of having no sink in the same room as the toilet is also a bit.... odd to say the least.

 

I hope this doesn't sound like a rant, but I'm really wondering if I'm reading the cabin plans wrong... if not, I think this was a really dumb move by NCL.... which is unfortunate because NCL can do some things really well. The best cruise I've ever been on was the NCL Jewel just two years ago.... unfortunately I just don't think they've gone anywhere but downhill since then.

 

I agree if you are cruising with kids, or friends it would be not right stepping out of the shower into the cabin.

 

Could fun if it was a couple.

[time2cruise1]

I agree if you are cruising with kids, or friends it would be not right stepping out of the shower into the cabin.

 

Could fun if it was a couple.

 

To bad there is a curtain that closes off the area between the shower and the toilet from the rest of the cabin. :rolleyes:

[lighthouse206]

To bad there is a curtain that closes off the area between the shower and the toilet from the rest of the cabin. :rolleyes:

 

I don't think this is a problem that can be solved with curtains... at least not with most families... plus the shower / toilet are positioned right next to the front door..... walk in and OOPS even with the curtains.

 

Even the so called "family" cabins seem to have this layout.

 

The bottom line seems to be that unless you are a couple (or part of a nudist gathering) this ship isn't for you... I bet the folks at Carnival Corp and RCI have had a real good laugh over this at NCL's expense.

[time2cruise1]

I don't think this is a problem that can be solved with curtains... at least not with most families... plus the shower / toilet are positioned right next to the front door..... walk in and OOPS even with the curtains.

 

Even the so called "family" cabins seem to have this layout.

 

The bottom line seems to be that unless you are a couple (or part of a nudist gathering) this ship isn't for you... I bet the folks at Carnival Corp and RCI have had a real good laugh over this at NCL's expense.

 

Opps can be avoided with the dead bolt :rolleyes: I think 10,000s families will enjoy this ship. Perhaps not yours :cool:

[CruisnGram]

The bathroom layout discusssion reminds me of all the discussion that took place about there being no main dining rooms on the Epic. That all food venues would be an additional charge. No one knew for sure, but assumptions were made. And now we know those assumptions were wrong. So Lighthouse: if the RCL and Carnival people are having a good laugh over this, perhaps they should think back to all the laughs they had about no main dining rooms, as NCL fans are indeed having the last laugh on that one.

 

No one knows exactly what the bathrooms are going to be like as we just can't tell from the pictures/sketches of the cabins. The only thing that I will say is that the people who design these ships aren't dummies....they are professionals. And NCL knows that many times, people who aren't families travel in the same cabin. They also know that even families still need some privacy. So why would they design a cabin bathroom that provides no privacy? Why would they design a cabin where if someone was using the shower and pulled the privacy curtain, no one could get to the toilet area? Or no one could enter or leave the cabin? It just makes no sense to me whatsoever....and I'm not a professional.

 

Like everyone else, I'm speculating here, but I think that the shower that you are looking at is more then just a shower stall. I think it's a small room that contains both the shower and a dressing area. That gives you privacy in that area, or if you do indeed want more room, and it's convenient, you can pull the privacy curtain and use the entire area.

 

I personally think that having a separate toilet and sink area is wonderful. Someone that is showering doesn't tie up the whole area. If it's designed properly, I think it's going to be a great improvement over current bathroom designs.

 

CG

[lighthouse206]

The bathroom layout discusssion reminds me of all the discussion that took place about there being no main dining rooms on the Epic. That all food venues would be an additional charge. No one knew for sure, but assumptions were made. And now we know those assumptions were wrong. So Lighthouse: if the RCL and Carnival people are having a good laugh over this, perhaps they should think back to all the laughs they had about no main dining rooms, as NCL fans are indeed having the last laugh on that one.

 

No one knows exactly what the bathrooms are going to be like as we just can't tell from the pictures/sketches of the cabins. The only thing that I will say is that the people who design these ships aren't dummies....they are professionals. And NCL knows that many times, people who aren't families travel in the same cabin. They also know that even families still need some privacy. So why would they design a cabin bathroom that provides no privacy? Why would they design a cabin where if someone was using the shower and pulled the privacy curtain, no one could get to the toilet area? Or no one could enter or leave the cabin? It just makes no sense to me whatsoever....and I'm not a professional.

 

Like everyone else, I'm speculating here, but I think that the shower that you are looking at is more then just a shower stall. I think it's a small room that contains both the shower and a dressing area. That gives you privacy in that area, or if you do indeed want more room, and it's convenient, you can pull the privacy curtain and use the entire area.

 

I personally think that having a separate toilet and sink area is wonderful. Someone that is showering doesn't tie up the whole area. If it's designed properly, I think it's going to be a great improvement over current bathroom designs.

 

CG

 

 

It's pretty clear to me it isn't a "small room." They now have the actual floorplan for the cabin posted:

 

http://epic.ncl.com/the-experience/accommodations/new-wave-staterooms/

 

Choose "enlarge floorplan" in the lower right and then choose "zoom". You can see clearly it is nothing more than a shower stall. The shower drain and the door are visible. You can even see the toilet paper dispenser next to the toilet on the other side (where it is clearly a very little room...)

 

With the studios you can also clearly see it's just a shower stall opening into the cabin. Doesn't even appear as though they are going to frost the glass on those...

 

http://epic.ncl.com/the-experience/accommodations/studios/

[Don Haynes]

Am I the only one who uses the towels in the shower after I turn the water off? Can't one wrap a towel to cover their privates in the shower?

 

Having a sink by the door should make it easier for us to wash our hands to avoid noro virus. No one on the potty and no one in the shower preventing you from washing your hands.

[mactrio]

When we built our house the architect didn't draw the actual doors, he left an open space where the door should go. Perhaps they omitted the doors so that the general public could actually see what will be behind the closed doors. It won't bother me at all if there isn't a door, when I shower I will put the do not disturb sign on my door, close the curtain and then get dressed and open the curtain.

I honestly can not see that there will not be doors to the bathroom. The sink area may be left open; but the toilet will be behind doors and I'm sure the shower will be too.

[beachchick]

Am I the only one who uses the towels in the shower after I turn the water off? Can't one wrap a towel to cover their privates in the shower?

 

Having a sink by the door should make it easier for us to wash our hands to avoid noro virus. No one on the potty and no one in the shower preventing you from washing your hands.

 

No, I'm sure you're not the only one who wraps in a towel while standing in the shower stall, but we do not. I don't like having to try not to let it get all wet from the shower walls--and we have a nice two-person sized shower and neither of us is overly large (not that we're tiny either). In a regular ship-size shower, I can't see how you would wrap the towel around without also getting it wet from the inside of the shower.

 

I don't care about having a separate door closing the shower off from the rest of the cabin because I never share a cabin with anyone but my DH--who enjoys seeing me walk out of the shower sans towel.;) I can see that it might be an issue for friends or families with children (especially teens, who are so self-conscious and easily embarrassed).

 

beachchick

[Griller]

After reviewing the NCL website for the EPIC, (why couldn't they call this thing the Norway??? but that's another debate..) I noticed that in most cabins it seems like the shower and toilet are separate from one another, and that it looks like you literally step out of the shower and into the cabin.... no separate space to dry off or anything!

 

I'm wondering if what I'm seeing/interpreting is true, and if so, what moron thought of this idea?

 

Think about it, I realize most of us cruise with our partners, spouses, etc... but how many people really want to step directly out of their shower and into their cruise ship cabin? This design is horrible for families - do Mom and Dad (not to mention the kids) want to go from the shower into the cabin without first dressing? Or do we clear out the whole cabin so the daughter can have some privacy while she showers?

 

I think the notion of having no sink in the same room as the toilet is also a bit.... odd to say the least.

 

I hope this doesn't sound like a rant, but I'm really wondering if I'm reading the cabin plans wrong... if not, I think this was a really dumb move by NCL.... which is unfortunate because NCL can do some things really well. The best cruise I've ever been on was the NCL Jewel just two years ago.... unfortunately I just don't think they've gone anywhere but downhill since then.

 

If that really is going to be the way these showers end up it IS crazy IMHO but I'll wait and see.

 

You say NCL have gone downhill in the next 2 years? I have to agree with you in some aspects but I realise I do not fit into the class of cruiser which NCL are trying to attract - the profitable hard-drinking younger crowd. And those kids don't care about our perceived downhill quality trend, indeed they probably don't even realise there is one. They don't know it was better (for us) in the past. They're happy. Often quite drunk, but happy. I know, I just debarked Sky this week.

 

Even the ship's officers often don't know what it used to be like, they are mostly new and younger as well. They have nothing to compare to.

 

Cabin costs have certainly gone downhill in the last 2 years, thats for sure, drinks prices have gone uphill but as my shipboard account is always zero for drinks I don't care about that. There are some bargains around right now.

 

We can always move over to Holland America if we feel we are too old for NCL, its more traditional on HA, so far at least.

[richtersl]

The images are computer-generated and floor plans are only an artist's renderings.

"Stateroom configurations are representative only. Actual accommodations may vary."

 

Though if they're going to go out of their way to mention a separate shower area, they should also have thrown in a sentence about a privacy curtain in their literature. Come on, NCL! :rolleyes:

 

Ship looks absolutely stunning, though!

[SueSea]

I'm a single gal, and although I've done a few cruises on my own, I most often cruise with friends and family, including my 20-year-old nephew. When I first saw the architectural plans for the new cabins, my first thought was that if you weren't traveling with someone you were intimate with, you would be. :D

 

No one knows exactly what the bathrooms are going to be like as we just can't tell from the pictures/sketches of the cabins. The only thing that I will say is that the people who design these ships aren't dummies....they are professionals. And NCL knows that many times, people who aren't families travel in the same cabin. They also know that even families still need some privacy. So why would they design a cabin bathroom that provides no privacy?

 

You can see from the construction photos that some cabins are already built and in place. The time to change the design of the staterooms has come and gone (at least quickly & cheaply). If the cabins have been redesigned, they have to have plans. If NCL knew the design posted on their website wouldn't work for many, then why would they post those instead of the new floor plans? About the only thing they can easily change at this point is to install a curtain to section off that area. (Others have mentioned that there is a curtain, but I don't see one in the pictures I've seen.) The other thing they can change easily, but not cheaply, are the opaque walls.

 

The bathroom layout discusssion reminds me of all the discussion that took place about there being no main dining rooms on the Epic. That all food venues would be an additional charge. No one knew for sure, but assumptions were made. And now we know those assumptions were wrong. So Lighthouse: if the RCL and Carnival people are having a good laugh over this, perhaps they should think back to all the laughs they had about no main dining rooms, as NCL fans are indeed having the last laugh on that one.

 

CCL & RCL let NCL do their market research for them. What they found was that there are a lot of people who want to choose their own dining time. There are also a lot of people who like traditional dining. There is not great demand for adding a large number of smaller restaurants that have a surcharge. CCL is moving to anytime dining AND keeping traditional, which will satisfy the majority of their market. If NCL had been successful (profitable) with their offering of multiple dining venues when many of them had additional cost, you can believe RCL & CCL would be following this model in new builds and in retrofitting their existing ships when scheduled for refurbishment.

[sottovoce]

In a regular ship-size shower, I can't see how you would wrap the towel around without also getting it wet from the inside of the shower.

I'm 6'5" and weigh 200 pounds. I always dry myself off in the ship's shower. The towel never gets wet from the wet shower walls. Why must people create problems out of whole cloth?

 

Here's a ship no one has sailed or even seen and people are already whining about it. Unbelievable.

[sottovoce]

I have to agree with you in some aspects but I realise I do not fit into the class of cruiser which NCL are trying to attract - the profitable hard-drinking younger crowd.

Here is an example of utterly uninformed nonsense written as if it is fact. What BS! How do people get away with posting such pure, unfounded speculation?

 

This is the kind of stuff that ruins Cruise Critic for people seeking hard, accurate information about cruising.

[sjbdtz]

If that really is going to be the way these showers end up it IS crazy IMHO but I'll wait and see.

 

You say NCL have gone downhill in the next 2 years? I have to agree with you in some aspects but I realise I do not fit into the class of cruiser which NCL are trying to attract - the profitable hard-drinking younger crowd. And those kids don't care about our perceived downhill quality trend, indeed they probably don't even realise there is one. They don't know it was better (for us) in the past. They're happy. Often quite drunk, but happy. I know, I just debarked Sky this week.

 

Even the ship's officers often don't know what it used to be like, they are mostly new and younger as well. They have nothing to compare to.

 

Cabin costs have certainly gone downhill in the last 2 years, thats for sure, drinks prices have gone uphill but as my shipboard account is always zero for drinks I don't care about that. There are some bargains around right now.

 

We can always move over to Holland America if we feel we are too old for NCL, its more traditional on HA, so far at least.

 

 

This makes no sense. I'm probably in the target market, because I like to enjoy new things. I want to take long cruises because when I'm at home, I don't have time to go out to a club....I have a demanding job, and what with pursuing my Masters, have little time for unwinding.

 

Would I pay a cover to enjoy a space, when that cover includes a couple of 'well' drinks? Absolutely. Would I also be willing to pay a higher cover for top-shelf? Defo!

 

Am I a drunk? No. Haven't BEEN drunk in probably well over 10 years.

 

I want variety, not tradition. I like progress not regress, and I prefer modern vs. staid.

 

I prefer quality, and have no qualms spending extra to get it.

 

Do I need obsequiousness in my service? NO NO NO. Can't stand it. The whole white-glove fawning over me while I PRETEND to be royalty, is just so laughable.

 

enjoy HAL.... you'll never find me there.

 

 

 

 

The images are computer-generated and floor plans are only an artist's renderings.

 

"Stateroom configurations are representative only. Actual accommodations may vary."

 

Though if they're going to go out of their way to mention a separate shower area, they should also have thrown in a sentence about a privacy curtain in their literature. Come on, NCL! :rolleyes:

 

Ship looks absolutely stunning, though!

 

 

Exactly. Like when you get a car brochure and it has a cutaway to show the underbones.....

 

 

Also, when you look at the floorplans, clearly the floorplan for the Wave cabins is not the same as the artist's rendition. The shower is opposite the toilet, whereas in the rendition they're adjacent.

[sjbdtz]

I do not fit into the class of cruiser which NCL are trying to attract - the profitable hard-drinking younger crowd. And those kids don't care about our perceived downhill quality trend, indeed they probably don't even realise there is one. They don't know it was better (for us) in the past. They're happy. Often quite drunk, but happy.

 

So what you're saying is that there's a trade-off between Quality & Choice?

 

 

As much as I love quality (my cashmere, and Audi can attest to that), I'd much prefer choice.

 

I wouldn't want the absolute best possible meal on any cruiseline where I had no choice but to listen to YOU.

[watchdiva]

Griller - I beg to differ. If you just disembarked from the Sky then you were cruising during Spring Break - shorter cruises such as the Sky are a college students best dream come to life. Low prices, many other pax their age and the ability to drink as much or as little as they wish...

 

IMO a short cruise taken during Spring Break is NOT representative of the NCL product.

 

As for the demographic NCL wants to attract, they are probably quite happy that "oldsters" such as DH and I continue to cruise NCL. I would imagine that some pax are like DH and I - willing to spend $$ on a suite, more than willing to spend $$ on weekly spa passes and specialty restaurants, etc. We sailed on HAL 2x (both times in a suite) and after 2 cruises decided that the HAL product just didn't offer the experience we're looking for. We love the NCL product and will continue to sail the line for as long as they provide us the experience that we want.

[CruisnGram]

It's pretty clear to me it isn't a "small room." They now have the actual floorplan for the cabin posted:

 

http://epic.ncl.com/the-experience/accommodations/new-wave-staterooms/

 

Choose "enlarge floorplan" in the lower right and then choose "zoom". You can see clearly it is nothing more than a shower stall. The shower drain and the door are visible. You can even see the toilet paper dispenser next to the toilet on the other side (where it is clearly a very little room...)

 

On the floorplan, I see a "room" with what looks to be a drain in the very corner. That doesn't prove to me at all that the entire "room" is just a shower.

 

I'll just wait and see before assuming it's one way or the other from some drawing.

 

CG

[gooch47]

Please pardon me if I'm being dense, but isn't the shower on the opposite side of the cabin from the toilet? It looks like you are seeing the shower in a mirror next to the toilet.

[arby70]

The Epic seems to have beautiful interior lines, but the exterior of the ship is about as ugly as I have ever seen on a cruise ship. Looks so top heavy that it seems like it could go over in a mild storm. BUT I'm no ship architect, so I'm sure they have gone over this design with a fine toothed comb. Those top decks just look like an afterthought to me.

 

Now if the shower is inside the cabin itself, I hate this idea. My husband and I have had RV's for many years, and I look specifically for the shower to be inside an enclosed area. I don't want steam and moisture everywhere, so I want it contained within another room with a door. This goes for ship cabins as well. Showers do not belong inside the sleeping area anymore than the toilet does.

 

I agree with some of the other posters that if this is indeed the plan to have the showers outside of the bathroom, it sucks!!!:( Other than this, the ship's interiors look gorgeous.

[time2cruise1]

The Epic seems to have beautiful interior lines, but the exterior of the ship is about as ugly as I have ever seen on a cruise ship. Looks so top heavy that it seems like it could go over in a mild storm. BUT I'm no ship architect, so I'm sure they have gone over this design with a fine toothed comb. Those top decks just look like an afterthought to me.

 

Now if the shower is inside the cabin itself, I hate this idea. My husband and I have had RV's for many years, and I look specifically for the shower to be inside an enclosed area. I don't want steam and moisture everywhere, so I want it contained within another room with a door. This goes for ship cabins as well. Showers do not belong inside the sleeping area anymore than the toilet does.

 

I agree with some of the other posters that if this is indeed the plan to have the showers outside of the bathroom, it sucks!!!:( Other than this, the ship's interiors look gorgeous.

 

Not to worry the shower area is another room with a door ;)

[time2cruise1]

Please pardon me if I'm being dense, but isn't the shower on the opposite side of the cabin from the toilet? It looks like you are seeing the shower in a mirror next to the toilet.

 

You are correct

[AFT_LOVER]

You walk into the stateroom. Look left & it is the shower stall with a blue blass door that slides open & closed. We were not shown any hooks for robes or towels in the area so that is a questionmark to me. But one outside the door on the fllor would be OK with me. Then you step out & put on robe as I do at home after a shower. Then walk across to the sink for brushing teeth.

 

Now when you walked in the stateroom & looked to the riight, you see a door, open it & a toilet & toilet paper on a roll are there for you. Not sure if a phone is on the wall.

 

Right off the sink next to the toilet room was a wet bar to me. My purchased booze will be there with the ice bucket & glasses. Not on the desk. That is a dry area with paper, computer, getting dressed area for us.

 

Told no OV cabins on Epic, former mini suite is now a DELUXE BALCONY as it shoul be for all of them.