Norwegian Epic Reviews

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We had never cruised with NCL before, but the Epic appealed to us and the great deal we got for the second week in May (Wet Med) was too good to miss. A little about us -- married couple, 45 and sailing without kids this time around. We have been fortunate enough to have sailed RCI Oasis, Allure and Independence and loved those cruises; the larger ships hold a lot of appeal for us. We flew BA from LHR to Barcelona and the flight and transfer to the ship was smooth; embarkation was easy. We found that the ship on this sailing was under capacity by 950 passengers. As we boarded at 4:15pm, we were urged directly to our muster station for the mandatory drill. We had booked an inside cabin with the intention of changing if possible once on-board. We were able to easily re-book a Balcony on deck 13 and yes, we did pay for the upgrade; a rate that we felt was reasonable. Our cabin looked aesthetically pleasing and much has been said, (griped) about with regards to the bathroom/toilet/sink combination. Whilst the layout appeared to be practical, it was not. Even after 20 years of marriage, it was daunting to nip behind the thin curtain draped across the end of the cabin, which afforded little privacy when using the shower or toilet behind the opaque sliding glass doors. I can tell you that curtain did nothing to obliterate any sound-effects. Hey, ho, this wasn't going to spoil the day though and we managed with these facilities as best we could. However, I wouldn't like to be sharing with someone who was not closely related or with whom you didn't want see doing their peep-show behind the revered curtain! On the upside, there was plenty of space for clothes and lots of drawers; little cubbies and shelves. The safe was located inside a wall mounted curvy cupboard. However, the power sockets under the counter were badly situated and hard to get to. A coffee maker was provided. Here's a tip -- all cabin lighting is operated using your key-card in a slot by the door. Once the card is removed, the lights will go out after 10 seconds or so. Take any card with you -- old hotel key-card, Supermarket loyalty; preferably something you don't mind leaving behind if you forget -- use this in the slot. We were mindful of removing this when we left the cabin as I hate lights left on unnecessarily. The person a few reviews down mentioned the bright lights by the bed (bendy lights) glowing all night. This didn't happen in our cabin; the third click turned them off permanently. Also, the telephone has a bright screen which can also be turned off -- touch the light bulb image top right and the display goes off. After roaming the ship pre-dinner on our first evening, we found that the layout and access to the venues seemed to be easy to navigate. You can pick up a map from Guest Services and there are plenty of maps/navigator boards dotted around. The ship's decor was very nice, not gaudy or too ostentatious. Everywhere was very clean, except for the windows! Dining: There are a vast number of eateries catering to every whim, we booked a few payable restaurants, (details below) but would have been quite happy eating in Manhattan or Taste; the standard and quality of meals was extremely good. I thought the Garden Cafe buffet offered excellent choices at all times; there was nothing I could complain about there, (easily pleased perhaps?) Loved the crepe station and the proper ice-cream. Due to the under-occupancy there was never an issue getting a table, this may not be the case if the ship was full, so if you want to eat at a speciality restaurant or see a show, I would urge you to book online pre-cruise; which is simple and easy. You can change reservations on board (24hrs prior) as we did, with no fuss. Teppanyaki - $25 per head. We thought this was well worth the upcharge. Food was cooked on the Teppan hot-plate in front of you, you can make choices of fish, meats etc. We liked this fun meal. Moderna -- Churrascaria $20 per head. A meat fest and one of the most enjoyable meals we had whilst onboard. The buffet choice to accompany the meats, in fact as a starter if you wish, is outstanding. You will eat until you are wheeled back to your cabin on a gurney. There is a card system -- green for more; red to stop and they will keep bringing more meats for you to try until you plead for them not to! Cirque Dreams -- dinner show - $25 for regular seats, $35 premier seating. A hit and miss for us, firstly the food was edible but not great, I felt that they could have done better. We opted for the 'cheap seats'. There is lower and upper level seating within the Spiegel Tent; which is in fact a small and intimate venue with the 'show ring' being central. Our seats were on the lower level, in booths which lined the periphery. Whilst the view of the performers at ground level was ok, when the performers using ropes/swings etc came on, the view was obscured somewhat. In our opinion, it was worth the money, but perhaps we should have forked out the extra ten bucks! O'Sheehans (complimentary) - We really liked this place, the food is typical 'Pub Grub' but was quick and tasty. There are so many other eateries; you will overwhelmed by the choice. Shows: again, do prepare and make your reservations in advance. The Headliners Comedy Club is a small venue so get there early for a good seat. We loved the Los Locos guitar/comedy show -- a must see. Legends in Concert we missed. The Beatles tribute band was great, the live music outside and within the bars was also very good. We were disappointed by the Blue Man Group, which would appeal to certain tastes; unfortunately not ours. The show runs for 1.5 hours with no intermission. If you arrive early to bag a good seat, you won't be leaving for a fair while. However, we did see people leave during the performance -- so you could sneak out if you wanted to. Ports of Call: We boarded in Barcelona, but didn't pre-tour as we have visited before Naples -- easy to walk off to transportation. We took the bus to Pompeii -- round trip for two adults approx. Euro10. If you search the boards here, there is an excellent post which gives directions and instructions on how to get to the bus. The walk to the SITA bus terminal from the ship was no more than 10 minutes. You can also get the train to Pompeii. Compared to the onboard excursion charges, this option was a fraction of the price. Pompeii is vast and well worth a visit. Take comfortable shoes as a lot of the ground is uneven. Civitavettchia -- for Rome. I was shocked at the prices of the private tours and ship excursions. I found a great site called Civita Tours. An escorted bus tour, with brief stops to the main sites costs Euro26 pp or alternatively the 'do it yourself tour' a mere Euro18. If you plan to see the Colliseum, buy your tickets online, print and take. We walked straight through the crowds of hundreds, right up to the turnstiles and were in within 2 minutes! Well worth a visit. Livorno -- for Pisa/Florence. Having been to both places, we skipped the tours and had a walk around the town. The bus costs Euro5 pp and takes you to the town drop-off point as the port area is not navigable on foot. After an uneventful 50 minutes, we were heading on back to the buffet! Cannes -- pre-book your tender time to depart the ship. You can do this using the interactive tv. Upon arrival the heavens opened, (we had brought rain coats thank goodness). From the tender point to the town periphery is a 2 minute walk. We saw the little tourist train and hopped on the next one Euro20 pp. The tour is an hour, but our tour was longer due to the Film Festival traffic. I liked Cannes and the tour was a pleasant way to see the fabulous beach, shops and hotels. Marseille -- we didn't get off in this port as we were quite exhausted and relished the lie-in. The ships stay was short and all aboard was 3:30pm Around the ship -- we didn't get to see all of the shows as there was just so much to do. I love the Casino, which is a fave haunt. There are smoking and non-smoking areas. Lost everything, but it was fun. The Atrium is a nice place to sit and relax in the daytime. The plush velvet seats were comfy and hard to leave. Grab a coffee and cake and relax whilst watching a demo or film. The pools and water slides, looked really cool. The weather was lovely for most of the cruise and there were plenty of loungers to be had; perhaps this was due to the under-occupancy? This is a great ship for families, with so much for the kids to do. So overall, we were bowled over by the Epic and also I must add that the staff onboard were exceptional. Every one we encountered was professional, friendly and appeared to be really enjoying themselves in their jobs -- perhaps as I mentioned, it could have been the drop in passenger numbers, or the beginning of the season -- who knows.? We liked NCL/Epic so much, we put a deposit down for a future cruise -- the incentive was $100 onboard spend. We both agreed that we would love to visit the Epic again, even doing the same itinerary. After reading reviews here, we appreciate that everyone has their own opinion and the same cruise for us would be a terrible experience for some. Perhaps take the attitude of 'making the best of it' as we did. So do we think the Epic is for everyone -- actually 'No'. It might be too busy and hectic for some -- it is a lively ship. It is a large ship too -- which may not appeal to those seeking some solace, peace and tranquillity. There are no real views except for certain areas on the top deck, it is a floating resort. I think the die-hard traditional cruisers may not like the 'Freestyle' concept. We loved it by the way -- We felt we owned this holiday and were not dictated to by schedules or timings....it did exactly as it said on the tin!

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OK, let me start this review by saying that we are big fans of NCL, so big that we have a deposit on our next cruise with them. It WONT BE ON EPIC !! A little background to start with. 3 adults traveled this time, myself, my better half and my elderly mother. My mum has never cruised before, so we chose Epic as she has a lot of studio cabins for solo travellers. We flew into Barcelona and straight to the ship ( taxi, 35 Euro from airport to port ). Embarkation was very good indeed, on board by noon ish and cabins available by 1.30pm. First impressions were very good. After eating at O Sheehans following advice from cruise critic that the Garden Cafe would be horrendous ( great advice ), we went to our cabin. Here is the start of why the Epic is anything but. Where to start ? OK, I read beforehand that the Epics cabins did not have separate bathrooms, to be honest I was wondering what the fuss was about.Let me explain. A ' normal ' cabin has a bathroom right ? Epic has a toilet, in the cabin, behind a frosted glass screen. You can see your fellow cruiser sitting there and hear everthing... A ' normal ' cabin has a shower in the bathroom, right ? Epic has a shower in your cabin with frosted glass. You can see your fellow cruiser showering in there ! Now I must say that was an advantage to me, hahaha, but come on NCL ! All joking aside, the comedy value diminishes somewhat when you realise that to actually dry yourself, you get out of the shower and step into the cabin, water is on the cabin floor, privacy = zero. They do actually have a curtain that can be pulled, so you pull it, water is still everywhere on the floor and you find yourself standing behind a curtain about 1 inch from the cabin door ! Great ! The entire cabin has been designed by someone who obviously has never cruised but has some Harvard degree in 21 st century BS grand design ! You open the wardrobe door, guess what it does ? It BLOCKS the room ! There are reading lights that have little blue circles of light on the switches, they cannot be turned off . EVER ! So, you turn off the lights but those little blue lights stay on just calling out your name all night lol.. there is light on the aircon switch, it cannot be turned off ! It calls your name all night !! Our cabin steward ( excellent by the way ) must think we are crazy. We had face cloths wrapped around those crazy little annoying lights in the vain attempt to actually make it DARK ! Our cunning plan failed. Did I mention the unbelievable tiny sink ? Yes, its in your room ! That grand designer strikes again. You know the guy, he never cruises, he just tweaks stuff and makes it worse. He is the guy that is responsible for you splashing water allover the place ! The same guy that puts the only 2 electric sockets under a shelf that is nowhere near a mirror so ladies cannot do their hair nor their make up. That guy ! Oh yes, I almost forgot. Don't forget to take your boots with you. You see, you will need your boots to stop you stubbing your toe on the footstool that sticks out into the already garbage cabin ! OK, fair enough, the cabin is aesthetically pleasing. But functional ? My dog could have designed a more functional room, trust me. Moving on... So, we love cruising as you get to meet some really interesting people and make friends. We have friends from literally all over the world because of cruises. The Epic is the most anti social ship we have ever cruised on. And it is NCL's fault ! Firstly, the entertainment. You have to pre book or it is full. This is not conducive to meeting with new friends and arranging to go to the theatre together, you cant do this. Why ? Because they are already booked in for a show, say on Tuesday, but you are booked in for it on Wednesday, and so on. Onto one of our biggest gripes about this ship, and it is about this ship as we know for a fact that this does not happen on other NCL ships. The sharing, or lack of sharing, of tables at dinner. Epic is set up with mainly tables for 2, 4, 6 or more dinner guests in its 2 main restaurants, Manhattan and Taste. Often time there are long lines at the Manhattan. So, when you eventually get in there, what do you see ? Two guests sitting at a table for four, 3 guests at a table for 6 and WORST OF ALL !!! ONE GUEST sitting at a table for two. The poor lonely single traveler, does Epic not actually advertise SINGLE cabins ? YES ! We met a lovely chap and he told us that he had dined alone most nights. Disgraceful Epic dining staff. Can they not at least attempt to get people to share tables ? We specifically asked to share on several occasions, it was like asking a caveman for directions to the moon. Forget it. Blank looks all round. Yes, the dining room staff smile politely and tell you they will ask, so you sit there, the three of you on a table for six, and sit there, and sit there. All the time the dining room staff bring in couples and sit them at tables for four. The same couples who sit there staring into space and do not speak to each other... all they need are some new friends !! All we wanted were some new friends ! Pathetic Epic staff, pathetic. One night we decided to see how far we could push the dining room staff. We arrive, ask to share a table. The staff say yes, yes, we will ask. Do they ask ? Erm, not a chance. Same old same old. I went to the bathroom and en route ( some 100 metres at most ) I counted 11 tables, all under occupied. Yet outside a massive wait line !!! So, coming back I ask for the manager and explain that some of us actually like to chat to other cruisers, it makes for an entirely lovely evening. After him looking at me strangely for a few minutes and me not prepared to move on my position, lo and behold up pops a delightful couple onto our table and we remained friends the whole cruise. They were pleasantly surprised to be asked they told us ! Oh my word is all I can politely say here..... Later that week, on sitting in headliners club, we get chatting to a couple from the USA who tell us that if only they could find some table mates to share a table with... ARGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH This situation is entirely down to the wait staff on Epic. On NCL Dawn and on NCL Jade no such issues occur. I am going to end this review now by saying that contrary to what you may think, we did enjoy the cruise. Its tough to NOT enjoy a cruise. But NCL have tried their best with Epic to make it the least enjoyable cruise we have ever done. Will we cruise with NCL again ? Most definitely. Will we cruise Epic again. Not until I am crowned King of All England and England hasn't had a King Steven in about a thousand years...not to mention I am a proud pleb and about 56 millionth in line to the throne lol P.S. The ship has hardly any sea views, fancy a walk around deck ? Forget about it. It ain't happening. Because you cant actually do the circumference of the deck ! P.P.S. Dont take NCL excursions ! They rip you off people ! You can do it yourself with some homework for a fraction of the price.

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The Norwegian Epic was so unlike the other cruises I had taken. Everything is very professional and so much to do on board. I even attended my first art auction, but resisted bidding for the Goya's and Rembrandt's that were on display. The quality of the shows was also Epic - the Blue Man group, "Legends" with Rod Stewart, Madonna and Elvis look and sound alikes. An on board circus with amazing acrobats, and Brenda Cochraine (Opportunity Knocks winner in 1989) The cruise visited ports serving Naples, Rome, Pisa and Florence, Cannes and Marseilles. It was a pity that the weather in Cannes was poor, as we couldn't really enjoy the international film festival that was taking place. The ship has a relaxed approach to dining, particularly in the self service restaurant though if you want to dress up there are two restaurants included in the cruise price and a number of other speciality restaurants, where an extra cost is added. I was fortunate to be chosen to have a meal with one of the officers on the last night of the cruise and this was very informative. The only negative I would add is the extra $12 per person automatically added to your account for crew gratuities. I would have preferred the option of tipping those that impressed me, without the need for this charge.

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Our vacation began with two days prior to the cruise in Barcelona, Spain. We booked the Husa Oriente through the Norwegian web site. The hotel was average and a little disappointing, but that would change quickly. We toured Barcelona using the double decker tour bus. A great value and we saw the most we could see. The cruise experience began on Sunday. The bus picked us up at the hotel and took us to the port. We were escorted to the VIP check-in line, which had no wait. We were then escorted to the VIP lounge, had a few snacks and were quickly taken aboard the ship before the other passengers. We were brought to the Haven Lounge where the concierge, Adrian, met us. He took us on a tour of the Haven, which included, all private, a lounge, a restaurant, a gym, spa room, sauna, steam room, pool, bar deck, and a freestyle sun deck. We had a wonderful lunch of shrimp cocktail, filet of beef and banana cream pie (to die for). Our rooms were ready after lunch. I knew what the Owner's Suite looked like from YouTube videos and pictures, but those were nothing compared to what we walked into. This was the most luxurious cabin we had ever seen or heard about. Four rooms, including a living room, private lounging deck, a master bath which rivaled the best hotels out there and a bedroom that I did not want to leave. The room was equipped with a laptop, two televisions, floor to ceiling windows (including the shower), a tub, full closets with room to spare and a half bathroom. Our butler, Joha, greeted us with champagne and canapes. He also brought 3 full bottles of liquor, included in the price of the suite. The refrigerator was stocked with sparkling water, regular water, soda and mixers. All of which are restocked daily. The coffee machine was able to make coffee, cappuccino, steamed milk and tea. Our stewart, Athena, delivered our bags promptly and offered to have anything pressed for free that day. I sent our clothes out and they were delivered the next day crisp and hung neatly. She handled our laundry requests and turn down every night. We were greeted every night with a animal towel creation, which I saved every day and created my own zoo. We were treated to a private sail away party that night. The next night we were invited to a Haven only cocktail reception with the captain and the senior members of the crew. The captain knew who we were throughout the cruise and always took time to say hello and check on our needs. Adrian escorted us to each and every event we had scheduled. We sat in only the best seats of each event and he always checked in us, no matter where we were. I had asked Adrian to see if he could change our post cruise hotel because I did not like the one we were staying in. He said he would do whatever he could, but no promises. The night before we left the ship, he assured me that the experience would different at the same hotel and that they knew who I was. He was not kidding. They had hired a bellman, gave us the best room with a fruit basket, drinks and a working air conditioner. Adrian was a nothing short of a magician. This was our 25th anniversary and the crew of the Epic made it spectacular. My hat is off to Norwegian for providing the best of the best, crew, food, drinks, and the overall experience.

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Though this ship was large, the interior did not give that feel. I felt that the stairways were rather small and the layout was a bit confusing as you couldn't get to all floors through the same stairwell. Pros: Entertainment The entertainment on board was the best in quality and quantity. Though it was an extra charge, the Cirque show was unique and entertaining. The Blue Man Group was good. The Spanish Ballet was really good; skip the Los Locos Oles. The only negative was that you had to reserve in advance and if you didn't, a lot of the shows and times wouldn't be available. Legends was entertaining, but there was no Michael Jackson or Brittney Spears impersonators as advertised. We didn't have kids on board, but it looked like there was a lot for kids to do on the ship. There were many waterslides as well as many Nickolodean themed events. Cons: Compared to other ships, the service onboard was mediocre at best. The only places you would get good service would be the bars and lounges where the servers depended on the gratuity. The service in the main dining rooms were disappointing. Besides the nightly shows, I felt there was not a lot to do onboard during the day. On other cruises, there would be cooking demonstrations, port lectures, history lectures, etc. The swimming pools for adults were extremely small. We did not even bother to use them because they resembled wading pools. The toilet seats...well they're not like toilet seats. Sitting on it feels like you sat down on a toilet without the seat down. Indifferent: The food was alright. It wasn't anything to write home about, but it wasn't horrible. It is obvious that they want you to pay the extra money to dine at the other places. A lot of people have complained about the stateroom design with the separate toilet and shower with frosted glass. This was not a problem for us, but I can see how it would be awkward for people sharing a room that aren't together. Overall, this cruise was alright. I wouldn't take it again just because of the ship alone. It would have to be for the ports.

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