Sorry, but I felt your review was always biased toward the negative at every opportunity. Epic is a massive ship and everyone heads to the buffet on embarkation day. As staffing and employment have changed dramatically since covid, if it takes an extra hour or so for your stateroom to be ready what's the problem. People always moan about the rooms, there are so many RUclips videos on Epic staterooms, surely you were aware of them before you cruised? Likewise, the ship's capacity will now be at maximum for most cruises, why didn't you go on a smaller ship? Also, your inability to navigate the ship shouldn't be portrayed as confusing. It's a big ship with location maps on every elevator section. Your review was way too negative, did you go to the quiet sunbathing area on deck 18 forward with waiter service? Anyone who cruises knows that if you want to see shows you book before sailing on your NCL page. If that isn't available you make your reservations on the first day at guest services. Also if the ship is 80% US customers, you all want to eat at 5-6pm, go a bit later and the rush will be over. Lastly, if your steak was so bad in Cagneys, why didn't you send it back?
This ship is a joke. Read my review that I posted here. I just finished a cruise on July 2nd. My review is fair, accurate and should be a big warning for anyone thinking about booking this ship. Or NCL in general.
cannot wait to go on the Epic in January. We have been on 12 cruises and 9 have been with NCL. We are Platinum rewards members so we have many perks! We have been on 2 Royal ships and 1 Carnival . I guess everyone has their opinion so I think NCL is awesome sorry you think it's a joke🙄@@therealunclep
I looked for my upcoming cruise but I see no way to book shows in advance? I'd be disappointed if I do not get to see the shows. Shows and nice meals are part of what makes cruising fun.
Ive been on Epic 6 times in Caribbean out of Miami. Ioved it. At the time I was on her i had been on 325 cruises. Thus ship is large but the escalator helps. . My room had an espresso coffee machine Legends in Concert and Blueman Group were the entertainment. Crew were fabulous, food was fine. The late night white night was fun.
Thanks so much for watching, that’s a great tip, except the main dining rooms weren’t open at that time, only the buffet was open. But maybe that’s changed. Please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
I just went on a 7 day cruise late January 2024 and had an excellent time. We made reservations for dinner each day and walked right in. The cruise holds over 4000 passengers so you will have crowded areas. The entire staff did an awesome job. Again, reservations is a must with so many people. The on board shows was amazing. The bar lines could be long at times but by no means were all of them. The rooms were strange looking but over time we understood why. There are over 4000 passengers to accommodate. Some people have to realize that they aren’t the only people on the ship. While out on the pool deck, staff members come around and take your drink orders and you can order 2 drinks per person. People stop complaining and take a breath. You may actually find something good to say.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your experience! Clearly things have gotten better since we sailed on that ship. I’m so glad to hear this. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel! Cheers, Marlene.
Hello Patrick! They said the ship was at full capacity , around 4200 people. We took that cruise by the end of January. This ship spends winter in a Caribbean and for the summer it goes to the Mediterranean. Thank you for watching our channel. Please subscribe if you can. Cheers Marlene.
So what I'm hearing is you disliked the ship because of how busy it was...but you went during a busy season. Maybe I'm missing something else? I do agree the rooms are very awkward. I'm going on the Epic in two weeks. I haven't had an issue with over crowdedness when cruising in December. I guess we'll see!
I would love you to keep in touch and let us know how it is when you go. It wasn’t that it was overcrowded. It was designed for that many and they were fully staffed. It was just crowded and very disorganized but hopefully you’ll have a better experience. They’re actually going to put that ship into dry dock and redesign all of the state rooms. It’ll be interesting to see. Thanks so much for watching, please subscribe if you can to help our little channel.
We were on the Epic last september doing a mediterranean Cruise. There were 6 of us, we did enjoy the ship but it was our first cruise in 12 years. I don't remember it being over crowded as much. Since then we have done 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and they had some challenges, more becasue of stafffing cuts and price increases. I guess cruising is becoming a common form of transportation and try to not expect too much anymore. Elevators are just as much of a problem on Royal as well, you can wait minutes during peek times. Our last cruise was the Oasis HUGE ship and YES we noticed huge lines.
Thanks so much for watching, yes, cruises are not what they used to be. They do nickel and dime you to death. And large ships are always going to be more crowded. I hope your next cruise goes well! Please subscribe if you can to help her a little channel. And thanks again for watching! Cheers, Marlene.
Hey, thanks so much for watching! No, we did not notice smoke in the bars from the casino. And there are plenty of bars on the ship anyway. And to answer your other question, it’s a with very family friendly ship, so there was definitely no pools that were clothing, optional. I don’t know what those people told you, ha ha! And yes, many people said they had great experiences. Maybe ours was just a fluke. Anyway, thanks so much for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our channel! Cheers, Marlene.
Realize you went during summer time it's more crowed also when you first get on a ship you never go to the buffet I always go to Osheenas restaurants . They just need more help working also you always pre book your shows with Ncl plus you got to research your cruises before going on I always say each cruises you go on you learn from thanks for your vlogg
Thanks so much for watching and thanks for the advice! We did ask, and that particular ship was fully staffed with employees which we thought was kind of odd. But yes, perhaps we should have researched a little bit better. Thanks so much for watching and please subscribe if you can to help her a little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Thanks so much for watching! We actually sailed in January, but I didn’t get to post until later. I’m so glad you had a good experience though! Please subscribe if you can to help a little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
We have been on 2 NCL cruises and overall very satisfied. You seemed to be very negative on everything. We have booked a cruise on Epic in June 2024, now i am scared!
First of all, thanks so much for watching! Yes, unfortunately, our experience was very negative. However, we also heard that Norwegian had really good cruises, but the reviews on this particular ship alone that were very bad. They’re even planning on dry dock this ship I think next year and redesign the rooms. Anyway, I would love to know your feedback when you guys go! Have a great vacation happy new year and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
I sailed on the Epic last February and just booked it again for November of this year. It wasn't my favorite ship but it was still very enjoyable..the food was awesome (besides the main dining) in my experience it wasn't very crowded. I went in the off-season but drink lines were no more than 10 minutes. Buffet was the best I've had on a ship. The ship gets a lot of negative reviews online because it isn't quite as good as the brand new ships. That being said it's very fun and I chose to go on it a second time just because the dates lined up for me.
Thanks so much for watching! We went in January, so it was definitely not school summer for kids. We’ve been on other incredibly large ships and we just found that one very disorganized. We even heard that they’re going to be dry docking it and re-designing the rooms. I think they’ve listened to all the complaints over the past year. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel, cheers Marlene
Thank you for your honest review. it’s nice to see someone review who isn’t getting paid by the cruise line to say nice things. Ben and David cruise review on RUclips also rated it down so you’re not the only one.
I am glad you enjoyed the review and it was helpful. I get some really rude emails from people saying I’m too critical and I don’t know what it’s like to Cruz. But I have to be honest. Thanks for watching please subscribe to her little channel. Cheers, Marlene
@ I think the people who criticize are either employees or people who just don’t want to know the truth. cruises are not cheap especially Norwegian cruises so getting what you pay for is important. It got horrible reviews on cruise critic. I would’ve been mad too if I had your experience.
@@flobrez2470 thanks for commenting! I guess it wasn’t that we were mad, we were just disappointed in a little frustrated and you’re right people do want to get what they pay for and it’s not cheap. Thanks so much for watching and please subscribe so you can help our little channel, cheers, Marlene
Thank you for posting this! I was thinking about taking a solo cruise on this ship in January, but it looks ridiculously crowded. I hate crowds, so I might just skip it.
Thanks so much for watching! I’m glad it helped. I don’t like to be too negative on my videos, but I would not take the ship ever again. Especially if you’re going solo. Princess is good for solo and Royal Caribbean as well. Check out my Vlog on the Royal Caribbean ship review to the Mexican Riviera. It was amazing, especially for solo people. my husband just read that they’re going to retire the Norwegian Epic and remodel it because they’ve had so many complaints. That would be a good move on their part, but they don’t have the best reputation. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel and again thanks so much for watching! Cheers, Marlene.
@@passportstravelvloggers2580 We are going on the Epic in January, we have been on 12 NCL ships and we have been on both Royal & Carnival. We were just on the NCL Escape in April (SPRING BREAK) and it was the most crowded ship we have ever been on. A lot of kids, if you think about it and you have so many rooms and if most of the rooms have 4 people as apposed to 2 well you can do the math. All of our other NCL cruises have been great. With kids having to go back to school after Christmas break we should be fine. Also avoid summer vacation.. The only time to book Spring Break and especially summer is Alaska or Europe. As far as the inconvenience of the room, well it looks like it has plenty of storage, bring a approved power strip and bring your room service out to that beautiful balcony. Maybe try the breakaway or Breakaway plus class.
@@louiscerulli5676 My boyfriend and I are also going on the Epic in January. We're both 24, this will be his first cruise and i've only ever been on one carnival cruise back when i turned 15. I'm wondering if we should really go after seeing so many complaints.. or if we should just pay a little more to go on a different ship? Idk, I feel like a lot of the things people complain about are things that we can get past for just 7 days especially considering we just want to mostly relax EXCEPT for the over-crowdedness. I really don't want an overcrowded ship but January of course will be much different than spring and summer months..
@@lorrainebrios I'm going on the Epic next March. My wife and I have watched several videos and this is the only video that complained about the food. Two of the videos I watched were from people who've gone on many cruises. Both videos stated it was the best food they've had on any cruise. We've got a room with a balcony that will have more than enough room for us and our friends will be right next door. The ship holds 4,200 people. If that's too many, maybe you should book another cruise. However, a small cruise many not have everything you want. Our friends have been on many cruises and said they would never go on a small cruise as they didn't have all the amenities of a large ship. We're not rebooking. As I've grown older, I 've become a glass half full person rather than glass half empty and it makes things easier.
@@JJL-1962I don't understand what they r complaining about. With 4100 guests on board and majority adults of drinking age, what do they expect the drink line to be? To me the lady is being disrespectful calling it a boat. I've only been on 3 cruises with my first in 1986 when I graduated from nursing school. We were told then never to refer to it as a boat...lol. Also if u want a larger room then u should book the Haven or even the Club Balcony Suite.
Just watching this video regarding the embarkation, food review, stateroom what time is available, complaining everything.Come on expect the unexpected if you go for a cruise. Like sometimes cancel the excursion because the weather is not good there’s a storm. Of course understandable. They priority your safety. My family we’ve been with two big NCL Breakaway last year and Prima this year.We don’t have any issues or problem with them. Our embarkation is okay. Waiting of the stateroom is up to 2-3 pm. But while waiting just go around check the cruise ship. Instead of getting upset what time the stateroom is available. Regarding the buffet, go not on busy hour. Go early not on busy hour. The staff they are all friendly, nice and kind. NCL there’s a lot of elevators Before we cruise everything are all set up. We booked everything online even what to do that day and where to go. We don’t booked our excursion even the transportation on NCL, we booked everything not the NCL. Your NCL agent they give you an option if you wan’t to booked your excursion on them or you can get from outside. Because if you get it from them it’s more expensive of course. And if you booked your excursion from other you can find a better deal . Food are okay. We are in platinum cruisers on NCL. If you don’t like too much crowded, just get a smaller cruise ship.
Yeah, the food was not bad when we went. I think they’ve improved things because everybody’s commenting that it’s been much better than when we took it. Glad you had a good time! Thanks for watching and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Thank you for your honest opinion and review. Me and my husband will be on the NCL Epic cruise ship for the first time to the Mediterranean early 2025. I honestly think the cost is a huge bargain in that your stay, food and entertainment is all inclusive. Yes, some of the packages are extra but I have paid the same amount of the whole trip for a couple nights stay in a hotel in some U.S. cities. Then all entertainment and dining is extra. Just knowing the ship holds 4100 passengers I don't expect any one to one concierge experience. However, your review shed some light for tips regarding navigating and booking things on the ship which I really appreciate. I am sorry you did not enjoy your trip. Traveling is not cheap and all the planning that goes into it sometimes and then turning out to be a let down. Cheers to better traveling ahead for you and your husband.
Thanks so much for watching! I’ve been getting a lot of comments with people saying that they had a very good experience and that their experience was not as negative as ours was. Don’t get me wrong, there were good things about the ship, but it was just a little too much for us. I’m sure you’ll have a great time! please subscribe to our little channel to help us out if you can. Thanks again. Cheers Marlene
Every video I have watched concerning the Norwegian epic and the room that you can view the bridge at says that you’re not allowed to film in there. Also, as a retired travel agent I was very unhappy with your review. There is a way to be honest, but also not negative. I remember once I had a client get mad at me because at the last minute they changed one of the port stops on the ship , I asked her did you read the fine print in your contract and she said no and I said basically what it says is once you get on the ship Anything can change at a moment notice due to weather which no one has a control over so what I suggested to her is once she got on the ship is just to enjoy herself. Yes there’s gonna be lines for certain things. Yes, you’re gonna have to wait, but what you need to remember is that you are on a cruise with the people that you love, Getting to spend time on vacation together and you get to go to ports and cities that you thought you would never get to go to. Life is too short to not enjoy every day
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! It seems that Norwegian has changed things on the epic because all of the comments I’ve been getting are much better than when we sailed. Thanks again and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Been on Epic once before, loved it, Haven is the bomb❤, you have to try it out once , Going again in November Haven again only way to go, been on a lot with the haven only way to go
I’m so glad it was a good experience for you! The Haven sounds amazing! Thanks for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel cheers, Marlene
Thanks for sharing your esperience as Senior Citizen and Sugar Mama. I also have high expecataions and always had a wonderful time on NCL ships. The restaurants ( I don't do buffets as it is an option -- I chose not to experience) great. I agree with you Le Bisto is the TOPS! Need more space book a suite. As for using the elevators at Embarkation and Debarkation -- no need to take the stairs, walk to one of the other two elevator banks. Situation solved.
I have cruised now going on 40 years. (Wow... now I feel really old. Ugggg.) Though I have cruised on a number of different lines, my favorite was Royal Caribbean. My motto was always to go with the biggest and the newest. That changed about 6 years ago. I really started to hate crowded ships, or ships that had activities in venues that were just too small for the participants Having to get to locations an hour or so in advance just to get a seat. It's just not fun. And when I encounter that, it starts to taint everything else on the trip. More recently, I'm taking older and smaller ships that can go to ports that the larger ships can't fit into. It's great for bucket list trips, But it's also great because the services are much attentive and much friendlier, the food is usually better, you can find a table to sit at, and in general there's just a more comfy feeling. I know that sort of cruise experience is not for everyone, but neither is the hustle and bustle we see here.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We totally agree with you in every aspect! What a difference six or seven years has made in the cruise industry! Thank you so much for watching, and please subscribe to help our little channel! Happy sailing. Cheers, Marlene.
it's a lot of people but the facilities should be proportionate. Some waiting is not unreasonable but if people have to stand in line for a hour and a half to get into a show it's too much
Some people have always something to complain. We had a great trip in the Epic, and yes, it was crowded. But that is to be expected , if you go for breakfast or lunch outside the rush hours, it is ok. Of course,it is busy when everybody wants to go onshore. It's all about expectations and understanding the logistic complexity with so many people. We also liked the cabins,and don't understand the negative feedback. It will never be perfect but if you have reasonable expectations ,it will be great.
I’m so glad you had a good experience on the epic. We were not so fortunate. We did not go during high season and the shift was completely fully staffed. They’re actually going to be dry docking the boat to redesign the state rooms. Anyways, again thank you for watching. I’m glad your experience was Good and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marley.
Sorry your experience was not good. I research the ships and cruises before going, so I have a good idea of what to expect. It seems that most ships on most of the big cruise lines are quite crowded and understaffed these days. I see negative reviews all over. To me, the ship looked pretty nice and I don’t mind the quirky stateroom design. I plan to take my cruises in the off season, (late fall), so perhaps there will be fewer crowds. In any case, I just love being on the ocean! NCL generally has great entertainment too. I always enjoy the shows. Hope your next experience is better!
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We really liked the itinerary on this cruise. But it’s interesting, because Norwegian pulled this cruise liner and they were re-designing it. It was an interesting experience. You live in Learned. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Happy cruising! Cheers, Marlene.
Thanks so much for watching, we’ve had comments from people saying they had a great experience. So maybe ours was just a fluke bad experience. I’m sure you’ll have a great time! Please subscribe if you can help our little channel. Safe travels cheers, Marlene.
Thanks so much for watching! I’m getting a lot of feedback from people who are complaining that my review was horrible and that they have had an excellent experience on this ship. So perhaps they fixed things and it’ll be a good experience for you. Probably so. Let me know! Safe travels, and please subscribe if you can to help our channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Worst cruise ship I have ever cruised on. Eleven days of pure torture. This ship feels like a dark, dank, dirty, seedy two-star Las Vegas Casino, only in Pahrump, NV. The food was horrible, the crew were constantly angry, often agitating passengers. My check in was botched, my app never worked, my name was wrong, all my excursions were cancelled for no reason "call Miami" not our problem. The worst of all of these issues is you can't see the ocean on this ship unless you have a balcony. You will not find anywhere on the ship to relax and enjoy the ocean unless you want to gamble. The layout of the ship could not accommodate the masses and with only two elevator sets on the ship it would often get aggressive. The crew was ill-equipped to handle moving the masses during excursions, events, etc. It constantly felt like walking around Disneyland at peak season. This felt like a low budget cruise carrier! First and last time on NCL
Wow!! I think your experience was even worse. I agree, never again! Thanks for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
I had a pretty similar experience to you last year. I thought the buffet was the best ive ever had and the main dining was the worst ive ever had. My favorite ship i have went on was the carnival marti gras. I have to say the drink lines on the Epic was 1/4th of the wait that I had on carnival. This isnt my favorite ship in the world and would prefer others. That being said i wanted to go on a cruise for my anniversary and the Epic was the only one that was sailing at the times i needed prom the port i wanted. Moral of this comment to anyone who reads. This isnt the best ship but it isnt horrible. Ive been on both Carbivals and Royal Caribbeans newst ships and I had just as much fun on this ship as I did those new ones
Thanks so much for watching and I absolutely agree with your comments. Have fun on your next cruise! And please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
OMG! You are very negative. Did you like anything? YOU SHOULD’VE JUST STAYED HOME. What did you expect🤦🏽♀️ Only for you and your husband to be on the ship NEWSFLASH! It’s a cruise😮 I feel sorry for your husband💯
I'm stopping 3/4 of the way through.. I'll finish up, But I have seen exactly what I need to see.. I'm doing my research now for a Mediterranean cruise in 2025. I had read some bad reviews and then came on to look at video reviews. Yours is the second one that is showing me pretty much the same thing but even worse. Last year's Mediterranean cruise was on MSC, which was horrible. I was thinking that it really wouldn't matter since a Mediterranean cruise as so much about the ports instead of the ship. But the ship experience was such a nightmare that It really colored over anything I was doing in the ports.... so that my memories of that week were mostly about how bad the ship was. THANK YOU!! I would have been really upset with this ship experience.
After watching the whole video, I almost started to have anxiety thinking about how unhappy I would be at spending that much money and having that type of an experience. Again, thank you.
Thank you for watching. I just shared our honest experience. Glad it helped you. Let me know what ship you choose! Please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
I agree very negative review. I agree with some of your descriptions most were not what I found. You said that it was hard to find a seat in the buffet. Well it depends what time you go, it seems if it was full that many people found a seat. The lines to the bar outside were long but inside were fine. I found the Epic a great ship to sail on. Like all cruise lines there is pros and cons and what suits some doesn't suit all. I think you'd be very hard to please regardless of who you cruised with
Thanks so much for watching and thanks for commenting. I’m glad your experience was better than ours. We have cruised on many different cruise lines many different times and this one was really our only negative experience. I have two other reviews on cruise lines that were magnificent. I didn’t have one bad thing to say. But anyway, I appreciate the Conversation and I’m so glad the experience was better for you. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel cheers, Marlene.
Yes it was weird, lol. We just heard that they are pulling that ship in to redesign it. Interesting! Thanks so much for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
commenting as we go. Have to take the stairs. Yes, all cruises Ive been on, about 10, whenever entering the ship, embarkation, debarkation, excursions, entry exit off the ship, It is always crowded. I immediately find another way to get upstairs, usually by walking up one flight and then down the hall to the next set of elevators. The room not being ready. it is almost never ready when we get on, so yes, bring swim suits under clothes to go the pool or go eat, and yes, again, everyone is doing the same thing, it will be crowded. The room being small. Yes, the rooms are always small, on this particular ship, I don't like the bathroom layout and sink being on the outside. Its just a silly layout. Unfortunate about the dining room. Normally, I can never find a seat, you have to walk around, find one, grab it and sit someone there and then go get food. But to be honest, that has also been on most of the cruises. You almost have to hit meals at times not aligned with meal times, early for breakfast, early or late for lunch. Never 8-9am or noon for lunch. You wont find a table. Bars. Here is my advice. Tip heavily. The bartenders will remember you and help you when they see you walk up. I always find a bar that I like the first day and give the bartenders a $20 right off the bat. Then tip for ever drink in cash. They definitely like that and help me as soon as I walk up to the bar. ( most of the time). So again with the bars. Yes, they are busy. Everyone is drinking. Its going to be busy. lol. btw, there is always a bar somewhere, kind of hidden, where if you want a drink, there is not usually a line. We always have to find it, last one was actually in the buffet, had beers and wine/bubbly, but was never busy. You should of sent the steak back if it wasn't good. I will be going on this particular ship in about a month and will update this comment after the cruise. From the video footage, it looked pretty average to me. A typical cruise, busy lines, crowded pool on sailing days, and bar lines. Ive been on NCL, RC, Princess, and Carnival, and they are all the same. The rooms look just a nightmare, but we will deal with that when we get on. I think the actual review was kind of negative based from the beginning. Im not sure why she was so critical, but it was almost like she was being negative all the time, no matter what. just my opinion. Just a bit more info after researching. The last ship we sailed was the Dawn, 2340 passengers and 1032 crew for 2.27 pas to 1 crew member, the Epic is 4100 pass to 1724 crew making that 2.38 to 1. Not much of a difference. It will be interesting.
Thanks for your video. Please allow me to add my feedback from my recent Mediterranean cruise from June 22-July 2. Maybe my comments can help someone thinking about booking this ship. It was just me. I booked an inside cabin and paid x2. Being solo I didn't mind the cabin, I actually thought it was nice. I can see how with family it might not work so well. I had a great cabin steward and most of the "working people" were really nice. My pros: Cabin steward, and other "working people", ports (I had 7 in 10 days). That's it for pros. I actually told my cabin steward that he was too good for this cruise line and this ship. My cons: The food in general was horrible. I live in Las Vegas. The cheapest buffet here in town would be better than the one on the ship. It was a joke. Food quality was nonexistent. I didn't expect much from a buffet but I couldn't believe how bad things tasted. The couldn't even make an omelette without burning it. Maybe if they were making it correctly in a pan instead of on a crepe iron it might have been better. Just the overall selection and especially the food quality was subpar. The dining room food wasn't much better. Very hit or miss. I would have the same thing on a different night and it would taste differently. I really enjoy eating in the dining room but never knew if what I ordered would be good or not. To be honest, I was embarrassed for them. This was not the quality type of food you would find in the dining room on a cruise ship. Things would come out cold, salty and taste like they were prepared way before you ordered them. Most the the staff were really nice. But even the servers would tell me they would get complaints on things tasting too salty. What I also didn't appreciate is that they wouldn't even enforce their own dress code in the more formal of the two dining rooms. I was was told to take off my baseball hat in the less casual dining room but people could wear shorts and beach attire in the more formal. I had three nights of specialty dining. I did two in Le Bistro and one in Cagney's. Le Bistro was excellent. Some of the best escargot I have ever had. Two wonderful meals there. GREAT service all around. I had the same waiter two night. He would call me by name and seemed to really care about my dining experience. My interactions with the manager were also good. They treated me like a king. My night in Cagney's was not so good. My filet was perfect but my earlier courses were not so good. A crab cake with so much salt you could hardly eat it and lobster bisque soup that as another passenger put it, "tomato soup with a tiny piece of lobster." The service was just ok. That's my dining experience on the Epic. It really pissed me off that I constantly received voice mails marketing to me. Come on now. I'm on vacation and I can't avoid being spammed by the cruise ship I've paid to be on? There were a lot of things that were just marketing to get you to cruise again. So many places on the ship (events) just getting you to spend more money. The ship itself needs to be retired. Lots and lots of peeling paint all over the place, rust etc... The deck plans and overall layout of this ship are strange, but I knew that going in. It had the itinerary I wanted so I booked it. They changed one of my excursions and never even emailed me. I asked two different people at the excursion desk and both were totally rude. I heard about some other people who's excursions were completely canceled and they were not informed until they got on the ship. My overall experience on this ship was not good. I would never sail on NCL again. Poor food quality, constant marketing for future cruises, art, jewelry and anything they could make more money on. Try fixing up your ship or retiring it. Do something. Try buying some decent/good quality food instead of the nasty stuff you are currently purchasing. Sorry for the long review but if it can help anyone else, it was worth my time to write it.
Thanks for your great input!! Funny, I now remember all the food was so salty!! My husband just read that hey are taking the ship out of service to remodel and upgrade it. It will be interesting to see what they do to it. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe to help our channel! Cheers, Marlene
Just got home from a Carribean cruise on the Epic. What a dissapointment! The balcony room was horrible, no space and no privacy! The food was mediocre and was looking forward to our specialty dinner at Cagneys only to be disappointed.
@@sandraalhooty953 I'm sorry you had a dissapointing time. That ship needs to be retired. You really want to enjoy the food and it is, like you say, nothing above mediocre. The two best meals I had were at the French restaurant. We both learned to skip over NCL for our next cruises didn't we?
Yes, definitely strange. But according to other peoples comments, they seem to love it. Maybe we missed some thing?, Lol thanks for commenting. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
We’ve been on other cruises that were great. We love princess. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
Thanks! Like I said the itinerary was great, but I got to give an honest review of the ship so nothing lost there. We heard that they are going to pull the ship out of the water to remodel it. Must be even they read their own reviews. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel! Cheers, Marlene
One of the worst cruise ship we had ever been on(take 10) workers are fine BUT THE ROOMS FOR HANDICAPPED AND CLEANESS WAS JUST AWFUL, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO SANITATION AROUND THE SHIP, I WAS THE 6TH PERSON TO BE WHEELED ON AND AMBULANCE IN NOVEMBER AND THE ONLY ONE NOT IN A LIFE SUPPORT! THE DRA WAS GREAT AND SO WERE THE 2 FEMALE NURSES BECAUSE THE MALE TOLD MY SPOUSE THAT I HAD TOO MUCH JEWELRY ON ME! I WILL NEVER CRUISE WITH NCL AGAIN (THIS WASEN'T OUR 1ST WITH THEM) BUT IT WOULD BE OUR LAST 😡😡😡😡AND PLEASE DON'T COME BACK AND TELL ME HOW BLESSED I WAS I GOT PNEUMONIA AND INFLUENZA ON THE DAM SHIP 🤬🤬
Wow, that sounds really bad! So many people did not have a good experience! I’m sorry that it was so bad for you guys! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Please subscribe so you can help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Sorry, but I felt your review was always biased toward the negative at every opportunity. Epic is a massive ship and everyone heads to the buffet on embarkation day. As staffing and employment have changed dramatically since covid, if it takes an extra hour or so for your stateroom to be ready what's the problem. People always moan about the rooms, there are so many RUclips videos on Epic staterooms, surely you were aware of them before you cruised? Likewise, the ship's capacity will now be at maximum for most cruises, why didn't you go on a smaller ship? Also, your inability to navigate the ship shouldn't be portrayed as confusing. It's a big ship with location maps on every elevator section. Your review was way too negative, did you go to the quiet sunbathing area on deck 18 forward with waiter service? Anyone who cruises knows that if you want to see shows you book before sailing on your NCL page. If that isn't available you make your reservations on the first day at guest services. Also if the ship is 80% US customers, you all want to eat at 5-6pm, go a bit later and the rush will be over. Lastly, if your steak was so bad in Cagneys, why didn't you send it back?
You are right. Since the video started I knew it was gonna be so negative.
This ship is a joke. Read my review that I posted here. I just finished a cruise on July 2nd. My review is fair, accurate and should be a big warning for anyone thinking about booking this ship. Or NCL in general.
cannot wait to go on the Epic in January. We have been on 12 cruises and 9 have been with NCL. We are Platinum rewards members so we have many perks! We have been on 2 Royal ships and 1 Carnival . I guess everyone has their opinion so I think NCL is awesome sorry you think it's a joke🙄@@therealunclep
I looked for my upcoming cruise but I see no way to book shows in advance? I'd be disappointed if I do not get to see the shows. Shows and nice meals are part of what makes cruising fun.
@@louiscerulli5676 What type of cabin do you usually get on NCL, and epic in particular.
Ive been on Epic 6 times in Caribbean out of Miami. Ioved it. At the time I was on her i had been on 325 cruises. Thus ship is large but the escalator helps. . My room had an espresso coffee machine
Legends in Concert and Blueman Group were the entertainment.
Crew were fabulous, food was fine.
The late night white night was fun.
Tip: on embarkation day, go to one of the main dining rooms for lunch.
Thanks so much for watching, that’s a great tip, except the main dining rooms weren’t open at that time, only the buffet was open. But maybe that’s changed. Please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
I just went on a 7 day cruise late January 2024 and had an excellent time. We made reservations for dinner each day and walked right in. The cruise holds over 4000 passengers so you will have crowded areas. The entire staff did an awesome job. Again, reservations is a must with so many people. The on board shows was amazing. The bar lines could be long at times but by no means were all of them. The rooms were strange looking but over time we understood why. There are over 4000 passengers to accommodate. Some people have to realize that they aren’t the only people on the ship. While out on the pool deck, staff members come around and take your drink orders and you can order 2 drinks per person. People stop complaining and take a breath. You may actually find something good to say.
Thanks so much for watching and sharing your experience! Clearly things have gotten better since we sailed on that ship. I’m so glad to hear this. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel! Cheers, Marlene.
What time of year was this? I saw reviews of 4.5/5 on cruise critic. So the adult only pool area is not "clothing optional" as someone else told me.
We went in January.
Thank you very much for the informative review. I very much appreciate it.
Thanks so much for watching! I’m glad that it helped you! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
How many passengers were on this cruise and when did you take it?
Hello Patrick!
They said the ship was at full capacity , around 4200 people.
We took that cruise by the end of January.
This ship spends winter in a Caribbean and for the summer it goes to the Mediterranean.
Thank you for watching our channel.
Please subscribe if you can.
Cheers Marlene.
So what I'm hearing is you disliked the ship because of how busy it was...but you went during a busy season. Maybe I'm missing something else? I do agree the rooms are very awkward. I'm going on the Epic in two weeks. I haven't had an issue with over crowdedness when cruising in December. I guess we'll see!
I would love you to keep in touch and let us know how it is when you go. It wasn’t that it was overcrowded. It was designed for that many and they were fully staffed. It was just crowded and very disorganized but hopefully you’ll have a better experience. They’re actually going to put that ship into dry dock and redesign all of the state rooms. It’ll be interesting to see. Thanks so much for watching, please subscribe if you can to help our little channel.
We were on the Epic last september doing a mediterranean Cruise. There were 6 of us, we did enjoy the ship but it was our first cruise in 12 years. I don't remember it being over crowded as much. Since then we have done 3 Royal Caribbean cruises and they had some challenges, more becasue of stafffing cuts and price increases. I guess cruising is becoming a common form of transportation and try to not expect too much anymore. Elevators are just as much of a problem on Royal as well, you can wait minutes during peek times. Our last cruise was the Oasis HUGE ship and YES we noticed huge lines.
Thanks so much for watching, yes, cruises are not what they used to be. They do nickel and dime you to death. And large ships are always going to be more crowded. I hope your next cruise goes well! Please subscribe if you can to help her a little channel. And thanks again for watching! Cheers, Marlene.
I saw an opening in the floor with casino beneath. Assuming the casino was a smoking area, did the smoke come into the bars?
Hey, thanks so much for watching! No, we did not notice smoke in the bars from the casino. And there are plenty of bars on the ship anyway. And to answer your other question, it’s a with very family friendly ship, so there was definitely no pools that were clothing, optional. I don’t know what those people told you, ha ha! And yes, many people said they had great experiences. Maybe ours was just a fluke. Anyway, thanks so much for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our channel! Cheers, Marlene.
Realize you went during summer time it's more crowed also when you first get on a ship you never go to the buffet I always go to Osheenas restaurants . They just need more help working also you always pre book your shows with Ncl plus you got to research your cruises before going on I always say each cruises you go on you learn from thanks for your vlogg
Thanks so much for watching and thanks for the advice! We did ask, and that particular ship was fully staffed with employees which we thought was kind of odd. But yes, perhaps we should have researched a little bit better. Thanks so much for watching and please subscribe if you can to help her a little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
I love the Epic. Of course it is going to be at capacity, you sailed during busy season.
Thanks so much for watching! We actually sailed in January, but I didn’t get to post until later. I’m so glad you had a good experience though! Please subscribe if you can to help a little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
We have been on 2 NCL cruises and overall very satisfied. You seemed to be very negative on everything. We have booked a cruise on Epic in June 2024, now i am scared!
First of all, thanks so much for watching! Yes, unfortunately, our experience was very negative. However, we also heard that Norwegian had really good cruises, but the reviews on this particular ship alone that were very bad. They’re even planning on dry dock this ship I think next year and redesign the rooms. Anyway, I would love to know your feedback when you guys go! Have a great vacation happy new year and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
I'm going on the Epic in July 2024....slightly scared but just going to take it as it is
Hopefully since it's an European cruise might be not at capacity
I sailed on the Epic last February and just booked it again for November of this year. It wasn't my favorite ship but it was still very enjoyable..the food was awesome (besides the main dining) in my experience it wasn't very crowded. I went in the off-season but drink lines were no more than 10 minutes. Buffet was the best I've had on a ship. The ship gets a lot of negative reviews online because it isn't quite as good as the brand new ships. That being said it's very fun and I chose to go on it a second time just because the dates lined up for me.
What month did you go? Because if you went when schools were out, those crowds can be expected.
Thanks so much for watching! We went in January, so it was definitely not school summer for kids. We’ve been on other incredibly large ships and we just found that one very disorganized. We even heard that they’re going to be dry docking it and re-designing the rooms. I think they’ve listened to all the complaints over the past year. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel, cheers Marlene
The Epic had the best food of all the cruise ship I been on.
Oh, I’m so glad you had a good experience! Thanks so much for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
@@passportstravelvloggers2580 No, you are too negative and ungrateful
Thank you for your honest review. it’s nice to see someone review who isn’t getting paid by the cruise line to say nice things. Ben and David cruise review on RUclips also rated it down so you’re not the only one.
I am glad you enjoyed the review and it was helpful. I get some really rude emails from people saying I’m too critical and I don’t know what it’s like to Cruz. But I have to be honest. Thanks for watching please subscribe to her little channel. Cheers, Marlene
@ I think the people who criticize are either employees or people who just don’t want to know the truth. cruises are not cheap especially Norwegian cruises so getting what you pay for is important. It got horrible reviews on cruise critic. I would’ve been mad too if I had your experience.
@@flobrez2470 thanks for commenting! I guess it wasn’t that we were mad, we were just disappointed in a little frustrated and you’re right people do want to get what they pay for and it’s not cheap. Thanks so much for watching and please subscribe so you can help our little channel, cheers, Marlene
Thank you for posting this! I was thinking about taking a solo cruise on this ship in January, but it looks ridiculously crowded. I hate crowds, so I might just skip it.
Thanks so much for watching! I’m glad it helped. I don’t like to be too negative on my videos, but I would not take the ship ever again. Especially if you’re going solo. Princess is good for solo and Royal Caribbean as well. Check out my Vlog on the Royal Caribbean ship review to the Mexican Riviera. It was amazing, especially for solo people. my husband just read that they’re going to retire the Norwegian Epic and remodel it because they’ve had so many complaints. That would be a good move on their part, but they don’t have the best reputation. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel and again thanks so much for watching! Cheers, Marlene.
@@passportstravelvloggers2580 We are going on the Epic in January, we have been on 12 NCL ships and we have been on both Royal & Carnival. We were just on the NCL Escape in April (SPRING BREAK) and it was the most crowded ship we have ever been on. A lot of kids, if you think about it and you have so many rooms and if most of the rooms have 4 people as apposed to 2 well you can do the math. All of our other NCL cruises have been great. With kids having to go back to school after Christmas break we should be fine. Also avoid summer vacation.. The only time to book Spring Break and especially summer is Alaska or Europe. As far as the inconvenience of the room, well it looks like it has plenty of storage, bring a approved power strip and bring your room service out to that beautiful balcony. Maybe try the breakaway or Breakaway plus class.
@@louiscerulli5676 My boyfriend and I are also going on the Epic in January. We're both 24, this will be his first cruise and
i've only ever been on one carnival cruise back when i turned 15. I'm wondering if we should really go after seeing so many complaints.. or if we should just pay a little more to go on a different ship? Idk, I feel like a lot of the things people complain about are things that we can get past for just 7 days especially considering we just want to mostly relax EXCEPT for the over-crowdedness. I really don't want an overcrowded ship but January of course will be much different than spring and summer months..
@@lorrainebrios I'm going on the Epic next March. My wife and I have watched several videos and this is the only video that complained about the food. Two of the videos I watched were from people who've gone on many cruises. Both videos stated it was the best food they've had on any cruise. We've got a room with a balcony that will have more than enough room for us and our friends will be right next door. The ship holds 4,200 people. If that's too many, maybe you should book another cruise. However, a small cruise many not have everything you want. Our friends have been on many cruises and said they would never go on a small cruise as they didn't have all the amenities of a large ship. We're not rebooking. As I've grown older, I 've become a glass half full person rather than glass half empty and it makes things easier.
@@JJL-1962I don't understand what they r complaining about. With 4100 guests on board and majority adults of drinking age, what do they expect the drink line to be? To me the lady is being disrespectful calling it a boat. I've only been on 3 cruises with my first in 1986 when I graduated from nursing school. We were told then never to refer to it as a boat...lol. Also if u want a larger room then u should book the Haven or even the Club Balcony Suite.
Just watching this video regarding the embarkation, food review, stateroom what time is available, complaining everything.Come on expect the unexpected if you go for a cruise.
Like sometimes cancel the excursion because the weather is not good there’s a storm. Of course understandable. They priority your safety.
My family we’ve been with two big NCL Breakaway last year and Prima this year.We don’t have any issues or problem with them.
Our embarkation is okay. Waiting of the stateroom is up to 2-3 pm. But while waiting just go around check the cruise ship. Instead of getting upset what time the stateroom is available.
Regarding the buffet, go not on busy hour. Go early not on busy hour. The staff they are all friendly, nice and kind.
NCL there’s a lot of elevators
Before we cruise everything are all set up. We booked everything online even what to do that day and where to go. We don’t booked our excursion even the transportation on NCL, we booked everything not the NCL.
Your NCL agent they give you an option if you wan’t to booked your excursion on them or you can get from outside. Because if you get it from them it’s more expensive of course. And if you booked your excursion from other you can find a better deal .
Food are okay. We are in platinum cruisers on NCL.
If you don’t like too much crowded, just get a smaller cruise ship.
Thanks for watching! Cheers!
Just got off the Epic..
Great food
Yeah, the food was not bad when we went. I think they’ve improved things because everybody’s commenting that it’s been much better than when we took it. Glad you had a good time! Thanks for watching and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Thank you for your honest opinion and review. Me and my husband will be on the NCL Epic cruise ship for the first time to the Mediterranean early 2025. I honestly think the cost is a huge bargain in that your stay, food and entertainment is all inclusive. Yes, some of the packages are extra but I have paid the same amount of the whole trip for a couple nights stay in a hotel in some U.S. cities. Then all entertainment and dining is extra. Just knowing the ship holds 4100 passengers I don't expect any one to one concierge experience. However, your review shed some light for tips regarding navigating and booking things on the ship which I really appreciate. I am sorry you did not enjoy your trip. Traveling is not cheap and all the planning that goes into it sometimes and then turning out to be a let down. Cheers to better traveling ahead for you and your husband.
Thanks so much for watching! I’ve been getting a lot of comments with people saying that they had a very good experience and that their experience was not as negative as ours was. Don’t get me wrong, there were good things about the ship, but it was just a little too much for us. I’m sure you’ll have a great time! please subscribe to our little channel to help us out if you can. Thanks again. Cheers Marlene
Every video I have watched concerning the Norwegian epic and the room that you can view the bridge at says that you’re not allowed to film in there. Also, as a retired travel agent I was very unhappy with your review. There is a way to be honest, but also not negative. I remember once I had a client get mad at me because at the last minute they changed one of the port stops on the ship , I asked her did you read the fine print in your contract and she said no and I said basically what it says is once you get on the ship Anything can change at a moment notice due to weather which no one has a control over so what I suggested to her is once she got on the ship is just to enjoy herself. Yes there’s gonna be lines for certain things. Yes, you’re gonna have to wait, but what you need to remember is that you are on a cruise with the people that you love, Getting to spend time on vacation together and you get to go to ports and cities that you thought you would never get to go to. Life is too short to not enjoy every day
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! It seems that Norwegian has changed things on the epic because all of the comments I’ve been getting are much better than when we sailed. Thanks again and please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Been on Epic once before, loved it, Haven is the bomb❤, you have to try it out once , Going again in November Haven again only way to go, been on a lot with the haven only way to go
I’m so glad it was a good experience for you! The Haven sounds amazing! Thanks for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel cheers, Marlene
I loveeee the Haven also..❤️and I’m also going on the Epic in November 😊but unfortunately not staying in the Haven this time 🥴But I hope u enjoy 😊
Thanks for sharing your esperience as Senior Citizen and Sugar Mama. I also have high expecataions and always had a wonderful time on NCL ships. The restaurants ( I don't do buffets as it is an option -- I chose not to experience) great. I agree with you Le Bisto is the TOPS! Need more space book a suite. As for using the elevators at Embarkation and Debarkation -- no need to take the stairs, walk to one of the other two elevator banks. Situation solved.
Not sure why people are shocked that a cruise ship is crowded…
What do you expect? Especially on a large ship that carries 4,000 or more…
I have cruised now going on 40 years. (Wow... now I feel really old. Ugggg.)
Though I have cruised on a number of different lines, my favorite was Royal Caribbean. My motto was always to go with the biggest and the newest. That changed about 6 years ago. I really started to hate crowded ships, or ships that had activities in venues that were just too small for the participants Having to get to locations an hour or so in advance just to get a seat. It's just not fun. And when I encounter that, it starts to taint everything else on the trip.
More recently, I'm taking older and smaller ships that can go to ports that the larger ships can't fit into. It's great for bucket list trips, But it's also great because the services are much attentive and much friendlier, the food is usually better, you can find a table to sit at, and in general there's just a more comfy feeling.
I know that sort of cruise experience is not for everyone, but neither is the hustle and bustle we see here.
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We totally agree with you in every aspect! What a difference six or seven years has made in the cruise industry! Thank you so much for watching, and please subscribe to help our little channel! Happy sailing. Cheers, Marlene.
it's a lot of people but the facilities should be proportionate. Some waiting is not unreasonable but if people have to stand in line for a hour and a half to get into a show it's too much
You’re complaining about room space lol
Thanks for watching!
Some people have always something to complain. We had a great trip in the Epic, and yes, it was crowded. But that is to be expected , if you go for breakfast or lunch outside the rush hours, it is ok. Of course,it is busy when everybody wants to go onshore. It's all about expectations and understanding the logistic complexity with so many people.
We also liked the cabins,and don't understand the negative feedback. It will never be perfect but if you have reasonable expectations ,it will be great.
I’m so glad you had a good experience on the epic. We were not so fortunate. We did not go during high season and the shift was completely fully staffed. They’re actually going to be dry docking the boat to redesign the state rooms. Anyways, again thank you for watching. I’m glad your experience was Good and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marley.
I agree. It seems that people have these grand expectations that they are the only travelers on, what is essentially, a floating city.
Sorry your experience was not good. I research the ships and cruises before going, so I have a good idea of what to expect.
It seems that most ships on most of the big cruise lines are quite crowded and understaffed these days. I see negative reviews all over. To me, the ship looked pretty nice and I don’t mind the quirky stateroom design. I plan to take my cruises in the off season, (late fall), so perhaps there will be fewer crowds. In any case, I just love being on the ocean! NCL generally has great entertainment too. I always enjoy the shows.
Hope your next experience is better!
Thanks so much for watching and commenting! We really liked the itinerary on this cruise. But it’s interesting, because Norwegian pulled this cruise liner and they were re-designing it. It was an interesting experience. You live in Learned. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Happy cruising! Cheers, Marlene.
I just booked
Thanks so much for watching, we’ve had comments from people saying they had a great experience. So maybe ours was just a fluke bad experience. I’m sure you’ll have a great time! Please subscribe if you can help our little channel. Safe travels cheers, Marlene.
Mm I'm booked for next week, this is a bit concerning but I'll add feedback when I'm back
Thanks so much for watching! I’m getting a lot of feedback from people who are complaining that my review was horrible and that they have had an excellent experience on this ship. So perhaps they fixed things and it’ll be a good experience for you. Probably so. Let me know! Safe travels, and please subscribe if you can to help our channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Worst cruise ship I have ever cruised on. Eleven days of pure torture. This ship feels like a dark, dank, dirty, seedy two-star Las Vegas Casino, only in Pahrump, NV. The food was horrible, the crew were constantly angry, often agitating passengers. My check in was botched, my app never worked, my name was wrong, all my excursions were cancelled for no reason "call Miami" not our problem. The worst of all of these issues is you can't see the ocean on this ship unless you have a balcony. You will not find anywhere on the ship to relax and enjoy the ocean unless you want to gamble. The layout of the ship could not accommodate the masses and with only two elevator sets on the ship it would often get aggressive. The crew was ill-equipped to handle moving the masses during excursions, events, etc. It constantly felt like walking around Disneyland at peak season. This felt like a low budget cruise carrier! First and last time on NCL
Wow!! I think your experience was even worse. I agree, never again! Thanks for watching and please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
I had a pretty similar experience to you last year. I thought the buffet was the best ive ever had and the main dining was the worst ive ever had. My favorite ship i have went on was the carnival marti gras. I have to say the drink lines on the Epic was 1/4th of the wait that I had on carnival. This isnt my favorite ship in the world and would prefer others. That being said i wanted to go on a cruise for my anniversary and the Epic was the only one that was sailing at the times i needed prom the port i wanted. Moral of this comment to anyone who reads. This isnt the best ship but it isnt horrible. Ive been on both Carbivals and Royal Caribbeans newst ships and I had just as much fun on this ship as I did those new ones
Thanks so much for watching and I absolutely agree with your comments. Have fun on your next cruise! And please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
OMG! You are very negative. Did you like anything? YOU SHOULD’VE JUST STAYED HOME. What did you expect🤦🏽♀️ Only for you and your husband to be on the ship NEWSFLASH! It’s a cruise😮 I feel sorry for your husband💯
I'm stopping 3/4 of the way through.. I'll finish up, But I have seen exactly what I need to see.. I'm doing my research now for a Mediterranean cruise in 2025. I had read some bad reviews and then came on to look at video reviews. Yours is the second one that is showing me pretty much the same thing but even worse. Last year's Mediterranean cruise was on MSC, which was horrible. I was thinking that it really wouldn't matter since a Mediterranean cruise as so much about the ports instead of the ship. But the ship experience was such a nightmare that It really colored over anything I was doing in the ports.... so that my memories of that week were mostly about how bad the ship was.
THANK YOU!! I would have been really upset with this ship experience.
After watching the whole video, I almost started to have anxiety thinking about how unhappy I would be at spending that much money and having that type of an experience. Again, thank you.
Thank you for watching. I just shared our honest experience. Glad it helped you. Let me know what ship you choose! Please subscribe to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
I agree very negative review. I agree with some of your descriptions most were not what I found. You said that it was hard to find a seat in the buffet. Well it depends what time you go, it seems if it was full that many people found a seat. The lines to the bar outside were long but inside were fine. I found the Epic a great ship to sail on. Like all cruise lines there is pros and cons and what suits some doesn't suit all. I think you'd be very hard to please regardless of who you cruised with
Thanks so much for watching and thanks for commenting. I’m glad your experience was better than ours. We have cruised on many different cruise lines many different times and this one was really our only negative experience. I have two other reviews on cruise lines that were magnificent. I didn’t have one bad thing to say. But anyway, I appreciate the Conversation and I’m so glad the experience was better for you. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel cheers, Marlene.
How strange. The bathroom isn’t in its own room? I’ve never seen that before. Idk if I’d like that.
Yes it was weird, lol. We just heard that they are pulling that ship in to redesign it. Interesting! Thanks so much for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Epic is going to dry dock for a refurbished done the rooms are different but after the refurbished it be better they getting it done 2025 in april
I don't have an issue with it. I was wondering if it was a European thing?
commenting as we go. Have to take the stairs. Yes, all cruises Ive been on, about 10, whenever entering the ship, embarkation, debarkation, excursions, entry exit off the ship, It is always crowded. I immediately find another way to get upstairs, usually by walking up one flight and then down the hall to the next set of elevators. The room not being ready. it is almost never ready when we get on, so yes, bring swim suits under clothes to go the pool or go eat, and yes, again, everyone is doing the same thing, it will be crowded. The room being small. Yes, the rooms are always small, on this particular ship, I don't like the bathroom layout and sink being on the outside. Its just a silly layout. Unfortunate about the dining room. Normally, I can never find a seat, you have to walk around, find one, grab it and sit someone there and then go get food. But to be honest, that has also been on most of the cruises. You almost have to hit meals at times not aligned with meal times, early for breakfast, early or late for lunch. Never 8-9am or noon for lunch. You wont find a table. Bars. Here is my advice. Tip heavily. The bartenders will remember you and help you when they see you walk up. I always find a bar that I like the first day and give the bartenders a $20 right off the bat. Then tip for ever drink in cash. They definitely like that and help me as soon as I walk up to the bar. ( most of the time). So again with the bars. Yes, they are busy. Everyone is drinking. Its going to be busy. lol. btw, there is always a bar somewhere, kind of hidden, where if you want a drink, there is not usually a line. We always have to find it, last one was actually in the buffet, had beers and wine/bubbly, but was never busy. You should of sent the steak back if it wasn't good. I will be going on this particular ship in about a month and will update this comment after the cruise. From the video footage, it looked pretty average to me. A typical cruise, busy lines, crowded pool on sailing days, and bar lines. Ive been on NCL, RC, Princess, and Carnival, and they are all the same. The rooms look just a nightmare, but we will deal with that when we get on. I think the actual review was kind of negative based from the beginning. Im not sure why she was so critical, but it was almost like she was being negative all the time, no matter what. just my opinion.
Just a bit more info after researching. The last ship we sailed was the Dawn, 2340 passengers and 1032 crew for 2.27 pas to 1 crew member, the Epic is 4100 pass to 1724 crew making that 2.38 to 1. Not much of a difference. It will be interesting.
Thanks for your video. Please allow me to add my feedback from my recent Mediterranean cruise from June 22-July 2. Maybe my comments can help someone thinking about booking this ship. It was just me. I booked an inside cabin and paid x2. Being solo I didn't mind the cabin, I actually thought it was nice. I can see how with family it might not work so well. I had a great cabin steward and most of the "working people" were really nice.
My pros: Cabin steward, and other "working people", ports (I had 7 in 10 days). That's it for pros. I actually told my cabin steward that he was too good for this cruise line and this ship.
My cons: The food in general was horrible. I live in Las Vegas. The cheapest buffet here in town would be better than the one on the ship. It was a joke. Food quality was nonexistent. I didn't expect much from a buffet but I couldn't believe how bad things tasted. The couldn't even make an omelette without burning it. Maybe if they were making it correctly in a pan instead of on a crepe iron it might have been better. Just the overall selection and especially the food quality was subpar. The dining room food wasn't much better. Very hit or miss. I would have the same thing on a different night and it would taste differently. I really enjoy eating in the dining room but never knew if what I ordered would be good or not. To be honest, I was embarrassed for them. This was not the quality type of food you would find in the dining room on a cruise ship. Things would come out cold, salty and taste like they were prepared way before you ordered them. Most the the staff were really nice. But even the servers would tell me they would get complaints on things tasting too salty. What I also didn't appreciate is that they wouldn't even enforce their own dress code in the more formal of the two dining rooms. I was was told to take off my baseball hat in the less casual dining room but people could wear shorts and beach attire in the more formal. I had three nights of specialty dining. I did two in Le Bistro and one in Cagney's. Le Bistro was excellent. Some of the best escargot I have ever had. Two wonderful meals there. GREAT service all around. I had the same waiter two night. He would call me by name and seemed to really care about my dining experience. My interactions with the manager were also good. They treated me like a king. My night in Cagney's was not so good. My filet was perfect but my earlier courses were not so good. A crab cake with so much salt you could hardly eat it and lobster bisque soup that as another passenger put it, "tomato soup with a tiny piece of lobster." The service was just ok. That's my dining experience on the Epic. It really pissed me off that I constantly received voice mails marketing to me. Come on now. I'm on vacation and I can't avoid being spammed by the cruise ship I've paid to be on? There were a lot of things that were just marketing to get you to cruise again. So many places on the ship (events) just getting you to spend more money.
The ship itself needs to be retired. Lots and lots of peeling paint all over the place, rust etc... The deck plans and overall layout of this ship are strange, but I knew that going in. It had the itinerary I wanted so I booked it. They changed one of my excursions and never even emailed me. I asked two different people at the excursion desk and both were totally rude. I heard about some other people who's excursions were completely canceled and they were not informed until they got on the ship.
My overall experience on this ship was not good. I would never sail on NCL again. Poor food quality, constant marketing for future cruises, art, jewelry and anything they could make more money on. Try fixing up your ship or retiring it. Do something. Try buying some decent/good quality food instead of the nasty stuff you are currently purchasing. Sorry for the long review but if it can help anyone else, it was worth my time to write it.
Thanks for your great input!! Funny, I now remember all the food was so salty!! My husband just read that hey are taking the ship out of service to remodel and upgrade it. It will be interesting to see what they do to it. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe to help our channel! Cheers, Marlene
Just got home from a Carribean cruise on the Epic. What a dissapointment! The balcony room was horrible, no space and no privacy! The food was mediocre and was looking forward to our specialty dinner at Cagneys only to be disappointed.
@@sandraalhooty953 I'm sorry you had a dissapointing time. That ship needs to be retired. You really want to enjoy the food and it is, like you say, nothing above mediocre. The two best meals I had were at the French restaurant. We both learned to skip over NCL for our next cruises didn't we?
The Epic is NCLs odd ball ship..
The breakaway/breakaway plus fleet is better
Yes, definitely strange. But according to other peoples comments, they seem to love it. Maybe we missed some thing?, Lol thanks for commenting. Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Will be boarding for ten days in Med,will give thumbs up or down on return
Great, I can’t wait to hear. People have been commenting that it’s much much better than when we took it. Have a great time! Cheers, Marlene.
Another video that just affirms cruises are a horrible choice for a vacation. Thank you!
We’ve been on other cruises that were great. We love princess. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene
I think you're watching the wrong videos. Never had an issue on a cruise. Cruises are really what you make of them.
Research is your freind
Thanks! Like I said the itinerary was great, but I got to give an honest review of the ship so nothing lost there. We heard that they are going to pull the ship out of the water to remodel it. Must be even they read their own reviews. Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel! Cheers, Marlene
One of the worst cruise ship we had ever been on(take 10) workers are fine BUT THE ROOMS FOR HANDICAPPED AND CLEANESS WAS JUST AWFUL, THERE'S ABSOLUTELY NO SANITATION AROUND THE SHIP, I WAS THE 6TH PERSON TO BE WHEELED ON AND AMBULANCE IN NOVEMBER AND THE ONLY ONE NOT IN A LIFE SUPPORT! THE DRA WAS GREAT AND SO WERE THE 2 FEMALE NURSES BECAUSE THE MALE TOLD MY SPOUSE THAT I HAD TOO MUCH JEWELRY ON ME! I WILL NEVER CRUISE WITH NCL AGAIN (THIS WASEN'T OUR 1ST WITH THEM) BUT IT WOULD BE OUR LAST 😡😡😡😡AND PLEASE DON'T COME BACK AND TELL ME HOW BLESSED I WAS I GOT PNEUMONIA AND INFLUENZA ON THE DAM SHIP 🤬🤬
Wow, that sounds really bad! So many people did not have a good experience! I’m sorry that it was so bad for you guys! Thanks so much for watching and commenting. Please subscribe so you can help our little channel. Cheers, Marlene.
Cruising is back!
That’s for sure!! Thanks for watching! Please subscribe if you can to help our little channel! Cheers, Marlene