Norwegian Epic Caribbean Cruise Review

Review of Norwegian Epic, 1/4/14

What does one do after the busy Holiday season?  Cruise, of course!  It's time for some warmer weather and some r&r!  We found a good deal with NCL for a cruise on the Norwegian Epic so we jumped on it!  Epic is one of NCL's newer (and largest) ships and received quite the hoopla in its inaugural season.

We departed RDU on our 7:30 pm flight to Miami; flight was on time and we arrived at Miami International Airport at 10:05 pm.  We contacted the Hyatt House for complimentary shuttle pick-up.  The shuttle arrived within about 5 minutes.  The hotel was convenient & clean; the complimentary breakfast was fine.  There was a shuttle (for a fee of $10 per person) to the airport that we booked for the following morning.  The shuttle was prompt and delivered us pierside where porters took our luggage and we were ready to board the ship.

Embarkation:

 I will say that NCL had embarkation down to a science.  We arrived at the port about 11 am and there were no huge lines.  We went through security quickly (belts off, shoes on) and were directed upstairs to the waiting area.  We were assigned boarding group #16 and were onboard by noon.  To avoid the chaotic crowds in the Garden Buffet, we opted to have lunch in Taste, one of the main dining rooms.  We were seated promptly…. But service was extremely SLOW!  It really didn’t matter since we couldn’t check into our stateroom right away but I do think it should have been quicker.  Rooms were ready by 1:30 so off we went to check it out!

Departing Miami

Our stateroom:

We were in a verandah stateroom #13030 on deck 13, that according to the deck plan had a larger balcony than some in this category.  Indeed it did!  This covered balcony was at least 1/3 larger than others with plenty of room for 3 chairs, a lounge chair, and a small table.  We were happy.  Now the room is another story!  It was quite compact; very small but with lots of storage areas, even over the bed, with nooks and crannies everywhere.  We never used it all!  Our bed was curved at the end and was shorter than a normal sized bed such that hubbies feet hung over the end (which he did not like)… but it was comfy.  There is about 18 inches of space between the bed and the vanity area, which leaves very little room for moving about… only one person can fit there at a time.  So if one of us was at the vanity and the other was in the bathroom and headed to the balcony, they would have to hop on the bed to get there!  There is a love seat but really no “sitting area” as there is no room for even a table… the love seat faces the closet.  The lighting is “sexy”… nicely done.  Large flat screen TV got adequate channels and was interactive such that you could see your account, book shows, specialty restaurants, etc.

Subtitle: THE bathroom:

When you open the door to the stateroom, voila here you are at the bathroom!  The toilet is on one side of the door and the shower is on the other!  Both are round shaped and enclosed with frosted glass.  There IS a curtain that you can close between the bathroom/entry area and the main part of the cabin… but be aware that unless you set your door sign to “do not disturb”, the steward can walk in on you while you are in the bathroom!  The sink is in the main cabin area, close to the bath area.

Our steward was great; we hardly ever saw him but he kept our room clean, ice in the ice bucket, and even made towel animals most evenings.

Latitudes Members:

Upon arrival we received a letter from the Latitudes representative welcoming us as Platinum members and describing all of our benefits, one of which was dinner at Le Bistro!  Duh… what happened?  We thought we were Gold members but were ready for the upgrade!  Well… the next day, we got another letter apologizing for the first & incorrect letter; we got the gold treatment!  Strange.

Entertainment: 

In advance of the cruise we booked Cirque Dreams and Blue Man Group. 

Cirque Dreams was fun… and based on reviews that I had read, much better than expected!  The fixed menu included antipasto of prosciutto & caprese salad with greens; entrée was surf & turf of beef tenderloin and coconut shrimp served with broccoli and potatoes.  There was a chocolate medley for dessert.  Layla, our server took care of our drink orders.  We chose premium seating and were seated in the upper level where we could see the aerial acrobatics really well… even the slightest facial expressions!  The performance showcased some awesome talent & strength (acrobats, skaters, clowns, musicians, gymnasts) and even some comedy!  The Master of Ceremonies was excellent.

Blue Man Group was incredible!  Words cannot really describe it as the performance was quite an experience:  awesome, fun, color, movement, music, lights… communicating without words!  Wow!  I’m a fan.

& here's a photo of the Blue Men "unpainted" and candid!

Taylor Kundolf, Piano Man was excellent!  We really looked forward to hearing him in the “piano bar” at Shaker’s Martini Bar.  The venue wasn’t the best, as it was very small and was open to where everyone walked from the casino and shops to the restaurants or vice versa.. so there was a lot of “ambient noise”, which was often quite loud.  Service in Shakers was great and Taylor had a group of us fans who were there most evenings.  He played & sang everything from Phantom of the Opera and other Broadway show tunes to Billy Joel, James Taylor, Kenny Rogers, and more.  Incredible talent.

Second City Comedy:  We’ve enjoyed Second City Improv group on previous NCL cruises… this time we didn’t care for them as much.  In fact after a couple of their skits, quite a number of people walked out of the show.  We stayed for the 45 minute show and were underwhelmed.

Legends:  We didn’t make it to the Legends show, but I heard mixed reviews from passengers.  Katy Perry (is she a legend?) was just OK, Steven Tyler was … well just like Steven Tyler! (I saw him and did a double take because he was Steven Tyler’s twin!).

Abba/Fabba night at H2O:  Music was great, crowd was tiny.

White Hot night on deck:  Music was loud and not up my alley and again crowd was small.

Pool Band Jammroc:  Great band!

Casino:  Never went!  Walked through it a ton of times and it was always busy while at sea.  We met a number of cruise passengers who were on this cruise as they were “comped” for winnings in the casino on previous NCL Cruises… in fact some of these passengers were from Wilmington!

Photographers:  Bought a few photos.  Still don’t like the fact that upon disembarking in ports of call, the ship’s photographers are there dressed as dolphins, ducks, etc. and try to take your photo.  I just don’t want a photo with a duck!!!! (unless it is MY duck!)

Game Shows:  Lots of them … probably one each evening:  Newlywed, Family Feud, Dating Game, etc.

Karaoke:  Oh no… I guess because of Taylor Kundolf at the piano bar, I never made it to karaoke to show off my singing talent!

Movies at Spice H2O:  Outdoors at the Giant screen… never made it there either!

Ultimate Beverage Package:  We booked the UBP in advance of the cruise and found it to work better than in previous NCL cruises because in most venues, they only had to take one of our cards and let us run a tab.  On previous cruises, both cards were required when placing an order and we had to sign for every single drink.  Since both people in the stateroom are required to have the package, it only made sense that they really only needed to see one card. 

That being said, we did have a problem with the beverage package.  Upon checking our account balance, we noticed that we were being charged for every single drink, with no credit or even mention of the pre-paid package.  After a couple of visits to Guest Relations, this issue was resolved and all of the charges were deleted from our account and subsequent beverage charges did not appear.  Guest Relations was not quite so “Johnny on the spot” which is why we had to go there twice to resolve this very important financial issue!  The first representative that we met advised us that she would get it corrected and give us a call in our stateroom to confirm; this never happened.

Food & Dining:

Garden Café:  Did not care for dinner there, with the exception of the crepe station.  In fact, we went back for crepes after dinner in the main dining room on other nights!  Breakfast and lunch were both fairly chaotic but with lots of choices. 

O’Sheehans Pub:  We had breakfast here a couple of times and it was good.  The menu choices are quite limited, but I was happy with my omelette and hash browns.  It was nice to be seated & served; service was great.  We also had lunch here a couple of times… lunch is more noisy because it IS a sports pub and is located on the level directly above the atrium with the giant TV screen.  Fish & chips were excellent and my burger was good.  Chicken pot pie with puff pastry topping was also good.  Each day O’Sheehans had a special of the day such as Irish stew or Shepherd’s Pie.  In addition to all of the TVs for sports, etc., there’s a pool table and bowling lanes.

La Cucina Italian:  I must say that I was disappointed in both the food and the service here.  The ambiance is great but probably not worth the $20 per person surcharge.

                                                     La Cucina

Cagney’s Steakhouse:  What can I say but excellent in every way?  Ambiance, service, food!  Just wish it didn’t cost $30 per person but it WAS much better than complimentary dining options.  My filet mignon with béarnaise sauce was one of the best I’ve tasted; shrimp cocktail, and a choice of sides completed dinner… but oh wait, there’s dessert!

Taste and Manhattan Dining Rooms:  The food in these two main dining rooms was MUCH better than I had expected.  I was expecting Golden Corral and received much better than that!  Steak, fish, chicken, turkey… enough offerings to satisfy everone.  Again, service was great (with the one exception in Taste for lunch on embarkation day).

Ports of Call:

St. Maarten: 

 Upon disembarking the ship, we quickly located the taxi queue and Rusty for a private island tour, tailored to our requests.  We wanted to go to Oyster Bay Beach Resort, where we own a timeshare unit, for a brief stay at the infinity pool overlooking St. Barths.   

Then it was off to the French side and Orient Beach, where we had a couple of photo-op stops prior to arriving at the beach.   

After some beach time, we continued our around island tour with a drive through Sandy Ground, Cupecoy, and a stop in Marigot (where I got a really fun flower bracelet and a St. Maarten stuffed monkey for my monkey collection)!  Rusty was great in pointing out iguanas and other wildlife.  We were there in prime time for iguana mating so the males were accented in bright orange and on fully display on rocks or walls or hidden in trees!  

Can you find the green female hiding in this tree?

 Very interesting and photogenic.  I also learned the difference in goats and sheep:  Goat tails turn upward and sheep tails turn downward.  In the Caribbean, except for this tail distinction, goats and sheep look the same as the sheep do not grow “wool”!  Onward to the Sunset Beach Bar to have lunch and watch notorious jumbo plane landings and take-offs.  We were not disappointed!!!   

Here's a photo of a small plane landing... will post the jumbo later...

Next up was our drop-off in Philipsburg where we were headed to Joe’s Jewelry to see our jeweler, Harry.  Again, we were not disappointed.  Well, perhaps Ken’s wallet was a bit lighter but I was definitely smiling!  Before heading back to the ship (it’s about a 15-20 minute walk which we did or a $7 water taxi ride), I had a quick stop into The Shipwreck Shop to purchase a bottle of my favorite Ligne St. Barth’s Avacado Oil… oh just to smell it makes me smile!  

There was a beautiful sunset as we departed St. Maarten... alongside the Celebrity Eclipse!

St. Thomas:  As we’ve been to St. Thomas numerous times, we wandered around Havensite where we were docked and I found a few things.  Then back onboard for a nice lunch and mimosa!  Others in our group did a powercat snorkel & beach tour and absolutely loved it!  The group was not too large, the guides were excellent and the weather was perfect.

At sail-away from St. Thomas, we went to the Spice H2O area for a sail-away drink and met up with a group of people from our area.  As we were chatting with them, one of them gave hubby a big hug and asked “Which ship are you on”?  LOL!?  As I said, we were sailing away at that time!  Crazy people!   They explained it by saying that they  had spent the day at Megan’s Bay where one of the group had a daughter who was a bartender there and took good care of them!

Nassau:  Oh what can I say?  I’ve been to Nassau on cruise stops many times throughout the years.  This time I decided to go ashore to visit Atlantis.   

Yikes was I ever disappointed!  From afar Atlantis is impressive… we could see if from the ship!  From up close, it is also impressive.  But, it is so large and because they let cruise passengers come for the day, it was crowded and noisy.  The “Dig”, supposedly one of the largest aquariums in the world also underwhelmed me.  Maybe that’s because I have seen some world class aquariums but I was really disappointed in this one.  The idea of it being “Atlantis” is unique and you’re wandering around in underground caves but the tanks didn’t seem all that clean to me… just my perception.  Most definitely I would NOT do a ship’s tour to Atlantis as it was indeed one of those horrid “cattle call” events.  If you want to go, take a taxi!

Sea Days:  Senior Officers Q & A (quite interesting and informative), Blue Man Group behind the paint; one of our Blue Men was from Las Vegas, one from Britain, and one from Brazil; in addition they had a musical director, a band, and a fourth Blue Man who rotates with the other three. (I learned that women can audition to become a Blue Man!), Art auctions, port and shopping lectures, bingo, bowling, dance classes, wine tastings, food demonstrations, etc. (some with a surcharge), crew talent show (see it; you’ll be amazed at some of the talent).  Pool time… but beware that pool lounge chairs can be few & far between so get there early!

NOTES:

Port Shopping Experts:  Big push towards Diamonds International; did not appeal to us.  I mean they really endorsed Diamonds International (Tanzanite International, Columbian Emeralds International).  I went to a couple of their lectures as I wanted to learn more about certain gemstones and watches and they were full of tips and information.

The onboard fine jewelry shop was fine.  I found a beautiful designer Effy necklace on the second day onboard, but wanted to wait to see what I found on shore in St. Maarten and St. Thomas before purchasing it.  They negotiated a bit and we purchased the piece from the onboard jeweler and are quite pleased.

Kids Program: Not being a kid (well, at heart I am!), I didn’t participate but did check it out & inquire.  There were just short of 600 kids onboard this sailing.  There were a few activities, but it seemed mostly to be a babysitting service where you can drop them off and pick them up later while the kids have “freestyle” play time.  The waterslides seemed to be a big hit, as well as the rock climbing wall, when they were open.  Due to wind and weather, they often were shut down, as well they should be!  I went to one of the kids night pool deck events and all the little guys “high fived” me.  The kids were sliding and skidding across the dance floor & jumping and screaming… not for me!

Bags Program: 

As we flew American Airlines, we were eligible to participate in the Bags Program.  For $19.99 per person, if  your flight time and airline are within NCL’s parameters, you can have your bags checked and boarding passes issued before you disembark the ship… your luggage shows up at your final destination airport and you never have to see it after putting it out by your stateroom door the night prior to disembarkation!  We did this and it worked like a charm.

DISEMBARKATION:

Being in the Bags program, our disembark time was scheduled to be at 8:30 am.  We had breakfast in Taste where we were served and not rushed and it was quiet.  Back to our room where we packed up our remaining things into our backpacks.  At 8:30 we departed our stateroom & headed to deck 6 where we got into line for disembarkation.  There was a line, but it went quickly and we were through customs and off the ship in no time flat.  We were planning to go to the taxi queue, but a shuttle driver grabbed us and we went that way for $10 per person.  This turned out to be much quicker than the taxi as the queue was quite long.  Since we were without bags (yippee!), check in at Miami airport was effortless and we were at the Irish Pub having Cuban sandwiches and pinot grigio for lunch!

We have cruised on Norwegian Cruise Lines 9 times.  My least favorite ships are the Sun and the Epic.  The Sun because it’s getting quite old and the Epic because it’s really too large and I didn’t like the bathroom and the TINY stateroom and the lack of a cozy piano bar.  We also enjoy Broadway type shows and there were none on this ship.  So, NCL, I will be back some time but on another ship!  Next up…. A European Avalon river cruise from Paris to Amsterdam this summer and then the Celebrity Summit for a Canada/New England cruise in the Fall!

If you're interested in my future & past cruises, check out my ocean cruise blog and my river cruise blog. 
Oh yes, if you like to cook, check out my recipe blog.