Adventure Filled Itinerary But Seriously Overbooked Ship - Norwegian (NCL) Review
First of all, the EPIC boasts a passenger capacity of 4100. Throughout the cruise, we were told that there were in excess of 5000 passengers on board. This information was repeated throughout the week from people who would know, cruise staff, officers as well as regular contacts like bartenders and servers.
This greedy move by Norwegian may have boosted their profits but it seriously diminished the experience of those on board. Meal venues were over crowded. The pool deck was out of control. Elevators were like war zones. I actually confronted a passenger who boarded an “up” elevator to go “down” two floors. He stated it was the only way to get an elevator. On the way up and because he, his family and two strollers were occupying the elevator, we had More to turn away countless other guests trying to go up. I hope it took him twice as long to go down the two floors. I have no empathy for selfish people. At the end of the day, I felt cheated.
The kids were out of control. They ran around the ship in packs and paid no attention to adult only areas. Some of this was created by the cruise line as they had scavenger hunts and speed was a part of winning. They could be seen sitting at bars and slot machines; taking away the opportunity for an adult to enjoy their time aboard. One of my massages was completely ruined by the sound of stomping feet from the deck above.
Some other downers I need to point out are:
1) The medical center charges $1 US for a single band-aid in their vending machine. They got you when you have a fresh blister you need to cover up and you’re out at sea.
2) The On-Board Credit desk is staffed by exactly one purser. I had to visit the desk on three or four occasions to exchange dollars for euros and at the end of my cruise, apply any left-over euros to my account. Juliana was a true saint. I watched her deal with absolutely rude people who, for whatever reason, were not able to get what they wanted. The cruise line should give Juliana some help when the line if five deep and everyone is in a hurry.
3) Many of the bars had premade drinks that the bartender just had to pour, shake and garnish. These drinks were awful and I quickly learned to ascertain whether the drink I wanted was premade and then have them make it fresh for me. The bartenders were always happy to oblige.
4) The on-board App is pretty much useless. It can list events and even show you your current account status. What it couldn’t do is tell you when certain venues, bars and restaurants were open. It couldn’t tell me what was on my calendar for the day. It didn’t explain what certain services were or what shows were about. I commented to Guest Services and they told me that my schedule could be found on my TV. I explained that I didn’t have my TV with me.
Now I would like to point out what I truly enjoyed and give a shout out to some exceptional staff that genuinely cared enough to make me and my fellow passengers feel special.
I was travelling as a Solo passenger in a Studio cabin. The Studio cabins are located in an area of the ship requiring special access ensuring only Solo passengers enter it. Within this area is the Studio Lounge. The studio lounge is an area that is regularly stocked with coffee, tea, snacks and even cereal, milk and yogurt. Each day at 5PM, Natalia showed up to open the bar. Natalia was an awesome bartender who made a great margarita. She also remembered everyone’s favorite drink. At 6PM every day, Morne from the cruise staff would show up and we’d have a meeting about our day and what the night had in store for us. Often, he would organize a group to go to dinner together and even joined us on a few of these occasions. Morne even hung balloons and a “Happy Birthday” sign for my birthday. He came to dinner and brought presents from the cruise line. Nice touch.
Before I even boarded the EPIC, I knew that I was going to like O’Sheehan’s Irish Pub. There I met Zorron, Vladimir and Romeo; the bartenders. It didn’t take them long to remember my name, great me be name and remember my drinks which changed based on the time of day. These guys were FANTASTIC and I cannot stress this enough. One negative is that you cannot order or eat food at the bar. As busy as it gets, I suppose it helps keep the flow going and not have people sitting at the bar and drinking water. As for the food, I only liked the buffalo chicken wings. I had lunch there once and dinner there once. The rest of the food I tried fell flat and lacked any unique identity. The wings had nice personality.
I pre-booked a massage, months before I boarded. I also purchased the week long Thermal Spa Suite package. I went to the spa on embarkation day to get a tour. I was shown around by Potjamon a.k.a “Cookie” from Thailand. She was very gracious, explained the various sections of the Suite including the whirlpools, saunas and steam rooms. When I told her about my pre-booked massage, she told me that I could request her if I wanted. Sounded good to me.
After the tour, I went to the spa desk and tried to schedule my pre-booked Wednesday massage with Potjamon. I was told no, couldn’t do it because I booked early and the schedules were set. Seriously?
During the tour, I was given a ticket to enter a raffle for free or discounted services. All I had to do was come back at 5:15. When I returned at 5:15, nobody knew what was going on. Then they said it was actually supposed to be 5:30 and nobody knew why we were told 5:15. I honestly gave Euros, the Assistant Spa Manager a hard time about this because I felt like I was being jerked around, told no and made to wait because someone didn’t do what they were supposed to. I’d like to add that Eros was absolutely fantastic. He remembered my name for the remainder of the cruise and day one was water under the bridge as far as I was concerned.
Fast forward, I didn’t win anything, but I found out who the Spa Manager was and addressed my earlier request with her. Amy was very professional and made my request happen. She said yes. My massage with Potjamon was excellent.
Later, I booked a mani-pedi, my first ever, with Shanieka. It was fabulous and I look forward to adding this to my regular feel-good routines at home. I also had another Thai Herbal Massage, but cannot remember with who because of those kids running around on the deck above. She was great and I truly regret not writing her name down.
I ate at the Noodle Bar in Shanghai one night. This was not only entertaining but absolutely fabulous as far as quality of food. I enjoyed watching the operation (I’m in the restaurant business) and all the food looked amazing. When I was asked if I’d like a cocktail, I asked if the Mai Tai’s were pre-made (I told you) and was informed that they were not pre-dmade and only made to order. I ordered it and it was great. I never had a Mai Tai with a cinnamon stick but this one came with it. It added a certain warmth to the drink and made it truly unique. Shortly after, Vinay the manager or supervisor asked me how I liked the Mai Tai. I told him how pleased I was and he explained that the server mentioned my request and that the Beverage Manager had, just that afternoon, asked what they could do better. I chatted with him a bit about the quality of the pre-made drinks and he thanked me. A few minutes later, another Mai Tai arrived “on the house.” Thanks Vinay! A bunch of us Studio Cabin Solo Travelers went to Shanghai on another night and enjoyed the food just as much.
Honestly, I met a couple of great bartenders at Wave’s bar on day one, but after that, the animal house that the pool deck became kept me away until the final day when I stayed aboard in Palma. Sunil and Diego made some great drinks, from scratch, and I wish I had more opportunity to enjoy their hospitality.
Eva was my cabin steward. She was as cute as a cabbage patch doll, but barely spoke English. When I first arrived, there was a glass, part-full, with someone else’s water. After day three, I stopped getting shower step-out mats and had to use the only hand-towel I had. You only get one bath towel and one hand towel and one wash cloth. I learned to hoard the towel animals so I could have more than one. I know she meant well but she seemed new and will probably be great some day.
I read another review that said it’s about the destination, not the ship. This couldn’t be further from the truth. Each day in port, the ultimate destination was back on the ship.
If you tried to do it all as I did, the itinerary was grueling. It was, however, an EPIC vacation I will never forget. Less
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