Thoughts about an Epic trip...Part 3 Entertainment

So to the last part of my trilogy from my NCL Epic cruise, Entertainment.

You can pre-book your seats for the shows before the cruise on NCL's website prior to the cruise. They recommend you do this, so you don't miss out and for the limited space venues such as Cirque Dreams and Headliners I can understand early booking. But if you have no preference of when you see the main shows you can probably wait till you get on the ship and book, you do need your cabin key to get in.


In other places I have seen various Cirque de Solie shows advertised and never really wanted to go. So it was with a little concern that I paid my $20 and booked an evening at Cirque Dreams and Dinner.

This is a small venue, set up to look like a circus tent and was the only dining venue where the majority of dinners were on larger tables. There was no choice of food, with it being a set menu and was generally OK.


But what the food lost in appeal, the show certainly made up for it. All the performers moved about among the audience and with it being a small venue you did feel that you were a part of the excellent show they put on. It was an excellent show and I would happily recommend this to anyone going on board, I do wonder though how the acrobats and performers cope when the ship is moving?

Headliners Comedy club had various shows through out the cruise, we went to Second City, a bit like 'Whose line is it anyway'. Aimed at the American audience but still humorous.

Of course there is also 'The Blue Man Group', which they heavily advertise. As it was free I did give the show a go, having seen it advertised in other places including Vegas.

I thought bits of the show was funny, but overall I am glad I did not have to pay, there is only so much of people with Blue faces drumming that you can take!

I have already about the Legends in Concert in a previous blog, this was an absolutely brilliant show.

Overall, I think the quality of entertainment on board was the best I have seen at sea and look forward to see if any other cruise line will match or beat this.

Thoughts about an Epic trip...Part 2 Dining

Having told you my thoughts about the cabins, what about the food?

A view of 'Taste Restauarnt' from the casino.

Norwegian Cruise Line invented the idea of Freestyle dining which most of the other cruise lines have followed. I did find that there were far more tables for 2 or 4 on ship, and was never asked to dine with others to make up a bigger table, with the exception of the Cirque Dreams, unlike P&O Cruises where there are fewer tables for 2 and they have to fill the larger tables.

( Left) Wasabi Sushi bar, top deck with a view of the casino middle and Taste on the bottom.



Now, I have to say that I found the dinner serviced in the 2 main complimentary restaurants Taste and The Manhattan Room a little lower than I expected when comparing to other cruises. Breakfast however in Taste was well presented and of good quality.

This pushed me towards dining in the Le Bistro (see picture right),  La Cucina and Cirque Dreams and Dinner, for each there was an additional cover charge. I have to be honest and say that the food and service was a little better than in the main restaurants, but why should I pay more to get food and service at the right quality?

I usually find that the buffet restaurant is often busy, short of tables and maybe not having the greatest choice, however, I have to be honest and say that Garden Cafe did exceed my expectations. Loads of space, plenty of tables and food of a good quality and with plenty of choice.

Now, I usually end up on a diet when I come back from a cruise, like so many people i am sure, but not on this occasions. So come on NCL, should passengers have to pay extra for everything other than a basic meal?

After my Epic trip I'm back!

So after nearly 3 weeks out of the office I have returned from my trip on the Norwegian Epic.

With Jetlag, over 700 pictures to sort and my granddaughter to see I have not added any pictures or a review yet, these will follow later in the week.

But thought I'd just give you one of the highlights of the cruise..... Michael Jackson in alive and well and performing on the Epic in 'The Legends in Concert'!

Well the guy impersonating him in this excellent show on the Epic sounded like, looked like and acted like MJ. This really was an excellent show and probably the best I have seen on a ship!

My Epic journey.

Just a reminder I am now out of the office for a couple of weeks or so to try the delights of the Norwegian Epic together with a bit of Florida sunshine.

If you need to contact me about a booking please email my colleagues at contactus@cruise.co.uk and someone will get back to you.

In any event, come back here for a full review and some photo's in due course, unless the shark get me in Tulum! Thanks Alan you know how to scare a colleague!

Do you have to book your shows up front?

So after all the anticipation and wait it is only 4 weeks to my cruise on the Norwegian Epic, in the meantime I will also be seeing the latest Queen, Elizabeth in just over a week, what an exciting few weeks I should have.

I have been reading some of the reviews on the cruise.co.uk website about the Epic, the 'blogs' of my colleagues about the ship and also some of the other comments passengers have been making about the ship. Am I apprehensive?
Well, yes I have read lots about the design of the cabins and I wonder if the cabin I have will have had the small sink replaced by the time I get there? But as with everything that is new I will go with an open mind and see what I think.

I have also seen comments about entertainment and specialists dining being 'full' and people being unable to book whilst on ship. Well, it is a big ship and if full there will be about 4200 passengers on board so I can understand that some of the shows and restaurants will get very busy. When on board I like be relaxed on do things on impulse, but the comments did concern me.

Well, having just had an email from NCL, I managed to access their online check-in and this gave me a list of excursions, events and dining and the opportunity to pre-book before you go on the cruise.

This is a copy of NCL's web showing the options available, it was easy to use and as usual payment is made on ship. I do now understand some of the comments i have heard, although I have booked the shows now, I did not get my first choice of times and now see how others might be disappointed if they waited until they embarked only to find they cannot get into the Blue Man Group et al.

So although I usually wait to arrange my trips and entertainment I am glad we have sorted it now, hope it works out that way!

As for the cabins, well things that are different need a little time to get use to, so I will wait and give my views after the cruise, so come back then for a full review, comments and some photos.

Is that the picture, or just another way to make a profit?

You have just spent 9 hours on a plane or travelled for 4 hours by road to Southampton and are in a long queue to embark on the cruise of your dreams, and you turn what you think is the last corner and you meet the Ships Photographer! With a cheesy grin they thrust a lifebuoy in your hand and shout smile!!

Now don't think that is the last you will see of the photographer, no round every corner you turn they will lurk! On formal nights they will be there catching everybody in their finery, with a formal shot on the stairs or a lounge. When you get off at port they will be there again with the lifebuoy, but named with the port so you know where you are!

If you are really lucky, a photographer may be with you on your tour - or in my case with the video camera. I am now the proud owner of a DVD of my cruise, only because of my brief appearance in 1 of the sections!

Then you go and spend hours in the photo gallery, glasses on straining at the thousands of (samey) photos of people on the cruise, have you tried to find your picture when everybody is wearing a dinner jacket and black tie!

Once you have found them, and there will be many you start adding up the costs. At $24.99 per picture on Cunard it could be very expensive, although if you bought 6 you only paid $124.95! There were signs saying no cameras allowed, but I did see a couple of people taking snaps of the snaps, don't know how successful that would be.

But technology moves on, I have just read that on NCL Epic they are going to have a Youfinder® Facial Recognition System. Which means that they will software to recognise facial features from your embarkation photo so its easier to find your cruise pictures. So you can choose which prints you want, or you may want a picture CD of them all!

As I have not yet been on the Epic, still got a couple of months or so to wait, I'm not sure what the cost will be but I can't imagine they will be cheap.


Is this a move to more advanced technology, or to improve the overall profit margin of the photo gallery as they won't be printing thousands of photo prints that people don't want to buy. It has to be profit, I have to say the last pictures I printed, at Tesco, were only 10p for a 5x7 print, yet the cruise lines are charging upwards of $25 a time!

Single travellers, is there a supplement?

As a Cruise specialist we try always to get the best price for everyone that call about a cruise, but the dreaded single supplement is one of the circumstances when the price will be the number one reason why the single passenger will choose not to cruise.


The cruise lines have typically charged up to double the fare for a person wanting to travel alone in a cabin, although this does vary from cruise to cruise and line to line. Fortunately, there is some good news for solo travellers thinking about taking a cruise in the near future.

In addition to those single cabins available on Fred Olsen ships, P&O Azura has 18 single cabins with a Pullman berth in 12 outside cabins and six inside cabins. Having seen these they are a little larger than I anticipated.

In addition, Norwegian Cruise Line launches Epic in June and this ship will feature a number of single cabins. There will be 128 studio staterooms within a separate complex accessed by keycard. The studio complex will also include a private two-storey lounge called The Living Room.

The staterooms will be off a private interior corridor down the middle of the ship on two decks. Spanning both decks, and located mid-ship, the Living Room will be where studio guests can enjoy morning coffees and evening cocktails.

Each of the 100sq ft studio staterooms will include a full-size bed, flatscreen-TV, storage spaces and colour-changing mood lighting. Since many of the studio staterooms are connecting, they allow friends to travel together while giving each their own private space.

'Research shows that 35 million adults take solo vacations but only five per cent opt for cruises,' said Courtney Recht, public relations manager for Norwegian Cruise Line.

All the single cabins that are available can be booked without paying a single supplement, but don't think that they will be the same price as the price for each single passenger in a double occupancy cabin. Additionally, there are a limited number on each of the ships, with the exception of the Epic so availability is limited.

The single traveller may now be able to get a cabin at a reasonable price, but might have to book early to get the cabin they want or take pot luck and take the only sailings that are available!

Epic blog 5........An Epic, 'Towering Inferno'

LATEST NEWS

NCL has been confirmed that there was a fire on board on Monday night, which started on deck 4 and was contained by firefighters before any major damage was caused to the ship.

NCL are undertaking an investigation and it has been confirmed that this will not affect the scheduled delivery date!

With the past problems with the engine and now this fire, I hope its all sorted by the time I cruise on her at the end of October!

Epic blog part 4.................. the show continues

So what has happened whilst I have been away?




Construction seems to be going on at a pace, and I can just see myself 'playing' here later in the year.

To keep up with whats going on NCL have launched a specific blog for The Epic, why not have a look.

Don't forget to get on a sample this inivative ship either in the Caribean or in the Med in 2011, give me a call on 0800 408 6105 or email at stuartc@cruise.co.uk and let me book your cruise for you.

An Epic Blog................ part 3 (If you snooze you lose..)

To continue the Saga...................

Epic will be offering cruises from Barcelona from 2011 and the sailings will be launched at the end of March. Don't forget to PRE-REGISTER with me for this. Call me on 0800 408 6105 or send an email to stuartc@cruise.co.uk.

 Don't forget that on Epic all the outside cabins have balconies! This is inivative in the cruise market and you will get your own outside space and sunshine.

The arrow................. this where I will be in September on one of the sailings from Miami! so I will be able to give you a first hand account of the ship!

An Epic Blog .................. Part 2

At last the highly anticipated Norwegian Epic has set sail on her sea trials, late last week she left the snow covered yard in France to start her trails.

Here are a couple of photos from the yard, trying to work out which will be my cabin?

Midships Starboard side, deck 12. can you see that?

An Epic blog ............ (part 1)

When the Complete Cruise Guide was launched a couple of weeks ago the new ship that brought the most comment from my colleagues was the Epic. Everyone seemed to want to see, visit or cruise on this ship!

Well why I asked myself? Is it:-

‘her innovative design and world-class restaurants to her New Wave accommodation and the most happening and sophisticated nightlife at sea, everything about this impressive ship is done on a grand scale.’ (To quote the NCL brochure)

For me, I think it just breaks the mould, will be different and should be a great hit for those who get on board.

There are some 20 different dining options, some with an additional charge, some 18 bars and lounges and you can sip Vodka in an ice bar one of only 14 in the world! The entertainment seems also to be mind blowing – with The Blue Man Group at sea, and ‘The Epic Plunge’ which is a water park at the top of the ship!

So how do you get to see her, well she will sail from Southampton on 24th June 2010 across the Atlantic to New York before going onto Miami for weekly 7 nights Eastern and Western Caribbean trips.

However, NCL have just announced that there new flagship Epic will be based in Europe for the 2011 season. Sailing from Barcelona doing the classic stops in Monte Carlo, Italy and Majorca before returning to Barcelona.

These are not yet on sale but you can pre-register so that you can be first in line when they do go on sale.

In the meantime, if you want to know more about this cruise ship just watch and wait……………

Epic's float out from July 2009, wonder what she looks like now?