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Final thoughts of NCL’s Epic

// July 13th, 2010 // Joe's Blog

Joe and I recently had the honor of attending the inaugural sailing of Norwegian Cruise Line’s newest, largest, and most innovative ship. Thanks in part to Blue Man Productions I was honored to be able to attend a sailing during this inaugural sailing. I was thoroughly impressed and I do have to say that the Epic definitely lived up to its name.

After the Norwegian Epic has made her debut early in July, she will continue to sail out of the Port of Miami alternating between Western and Eastern cruise routes. The Western Caribbean stops include beautiful ports of call in Mexico and Honduras. In the Eastern Caribbean, guests will be able to indulge in the beauty of St. Maarten, St. Thomas, and The Bahamas. The Epic’s second season in May-October 2011 will take her transatlantic to sail out of Barcelona Spain and will feature seven day cruises with stops in Florence/Pisa, Napes Italy, and Palma, Majorca Spain.

Upon arrival to the Port of Miami, we were able to check in quickly and hop on board within no time. I like the fact that we were able to carry our own luggage to our rooms ourselves. I find this much more convenient than some other cruise lines as I previously have attended. Usually the larger bags have to be checked and delivered to your room. (Now keep in mind that this was the inaugural sailing and check in may be different during a normal scheduled cruise.) The first thing I noticed after arriving onboard was the beauty of this ship. Everything is so rich, colorful, and elegant looking. From the up-lighting, to the colors, to an amazing chandelier in the middle of the promenade (which you couldn’t help but to stop and look at each and every time you pass by) everything will trigger your senses in multiple aspects.

A view of Miami, FL cityscape from the 12th deck of the NCL Epic

I was thoroughly impressed once we arrived to our room. We were lucky enough to be able to get a balcony suite with an amazing view of the ocean. The balcony rooms have a bit of a curve around the walls to make it look larger than it really is. The TV is a plasma flat-screen; there is a sitting area, vanity area, and plenty of room for your luggage. The walk in shower actually opens up into the main room area, but curtains are provided for privacy. Other room options are inside rooms, deluxe balconies, spa balconies, and of course deluxe owner’s suites. The Epic also caters to the single traveler, which really impresses me. There are studio suites designed for solo travelers with their own private room, bed, and bathroom area. The singles are given access to a living room area to hang out with other solo travelers. I like the idea of this as I’ve always been an independent person. If I were single I would definitely take advantage of the studio suites.

The pool and outdoor area on the Epic was impressive as it features their first ever aqua park at sea featuring 3 waterslides. Imagine a full on water park while sailing in the middle of the ocean. The Epic plunge is one of the more popular slides as it represents a large bowl through a 200 foot long tube. The purple waterslide will propel you right through the rock climbing wall, and the green slide is 3 stories high and has plenty of twists and turns. There are a total of 2 main pools, 5 hot tubes, and a children’s play area. If rock climbing is something that interests you, you can choose to either rappel down the wall, or climb 33 feet up the wall. The Epic also caters to the health conscious and athletes with fitness centers, basketball court, volleyball court, and even an ice skating rink. Ice skating in your bathing suit? Now that’s Epic!

The Epic features entertaining show such as Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams, Legends in Concert, The Second City Comedy Troupe, and Nickelodeon at Sea. There is also plenty of nightlife, casinos, bars, and dance clubs along with 4 onboard bowling alleys. They also feature something very unique called Spice H2O. During the day it is used as a pool area, but at night the water is covered with a dance floor. Lights, music, and drinks take over this area with tiered seating and lounge chairs facing the dance floor. There is also a first ever on Norwegian Cruise Line, an Ice Bar. Everything is made of ice including sculptures and chairs. Worried about getting too cold? Have no fear as warm fur coats are provided before entering the bar. Another popular nighttime hang out is Club Bliss which features more of an adult oriented theme and a sensual atmosphere. I like how upon entering Club Bliss there is mist coming from the ceiling with projection imaging. There are DJ’s, dance cages and floors, a bowling alley, an erotic seating area including a bed; oh my!

Club Bliss on the NCL Epic

Don’t worry about going hungry on the Epic! There are over 20 dining options featuring a culinary experience from around the world. There is also a more casual dining area, The Garden Café, which is more popular at breakfast and lunch featuring a huge buffet with sandwiches, pizza, burgers, hot dogs, Asian foods, Indian foods, soup, salad, and so much more! If you want to experience a more cultural culinary experience I recommend making reservations before sailing on your cruise. The more popular restaurants, to name a few, Cagneys Steakhouse, Le Bistro, Moderno Churrascaria, and La Cucina, tend to book up very quickly and it’s nearly impossible to get in without a reservation. Some of the less crowded restaurants in the evening are the Manhattan Room and Taste, which have a traditional dining room feel on a cruise ship.

Joe and I have attended this cruise on behalf of Blue Man Group and this was our main focus so I will give a brief summary and some advice based on my experience. First off, good news for Blue Man fans; the shows are free! Second, I recommend making reservations for the Blue Man shows. Yes, you need reservations just like you need to buy tickets at one of the main venues. I did notice that the second show was completely booked for the last evening on our cruise. There are no assigned seats and its first come first serve. The front row does tend to be popular and if you want a front/center seat I recommend arriving at least one hour prior to your show. I was highly impressed as I walked into the 681 seat theatre as it looks very similar to the land venues, but still has a cruise ship feel to it. Joe and I got to explore the backstage area while onboard. It was a little cramped but all in all, it felt like a normal Blue Man area with all the paint, props, PVC’s, and drums. Joe and I got to see two out of the four shows on our cruise. The show is eighty minutes long featuring the most popular acts shown on land venues with a couple of new surprises. They even featured their popular feast girl skit and fan favorites such as Drumbone, PCV IV, Time to Start, and the wildly sensational paper finale at the end. On a typical cruise, Blue Man Group will perform eight shows during a seven night cruise.

Me and Joe with the blue men actors at the NCL Press Conference July 9th, 2010

During our first adventure with the Blue Man Insiders, we got a little down time with the guys. We had a blast being able to do an elevator interview, (which you have to see to believe) joined the guys for a couple of fun activities on the ship, and attend a press conference. My main question for the guys was; what are the challenges of performing on a boat verses a land venue? The guys answer was simply that main challenge of doing this show on a boat is the movement of the ship during the middle of the show. This was the answer I was looking for and I knew this could affect the show in some way. They said that sometimes the movement of the boat can cause things like the TV head skit to become a bit unstable and can offer challenges for the chair walking skit.

All in all, I was very much impressed with our cruise. I’ve never had the chance to sail with NCL and will definitely be cruising with them in the future. Everything from the dining choices, to the entertainment, to the nightlife, the ship lived up to it’s name and has proven itself truly innovative. My advice to you is to make sure you are ready for fun in the sun, have your reservations made, and come with an open mind and you’ll be sure to have an epic time on the new Norwegian Epic!

Alex Irick was hosted by Norwegian Cruise Lines on board Norwegian Epic for a short two-night preview cruise. Follow @TheBlueGirlAlex on Twitter, and for live reports, photos and videos and check here on Blue Man Group Insiders official Facebook for more details and answers to your questions for all things blue.