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Destination: An Epic Launch
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Two nights prove to be not enough aboard Norwegian’s new Epic
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BY BARBARA PECK
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Chef in action at Teppanyaki; navigating the Epic Plunge; a Courtyard Villa bedroom.
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The newest addition to Norwegian’s fleet is its biggest ship ever: the $1.1 billion, 153,000-ton, 4,100-passenger Epic, which officially launched over the July 4th weekend. Reba McEntire was asked to break the champagne bottle—a fitting choice as the country music star has made several Norwegian sailings with her extended family.
GOING NOWHERE FAST
After Reba dispatched the July 2nd christening, the Epic pushed away from the dock in New York City and regally proceeded down the Hudson toward the Statue of Liberty, off on a two-night “Cruise to Nowhere” for press, travel agents, and their families. My 16-year-old son and I made a beeline for Deck 17, where he jumped into a pickup basketball game and I just . . . jumped, on the Epic Bounce. Crew members strapped me into a waist harness attached to bungee cords, and I bounced and flipped on the trampoline, reaching heights that seemed risky as the ship squeaked under the looming Verrazano Bridge (crew members claimed the clearance was a full two feet at high tide—but that seemed dubious!).
In a worthy attempt to distinguish itself from other cruise lines, Norwegian has instituted “freestyle cruising”—which translates as lots of choices. Instead of the traditional set dining times at specified tables, passengers can eat when they want in 20 different restaurants (11 of them without surcharge). There’s no dress code (only an optional formal night) and, best of all, a multitude of sports and entertainment options—way too many to experience on a two-night outing. Though I tried.
I couldn’t pass up the chance to go on the waterslides, the most popular of which is the Epic Plunge—riding an inner tube, you’re shot into a bowl where you spin helplessly around before being sucked into the splashdown lane. The other two slides aren’t slouches: the purple one is fully enclosed, and scary fast, while the green slide has a series of thrilling corkscrews. (Compared to the slides, Epic’s modest pools come a distant second.) Other sporting choices: bowling (a total of six lanes), rock-climbing and rappelling, a climbing cage called the Giant Spider Web, and even a skating rink—well, with artificial ice. Not to mention a huge fitness center.
ONE BY ONE
Since this was a shakedown cruise, we weren’t surprised that everything didn’t go like clockwork (the waterslides saw some downtime, for example, and crew members were spotted mopping up puddles on Deck 15). But passengers were encouraged to scope out the staterooms, including the lavish Owner’s Suites and the Courtyard Villas, which come with their own pool and fitness center. Even the run-of-the-mill cabins have style, with curvy, wave-shaped walls and translucent panels shielding the tub and toilet areas (though they looked see-through, they weren’t). During a press conference, critiques were voiced about the way water splashes out of the shallow sinks, so those long-neck faucets may find their days numbered.
Epic’s biggest innovation is its smallest cabins, the Studios. For the first time ever, solo travelers can avoid paying double for their room by booking one of these 128 diminutive interior cabins. We know what you’re thinking: Cruise cabins are already tiny; how much smaller can these be? They’re a compact 100 square feet, and designed by a firm that specializes in yacht and aircraft interiors and other tight spaces—which means, plenty of built-ins. A lounge called the Living Room is reserved for guests in the Studios, giving singles their own place to mingle.
JOIN THE CIRCUS
Norwegian’s brass are excited about Epic’s entertainment, and for good reason. Every evening, shows take place all over the ship, from the downhome Slam Allen Blues Band in the Fat Cats lounge to the brilliant improv of a Second City troupe in Headliners and the nutty physical comedy of the Blue Man Group, which performs in the 681-seat Epic Theater. Cirque Dreams bills itself as avant-garde, but it’s really just a collection of circus acts taking place over dinner in the Spiegel Tent. Keep a close eye on your waiter; he’ll probably be joining the act at some point during your meal. Since diners are discouraged from leaving partway through (because the space is a bit tight for all the dancing and whirling), make sure you’re committed before the two-hour show begins. And be aware that the show becomes more jaw-dropping as it nears the end (don’t miss the bathtub scene).
My meat-loving son would definitely have appreciated Cagney’s Steakhouse or the Moderno Churrascaria, but on his first night he was stuffed after repeated visits to a burger bar on Deck 15. Ah, the luxury of unlimited food! He did enjoy the chef’s theatrics the next night at Teppanyaki, where dinner was cooked to order before our eyes, with eggs and knives flying through the air.
Speaking of my son, while he expresses disdain for teen clubs, once I signed him up for Entourage he did manage to drop by. That might have been due to the club’s savvy location, stashed just below the sports complex (with its basketball court), and reached by a hidden stairway that makes a kid think he’s stumbling upon something good.
Meanwhile, kids of all ages will get a kick out of the ship’s partnership with Nickelodeon, which means breakfast with Spongebob in the Spiegel Tent (photo op!) and slimefests out on the pool deck. On a ship this size, there’s so much to discover: I haven’t even mentioned the spa, with saunas whose floor-to-ceiling windows seem to hang out over the ocean, or the Ice Bar, where you don a pale-blue poncho with a fake-fur-lined hood to sip vodka at an igloo bar. If you want to check out the ship for yourself, you won’t have to go far: the Norwegian Epic is sailing the Eastern and Western Caribbean from Miami until April 2011, after which she heads to Europe till October 2011.
NOTE: Information may have changed since publication. Please confirm key details before planning your trip.
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Published: August 1, 2010
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Photos: Barbara Peck(3)
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