Since counters are also similarly tiny (and often placed right next to the cabin's sitting area), water often shoots out onto the floor and furniture. The reality, though, is that it all just doesn't work.įirst Problem: The most egregious fail is with the sinks, which combine a tiny bowl with a foot-tall, gooseneck faucet that, when turned on full, nearly shoots right out of the bowl, and always splashes over the edge, no matter how careful you are. The idea seems to have been that this would allow two or more people to use the bathrooms facilities simultaneously, without having to crowd into a tiny space. The sink and medicine cabinet are in the cabin itself, just beyond the toilet and shower booths. To the other side, you'll find the toilet in its own little booth, also with a sliding glass door, and there's a curtain you can pull across the whole entryway/bathroom area for privacy. As you enter a cabin, one side of you is a shower or bathtub with a sliding glass door. The Concept: In each stateroom on board, the traditional bathroom - a separate, doored-off space containing all the necessities - has been deconstructed. Things aren't entirely perfect - beds, for instance, are a bit short (I'm 6'2" and my feet stuck several inches over the end), and staterooms seem smallish, but overall they've got a pleasant feel to them, except in one major area.įail: The In-Stateroom Bathrooms Were a Big Mistake The effect is very pleasant, accented by other cabin features like concealed contour LED lighting, large back-lit round ceiling fixtures over the beds (giving a "domed" effect), dark wood trim, and an earth-tone color palette. Walls sort of undulate from front to back, meaning some parts - for instance, where the bed is located - are wider than others. One of the first things revealed about Epic, back in 2008, was that her balcony staterooms (which means every outside stateroom, since all outsides have balconies on this ship) are a big departure from cruise tradition, featuring free-form, curving walls rather than the oblong boxes typical on every other ship today. Success! Epic's "New Wave" Staterooms Look Great It's a clunker amid an otherwise great entertainment line-up. As it stands right now, though, I give Cirque Dreams a thumbs-down. (And that's the beauty of live theater: If something isn't working, you can always change it). If they put the emphasis more on the acrobatics and de-emphasize the silly accents and shrill speeches, they might have something. Secondly, several vignettes throughout the show feature talented acrobats, including three musclemen who hoist each other into impossible positions trapeze artists and aerialists who do remarkable things in a confined space and a woman who whirls what seems like dozens of hula-hoops from every appendage. Now, let me qualify by saying it's not all bad: The concept of a dinner-theater-in-the-round aboard ship has a lot of promise. Second Problem: Much of the performance is shrill, manic, and in-your-face - not what I want from a dinner-theater experience. An actor announces at the beginning that there will be no bathroom breaks audience members/diners are required to stay in their seats for the entire two-hour performance - most likely because the performers are constantly moving around the space, and don't want to be sued if they trip a guest. That leaves Epic as the sole vessel in her class, and sister to none.įirst Problem: The audience is trapped. Epic, too, represents a de-escalation: Originally, she was to have been the first of three identical super-megaships, but disputes with the shipyard regarding design changes and cost overruns almost scuttled the project entirely. Most notably, it overreached in the Hawaii market, which is now scaled back from its original design. NCL has also seen its share of major failures. The line really has helped transform the cruise industry over the past 10 years, most notably by popularizing its "Freestyle" casual cruising concept. She is, in the end, a product of NCL, a line that I love for being scrappy, friendly, and willing to try new things, even though some of those new things end up falling flat. That said, she's not a true game-changer like Oasis, but she has some attributes that I'd love to see become the industry standard. She has va-va-voom like an old-time vaudeville revue, but some acts you just want to pull offstage with a long cane.
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