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This will likely delay the 2nd sea trials further though.
[ 05-04-2010: Message edited by: joe at travelpage ]
Hours after the fire that damaged the ship Norwegian Epic last night in Saint-Nazaire, many questions arise regarding the origin of the fire. Reportedly, the fire started in mattresses stored in a corridor before installation in the cabins.
A worker on board indicates that there was "no hot zone and no work was done in this place." Single cigarette butt thrown carelessly or malicious act? "No hypothesis is preferred, it is at the stage of speculation," said the prosecutor of St. Nazaire, Florence Lecoq. A forensic scientist must make an analysis today of the place of departure of the fire.
It was a little over 23 hours Monday when the alert was given. The fire had apparently smoldered before burning it to a room on Deck 4. Violent flames and the fear of spreading required the intervention of fifty firefighters from St. Nazaire, but also the cell fire ship Saint-Herblain. The 265 employees who worked at night on board were evacuated. Firefighters managed to prevent the passage of fire in the lower and upper decks, but the damage is significant. They particularly affect the structure of bridges and wiring. This morning, the direction of STX sites indicated that the fire "will not call into question the timing of delivery." The ship is the end of construction and must be delivered to its owner NCL America next June 15.
"Outside the zone of fire (4 rear deck, under the kitchen), work has resumed normally this morning on board," said Eric Breux, communications director STX.
On March 26, the same ship had already suffered a great damage to the engine. One of six diesel engines that provide propulsion, had passed away. It is being replaced.
The Norwegian Epic largest cruise ship ever built in St. Nazaire, is also the last. The shipyard, in crisis, still awaiting the realization of an order from a new ship for MSC Italian owner, announced in early March.
May it rest in peace.
quote:Originally posted by dmwnc1:Something completely unique and different, just what the cruise industry needs.
Actually I think she may well be a pretty conventional modern cruise ship, marketed as 'something unique'. She sounds just like a bigger version of the 'Jewel' class to me. Still, lets wait and see.
However it is great seeing a mega-ship form someone other than the usual suspects.
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:Actually I think she may well be a pretty conventional modern cruise ship, marketed as 'something unique'. She sounds just like a bigger version of the 'Jewel' class to me. Still, lets wait and see. However it is great seeing a mega-ship form someone other than the usual suspects.
I think part of the uniqueness dmwnc1 meant was the entertainment offerings on this ship. IMHO it's easily the best on any cruise ship by a huge margin.
quote:Originally posted by FuzzyFish:I think part of the uniqueness dmwnc1 meant was the entertainment offerings on this ship. IMHO it's easily the best on any cruise ship by a huge margin.
Oasis with an Ice Skating Show, Hairspray (the full lenght musical) and the unique Aqua-show rate highly in my opinion.
Epic's 'Cirque Dreams' is not really original, many ship shave circus style acts. I saw a rather good 'Circus' style show on Celebrity Equinox earlier in the year. Although the 'Blue Man Group' at sea is an interesting idea.
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:Oasis with an Ice Skating Show, Hairspray (the full lenght musical) and the unique Aqua-show rate highly in my opinion.Epic's 'Cirque Dreams' is not really original, many ship shave circus style acts. I saw a rather good 'Circus' style show on Celebrity Equinox earlier in the year. Although the 'Blue Man Group' at sea is an interesting idea.
I know I might be in the minority about this, but none of the entertainment venues/acts really appeal to me on the Oasis; this is probably why I have no desire to sail on her.
Many ships have a circus act, the NCL Jewel has a pretty decent one called Cirque Bijou too. I think Cirque Dreams on the Epic is a higher caliber show though.
Other than BMG, I would absolutely love to see Howl at the Moon.
The uniqueness of the Epic is that it takes Freestyle cruising to the next level. Project name F3 stood for Freestyle 3.0 - no more two seating production shows. Cruisers can now choose when and where they want to see a show.
Comparing Legends in Concert, Howling at the moon, Blue Man Group, or even the dinner show in the Spiegel Tent and the Cirque Dreams and Dinner to the Aqua Theater show and ice skating show is by far no competition for the Epic.
Hairspray is a good show and may be able to compete with Epic's Entertainment.
How much success will the Epic have? Maybe that the Trans Atlantic is officially sold out (RCI couldn't even sell out a 5 Nighter) is an early indication. Most other cruises are heavily booked and nearing sell out.
NCL has created a lot of excitement with the Epic and done a hell of an advertising job. They pulled travel agents and agencies in with several Epic Ice bar events, Epic Cocktail events, Howl at the Moon events which leaves the promotion of Oasis far behind.
In my opinion: both ships will be successful. They are not even comparable unless you go by newness. They are two different sizes of ships with different purposes. One is supposed to be a spot for vacationers by sheer size, the other is smaller than the Freeedom Class and stays true to its product (Freestyle).
I certainly don't like Oasis (and I was on her). But I could see how others could be attracted to Oasis.
It has some interesting features which will appeal to a lot of people.
I am really disappointed how much trashing of the Epic is still going on. Even a fire is considered a bad karma. Didn't Oasis have a fire as well while in the yard? She sure did have one. Was that bad karma? Or is that only reserved for any other cruise line but RCI?
Just by name recognition the Epic beats in entertainment choice anything on the 7 Seas.
Legends in Concert, Blue Man Group, Howl at the Moon, Second City - those are recognized names. And don't forget that the Cirque Dreams and Dinner is part of the Cirque Dreams Production with locations on Broadway, San Diego etc.
I am certainly looking forward to the 'Transi'.
[ 05-27-2010: Message edited by: FL_Cruiser64 ]
Currently, the new engine is starting and the shipyard repair the fire dammage.
http://www.ouest-france.fr/actu/actuLocale_-Essais-mer-du-Norwegian-epic-du-11-au-13-juin-_-1390872------44184-aud_actu.Htm
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:[...]Epic's 'Cirque Dreams' is not really original, many ship shave circus style acts. [...]
Are you sure? There are many of these shows ashore but I am not aware of a cruise ship with a 'circus and dinner' show beside Norwegian Epic.
quote:Originally posted by Ernst:Are you sure? There are many of these shows ashore but I am not aware of a cruise ship with a 'circus and dinner' show beside Norwegian Epic.
Hi Ernst, I saw a very good Circus Show (unimaginatively called 'The Show') on Equinox, but in the theatre, without dinner!
You can decide if building a dedicated room for 'circus' and charging guests for dinner is an 'innovation' or not?
quote:Originally posted by FL_Cruiser64:I find it fascinating how RCI is always credited with uniqueness. Technically non of the stuff on cruise ships are really unique, just land based life put - smaller scale - on a cruise ship.The uniqueness of the Epic is that it takes Freestyle cruising to the next level. Project name F3 stood for Freestyle 3.0 - no more two seating production shows. Cruisers can now choose when and where they want to see a show.Comparing Legends in Concert, Howling at the moon, Blue Man Group, or even the dinner show in the Spiegel Tent and the Cirque Dreams and Dinner to the Aqua Theater show and ice skating show is by far no competition for the Epic.Hairspray is a good show and may be able to compete with Epic's Entertainment. How much success will the Epic have? Maybe that the Trans Atlantic is officially sold out (RCI couldn't even sell out a 5 Nighter) is an early indication. Most other cruises are heavily booked and nearing sell out.NCL has created a lot of excitement with the Epic and done a hell of an advertising job. They pulled travel agents and agencies in with several Epic Ice bar events, Epic Cocktail events, Howl at the Moon events which leaves the promotion of Oasis far behind.In my opinion: both ships will be successful. They are not even comparable unless you go by newness. They are two different sizes of ships with different purposes. One is supposed to be a spot for vacationers by sheer size, the other is smaller than the Freeedom Class and stays true to its product (Freestyle).I certainly don't like Oasis (and I was on her). But I could see how others could be attracted to Oasis. It has some interesting features which will appeal to a lot of people. I am really disappointed how much trashing of the Epic is still going on. Even a fire is considered a bad karma. Didn't Oasis have a fire as well while in the yard? She sure did have one. Was that bad karma? Or is that only reserved for any other cruise line but RCI?Just by name recognition the Epic beats in entertainment choice anything on the 7 Seas.Legends in Concert, Blue Man Group, Howl at the Moon, Second City - those are recognized names. And don't forget that the Cirque Dreams and Dinner is part of the Cirque Dreams Production with locations on Broadway, San Diego etc.I am certainly looking forward to the 'Transi'.[ 05-27-2010: Message edited by: FL_Cruiser64 ]
I guess NCL is now your new favorite line. You sure bashed RCI on the other cruise boards. I guess as a travel agent you have your lines that pay you a little more to push them. I guess NCL is now that line.
I for one will wait until Ernie returns in August to give us his unbiased opinion and not a TA trying to sell cabins.
[ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: Atlcruiser ]
FL_Cruiser64: The uniqueness of the Epic is that it takes Freestyle cruising to the next level. Project name F3 stood for Freestyle 3.0
Although I accept 'freestyle V1' was an innovation, I'm not clear how V3 will be any better apart from more dining choices. It may well still suffer from the same drawbacks? We do not know.
FL_Cruiser64: Comparing Legends in Concert, Howling at the moon, Blue Man Group, or even the dinner show in the Spiegel Tent and the Cirque Dreams and Dinner to the Aqua Theatre show and ice skating show is by far no competition for the Epic.
Entertainment is subjective, but no one has seen the Epic shows yet. Is 'Cirque Dreams' on board EPIC good value? Does the Blue Man Group work afloat? No one knows, yet.
FL_Cruiser64: How much success will the Epic have? Maybe that the Trans Atlantic is officially sold out (RCI couldn't even sell out a 5 Nighter) is an early indication.
They were offing some very low fares here in the Uk for the crossing. I'm not surprised it sold out.
FL_Cruiser64: NCL has created a lot of excitement with the Epic and done a hell of an advertising job. They pulled travel agents and agencies in with several Epic Ice bar events, Epic Cocktail events, Howl at the Moon events which leaves the promotion of Oasis far behind.
Yes, NCL's PR companies have done a brilliant job of advertising and creating interest, but can NCL deliver a quality product. Many NCL reviews of other ships suggest much inconsistency with their product. On the other hand I have yet to read a single bad review of 'Oasis' - that speaks far louder than 'spin' to me.
FL_Cruiser64: In my opinion: both ships will be successful. They are not even comparable unless you go by newness. They are two different sizes of ships with different purposes. One is supposed to be a spot for vacationers by sheer size, the other is smaller than the Freedom Class and stays true to its product (Freestyle).
Yes both are very different ships but offering similar itineraries, aimed at the same type of passengers, offering similar fares.
[qb]FL_Cruiser64: I am really disappointed how much trashing of the Epic is still going on. [/b]
Trashing? I've not read much? After all no one has experienced her yet. It's all speculation. However the fact that NCL have built the ugliest looking purpose built cruise ship in history was hardly going to go unnoticed, was it?
I await the first public reviews.
[ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:Hi Ernst, I saw a very good Circus Show (unimaginatively called 'The Show') on Equinox, but in the theatre, without dinner! You can decide if building a dedicated room for 'circus' and charging guests for dinner is an 'innovation' or not?
I agree that 'innovation' might not be the right term. This term is used quite often in the cruise industry and most 'innovations' are not really innovative.However, no other cruise ships offers such a show and this is certainly not comparable to a circus performance in a theater.
Based on the announcements (e.g. Blue Man Group) I would also expect the entertainment aboard Norwegian Epic will be 'a notch' better than aboard other mainstream cruise ships. It will be interesting to see how that works out and how the competitors will respond to that.
quote:Originally posted by Ernst: Based on the announcements (e.g. Blue Man Group) I would also expect the entertainment aboard Norwegian Epic will be 'a notch' better than aboard other mainstream cruise ships. It will be interesting to see how that works out and how the competitors will respond to that.
Absolutely, except when compared to OASIS and ALLURE. These two sisters along with EPIC will no doubt offer the most diverse entertainment offerings at sea.
It was recently announced that RCI obtained the rights to the Broadway smash "Chicago", and this will be featured on ALLURE OF THE SEAS. I think I will enjoy this to a greater extent compared to "Hairspray" which is featured on OASIS. "Chicago" is more my style musical.
Personally I can't wait to compare EPIC to my experience on OASIS, then ALLURE soon after my experience on EPIC. These are the most exciting passenger ships introduced in quite some time. Next up in the world of sea going innovation is DISNEY DREAM, which promises to be something quite special as well. The entertainment I experienced on DISNEY WONDER was pretty amazing. Full scale Disney productions along with an outdoor spectacular complete with fireworks. It was awesome. The shows I have enjoyed on the DISNEY WONDER are my favorite to date, at least those as presented in a traditional shipboard theater.
Ernie - looking forward to a little "Disney Magic" at the Grand Floridian next weekend at Walt Disney World then NORWEGIAN SKY in July.
quote:Originally posted by Atlcruiser:I guess NCL is now your new favorite line. You sure bashed RCI on the other cruise boards. I guess as a travel agent you have your lines that pay you a little more to push them. I guess NCL is now that line. I for one will wait until Ernie returns in August to give us his unbiased opinion and not a TA trying to sell cabins.[ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: Atlcruiser ]
As a TA I have no selling preferences. I sell to the customer needs not mine.
As a consumer: yes I switched from RCI to NCL as my preferred cruise line.
I post as a consumer.
It is similar to you switching from Carnival to RCI. Don't throw with rocks while sitting in the glas house.
[ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: FL_Cruiser64 ]
quote:Originally posted by Malcolm @ cruisepage:I'm very excited about Epic too, but it sounds to me as if you have absorbed all of that NCL 'spin'! [qb]FL_Cruiser64: The uniqueness of the Epic is that it takes Freestyle cruising to the next level. Project name F3 stood for Freestyle 3.0 Although I accept 'freestyle V1' was an innovation, I'm not clear how V3 will be any better apart from more dining choices. It may well still suffer from the same drawbacks? We do not know.FL_Cruiser64: Comparing Legends in Concert, Howling at the moon, Blue Man Group, or even the dinner show in the Spiegel Tent and the Cirque Dreams and Dinner to the Aqua Theatre show and ice skating show is by far no competition for the Epic.Entertainment is subjective, but no one has seen the Epic shows yet. Is 'Cirque Dreams' on board EPIC good value? Does the Blue Man Group work afloat? No one knows, yet.FL_Cruiser64: How much success will the Epic have? Maybe that the Trans Atlantic is officially sold out (RCI couldn't even sell out a 5 Nighter) is an early indication. They were offing some very low fares here in the Uk for the crossing. I'm not surprised it sold out.FL_Cruiser64: NCL has created a lot of excitement with the Epic and done a hell of an advertising job. They pulled travel agents and agencies in with several Epic Ice bar events, Epic Cocktail events, Howl at the Moon events which leaves the promotion of Oasis far behind.Yes, NCL's PR companies have done a brilliant job of advertising and creating interest, but can NCL deliver a quality product. Many NCL reviews of other ships suggest much inconsistency with their product. On the other hand I have yet to read a single bad review of 'Oasis' - that speaks far louder than 'spin' to me.FL_Cruiser64: In my opinion: both ships will be successful. They are not even comparable unless you go by newness. They are two different sizes of ships with different purposes. One is supposed to be a spot for vacationers by sheer size, the other is smaller than the Freedom Class and stays true to its product (Freestyle).Yes both are very different ships but offering similar itineraries, aimed at the same type of passengers, offering similar fares.FL_Cruiser64: I am really disappointed how much trashing of the Epic is still going on. [/b]Trashing? I've not read much? After all no one has experienced her yet. It's all speculation. However the fact that NCL have built the ugliest looking purpose built cruise ship in history was hardly going to go unnoticed, was it? I await the first public reviews. [ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
[qb]FL_Cruiser64: The uniqueness of the Epic is that it takes Freestyle cruising to the next level. Project name F3 stood for Freestyle 3.0
FL_Cruiser64: I am really disappointed how much trashing of the Epic is still going on. [/b]Trashing? I've not read much? After all no one has experienced her yet. It's all speculation. However the fact that NCL have built the ugliest looking purpose built cruise ship in history was hardly going to go unnoticed, was it? I await the first public reviews. [ 05-29-2010: Message edited by: Malcolm @ cruisepage ]
ROTFLMAO
Yeah, the NCL spin machine worked well on me.
But believe me it won't interfere with my honest opinion when I come back from the trans-atlantic. I'll be doing the same as I have done with Oasis: Check her out - upside down, inside out and I am hoping for a day or two of bad weather to see the flow of passengers.
For the rest of the post: We may disagree in some areas but that is OK.
I just hope that you value my opinion of the Epic (good or bad) more than Gordon does.
quote: Entertainment is subjective, but no one has seen the Epic shows yet. Is 'Cirque Dreams' on board EPIC good value? Does the Blue Man Group work afloat? No one knows, yet.
Malcolm,
I'm sure you've seen the NCL promo clip on Cirque Dreams, you really think the other circus type acts on current ships is even close in quality and production value? I haven't seen the one on the Equinox, but from what I've seen of Cirque Dreams online it certainly blows away Jean Ann Ryan's Cirque Bijou show on the NCL Jewel.
Side note, Cirque Dreams tickets usually sell from $50-$150 depending on where you sit and which city you see the show at; so ya I definitely think for either $15 or $20 you're getting a heck of a value on the Epic.
I have absolutely no doubt the entertainment on the Epic is easily the best on any ship afloat. These are all big name acts who are getting very good reviews on land, neither NCL nor the company putting these acts together will let a poor quality product be shown on the Epic, you can count on that.
I think the main difference is that all other acts on cruise ships (aside from Hairspray and Chicago) aspire to be Vegas-like in style and always comes up a bit (or sometimes a lot) short in quality and production value, while what they got going on the Epic IS the real thing that people actually pay to see on land. Not the cloned-for-cruise ship knockoffs (I'm being a bit harsh here) that we usually sees.
Things might not be perfectly smooth on the Epic initially, but I bet none of t he problems will be related to the quality of the entertainment aboard.
[ 05-30-2010: Message edited by: FuzzyFish ]
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