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00:00She's a billion-dollar showboat, Norwegian Epic, the biggest floating party in the world.
00:12A ship of this size is, of course, a huge job, and it's teamwork.
00:18But what sets this monster cruise ship apart is the state-of-the-art engineering that keeps her afloat.
00:27You have a plan, and the plan's great when it works, but often the plan doesn't.
00:32Now the pressure's on to make this massive gamble pay off.
00:48Norwegian Epic is custom-built for one purpose. Pure entertainment.
00:54You guys having fun? It's awesome.
01:01Epic is one of a kind. A floating Las Vegas.
01:08The ship's entertainment is second to none, with world-renowned acts performing on several stages and decks all day and all night.
01:19Just a few months old, Norwegian Epic is longer than the Eiffel Tower is high.
01:25A staggering 330 meters from stem to stern.
01:30At 150,000 gross tons, Epic is one of the largest cruise ships ever built,
01:37capable of carrying up to 4,100 passengers and 1,750 crew members
01:43to dream destinations all over the world.
01:46So we bring her up to six knots as fast as possible.
01:51Her captain, HÃ¥kon Sveidong, has been at sea almost his entire life.
01:59Yes, and then I will be the operations director, take radio and checklist.
02:04You need to do anything else?
02:07He's a hands-on master, facing a massive task, breaking in his ship and her crew in record time.
02:14A ship of this size is, of course, a huge job, and it's teamwork.
02:19And it's the crew who makes the ship.
02:22If you have a good crew and well-trained crew, the passenger will have fun as well.
02:28It's five in the morning, and Norwegian Epic arrives in Miami.
02:32She has just 11 hours to get back out to sea.
02:36The first task is getting 4,000 guests off and 4,000 new ones on.
02:42But people are the least of the problems. They can move by themselves.
02:47It's all the stuff that makes this such a tricky operation.
02:50Hey, Mike, we should be receiving that electric pallet jack soon, OK?
02:54OK. Everything is basically ready.
02:57We should be receiving that electric pallet jack soon, OK?
03:00OK.
03:01Everything is basically twice as much, and yet it has to be completed within the same amount of time.
03:07I've made sure the ship sails on time. That's very important.
03:14The enormous warehouse holds enough food and supplies to feed a small city for a week.
03:20All of it has to be loaded on board before the ship can sail.
03:25And here, size matters.
03:29One of the nice features about this specific door on the Epic is that it's extra wide.
03:34Typically, you can only load two pallets at a time on this door and this ramp.
03:39We can load four wide, so it allows us to expedite all the provisions much quicker than normal.
03:47By 11am, the first passengers are trickling in.
03:52Terminal C, all the way down, and enjoy your cruise.
03:57Early birds come aboard to check out the ship before the party really gets going.
04:06Much is riding on this cruise.
04:08The ship cost 1.2 billion US dollars to build.
04:12The price of six Airbus jumbo jets.
04:17In the competitive world of holiday cruises,
04:20the captain and his crew don't have long to prove the investment was worth it.
04:24Hello. Welcome on board. How are you?
04:27As passengers board, hotel director Klaus Ludmeier does his twice-daily, five-kilometer tour.
04:34There's a lot of choices. How are you? Welcome on board.
04:42Hey, guys. How are you doing?
04:44So, this is my vacation walkthrough. First impression, very important.
04:48Hey, Mary. Welcome home.
04:50It's one end of the ship to the other, and back again.
04:53Oh, it's a workout. Hello. Welcome on board.
04:56Klaus will climb nearly 400 stairs and tour 19 decks.
05:01We have up to 21 restaurants on board. How are you? Good to see you. Love your smile.
05:07After the captain, Klaus is the most powerful person on board.
05:11Restaurants, hotel and housekeeping staff all work for him.
05:15Almost 90% of the crew.
05:18I have approximately over 1,500 team members under my command out of the 1,700.
05:24And he tries to see every one of them every day.
05:28It's all about the passion. It has to sizzle, what you do.
05:32At 4 p.m., right on time, Norwegian Epic is fully loaded and ready to go.
05:37Captain Svedung sets his crew in motion for sailing out.
05:41We'll focus for the next coming week or next week.
05:44Norwegian Epic will sail from Miami to Costa Maya, Mexico,
05:48Roatan, Honduras, Cozumel, Mexico, and back to Miami.
05:53A round trip of seven days, and almost.
05:57Take the propulsion.
06:02Pilot, we start the piece.
06:06The Miami Harbor pilot has come aboard to guide the huge ship out of the narrow harbor.
06:11Testing.
06:16Turn the rudder.
06:17Turn the rudder.
06:18Turn the rudder.
06:19Turn the rudder.
06:20Turn the rudder.
06:21Turn the rudder.
06:22Turn the rudder.
06:23Turn the rudder.
06:24Turn the rudder.
06:25Turn the rudder.
06:26Turn the rudder.
06:27Turn the rudder.
06:28Turn the rudder.
06:29Turn the rudder close and disconnect the gangway.
06:32There's not much room to maneuver.
06:34Alvin?
06:35We're ready.
06:36We're ready.
06:38Their navigation must be perfect.
06:40Do you have any controls?
06:41I have the controls.
06:42Do you have any controls?
06:49Norwegian Epic is the biggest ship ever to sail from the port of Miami.
06:54meters across, and the mouth of the channel is just 150 meters wide.
06:59The captain also faces the challenge of a dangerous crosswind.
07:03Today I will give some push forward there, because the wind is pressing us out from the
07:08keel.
07:09Right.
07:10So we don't start drifting.
07:13To compensate for the wind, he uses EPIC's powerful thrusters.
07:22Sailing up the narrow channel, the thrusters work hard to keep EPIC on course.
07:31Meanwhile the pilot and captain are also forced to dodge a flotilla of small vessels, crowding
07:37in for a look at this one-of-a-kind megaship.
07:48Out on deck, the passengers have no idea of the delicate operation taking place on
07:53the bridge.
07:56Finally, EPIC clears the channel.
08:07For the captain, it's now time to put her to the test.
08:11Now for the guests, it's time to party.
08:26Captain Svedung sets sail for Costa Maya, the ship's first port of call 1,000 kilometers
08:32away.
08:34At 16 knots, or 30 kilometers per hour, it will take almost 40 hours to get there.
08:45Eight decks below the bridge, three performers prepare for a show not often seen at sea.
08:55Practically everyone on board will see their performance, but no one will ever discover
08:59their true identities.
09:02That's because they'll be hidden behind a thick layer of blue paint.
09:06Hey, my name's Ed.
09:09Ed Gregory.
09:10Jordan Woods Robinson.
09:11I'm Dan Cooper.
09:13We are Blue Man Group.
09:19Ed and I were here for the loading of the show and the final part of the construction
09:25of the ship as well, and it certainly had a lot of challenges.
09:28The biggest one for us as actors, just in a practical basis, is that we're only normally
09:33used to working in theaters that don't move.
09:38Soon passengers will see first-hand what it takes to put on a Blue Man show on a stage
09:43that's constantly moving.
09:46For a group that depends on precision drumming, this performance will be a step into the unknown.
09:51One that 4,000 people will come to watch.
09:57But it's another group of performers that will face the voyage's first challenge.
10:01Toying with gravity on a shifting stage.
10:06It's day two of a seven-day Caribbean cruise on the biggest party ship ever constructed
10:12— Norwegian Epic.
10:19On Epic, everything is supersized.
10:24There's a 3,000-square-meter spa, the largest ever built on a ship.
10:30A crystal LED chandelier with 40,000 glass pieces.
10:3521 dining options, serving 20,000 meals a day.
10:44One of the largest casinos at sea, with 350 slot machines.
10:52And a 250-meter-long water slide, so big it takes nearly a minute to get to the bottom.
11:03On a ship this big, the planning never stops.
11:09And entertainment director Simon Murray is the details man.
11:14He's responsible for everything, right down to fixing TV screens for tonight's big football
11:19game.
11:20Worst case is what?
11:21Worst case, we can't find a seat.
11:23OK, all right.
11:24Well, let's examine all the options, do what we have to.
11:27We have to have the game in here tonight, otherwise we've got a lot of people to be
11:31upset.
11:32Yeah.
11:33And I'll give them all your phone numbers.
11:34Yes.
11:35All right.
11:36Thanks, guys.
11:37Give me a call when there's updates, please, OK?
11:38Yeah.
11:39Thanks a lot.
11:40Cheers.
11:41When you build a new ship, there's always, you know, you have a plan, and the plan's great
11:42when it works.
11:43But often the plan doesn't.
11:44The ping-pong table's in the main lobby area again, please.
11:45We need to move it.
11:46OK, cheers.
11:47Bye bye.
11:51The entire day is spent at sea, as the ship travels 1,000 kilometres towards her first
11:56port of call in Mexico.
11:59Out on the pool deck, passengers are getting hot and staying cool, working out or not working
12:10at all.
12:15The pool deck can hold thousands of guests, many of whom were shoveling snow from outside
12:21their homes just two days ago.
12:25And some of them can't seem to stay away from the cold.
12:29Today there's a constant stream of passengers heading for the ice bar.
12:35Kept at a constant minus eight degrees Celsius, everything in here is made of ice.
12:42It took 6,000 litres of water to make the bar, chairs, walls and sculptures.
12:50It's the world's only ice bar at sea.
12:53And it's packed.
12:54All day, every day.
12:55No, we're not crazy.
12:56You notice all the northern people are here and all the people down south are left already.
13:04While the passengers party, on the bridge, Captain Svedon is putting his ship and crew
13:10through their paces.
13:11I forgot.
13:15Today he's testing the state-of-the-art navigation system, designed to keep passengers and crew
13:20safe.
13:21So, for the moment, we are on autopilot and then we do all the steering of the ship with
13:27this knob here.
13:29Everybody expects a big wheel when they're coming up here, but unfortunately that's the
13:33biggest wheel we have.
13:35Epic's computerized brain is run by a super high-speed processor and handles everything
13:41from navigation and propulsion to fire and safety systems.
13:44The computer helps us a lot and that's why it's a great safe navigation with 100%.
13:50On this megaship, the crew must not only be first-class sailors, but computer experts
13:55as well.
13:56And that's what we're training on almost every day.
13:59Staff Captain Tobias Akersson is the commander's right-hand man.
14:03Override system.
14:05Override system working?
14:08Yes.
14:09For Tobias, breaking in this highly sophisticated ship hasn't been smooth sailing.
14:15It has been a challenge, that's for sure.
14:17There's a lot of new solutions in this ship that we've not seen before.
14:21A new thinking.
14:27200 meters behind and nine decks below the bridge.
14:31Hey, how are you guys?
14:33Morning.
14:34Chief Engineer Gers Safer agrees.
14:37He's on his way to Epic's control room, where his team's been working non-stop for months
14:42to get all the massive cruise ship systems up and running.
14:45Second national duty right here.
14:48Put the flasher on the top.
14:50My time on Epic has been very challenging.
14:52They ask me, can you go to the Epic?
14:54Oh my God.
14:55This is huge.
14:57So how am I going to manage?
14:58But they said, there's so many stupid people before me who have managed this kind of thing,
15:03so I should not manage this.
15:07But it hasn't been easy for the chief engineer.
15:10Epic's engine room takes up one third of the ship's hull
15:14and in some places stretches up to five stories high.
15:20Even the chief can get lost on his daily rounds.
15:27His main focus is the ship's six diesel-electric engines.
15:32This plant can generate 108,000 horsepower.
15:38Two 100-ton steel driveshafts connect the engine directly to the ship's propellers.
15:45Each propeller is a whopping six meters across
15:48and together they drive the ship at speeds of up to 20 knots.
15:53The chief is proud that he's now got the complex system running lean and mean.
15:59This is the brain of the vessel.
16:01The captain said the brain is up there, but he is lying.
16:05As Norwegian Epic continues on towards the coast of Mexico,
16:09a group of performers is warming up for tonight's show.
16:13The Cirque Dreams troupe performs risky acrobatics demanding focus and precision.
16:19Juggling.
16:21Feats of strength.
16:23Balancing acts.
16:25And trapeze.
16:27For aerialists Naomi Parshin and Olga Koronas,
16:30it's every bit as difficult as it looks,
16:33because the entire theatre is constantly moving.
16:36We've worked in theatres a lot
16:38and the biggest thing that's different for us is that the ship is always rocking.
16:41So we're used to always spinning really, really fast
16:44and often times we'll stop spinning and we'll actually start swinging
16:47and it becomes like a totally different act
16:50because our balance is thrown off and we're just spinning.
16:53But there's an unexpected problem.
16:55Hello, this is Klaus speaking, your hotel director. How can I help you?
16:58One of the performers has been injured during rehearsals.
17:02Oh, I'm sorry to hear that. This is terrible.
17:05So are you looking after her? Is somebody looking after her?
17:09The ship is hundreds of kilometres from land,
17:12so there's no chance of bringing in a replacement.
17:14I hope she's OK. Thank you, bye.
17:16The ship is hundreds of kilometres from land,
17:19so there's no chance of bringing in a replacement.
17:21I hope she's OK. Thank you, bye.
17:27It's now up to the troupe to find a last-minute fix
17:30on a rocking ship where a single misstep
17:33could bring the whole show crashing down.
17:42As night falls, the cruise ship Norwegian Epic draws closer to Mexico.
17:48The Cirque Dreams troupe now takes centre stage.
17:53During rehearsal, a performer was injured.
17:56The remaining ten performers scramble to put on a gruelling 90-minute show.
18:05What we're doing here is revolutionary.
18:09Each set reveals grace,
18:12power,
18:14skill
18:16and courage.
18:21There aren't any tricks involved.
18:23It is just pure athleticism and talent.
18:28That talent is stretched to breaking point tonight
18:31as each performer covers for the missing member of the troupe.
18:41This would be a challenging show on land, let alone at sea.
18:47But tonight, Captain Svedum is lending a hand.
18:53From the bridge, he's deployed a pair of underwater stabilisers
18:57to help keep the ship level.
18:59The stabilisers are huge fins that extend from the side of the ship.
19:03Six and a half metres long and two metres wide,
19:07they reduce Epic's side-to-side role.
19:10Controlled by computers, the fins rotate to change their angle
19:14and counteract the impact of the waves.
19:20Marine technology like this is an unseen but essential part of the show.
19:30Dawn brings the first port of call, Costa Maya.
19:39The harbour pilot comes aboard.
19:42There's no channel here, just a massive and exposed concrete pier.
19:49Without the pilot's instincts and knowledge of the weather and currents,
19:53it would be difficult to berth such a huge ship.
19:57And the captain knows only too well that with a 330-metre long vessel,
20:02no docking can be taken for granted.
20:05It doesn't matter if you have the same port,
20:08week after week, because the environment is always different,
20:12the current is different, the wind is stronger or less strong.
20:17You need 100% concentration.
20:20We're running off. Send the mooring line. Send the time.
20:24Huge thrusters on the ship's bow and stern
20:27allow staff captain Tobias Akersson to gently push the ship in sideways.
20:33He brings her in perfectly.
20:40We are in position.
20:42We're forwarding off. In position.
20:48We're going in.
20:50We're going in.
20:52We're going in.
20:54We're going in.
20:56We're going in.
20:58We're going in.
21:01While the ship finishes docking, her guests fuel up for their shore visit
21:06at the huge garden cafe,
21:08where 3,000 breakfasts are served up in only an hour.
21:17Then the passengers head off for a day of touring.
21:20Good morning and enjoy your day. This way, please.
21:23Good morning. Have a great day.
21:25Enjoy your day. Good morning.
21:29It's almost quiet on the party ship.
21:34Except for one place.
21:38Ten storeys below the main deck,
21:40one of the largest laundry rooms in the world now roars into action.
21:45Sheets and towels from more than 2,000 cabins
21:48must be washed in record time before the passengers return.
21:52Yes, so far the ship is still new.
21:55Yes, so far the ship is still new. The system is still good.
21:59Some minor breakdowns, but we managed to fix it.
22:03Actually, I said this laundry will run 24 hours.
22:07A very big, big operation.
22:11This giant front loader launders a tonne of linen
22:14and enough water to fill 100 household machines.
22:18100,000 tonnes of linen pass through here every week.
22:238,000 sheets, 21,000 pillowcases and 25,000 towels.
22:33A gigantic press smooths out wrinkles on 500 sheets an hour.
22:39It even does the folding.
22:43And while the guests play in constant battle,
22:46their beds are returned to pristine perfection.
22:52200 housekeepers have just eight hours to clean 2,100 rooms.
23:01There's even a dedicated woodshop to repair any damaged furniture.
23:07We have around 50 work orders coming in every day with different stuff.
23:11After all, it's not a party until something gets broken.
23:16When the guests return, hotel director Klaus Lugmeier is there to meet them.
23:25It's this extraordinary attention to detail that makes
23:28Michigan cruiser Kristin Doyle forget she's at sea at all.
23:35I'm a mermaid.
23:38How are you?
23:40I'm amazed. I'm amazed that my stateroom is neat and tidy every day.
23:45I'm amazed and it's wonderful.
23:47Thank you very much.
23:53It's four in the afternoon and the guests are settling in.
23:57But there's a problem. Three passengers are missing.
24:01Simon Boyle is the security chief and it's his job to find them.
24:05For the on-board time, it's meant to be 5.30 for everybody,
24:08but everybody troops out with a lot of leeway.
24:11It's bad news for Captain Svedum.
24:17On the bridge, he's getting worried. He's got a schedule to keep.
24:21Three left. Can you check with Simon if there's anybody on the quayside?
24:27A delay could be costly and not just to Epic's reputation.
24:31Making up the lost time could mean burning an extra $25,000 worth of fuel a day.
24:38The captain puts the departure on hold.
24:41Hello, Chief Hawker. We have three personnel left, so we can start then, yes.
24:47When they come back aboard, each passenger checks in with a computerised card.
24:52Everything's on computer, so we know with reasonable accuracy who's on board and who's not.
24:58But Simon knows that this brand-new system isn't perfect.
25:02It's possible that the missing passengers are in fact on the ship.
25:10Ten minutes after the scheduled departure time, two of the missing passengers are found.
25:15Simon alerts the bridge.
25:17But we will just wait there a few minutes more, so...
25:22OK, thanks, bye.
25:23It's a father of a family of four, and the rest of the family are on board.
25:29It's every passenger's responsibility to return on time.
25:33But not all of them do.
25:35Yeah, it happens.
25:37Captain Svedang must now decide whether to risk a further delay or leave the passenger behind.
25:43The captain will take the decision when to leave, and then the passenger has to fly to the next port.
25:48Simon suspects that the man's on board, and his access card just didn't scan properly.
25:5499% certain they're on board.
25:58He mounts a ship-wide search.
26:01But time is up.
26:04The captain gives the order to leave.
26:09Yeah, I'm not the captain.
26:11I really don't know what to do.
26:14Yeah, I'm not the captain.
26:16I will call you on the radio and we'll take the gangway and wait another three minutes and see if it's...
26:21All right, bye.
26:23Still on the count.
26:25I don't see anyone.
26:29Security bridge, take the gangway.
26:34Yes, signal.
26:36As the ship casts off, the search still hasn't turned up the missing passenger.
26:41But Norwegian Epic's captain knows that getting 4,000 people to their next destination on time takes priority.
26:49All lines on deck off, propellers clear.
26:53All lines on deck forward, bow thrusters clear.
26:57All lines clear, forward and aft.
27:00Epic is on her way.
27:02Within an hour, the missing guest has been found on the pool deck.
27:07Simon's hunch was right.
27:09It was an access card issue.
27:12Now it's a 12-hour, 300-kilometre hop to Honduras.
27:22This evening, the Blue Man Group takes to the stage.
27:26This evening, the Blue Man Group takes to the stage.
27:49We use a lot of PVC pipes.
27:56Lots of marshmallows.
28:01Lots of paint.
28:05And that's one of the most fun parts of the show.
28:07I think paper everywhere, there's paint everywhere, there's marshmallows all over the floor.
28:12It's kind of this wild party that happens.
28:16The show is a technical challenge on land.
28:19And even harder on a swaying ship.
28:21The Blue Man character itself is often very static,
28:24and it has these moments of intensity with the audience.
28:27So there's definitely acting techniques that we have to use
28:30to make sure that even though the ship is constantly moving,
28:33the character stays as it would do on the mainland.
28:39I just came on the ship about three weeks ago now.
28:42There is a certain physicality that's expected,
28:45and every once in a while I'll be standing there,
28:47and then my legs just aren't far enough apart or something.
28:51And I just start to fall over just slightly.
28:55Every year, 3,000 people audition to be a Blue Man.
28:59These three made the cut for the company's most challenging show,
29:03the one on board Norwegian Epic.
29:07But the next show might not go so smoothly.
29:10Storms and high seas lie ahead.
29:17Day four of the seven-day cruise.
29:19And dawn brings Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras.
29:29Epic is nearly twice as long as the pier.
29:34Captain Sveidung takes the controls to bring the ship in,
29:38keeping a close watch on the stevedores
29:41as they struggle to secure the megaship to their undersized pier.
29:49Again, the ship is quiet, as nearly everyone goes ashore
29:53and tries not to cook in the hot sun.
29:57And speaking of cooking, lobsters are on the menu tonight.
30:022,000 of them.
30:05Executive chef Peter Hasselsberger and his team
30:09are already hopping as they prepare for the onslaught.
30:13Gentlemen, we are ready.
30:15Chef Hasselsberger faces an extraordinary challenge.
30:18He's in charge of 21 different food outlets,
30:21serving 15 different types of cuisine,
30:24three meals a day, every day.
30:30He handles all this from seven different galleys,
30:34churning out 20,000 meals a day.
30:42When you're cooking for almost 6,000 passengers and crew,
30:44planning is crucial.
30:47As soon as we sail on Saturday from Miami,
30:50we are on our own, so that's a challenge,
30:53that's definitely a challenge.
30:56The chef couldn't manage his balancing act
30:59without provisions master Anthony Pearson.
31:02It's taken him six months,
31:04but he's turned Epic's enormous grocery list
31:07into an exact science.
31:10OK, in seven days we use like 13,000 pounds of potatoes,
31:142,800 pounds of carrots,
31:174,500 pounds of onions,
31:203,000 pounds of romaine lettuce,
31:231,600 pounds of mushrooms,
31:256,000 pounds of soft ice cream mix,
31:28500 pounds of salt,
31:301,000 pounds of calamari,
31:32700 pounds of fresh green beans.
31:34When the passengers return,
31:36Epic's galleys are ready for them.
31:38After a little freshening up, the onslaught begins.
31:45Chef Hasselsberger has to race between restaurants,
31:49but dinner for 4,100 goes off without a hitch.
31:54But the lobster is with pasta?
31:58Yes, with pasta.
32:00All over the ship, his lobster is a big hit.
32:06Let's go.
32:08On the bridge, the captain heads for the final port,
32:12Cozumel, Mexico.
32:14We go down to three engines.
32:16As the sun sets, the ship's massive stern pool deck
32:20is transformed into a huge outdoor dance club.
32:29Artificial snow is pumped into the hot Caribbean air
32:33for the ship's white-hot party.
32:38But up on the bridge, the crew is worried.
32:41Rough seas lie ahead.
32:42Right in Epic's path.
32:48It's day five of a seven-day cruise
32:51on the party ship Norwegian Epic,
32:53and dawn brings dark skies and heavy swells.
32:57Even this megaship isn't immune to the power of the sea.
33:01All ships moor in heavy seas.
33:04You can't avoid it.
33:07But Epic is bigger than most.
33:09Each of her sides is more than 13,000 square metres.
33:13In the wind, this massive area acts like a sail,
33:17pushing the ship off course and causing her to roll.
33:21But along with her stabilisers,
33:24Epic has another system to counteract this problem.
33:28Ballast.
33:30So in very hard weather,
33:32we will of course fill in more water ballast
33:35to stabilise the ship.
33:36Ballast is a system of tanks that fill with seawater
33:40to lower the ship's centre of gravity.
33:43The ship's 13 ballast tanks
33:46can take on up to 4,300 tonnes of water.
33:50I must say she behaves much better than I thought,
33:53because of the huge wind areas.
33:56She's very stable in strong winds.
33:59I'm very happy with the ship.
34:02Despite the ballast system,
34:04passengers are still feeling the ship roll.
34:08Tonight is the Blue Man Group's final show.
34:12The Blue Men rely on precision,
34:15and with the rough seas, rumours are swirling
34:18that the performance will have to be cancelled.
34:21Staff Captain Tobias Ackerson
34:23is directed to inspect the ballast tanks.
34:26They're essential to making the ship
34:28as stable as possible for the performers.
34:31Tobias enters one of the tanks.
34:32He's now below the waterline
34:35in a part of the ship few people ever visit.
34:38What you see out here is actually the outside of the ship.
34:41So we are under the water.
34:44If the valves opened,
34:46this tank would take less than a minute to fill.
34:49But if a ballast tank failed,
34:52it could compromise the ship's stability.
34:57And that's why it's so important
34:59to go down here and make an inspection.
35:02Every sailor knows the destructive power of seawater.
35:06And on a ship carrying 6,000 people,
35:09there's zero margin for error.
35:11We're looking for any abnormalities,
35:13we're looking for corrosions,
35:15we're looking for any dents.
35:19Tobias is convinced
35:21that if all the tanks are used tonight,
35:23the ship can fight off the swells
35:25and the show can go on.
35:27So this is where the magic happens, you could say.
35:30With just a few hours till showtime,
35:33Dan Cooper does a final stage check.
35:36These are the TV heads that we wear.
35:38They weigh about 30, 35 pounds.
35:40We strap them on our shoulders
35:42and then walk out.
35:44And as we've experienced,
35:46when the seas are a little rough,
35:48you have to really hold steady
35:50to make sure you don't fall in them.
35:52Because they kind of make you very top-heavy.
35:55Yeah.
35:58Just 30 minutes before curtain,
36:00the blue men make a decision.
36:02Despite the weather,
36:04the show must go on.
36:08From the bridge,
36:10the order to pump water
36:12into the ballast tanks is issued.
36:14Pumping ballast is top.
36:17The crew has done all it can.
36:20The crew is ready.
36:21The crew has done all it can.
36:23Now it's up to the blue men to pull it off.
36:45The marshmallow trick goes a little soft.
36:49But the audience eats it up.
36:51They eat it up anyway.
36:55And no one even notices
36:57the blue men are struggling for balance
36:59with 15 kilogram TV rigs
37:01strapped to their heads.
37:04Then, the big drum.
37:06You would think that
37:08it's not too difficult to do,
37:10but we'll swing back
37:12and then suddenly the ship will move
37:14just a couple of inches either way
37:16and then the drum starts moving
37:18and you kind of miss and you can't move.
37:19No misses tonight.
37:22Despite the rough seas,
37:24they pull it off.
37:26The show is seamless.
37:34The next morning,
37:36the weather has cleared,
37:38just in time for a shore excursion in Cozumel.
37:44As the passengers flood ashore,
37:46the 1,700 crew members
37:47swing into action.
37:50From the staterooms
37:52to the laundry room,
37:54they have just eight hours
37:56to get the ship ready to leave again.
37:59The international members of staff
38:01are at sea for months,
38:03far away from their family and friends.
38:06Entertainment director Simon Murray
38:08understands the costs
38:10better than most,
38:12but he's one of the lucky ones.
38:14His wife and baby live in Miami
38:15and he gets to see them
38:17for four hours once a week.
38:19I'm very happily married
38:21for a year and a half now
38:23to a beautiful lady
38:25and we had a little baby three months ago.
38:28I miss her a lot.
38:30It's hard and I get to see my family,
38:32you know, weekly,
38:34which I'm very blessed to have that.
38:36Most crew members here don't.
38:38It's very hard being away from...
38:40My daughter means the world
38:42so I'm here working
38:43so when I'm working here
38:45it keeps me occupied,
38:47that's a good thing
38:49and I love to get those few hours on a Saturday
38:51to see them and, you know,
38:53eventually the future hopefully looks brighter
38:55and I'll be able to see them more
38:57and actually have time with my family too.
38:59It's 5pm.
39:01Time to weigh anchor.
39:03But Captain Svedung
39:05has a serious problem.
39:07Once again, passengers are missing.
39:09This time it's a whole family
39:11and it's no computer glitch.
39:13Good evening Sabina.
39:15From the pier,
39:17security officer Simon Boyle
39:19is trying to track them down.
39:21Eventually he calls
39:23with bad news.
39:26We have four people stuck
39:28on the way back.
39:30Should have been in on the Tulum ferry
39:32at half past five
39:34so the agent's just gone off
39:36to see if he can find them.
39:38OK, very good, thanks.
39:40The captain makes the call.
39:41If the passengers don't show up
39:43in the next two minutes,
39:45the ship sails without them.
39:49Miami is 900 kilometres away.
39:52A late departure means
39:54he'll have to make up time
39:56during the journey
39:58and that could mean up to $50,000
40:00in extra fuel costs.
40:02The ferry's in, isn't it?
40:04We need to get them on board, you know.
40:06The ferry has arrived.
40:08But are the passengers on it?
40:09The stragglers finally make it.
40:11Sorry.
40:13That's fine.
40:15Welcome back.
40:17It's OK.
40:19Captain Swedung wastes no time
40:21casting off
40:23and setting sail.
40:25Epic is half an hour
40:27behind schedule.
40:29Time the captain must make up
40:31on the final leg back to Miami.
40:40As Norwegian Epic
40:42makes her way home,
40:44passengers, crew
40:46and entertainers
40:48come together.
40:51We like to, you know,
40:53after the show,
40:55we go out and hang out
40:57and there's certain places
40:59on the ship we like to go.
41:01One in particular,
41:03which is a blues club
41:05and the room is quite unique
41:07on the ship and I get up
41:09and the players from other shows,
41:11the musicians from the other shows,
41:13the pianists from the lounges,
41:15the trumpet players from the jazz room
41:18all come together
41:20and we kind of have this big party
41:22every few nights a week.
41:32The music's still playing
41:34as Norwegian Epic
41:36creeps into Miami at 5am.
41:40But come dawn,
41:42it's back to business.
41:454,000 guests off
41:48and another 4,000 on.
41:53The cycle repeats
41:55as, once again,
41:57machines and men
41:59clear the ship
42:01then replenish her.
42:03It's time to go back
42:05to Miami
42:06to clear the ship
42:08then replenish her.
42:10For Epic's crew,
42:12it's been a busy but successful voyage.
42:14Despite the rough seas
42:16and missing passengers,
42:18she's returned to Miami on time
42:20and is ready for her next departure.
42:22This mega ship
42:24never rests.
42:29Breaking in any new vessel
42:31is a challenge
42:33and breaking in Epic
42:34is a huge one.
42:36But Captain Sveidung
42:38has done it,
42:40proving the billion-dollar showboat
42:42is worth every penny.
42:44What I've seen is that
42:46things are improving a lot
42:48because we really wanted
42:50to ship up to standard
42:52as fast as possible
42:54and give the passengers
42:56the experience that they expected.
43:01We are a happy family.
43:02What more could you ask for?
43:04Having fun working
43:06on the largest cruise ship
43:08at Norwegian,
43:10it's a dream come true.
43:12I love what I do.
43:14If ever a job was made for someone,
43:16maybe I found it.
43:1811 hours after landing in Miami,
43:20the ship is on her way again.
43:22On Norwegian Epic,
43:24the party never ends.
43:32Norwegian Epic
43:34Norwegian Epic
43:36Norwegian Epic
43:38Norwegian Epic
43:40Norwegian Epic
43:42Norwegian Epic
43:44Norwegian Epic
43:46Norwegian Epic
43:48Norwegian Epic