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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, 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, turn.
06:17Turn, turn.
06:18Turn, turn.
06:19Turn, turn.
06:20Turn, turn.
06:21Turn, turn.
06:22Turn, turn.
06:23Turn, turn.
06:24Turn, turn.
06:25Terminals closed and disconnected gangways.
06:30There's not much room to maneuver.
06:33Erwin, are you ready?
06:36Their navigation must be perfect.
06:39Have you any controls?
06:40I have control.
06:41Do you have any controls?
06:48Norwegian Epic is the biggest ship ever to sail from the port of Miami.
06:52She's a full 40 meters 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 case.
07:09So we don't start drifting.
07:13To compensate for the wind, he uses EPIC's powerful thrusters.
07:18Sailing up the narrow channel, the thrusters work hard to keep EPIC on course.
07:29Meanwhile, the pilot and captain are also forced to dodge a flotilla of small vessels,
07:34crowding in 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 the bridge.
08:04Finally, EPIC clears the channel.
08:07For the captain, it's now time to put her to the test.
08:10While for the guests, it's time to party.
08:18One big night. One big night.
08:22This is gonna be one big night. One big night.
08:26Captain Svedung sets sail for Costa Maya, the ship's first port of call 1,000 kilometers away.
08:34At 16 knots, or 30 kilometers per hour, it will take almost 40 hours to get there.
08:41Eight decks below the bridge, three performers prepare for a show not often seen at sea.
08:50Practically everyone on board will see their performance,
08:53but no one will ever discover their true identities.
08:57That's because they'll be hidden behind a thick layer of blue paint.
09:03Hey, my name's Ed. Ed Gregory.
09:05I'm Jordan Woods Robinson. I'm Dan Cooper.
09:08We are Blue Man Group.
09:14Ed and I were here for the loading of the show
09:17and the final part of the construction of the ship as well,
09:21and it certainly had a lot of challenges.
09:23I mean, the biggest one for us as actors, just in a practical basis,
09:27is that we're only normally used to working in theaters
09:30Soon, passengers will see first-hand what it takes to put on a Blue Man show,
09:34on a stage that's constantly moving.
09:37For a group that depends on precision drumming,
09:40this performance will be a step into the unknown,
09:43one that 4,000 people will come to watch.
09:48But it's another group of performers that will face the voyages of the Blue Man Group.
09:53It's day two of a seven-day Caribbean cruise
09:56on the biggest party ship ever constructed,
09:59Norwegian Epic.
10:05On Epic, everything is super-sized.
10:08It's the largest cruise ship in the world,
10:11and it's the biggest cruise ship in the world,
10:14and it's the biggest cruise ship in the world,
10:17and it's the biggest cruise ship in the world.
10:20On Epic, everything is super-sized.
10:24There's a 3,000-square-meter spa,
10:27the largest ever built on a ship.
10:30A crystal LED chandelier with 40,000 glass pieces.
10:3721 dining options, serving 20,000 meals a day.
10:44One of the largest casinos at sea, with 350 slot machines.
10:49Good morning, how are you?
10:52And a 250-meter-long water slide,
10:55so big it takes nearly a minute to get to the bottom.
11:00Hello, how are you? Did you enjoy the show last night?
11:03On a ship this big, the planning never stops.
11:06Go back, have a dessert or something, enjoy it too, OK?
11:09And entertainment director Simon Murray is the details man.
11:13Hello, Simon speaking.
11:15He's responsible for everything,
11:17right down to fixing TV screens for tonight's big football game.
11:21So worst case is what?
11:23Worst case, we can't find a seat.
11:25OK, all right, well, let's examine all the options,
11:28do what we have to, we have to have the game in here tonight,
11:31otherwise we've got a lot of people to be upset,
11:33and I'll give them all your phone numbers.
11:35All right, thanks, guys, give me a call when that's updated, OK?
11:38Thanks a lot, cheers.
11:40When you build a new ship, there's always, you know,
11:42it looks great when it works, but often the plan doesn't.
11:45The ping-pong table's in the main lobby area again, please.
11:48We need to move it. OK, cheers, bye-bye.
11:51The entire day is spent at sea,
11:53as the ship travels 1,000km towards her first port of call in Mexico.
12:00Out on the pool deck, passengers are getting hot...
12:04..and staying cool.
12:07Working out...
12:10..or not working at all.
12:15The pool deck can hold thousands of guests,
12:18many of whom were shoveling snow from outside their 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.
12:33Kept at a constant minus eight degrees Celsius,
12:36everything in here is made of ice.
12:40It took 6,000 litres of water to make the bar,
12:43chairs, walls and sculptures.
12:48It's the world's only ice bar at sea,
12:50and it's packed all day, every day.
12:53You know, we're not crazy, this is...
12:55You notice all the northern people are here
12:57and all the people down south have left already.
13:00While the passengers party, on the bridge,
13:03Captain Svedon is putting his ship and crew through their paces.
13:11Today he's testing the state-of-the-art navigation system,
13:14designed to keep passengers and crew safe.
13:17So, for the moment, we are on autopilot,
13:20and then we do all the steering of the ship with this knob here.
13:24Everybody expect a big wave,
13:26but, unfortunately, that's the biggest wave we have.
13:29Epic's computerised brain is run by a super high-speed processor
13:33and handles everything from navigation and propulsion
13:36to fire and safety systems.
13:38The computer helps us a lot,
13:40and that's why I say it's raised safe navigation 100%.
13:43On this megaship, the crew must not only be first-class sailors,
13:47but computer experts as well.
13:49It's a lot of work.
13:51That's what we're training on almost every day.
13:54Staff Captain Tobias Akersson is the commander's right-hand man.
13:58Override system working.
14:00Override system working?
14:02Yes.
14:04For Tobias, breaking in this highly sophisticated ship
14:08hasn't been smooth sailing.
14:10It has been a challenge, that's for sure.
14:12There's lots of new solutions in this ship
14:15that we're not seeing before.
14:18200 metres behind, and nine decks below the bridge...
14:22Hey, how are you guys? Morning.
14:24..Chief Engineer Gare Safer agrees.
14:27He's on his way to Epic's control room,
14:29where his team's been working non-stop for months
14:32to get all the massive cruise ship systems up and running.
14:35Second national duty right here.
14:37We're going to have to do this.
14:39We're going to have to do this.
14:41We're going to have to do this.
14:43We're going to have to do this.
14:45We're going to have to do this.
14:47Second national duty right here.
14:49Put the flange on the top.
14:51My time on Epic has been very challenging.
14:53Can we go to the Epic? Oh, my God.
14:55This is huge.
14:57So how am I going to manage?
14:59There's so many stupid people before me
15:01have managed these kind of things,
15:03so why shouldn't I 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.
15:14the ship's hull, and in some places, stretches up to five stories high.
15:21Even the chief can get lost on his daily rounds.
15:28His main focus is the ship's six diesel electric engines.
15:33This plant can generate one hundred and eight thousand horsepower.
15:36Two one hundred ton steel drive shafts connect the engine directly to the ship's propellers.
15:43Each propeller is a whopping six metres across,
15:46and together, they drive the ship at speeds of up to twenty knots.
15:51The chief is proud that he's now got the complex system running lean and mean.
15:57This is the brain of the vessel.
15:59The captains here, the brain is up there, but the ship is up there.
16:02As Norwegian epic continues on towards the coast of Mexico,
16:06a group of performers is warming up for tonight's show.
16:10The Cirque Dreams troupe performs risky acrobatics, demanding focus and precision.
16:16Juggling.
16:18Feats of strength.
16:20Balancing axe.
16:22And trapeze.
16:24This is the brain of the vessel.
16:25The captains here, the brain is up there, but the ship is up there.
16:29Balancing axe.
16:31And trapeze.
16:33For aerialists Naomi Parshin and Olga Koronas,
16:36it's every bit as difficult as it looks,
16:38because the entire theatre is constantly moving.
16:41We worked in theatres a lot,
16:43and the biggest thing that's different for us is that the ship is always rocking.
16:47So we're used to always spinning really, really fast,
16:50and often times we'll stop spinning and we'll actually start swinging.
16:53And it becomes like a totally different act,
16:55because our balance is thrown off.
16:58Yeah.
16:59But there's an unexpected problem.
17:05One of the performers has been injured during rehearsals.
17:16The ship is hundreds of kilometres from land,
17:19so there's no chance of bringing in a replacement.
17:22It's now up to the troupe to find a last-minute fix.
17:25On a rocking ship, where a single misstep
17:28could bring the whole show crashing down.
17:38As night falls, the cruise ship Norwegian Epic draws closer to Mexico.
17:44The Cirque Dreams troupe now takes off.
17:48During rehearsal, a performer was injured.
17:51The remaining ten performers scramble to put on a gruelling 90-minute show.
18:01What we're doing here is revolutionary.
18:05Each set reveals grace,
18:08power,
18:10skill
18:12and courage.
18:13There aren't any tricks involved.
18:15It is just pure athleticism and talent.
18:20That talent is stretched to breaking point tonight
18:23as each performer covers for the missing member of the troupe.
18:34This would be a challenging show,
18:36but it's not the end of the world.
18:39This would be a challenging show on land,
18:42let alone at sea.
18:48But 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.
19:09They reduce Epik's side-to-side roll.
19:12Controlled by computers, the fins rotate to change their angle
19:16and counteract the impact of the waves.
19:23Marine technology like this is an unseen but essential part of the show.
19:32Dawn brings the first port of call, Costa Maya.
19:39Pilot, boat alongside.
19:40Pilot, boat alongside.
19:42The harbour pilot comes aboard.
19:44Good morning.
19:45Good morning.
19:46There's no channel here, just a massive and exposed concrete pier.
19:51Pilot on the bridge.
19:52Morning, Captain.
19:53Without the pilot's instincts and knowledge of the weather and currents,
19:57it would be difficult to berth such a huge ship.
20:00It's coming down.
20:02And the captain knows only too well
20:05that with a 330-metre long vessel, no docking can be taken for granted.
20:10It doesn't matter if you have the same port week after week
20:14because the environment is always different, the current is different,
20:18the wind is stronger or less strong.
20:22You need 100% concentration.
20:24We're running off. Send the mooring line. Send the time.
20:29Huge thrusters on the ship's bow and stern
20:33to gently push the ship in sideways.
20:48He brings her in perfectly.
20:55We're in position.
20:56We're forward and off. In position.
21:03While the ship finishes docking,
21:05her guests fuel up for their shore visit
21:08at the huge garden cafe
21:10where 3,000 breakfasts are served up in only an hour.
21:13Good morning. Welcome to the garden.
21:15Breakfast.
21:18Then the passengers head off for a day of touring.
21:21Good morning. Enjoy your day. This way, please.
21:23Go ahead. Good morning. Welcome to Costa Maya.
21:25Good morning. Have a great day.
21:27Enjoy your day. Good morning. Welcome to Costa Maya.
21:29Good morning.
21:33It's almost quiet on the party ship.
21:38Except for one place.
21:42Ten storeys below the main deck.
21:44One of the largest laundry rooms in the world
21:47now roars into action.
21:49Sheets and towels from more than 2,000 cabins
21:52must be washed in record time
21:54before the passengers return.
21:57Yes, so far the ship is still new.
21:59The system is still good.
22:02But we managed to fix it.
22:04Actually, I said,
22:06this laundry will run 24 hours.
22:08A very big, big operation.
22:12This giant front loader launders a tonne of linen
22:15in enough water to fill 100 household machines.
22:22100,000 tonnes of linen pass through here every week.
22:278,000 sheets.
22:2921,000 pillowcases.
22:32And 25,000 towels.
22:37A gigantic press smooths out wrinkles
22:40on 500 sheets an hour.
22:43It even does the folding.
22:46And while the guests play in Costa Maya,
22:49their beds are returned to pristine perfection.
22:54200 housekeepers have just eight hours
22:57to clean 2,100 rooms.
23:04There's even a dedicated woodshop
23:06to repair any damaged furniture.
23:10We have around 50 work orders coming in every day
23:13with different stuff.
23:15After all, it's not a party until something gets broken.
23:20When the guests return...
23:23Hotel director Klaus Lugmeier is there to meet them.
23:30It's this extraordinary attention to detail
23:33that makes Michigan cruiser Kristin Doyle
23:36forget she's at sea at all.
23:40I'm amazed. I'm amazed that my stateroom
23:43is neat and tidy every day.
23:45I'm amazed, and it's wonderful.
23:48Thank you very much.
23:53It's four in the afternoon,
23:55and the guests are settling in.
23:57But there's a problem.
23:59Three passengers are missing.
24:02Simon Boyle is the security chief,
24:04and it's his job to find them.
24:06For the on-board time, it's meant to be 5.30 for everybody,
24:09but everybody cruised out with a lot of leeway.
24:12It's bad news for Captain Svedum.
24:16On the bridge, he's getting worried.
24:19He's got a schedule to keep.
24:21Three left.
24:23Can you check with Simon if there's anybody on the quayside?
24:27A delay could be costly,
24:29and not just to Epic's reputation.
24:31Making up the lost time
24:33could mean burning an extra $25,000 worth of fuel a day.
24:39The captain puts the departure on hold.
24:42Hello, Chief Hawken.
24:44We have three personnel left,
24:46so we can start then, yes.
24:48When they come back aboard,
24:50each passenger checks in with a computerised card.
24:53Everything's on computer,
24:55so we know with reasonable accuracy
24:57that who's on board and who's not.
24:59But Simon knows that this brand-new system isn't perfect.
25:03It's possible that the missing passengers are, in fact, on the ship.
25:08Ten minutes after the scheduled departure time,
25:11two of the missing passengers are found.
25:13Simon alerts the bridge.
25:15But we will just wait there a few minutes more, so...
25:20Yeah, OK. Thanks, bye.
25:23It's a father of a family of four,
25:25and the rest of the family are on board.
25:29It's every passenger's responsibility to return on time.
25:34But not all of them do.
25:36Yeah, it happens.
25:38Captain Sveino must now decide whether to risk a further delay
25:41or leave the passenger behind.
25:43The captain will take the decision when to leave
25:46and then the passenger have to fly to the next port.
25:51Simon suspects that the man's on board
25:54and his access card just didn't scan properly.
25:5799% certain they're on board, right?
26:01He mounts a ship-wide search.
26:04But time is up.
26:07The captain gives the order to leave.
26:12Yeah, I'm on, Captain.
26:14I will call you on your radio and we'll take the gangway,
26:17wait another three minutes and see if it's...
26:19All right, bye.
26:21Still on the count.
26:23I don't see anyone.
26:26Security bridge, take the gangway.
26:31Yes, signal.
26:35As the ship casts off,
26:37the search still hasn't turned up the missing passenger.
26:40But Norwegian Epic's captain knows
26:43that getting 4,000 people to their next destination on time
26:46takes priority.
26:48All lines on deck off.
26:50Propellers clear.
26:52All lines on deck off. Propellers clear.
26:56All lines on deck forward. Boat thrusters clear.
26:59All lines clear. Forward and up.
27:01Yes.
27:03Epic is on her way.
27:08Within an hour, the missing guest has been found on the pool deck.
27:12Simon's hunch was right.
27:14It was an access card issue.
27:17Now it's a 12-hour, 300-kilometre hop
27:21to Honduras.
27:27This evening, the Blue Man Group takes to the stage.
27:31CHEERING AND APPLAUSE
27:45We use a lot of PVC pipes.
27:53Lots of marshmallows.
27:55Lots of marshmallows, lots of paint, and that's one of the most fun parts of the show.
28:08I think paper everywhere, there's paint everywhere, there's marshmallows all over the floor.
28:12It's kind of this wild party that happens.
28:17The show is a technical challenge on land, and even harder on a swaying ship.
28:23The Blue Man character itself is often very static, and it has these moments of intensity with the audience.
28:28So there's definitely acting techniques that we have to use to make sure that,
28:32even though the ship is constantly moving, the character stays as it would do on the mainland.
28:41I just came on the ship about three weeks ago now.
28:43There is a certain physicality that's expected, and every once in a while I'll be standing there,
28:48and then my legs just aren't far enough apart or something,
28:51and I just start to just fall over just slightly.
28:56Every year, 3,000 people audition to be a Blue Man.
29:00These three made the cut for the company's most challenging show, the one on board Norwegian Epic.
29:08But the next show might not go so smoothly.
29:12Storms and high seas lie ahead.
29:15Day four of the seven-day cruise, and dawn brings Roatan, an island off the coast of Honduras.
29:22Thrust to start and then test.
29:24Start, pre-arrival checklist complete.
29:27Epic is nearly twice as long as the Pier.
29:32Captain Sveidung takes the controls to bring the ship in,
29:35keeping a close watch on the stevedores as they struggle to secure the megaship to their undersized crew.
29:43Again, the ship is quiet, as nearly everyone goes ashore and tries not to cook in the hot sun.
29:50And speaking of cooking, lobsters are on the menu tonight.
29:552,000 of them.
29:58Executive chef Peter Hasselsberger and his team are already hopping as they prepare for the onslaught.
30:06Chef Hasselsberger faces an extraordinary challenge.
30:10He's in charge of 21 different food outlets, serving 15 different types of cuisine.
30:16Three meals a day, every day.
30:22He handles all this from seven different galleys, churning out,
30:27preparing, and cooking.
30:31He handles all this from seven different galleys, churning out 20,000 meals a day.
30:42When you're cooking for almost 6,000 passengers and crew, planning is crucial.
30:48As soon as we sail on Saturday from Miami, we are on our own.
30:52So that's a challenge, that's definitely a challenge.
30:56The chef couldn't manage his balancing act without provisions master Anthony Pearson.
31:02It's taken him six months, but he's turned Epic's enormous grocery list into an exact science.
31:10In seven days, we use 13,000 pounds of potatoes, 2,800 pounds of carrots,
31:174,500 pounds of onions, 3,000 pounds of romaine lettuce, 1,600 pounds of mushrooms,
31:256,000 pounds of soft ice cream mix, 500 pounds of salt, 1,000 pounds of calamari,
31:31700 pounds of fresh green beans.
31:34When the passengers return, Epic's galleys are ready for them.
31:38After a little freshening up, the onslaught begins.
31:46Chef Hasselsberger has to race between restaurants, but dinner for 4,100 goes off without a hitch.
32:00All over the ship, his lobster is a big hit.
32:08On the bridge, the captain heads for the final port, Cozumel, Mexico.
32:16As the sun sets, the ship's massive stern pool deck is transformed into a huge outdoor dance club.
32:29Artificial snow is pumped into the hot Caribbean air for the ship's white-hot party.
32:38But up on the bridge, the crew is worried. Rough seas lie ahead, right in Epic's path.
32:48It's day five of a seven-day cruise on 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.
33:02All ships moor in heavy seas. You can't avoid it.
33:08But Epic is bigger than most. Each of her sides is more than 13,000 square meters.
33:15In the wind, this massive area acts like a sail, pushing the ship off course and causing her to roll.
33:23But along with her stabilizers, Epic has another system to counteract this problem — ballast.
33:31In very hard weather, we will of course fill in more water ballast to stabilize the ship.
33:37Ballast is a system of tanks that fill with seawater to lower the ship's center of gravity.
33:44The ship's 13 ballast tanks can take on up to 4,300 tons of water.
33:50I must say she behaves much better than I thought, because of the huge wind areas.
33:57She's very stable in strong winds. I'm very happy with the ship.
34:03Despite the ballast system, passengers are still feeling the ship roll.
34:09Tonight is the Blue Man Group's final show.
34:13The Blue Men rely on precision, and with the rough seas,
34:16rumors are swirling that the performance will have to be cancelled.
34:21Staff captain Tobias Ackerson is directed to inspect the ballast tanks.
34:26They're essential to making the ship as stable as possible for the performers.
34:30Tobias enters one of the tanks.
34:33He's now below the waterline, in a part of the ship few people ever visit.
34:38What you see out here is actually the outside of the ship, so we are under the water.
34:44If the valves opened, this tank would take less than a minute to fill.
34:49But if a ballast tank failed, it could compromise the ship's stability.
34:55And that's why it's so important to go down here and make an inspection.
34:59Every sailor knows the destructive power of seawater.
35:03And on a ship carrying 6,000 people, there's zero margin for error.
35:08We're looking for any abnormalities, we're looking for corrosions, we're looking for any dents.
35:16Tobias is convinced that if all the tanks are used tonight, the ship can fight off the swell.
35:21And the show can go on.
35:27So this is where the magic happens, you could say.
35:30With just a few hours till showtime, Dan Cooper does a final stage check.
35:35These are the TV heads that we wear.
35:37They weigh about 30, 35 pounds.
35:39We strap them on our shoulders and then walk out.
35:42And as we've experienced, when the seas are a little rough,
35:45you have to really hold steady to make sure you don't fall in.
35:48Because they kind of make you very top-heavy.
35:55Just 30 minutes before curtain, the blue men make a decision.
35:59Despite the weather, the show must go on.
36:05From the bridge, the order to pump water into the ballast tanks is issued.
36:10The crew has done all it can.
36:12Now it's up to the blue men to pull it off.
36:40The marshmallow trick goes a little soft.
36:44But the audience eats it up anyway.
36:49And no one even notices the blue men are struggling for balance,
36:53with 15-kilogram TV rigs strapped to their heads.
36:58Then, the big drum.
37:00You would think that that's not too difficult to do.
37:03But it's not.
37:06But there are no misses tonight.
37:10Despite the rough seas, they pull it off.
37:13The show is seamless.
37:21The next morning, the blue men are ready to go.
37:24They're ready to go.
37:26They're ready to go.
37:28They're ready to go.
37:30They're ready to go.
37:33The next morning, the weather has cleared,
37:36just in time for a shore excursion in Cozumel.
37:43As the passengers flood ashore, the 1,700 crew members swing into action.
37:50From the staterooms to the laundry room,
37:53they have just eight hours to get the ship ready to leave again.
37:58The international members of staff are at sea for months,
38:01far away from their family and friends.
38:05Entertainment director Simon Murray understands the costs better than most,
38:10but he's one of the lucky ones.
38:12His wife and baby live in Miami,
38:14and he gets to see them for four hours once a week.
38:18I'm very happily married for a year and a half now to a beautiful lady,
38:22and we had a little baby three months ago.
38:24I miss her a lot.
38:26It's hard, and I get to see my family weekly,
38:30which I'm very blessed to have that.
38:32Most crew members here don't.
38:34It's very hard being away from.
38:36My daughter means the world, but I'm here working,
38:40so when I'm working here, it keeps me occupied.
38:43That's a good thing.
38:45I love to get those few hours on a Saturday to see them,
38:48and eventually the future hopefully looks brighter,
38:51and I'll be able to see them more and actually have time with my family too.
38:57It's 5pm. Time to weigh anchor.
39:00But Captain Svedung has a serious problem.
39:03Once again, passengers are missing.
39:06This time it's a whole family, and it's no computer glitch.
39:10Yeah, good evening, Sabina. What do we know?
39:13From the pier, security officer Simon Boyle is trying to track them down.
39:19Eventually he calls with bad news.
39:24We have four people stuck on the way back.
39:28They should have been in on the Tulum ferry at half past five,
39:32so the agent's just gone off to see if he can find them.
39:35OK. Very good. Thanks. Bye.
39:38The captain makes the call.
39:40If the passengers don't show up in the next two minutes,
39:43the ship sails without them.
39:49Miami is 900km away.
39:52A late departure means he'll have to make up time during the journey,
39:56and that could mean up to $50,000 in extra fuel costs.
40:02The ferry's in, isn't it?
40:04We need to get them on board, you know?
40:07The ferry has arrived.
40:09But are the passengers on it?
40:12The stragglers finally make it.
40:14Sorry. That's fine.
40:16Welcome back.
40:20Captain Svedung wastes no time casting off and setting sail.
40:26Epic is half an hour behind schedule,
40:29time the captain must make up on the final leg back to Miami.
40:34MUSIC
40:45As Norwegian Epic makes her way home,
40:48passengers, crew and entertainers come together.
40:54We like to, you know, after the show, we go out and hang out,
40:58and there's certain places on the ship we like to go,
41:01in particular, which is a blues club,
41:03and the room is quite unique on the ship,
41:06and I get up and I'll sing, Jordan plays,
41:09other guys from other shows, the musicians from the other shows,
41:13the pianists from the lounges,
41:15the trumpet players from the jazz room all come together
41:19and we kind of have this big party every few nights a week.
41:32The music's still playing
41:34as Norwegian Epic creeps into Miami at 5am.
41:49But come dawn, it's back to business.
41:534,000 guests off,
41:56and another 4,000 on.
42:02The cycle repeats as, once again,
42:05machines and men clear the ship, then replenish her.
42:10For Epic's crew, it's been a busy but successful voyage.
42:14Despite the rough seas and missing passengers,
42:17she's returned to Miami on time and is ready for her next departure.
42:23This megaship never rests.
42:26Breaking in any new vessel is a challenge,
42:29and breaking in Epic has been a huge one.
42:32But Captain Sveidung has done it,
42:35proving the billion-dollar showboat is worth every penny.
42:39What I've seen is that things are improving a lot,
42:43because we really wanted to ship up to standard as fast as possible
42:47and give the passengers the experience that they expected.
42:52We are a happy family, you know.
42:54I mean, what more could you ask for?
42:56Having fun working on the largest cruise ship with Norwegians,
42:59you know, it's a dream come true, really.
43:03Yeah, I love what I do.
43:05If ever a job was made for someone, maybe I've found it.
43:0811 hours after landing in Miami,
43:11the ship is on her way again.
43:14On Norwegian Epic, the party never ends.