Norwegian Cruise Line – Epic

I’m generally a fan of this cruise line. Been on 6 different NCL ships so far having changed loyalty from RCI and I’m now a platinum guest. Favourite ship is the Jade followed by the Epic. They all have their faults regardless of cruise line — niggles in most cases really, except for guest services which is usually crap regardless of the ship because they get all the complaints. I’ve found practically every waiter and food server to be kind and efficient. The entertainment is usually excellent particularly their piano entertainers. There’s a guy called Ian West who literally can make his piano talk. Pure bliss listening to this guy. Legends in concert can be a bit corny but again entertaining. The comedians tend to be American so us Europeans usually don’t get the joke. Our American cousins don’t do satire. There’s a hypnotist Nadine who can be entertaining. The range and taste of most of the savoury food can be exceptional — lobster, fillet and sirloin steaks, gumbos, Chinese, Mexican, Italian but the desserts in the free restaurants can be really poor. The Indian food is quite disappointing though. Wine and cocktail tasting is fun. Chefs table is amazing but the menu rarely changes. The cabin beds are so very comfy and the room stewards really make our daily and nightly lives so comfortable and really relaxed. We’ve occasionally had grumpy stewards but I take no crap so I sort it out to my satisfaction soonest. I’m paying too much to tolerate nonsense. Alcohol can be pricy aboard but I’ve paid more for booze in Dublin. The key for me aboard is relaxation. Some folk whine about the slowness of ship wifi but I don’t want to be contacted and yes it’s crap and its expensive and everyone knows it. Excursions are way overpriced and photos taken aboard can also be a rip off. But overall cruising can become addictive. I should know.

I’m almost afraid to give a 4-​star judging from some angry Unilocalers. Guess for me being the 1^st time on a cruise, I would say that NCL would more than satisfy most people, regardless of expectations.
What’s the most important: food, entertainment and safety? Thumbs up to everything. Every lunch/​dinner, for 7 consecutive nights, there was enough variety, especially for the desserts. Throw in another 5 – 6 specialty restaurants, real sit-​down and order anything off the menu without whipping your wallet, sure why not.
And we were never bored, which was in the back of my mind. Besides, time to relax. Back home, driving from one restaurant to another, traffic, parking, valet, etc., this cruise was easy – and still get to eat all day. No joke, I gained 5 lbs, though the 3 nights in Paris before the cruise, all that butter and what not, probably had something to do with that, but I digress.
As long as one didn’t partake in the Shore Excursion packages from the cruise, which looked very touristy-​prices, we were fine walking/​cabbing/​hop-​on/​off at each pit stop. Safe. But we did meet other guests who happily paid $ 150 pp, some just don’t want the hassle. For us, we preferred having our own schedule. But we did a few Joe Banana walking tours, and that’s already plenty, do recommend.
This Mediterranean one was quite busy and at times, tough to find a table for the buffet, but never took more than 5 min.
I loved the security-​style scanner every time we docked and returned from each stop.
Housekeeping was good for the most part, their attendants were usually in the hallway.
One positive highlight was their gym; enough for 100+ ppl easily and a real weight room, which I used more in the last 4 days when I found out I gained 5 lbs in a week lol.
Entertainment: music, dance, game shows. Fun to watch.
The lobby/​concierge décor/​staff: as professional as a hotel.
And here’s the real deal: a few people mentioned who have cruised the higher-​end ones (Princess?), said for the price that NCL, is more than reasonable. Other cruises you have to sit/​eat with others at set times, and the buffet quality isn’t significantly better.

I have been on over a dozen cruises and I was surprisingly disappointed at the service on my recent Mediterranean cruise aboard the Norwegian Epic. There are some great people working on this ship, but it was evident that the majority of them just don’t care about the guests. I don’t expect much, but the basics were lacking… they don’t smile, they’re not friendly and polite, and they really have no interest in being prompt or efficient. In my opinion, while the ultimate drink package and ultimate dining package are both great incentives for passengers, these two programs and the prepaid gratuities requirement have completely eliminated any motivation for the employees to provide decent service, let alone go above and beyond.

This cruise was a huge disappointment.
I just got off the ship yesterday and honestly could not wait to get home and write this review, because I truly don’t want others to experience what I did.
I realize there are several reviewers below who are raving about this cruise, and I don’t know if it’s because the expectations were low, if they just have not cruised before, or if they are just coming off of Carnival.
A few things to note:
–This was a Mediterranean cruise (Barcelona – Day at Sea – Naples/​Amalfi Coast – Rome – Florence/​Pisa – Cannes, France – Palma Majorca, Spain – Barcelona)
— I am an avid cruiser. This is not my first cruise, this is not my second cruise, this is not even my third cruise… I have cruised over 10+ times. I thoroughly ENJOY days at sea. I love them, but I am glad that there was only one on this vacation.
–The reason we chose this cruise over Royal Caribbean is because we like to drink (a lot) on vacation and NCL was offering a free unlimited beverage package the month we were searching for vacations.
The reason this ship/​cruise was under-​par:
–For a ship that holds 4000+ people, to have a pool smaller than the one in my apartment complex is totally unacceptable.
–They overbooked the ship… Our day at sea was awful since we walked around for 45 minutes and found absolutely no where to sit. Finally at 2 pm, we got to fight someone for 2 chairs that were being vacated.
–The staff was poor overall. No one even seemed remotely interested in helping, other than a select few who I will mention later on.
–With our «Ultimate» beverage package, we couldn’t have water bottles. Seriously, wtf. I can get 50 shots a day if I pleased, but no water.
–Where is the Cruise Director? Absolutely no where to be found.
–The shore excursions were totally insane price wise… We basically paid for another cruise with booking three excursions…
–The excursion we did in Palma Majorca was absolutely absurd. We were told to arrive at the waiting area at 2 to get off the ship to go on our wine tour… The gangway (where people exit and enter the ship during port days) was completely backed up with thousands of people trying to get off… Instead of letting the people that spent hundreds of dollars on tours get off first, we waited 45 minutes to get off the ship. Once actually off the ship, we were taken to the winery, walked around for 10 minutes, had 3 tiny tastes of wine, and were then dumped in Palma to walk around for another hour… our tour was supposed to be 4.5 hours. Even with the 45 minute delay, it wound up at under 4. I got a partial refund for that one.
–Our experience with the spa was honestly lackluster. We went the first day to book something, and the Spa Manager (who basically reminded me of Cruella Deville) was totally frazzled, kind of rude, and just and overall bad person to be Spa Manager.
–The actual massage itself was fine, but they cut it 10 minutes short so they can try to sell you shit. Worse than trying to sell me shit is actually making me FEEL like shit and telling me I have dark circles under my eyes and I should buy their miracle bull shit product.
–The food was was a ²⁄₁₀ at best. Each night I went in HOPING that yesterday was just a bad day, and nope, it was all just awful. It honestly seems like they are trying to make you eat in the Specialty Dining Rooms (extra fee) every night, which is sad to me since I already spent so much money to eat this crap food.
–The service in the dining rooms was no better. It is totally unacceptable for a dinner for 2 people to last 2+ hours, especially since we have reservations to shows that we again, paid for.
–Overall feeling that no one wanted to help, or when asked for something, they just seemed annoyed. Also, the dirty looks when we did not tip extra, when our tips are included with the cruise is just really awful… I didn’t choose this job for you, you chose it.
–Even the dinners at the specialty restaurants that we did pay for sucked. I think we actually only had one good meal this cruise, which was at Teppanyaki, the hibachi restaurant.
–Nightclub bartender (I never learned his name, nor did I care to) was super rude to my boyfriend. We are aware that you can’t buy drinks for others unless you pay separately for them (beverage package is for yourself)… One night the bartender thought he saw us giving shots to a friend and instead of saying «hey, you really aren’t supposed to do that», had the nerve to say to my boyfriend «don’t be surprised when you see extra charges on your account tomorrow» REALLY?
–The shows were nothing to write home about… The only shows I enjoyed were Cirque Dreams (paid extra), the comedian/​magician, and the string quartet…
–Staff that deserve kudos: Our stateroom attendant Nato, and 3 bartenders: Rockson, Bo, and Modesto.
I have a 3-​day booked with Norwegian in November, but I honestly may just cancel and commit fully to Royal Caribbean.

What a fantastic cruise. It was wonderful to take this ship on a transatlantic from Miami to Barcelona. The ship was great to do a transatlantic as it is large and has a lot to do a board. During the many days a seat you can take advantage of the alternate restaurants, all the entertainment on board and just visit every nook and cranny.
FOOD:
I had been on the Norwegian Epic a month before this and knew that Manhattan club and Taste were just ordinary! I had the ultimate dining package and wanted to try every single restaurant. Shanghai and noodle bar became free and they were okay but they changed the menus from when they were a la carte or paid for! Still good and I would go with this option over the «free» dining rooms! The Garden Café was okay for lunch but I really loved ordering the Continental room service and using that as a wake up call every morning.
CAGNEY’S:
Oh you just stole my heart! Talk about delicious food! The best restaurant on the ship was this one. The bison, delicious. The fillet mignon, outstandingly good. With plain sides and very good meats, you just can’t go wrong eating here. A step above, high above the complementary restaurants. Definitely tried their ice cream sandwich, which consists of coconut ice cream inside of two delicious flaky shortbread cookies.
LE BISTRO:
I was lucky enough to get into the bistro for one night. The food was delicious. Really good main entrées and amazing desserts with chocolate fondue to dip fresh fruit into at the end! A huge score.
TEPENYAKI:
This Benihana knock off was very nice for a ship. However, if you are paying her restaurants and not in an ultimate dining package, I would skip this one and just go to either Le Bistro or Cagney’s.
SHOWS:
Thankfully for me, they changed all the shows from the cruise I had been on the month prior as this ship was headed to Europe. The Legends concert was just okay (Sting, Gloria Estefan) and not as good as the one in the Caribbean.
BURN THE FLOOR was daring and absolutely amazing even if you don’t lie dance! This was one of the best shows I have ever seen at sea. Many people made double reservations to see the show again. Don’t miss this one!
CIRQUE DREAMS was good as well but I am not sure I would spend out-​of-​pocket money to see this. I think honestly they have a lot of nerve to charge extra for entertainment on the ship, despite what the fee is! So, since it was included in the fare for Ultimate Dining, I went but was shocked they charge people for the show! Decent show, though!
NADINE the hypnotist was good also. Same exact show each time and she peddled her private sessions and cd’s during a seminar I went but worth going to once. I wish she would vary her act instead of doing the same thing again and again… and again…
SERVICE:
The service was outstanding as well. Everyone was very nice and helpful. My room steward was good; food service was lovely and so was the staff! However, make sure all your charges are correct as the staff at the reception has very little power to change things, even if incorrect! That’s the only part that needs help — they should be able to assist with charges if the charges are wrong. A LOT of work to change something small. And a HUGE line!
WATER PARK:
Did enjoy the 30 seconds you get from each slide and they are all super fun! There were no lines as there were a few children, thankfully, on this cruise. The pool area was super packed and there was not enough space for everyone that wanted to be there. Thankfully, I am not a big sun/​pool person. This part did not bother me but I did notice there were many people who were bothered by it.
THE BATHROOMS:
Okay, the most controversial part of this ship is definitely the bathrooms. It did not bother me since I was a single person and loved sailing by myself with a balcony. Would I have loved sharing this cabin with someone else? Hard to say. However, I do believe the feedback and horrible comments about this bathroom situation is over done. It may not be the most pleasant of designs but it should not kill your cruise! On the previous cruise I had a solo cabin and it was absolutely fantastic except it does not have an ocean view.
PROMENADE DECK:
Weird as it doesn’t have ocean views! It is completely enclosed because of the lifeboats! If you don’t have a balcony cabin, you will not feel the ocean air often and not see the ocean often! You will not feel like you are on a ship.
All in all, this ship is fantastic and the reviews here are truly too harsh by many people. Is it my favorite ship I have ever been on? Not really. Is it the worst ship I ever went on? Absolutely not. I would rank this among the top three and I have sailed many times on Princess, Royal Caribbean, Celebrity, Holland and some other obscure lines. This was a great ship and cruise both times! I was lured by the single passenger rate being more palatable. Don’t let the negative reviews discourage you from going!

Was it a good vacation? Hey, anytime away from freezing temps and multiple feet of snow is a good vacation. We are from the Ct. and we had the worst February on record.
Would I take this cruise again? (Western Caribbean) (3 islands) Jamaica, Grand Cayman and Cozumel Mx) The answer is NO.
To me it’s a boat load of money for only 3 islands. Pun intended. We didn’t choose this cruise. It was selected by some friends and were asked. We cruised with them before and had a blast.
–The Epic– a very nice ship. I do not like it as much as the German ships they have. It only has elevators near the bow and stern. not enough. This ship did have a very nice ride to it. Barely noticed we were at sea.
Although the cabins are pleasing to look at. Logistically they aren’t. It’s too tight at the end of the bed and counter. Only one person at a time. No exceptions.
Tons of closet space.
–The crew– No issues at all. Very, very good.
–Food– Very good.
–Lines– hardly any for the amount of people on board.
–Lines at the buffet– They seemed to have a good handle on this. They put a supervisor at each station to help.
ISLANDS
Jamaica — pass
Grand Cayman — on our top 5 list for all the islands. 7 miles beach, Calico Jacks rocks
Cozumel — Passion beach. Very nice beach and well run. Would do it again.

This was our 6^th cruise so we are pretty use to the cruise life. The Epic was a good ship but not great. The Epic debuted the year my wife and I went on our first cruise and ever since then, we wanted to go on the ship. It didn’t meet either of our expectations.
The food was just ok to me but my wife hated it. She couldn’t find a single thing she liked until the 3^rd day. We went on Celebrity and Royal Caribbean and she loved all of the food and always had a favorite dish. She was ok with the Carnival food as well. We went on a another Norwegien cruise in the past and she didn’t like the food there either. I am not picky at all so I should’t review the food part but my wife has a very good taste pallet and she is usually spot on.
The highlight of the ship were the shows. The Blue Man group was superb but the show to watch is the Cirque dinner. No matter what, you must watch this and pay extra to get the good seating or you will have difficulty getting a good view. This was one of the favorite things about the trip.
What we did the most on the ship was use the spa facilities. It is such a huge ship, we wanted to get away from all the people. The spa was very nice and they claim to be the biggest spa on the sea and I believe it. Very very pricey though, it was $ 199 per person for our 7 night cruise. With that type of pricing, there were always less than 20 people in the spa at all times which was nice and well worth it. We were shocked by the price at first because on the other reviews it was $ 199 per couple, but once we got over that, it was ok.
All in all, a great time on this ship, I’d give it 4 stars but my wife would probably give it a 2 or 3.

I have just returned from my sixth cruise and as I am on my flight home from Miami, I have never been so happy to not be on vacation any longer. That makes me incredibly sad to admit. If you’re like me, vacation is a coveted time that you countdown for and save for and don’t ever want to end. Sadly that isn’t the case after our week on NCL’s Epic.
Where to begin.
We happily boarded the Epic late morning last weekend. I had upgraded our balcony room to a much larger and aft facing balcony stateroom to celebrate two years together. There was no rhyme or reason to boarding but I figured this ship holds 4100 passengers so I had to figure boarding them in a timely fashion or a manner of sequence had to be as easy as herding 120 cats. This was my third cruise with NCL and this trip would have me at Silver status with priority boarding. Not so much. My Latitudes number was now a ‘new’ number and all my past activity was gone, a little deal I had now written NCL about three times and called the now apparent NOT working exclusive Latitudes phone number. It’s not that Silver is a huge deal, it’s just that these points eventually add up! TO have my information and number even prior to my booking with NCL and then have it suddenly be gone after I submitted final payment and never return an email or phone call regarding the matter, is shady. It comes down to treating your loyal guests as though they matter, well, that should have been a sign of things to come.
PLUSES FIRST:
Our stateroom was very nice. Very large at 303 square feet, as it was meant for someone with a disability. The perk to that was all the space! The balcony was deeper and larger, as well. We were greeted by our steward, Ferdinand, whom we loved! One tip: tip your steward if you like them, and do it sporadically throughout your cruise, as cruise lines have gone to adding the service fees daily to your cruise account, I personally feel that the ones that do the most for you, don’t get the proper tip. We slipped him a twenty or two every couple of days and as a result, he did little things for us that were above and beyond.
I had pre-​purchased a Romance Package, which at $ 399, is very much worth the splurge, IF you are with someone you love and intend to eat in the specialty restaurants and/​or order wine. The package included: a dozen vased, long stemmed red roses in our stateroom on arrival; a bottle of chilled French champagne in our stateroom on arrival; chocolate dipped strawberries on our arrival; a few, measly canapés one evening delivered (late and warm); dinner at Le Bistro and a bottle of wine, (yes, NCL chose the bottle. BUT, it was good); dinner at Cagneys, (the specialty steak house), and another bottle of wine; breakfast in your stateroom, delivered on two mornings, (expansive, yet blah. but still nice to have on the balcony); a tea service one afternoon; a couples VERY nice massage in Mandara Spa, (ONE of the best things we did on the ship!); two 8×10 portraits, (and cmon, they click you EVERY time you breathe so surely one pic will be nice ?) After we added all these items separately and came up with about $ 575 in value. You have to book and purchase before your cruise though, as you won’t find ANY gift info onboard once you are there!
Le Bistro. The French restaurant and MY personal favorite specialty restaurant onboard the Epic. Make reservations, as it filled up fast even when we tried to change our reservation from what we made prior to leaving home. The waiter was spot on with his service, kind, warm and professional. We were greeted with a, ‘Happy Anniversary!’ and salmon mousse canapés. Our dinner was 4 courses and you can add starters, as I did, gratis. Although that is not advertised. I would like to see them change the menu or the specialties nightly; we would have likely gone again in the week we were trapped, I mean, sailing the Caribbean.
Le Cucina. My second favorite place to eat yet more food! It had typical Italian food, BUT also a wonderful Osso Bucco, which is hard to get correct. This restaurant is a great place to see the sunset from, as its most forward of the ship and we scored a window seat to boot. Great food, great service and drinks, (Prosecco with strawberry purée for an apéritif. mmm). They also had the best homemade bread onboard, served warm to dip in four different oils.
Blue Man Group. I’ve seen them in Las Vegas and now in the middle of the ocean. It’s a free show on the Epic and you MUST have reservations, as with this many people, it fills up fast! It’s weird and fun and lively. Worth the time and well, weird and fun!
Legends in Concert. LOVED it. Wasn’t sure I would, as my parents see this type if thing in Vegas or Reno and it looked, well… Dated for any other description. Nope. It’s an awesome show! When it ends you kind of want more. As with the Blue Man Group, you must reserve and show up early for good seats.
I’ll update a second review to this ! Overall:2 Return: NO

I thought the layout of the ship was pretty poor. Didn’t like the fact that there weren’t decks to walk all the way around the ship. The pools were terrible. WAY too small for that many people on a ship. We were very disappointed in that.
The food in the main dining (Manhattan & Taste) was mediocre and the service in those restaurants was poor. Food in Garden Café was pretty good for a buffet and the staff up there was far better than in main dining. Brazilian & Japanese steakhouses was good but you had to pay extra for them.
Drinks seemed over-​priced and the drink package was definitely not worth it. Glad we didn’t do that! If it included water, soda and specialty coffees, we might have considered it.
The staff on the ship was OK but I’ve been on other ships where the staff was outstanding. There were a few of the staff members that stood out but all-​in-​all, the staff was just OK. There were some staff members that were just down right rude!
We were really looking forward to enjoying our experience on NCL but since we were less than thrilled with the layout, the food and the staff, we will probably not be taking another NCL cruise. We felt nickled & dimed to death. Just not the best cruise experience.

We had a wonderful time on the Norwegian Epic mainly because we stayed in the Haven area. However, outside of the Haven, we encountered some rude employees. The best restaurants on board were the The Haven Restaurant run by Suzanna and Cagney’s run by Dangiel (spelling). The worst one on the ship (by far) is La Cucina. The hostess was very unpleasant, rude, and was not informed of their own dress code. Further, the Maitre’d was also not informed of the restaurant dress code. The only two restaurants on the ship that required a dress code for no shorts, hats, etc were La Bistro and The Manhattan Room. However, these two attempted to enforce the dress code for the La Bistro and The Manhattan Room inside La Cucina targeting certain individuals only and not all. We cancelled all of our reservations for La Cucina for the remainder of the trip.
We really enjoyed having priority access on and off from the ship moving to the front of the long lines rather than battling the crowds during the process. Overall, we would definitely sail on NCL again in the Haven areas.

The Pros:
We didn’t die or get sick on the ship.
The Cirque Dreams show is fun… But costs $ 39.99 per person for the good seats.
Best (and Only good meal all week) place to eat is at Cagney’s Steakhouse which costs $ 30.00 extra per person.
Our cabin steward Junmar was very sweet and attentive.
The Cons:
The staff seems annoyed to be there.
The coffee tastes like watered down mud. Of course you have the option to purchase premium coffee though.
The food is slightly above edible. The ice cream is good but I had the buffet door shut in my face the second time I attempted to get some by a crew member.
When I attempted to meet my mother for dinner at The Manhattan Room, the hostess had no idea what I was talking about and I stood by and walked to all the nearby areas after my mom checked in repeatedly to see if I had arrived. Innocent enough mistake until the hostess intentionally lied to my mom saying I never checked in nor gave my name/​room#, both of which I did. 30 minutes wasted.
Yes, Junmar our cabin steward was great, but one night I found extremely stained sheets (with the worst stains you can imagine) on my bed. Yes, I had them changed but I was completely grossed out.
The three pools are the tiniest I’ve ever seen on a ship.
They don’t enforce the taking up towels after one hour on sun chairs and it’s near impossible to get two together if you actually follow the rules and don’t save chairs.
They just nickel and dime you to death on this ship!
The lighting in the cabin is awful… you can’t hardly do your makeup.
Upon disembarkation, we were called Rude and Cheaters by some sassy crew girl and we were following other crew’s instructions on where to get in line. WAY TO END AN ALREADY CRAPPY CRUISE EXPERIECE NORWEGIAN, BUT AT LEAST YOU’RE CONSISTENT!
I’ve been on 10 other cruises with Princess, Celebrity and Royal Caribbean. This is the first and only review I’ve ever posted because I took it for granted cruises were great. I had 10 prior wonderful experiences with not a single complaint because all the others were simply amazing cruise lines with attentive and sweet crews. Never again on Norwegian. Buyer Beware!!!

Expensive. They allow smokers in certain areas. So if you have a balcony your fresh air may be ruined like mine was for a week.
So my purchase of a balcony was worthless. To top it off the chain smokers next to my room smoked in theirs. So the smoke came thru into my room and the hallways.
If you enjoy torturing yourself for a seat and hoards of people at a buffet line this is the place. I love how loud it was nearly everywhere. Good luck finding chairs in quite areas.
Pepsi products only. Another joy kill for something I desire in life alternate products.
The Tropicana Restaurant service was just not hitting the mark at all. Service was slow. Forgot orders. A few occasions we had our starters take 1.5 hours to arrive while forgetting the order on other occasions.
This is not the old days of high end service I received on the Norwegian Norway. Those days are gone. This is all about mass money making.
We were promised seating for a family of 20 every night which couldn’t always be kept even though we were on time.
In a cabin with four and I would expect to have at least four towels, nope.
For the money I would be better going elsewhere. But if you like all this and large crowds. You have found you place.

We were booked to cruise on the Epic in December but I just cancelled the trip because of the smoking ban on balconies that just went public. As of November 1^st, 2014 you cannot smoke on balconies or anywhere else that used to be allowed. That means outdoor bars, pool bars and anywhere else you remember smoking. Smokers will be obligated to go to designated areas and it doesn’t work for me. You can’t even smoke in the casino unless you’re playing which seems extreme and very greedy. They have also banned E-​cigarettes because according to NCL «most people do not know the difference between traditional and electronic cigarettes.»
I am not going to spend thousands of dollars to feel I am being watched by whiny non smokers that will report me to ship staff at any given time. I also don’t want to pay a $ 250.00 fine to have a cigarette outside on the balcony that I paid extra for. I will stick to my vacations on land where I can have a smoke wherever I please.
Good luck to the cruise lines in trying to enforce these rules with their European customers that are used to smoking pretty much everywhere. I wonder what’s next, are they going to go after the drinkers next? Are they going to ban people with tattoos from taking off their shirts because they may offend someone? Good Luck NCL, it was fun while it lasted!

Just returned from a 7 day Western Caribbean cruise on this mega ship. First, we’re not really cruisers, we’ve been on 3 other cruises in the past and I’m not 100% sure cruising is for us.
We boarded on Sunday at about 12:30 for a 4:30 sailing. Boarding went smoothly but security was weird. My mom had her curling iron in her carry on and they confiscated it — to be picked up after we got our cabin. Why? They had to check the voltage. Yet my daughter who packed her straightening iron in her luggage, that was fine. Also, you cannot carry on any liquor like you can on other cruise lines. You can carry on bottles of wine but need to pay a $ 15 per bottle corkage fee (which is worth it since the cheapest bottle of wine on the ship was $ 38).
Once on board, we went upstairs to our room, a balcony room on the 11^th deck (11 253 and 11 255). When we booked, it was called a mini suite but later found out, it was just a standard room with a small couch that can be made up into a bed for our daughter. So, that was a trick I felt since on their website they speak about how suites will have larger balconies with lounge chairs and you get bathrobes but when we got to the room, it was just two regular chairs and no robes available.
The ship was filled to capacity — 4800 guests. This is a lot of people when you want to get on the 15^th deck for the bon voyage party at 4:15. We were on level 7 for the emergency drill and wound up having to walk up the stairs. We stopped at the 11^th floor and just had our own bon voyage party on our balcony.
This ship has a LOT to do on it. A bowling alley ($ 7 per person per game), free shows were Blue Man Group, Improv, Dueling Pianos, Legends in Concert, 3 water slides, kids splash park, 2 small pools (plus one very shallow adult only pool), an arcade, the casino and many bars. We paid to see two shows — Cirque Dreams and Dinner (EXCELLENT SHOW), and the Murder Mystery lunch (only do this if its raining or nothing else going on — it was just OK — I found myself thinking i’d rather be pool side during).
The food was average — nothing was amazing or spectacular. We paid to eat in two of the specialty restaurants — Teppinyake (fun and OK food), Moderno the Brazillian steakhouse (overly salted meats with no typical dipping sauces — not worth it). One night I stopped at the «noodle bar» where you can buy Chinese ala carte appetizers — the pork dumplings were great as were the spring rolls. The shrimp dumplings — yuck. Also, I think a lot of msg here — woke up in the middle of the night with heart palpitations and I wasn’t drinking — so I’m thinking it was the noodle bar food.
To me, the best restaurant was the O’Sullivans Irish pub which was included on the cruise — no up charge here — it was a great casual atmosphere and their food, with the exception of the fish and chips, was excellent. Great burgers, chicken fingers, fries, mozzarella sticks, chicken pot pie, irish soup and even corned beef sandwich — were all great. There’s a buffet on the 15^th floor where the food is pretty decent but I really can’t stand dealing with standing on line with crowds of people. There are two dining rooms — Taste and Manhattan Room. Both pretty much have the same food but Manhattan Room is more formal — men must wear long pants (jeans are fine). Ladies can wear shorts if they look «dressy» otherwise they’ll have to go change as well. It’s pretty stupid, frankly for an average meal with terrible waiter service.
Here’s my gripe with this whole cruise — they call it free styling but you need to make reservations to see the shows and go to the specialty restaurants. So really, you can’t just pop into a show when it’s starting, you have to have a reservation. Same goes for the specialty restaurants. Also, the pool — unless you get on deck at 7:30 in the morning to reserve chairs, you’re not getting a lounge chair. This is just bull. They say no reserving chairs but there’s nobody to enforce that. So really, we had to make sure we got up early on the days at sea to get the lounge chairs otherwise our day at sea would have to be spent inside. I’ve seen this happen at resorts as well, so I know it’s not unique to cruising — the only difference here is EVERYONE is on the ship the days at sea so the pools/​aqua park were just packed with thousands of people.
All in all, we had a good time, got a nice tan, had lots to drink and eat — everything vacation is supposed to be. I’m just not sure that our next vacation will be on the Epic (or any cruise ship for that matter
p. s. — gym is decent — packed in the early morning. Running track is a joke. Heard the spa is amazing but didnt use the spa this trip
P. s.s. — I forgot to mention the cruel joke the bathroom in the state room is — you walk through the cabin door and the toilet is on one side with a sliding opaque door and the shower is on the other side with a sliding opaque door. ZERO privacy

I have taken about seven cruises on NCL, and always thought they were five star. My opinion changed at the very start of this cruise.
The problem was the ship’s captain. During the mandatory evacuation drill, the captain interrupted about 4 times with Nazi-​style rants, in both tone and content. The content included words like, «you may not, can not, shall not, AND will not» do such and such. The tone was one of a Nazi Concentration Camp leader. My thoughts
were: Is this really the captain? Is he on drugs or drunk? Is he getting senile? If he treats his «guests» like this, how does he treat the officers and crew? As an HR executive, i wondered how he could have risen to this position, or (more importantly) how he can remain in it.
Even more bizarre was his closing comment to have a nice cruise. My thought was, how do I have a nice cruise with a Concentration Camp leader in charge?
The position of Captain certainly requires technical skills. But what about people skills? Communication skills?
Not sure how NCL management monitors performance, but I hope they can review a recording of this captain’s comments.

I did a transatlantic crossing aboard the Norwegian Epic and couldn’t have been more pleased. I think I lucked out in doing the transatlantic since there were no small children aboard because this ship is specifically designed for the accommodation and entertainment of small children, but unlike Disney, not based upon Disney like characters. Instead, based upon the likes of Nickelodeon super stars and heroes such as Sponge Bob, my favorite Squidward, & etc.
The swimming pools, actually more like wading pools, are all shallow with children’s safety in mind and the plants all artificial. However, the food I had was super good and the entertainment they had aboard, such as a Cirque du Soleil, the very best I’ve ever encountered on any cruise ship.
The ship is big, like as in huge and at this writing noted as being third largest in the world. The food menus as well as specials were extensive and complete, and being of Scandinavian heritage, I particularly enjoyed the unlimited amounts of smoked salmon, a good variety of herring as well as a kippered herring breakfasts. You would have thought there would have been more Scandinavian cuisine aboard, but that was about it. However, funny enough, was that though a Norwegian Lines vessel the captain aboard during my travel was in fact Swedish. Of course, with me being a Swede, you might understand why I’d have certain misgivings about having a Norwegian at the helm. LOL!
Being such a large ship it handled the rough waters as are so often encountered during a transatlantic crossing with little if any pitch, roll, heave, sway, surge or yaw. In essence, always holding true to its axis of travel; a seafaring traveler’s delight.

My husband and I took a cruise on the Epic 2 years ago when it was a brand new ship. It was our favorite cruise we have been on! I love how NCL gives you a newsletter every morning so you know everything that is going on around the trip. We try to participate in a lot of the activities like the photo scavenger hunt where you run around the ship taking pics with random crew members, couples games, music, shows, martini tastings, ice bar, etc.
We had recently gotten engaged and somehow word got around the ship fast. Every show we went to they would put the spot light on us and everyone would clap for our engagement, and our whole trip so many people came up to us an congratulated us. (I think people found out through the activities we participated in). We enjoyed the attention.
Also loved the Blue Man Group performance and the Dueling Pianos show. Always been a fan of NCL’s flexible dining… the 2 included restaurants feature the same menu (menu changes daily) but you only have to decide which one based on atmosphere or ship location (I get seasick in the back of ships so we try to stay towards the front and middle). This ship had a great selection of a la cart restaurants as well. Love that you don’t have to dress up super fancy for meals!
Water slides were fun to do a few times. White hot party (bring some white clothes to wear!) on the last night is always fun. The only thing we didn’t like was the Cirque dreams and dinner. Our food was cold and bland. The manager couldn’t «refund» us the tickets but gave us a credit for the amount we paid to use on drinks or anything else NCL which was an acceptable fix. We were misled thinking that this Cirque show was part of Cirque du Soliel… and it is NOT! so don’t expect amazing… it’s just an average dinner show.
Overall, all of the staff was extremely friendly and helpful. Ship was clean and organized (like that the hallways are broken up so it doesn’t look like a hallway that is endless) and food was decent (not stellar unless you paid to go to the other restaurants). We will be cruising with NCL again.

I really enjoyed my cruise to the Western Caribbean aboard the Epic. Except for the first night, I mostly dined in specialty restaurants, and each one served up great cuisine accompanied by exemplary service. Shanghai’s hustled to get us out in time to make our Legends in Concert show, after presenting memorable steamed dumplings in baskets, and a variety of very tasty Cantonese dishes. The sushi was excellent, and Teppenyaki featured a first-​rate and funny grill master, who actually lofted a shrimp in the air that never came down; it got lost somewhere in the false drop ceiling above the grill. The Surf & Turf at Cagney’s was classic and delicious. The Mussels in Cream Sauce at Le Bistro were memorable. The Margarita Pizza at La Cucina that fully covered a brightly colored plate was a great prelude to the even more substantial Italian entrees that followed. And, O’Sheehan’s cooked up excellent Irish comfort food, including a mean Fish & Chips. My party of 8 often ordered multiple appetizers and desserts, and sometimes even multiple entrees, and never received a complaint or disparaging comment or look from our servers. Each restaurant projected a very individualized image, and utilized distinctive china and serving dishes.
The shipboard entertainment was very professional and of the highest caliber. Blue Man Group and Cirque Dreams & Dinner featured eye-​popping visual displays and incredible feats of skill. The Legends in Concert sounded just like the legendary singers they portrayed – especially the one playing Aretha Franklin, who had a high and remarkable extended vocal range. Slam Allen and the Slam Allen Blues Band were soulful and bluesy. Besides being gifted dueling pianists, the Howl at the Moon performers were accomplished singers, guitarists, and drummers. Other entertainers like the Apollo Duo and Caribbean Vibes added danceable and authentic Caribbean songs to the mix. Organized events like the FABBA party and NCL’s White Hot Party held above deck at Spice H20 just added to the nighttime enjoyment.
With 9 heated ceramic lounges and 6 more outdoor lounges overlooking the sea from 14 decks up at the ship’s stern; 2 saunas with a floor to ceiling glass sea view; steam and aromatherapy rooms; and an aqua center that sports a hot community spa, hydrotherapy nook, individual spas, cascading jets of water, and bubbling metal rails to lay on; and over 12 massage treatment rooms featuring unusual options like the Thai Herbal Poultice Massage that incorporates deep tissue techniques, applied heat, and application of warm oils by well trained and very proficient masseuses from around the world, this was the best spa I have experienced on a cruise ship.
Curved staterooms were stylish, modern, and very comfortable, with ample storage space and good soundproofing. Room service arrived 20 minutes after placement of a lunch order; and a supervisor showed up to correct reported problems at the Video Arcade within 3 minutes after being notified that tickets failed to dispense from a machine, and that a prize failed to drop. Extra tickets were provided to my grandchildren, and the desired prize was quickly supplied before any disappointment had a chance to set in. I call that really good service!
The water park exceeded already high expectations, with three somewhat scary but thrilling water slides, each different in style and trajectory. And, the casino truly is the biggest at sea, where one can play poker with a live dealer. Factor in the only Ice Bar at sea, and this is one cool ship!

Second time on the Norwegian Epic and cruised with other lines many times. The Epic is one of the newer ships serving the cruise industry.
Pro
New ship
Free style dinning. No need to dine at a particular time (early or late seating). You eat when you want.
Bowling alley
Water rides
Casino
Shows (Blueman group & Legends in concert)
Con
Food was good on the first two days. Then it became repetitive. Breakfast — Eggs, bacon, sausage, and etc. Lunch and Dinner, followed with the similar courses. I was looking forward to their chill ginger pear soup but they changed the menu. Not sure if the change was good.
Internet — $ 100 250 minutes or $ 55 for 100 minutes. On sea days, Internet was very slow. Best time is early in the morning. 5 AM.
Will we come back? Yes. We just like cruising so much.

My hubby and I went on the Epic for a nice weekend excursion so that Miami’s restaurants had time to restock after we ate all of their food :)
Right after boarding we were directed to the 16^th floor to our owner’s suite in The Haven, an exclusive area where other guests are not allowed, even if they are part of your party but staying in regular accommodations. (Rookies!). I know this sounds pretentious but it was my first time in the owner’s suite and I will never go back to coach again!
Our suite was a modest two-​bedroom suite facing the ocean (I’m being sarcastic). This suite had all of the comforts of home away from home plus a view with an ever changing scenery. The second bedroom alternates as a lounge with a flat screen TV and a sofa-​bed and its own private bathroom. This room is probably bigger than your standard cabin, but there was more… the suite also had a dinning area with a coffee machine and bar and a living area with another flat screen TV and a balcony.
The master bedroom is huge and has a queen size bed in front of some mirrors for your inner-​kinky persona :) It also has a walk-​in closet and a huge master bathroom with a whirlpool right in front of the window! Talk about the best way to take a bath! There were bubbles everywhere and nobody can see you… I hope.
When we got tired of our suite (yeah, right) we went to the Haven’s pool area, which features lounges in the water! Tanning has never been so difficult before :)
We strongly suggest that immediately upon boarding you make reservations for entertainment and dinning. They have a cirque de soleil and blue man group. They also have several restaurants to satisfy any kind of appetite… and I know everything about appetite. The cool thing is that Norwegian offers «freestyle cruising» where you decide where to eat and at what time. Most of the restaurants are included in your fare, you just have to make a reservation. They range from a sushi bar to a steakhouse and they are all wonderful. Be ready for 15 lb of extra «luggage» when you return.
We will definitely do it again next year!