Nice cruise

Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 4.1
Author: kandyo

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Western

kandyo

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 4-6 cruises

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 20

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5

7 Night Western Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 20, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8188

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

Over all, very nice. I didn't run into the crowds and waits that people complained about. We didn't have reservations anytime we went to the main dining room and it was fine. We never had a problem getting a tender, but usually went early because of the reviews. I think I prefer a smaller ship, just for the getting to know people aspect.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

It went fast, and then you're put in a holding tank, with thousands of people, to wait for your turn to board. It wasn't horrible but not ideal, but I'm not sure they could do it any different, there's 4000 people to get on board.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

5 out of 5

I thought the food in general was very good. The buffet was what I would expect from a buffet, we usually avoided it due to the crowds. We went to Taste 3 times and loved it all. We never had to wait and our times that we went varied so I don't think it was just our timing. The service was excellent and we loved Doniel (not sure how to spell this) We also did Shanghai twice, their food was excellent, and the service was good but not overly friendly. We didn't eat at any specialty restaurants. O'sheahanns gets a tiny bit of criticism, I'm not sure if it's fair but.... To start, the food was ok. Not great but ok. It's the rigid way that they ran the food portion. We used this area as a central meeting point or an indoor spot when the weather was too hot or cold outside. One time we stopped, not for a meal but for a quick snack, as dinner was a few hours out and we'd had a few drinks at the pool. You can't do that, you have to go through the whole production of signing up for a table, having a seat and ordering. All we wanted was an order of wings to split, but ok. Another day my husband just wanted a few potato chips, umm no. My sister in law went up and asked, they made her get a table and wait for a waiter, to ask for chips...15 minutes. It just seemed silly to me that one of them couldn't go beyond the formal sit down and order. Again, maybe it's not fair, it's not a buffet, but we really didn't want a meal. One day they had a small buffet in there, I loved that idea.

Spiegel Tent - Cirque Dreams and Dinner

5 out of 5

I enjoyed this more than I expected. The food was good and the entertainment was just as good.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

I have to agree with the majority on the pools. All three are way too tiny. We really wanted to try the water slides but put it off and the last day was too cold and windy, everything was shut down.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

We liked the circus show, my husband always went back to the Beatles band. The casino was always hopping and entertaining. It was hit and miss with the comedians.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Most of our service was what I'd expect. Sometimes there was a wait, but there's a lot of people on this boat. Our room steward was Norman, and he did everything we asked. One night we got locked out of our room, and another steward called for a manager, and sat with us until she arrived.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

I didn't mind the bathroom setup. I didn't see the issue of walking through the casino to get places. Could I smell a little stale smoke? Yes, but it wasn't a haze, and it was subtle.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5