Will never sail on Norwegian again. The free-style dining they advertise is a joke. Watch out for rule changes. Was offered 5 bonuses to sail on this ship. One week later I found out we didn't get any of those. False advertising.
Embarkation
1 out of 5
Delayed due to security breech. Then way too many people waiting to get on board ship at the same time. Very congested and very slow moving.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
Manhattan has a dress code that was not advertised. Had to go back to cabin to change clothes just to eat dinner. After that, we ate at "Taste" because they didn't care what we wore. Once the initial group in line gets seated, no one can get a table for at least 2 hours.
Taste
4 out of 5
At the Taste Restaurant, we were treated extremely well. The menu is exactly the same as the Manhattan restaurant. It would have been nice to know all this up front from day #1.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
Did not participate in any activities, Lines way too long and crowd was unrulely.
Service and Staff
2 out of 5
Waiters at the "Taste" were excellent. Steward was unfriendly and did not attend to our requests in a timely fashion. We had to get him to unlock our refrigerator 3 times before he did it.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
Balcony cabins are very small. The shower stall is very hard to turn around. Tried to use the cold water faucet and after 4 seconds, the water would turn very hot. Too hot to drink or anything else. No laundry rooms on board. Stewards had the hallways clogged with their cleaning supplies most of the time.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
Bed was comfortable, but cabin was too small to store clothing. Had trouble with the safe opening and closing. Refrigerator was locked. Heard vibrations during the night. Walls too thin and could hear neighbors arguing all the time.
Ship tip
Don't do it! The only thing that went well was getting off the ship once back in port. They add $14 per person per day for steward services. You have to make a reservation to see a show or comedy act.
Natives will get in your face as soon as they see you coming so they can sell you their junk. Makes me feel uneasy. I felt like I had to watch my wallet all the time.
We had six cruise ships in port all at once, so Cozumel was packed with people. Couldn't get waited on in restaurants. Again, natives in our face selling junk stuff. Even had beggars trying to get money from us. Very unsafe and uncomfortable.
Probably the best we have ever seen. Walked off the ship at 8:30 and was on the road home by 9. Customs declaration forms no longer needed and the lines moved quickly. Agents were friendly.
Please read the all the details about your cruise before being disappointed and rating it poorly. As others have already described, you would have had a much better experience if you did your homework. Epic is a decent ship and we only had a couple of very minor gripes about it.
I’m so sorry you had such a negative experience. We sailed on Epic in December and had an amazing time. I’m kind of a research nerd so I read TONS of review and all the FAQ’s on NCL’s website and knew about the dress code and reservations ahead of time. We only made 2 reservations to MDR’s (didn’t do any specialty dining). The rest of the time we just went during non peak hours and got right in! We loved not being tied down to a set schedule.
Not sure about your cabin category, but we were BF category and found the storage to be more than ample. The storage must be different in different categories.
As someone else already pointed out, the offers are based on category types and GTY cabins do not qualify which is stated on the website if you are booking yourself.
Please don’t let this one experience ruin your chances to sail with NCL again. (No, I’m not a travel agent nor do i work for NCL). Although we enjoyed our Carnival cruise, we enjoyed our NCL cruise even more! Good luck on your next cruise!
https://www.ncl.com/freestyle-cruise/prepare-for-your-cruise/what-to-pack "...has a dress code that is not advertised." They have an entire "WHAT TO WEAR" section.
And free style just means that you do not have assigned seats and assigned times to eat. You are free to choose what you like when you would like. But you must make reservation times for the main dining (complimentary) and the specialty dining (extra fee) restaurants. The buffets are come and go as you please, no reservations, as well as O'Sheehans. Please do not base your decision to never sail NCL again on these minor factors.
The five bonuses are for the haven. The ad says "up to" 5 bonuses. 1 for an inside, 2 for balconies, 3 for mini suites and 5 for haven. Zero bonuses if you chose any of the sail away programs ( which are the cheapest in every category.)
*Cruiseline.com is not a booking agent or travel agency,
and does not charge any service fees to users of our site. Our partners
(travel agencies and cruise lines) provide prices, which we list for our
users' convenience. Cruiseline.com does not guarantee any specific rates or
prices. While prices are updated daily, please check with the booking site
for the exact amount. Cruiseline.com is not responsible for content on
external web sites.
Contact us
Submitting...
Need help from a personal vacation planner?
Loading...
Find the perfect cruise with weekly tips and cruise deals for as little as $30/night!
Sign up for weekly cruise deals
Join other subscribers and get the best
cruise deals of the week in your inbox every Thursday.
