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Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 3.7
Author: cruiseboomer

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Transatlantic

cruiseboomer

Contributor Level: Second Mate

8 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 17

Helpful Votes: 460

Overall rating:

3.7 out of 5

15 Night Transatlantic Easbound (Port Canaveral To Barcelona)

Sail date: April 07, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Inside

Cabin number: 12302

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

This was a 15 day transatlantic cruise on the NCL Epic.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Embarkation was the worse experience I have encountered in over 25 cruises. Long lines at the airport for the shuttle and long lines to get on the ship. Waited 1.5 hours for shuttle and 1.5 hours to get on the ship.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

3 out of 5

I did not go to any of the specialty restaurants so I have no opinion. The complimentary restaurants and the buffet food was just average. Nothing stood out as worth mentioning. Very little flavor and seemed like no use of spices. Even a employee working in the buffet said this same thing about the food. He said that it was bland and did not like it.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

I used the fitness center daily but it was to crowded in the earlier part of the day. The so-called "jogging track" consisted of walking the length of the ship back and forth, on one side, on deck 7. Would have preferred a track that went all around the ship.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

The Epic Beatles was the best show during my cruise. The entertainment director moved the show from the Cavern Bar to the Epic Theater because the crowd size was too much for the bar, which was a good move. Priscilla Queen of the Desert was an excellent Broadway caliber show. Howling at the Moon dueling pianos was too predictable.

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

I would give the cleanliness a 5 star but the design of the ship was not great. The stateroom bathroom split and the wavy walls of the balcony staterooms made the room cramped. The Studio cabins were adequate, though a bit small for a 15 day cruise.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

I started out in a studio cabin (12535) but was moved to an inside stateroom after 4 days, stating that the studio room needed maintenance. The inside room was very comfortable and more than enough storage for a solo cruiser. If I was sailing with someone, I would not have likes the split bathroom situation.