Great Cruise, Exceptional Shows, Awesome Staff, Slightly Aged Ship

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean

Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 52

Overall rating:

4.1 out of 5
Verified Review
Norwegian Epic

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: June 17, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: GTY

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 years ago

Review summary

It was overall a wonderful cruise. The food, even at complimentary dining rooms (Taste, Manhattan) were good and every staff member was attentive, personable and caring. We were pleasantly surprised at the quality of the headline shows. "Burn the Floor" and "Priscilla" were exceptional and can't be missed; The Beatles show was pretty good too. Embarkation was fairly quick although the lines for people who have checked in their luggage and those who have not were confusing and could be improved (should not be that hard, really.) The ship returned to Barcelona late and disembarkation was delayed for an hour because of late sailing the day before due to a medical emergency. The ship showed its age and for a ship this big, signage and directions were surprisingly inadequate, but overall, not bad. The cabin design was strange (e.g., the sink was in the open area of the cabin and the bathroom was split in two - one for toilet, one for shower - at opposite sides of the cabin door. We booked the excursions (not through Norwegian) for all ports of call and they were great overall. If you travel during peak season, just know that the crowds were massive, especially in Rome and Pisa.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

Ship tip

Their headline shows (e.g., "Burn the Floor", "Priscilla Queen of the Desert) are exceptionally good and not to be missed.

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5
Wonderful city, walkable, fun, great tapas, friendly people, not at all hectic

Naples, Italy

5 out of 5
Positano and Sorrento are breathtakingly beautiful, even more in real-life than in travel photos. Pompeii is stunning.

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

3 out of 5
Way too crowded around the major tourist spots which took away a lot of the joy.

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

3 out of 5
Pisa was way too crowded even after mid morning. Try to go early if possible.

Cannes, France

4 out of 5

Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

3 out of 5

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
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6 Comments

ColoradoKen    6 years ago

The quirkiness is why NCL fired the designer of the Epic after it was built. However, I do enjoy the upper decks more than the Escape and newer ships as it is a little more open around the entertainment area. Tends to be a better deal than the newer ships as well.

beachgal360    6 years ago

What tour co. Did you use .

IkeDeb    6 years ago

TaniaFromBrazil    6 years ago

Missing the Epic!!! Going on the Jewel next week, hope I like it as much

markandde    6 years ago

Nice review! Our first cruise was on the Epic out of Miami something like 6 years. We had a great time and were hooked on cruising.

harleychick421    6 years ago

Thank you for your review!

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