There were things I loved about this cruise, but the overall frustration from the crowds, lines, waits, disorganization & poor layout of ship caused me to never want to sail NCL again.
Embarkation
2 out of 5
The lines to enter the ship were incredibly long and overwhelming.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
The food was overall okay-good.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
The fitness center is awesome with great equipment and beautiful views.
Getting a chair at the pool or on any sun deck was next to impossible and incredibly frustrating!!!!!!
I never wanted to go to activities because the crowds were huge and the lines were so long. I preferred to sit on my room balcony with a book or go to the gym. How sad is that?
Entertainment
5 out of 5
Burn the Floor cannot be beat! I am a former professional dancer, and they were some of the best performers I have ever seen. We also enjoyed Cirque.
Children's Programs
4 out of 5
My 4 young kids really enjoyed the program. However, the check in process needs to be improved. We were often in line for over 20 minutes waiting to sign them in- not okay and again, frustrating.
Service and Staff
3 out of 5
I really do believe they were doing the best they could, but with WAY too many people on board, it was nearly impossible to even get a beverage delivered by the pool. The service in the restaurants was very slow- almost 2 hours for dinner with 4 little kids was rough and our ice cream was always melted when delivered on dessert.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
The layout is confusing and frustrating. Why are there no outdoor decks to walk or relax below 15??? Why do I have to walk my children through a smokey, crowded casino to go to dinner?? Why is it so dark with hardly any windows? Why did the shades always close in the restaurants during sunset??
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
This was my fave part- the room was large, with lots of storage, and beautiful view from the balcony and comfy bed. HOWEVER, I was told by the agent it had bunk beds, (it did not), so my toddler had to sleep in the bed with me. Also, there is no bathroom!! Talk about strange- the toilet and shower just have doors and there is a curtain to pull. If you are in the shower when someone walks through the door, they see everything....
Ship tip
Don't do it! It is too crowded and made for a frustrating trip. They allowed 5,035 people on a boat that should have had 4k.
The island is pretty, but even with a tender reservation, we did not get off of the boat until 11:30am!! We sat around all morning waiting for our number to be called. By the time we got on the island, we had to walk to the farthest beach with 4 little kids to find chairs. Leaving the island, we waited in line for almost an hour to get a tender back- FRUSTRATING! The annoyance of it all took away from what should have been a glorious day.
THE LINES TO GET OFF OF THE BOAT AND THROUGH CUSTOMS WERE INSANE!! You can't even imagine. I will NEVER cruise NCL again. I have been on Disney, Celebrity, and Carnival and enjoyed all of them. This was such a disappointment.
A large ship that carries all those passengers is bound to have lines and large crowds, patients is the key. I have been on the Epic 3 times, personally I prefer NCL's smaller ships. Everyone of the ships are different in design and layout.
We were on the Epic last month and had zero problems. We reserved dinners ahead of time, reserved our showtimes ahead of time, so the large crowds were not a problem once onboard.
We have been on over 30 cruises and the Epic was my least favorite ship. The cabin configuration is crazy. I HATED the way the bathroom and shower were done.
I’m going on the Epic next year. I’m sad to hear this. We went on the Getaway and it was a crowded nightmare. The atrium where they do all the games In was a joke. Do they do this on the Epic? I love NCL but they need to figure out crowd control like other lines.
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