The purpose of this trip was to relax and get away, which was accomplished. I had heard great things about Norwegian, but I would only give the experience a "good" rating, not a "great" one. The food and service were no comparison to Disney, but the entertainment and spa were better. A side note on the entertainment is that this trip was just myself and husband (no kids); these shows were geared more for adults. Disney entertainment was great, but more suited for families with kids. I would cruise Norwegian again, but maybe on a smaller ship. For the money spent, this trip was a good value. Doing the same itinerary on Disney would have cost twice as much.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Because our air travel was arranged by Norwegian, we didn't arrive at dock until close to departure time, so we didn't have time to explore ship at all (or get lunch) before setting sail.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We enjoyed the steak house specialty dining, but Teppenyaki and the Cirque dinner/show were a bit disappointing as far as food quality. The buffet was "blah" at best, and simple things like bananas being offered with other fresh whole fruits were not available until the last day of the cruise (why??). Almond milk was not readily available and I had to search for a crew member to find it. Buffet foods were "warm" at best - nothing ever hot or fresh. As for the regular dining rooms, we enjoyed the Manhattan Room and Taste - food and service were both good (but nothing spectacular). Noodle Bar was also good. This was our first time cruising on Norwegian, and only have Disney cruises to compare it to. Food and service were by far much better on Disney. Norwegian was not bad, but I was disappointed in the quality of the food. Having the beverage package is a must; otherwise you will spend a fortune on drinks. Getting soda was very inconvenient, and the cups were always full of ice.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We had a mini-suite on the spa level, so had daily access to the spa - which was awesome. It was rarely crowded and very relaxing. We used it daily. The fitness center was spotless and had great views of the water.
Entertainment
5 out of 5
We attended the Cirque show, Priscilla, Burn the Floor, as well as the comedian shows. All were fantastic. The performers were top notch. Dancers were very impressive. We missed the dueling piano and Beatles shows, but heard from other passengers that they were very good.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Service was not bad, but it was not outstanding either. Servers seemed to just go through the motions and didn't seem to really care much, even in the specialty dining restaurants. Our room steward was very nice - he was more personable than any other staff we encountered.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The Epic is an older ship, and you can definitely see places that could use some updating and/or fresh paint. Layout was ok and we didn't have trouble getting around. Overall, the ship was kept clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
Cabin was great. Excellent location (close to spa, elevators and stairs). The only complaint that I had, which is a good problem to have, was that there was too much storage space. I would rather of had more square footage in the room than so many cabinets. Many people complain about the sink being in the open area, but for us, it worked out fine.
Ship tip
Bring an extension cord or power strip - there was only one outlet in the room, and it was across from the bed. If you use a sleep machine, you will need an extension cord.
Locals were very friendly. We did a simple 2 hour tour on an open air vehicle. Roads were very steep and had sharp turns, but once at top of hills had spectacular views. Still very damaged from hurricane, but beautiful. Shopping was nice right off the boat.
We had a short day at this port and did a tour that was about 2 hours. It took us all over the island, with multiple stops for photos. Excellent views. Shopping was easy to get to from ship.
My only complaint here was that there was no dock, so we had to be tendered on/off ship. Otherwise, the island was clean, picturesque, and there were plenty of lounge chairs. Food was like on the ship - "blah", but was easy to get, as were the drinks.
It took 40 minutes from start to finish to exit the ship and retrieve our luggage to board bus back to airport. It would have been helpful to have more crew members directing passengers on where to go.
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