NCL is awesome but Epic not so much

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Eastern

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)
Review: 1
Helpful Votes: 45

Overall rating:

4 out of 5
Norwegian Epic

7 Night Eastern Caribbean (Port Canaveral Roundtrip)

Sail date: April 13, 2019

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Traveled as: Singles/Friends

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Loving the Freestyle concept but will try to avoid Spring Break and holidays in the future. If you don't like to wait or hate crowds then stick to the small ships. If you are on vacation and got time and people skills go for the entertainment/activities/ food galore available on the larger ships.

Embarkation

5 out of 5
The embarkation was handled quickly and efficiently. I heard people complaining and couldn't believe my ears. It was maybe 20 minutes from handing my luggage to the porters and saying "no thanks" to the photographer. People were waiting at airport security almost three hours at DFW!

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5
I only ate at the buffet once, walked through twice. It wasn't for me, however others had only good things to say about the buffet. There were many, many choices. The taste was not up to my expectations. I like my food seasoned during the cooking process and I imagine the Chefs aren't really able to in order to accommodate the masses. Speciality restaurants were better for me, but the main dining rooms were consistently good! Le Bistro by far was the best service on or off the ship and the meal was stellar. I raved about my meal there the rest of the cruise. Moderno had great food, but we had a less than good experience service wise. Cagneys was just average compared to Le Bistro due to service and La Cucina would have ranked very high because their sauces were fabulous, but the chicken in my dish was overcooked to the point it wasn't edible.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5
I enjoyed the Spa, Spice H2O in the evenings but avoided the crowded pool area during the day, and packed my afternoons and evenings with Mandy's (Cruise Director extraordinaire) cast list of options. I do not know how she and her team have so much energy. It seemed they stayed high energy for 20 hours a day! I was exhausted just thinking about it.

Entertainment

5 out of 5
Priscilla Queen of the Desert, Burn the Floor, Levity comedy shows, the bands, the nightclub...fun, fun, fun!

Children's Programs

I didn't have any children with me, but met a few who were having a great time. I enjoyed their little show at the end showing some of their fun activities. It was held on the theater stage and I clapped like the Mom I was for my daughter when she was young.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5
The staff make the trip on the Epic. Although it is my goal to avoid older ships due to all the maintenance issues I experienced on the Epic, I had a great time because of the team effort of the staff and the great cruisers aboard.

Ship Quality

1 out of 5
Clean looking but not well maintained with layout that requires lots of walking.

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5
Loved the Solo Studios but the lock for the complex door by my cabin was faulty so it would take 20 minutes of trying the keycard to get in, if they worked at all and my shower door kept falling off and hitting me.🤨

Ship tip

Pick a different ship

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

5 out of 5
Beautiful and relaxing

Tortola, British Virgin Islands

5 out of 5
Don't do the tour. Beach or excursions.

Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

4 out of 5
Shopping or an excursion is the way to go.

Great Stirrup Cay (Cruise Line Private Island), Bahamas

5 out of 5
Beautiful beach day. Great place to skip the excursions and sun with a high SPF!

Disembarkation

4 out of 5
Fast enough but I wouldn't rush to get off the ship due to the long lines.
Was this review helpful? 45

2 Comments

cruisereckoning    4 years ago

Sorry you had some disappointments.

gigcruiser    5 years ago

The shower door fell on you? Hope you didn't get hurt and they fixed it OK. What cabin please - I will be in the studios in about 7 weeks.

Other reviews of this sailing