The Epic is a really nice ship that offers lots of options for dining and on-board activities. Do your homework for what you want to see and do in the ports.
The only negative thing I can say about the Epic was my spa experience. I had a 75 minute massage scheduled. It happened to be during the time the ship was ready to leave a port. The noise from the engine propellers was awful and very annoying. I spoke with the spa manager about the experience (this was a 200.00 massage!) I explained that I was not comfortable or relaxed during the massage. I also mentioned that the music that was piped in was a "cosmic" genre of music and not a relaxing type one would be accustomed to when having a massage. I asked the spa manager to meet me halfway and charge me just 100.00 instead of 200.00. She said they would give me another massage for 30 minutes which I didn't want.
Overall, the Epic was fantastic and I will be sailing on her again next February in the Caribbean!
Embarkation
5 out of 5
Very quick, easy and painless!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
The food was always good no matter where we ate. We dined in the main dining rooms, Taste and The Manhatten as well as the Garden Cafe. The food was always hot, fresh and tasty. We did not dine at any of the specialty restaurants but heard from other passengers they were good.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
We participated in bingo, bowling and shopping. We enjoyed the boutiques on-board and
Entertainment
4 out of 5
We saw three performances while on-board. "Burn the Floor" was fabulous, it is similar to Dancing with the Stars. We enjoyed the high level of energy the performers had. The Beatles show was great as well, the performer who played Paul McCartney even played his guitar left-handed as Paul does. Very cool show and great singing. The last show we saw was Priscilla. It was a bit on the edge for us (which they do warn you) the acting and singing were done well, but would have appreciated not hearing the "F Bomb" during the performance. My friend and I were shocked that they actually said that a few times in the show.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Almost every crew member we encountered, greeted us with a warm smile and was willing to help us with whatever we needed. There was only one person in guest services who seemed like she hated her job (there was more than one occasion we had to interact with her) other than her, the staff was amazing!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
The ship was very clean and always cared about the guests safety with germs etc. The Garden Cafe greeters always had a spray bottle ready to clean our hands. Our cabin was very clean and comfortable.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
We had a mini-suite balcony which had a lot of room. We were two friends sharing the cabin and we did not use all of the space that was provided. I've seen other posts regarding the bathroom issue, here's out take. Yes, the sink is separate from the shower. We liked that because one person could be in the shower while the other was brushing their teeth/washing face etc. The sink is small but functional. The shower was a bit difficult to get in and out of. If you're handicapped, forget it, you will need a handicap room. I also suggest having a rubber bath mat as the floor was extremely slick. It also might be a good idea to bring an extension cord with you. There is only one outlet near the center of the cabin. I like to use a sleep app when traveling and I could not do that as the phone would've been too far away.
The only reason I'm giving this 3 stars as we were scammed by a local tour company and not NCL. We wanted to visit Nice for most of the day and the drive is approximately 1 hour away. The tour company we hired (at the last minute) said we were going to have time and the requested stops and we only had 20 minutes at each stop.
There's a lot to see and do in Barcelona. We went on our own and took taxis around the old town gothic quarter area as well as the La Sagrada Familia church.
We hired a private car and driver to take us around the Amalfi coast. I'm so happy we did this because our guide to us to smaller towns where there was less tourists. Don't even bother seeing Amalfi, way too congested, focus your time on Ravello and Scala and then do a drive through Positano. A word of warning! It is so congested in this area so be prepared to sit in traffic along the coastal road. Lots of tour buses crammed with people, if you really want to see the Amalfi Coast, hire a private car and driver!
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