Cheap cruise but hate this ship

Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 2.5
Author: teamflames

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review

teamflames

Contributor Level: First Mate

16 Days Till Next Cruise

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 27

Helpful Votes: 606

Overall rating:

2.5 out of 5

13 Night Transatlantic Westbound (Barcelona To Port Canaveral)

Sail date: November 04, 2018

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 5 years ago

Review summary

Very cheap price led us to try our first mega ship. Hated everything about the ship layout and design. Food was the worst at sea. Officers and management were incompetent. Entertainment and fellow passengers the only saving grace

Embarkation

1 out of 5

Never seen lines this long. Couldn’t fit inside terminal. Had to have hard copy of esta for first time. Debacle

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

2 out of 5

Food on this cruise was a disaster. First dish ordered was arugula and shrimp salad - out came a bowl of iceberg lettuce with no shrimp. It never improved. The buffet was inedible. Drinks were ok.

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Andre the CD hosted fantastic trivia’s. Gym was so crowded, pools disgusting

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Great comedy, Priscilla show was amazing, good live music but venues were tiny and so everything was repetitive

Service and Staff

2 out of 5

Normally ncl staff is great but it was clear the crew were miserable and officers were arrogant

Ship Quality

1 out of 5

I hate this ship. No windows to the outside, no promenade decks. You cannot see the ocean. Crowds everywhere. Lack of stairs and elevators. Open casino causing smoke throughout the ship. You couldn’t pay me to go back on this floating bomb .

Cabin / Stateroom

1 out of 5

No separate bathroom. No outlets. Sink inside the room. I couldn’t think of a worse cabin design

Ship tip

Don’t sail on this ship. It should be destroyed

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Barcelona, Spain

4 out of 5

Port Canaveral, Florida

3 out of 5

Funchal, Madeira

4 out of 5

Disembarkation

2 out of 5

Nightmare- no system at Port Canaveral. Took hours to get shuttle bus

6 Comments

41pearl 5 years ago

I sailed the Epic across the Atlantic. Yes it has some unusual configurations, but all in all it was great. Clean, great crew, good food. As long as you preplan and book your dinners/ shows prior to sailing, it shouldn't be an issue.

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

gigcruiser 5 years ago

I really enjoyed the Epic and have booked again with family. What cruise line has got it right please as I would be interested to book something different.

Thumbs Up 0

Flag

walsba 5 years ago

I have been on the Epic. Yes, the design is weird having the sink in the room, but I love NCL and I always have a great time cruising with my friends. I don't let the little things bother me. Don't like your food, order something else. I usually cruise with 3 friends. We order several appetizers to share so we can taste a variety. We do the same with desserts. It works out well for us.

Thumbs Up 5

Flag

cruisinthelight 5 years ago

Mega-ships not for every cruiser. I know it can be difficult to deal with the crowds, the pre-planning that you have to do when on ship with so many thousands and I agree that even customer service suffers compared to a smaller, more intimate venue. But now you know what you definately do NOT like. There are def ships that will be more to your liking, and the plus side is they tend to be cheaper than the bigger, more innovative vessels. As a native new yorker the crowds and waiting do not phase me. It would drive me nuts to be on a small outdated ship. Cruising will fit most families, they just gave to find a cruiseline/ship that suits their style.

Thumbs Up 4

Flag

Gpeerman1 5 years ago

Hopefully I'm never on a cruise with you

Thumbs Up 3

Flag

CruzeFan 5 years ago

Glad you enjoyed it.

Thumbs Up 2

Flag

Other reviews of this sailing

Family Cruise. How Great is God!!

The Hunger Games

Enjoyable cruise with excellent food