Norwegian Epic, October 20, 2019
Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Europe - Western Mediterranean
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Second Mate
Cruises: 4-6 cruises
Reviews: 4
Helpful Votes: 116
7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)
Sail date: October 20, 2019
Ship: Norwegian Epic
Traveled as: Couple
Reviewed: 5 years ago
Review summary
This cruise is all about the ports. Every cruise I've been on has been very relaxing, but this one wore me out. Not complaining, it was worth it. Just know what you're getting.Embarkation
We booked a hotel through Norwegian for the night before the cruise, which included transportation to the dock. The hotel was right in the middle of the protests going on in Barcelona at the time. We were supposed to leave at noon, the driver got everyone together and on the bus at 11:45 in order to be out of the area before the protests. Embarcation went smoothly and quickly, especially for a ship of this size.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
This was the first cruise where I did the specialty dining, because I don't think it's necessary since the main dining rooms are so good. I got the specialty dining as one of my free perks. First was Tepanyaki, the attraction there is the performance in cooking the food. You're seated around the cooktop with a group of six. If you can't decide what to get, don't worry, the cook makes extra, and If there's something you want that you didn't order, there's always extra which he'll share. The second was the Cirque Dreams show. This is a do not miss on the Epic. The dinner is the same for everyone, you take what you get. The entrée was a steak in peppercorn sauce, it was tasty and very tender. My wife didn't like the peppercorn sauce, but she's picky (Don't tell her I said that.) Even with the free dining perk, there is an extra charge, I don't remember how much but well worth it. Third was Cagney's steakhouse. We both had the filet mignon and lobster, and were well satisfied. The raspberry crème brulet is the dessert specialty of the house, and is great. Main dining rooms were great, if you don't get the free dining perk and don't want to pay extra for specialty dining, you'll still have a wonderful dining experience. Taste and O'Sheehan's are open for breakfast, we had breakfast at Taste or at the buffet if we had an early shore excursion. The vanilla pound cake French toast at Taste is not to be missed. We ate dinner at the Manhattan Room when we didn't have a specialty dining. I think it's the same menu as Taste at dinner, but it's a more elegant room. There is a dance floor and sometimes there is a show at dinner time, and usually some live music. We ate breakfast at the buffet when we had an early shore excursion, there is a lot of variety, and all very tasty. There is the usual soft serve ice cream machine, but also regular ice cream, as I recall, there are six different flavors to choose, maybe eight.
Onboard Activities
The western Mediterranean cruise is all about the ports with only one sea day, we didn't have a lot of time on the ship. I did climb the rock wall once. I've done quite a bit of real climbing in my time, and the crew that operated the climbing wall knew what they were doing, there is no concern about safety. The casino was good to me. Blackjack can be had for $10 with poor rules, so you're better off playing the $15 table with decent rules. Craps is also $10, and roulette is $2 chips, I think it's $10 minimum. There is also Ultimate Texas Hold 'em, three card poker, and Let It Ride, at $5 minimum Judging by the video poker play tables, I'm sure the slots are tight, but plenty to do for the table player.
Entertainment
There is live music played all over the ship. The stage shows were great. We did miss Pricilla Queen of the Desert. I already commented on the Cirque Dreams show. It's a do not miss. Burn the Floor was very entertaining also. We saw the Epic Beatles in the theater, they packed the theater out. They usually play in the Cavern Club, which we didn't do because we're early to bed types, and the show starts at 1030 pm. Since they packed out the theater, it must be hard to get into the smaller Cavern Club.
Service and Staff
I've always received great service on Norwegian. No complaints at all.
Ship Quality
Reviews of the Epic tend to be love it or hate it. I'm in the love it category. All outside rooms are balconies. The ship does have some quirks, but nothing to get upset about. We were in an aft facing room, the aft elevators don't go down to the fifth deck, so to get there we either had to walk all the way to the front elevators, or (more convenient) go to the sixth floor and take the escalator down. The ship is kept spotlessly clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
I'm not going to go into too much detail, because the balcony rooms are discussed and cussed at length on every cruise forum. The walls are curved, which gives the room a different feel than just a box. Looking at the deck plans, the bed is on the concave part of the wall. Most people seem to prefer the bed next to the balcony, so keep that in mind when booking. The bathroom is the subject of most of the criticism. The shower, toilet, and sink are seperated. When you walk into the room, the shower is on one side, the toilet on the other, and the sink further into the room next to the shower. Another love it or hate it feature. The Mediterranean cruise is all about the ports, and all of the port times except for Palma are from 6:00 to 8:00 am. You'll appreciate the seperation when two can get ready at once, one in the shower, one shaving or brushing teeth at the sink, etc. Also by having the areas seperated, the shower and toilet areas are bigger than other ships I've been on. Privacy leaves a lot to be desired though, since the doors are frosted glass. If you're with someone you don't want to see each other naked,there is a curtain seperating the bathroom area from the rest of the room. Be sure to lock the dead bolt too, you don't want someone coming in while you're in the shower. The aft facing balcony gave a wonderful view, the cons are that it is noisier, but most of the noise is blocked out when the door is closed, and you do get some vibration from the propellers. On the plus side, it is fun watching the docking procedure from the balcony. Ever wonder how they get the mooring lines to the dock? I didn't but now I know. A ball on a light line is thrown (very low tech, but it works) to a towboat, the light line is pulled in to get a heavier line, which is attached to the mooring line, and it's taken to the dock. The cabin has a lot of storage, my wife over packed, but we only used about 2/3 of the available storage. There are plenty of YouTube videos showing the rooms, it's easier to see it than to explain where all the storage nooks and crannies are.
Ship tip
Reading reviews of the Epic, some people get way too upset about the room layout. You may or may not like it, but don't get upset about it. There is a laundry special in the middle of the cruise on all Norwegian ships, whatever you can stuff into the laundry bag will be cleaned, folded, and deilvered to your room for $20. This is much easier than packing enough clothes for the entire vacation. When you're in Europe, be sure to have a few coins with you. Public restrooms charge half to one euro to use. If you go in a restaurant, coffee shop, or other business with a restroom, you can use the restroom for free if you're a customer.
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Ports of call
We arrived in Barcelona the night before the cruise, and stayed four days after. The two main attractions in Barcelona are La Sagrada Familia and the Picasso museum. Definately get tickets for both of them ahead of time, otherwise you'll be wating in line for a long time if they're not sold out already. There is a park on the east side of La Sagrada Familia with a pond, stop there and get pictures of the church reflected in the pond. If you're staying in Barcelona, food is very reasonable at tapas bars, a good meal for two runs 15 to less than 20 euros. Tickets for the Metro, also good on busses, can be had for 10.60 euros for 10 rides, and the ticket can be shared. This is a big discount over the 2.20 euros for one ride, and will get you everywhere you want to go quickly. If you want to see Park Guell, part of it requires a ticket, and they do sell out, get them ahead of time. Mont Juic is another park worth seeing. Tickets for the Miro museum can be purchased at the door, no long lines or selling out ahead of time.
We did a shore excursion to the Amalfi coast and Pompeii. Both were fascinating and well worth seeing.
When you look at the port times, and see that you're here for 12 hours, you may think you have a lot of time. (The same goes for Livorno). We did the Rome on Your Own shore excursion, which leaves an hour after the ship docks. Then it's an hour and a half or more, depending on traffic, to get to Rome and back. Then you have to be back on the ship half an hour before departure. So that leaves 7 1/2 hours in Rome. We got tickets for the Vatican Museum and Sistine Chapel. When you get your shore excursion tickets, there is a note saying to not book anything before 11:00 am. Of course, this is too late, keep it in mind when planning your cruise. The same goes in Livorno if you're going to Florence or Pisa. Rome was amazing, but way overcrowded. The cruise goes to Rome on Wednesday, which is the day the Pope gives a public address, so it may be more crowded that day. We couldn't get close enough to the Trevi Fountain to throw a coin in, and even with timed tickets, the Sistine Chapel was wall to wall people, good thing what you want to see is on the ceiling.
Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy
See my comments on the timing of the shore excursion on Rome, the same thing applies here. My wife and I both felt that Florence was the best city we visited. We booked the Hop on-Hop off bus, and went ot the Uffizi Gallery. Florence was the center of the Renisannce, and the Uffizi shows it. It did take enough time to see that we didn't do the hop on-hop off bus, after the Uffizi, we got some lunch and went to the Duomo (right next to the Uffizi), did a little shopping then it was time to go.
Cannes was nice, but I live in Southern California. If I want to shop at stores I can't afford, I can go to Beverly Hills or Newport Beach. There is a tour called "The Little Train" that will take you around the city, as I recall it was 12 euros, and starts right outside the port. The cathedral is worth seeing. I don't want to say anything bad about Cannes, it was nice but didn't do it for us otherwise.
Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands
By the time you get to Palma, the itinerary will have you worn out, but you don't get there until 1:00 pm so you can sleep in. Beautiful city, but like Cannes, not a whole lot there. The castle is worth seeing.
Disembarkation
The worst part of the cruise is having to get off at the end. But we got off the ship quickly without much problem.. There is a TI (Tourist Information) booth at the port where you can get all the information you need about Barcelona. If you want a map, it's one euro, if you're staying on, your hotel probably has a free one. Taxis are waiting outside the dock.