In overall, the cruise was a treat after a 1.5 year long isolation. The choice of this cruise was mainly to burn an expiring voucher but we must say that the experience of post-covid cruising was better than expected. All operations on the ship went well, dining and service experience was excellent. The ship is OK, we might choose another one next time and we did not sign up for any future cruise certificate as we do not see many interesting routes with NCL. NOTE: Do not drink the sparkling wine you'll get as a returning guest - unless you really, really want to have a headache.
Embarkation
3 out of 5
Embarkation was quite unorganized and confusing, especially in regards to the COVID tests. Though not frantic as it used to be some days... just unorganized.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We were surprised with the high standard and organization of the staff on board. All went so smoothly and we felt welcomed. The only limitation was that the staff had to dish out items in buffets.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Activities as usual, not the main attraction for us.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Staff was simply great.
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
There are only 2 elevator shafts on the ship, not three. At some decks you have to go to deck 6 and then walk to the mid-ship to go down to the dining room. But it is something you get used to.
Cabin / Stateroom
3 out of 5
I suddenly realized why I did not like the EPIC - the interior of the cabin is weird, with no real bathroom. The aft-facing balcony is good as the back of the ship does not slope: this gives you plenty of privacy.
Palma de Mallorka was one of the few we could visit freely due to Covid. Unfortunately, it was not until we booked the cruise that the ship line wrote us that we will not be able to get out to any port in Italy due to governmental limitations. Italians were telling us that it as really the cruise line's decision, so who knows. It just left many people unhappy - we could not visit any cities (unless we were booked on an organized tour from the ship) and Italians did not get our money.
Disembarkation was very easy. We were one of the last people getting out. Nobody wanted to see anything, no immigration, no checking of the test results, no checking of the arrival record. Strange, as the ship is advising you to fill all the papers beforehand.
Glad you were pleasantly surprised by your cruise experience during Covid, it's definitely not as bad as some people would like to believe. What did you mean by saying your cabin didn't have a real bathroom???
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