Excellent first cruise

Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 4.9
Author: Amethyste27

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review

Amethyste27

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 31

Overall rating:

4.9 out of 5

7 Night Western Mediterranean (Barcelona Roundtrip)

Sail date: October 17, 2021

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 14117

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 3 years ago

Review summary

It was my first cruise and I loved it. Can't wait for the next one. I miss being on the Epic.

Embarkation

5 out of 5

Embarkation was really efficient, and we were on the ship within 40 minutes of arrival at the port. The covid test was done quickly, and we had the results by email before they came up on the screen (the wait was pretty nerve-wracking). After that everything was really smooth.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Food and drink was really good. We had the premium drinks package so got to try lots of interesting cocktails. I especially liked the Sidecar and the Sparkling Garden. My one criticism is that the vegetarian options tended to lean heavily towards pasta and were repeated each night. It would have been nice to have some lighter options like veggie burgers or quorn. However the food was very nice, especially in Taste.

Onboard Activities

5 out of 5

There were lots of activities and lots of nice places to just sit and chill or sunbathe. Even with the restrictions which meant we stayed on the ship for a couple of the Italian ports, we were never bored. I enjoyed trying the slides and we also took part in some of the trivia games.

Entertainment

5 out of 5

Excellent. I loved the Epic Beatles, Burn the Floor, Priscilla and Isabel Commandeur. It was also nice to sit and relax in Shakers, listening to Don Juan. The jazz band in the Manhattan Room were also really good.

Service and Staff

5 out of 5

I could not fault the staff. They were so helpful and friendly and always happy to have a chat and a joke.

Ship Quality

5 out of 5

The ship was really clean. People were constantly cleaning things and reminding everyone to wear their mask and sanitise. I really liked the layout of the stateroom.

Cabin / Stateroom

5 out of 5

I loved our cabin. It was quiet and cozy, yet spacious. I liked the separate toilet and shower.

Ship tip

Go to deck 17 for quiet sunbathing.

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Ports of call

Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Italy

5 out of 5

We went on the Leaning Tower of Pisa climb. It was so interesting and not as hard as you might think. The tower and cathedral are beautiful.

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Naples, Italy

5 out of 5

We went on the Pompeii Excavations excursion. It was really interesting, and our guides, Marcello and Carmine, were very knowledgeable and fun.

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Palma De Mallorca, Balearic Islands

5 out of 5

Really pretty - not at all what I thought Majorca was like.

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Barcelona, Spain

5 out of 5

We embarked in Barcelona, and had got there a day early so we had a bit of time to explore. It is a beautiful city. It is worth checking out the Gaudi buildings, and the Gothic Quarter is really interesting.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

5 out of 5

We did self-disembarkation, which was really fast and easy.

Traveler Photos

11 Comments

cluaran 2 years ago

The Epic is my favourite ship. Sailed on her 5 times, last time 10th Oct 2021. Never lets me down. Great staff, service, food, entertainment.. I'll be back 😊

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hollysmomtravel 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing

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Amethyste27 3 years ago

@dumfy75 I'm pretty sure the Glow Party was on the 6th night. We went to the shows (and Cavern Club) rather than the parties on the pool deck, but I don't think there were any other themed nights when we were on the ship.

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Amethyste27 3 years ago

@juli04 Hi, yes we only went to one speciality restaurant, La Cucina. It was nice but I was disappointed that there no vegetarian main courses so I had to go for a pasta dish as my entree. Personally I found the main dining rooms better than La Cucina.

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javawoody 3 years ago

Glad you enjoyed your first cruise

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Juli04 3 years ago

May I ask, did you eat at any of the specialty dinning restaurants? Did you liked any in particular?

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Juli04 3 years ago

Thanks for your review, I’m taking this cruise and every info is welcomed

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Dumfy75 3 years ago

Glad you loved your first cruise and thanks for the review! Epic was also my first cruise and I can’t wait to be back on next April for my hen party 💃 We’re only on from Barcelona to Rome for our one, were there any theme nights (like glow party) on the first 3 nights can you remember? Thanks!

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cruising2004 3 years ago

Thank you for sharing your experience

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natelorip 3 years ago

Welcome to the wonderful world of cruising. Thanks for the review.

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BOBANDSUSAN 3 years ago

Thanks for sharing! Look forward to our Mediterranean cruise on Epic September 6, 2022 🛳🥂🥳

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