We had a blast on the Epic. I think it helped that it was not at full capacity. We never had to wait for a table for dinner or buffet. We were spoiled. With the exception of the overcrowded Thermal Suite and the terrible DJs, we loved our experience. The staff were all helpful and friendly and the ship was super-clean!
Embarkation
2 out of 5
We were given the 0900-0930 window in which to embark. We arrived at 0900 and quickly made it through the Covid testing process. We were done with that around 0915. We went back over to the pier and then stood in the security line for about an hour. They weren't even open. When we finally made it through security (which took no time once it was opened), we got handed a boarding pass (Group 30 - I don't know why we were in such a late group number since we were the first group there). We then waited in line for our cruising credentials. The staff that helped us was very efficient and friendly. When we completed that process, we assumed that we would be allowed on the ship. Nope. We had to wait until almost 1200 to board. I don't understand why we were given a 0900 embarkment time when you didn't have security open and you weren't going to start boarding until after 1100. I've been on other cruise lines and by far NCL has the worst embarkation process. You all really need to evaluate it and fix it. It's been a horrible experience on ever NCL cruise I've taken.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
All were fantastic. The staff were helpful and friendly. The food and selections were top notch.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
My only complaint is the Thermal Spa pass that we pre-purchased. First, the environment is supposed to be relaxing - or that's at least how I thought it was supposed to be. It was like a party in there everyday. We were also told that it would be limited to 100 people. On one given day I sat there and counted at least 75 people that I hadn't seen in there the day before. NCL sold way over 100 and that's disappointing because people don't limit their usage of the heated chairs to 30 minutes and there were times that you couldn't get into the whirlpools because they were so crowded. Need to sell less and take care of the customers you have.
Entertainment
3 out of 5
Loved the Queen show and Don Juan as a performer. He is amazing. The dueling pianos were excellent as well. Some of the other entertainment was sub par at best and your DJs were terrible. For example, there was an 80s themed party. There was maybe 30 minutes of 80s music played then he switched to modern rap and dance songs. He alienated the crowd and most left.
The Beatles band was very good, but not as good as the one I saw on the Norwegian Joy on our Alaska cruise.
Service and Staff
5 out of 5
Amazing job!
Ship Quality
5 out of 5
Everything was very clean and well-maintained!
Cabin / Stateroom
5 out of 5
I thought our room was excellent. Weirdly laid out, but there was a TON of storage which I LOVED!
I wish there were more diverse excursion offerings for this port. We did not do an excursion, but we walked around town and went to the cigar bar. The cigar bar was completely overpriced and we will not go there again (2 beers and 4 mojitos were over 75$) .
We always love St. Maarten. We did not do an excursion, but we love the beach and the beach bars. We usually do some shopping there and we find that their prices are reasonable.
We did the snorkeling trip. The waters were extremely choppy. We only got to snorkel for about 15 minutes before the Captain said it was too dangerous. That was a little disappointing, but not his fault. We just cruised around a little more. Afterwards, we walked around the shops, went to the Pirate Museum (which is AWESOME) and rode the tram to the top of the island. St. Thomas was probably the most fun on our trip!
We stayed an extra night in San Juan. We did a walking tour and visited the forts. There was also a really cool Christmas market that was selling locally made wares. Old Town San Juan was very fun!
Very easy. Better than most of my other cruises, but I wish they had an even later check out time. Ours was at 0845, but we didn't get off until almost 1000. We hurried up to wait. Kind of like embarkation.
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