Nice cruise, Crowded.

Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 4.2
Author: KingKamehameha

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Caribbean - Southern

KingKamehameha

Contributor Level: Purser

Cruises: 1 cruise (first)

Review: 1

Helpful Votes: 18

Overall rating:

4.2 out of 5

7 Night Southern Caribbean (San Juan Roundtrip)

Sail date: January 15, 2023

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 8007

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 1 year ago

Review summary

Fun, but very crowded ship. Norwegian Epic was over 6000 persons with passengers and crew. Instead of relaxing, we had to compete for every activity. It felt as if every activity was a nickel and dime ploy to wrest money from the customers. We felt more like marks, than guests.

Embarkation

4 out of 5

Long lines

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Specialty restaurants were good, but crowding limited access.

The Manhattan Room

3 out of 5

The food was OK, the service was really slow and caused us to miss a show. A member of our party was turned away for wearing shorts. Long pants are required.

Taste

5 out of 5

Good food and excellent service. Little crowded, but taste was consistently good. Sit down breakfast was a excellent alternative to the buffet at The Garden Café.

O'Sheehans Neighborhood Bar and Grill

2 out of 5

The food was so so, and the service was terrible. We were consistently ignored, and had to wait a long time. It was crowded, and it felt like the staff was overwhelmed.

Garden Cafe

5 out of 5

Surprisingly good food. Somewhat crowded, but always found a seat.

Cagney's Steakhouse

4 out of 5

Good food. Good service

Onboard Activities

4 out of 5

Good fitness center. Outdoor track has limited views. Crowding limited access to water slides, pools, and hot tubs.

Fitness Center

5 out of 5

Excellent with a great view. Good selection and one of the few things on board that wasn’t overcrowded. Excellent showers better that stateroom.

Jogging Track

3 out of 5

The view is blocked by life boats. It is only one side of the ship and feels like It was added as an afterthought. It would’ve been much more enjoyable if it went all the way around the boat in the loop.

Epic Plunge

3 out of 5

45 minute wait for 60 second ride. Over crowded. Great view from the top.

Entertainment

4 out of 5

Howling at the moon (pianos) with Rhonda Hughs was excellent. The Epic Beatles show was great, if you got there 1.5 hours ahead of time to get into to the very limited seating (too crowded).

Epic Theatre

3 out of 5

The theater was good. The show was not so good.

Children's Programs

No kids on trip

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Room steward excellent. Service at O’Sheehans was terrible. Service at the Manhattan Room was slow (we missed a show because of the slow service (too Crowded). Service at ztaste was excellent

Ship Quality

3 out of 5

Ship has an odd design with cramped staterooms (balcony). The toilet and shower are just inside the door off the corridor. It was so crowded, it was hard to get on an elevator.

Cabin / Stateroom

3 out of 5

Small. Clean. Joke sink. Balcony wasn’t full view. View was from a waist high oval port through the hull.

Ship tip

Try to go when the ship isn’t full capacity. The staff and facilities were overwhelmed. Every activity was a ploy to get us to spend more. Was a but like being in the mall on Christmas Eve.

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