Great ports of call, good food, horrible ship layout
Embarkation
5 out of 5
This was our first cruise out of San Juan. We booked the shuttle to and from the airport with NCL. I would definitely recommend doing this. The cruise port is a mess. With the ship shuttle we were whisked right to the ship and were given priority boarding. Others who used Uber or another service were left walking 1/2 a mile or more to get to the ship.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
5 out of 5
Hello Starbucks! What a great move to put in Starbucks on the ships and to offer an unlimited package. I will pay for that every cruise. The unlimited works for any drink.
The buffet was so so. The volume of people on the ship combined with the rudeness of people today make for a huge disappointment in eating there. The other restaurants are a better choice.
Onboard Activities
2 out of 5
The EPIC is a horrible ship. The only one in NCL’s fleet and it sucks. The cabins are small and the layout is horrible. Our daughter stayed in a solo room. 99 sq ft is way too small for anyone. The activities on this ship are limited due to space and layout. We tried to do the climbing wall but there was no qualified crew on most days to have it open. The sports deck again was the same. NCL did not do it right with the EPIC.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
The service was decent in areas. What I notified on this cruise was the employees did not look happy. Most did not smile or engage with guests. It was like they were forced to be here and could not wait to get out of their job. We did meet a couple of award winners. Albert who is in Taste was our favorite. We made sure he was rewarded and recognized. I think once we made some conversations employees appreciated the engagement. Maybe too many times guests are just lousy to them.
Ship Quality
1 out of 5
Horrible ship!! We have been on her twice and will never cruise on her again. The layout is terrible, the cabins suck! If NCL could they should sell her for scrap. No other NCL ship we have been on has such a layout. No open space, no room to breath. The ship was kept clean.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
This is a bigger transition balcony. The size was better than a standard balcony.
That was the only good thing. The bed is on a curved wall and the headboard is curved. Sleeping was less than enjoyable. I found my feet would dangle off the edge often and I am 5’10”. The curve makes the bed smaller.
The bathrooms, plural because your toilet is on one side of the cabin and the shower is on the opposite. If you use the bathroom you have to go into the cabin space to wash your hands. The sink is across from the bed.
There is ample storage space.
Ship tip
If you port out of San Juan, take the ships shuttle service. San Juan is a mess. On the ship purchase the unlimited Starbucks package! Book speciality dining as early as you can. It fills up quick, unless you want to eat dinner at 9:30 pm
This was easy and quick. We chose to use NCL’s shuttle to the airport. Definitely use this from San Juan. The port is a mess and getting an Uber took our others we met hours to get a car and they had to walk 1/2 a mile to get one.
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