We enjoyed the cruise, but not the ship. The itinerary was good, but there should have been more time in the ports.
Embarkation
5 out of 5
The staff and facilities at Port Canaveral were excellent. This was the most pleasant and efficient check-in for a cruise that I have ever experienced!
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
4 out of 5
We dined in the Garden Cafe, the Manhattan Room, Taste, O'Sheehan's, Moderno, and Cagney's. The results were mixed. Moderno and Cagney's (specialty dining) were excellent. The food in O'Sheehan's was good, but the service was terrible (slow and inattentive). We walked out once because we couldn't get service. The Manhattan Room and Taste (main dining rooms) were better than on other Norwegian ships. The food was good and the service prompt. We were disappointed in the Garden Cafe (buffet). The salad bar was small and lacking in ingredients (no croutons?). At breakfast, there were no waffles (one of my favorites on a cruise), but the omelets continue to be excellent and the bacon abundant. The setup was such that there were long, slow lines for featured items.
Onboard Activities
3 out of 5
Facilities were crowded and we opted not to participate.
Entertainment
4 out of 5
Burn the Floor (musical/dance review) and magician Joseph Reohm were outstanding, as was the Beatles tribute band. Comedians Omid Singh and Travis Nelson were disappointing, as they repeated the same material for different shows. As comedians they were just okay and we're sorry we wasted so much time on them.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
Staff were pleasant and well trained.
Ship Quality
2 out of 5
This is the worst Norwegian ship. The worst. Everything seemed "off" about this ship. Everything from the placement of the elevator banks to the decor was bizarre. Spaces that should have felt spacious seemed cramped. The fitness center was tired and rundown. I had to go through the spa to get to it. The TVs on the treadmills only had three entertainment channels. I will never sail on the Epic again.
Cabin / Stateroom
1 out of 5
The design of the room weird. There is no bathroom. As you walk into the cabin, the toilet is to the left (behind frosted glass) and the shower is to the right (again, behind frosted glass). There is a curtain to separate this area from the rest of the cabin. Very tacky. The design of the basin was such that if the water was turned on too high, it splashed all over the counter. The closet was directly in front of the curved couch, and there wasn't much space between the two. Every time I needed to get into the closet, my wife had to move. Because of the curved design, my wife could find only one comfortable place to sit. There was insufficient desk space with barely enough room for my laptop. There was almost no storage space by the bed. We needed help to figure out the lighting. Some switches are hidden. Electrical outlets were insufficient and hidden. The temperature control was very inconvenient to get to. The television had less than half of the entertainment channels on other Norwegian ships. The best thing about the room was the balcony which was very spacious.
Amber Cove is a cruise port destination that is not near anything. It is a $70 r/t cab ride into Puerto Plata. The port shops are all the same and overpriced, but it was a clean and pleasant area.
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