An OK Trans-atlantic Trip

Item: Norwegian Epic
Rating: 3.2
Author: billvfitz

Norwegian Epic Cruise Review to Transatlantic

billvfitz

Contributor Level: Second Mate

Cruises: 7+ cruises

Reviews: 9

Helpful Votes: 277

Overall rating:

3.2 out of 5

Verified Review

12 Night Transatlantic: Gibraltar & Alicante (Port Canaveral To Rome)

Sail date: April 07, 2024

Ship: Norwegian Epic

Cabin type: Balcony

Cabin number: 11064

Traveled as: Couple

Reviewed: 6 months ago

Review summary

This was a very economical way to get to Europe. Not sure if we would do it again unless more ports were visited.

Embarkation

1 out of 5

No priority boarding was offered until we spend 2 hours in line. Definitely a disservice to Sapphire Latitude members.

Ship experiences

Food and Dining

4 out of 5

Meals and drinks were all better than expected. The specialty restaurants were all great.

Onboard Activities

3 out of 5

Eight days at sea is a long time! Activities were normal cruise ship fare - not great but not terrible.

Entertainment

3 out of 5

Some good, some not so good. The "magician" was impressive with his card and mentalist skills. The Beatles were OK, not particularly outstanding.

Children's Programs

No kids on the trip

Service and Staff

4 out of 5

Staff were generally helpful and efficient. Lots of smiling faces.

Ship Quality

2 out of 5

The ship is an awkward design, both the cabins and overall layout. A little difficult to navigate.

Cabin / Stateroom

4 out of 5

The cabin was fine - everything worked. The limited power outlets is a downside.

Ship tip

Our cabin location (deck 11 forward) was surprisingly good.

Thumbs up

Ports of call

Port Canaveral, Florida

2 out of 5

Difficult to get to the cruise port from an airport hotel - need to book a shuttle service. The Orlando airport is a nightmare.

Thumbs Up 0

Gibraltar (U.K.) Did not visit port

The port was skipped due to mechanical issues with the ship.

Thumbs Up 0

Alicante, Spain

3 out of 5

An interesting port - not particularly outstanding. The bus tour was OK.

Thumbs Up 0

Civitavecchia (Rome), Italy

3 out of 5

The port is about an hour from Rome by train, so a little awkward with luggage, but manageable. Rome is "eternal" but crowded and dirty.

Thumbs Up 0

Disembarkation

3 out of 5

Not bad, but a lot of walking.

9 Comments

MonicaFonck 5 months ago

THanks for sharing. But we loved the Epic when we sailed in 2023, we just booked a 15 day transatlantic from NYC to Rome and are super excited. Civitavecchia is one of the best embarkation and diembarkation ports. Super easy. Room configuration is fine, as we are european and are use to the sink being outside of the bathroom. Just remember that you are on vacation and not permanently living on the ship LOL

Thumbs Up 0

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songwine 6 months ago

Thank you for your review.

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Lounray 6 months ago

Not sure if I could handle 8 sea day is on Epic either, thanks for sharing.

Thumbs Up 0

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Gwbigdog 6 months ago

Thanks for sharing

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javawoody 6 months ago

Thanks for the review

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BnCTcruising 6 months ago

Thanks for the review

Thumbs Up 0

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cruising2004 6 months ago

Thank you for your review.

Thumbs Up 0

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bubbles60 6 months ago

We are not sea day folks, so we don't think a transatlantic is the cruise for us. Sorry you missed Gibraltar. That is a bucket list port for us. We do always enjoy an NCL cruise.

Thumbs Up 1

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HeavySeas 6 months ago

Thanks for sharing

Thumbs Up 0

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