Norwegian Epic Cruise Reviews - Reviews

I have been dreaming and plotting this trip for years. It ended up being truly charmed, much better than I hoped. Each port was spectacular and my shore excursions went off without a hitch. I booked excursions with AA and saved a lot of money over the cruise line excursions.

Nice friendly service, well organized, good logistics. But there was a hugh bottleneck with just one guy on the internet desk to sell packages and resolve the many issues. Had to wait in line for over an hour several times.

I really enjoyed the trip.  I traveled with my husband, daughter and four girlfriends and we had a blast.  I used Norwegian to book my flights and transfers from the airport to the cruise ship and everything was seamless.  The boat was great and the staff was amazing.  The excursions I booked through the cruise line were also well organized and fun.  The tour guides were knowledgeable and funny.  We learned a lot and we laughed a lot.  The only issue we had during our trip was the fact that a very large tour group was on our cruise.  They were rude, pushy and unpleasant.  If the group wasn't on our cruise it would have been perfection.  Unfortunately they were such a large group we could not get away from their bad behavior.  I have taken about 10 cruises and this is the first time I have had this type of experience.

If I were to use this cruise line again I would hope that we would not have the same experience.  Since this was our first time using this line, I might consider giving them another try.  But it would have to be a cruise closer to home.  

This was our second time sailing with NCL and the first time sailing the Mediterranean.  We booked our cabin within the Haven and could not be happier that we did.  The only way to cruise.

Overall the cruise was okay, but not spectacular.  Food offerings in main dining rooms was mediocre and lacked variety.  We will note, however, that the service was great and for the most part the wait staff was congenial and attentive. Our experience with Sasha, manager in the Manhattan Dining Room, was especially accommodating. 

With the exception of the piano bar and Poalo, the guitarist, the entertainment was extremely disappointing.  It lacked variety and was often distasteful and offensive.  Wise up Norwegian.  Think about more family oriented fare.

Thanks to our very competent and friendly cabin steward our room was always clean, suitable for sleeping and showering.  The cabin was adequate but not a place to spend much time.  That is understandable, but we would have preferred more areas on board for quite time and simply enjoying the ocean views.

For those relying on wifi, forget it!  Ours was included as a "feebie" and was never fully functional.  Had we paid for this service, we would have demanded a refund.  If one has other choices, don't go for the wifi.

We shared our cruise with a very large contingent of passengers from a large cosmetics company (about 3000 of the 4100 guest capacity on board were members of this group).  We believe this contributed to extreme overcrowding at the buffet dining and we often found ourselves being trapped in large groups of these passengers self-involved in their own pursuits and allowing little common courtesy to other guests.

We would probably not sail on a ship of this size in the future. 

The cruise itinerary was wonderful. The boarding and disembarkarion processes were easy and hassle free. The staff could have been friendly and the service in dining room and restaurants could have been more speedy. The cruise did not have many options for activities or entertainment. 

Our adult sons had been to Europe recently and insisted this was the time to go while we were still physically able to enjoy all of the sites and sights. The itinerary looked appealing ( and it was FANTASTIC!) and they had never cruised. We have cruised a few times on Norwegian and remembered our first Free Style cruise and loved it. Disappointments - 1. Room - we had a balcony and layout is "nested" with next room so there is a wider and narrower portion and we always felt congested. Loved the balcony and storage/hated the toilet and shower right inside the door. Sons had inside room across hall. It was ok but they mentioned when they knocked on the door that someone had reversed our "peephole" so it was a telescope into the room. 2. Bar- had all inclusive package but it wasn't applicable in The Bistro and Garden Café. Paid for 4 drinks and tips - $54 excessive "extra" that wasn't necessary - way under our 15 "drink" per day limit (includes pop-virgin cocktails). Bar staff was terrible on every deck. Maybe it was their awareness that the tip was prepaid, but hard to find service and long waits, understaffed. 3. With the exception of Priscillia Queen of the Desert rest of entertainment was blah. Bravo to the specialty restaurants (great service and delicious food), large supply of deck chairs, variety at Garden Buffet, fluid embarking and disembarking. Best way to see a large part of Europe in a week. Loved every port and even reasonable ship tours at Cannes (to Monaco) and Marseille/Avignon. Will most likely do it again in coming years.

Beautiful ship, friendly service, great food and drinks, and our room was quiet and comfortable. Excursions were fantastic! The Entire trip was smooth and very enjoyable. Definitely will choose Norwegian again over all! 

We had a fabulous time on this cruise! Each port was perfectly planned and we loved the complimentary dining options. The service was perfect-especially keeping tables cleaned promptly. We really like the "free style" way of cruising.

We just returned from a fabulous week on Epic! The staff were all amazing and deserve praise. Our spa mini suite was just as expected, and the bathroom set-up not really a problem. The food overall was good, especially in the specialty restaurants. There are many options for entertainment so you will not be bored! Burn the Floor and Cirque were our favorites - Priscilla was not for our taste. The weather was absolutely perfect which made every port so enjoyable. The itinerary is tiring but oh so very worth it! Please don't hesitate to book this ship! I miss it already

Very nice cruise aboard the Epic.  Ship is in good shape and presents very clean and well kept.  Meals both in the Buffet, general dining areas and in particular the Specialty dining were very good.  Excellent choices for menu and well presented.  We enjoyed the shore excursions and utilized one in every port.  This is our second cruise aboard a Norwegian ship and will do so again.

Being the first time cruiser I was totally amazed! Everything was 100 percent above and beyond what I expected.  The stores on the ship had lots of excellent deals but very crowded when trying to look at things need to be organized a little better.

Norwegian compares well to other cruise companies. The Norwegian Epic is well appointed and had a functioning help desk while the itinerary and excursions were most interesting. We were particularly impressed by the food and restaurant dining, the latter consistently gourmet style. 

We cruised on the Norwegian Epic for 10 days with another couple.  We loved every minute of it, especially since we could do what we wanted to do when we wanted to do it.  The staff was outstanding and did everything possible for us to have an enjoyable experience.  We appreciate Catherine standing at the entrance of the buffet area ready to spray everyone's hands in order to keep germs away.  She did this every day with a great attitude.  The entertainment was excellent and the usage of the spa was definitely a plus.  We have already recommended this cruise to family members.

The cruis was very well organized as far as embarkation and disembarkation. 

The service on this cruise was much slower than on other lines. Freestyle dining was great but I'm not sure if that's why the service wasn't great. The specialty restaurants were very good.

The alcohol was crazy expensive. For a glass of wine from a low shelf brand (that would cost 12 for a whole bottle) was like $12 per glass!!! Insane.

Found ourselves board on at sea days.

Ports and ship were beautiful. Ship was very clean and well kept. Not sure I would ever cruise with Norwegian again. It was "okay" but found other lines to be more what I am looking for.

excellent, staff catered to every need. Plenty of entertainment.  The haven spa suite was excellent.  Enjoyed the haven private areas. enjoyed the spa, hot tubs and steam rooms.   With 21 places to dined and the food was great with so many choices from Latin, Indian, Asian, and American dining.

The ship is designed so that all the action is reduced to 3 floors.  During sea days these floors become quickly packed with people and found the areas to be crowded and tightly closed.  The service at most places was terrible.  The food in the main dinning areas was poor and forget about eating at the buffet. The food in the buffet areas was the worst.  Food in the specialty restaurant was good and would recommend purchasing a specialty restaurant package over the drink package.

We did not think we would enjoy cruising on sucjha large ship,but we were pleasantly surprised.We never felt crowded and seldom waited in line for anything.We got on and off the ship without many problems.Entertainment was first rate.Food was so good we felt no desire to try the specialty restaurants.

For my 54th cruise, I was terribly disappointed by the staterooms; we always pay extra for an AFT facing balcony--usually a bit larger with view to the R & to the L.  This was by far the smallest room of the 54 cruises, limited storage because there was a connecting door to the next cabin, had to bring hangers from home to hold clothes (few shelves for folded clothes), space between bed & dressing table was no more than 18", bathroom was a joke (toilet in frosted glass tiny enclosure; shower in another frosted glass enclosure.

Food was much better than on the Sun 3-4 months ago; shows were great but you needed reservations to attend.  There should have been a warning as to what "Priscilla of the Dessert" was about; my husband and many others over 65 walked OUT.

The cruise was worth every cent. We stayed in the Haven and had a wonderful time. Food was good, ports were interesting - it could not have been better.

The only thing I would do different is that I would book directly with the cruise line. The AA.Cruise person that I booked with told me that I would get several amenities. I got them all except a $25 credit. Prior to my cruise, I had two occasions to call this person. I left a voice mail each time. He never returned my calls. I spent $9000 and he NEVER returned my calls!! I had to call and ask for another rep. One call was to pay for the balance of my cruise (since I no longer had the credit card that they had on file). My second call was to go over the amenities. I have already booked another cruise, but this time I booked with the cruise line. The customer service people at NCL are much more responsive.