Norwegian Epic Cruise Reviews - Reviews

We took this cruise to experience Norwegian's  EPIC and to compare it to Royal Caribbean's OASIS OF THE SEAS, one of their newer large ships on which we recently cruised -- and there was no comparison. The EPIC is nice, but nothing like the Royal Caribbean OASIS. The EPIC seemed to be simply a larger version of Norwegian's smaller ships with no real "wow" factor; while Royal Caribbean's ship was truly special with all kinds of spectacular features. The OASIS was also larger with more passengers but still had more intimate lounges. However, the food and entertainment were very good on both ships, and it was necessary to make reservations for the entertainment in the main theaters of both ships.

Of course the Norwegian ships are much more informal with no formal nights and no scheduled dining times -- where as the Royal Caribbean ships offer either choice -- so that is either a plus or a minus depending upon what you like.

All in all, it was a fun cruise; but the EPIC wasn't nearly as nice as we expected it might be.

Enjoyed this cruise so much.  Ship was clean and well maintained.  Cabin steward and service staff were excellent.  Many activities and lots of fun!  Would love to take this ship to another itinerary!

This ship has one massive casino that takes up the whole part of the mid ship on 2 levels. The noise is deafening. Main Dining room so noisy from the Casino, don't bother. Long waits and mediocre food in Manhattan Dining Room. Shows in main theatre below par and you need to book. Nice cabins with modern herring bone design but weird set up with no bathroom in cabin. separate shower and toilet and vanity area. Kids rule this ship, running everywhere, especially since it has huge slides. lots of sun deck space. never a problem. Food at buffet good. Pools are hideous on this ship. way too small and look out of place. Nice big clean Fitness Centre.

First cruise.

There were only three or four total sit down dine-in meals, that were supposed to be served hot, that were actually hot.  That equates to about 85% cold to mildly warm meals.  Service was usually very prompt, however.

My wife's skirt somehow got stuck on the side of the downward escalator (NOT at the bottom where you get off) near the top shortly after we got on.  We rode it all the way down trying to get it out the entire way, which we could not.  When we reached the bottom, her dress of course jammed the escalator and we had to wait there for 15 mins with her bending in such a way and pulling on her skirt in such a way so as to avoid having everyone from seeing her under garment. Of course everyone gathered around and she became the show.  And as you can guess, no close crew member knew what to do or had the capability of quickly solving the problem.  Finally someone from the mechanical team arrived and had to take apart the escalator to free her skirt.  We were told someone would contact us immediately to see if they could fix her skirt which looked like someone had gone to town with a paper punch on her dress while stretching it out, but they didn't.  We went to them about 24 hours later and reminded them that we still hadn't heard anything, afterwhich they took my wife's hole-filled, stretched-out, grease stained skirt to the tailor.  The tailor did stitch each puncture together...have you every sewn a hole together and seen what that looks like?  Try looking at 12-15 of those on a skirt, it doesn't look very good.  And, that's all they did for us on that.  

We went on this cruise because it was our 10 year wedding anniversary.  I wanted them to do something special.  We don't drink alcohol so they told us they could do a cake.  Then never did, despite us reminding them of this a couple days into the cruise.

No other complaints beside these.  

We loved Blue man group!

First, we are veterans of about 20 cruises. This is the first time I have been motivated to post a negative review. As hard a lot of good people tried to make this a nice experience, NCL management's attempts to squeeze bucks could not be overcome.

We choose a travel agent offering a $450 on board credit. Upon boarding, our account showed a $50 credit. We immediately brought it to the attention of the ships help desk who explained they had to e-mail their offices in Miami and an answer would take 2-3 days. This caused concern as not all on board credits are refundable. A substantial sum might prove difficult to spend in the remaining 4-5 days. After 4 days, NCL still could not come up with an answer. Finally, I purchased Wi-fi time, located my original reservation and provided NCL with the proof they couldn't come up with on their own, and ended up with an additional $400 in my account on the 5th day of the cruise. Luckily it was refundable. The whole process weighed negatively on our entire cruise. The refund was sent in 30 days, the maximum the cruise line guarantees to the day.

The food as a whole was mediocre. Food in the main dining rooms was not the least bit interesting and repetitive, probably to drive you to the "specialty" restaurants. We always try a steak house on board, in this case Cagney's I believe. This is the first time in 20+ cruises we had a bad meal, all for only $30 each! These idiots could not cook a steak. My wife orders Medium Well, I order Medium Rare. The first time both came out cold in the middle, literally. Their second attempt was equally as futile. After an hour of bread and water we finally called it quits. To their credit? They offered us a free bottle of wine from their "complimentary" wine list (No doubt worth about $5.00) but still charged us a total of $60 for their incompetence.

We looked forward to their centerpiece Blue Man Group show, it was great four years earlier our first time on the Epic, we needn't have wasted the time, it was exactly the same show.

All in all, the efforts of some really good people, Ou cabin stewards, the casino people and about half the waiters waitresses were ruined by horrible management from NCL Miami on down. We have already turned down an invitation to cruise with NCL again with friends next year.

NCL is my favorite cruise line....but something was definitely wrong the rice and risotto was under cooked also the fish told the chef in charge but believe it was a whisper against the wind.

Moderno  Great salad bar I believe they ran out meat for some reason when my son asked for a tipe of meat they stated the did not have any more also they only have one meat server, after paying extra to go to a specialty restaurant it was not what was expected.

The service at the Haven was great couldn't ask for better team.

Planning to take my grandkids in April hopefully the food with be a bit better

Brenda mishaan

The Norwegian Epic is the third largest cruise ship at the time of this writing (November 2014),  The amenities on board are excellent and the staff is very friendly and always eager to help with a smile.  Food in the restaurants are very good and the quality of the buffet is about average.  The interior cabin, where we stayed, was small but stylish.  The major complaint about the cabin is that there is no proper washroom.  The sink and the shower are inside the bedroom area.  The toilet is in a "stall" with a sliding glass partition.  Far from being private.  However, the rest of the cabin very comfortable.  The itinerary is excellent with the ship departing from Barcelona followed by Naples, Rome, Florence, Cannes and Palma Mollorca.  We did not land in Florence on this trip because of the high winds which did not permit the tenders to dock on shore.  However, the rest of the ports-of-call and excursions were excellent.  I would recommend this itinerary to anyone wishing to visit the Western Mediterranean.  While the ship is relatively new and has  lot to offer, I would suggest not opting for an interior room assuming the outer cabins or suites have their own private bathrooms.

Too many people to entertain, serve food and tender into port. No free shuttle service to airports or train station, where other cruise lines provide.

Too many people to entertain, serve food and tender into port. No free shuttle service to airports or train station, where other cruise lines provide.

We took a Western Mediterranean cruise on Norwegian Epic in October 2014.  While we were initially excited to start our cruise on such a big boat, we soon started experiencing some headaches that had not been a problem on previous cruises.  With so many people and a limited amount of space for shows and other entertainment, we only got to see a total of 3 shows in 7 nights.  Also, one of the complimentary restaurants on board was always full and required a substantial wait time.  By contrast, on previous cruises (including Norwegian), we were able to dine whenever and wherever we pleased, and we could see great shows in the theater every night.  We were also surprised by the complete lack of organization in getting people off the boat for an excursion or a tender to shore.  One morning they almost put us on the wrong bus.

All in all, it just felt like there were more people competing for fewer entertainment & recreation options.  The cruise director was rarely seen and didn't seem overly welcoming when he was seen.  We will probably opt for smaller cruise options in the future.

My review is all about the ship. The ports of call and tours are up to you but we all share the same ship.  First the good, the staff and service is of course excellent as one would expect. The food was good but not superb. They did away with the traditional lobster night but you had plenty of variety.  The entertainment was also very good and the othe amenities was also as,you would expect very good.  My problem with the ship was the room. We had an upgraded balcony which was as they put it enclosed which I never did figure outhouse what that meant but it was very cramped and tight.  They took away the bathroom and separated the toilet from the shower for the sink area which wound up in the room. I absolutely hated it.  Then they moved the bed forward so you were up close to the toilet and when someone flushed the loud noise was enough to wake you. Then the shower was on the other side and the sink In The room.  I will not go back on that ship for that reason alone.  Also, the elevators were always full and busy, I quite often had to let several go as the y were always full. I had to go down to go up and they were awfully slow. Very very disappointing.  In summary, beautiful shop, engineered awfully.

THE WEATHER WAS GREAT. THE CABIN WAS LARGER THAN OTHER SHIPS WE HAVE BEEN ON AND THERE WAS A LOT OF STORAGE SPACE. SERVICE ON THE SHIP WASN'T GREAT. THE CABIN STEWARD WAS VERY NICE BUT THERE WERE 5 OR 6 DIRTY TOWELS IN OUR CABIN WHEN IT WAS SUPPOSE TO BE READY WHEN WE GOT ON. ONLY ONE TIME OUT OF THE 7 DAY CRUISE DID WE GET ALL OF OUR TOWELS WE WERE ALWAYS SHORT TOWELS. WHEN WE LEAVE IN THE MORNING AND COME BACK 2 1/2 HOURS LATER THE ROOM WASN'T CLEANED UP.

WE WOULD GO TO THE MAIN DINNING ROOM FOR DINNERS THE FOOD WAS AVERAGE. NORWEGIAN LIKE THE OTHER CRUISE LINES HAVE NOW ADOPTED THE ADDED RESTURANTS WHERE THE QUAILITY OF THE FOOD IS TO BE BETTER. IT'S A SHAME THAT YOU HAVE TO PAY AND ADDITIONAL $30 AND UP MINAMAL TO GET A GOOD MEAL.

GOING TO THE BUFFET FOR BREAKFAST AND LUNCH WAS GOOD BUT CROWDED THE SERVICE WAS NOT GREAT AROUND THE TABLES. I SAW MANY TIMES PEOPLE GET UP FROM THEIR TABLES AND THE STAFF WOULD PICK UP THE DISHS AND LIGHTLY IF AT ALL WIPE THE TABLE. I SAT AT MANY A DIRTY TABLE AND ASKED IF IT COULD BE WIPED DOWN . THAN THEY WOULD WIPE IT A LITTLE AND START TO WALK AWAY. I WOULD HAVE TO SHOW THEM WHERE FOOD WAS ON THE TABLE. NOT VERY CLEAN.

TOURS TO ROME $389 EURO'S PER PERSON THAT IS $505.70 PER PERSON US DOLLARS FOR 9 1/2 HOUR TOUR. WOW IS ALL I CAN SAY. BUS DRIVE OVER AND BACK A GUIDE FOR THE 40 OF US. WE TOOK TOURS EVERYDAY OFF OF THE SHIP. THE TOURS WERE NICE BUT VERY EXPENSIVE AND IN EURO'S AFTER ALL WE WERE IN EUROPE.

ENTERTAINMENT WAS NOT AUTOMATIC AFTER YOUR MEALS (BECAUSE MEALS ARE FREE STYLE). YOU HAD TO SIGN UP FOR SHOWS WHICH WE NEVER WERE ABLE TO GET TO SEE A SHOW THEY WERE ALL FILLED. I

IN THE END I WOULD NOT DO THIS TRIP AGAIN. I WOULD TAKE A RIVER CRUISE OR A BUS TOUR. IF YOU ARE GOING FOR THE COUNTRIES AND THEIR HISTORY AND CULTURE AND SCENERY YOU WILL GET MUCH MORE. IF YOU ARE GOING FOR THE SHIP EXPIENCE STAY HERE IN THE STATES AND TAKE THIS SHIP IT WILL COST YOU A LOT LESS IN THE CARRIBEAN.

Hi, my wife and I enjoyed the Epic very much.  We had a great time and enjoyed every part of the boat.  The only thing that was a little skeptical, was the small rooms or cabin.  Although we had an inside, compare to the other boats or cruises we been on, it was def the smallest.  Other then that, Maggie and I enjoyed ourselves, from the 24 hour food availability to the rides on the tube.  Thumbs up for sure!!!!

ship was clean, staff friendly and respectful and efficient  in all services from shore excursions to embarking/ disembarking .

There were enough activities / entertainment that every age group can avail of from kids to young adults and senior citizens 

The ship  have good variety of goods in their gift shop but wished they sold more food items like biscuits / chocolate to take back home to give as gift like in Rome airport 

They could have offered better shore excursions in terms of pricing and choices of tourist area to visit 

We loved our cruise on the Norwegian Cruise Line's ship, the Epic. The ship is huge, but very easily maneuvered. There are plenty of elevators to take you to your destinations. The restaurants are wonderful. Not only does the food look great, it tastes great too. We have been on many cruises and the food on this cruise was superior. Our accommodations were extremely comfortable, with ample space to keep everything neat and nice (couldn't believe the size of our shower---so roomy).  The service was outstanding, as were the ports, excursions and the entertainment. We just had a wonderful time.

This was our first cruise.  I went with my wife and her family.  The port calls were good.  We did a couple through NCL and a couple on our own.  I wish the ship had a larger pool; one you could swim a lap in.  I enjoyed the freestyle dining and the entertainment.  My biggest gripe might be small - the elevators were slow.  Many people waited for five minutes, while most just used the stairs.  We had a mid-ship interior room.  The stateroom was nice.  I expected more than frosted glass for the bathroom.  Frosted glass for the shower was fine however. 

All in all, it was a great first cruise, but my wife's family are veteran cruisers and expected the perks that goes with that.  This didn't dissuade us from enjoying ourselves.

This cruise on the Norwegian  Epic was beyond my expectations. From my accommodations  and the whole experience on the boat ,I would highly recommend this cruise. The price was reasonable, and being able to make payments was a plus. Although I did not book my excursions thru Norwegian. I found them to be a little pricey.Overall the cruise ship,the entertainment and all staff were excellent.

This was our second cruise ever so I can't help comparing with our first one (On the RC Navigator of the Seas). About the same ship sizes and both were in Europe at the same time of the year.

The positives:

- BEST positive was Tricia from !!! First one I'll call for our next cruise. 

- The food!!! Really amazing. Lots of choices and great quality

- The itinerary was just perfect. great ports of calls.

- The entertainment was top notch (I found the Circus at 40,00$ a little pricy both worth it)

- The iConcierge app and interactive panels around the elevators. If you don't know what's going on on the ship, you seriously have an problem. Very easy to make reservations.

The negatives:

- The ship was designed by engineers and not architects. They really tried to fit too many things on the EPIC and you feel trapped/crammed everywhere. No huge Atrium, small theater (MUST RESERVE), smaller dinning rooms with low ceilings, smaller state rooms.

- We never felt like going out for a walk. There's just the top deck where you dont feel trapped

- The only "wow!!!" factor was seeing the ship from outside. Up until the last day on the Navigator of the Seas we had the WOW factor every time we went trough the Atrium or entered the dinning room.  

- The staff looked a lot less happy than our first cruise.

- Can't go in front of the ship ("I'm the king of the world" is not an option). Basically you can't have a front view without a bay window (expect on the quiet area deck). 

Conclusion:

Happy with the cruise? Yes

Would I sail on the EPIC again? Probably as a second choice.

Great value for money? Yes    

My husband and I loved our cruise on the Epic.  The food was excellent, and with three sides of glass in the Garden room (buffet style) we hated to go elsewhere to eat, though we did enjoy a few meals in dining rooms.  We loved having a balcony, both while in port but also if I would wake up during the night I had somewhere beautiful yet private to read or watch the moon over the waves for a while.  Entertainment favorites were Blue Man Group, Cirque, and Graffiti.  Tours were excellent though tiring, but there was so much to see.  After several days of architecture, ancient sites, and statues, we enjoyed a scenic tour of Majorca.  (Our feet appreciated that break also.). Temps in October were low to mid 70s.  Perfect for being outside.  We started in Barcelona and had 5 days there first.  The subway system is fantastic and we could stay in a hotel in a non touristy area but one block away was the very efficient subway to everything we wanted to visit.  We fell in love with their balconied buildings and anything Gaudi built.  

This is a very nice cruise ship, nicely decorated and has great shows.  My only slight negative would be for the cruise director to pump more people to attend the activities.  For instance, the white hot party was o.k but on the Jade it was standing room only and everyone looked forward to it because of how it was pushed as the place to be.  Also, I've never been on a cruise where Kareoke had only 4/5 participants plus didn't have variety list of songs. The ship had a variety of activities and classes to take like the different dance lessons but know one hardly showed and I think it's the cruise director job to pump it up(spark the people with alot of self energy).  I'm 50 but still want to be aroused for enjoyment. I am an avid cruiser so I've seen alot more energy than was displayed here but overall it was still a wonderful cruise.  Food was good, shows were excellent, and great atmosphere.