This was a “free cruise” won on the previous NCL cruise on the EPIC. After upgrading from the free first floor inside cabin it was not so free. Because it was free, we were not awarded any of the specials others received with their bookings, even though the higher price was paid for the upgrade to the Haven. That was very disappointing on the part of NCL. It was a very relaxing cruise.
Embarkation
4 out of 5
We were in the Haven so we had a separate check in area. That was very smooth. The problem was the ship had just completed a transatlantic voyage so boarding was delayed. The waiting area could not handle a crowd so it was difficult to find a place to sit down. Once the ship was cleared, we went right up to our room.
Ship experiences
Food and Dining
3 out of 5
We did not use any specialty dining on the cruise this time. The food was average. We never had any problem finding a place to sit in any venue we used. We ate in the Haven dining room 3 times, Savor once ( very crowded and noisy) and Sheehan’s once (not very crowded but really slow service, kitchen problem not wait staff). The rest of our meals were in the Garden Cafe which had a nice selection of foods all of which were average. I had Mac and Cheese everyday. It was great some days and not so great others. Overall Iwould say the food is good but not great. The quietest venue was the Haven ( very light traffic) I would guess others in the Haven used speciality restaurants more. Our waiter said the restaurant was very crowded on the prior cruise. The food I the Haven was a step above the other venues.
Onboard Activities
4 out of 5
Did not use many of the activities on board other than the running track (1/8 mile long) and the Spa pool facilities which were great. We were in a Haven Spa suite so we had free access.
Service and Staff
4 out of 5
All the ship staff were very friendly and courteous. The wait staff was engaging in any venue we used. Our butler and room steward were also very good.
Ship Quality
4 out of 5
The ship was clean any easy to get around even though there were a lot of people on board.
Cabin / Stateroom
4 out of 5
Is was an adequate cabin with a small balcony. It had a shower and an in room jetted tub (never used). The TV system was nice and had a great movie selection. It had adequate storage and was generally very comfortable. The bed was also very comfortable.
Best shopping porter visited. Noticed they had three prices on everything Sticker price(starting point) intermediate price when the first price was too high to pay and the final price when you start to walk away from the second price. Much higher pressure from the vendors. Best port for walking around. Largest port we visited.
Pushed our own bags. Left the ship at 7:30 we were at the airport gate at 8:40. We took a cab which is the same price as the ship transfer but no waiting.
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