Norwegian Epic Review

4.5 / 5.0
4,413 reviews

Epic Caribbean Cruise for two in the suites.

Review for the Eastern Caribbean Cruise on Norwegian Epic
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Bushy H.
6-10 Cruises • Age 60s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Mar 2012
Cabin: Courtyard Villa with Balcony

March 16

Flew out of Stuttgart, Germany on Delta 117 in first class. This flight's service level was far below the quality of past flights in first class, but still better than flying economy.

We arrived in Miami around 7:30pm to find a very long line waiting for Taxi's. We determined to use this van shuttle called American something which was two dollars less than the cab would have been which was $25 for two people. It wasn't faster we had to wait for another van which took about fifteen minutes, then two other couples joined us they were in the same general area.

Cabin Review

Courtyard Villa with Balcony

Cabin H4

Our room was a two bedroom garden villa with small balcony on deck 17. Now I had read that this floor has problems with noise overhead from the sundeck but we booked late so not many rooms to pick from. We have been on a cruise before with NCL on the Jade in a single bedroom garden villa so we expected this to be a larger unit. Hmmm well they did seem to make it quite skinny. The bed is rounded but we are under six foot so that is alright didn't matter to us. The nightstands are only about eight inches wide and that is how far the side of the bed is from the wall. When I got out of bed the first time I accidentally kicked the wall, my foot is size nine, so larger than the space. On the right side of the bed is a phone that is lit up so bright and right by your head I had to cover it with a towel to block the light. There are some adjustable reading lamps and larger lamps. Overhead there is a red light and some smaller lights that are dimmable. There is ample room for clothing with a pretty cool light in the pole that the hangers go on, I like that. We put our suitcases in the back of this wardrobe since they are the thin variety the bigger one had to go in the spare bedroom under the bed has a bar so it would not fit. There is a small TV and DVD player in both bedrooms and living room. There is a "Lavazza Blue" coffee maker that takes capsules and the ship offers a wide variety of coffee to choose from. If you find your favorite let the butler know, who for us is Lani, and she/he will stock them for you, this is free. There is a small fridge with some liquor that is not free but they do leave room for you to put small cartons of milk and oj. We like milk instead of all those little creamers; Lani kept the milk filled without being reminded, such a sweetheart. If you love your coffee I highly suggest you go to the Lavazza web site and print off the instructions to learn how to make yourself the best cup of coffee ever! Hubby has learned to steam the milk and we have macchiatto in our room sitting on the balcony. Also the balcony only runs the width of the living room so on the small side, leaving the rooms separated by the bathrooms, so you do not hear a neighbor talking or smell them smoking while sitting outside. Now one of the best things about this room is the bathroom. On the Epic the two sinks in the master bedroom are smaller than on the Jade. I really don't like how the trash can is in this wooden cabinet you have to touch and pull out to throw something away. There is an oval deep tub (that is NOT a Jacuzzi...what a letdown!) with a small TV you can watch or a huge window to gaze out at the passing sea and sky, they even provide bath salts to use. I don't do baths (Mike does) so the shower is getting my rave review. Glass walled with multi jet shower and rainforest shower head above and regular shower head below, along with multiple other water jets for the rest of the body; your choice of which heads to use , or all of them at once! Ooooh yeah! Good sized shower big enough for...two! It has a floor to ceiling window and you feel like you're on the edge when you look down at the passing water...awesome!! Next to that is the toilet also enclosed in glass with frosted strips but you can easily see inside so if a newlywed or sensitive this may prove a problem. On the Jade they had a low light on the wall behind the toilet, the Epic has a bright overhead light that comes on automatically when you open the door which wakes up your companion. There is a makeup area with lighted magnified makeup mirror, and shelves to put your toiletries on with small bar to keep them from falling out if it gets rough. There is a small curtain between the bedroom and bathroom to block the light in daytime but not very efficient, I liked the old way with the thick purple curtains tied back by the bed that could be released and did an excellent job of blocking the light. There is a sliding pocket door between the bedroom and the living room/dining room it stayed closed and only came open once from the ship rocking. The living room is very skinny but doable but what is up with the seats on everything being so deep and not the length of an average persons thighs? I guess so it can double as a single bed but you have to use pillows to support your back if you want to sit up. I hate using the throw pillows in hotels for obvious reasons, germs! I sprayed them down with Lysol. The other thing, no arms on the couch or chair??? Weird and uncomfortable. There is a small dining room table with four chairs for two more than adequate but smaller than on the Jade. You can order from any restaurant and your butler will bring it to you, no calling room service we did by mistake and they redirected our call to the butler. Our sparkling wine was waiting for us but if the seas are anywhere near rough I don't drink so Lani put it in the fridge so thoughtful. There are buttons for the lights to brighten or dim in three locations, they are a bit confusing but you get the hang of it. The second bedroom is mainly another deep seated couch and there is closet space in there with drawers and make up area, but no makeup mirror. The bathroom is smaller with a regular shower, toilet, and small sink but rather roomy medicine cabinet behind the mirror. I like having two bathrooms to get ready for going out. I like the new colors mostly beige, burnt oranges, and browns. The cabin has a dial outside to set it for no disturb or cabin needs service, or turn down service, also where they put your "tree mail" as hubby calls it. There is also a door bell, pretty cool. Update: This room is extremely noisy from above! It appears we are under a storage unit or work room for the crew. It isn't carpeted so bare metal and loud! The first night I feared someone fell overboard but quickly realized how unrealistic that could be this high up to the ocean but had heard a loud splash! Turns out they dumped a bucket of water into a sink or drain or something above us so we heard it every day. Luckily we always bring earplugs, don't leave home without them!

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