I traveled on the Epic with my husband, 3-year-old daughter, sister, brother-in-law, and 2 nieces (ages 3 and 5). We stayed at the JW Marriott Marquis the night before our cruise, and we would highly recommend that hotel to anyone.

The Epic is beautifully decorated. There are unique couches and chairs in the public areas. Our balcony stateroom was beautiful but cramped. The room is so narrow that we were constantly running into each other at the foot of the bed or by the sofa. The balcony room felt smaller than our inside room on the Pearl several years ago.

I would rate the food as a 9 out of 10. It is remarkable that the kitchen staff is able to churn out such delicious food in such huge quantities. Even the buffet offered a variety of tasty dishes, such as chicken wings gumbo style, roast turkey, and yummy paneer dishes. Le Bistro and Moderno offered excellent cuisine and service. We had teppanyaki for lunch on a sea day (for half price), and the chefs were humorous and danced up a storm. Desserts are a definite weak spot on the menus. Basic items like cookies and brownies were poorly prepared. Ice cream is always a good option, and we ate a ton of fruit on the cruise. Read more