My Mom & I sailed the NCL Epic to the Western Caribbean last week, and really enjoyed our cruise! Both of us have cruised many times, but this was our second with NCL and first on the Epic. We live in Florida, so it was an easy drive to the Port of Miami for embarkation, especially via the new tunnel in Miami that just opened up that took us right to the cruise port instead of driving through downtown Miami. After dropping off our luggage, I parked in the garage and we were on the ship by 12:42. We went to our cabin to drop off our carry-ons then headed upstairs to the buffet for a bite to eat. It was crowded, just as the buffets were on every other cruise we've taken, but we were able to find a place to eat and some sandwiches to hold us over until dinner.

We ate mostly in the complimentary venues, with the exception of the Murder Mystery Lunch and the Cirque Dreams Dinner. With both of the MDRs (Taste & Manhattan) we were seated right away and our dinners were served timely without being rushed or feeling forgotten. There was only one meal that I really didn't like, and I think the waiter could see it on my face because he came over right away and asked about my dinner. The plate was adequate and I don't like to waste food, so I ate most of it but I really appreciated his concern. The rest of the meals were all very good and served nicely. A very pleasant and welcoming person was the greeter for the Buffet. She seemed to be there at all hours that the buffet was open, and greeted everyone warmly but of course with sanitizer in hand. "Washy Washy, Happy Happy!" But the welcoming attitude didn't end there, but with all of the staff in the buffet.

What we really liked were the shows and entertainment on the Epic. There always seemed to be something to do. The Murder Mystery Lunch was hilarious in which the Second City team worked off of notes posted by the guests prior to the show. The Cirque Dreams Dinner was nonstop entertainment, and we enjoyed our dinner while the show continued. We saw the Blue Man Group twice. The first time we had no clue what was about to happen, and then on the last sea day we met some of the performers in a Q&A session, which made the performance that evening even more interesting because we knew some of the background behind the show. The Legends show was good, and it was nice to have several different musical entertainers around the ship. Read more