Norwegian Epic Review

NCL Epic Great Cruise for Families

Review for the Western Mediterranean Cruise on Norwegian Epic
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MapleCactus
First Time Cruiser • Age 50s

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Additional details

Sail Date: Oct 2016
Cabin: Family Balcony

We chose the Norwegian Epic because of the great 3rd & 4th person sail free offer. This allowed us to choose a balcony suite and keep our tween-aged (13 & 10) boys in sight.

The West-Med itinerary fit the Kippur-Sukkot holiday perfectly, meaning the boys only missed 1.5 days of school.

We boarded at Civitavecchia, which is 65 km north of Rome's Fiumicino Airport. Boarding was a simple process and the ground staff were very helpful.

Cabin Review

Family Balcony

Cabin B2

Our cabin was 13001 forward (right beside the Bridge viewing room, which meant we had zero noise outside our room after 20:00 hrs). To get to the gym on 14 aft, you walk down the stairs and walk and walk and walk....that in itself was a great workout (there's also an outdoor jogging track on Deck 7). We chose 13 forward so we could just hop up 2 flights of stairs to the buffet, swimming pools, hot tubs, water park and ping pong. The gym is really well equipped.

The cabin is snug, but then I didn't expect something bigger. When you make your reservation through the NCL website, you are advised of the cabin's size, so it was no surprise. It is modern and airy. There is lots of storage space. We brought 4 carry on roller cases + 1 medium suitcase and they all fit under the bed. The bunk that comes out of the ceiling for my older boy cramps the space in front of the closet and access to the balcony, but we learned by then to make sure to take our our PJ's before they turned down the room. I also brought hanging clothespins to hang off the back bar of the 2 balcony chairs to dry laundry, which helped.

Port Reviews

Cannes

Cannes was cancelled due to very stormy weather. (Disembarkation was to be with tenders). This was great by me as I had no clue what to do with the kids in Cannes. We had a fun day on board the ship.

Marseille

We took the NCL bus to the fortress and then took our own ride on the mini train. It takes you through the town up to the big church on the hill with stunning views of the area (about 8 Euro per adult).

Barcelona

There was a cheap port bus (with WIFI !!) that drove us to the Columbus monument at the foot of La Rambla and then we walked up to a free walking tour with Donkey Tours. Felipe was a great guide and we thoroughly enjoyed learning about the city and Gaudi. A gorgeous and vibrant city.

Naples

Napoli is GORGEOUS! The people are friendly. and did I mention that the city was gorgeous? We just "got lost" for a few hours and easily walked over 5 km. In most cases, we would generally be back on board by 15:00 and eat lunch in the buffet with a view to the lovely city and Mt. Vesuvius and a super busy port.

Florence (Livorno)

We took the NCL bus to the Livorno train station and then took the train to Pisa, then the bus to the Tower of Pisa site. Note that buses in the return direction are full in the afternoon due to students returning home, you may need to consider taking a taxi back to the train station. Buses in Pisa are packed full.

Rome (Civitavecchia)

We visited Rome on our LAST day of the cruise as we had a late night flight back home. BTW, you can leave your luggage in the "Left Luggage" at Rome's Termini station (6 Europ per bag) so you can hop on the metro to the Colosseum.

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