My husband and I chose the last Western Med cruise and then followed with the Transatlantic on the Epic. We went from an interior, somewhat cramped, cabin 8002 to a balcony 8046 for the TA. This was our second TA and first time on the Epic. The ports on the Med Cruise were fantastic. We chose independent companies for Naples (Italy Tours)and Rome (Rome in Limo) excursions. The small group of 8 people with a personal guide was fantastic. The cost was more economical than the NCL excursions. I am a retired art teacher so we did Florence on our own through NCL. I knew what I wanted to see in the 6 hours we had there. We really enjoyed our NCL excursion in Cannes. We went to the Fraganard Perfume Factory and then St. Paul de Vence ( one of the best walled cities in Provence.) On the TA we took an independent excursion (Spain Day) driving through the island to the top of the valcano. We have cruised enough that we feel comfortable taking independent excursions and have only positive things to say about them.

I have found after being on the Epic that I prefer a smaller ship. I really missed not having a promenade around the ship and no where could I find a place to see the wake of the ship. I thought the casino took up way too much room. My husband I noticed that there were few places to sit down and relax inside the ship. The one day we had rain in the afternoon, the interior of the ship became very crowded. Our cabins had the same bathroom setup which I thought lacked privacy. Our cabin steward, Chris, was fantastic on our first cruise. Our steward on the TA was in training...need I say more.

We enjoyed the food served on the ship. O'Sheehans, Shanghai Noodle, La Bistro were very good. We had the best beef we have ever had on a cruise ship! Read more