Embarkation was mass confusion. It made me think that this was the first time Norwegian did this. Chaos everywhere. The woman taking our picture for the card took way too long and the result was that we eventually had to get our pictures taken again onboard. I had to go to guest relations everyday for the first four days because my card had a problem - nothing I did, Norwegian just kept screwing something up. They announced our cabins were ready and we found ours - it was not touched at all. We found the steward and he said he wasn't in ours yet and it would be about 10 more minutes. He was awesome by the way.

We paid for the Beverage package, so it was quite the inconvenience when you're trying to get a drink on deck 15 aft and you have to go to Guest Services on Deck 5 center, wait in line and get card fixed. Did I mention this happened on the first 4 days. And to our surprise, guess what is not included in the Ultimate Beverage Package? Water! This basic beverage is NOT included. It's also very pricey to purchase onboard and they will not let you bring it on. Entertainment is excellent but the venues tend to be small and at times you can't get in due to capacity issues. It was very obvious that the ship was understaffed. It took way too long to get drinks from the bartenders and the bar wait staff was run ragged. Restaurant wait staff was hit and miss with much better friendly service in the latter half of the cruise. We liked the "freestyle" approach to cruising with no set eat times.

Our friends had a huge issue on the cruise that convinced me to take insurance in the future and shows that the cruise line does not care about individual passengers. The husband got sick (turns out it was confirmed to be the Norovirus - you get it on cruise ships). He was dehydrated and needed IV fluids from sickness on both ends so to speak. We were docked in Jamaica at Ocho Rios when he went to the infirmary on the morning of day 4. The head doctor wanted him to get a CAT scan that the ship couldn't provide before administering IV. The couple explained that he has had in the past dehydration and he only needed the IV. The doctor would not administer it before the CAT scan. The doctor stated it would be $1000 cash at a Jamaican clinic. He would need to leave the ship. If it was negative, he could come back and be treated with IV for 3 days at $1000 per day. If there were any complications with the CAT scan, he would not be allowed back on. The couple decided to try to fly to Orlando since the husband could be seen at a VA hospital instead of cash payments in a Jamaican clinic of unknown quality. Who carries that much money anyway? The doctor stated that guest services would help with arrangements - they did almost nothing. We helped them pack and about 5 minutes into packing, their phone was ringing asking if they were done yet - Norwegian couldn't get them off the boat fast enough - no concern for health or disruption of a vacation, just get off NOW. We went to Guest Services where the only help they got was an escort to a back room, so other travelers didn't get the scoop on what was happening, and they basically gave the wife a phone and internet access to make arrangements. Luckily, she is a part time travel agent and was able to get a taxi for a 2 hour drive to the airport and an overnight hotel stay for a flight the next night out to Orlando. Did I mention this is Wednesday just before Thanksgiving so travel is a nightmare. Norwegian made sure they escorted them to customs and then left them on their own. We later found out that the taxi driver was great and helped them get a flight out that night. The US doctors said it was a good thing they didn't wait because he was severely dehydrated and could have died if they didn't get to the hospital then. After they left, we heard many people saying they were sick with the same symptoms. Out of our party of 11, 6 of us got sick. However, unless I was in severe medical need, I would never go to the ship's medical facility. They want you off the ship immediately so they don't have to deal with it. With that said, I may sail with Norwegian again, probably not on the Epic with it's strange layout, poor traffic flow and sparse and hidden bathrooms. But the food was good, drinks were good and the entertainment was excellent.