Following is my review of NCL Epic. First, let me say we took a B2B, Western first, then Eastern. Upon arrival by taxi ($24)from the airport we were greeted by a friendly porter who took our bags and walked with us to make sure we went to the right entrance. He told us it was not necessary to tip him, which was quite a surprise, and, of course, we did. There were people stationed all along the way to point us in the right direction. Check in was quick, but then we were sent to a huge holding area, where it was confusing as to which side we should go.

At the front of the holding area was a small table manned by a pleasant young lady with information about the onboard spa. This was perfect as we wanted to purchase Spa Passes and they are given out to non-Spa-deck cruisers on a very limited basis. We then went to sit down and wait. We saw various people being allowed to cross behind a glass wall onto the ship. Later I learned from my own experience that these were the B2B's, who are forced by law to come off the ship, go through customs and then re-board. They are the last to leave and the first to return to the ship.

Next were what I am assuming were the Latitudes members, and then us. We all proceeded towards the ship, stopping first for the obligatory picture. I am amazed at how many people did not take the time to make sure they were not blocking the view of the ship in the background. Ours turned out quite nicely, with a daylight view of the ship as background. We later purchased a night view of the ship to display with it. Most modern cruise ships look big and boxy. The Epic is no different and certainly not bad looking. Read more