My 22nd cruise, 8th on NCL; 11 in my party with three first-time cruisers. I had read so much about the "Epic'- some good and some not so good, so I did not know what to expect. Will make my review short, honest and to the point.

Embarkation: Very easy, figured with 4,000 + people trying to board, there would be a few challenges, but the only issue was at the silly security check where one scanner stalled and it took a passenger in our group to ask if we couldn't just go to a different line vs security sending everyone to other lines, just chaos everywhere. My party was onboard in less than 30 minutes. You board the ship on deck 6 next to the Epic Theater facing the Cirque 'tent'. I was immediately taken back by the dark colors and the low ceilings which I did not like; however, all the NCL staff I encountered were friendly, welcoming and smiling. You can drop your bags (carry-on) at the Headliners Lounge and then go and explore the ship.

Cabins: My party had a variety of cabins, from inside to large balconies. Everybody seemed happy although a few issues I need to mention: lighting in the cabin is awful and the mirror arrangements leave a lot to be desired. The bathroom glass door does not provide for any privacy especially if you have a visitor. The beds are superb, noise is minimal, your cabin TV has numerous convenient on board functions and the cabin stewards were excellent. I had a chance to visit the small studio cabins for single guests, and they are simply a beautiful and novel idea that needs to be in more ships. All the complaints I had read about with splashing water, sink issues, no place to hang towels etc are plain rubbish - use a little common sense and everything will be fine. Read more