We stayed in Miami the night prior to our cruise at the Hilton Downtown Miami, what a great hotel. We got a cab the morning of our cruise and headed to the port of Miami. Embarkation was a breeze, we were with my dad who has trouble walking and we were swiftly pushed through and on the ship within 15 minutes of arriving at the pier. We arrived at the pier at 11am. We were allowed into our staterooms by 2pm. This gave us time to get some lunch and tour the ship. Its a big ship, not so well laid out.
The Garden Cafe is where the buffet was - Food not so good in there at all, no matter what meal you were having - it was actually horrible. The best thing about it was the ice cream machines. The Manhattan and the Taste were the 2 main dining rooms with no extra charge. Food was ok, but not the greatest. Not a very good selection. We found very quickly if you wanted good service and food you had to eat in the specialty dining venues which of course cost you. Service lacked in a big way. Our best meal was in the Spegial Tent Cirque Dreams and Dinner. The show and meal were well worth the extra charge. I highly recommend this to anyone on the Epic.
We enjoyed O'Sheehans that was a nice touch. We love pub food and they had it just right. The Bowling was great but didn't like the cost of $5 per person per game, I feel that is a little too over priced - that is something that shouldn't have to cost you.
Extremely Tiny Cabin - Felt every vibration -