Norwegian Epic Review
Rating by category
Additional details
We just finished our Norwegian Epic cruise and overall we were very happy with our cruise. We are regular cruisers that typically cruise on Royal Caribbean but have also done Carnival. We have been on all of RC's Freedom Class ships as well as Oasis of the Seas. This was our first time on Norwegian and on this trip was my wife and me, along with our 8 year old son. We booked with the travel agent months ago and had reserved a trip for the same week on Royal Caribbean's Freedom of the Sea, when my wife decided we needed to try Epic. So we changed our reservation. Since we cruise RC often, I will add comparisons throughout the review.
Travel - Embarkation
We travelled the day prior on an early direct flight to Miami and were on South Beach by noon. Cab was $34 to the beach from the airport. We stayed at the Marriott Courtyard because I had a free room with them. The hotel was OK, but I would not recommend it - especially if you have to pay for it. That being said, we like staying on South Beach. Spent that afternoon at the pool and walking around. Got up the next morning and walked the beach and watched a couple ships come into port. We headed to the ship about 10:30 that morning and were on the boat by 11:30 or so. Very easy embarkation. We did the typical thing and toured the boat and ate lunch in the garden cafe. Embarkation on RC and NCL are similar; very organized and easy.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
Cabin 8176
We had originally booked a regular balcony room; however, we noticed the price dropped a bit before we left so we called to try and get an on board credit for the difference. They wouldn't do that, but they did upgrade our room to a mini-suite balcony. Calling it a suite is a stretch but it did add about 40 square feet to the size of the room. The room was ready about 1:30. For all the complaining you hear about the new style rooms on Epic, we were pleasantly surprised. The room had a lot of storage space compared to other ships we have been on. We thought the bathroom set up was great. Having the separate area for the shower, toilet and sink was great. There was enough room in the shower to actually take a shower and overall there was much more space in the bathroom area. Bed was very comfortable. I actually preferred the cabin on Epic just a little over RC. The bathroom space made all the difference in the world.