Norwegian Epic Review
Rating by category
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I took a very similar NCL cruise in 2009 and was so pleased that I wanted to do it again in order to see more of the Western Mediterranean. I also took a Southern Caribbean cruise on Royal Caribbean last year. I prefer NCL because of the meal situation. (I don't like being forced to have a dinner reservation, eat with strangers, or dress up while on vacation.) Apart from that, I would say the two cruise lines are quite similar in terms of quality and service. This cruise did not measure up to the 2009 NCL Western Mediterranean cruise we took on the Gem. NCL books three cruises in the space of two weeks now, with people embarking and debarking in both Rome and Barcelona. We embarked in Rome. There was no welcome drink because people coming from excursions were also re-boarding the ship. There was no one to tell us if our room was ready or where to have lunch. (We stayed the night before the cruise and the night after the cruise at the Rome Hilton Airport (booked the rooms and transfers through NCL) in order to have more time in Rome. The hotel was fine, and provided free transportation to and from the city center.) We finally found someone who told us we could go to our cabins, and we found the cabins to be fine. No one minded the split-up bathroom, in fact it seemed very reasonable to me.
The ship itself is so huge,crowded and loud, that I found myself preferring to remain in my room after dinner most nights. That's OK - I don't party much anymore but there seemed to be many people on the ship who did. The casino stretches through the entire sixth deck, and each night they served free champagne to people who would participate in an art auction. It was not possible to find a quiet place.
We ate at Le Bistro, which was very good and the Italian restaurant that was not very good. Other nights we ate at the regular dining rooms and found the food and service to be very good (none of us are picky eaters). My sense of direction is not great, but I never did learn my way around the huge ship - luckily, there were signs by each stairwell and elevator. Oh, forget about using the elevators unless you are very very patient.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Inside
I had an inside cabin. I was staying by myself, so it was very adequate for me. The toilet and shower are in separate areas and the sink is in the middle of the room. I think this is a good plan. The fittings in the cabin seemed cheaper than other cruise ships I've been on. The shower doors have to curve and are plastic, and are difficult to open and close. The closet and drawers were very adequate, even for two people. It was the first time I didn't have a balcony room and I desperately missed seeing the water. It was almost impossible to see from the pool deck, since there are plastic walls about ten feet high. The ship was way too crowded and chaotic for my taste, but my room was OK. Also liked the fact that there was a library, since there weren't any TV channels in English except CNBC and BBC.