My husband and I have cruised Royal and Celebrity and enjoy both for different reasons. If we are taking our children, we like to cruise Royal as there is more for them to do and entertainment that we know they would enjoy. We have taken Celebrity to Alaska and a short cruise just the two of us-excellent service, they really make us feel special. We wanted to try a different line and I had heard a lot about the Epic so we decided to give it a try.

We departed from Miami and stayed atthe Element hotel near the airport since I had 'points' to use. The room included a shuttle from the airport and breakfast. For $10 pp, we were able to purchase transfers to the port. The hotel was comfortable with a decent sized gym and outdoor pool with pleasant landscaping.The only drawback was there was a little more airport noise than I anticipated but it did not interfere with our sleep. The transfer to the port was very efficient and we breezed through check-in. We did have somewhat of a wait to board the boat but nothing to complain about. Once we boarded we wanted to explore the boat as it was completely new to us.

I liked the adults only section at the back of the boat with a small pool and an outdoor grill with varied 'quick' options. I especially appreciated that I could choose a chicken breast rather than just a hot dog or hamburger. There was no shortage of healthy eating options at a variety of venues. I found healthy options for breakfast, lunch and dinner and there were also vegetarian options. I am not a health nut, I just save up for dessert! The ice cream choices varied everyday and our favorite was banana, very refreshing... Read more