The Epic may have "cured" me of wanting to cruise. Less than four months earlier I had sailed on the Nowegian Dawn with a group, and I loved it. Yes, the food on both was often bland, but in time you learned what to enjoy and what to avoid (too much salt in so many dishes and hoysin sauce on salads...yuck!).

And with both vessels, the staff was excellent (70% of them being the forever-polite willing-to-please Filipinos). On the Dawn, I had some great brisk walks, even if they were just a long circle around the ship, but someone had decided that the Epic would need only a straight walkway on one side, right where everyone was playing shuffleboard. Dumb. You walk back and forth? I don't think so. Sure, the Epic's gym is fabulous, even larger than the Dawn's, but a treadmill just doesn't compare to a walk in open air on a moving vessel.

The Epic's entertainment was also first class (I didn't see much of the Dawn's since my group had a lot of evening sessions). Blue Man Group was more enjoyable than in Vegas since the Epic's theater is smaller. Second City is always fun, and Legends in Concert was super. Read more