Norwegian Epic Review
1st NCL cruise, on the Epic - Eastern Caribbean
Rating by category
Additional details
Disembarked from the NCL Epic on Saturday, January 18, 2014.
I cruised the Eastern Caribbean on the Epic with my BFF (her 2nd on NCL, my first with NCL). Came in with lower than average expectations due to all I read about the ship’s design in advance. I thought, “Ok, I’ll give her a shot.” I can report that overall, I’d give the ship and experience a solid B rating.
My issues are primarily with the food and food service (of course, this is probably the most subjective part of any vacation experience). My BFF described the Garden Cafe buffet as Hometown Buffet-esque. If one likes Mid-Western, hearty and heavy food then yippee, you will be in for a treat. My issue was that it seems that breakfast and lunch menus never varied – the same every day. Which is ok, if one likes the food. After Day 2 we ate breakfast in Taste each morning (which my BFF described as like eating at Coco’s – which is great if one is expecting to eat at Coco’s). At least the eggs in Taste seem to be real and not powdered like the eggs in the buffet.
Cabin Review
We were on Deck 11 in room #11020 – a balcony room. It was a small room relative to the other balcony rooms I have had on Celebrity, Holland, Princess and Royal Caribbean. I suspect this is mostly due to the odd shape of the rooms – the ‘wave’ walls and all. The décor was pleasant, I loved the color scheme. Plenty of storage for our stuff that filled two larger suitcases and 1 roll-aboard sized suitcase and two tote bags. Our two large suitcases fit neatly under each bed. I am 5’7 and my friend is 5’5 and both of us found our feet hanging over the edge of our beds. (That was no big deal for me or her) The balcony was perfect size, enough room for two chairs and a small table. We spent a lot of time there, enjoying the views since this is not possible on most parts of the interior of the ship – see below.The hubbub with the split bathroom was a non-issue for us. The toilet room door and the shower door were both frosted from top to bottom. We closed the curtain and all went well. However, the sink; ah, the sink!!! The placement was cumbersome. One could not be at the sink and still have room for someone (of any size) to pass behind. It meant one had to climb over the bed or the sink/mirror user had to move over completely to let the other person by. AND, the entire sink is about the size of an iPad – so tiny. Water spilled everywhere, it was unavoidable. And, oddly enough, the medicine cabinet door scrapped the light above the sink every time we opened or closed the door. It was just a millimeter or two too tall for the space. No biggie but odd nonetheless.