the layout of the ship-the upper deck/pool areas is just too crowded. The pools are small & there are no chairs around the pools at all. There is not an upper deck to walk completely around & most cruiselines have that option.The place to jog or walk is a little side area off deck 7 with no view at all since that area is completely blocked by the safety boats! Potential for open space & larger pools is taken up by "HAVEN" a higher priced area for guests that is off limits to all others on board. They have a completely enclosed pool with deck chairs all around. I was so very disappointed to only have the option to sit far away from a pool and the only area with deck chairs close to a pool was crowded and noisy. I WILL NOT go on EPIC again. The state rooms had only two plugins/outlets one of which was for the coffeepot. So I had to get on my knees, open a cupboard, unplug the coffeepot and then I could use the outlet for a curling iron or to charge a camera battery or phone. If there was more than two items needing an outlet that was bothersome. The rooms, we were on deck 8 with a balcony, did not have a separate bathroom. Instead there was an enclosed toilet on one side of the entry door and an enclosed shower on the otherside. The sink was in the room. Having a separate bathroom, as I experienced on INDEPENDENCE OF THE SEAS, was so much better-then if one person wants to get up early and get ready one is not disturbing the person sleeping. There was a late night "bar" called THE BLISS. It is a strip-club. It really gets going after 11:30 p.m. and the music is SOOOOOOOOOOO loud, especially the bass, that none of us (three rooms, six people traveling together) could get a decent rest till the early hours of the morning when BLISS finally closed! Imaging laying your head on the pillow and feeling and hearing pounding music at 11:00 p.m. and long past 1:00 a.m. After a few days the Garden Cafe/Buffet's food started tasting and looking the same...not a lot of variety there; not what we have experienced on other ships. I'd give this ship a 7 for food out of 10 and a 1 for layout...especially for outer deck areas. The shows were great and the ports and excursions were great too. The staff was good. It's basically the ship itself. Negative. It left me glad for the time with extended family but sorely disappointed in the accomadations.