First, I've just got to say that I don't understand the bad reviews of the Epic. Sure, there were some issues, but overall - this is a great ship and we had a great time! We had booked a Spa Mini-Suite, and were happy with the stateroom - once you get used to it! Yes, the bathrooms are strange, the sink is small, but so what....that did not ruin our trip! The spa was great place to relax in the evening or mornings each day - terrific facility! There is always something to do on the Epic - shows, demonstrations, seminars, games, activities for ALL! Blue Man was good, Legends in Concert was good, Second City was OK (went to an all ages show - probably should have checked out the "adult" shows later in the evening). Band at Fat Cat and Jam Rock were good, never made it to Howl at the Moon, but heard good things; and all the other musicians and bands that performed throughout the ship were good too. Again - plenty to see and do on this ship!

Now on to the food...Overall good. We had pre-booked dinner at La Cuccina, Cagneys and Shanghai's prior to the cruise. The remaining meals we had either in the buffet or Taste or the Manhattan room - all of these had good food and service - the dining rooms better than the buffet, but it was OK for a buffet. Now on to the specialty restaurants... a lot of the items offered in La Cuccina were available in the dining rooms as well - so save your money! The food their was OK, not bad, but not great. Service was good. The service at Shanghai's was good - the food was OK. Save your $15.00 per person, and just eat "a-la-carte" at the Noodle House outside the restaurant. The fried rice and noodle dishes are very good and range from $4-6 dollars each. Now to Cagney's...the worst service BUT the best food! Took nearly 15 minutes to be welcomed by our waiter after being seated, 15 minutes later to get the drinks we ordered, 30 minutes to get our appetizers - then another 30 minutes to get our main course after our appetizers were delivered. Our waiter never came to check on us only to run up to use when we left our table to sign our check. The food was delicious, but overall the worst service on the entire boat!

The staff and crew on this ship were always friendly and helpful - never really experienced anyone that made you feel "un-welcome" that some reviews have stated. Our room steward (Reggie) greeted us by name every time we saw him, and took good care of our stateroom. Sure, there were some things that could be addressed (we had a broken reading lamp and our refrigerator kept locking in our stateroom) but it was all fixed quickly. Remember, this is a large floating hotel with over 4000 guests and 2000 staff, and like any hotel this size - there may be issues - BUT nothing that would cause me to give a bad review. Read more