We have not sailed on NCL for a few years but always advocated for the cruise line because of our past experiences. Sadly, if this would have been our first NCL cruise I might have never chosen to cruise with them again.
I like starting with the positive! The food was fine and I really enjoyed the wide variety of ice cream/sherbet flavors offered in the Garden Café. I also greatly appreciated the choice of soft and firm bed pillows available on our bed. The itinerary (the reason we chose this cruise) was amazing! I also want to compliment the officer in charge of the beverage service. He was considerate and accommodating to a need I verbalized to him. The entertainment, specifically the Cirque, the Burn the Floor, Legends and Howl at the Moon (the entertainers there the 1st week, the 2nd week the entertainers were putting it kindly not of the same quality).
I did not like the structural design of the Epic. I know this is a personal taste issue but the ship design contributes to the reason I will never sail on the Epic again. I felt very confined! The cabin configuration left my 6' 1 husbands feet hanging off the bed for 13days (rounded bed).There is nowhere to walk around the perimeter of the ship. Even the walking track is limited to one side of the ship with the only view being obstructed by life boats. The walking traffic pattern to shops, some restaurants and entertainment takes you through the casino where patrons are smoking. Not optimal for me. The communication from the cruise staff to the passengers was seriously deficient!! Communications about disembarkment (final and in ports), passport checks, entertainment , etc were inconsistent with plans communicated! This lack of communication lead to frustration and even chaos at certain times! We did not encounter very many friendly staff members and in the Garden Café we rarely were offered drink refills at our table (this was the status quo on other ships).