Embarkation went pretty smoothly and they managed the crowds pretty well. It obviously takes a while to load such a large ship, so I was prepared for a longer line and pleasantly surprised how quickly things moved. Disembarkation in Canaveral was a bit rocky as we had to wait a bit for bags and immigration to get in place, but everyone seemed to be in good spirits and recognized it was the first time they docked there.

The weather was great most days of the cruise, and the rainy day was spent in the spa steam room and whirlpool, so it was perfect. LOL The crew was hardworking and always pleasant, trying to make everyone's vacation fun. I saw some arrogant passengers that I would not have been as pleasant with, so hats off to them. The cabins were reasonably large and very well maintained. I've been on the Epic before, so the split bathroom was expected and not that big of a deal. It does require a bit of cooperation if sharing the cabin, but that is needed for more than just shower time so just pick a decent travel companion and it is not an issue.

I didn't do any of the upcharge meals, and was generally pleased with the meals in the complimentary restaurants. Taste had great service and food and we went there most evenings for dinner. The Chinese restaurant was disappointing, but had excellent starters with their spring rolls and fried squid. So while we didn't go back for the entrees, we did go back and made a meal of all starters. Manhattan was a disappointment. We only went there the last evening and, being perfectly blunt, my meal was awful. I ordered chicken parm and what came out looked like it had been prepared and sitting under a heat lamp for an hour or two. The chicken was dry, but even worse was that the sauce and pasta was also dried up. You can hide an overcooked chicken filet under a decent juicy pasta sauce and get away with it, but I couldn't eat this. My companions had nice meals though, so I'm willing to chalk it up to a kitchen mistake. Read more