We picked this cruise because my wife wanted to go on a cruise for her birthday. So, it was our first time. A travel agent recommended this cruise because it was a brand new ship. My wife and I were sold the "Freestyle Dining" concept. We went straight to the port from the airport. Embarkation went smoothly... I was in awe of how they processed so many people so quickly and efficiently. The ship was huge! Of course we couldn't compare it to anything else since this was our first cruise. We had to used to the layout of the cabin, but we had a balcony, which was nice... we didn't get cabin fever. Dining was good. The Epic had a large eating area for the "regular" cafeteria. It was always crowded, but we always found a place to sit by ourselves. The cafeteria food didn't change much, but the "specialty" cafes made up for that. We went to nearly all of the shows that were on-board, including Legends and Blue Man Group. The "white" party was a lot of fun. The service on-board the ship was excellent! We went to St. Thomas, St. Maarten and Nassau. St. Maarten and Nassau was great. In St. Thomas, taxi drivers argued over who would get our fare. Disembarkation was a hassle, having to haul our bags around. Would we go on this cruise again? You bet! But, it may be a while before we do. We would like to try other ships and other destinations first.