This was only our third cruise and we chose the NCL Epic because the dates worked for us, we liked the Eastern Carib itinerary and...well heck...it was an awesome deal with the free beverage package and three restaurant upgrades. 

I've been reading the reviews ever since this past fall when the Epic came back from it's European run and admittedly was a little worried that we'd made a bad choice.  Well, the ship design does have it's negatives but there are positives as well.  Overall, my husband and I had a great time.  Would I seek out sailing with the Epic again?  Probably not.  Would I sail with NCL again?  Sure!  If you are booked on the Epic, don't let these reviews get you down.  I would suggest that you use these reviews to go into your vacation informed and prepared so that you can have the most positive experience possible. 

HOTEL AND EMBARKATION - We flew in from SYR without incident and called the Marriott Lakeside Orlando and the free shuttle was there in about twenty minutes.  When checking in, NCL had a table set up with friendly reps to give you the run down.  It was determined we'd be on Bus No. 2 which would be leaving at 11:30 am.  I was a little disappointed because I was hoping we'd get on the ship earlier.  It ended up being a blessing in disguise.  The ship was two hours late getting in due to fog, and from what people in my FB cruise group were saying, things were a crazy mess at the port.  Our bus got stuck in traffic on the way to the hotel and didn't pick us up until 2:30 pm.  I think our buses were about the last to arrive which meant we just breezed through security and check in.  We were on the ship by 3:45 pm. Read more