We just sailed NCL Epic late May-early June to the western Med and had a wonderful time. We choice Epic for two primary reasons: 1) NCL seems to be one of the few cruise lines still offering 3rd and 4th guests sail free (we have two young children) and 2) we have sailed on the NCL Getaway twice before and had a great experience. While Epic isn't as new of a ship as Getaway, we did not feel it is lacking in many areas (2015 refurbishment). The staff is friendly and there are plenty of entertainment and eating options onboard. The ship is very clean and everything in the cabin works well. Splash Academy was really nice on this cruise (my kids didn't want to leave). I will say I don't like the cabin layout (standard balcony) as much as the Getaway as it is curved inside which makes it feel a little tighter and clunky. Also the bathroom, shower and sink are all separate. At first I didn't like this but after adjusting, it seems to give you more space in each area. Still thought the sink in the cabin was unusual but not terrible. The balcony we had was quite large...it was nice to have this extra space if someone was getting ready so you could be out of the way.
I didn't like the cabin layout (standard balcony) as much as the NCL Getaway as it is curved inside which makes it feel a little tighter and clunky. Also the bathroom, shower and sink are all separate. At first I didn't like this but after adjusting, it seems to give you more space in each area. Still thought the sink in the cabin was unusual but not terrible. The balcony we had was quite large...it was nice to have this extra space if someone was getting ready so you could be out of the way.
We rented a car from Avis at the port and drove to Pisa. I was hesitant about driving to Pisa and in Italy as I've heard horror stories of the restricted driving zones but it was very easy to navigate from Livorno to Pisa. Pisa has a wall around it so we knew not to go in and we found street parking readily available just outside the Pisa walls for a 5 minute walk to the tower. Returning the car was a bit interesting though as there was no one at the parking lot where we picked up the car and didn't see a drop box for the keys and GPS. We ended up taking them back to the counter where we got them but no one was there so we had to leave them under the counter. If renting a car, be sure to know how to return the keys.