Norwegian Epic Review
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I chose the cruise as a high school graduation gift for my grandson. The ports were good and the food in the main dining room was good and most of the shows we chose were good. The staff is pleasant and competent.
When we cruise, we enjoy meeting new people and sharing conversation over our meal. We like a more formal dining experience and asked for a sharing table a few times but gave up after sitting by ourselves at a table for 6 twice for at least 15 minutes or more.
Having to reserve space on a tender or at a show is nothing we've ever had to do before and it was a royal pain trying to coordinate activities on the first days of the cruise. I brought aboard wines and did not mind paying a corkage fee, but not letting passengers bring aboard bottled water and then selling 6 packs for $15 was a bit steep.
Cabin Review
Mini-Suite with Balcony
We booked a mini-suite for 3. I found the room tight -- someone had to step out of the way if we needed to pass one another. We were in 8168 and it was very noisy at night. We think the noise was from the Cavern Club two floors below. The ship was full and moving our cabin was not possible. There was a sign at the service desk saying so. I used earplugs and slept with a pillow under one ear and another pillow over the other ear.
I did not like the entry. On one side was the toilet and the other side was the shower -- as soon as you entered the room. Both were enclosed in a frosted glass (or plexiglass) booth and a curtain could be pulled so you could utilize the entry as a dressing room. We all spent time outside the room so everyone could have some privacy. This would have been fine for just my husband and me, but add an 18 year old to the mix and it's not comfortable. I like to have a bathroom with a sink and a toilet and a shower.
It took us two days to find out how to turn off the light to the sink -- which was right next to my bed. It's under the medicine cabinet. It took twice that long to find the switch to the reading lights over the bed. The switch is at the top of the light.
Port Reviews
Rome (Civitavecchia)
We stayed in Rome prior to our cruise and were able to book a night tour of the Colosseum which I highly recommend. Advance reservations can be bought at the coopculture website.
Florence (Livorno)
We rented a car and drove to San Gimignano. It's a fun place to walk around. We had hoped to visit Lucca and bicycle the wall, but ran out of time.
Cannes
We walked around town and visited the casino. Take note NCL there are booths in the casino for smokers.
Palma de Mallorca (Majorca)
We didn't have much time in port and booked a hop on hop off tour on our own. We still had to stand in line with the advance tickets. It was a long wait on a hot day. Some of the buses had hardly any air conditioning.
Barcelona
We booked Parc Guell admission and La Sagrada Famillia before the cruise. If you get off early, you can walk into the monumental zone at the park without admission before 8 am. If you don't book LSF in advance, there is a good chance you won't be able to get in. We also walked past La Pedrera (I'm a Gaudi fan) and down Passeig Gracia. We stopped in the plaza in the gothic district and people watched by the cathedral then down La Rambla to the ship.
Naples
We took the 151 bus to the train station and took the Circumvesuviana to Pompeii Scavi. After our visit, we took the Circumvesuviana to Ercolano Scavi to see Herculaneum. Both towns have 2 stops -- Scavi is where the excavations are. Do Pompeii in the morning as it gets very crowded and tends to be hotter tha Herculaneum.