We wanted to try something different - but now we know - we will not veer from Royal Caribbean again. No comparison of ships, Royal is so much nicer. The Epic has no outside areas on the front, back or sides that you can go out on (except the running track, which is still kind of enclosed) The bathroom (or lack of a room for a bathroom) is the weirdest setup in a room I've ever seen. There is no real room, right when you walk in the room, the shower is on the left, the toilet is on the right and the sink is on a counter in the room. The service was terrible - and not because they werent working their butts off but I think they were just understaffed. Lines at the bars all the time, it was rare you were ever asked outside while you were in a chair if you needed a drink. Dinner took hours most nights while we sat for extended periods of time waiting for food. The food was good though. Shows were okay, but the drag queen show was disappointing - language was terrible and content not suitable for young kids. If you had children under 17 they couldnt go. I think the main shows should be suitable for everyone to see. That only left one other show. Forget about ever getting a deck chair. We were on deck by 8am and all the chairs were saved. Small pool area. It was worth a try - but definitely learned a lesson. We are going back to Royal Caribbean. Norweigan needs to spend some time on staffing, customer service and ship design in order to compete!! I paid what I paid to go on the Harmony of the Seas and there is no comparison!