Norwegian Epic Review
Overall better than our previous Epic cruise. Still some room for improvement.
Rating by category
Additional details
This is our second time on the Norwegian Epic. Our first Norwegian Epic cruise was in January of 2017. This cruise was January of 2019. It was a 10 day eastern Caribbean. Although we prefer Norwegians Breakaway/Breakaway Plus ships slightly better, the cruise was a steal and the perfect length. Since this is our second time on Epic, we are able to compare the two cruises and found our most recent trip to be far better than our experience two years ago. The only major issue I have with this ship is the need to make reservations for just about everything and having to do it before you even get on the cruise. We like to plan each day out based on the activities going on. Some days we may want to eat very early to make a 7:00 show or some days we may eat after the show. Once we embarked, just about every reservation (shows and specialty dining) were either completely booked or only had 9:30 dinner options. But heres the thing, there is always space because guests book their reservations before they embark and either forget or change their mind. This is extremely frustrating as it leaves other guests without reservations and unable to enjoy their cruise. Multiple times we saw guests being seated for dinner at one restaurant and the hostess telling them they had a reservation at another restaurant. We were also able to walk in to La Cecina (which showed completely booked) and sit right down to a nearly empty restaurant. So make sure you book your entertainment and dining reservations before hand, but please for other guests go to those reservations.
Dining:
Of all of the quirks of Norwegian Epic, dining is one of the more frustrating. This is a ship that simply does not have enough dining options (during dinner mostly) to accommodate all of their guests. NCL prides itself on the ability to dine when you want. With Epic this is not the case. If you do not have a dinner reservation, you will most likely wait. Now wait times are not outrageous, we found anywhere from 10-40 minutes in the complimentary dining options. Unfortunately, for most of the specialty dining, reservations are hard to come by. This is most likely due to the fact that most people now have the dining package for free.
Cabin Review
Mid-Ship Balcony
We like the cabins on the Epic. You will see a lot of mixed reviews about the cabins due to the odd layout. We tend to like the layout with the split bathroom, although it can be strange for guests traveling with their family or friends as there is little privacy. The cabins are average size. Our balcony was a good size this time. The cabins have plenty of storage space. The bed was the one issue I had. Due to the curved cabin design, the bed is fairly small. I am 5'8" and my feet were hanging off the end. I also found the bed very uncomfortable and the pillows very flat. I was able to get a much nicer pillow from my cabin steward, who was very attentive.
Overall, we enjoyed the cabin. If you want your privacy or don't think you will like the layout of the room, go on another ship.