We were on the Epic Fail Cruise, meaning the engines died on the 2nd day, we didn't go to any of the 3 ports we paid to see, and they took us, limping, to San Juan to work on the engines, where the Epic crashed into and sank 2 docs while trying to come in to port. The cruise was an epic fail and the service by NCL was very much below average after the chaos began to ensue. However, my review is going to be based on the ship, not the mechanical problems or the lack of planning and care for customers on the part of NCL.
The Epic gets horrible reviews. We didn't think it was nearly as bad as what people say, so I want to address the main concerns I read before our departure:
Cabins: Yes, the cabins are uniquely laid out. The separate shower and toilet was awesome! No, you can't see through the glass. The room curtain will block whatever you need. Because the shower is separate, it comes with glass doors!! This means to moldy shower curtain sticking to you and WAY more shower space than any cruise I've been on. The separate toilet is also kind of nice. The sink is separate and placed by the end of the bed, but this was in no way a problem for us. Of all the rooms I've had, this room had TONS of storage space!! We had no problem finding enough room to put things. AMAZING! The beds- yes they are shorter than normal and rounded at the end. There's not a fitted sheet in the universe that would fit on that oddly shaped mattress. My husband is 6'5. His feet were off the end of the bed. If this is a deal breaker for you, this is not the ship for you.
The balcony for this room is huge. I called on day 1 and requested a lounge chair. If you get a large balcony room, call and request a lounger. You won't regret it. The balcony is huge!! I read complaints about the smell of fumes from Shanghai, and yes, you can smell the exhaust from that, but it smelled delightful! I imagine the whole side of this ship can smell the food.