This was our ninth cruise and the second time on NCL. Our first was on the charming, older, much smaller Norwegian Spirit which we thoroughly enjoyed. We had read about the design problems with the Epic but the timing and itinerary worked well for us.
First, the positives: the staff were excellent from our steward to the main dining room staff to the pool waiters.
The ports were why we cruised - Naples, Rome, Florence-Pisa, Cannes, and Palma de Mallorca were all great. We did our own excursions - none through NCL.