Norwegian Epic Review
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I'm 65 years old and have never been to Europe. What better way to see it than on a cruise?
This cruise is all about the ports, there is only one sea day and most of the port days are long. This was my first cruise on a mega ship, but it didn't really feel much different than the smaller ships. There are lines for some things, but never long.
Embarkation went quickly and smoothly. We did have Latitudes priority boarding, which helped. This cruise is either round trip from Barcelona, or from Rome. Probably 20% of the passengers embark in Rome, so they're not all embarking at the same time in Barcelona.
Cabin Review
Aft-Facing Balcony
We had an aft facing balcony cabin. All outside rooms on the Epic are balconies, the rooms have been discussed and cussed to no end on all the review boards, so I won't go into too much detail on the room layout. There are two subjects that come up, the curved wall and the bathrooms. When you look at the deck plans, the bed is on the concave part of the wall. Most people seem to prefer the bed next to the balcony, so keep that in mind when choosing your room. The shower, toilet, and sink are separated on the Epic. When you walk into the room, the shower is on one side, the toilet on the other side, and the sink a little further in next to the shower. This arrangement is what reviewers either love or hate. I preferred the arrangement, because it allowed my wife and I to get ready at the same time, i.e. I could shave and brush my teeth while she was in the shower, and you'll appreciate that if you have an early shore excursion. This also results in bigger areas for the shower and toilet. There is a curtain seperating the bathroom area from the rest of the room. The shower and toilet have frosted glass, which doesn't do much for privacy. If privacy is a concern, shut the curtain and lock the deadbolt so the room steward doesn't come in while you're in the shower.
The phone has a large LED screen, which is convenient but is way too bright at night, especially since there is a mirror directly across from it. A well placed pillow fixed that problem.
The room has plenty of storage, we only used about 2/3 of it. Some of it is a bit hidden, there are plenty of YouTube videos showing where it is, and it's easier to see than describe. The bed is a bit short, I'm 5'7", if I stretched out, my feet hung off the end of the bed.