Having sailed on 20 plus cruises, but never having sailed on a massive ship like the Epic, my husband was the one having to try it. And I'm so glad we did! We never go on any ship in the first few months of their maiden voyage. There's just bound to be problems that crop up. Previously, I had read all the negative comments, but obviously NCL is listening because the staff was at the top of their game. Every person we encountered was engaging, friendly and really seemed to care if we were having a great time. The upbeat attitude seemed to spread to the passengers. I'm sure there were some grumpy people aboard but thankfully we didn't witness any scenes. Maybe because everything is so new, people were even talking in the elevators and comparing experiences with the different venues. There is just so much to do, it's impossible to experience everything in a week.

Cruise Critic Meet & Greet - Props to Len, our coordinator for this event (9/25 sailing). He was just amazing with all the information he provided to everyone. I have never been to such a well-attended meeting on board. The captain, directors, and managers were there and simply put us at their disposal. If you had a concern that wasn't addressed, it was entirely your own fault. All you have to do is speak up. The accessibility to the officers was incredible. My husband had several occasions to speak to Klaus (hotel director) and we were very impressed with his hands on approach.

Embarkation - arrived at the port about 10:30, knowing we wouldn't be able to board until noon. (have had traffic/parking issues in the past & would just rather sit in the terminal) Very fast when the process started, sort of odd walking right into the casino. Read more