By way of introduction, my wife and I are seasoned cruisers with more than 25 cruises. We decided on this cruise based on the entertainment, not the cruise line or the port stops. We have been to these ports many times. We went with 4 other couples, all experienced cruisers. After reading numerous reviews I was concerned with my decision to go on the Epic, but it turned out ok.

Ports: To begin, I agree that getting on and off the ship in all ports was easy. I think one reason at the port stops is most people don't take tours, so they don't care when they get off the ship. I would strongly recommend not paying for a tour. Most of the time you can get a tour on your own for half the money.

Dining: Dining rooms were average. Personally, I think it's so you will pay for specialty restaurants, which we did. Le Bistro, excellent; La Cucina, wouldn't go there again, below average food; Cagney's, again excellent with excellent service; Teppanyaki, very good and entertaining. Based on some reviews the service was better than expected. The staff was excellent in handling our dining requests, we always got a table for 10. But, there are too many specialty restaurants. Read more