Well let me preface this with three comments. One, I had never cruised before. Two, I am 25 and was traveling with only my parents. Three, I was staying in a STUDIO room...so for those of you who are thinking of traveling in the studios read on. All of these made me highly apprehensive about my first cruise. However, after the week I can say 100% I would cruise again, and I would cruise on the Epic again.

Having never cruised I did not know what to expect during embarkation. My folks who have cruised, assured me that Norwegian did an amazing job getting us onto the ship with almost no wait. We did get there early, about 12pm...and spent no more than 15 minutes from leaving our luggage to entering the ship. Since I will probably forget, disembarking was just as easy. I rely on my parents for this...but they said it was the easiest they have ever dealt with. So 1 point for NCL.

I was nervous about being in a "small" space with 4000 other people...but to be honest, other than the Garden Cafe the first day, and last day, it never felt crowded. Since this was the only real food available at boarding and de-boarding, it makes sense it was busy. Yes, you will read many reviews about the venues being small...but if you make your reservations early you will have no problem finding a seat. We saw BMG, Second City, Legends, and Howl at the Moon. The first 3 were great...Howl at the Moon left much to be desired. I have been to other "Howls" and these guys seemed to know very few songs. Otherwise, the entertainment was spectacular. I ever went to the 11pm (adults only) Second City - no reservation or anything, and had no problem getting a seat. Read more