Norwegian Epic Review
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As a former NCL cruiser, I must say that the Epic was my best cruise experience and I believe it was because I went alone. Previously, I had gone with my husband when we were married and last year on the NCL Dawn with a girlfriend. Those experiences were more subdued because it wasn't all about me, and this was in a certain way. I felt the freedom to go where I want, when I wanted. During the day, I went to the quiet areas of the ship at Spice H2O, an adults only area as well as a small area on the 18th floor. That is where I spent most of my days at sea. As the previous Solo Traveler mentioned, the main pool area was noisy and crowded, so I pretty much avoided it. I love Freestyle Cruising, eating meals when I want and with whom I want, no preset times and not much dressing up necessary, only if you want to.The Solo Travelers had a great advantage in that we were taken care of beautifully by Natalie, our own Cruise Director. She organized dinners for 20 or more, minutes before we wanted to dine at the main restaurants, Taste or Manhattan. She was always there for us and was an invaluable part of the trip. Our 5:30 happy hour was very cheerful, everyone talking and making new friends from all over the world. If you are at all outgoing, you will have a marvelous time. It turned out that out of 128 Solo cabins, only about 20-30 people were active with the group daily. Others came and went but we had a fun core group. The average age of our group would be in the 40's I guess, but as a 64 year old woman, I felt totally accepted by the younger folks. Our age range was 27-83 years old and all had a good time. We celebrated two birthdays on board, and our 83 year old was thrilled when we dance around her at Spice H20.If you are hesitant traveling alone, whether male or female, be assured that you can have a wonderful time in this situation. You are guaranteed to meet people and will be accepted for who you are. I didn't feel like a singles meat market. My expectations were to have fun and indeed, I did! Can I go again next week???
Cabin Review
Studio
The Solo Cabins are a bit of a shock upon first sight, but I found enough space to put away all my belongings and once I adjusted the lighting to my taste, I was satisfied. The lights constantly rotate from red, to purple to blue to white, and I kept it on white for the maximum brightness. Someone told me it was romantic, but it was beyond my ideas of romance.
I had never gone on a 7 day cruise before and never on an inside cabin, but it was just fine. It was quite cozy when I wanted to lay in bed and read. The toilet and shower compartments were a bit small, to say the least, but still adequate for an average size person.
This cruise was the smoothest I have ever been on, whether it was being in those waters in April or the ships stabilizers, I can't say, but you hardly knew you were at sea sometimes.