My partner and I sailed the NCL Epic from April 30--May 7th, Western Caribbean. This was our first experience on NCL. The Epic is a wonderful ship with much to do, while never feeling too large or overcrowded. The ship had about 3600 passengers. Embarkation: We got to the port and didn't have to wait in line to register. We got upstairs to the waiting area and only had to sit for about 30 minutes. We were on board just before 12noon. State Room:We stayed in a Spa Deluxe Suite, room 14110. We found the room cozy, not too small, with a TON of storage. The balcony was large enough for two. You've read enough about the bathroom situation; I'm sure NCL won't repeat that again with there next two ships. Our room steward, Rolando, was great. We LOVED having access to the thermal spa unit and used it almost every day! Food:To be honest, we found the food in MDRs average. It wasn't anything to write home to mother about. But, we didn't complain too much because we didn't have to cook. I think MDR food on HAL is better. The food in the specialty restaurants was far superior. We ate at the Le Bistro, Japanese, and the Cirque. We loved the Bistro so much that we ate there twice! Oue biggest gripe--the wait staff in the MDR seemed, at times, very dysfunctional. There was a noticeable difference in the wait staff in the specialty restaurants, which were very attentive and well organized. One of the main reasons we chose NCL was for their freestyle cruising. But, we realized that we missed sitting at a table with other folks and getting to know them as the week progressed. Entertainment:Fantastic! The best entertainment on a cruise ship we've ever had. There was always something to do. Ports:We enjoyed the three ports of call and did something different at each one. We never felt rushed to 'get back to the ship.'Disembarkation: A royal mess. This was not NCL's fault, but just the reality of trying to get 3600 or so people off the ship and through Customs. It took us 1.5 hours to get to off the ship and through Customs. Overall:We really enjoyed our NCL Epic experience. We plan to cruise on this ship again, but this time with our two children. There is so much for the whole family to do...oh, did I mention the water slides were great!