A friend and I sailed the Norwegian Epic in October on a 7-night Western Mediterranean cruise. We had both previously sailed with Norwegian (for me, three times), and my friend had sailed Epic once before. We booked the cruise about nine months in advance, taking advantage of an early-booking sale that allowed us to get a mid-ship balcony cabin for a relatively inexpensive price. The itinerary started in Barcelona followed by a day at sea; then, three stops in Italy: Pisa/Florence (Livorno), Rome (Civitavecchia) and Naples; another day at sea; and Palma de Majorca.

I was a little concerned about some negative things I had heard about Epic -- specifically, the cabin design with the "open" bathroom layout (separate frosted-glass stalls for the toilet and the shower), the lack of available outdoor space on the front upper decks (this area is reserved for the suite complex), and overall crowding as the Epic has a relatively low passenger-to-space ratio. Epic is the same physical size as Royal Caribbean's Freedom-class ships, yet Epic holds approximately 500 more passengers.

We spent two days in Barcelona prior to the cruise, staying at Le Meridien on Las Ramblas. The location was great, as we were adjacent to the Gothic Quarter with its many pedestrian streets and squares, and restaurants. We did a 2.5-hour walking tour offered daily by Runnerbean Tours -- these tours are given by volunteers who simply work for tips. The tour guide did an excellent job and we learned a lot about the history of the city. Read more