I have been on other cruise lines before mostly rc and I would say that the experience on the Epic was a step up. The freestyle cruising , relatively good value ultimate dining package and the pricing to be able to have a balcony made the experience a very good one. We did the western med from Barcelona and the ports visited were all very interesting with a good choice of excursions or just having a good look around on your own.

The food was excellent in all the speciality restaurants and buffet and whilst the drink felt expensive with added gratuity and vat added I suppose that is optional for everyone. We did bring 3 bottles of wine on board at Barcelona - one in a suitcase and two purchased in the boarding area shop and we were not asked anything about them or asked for corkage charges. Fortunately I had an opener with me so we had two of these whilst enjoying the view from our balcony, the third one we brought to a speciality restaurant and again we're not charged. It is not clear what the policy is exactly but even if you do get charged corkage it will still work out better value than buying on board.

The blue man group, jazz and blues club and howl at the moon are must see entertainment and staff are generally very helpful and friendly Read more