Norwegian Epic Review

A great time on the transatlanic, with room for improvement

Review for Transatlantic Cruise on Norwegian Epic
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philamike
10+ Cruises • Age 40s

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Sail Date: Oct 2014
Cabin: Mid-Ship Balcony

This review is for the Fall 2014 westbound transatlantic cruise on Norwegian Epic, from Barcelona to Miami with stops in Madeira, St. Maarten and St. Thomas. It was 14 nights and a good itinerary for a transatlantic voyage, as some transatlantic cruises may only have one stop (or less).

This was my tenth Norwegian cruise, and my second on Epic which I had sailed three years prior on a Western Mediterranean cruise. The ship was how I remembered it -- big and flashy, very Vegas resort-style. But it does offer a lot of attractions and things to do. One nice change -- there was more public space available on the front top deck, as a section previously reserved for The Haven was now open to the rest of the ship as a Quiet Zone. (The Haven still has their own dedicated sundeck.) As for the staterooms, they are still small despite their "coolness" factor, strangely designed bathrooms (it's no wonder no other ship sailing today has a similar bathroom layout) and too small for two adults, let alone a family with kids. Luckily I was traveling solo and found my balcony stateroom to be a perfect solo cabin. And the balcony was a normal size, unlike the postage stamps that Norwegian decided to give its newer ships. (Why??)

At the Cruise Critic gathering, the hotel director reminded us that if we have any issues/concerns to please notify him or other staff so they can address it on board. This is good advice for all guests, as I read many of these reviews and shake my head, thinking, "Well why didn't you tell someone?" So the faults I cite in this review are directed towards Norwegian corporate, as they are things that can't be solved with a simple fix or quick re-training.

Cabin Review

Mid-Ship Balcony

Cabin BB

Standard balcony cabin, though it was perfectly located in the middle of a gap between sets of lifeboats and offered an unobstructed view of the water directly below.

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