I am a travel agent, and this was my first time cruising. My office sells ALL cruise lines, and NCL is definitely a top seller for us, since it is an appropriate choice for all ages and travelers. It was wonderful to experience a cruise firsthand, and the NCL Epic did not disappoint. Mind you, I don't have another cruise to personally compare it to.
Here is my review:
Embark/Disembarkation: quick, easy and painless each time, no complaints. NOTE: If in port you purchase any alcohol, NCL will apprehend it until the end of the cruise.
Cabin/Stateroom: We had a balcony cabin on deck 10, mid-ship. We didnt utilize the balcony much, but I still think it was worth it to have. No major complaints about the cabin... other than the lack of outlets/plugs, but we knew this in advance, and brought along a small extension cord which really saved us. LOL
Another small complaint: with tons of light switches and lighting options, but overall, even with ALL lights on, it was not the 'right' lighting for getting ready/doing make-up etc. (dim)
Every day the cabin was made-up by the house keeping, they never missed a beat. Coffee, kleenex etc, whatever we ran out of - was always restocked. We also enjoyed the cute towel animal creations! :)
Beds were sortof short, my feet hung over. I am not a tall person. Just a point to mention, as this didnt cause me any great discomfort...
We didnt book anything for this port. We had planned on just taking a bus and going to a beach for the day. However, the weather was grey and not ideal for the beach. So, we just took the port shuttle into the town, and wandered around and shopped and lazed around in various cafes/patios. It was a nice day.