We've cruised several times with NCL in the past, but only on shorter cruises and smaller ships . Based on our past experiences, we were really looking forward to our 10 days on the Epic.
Our cruise started off on a really bad note. We arrived at Port Canaveral just after 11am, and there was already a long line. We got into line and soon realized the line wasn't moving, and nobody was being allowed into the terminal. Busloads of people continued to arrive, and without any authority to guide the situation, the line soon turned into just a mob. Several lines formed, some people knowingly or unknowingly cut into lines, and the crowd became vocally unhappy. Still no official from NCL or the Port was present. Eventually, some of the passengers found some line stanchions that weren't being used, and on there own tried to make some lines. It was truly chaos outside. It was quite windy and cold outside. Eventually, the line started to slowly move. It took us more than 3 hours of standing in line to get onboard the ship, and it was really all most people were talking about.
Once onboard, things got quickly better.
We had originally booked an inside room, but through NCL's auction process, were upgraded to a family balcony. The room, while a bit weird, was roomy with lots of storage. Since the toilet, shower, and sink, are all separated, bathroom privacy is almost impossible. The shower seemed larger than other NCL ships we've been on. But the sink is literally at the end of the bed. It would be very awkward for friends sharing a room. The bed seems a little short. I'm 6'4" tall, and my feet hung off the bed a good 6". This weirdly put my feet just a few inches from the sink. None of this really bothered us though, as the balcony was awesome.
Enjoyed Harvest Caye. Awesome beach and pool. Super easy to return to ship for lunch and drinks.
Walked to 7 mile beach. About a 2 mile walk. Hung out at Royal Palm Beach Club. Awesome hunk of beach. Water is perfect. Order a couple of beers and you can stay at the beach club for hours.
Just walked around city. Felt perfectly safe.