Norwegian Epic Review on 3 Night Cruise to Bahamas

I have heard so many things about this cruise ship from other Norwegian Epic reviews across the web, but this is the first time I had a chance to experience this unique ship for myself.

So while everyone has their own opinion on what makes a cruise ship great or not, here is mine.

It is indeed a quirky cruise ship, but you can either view that as charming or annoying.  It was not until my third day on the ship that I really had a feel for the ship.  You know, that sense of familiarity you get when you can just bolt out of the stateroom and go exactly where you intended to go without turning around several times.

Norwegian Epic Review Video Tour

Norwegian Epic Mini-Suite Stateroom

For this cruise we enjoyed a mini suite on deck 11 (stateroom 11260).    The curved walls of this cabin added intrigue and made the space inviting.  Besides the great views from the balcony, there was plenty of room to lounge around or even to entertain guests.

One of the first things you will noticed upon entering the cabin is the separate toilet and shower areas.   While this can be a nice feature when using the facilities, the toilet area really only allows for minimal privacy, with a semi-transparent sliding door.

Our mini-suite had a deep soaking tub, which offered a nice private setting for a soak on the high sees.

The depth of the suite was a great luxury.  It’s one long cabin, which makes the space seem bigger than it actually is.

If you love cabinet space you will love these cabins.  We could have brought 5 large suitcases full of clothes and still had room for storage.  There were plenty of mirrors and ample closet space in the cabin. I do wish there were more places to power up devices, but we go on vacation to unplug right?

There are two 110 outlets under the TV area, and a hairdryer to the right of that, under the counter.  The flat screen TV wasn’t used much, but was the perfect size.  Looked to be about 36”.

Epic Food at an Epic Scale

We cruise for the food right?  Well, some of us feel that way because the food is just so delicious and in great supply.  Norwegian Epic is no different.  The number of dining options for the complimentary side of things was impressive.

Here are some of the complimentary options (included in the price of your cruise):

• Manhattan Dining Room
• Taste Dining Room
• Garden Cafe + Great Outdoor (buffet)
• O’Sheehan’s (Deck 6, Mid. Great wings and cheesecake FYI)
• Shanghai & Noodle Bar (It’s a must try!)
• Crepe station at Great Outdoor after 5:30 each day.  Don’t miss this one.

Then you have your cover charge specialty restaurants on Epic:

• Cagney’s (A la carte steakhouse)
• Le Bistro (A la carte French cuisine)
• Moderno ($24.95, Brazilian steakhouse)
• La Cucina (A la carte, Italian cuisine)
• Spiegel Tent (Circus/Dining)
• Teppanyaki ($29.85, Japanese cuisine)
• Yakitori & Sushi (A la carte, Japanese)

Keep in mind that these charges are per person and that a 20% gratuity will be added to the check.  Also,  room service does incur a convenience charge of $7.95

With freestyle dining there are no set dining times and no seat assignments, but making reservations for the main dining room is recommended to cut down on your wait time.

Pools and Hot Tubs

The Aqua Park on Epic is really quite something, with one water slide being 200 feet long and beginning 4 stories above the pool deck on the Epic Plunge.

The huge water bowl is impossible to miss and takes up quite a bit of visual real estate, but is a blast to swirl around in.

There are two main pools on the pool deck and 5 hot tubs in this main area.  Two more hot tubs can be found at the aft part of the ship in Spice H2O, along with another pool that is open during the day.

It some getting used to walking through and around the pool deck to get to the buffet each day.  Just remember to bob and weave a bit and you will be fine.

Mandara Spa on Epic

We really enjoyed the spa on Norwegian Epic.  If you like thermal suites, you will love the thermal suite on this ship.  The suite offers a luxurious thermal pool with water jets and powerful fountains to take those cares away.  The pictures probably say it better than I could, but just a few minutes in this pool makes the thermal suite worth every penny.

There is a very hot steam room (my personal favorite), and two dry saunas, one at 158 degrees Fahrenheit with slight humidity and the other at 185-190 degrees Fahrenheit with almost no humidity.  The great thing about these saunas is the view of the ocean you get while sitting in them.

After getting some heat from the saunas and rinsing off in the shower, it’s time to lie down on a heated tile lounger in complete relaxation mode.

Things to Do on Norwegian Epic

It doesn’t take long to see that there is a lot to do on Norwegian Epic.  For those who love to be active while cruising, there is the fitness center (with boxing bags, spinning classes, yoga, etc), 2 bowling alleys (right behind O’Sheehan’s), a rock climbing wall, a rappelling wall, basketball court, arcade, and of course the Aqua Park.  There is also a jogging track on deck 7 and shuffleboard courts.

In Bliss Ultra Lounge you can check out some karaoke, or there is always some kind of game going on in the atrium, which you can watch from above at O’Sheehan’s.

For movie lovers there are two options.  You can watch them at night under the stars near the aft pool, or you can check out the atrium for movie night.

I can’t list everything there is to do on the ship, so check out the video tour for a more thorough look at Norwegian Epic.

Norwegian Epic Freestyle Dailys

I know many of our readers love to check out the daily schedules the cruise lines give out, so I scanned and uploaded the Freestyle Dailys for each of the 3 days of this 3 day cruise on Norwegian Epic.   This PDF will give you a better idea of everything going on around the ship and what kind of activities and events you can expect.

Click Here to see Norwegian Epic Freestyle Daily via PDF

I was not able to get any footage of the Haven on Norwegian Epic.  I will have to pony up some extra cash to cruise on the more luxurious side of Epic.  But I will say I was jealous of those who were staying in the Haven.  Not only is this an exclusive part of the ship, but there are other perks like priority boarding, butler services, and priority access to tenders.  You know, basically taking any of the “waiting” part of cruising out of the equation.

Have you sailed on Norwegian Epic before?  What are your reviews of this ship, and what was your experience?  Let us know in comments below.