My first NCL cruise comes to an end. Overall, it agrees with my general philosophy that the mainstream cruise lines are much more similar than different. Given the right itinerary and price I’d sail NCL again. But I won’t go out of my way. If anyone has any questions about the Epic or Southern Caribbean out of San Juan, ask away.
The Ugly: Boarding in San Juan was a disaster. Three plus hours in lines, mostly outdoors and worst of all, absolutely nobody from NCL around to reassure people, hand out water, take care of the elderly, etc. and zero acknowledgment or apology afterward
The Bad: Not a big deal, but I don’t like the 24 hour food source being a sit down restaurant. Who thinks this is a good idea? And there was just an overall sense of disorganization. Show times would change from published times, with the daily letter being wrong. All aboard times at a port changed without any announcement other than in the small print. That sort of thing.
The good: Fantastic group of fellow passengers. Friendly, helpful, and a great crew in the solo suites. The solo lounge in general was a really nice touch. And finally, breakfast in the Taste dining room. Such a better way to start the day than the chaos in the buffet.