EPIC 7-Night Mediterranean Rome Roundtrip - Photo Review!

[PathfinderEss]

Wonderful review and beautiful pictures.

[Winnigirl]

A+ as usual, Victoria!

[BritChickBN1]

Wonderful review. For some reason I can't see the last 30 or so pics but what I did see was amazing.

I'm lookinf forward to reading your older reviews. :)

[timmo44]

Well done on a great review - really well written. I too have done the Epic Med cruise two times (and a short 4 dayer too). And I will probably do it again because I love the Epic and there's always more to see in Rome and Florence. And I could spend a whole day in Pompeii which is simply amazing (the Alexander the Great Mosaic is amazing for something 2000 years old.)

 

NCL Epic occasionally includes Cannes instead of Palma as a port and there you can get into Monaco and Eze, two of the most beautiful places in Europe. I believe they start calling at Cannes again in May 2014.

[LittleMissMagic]

I decided to write a long review, compiling my thoughts on the Norwegian Epic and our 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise.

 

NORWEGIAN EPIC REVIEW: 7-Day Mediterranean

 

Overview

 

I absolutely loved the Norwegian Epic, and I had a great time on both Mediterranean itineraries. This ship impressed me, and it is one that I wouldn’t hesitate to sail on again in the future. I wasn’t sure if I’d like Freestyle Cruising, but there were times when I really appreciated it. While I was hesitant to give it a try for a few years, I now know that I do enjoy freestyle cruising (still like traditional, though) and will gladly do it again in the future.

 

It’s important to know that before this cruise, I spent a lot of time on NCL’s website and Cruise Critic researching what was and was not included on the ship so that I wouldn’t be in for any surprises onboard. I think this is something that I lot of people gloss over or ignore before sailing, and then they come back bitter when they realize that it costs extra to dine at the specialty restaurant. Before booking this cruise, I was well aware that I would have to pay extra for the dinner show and specialty restaurants, and that was factored into the cost of the cruise – no surprises!

 

I am a firm believer that life is what you make it, so I make sure to always try to see things in a positive light and enjoy myself. The cruise line doesn’t control my fun – I do. That being said, I do have an analytical eye, so I’ll list the good and the not-so-good in this review.

 

Cabins

 

“Wave” Aft Balcony Staterooms

 

I had read on Cruise Critic that the aft balconies had bad engine vibrations, and while I did notice it when we were entering and leaving port, it didn’t bother me at all. I loved the view from the aft – it was great to be able to look to either side of the ship. The only downside was that we did have some smokers neighboring us, so it was annoying to be on the balcony and smell smoke. I realize that there are very limited smoking areas on the ship and that smokers get the balcony stateroom for the luxury of being able to smoke on it. I just wish it didn’t smell so bad to non-smokers. I think this is a problem that is going to eliminate itself over the next few decades.

 

The design of the room itself is quite different than typical balcony cabins. One thing controversial on here is the lack of a true bathroom. When you enter, there is a shower on one side, a water closet on the other, and a sink out in the main room. You do have the option of closing a curtain to allow for privacy from the rest of the room if you wish, but if someone comes in through the door, then they’re walking through the bathroom space which is a bit odd. This room configuration wasn’t a problem for us, but I could see how it would be a concern for others. For us, it actually helped to have the sink in the main room because one of us could get ready by the sink while the other was in the shower. And the shower also never fogged up the mirror which was nice. It’s a room that works for families that aren’t super modest, but one you probably wouldn’t want to be in with a stranger.

 

As for storage, there is a lot of storage space, but it’s all very weird. They didn’t have standard sets of drawers. In one cabinet, there were baskets on the back of each of the cabinet doors which was completely bazaar to me. Most of the storage was up high, which was annoying for us because we had to stand on the bed to get to that overhead storage or climb on the counter to reach the top shelf of the safe cabinet. A set of drawers or just some shelves down low would be nice.

 

What the “wave” allows NCL to do is cram in more staterooms by taking away a large amount of floor space in front of the sofa. It’s a concept that they like because they continued it with a similar floor plan on the Breakaway (but instead of curving walls, they used right angles). While it looks cool, it’s actually taking away square footage from the stateroom. It was annoying when the boys would come in and sit on our couch while we were trying to get ready because their knees extended to the counter, and we had to step over them. This is why I can’t imagine putting four (grown) people in this cabin – there is very little space for circulation. Any more than two people and you’re stepping over one another.

 

Inside Staterooms

 

The boys had the inside stateroom, so I can’t review it on a completely first-hand basis on staying in it for a week, but I did spend some time there. The circulation is honestly much better in the inside cabin because the beds are against each wall, so there is much more usable floor space (it wouldn’t have been as large-feeling if they had the beds pushed together). Their split bathroom was the same as ours. As far as storage, they had much more closet space, and they each had nightstands with drawers. The downside to their room was that it was really dark – as soon as you entered the room, you had to put the key in the door or else you’d be stumbling around in the dark (where as the balcony staterooms have light coming in from the outside, at least during the day). The television is smaller in the inside stateroom, but it wasn’t a huge difference.

Also, I think it’s important to note that the boys’ stateroom attendant gave them much more attention than ours did. They always got the coolest towel animals every night, while ours might make one every once in a while…. And then, it would just be something basic or something completely unrecognizable.

 

Dining

 

Buffet - Garden Café

 

In comparison to other cruise ships I’ve sailed on, this buffet had some of the best selection and also had good circulation and adequate seating. They offer some of the same standard foods (pizza, salad, burgers) every day and also have areas that change daily. Some foods were a miss (and you had to circle the breakfast buffet and find the best eggs and bacon), but I was the most impressed I’ve ever been by a buffet on a cruise ship. Also, they offer scooped ice cream in the buffet… for no additional charge!

 

Buffet – The Great Outdoors

 

The boys especially loved this buffet. I liked how they put different types of toppings on the burgers. I thought it was set up a little strangely – sometimes I would get something and then need something that had actually been at the front of the line. But besides that, it offered good, convenient food.

 

Buffet – Spice H20

 

I was really confused as to whether or not children were supposed to be getting food from here. I saw a lot of kids serving themselves, and it makes sense because they probably saw it as they were headed to the sports deck (more on that later). However, it’s technically in the adults’ only area. The food was simple offerings similar to those at the Great Outdoors, but convenient to that side of the ship.

 

Pub (free) – O’Sheehans

 

We really liked this venue. The bar was great and it was a fun atmosphere, and we also liked the food there. The wings were very good. I didn’t eat breakfast there, but my parents did (they ate breakfast everywhere – one of my mom’s goals), and they really enjoyed it.

 

Dining Room – Taste

 

My mom said that she doesn’t like any dining room that uses placemats, but I think she was the only one seriously offended by that. The food was okay – I wasn’t super blown away by anything. Of course, I didn’t eat there every day. I also think that service in the dining rooms on the Epic suffers due to the Freestyle cruising concept. The wait staff is so busy trying to circulate people in and out efficiently that they can’t be really attentive to your table. You just don’t build the same type of relationship with the staff as you would on a traditional style cruise.

 

Dining Room – The Manhattan Room

 

This is the more upscale dining venue that is included in the cost of cruise fare. In this venue, you can have a really awesome seat with a great view off the aft of the ship… or you could have a really terrible table towards the entrance of the restaurant. This is where we were stuck when I dined here with my family. They also shoved three tables for two together, rather than seating us at a table for six… which meant that we were too far away from the people at the other corner of the table to have a conversation. Also, the acoustics are very bad in that portion of the restaurant. We didn’t have good service here, and we actually found it to be very slow. We had to leave before our dessert came because we had show reservations.

 

Specialty Restaurant – Wasabi Sushi Bar

 

This is a-la-carte, and it’s really not expensive at all. I think we paid $2-4 extra for sushi rolls. Don’t let the “for charge” keep you from eating there if you like sushi. I honestly think that the only reason they have a charge is to keep the restaurant from overcrowding. I actually never saw the restaurant crowded at all. Also, you can sit here and order just drinks from the bar and not have sushi. But the sushi was made to order and delicious.

 

Specialty Restaurant – Teppanyaki

 

This is a restaurant that we were really looking forward to. However, they sat us awkwardly with six in a straight line, and I was behind the chef, next to a column so that the waiter had to ask me to move every time he needed to set something down in front of me. Honestly, I was very disappointed in the chef’s “show.” He wasn’t very interactive, but in his defense, the people sitting directly in front of him were paying him no attention at all. The food, however, was very good – the best steak I had on the cruise. But the $25 surcharge is a little high in my opinion. We did speak up about the bad seat next to the column, and we were refunded the price for that seat and were gifted a bottle of wine. So that confirms to me that NCL is definitely concerned about customer satisfaction.

 

Specialty Restaurant – Le Bistro

 

I think that this restaurant is seriously underrated by CCers. We loved it. It was quiet and low-key (though there was some Cirque noise occasionally from above). We also had really excellent service. I’ve said this a few times before, but it is service comparable to what I usually get in the dining room on a traditional cruise. The food was great, and while they did offer French food, you also had the option to get something more “American.” Lobster was an additional $10 surcharge, but my boyfriend found it well worth it. And I highly recommend the chocolate fondue for dessert!

 

Specialty Restaurant – La Cucina

 

I didn’t eat here on my 7-day cruise, but on my 4-day solo. Again, it was a great atmosphere and very quiet – much calmer than the dining room. The service was also spectacular. We had a great table with a wonderful view off the bow of the ship and we dined as the sun set which was lovely. The pizza was very good, and I got to try all of the appetizers (we all ordered a different one and shared) which I really liked. I was only disappointed in my entrée which was the pork chop. It just wasn’t very good and not worth eating.

 

Dinner Show – Cirque Dreams

 

We got premium seats, and we weren’t really impressed with the location. We were on the second row of premium which had the balcony overhead, obstructing our view a little. However, I wouldn’t have wanted standard seating because that was all the way in the back with servers walking in front of them the entire time. I’d say that it’s definitely worth the cost of premium if you’re going to do the show. We really enjoyed the show, but we do like Cirque du Soleil and shows like that, so I had a feeling that we were going to. But the acts were impressive, and the show moved at a good pace. Also, I was pleasantly surprised with the food served at the show. I wasn’t sure what to expect and thought it might be bad, but I really enjoyed it. And Max said it was the best steak he had all week.

 

Bar – Svedka Ice Bar

 

I figure I’ll review this with restaurants, since there is a $20 cover charge. We all had a blast at the ice bar and really enjoyed it. While some may whine at the cover, I found it to be completely reasonable – the $20 includes two drinks which are basically pure vodka (it has to be 70% alcohol or the drink will freeze… we may or may not have our own Margaritaville liquor chiller….), but the drinks are so smooth because of the temperature. While you can make a reservation for the ice bar, we never found it to be crowded and were told by the staff that a reservation usually wasn’t necessary. We enjoyed it so much that we actually wanted to go back, but never found the time to go.

 

Activities

 

The Daily listed a lot of activities that sounded like fun, but unfortunately, we found a lot of them to be scheduled at odd times. That’s another downside to Freestyle – while on a traditional cruise, you have a set dining time which the activities are arranged around, with Freestyle, you really have no idea what’s going to happen (unless you find dailies from your itinerary on CC) and might’ve already scheduled something else during that time. We actually rearranged some dinner reservations so that we could go to activities that we wanted to attend, like the Couple’s Game Show.

 

Entertainment

 

Legends in Concert

 

While I’m not normally a fan of impersonator shows, I found this one to be an exceptional bore. The “legends” were Tom Jones, Adele (she’s 25… what?), and Tina Turner (finally, a real legend!). The only good one was Tina who they saved for the very end. So a lot of people might’ve walked out before she performed (that is, unless they fell asleep during Tom Jones like I did). I think that Legends should be seriously embarrassed by this show and put some better impersonators on the Epic.

 

Blue Man Group

 

This is a common love it or hate it show. We are 100% love it. I had seen it a few years ago in Vegas, and found it just as entertaining as I did then. I appreciate the witty, awkward humor, and I enjoy the percussion. I get it, and I love it. If you don’t get it, that’s cool – just walk out! But I think that everyone should give it a shot, even if you’ve read someone’s bad review of it.

 

Howl at the Moon

 

This is an amazing dueling piano show! It’s a very casual walk in/walk out whenever thing. In order to request a song, you need to tip which you can do with cash (or if you don’t have that, just buy them a drink). The musicians are extremely talented, and I was completely impressed by their ability to memorize so many songs, as well as play by ear for songs they didn’t really know. There are three musicians who rotate throughout the night, two playing at a time (sometimes when they transition, the third will join on drum set). When you request a song, they make sure that the musician who will do the best job at it plays it, so they’ll pass requests back and forth for the person better suited on lead. It’s a really great show and a fun atmosphere. I highly recommend it!

 

Excursions

 

Livorno, Italy

 

Rome in Limo – I highly recommend this company. It’s like hiring your own knowledgeable driver to take you to the places you want. We had no real plan for the day besides that we wanted to go to Pisa and Florence. Our driver, Giovanni, was excellent at giving us suggestions. He also made us lunch reservations and helped us print the Academia tickets that we forgot. If I do this itinerary again, I will book Rome in Limo for every Italian port of call.

 

Marseille, France

 

NCL Shuttle – It’s $12 for NCL’s shuttle into town. It should really be free, but I think that there simply isn’t the infrastructure for that now, so the charge is actually to control crowds. We just walked around on our own… didn’t really know what to see or do, but that didn’t bother us.

 

Palma de Mallorca

 

NCL Caves of Ham and Porto Cristo - I really wish NCL would provide a better description of their tours and what to wear. We were disappointed in this tour because it was so crowded – there were many buses of people for this tour. The caves were disappointing because they’d been turned into a tourist attraction, detracting from their natural beauty. And we spent more time at Porto Cristo than we did the caves. In fact, our guide told us to hurry through the caves so we could get to Porto Cristo. But we didn’t even know we were going to a beach, so we didn’t wear swimsuits. Also, this tour included a stop to a manmade pearl factory which was basically a huge jewelry shop. A better title for this tour would be “glorified beach trip.”

 

Barcelona, Spain

 

Barcelona Day Tours – This tour company gets high marks on Cruise Critic and was recommended by Rome in Limo, so I was expecting it to be similar in quality. However, I was seriously disappointed by this tour. Our tour guide, Dolca, was offensive and really rubbed me the wrong way. She also did nothing to accommodate our requests. Unlike Rome in Limo when we had an awesome driver who took us places and let us go off on our own, this chick lead us around everywhere, spitting facts at us and expecting us to pay attention like we’re at school. She also repeatedly called Gaudi a Modernist (Gaudi is NOT a Modernist) which was probably due to a translation error (The Catalan word for the Art Nouveau movement is “Modernisme” which translates directly to “Modernist” in English, but architecturally, that couldn’t be a less accurate description), but it still annoyed the heck out of me. I will never ever do a tour with Barcelona Day Tours again, and I will not recommend them to anyone.

 

Naples, Italy

 

NCL’s Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii Tour – We did this because it was the only tour that took us to both Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. However, like our other NCL tour, it felt like we were being herded like cattle. Again, NCL didn’t provide a good description of this tour or a suggestion of what to wear. Our bus was also seriously delayed picking us up from Mt. Vesuvius which pushed our tour back. We enjoyed Mt. Vesuvius, but I wouldn’t do this tour again, and I would hesitate doing another NCL tour on a Mediterranean itinerary in the future. I would much rather book a private company for all ports.

[mj]

I decided to write a long review, compiling my thoughts on the Norwegian Epic and our 7-Day Mediterranean Cruise.

 

NCL’s Mt. Vesuvius and Pompeii Tour – We did this because it was the only tour that took us to both Pompeii and Mt. Vesuvius. However, like our other NCL tour, it felt like we were being herded like cattle. Again, NCL didn’t provide a good description of this tour or a suggestion of what to wear. Our bus was also seriously delayed picking us up from Mt. Vesuvius which pushed our tour back. We enjoyed Mt. Vesuvius, but I wouldn’t do this tour again, and I would hesitate doing another NCL tour on a Mediterranean itinerary in the future. I would much rather book a private company for all ports.

 

Agree with you about NCL's tour descriptions on their website. They don't provide a good description of their tours.

 

Again, thanks for sharing your review. You truly do a great job with your review and pictures.

[Chas2crews]

followed the entire series. Great photos, fabulous detail and balanced overviews. You should interview to replace Rick Steves! While i won't hire Dolca, ever, for many of the reasons mentioned, I would lighten up on her for the architectural faux pas. It is a relatively arcane area (not for an architect major), starts from a very poor rough translation, and reflects that often a foreign languages does not follow the word-for-word label in English. For example, what do the Spaniards say for "art nouveau"? (Which I guess is French in origin any way)

 

To reiterate my main point, you have provided an admirable public service for future Epic cruisers. Thanks.

[kezza]

great review and excellent photos

[gbntmom]

Thanks for a great review! I thoroughly enjoyed traveling along with you! Looking forward to visiting some of the same places next summer with my daughter!

[happytrailsandsails]

Just to let future cruisers know, they now apparently have a free shuttle into the central area of Marseille provided by the city. This just started in June. Don't expect the cruise lines to publicize it, since it takes away from their profit. There was also apparently some picketing going on by the local cabbies, as this takes away from their profit as well. You might check the status on the Marseille tourism website before you go.

 

Thanks for a very entertaining and thorough review!

[windjamming]

Bravo on the review, Victoria!

 

What an amazing experience it must have been for the entire family, and for the boyfriends to go on a Mediterranean cruise as their FIRST cruise - wow!

 

I'm wondering if you can tell us your experience with chip-and-pin credit cards in Europe, and specifically whether they are required in most places. We will be in the Mediterranean later in the summer, and I would prefer not to have to get one.

 

Thanks!

[LittleMissMagic]

Bravo on the review, Victoria!

 

What an amazing experience it must have been for the entire family, and for the boyfriends to go on a Mediterranean cruise as their FIRST cruise - wow!

 

I'm wondering if you can tell us your experience with chip-and-pin credit cards in Europe, and specifically whether they are required in most places. We will be in the Mediterranean later in the summer, and I would prefer not to have to get one.

 

Thanks!

 

Many restaurants in Europe simply don't take credit cards. And they also don't split up the check. So prepare to have cash for restaurants. I've never had any trouble using a credit card at grocery stores, though.

 

One important thing that I did before going over to Europe for a semester was get a pre-paid credit card with a pin code (mine is a Walmart Visa - my dad chose it after researching several options). The ATMS, train ticket machines, and other kiosks require a 4-digit PIN code (they'll say "secret code") when you use a credit card. You can use a debit card if it has a 4-digit PIN, but most American credit cards do not have a PIN, so you'll be unable to use those. However, at train stations and the like, you can get in line and buy from a human, and they'll be able to take your credit card.

 

So really, you just need a debit card or a credit card with a 4-digit PIN to take money out of an ATM.

 

NCL also does dollar-to-Euro exchanges on the ship which we took advantage of for the convenience. ATMs aren't always easy to find in Europe. And when you do find one, if it's late in the day, there might not be any money in it.

[Kingfisherhill]

What a fabulous review, Ive very much enjoyed reading this thread and am looking forward to my Med Cruise with the family in October

[ShannonSC2]

Enjoyed reading your review and seeing your pictures. We were going to do a cruise on the Epic in June but decided on Alaska instead. Hopefully we can do it next year or the following year.

 

Also wanted to say "Go Tigers". Grew up in the upstate of SC & now live near Columbia. My husband joined IPTAY a few years ago so we go to every home game! Can't wait for football season to start against the Bulldogs! Should be a great game!!

[foxesden1]

M t

 

 

Sent using the Cruise Critic forums app

[Skipper Justin]

Hello! I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your review. I just recently graduated my undergrad and am planning on taking the Epic for a 7 night cruise in June of 2014 to Celebrate the completion of my masters! I really loved all the photos, and it helps to get me thinking about what tours to take as well. I am southerner as well, which University do you go to?

[LittleMissMagic]

Hello! I just wanted to say that I really enjoyed your review. I just recently graduated my undergrad and am planning on taking the Epic for a 7 night cruise in June of 2014 to Celebrate the completion of my masters! I really loved all the photos, and it helps to get me thinking about what tours to take as well. I am southerner as well, which University do you go to?

 

Thank you! I hope you have a great celebration cruise!

 

I'm a student at Clemson University. Go tigers!!!

[gelo7]

Wonderful review.

[ibcnusoon]

Thanks for the review! My daughter is an Alpha Delta Pi alumni!

[cruiseinfoseeker]

Barcelona Day Tours – This tour company gets high marks on Cruise Critic and was recommended by Rome in Limo, so I was expecting it to be similar in quality. However, I was seriously disappointed by this tour. Our tour guide, Dolca, was offensive and really rubbed me the wrong way. She also did nothing to accommodate our requests. Unlike Rome in Limo when we had an awesome driver who took us places and let us go off on our own, this chick lead us around everywhere, spitting facts at us and expecting us to pay attention like we’re at school. She also repeatedly called Gaudi a Modernist (Gaudi is NOT a Modernist) which was probably due to a translation error (The Catalan word for the Art Nouveau movement is “Modernisme” which translates directly to “Modernist” in English, but architecturally, that couldn’t be a less accurate description), but it still annoyed the heck out of me. I will never ever do a tour with Barcelona Day Tours again, and I will not recommend them to anyone.

 

 

We used Barcelona Day Tours last year also. In August. They were SUPER expensive (to the tune of converting to almost $600 for our private tour). Our guide (can't remember his name) was ok. BUT when he brought us somewhere for lunch he sat down with us and WE paid. After I paid he half-heartedly offered to reimburse me, but the whole scene was just odd. We have taken many private tours and never has a guide just sat down with us or even implied that they would want to. Even besides that, I wasn't impressed for the amount of money we spent to recommend them to anyone either.

[ylojerseygirl]

 

First, FANTASTIC review, thank you so much for all the pictures and personal experiences! You and Max are such a cute couple! It was like getting a review from a close friend! We sail in May, and I was getting worried that this cruise might have been for an older crowd but your review was refreshingly honest and hit on all the things I was concerned about!

 

Now for the important questions;

WHERE did you get that adorable pink dress from the Formal night? it was stunning on you! and

WHAT did you use in your hair that it looked so good in pictures? I'm concerned about all the humidity!

 

Thanks again!

Edited April 7, 2014 by ylojerseygirl

[Trinnah]

We're booked for May 10th on the Epid Med cruise, and I have been searching for so many reviews on the boards!

 

I absolutely loved yours! I actually have an idea on what to wear for most of the excursions now. It's always good to have comparisons and see what kind of footwear I should bring. :)

 

Thank you for your review!

Edited February 26, 2015 by Trinnah