Norwegian Epic

Well, the Epic is epic.  Period.  The grandest and largest of NCL's fleet when it made its maiden voyage in 2011 (I think), it took my breath away.

The food is phenomenal; NCL operates under "freestyle cruising," which means you can pretty much do whatever, whenever. There aren't set times for meals; you can go when you want. There's a great buffet outside on the deck when you sail away, along with four hot tubs, two bars, a pool, and three waterslides (one goes out over the edge of the ship). 

A huge buffet is just inside that has windows from floor to ceiling, and more food than you could ever want. Shops, coffee bars, and specialty restuarants like Irish pubs and Italian places are inside. Besides the theater inside for performances, Cirque du Soleil has their own theater. The ship has the obvious features like basketball courts, a jogging track, a kid and teen center, a spa, and a huge photography area where professional photographers catalog all the pictures they take of you at dinner, etc., in an album and you can buy whichever of the pictures you want (I bought a lot). The ship has an art gallery, and attending my first real art auction was neat. 

The ship's inside is luxurious and richly decorated, with gold and dark wood and carpets. The rooms, however, are funky and modern, with frosted counters and curvy shower doors and wavy cabinets.

The personnal are friendly, smiling, and always ready to talk.  I made about six or seven crew friends during my seven nights on the Epic, and they added to the experience. The ship has more than 70 nationalites working on it, so every exchange is a learning opportunity.

I recommend the Epic, but would still like to try more traditional cruising where dinners are themed and more structured, just for the experience of it. But for now I am going to sign off, although I may say more about my personal experiences onboard later. Tomorrow will feature a guest blogger. Have a good weekend!