The Flagg Agency

Our first day is coming to a close on Norwegian Epic.  Touring NCL Epic requires comfortable footwear! We have toured a variety of staterooms, had a shot of vodka in the Ice Bar, watched the sketch comedy/improv group Second City, and saw a 90 minute performance by Blue Man Group. There are also around 100 children on board this two day sailing. The staff in the children’s club area (known as Recess) told me there will be close to 1000 on the first revenue sailing starting on July 10^th!

Here are a few thoughts both positive and negative. Some may be seen as quibbles, but I only share them to inform. However, let me get my biggest criticism out of the way first. Our stateroom has been hot as blazes. This evening I happened to see a maintenance worker working on a panel of tubes and fans next to our room. When I mentioned how hot ours was, he turned a valve and said “Now it should be cooling”. I am pretty hot natured anyway, but here just after midnight, the room is starting to cool down.

One other word about the staterooms, the power plug is located below the desk. Some passengers may find this awkward. With the amount of electronics that people now travel with from smartphones to computers, curling irons, flat irons, small microwaves, there are never enough plugs for all your stuff. One nice thing though on Norwegian Epic, if you are a coffee lover there is a coffee pot right in your stateroom!

When you are invited to take a preview sailing like this, there are several categories of staterooms available to view. Because of the slowness of the ship’s internet, I will save most of those photos until a later time. I will say that the Penthouse rooms on the aft of the ship are very nice. Watching over the wake behind a ship is really nice indeed.

We had dinner in La Cucina which is the Italian $10 per person charge restaurant onboard. The food was very good. The Caesar salad had an Epic dressing. The setting was wonderful and we had a table right by the forward facing windows. To get to La Cucina, you enter through the Garden Café on Deck 15 and walk down to Deck 14. Be aware if you are stuffed, that can be quite the walk back up those same stairs. I had a couple of quibbles that are personal in nature. I happen to prefer my salad served in a chilled bowl. I also think when you are paying extra for a premium dining experience; the server should offer to grind pepper instead of having pepper grinders on each table. Petty maybe, just my own personal point of view.

You will not see a show on any other ship like Blue Man Group. This 90 minute experience had full audience participation. The Blue Men never speak during the show, but their actions speak volumes.

With the price of your cruise fare, you are getting several included experiences and entertainment that would set you back $100s more on any land based vacation. One thing to keep in mind though, is pre-book your entertainment choices as soon as you are able. Our cruise is only two days long. There is no way one can experience it all in that amount of time. I happen to think that one may be hard-pressed to experience all Norwegian Epic has to offer in a week! It would probably be best if you just scheduled two weeks off and booked a back2back sailing!

Thanks for sailing along virtually with Laura and I. Look for more to come soon!

Book a balcony stateroom on Norwegian Epic from now until August 1, and you can receive an upgrade to a deluxe balcony as well as up to a $150 onboard credit.  Beginning July 10, Norwegian Epic will sail alternating seven-day Eastern and Western Caribbean itineraries from Miami through April 30, 2011.  Ports of call on the Eastern Caribbean itinerary include Philipsburg, St. Maarten; St. Thomas, US Virgin Islands; and Nassau, Bahamas.  The Western Caribbean cruises visit Costa Maya, Mexico; Roatán, Bay Islands, Honduras; and Cozumel, Mexico.  The 2011 cruise season from May-October will have Norwegian Epic sailing a series of seven-day Western Mediterranean cruises from Barcelona.  When she returns to Miami on November 5, 2011, she will sail a series of seven-day Eastern Caribbean cruises through April 7, 2012. 

Chuck and Laura Flagg own The Flagg Agency in Canton, GA and our number is  770-355- 9569

We are fee-based cruise consultants and our specialty is the selecting,

planning, marketing and administering cruises for groups of all sizes.

We help people find a cruise experience that matches both their wants AND their needs.

FULL DISCLOSURE: Norwegian Cruise Line has provided this preview on Norwegian Epic at no charge. The opinions of the ship and the experience are our own.

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