Experience one of our EPIC cruise holidays.
Recently one of our cruise team, Sharon tried out one of our cruise holidays for a week on board the fantastic Norwegian Epic ship with her family and she was kind enough to share some of our highlights and photos with us!
Here's what Sharon had to say:
Hubby Tony, myself and the kids, Jamie and Christoper set off our on journey from Glasgow airport. We flew direct to Barcelona to meet the amazing Norwegian Epic ship. The flight was great - very, very comfortable with loads of legroom!
We have been on cruise holidays before and to be honest, we love them so much we would find it hard to go back to a land based trip. It was just a short coach transfer from the airport to the port. Driving into the port as you cross the bridge, you would not believe how astounded you are by the size of the ship. It was massive! I think we all knew from the minute we arrived that we were going to enjoy this holiday.
As soon as we embarked the ship, there was a real carnival atmosphere. We went straight to our cabin for a quick change and headed for the pool.
If you have never been on a cruise, this ship is ideal for families – the variety of restaurants, entertainment, activities and cabins is huge, with something to suit all ages There is so much for the kids to do on this ship, and Spongebob and friends are always about to keep them entertained. The boys absolutely loved the waterpark – the slides were a big hit! They also loved the ten-pin bowling.
Like many children, our boys can be quite fussy about food, but there were so many different options available that it meant we never had to worry about finding something they liked.
Tip…if you go into the buffet-style Garden Restaurant, it can get pretty busy, especially on days at sea,. Take your food downstairs for breakfast or lunch to La Cucina Italian restaurant, where it is more peaceful.
At night, the live shows in the theatre were outstanding – there really is something for everyone, and the shows, in my opinion, are even better than they are on Broadway! The Ice Bar was also a real highlight – in the heat of the Med sun, it was nice to get a quick cool down.
Our itinerary was also filled with really stunning ports of call. Our itinerary covered Barcelona, Naples (Pompeii), Rome, Livorno (Florence & Pisa), Cannes, Palma and Barcelona. The kids loved hanging about in Pisa, although it was quite tiring holding that tower up!
Our trip from Naples gave a us a stunning view overlooking Positano - I think that this is one of the most beautiful vistas you’ll ever see. We had a lovely lunch in a restaurant recommended by my mother-in-law, who comes back every year and stays in the same hotel, she loves this area of Italy so much!
The staff members and the service on NCL Epic are exceptional. When we came back from our trip at Naples, Patrick from SpongeBob Squarepants was waiting to greet the children. My battery had run out on my phone, but the assistant cruise director took the picture of my son Jamie and emailed it to me. Now that really is service!
The weather during our cruise was very, very hot, and at each port the cruise line's staff are waiting to welcome you back onboard with a cold towel and drink to cool you down. We really felt very well looked after the whole time we were on Epic.
With so much to see and do, as well as meeting some lovely friends onboard, a week just wasn’t long enough for us - so we are already making plans to go again next year!
- 26th July 2015
- Louise Hopper