New NCL ship – is it an Epic failure?

Reports came through this afternoon that Epic was stuck in Rotterdam due to engine failure and problems with the swipe card system, so I have to say I’m feeling a bit deflated as I write this. My bags are packed and I was really looking forward to having two days to have a real good look around the ship and experiencing plenty of what she has to offer. As it turns out, instead of docking in Southampton tomorrow at 10am she is now not scheduled to arrive until 5pm so we won’t be boarding until 8pm or later.

Dinner in Spiegels is cancelled due to late embarkation and we will be dining in the freestyle restaurant. I’m assuming this will be the case for all the Travel Agents on board so I am anticipating chaos as there will be 2,500 of us all trying to eat in the same venue. I always find it is best to expect the worst, that way you are never disappointed! And having read CruiseCritics review earlier today there was little chance of booking one of the speciality restaurants anyway as they were already booked up. I’ll let you know how it goes later in the week.

I intend to see as much of the ship as I can on Wednesday so that I can give you a good general picture of her. One of the things that I’m really looking forward to it the Blue Man Group. One of my colleagues, Kris, has been waxing lyrical about this for a couple of weeks and says they are brilliant.
All in all it has been a rough start for what I’m sure will turn out to be a great addition to the NCL fleet and everyone has been quick to criticise. All ships have their teething problems, so I am going to reserve judgement until I’ve been on board and then I can make up my own mind. Rest assured I will share my thoughts with you, if possible from the ship itself, otherwise you will have to wait for my return. Whichever it is, you know you can rely on me for a frank opinion! Oh, and I won’t forget the carpets!