Norwegian Epic: the good, bad and the ugly

Norwegian Epic has some of the best and worst attributes ever built into a cruise ship, which is why it earned its moniker at the "ugly duckling." (Norwegian Cruise Line)

The Epic’s body is built like a stack of Lego blocks.  This actual Lego box from 1955 contains building blocks from the Lego “FreeStyle” product, which Lego created long before Norwegian adopted the word “FreeStyle” in a hale chorus for its style of cruising. (Lego Company)

Passengers can enjoy the sea view with a cabin with an attached balcony. (Paul Motter)

Opposite view from inside a cabin with an attached balcony. (Paul Motter)

Overlooking the atrium-style public deck where passengers can relax and do a little gambling. (Paul Motter)

The “vanity sink”, with its high-capacity faucet often leads to mopping the floor with a bath towel followed by changing your shirt.

Passengers wait in line to see hit shows like the "Blue Man Group". (Paul Motter)

The bathroom treatments are only semi-private and not soundproof. Anyone inside either “facility” becomes a blurry image with little left to the imagination. (Paul Motter)

Norwegian boasted “a unique bathroom treatment where every area is separate, including the shower and a modern vanity sink. The walls are curved to create a modern and chic living experience.” (Paul Motter)

The Epic has 128 “studio staterooms” -- small 100 square-foot cabins with queen-size beds -- that share a public “living room” where solo cruisers can meet up for dinner and shows. (Paul Motter)

The Epic has “Legends in Concert,” a Las Vegas company that creates complete tribute shows to stars like Madonna, Rod Stewart, Elvis, Michael Jackson or Tina Turner with the same choreography and musical arrangements as the originals. (Paul Motter)

A shower in the studio staterooms offers a bit of privacy in the 100 square-foot cabins. (Paul Motter)

The Epic has great restaurants and bars, including the Fat Cats Jazz Bar that actually features blues music nightly and the frozen Svedka Ice Bar where everything from the tables to the vodka glasses is made of ice. (Paul Motter)

Other noteworthy attractions include water slides, Nickelodeon characters for the kids and a bowling alley.   (Paul Motter)