More on the NCL EPIC

Much of this posting comes from Travel Weekly's newsletter about the EPIC.

NEW YORK — Country star Reba McEntire on Friday named the 4,200-passenger Norwegian Epic, the largest Norwegian Cruise Line ship ever built and the line' first new vessel since 2007.

Comedian and "Curb Your Enthusiasm" star Jeff Garlin served as host of the ceremony, which included remarks from NCL CEO Kevin Sheehan and Apollo Management partner Steve Martinez.

The real star of the show was the Epic’s entertainment lineup. Its six main shows — Blue Man Group, Cirque Dreams and Dinner, Legends in Concert tribute show, the Second City comedy troupe and the Howl at the Moon dueling piano show — all were playing on different parts of the ship and beamed live into the Epic Theater. Even the Nickelodeon characters got to show their act. "There is one place on Earth where you can find all of this great entertainment, and it’s on the Epic,” said Sheehan, speaking at the first ship naming during his tenure at NCL.

Martinez said that all ships in the NCL fleet are special, but pointed to the many years and thousands of man-hours that went into delivering the Epic.

NCL has focused on the Epic’s entertainment lineup, calling it the hallmark of its new ship. Garlin tipped his hat to those offerings when he said, "I feel like I’m in Vegas."

The Epic embarks Friday night on a two-day cruise. It returns to New York on July 4 to be the host venue for NBC’s broadcast of Macy's Fourth of July Fireworks show.

I am getting ready to go out on the EPIC's actual Inaugural cruise on Thursday, July 8. What a treat! Thanks NCL for the invitation!