Norwegian Epic - Transatlantic: Barcelona to Port Canaveral

Where this cruise calls, day by day

8 ports and 7 sea days over 14 Nights.

1. Day 1

   Barcelona

   SpainDepart

   The busiest cruise port in Europe, and for many Western Mediterranean itineraries the place the whole trip starts or ends. Barcelona is a full-scale city rather than a port town: Gaudi's unfinished basilica, a dense medieval quarter, and a working waterfront all within a few metro stops. Ships berth on a long industrial mole well outside the centre, so the day begins with a bus ride rather than a gangway stroll.

   • Sagrada Familia - book a timed entry well ahead; walk-ups are usually turned away
   • Park Guell and the Gaudi mosaics on Carmel hill
   • The Gothic Quarter and Barcelona Cathedral, on foot from Placa de Catalunya
   • La Boqueria market and a walk down La Rambla to the Columbus monument

   Getting ashore

   All cruise ships now use the Moll d'Adossat terminals roughly 3 km from the old city; the paid blue Portbus shuttle runs to the foot of La Rambla, and walking out is not practical.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (Jul-Aug is hot, crowded and expensive)

2. Day 2 · At sea

3. Day 3

   Cadiz

   SpainPort

   One of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in Western Europe, sitting on a spit of land almost entirely surrounded by water. The old town is compact, salt-worn and easy to cover on foot, but most passengers treat Cadiz as the doorway to Seville, which is about an hour and a half inland. The rail station is right beside the port, which makes independent day trips unusually straightforward here.

   • Cadiz Cathedral and the yellow-tiled dome above the old town
   • Torre Tavira and its camera obscura view over the rooftops
   • The Mercado Central and the seafood bars around it
   • Seville's Alcazar and cathedral, or a sherry bodega tour in Jerez

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock a few minutes' walk from the old-town gate, so no shuttle is needed; the train and bus stations are adjacent for Seville and Jerez.

   Best months

   Apr-Jun and Sep-Oct (inland Seville is punishing in Jul-Aug)

4. Day 4

   Casablanca

   MoroccoPort

   Casablanca is Morocco's commercial capital rather than its tourist one - a big, functional Atlantic city of French colonial blocks and heavy traffic. The unmissable thing is the Hassan II Mosque, built out over the water and one of the few in Morocco non-Muslims may enter on a guided tour. Marrakech is often sold as an excursion but sits nearly three hours each way; Rabat is the realistic trip.

   • The Hassan II Mosque, with a 210m minaret and a glass floor over the sea
   • The Habous quarter, a 1930s French-built reinterpretation of a medina
   • The old medina and the Art Deco streets around Place Mohammed V
   • Rabat's Kasbah of the Udayas and Hassan Tower, about an hour north

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock in the working commercial port, and the walk to the gate is long and unappealing, so most passengers take a shuttle or taxi the short distance to the medina and centre.

   Best months

   Mar-May and Sep-Nov

5. Day 5

   Santa Cruz de Tenerife

   SpainPort

   Tenerife's capital is a business and government town, with a Calatrava-designed opera house on the waterfront and very little in the way of resort character. The real reason to be here is Mount Teide, Spain's highest peak, an hour up into a volcanic caldera that looks nothing like the coast. The UNESCO-listed old town of La Laguna is a shorter and often better-value alternative.

   • Teide National Park and the cable car towards the 3,715 m summit
   • La Laguna's grid of colonial streets and painted mansions
   • The Auditorio de Tenerife on the seafront
   • Playa de Las Teresitas, the imported-sand beach at San Andres

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock in the centre of Santa Cruz, a short walk from Plaza de Espana and the shopping streets.

   Best months

   Year-round; Nov-Apr is mild, and Teide can be snowbound in winter

6. Day 6

   Santa Cruz de La Palma

   SpainPort

   La Palma is the greenest and steepest of the Canaries, and the least developed - there is no mass tourism here. The capital is a small colonial town of wooden balconies overhanging the seafront, and the whole island is a UNESCO Biosphere Reserve with some of the darkest skies in the northern hemisphere. The 2021 Tajogaite eruption buried part of the western side and its lava field is now a visitable site.

   • The wooden balconies along the Avenida Maritima and the Calle Real
   • Caldera de Taburiente National Park and the Mirador de la Cumbrecita
   • The Roque de los Muchachos observatory road along the crater rim
   • The Tajogaite lava fields and viewpoints above Los Llanos de Aridane

   Getting ashore

   Ships dock a few minutes' walk from the seafront, so you can step off and be in the old town almost immediately.

   Best months

   Year-round; Apr-Jun and Sep-Nov are clearest for the volcano roads

7. Day 7 · At sea

8. Day 8 · At sea

9. Day 9 · At sea

10. Day 10 · At sea

11. Day 11 · At sea

12. Day 12

    Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas

    U.S. Virgin IslandsPort

    The busiest shopping port in the Caribbean, and it feels like it — four to six ships on a peak day and duty-free jewelry stores stacked end to end along Main Street. What saves a call here is everything outside town: Magens Bay's long sheltered crescent, and the ferry to St. John, where about two-thirds of the island is national park.

    • Magens Bay
    • Ferry to St. John for Trunk Bay and Virgin Islands National Park
    • Coki Beach and Coral World Ocean Park
    • Skyride to Paradise Point above the harbor

    Getting ashore

    Most ships dock at Havensight, about a mile east of town — a mall at the pier, a cheap open-air taxi, or a 20-minute waterfront walk; Crown Bay is a similar distance west.

    Best months

    Dec-Apr dry season; Aug-Oct is hurricane season

13. Day 13 · At sea

14. Day 14

    Great Stirrup Cay

    BahamasPort

    Norwegian's Berry Islands beach is the oldest of the private-island calls - the line has used it since 1977. It was a tender operation for decades, which made short calls miserable, until a two-ship pier opened at the end of 2025 and ships began tying up. Bertram's Cove is the main swimming beach. The buffet lunch is included; cabanas, the Silver Cove villas, watersports rentals and the spa are not.

    • Bertram's Cove, the main beach
    • The included beach barbecue buffet
    • Snorkel gear, kayaks and floats for rent (extra cost)
    • Private cabanas and the Silver Cove lagoon villas (extra cost)

    Getting ashore

    Ships dock at the pier that opened in December 2025 - older trip reports describing a tender ride no longer apply.

    Best months

    Nov-Apr for calm seas and reliable calls; summer is hotter with afternoon storms

15. Day 15

    Port Canaveral, FL

    United StatesArrive

    Canaveral is Orlando's cruise port, which is the whole point: most passengers arrive off a theme-park week or straight from MCO, about 45 miles and an hour west. The terminals - 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 - are modern and low-rise, wedged between a working cargo harbour and a Space Force launch complex. Launches are visible from the ship and worth checking the schedule for.

    • Kennedy Space Center Visitor Complex, half an hour north - the Saturn V hangar alone eats three hours
    • Cocoa Beach and the original Ron Jon Surf Shop, open around the clock
    • Jetty Park, where you can watch your own ship sail out from the beach
    • Historic Cocoa Village for a slower afternoon of shops and riverfront bars

    Getting ashore

    Cruise Terminals 1, 3, 5, 6, 8 and 10 are spread along the harbour with their own parking garages; Orlando International is roughly 45 miles west (45-60 minutes clear of traffic) and Melbourne is closer at about 35 minutes.

    Best months

    Nov-May (Aug-Oct is peak hurricane season; summer afternoons bring daily thunderstorms)