Just switched from Carnival Dream to Epic!

[maggie5555]

Hi all, Am so very excited as I just told my TA to switch our deposit to the Epic...we are going Nov 6, 2010 and have decided the Epic suits us better....staying in a Spa Deluxe Balcony and very excited about it....

My DD will be 19 and wants to enjoy a few drinks with her old Mom:D and we understand, with my permission , this is allowed ...plus the ship decor and the freestyle is more attractive to us...I am in love with the Epic!! DD likes to bowl, play sports and this ship seems to provide more of those amenities than the Dream...

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and maybe will check out the roll call....

I can't believe I didn't check NCL out before...very new to cruising..only been on RCl last year.....

[CanadianTwosome]

Hi all, Am so very excited as I just told my TA to switch our deposit to the Epic...we are going Nov 6, 2010 and have decided the Epic suits us better....staying in a Spa Deluxe Balcony and very excited about it....

My DD will be 19 and wants to enjoy a few drinks with her old Mom:D and we understand, with my permission , this is allowed ...plus the ship decor and the freestyle is more attractive to us...I am in love with the Epic!! DD likes to bowl, play sports and this ship seems to provide more of those amenities than the Dream...

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and maybe will check out the roll call....

I can't believe I didn't check NCL out before...very new to cruising..only been on RCl last year.....

Welcome to the dark side!! :p

Definitely check out your roll call. We're not sailing until December 18, 2010 and our roll call is already busier than some I've had in the past. I think people are very excited about the Epic - and for good reason. I hope I have the nerve to try the rapelling!!

Freestyle isn't for everyone, but I always recommend it. We LOVE not having to ever rush to - or wait for - meals. We also love all the choices for alternative dining - can't wait to go to the Cirque Dreams and have dim sum! (not to mention our regular visits to Cagney's and Teppanyaki) I have no idea when we're going to eat in the MDRs, but I'm looking forward to them also! I hope we have alternative dining choices on sea days or we'll never get to try everything we want! Hey... maybe we'll just have to sail her twice... :p

Anyway, like I said, welcome!! You'll be on her before we will, so I'll look forward to hearing all about it when you get back! :)

[PokerDave]

Hi all, Am so very excited as I just told my TA to switch our deposit to the Epic...we are going Nov 6, 2010 and have decided the Epic suits us better....staying in a Spa Deluxe Balcony and very excited about it....

My DD will be 19 and wants to enjoy a few drinks with her old Mom:D and we understand, with my permission , this is allowed ...plus the ship decor and the freestyle is more attractive to us...I am in love with the Epic!! DD likes to bowl, play sports and this ship seems to provide more of those amenities than the Dream...

Anyway, just wanted to say hi and maybe will check out the roll call....

I can't believe I didn't check NCL out before...very new to cruising..only been on RCl last year.....

You'll need to change your picture in your signature then!

[maggie5555]

You'll need to change your picture in your signature then!thanks for reminding me !:D

Welcome to the dark side!! :p

Definitely check out your roll call. We're not sailing until December 18, 2010 and our roll call is already busier than some I've had in the past. I think people are very excited about the Epic - and for good reason. I hope I have the nerve to try the rapelling!!

Freestyle isn't for everyone, but I always recommend it. We LOVE not having to ever rush to - or wait for - meals. We also love all the choices for alternative dining - can't wait to go to the Cirque Dreams and have dim sum! (not to mention our regular visits to Cagney's and Teppanyaki) I have no idea when we're going to eat in the MDRs, but I'm looking forward to them also! I hope we have alternative dining choices on sea days or we'll never get to try everything we want! Hey... maybe we'll just have to sail her twice... :p

Anyway, like I said, welcome!! You'll be on her before we will, so I'll look forward to hearing all about it when you get back! :)

Freestyle will definately work for us..DD is shy and we really want to try out all those restaurants!.Whats not to love about Chinese, Japanese, Italian etc..the Cirwue looks so cool..saw the show in Orlando and it was great..can't wait to see what they do with it....

The MDR did not work for us last time...uncomfortable with tablemates...I prefer meeting people on our own terms;)

I have said hi on rollcall and can't wait to start reading the NCL forums!

[CaptData]

Trying different cruise lines to find where you like is good. I did that. Have fun. Congratulations on going on the Epic.

[maggie5555]

Wow, just heard from my TA...ALL Spa Balcony rooms are booked for Nov 6, 2010!! It is very confusing as the website shows there is availability but when you call they are sold out! I had to switch to the Western Itinerary on Oct 30 to get a Deluxe Balcony Spa cabin.

Oh well, now I can check out the new itinerary. :D And check out my new roll call!

[maggie5555]

double post ..sorry

[CanadianTwosome]

thanks for reminding me !:D



Freestyle will definately work for us..DD is shy and we really want to try out all those restaurants!.Whats not to love about Chinese, Japanese, Italian etc..the Cirwue looks so cool..saw the show in Orlando and it was great..can't wait to see what they do with it....

The MDR did not work for us last time...uncomfortable with tablemates...I prefer meeting people on our own terms;)

I have said hi on rollcall and can't wait to start reading the NCL forums!

Ah, yes, the old 'assigned tablemates'... In my first four cruises, we sailed with traditional dining (long before Freestyle occurred to anyone). On the first two I was a child, so our tablemates were just other adults whom I showed respect as I would have anywhere else. On the next two, I was a young adult travelling with a fairly large group, so for the first one I sat at a table full of people I knew, but on the last one - and when I say 'last' I also mean my last traditional-dining cruise - we sat at a table for six; four of us were from the group and the other two were a couple. The husband was one of the biggest blowhards I have ever had the displeasure of meeting - let alone sharing meals with for a week.

I would sail a traditional line again, but only if the price and itinerary were right... and thankfully I would have the option of 'anytime dining' or whatever the line might be calling their version of Freestyle. In the meantime, though, we get to enjoy dining when and where we want on NCL - and to enjoy the company of our CHOSEN tablemates, whether it's just us or we've invited people to join us that we've met and found we have something in common with!

I think that being able to dine ONLY with people I choose to dine with is my absolute favourite thing about Freestyle. :)

[maggie5555]

Ah, yes, the old 'assigned tablemates'... In my first four cruises, we sailed with traditional dining (long before Freestyle occurred to anyone). On the first two I was a child, so our tablemates were just other adults whom I showed respect as I would have anywhere else. On the next two, I was a young adult travelling with a fairly large group, so for the first one I sat at a table full of people I knew, but on the last one - and when I say 'last' I also mean my last traditional-dining cruise - we sat at a table for six; four of us were from the group and the other two were a couple. The husband was one of the biggest blowhards I have ever had the displeasure of meeting - let alone sharing meals with for a week.

I would sail a traditional line again, but only if the price and itinerary were right... and thankfully I would have the option of 'anytime dining' or whatever the line might be calling their version of Freestyle. In the meantime, though, we get to enjoy dining when and where we want on NCL - and to enjoy the company of our CHOSEN tablemates, whether it's just us or we've invited people to join us that we've met and found we have something in common with!

I think that being able to dine ONLY with people I choose to dine with is my absolute favourite thing about Freestyle. :)

Yes, our "assigned seating" was not fun! We were there the week before the US elections and for some reason our tablemates thought it was OK to talk politics because we were Canadian and "wouldn't have an opinion":eek: about Obama vs Bush....wow, it was very awkward ...that plus they grilled us about our health care system etc. The table was for 8 but it was my oldest DD and me plus these 3 ..they weren't obnoxious or rude but very opinionated and VERY vocal about who they thought should win the election!!

We ended up only eating one more time with them and then chose the alternate retaurant and the buffet...

We are so looking forward to "Freestyle"!

[jlazzz]

We're not sailing until December 18, 2010 and our roll call is already busier than some I've had in the past.

I just put a deposit down for this exact cruise yesterday. Personally, I have never been as excited about a cruise as this upcoming one. I can't wait to see this new ship. My wife was adamant about trying those new small studio rooms (young couple).

I guess I'll see you on the ship :D.

[CanadianTwosome]

I just put a deposit down for this exact cruise yesterday. Personally, I have never been as excited about a cruise as this upcoming one. I can't wait to see this new ship. My wife was adamant about trying those new small studio rooms (young couple).

I guess I'll see you on the ship :D.

Awesome!! I'll 'see you' on the roll call! If we didn't have our daughter I would absolutely go for one of the studio cabins. I'm very social, so the whole living room concept really appeals to me. One of our roll call members was actually talking about having a cabin crawl, which I think would be a spectacular idea with all the different types that we've got booked so far.

[camofwilliamsburg]

Could you explain how free style dining works if you want to sit with others or do people stay with there parties? If it is just hubby and I I have always enjoyed the table experience for dinner and meet long time cruising friends.
Thinking about Epic for next Nov/Dec 2010 after 15 other cruises : 3 on CCL, 9 on RCI, 1 on X, and 2 on MSC. Epic caught my attention since I cruise for the ship being the destination and the entertainment it offers. I also enjoy the dining experience. How is the food on NCL?

[tntornadox]

Could you explain how free style dining works if you want to sit with others or do people stay with there parties
Freestyle means you can dine when, where and with whom you want. If you wish to dine alone, you can... if you wish to dine with others of your choosing, you can do that as well. Now, if you yearn for a more traditional dining experience, I have heard that they can place you with others who wish to meet new people at a table as well.

[pokeypoke]

Could you explain how free style dining works if you want to sit with others or do people stay with there parties? If it is just hubby and I I have always enjoyed the table experience for dinner and meet long time cruising friends.
Thinking about Epic for next Nov/Dec 2010 after 15 other cruises : 3 on CCL, 9 on RCI, 1 on X, and 2 on MSC. Epic caught my attention since I cruise for the ship being the destination and the entertainment it offers. I also enjoy the dining experience. How is the food on NCL?

On our cruise last year aboard the Star, there were several people who asked if there were other parties who wouldn't mind if they joined teir table. I don't think you will have a problem finding a party you can join. If someone wanted to join us for dinner, I don't think I would have a problem with it because we enjoy meeting new people:cool:.

[pokeypoke]

And by the way, with the exception of three food items I had the entire week, the food was very good. The specialty restaurants we ate at were delicious!

[scubapuss]

As far as I know you now have to be 21 to drink. Am I wrong ?:confused:I usually cruise RCI was going to try Carnival Dream till I read the reviews. Can't wait

[calmac]

Unless the rules have changed recently, you can drink at 18 as long as it's wine or beer and as long as a parent is travelling with you and signs the consent form.

[scubapuss]

as of two years ago on royal there was no drinking by anyone under 18. I know I was with a highscool graduation group.

[Case1096]

Great decision since Carnival really should have named the ship the Nightmare

[mek]

Well, I like Carnival, but to me this would be a no brainer. The Dream isn't even close to the Epic or the Oasis. I booked the Epic for next October, so I guess I'll have to wait until then to find out if I made a smart move.