Norwegian EPIC - 7 night Western Caribbean, Embarkation Jan 14, 2017

First, I would like to thank the following for their informative and helpful posts (this ship/port/itinerary, and/or other helpful posts); BirdTravels, Capt_BJ, chengkp75, DMH15, hawkeyetlse, Laszlo, luckyinpa, mitsugirly, NMLady, Oakman58, SuiteCruiser, Swells1, TheDougOut, and TrumpyNor. There are others, but I didn’t capture their “handles” …my sincere apologies and thanks! Very helpful; “Epic Tips and Tricks” (another thanks to Swells1) and assorted posts from “Florida Departures” (use “Search” feature, if needed).

About us: DH and I travel as a couple only, with the exception of an Alaska cruise in 2012, when one of our sons, and his wife, traveled also. (He liked it, she found cruising too rough… both of them LOVED Alaska!!!). We’ve tried several cruise lines, but tend to enjoy NCL most. This cruise had been booked for almost two years (with multiple changes, since NCL altered ships/itineraries), so we had tremendous anticipation for this trip and cruise!

Newly retired, who knows where else we will go and what all we will do next…

HOU to MCO: Arrived in Orlando via Southwest, about a 2 hour flight. Thankfully, our flight was uneventful!

Smart-Two Shuttle: Cost for our round-trip booking was $139, paid in advance. All of my dealings were pleasant and thorough with emails, or texts, information! Upon arrival at MCO, we received several texts updating us on where to go after retrieving our luggage and notifying us that Travis was our driver. He was prompt, professional, pleasant, and informative about the area. He is also a very safe driver! We were the only passengers, so it was especially nice. The van is new, very clean, and comfortable. We were given a bottle of cold water each and told that we could use the WIFI, and/or recharge our electronics. The drive from MCO to Port Canaveral took approximately 45 minutes.

Homewood Suites by Hilton Cape Canaveral/Cocoa Beach: We reached our drop-off at 9000 Astronaut Blvd, Port Canaveral 32920, which is a newer property and looks like it! Check-in was pleasant and quick. We were told that the “Social” for January 12, 2017, (Thursday night) was “The Salad Plate Club” which included salad, soup, breadsticks, beer, wine, and fruit punch. The food was good and we enjoyed Sutter Home wine with our meal.

Location: Close to the port and easy access to the bus line or walking to nearby attractions.

Room: We had a 2-queen room on the 5th floor. Nice and quiet! We found the beds comfortable and the room well equipped.

Staff: Mixed thoughts about them… most were extremely pleasant and professional.

Amenities: Evening social with food and drinks available Mondays through Thursdays. There is a lovely pool, “Tiki Bar”, and a Fire Pit area. Additionally, there is a basketball half-court. The Fitness Center is adequate. The Business Center seems to be smaller than we are used to, but I gather that is because most people utilize mobile phones for everything that we used to do on computers.

Port Canaveral/Cocoa Beach Sightseeing: We walked to the Manatee Sanctuary Park (701 Thurm Blvd). The park is quite pleasant. The walk took us about 10 minutes each direction. If we had gotten an earlier start, we would have explored longer, but it was dusk and the park was closing. Unfortunately, we saw no Manatees!

The Space Coast Area Transit (aka SCAT) bus website: 321transit (dot) com is helpful! It cost us $1.25 and (senior) $.75 for each direction. We carried plenty of quarters for exactly this reason.

On Friday, January 13, breakfast offerings included muffins, assorted breads, Mickey Mouse and Belgian waffles, fruits, cheesy ham and egg bake, assorted cereals, yogurt, juices, coffees, teas etc. After breakfast, we crossed Astronaut Blvd and caught the #9 bus south (from the W. Central Street stop) to Cocoa Beach, so we could visit Lori Wilson Park. We walked along the shore (dodging rain clouds) and watched the waves crashing to shore (fairly rough surf). Then we walked north to Ron Jon Surf Shop, which is huge and filled with lots of fun items. Next we continued walking north, until we made a pit-stop at the Comfort Inn (just to get out of the rain). Our walk continued northbound until w¬e decided to hop on the Northbound #9 bus to get to the Port area. We exited the bus at the Terminal 1 stop, turned right and walked to Grills Tiki bar for lunch and drinks. I had a Shrimp Cuban and DH had a Lunch Special with Shrimp, Taters and Veggies. Neither of us loved our meal, but they were tasty, none-the-less. With one regular Margarita, and tip, our total was approximately $36.00. Following lunch, we walked back to the Homewood Suites, which is a fairly easy walk via Flounder Street, which becomes Columbia Road (after crossing George King Blvd). We continued southward to Atlantis Road and turned right. Atlantis Rd ends at a sidewalk which winds over to Astronaut Blvd and continues to Homewood Suites.

5:20 am on Saturday, January 14: Look, there’s the Epic! Breakfast offerings today included items similar to yesterday, with scrambled eggs, has browns and Canadian bacon.

Port Canaveral Cruise Terminal: We booked a shuttle from Homewood Suites to get to the port. Cost was $10 for the two of us and was billed to the room. The 888 shuttle arrived around 10:40 am. There was a family of 5 and one other couple who were boarded, then we left Homewood Suites at 10:50.

We were dropped-off at 11:10 AM. We gave our luggage to a porter, tipped, and got in line at 11:15 AM. Passing through Security took less than 10 minutes. Getting to a port agent’s desk (Platinum line) took only a few minutes.

Check-In at that desk took another 7-8 minutes. We were directed to take a seat until they called Platinum guest. (Boarding was based upon 1) Haven (separate waiting area), 2) Platinum, 3) guests needing assistance (Wheel chairs, etc.), 4) Gold, 5) Silver, 6) Bronze.

Embarkation: Around 11:45 am Platinum guests were called. As we headed toward the gang-way, there was a ship’s photographer offering to take pictures. However, it did not appear that any special screen was set-up.

NCL EPIC: First impressions onboard…. NCL employees were available upon entering deck 7, but they were not pushing to head to any particular deck. Some did say “Garden Café is open.” We headed to the pool deck and each got a drink at Waves. Then we headed to Taste and enjoyed a peaceful and delicious lunch. Afterwards, we walked around a bit and headed to deck ten when “the rooms are available” announcement was made.

Stateroom: We went to our Mini-suite stateroom 10274 at approximately 1:45 pm. We found our Room Steward, Barry, finishing up. DH commented that we did not get robes… not that he uses them. They arrived on Sunday!

Location: Deck 10, Port-side (left), Aft (back), just a sh¬ort walk from the aft stairwell. Easy and quiet. Port-side (left) stairwells have Orange-framed mirrors on each deck, Starboard-side (right) have Blue-framed mirrors on each deck (port and starboard also reflected the orange or blue, along with tan and brown in their respective hallway carpeting). I cannot comment much about elevators, since DH and I almost always take stairs.

Bed: Our room had the bed near the bathroom area. We both found the bed to be rather comfortable. The length was not an issue for us, but we are not tall. The pillows are more firm than either of us are used to sleeping on, but we made do.

Shower: Long and narrow (5’ x 29” at the widest section), with a rain-shower head. The only thing we would have liked would be towel bars instead of small hooks, but we understand why they avoided the bars.

Toilet area = 42” x 29” at widest point: Same basic toilet as on every NCL ship. The frosted glass did not bother us.

Sink: While small, we had no major problems (after turning the water off, the drain would “burp” for a while).

Storage: OMG, there are bins, plenty of shelves, and drawers (at the sink), and three different places to hang clothing! DH hung everything he wanted, I could have used (but did not “need”) 3-5 more hangers.

Balcony: Nice-size (6’ x 9’), with a small table and two chairs…loved it! We enjoyed some spectacular views during the week.

Room Steward: Barry was efficient, welcoming, quick and thorough.

Restaurants:

Manhattan Room (Main Dining): Dinner on Saturday evening was the normal first night crazy. We had a 5:30 reservation, but just trying to get to the reception desk at MDR was a bit of a wait. Eventually, we were seated somewhat near the aft windows at a 4-top table, yet an entire row of 2-tops were left empty… odd! Our orders were taken, we got our salads (Bib lettuce with pecans and Gorgonzola and a traditional Caesar) and our entrees (Grilled Shrimp with white rice and broccoli, and a New York Strip “Dinah” with scalloped potatoes and broccoli) in a timely manner. We skipped having drinks and dessert, so we could shoot over to the theater to see The Epic Beatles.

Le Bistro: Sunday evening, we enjoyed the first of 2 Platinum meals at Le Bistro. Our reservation was for 5:30. DH loved the Mushroom Soup and the Filet de Boeuf (beef steak). I enjoyed a Frisee salad and the Dover Sole. On Wednesday we again had our 5:30 reservation. DH had the Mushroom soup again and the Sole. I had Stuffed artichoke and Coq Au Vin.

Taste (Main Dining): We ate lunch here on Embarkation Day. I had a salad and crab-stuffed potato skins… yum! DH enjoyed a Caesar salad and a shrimp dish. On Tuesday evening we ate dinner at 5:30. I had a salad and the Chicken Kiev… both excellent! DH had a Caesar Salad and Cavatelli with clams in a garlic creamy sauce. He loved both.

O’Sheehan’s: Breakfast here on the morning of Cozumel… We both ordered the Country Breakfast consisting of 2eggs, pile of bacon, 1 sausage link, 2 hash-rounds, baked tomato, beans… and toast we never received.

Food: DH and I constantly say that we just don’t understand why there are so many complaints about food! Maybe having grown-up in large families, and military life, made us grateful for “three-square meals daily!” With that said, while some of the food could look “tired” at some buffet tables, overall, we found the Garden Café, Great Outdoors, and Spice H2O to serve sufficient variety for the main-stream palate. We appreciate the wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, fresh and varied breads, and multiple varieties of meats, pastas, rice dishes, etc. We found ourselves returning to the Garden Buffet for breakfast most days.

Bars: I had a plan to follow regarding the UBP, which meant I would try every “Drink of the Day” and also try drinks I ordinarily would not think of ordering! With that in mind, on Saturday, I ordered the Daydreamer’s Daiquiri. Sunday was a Long Island Iced Tea. Monday was Rebellious Fish. Tuesday was The Painkiller (needed that one!) Wednesday was Bahama Mama. Thursday was Moscow Mule. Friday was Signature Mai Tai (they were NOT available on GSC).

Drinks included in UBP (that I also tried): Aviator, Bacardi Mojito, Basil Cucumber Twist, Bushwhacker, Emperor’s Nectar, Mango Meltdown, Matador, Mudslide, and a few that I neglected to write down (and therefore, don’t recall).

DH mostly stuck to Gin and tonic, Negroni, Perfect Margarita, red wines, and a Johnny Walker Black/Rocks.

We both found Flordeliza Bolivar (Head Wine Steward) from the Philippines, to be the best bartender for our tastes. We found her during the afternoons, several days, at the Waves bar.

Shows:

Priscilla Queen of the Desert – I loved the costumes, the set, the performers. Everything was well-done and done remarkably well!

Burn the Floor – Once again, the set and costumes are phenomenal!!! Burn the floor is pulse-setting… awesome!

The Epic Beatles - We saw them on Embarkation night in the Epic Theater. They are crowd pleasers for certain!

Other entertainment: The comedians Mia Jackson and Bob Kubota are each quite funny and enjoyable. The music and entertainment on the pool deck was nice, although, we did not hang-out there much. We played BINGO on the first morning and the final afternoon. Although pricey, BINGO provides a fun diversion for us onboard occasionally. We watched parts of other activities, but didn’t hang around long. The more crowded and noisy those events were, the less I enjoyed them. Especially when I got bumped or had my feet stepped on.

Spice H2O: Each afternoon we visited, it was crowded: however, for the most part, it was a fairly quiet area. Grill selections were available on the Port-side. The bar was always hopping. Unfortunately for us, the bar area is also the SMOKING section. The pool was quite warm on the one afternoon that I went in. We also viewed a movie here one evening, which was a pleasant change of pace for us.

Noteworthy on the EPIC: As others have posted, we found the lack of walking spaces to be limiting. The fitness center makes up for that with a wide variety of equipment (timing to use them is everything!!!) The “secret stairs” were not particularly impressive for us, but it was fun to check them out. The Casino was okay, smoky to me, but tolerable with my usually quick pace. Overall, we had a wonderful vacation, consumed some fabulous food and drinks, met some great people (special greetings to Andrea and Jon), saw some fantastic shows and performers, and enjoyed the lovely islands. We most likely will not book the Epic again, but that is because we enjoy other NCL ships more.

PORTS

Cozumel, Mexico: Having been to Cozumel more than six times before, we decided that we would venture-out “On Our Own” (O.O.O.) for the day. We had walked to the Money Bar two years ago, and knew that we wanted to do that again. Carrying our snorkel gear, the walk took us about an hour and a half to get there from the ship and Punta Langosta Pier (we believe the distance is 4.5 + miles). The water felt fabulous when we went in. It is easy entry to the water and fish are abundant all around (think Caribbean colors)! I found some beautiful corals that I had never seen before, but I did not have a water-proof camera to take any pictures (darn it!) We decided to take a taxi back, since the afternoon had warmed considerably. The taxi driver said we walked over 10K… (Maybe?!)

George Town, Cayman Islands: We have also been to Grand Cayman several times, so again, we ventured O.O.O. Carrying our snorkel gear, we headed to Sunset House at 390 S Church St, via Church Street, for about 1 mile. We enjoyed the sea life we found here, but decided to head to Seven Mile Beach. Once we walked past the port, we hailed a bus, which took us only as far as Calico Jack’s (cost: $5 US for both of us, one-way). We headed to the beach to enjoy some beautiful warm sand and sea! When we had enough of that, we headed back towards town, walking along the beach. Overall, we figure we walked about 6 + miles this day. IF you want to walk from the port to a close public beach, it is easily done by turning left after leaving the pier. Walk north until you see a small sign that says public (or beach) access. I remember there was one of these just north of the Burger King, but if you are inclined, there are more along the way as you head further north.

Ocho Rios, Jamaica: We decided to keep things “simple” for the day, so we walked into town to see, Turtle River Falls and Gardens. The walk was much longer than the “12 minutes” that Google had estimated! If you can’t walk up the entire ship’s stairs from deck 4 to 15, DON’T try walking to TRFG!!! Anyway, we were “picked-up” (joined us on our walk) by 2 men who started telling us about the area, the flora, etc. We couldn’t lose them! We were led up, up, up the hill to a (in my opinion) “suspicious” entrance where we gave the “guard” $20 each for DH and I. The 4 of us then wandered through the garden area seeing the falls and learning about agriculture. We declined further excursion as DH was quite winded. That’s when we found out that the 2 gentlemen wanted $40 each for their escort. We offered them the $28 that we had left between the 2 of us, and headed down the hill on our own. We were not happy with the situation, definitely learned a lesson, and want others to know what to be aware of.

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (Berry Islands): We had been to GSC several times previously. However, the last time we were on the island was May 2012. There certainly have been many remarkable changes since then! Most notable: The grounds have been updated with:

Cabanas on the Cay have more than doubled in price since we last visited. A pre-booked Large Cabana would have cost us $499.00 at 90 days prior to cruise, but went up to $599 at some point prior to embarkation (the price can vary for different ships and dates). Small Cabanas costs were $549 during this cruise. Clamshells (shade) can be rented for the day @ $35 which are set-up over two lounge chairs. There are multiple locations open to rent them.

More water sports and excursions have been added. The Snorkeling has been expanded to include the Underwater Sculpture Garden. We snorkeled near the small cabanas, so I cannot remark on the Sculpture Garden. The Stingray Encounter is new, but we saw a small sting ray at the beach where we snorkeled, so we are happy.

Float mats can be rented for $15 each (all day)

More bars are open and an additional eating pavilion was added. “Included” food venues: Abaco Taco and Jumbey Beach Grill. (Ala Carte at Jimmy Buffets Margaretville.) We ate lunch at Abaco Taco, where beef, chicken and fish tacos are available with guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo, onions, peppers, and cabbage slaw available on the side.

Drinks included in UBP on GSC are available at: Patron Bar, Bacardi Bar, Lighthouse Beach Bar, and Bertram’s Bar.

The tender back to the ship took a long time to fill.

Final evening on Epic: Sadly, we packed on Friday afternoon and then enjoyed a quiet dinner at Taste. We realized that we never did take either of our Celebration cards (for cakes) to any of the restaurants for my birthday and his retirement. (That’s okay, we still have the cards as souvenirs and we both had fewer calories to burn off!) We walked around a bit, and then decided to just go back to the room early.

Disembarkation: We were back in Port Canaveral by 5:00 am. Easy Walk Off started early. Our Yellow (Platinum status) tags were called before 8 am (maybe 7:40). We were off the ship, gathered our 2 suitcases, and had cleared Customs by 8!

Shuttle to MCO: We had several texts with Smart Two, first telling us our driver would be Thomas, next stating that he would be around in a few minutes. After about 20 minutes, we texted back asking if maybe we were at the wrong place. Nope, the traffic into the port was particularly slow. When the silver Smart-Two van showed up, Thomas had first stopped at another ship to pick up another couple. DH and I got on, along with a family of four, and off we headed to MCO, which took under 45 minutes. (Thomas never exceeded the speed limit) Again, we were offered water and use of the WIFI and/or power ports. Thank goodness, because for some reason, my phone had not charged-up overnight on the ship! Considering the level of customer service, the fresh new vans, the safe driving practices, and the pleasant professionalism of the drivers, we would highly recommend Smart-Two!

MCO Airport: We were dropped right in front of the Southwest ticketing area. Since our flight was scheduled for 4:05 pm we had lots of time to kill. Eventually, we could drop our bags and proceed through security. With TSA Pre-Check, we got through in a very short amount of time, despite lengthy lines. Once we headed to the appropriate gate area, we found plenty of food options to choose from later in the day. After a delayed departure from MCO due to weather concerns, we were cleared for departure around 4:45 pm. There was some turbulence, but still an overall good flight.

Conclusion: Safely back to Hobby airport, we got our checked bags about 30 minutes after departure from the plane. Next we caught a SPOT shuttle to our car. We received a military discount at the pay booth, and headed north towards home. Happily, our house is neither flooded, nor storm damaged by all that passed through the Houston area since we left here on January 12.

DH just stepped on the scale and urged me to do likewise. Yay, all that walking and stair-climbing paid-off. Neither of us gained weight!

I forgot to mention that, simply put, I am a terrible photographer... my grandchildren (all 7 or younger) take better pictures than I do!!! With any luck, I can talk DH into downloading some photos tomorrow or sometime this week.

Great review! Glad to hear you enjoyed the Epic

Tyvm for your review, sounds like a great cruise.

We board the epic on the 28th.

Cheers

Cecil

What a terrific review. Everything I need to know for my trip in 2 weeks, except for the ports as I am doing the Eastern Caribbean.

I am glad to hear if someone who used Smart Two shuttles. We have them booked and they had good reviews on Yelp, most of the other places scared me.;) When I spoke to them I got a warm fuzzy. I don't see a lot of people using them so it was nice to see that they were reliable.

Thanks for taking the time to write such an informative review.

That was an excellent review ggTexasGal, thanks for taking the time to post it. I chuckled when I read about not getting the toast for breakfast at O’Sheehans. While I enjoyed hanging out at O’Sheehans, eating there could be an adventure in dining. :)

I agree that the “secret stairs” aren’t anything special but I did find it interesting that there would be so much unused space on this ship. I was also surprised to see two loungers in that area on deck 12 starboard side. Perhaps some of the crew hang out there to smoke.

I almost forgot, thank you for the shout-out in your first post. That was very nice of you.

What a terrific review. Everything I need to know for my trip in 2 weeks, except for the ports as I am doing the Eastern Caribbean.

 

I am glad to hear if someone who used Smart Two shuttles. We have them booked and they had good reviews on Yelp, most of the other places scared me.;) When I spoke to them I got a warm fuzzy. I don't see a lot of people using them so it was nice to see that they were reliable.

 

Thanks for taking the time to write such an informative review.

Thank you! If you haven't yet, read Mitsugirly's review from December... so much better than mine and more info (plus fantastic photos) for Eastern Caribbean. Cheers!

That was an excellent review ggTexasGal, thanks for taking the time to post it. I chuckled when I read about not getting the toast for breakfast at O’Sheehans. While I enjoyed hanging out at O’Sheehans, eating there could be an adventure in dining. :)

 

 

I agree that the “secret stairs” aren’t anything special but I did find it interesting that there would be so much unused space on this ship. I was also surprised to see two loungers in that area on deck 12 starboard side. Perhaps some of the crew hang out there to smoke.

 

I almost forgot, thank you for the shout-out in your first post. That was very nice of you.

Toast was not a big issue for us, but like you wrote, there can be some "adventure in dining." I believe you are right about crew (or passengers) hanging out to smoke on aft those stairs... gotta admit, it was quiet there!

Thank you for your enjoyable reviews (and chuckles within)! gg

Tyvm for your review, sounds like a great cruise.

We board the epic on the 28th.

 

Cheers

Cecil

Since you have a good distance to travel, I hope that your journeys are safe and "clear sailing!" Cheers!

Great review! Glad to hear you enjoyed the Epic

Thank you!

Great review!! We will be on her this Saturday.:)

Just off the same Epic sailing, and the New Years cruise on the Pearl. 21 NCL cruises and our first time on the Epic - beautiful fancy ship. Loved everything!! Priscilla and Burn the floor were phenomenal. Staff was fantastic. Very enjoyable cruise. Great review.

Safe sailing

Surprised the ship was in one piece after watching video of previous group of Epic cruisers. Same group in video year before on Devina. Looking forward to this years group video on Epic. Not really..... Kudos to Epic's staff to recover for your cruise.

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Most carpets were still wet from cleaning when we boarded. Staff did some little complaining about extra cleaning, and the previous week's activities. Most were held on pool deck, shops were closed

Safe sailing

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I don't blame the crew for the complaining. They are only human and had to deal with a group that appears to often be vulgar and have little respect for their surroundings. I have heard for years that NCL has been pushing for a younger demographic. They 'corporate' got it this time without regard to the negative consequences the Epic crew endured.

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Port-side (left) stairwells have Orange-framed mirrors on each deck, Starboard-side (right) have Blue-framed mirrors on each deck (port and starboard also reflected the orange or blue, along with tan and brown in their respective hallway carpeting).

Thank you for this information. Someone had mentioned that the port and starboard sides had different colors, but I couldn't get an answer on which color for which side. Thanks again! :)

Final evening on Epic: Sadly, we packed on Friday afternoon and then enjoyed a quiet dinner at Taste. We realized that we never did take either of our Celebration cards (for cakes) to any of the restaurants for my birthday and his retirement. (That’s okay, we still have the cards as souvenirs and we both had fewer calories to burn off!) We walked around a bit, and then decided to just go back to the room early.

 

Disembarkation: We were back in Port Canaveral by 5:00 am. Easy Walk Off started early. Our Yellow (Platinum status) tags were called before 8 am (maybe 7:40). We were off the ship, gathered our 2 suitcases, and had cleared Customs by 8!

 

Shuttle to MCO: We had several texts with Smart Two, first telling us our driver would be Thomas, next stating that he would be around in a few minutes. After about 20 minutes, we texted back asking if maybe we were at the wrong place. Nope, the traffic into the port was particularly slow. When the silver Smart-Two van showed up, Thomas had first stopped at another ship to pick up another couple. DH and I got on, along with a family of four, and off we headed to MCO, which took under 45 minutes. (Thomas never exceeded the speed limit) Again, we were offered water and use of the WIFI and/or power ports. Thank goodness, because for some reason, my phone had not charged-up overnight on the ship! Considering the level of customer service, the fresh new vans, the safe driving practices, and the pleasant professionalism of the drivers, we would highly recommend Smart-Two!

 

MCO Airport: We were dropped right in front of the Southwest ticketing area. Since our flight was scheduled for 4:05 pm we had lots of time to kill. Eventually, we could drop our bags and proceed through security. With TSA Pre-Check, we got through in a very short amount of time, despite lengthy lines. Once we headed to the appropriate gate area, we found plenty of food options to choose from later in the day. After a delayed departure from MCO due to weather concerns, we were cleared for departure around 4:45 pm. There was some turbulence, but still an overall good flight.

Ggtexasgal, tyvm for the info regarding smart two. We were going to take the ncl shuttle, but. Hate how you have to wait for the bus to fill up.

I called smart two because the time and date we wanted was sold out. They were able to accommodate us no problem. Very informative person.

Thanks again Cecil

Great review. I was surprised to hear they board by latitude level. I was hoping they used the number system like Miami so I can get there early to get Posh passes.

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PORTS

 

Great Stirrup Cay, Bahamas (Berry Islands): We had been to GSC several times previously. However, the last time we were on the island was May 2012. There certainly have been many remarkable changes since then! Most notable: The grounds have been updated with:

Cabanas on the Cay have more than doubled in price since we last visited. A pre-booked Large Cabana would have cost us $499.00 at 90 days prior to cruise, but went up to $599 at some point prior to embarkation (the price can vary for different ships and dates). Small Cabanas costs were $549 during this cruise. Clamshells (shade) can be rented for the day @ $35 which are set-up over two lounge chairs. There are multiple locations open to rent them.

 

More water sports and excursions have been added. The Snorkeling has been expanded to include the Underwater Sculpture Garden. We snorkeled near the small cabanas, so I cannot remark on the Sculpture Garden. The Stingray Encounter is new, but we saw a small sting ray at the beach where we snorkeled, so we are happy.

 

Float mats can be rented for $15 each (all day)

 

More bars are open and an additional eating pavilion was added. “Included” food venues: Abaco Taco and Jumbey Beach Grill. (Ala Carte at Jimmy Buffets Margaretville.) We ate lunch at Abaco Taco, where beef, chicken and fish tacos are available with guacamole, lettuce, pico de gallo, onions, peppers, and cabbage slaw available on the side.

 

Drinks included in UBP on GSC are available at: Patron Bar, Bacardi Bar, Lighthouse Beach Bar, and Bertram’s Bar.

 

The tender back to the ship took a long time to fill.

Just to clarify, Margaritaville is up and running on GSC? I read Summer of 2017. That would be nice for our trip next month.

Your review is so informative with many helpful hints. Wish I had read it before we boarded the ship. It took me 3 days before I figured out the color code system for the elevators and carpeting.

I wanted to share with you (and others) the experience we had in Ocho Rios. We, too, were on a mission to go to Turtle River Falls and planned to walk there. After wandering up and down Main Street for a while, we realized our Google map was of no help. We began asking police officers who were quite visible and plentiful. After the 4th person was unable to help, we began approaching cab drivers.

The first driver had no idea, the 2nd told us it was a 20 minute drive (we knew better!) and quoted us $40, and the 3rd knew exactly where we wanted to go and took us there for $5/each. He drove us in past the guard gate and located an employee who collected $20/each and gave us wrist bands.

The admission fee included a tour (about 90 minutes) which was quite informative. After that, we relaxed by the pool and then walked back to the ship which took about 15 minutes - a straight shot down the hill.

We have been to Ocho Rios several times before and have seen all the touristy stuff; therefore, we were very happy with our day. We were there in the afternoon. Did you go in the morning? I wonder if we were there together...............

I am not sure why there is so much confusion and misinformation about directions and transportation. TRF used to be called The Enchanted Gardens, but no one seemed to know about that either.

I'm glad you enjoyed your cruise. We did, too. We boarded with so much apprehension (due to negative reviews), but it was a wonderful week with a dear crew.