The Twists and Turns of my Solo Experience on the Norwegian EPIC (Mar 2-9, 2013)

Hey everyone!

I am just back from my EPIC World Adventure and had an amazing time! I traveled to six different countries and territories in just over three weeks all by myself. I traveled from the ports the EPIC stopped off at (St. Maarten, St. Thomas and Nassau, Bahamas), Tokyo (unplanned detour), Singapore and a small island in Malaysia called Pulau Tioman.

I won't bore you all about all my adventures, since this is a cruise website, but I will entertain you all about my experience on the Norwegian EPIC! There are some twists and turns in my story that some won't expect... So, stay tuned to my review as you all will be entertained - hopefully.

Before I begin, I want to give a little disclaimer. We are all different. Some things that bother me won't bother someone else, some things that bother others won't bother me. If I say things that are critical about Norwegian, the ports or the EPIC, it's because of my own tastes. The experiences I had on the EPIC far far outweigh any negatives I may have had.

Oh, and another disclaimer. I can get long winded. I love to write, so at times I may go into a bit more detail than most people will. My review will probably read more like a story... or novel than a review. So, you may want to hit the print button and print out my review for your bathroom reading, or reading before bed. Just kidding.

And now, a little introduction of who I am!

My name is Zach. I am 29 years old and live just south of Pittsburgh, PA. I love being independent and doing things on my own. I do have some diagnosed anxiety issues. I only mention these because I know a lot of people might hold back on doing solo traveling or solo cruising because of their own anxieties. Hopefully by mentioning mine, some people's minds will be put at ease. I have two phobias, one phobia is a fear of not being able to escape situations - particularly large crowds. The other is odd, and not exactly important. I also have OCD (I count stairs as I'm going up and down, hate odd numbers and I have some issues with my hands) I am also neurotic, which means there are some things I am set in my ways about. I also have a gambling addiction, which I worried about as the cruise got close. If I could go the entire week on the EPIC without gambling, I would be celebrating seven months without a relapse. The question is could I make it?

That is me on board the EPIC.

Traveling to Miami and DAY 1 on Board the EPIC (Mar. 1-2, 2013)

It was a snowy day in Pittsburgh when I left on March 1. I was excited to get out of the cold and into some warmth. I flew nonstop on American Airlines from Pittsburgh to Miami International Airport. My flight was a little delayed, but I got to Miami around 9:00PM. I quickly got my luggage and headed out to find the shuttle to the Comfort Inn and Suites - Miami Airport (not north). It took a little bit for the shuttle to get there, but before I knew it I was at the hotel. It was a decent hotel, good enough for a night's stay. They had a shuttle to the cruise port in the morning at $10 a person. The slots filled up fast and since I was coming in so late, I couldn't leave for the port until noon. I signed up, went up to my room and ordered a pizza from Domino's.

The next morning, I slept in a little bit, even though I had a hard time sleeping. The excitement of seeing all my research of the Norwegian EPIC come true was too much for me to handle. I got down to the lobby for the shuttle a little early, drank a soda and waited. Since I had slept in too late, I missed breakfast. I figured there would be plenty of food on the EPIC once I got on board.

The cruise shuttle left promptly at noon. We were all packed in like a bunch of circus clowns in a Volkswagen Beetle. Luckily for me, since I was sailing solo, they let me sit up front in the passenger seat. As we were pulling away, a guy came running out of the hotel. I looked back at everyone shoulder to shoulder and jokingly said, "is there any room back there?" I guess there was, because he got in without too much moaning.

The stop at the Norwegian EPIC terminal was first because we were the first ship in line. I paid my $10 to the man and went up to the porter. As this as my first time cruising alone, I didn't know I was supposed to tip the guy. As I was walking away, the man called me back and said, "this is where you show me how I did my job. When you get into the terminal, you won't see me again and you let those people know how to do their job. Now is when you show me how my job was." I got the gist of what he was saying, handed him a couple bucks and went into the terminal. I thought it was a bit odd that this guy asked for a tip, but oh well.

I got through security and registration fairly quickly. I'd say I was on the ship within 15 minutes or so. During registration, the woman asked if I was traveling alone. She seemed to be beside herself and said I had more confidence than she does.

We boarded right outside the EPIC Theater. I was mesmerized by all the sights and colors of the ship. I walked past the Headliners bar and saw people leaving their luggage in there, so what I have read on the boards here about that is still true. Since I got to the terminal after noon, I assumed my cabin was ready and decided to run up and check it out. The elevators were pretty busy, so I just used the stairs, which I primarily did the entire week - I counted A LOT!

I was winded by the time I got up to Deck 12. Since I had walked across Deck 6 checking the ship out, I was aft when I got up to Deck 12. I didn't know there was a "special" door to walk through to get into the Studio cabins. I found the even indoor cabins corridor and walked a while down those, but that didn't feel right. I walked out by the elevators and looked at the map that was there. I eventually found the "secret" door and walked the windy maze of corridors through the Studio cabins until I found my cabin #12518. I put my card in the slot and said, "this is it!"

My first impressions of my Studio cabin was "wow! This is awesome!" It was a bit smaller than I had imagined it would be, but that was all right. I knew I wouldn't be spending too much time in my room. I took a few photos before venturing out to see more of the ship.

Some people on the cruise didn't know the little slot that says "welcome" can be changed to different things such as "turn down room," and "do not disturb." I mention that for those that may not know that and are considering the EPIC. This is true for the other room categories I saw on the ship as well.

I had a lot of issues with my toilet room properly working. Even when I waved my hand right in front of the motion sensor it wouldn't turn on sometimes. It didn't bother me that much, so I didn't report it to anyone. The room is so small that sometimes I just left the door open so I didn't feel so enclosed.

One of the reasons I chose my cabin, 12518 was because of it's closeness to the Studio Lounge. There is only a walkway on the second floor of the Studio Lounge, but the stairs to the first floor was right there. I really liked that. At no point during the week could I hear people in the Lounge. I could hear the door sometimes, but it didn't bother me.

I decided to check out the Studio Lounge before heading up to the pool deck. I actually thought the Studio Lounge would look a bit odd before I boarded, but I really enjoyed the decor. I signed my name, state and cabin number on the solo sign up sheet, took some pictures and headed up to the pool deck. There were a couple people sitting in the Lounge. A woman by the name of Pam from the UK was in the Lounge reading her Kindle. This would be her second week on the EPIC.

The bar in the Lounge. It was open a little before the Solo Gatherings each evening. I'm not sure when it actually closed, but I assume it did when most everyone left for their various activities.

I took the stairs up from Deck 12 to the pool deck on Deck 15. I went over to Spice H20, took some more pictures of the ship, Miami and I called my parents to let them know I had made it onto the ship. I like to sleep in, so they were worried I'd sleep too late and miss the ship.

I went over to the Garden Cafe and grabbed something for lunch. I actually wasn't overly hungry - I blame the excitement, so I settled for a hot dog, fries and an iced tea. Those dang glasses were way too small! I had to strategically get more glasses of tea so that they wouldn't think I was finished and take my food away (that actually happened at a buffet in Malaysia towards the end of my adventure). After I ate, I grabbed my first alcoholic beverage for the week, a mojito. It was perfect for the day!

(side note: I noticed prices of drinks varied depending upon where you got it. Mojitos in Spice were more expensive than the Studio Lounge Bar. I also noticed this for other alcoholic beverages I purchased throughout the ship.)

My meeting place for the muster drill was in the Spiegel Tent, so promptly at 3:30, I headed over that way. It was quick and painless.

I ran up all those flights of stairs to watch the sail away. I had heard the Celebrity Reflection had been sailing out first, so I assumed this would be the case this time too. I actually hoped it as, as I enjoy the Reflection and may sail on it some day.

After the Reflection was a safe distance passed, we waved good-bye to Miami! The day was very windy and the wind was chilly. After we were out to sea a bit, I walked down to my Studio cabin, took some Ibuprofen because the wind and cold had given me a headache. I changed into a sweater and jeans. It was about 5:00PM and when I walked passed the Studio Lounge upstairs, I heard people already starting to congregate downstairs. After I changed, I went down, ordered another mojito and sat at the bar with several other people. Unfortunately their names have slipped my mind as I only saw one of them once again the entire week.

Vianney was our Solo Coordinator. She is from Mexico and very pretty. She told us if we wanted to join the meeting to walk over to another area of the Lounge and have a seat. I grabbed my mojito, found an empty table and sat down. Even though only a fraction of the people in Studios showed up to the gathering, I was surprised how many people were there, and I was surprised at the different backgrounds of everyone. There was a wide range of ages and countries. Vianney's brother and father were on board in the Studios. I think she said it had been several years since she had seen them. It was nice to see them spend the week with her.

For an ice breaker, Vianney had us do the name game, where one person says their name and something about themselves and then the next person has to say their name plus the other people's that went before them names. I have to memorize names for my job, so I actually had a difficult time with this. I was only the fourth person to go and forgot the woman in front of me's name! I didn't forget her name the rest of the week.

Vianney said if we wanted to eat as a large group she could get us into Taste at 6:00PM. This was a lot earlier than I had planned to eat, because after the Solo Gathering, I wanted to go to the Friends of Dorothy meeting at 7. I ended up having dinner at 6 because I figured it would be the best time to start meeting people. Man, was I right!

I sat at a table with people that were a bit older than me, but it didn't bother me one bit. The people I sat with came from different professions, and one was from Michigan, one was from Quebec and the other two who happened to be friends were from Toronto. I ordered a glass of wine for myself, had the spring rolls with sweet and sour sauce, surf and turf and key lime pie. The spring rolls were very delicious. I actually ended up having them twice during the week. The lobster was a good size and very good. I was expecting something very small because of what people had mentioned on Cruise Critic before I went, but I thought the tail wasn't that small. The lobster I had at Red Slobster a week before was much smaller. I wasn't impressed with my steak at all. It was overdone and very small. That doesn't mean I didn't finish it though. Barb, the woman from Toronto went to the restroom and when she came back, she had another tail in her hand. We all got a bit jealous and ordered another tail each. The key lime pie was a huge disappointment. It didn't taste like key lime pie and no one thought it was actually key lime. We found out as the week went on that no one enjoyed that pie.

After we finished dessert, we sat around talking for a little while longer. When we started getting restless, I looked around and noticed all the other solo travelers were gone and we were the only table left. 2 1/2 hours had passed!

We separated for the evening and I walked around for a while. I was still a little hungry, so I headed over to O'Sheehans for a beer and some fried cheese sticks. They were very good. I wanted to eat them again later in the week, but never got around to it. I had two or three beers at O'Sheehans before heading over to Howl at the Moon.

Howl at the Moon is just like a bar my friends and I frequented while I lived in Springfield, Missouri. A bunch of memories came rushing back and I felt at home. I really enjoyed the show and it gets far better after 11:00PM when all the little kids have to go home. A couple of older guys started "wrestling" in front of the pianos. I'm not sure if they were wrestling or dancing, but they got made fun of the rest of the evening and were called gay by the pianists several times. I know how dueling piano bars are, so it didn't surprise me. For those that don't know, they're usually raunchy and make fun of people in the audience. They are a by request type of bar, so you have to request songs for them to sing so they have something to do. I really enjoyed my time there.

I wouldn't call them the best dueling piano show in the world, I'd leave that title to my friend's bar in Missouri... but I'm probably a bit biased.

I headed off to Bliss to check out the scene up there after Howl at the Moon was over. There were a couple people I noticed from the solo gathering, but I didn't say anything to them. I stayed up there for a little bit before deciding to get a late night snack. I went over to O'Sheehans for some fish and chips. They were really good, especially with the malt vinegar. I had wished their side of coleslaw was bigger, because I really enjoyed it. I think it was about 2 or 2:30 in the morning when I got there. The three pianists from Howl at the Moon were sitting at a table near me. I was going to introduce myself, but I was feeling the alcohol, and didn't want to make a fool of myself. I also heard one of the guys mentioning the guys they were making fun of earlier in the night. One of the guys asked if the two men wrestling were really gay and then said, "they have to be, they have to be!" To me, I didn't know why it really mattered if they were or not. I'm sure there are plenty of gay people on the ship on any number of sailings.

After I ate, I headed back through the Studio Lounge, where two people were sitting in there talking. Karen from the UK and Ed from New York. We talked for quite a while. I felt like a goof because I had drank A LOT that day and was probably obviously drunk. Before I knew it, the time was after 3:00AM and I was exhausted. I went back up to my room and fell asleep pretty quickly.

I'm going to add some more pictures to the review in the following posts since I didn't know there was a limit to how many you can have in one post.

This concludes the first couple of days of my EPIC adventure. I hope you have enjoyed it so far and stay tuned for the some twists and turns that happen along the way.

I absolutely loved my shower! I could see where people didn't like the design of the shower if you were sharing your room. I enjoyed that it kept hot water as I love to take long showers.

The bar at in the Studio Lounge. I think I put it in my review above that they are only open during the gathering and shortly after it.

I'm enjoying your review. If you have the info on the rest of your trip somewhere, I'd like to read that as well! :)

. . . Before I begin, I want to give a little disclaimer. We are all different. Some things that bother me won't bother someone else, some things that bother others won't bother me. If I say things that are critical about Norwegian, the ports or the EPIC, it's because of my own tastes. The experiences I had on the EPIC far far outweigh any negatives I may have had.

Great disclaimer. Well said. :)

Glad to hear that is was an overall enjoyable cruise vacation, and I'll look forward to reading more of your experiences.

Was Domnic still onboard as your cabin steward?

Yes we all have our phobias/quirks, with many never being admitted. I despise the time 11:11, and the date November 11, but with my screen name, it surprises many to hear that.

Thanks, again, for posting your upcoming comments.

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I'm enjoying your review. If you have the info on the rest of your trip somewhere, I'd like to read that as well! :)

Thank you :) This is actually the first post I have made about my trip at all. I am planning to start a blog up about my other adventures. I noticed you have your web site in your signature... which I remember looking through before my cruise :) I assume you can add your blog sites to your signature and it not be considered advertising? I'll add my blog address to my signature so you can check out all my other adventures and photos. I probably won't get around to that until this weekend or next week.

Great disclaimer. Well said. :)

 

Glad to hear that is was an overall enjoyable cruise vacation, and I'll look forward to reading more of your experiences.

 

Was Domnic still onboard as your cabin steward?

 

Yes we all have our phobias/quirks, with many never being admitted. I despise the time 11:11, and the date November 11, but with my screen name, it surprises many to hear that.

 

Thanks, again, for posting your upcoming comments.

 

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Thanks :) I also wanted to add to the disclaimer that I am going to mention things that may annoy other people but didn't necessarily bother me.

That is really interesting that you don't like 11, but have it in your screen name.

Im enjoying your review very much, and I appreciate your honesty. I will be sailing on the Epic in November, travelling solo, and in a studio. I also count steps among other things! Looking forward to more of your review, and the twists and turns along the way.:)

Thank you :) This is actually the first post I have made about my trip at all. I am planning to start a blog up about my other adventures. I noticed you have your web site in your signature... which I remember looking through before my cruise :) I assume you can add your blog sites to your signature and it not be considered advertising? I'll add my blog address to my signature so you can check out all my other adventures and photos. I probably won't get around to that until this weekend or next week.

 

To my knowledge it's fine, as long as it's not a business. If you were an agency with a blog there might be an issue.--- Looking forward to reading it, once you post it.

I too, am enjoying your perspective on a ship that we thoroughly enjoyed sailing on!

Thank you for sharing......and also thank-you for sharing that you have quirks and foibles, as we all do! I, too, am quite an anxious person and worry if I have nothing to worry about, and as we are new to cruising, boy can I worry!! :o

Looking forward to hearing more! :)

Zactak...thanks for sharing your experiences and being so open about your personal life. That honesty always helps build a better review!

I look forward to hearing more about the trip. We loved the Epic for the type and size of ship. I lean towards the smaller type, but it is like going to the movies...if you know you are going in to see a romantic comedy, then you won't be disappointed when it does not end up being worthy of an Academy Award.

What a wonderful review thus far! And the pictures! Keep it coming!

Can't wait to read the rest. Would also love to read about your other adventures ( we were in China for 2 wks in Sept and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would!)

I also suffer from pretty bad anxiety/panic attacks and one thing I would NEVER do is travel alone :( So kudos for you to overcoming that! ;)

Great review so far. Love your writing style. And no you are not too wordy, just perfect.:) Keep it coming.

Zack welcome home from your adventures!

Thanks for posting your review! I remember you asking about the casino before you left, I hope things worked out for you,

I was on the sailing after yours and some who were on your cruise (Toni) said our group of solos was completely different from the one the week before. I guess your group was a lot closer and more friendly? We had a much smaller group and we did a lot more stuff off on our own. But all in all it was a great time.

To my knowledge it's fine, as long as it's not a business. If you were an agency with a blog there might be an issue.--- Looking forward to reading it, once you post it.

Can't wait to read the rest. Would also love to read about your other adventures ( we were in China for 2 wks in Sept and I enjoyed it way more than I thought I would!)

 

I also suffer from pretty bad anxiety/panic attacks and one thing I would NEVER do is travel alone :( So kudos for you to overcoming that! ;)

I went ahead and added my travel blog to my signature. I haven't updated too much yet, just an intro. My blog posts about the Epic are going to be different and probably have more pictures on them. It'll probably be a week or two before I get anything started on anything beyond the cruise on my blog.

Russianmom, that's really cool! The people I sat in front of from Tokyo to Detroit were coming back from China. I didn't want to deal with visas and all that.

Enjoying your review so far.

Thanks, everyone! I'm glad to hear you all are enjoying my review. If I can stay awake, I plan to write days 2 and 3 later tonight or tomorrow. I'm struggling from jet lag and ready for bed now... lol.

Zack welcome home from your adventures!

Thanks for posting your review! I remember you asking about the casino before you left, I hope things worked out for you,

 

I was on the sailing after yours and some who were on your cruise (Toni) said our group of solos was completely different from the one the week before. I guess your group was a lot closer and more friendly? We had a much smaller group and we did a lot more stuff off on our own. But all in all it was a great time.

Yeah, we had a really big group and a lot of us stuck together. Toni was actually the name I forgot during the name game. Didn't forget it the rest of the week... Lol. It was a great group that we had. People were always hanging out with each other and everyone as very welcoming. We all did kind of have our own smaller groups that would hang out, but we weren't like cliques and anyone was welcome into the smaller groups. A group of us are actually already planning a reunion cruise.

Your review is great so far- how would you compare your overall Epic experience to the rest of your trip?

Was Domnic still onboard as your cabin steward?

 

Sorry, I just realized I didn't answer your question. Yes, I did have Dominic. He was really nice. I came back to my room to change and he was cleaning it. I was heading to the lounge and he told me he was almost done and I could just come in. We talked for a few minutes.

He called me by a different name though. I know he has to know a lot of names, so I never corrected him. He called me by my last name with an N added to it. My last name with an N added is a common unisex name.

Your review is great so far- how would you compare your overall Epic experience to the rest of your trip?

Thank you :) my cruise was by far the highlight of my adventure. The people I met in the studios made the cruise for me. I would have had a great time without them, but my new friends made the cruise even better. I love cruising and being on the water too. The other thing is I am really finicky when it comes to food. I'm really picky. When I was in Singapore and Malaysia it was a challenge finding food I was willing to eat. It usually took at least an hour in Singapore. On the cruise, I looked forward to eating. I kept wishing I was still on the cruise throughout my entire vacation.

great to read and see the photos, going on the Epic in a little over a week - can't wait

Well, I finished the things around the house I wanted to and I need to try to stay awake for a few more hours, so I have decided to grace you all with yet another part of my review.

I actually forgot to mention that when I got into my room the first night, I had a really hard time breathing. At first I thought it was a panic attack, but I realized I was having an allergic reaction to something. My nose was stuffy, I was sneezing and my nose was running. I'm not sure what caused the reaction, but I took some Benadryl and went to sleep. Luckily I brought some with me! It didn't happen again the rest of the week.

On Sunday, day 2, I wasn't feeling too hot. I woke up around 8 in the morning and threw up. I thought it was seasickness, but I don't get seasick. Now that I look back I think it was probably a bit of a hangover. I set my alarm for about 10:30 so I could go to the Cruise Critic Meet and Greet, but I just wasn't feeling up to it... so if any of those people that were hoping to meet me on the cruise, that's why I wasn't there. I went back to sleep and ended up sleeping most of the day. I was just not feeling well at all. It was beyond just being hung over. I woke up around 5PM and ate dinner at the Garden Cafe by myself. I ran into a group of solos in the Lounge getting ready to head to dinner. I stayed and chatted for a few minutes before going back up to my cabin. They invited me to dinner, but I declined. I had Blue Man Group scheduled for tonight, but I ended up going back to sleep around 7 and slept through the night.

On Monday, I was feeling a lot better. It was another sea day. I got up and had a light breakfast at the Garden Cafe. I grabbed my iPad and found a lounger to sit back and read on. It was another windy day and kind of chilly... the weather was still nicer than what I would have been experiencing at home. I actually used my towel to cover up my legs. I spent a few hours finishing a book I had started a few weeks before. After I finished my book, I went and got the drink of the day... a pina colada. I love pina coladas.

While I was drinking my pina colada at the bar in Spice H2O, I ran into Ed from the other night. He and I talked for a little bit and once I finished my drink, I left Ed behind in search of some lunch at the Garden Cafe.

This is where I have the first twist in my week on the EPIC. I wanted to make sure that since my vacation was so long that I documented what I did and any thoughts I may have had. I was using this vacation not just as a time to relax, but as a time to grow as a person and to challenge myself. My goal was to write in the journal everyday, but that didn't happen. I did review each day, but sometimes a few days would pass before I had time to write. I hadn't written at all since being on the cruise, so I decided to take some time out in the Studio Lounge to write. When I came in, I was the only person in the Lounge. I found a seat, sat down and started writing. A solo traveler I had met on the first night came in, sat next to me and we talked for a little bit. He departed after a little bit in search of lunch. I continued my writing.

I was sitting under the walkway for the 2nd level of the Lounge when I heard the door to the Lounge upstairs open. There was some "breaking news" on the TV about a plane in Cahokia, Illinois having landing gear troubles. An older man in his 70's or 80's stopped up there to watch the TV. He saw me and waved.

Around the same time, a woman had also walked in. She asked if I had an extra pen. I told her I had one in my cabin and could get it for her. She declined and looked around the bar area for one. I told her it wouldn't be a problem because my room was right at the top of the stairs. She said OK and I ran up the stairs to get my pen.

On the way back down, the older man who had a cane and glasses started a conversation with me. Something was off about this guy, but I couldn't quite put my finger on what it was. I was getting a vibe from him and I was very uncomfortable. I worked with juvenile delinquents and psychiatric patients, so I have a pretty good feel on body language.

The old man told me that he lived in Cahokia, IL. I told him I was originally from St. Louis, which isn't too far from Cahokia. He continued on telling me about how his wife was in a nursing home and his children had encouraged him to take a vacation, which is why he was on the cruise by himself. He then said something kind of quietly. I heard what he said, but I wasn't 100% sure I heard it right. I said, "excuse me?" and he repeated himself. He was asking for a sexual favor. I was beside myself and just told him I wasn't interested and walked off. Even as I was walking away he was still trying to talk me into it. I handed the woman her pen, told her what just happened and went back to my writing. I saw the man one other time on the cruise, but that was it.

I grappled with myself on whether to report him or not. My main concern was that he could be asking children or teenagers to do things with him and it made me uncomfortable. I didn't necessarily want to report him because I wanted to get him in trouble, but I wanted Norwegian to be aware that it was happening. Some other people I told had encouraged me to report him, but I ended up just letting it go. One of the fellow solo travelers I told actually told me that the same man had asked him for a favor too! I don't know if he asked anyone else besides the two of us.

After I finished my writing, I went back up to the pool deck and walked around. They were having salsa lessons on the top deck and I ran into another solo person. She asked me why I wasn't up there dancing and I told her I'm not a big dancer. She said that when she has enough to drink, she doesn't care what she does. I laughed and moved on. I walked back to Spice H20 and ran into Susan. She was one of the people I had dinner with on the first night. We talked for about an hour or so about anything and everything before walking back down to our cabins to get ready for the solo gathering.

I had met ms7901 (Mike) earlier in the day when I was walking back to my cabin. He was walking back to his and called out my name. He said he could recognize me from my picture on here. At the solo gathering, he introduced me to a couple other people that were on Cruise Critic and in the solo cabins. They told me a couple of guys from here wanted to talk to me about an excursion I had booked. They couldn't remember which cabin was theirs though, so sorry to those guys if they are reading! That's why I never got to you guys.

Our large solo group decided to go to Taste for dinner. A woman by the name of Lilly joined us for dinner tonight. She was from Springfield, Missouri. Springfield is where I went to college and up until a year and a half ago lived in for just over seven years. She actually worked with and was friends with a psychiatrist I worked with while I worked with juvenile delinquents. What a small world it was!

Susan and Lilly mentioned they were going to watch Blue Man Group tonight. I asked if they cared if I tagged along. They were more than happy to let me go along with them. Since I didn't have a reservation for tonight, I knew I would have to wait in the queue to see if there was room to let me in. When we met, one of the ladies that was letting people into the theater said I would have to wait until 10 minutes before the show to see if there was enough room. I asked her where I can stand to wait. She asked for my card and scanned it in. She told me I could just go ahead in with Susan and Lilly. I was surprised she did this and very thankful.

Sundried Tomato Quiche

I think this was the pot roast.

One of my favorite desserts, Tiramisu. I could have eaten five of these!

Where to start with Blue Man... I hated it. I was actually going to walk out I was so grossed out and bored, but Lilly beat me to it. She asked Susan if this was how it was the entire time and Susan said, "pretty much." After that Lilly got up and left. I didn't want to leave Susan there alone - although she probably wouldn't have minded.

It's sort of weird that I didn't like Blue Man Group, because I always love that drawn out awkward humor. I found their skits to be too long and drawn out and boring. As I mentioned earlier, I am neurotic. There are some things that I just believe and there's no changing my mind about it... one of those things is that I find spitting to be absolutely disgusting. When they were spitting paint onto canvases I wanted to throw up. I was literally gagging at times. When they were throwing the marshmallows into each other's mouths, I was disgusted when that guy put his marshmallow mountain on the canvas. Ugh... I hate to even think about it now. My other issue is that as I said before, I have a fear of not being able to escape situations. Every time the Blue Man Group were choosing people from the audience, I got very anxious that I would be chosen. I kept thinking about what I would tell them if I did get chosen. I wouldn't have gone up there and wouldn't want to make a scene. Finally, the show ended and I couldn't have been more relieved.

I ran into a group of solo travelers in the Bliss Lounge after the show. We hung out up there for a while before going up to Spice H20. After a while, we went back down to Bliss and ended up calling it a night. We were starting to see a theme though. The same people were showing up for the late night activities.

The group went back to the Studio Lounge. Some of us got some coffee, while others got some water. We ended up hanging out down there for a while. A couple of guys that didn't go to any of the solo gatherings walked by and started talking to us. This ended up turning into a late night discussion. We were learning more about each other and some of it got down right philosophical. I swore to myself earlier in the evening that I would go to bed at a decent hour. It was after three again when I finally headed back to my stateroom. I was exhausted, but it was yet another great day.

All right folks, I think that's it for now. I killed an hour or so and it's closer to a time I think I could safely go to sleep. Stay tuned, because these weren't the first twists and turns in my time on the EPIC.

I really like your review, it's very interesting. Keep up the great work!

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I am looking forward to more. I was on the epic from the 9th to the 16th and we heard about that weird guy you mentioned. From what I heard, security ended up having contact with him.

I really, really wish you would have reported that guy.

I am looking forward to more. I was on the epic from the 9th to the 16th and we heard about that weird guy you mentioned. From what I heard, security ended up having contact with him.

I'm not sure if security actually ended up contacting him, but they were made aware of him.

I really, really wish you would have reported that guy.

Oh, stay tuned ;) it gets "better"